Evanescence - Bring me to life
Combination video. Performance and narrative.
Evanescence is wearing a white sleeping gown which, expose her arms, chest and legs. It puts her in a vulnerable state.
She's the only female in the whole music video so her body is the centre of attention as other band members are fully clothed in black. There is a clear contrast between the female and the males. The female is represented as the innocent girls, the damsel in distress while the men are represented as bad boys with tattoos and all in black.
Voyeuristic treatment of the female body
The music video heavily reflects the mood and the meaning of the song.
The editing is on the beat, when the song picks up and becomes forceful so does the pace of the editing.
The video begins with the slow diegetic sound of the wind. The camera moves slowly as it flies through a dark futuristic city.
When the slow melody starts to play at the start, the scene is quite calm.
As the rhythm slowly starts to pick up, the camera is slightly shaky. There is a close up of an open window and white curtains that seem to be moving fast due to the strong wind.
The music starts to sound more chaotic and more forceful when the video suddenly cuts to Evanescence falling as well as when she seems to be having disturbed dreams as she fidgets in her sleep. The music picks up and becomes more forceful and tension filled.
Evanescence wakes up as if possessed and the band is introduced when the chorus starts.
The chorus is very chaotic and forceful when disturbing scenes occur.
As for the rest of the duration of the music video, she's possessed and sleep walking. The music stays sharp and forceful.
The song becomes even more chaotic when a band member tries to rescue her and prevent her fall. When she falls the music matches the chaotic moment.
Relationship between music and visuals
Relationship between lyrics and visuals
Genre conventions
Band members and singers are usually dressed in a dress-code that was influenced from the 19th century literature and horror films. Gothic fashion stems from death rock, punk androgynous, Victorian as well as some renaissance and medieval style attire. Most often they wear black clothing, makeup and hair. Mohawks are the typical rock guy’s hairstyle. They often wear accessories such as tattoos and piercings.
The setting is very dark and gothic like to illustrate the relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
However lighting is used on Evanescence to emphasise her pale skin and white gown. She contrasts against the background making her appear luminous like. This depicts her as innocent and vulnerable almost like the damsel in distress.
However her black dyed hair and bold make up make her appear edgy too.
The diegetic sound of the wind depicts her as isolated. the setting appears spooky and deserted. It put her in a helpless state as there is no one to help her.
Camera Shots, angles and movement
Close up shots of Evanescence's face while she's disturbed in her sleep.
The camera constantly moves, as it seems to be flying in the air.
Aerial shots are at times used to look down at her and to display the background and show how high up the building she is.
Crooked/ distorted angles shots.
At the beginning there is a continuity shot where the camera moves around the city and travels to Evanescence. The duration of the shot is 37 seconds.
A wide range of shots appear and are cut often during the chorus.
Slow motion is used when she falls to show how high she is and how fast she's falling. Also to build up tension to the anti-climax, as we aren't shown when she ends up crashing against the concrete. It's left to the imagination.
The pace of the shots speed up when the chorus comes. It keeps the audience engaged and focused/ attentive to what's happening.
Gothic Rock Music
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