The script

The script

• 1.
  The Script- ‘Breakeven’<br/>Artist: The Script (band)<br />Song: ‘Breakeven’<br />Released: November 11, 2008 (Ireland radio) <br />Genre: Pop Rock <br />This music video follows the codes and conventions of conventional pop rock music videos because of the costumes and use of performance shots. The band plays instruments such as the guitars and drums in their performance shots which are visually associated with the rock genre and also the audience’s expectation. <br />-1905017145<br />This is the front cover of the single ‘breakeven’ from the album ‘the script’; the image is constructed to represent the actual lyrics to the song. The image is of a heart that hasn’t broken evenly and the part that has broken off is on fire. ‘When a heart breaks no it don’t break even’ is the chorus which the lead singer reverse to. <br />NarrativeFrom the start of the music video the audience can already understand there is a narrative this is established through the visual such as the editing techniques used; sound bridge and relationship shots between her voice and his thoughts and singing. We the audience can congregate that his heartbroken because she left him which is also where the name of the single comes from ‘breakeven’. <br />The use of colour helps establish the time period we are on because the shots are constantly cutting from him, to them together or her by herself looking directly at him because it’s his memory or in this case directly at the camera. When we are on the present time period and his alone the director used grey, black and white, dull shots to create a contrast between when his happy in his memory and when his alone because she left him. The use of colour when his alone connotes that he feels down and it’s shown through the absences of colour and body language whereas when we see his thoughts and memory of her they are in colour with the sun shining. <br />2647950-247650-152400-262890The Present The Past (his memory)<br />Representation The video challenges the conventional stereotypes of males being masculine and less emotional than a woman. In this music video the male figure is being established as a bit feminine because his expressing his feelings towards her which shows that the video is challenging gender roles. Hence that it’s expressing sexuality and intimacy between a couple. <br />19050104775<br />Forms and Conventions & PerformanceThere is a relationship between the visual and lyrics which makes this an illustrating music video based on Andrew Godwin’s key features of a music video. ‘The Script’ have their own iconography and style compared to other music videos of their genre, in this video in particular there are performance shots of them playing as a band to a live audience, this is a way in which the band can relate to their audience. The shots of them performing are close-ups of the band playing the instruments but mainly off the lead singer addressing his audience, but there are also shots of the audience interacting and appreciating the gig, this makes the audience watching the music video intricate as well. The performance shots kick in when the tempo changes, so something visual has to change also. <br />15144751498603276600149860-219075149860<br />Media languageEditing:<br />From the start of this music video there is a fast paste of editing like a montage of shots that have been places in a non-linear order to capture the audience’s attention, but the montage is mainly used so that the video would be viewed multiple times for the reason that it would be impossible to grasp the shots in the first viewing. However the video is slow pasted at times in order to establish the mood of the star image/lead singer.<br />Use of camera angles:<br />The shots used are abstract, close-ups, point of view shots (POV), landscape shots and low angle shots; all of these uses of camera angles enhance and emphasis the mood of the star image. The use of POV shots places the audience in his shoes whereas the other POV shots place us in the position of spying on him.<br />Mese-en-scene:<br />Most of the shots are recorded in an open space which could suggest that his feeling very empty or that his along. There are two different types of mese-en-scene in this video which are cut to back and forth excluding the performance shots. One is of him in the present time where he is shown in grey colouring and the other is his memory/thoughts of them which are in colour. The one of them being happy is in colour; green surrounding and sun shine whereas the shot in grey lacks colour and enthusiasm. <br />What the video brings to the sound track:<br />I like this music video because it explores the sound track through the visuals and creates a narrative and concept to it. The use of mese-en-scene such as colours and composition creates a lonely and a gloomy atmosphere.<br />He is places here in the corner of the frame where the background dominates the photo to signify he is alone and significant to his surroundings without her. 203835099060<br />