Pink: 'What about us' ...
Throughout Pink's 'What about us' a variety of features and techniques have been used in order to represent the emotive storyline of the lyrics. Slow and extremely powerful, yet almost aggresive dance routines represent passion and determination allowing the viewers to develop a clearer understading of what is happening. A close ups of the body are used during the dancing shots creating emtotion amongst the audience and highlighting the devotion of the dancers. Tracking of individuals dancing is also used, that at points are slightly jerky alike the movements of the characters allowing the audiencd to feel the suffering experianced by these individuals. Not only does the camera track dancers but it also pans around the room and building. Panning shots both inside and looking into the windows allow the audience to watch in on the pain and suffering of these people, and discover a further understanding of the idea that everyone has their personal issues. Angles vary across the duration of the dance shots from straight on, side on, and also from behind, empowering the dancers and highlghting importance.
The lyrics represent a number of individuals suffering, clearly as a result to some form of loss allowing the music video to be an illustrating and complementary story to fit the narrative or lyrics of the song. Doing so highlights emotion amongst the audience as well as even pity. There is a clear illustrating relationship between the music and visuals seen on screen as with increase in the pace or sound of the music, the pace of shots also increases. This may have been used to represent passion as well as the number of overwhelming emotions being built up by the artist herself. Close ups are used continuously allowing the upset of the individuals to be clearly understood, as well as to create a connection with many members of the audience.
In terms of Mise En Scene the setting of the video is generally dull, there are grey and very simple buildings and costumes, and darkness as evening dawns. This contrasts with the bright flourecent lights of police cars, street lights or headlines indicating the confusion or instability of the situation. Lighting generally contains flashing images creating an emphasis on pain and struggling. At many points the lighting used is natural, this adds to the realism of the situations being expressed making it more believable for the audience. Back lights are also used at points creating siluets, this too indicates the pain and suffering experianced however, acts as a suggestion of the suffering for many people, rather than individually to one person. At the very beginning of the music video non diegetic sound of news is used, this highlights world struggling with the use of the line 'God bless America' indicating that everyone has there own individual problems.
Finally close ups throughout were not only used as emotional artistic portrayal but also possibly as artistic branding as although Pink was already an astablished artist, at the point of production, she hadnt been heard of on the market in recent years, allowing her to stand out or grab audience attention.
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