The music video is a very creative story about two people being madly in love with each other, despite all the barriers and challenges they might face along the way. The director of the video, Phuong Vu, has shared that the moment he heard the song, he referred the song’s afro-beat type to the sound of a human’s heartbeat, which is also the reason he created a story about a very passionate, reckless and even risky love. The song was released in Wren Evans’ first mini album LOI CHOI, its genre is Pop with sub-genre Reggaeton.
Though this video has a narrative, its structure follows a non-linear storyline as the cross-cutting editing travels back and forth between the main storyline and the concept of the video - crazy love. Due to that reason, in this analysis I will be focusing on the concept and technical aspects of the video, rather than analysing its narrative and storyline.
These two scenes—featuring a high-angle extreme wide shot and an eye-level close-up of the main characters—convey to the audience that their love is somewhat crazy and reckless. The couple is lying in the middle of the street late at night. The setup, with a car passing by and the man's motorbike in the background, combined with the camera techniques, perfectly aligns with the concept of passionate, risky love.
Throughout the video, it can be seen that the director filmed a significant number of scenes using anamorphic lens — a camera lens that accentuate vertical lines and make the image appear taller, commonly used in high-budget filmmaking. Nowadays, due to the increasing demand, there are a lot of brands that produce these lens which make them much more affordable, hence it is used more commonly, now in music videos as well. Apart from its main role which is to make the setup more cinematic by stretching the image vertically, creating a more 'film' look, it is also used to convey some kind of mood and enhances the storytelling. The distorted perspective and the use of bokeh — an effect that when an element is intentionally blurred to give the 'out of focus' look — can add a layer of artistic expression and create a more visually appealing experience for the viewer. The setup here, thanks to the lens, has been elevated to give more of a dreamy and romantic mood.
Again, anamorphic lens. We can notice its presence by paying attention to the tiles or the straight lines in the scenes, which are stretched horizontally and are kind of 'bent down'. The 'stretched' image evokes a romantic feeling, which aligns with the emotional theme and concept of the song and the music video. The two protagonists standing in the middle of the screen, looking straight into the camera is also a very intentional move, as throughout the rest of the video, they are either running, dancing or kissing, not having much of a still moment. This setup tells us that such a crazy love like their also has these moments where they do nothing but be there and enjoy each other's company.
This setup uses a wide angle still shot to capture both the protagonists and the background, which is captivating and romantic, suiting the concept perfectly. Throughout the video, the protagonists have been yearning to see each other, often showed by scenes where they hide from the girl's parents and run away, as well as finding all the chances just to make a call. This kissing under the rain scene signifies a moment of vulnerability and intimacy, contrasting the earlier struggles in their relationship. The close-up shots during the kiss focus on Wren's slight touch on the girl's back, capturing the raw emotion of the moment. The use of soft lighting amidst the rain further enhances the romantic atmosphere, creating a dreamy effect.
The music cuts out for a short dialogue, where the girl takes off Wren's earphones and whisper "You are so special; And we'll meet again, someday". Many would find this dialogue hard to understand and doesn't follow the narrative, as she said they will meet again someday, which feels like they are parting soon. In my opinion, this dialogue helps to bring enigmas to the audience, making them engage and discuss about this scene. The camera also only captures the backs of the protagonists, and their reflections in the water puddle, adding so much more depth and making the scene so cinematic. It also conveys a feeling of mysterious, which aligns really well with the questionable dialogue.
Another very cinematic setup in this video, where the main characters are standing with their arms around each other in a club with other people dancing around, but they only have eyes on each other and fully fall deep in the moment. The use of red light for the setup brings out the chaotic and fun nature of the club, while the spotlight focuses on the main characters. This setup also uses the anamorphic lens, which makes the background lights blurring into elegant ovals, very useful in setting up a dreamy and romantic atmosphere. In the high angle shot, the camera is set to a low frame rate and a high shutter speed, resulting in this amazing effect where the people in the background dancing and making these blurring movements, while the main characters stand still, kissing, deep in their own world.
This setup is an exaggeration to further highlight the concept of crazy, reckless love. The protagonists are kissing while driving and they are so lost in it that eventually got hit by a truck. The accident serves as a metaphor for the dangers and uncertainty that come with developing meaningful relationships. It confirms that love can be both beautiful and dangerous by transforming a romantic moment into an encounter that can change one's life. Moreover, the fact that this scene comes unexpectedly and happens very fast, the audience wouldn't predict that and would be shock, resulting in more discussions and engagements between the audience and the song, as well as the artist.
This last setup is very looked forward to by the audience, in my opinion. The previous scene would make the audience curious about what happens next, and this scene has the answer for them. The protagonists are laughing while crawling out of the steaming car like it's no big deal, and immediately go for a kiss after that, suggesting that they are madly in love with each other and there is absolutely nothing in the world could stop them from doing so — even a car crash can't. The image of them, hand in hand, staring into the burning car vividly remind me of Bonnie & Clyde, the two criminals that are also madly in love. This setup perfectly aligns with the concept and theme of the video.
Representation:
It is unarguable that the main representation in the video is love. Unlike the kind of love you'd find in romantic-themed music videos, the type of love represented in this video is crazy, reckless and passionate. Metaphors have been showed to explain how the artist and the director visualise this kind of love, and although some events are quite fictional, they act as a great way to tell the story and enhance the romantic mood for the concept.
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