Product Analysis 2 - Billy Talent (Devil In A Midnight Mass)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfEmbIaaBU8
Director - Sean Michael Turrell
The track is a Performance/Narrative based video.
There is a clear grain of voice in the video as the lead singer of the band has a unique singing voice, which is instantly recognisable.

Genre Characteristics

• The band are seen playing in dark clothes, screaming the lyrics and playing the traditional rock instruments (guitar and drums) in a fast-paced and enthusiastic manner.
• The mise-en-scene of the video is very dark, taking place in a church room, and the narrative shows a boy haunted by a form of evil, symbolically represented by black smoke.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

• The word "devil" connotates darkness which in turn, is represented in the dark setting and is contrasted with the clever use of light occasionaly.
• The line "silent night for the rest of my life" is represented by the images of children in the video who don't appear to have mouths, which is oddly unsettling and is reflected in the lyrics.
• The line "getting closer to my door" is represented by the young boy in the narrative in his room, scared, as black smoke approaches the door. This creates tension which is exploited by images of the band playing.
• The line "whisper whisper, don't make a sound" suggests that these children have been silenced by whatever is haunting the young boy.

Relationship between music and visuals

• The camera moves very quickly around the band as they are playing. This represents the fast pace of the song and the bands actions.
• Split shots are used to create drama and as the tensions builds at the end, the air becomes more tense as the resolution is acted out.
• The music reflects the dark nature of the song. It is a very fast song though, so it adds to the rock element rather than any sort of scary element.

Artist close-ups

• There are close-ups of the boy in the narrative. It shows him as a very normal looking boy and represents his innocence in everything.
• Close-ups of the band are very fast and shocking. They aren't looking at the camera, as they are very into what they are doing, which creates an impressive feel to it.

Intertextual Ref.

• There is a reference to the movie "The Shining" which is seen when the young boy passes a picture which appears to be bleeding.
• The black smoke is often used as a connotation of evil in other media's such as TV programme "Lost."