The
music video for ‘Cocoon’ follows a narrative storyline where the two
protagonists meet at a rehab centre. At first, the two appear to be distant
from one another, however, as the video continues the audience learns that
something has happened between them which has challenged their relationship.
After a series of flashbacks from the male protagonist’s point of view, we
understand that he misses his girlfriend's company since something
happened to her mentality whilst being at the rehab. He tries to bring her back
to my repeating activities they once done together and putting up with other
people rules in order to stay with her. The climax occurs during the
instrumental of the song when the male protagonist tries to escape with his girlfriend and
results with being caught by the staff where he is punished for going against
the rules. Although he tries to struggle from their grasp, he remembers the
flashbacks of his relationship and decides to endure the punishment so he can
be reunited with her mentally. It finishes with him and his girlfriend sitting
together at the end of a room and holding hands. In an interview about the
song, leader singer Van McCann said that the song was based around being away
from a loved one and wanting them to just be together despite what anyone says.
The music video follows Goodwin’s theory of illustration as it suggests an
alternative scenario where two people want to be together and ignore all the
rules so they can be. The music video also does follow a performance element
but takes an alternative approach. During the instrumental bridge of the song,
the patients in the rehab centre are playing the instruments. This
fits the protagonist’s situation and follows the music video’s storyline as
well as showing the audience that the band are responsible for their own music.
It also shows that the band is different and experimental from mainstream
indie/rock bands as the lyrics are explicit and very honest which would usually
not get air time because of its lyrics.
Within
the video, there is a great use of mid-shots used. This automatically indicates
to the audience that there is a distance between the two protagonists and makes
the audience feel a little uncomfortable. The protagonists are rarely central
in the shots which suggest that they feel lonely or that they are missing the
other person and needs them to be in the frame for the shot to be complete. The
use of mid- shots helps illustrate the meaning of the song and sets the mood
for the audience to feel. Extreme close-ups are only used when the male
protagonist enters and exits his flashbacks. The focus on his face shows
emotion and longingness for the female protagonist which the audience can
connect with on a personal level. The shots are effectively connecting with the
lyrics as McCann sings ‘I remember when you…’, and first extreme close-up
premieres followed by a mid-shot of him meeting the girl. This
illustrates the lyrics and helps the audience understand the key moments of the
song. Camera Close-ups During the protagonist’s flashback, there is a
variety of different close-ups used. This allows the audience to see a
different side of the characters’ relationship and to be a part of
it. The juxtaposition of the shots used is effective as it represents the
difficulties of their relationship as well as the positive sides to it. Camera
Positioning Camera shots are also used to help introduce the different
characters and show their role in the narrative. Those who play the authority
in the rehab centre such as the female doctor and the staff are
always a centre of the frame. This is deliberately done to show the
audience that they have the biggest influence on the storyline and determine
the two-protagonist’s love story. This makes a change as usually the artist or
the main actors would be a centre of the frame, however, this has a
greater impact on creating an entertaining piece of film. If it wasn’t for
these characters, then the equilibrium would not have been disturbed and the
video would have not connected with the lyrics and meaning of the song.
The
editing in this music video is very limited. The transitions are all
straight cuts which are very commonly used for narrative music videos since
they tell a story like a film. The shots have been edited together to help
tell the story and create emotion. This is most effective when the protagonist
enters and exits the flashbacks as the audience finally understand the
relationship he had with his girlfriend. The shots follow Goodwin’s ‘Cut
to the beat’ theory. The sound falls within the Indie/Rock bracket. Being
associated with this genre enables Catfish and the Bottlemen to
explore and experiment their alterative sound and express themes and
emotions other mainstream genres may be advised against. Although many people
associate Indie Rock to be more grunge, the lyrics of the song take a more
reinsuring approach which is a positive outcome of sticking to an independent
image. When asked about the sweet nature of the song in Diffuser’s
interview, lead singer Mccann said… ‘I actually wrote this tune in New
York when I came to the city for the first time to write some songs. And I kind
of already had been writing a few and been doing a few things, but then this
one came along. And I thought, “Man, this is f—ing good. I’m gonna keep
this one.” It’s a tune about, whether it’s your best friend or your dad or your
missus or anything, as long as you got someone else with you or you’ve got a
direction, it doesn’t matter if people try to get at you. As long as I’ve got
you and you’ve got me and we love each other, then that’s sweet. We don’t need
anything in life. It’s about whatever you want, whenever you want and being
positive, especially when people are trying to get you down. Be happy, and
that’s it.’ The mise-en-scene in this music video is a key component
in making it successful and realistic. As the video is set at a rehab centre,
the patients and staff need to look like they belong there. The medical staff
are dressed in white clothing which is the stereotypical image for doctors
whilst the patients are given something different to express their unique
individuality. The makeup used to give the audience a good indication
about the different characters and emotions. For example, the nurse is wearing
red nail varnish which we would relate to as danger or power. This might
influence the audience to think a certain way about her and the impact that her
character creates. Another example is the female protagonist. When the
audience is first introduced to her, she appears to be very pale and ill. However,
as we enter the flashbacks, we see more colour in her face which suggests
that something has happened in the rehab centre to make her look
different.
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