Camera
The camera uses a series of different angles and shots to add different connotations and meaning to the video - which is a promo video and so promoting and marketing the band is in the director's best interest. The opening shot is a handheld shot of a huge piece of cloth or curtain featuring the band's logo, this immediately captivates the audience and uses semiotics to engage them and inform them that it is a Guns N' Roses song. In addition to this, the use of a handheld shot elicits a sense of viewer involvement allowing the audience to really engage in the text and feel as if they are there themselves. It also gives quite a minimalist approach to filming making a statement/point that the band are fully focused on the production of music rather than lavish, pristine music videos. The next shot is a mid shot of lead guitarist Slash - this establishes a good relationship between the audio and visuals as at this point the iconic opening guitar riff is the only diegetic sound to feature. It then quickly intercuts a number of mid shots of other members of the band as well as the band's crew members. This shows the band members who are not yet active in between shots of Slash which creates a sense of ambiguity. Following this, as the vocals begin, lead singer Axl Rose suddenly receives more screen time and features more in the video to maintain this relationship with the visuals and audio to allow the audience to decode the text more easily. In addition to this, to continue the ''rough around the edges' minimalist approach the director has employed the use of a whip pan - this again gives the audience a sense of involvement as if they are actually there but it also shifts attention quickly, ensuring that the director controls the audience and they focus on exactly what he wants them to see. Notably, the camera quickly whip pans from lead guitarist Izzy Stradlin to drummer Steven Adler - this connotes that despite the fact the band must be presented each individually, the director still wants to balance screen time and represent the band as a cohesive whole. It is also noticeable that at times (notably Izzy Stradlin) makes a direct address with the camera breaking the fourth wall - this denotes that the band want to address their audience directly and involve them in their success, this breaking the fourth wall is an attempt to break the wall between the lavish lives the band members live and the normal day-to-day lives that their fans live, making the fans feel as if they are in the band and 'one of them'. At some junctures in the video, the band are represented through the use of a two shot incorporating two or more band members - the director does this to show camaraderie between the band members and present them as a cohesive whole after showing the constituents of the band individually. Long shots are also used at times to give a further insight into the location they are playing: a rehearsal hall - this shows off their dedication for practicing and making music in order to provide the best performance possible for the fans, and this is exactly why long shots have been deployed at sporadic intervals. With regards to the rule of thirds, the more iconic figures in the band such as Axl Rose and Slash receive lots of screen time and also take up a large portion of the screen and are almost centralized every time they appear on screen. Also, the use of a handheld shot is repeated throughout the video in order to connote this minimalist approach, and nearly none of the shots featured in the final edit are stabilized through the use of a tripod or camera dolly. The lead singer often receives the most screen time during the chorus in order to, again, maintain this all important relationship between the audio and the visuals.
Mise en Scene
Many of the visual themes in the video (the Mise en Scene) are deployed for obvious reasons: for example, the band all wear tight fitting leather trousers and dark colours to fulfil their 'metal' look and market themselves as a brand identity and a subculture. Iconography is also used in the video - Slash himself is an icon, whilst all of the indices that make up his appearance (top hat, Gibson Les Paul guitar, frizzy hair etc.) are given exposure to present Slash as an icon - he is instantly recognisable. In order to further elaborate on their minimalist approach to producing music, they are filmed in a rehearsal hall to manifest a dedication and genuine passion for music as they know that this will resonate to critics and fans alike.
Editing
The video features a lot of inter cutting at a very fast pace in order to keep up with the music, and also keep audiences interested. There is also a use of a time lapse - this is clearly a post production technique and it has been specifically employed to denote the length of time the band spend setting up for rehearsal - again manifesting their devotion and passion for making music, as it is used specifically to show equipment being set up. Another very interesting feature that has been used post production is the use of a monochrome effect - this also contributes to the band's belief of minimalism as it has been used in their work before in videos such as "Paradise City" and so this is clearly a theme they want to continue to use to make themselves noticeable, almost carving out an identity by making use of such conventions by which they can be noticed. It seems that assemble editing has been used - the band have been given creative freedom to some extent to almost 'do what they want'. The director has obviously told the band what to do (perform the song) but in terms of footage it has been collected randomly and put together in a specific order in the post production process. Although, the video has probably been subjected to the process of linear editing, as the director must have had a predetermined order in which he wanted the video to be arranged.
Sound
During the beginning of the video, the light sound of talking among the band's crew is heard, before plugs and electrical equipment being inserted into sockets is heard. This, again, gives the viewer a sense of involvement allowing them to feel as if they are there with the artist. It also gives the video a sense of verisimilitude. In addition to this, just before Slash starts the guitar riff three 'beeps' are heard from what sounds like a metronome to signal to Slash to start the guitar riff. Again, this makes the audience feel like they are there at rehearsals with the band members themselves and also allows for greater verisimilitude and realism in the video. Apart from this diegetic sound, it is merely the original recording of "Sweet Child O' Mine" that plays in conjunction with the visuals in a performance video.
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