MASSIVE ATTACK ANALYSIS

How is 'street life' represented in the music video?




At the beginning of the music video, a close-up shot is used of steel silver balls being fiddled with in a gloved hand. This is shown with the diegetic sound of metal on metal, the harshness of  this sound then reflecting the gang which next comes into shot. Within these balls, a reflection of the sky and rooftops is shown, helping to establish the scene though without showing the audience too much detail, keeping them engaged. As well as this use of the unknown of the setting, the use of a gloved hand also helps to continue the mysterious aspect which the opening of this music video has.

This shot then zooms out slightly, showing more of the scene. The continuous shot which is used from the offset, zooms out from the silver balls to a man holding with a dog with sunglasses on. This dog also helps to maintain the stereotypical rough elements of the 'street life', as the silver studs on its collar creates connotations of violence, and often poverty for the audience. As well as the dog, when the camera shot zooms out further, more characters are introduced, shown within a gang-like scene. The use of props and costumes also continues this 'street life' theme; though as well as this the idea of poverty is also represented.
The audience could infer from this that the artist/director is trying to make an ironic statement aimed at wealth. As, for a successful band, like Massive Attack they would be able to afford to create a complex music video for a hit song, like 'Unfinished Sympathy'. This could include multiple different sets and scenarios, with well known characters featuring also. Though this music video is the polar opposite, as the director has made sure it used minimal techniques, with the setting and the characters shown all giving connotations of poverty and struggle. 



As the music video continues, it becomes clearer to the audience that the scenes are set in a typical American, urban area. As the ariel shot zooms out from the gang, a street comes into shot, where straight away one individual stands out. On the street there are many characters shown, all dressed in typical American clothing of the era. However one women is shown walking past, dressed in all black; this

focus is on the street as se is dressed in all black, opposite of standing out

Even though the women is the focus of the camera shot, the audience is still able to understand the scene behind her as the wide angle helps to contain as much of the background scene as possible. The audience can see different people, all dressed typically of the era, going about their ordinary life; many shown working and selling on the street. This idea of the 'street life' is depicted from the off-set. As the camera pans out from a man with, a stereotypically violent breed of dog, wearing a studded collar. The shot then widens to show more men all wearing similar style clothes, leather jackets and white vests, for example. The audience hence depicts that they are representing a gang; helped by the use of stereotypes surrounding the setting and the people involved.