In this music video Linkin Park are trying to show of everything that people have done to the world and because the band them self are in a desert for the whole time showing what will happen to the world if we continue doing what we are doing.
As you can see in this shot the landscape is very empty and barren making the whole area look very un-hospitable creating the impression that this band is very versatile and can perform anywhere and still put on a great show. The fact that the camera is so close to the ground helps to create the impression that the set that they are working in is almost like a mirage and isn't actually there and helps to create the whole euphoric impression of the band as they set up all of their equipment for the song and the low camera angles also make the band members look like they are of more divine with the clear skies behind them and the sun blazing in the sky. Throughout the whole intro to the song there are images of actual things that have happened in the world because of us as a species like the
period of time when the world was dealing with racism and the fact that the shots used are still in the quality of the camera that the moment was captured in and this makes the images seem more graphic because the audience are able to understand better that this stuff has actually happened and that wasn't just created for this music video to have a greater impact on the audience. There are also references to different riots that have happened all across the world showing that the aggression of humanity is one of the main causes of the problems that we have to deal with today in our modern society.
When the lead singer starts to sing the camera is put into a close up shot of his face with a really good quality of picture to contrast with and act as juxtaposition to the other camera shots which are generally of poorer quality. But then the camera cuts to more images of the problems in the world to say that 'yeah this band is cool but these issues are more important so acknowledge them'. One of the images shown reflects on the lyrics being sung when they say 'so let mercy come and wash away, What I've Done' and they show an image of pollution and how bad it has gotten in the world that it is still a big problem that we can't just forget about and they try and make the audience think about this more by having a video of a polar
bear swimming before they show the image of the pollution in the oceans. In these two different shots you can tell that two different cameras were used to capture the shot of polar ear compared to the shots of the pollution, but the fact that different cameras were used has helped to create more of a narrative to each of the shots by having the shot of the polar bear be brighter showing the purity and grace of the animal in its habitat compared to the darker and dull coloured shot of the pollution creates more of a sombre and dark mood of how we are damaging the world and all of the other organisms that live in it.
This music video uses a lot of juxtaposition to try and convey its message to its audience and create an impact that would invoke action in people who watched this music video because another one of their contrasting shots is by showing a fat guy stuffing his face with a burger or something and having someone measuring their waist line compared to the scenes of starvation in Africa which was problem when this music video was made and is still a problem now and they do this by showing pictures of people in Africa who look extremely malnourished and very thin. All of these different uses of
juxtaposition and contrasting different areas of the world is a way for the band to show their star persona of a band that cares about what is going on in the world and to show that they are a group of people that don't want this to go unnoticed.
The fact that Linkin Park were able to put images of the KKK into their music video shocks me because they are a small percentage of the population that have caused so much pain towards a lot of people the use of this image makes the impact even more powerful as the band is group of people that probably have influenced of people as they have grown up but the fact that they are getting people to come to grips with the fact that the KKK were a problem in the world and the song is about righting all the wrongs that civilisation has made and if that means bringing up one of the darker topics of the past to try and change the
future. Another one of the more questionable images that they have decided to show in their music video is Hitler and the Nazis and this is just another example of what is wrong in the world and what we need to try and stop in the future because people like Hitler can affect everyone. The idea behind the use of such horrible groups is the idea that there are terrible things that have happened in the world already and what is there stop this from happening again to the world in any way because in a way all of this history is stuff that we want to forget and 'erase' what has happened because it is things like this that are destroying our world and making it harder for us in the future.
Closer to the end of the video Linkin Park show what human interaction has done to the planet by showing images of global warming and how this is a big problem in the world they put nearer the end of the music video because it is a problem in the world that we can fix now and to help out future generations so they don't have to worry about such big problems. The fact that the band used all of these images to try and convince the world to change for the better and try to forget what has been done in the past to create a better future is
unique in a music video. This helps to show the bands star persona because they are not the typical type of rock band of their time because they were fusion between electric and rock music which helped them to gain a wide audience as they have an unorthodox style.
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