Fall Out Boy – Thanks For The Memories

To start the video off, it fades in to a long shot of two members of the band whispering to each other. The lead singer (Patrick Stump) starts to sing and about 3 seconds in, he is interrupted by the sound of a chimpanzee. It then shows a medium close-up of every member of the band as the music stops; the narrative becomes a little confusing here and goes completely off topic. The way the chimpanzees are acting gives off the impression that they are in charge or how the video is to be directed. This shows evolution from chimpanzees to humans and at the same time links to how music has changed through generations. When the music video starts for real the first important shot shown is a medium shot of the lead singer, which shows star image. Next shot is of two chimps behind a camera filming… this is not narrative. During this music video it is constantly switching between shots of the band performing on a set and shots of chimpanzees taking charge of cameras, dressing room, food etc. There is a shot of one of he chimps attempting to play the violin, as this is happening the lyrics are ‘who does he think he is’ - this could symbolise them mocking the bands music.

When the beat kicks in it switches back to a long shot of all five-band members preforming and from then on, there are constant shots of the chimps again behind the cameras and also continual shots of Patrick (lead singer) in the spotlight. This is another example of star image. In almost every shot the lighting is very dim and we can see how smoky the room is when the spotlights are on. The next significant shot is a medium close-up (right hand side) of the lead singer and then in the background the guitarist is out of focus; this makes us bring all of our attention to the in focus shot. The mise en scene used for this music video is the same all the way through as when the band are performing or taking a break they are constantly wearing suites. One thing that is more noticeable than anything else is the fact that the lead singer of the band is the only one wearing a hat and so is the main chimpanzee. This shows star image for both generations and also shows dominance.

Then it changes to when the beat kicks in it changes to a long shot of all five band members in a room ready to perform. The next noticeable shot is of the lead singer (Patrick) and the most dominant chimpanzee sat at a table playing chess behind the scenes of the video; this could symbolise them being in competition with each other. At this point in the song there are no lyrics, only a drum beat and then guitar kicks in… this creates a little bit of tension.

In the dimly green-lit room, long shots of Patrick only (lead singer) are shown constantly through the video, which again, shows star image. At this point in the music video all the

chimpanzees take the original band members instruments and start playing them, the impression I got from this is was they’re either mocking them or trying to show them how they want them to play. Referring back to evolution I also think in this video the apes are showing they can do the same as the band and maybe even better.

The next important shot is an extreme close-up of a band member getting his make-up done ready for performing; the shot used at this point is to show the expression on his face which gives us an insight into what’s going on. Also the background is out of focus in this shot which makes us pay more attention to what is in focus (band member being forced to wear make-up). The following shot switches back to the whole band performing, the mise en scene for this scene has changed. The band members are all wearing different suites compared to the first half of the music video and also the setting of the stage is different, it looks brighter and more vibrant. This may signify success for the band and their music, as the lighting isn’t as dim or discouraging.

This next scene is one of the only parts of the music video that matches with the lyrics at this point in the song. The lyrics match with the narrative, as there’s a member of the band waiting in a hotel room as a woman walks in, as this is happening the lyrics are ‘They say I only think in the form of crunching numbers, in hotel rooms collecting page six lovers.’ The mise en scene also suites the scene for this part of the song because the dress the woman is wearing and the fact the room is the colour red both give off quite a promiscuous atmosphere. The next essential shot an extreme close-up of the woman and a chimpanzee. This is unusual because the band member who was with the girl switches places with a chimpanzee yet the girl acts the same, which is strange.

Next in this music video, it switches back from narrative to performance where we are shown both long and medium shots of each band member playing their instruments. Then it changes back to

…narrative again where again the lyrics match what’s going on in the shot, the woman walks into a room to find the band member packing. The lyrics at this point pretty much explain what’s going on in the shot… ‘One night yeah and one more time thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories. See he tastes like you only sweeter.’

Following that shot, it shows the chimpanzee that was in the previous scene spying through the door at them, which shows jealousy. Switching back to the performance of the video shows the band playing on stage when a medium close-up shot is shown of the chimp and the girl sat watching the band play. As the show comes to an end the band member (who was previously with the girl) spots the woman being flirted with. The music video finishes with him smashing his guitar off the FOB sign (band name); it then fades to black with an ambient sound of chimpanzees screeching.