Week 6 Video Reviews
Every Breath You Take
Artist's Name:
The Police. The Police was an English band that was formed during the late 1970s in London.
Song Title:
"Every Breath You Take"
CD/Album Title
Murder by Numbers
Year
1983
Record Company
Warner Bros
Director
Kevin Godley and Lol Creme
Narrative of Video:
When the video begins, the camera is in a far away overhead shot. It appears as if you're seeing some type of long cylinder like image. As the camera moves forward, the image changes and it becomes evident that it is an ashtray with cigarette butts in it sitting on some type of surface. The light shines across the ashtray. The camera moves foward even more and the ashtray lights up in a bright white light that transforms into a snare drum. The drummer is hitting it with a drum stick in time to the music. The camera pans from the drums to a stand up bass. It lingers on the fingers playing the bass for just a moment then moves out so that it shows that it is Sting playing the bass and singing the song. He is dressed in dark clothing and the background is black. The camera moves again and the screen fades from Sting alone to a shot where he is in foreground and also in a side shot with another band member. The scene changes again. The bass fades away and it is just Sting. Everything remains black except for Sting. In the next scene, there is a small ensemble of violinists in the frame to the side of Sting. The camera angle changes again to a close up of each violin player. It moves along the faces of each of the violin players. That scene fades away and the lead guitar player becomes the focus. The lead guitar image changes into the three band members. It changes to a close up of Sting. Behind him a curtain opens and a piano can be seen. The camera moves closer to the piano and then changes again to a shot of the piano keys, Sting and the drummer all in the same frame. The camera moves again so that the focus is on Sting again. A chandelier appears and then a man washing a large window. The camera moves back to reveal the image of the man washing the window is above where the band is playing. All three of the band members and the window washer are in the same frame. That image fades and the next image is of Sting playing the bass again. The camera moves in to a close up of Sting. The scene changes again and the guitarist is on one side of the frame and the small ensemble of violinists is on the other side. The images move backward in the next scene leaving a black space in the center. The chandelier appears again with the band in the background. Further behind the band, the window washer is seen washing the window. The camera pans in closer and centers on the silhouette of the window washer up close so that the only part of him that is visible is his head looking out the window. The scene changes to the drum again. The drum changes back into the ashtray filled with cigarette butts. One cigarette is burning in the ash tray. A hand appears out of nowhere and puts the cigarette out. The light fades to black and the video ends.
How the Music and Video Relate:
The video does a very good job of conveying the dark meaning of the lyrics of this song.
Review:
The black images and fluid motion of the camera work in this video make it very enjoyable to watch. The lyrics of this song are quite dark, but the pop beat detracts from this so the song doesn't sound as that it doesn't sound as creepy as it is. The video reinforces the sinister meaning in the lyrics.