Video analysis

I chose to analyze the When You Were Young music video by the Killers. The director chose to start the story with the conclusion. We first see this woman on top of a cliff somewhere in South America devastated and hopeless, and then they cut to a man in a car looking for something (which as a viewer I automatically assume he’s looking for her). The visual style the director uses is mise en scene because it is obvious that these people are put in costumes and put in their places in order to make us understand the story more and give us an idea of who they are and where they come from. The director’s use of editing is mostly discontinuity because the video keeps showing us flashbacks to how they first met, the band, the wedding...etc. The main style I noticed from this video was the choice of lighting; it is always dark or darker than usual, even during the day scenes, for example when she steps out of church; they are all darker than usual. Maybe it’s the director’s way of showing how these people maybe view their life or their condition? Over all, this video, I felt she light on the many terms and concepts that were discussed in order to tell a story in a unique way that expresses their struggle.