Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue
This video holds a special place in my heart because the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of my all time favourite bands and this hands down is one of my favourite tracks, in part because of the music, but also because of what the track means and specifically what the video captures. The track Scar Tissue is off the first album guitarist John Frusciante played on since his exit from the band in 1992. During his time away from the band he got stuck into the world of drugs and alcohol nearly dying from his addictions. That time period was also a rough time for the rest of the band as the music they were producing wasn't as true to them as the music they had previously produced with Frusciante. To me this video physically translates the emotional scar tissue very tangibly through the mise-en-scène, costume, props and location.
In terms of location, being shot in a desert works because the band are all alone in this wasteland on this seemingly endless road. The road symbolises the journey of the band and the path that they are on. It shows that they are now back on track, but with very visible scars, however they are together as one. Close Up shots are used to emphasise the injuries on each member. For example one of the first shots is of Anthony Kiedis's hand covered in bloody bandages. Obviously the connotations of that are that he is hurt or wounded but the bandage would connote healing. This theme runs throughout to emphasise the state of the band.
Foo Fighters: Best Of You
The video for Best Of You has a lot of similarities with my plans for my video so far. The video is a mix of performance and abstract shots that could potentially be tied into a underlying narrative however to most of the audience they just appear to be abstract shots.
The performance shots use really strong motion to convey the energy within the video. Because the setting has the band members relatively spread out the motion and use of mid to close ups help make the video engaging for the audience. At the start the first shot is of the singer, Dave Grohl, singing into a microphone. This shot is a from a profile view perspective and is extremely close up only showing Grohl's mouth. Obviously the microphone is a really strong icon and is embedded with pop culture connotations spanning decades. That particular microphone looks like the microphones used in the 1950's. Because they have used that particular microphone the connotations are far more historic and deep routed. Interestingly there are mid shots of the band members feet moving. These are used to convey the motion and the physical involvement in the music each member has. Some of the shots of the drummer, Taylor Hawkins, pan up as he plays across the drum kit. These obviously introduce a level of pace and energy that stationary tripod shots wouldn't have. They also have used several different perspectives of each member playing and cut them together very quickly to create a bubble round each player. This effect is really strong because it gives the idea that each member is untouchable because they each have their space.
Editing wise the cuts in this video are extremely rhythmic and fast. They, coupled with the movement, make this a high energy video.
