Music Video Analysis

Music Video Analysis

The Script - 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'

The script is a rock band from Ireland, they are based in London and currently signed with Sony Music. The Script formed in 2001, however their debut single was not released until 2008.

I decided to analyse 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'; it was their second single which was released on 15th September 2008. The single achieved quite high positions in most non-European countries, reaching number 2 in Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

Lyrics

At the beginning of the Video, we only see Danny O'Donoghue; the main vocalist in the band and the member which this video concentrates on. He is walking down the street to the instrumental begining of the song. At first the camera films the floor in which you can see his shaddow from the side, then there is a quick cut to a close up of his face. From there we see further fast pace cuts to low and high angle shots filming different shots of him walking down the street until he reaches the corner where he begins to sing. This relates to the lyrics as he sings the first line "Going back to the corner where I first saw you". As he continues to sing the first verse the camera continues to film him from different outlooks.

He is walking along a pavements sorrounded by many people so we can immediately see the type of setting he is in however, we are yet to place him in an exact city until 3 minutes 31 seconds into the song where we see yellow taxi's a common association with New York.

At 47 second the chorus begins, there is a cut to a scene of the whole band in what seems like an empty warehouse. We see the other two band members playing their instruments in the background and the main vocalist in front singing. The vocalist seems to be the main focus throughout the video which is displayed here because there are many close up of Danny and just generally more shots. During the chorus there are two circumstances of where we can here a particular instrument and so we see a close up the band member playing it.

During the third verse, he says 'The
re's someone I'm waiting for if its a day, a month, a year' and he has 'gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows'. These lyrics prove his dedication and hope in this girl returning to the corner. The only belongings he has with him are a watch, a picture of the girl and a sleeping bag. We repeatedly see the watch in the video because it is showing how time is moving on very quickly. Currently in the video the weather seems quite sunny how ever to show how long he has been waiting on the corner it begins to rain and then snow, which seems as though summer has progressed into autumn and then winter too. This again, shows his commitment to finding her.

During the next chorus, the camera repeats a particular movement when the lyrics are sung. The camera pivots around Danny O'Donoghue many times and it seems very effective because it emphasises the words he is singing to be more emotional. At this point in the video people start to gather around the corner in which he is sitting, he also gets attention from the News channel. He is not interested in being famous as the man who can't be moved he just hopes that the girl see's him on the news and goes to find him. The lyrics he is singing, is what he is saying into the microphone.

The next shots in the video speed up slightly even thought the song does not. It shows how the days are coming and going, therefore how time is moving on. Everthing is happening really quickly including the sun rising and then suddenly setting not long after.

The rest of the song does not really contain much camera movement, it is mainly made from many different fast pace cuts which alternate between the actual video and the band singing together. Other images which show how fast the time is moving is the vehicles driving down the roads and the people walking down the street because it has all sped up. This is shown in the following screen shots as they appear slightly blurry.

The last short is basically explained through the lyrics. 'Going back to the corner where I first saw you, Gonna sleep in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move'. The last shot is the following screen shot which relates to the last lyrics in the song.