Alex Preston

Music Video Analysis: Bring Me Back To Life – Evanescence

Bring Me Back To Life is a music video that is very conventional of the Rock genre,

due to many themes present throughout the video linking it to the genre. The video

opens with a sweeping pan of a fictional city, which the video is set. This is important

due to the song is part of the soundtrack for the movie ‘Daredevil’, a superhero

movie; the extreme long shot of the city is commonly used in films to ensure the

audience know were the film is set. The video uses this to link the song to the movie,

as the same extreme long shot is used in the movie. Jason Mittell states that using

common themes or intertextual references to attract audience enables the production

companies to sell products. Tim O'Sullivan argues that all media texts tell a story, a

simple but correct idea. But he also states that this story is based off our cultural

ideologies, which according to David Buckingham 'is in constant process of

negotiation and change.'

The narrative structure of the video is simple but effective, it follows two separate

groups of people, first is the lead singer ‘Amy Lee’ and her transition from dreaming

to reality and vice versa. The second group of people is the band, complete with their

instruments. Both groups are in the same building, a series of crosscutting shots link

the two parties, until the climax when they meet. The use of two narratives is common

in the Rock genre as it allows the record companies to sell records by marketing a

unique star imageby marketing the band (Andrew Goodwin ‘Star Image’), but also

allows the underlying meaning of the song to be portrayed in a concise and coherent

manner. But this is challenged in this video as the two narrative intersect is a

substantial way. Around the 2.30 mark Amy and the band meet this changes how the

two narratives can be described or analyzed. They are no longer two loosely

connected stories but one in the same. The use of the camera changes substantially,

and shows the two parties as a duet. They directly interact with each other; Amy Lee

is hanging for her life on the arm of one member of the band. In addition the lyrics are

portrayed as a conversation, thus describing the segment as a duet. The rapid cuts are

used show the panic; Amy and the man in a battle to save her .

The narrative strand, which follows ‘Amy Lee’, has the most analytical potential. It

starts with Amy in her bed, this opening shot shows the audience her asleep in bed,

and the covers are tangled up with her limbs, implying a restless sleep. This simple

shot is intercut with her falling, this has had substantial post-production changes

added to it, the visual effects include blur, manipulating colour, was used to create a

feeling that she was falling at a very fast rate. The cuts back to Amy in the bed are

close-ups illustrate her distress at this dream/nightmare.

Andrew Goodwin theory of ‘Thought Beats’ are ever-present throughout this video.

Amy is ‘Woken’ when the line ‘Bring Me Back To Life’ is sung by the band.

Showing an illicit connection between the lyrics and the actions performed on the

video, meaning that this video is defined as an ‘Amplification’ video. Very common

type of video utilized by the Rock genre quite commonly.One could argue these shots

of Amy sleeping are voyeuristic, as she does not acknowledge the camera, but this is

known as the fourth wall within films. Andrew Goodwin states that voyeurism is

more heavily present in video following a female, as it can perceived in a sexual

context, the use of mirrors or through mediums such as TV screens or glass amplifies

this exhibitionist perception. Amy’s narrative strand follows the same principles, none

of these mediums are used, neither are the shots framed by furniture or doorframes,

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thus rendering any theory of voyeurism or sexual objectification void, in regards to

the opening scene.

Once Amy reaches the ledge outside of the window, the cuts become quicker, as the

songs pace increases. The two narratives become more intricately linked as common

sights are seen in both become more explicit. As Amy climbs higher, she encounters a

house party. All the party guests are wearing clown masks, implying concealment of

one self or ones intentions, an underlying theme expressed in the song. The same

party can be seen for the band’s point of view, suggesting that the two narratives are

happening simultaneously. All the rooms Amy passes can be seen as representation of

her emotions, thus implying that her climb to the top of the building is a metaphorical,

this is not as transparent as it initially seems, as each room can be interpreted in

multiple ways; David Guatlett states that artists play with the idea of identity, this

allows for each song to mean 100 different things, thus reaching more people a more

translucent plot would have attracted.

Amy’s attire is implicitly provocative in this video, as she has just woken up, she is

only wearing a white nightgown; which can represent nativity and/or innocence,

showing Amy in this light amplifies the power of the nightmare. Laura Mulvey

believes that there is a simplistic reason for Amy’s attire, sexual objectification, her

theory follows the ‘Male Gaze’, which suggests that the camera and mise en scene are

used to emphasize the more desirable area of a woman’s body. This is present in this

video due to the revealing nature of Amy nightgown, but this is very subtly done.

Unlike other genres of music such as the hit song and music video ‘Call On Me’, the

Male Gaze is the major selling point of the video. In ‘Bring Me Back To Life’ the use

of the Male Gaze is few and far between and even when present very subtly used, as

the camera angles can be construed as provocative, I cannot detest to the use of

revealing clothing but Amy did not entice the viewer or display any promiscuous

movements.

Todorov narrative theory can only be partly applied to this music video, his theory is

more suited to film and TV as it takes time for his five stages to be expressed. As a

more simplistic approach must be taken for it to be applied to music videos;

Equilibrium- Disequilibrium- New Equilibrium. In regards to 'Bring Me Back To

Life' the equilibrium is balanced as she is safe in bed, it is upset when she has the

vivid nightmare and climbs out the window. The equilibrium does not change, is

returns to the earlier state. Making the video a circular narrative and directing

contradicting Todorov narrative theory.