Influence Two

Biffy Clyro - Biblical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrbMNBNMksk&list=FLp4CGBaNUhdzZmTqLqxdmhw&index=1

This video is a series of enigmas, it starts off with the main character (the singer) laying on the bed in deep thought, it then flashes to show different things in the room and then has a shot in the mirror almost implying that there's two sides or repetition or maybe some confusion which is a symbolic code, like the idea of opposites associated with mirrors for example Alice through the looking glass, (referential code) which is about there being a completely different world beyond the mirror.

He is then singing the lyrics while still lying on the bed then as the lyrics say 'play another song here then you can leave' the fact that he sings them lyrics, it makes them appear more significant to not only the song but the narrative, it may mean he's hanging on and doesn't want whatever is about to happen. He stops singing and looks at the phone which is ringing, answers it and the first shot after he's picked up the phone all you can see is his torso and his chin which is used to imply that the audience will not find out what is said on the phone and the fact that it is his torso, it could be saying that it is a matter of the heart. When he then puts the phone down there is a flip/reverse shot where the screen literally flips almost as though it's looking through the mirror perspective and then it flips back. This implies that there's more than one story line going on at once, or a different version. But as it then flips back again it shows that it is back to the story line that we've so far been watching and the other line is coming soon.

After the phone call he puts his shirt on and gets some money, for this there are some jump cuts, I think that the jump cuts are used to show what's happening but not show more information than what's needed, it wouldn't make sense if it went straight from him putting the phone down to him going outside so it's a good filler that things are getting serious maybe. He then goes on to be quite violent, to start off with he throws what appears to be a random man into a pool and then he kicks over a water dispenser and then he smashes the window of a car filled with three men. I would say that this violent streak shows the anger from whtever has been said on the phone and his self-distructiveness. The three men then follow him with bats and you see one hit his back but then it cuts to him lying on the bed again and he sings 'baby if you could would you go back to the start' which links with the fact that it is back to the start.

The next few shots are very similar if not the same as the beginning of the video such as the torso and chin shot and the jump cuts of him putting his shirt on which makes the audience wonder why this is happening and that it may just be completely repeating itself, I think that this draws the audience in some more as they are curious as to whether it actually will. But then it all changes, instead of throwing someone into the pool he helps a little boy out, instead of kicking the water dispenser over he throws the guy behind the counter the money and instead of smashing the window of the car with three men in he just jumps over it. But the three men with bats still follow him and beat him up, which this time we see.
This could show that no matter how we go about things, bad things will happen, or that we get punished whether we do bad or not, or that even if you could go back and change what you did(which is what the song appears to be talking about) there would still be the same outcome. I personally think the point is that it's up to the interpretation of the viewer, there are so many possibilities and that is what makes it good.
When he gets beaten with bats, it could be an intertextuality or referential code of Casino - Joe Pesci's death(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t9x_y3vFic), which is a very famous/iconic scene.

What I also noticed was a 'cosmo appearance' where in the first section the bassist of Biffy Clyro is in the background of the pool scene and then the second time around the dummer of Biffy Clyro is in the background of the pool scene. They do this often in their video's because the lead singer is usually the most well known of a band but the other members should be acknowledged so they make them background characters.

What I want to take from this video is maybe some kind of mirror shot, but definitely a reverse/flip shot to indicate two different stories. I do also like the torso shot, I think that is a very good way of showing the mystery and telling the audience that they are not going to find out certain parts of the story, so I might use that for when my female character is taking her pills to show the mystery of whether that is really the problem.
I also like the jump cuts, they stop the scene being too long and boring but show what's going on, only problem is, they will only look good if they're done well, if I can do them well then I will, if not then it'll just end up looking quite disjointed and confusing.