Firstly, it may be useful to know a bit about U2. The band formed in Dublin in 1976, and consists of four members; Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton. Arguably the biggest band in the world, U2 have enjoyed a very successful career in the music industry, having released 12 studio albums in total and winning many music awards, as well as having a very large base of loving and dedicated fans, ranging greatly in age.
The first video I have looked at is Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, from the 2004 album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuDqHtAR6L8
The video begins with a fade in to the black and white video, which starts with Bono walking down a street. He walks towards the camera, and the camera moves in a backwards tracking shot, keeping him in the frame. He is dressed in a black hoody, with the hood up and sunglasses on. A series of sentences fade in, hand written text by Bono, talking about his father, the late Bob Hewson. This song was written as a tribute for him.
"My father Bob worked in the post office by day and sang opera by night. We lived on the North Side of Dublin in a place called Cedarwood Road. He had a lot of attitude. He gave some to me - and a voice. I wish I'd known him better - Bono."
After the last sentence has faded out, Bono begins to sing. His voice is the dominant sound to start with, and the music quietly comes in with it, rising in volume. His recorded voice is heard as well as his actual singing in the video which gives an echo effect. Bono gets closer to the camera throughout this sequence. The backwards tracking shot starts with him in a medium shot and by the end it is a close up.
Next, there is a cut to a coloured clip of the Edge and Larry playing in front of a plain white background. This cuts to a shot of the Edge, Larry and Adam silhouetted against the white background. The music is full volume now and there is no longer two Bono voices, but just the prerecorded one. A series of different shots of the band follow, and then there is a cut back to the original backwards tracking shot. During the chorus, the video cuts between this black and white shot of Bono and the colour shots of the band.
Next, there is a cut to a coloured clip of the Edge and Larry playing in front of a plain white background. This cuts to a shot of the Edge, Larry and Adam silhouetted against the white background. The music is full volume now and there is no longer two Bono voices, but just the prerecorded one. A series of different shots of the band follow, and then there is a cut back to the original backwards tracking shot. During the chorus, the video cuts between this black and white shot of Bono and the colour shots of the band.
As the second verse begins, the location changes to the interior of a house or flat. The shot begins on a cream coloured wall and tracks sideways to look through an open door at Bono who is laid on a bed, in colour now. This cuts to a closer up shot, which pans from left to right over Bono as he lays singing. Here, he is dressed all in black, but he is without the hoody and sunglasses. This cuts again to the black and white backwards tracking shot of Bono walking as he continues to sing, dressed as he was in the first sequence. This cuts back to the colour shot of Bono, now sat on the edge of the bed, and then back to the tracking shot.
As the music builds back up to the chorus, the video cuts back to shots of the other band members playing in front of the white background like before, interspersed with two more shots of Bono in the room. These shots are more close up than the previous, and in the second of the two shots Bono looks directly at the camera, and thus straight into the eyes of the viewer which makes them feel involved. After this, there is one final black and white backwards tracking shot of Bono walking down the street, which then cuts to a forward tracking shot following Bono as he enters what appears to be an alleyway, now in colour with the most predominant colour being red. This cuts back to a backwards tracking shot and then back again to the forwards tracking shot as Bono enters a red doorway. The shot switches again back to a backwards tracking shot and then to a forwards tracking shot to follow Bono down corridor, with dark red and white walls. Next there are another two shots of the band playing, before we see Bono again, emerging from a doorway after a change of clothes, now wearing a red shirt. This cuts back to the band, then back to Bono and then to the band again. Next we see that Bono has joined his band members in front of the white background, and Bono takes to the microphone, ready to perform the climax of the song.
We get various shots of the band and see the white background rising up behind them to reveal a classy looking setting behind them, as if they're on a theatre stage or something of that sort. A long shot of the full band is used to show this setting at the same time as Bono sings the longest note of the song, the most emotional part. This cuts back to the black and white shot of Bono walking, and then continues to switch between this and the stage setting. The video finishes on a shot of Bono walking, with a fade out at the end.
I really like this video as I think it has a clever use of cinematography with a wide range of different camera shots to make the video interesting. The use of colour is also an interesting feature of the video, from the black and white shots of Bono walking to the bright reds in the colour parts of the video towards the end. Black and white connotes realism and I think that the black and white in this video reflects Bono's loneliness as the only parts of the video that are black and white are when he is alone. Walking the streets symbolises how he is maybe trying to find himself and think things over. As for when he is with the band, this may represent how he is stronger when with others which is why this part is in colour. However, colour video connotes fantasy, so maybe the colours are hiding him from real life in a way.
Throughout the video, Bono engages with the viewer, keeping them interested. He does this in a number of ways, by occasionally looking straight at the camera, as well as shooting an uplifting smile at the viewer in one of the walking shots. The shots filmed in the room let the fans see Bono in a different way, in a natural state looking somewhat vulnerable. This makes the viewer feel as if they are prying into more personal and intimate footage of the singer.
I really like this video as I think it has a clever use of cinematography with a wide range of different camera shots to make the video interesting. The use of colour is also an interesting feature of the video, from the black and white shots of Bono walking to the bright reds in the colour parts of the video towards the end. Black and white connotes realism and I think that the black and white in this video reflects Bono's loneliness as the only parts of the video that are black and white are when he is alone. Walking the streets symbolises how he is maybe trying to find himself and think things over. As for when he is with the band, this may represent how he is stronger when with others which is why this part is in colour. However, colour video connotes fantasy, so maybe the colours are hiding him from real life in a way.
Throughout the video, Bono engages with the viewer, keeping them interested. He does this in a number of ways, by occasionally looking straight at the camera, as well as shooting an uplifting smile at the viewer in one of the walking shots. The shots filmed in the room let the fans see Bono in a different way, in a natural state looking somewhat vulnerable. This makes the viewer feel as if they are prying into more personal and intimate footage of the singer.
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