‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ – Green
Day
The main message of
the song and the music video is that we all walk alone at times due to
inconvenient occurrence and sometimes we may let that past memory worry us and
consequently we walk the boulevard of broken dreams which would be a metaphor
for depression. The band us a punk rock/ pop punk and this video portrays this
genre well through camerawork, editing, and mise en scene. This music video is
an illustration in relation to music/ lyric and the visuals. The video portrays
the lyrics “I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams” however
the video is quite contradictory as he is not actually walking alone as he is
with the other band members. The video features the singer Billie Joe Armstrong,
Tre Cool the percussionist, and Mike Dirnt the bass guitarist. The reason I
chose to analyse this song is due to the fact I will be using similar shots and
also I have a similar concept of walking/ drifting away.
Analysis of the music video
The video begins with the band showing up in a stalling car, the first shot is a low angle shot trying to focus onto the car, it then cuts to a close up of the car’s bumper that appears to be letting out smoke suggesting the car has overheated, the is also an extreme close of the Green Day logo on the car which could represent the band’s image with the car being smashed, this shot could have also been used for promotional purposes. The car begins to stop and the band gets out of the car. There is then a three shot of the band in hierarchal order with the lead singer behind. As the music begins the cameras cuts and out focuses to different extreme close ups to match with the guitar being played. There is then a close up of characters legs as they walk creating a dramatic entrance to where the narrative follows.
The video begins with the band showing up in a stalling car, the first shot is a low angle shot trying to focus onto the car, it then cuts to a close up of the car’s bumper that appears to be letting out smoke suggesting the car has overheated, the is also an extreme close of the Green Day logo on the car which could represent the band’s image with the car being smashed, this shot could have also been used for promotional purposes. The car begins to stop and the band gets out of the car. There is then a three shot of the band in hierarchal order with the lead singer behind. As the music begins the cameras cuts and out focuses to different extreme close ups to match with the guitar being played. There is then a close up of characters legs as they walk creating a dramatic entrance to where the narrative follows.
We can tell
the camera is always moving in this music video which is common convention for
this genre. There is then close ups and tracking shot of the artist looking
directly at the camera, tracking shots are predominant in this music video as
it allows us to see the band walking and almost makes the viewer a part of their
journey. A tracking shot is then used to show a desolated house and then the it
cuts and the band is seen walking past a woman next to a opened empty mail box in
front of a camera, this gives the impression of loneliness. The body language
of the woman is similar to the singer’s as both their arms are crossed. The
setting of this place appears to be in a desert giving the idea of isolation,
the fact the woman is standing near a mail box looks ordinary as if she is
standing outside her house which could suggest that “boulevard of broken dream”
is her home.
We continue
to see an exhibition of the mise en scene; the next cut shows a tracking shot
of house ruins which could suggest a neighbourhood occupied by people who have
lost hope or it could illustrate the loneliness of the singer. We often see
close ups of the band pulling their blazers to muscle the harsh wind, there is
also close ups of the other two members faces to capture their emotions as they
move forward along the empty road.
As the band
moves forward there is a transition of an empty desert to a desolated small town,
they walk past other objects such as gas tanks, trash cans and also a vulture.
Mid shot were used quite often especially when viewing the sing, often the
camera would zoom out so the audience could also take notice of the other band
members. Usually there would be a low angle shot angles shot of the band but
not the conventional on the ground looking up shot suggesting the idea of
rebellious punks. The camera cuts back and forth of the lead singer lip
syncing, there also several cutaways to the location, and usually the camera
will capture the left sides of the band when walking together.
On the
second verse, the music video includes performance element with the band and they
are in what seems to be a decorated warehouse with confetti and glitters, the
use of location here is quite strange as it seems to be a transition from a
gloomy desert to a fun but badly decorated warehouse, however because of the
lighting it make the room look bleak and therefore continues to make the video
look depressing.
As we continue
on to the video there is another use of a tracking shot and close up of the
band members, the location has changed to a melancholic city; the people seem
to be depressed and lonely, this city I assume is the “boulevard of broken
dreams”. More shots are shown of the grief stricken surroundings, the camera
tracks along and we see extras stood in a morbid state matching the lyrics of
the song. Near Towards the ending of the music video the lighting starts to
darken adding a time element to the music video of travelling to daylight into
night.
During the
instrumental the camera cut back to the warehouse, here we see several close ups,
quick camera movement, two shots, pan shots, low angles shots, medium shots, and
there were also lots of out focused shots. The editing was also fast paced during
this instrumental and was in beat with the music.
Mise En Scene
The video follows the conventions very closely in terms of costume; the band members are wearing similar clothing that can be considered pop/rock punk, the costumes are predominantly black matching the genre and also the theme of the music video. The use of mise en scene in this video is quite bleak, the use of location, extras, facial expressions, and props helps to convey the emotion of the lyrics and what the band is trying to give across. The lighting in this music video is quite dim creating a dark, gloomy and morbid atmosphere which is a direct link to the lyrics of the song and the music that accompanies it, the use of lighting is also common in most punk rock music videos.
The video follows the conventions very closely in terms of costume; the band members are wearing similar clothing that can be considered pop/rock punk, the costumes are predominantly black matching the genre and also the theme of the music video. The use of mise en scene in this video is quite bleak, the use of location, extras, facial expressions, and props helps to convey the emotion of the lyrics and what the band is trying to give across. The lighting in this music video is quite dim creating a dark, gloomy and morbid atmosphere which is a direct link to the lyrics of the song and the music that accompanies it, the use of lighting is also common in most punk rock music videos.
Editing
The editing in this music video is fast (which you would expect in most rock music videos), this fast paced editing could connote there energetic performances or their style of music. Throughout the music video there is a scratchy overlay which contributes to the eeriness of the music video, this scratchy overlay effect quickens its pace toward during the instrumental near the ending of the video, and the shots almost look distorted and quite demonic which captures the powerful instruments visually. There is also the use of a filter making the video look old fashioned, as well as this the director chose to use rear projection instead of green screen. Dissolve transition was also used to change one shot to another as well as several jump cuts.
The editing in this music video is fast (which you would expect in most rock music videos), this fast paced editing could connote there energetic performances or their style of music. Throughout the music video there is a scratchy overlay which contributes to the eeriness of the music video, this scratchy overlay effect quickens its pace toward during the instrumental near the ending of the video, and the shots almost look distorted and quite demonic which captures the powerful instruments visually. There is also the use of a filter making the video look old fashioned, as well as this the director chose to use rear projection instead of green screen. Dissolve transition was also used to change one shot to another as well as several jump cuts.
Artist Connection
Billie Joe Armstrong was centralised in this music video as he is the front man, there several tracking shots and close ups of him looking directly at the camera influencing the audience with his emotion. The video relate much to the punk rock as it demonstrates many of the characteristics such as the dark clothing, lighting, editing, etc. In the beginning of the video I noticed the Green Day logo on the front of the wrecked car which visually represents the band and also promotes them.
Billie Joe Armstrong was centralised in this music video as he is the front man, there several tracking shots and close ups of him looking directly at the camera influencing the audience with his emotion. The video relate much to the punk rock as it demonstrates many of the characteristics such as the dark clothing, lighting, editing, etc. In the beginning of the video I noticed the Green Day logo on the front of the wrecked car which visually represents the band and also promotes them.
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