This is actually just an assignment i did for gr.12 english class, where I had to analyze the cinematography in a short film. Of course I decided to do it on a music video, because I love music. The video is Holding Onto You by Twenty One Pilots. I like it because it's about twenty one pilots :]
The video begins with a few long shots and mid shots of Tyler (the singer) and Josh (the drummer) standing still, covered with the plastic tarps. There is not much lighting, except for a slight soft light coming from somewhere in the background, which softly illuminates the tarps covering them, but leaving the people themselves in shadow. The tarps being the only thing in the light create a brief sense of mystery as you wonder who they are. The lights only ever point inwards at the people on the set, and throughout the whole video, there is a slight feeling of unease based on the dark void that is the background, as we only catch a glimpse of the lights themselves at the top, and beyond that, nothing else on the set.
We see a single shot of each of them as they get uncovered. In each of these shots, the light is now only focusing on the person in the shot, which introduces us to them and their faces. When Tyler starts singing, we see a high angle shot of him, the lights now softly shining on him. The high angle shot can convey vulnerability, which goes along with the sense of softness and neutrality caused by the soft lighting. Then, with the same high angle shot, we see Tyler being pulled down towards the floor by the background dancers. This action further solidifies that idea of vulnerability, showing that Tyler has little power in this situation.
After that, it cuts to a different shot, a group shot of the dancers, and Tyler pushing his way between them, moving toward the camera while making eye contact with the audience. This shot highlights the beginning of him trying to take control, standing up for himself. The camera angle is now neutral, no longer having the vulnerability of the high angle, and his eye contact with the camera as he pushes through gives a sense of strength.
It cuts to a close-up shot of Tyler, the hands grabbing at his face and neck, and though he does make eye contact with the camera, he is looking elsewhere for most of the time. This shot focuses on Tyler’s distressed expressions as he sings, and the hands grabbing and clawing at him.
The next shot is a bird’s eye view of josh at the drum set which zooms out, pans over to Tyler laying on the floor next to the drum set, then zooms in on Tyler, still bird’s eye. This camera movement shows Josh and Tyler’s proximity and where they are in relation to each other, while also showing them individually when it is zoomed in.
The camera then follows Tyler’s face as he sits up off the floor. This shot is a way to keep the audience up close and personal with Tyler while not being from his point of view. He keeps eye contact with the viewer the whole time, making it feel like he is talking to you while he sits up. A noose is then placed around his neck, and a light in the background slowly reveals the dancers pulling on the other end of the rope. At first, it is just him by himself, and that may be meant to make you think that he was the one who put it around his neck, until the light in the background shows us the others pulling at the other end of the rope.
It then shows a mid shot of Tyler trying to crawl away, and a close up of his hands grasping at the floor. The lyrics in this section are “this ain’t a noose, this is a leash, and I have news for you; you must obey me” and as he says, “obey me”, that’s when it cuts to the shot of him turned around and crawling away, fighting against the dancers’ pull. This is followed by a long shot of Tyler at one end of the rope crawling away, and the dancers at the other end of the rope pulling, and the camera shot rotates. Along with this camera movement, the direction of gravity also shifts, so that Tyler is above the dancers, showing a change in power as he becomes in control. The dancers begin to lose balance, let go of the rope and fall away into the void.
We also get another close up of Tyler, with the hands grabbing at his face again, but this time the music is more intense, the lights are flashing, and right before the bridge gives way to the next part of the song, Tyler opens his eyes, making direct eye contact with the camera, which he hadn’t been doing during these close ups before. I think this shows his strength and determination, even though the hands don’t seem to go away.
The video ends with Tyler and Josh standing still again, back in their starting position. The dancers put the plastic tarps back over them and run out of the frame, leaving it as it was at the beginning of the video. The lights are out once again, the camera still, and everything quiet as they are covered up. It’s like everything has been resolved, but now they are just waiting for it to start over again.