Music Video Analysis

I chose the music video for the song Let It Happen- Tame Impala. This video is a combination of a narrative and conceptual piece. It follows the protagonist through his day/medical journey. It shows the narrative of whats happening but it does so in a conceptual kind of way regarding death and acceptance.

Color: mostly sterile indoor fluorescent lighting. Then sharply contrasted to warm oranges, purples and blues at the moment of death.

Shape: very square, manmade and structured shapes surrounding him. Once again until he is approaching death when the clouds are the main shape. Again sharply contrasted to show the beauty of death.

Line: Most everything is rigid, hard lines up until when he is flying through the clouds the lines are soft and contour emphasized. Also the shape of the body pulse when shocked is kind of a combination between the two which I found interesting because life is trying to be forced back into him.

Movement: fast throughout the whole video. I think to show how scheduled and controlled our lives are. And how sudden death can be a part of that life

Tone: The tone is somber throughout. From the very first shot you can tell this person is troubled. But it is beautifully contrasted at the end when he unbuckles his seatbelt and dives into the unknown. (the seatbelt is just a great metaphor in itself)

Rhythm: The rhythm is steadily fast paced throughout once again to depict the rush of day to day life and how death can suddenly be present

Some of the key moments include when he first keels over in the airport because that is when your first introduced to the severity of the situation. This is then repeated two more times when he collapses in his hotel room and when the airplane is going down. The most important key moment is when he unbuckles his seatbelt and jumps into the beautiful white light. This is photographed in such a way that there is emphasis on color, shape and tone. All three of theses are now much more organic and welcoming than the previous footage.

Almost throughout the whole video the camera is moving. The scenes where he is having a medical attack the camera is moving in sharp, jagged movements to emphasize confusion and anxiety. Then a 1st person POV is shown and the camera is now rolling fluidly to represent a trip of sorts. The whole video is based on anxiety and a rushed feeling so to represent that the camera moves with harsh, fast movements. The end of the video, where acceptance of death is eminent, the camera work is steady moving and panning slowly and beautifully.

The video definitely follows the story of the song but the song is very abstract and never definite in the lyrics. The lyrics are all about emotion and how someone feels about the acceptance of death. The lyrics do not say anything about a man having a heart attack in an airport then flying through clouds to the next realm. The video clearly follows the story of the song, but it also is an interpretation from the videographers standpoint. It is most certainly a beautifully produced video.