Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY

Narrative and Theme

There is quite a simple narrative in this music video that emphasizes the lyrics of the song.

The video tells the story two childhood friends spending a normal day together as they go to each others houses and play together. All technical aspects of the music video help establish this narrative in the music video.

The music video also shows a narrative of people growing up almost instantly which is shown when the video cuts to them and their families in the white background set. This part of the video shows them being judged for not having a serious ‘normal’ career.

The narrative is linerar in this music video which can represent that the the characters of the children don’t have to think of the future or the past and can live in present.

Although the music video creates quite a normal and relatively simple narrative it definitely helps to further promote the lyrics of the song.

Editing and Sound

The editing in this music video is quite simple as it is slow paced during the verses and fast paced during the chorus. This simplistic editing can signify how the characters of the children have quite simple lives as they don’t have to worry about things that adults do.

As the chorus starts the editing mostly syncs up with the beat of the song. This helps make the song and the video seem part of each other which helps to promote the ideas that the song is putting across.

There isn’t that much diegetic sound in this music video other than when the music stops and the two people in the music video do an elaborate handshake. The diegetic sound along with the handshake helps to promote the idea that they are children as a secret handshake is quite a childish thing to do.

Mise-En-Scene

The Mise-En-Scene in this music video plays a big part in linking the song’s lyrics to the music video.

The setting of most of the music video is in suburban America which is shown instantly whilst the singer is riding the big wheel. It is also shown whilst they are in the houses as there is quite old furniture and a family environment.

The lighting in the video was quite effective in setting the suburban scene, especially in the house as the lighting is warm and quite neutral. This helps create the feeling that the children characters are secure and don’t have to worry which is contrasted when it cuts to the white and high key lit setting as the two band members are then adults and are in a harsher environment where they are more visible and under scrutiny.

The costumes of both the band members are a contrast the characters they are playing as the clothes aren’t what a child would wear which shows how this is them looking back on their childhood as adults.

Camera

The camera movement in this music video is quite unstable and are nearly all handheld shots. The shots in the white setting are a lot more stable and are tripod shots.

The instability in the shots when they are children connotes how they are able to be unstable and can do what they are free to do what they want as children. The stable shots when they are adults represent how they are expected to be stable as adults and cannot do what they want if it is going to disrupt that.

The tracking shots as they are on the big wheels signifies how they, as children are free to move around and don’t have to worry as other people are making sure they are safe and comfortable which is contrasted by the very static shots as they are adults as they are again expected to be stable.