Music video analysisCameron Trevena

Lord – Acid Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxg4C365LbQ

I believe the video is showing us that after the cheerleaders have a fatal car-crash, they're  in a battle against death. Death is shown through the totaled car, and all of the girls' costumes and make-up, with ripped t-shirts and blood all over their faces. Throughout the video it shows how the first girl moves from being weak (the crash) to suddenly dancing powerful and aggressively (the battle), then back to weak again (her death). This could symbolise the struggle of dying, and how she fights against it. Death is a genre characteristic for Sadcore, meaning this music video illustrates that convention perfectly.

It's interesting how the main cheerleader only bumps into two out of the total five girls as she glides through the diner, as if to say that the others grasped death immediately rather than fighting it. Notice how the three take different exits/doorways as well, which further indicates that the 'exit' - death - is a path we unfortunately go down alone. The first girl we sees takes a completely different doorway whereas the girl above wanders into the kitchen. The Kitchen area that is brightly lit, potentially signifying her grip to life being there for a few moments. When she goes out the Exit way, it is a corridor (a lot of people say they go down a tunnel with light at the end during near death experiences) and so does the girl above. The whole clip is made to appear as one shot with only a couple cuts at the end. This shows that we only have one life and one time to experience it.

Strangely, the first lyric of the song is "Daylight", however it's obviously Night-time outside. This contradictory relationship between lyrics and visuals could be used to show how it should be Day and light outside, but they're no longer in the world of the living, and so everything is the other way round (upside-down in hell). Also, a bit further on, the lyrics "Hang tight" are said. This could be associated with the last words of the girls before they crashed. Now, they need to "Hang tight" to grasp on to the living world.

The 'notion of looking' is heavily presented throughout the video, as they all have on short skirts with a small undergarment. This is voyeuristic treatment of the girls is deeply disturbing however, as the actors are presenting characters that are dying/dead.

The only time any of the actors look directly in to the camera is when the third girl makes a 'come hither' gesture with her hands and stares at the camera. This is right before she jumps through the window or figuratively 'dies'. It could be used to present her last cry for help as she reaches out for you - but, you as the viewer, can't do anything to save her.

Also, in the end there's a medium long shot of the first girl standing alone. This is used to show that while the girls are dancing/struggling for life they are all together, but when the first girl holds her wound and stands still she's suddenly all alone, even though they are still together in the car - because everyone dies alone. Regardless of how many people are around them, death is something we can't share with anyone and have to go through it alone. In addition, she stares regretfully in to the camera alone as if she is responsible for the accident. Maybe she's come to the realisation that she's in hell alone because of her actions as the driver and her friends went to heaven.