We're All Alone - Architects (Split - Single, 2008, Thirty Days of Night Records) Song deconstruction

Note: All timings in this post are in reference to the youtube clip of "We're All Alone" at the top of the blog

In this post I am going to deconstruct my proposed song for music video in terms of the different sections and what happens in each. Once we have gone more in depth with the song we will be able to use this information to determine the speed of cuts and edits, the use of transitions and the filming style suitable for each section as it happens. Also from this we can determine the obvious "3 section split" in the song. I see the song as having two obvious moods and this being separated into ternary form (A, B, A) in the sense of the mood, but beneath I have gone more in depth and given each section a specific coding.


SECTION 1 (00:00 - 01:30) :

00:00 - 00:11 (Intro)
Lead guitar and drums only things doing anything. No vocals. Rhythm guitar and bass playing long chords. Fast paced, drum beat on the off beat, fast riff. Ends with vocals and other guitars coming in to drop into the next section

00:11 - 00:31 (Section A)
Vocals come in. Both guitars playing the riff, bass aswell. Drums breakdown. Much slower beat (not tempo wise but pace). All instruments in rhythmic unison at end of the phrase to bring in the next section.

00:31 - 00:41 (Section B)
Everything cuts out except lead guitar for a second then everything comes back in. No time signature. Very fast complex riff. Timeless feel. Drums are only doing fills rather than a beat to keep time, used as an instrument rather than a rhythmic device. Vocals very drawn out over the phrases, not in obvious places.

00:41 - 01:06 (Section C)
Back in an obvious 4 in a bar time signature, drums similar to intro on the off beat. Guitars playing simple chord patterns with a slightly more lead line over the top. Bass following the root of the chords. Gang vocals, involving the whole band to emphasise the words "All on our own". Those four words repeated three times to really drive in the point of the song. At the end of the section plays half of the intro again but with a vocal line to add variation before going back to the original section.

01:06 - 01:30 (Section A.2)
Same riff and beat as first time round section A, but altered lyrics, similar theme but has been developed through section B & C. End of the section (01:23 - 01:30) is different with an extra part of the riff added on, again similar to section B it has no real time signature but instead follows the rhythmic patterns of the riffs following descending scales leading down to the first chord of section D.


SECTION 2 (01:30 - 02:48) :

01:30 - 01:50 (Section D)
The song takes a completely different mood with the guitars playing straight drawn out chords and the drums playing lots of fills. The vocals are screaming long lines that emphasise the change in lyrical direction as well as mood of the song. The lyrics are "And I just don't care anymore about you, You can sit and suffer alone without me". This shows that the character has given up hope on whoever the lyrics were aimed at before. These lyrics are reflected by the song with the riff at the end of A.2 being a big descending scale and then stopping with the chords. This is a clear sign that the editing should become slower and reflect the mood of the song.

01:50 - 02:14 (Section D.2)
Now a lead guitar line comes in and the song picks up pace, not quite as fast as the original riffs but gives the song direction and a driving force. The lyrics are simple so as not to distract from the intricate guitar part.

02:14 - 02:39 (Section D.3)
The drums break down into a slower beat and singing begins (first time in the song). The singing creates a very melodic section in contrast to the really dissonant chords and patterns seen in the opening sections of the song. The pattern repeats twice with different lyrics and then manages to go directly back to the same speed and pace of the original riffs.

02:39 - 02:48 (Section E)
This is a small linking section to bring the pace back up and not make the change of mood sound too sudden. It is a simple build up with some drum fills and simple chords.


SECTION 3 (02:48 - 03:03) :

02:48 - 03:03 (Section B)
This is an exact repeat of the first section B but ends very suddenly with the vocals left going after all the instruments have stopped on the line "We're all alone" which is the driving theme of the song so that it sticks in your head.

Genre Comparisons

To compare genres I have taken my two favourite bands ("Architects" & "Death Cab for Cutie") and chosen a music video by each. I have been focusing mainly on the pace of the video in relation to the pace of the song.

In "Always" (Architects - Ruin, 2007) the editing is very fast and constantly cutting between narrative and performance. The performance is very edgy and there is constant motion whereas the narrative is cleverly placed in between, using lots of still shots with very little going on. This means that the glimpses of storyline are easy to take in while the performance continues being impressive and interesting to watch.

In "Soul Meets Body" (Death Cab for Cutie - Plans, 2005) the editing is very slow, with very long shots which interchange very smoothly, the song following a very direct narrative which the band take part in rather than the performance being a seperate entity (like in "Always").

The two songs both really reflect their genres, with the Architects video being fast cut and paced and going along with the fast drum beats and intricate riffs, whereas the DCFC video is very slow paced like the quiet, calm song, and reflects this through its mise en scene and slow narrative.

I have been deconstructing these videos further and will go into more depth about them in later posts.

We're All Alone Lyrics

I am your hero
Still I sleep alone at night
In years you'll thank me
For getting everything right
I am the sun
Still I sit alone in a red sky
Keeping my eyes on you
Were all alone

In time you'll find that
Were all on our own (all on our own)
Were all on our own , chasing nothing
My dreams have fallen , I'm wearing thin
I need something to fill this void I'm constantly in
And I can't do this

I am your hero
I just don't care tonight
In years you'll forget me
I got everything right
I am the sun
I didn't rise today
I left you in darkness

And I just don't care anymore about you
You can sit and suffer alone without me

I am your hero
Save your "thank you"'s

In times to come ill rise above this
But for now i'll just sit here (save your "thank you" 's)
My dreams have fallen once again
My dreams have fallen once again

I need something to fill this void I'm in

Guitar Syncing

Seeing as me, Matt and Simon have basically chosen the song we are going to do for our project I thought it important to think about the possibility that I may be playing guitar in this video. To think about this I have learnt the song we want to use and practiced playing along accurately with the recording. Whether I play the song perfectly or not, the point is that it looks like I am playing it perfect. This is very important for the performance for if the guitar playing looks wrong the performance overall will look very tacky. From this exercise I have seen the importance of practicing a song and making sure you know a song inside out for the video shoot.

The main things I have observed as important are these;
-Playing in time
-Playing something that works synchronously with the song (when the song changes chord, you must as well otherwise it looks wrong)
-Playing the right kind of instrument (I'm using an electric guitar rather than say a banjo!)
-Being able to play the song from start to finish so that any moment of the take can be used

Reflections on the Teenage Dirtbag video shoot

1. What do you think you learnt from Friday's workshop?
Friday's workshop was a very eye opening experience into the world of shooting and directing a music video. Although preferably I'd have liked to be behind the camera working on the technical team it was a very good experience to be involved in the acting and performance. The biggest thing for me was working with Jake Wynne. Watching him direct was very interesting and made me think very hard about the role of the director and also the role of the performer in relation with the director. There has to be a connection between the two and almost an onset chemistry for them to understand what they want to achieve and how to go about creating this in music video form. Jake worked closely with every actor getting very involved in every shot and this approach made him enjoyable to work with but let you know exactly what he wanted you to do, and how to do this.
The second point for me was about the camera work. I learnt a lot watching the Camera crew work especially about their role on the shoot and their position of power in comparison to the director. Although the director is ultimately in charge, he works closely with the camera crew to find the most appropriate and creative way of doing a shot. The two main features of camerawork I observed were the use of manual focus and tracks, both of which made me think about the use of motion in video and how important it is to adding interest to what can look a quite dull performance.
This leads on nicely to my last point of interest, the performance itself. I learnt about how tiring a performance shoot is, and how important it is to keep optimistic and energetic at all times, to help the director achieve the best possible video outcome. It is important to know your character well and to know the song back to front, as if you don't, your performance will look dreadful! I think we managed to pull off some great performance shots by working well as a group and these skills I will carry across to our main project.

2. For you, what was the best bit?
My favourite part of the day by far was the band shots as they were really fun to take part in. Once you'd gotten over the inital embarrassment of being infront of a camera singing Wheatus, you could really let yourself go and enjoy yourself. Working with the rest of the band was really fun as we managed to put on a great ensemble performance, really bouncing off eachothers mannerisms and ideas, and working with Jake inbetween shots to pull off even more convincing imitations of the Wheatus band members. It was brilliant being able to adopt a different identity for the day and try and imagine yourself as them. Also, playing with Simon dancing round a pair of bongos, shaking an apple and a banana was a truely hilarious experience and definitely one I will never forget. Music and media are my passions and it was wonderful to get to combine the two in a way that will really benefit me throughout the duration of the course.

3. How do you think the work we have done will impact on your group project?
This workshop will greatly change the way I think about approaching my group project. For a start I now know to completely plan out every single shot and test how to shoot it in advance to save time on the day. I know better how to work as an ensemble and listen to the director, following their instructions precisely. I have learnt how important it is to really be on the ball and not mess about seeing as a shoot can take a very long time, and the more tired you are, the less convincing a performance you will be able to give. For me especially with the possibility of being the vocalist in our group project the workshop was especially helpful as it has taught me a lot about lip syncing and the role of the lead vocalist as an icon, something for the audience to focus on throughout the video. I know we need to give the band an identity and an image and make sure that carries on throughout the video.
On the technical side I'm definitely more willing to try more complicated shot types and using the manual settings on the camera to change the depth of field. I think movement of the camera is a must have to make the video interesting and will make sure to incorporate this into my ideas.

Lip Syncing

In light of our recent Wheatus cover with the class, I have found lip syncing to be a hugely important part of our project. Being the potential vocalist for our own music video later this year, myself and Simon thought it very useful to give the lip syncing a go;



Although as Jake "the man" Wynne himself said, we look like nutters, this was actually a very educational process. Unlike Simon, I mimed along to the words whereas Simon actually sung along and I think it's very obvious as his singing looks far more convincing. However, the energy level and actions that I put in make the performance convincing on my half and so together, the video works well to provide an entertaining watch. Hopefully when it comes to our final piece I will be able to combine both these aspects to give the best possible performance and create a brilliant convincing music video.