Product Analysis
Music video: End Credits – Chase and Status ft. Plan B.
Chase and Status are two drum and bass artists who have come together with rapper/soul singer Plan B. This song was released as the theme song for the film “Harry Brown” which is about one mans struggle against a group of abusive youths on a rough London council estate (in which Plan B stars). The music video keeps to the theme of the film and includes clips of it, however, Plan B appears in these clips as an alter ego to his character in the film (an abusive, violent thug). The theme and culture of the rough London estates is portrayed and represented throughout the video using mise-en-scene, sound, editing and cinematography. These tools are also used to portray a fight between the main character's good and bad side, as well as a theme of life and death.
The video starts with a slow motion image (using editing) of the main character falling, in time with an acoustic sound. He eventually hits the floor and as he opens his eyes as the song progresses from a slow acoustic sound to a more lively one, showing a direct link between the visuals on screen and the music itself, a common music video convention. The video creates enigma in the narrative due to a lack of sound other than the backing music itself as we don’t know what or who has hit the character; the mise-en-scene doesn't give anything away as to what has made the character fall either. The cinematography emphasises the expression of the character as he hits the ground using close-ups and extreme close-ups.
We are then shown different clips from the film, Harry Brown, with some dialogue over the music to represent the character's attitude and behavior. However, the character from the music video is in the room as well with a look of sadness, and the cinematography focuses in on actions of the alter ego as if to plead with his other self not to be so aggressive. It gives the impression that the character in the music video is looking back on his former self with guilt. We are shown several of these clips throughout the video, of the main character looking back on himself and begging himself to stop. This fits with the lyrics themselves (showing a link between the lyrics and visuals on screen, another common music video convention) which are about hoping people will be sad when you are gone.
The rest of the video is filled with clips of the film representing a very stereotypical culture and attitude of young people in modern times. Using costumes, sets, props and the characters actions they are portrayed as violent, aggressive and undisciplined. For example, a gun is used to represent violence and blood on a boys face represents the presence of death or murder. The costumes used are stereotypical, hoodies, jeans track suit bottoms etc. which together play to the common stereotypical representation of lower class youth today. Overall the mise-en-scene creates a very negative representation of youth.
Images of the main character (from editing techniques used) rising represent death, his ascent to heaven, having shown guilt for his actions in life. This use of editing adds to the life/death theme. The final scene is of the character being found dead, hinting that we have just seen is a stage between life and death, his fall at the beginning of the video having killed him.
Sam Crimes
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