Alexander Rybak- Leave Me Alone (Case Studies)

Synopsis:

The music video starts off with the artist who appears rather helpless and in search of protection. From his appearance, the viewer immediately understands that he is both physically and mentally exhausted, which gives the impression that he went through a shocking series of events. As he knocks at a door that appears to belong to an institution, he explains that he wishes to be admitted in the asylum because a woman is following him. This makes both the guardians and the viewers question his sanity and after this short introduction, the music starts and the rest of the action is focused inside the asylum’s building. As the artist starts singing, he also reveals what has happened to him trough the lyrics. This ultimately explains what brought him in that condition. In the same time, he also walks through the asylum’s corridor, this way revealing the mysterious woman who is following him from behind. The asylum’s inmates also acknowledge his presence and mesmerized by his song, they appear to join his cause. As the video progresses, the artist also seems to gradually get better as well as more confident. His fear disappears and thus, is replaced with anger which makes him confront the woman who is following him. By approaching him directly, he tricks her and with the help of the other inmates, puts her into a straight jacket. She is therefore unable to do him any wrong, and by exchanging places, he is ultimately free to go.

I mostly picked this video mainly because the idea of a story implement in a music video appeals to me and makes the overall experience much more insightful. The fact that the narrative course is consistent also allows the story to have a beginning, middle and end, gives the song much more meaning. Although mostly narrative, it also includes a few performance based scenes, in which the artist is dancing and acts as if addressing the viewer. However, this does not interrupt the narrative course of the video, but instead seems to add more suspense. What is exceptionally interesting about this music video is that the main theme is psychological disorders. Throughout the entire video, Alexander struggles to deal with a stranger who appears to have developed an obsession for him.  The video is more or less, a journey that concerns his fight towards his privacy. The director also uses pathetic fallacy at the very beginning, which also reflects the state of mind of the character/artist. The rain and thunder therefore reveals his feelings, frustrations and more importantly, his confusion. The asylum itself is another important symbol. Although normally, a situation like this should be confronted with the help of the police, the protagonist seeks help at an asylum. The meaning behind his action could be that he does no longer find himself sane and probably thinks that the “crazy girl” is just a projection of his mind.

In terms of editing, the video starts with a long shot, which introduces the character who appears to be seeking for help. The video follows with a series of continuity shots, which traces him to the gate of an asylum where he is forcing his way in. A fade out occurs and the music starts playing. A voice-over also presents his situation while a shot-reverse-shot shows the guardians of the asylum responding to his calls. The pace of the video is also fastened, which shows the protagonist being transported in the hall of an asylum and being dressed in their uniform. Here, a series of close ups and zoom ins and outs emphasise on the atmosphere at the asylum while Alexander plays the violin. A zoom out ends the scene by showing him being taken away in his room. Alexander is then showed through a bird’s eye view shot, which denotes the fact that he does not possess any authority regarding his life. Here, a series of close-ups also shows him in different poses which focuses on the mimic of his face. We are following him on the hall again where a dolly follows his movement from his front and from behind. In the same time, several close ups emphasise the character that chases him and another inmate from the asylum, which juxtapose them and gives the viewer and idea of how crazy people behave. A performance scene then starts right after with Alexander being showed in long and medium-long shots while the camera keeps zooming in and out. The scene changes with the camera tilting on the girl that chases the protagonist, which shows her being pleased by his performance. Another scene shows Alexander from his profile looking at a non-working TV. It girls immediately joins him which makes changes the camera to a high angle. The scene denotes that the characters are confronting one another. The performance scene also continues, in some scenes, the video being extremely fast paced, which foreshadows how traumatizing the experience is for the character within the story.  The ending of second chorus also marks the confrontation of the two characters, which is shown by a zoom towards the mysterious girl, who faints in Alexander’s arms. As the performance continues in the same time, we are also shown a close up of the protagonist’s clothes getting removed. The clothes are also appearing on the mysterious girl, which in swinged back and forth by Alexander’s dancers, this implying that he is well again and her powerless. By the end of the video, she is then showed in a long shot being fully dressed as an inmate. Her face is then showed in a close up, with her smiling and looking satisfied. The video ultimately ends with Alexander leaving the asylum.

 Overall, the video is mainly directed to teenagers and adults. Although it engages with the subject of child abuse, this is rather subtly hinted and not entirely the main theme of video. The supernatural powers are also frequently used in films directed to children or pre-teenagers, this ultimately giving the music video a wider range of audience. The music is also extremely visual and as no cursing words are used, it makes the record very good for most types of audiences. The video also encourages me to use more challenging effects in order to make the music video interesting to watch.