Numb is a record released back in 2003 by rock band, "Linkin Park" in their album "Meteora". It became a very popular song very quickly and even reached the top of the charts for a number of weeks in 2003 and 2004. Usually in music videos of this genre there are two different locations used for the setting so that there can be a link between both the narrative and the actual band through the use of the music.

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Mise en Scene;

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Clothing

In terms of rock there are many different conventions which if are followed correctly make the video easily identified as that particular type of genre. In relation to clothing, you would associate darker and often leather clothing for this type of genre as well as them generally wearing both earrings and other types of jewellery such as chains etc. This is conveyed immediately from the beginning as the opening shot is of who seems to be the main character in terms of the narrative element of the video and this is clearly shown by her choice of clothing as she is wearing darker shades of green along with the necklace and also the netted type top which further emphasises the conventions of rock genre. This is then emphasised even more so when the band are introduced several frames later as the whole band are pictured wearing black. By them all wearing black the audience discovers that this is in fact a rock video down to the blacks that are used as well as several members of the group do in fact have earrings in also which further supports the conventions of rock. Moreover one member of the band is also wearing fingerless gloves which stereotypically would link to the rock genre as you would normally associate rock artists with people who ride motorcycles and therefore would wear black fingerless gloves. Finally in the narration part of the video there is a clear and obvious divide between both the main girl and her fellow students as she seems very distant by her clothing being much more edgy compared to other people which emphasises her rock nature.

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Lighting

Moreover due to her difference people don't seem to accept her, resulting in her feeling more and more alone as shown by her drawing book as she feels it is the only thing that won't judge her. In the opening shot of the band there is very little lighting that is shown and this gives a very dark and gloomy atmosphere, along with most of the windows being sealed up the setting is made even darker thus emphasising the rock genre running throughout the video. Furthermore this dark and gothic nature is depicted by the use of artificial light in the form of candles where are prominent throughout all of the scenes involving the band. This use of the candles helps to promote the dark atmosphere and meet the conventions of a rock video.

 

 

 

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Setting

In terms of the settings the opening shot is of the girl on the bridge with a misty view behind her. The foggy scene suggests to the audience that the girl is struggling to find her way in life and the solemn look on her face further implies this as she feels alone with no one to guide her. Finally the opening scene of the actual band themselves shows them in a big cathedral type building. This setting implies a gothic nature to the audience as it shows them the deep and dark conventions associated with rock genre and by using this particular location as one of the settings in this video the director can emphasise this to the audience.

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Camera work;

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Camera Shots

The main opening long shot of the band in the cathedral really emphasises to the audience the nature of the music due to the fact that it implies the darkness associated with rock as well as highlighting the actual scene itself and determining the location because of the use of the long shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Furthermore during the band section of the video there are plenty of examples of close ups that are used due to the fact that the director is trying  to convey to the audience how passionate the lead singer is and by using a close up it is clear how he is almost shouting which further shows the sort of convention you would associate with rock genre. Also there are a large amount of medium shots used in the band section of the video due to the fact that it is trying to always link back to where the band is and the main setting as this setting is an essential part of the video. This is because of the relationship between rock music as well as the dark and gothic nature of the cathedral, as a result of this the director is trying to maintain the audiences awareness that they are in fact in a very dark place and this in fact links to the conventions of the genre.

 

Camera Angles

When the band are introduced in the video a high angle is used in the opening shot and this helps to show the whole band but also to establish the dark and gothic setting which relates very much to the type of genre. This use of high angled shots are consistently used throughout the video and there are examples of this even in the narrative part of the video in order to almost look down upon the main character as she is frowned upon by almost everyone in the video and this further relates to the dark and lonely nature of the genre. However in the band scenes besides these higher angled shots that are separated throughout the general camera angle is maintained at a similar neutral height throughout. This is so that the whole band can be seen as during the times when this neutral angled shot is used all of the band members are playing at the same time and so to give across the feeling of authentic rock the director has made it so that the audience is able to feel the dark and gothic nature of the genre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Camera Composition

Throughout the video the main singer Chester Bennington is clearly shown in the middle of the band giving him the lime light as he is the most important part of the band and so the director wants this to be obvious for the audience. Moreover by placing him in the middle of the scene it is able to highlight the genre of the music because of his appearance and mannerisms reflecting that of rock genre mainly down too both the dark colours he is shown wearing as well as his facial expressions when reaching the chorus where he almost shouts the lyrics which furthermore links to the conventions of rock and provides an obvious genre of the video.

 

Camera Movement

Generally in the band section of the video the camera movement that is used is a pan shot. Through the use of the pan shot the director is able to convey to the audience where the band are which helps to relate to the genre through the dark and gothic nature of the setting. However it also emphasises to the audience the crazy nature of the genre as the pan establishes all of the band members meaning that all the elements of the music can be seen by the viewer.

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Sound;

In this video there is no non diegetic sound meaning sound not in the scene and added in afterwards. As a result this places emphasis on the audience's attention being directed towards the lyrics of the song instead of having distractions from other narrative dialogues. As a result the audience is able to really connect with the lyrics and relate these to the genre. This is shown through the lyrics, "I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware, By becoming this all I want to do, Is be more like me and be less like you" due to the fact that they relate to how stereotypically lovers of rock feel different to other people and these words help to express that. Furthermore it shows to the audience that you can be different and you should be what you want to be instead of trying to please.

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Editing;

In this music video the highest proportion of screen time is given to both the lead singer of the band and the girl in the narrative section of the video. In terms of the band scenes, the lead singer is given the most screen time so that the audience can quickly establish a connection with him and understand from the beginning that he is theoretically the most important within the scene. This is similar to the narrative due to the fact that all the scenes involving the girl are showing her reaction and perspective in terms of what is happening in the scene. Moreover by opening the scene with her the audience understands from the beginning that she is of some importance to the storyline and therefore the song as a whole and by doing this the director is establishing her as the main character through the use of the editing of the video to give her the most screen time of all the narrative characters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another way editing is used well in the representation of this song is during the narrative scenes the crowd in the background of the main female character are sped up so that it creates an almost lonely atmosphere for the audience due to the fact that it implies nobody has any time for her and that they have no interest in her either. Furthermore this use of editing depicts how despite her trying to fit in nobody is taking any notice of her resulting in her having the feelings of sadness and loneliness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Finally the director uses this to convey the conventions of rock to the audience in a way that they can see how more stereotypically the rock genre can be considered very different to that of other genres and so the fans of rock do become maybe more lonely than other people and this is highlighted here. Ultimately the editing is characterised by the use of cut transitions throughout this video due to the fact that the video mimics the pace of the music is and by doing this the director is making the audience feel a part of the music and allows them to be able feel what the characters are feeling. Moreover when the band reaches the chorus you notice that the song begins to both speed up and get much louder which is subsequently displayed in the video when the director attempts to make the video seem more rushed swapping back and forth between both the narrative and the band scene all through the use of cut transitions.

This also depicts to the audience the general convention of rock by the way off blending the music in with the video and creating a real rough and ready type atmosphere as well as consistently linking back to the dark and gothic nature which we would associate with rock genre.