In this essay I am going to be analysing Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” music video. "What I've Done" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their third album, Minutes to Midnight. This video was nominated for the 'best hard rock performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards' which comes as no surprise as the band and production team have clearly produced a visual and inspirational music video. The music video, like the band and its genre, is quite different to other music videos. This music video is shot in the Californian desert to represent a blank canvas linking it to the human mind making it significantly corruptible by inevitable changes such as extreme weather which could signify the breakdown of the mind. The idea that this video wants to portray is the sins of humanity and/or otherwise of what they define as a 'bad thing' that humans have done; including aspects such as war, world hunger, terrorism and other negative acts of humanity. The video has elements of narrative, conceptual and performance within and this makes it very dynamic.
Emphasis on life is shown in various parts of this video by using colors of life such as blue and green as shown right at the beginning of the video, with the grass reversing into the mud. After this there is various camera shots such as panning, tilting and the use of a dolly to go around the musicians, close ups and low angle shots highlight each individual musician within Linkin Park and the role in which they perform in the band. This way the audience are able to gain a greater knowledge of each individual within the band and not just focus on the lead singer; a typical feature for this hip hop/ alternative rock genre. The injection of other close up shots of cogs and wheels which are used in clocks adds another insight to the narrative of the music video; how people become easily fixed around a routine and live their lives like clockwork. Following this is a series of time lapse shots which deal with the idea of time and how it is forever progressing. Alike the clockwork point, the time lapse shot also implies a fixation on a certain way of life without change as well as how time is forever progressing, quicker than everyone can grasp. There is also a frequent use of establishing shots showing memorable and well-known locations from around the world which are highlighted by the use of jump cuts. This, therefore, allows anyone watching the video to be able to relate to it in some way; as a result of this, the audience are able to share a common ground with the band themselves and feel a part of the video. Editing, like most music videos, is a big part, especially in this video. Here, editing techniques such as jump cuts are used frequently and at a high cutting rate in order to convey as many images of environmental issues, historical events and locations around the world as possible. Reasons for this could be to give the impression that there is so many issues which are taking place as we speak such as unpredictable weather disasters like hurricanes and poverty, that the world needs to 'face [it]self' and see 'what [it's] done' to their planet. This is a very strong message the band is trying to highlight through the lyrics and the editing is relied on to emphasise the importance of the topic being raised even more. Goodwin suggests lyrics will make constant references to visuals on screen. Visuals will reinforce what the lyrics say. And in this video this used but in a slightly different way. The main line of the song and also its title is “What I’ve done” and throughout the video there is constant reference to some of the good and bad things that mankind as a whole has done. I think that Linkin Park means the whole of mankind when they say “I’ve” and that’s why Goodwin’s theory applies here as it shows what we’ve done in the music video.
I have many theories about the presentation of the band in this video. The lead singer Chester Bennington, wears aviator style sunglasses to cover up his eyes which can be interpreted in numerous ways. Firstly, sunglasses restrict the audience from seeing his eyes however allowing him to see his audience. This implies an unwanting of publicity or personal recognition from his audience. Secondly, the songs meaning resolves around the ammitance of past sins and being able to "face [yourself]" for what you "have done", therefore the glasses could be used as the artist is ashamed for what he, himself, has done that he cannot bare to reveal himself fully. Or thirdly, he is disgraced at how humanity has becoming and its collective sins that he cannot bare to look at them or for them to look at him. The band themselves are all dressed in black clothing which has connotations of a funeral (where everyone wears black suits). Therefore it could be concluded that they are hinting or foreshadowing, as their video suggests, at the inevitable destruction of the world.
Post By:
Josh Barrett
Post By:
Josh Barrett
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