Research and Planning- Deconstruction of a music video. Genre.

This is a deconstruction of the music video 'One' by Metallica. I have chosen to look at this music video because Metallica are of a similar genre to my chosen artists. I have also looked at this video because this video is quite old and it gives me an idea of how music videos in the metal genre have changed.

Song research (sourced from wikipedia):-

'One' is the third single from American heavy metal band Metallica's fourth album. 'One' was also the band's first top 40 single, reaching  number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is one of the band's most popular songs, being the most played song from the album. 'One'was written in N ovember 1987 by James Hetfield the bands vocalisst. The song was released in 1989 in their fourth album.

Here are the lyrics to this song, this includes lines from the clips of old films shown:-

The cerebrum has suffered massive and reparable damage
You never know what has happened to him
If I have not been sure of this, I would not have permitted him to live
Where am I? Father, what happened? I need help

What is democracy? What is democracy?
It got something to do with young men killing each other, Arthur
What if its my turn, will you want me to go?
For democracy, any man would give his only begotten son

It is impossible for any severed individual to experience pain
Pleasure, memory, dream or thought of any kind
This young man will be as unfeeling as unthinking as the dead
Until the day he joins them

I don't know weather I'm alive or dreaming or dead or remembering
How can you tell what's a dream and what's real
When you can't even tell when your awake and when your asleep
Where am I?
I Can't Remember Anything
Can't Tell If this Is True or Dream
Deep down Inside I Feel to Scream
this Terrible Silence Stops Me
Now That the War Is Through with Me
I'm Waking up I Cann Not See
That There Is Not Much Left of Me
Nothing  Is Real but Pain Now
Hold My Breath as I Wish for Death
Oh Please God, wake Me

Back in the Womb it's Much Too Real
in Pumps Life That I must Feel
but Can't Look Forward to Reveal
Look to the Time When I'll Live
Fed Through the Tube That Sticks in Me
Just like a Wartime Novelty
Tied to Machines That  Make Me Be
Cut this Lfe off from Me

Hold My Breath as I Wish for Death
Oh Please God, wake Me

Now the World Is Gone I'm Just One
Oh God, help Me Hold My Breath as I Wish for Death.
Oh Please God Help Me

Imprisoning Me
All That I See
Absolute Horror
I Cannot Live
I Cannot Die
Trapped In Myself
Body My Holding Cell

Has Taken My Sight
Taken My Speech
Taken My Hearing
Taken My Arms
Taken My Legs
Taken My Soul
Left Me with Life in Hell.

 

The perfomance based part of this video is entirely filmed in black and white to give a dark, sad and old feel. The video starts with a back shot of the vocalist with shadows of  a fan sweeping dramatic shadows across the shot. There are sound efffects of falling bombs. There is another shot of the vocalist, showing him holding his guitar and then a dissolve cut to show his face. This then cuts to a wartime clip of trenches and an explosion signifiying the actual start of the song. The music quietly begins using more slow dissolve cuts of the guitar being played and shots of old films usong a low angle shot of doctors looking down on you. Diolouge tells us that someone has been terribly injured.

 This cuts to clips of a group of people, including nurses, walking down a corridor and then shows a man, with a mask in bed. The over voice is tthe narrative from his perspective. The introduction to this song is very slow, again filled with close-up shots of the band playing with cuts to clips of people going to war and a young boy asking his father questions. When the band are performing there are a variety of camera angels such as birds eye view or high angle, wide shot and close-ups. As the song picks up pace the cuts get quicker and the band have used techniques called tapping that almost sounds like a machine gun, reflecting the theme of war. Throughout the band playing the end section there are clips of  the man suffering in the hospital bed. The song ends with a shot of the man in bed repeating 'SOS, help me' then fades to black.

This music video is very atmospherical, moving the audience  with disturbing thoughts and shots of life in war. The video is very simple, with the use of black and white and low lighting, which helps create that dark message and to keep the video raw with musical tallent and capturing messages.