Blog #2: A Look at Music Videos

The video I chose for this assignment is How to Save a Life by The Fray.
Initial reaction: My initial reaction to this video was that I felt the emotions of every person in this video. The video captured my heart every second because of the powerful messages that were being presented in this video, and how they just let everything out. During the video, it reminded me of a loved one that passed away. When they said "And I would have stayed up with you all night", I had this feeling of regret because while that loved one was in his last hour, I didn't really get to have the chance to say a few words to him because I felt really sad about his condition and I couldn't handle seeing him suffer like that.

Analysis and interpretation: There are currently 2-3 different version of music videos for this song, but I decided to do this one because I found it the easiest out of the 3. The video started off with a blurry effect and were focused on the band. Then, they showed many children standing in a white background expressing their feelings while the band is either beside or behind them. Throughout the whole video, tips were showed in different effects so that they can be emphasized and we could feel every expression. I think the band or the producer created this version of the video so that these children could express what they're going through. Whether they may be depressed, suicidal, or lost a loved one, they want to remind us that there is always going to be someone that cares about us and that we could always cope with our problems and start fresh. This video shows a variety of themes such as depression, suicidal, coping with drug and alcohol addiction and a loss of a loved one. But it's really our choice of how we want to view it as because everyone has a different opinion on these type of things. I think this video/song is aligned with religious values because they do encourage the children/audience to pray to God whenever we're in need of help because He is always listening to our problems and He would guide us through these process and lead us to the right path.

Consideration of cultural context: An event that could have influenced the band to make such a video is maybe encountering with people who are experiencing difficult times in their life and they just want the audience to see how these people are feeling while they are coping with their problems and they share us tips on how to cope with them.

Expression of aesthetic judgment: The cinematography, acting and performance, storyline, special effects, lyrics worked really well together in this video because everyone had the chance to share their story with us through their emotions and tips. The acting and performance really got to me because everything about it felt so real and it makes us want to express our feelings with them because every movement of their body were so powerful. The blurry effects throughout the video made it seem very dramatic and made it kind of suspenseful in a way, in my opinion.

Ongoing reflection: The music video influenced me by showing me every emotions physically instead of only singing it. The video made the song better because you can feel the emotions from every word of the song, which can help us take the words more seriously and help us connect with every person with our experiences. I think that the group did a good job on putting this whole video together and encouraging all children or anyone that there are people that do care about them.