Greenday

‘When I Come Around’

I really like this Greenday video, even though it only includes a narrative style. The video consists of an on-going chain of people spying and watching each other, whilst between this happening the band Greenday walk around the dark lit city. The lighting of the video used goes with the overall feel of the song perfectly. Andrew Goodwin states that the music follows the visuals. This statement makes perfect sense with this video, as throughout there is a mellow city glow, illuminating them as they walk round. This suits the video/music perfectly, and it goes with the calm rocky tempo.

This camera movement called a ‘Tracking Shot’ is used throughout the whole video while Greenday walk around the empty street lit city.

The boys are dressed in rebellious punk clothing, sporting chains, piercings, coloured jeans, skater style etc. This makes them stand out to the audience. Mainly as the audience will be able to relate to them. As this is speaking out to the youth.

As you can see this is the first person who is glancing on someone through a window, this shot is taken as a medium shot, allowing us to see what there wearing, there facial expressions etc.

As you can see he is glancing down at this lady, it looks like he is looing in lust, almost as if he's spying on something he cannot have. They use a long shot with every person being watched/spied on. This women is well off, well dressed and in a smart apartment. This narration is so clever, making it a personal favourite of mine. Mainly due to the fact that the story is on going, a chain of people watching each other.

Now the woman who was being watched by the man has caught her attention across to 2 children playing dress up in another apartment. Almost with a disapproving manner on her face. The way she’s dressed and the bright colors suggest she is wealthy and looking down on the kids as if they aren't worthy of her time.

Here a young boy is aiding what seems to be his baby sister in dressing up like a princess. They also look wealthy, as there clothes are also of high class, but however they look a lot more old fashioned. This is a key feature in the video that has attracted me, all the age groups, and all the different styled people. This is a very strong feature within a narrative video. Helps to tell the story in a much clearer way.

Here the young girl dressed up is now surveying a suspicious man in the parking lot. This continues the chain of people watching each other. In my opinion this create suspense, as you never know who’s will be next, or how it will end.

Here the man is being watched, as you can see there is very low light, probably just a dank street light illuminating him, allowing more contrast to be included in the darkness. The man is in the center of a telescope lens view, making the shot more effective, as it looks more as if he is being watched or spied upon.

Here you see the dully lit man gazing at what appears to be a young teenage couple kissing passionately on a car bonnet. He watches them in longing, almost as if he’s jealous. This suggests to me that maybe each character watching each person, is jealous of the person, or has a sense of longing for what they have over what they have achieved.

Here as mentioned is the young couple kissing. They again are very dully lit, and subtly illuminated by a street lamp, I like this effect, as it makes it look a lot more like night time, but also allows us to see clearly what is happening. It then creates suspense in narrative hook of the music video, as you wonder who they will watch and stare in awe at.

Here the couple have walked into a dark lit building, again keeping with the night city scene. This time however the story changes and there's a twist in the narration of the video. They don’t look like they are jealous or in awe. They look fearful, and slightly intimidated. They are watching an elderly man, again lit by a pin prick of light travelling from his apartment. The lighting in this music video is simply phenomenal. Its so subtle and so cleverly used.

Here is the shot of the old man they are watching in his wheelchair. You can instantly tell why they are slightly intimidated, he looks eerie and slightly perverse, staring at the youths as if showing his disapproval through his body language and expression. This is a clever twist in the story within the video.

We then switch to a shot of the elderly man in his wheelchair staring longingly almost in teasing way at a young ballet class rehearsing across the street from his apparent. This tweaks the story ever so slightly as he isn't jealous or intimidated. He is looking in a sad longing way, as if he wants to date or be with one of the young fit slender women, in comparison to himself, as he clearly cannot walk, and is ageing at a fast rate. This creates sympathy within the video and allows us to feel for the man. Another key aspect of this shot is the lighting, he dimly lit by a side lamp allowing us to see his small apartment and himself in the wheelchair. Again another example of simple subtle lighting.

Here is the shot of the young girls rehearsing in front of a mirror for what seems to be ballet. Its unclear who is the main focus point and who will then continue the chain and watch the next person, thus carrying on the narrative side of the music video. This becomes clear when a young girls breaks away from the group and nervously looks up at a window. She looks slightly apprehensive, but also slightly confused, as to why the person is watching her.

This last shot of her looking then ends the video, as it ends suddenly, and in a very sudden way, but the way it is done allows us to see the chain that is never ending. It turns out that she is watching the man who was originally staring at the wealthy women in red at the beginning. This shows us that the chain is never ending, and that they have all been surveying each other without realizing.

Here is the shot of the eerie man staring at her through the window. He looks identical to how he did when watched the wealthy women dressed in red but that is the key aspect of the video. The confusion of all the people who have been watching each other. Again the lighting in this shot is simple and subtle, it illuminates him in the darkness and makes him the main focus point. This is used throughout the video in a very key effective way. Making it my favorite narrative video of anything I have surveyed or studied.

The video then ends with again a dark shot, slightly illuminated by pinpricks of windows where people have been watching each other, This establishing shot allows us to see the whole scene in which where people have been watching each other. This is a very interesting, but very good shot to end with, mainly as it allows us to see an overview of everything.

One key thing that I haven't mentioned throughout my analysis, is that the lyrics and meaning of the song have nothing to do with the video. The video is just creative genius in my opinion, and although random and not in keeping with the style of the song or with the lyrics, I feel that the music video which is a narrative according to Goodwin's theory, is simply incredibly made, and a personal favorite of mine.