Deconstruction of promotional music videos - Wild

Lyrics

(Wild, wild, hey!)

Trying hard not to fall
On the way home
You were trying to wear me down, down
Kissing up on fences
And up on walls
On the way home
I guess it's all working out, now

'Cause there's still too long to the weekend
Too long till I drown in your hands
Too long since I've been a fool, oh

Leave this blue neighbourhood
Never knew loving could hurt this good, oh
And it drives me wild

'Cause when you look like that
I've never ever wanted to be so bad, oh
It drives me wild

You're driving me wild, wild, wild
You're driving me wild, wild, wild
You're driving me wild

(Wild, wild, hey!)

White noise in my mind
Won't calm down
You're all I think about

Running on the music
And night highs
But when the light's out
It's me and you now, now

'Cause there's still too long to the weekend
Too long till I drown in your hands
Too long since I've been a fool, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah

Leave this blue neighbourhood
Never knew loving could hurt this good, oh
And it drives me wild

'Cause when you look like that
I've never ever wanted to be so bad, oh
It drives me wild

You're driving me wild, wild, wild [4x]

You make my heart shake
Bend and break
But I can't turn away
And it's driving me wild
You're driving me wild

You make my heart shake
Bend and break
But I can't turn away
And it's driving me wild
You're driving me wild

(Hey)
Leave this blue neighbourhood
Never knew loving could hurt this good, oh (hey)
And it drives me wild (hey, hey)

'Cause when you look like that
I've never ever wanted to be so bad, oh (hey)
It drives me wild (hey)

You're driving me wild, wild, wild [4x]
(Hey, hey)

(Wild, wild, wild, hey!)


Lyrics Analysis

The song 'Wild' revolves around the concepts of forbidden love and dealing with the ensuing passion in a suburban setting.

Synopsis

Troye Sivan's "Wild" is a 'narrative' music video depicting of two kids that represent Troye and the other character of the childhood friend, as well as including them as adults. The video follows two typical kids playing together, whilst their families stereotypically sit and chat whilst having a drink. The shots then cut back various time to current day, adult Troye and his unnamed childhood friend sitting on a bed, hugging.

Timeline

00:00 - 00:14

The video begins with a slow zoom in using a crane shot over the sea towards a beach whilst the text of 'Troye Sivan' and 'Blue Neighbourhood 1/3' appear in clear white text. Quick cuts are then used to show other shots which foreshadow the next two music videos in this trilogy.

00:14 - 00:19
The text of 'Wild' appears in the same font whilst the song begins and the lyrics of 'wild, wild, hey!' are heard, matching the text seen. The shot underneath the text depicts of a tracking shot following two kids running.

00:19 - 00:40
The lyrics begin and quick cuts are used to transition between the shots used to match the beat of the song. The shots are slowed down and follow two boys playing together and climbing trees like normal kids. Many types of shots are used, such as mid shots and long shots, which change between each transition, and tracking shots are used to follow the kids. As well as this, the camera then cuts to a close up shot of the artist, Troye, sitting on a bed hugging another person whilst lip syncing the song, and then quickly cuts back to the kids. There is no ambient sound, as only the song itself is heard.

00:40 - 00:52
The shots then change to be behind one of the kids as we follow him running up the stairs to look down to the other kid outside. A low angle shot and long shots are repeatedly used. As he looks down to the other kid a high angle shot is used where the other boy is looking back, both have facial expressions of sadness, as if they are being separated for a reason, foreshadowing what is going to happen in the following videos.

00:52 - 1:09
The camera then cuts to Troye adding a bit of aggression to his lip syncing, showing the emotion behind the song. The shots of him lip syncing are longer as it gets to the chorus. Quick cuts are then used to show mid shots of the boys playing again, with the shots still being in slow motion.

1:09 - 1:31
A quick cut then points to an adult man walking and looking quite angry. The longer take and focus on him represents how he is significant in this story. As the pace of the song quickens, the shots get shorter and the cuts between them are quicker. The camera cuts between shots of the boys playing, Troye singing and the man that has just been introduced. A significant shot is seen when the camera focuses on the man holding a bottle of alcohol, suggesting his aggression and how he has a negative impact on the story.

1:31 - 1:40
We are then shown a mid shot of a man with one of the kids playing with a baseball bat, but as the camera pans to the kid holding the bat, it then cuts to the man shown earlier holding up a sword, as if to further suggest that he is aggressive. A tracking shot is used to show he is walking with the other boy, so that we can understand that he is his father. The tracking shot continues to show the kids running up and hugging whilst the dads handshake, suggesting that this is of importance.

1:40 - 1:49
Quick cuts are then used to focus on the 'aggressive' man suggesting a foreshadowing that he will do something, particularly stressing this idea by using a mid shot and a long take. He looks behind his shoulder as we see in the background the two boys are playing, giving the audience an idea that he has a problem with this suggested by his unhappy and quite angry facial expression. It then immediately cuts to a close up of an alcohol bottle as he takes a swig from it. It then quickly cuts to the close up of Troye lip syncing, showing his anger but also tears in his eyes, giving the idea that he feels strongly against this man.

1:49 - 2:02
Typical cuts are then used to depict of the boys playing again, mainly showing them in mid shots. They are slowed down, but then contrasting to this, we see a mid shot of the dad who looks agitated and the shot looks as if it has been sped up to emphasise his uncomfortableness with the two boys playing together.

2:02 - 2:07
The camera then focuses on Troye lip syncing, and cutting from a close up to a mid shot, giving us a wider picture of him hugging the other man. It then cuts to his hand on his back, suggesting their closeness and that they have been apart, perhaps due to the dad.

2:07 - 2:17
As it cuts to the two boys playing again, we can guess that the boy Troye is hugging is actually his childhood friend. The mid shots and close ups now show the boys being closer and perhaps there is more than friendship between them, allowing us to understand why the dad does not like them being together. A quick shot shows Troye resting his head on the other mans shoulder, suggesting significance, as amongst this hatred, he is still with the man he loves.

2:17 - 2:21
It then cuts back to the dad who seems to have left his angriness behind the more alcohol he has drunk. The shots are sped up and show him laughing as if he has forgotten about the boys, illustrating how alcohol is the only way he copes with the idea of his son being gay.

2:21 - 2:34
The cuts speed up and show the kids playing happily together, and the dad laughing, however contrasting with current day Troye, with the close up showing the pain in his face. More close up shots are used to further emphasise how close the boys are. A long shot is included of the boys on their bikes riding away from the camera, perhaps to suggest the idea of running away from the homophobic dad.

2:34 - 2:55
A significant part is depicted through the long take of the boys laughing and covering themselves in a sheet, which could be understood as part of a deeper meaning of hiding themselves away so they can be together. They are innocently playing and then they hook fingers with eachother which confirms the idea of their connection. The close up shots of their faces and their fingers show them looking at eachother as the laughter goes away and they hold serious faces when they come to the realisation of what they feel. It then cuts to a mid shot of current day Troye where we can see how wrapped up him and the other man are. He briefly pulls away from resting his head on his shoulder as if thinking what is happening became to real, however then cuts to a close up of his head resting there again. A quick cut is used to depict of a slightly lower angle shot as one of the boys the other boys hair behind his ear and smiles at him, showing they are not afraid to express their emotions to one another.

2:55 - 3:15
A tracking shot then follows the two boys running off a pier towards the sea. It then cuts to a close up of their feet running in sync and briefly cuts to a shot of a mans feet running, which is foreshadowing the last video in the trilogy. As they get ready to jump in they briefly pause before looking at eachother as if it is symbolising them jumping into the next stage of their lives. A quick cut is used again to show a close up shot from the last video, suggesting their connection. After the build up of them jumping in, they do and then a high angle shot depicts them splashing around and laughing, perhaps giving the idea that besides all the obstacles they face they are still happy together. Cuts transition to Troye lip syncing where he still looks upset and slightly angry that this did not work out the way he wanted.

3:15 - 3:38
It then cuts back to the dad on the beach with the other adults, where he has become slightly aggressive then ruffling another man's hair. The other dad took the bottle away and a close up shot then depicts of him getting angry and shouting in his face. A mid shot is then used where the kids come running and the son has to push him away, showing how the dad cannot control his anger. It then cuts to a long shot of him storming off with the kid and a close up of the other boy staying back and looking unhappy that yet again the boy is taken away from him. The long shot emphasises the distance between their two families which affect them being together.

3:38 - 3:56
It then cuts back to close ups of adult Troye looking upset and agitated that this has to happen, as well as mid shots of the boys playing together. Repeated shots of the boy walking away and looking back towards the other boy are emphasised, as the other boy is in the safe arms of his dad who he presses his face into in sadness, showing how the other boy is alone with no safeness from his own dad.

3:56 - 4:00
A mid shot is then used to show Troye and the other man pull away from the hug and look at eachother. This is the first time we see the face of the other man who equally has a face of sadness and longing. The camera then moves towards them as they move their face towards eachother. Just when they lock lips the video cuts to black. This suggests the forbiddeness of them being together, and how they are not meant to be seen.

Analysis

Time length of video - 4:11

Total number of shots used- 177

Close up shot - 47 (26%)

Mid shot - 90 (51%)

Long shot - 3 (2%)

High Angle shot - 3 (2%)

Low Angle shot - 9 (5%)

Tracking shots - 17 (10%)

Pan shots - 2 (1%)

Crane shots - 6 (3%)

Mise en scene

Setting

The video is set outdoors, as it depicts of two kids playing together. This is a typical setting to be used as kids are usually portrayed as adventurous and active.

When showing the artist Troye lip syncing the song, he is shown to be in a different setting as he is in a different time frame.

He is sat on a bed inside the same house shown where the kids are playing too, to make the audience understand that they are the adult versions of the kids.

Costume and Makeup

The clothes worn by the kids are not surprising as they are typical boyish children's clothing. They have an overall tidy look showing that they are most likely dressed by their parents.

The other character we are introduced to is one of the boys homophobic father. He is portrayed through a scruffy look, showing that he does not care for his appearance. This also reflects the fact that he is an alcoholic, who tend to look scruffy and not taking care of themselves, as seen here.

Lessons to be Learnt

• A narrative storyline is effective, particularly in this music video, as the audience can interpret their own idea of what is happening, therefore making the video more intriguing and rememberable for them.
• Mid shots and long shots are common in the alternate genre.
• Matching the shots to the beat and pace of the music is effective as it is easier and more interesting to watch.
• Including the artist as the focal point is important.