The first music video I will analyse is 'Same Love' by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which fill focus on the combination of lyrics and footage coming together. This is a narrative based music video which amplifies the lyrics:
Same Love was a song that was released by Macklemore and
Ryan Lewis, which is about supporting marriage equality. The song is based on
the Washington Referendum 74, which is the official approving law of same sex
marriage which gained 53.7% of votes who were in favour of same sex marriage in
December 2012. The song is based around a political perspective of changing the
law, which gives homosexuals have equal rights to heterosexuals. In the 21st
century, society has become more post-modern; consisting of diverse views and
basing needs around individuals. The stigma behind same-sex couples has also
changed rapidly.
Over the last century, society’s attitudes have changed
towards this subject due to the march on progress view. A homosexual couple are
less frowned upon in the modern era and there is more acceptances to diverse
partner types. In the music video, the visuals portray a lifetime of a boy who
grew up as a homosexual; however he found it hard to express his feelings
towards others.
The music video begins in the setting of a hospital, where there are close ups on the equipment being used such as putting on gloves and using a blood pressure monitor. Throughout the entire video there is no non-diegetic music, therefore we cannot hear the ambient sounds of the monitors and the characters talking. The pan shot of the hospital bed with a pregnant women lying down on it is significant as we see the beginning of a baby's life. After the baby is born and we see a close up of the mother holding on to him and kissing his hand.
A cross cut is made to the next scene, where there is a time ellipses to primary school different sex children playing outdoors together, showing that he mixed with both genders growing up. Next, there is a parallel cut to a playback of a video when the boy was younger and kissing another girl which is the way he felt being brought up was the 'norm'. However the lyrics explain how he was gay since the "3rd grade" which made him feel uncomfortable, differing from everyone else.
In
addition, the songwriter, Ryan Lewis, also uses religion as a key topic which
can be used to express how their sexual feelings towards the same sex can
affect their religious beliefs. Many people believe that these two contradict
as the bible says “be fruitful and multiply” however gay couples argue that
they can still adopt. The song lyrics show how a gay person can be religious
too, which is also amplified in the lyrics, “’God loves all his
children'". This is written in the song in order to remind the audience,
no matter what they believe in.
Another time ellipses has taken place in the editing when we see him as a teenager, playing spin the bottle with his friends. however we could tell from the visuals that he did not feel comfortable and he hide his feelings to himself in his room, crying. The lyrics mirror the visuals as he "cant change even if he tried" as his feelings are fixed. The party he attended after this, his was isolated as there were heterosexual couples together around him.
These 3 lines show how loosely the term ‘gay’ is being used and the way people use it. People use it in a derogatory term, which is not fundamentally correct however the song explains how not enough people are standing up for them:
"Have you read the You Tube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying"
The lyrics emphasise how hard it is for some gay couples to ‘come out’: “Bunch of stereotypes all in my head, a preconceived idea of what it all meant”. Furthermore, many homosexuals are fearful of people treating them differently just because they like the same sex.
Another time ellipses is used and the man has found a partner and they are happy together. Once his family find out about it, or they go out together in public holding hands, there is a negative attitude from others towards them.
After a straight cut, we see a marriage proposal from a low angle in a high key lighting setting of the sun shining down on them. This emphasises the natural act that is taking place is a natural environment. The lyrics show that peoples attitudes are more significant than the law "no laws are going to change us, we have to change us".
The final scene is in the hospital, which is the same setting as the opening scene. The time ellipses is emphasised due to the change in looks over the couple; as they are both elderly where one is not healthy. A flashback is made to the mother holding hands with the baby from the opening scene which illustrates the life cycle. The change in look over time using time ellipses is something I would like to mirror in the music video our group will create.
This image can be compared to adverts shown now-a-days such as the benetton advert that illustrates how attitudes amongst members of society have changed. Gay rights are becoming more acceptable in the 21st century and this is illustrated from the following images:
The music video as a whole illustrates how attitudes towards gay couples, in a post-modern society, are negative and how it has to change and become more acceptance as times have changed.
