Video Number 3The Script - Hall of Fame ft. will.i.am (Official video)

o The Third video I have chosen to analyse is by The Script featuring will.i.am and it is for their single ‘Hall of Fame’.

o This video was published one year ago on the 21st of August 2012 and so it has received 140,418,320 views since.

o The Script are an Irish pop rock band from Dublin formed in 2001. The band announced via their official Twitter account on 2 June that the title of their third album would be #3. They also revealed "Hall of Fame" would be the lead single.

o William Adams, known by his stage name as will.i.am is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, DJ and record producer, best known as one of the founding members of the hip hop/pop band, The Black Eyed Peas.

The Script’s third album ‘#3’, which features ‘Hall of Fame’.

A member of the Black Eyed Peas and solo artist Will.i.am.

The music video starts off with the introduction of two contrasting characters, a girl and a boy. Their stories run against each other and show similarities and differences between their lives. They are both trying to achieve their goals and yet have their difficulties as well. In the stills below there are close ups of two different objects. A hearing aid that belongs to the girl and an ash tray with numerous cigarettes that belongs to the boy’s mother.

These close ups make it apparent to the audience that the objects are key props and ensures the difference between the characters is noticed by the audience. They are both from different worlds but both have struggles to deal with. Weather that be for the deaf girl, physical or for the bullied boy, emotional. The editing with these initial shots is at a steady pace but at the music picks up the cuts change to the beat of the drums.

The editing within this music video is clever because it incorporates the artists into the narrative. An example of this is in the two stills to the left, the top one shows the main male character being beaten up, there is a medium shot of a leg in a kicking motion. A graphic match then occurs because the bottom image is displaying the same action taking place but it is instead, the lead singer kicking to the beat of his own music. This mix of story and artists means the audience keep the music in mind and makes them pay attention to the lyrics of the song. The narrative helps complement what the real message is behind all the activity.

The two characters above are showing the same body language even though they are striving for different things. The audience know that these two teenagers have two very different passions in life and this is because of the mise-en-scene. The female character has her hair tied back and is wearing a leotard and so must be a dancer, yet the male character is wearing baggy gym clothing and is surrounded by boxing gloves and so must be a boxer. The audience know that dancing and boxing contrast immensely because dancing is viewed as delicate and boxing, aggressive. Even so, the audience can see through body language that both sports take a lot of effort and are hard. The slumped shoulders of both characters, head in hands and tired expressions indicate this. However by the end of the music video it shows that they have both achieved their dreams and are being rewarded for all their hard work. This sends out the message that no matter what you are aiming for in life it will always take hard work and dedication, it is a good and motivational message to send out to the audience.

These stills are ones that interrupt the storyline of the 2 characters of the music video and show the artists performing. There is a variety of shots and angles that help display the body language of the singers. The song they are singing is very motivational and the lyrics can be inspiring for the audience and so as well as having characters to relate to, the audience receive a message that is emphasised through editing. The long shot of the artists makes them look very small but with arms outstretched it symbolises the bigger picture in life. Wiil.i.am, in the still to the left, is seen punching the sky which takes energy and so it creates an empowering impression. The editing between these shots is fast paced and the camera movement is sometimes kinetic, this keeps the audience engrossed in the music video because they want to keep up with the liveliness. The bottom still to the right displays the two artists confronting each other, it shows the audience that there is competition with what you want to strive and work for in life.