What I like about the music video

The concept and narrative of Faded’s music video, in my assumption, was a major disaster had strike the area based on the shopping cart visible in front of Linnahall. There must be a strong force that have blown it away. Additionally, if the cart was left by someone, it should be standing on both of its wheels and not laying on its side.

The video made good use of abandoned and fallen buildings as their film location as well as using an appropriate colour corrector that created a ghost town atmosphere. Locations and colour correctors are effective in story telling depending on how they were used as they can create and lead the audience to know the narrative of the music video.

What I like about the music video

On the first few seconds, the video was synchronous with the piano. A well-executed and impactful opening keeps the audience interested. On the other hand, if there was an asynchronous beat or lip-sync, it may affect the audience as they will be more focused on the mistake rather than the video. A long shot was placed on this particular clip; slow paced frame showed agony in his eyes as he slowly lifted them up.

Low angle shot. Ever since the start of the video, he has always been looking down. Most of the frames showed either his feet or lower chest. To look up must denote that he is hoping. It can also mean that he is trying to recognize the places.

They chose beautiful locations related to the concept of the music video as well as angles and adding appropriate visual effects. It made every clip looked like a lovely photography.

What I like about the music video

There were several cuts (transition) used in the music video to remove excess footage and focus on significant elements instead. Cuts are good for inserting a close up shot and different camera angles as it exercises a more professionally filmed music video. Close up shots also help the audience define the narrative as they emphasize the facial expressions. Insert shots can also be added during cuts which is sometimes important as it often foreshadows the end. Furthermore, his ripped top matched the conventions of the music video. This is important if the music video has a narrative because having a bit of realism enables the audience to see it in their perspective and engage in knowing the end result of the story.

The male character in the music video used a sparkler, a type of firecracker, instead of a flashlight. I believe that this is a good alternative for flashlights as it shows his desperation to find what he is looking for. Sparklers may not be as dangerous as the other types but it is considered as an explosive. Thus, holding this can be dangerous yet the male character still used it.

What Would I changeOverall, it was a professional and well-executed music video in terms of mise-en-scene, camera angles and work, visual effects and editing. On the other hand, the narrative is somehow unentertaining as they mostly show wrecked places. The audience might have an idea that there is no narrative and stop watching. In my opinion, there should have been a progress throughout the video, regarding his search for his parent’s house.