Generic Research: Case Study 2 (Pavement)

 'Harness Your Hopes' - Pavement

The music video for 'Harness Your Hopes' was released almost 25 years after the song due to its rising popularity on social media platforms such as TikTok. The video depicts a Pavement fan entering the world of the band and iconic scenes from their career as she solves some kind of 'mystery'. This is achieved through placing herself in their most popular music videos through green screen and dressing up in similar costumes of the band. It could be useful to consider Henry Jenkins fandom theory when analysing this music video as it is evident of participatory culture and fan-made media; it pays homage to Pavement's artistry and influence as a band.

1) Opening

The music video opens with a fading circle transition that focusses on the centre of the shot. This establishing shot sets the scene of an eager fan avidly trying to 'solve' some sort of mystery. Roland Barthes would perhaps call this an enigma code as it draws the audience to question what is being 'solved'.

2) 'Solving the mystery' + Intertextual references

Within the set that is reminiscent of classic TV detectives solving crimes, there are several easter eggs and intertextual references to songs by Pavement and lyrics of Harness Your Hopes ("Terror Twilight" is another one of their albums, "Gold Soundz" is one of their most popular songs, "molasses syrup molasses" is a reference to some of the lyrics in HYH).

3) Tiles

As the fan enters different scenes, each of these are depicted on bathroom tiles, separating the different stages of Pavement's career. This is an interesting graphic to use and ties in cohesively with symmetrical shot work.

4) Screens within screens

The notion of framing is used within this transition to an iconic music video of Pavement's 'Cut Your Hair', which is set in a barber shop and each member of the band gets their hair cut. The use of a screen within a screen is most likely something I would like to utilise within my own music video.

5) Mise-en-Scene of opening

The mise-en-scene of the opening is chaotic and filled with many small details where fans can engage within participatory culture and identify. It is also an homage to the influence of the band 25 years on.

6) Mise-en-Scene of subsequent scenes + Green Screen

The main character of the video is depicted to join Pavement in a series of videos through the use of green screen. Her hair, makeup and costume also aligns with each scenes she enters. The mise-en-scene of these shots are cohesively symmetrical and aesthetically defining with the contrast of grainy 90s film and modern high quality graphic.

7) Scene Transitions

The fan is given the liberty to enter each new scene through a prop that has been identified in the 'solving crime' process. This ensures smooth ties within the narrative and is a fun detail as each new object brings a different part of Pavement's career that we are able to join.

8) Graphics and SFX

The music video uses very subtle graphic across the music video which anchors the synthesised rhythm of the song and pastiches typical 90s iconography. It also perhaps adds to the sense of surrealism of the narrative.

9) Performance