Music Video Analysis

Bastille - Pompeii

Long Shots and Wide Angle Shots are used frequently throughout this video to connote the enormity of the apocalyptic city and to give a cinematic feel. The first sign that we get of this being set in a post apocalyptic city is from the very first shot we get- with the bands lead singer, Dan Smith, stood on the very top of a large, concrete building that looks down over the city.The camera tracks diagonally to close in on the band member to signify the scale of the city he is in. This scale and the idea of the characters vulnerability is key to the songs meaning and to the story that unravels in the video.

Shot type and movement:

Tracking, Wide Shot.

Music/lyrics: -

Shot type and movement:

Stationary, Wide Shot.

Music/lyrics: -

We then get a shot of Dan with his back to us, facing the city and giving us a view of a beautiful city skyline. Pompeii is a city in Italy that was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius but to modernise this for a young target audience, the setting is of a modern day city. The song reflects upon this event and the video takes it further with the idea that the ash not only destroyed the city but turned peoples eyes black which is seen later in the video. It also later comes apparent that the character witnesses this trauma and is trying to escape it which makes these numerous wide shots more important- they are signifying the scale of devastation and of what the character is trying to escape from. All these elements suggest early on that this video aims to capture the audience by its storytelling and artistry which is stereotypical of this bands work.

With a muted colour palette and lighting, the shots continue to have a cinematic, storytelling feel with very little performance elements which include a small amount of lip syncing that keeps the feel of this being a music video but without steering away from the context of the narrative. With little light and decoration of the sets, the dark emotions of the songs meaning is maintained as the feelings are portrayed through the gloom of the darkness. The emptiness also reflects the lyrics as its suggests “I was left, to my own devices”.

Shot type and movement:

Stationary, Wide Shot.

Music/lyrics: - “I was left, to my own devices. Many days, fell away with nothing to show.”

The few shots highlight the abandoned setting that the character is inhabiting and the darkness that has been brought over the city which is shown through the night time dimness. As the songs rhythm gets faster, the amount of shots increase compared to the longer few second shots we get at the beginning of the video. This not only increases the anticipation for the audience but also highlights the urgency of the character.At this point of the video, the character has not yet reached danger and so establishing, stationary shots are used to simply portray the characters whereabouts and to show the emptiness and scale once again.

Shot type and movement:

Stationary, establishing shot.

Music/lyrics: - “And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love.”

We reach the middle of the song and the beat gets faster and the story increases in intensity. We follow Dan through the use of a handheld camera which puts us into the situation- as if we are running away with him. This is typical of an action film scene and so we get that sense of cinematic storytelling once more. With such energy seen on screen, the bands music playing over the top also becomes much more energised and this action feel captures the audience and promotes the song as a thrilling and exciting.We can also see here that Dan is running through an Arcade. This again highlights the characters loneliness and the cities devastation as Amusement Arcades are generally filled with people.

Shot type and movement:

Tracking, Long Shot

Music/lyrics: - “And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love.Great clouds all over the hills bringing darkness from above.”

This wide shot highlights numerous points including the wind turbines which suggest that this was once a thriving, modern city. This shot also includes dead plants that the character is running through and so the semantic field of death, loneliness and destruction continues throughout the video. With Dan running through such an empty, dead place, the shot also suggests that he is lost and confused and doesn't know what to do for the best.

Shot type and movement:

Stationary, Wide Angle Shot.

Music/lyrics: - “And if you close your eyes.”

The final shot is one that mirrors the very first- with a close up of Dan. Here we see that the destruction of the city and the erupting of the volcano has finally overcome the character and his eyes have glazed over black. As this shot mirrors the first, we can clearly see how the video was split into a beginning, middle and an end which leads us to the idea again of this video being very cinematic and of its purpose being to tell the story that the lyrics of the song tell.

Shot type and movement:

Stationary, Close Up.

Music/lyrics: - .