Pendulum music video analysis

Pendulum - witchcraftThe song ‘Witchcraft’ reflects well in the music video. A use of dark lighting and colours connotes ideas of mystery and evil, both things associated with witchcraft. A woman floating underwater gives a sense of something supernatural, another connotation with witchcraft. As the song gets faster there is an increase in the cutting rate. A key theme of the video is the idea that the woman is coming back to life, at the start we see her floating with her eyes closed, as the song as the song progresses she starts to move and rise. As she becomes more ‘alive’ the songs tempo increases, linking the song with the video.. Close ups are used repeatedly on the bands instruments, this shows off the bands skills and also creates a link between the visual and musical elements. The clothes the band wear are black, this is fitting with the colour scheme of the video. In contrast, the woman is wearing a white dress. Implying that she is different from everyone else, perhaps in the paranormal sense. The sharp contrast between the heavy use of black throughout the video and the white dress, makes her a focal point. Lighting is used effectively in the video, flashes of bright light and lasers add create a sense of chaos and exhilaration. CGI is used in the video to enhance the setting, in the video objects such as stone and rubble float in the air as if gravity doesn’t exist. This adds to the surreal and supernatural theme that appears throughout. Another idea is that the video is set in space, where there is no gravity. This would relate well to the song as there are lyrics such as ‘you gotta get out, go far away.’

Pendulum - watercolourThe video for watercolour is set on an unknown planet eclipsed by the sun, this adds an element of surrealism, reflecting on the bands futuristic style. Watercolour is the lead single from their most successful album ‘Immersion’. With it being the lead single it is important that the video reflects what the album is all about. The idea that that the band are immersed in darkness connects to the album title, however by the end of the video the band are fully exposed to sunlight. This could be perceived as the band persevering to break the boundaries of music, successfully rebelling against the conventions of mainstream music. This could also relate to the lyrics ‘’feed the fire, break your vision.” This implies perseverance and motivation. The band are renowned for their powerful songs, as the use of heavy bass dominates their music. This is reflected in the video. The band are shown to be fighting natures elements wind and rain. Close ups of their faces are used to show physical distress as they battles against the strong forces. This conveys the idea of power so there is an obvious link between the song and video. Throughout the video the lead singer is standing in front of a large stack of speakers. This reinforces the drum and bass genre as close ups show the vibrations from the loud music.

Pendulum – The Island Pt.1 The video starts with the shadow outline of an island, letting the audience know

where the story is set. The idea that the location is an island reflects the title. Just like

the other Pendulum videos, surrealism is a running theme. The video shows a girl

waking up in an unknown vast desert land on the island. The audience is clueless as to

why she is there, this adds mystery to the storyline and keeps the audiences attention.

As the song increases its tempo, the intensity of the video as the woman is distressed

that she cannot the mystery object in the far distance. Throughout the video, cuts of

the lead singers face are shown as he sings the narrative, this connects the band to the

video. The ending of the video is the most important element, it shows the woman

taking a fall down a hill and we see her unconscious on the floor. ‘The island’ is a two

part song, meaning there will be a second video so It is important that the video ends

on a cliff-hanger. This is a clever technique to promote the band as there is an instant

buzz created around the second part, as the fan base are intrigued to know what will

happen next.