MV Analysis: Risk (Gracie Abrams)

 Risk 

- Gracie Abrams -

Release date: May 1, 2024

Duration: 3:22 (3 minutes and 22 seconds)

Writer and Co-writer: Gracie Abrams and Audrey Hobert (of The National)

Genre: Indie Pop

Style of Music Video: Concept and Narrative

The story (meaning): 

According to the Genius Verified interview of the writer herself with her best friend/co-writer, Audrey Hobert, the song is about when a person has a massive crush on someone, and they become aware and extremely embarrassed by how awkward or weird they look around that person. Gracie Abrams specifically said, "It's setting yourself up as... I know how ridiculous I look, immediately. Like, this can't be me, but it was." 

Nowadays, as mentioned in numerous articles regarding the change in romantic social behaviours ohumansan (specifically about Gen Z), younger people are more afraid to fall in love due to the fear of looking stupid or acting impulsively. In addition, they are afraid to develop feelings for someone because of the fear of heartbreak. However, the song takes the opposite approach, where Gracie is accepting that "Risk" dives headfirst into love. The song is the representation of a leap of faith that comes into intimacy. Overall, it is a mixture of vulnerability, excitement, temerity, and recklessness. 

How the message was delivered through cinematography (Musc Video):

The music video starts with a tracking movement at a low angle, hiding the figure, which is walking at a chill, laid-back pace, almost in a hurry, making the audience wonder who this could be and how they impact the story of the song or the narrative of the video. 

The low, dark lighting encodes for the nighttime, further strengthened by the diegetic sound of crickets, signaling the lateness of the day. The sound effect of footsteps on the concrete ground is emphasized to encode the emptiness of the streets, creating a stronger foundation for the time of day. At [0:07], the tracking stops as the mysterious exit the frame, along with that is the fading out of all diegetic, ambient sound. This signals the beginning of the soundtrack, allowing the viewers a moment to prepare themselves for what is to come. 

Suddenly, a rhythmic, positive melody coming from an acoustic guitar can be heard, the same time as another pair of legs appear on screen, encoding for another person who, for some reasons, is following the previous figure, almost in a creepy way - can be decoded through the quicker pacing of his or her footsteps matching the beat of the song, as if wanting to keep up with the one in front and not wanting to lost track of them. 

The typography shows “Gracie Abrams”, introducing the singer in the shade of bright yellow. In this specific scenario, yellow likely connotes a sense of happiness and optimism, reflecting the writer’s hopefulness and energetic mindset going into the “risky” love story. The name is written in all caps, encoding their intention of reminding the watchers of Gracie’s major influence on the production of the song. Following that, “Risk” appeared in cursive, conveying individuality and personal touch. This shows how the story was taken from a real-life situation of the writer.

A straight cut leads us to a close-up shot of Gracie Abrams looking ahead and lip-syncing to the lyrics. The way her eyes are fixed on a certain figure ahead while saying, “look at me now, say I wouldn’t do it, but I hunted you down”, answers the question that she is the “culprit” who is pursuing a person of her interest. 

“Know you had a girl, but it didn’t work out

Now you bought a house,e but you had to move out.”

The 2 lines above show that this girl knows great detail about her mysterious “crush”, encoding her strong sense of dedication to this person and how much she wants to know even more despite knowing that this isn’t how she usually is - presumably more reasonable and composed. This raises the idea of how, when in love,e we tend to forget to think rationally. 

“And I wake up, in the middle of the night” - the lyrics play out simultaneously with the image of Gracie getting up from her bed, showing the direct connection between filmography and music. The lighting is dim, with strong hues of yellow and blue interacting; the combination of the cold and warm tones helps to create a much more dimensional and lively environment, which also mirrors the conflict of the subject of the song: scared and excited at the same time. The room is clustered and messy, which once again displays her chaotic state of mind.

Between [0:49] and [0:51], an immediate juxtaposition is created by her change in costume. From an extremely casual, almost too sloppy fit of plain T-shirt, sweats,nts, and a loose jacket, to a more formal, elongated dress. At that same time, Gracie is seen pacing around nervously, indicating that she is anticipating something important. Fast pace, straight cuts are used at various angles to quote the confusing atmosphere: 

Long-medium shot, along with tracking, and ultimately ending in a medium shot.

Close-up shot: Here, Gracie is seen pouring herself a large glass of wine. Then, the scene cuts to her lying on a huge pile of dirty laundry, half the initial cup in hand, which encodes her killing time before meeting someone. 

Medium Close-up shot of Gracie putting on blush enthusiastically, which can be decoded as she wants to present herself more beautifully for the upcoming meetup. Through all these former details, it is very obvious to decode that she is going on a date with a “certain” someone. 

“Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it.” 

Falling in love feels overwhelming, and even destructive - encoded through the metaphor of drowning, but this line shows she is willing to choose vulnerability despite that danger. 

[2:12] Gracie is shown at a medium shot contemplating whether she should open the door and truly commit to this risk, which she eventually goes along with. This once again encodes the complexity of such a decision while also displaying the irresistible temptation of the sweetness of love. Looking directly at the camera, she mouths “I’m gonna take it”, encoding her final moment of hesitation, standing on her choice and opening the door. 

As the music video progresses, the mentality of Gracie slowly corrupts. Chasing through nighttime streets, crashing a stranger’s party while throwing a tantrum about how eager she is to see him, while reflecting her growing obsession. This mirrors the immense infatuation that she had gained. 

Accompanying this are all of her absurd gestures: grabbing the birthday boy’s collar; stepping onto the cake after blowing out the candles; drinking the beverages without anyone’s approval. The cuts are now much faster-paced and shaky, encoding her gradually disturbed mindset. This is to encode that once determined, a person may let their real version loose, unafraid of looking stupid or ridiculous, but instead to be free and unapologetically themselves. Near the end, Gracie and her crush diverge from the shot. This sends a message that it has never been about the crush, but more about owning up to your own feelings and finding comfort in your impulsive, possibly “stupid-looking” self.  

Throughout the music video, another side of the story can be interpreted. Concurrently to Gracie's projection of vulnerability, a darker aspect coexists where Gracie is stalking the man, supporting the argument of her nurturing, sinister behaviour. This indicates the irrational, messy, almost scary side of attraction. This detail blurs the line between innocent infatuation and unhealthy obsession, causing someone to lose clarity. 

BRANDING

The album “The Secret of Us” - which includes the track “Risk” - surrounds the theme of authenticity, while embracing the joy of being dramatic and flawed. In other words, the concept seems to gravitate more towards being relatable than polished. "Risk" - the music video - ties harmoniously into this theme, with factors of comedy and unseriousness, tapping into Gen Z's fondness for genuineness. 

This detail helps bring the image of Gracie Abrams further away from the "untouchable celebrity" tag and closer to her fans and followers. In fact, on TikTok, it is a well-known joke in her fandom that Gracie Abrams is "chronically online" just like how "ordinary people" are - encoding the effectiveness of her marketing scheme of appealing to a more approachable audience. This ideology was further enhanced by the handheld camerawork and naturalistic settings that make the narrative more relatable and closer to the watcher's perspective, making it seem more of a slice-of-life rather than a staged performance. The video's simplicity and rawness are the magnet that draws attention. 

MV Analysis: Ceilings (Lizzy McAlpine)

 

Ceilings 

- LIZZY MCALPINE -

Release date: Valentine's Day, 2023

Duration: 3:53 (3 minutes and 53 seconds) 

Co-writers:  Philip Etherington and Jacob Bugden.

Genre: Indie Pop/Folk

Style of Music Video: Concept and narrative

The story (meaning): 

"Ceilings" by the talented Lizzy McAlpine was inspired by the idea of ​​the illusion between reality and fantasy in a romantic relationship. At the beginning of the song, the lyrics seem to "trick" the listeners, making them think of the subjects (presumably lovers) as being intimate, loving, and tender with one another. However, as the story of the song progresses, the truth starts to unravel, and the imagery slowly blurs. Ultimately, the listeners will understand that everything was just a daydream. 

The song overall discusses the emotional twist of the realization, while being in love, that you may or may not have romanticized something that has been in your head all this time. Key psychological states of mind include:  Yearning - to hold onto something that is no longer there, or doesn't belong to oneself (in this case scenario, it is a love story that never happened or didn't turn out well); Escapism - avoidance of real-life crisis or troubles while losing oneself in the comfort of the imagination. 

How the message was delivered through cinematography (Music Video): 

The music video begins almost immediately into the sequence, straight-cutting into an establishing shot from a black screen to what seems like a house party - encoded through the groups of people inside the room shown, along with the diegetic sound of chattering. Simultaneously with that appearance, the non-diegetic soundtrack of the song ("Ceilings") begins with an acoustic guitar intro. This sets the tone for the music video: personal and vulnerable. 

The sequence cuts on-beat to emphasize the slow, slightly sorrowful rhythm of the song to a medium shot in the midst of the crowd of people. The party-goers are seen sipping on beers, which further sustains the connotation of a gathering. Most guests are wearing casual outfits, for example, jeans, jackets, and hoodies. This connotes that the "party" itself is more of a friendly, informal get-together. The lighting is low-key, almost dim, with some highlights of various hues to point out the different places in the same house. For instance, in the living room - encoded through the organization of couches - there was a blue light coming from the right corner, which can be decoded as the TV.  As the scene continues, the shot types get smaller and smaller until two consecutive medium close-ups are shown, the first one of a male character and the other of a female (portrayed by Lizzy - the singer of the song - herself). This is to indicate that they are the two subjects of the song that the audience should pay more attention to. Through all those straight cuts, the intro is still ongoing, leading us to the first verse.

Suddenly, the scenery changes to a meadow area, often associated with poetry, calmness, and neutrality. This creates a strong juxtaposition with the first part of the music video, brought out even more clearly by the use of bright, natural sunlight - usually associated with the thought of warmth and closeness. It can also be understood that at this stage of the song, the character was "blinded" by the sweet taste of the dream, as the sunlight can at times be shown overwhelming Lizzy's image on screen - accentuated more strongly by the lyrics at the same time: "Lovely to sit here with you."

But like how the sun disappears every night, those feelings are only a transience, a fleeting moment of happiness that is wiped away once darkness and reality settle down. "But it's so short", this line encodes how the "fairy tale" could never last forever. Lizzy is seen lip-syncing to the song, breaking the fourth wall (staring directly into the camera). However, unlike the obvious analysis that she is communicating directly to the audience, her facial expression with slightly furrowed brows and sad, sentimental eyes, it is more likely to decode that she is portraying her character in the narrative who is grieving the fantasy of a romanticized, beautiful ending to a relationship and is speaking to her past lover. 

Cross-cutting technique is used between her lip-syncing and shots at various angles and settings, most at conventional couple settings, for example:

[0:36] “Pillowtalk” moment: encodes for a safe space, when people let their guard down. This indicates the immense trust and honesty that the lovers have for each other, signifying their bond. Moreover, this segment also includes sunlight, which brings back the same sort of positive energy towards the idea of the relationship. 

[0:57] Eye contact: the cross-cutting leads the viewer to a medium close-up shot, with the two characters staring into each other’s eyes. This connotes a sense of attraction and great affection. Followed by a continuous cut to a medium shot of them sharing a kiss - a clear statement of their connection and feelings. In addition, the sink behind the male character, along with the mirror attached to the wall, can support the watcher in decoding a restroom. This further highlights the amount of ease with which they are in each other’s company, granted that they shared the bathroom.

While the sequence continues, the lyrics sing, “I don’t wanna leave, but I have to go”. This encodes the conflict between her heart and mind. Her consciousness is telling her to go - to release herself from the hold of the “what if” narrative and save herself from the inevitable, which is the ending. On the other hand, her heart longs for more time, wishing that everything could have worked out. 

At [1:33], the beat changes, adding a stronger bass line, creating a stronger sense of tension and almost agony. The contrast is emphasized even more strongly by the introduction of a new scenery: the beach. Conversely to the meadow, the colour-grading done in this specific segment can be decoded as much darker: the blue connotes a hint of coldness and distance. This indicates that the visual aspect of the video is slowly leading the viewers to a buildup, raising expectations of a “plot twist” or a turn of events. 

“I would say all of this, but I don’t wanna ruin the moment”. This line shows the singer’s strong passion for keeping the dream alive, to keep the love alive, and how she feels as though saying a single word could shatter whatever they had. 

This shot of the couple sitting side by side, laughing in the dark night, while a light, from what could be decoded as from the moon, shines only on them. This encodes the feeling of living in the moment of the two characters, as if it were only they in the world, hand in hand. “Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos”, indicates the awareness of Lizzy pf how they are purposely ignoring the troubles and letting their selfishness take over. 

At [2:06], a pause in the music while the sound of violins fades causes a split second of silence. A silence where it all came down. A silence that encodes the surrender of the singer, when she accepts her fate and looks at the truth, “But it’s over.” The scene is shot at a wide angle, encoding the true emptiness of reality, how none of the sweetness happened. Suddenly, as the bridge of the song begins, the atmosphere starts to change. The drumbeat, pounding to the bass guitar, chases the sped-up tempo of the final chorus, indicating that it is now the breakdown. Snippets of flashbacks, memories, and fantasies follow one after the other at a quick pace, connoting the clash of Lizzy’s emotions. 

“But it’s not real, and you don’t exist. 

And I can’t recall the last time I was kissed.’Throughout the song, the girl has been painting a vivid, convincing artwork from her desires and delusions. But now, as time has run out, she admits that it all wasn’t real, none of it exists, and she faces that loss. The images and footage gradually turn distorted, indecipherable. This conveys how, as the girl looks into reality, all the things she longed for become nothing. The sequence shows this strong juxtaposition by showing the "real" scenes, not the version in her dreams where they cuddle and laugh, but the one where she is alone. This creates a strong indication or visualization of "you don't exist" from the lyrics. 

“Feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before.”

This refers to some sort of cycle, encoding a repetition of the conventional love story narrative: hope, then love, and finally heartbreak. The disappointment of Lizzy towards this outcome can be decoded through the way she sings the line out of breath and full of melancholy. The final line, “Before,” once again underscores the fact that she keeps finding herself lost in the loophole of a “romantic roller coaster”. Accompanied by the ongoing violin from the track fading slowly, ending the song, the scene encodes a sense of yearning. The non-diegetic sound of chattering from the party at the beginning, at a stable medium long shot, circling the audience back to where it all started. A jump/straight cut shows the introduction between the two main characters when they first met each other before both gave the other a hug. This is to physically encode the repetition, the recurring storyline.

BRANDING:

Lizzy is known for her deeply confessional writing, often resembling how someone would confide to their diary or a close friend. This explains how,o w instead of aiming for a flashy, pop-star-like music video, Lizzy’s team avoided high-budget production and complicated narrative and opted for more casual and simple visuals to enhance her image of authenticity, representing raw emotions.  Lizzy’s production team seemed to use more muted, “earthy” tones: chocolate brown, orangey-yellow; hints of red and blue. This reinforces the viewers that she isn’t aiming for a manufactured pop artist reputation, which presumably would be associated with more vibrant, vivid colours that would make more of a statement; for example, like how Olivia Rodrigo made purple her signature colour) But her passion and lyrics are rooted in sincerity. Overall, Lizzy’s position within the alternative, or indie, field of music, rather than the mainstream landscape, was strengthened through the focus on emotional intimacy of the music and visuals.