Analysis Of Music Videos #2

The second video I will be analysing is Black Veil Brides' "Knives And Pens" as it fits in with the Hard Rock/Glam Metal genre. To analyse the video I will be using CMINTS which stands for:
C - Costume
M - Mise-en-scene
I - Iconography
N - Narrative
T - Themes
S - Sound

Costume

The costume in this video changes as the video progresses. With Andy (vocalist) being 16 years old at the time this video was made, the audience will think that because he is wearing white for the first half of the video, he is an innocent boy, but as the video progresses, his costume, along with the two other performers, changes from white to black which fits in with the genre of hard rock.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene includes all parts of CLAMPS which stands for; Character, Lighting, Actors, Make-up, Props and Setting.

Character

In this video by Black Veil Brides, there are only three performers as it was in 2006, there was meant to be another two, but one didn't show up, and the other's dog died the week it was filmed. The characters are fitting in with the genre by all having jet-black hair and black fingernails which they have had painted. They all wear black make-up which also fits in with the genre.

Lighting

The lighting in the performance aspect of the video is high key to bring a bright tone to the message of the song which is, "instead of self-harm, write down your thoughts into something creative". The lighting is effective in both the performance and the storyline as it show how Andy came from being bullied at school to rise above everyone and do what he wanted to do in life. This lighting in the performance is used to show that there is light at the end of dark times such as bullying.

Actors

There are two actors in the video, one of them plays a younger schoolboy Andy, and the other plays what appears to be his older brother. The older brother role seems to be a bit of a bully himself as half way through the video he steals Andy's notebook, later giving it back with a smirk on his face. Andy's character shows teenagers of that age that they are not alone in what they are going through and that there are loads of people the same age being bullied everyday for being different. The actor is chosen so that the audience can see what Andy's school life was like through the eyes of a young boy.

Make-up

The make up in the video is typical of the genre as it represents that some people dress differently to others, especially in the emo part of the genre. The make-up in the storyline of this video could have been used to cover up injuries on younger Andy's face and symbolises that he is not afraid to be himself and be different to everyone else.

Props
The props used in the performance are a guitar, a drum kit with double bass, and a microphone. In the storyline, the main prop is the notebook which Andy's younger self uses to write down his thoughts about how he feels instead of doing anything to himself due to everything that's gong on at school and at home.

Iconography

The iconography in the video is somewhat confusing unless you know the song and video well. The blood on the clothing and microphone at the end suggests that blood is better off on your clothing and instruments and not on your body. The other symbols of the video are that writing down thoughts can help you get through anything bad that is happening in your life.

Narrative

The narrative of this video is about Andy's school days where is is outcast because he dresses differently to his classmates and listens to different music as well. For this reason he is bullied and he carries around a notebook with him in which he writes down all his thoughts into songs about being bullied and being different, but no matter what, you should always be yourself.

Themes

The theme of the song and video is how you are able to overcome all the bad things that have happened in your life such as bullying, and become something much greater than those who take the joy of putting you down. The video shows that you can do this by just writing thoughts down and making them creative, just as Andy did with the song as he was bullied in school.

Sound

The sound in this video is a mixture of chugging on the guitars and arpeggios during the run up to the chorus after the breakdown. The vocals are an equal mix of calm and sung vocal and high pitched scream vocals, it works well with the video because the storyline suggests that Andy was angry at all the hate and abuse he got so the screaming parts of the vocals could signify the fact he is taking his anger out on the people who did bully him in vocal form instead of violence.