A Look @ Music Videos

The music video that I chose to analyse was "The Scientist" by Coldplay. My initial reaction to the video was awe. I was trying to figure out how they managed to make him appear to be going backwards, but still be able to look like he was singing along to the music. I also liked how nothing really made sense until the very end, so it really made me pay attention to the video. At the end, it kind of showed how everything that led up to it was somehow connected to that event.

I think that the meaning behind the music video also relates to the song meaning. The song is about a person who made a mistake in a relationship and now he wants to go back to the start and change things. He wishes he could explain why he did what he did with "numbers and figures", but he can't because they don't "speak as loud as his heart". I think that this relates to the music video because the music video shows a couple who got into a car accident and the girl ends up dying and the guy just wants to be able to go back in time to change things so they would both be alive. The main theme of the video and the song is that sometimes we want to change what we did, but we can't.

Something that could have influenced the musicians or the director to do this video could be that someone may have experienced a car accident recently, which is why the climax of the video revolves around a car accident. It could be promoting the use of seatbelts, since the character who died was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. I was thinking that it was a bit random how they chose to do a car crash, since the song doesn't have anything to do with car accidents, which is why I think that the main idea inspiration of the video might have something to do with a recent car crash.

I like that the video shows the lead singer walking in reverse because it sort of symbolizes the theme of the song, wanting to go back in time. I also think that the fact that the footage is slowed down helps exaggerate the slower tempo of the song, which makes it seem calmer, softer, and more emotional. The fading transitions also add to the softer effect in the music video.

I think the music video helped me understand the lyrics of the song more, because the lyrics were a bit more poetic and not as straightforward as most songs. I also think that the song compliments the slow and sad tones of the song with an equally...upsetting...music video.