BLOG #4 -- Relationship Between Shots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZA6qiJVfU
The Cars music video for "Drive" is a powerful mixture of shots and quite fitting for the mood of the music. It is a slow and sad song; the first shot, a continuous a long shot, in black and white slowly dolly's in, and becomes a close up shot of the singer, sitting alone at a school desk, singing. This first shot is quite long, first focuses on a close up of the empty pool tables and then the long dolly in, the long slow zoom, adds drama to the scenario; we see the singer so far back, and we finally reach him, this slow pace very much matches the music tempo.The black and white quality of this first image takes us back in time to another era, and helps the mood feel melancholy. This shot fades out with video transition, and we see a woman, in color, who also seems to be alone and sad. This is also a 'dolly in' shot, but it's a high angle shot, and she is sitting on the floor, thus we see her as victomized, and she certainly seems distressed as she colors absentmindedly on the wall with a crayon. This fades back to a panning medium long shot of the singer sitting at the desk again; the juxtoposition of these shots leads the viewer to assume they are in 'conversation' or at least related and involved with each others lives. Furthermore, the fact that this is a panning shot rather than a still, helps convey his discomfort and anxiety, as he also shifts his legs around in the chair -- he can't keep still, and so, neither does the camera. We then see a montage, of images, a man smoking a cigarette (medium long shot, with movement), back to the woman (medium long shot with movement). On both of these images, we see golden lighting, giving them a heavenly feel, a warmth. They are the "good guys", we are told this through lighting. This transitions to an over-the-shoulder shot of the singer, in grey/blue lighting, watching a diner operate with puppets. This then cuts to a dolly-in shot of the woman, looking sad, no longer in golden light -- the light has become blue/grey. She twirls her hair and stares into the distance as the shot moves into a close up. There is a signifigant transition to the next shot, it is a fade, but it is done in such a way, so that she and the next image (close up of a man smoking) are in the same frame for a few seconds. This creates a meaning. She is thinking about him, she is lonesome for him. The very next cut is also signifigant. The 'smoking man' fades out as the next image, the lead singer fades in, however it is done in such a way, so that their heads line up exactly. This connects them. Either they are similar people, or are related somehow -- is the meaning of this edit. The next few shots are back and forth shots between the woman and the 'smoking man', they are point of view shots, so we never see them in the same frame, but it is implied that they are looking and talking to each other by the angle of their heads in relation to each other. These shots of their argument are shot with a high angle, and thus victomizes them. The video goes on for another few minutes, but I will end there, at 2:28. This video never stops moving, there is not a still shot to speak of, there is either dolly, tilt, or pan at all times. The constant motion brings action to the video, even when characters are just sitting (which they do for most of the video). The motion also goes with the slow rhythm of the music and adds dramatic effect.