A dusty strip light flickers on and off in time with jarring techy beats, to reveal a long, decrepit corridor. The floor is broken, the walls are peeling and we move jerkily down it at a dutch angle. Objects appear, then disappear. The skin on a dirty glass of stale water ripples with the beat. Doors line the corridor on both sides but where do they lead? A light can be seen flickering from the crack beneath just one… Inside, a man is sitting, strapped and bound to a rickety wooden chair. His wrists and ankles rub and bleed with each movement against the coarse thick ropes that bind him. He is tired, perhaps drugged, and feels the music as it courses through him. There's congealed blood under the filthy fingernails that grip the chair, his feet tap wildly on the tiled floor, his back arches in time with the music – is he in pain? Or is he enjoying this? The light above his head reveals his bloodshot and bagged eyes, which dart around the room as if the walls are ready to cave in on his cell.
The electro/punk style of the song, combined with the lyrics of confinement, all need to be portrayed in the song. To start with, all the actors will be wearing make up, consisting of bright colours, and placed around eyes and lips. This is too accentuate the expressive parts of the face, in order to allow the actors to produce a sort of "crazy" persona. An interesting motif would centre on their make-up. The make-up and hair would start off as scruffy and messed, but would progressively improve and end in a slick punk style. This would add a contradiction to the deranged imagery as the band slowly ‘improve’. Hair is also important. It would be ideal to have actors with semi-long hair already, so they can be styled "punk". This includes Mohawks, and other gel-heavy looks. Wardrobe is probably most important and requires the most attention t detail. Research of modern "punk" (or indie as it could be known nowadays) shows us that stripes of 2 colours, one of which should be black, skin tight jeans, and lavish accessories such as belts and piercing should be the main focus. The colours are to be accentuated in the post production part. Rotoscoping can be used to highlight single colours, leaving the rest gray scale. This could be important in keeping a "punk" feel to the video. Camera wise, it is important to keep the pace of the song in mind. Longer shots should be used a little as possible, as the song is relatively fast paced in places, and extremely hectic in others. Camera shake is also important as is really helps to give that crazy, rebellious, insane feeling that is important is this project.
The electro/punk style of the song, combined with the lyrics of confinement, all need to be portrayed in the song. To start with, all the actors will be wearing make up, consisting of bright colours, and placed around eyes and lips. This is too accentuate the expressive parts of the face, in order to allow the actors to produce a sort of "crazy" persona. An interesting motif would centre on their make-up. The make-up and hair would start off as scruffy and messed, but would progressively improve and end in a slick punk style. This would add a contradiction to the deranged imagery as the band slowly ‘improve’. Hair is also important. It would be ideal to have actors with semi-long hair already, so they can be styled "punk". This includes Mohawks, and other gel-heavy looks. Wardrobe is probably most important and requires the most attention t detail. Research of modern "punk" (or indie as it could be known nowadays) shows us that stripes of 2 colours, one of which should be black, skin tight jeans, and lavish accessories such as belts and piercing should be the main focus. The colours are to be accentuated in the post production part. Rotoscoping can be used to highlight single colours, leaving the rest gray scale. This could be important in keeping a "punk" feel to the video. Camera wise, it is important to keep the pace of the song in mind. Longer shots should be used a little as possible, as the song is relatively fast paced in places, and extremely hectic in others. Camera shake is also important as is really helps to give that crazy, rebellious, insane feeling that is important is this project.
The track begins, and we synchronously jump cut through many different ECU shots of various features of the building. Gradually more organic, bodily shots are dispersed in amongst the inorganic industrial ones, and we gain a sense of unease and restlessness. The organic shots will consist of hands, feet and eyes primarily, but will depict struggle and anxiety, even with their extreme close range. The audience is thrown right in at the ‘deep end’, and are shocked from the offset, but still no more informed about the situation at hand.Interspersed throughout the video will be performance shots of the band playing their instruments, with some simple special effects added, such as making one or all of them disappear and reappear mid-shot.The first verse comes in, and we see a man, a band member, presumably inside this building, inexorably struggling to break free from his shackles. The room is dingy, with a lone flickering tube-light on the ceiling and the paint is peeling from the walls. Our first character is dressed in predominantly tight black clothing, similar to today’s indie culture. His attire is lined with red and his hair is highly stylised. As the chorus kicks in, he breaks free from his shackles in quite spectacular fashion. He spends the rest of the chorus running through the corridors of this building looking for ways to get out, smashing on walls, etc. The whole video is awash with saturation and harsh lighting, akin to Attack by 30 Seconds to Mars, with shaky, handheld camera to emphasise the energy. The building now is looking much more like an abandoned hospital or mental asylum.
Each chorus shows the band in their full band getup in a large garage-like cell – their performance area. Our frontman, a guitarist and drummer are packed into the tight claustrophobic room and let rip in the confined space, thrashing their instruments and showing the manic signs of prolonged incarceration. Their instruments appear and disappear, the lighting dims and brightens, and the colour red flashes on and off – all in time with the music.
The second verse introduces the two other band members in their cells. One is shackled with chains and handcuffs, whilst the other is bound and gagged in a blood-stained strait jacket. As they struggle and break free also, we see the frontman trying to break out from his cell too. He beats the walls with his fists and throws himself at the door. We see small details, like the muscles in his arms as they tense to punch the door, or his face as he presses it against the wall manically. As the chorus breaks for the second time, all three of the trapped patients break free from their cells and run desperately into the corridor outside.
Inter-cut with shots of the band performing, we see the band as they run through the corridors of their prison. We follow them hand-held and over the shoulder. They look behind them to make sure no one is following and run at break-neck speed. By the start of the third verse, all three band members have met each other at a crossing in the corridors. As a group, they finally make their break for freedom. The shaky camera movements work with the ear-shattering screeching. Inserts of the band members faces in CU show them getting progressively more insane, crazed and desperate. The faces shake and vibrate violently as they laugh hysterically. The final chorus shows cut-aways of all the scenes in the video, including the band members in their own cells playing their own instruments as if in was relative normality. As the song reaches its climax, the band sees the exit at last. They sprint desperately towards it. We see their faces, feet, their arms thrashing. And on the last words of the song, they break free.
The second verse introduces the two other band members in their cells. One is shackled with chains and handcuffs, whilst the other is bound and gagged in a blood-stained strait jacket. As they struggle and break free also, we see the frontman trying to break out from his cell too. He beats the walls with his fists and throws himself at the door. We see small details, like the muscles in his arms as they tense to punch the door, or his face as he presses it against the wall manically. As the chorus breaks for the second time, all three of the trapped patients break free from their cells and run desperately into the corridor outside.
Inter-cut with shots of the band performing, we see the band as they run through the corridors of their prison. We follow them hand-held and over the shoulder. They look behind them to make sure no one is following and run at break-neck speed. By the start of the third verse, all three band members have met each other at a crossing in the corridors. As a group, they finally make their break for freedom. The shaky camera movements work with the ear-shattering screeching. Inserts of the band members faces in CU show them getting progressively more insane, crazed and desperate. The faces shake and vibrate violently as they laugh hysterically. The final chorus shows cut-aways of all the scenes in the video, including the band members in their own cells playing their own instruments as if in was relative normality. As the song reaches its climax, the band sees the exit at last. They sprint desperately towards it. We see their faces, feet, their arms thrashing. And on the last words of the song, they break free.
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