My Chemical Romance- "Famous Last Words"

The video Famous Last Words opens with what is indicative of a ‘set’. As the video unravels, the ‘set’ becomes the setting for a battle field or war zone. The singer and band members are in uniform which further strengthen the notion of war zone. The video is filled with fire and explosions which create an intense dramatic environment. The video displays the members of the group signing through turmoil, exhaustion, and mayhem. The lead singer always is able to overcome the circumstances and continue with the delivery of his message (“I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone”).

Questions to Consider:

What emotions does this video evoke?

What message does this video portray regarding life?

Does this video make you reflect on a period of time in your own life? Why?

What does the setting of this video represent?

Belly featuring Ginuwine- "Pressure"

Set in a very prestigious looking night club, the video opens with Belly, Ginuwine, their crew, and numerous ladies getting out of their vehicles, including a Lamborghini Carrera. In the night club everyone is dancing and Belly raps to the camera. We see scenes of the boys playing pool, drinking, and watching women dance on poles. Then Belly and crew along with several women head up to the V.I.P. room to enjoy some more drinks and a private fondue party. Following this we see more women dancing on stage while they are rained on by a shower of money. The video ends with Belly and his boys posing, rapping and pointing at their jewellery in front of large blow up of Belly’s latest album cover.

Questions to Consider:

What does this video convey about the importance of material possessions?
What message does this video send about the roles of males and females in the material world?
What does this video say to males about how they should view females?

Rise Against- "Ready to Fall"
In this video the band performs in a clear-cut area of a forest. When the band is not shown, the audience is shown a multitude of images. These include the following: pictures of Earth from Space, a dead bird lying in an oil spill, endangered animals, captive animals, melting ice caps, burning forests, oil sands, clear-cutting, mass- produced chicken farms, heavy traffic, and dead dolphins trapped in fishing lines. The video ends with the lead singer stating to the audience “Every action has a reaction. We have one planet, one chance”.
Questions to Consider:
What do you think the lead singers' quote at the end of the video means?
How did the images make you feel?
How are we all responsible?

Anti-Flag- "This is the End"
This video is shot at one location. The scene is a concert at a very small venue. We see a mock white house in the background. Throughout the video, statistics of the number of different cosmetic procedures that people have as well as stats of some of the related consequences are put on the screen. Every stat is followed by a “This is the end of….” statement.

Questions to Consider:
How do certain things in the media persuade you?
What messages are given to young males and females through advertisement?
Think of some corporations that target young males and females in their marketing.

Billy Talent- "Nothing to Lose"

This video is contains the theme of bullying and its effects. The audience is taken through a day in the life a young boy who is unpopular. The camera shows exactly how the boy sees it. We see at his locker that someone has written the message “Die Loser Die”. In class he is ignored and the audience sees his diary and a picture of a car that he has drawn. The boy is later bullied by five of his peers in the hallway and they take his diary. The boy then runs to the shop class where he proceeds to commit suicide by putting a hose in the exhaust of a car and feeding it into the car. The video ends with one last glimpse at the boy’s diary and we see the picture he drew was the suicide scene. A final message appears on the screen stating “There is life beyond these walls” and an advertisement for Kids Help Phone.

Questions to Consider:

What is bullying, and have you been affected by it in any way?

Have you ever bullied someone or know anyone who has or is being bullied?
What can you do about bullying?

What do you think the final message in the video means?

Fergie- "London Bridge"
This video takes place in London. To begin, Fergie and her dancers get down in the middle of the street as Fergie raps. We then see that Fergie’s band mates from the Black Eyed Peas are at a Gentlemen’s Club where no ladies are allowed. Next we see several scenes of Fergie grinding on a couple of London Guards. The video then switches back to the Gentlemen’s Club. Fergie pulls up to club. Upon arrival she receives a martini and enters. Followed by the Paparazzi the whole time, Fergie gets annoyed and threatens one of them physically. Security approaches her as there are no ladies allowed in this club. Fergie proceeds to give the security guard a lap dance to gain access to the club. The video shifts to the Gentlemen’s club’s boardroom where Fergie and her female backup dancers are the only girls amongst numerous guys. Fergie then dances on the boardroom table while everybody cheers. The video ends with a choreographed dance with the London Guards she was grinding on earlier in the video. As the video closes we see Fergie on a very expensive speed boat on the river Thames.
Questions to Consider:
What message does this video send to females?
What message does this video send to males?
How is alcohol viewed in this video?
Are there messages that tell the viewer what is needed to be "cool"? If so, what are some examples?

Fabolous- "Diamonds"

This video consists of a combination of Fabolous flashing all his "bling" (diamond chains, watches, bracelets, and a diamond-studded jacket) and scantily-clad women dancing suggestively. One of the main lines in this song is "She liked my necklace, so she started relaxing". In the video they show women laying down, wearing nothing but lingerie, and a woman wearing diamond headphones responds to this with the line, "I like you, but I really like your damn chain". Other images in the video include a woman wearing a diamond-studded ski mask, the rapper eating "Diamond Crunch" cereal and drinking diamond champagne, and a woman showering in diamonds.

Questions to Consider:

How are females portrayed in this video?

How are males portrayed in this video?

What is the main message that viewers are receiving from this video?

Akon featuring Snoop Dogg- "I Wanna Love You"

In this video, there are images of Akon and Snoop Dogg rapping together as well as women dancing on chairs in lingerie. There are a few scenes where Snoop Dogg is shown relaxing with a woman and they are taking polaroid pictures of them together. There are also a few scenes with just Snoop Dogg and there is smoke coming out of his mouth as he talks about having a "smoke session" in the back.

Questions to Consider:

How are the males in this video portrayed?

How are the females in this video portrayed?

What kind of message can be drawn from this song and video?

George- "Lie to Me"

The video tells the story of a male distraught over a failed relationship. The video shows him in various rooms of his house pining for his lost love. He finally leaves his house and walks down the street. A downpour of rain drenches him and a girl joins him for a brief dance. The next scene is of him back in his house pining again. The video ends as it started with the male looking out a window with rain streaking down the outside pane of glass.

Questions to Consider:

Does this video show a positive way of dealing with a failed relationship?
Why do you think the girl was shown for such a brief time in the video?
Have you ever felt that you wanted to continue with something even though it may be the wrong thing to do (ie. dangerous, unhealthy). What resources do you draw from to help you do the right thing even though it may be more difficult?

Pussycat Dolls- "Wait a Minute"
The music video “Wait a Minute” portrays the fact that women don’t always have to succumb to the desires of a man. The women in this video join together to take a stand and display their strength as individuals. The man in the video (also a singer) continues to pursue the females but is unsuccessful in his efforts. As the video continues, the women end up actually taunting the man with their bodies. The dancing, provocative clothing, and the suggestive moves all work to reinforce the notion that the man is unable to pursue.
Questions to Consider:
What message do you think this video is sending to girls and women?
What message is being portrayed at the very end of the video?
What message is being sent to males?

Gwen Stefani- "The Sweet Escape"
This video portrays a girl who is well groomed (hair, make up, nails) although she is in jail. The jail cell is golden – gold walls, gold accessories. Her black and white striped jailbird outfit is a stark contrast to her shiny golden surroundings. She magically coaxes a dog outside of the cell to give her the key and she escapes to a high rise apartment. She is then disguised as an ‘average’ person and taken to a waiting vehicle with a male inside and together they drive away. She appears happy in his company. Eventually, the joy ride comes to an end when they are followed and then stopped by the police and she is returned to her golden jail cell.
Questions to Consider:
Why was her jail cell golden and what do you think this represented?
The joy ride was the escape and was rather uneventful. Why?
Why do you think that the 7-11 store was used in this video?
Does this make you think of any celebrities that you think might want to escape, if only for a few brief moments? (Brad and Angelina….and others)

Good Charlotte- "The River"
This video is shot in a dark and grainy manner. A singer is set in front of five open panels of images. The video features the flashing of images over images both on the full screen and within the panels. Images include rivers, bridges, a topless female covering her breasts with her hands, and Los Angeles pop culture.
Questions to Consider:
What is the significance of showing the sunrise/sunset at the beginning and end of this video?
What is the relationship between the river and images of LA?
Do you find this video chaotic? If so, why?

Ne-Yo- "Because of You"
This video features the artist as the central character. At the beginning of the video he talks about feeling like he’s addicted to a female. Throughout the video, he shows interest in a female. There are shots of dancing and touching, scenes in a nightclub. The video includes sexually suggestive scenes and the artist undergoes many costume changes.
Questions to Consider:
How did this video make you feel?
What metaphors are apparent in this video?
What messages might males or females receive when watching this video?

Nelly Furtado- "All Good Things Come to an End"
The video begins with a happy relationship between a male and a female. A change is alluded to and then the scene moves to the beach with soft, flowing movement focusing on the lead character (Nelly Furtado). The colours are subtle and the fading of scenes is gradual and almost misty. The video shows changes between the melancholic Furtado and flashes back to a happy relationship with the male. This happens many times throughout the video and ends with Furtado alone.
Questions to Consider:
What do you think the furniture in the video represented and why was that particular furniture chosen?
Do you think the end of the relation ship was one sided or mutual? Explain why you think so.
Does this video make you think of a time in your own life where something good had to come to an end?

Avril Lavigne- "Girlfriend"
This video opens with a boyfriend and girlfriend (played by Avril in a red wig) walking into a Family Fun Centre. Avril approaches the couple and starts singing to the boyfriend, "Hey You! I don't like your girlfriend!" She then continues to flirt with the boyfriend in front of his girlfriend, and images of her singing and playing guitar with her band are also shown. The video goes on to show Avril bullying the girlfriend in a variety of settings (for example, crashing into her on the go-kart track, pulling her out of a photo booth, and hitting her in the head with a golf ball which causes her to fall in the water). Throughout the video, images of these scenes are interspersed with images of Avril dancing in punk rocker/school girl outfits, including a scene at the end where she is dancing in a public washroom with her friends and her "new boyfriend". As for the girlfriend, she ends up trying to tackle Avril but misses her and rolls down a hill to end up crashing into an outhouse.

Questions to Consider:
What kind of message is Avril sending to teenage girls with this video?
How was the boyfriend portrayed in this video (i.e. how did he react to what was going on)?
Could Avril be considered a bully in this video?