2. Long Shots and Wide Angle
Shots are used frequently
throughout this video to
connote the enormity of the
apocalyptic city and to give a
cinematic feel. The first sign
that we get of this being set
in a post apocalyptic city is
from the very first shot we
get- with the bands lead
singer, Dan Smith, stood on
the very top of a large,
concrete building that looks
down over the city.
The camera tracks diagonally
to close in on the band
member to signify the scale
of the city he is in. This scale
and the idea of the
characters vulnerability is key
to the songs meaning and to
the story that unravels in the
video.
Shot type and movement:
Tracking, Wide Shot.
Music/lyrics: -
3. Shot type and movement:
Stationary, Wide Shot.
Music/lyrics: -
We then get a shot of Dan with his
back to us, facing the city and giving
us a view of a beautiful city skyline.
Pompeii is a city in Italy that was
destroyed by the eruption of the
volcano Mount Vesuvius but to
modernise this for a young target
audience, the setting is of a modern
day city. The song reflects upon this
event and the video takes it further
with the idea that the ash not only
destroyed the city but turned peoples
eyes black which is seen later in the
video.
It also later comes apparent that the
character witnesses this trauma and
is trying to escape it which makes
these numerous wide shots more
important- they are signifying the
scale of devastation and of what the
character is trying to escape from.
All these elements suggest early on
that this video aims to capture the
audience by its storytelling and artistry
which is stereotypical of this bands
work.
4. With a muted colour palette
and lighting, the shots
continue to have a cinematic,
storytelling feel with very little
performance elements which
include a small amount of lip
syncing that keeps the feel of
this being a music video but
without steering away from
the context of the narrative.
With little light and decoration
of the sets, the dark emotions
of the songs meaning is
maintained as the feelings
are portrayed through the
gloom of the darkness.
The emptiness also reflects
the lyrics as its suggests “I
was left, to my own devices”.
Shot type and movement:
Stationary, Wide Shot.
Music/lyrics: - “I was left, to my own
devices. Many days, fell away with
nothing to show.”
5. The few shots highlight the abandoned setting
that the character is inhabiting and the
darkness that has been brought over the city
which is shown through the night time
dimness.
As the songs rhythm gets faster, the amount
of shots increase compared to the longer few
second shots we get at the beginning of the
video. This not only increases the anticipation
for the audience but also highlights the
urgency of the character.
At this point of the video, the character has
not yet reached danger and so establishing,
stationary shots are used to simply portray the
characters whereabouts and to show the
emptiness and scale once again.
Shot type and movement:
Stationary, establishing shot.
Music/lyrics: - “And the walls kept
tumbling down in the city that we love.”
6. We reach the middle of the
song and the beat gets faster
and the story increases in
intensity. We follow Dan
through the use of a handheld
camera which puts us into the
situation- as if we are running
away with him. This is typical
of an action film scene and so
we get that sense of cinematic
storytelling once more.
With such energy seen on
screen, the bands music
playing over the top also
becomes much more
energised and this action feel
captures the audience and
promotes the song as a
thrilling and exciting.
We can also see here that
Dan is running through an
Arcade. This again highlights
the characters loneliness and
the cities devastation as
Amusement Arcades are
generally filled with people.
Shot type and movement:
Tracking, Long Shot
Music/lyrics: - “And the walls kept
tumbling down in the city that we love.
Great clouds all over the hills bringing
darkness from above.”
7. This wide shot highlights
numerous points including
the wind turbines which
suggest that this was once
a thriving, modern city.
This shot also includes
dead plants that the
character is running
through and so the
semantic field of death,
loneliness and destruction
continues throughout the
video.
With Dan running through
such an empty, dead
place, the shot also
suggests that he is lost
and confused and doesn't
know what to do for the
best.
Shot type and movement:
Stationary, Wide Angle Shot.
Music/lyrics: - “And if you
close your eyes.”
8. The final shot is one that mirrors
the very first- with a close up of
Dan. Here we see that the
destruction of the city and the
erupting of the volcano has finally
overcome the character and his
eyes have glazed over black.
As this shot mirrors the first, we
can clearly see how the video was
split into a beginning, middle and
an end which leads us to the idea
again of this video being very
cinematic and of its purpose being
to tell the story that the lyrics of the
song tell.
Shot type and movement:
Stationary, Close Up.
Music/lyrics: - .
