Serj TankianEmpty Walls

Video analysis

Genre• This video, like the Foo Fighters –

Everlong, is comedic, showing the world events acted out by children.

• The video doesn’t challenge the codes and conventions of a regular rock video much. This is because it shows the artist playing his instrument all the way through, with the story to the video taking place around him. It does however take a different side to it by using children as the main characters.

• As well as this, it keeps to the music well and the lyrics. This is as the song is about the uselessness of war, and the video shows how war is just child's play.

Relevance with the music

• The music stays relevant to the video all the way till the end. It keeps the rhythm and the action reacts to the music on time and well.

This frame from the music video is a good example of the actions working well with the music. The song generally is soft on the verse’s, however the chorus is heavy and louder. When the chorus begins, the instruments are hit harder, and in the video, something is fired. Here we have a tank being fired. When the verse’s are being sung, the video takes a softer note just like he song itself. The kids are either shown sitting on the floor swaying, listening to Serj play, or they are preparing for war.

(1:04)

These basic codes and conventions to any music video keep up all the way through the video, showing some footage of the artist and some of the kids.

The director • The director of empty walls was Tony Petrossian.• Tony Petrossian has made a lot of music videos

over the last 5 years, in fact when put into a ratio with Michael Gondry, tony has achieved more in a shorter space of time. Though this creates the question as to whether or not the videos are of the same quality.

• Tony Petrossian uses similar effects and styles in his music videos, the most common, close ups and a stylized slowed down shot (which isn’t really slow but noticeable to a degree). The slowed down shot is particularly noticeable in Serj Tankian’s other music video directed by Tony, Sky Is Over. The close ups are then realised when watching his work with Bullet For My Valentine.

• Both of these methods help to see the artists more in full, and to be able to recognise them more if, generally, increasing there notability by faces rather than just their voices. The slow down shots however don’t just give the viewer a chance to see their star in full, but also it gives the artist a more intellectual look, and appear more artistic and grown up. These are good for someone such as Serj as his music has more of a grown up theme.

The audience.• The audience for the music video is more

adult than for kids. Though loads of children playing with toy tanks, bubble guns and pulling over a giant teddy seems childish and appealing to that age, the video and lyrics combined make a deeper meaning to the video that a child won’t pick up on. The age range for which I would say the video is for, is roughly 16-25, simply because as this age the world is becoming more realistic in terms of war and violence, and understanding it becomes easier.

• The video itself promotes a kind of anti-war approach, and seems to be influential to a peaceful side to world affairs. The first target audience would be the “hippy” side of the public, however, some people from the other side of the “public spectrum” may find this an interesting video and maybe even influential on what they do later in life.

• There is also a link between the little girl and the president of the USA. Showing that the president is in fact a little girl.