Textual Analysis: Three Doors Down - ''Here Without You''

Through use of camera the director of the ‘here without you’ music promo has created a production of simple yet effective shots to portray the narrative of the three doors down single. For the opening couple of shots, together with the editing what was probably just a blink when filmed, the slowing down of the over-the-shoulder shot with wind blowing across the girl’s hair, makes the expression on Brad Arnold’s face appear to portray despair. This reflects the narrative. However, as is typical of a music promo, the use of montage editing leads the audience to deduce the story, along with the lyrics, not in the usual continuity style of a feature film. This is also the case with this particular music video and a code and convention which we shall be employing with our own production.

      Throughout the film there is the consistent use of alternate angles and shots of the same scene such as the flicking of the coin outside the coach, to make it appear surreal and through the mind of the lead singer. We shall be adopting this theme in our music video, as the use of several angles of the same scenes involves the audience and create the sense of being in the music video.

     The reflections of the mirror are associated with reflecting on the past, or an alternate angle on the situation, which, in itself has connotations. Alternate angles denote physical other sides to a physical scene, which is shown in this music video, however holds connotations of the different points of view; such as the camera shot of the couple at the beginning of the video from the reflection in the wall mirror. This could be something to potentially incorporate into our own music video during the flashbacks.

     The reverse zoom or tracking back on the collage of photographs, a further reflection on the past, is jerky in the sense that there is a smooth reverse zoom cut to a shot slightly further back (of the same thing) continuing to track back at the same pace. This leads the audience to deduce that the past, although presented as happy from photos such as the children and a marriage day, may not have been as ‘smooth’ as it appears. This is also relevant to the deduction of the narrative through montage editing. In our music video we shall be using montage editing switching from ‘the present’ to flashback clips to portray the general storyline. The storyline can generally be worked out from the lyrics, as the majority of shots in the music video are of the band inside the studio and only reflect the lyrics by the pace of editing and other media devices.

      The camera cuts back to show the whole wall to be covered in a collage of photos suggesting at obsession or the attempt at making this ‘missing person’ more prominent in the room despite their absence. Further shots which hold similar connotations of obsessions are those where Ben Arnold is sitting in a corner chair, again in dim light, surrounded by walls of pages of music. The tone of the song suggests that without the person he is singing about, he has been unable to write music or lyrics. This fits with the tone of the music. In these shots he also is wearing a hat which shields the light from his eyes.

      These shadows are a continuous theme throughout the video however, are more prominent in the first half. This is previous to the combination of shots where a light bulb illuminates, followed immediately by the whole of the studio. Following this the studio remains lit and a series of fast paced editing adds to the dramatic effect which is synchronous with the accelerated pace of the chorus. The effect of the drastic lighting difference in one moment and a couple of shots creates a dramatic and smooth transition with the sudden change in pace and rhythm of the track. This is an effect we would like to adopt and incorporate into our music video. This could be done during the bridge from the first verse to the course as the pace of the song increases and use this effect with the more brightly lit aspects for the faster parts of the track, going back to flashbacks and more low lighting for the slower paced second verse. As with the three doors down video, this would create a more dramatic visual transition from the verse to the chorus.

     Despite the more brightly lit second half of the three doors down video, there are still shadows as a key theme within the background and less important or dominant aspects of the shots, such as within the room of the studio with the light and sound desks, behind the screen.
     At one minute 26seconds, as you hear the sound of the drummer hitting a symbol the camera shows this for a second too. Therefore, despite the mellow pace of the song, this adds significance to the slight transition in pace as the song from the chorus to the next verse. The close ups of the drum kit are used again further on into the music video when the drummer deviates slightly from the continuius same drum beat, and the use of the symbols. When different instruments become more significant in the 'instrumental'.
We shall be using this style of shot, with the close up of the symbol being hit, in our music video. 
The final shot of the three doors down music video is of a long shot of a campervan pulling away creating dust in a desolate landscape, besides some bushes and telephone lines (There is also some little form of extraction pump in the background). This reflects the theme of isolation. The pace is also slowed down to reinforce the distortion of time.