Analysis of artifacts 1

I will complete a series of critical analyses to further research the themes and style I want to create for my degree project. Here I shall be analysing the music video for Simmer by Hayley Williams. 

The video begins with a heavy breathing and no visuals for a brief moment. This builds tension and suspense as the audience are eager to find out what will happen next. We then see Hayley Williams running naked in the woods in a birds eye view shot, whilst the heavy panting continues. This is where the first few notes of the song start to play out, with this sinister monotone note being repeated several times. Immediately this instils a tense and creepy atmosphere in just the first few seconds of the video.

As the song and the video progresses, we realise that there is this red glow that appears to be following the protagonist, and my interpretation is that this is the anxiety, depression and feelings of anger that Hayley is trying to run away from and escape. This is because of the lyric "Rage is a quiet thing, you think that you've tamed it, but it's just lying in wait", showing Hayley's struggle with dealing with her anger and negative thoughts. This coupled with the red lighting found throughout the video really sells this idea of rage being the focus of the video.

During the bridge of the song, Williams sings the lyrics "Wrap yourself in petals for armor" and in the video, she finds a pot of clay and lathers her body in it. This is a metaphor for the first steps to seeking help as a victim of depression, as even though the clay (or petals) is very thin and not very protective, it is better than being naked, or without any support at all. This theme of seeking help and healing is a process that Williams will reference multiple times throughout the rest of the album Petals For Armor. 

At the very end of the song and the video, the rage that had followed Williams takes on a literal human form, to which Hayley uses the pot of clay to subdue the enemy that had been following her. This shows that she is taking the first steps to battle her depression and begin the healing process, by standing up against the rage that has tormented her throughout the video.

Overall, this video is rich with hidden meanings and interpretations, and serves as great inspiration for where I can take my own music video.