Music Video Analysis: Foo Fighters - The Pretenders

At the start of the music video there is a extreme high angle shot, showing the location; the warehouse. An instrumental beginning starts to play, having the extreme high angle shot, establishes the location and shows the emptiness of the place, there is also a thick black line in the middle of the location which emphasises the divide between the ‘other side’, however the audience cannot see this yet until later into the music video. He stomps in, wearing a white, representing the good and grabs the guitar, this shows his body language which expresses anger, and it foretells the song that his emotions could be anger.  In the next shot there is a close up shot of his fist, where he wraps a bandage around his knuckles, portraying that he is ready for a fight as he is also clenching his fists also gives another sign of anger and strength. There is then a low angle shot of the ‘other side’ which is dark; it could mean that that side is evil and ‘the opposite’. The low angle shot also means that he is powerful, the audience has to look up at the singer and he is also at the centre of the shot making him the main attraction.

In the next shot there is an extreme close up of the singers face, he is standing in front of a red background which expresses his emotions and how he feels which is anger and frustration; this is also shown by his facial expressions.  Soon after, the tempo of the music starts to become faster and there are a series of jump cuts and fast camera panning are shown, these cuts go in time with the beat, which shows how manic the situation is. A police man comes out from the darkness wearing protective uniform which portrays order, the law and seriousness; he is also wearing a helmet and holding a bat. There is then a crosscutting juxtaposition between an extreme close up of the singer’s faces of his manic expression, contrasting with the clops up of the police who is calm which portrays order and the law. Like the way the singer wrapped the bandage around his hand, the police man closes his helmet for protection but also to ‘get ready’ for the fight.

The tilt from a high angle shot to a low angle centre shot of the police shows the diversity of power between them that has been shifted from the singer to the police. However this is challenged them the next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the lead singer facing the police man, like he is singing to him. The next shot shows a whole pack of the police force coming forward from darkness (while this is at the point of view of the lead singer), the lead singer is still at the centre of the shot, and however, there shot portrays the field of death, the police in line in the background. As he is portrayed as ‘challenging’ them the camera pans out at high angle shot showing there are more numbers of police than the band showing that the band is weak. 

There is then crosscutting between him and the line of police which creates growing tension, then suddenly the police start running towards the band and creates a contrapuntal sound as the police are running in slow motion which the song as at its quietest. 

Soon after the chorus bursts out and gets louder, the red paint begins to spray out which expresses his emotions that are out of control through anger as they lean forward, the police start to become drawn back by the paint, otherwise known as their emotions. Their emotions are stronger the role is reversed, rather than their physical appearance. As the police are being pushed back by the paint the camera is at level with them so from low angle to level shot shows the next stage of becoming weaker, this shows that their opposition is getting beaten and as the band aren’t even moving from their spot proves that they are strong. The jump shots denote chaos and the drums go in time with the cuts, this is alternating between the police and the band shifting the power back to the band and the contrast in power. At the end of the music video he smashes the guitar, which is a typical convention of a rock star, but it also means that the ‘war’ is over and the red paint is turned off and red lighting turns from red to white, showing that they have won the fight.