TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: Richard Ashcroft - Break The Night With Colour

• Opening scene is the use of a crane movement moving in from a yard to the prison entrance with guards close by.
• Music first heard after 15 seconds when camera (steadicam) first moves in to the prison.
• Lyrics first heard after 19 seconds, all music has a lot of echo to it, as if it is in a large empty area (the prison)
• First shot is 30 seconds long, fairly long for a music video
• Music gradually getting louder, almost at full volume at 32 seconds, gives the idea you are getting close to Ashcroft.
• After 41 seconds you see a guard closing a cell door, and Ashcroft playing on a piano in a large derelict cell/recreation area of a cell.
• All camerawork up to this point is used with a steadicam, all from floor level.
• Medium shot of Ashcroft playing the piano from behind him at 46 seconds.
• After 50 seconds, there is the first extreme close up of Ashcroft's face, which is used many times throughout this music video. The "meat" of the video.
• Many shots in time with the music - a visual/music relationship. Examples are when cuts from Ashcrofts face to his fingers playing piano when he begins to sing the chorus.
• At 1.16 there is an ECU of Ashcroft's mouth as he sings. This technique is also often used throughout the video.
• From 1.31 to 1.33 there is an empty prison shot showing a dark, derelict environment, possibly signifying that is is a very depressing, negative place to seriously avoid going.
• Again, all cameras up to this point have been steadicam, and at floor level.
• There is the use of voyeurism at 2.24. This is projected through CCTV, and is used in many music videos.
• Many shots are MS, CU or ECU. There is very vew uses of LS apart from at the beginning of the scene, and when the shot of the prison environment is shown.
• At 3.50 Ashcroft is released from the cell environment he is in. The music then gently fades as he is led away.

Conclusion

This video is not that related to the convention we wish to use in our music video. We plan to use a dark, urban environment at night with street lighting. The hair style in this video is perfect for genre. The following points are seen repeatedly throughout:

1. ECU of mouth
2. ECU of lips
3. ECU of hands
4. MS of Ashcroft's upper body including face

This gives us a great idea of what shot distances and angles to use. However, this video is peformance/concept based, and we intend to make our music video narrative based. However, this video is very much linked in to our song of UNKLE - Lonely Soul, as Richard Ashcroft sings in Lonely Soul as well.