MASSIVE ATTACK ANALYSIS

Initial thoughts• Fades to black at start • Strobe/flicker of light – mystery • Close up to start with • Wide shot – small subject big dark room – same shot zoomed in• Focus on part of body • Shots blue tinge • Butterfly theme – death • Shots held for long time • Close ups of skin/body parts• Negative space• Brick wall – cold, isolated alon feeling • Hard lighting • Drawing on face• Contrast of butterfly man – binary opposite of power v vulnerable• Uncomfortable – ex cu • Foreground out of focus • Ubject positioned far left/right • Static camera – limited movements – slow• Performance shot dissolves into butterfly • Theme of touch/sense

CAMERASHOTSThe shots in this music video mainly consisted of extreme close ups or long shots. Often, there would be a wide shot, where the subject would be placed in the centre, creating an odd/surreal feel to the video. In contrast, there were also many CU’s of the man’s skin, eyes and neck, possibly forcing the audience into a state of uncomfort. In contrast to the other videos, the starting shot of this video is a long shot of a butterfly, the shot is filled with negative space.ANGLESThere were no real starking angles in this video, it was mainly mid-level angle. However the foreground of many shots were out of focus. MOVEMENTSThere were little camera movements within this video, however movements were slow and steady, possibly representing a slow death (of the butterfly caught in the light). There was a slow zoom into the performer at the start, which lasted approx 10 seconds.

MISE EN SCENELOCATIONThe location rather reflected the themes and attitudes presented within the video, as it was a large, dark, brickwall room. This partnered with the wide shots, evoked themes of isolation and loneliness. LIGHTING Similar to the other videos, the lighting was a key factor in the astetics of the video. The lighting flickered which created a strobe effect, thus creating a sense of mystery, and curiousness to explore the shot. Furthermore, the lighting was very hard, and low key, delegating powerful attributes to the performer, from the audiences’ POV.COSTUME I feel like the costume was not necessarily as relevant in this video. He wore a vest and black jeans, however throughout the video, we see his clothes ripped and an image of a butterfly imprinted onto his skin. This slowly becomes his ‘costume’ throughout the video.

EDITINGThere was a clear blue tinge to all the shots in the video, thus giving a ‘cold/dark/sinister’ feel to the music video. Another notable transition was the ending. The performance shot slowly zoomed out, and dissolved into the dead butterfly, which then faded to black. This links with Levi’s theory of binary opposites, presenting the audience with a vulnerable V weak opposite. Furthermore, there was significant editing technique when it came to imprinting the butterfly shape onto he performer’s body. It was a slow process, which was portrayed through a series of slow-paced, performance shots.

CONCEPTThere was a clear link to Levi Strauss’ theory of binary opposites. As the hard lighting, the static performer, and the duration of the shots all delegated power to the performer, whereas the close ups of the butterfly squirming, struggling to survive, created a vulnerable view. However, the fact that the performer turns into the butterfly throughout the video, suggests that both performer and butterfly may be ‘equal’ in terms of mentality, and ‘different’ in terms of size. Furthermore, I feel like this video followed Goodwin’s theory that the video illustrated the lyrics, and were an extension of them. As it featured a butterfly ‘caught’, aswell as a man ‘caught’ (and the song is titled Butterfly Caught).