I lastly chose to analyse Paramore's video for 'The Only Exception', as I loved the way the video was shot, and it's unique concept. I especially like the way the videos narrative kept true to the lyrics and meaning behind the song.
The concept of Paramore’s ‘Only Exception’ is about the front ‘woman’ of the band Hayley, and how when she was younger the devastation of her parents divorce made her give up on love and deem it to ‘not exist’. The video shows her to go through a series of doors as a kind of look into what her future may look like without her boyfriend. Throughout the camera pans across the set so we as an audience are able to see her as she travels from room to room; this gives us a sense of fiction, and so makes us think this is in her mind rather then what’s actually going on.
The establishing shot of the video shows her in what is suggested to be present times and shows her and her boyfriend to be lying together on the sofa; this paired with the calm music connotes a peaceful setting. The introduction immediately lets the audience know the narrative of the video is ‘storyline’ based. The vocals then begin as soon as we see her enter the next room or stage of the video; this links to Goodwin’s theory that there are strong links between the visuals and the rhythm and sound of the music. This is frequently shown throughout the song; when she’s in the first room, it shows her and her dad hug as the lyrics sing ‘my daddy’. This section of the song explains her childhood in relation to the tough breakup of her parents and how it obviously deeply affected her; this shows the closeness of her and her father. Audience members may relate to this as many parents are likely to have divorced; this would make some viewers become more emotionally attached to the song as they are able to see her lyrics come to life in a sense.
The next room is assumed to be her bedroom, and as she places the picture of her parents on her mirror the audience are able to empathise with her as the picture fades and the camera focuses on the sad look on her face.
The camera then fades to show her lying on valentine’s cards; these were all written by fans and sent in to paramore, this will entice those fans to watch the video this giving the song promotion. Also, this makes the band look like they care about their fans and so may make the bond between them stronger, and could make fans more loyal to them; it makes them look caring. She is shown to lie on these cards as the lyrics ‘you are the only exception’ come on, thus giving another example of how the lyrics link with the visuals of the videos; as she starts to find hope with love, the screen shows her to be lying on valentine’s day cards giving out by other people (her fans) who obviously haven’t given up on love.
A scene then shows her performing the song with her band; this is often shown in music videos with a similar typical indie genre as it legitimises the music and lets audiences known it’s real, and them playing. This is also the first time the other band members are shown in the video; this is also typical of indie bands as it is usually the front man who is used as characters in the videos and they are usually the only ones shown.
She goes into a room which shows her going on dates, each one is swiftly rejected and she finally gives up as the chorus repeats ‘you are the only exception’ thus making another room doubt her decision to leave her boyfriend. This part of the song also shows the music’s tone to get heavier slightly and the pase to get faster as she runs out the room; linking the musical rhythm with what the characters doing; this gives the audiences a direct link between Hayley’s emotion and the lyrics, making the feeling of the song seem more genuine.
She then finds herself in a wedding scene, but whilst everyone else is wearing white she wears black, thus alienating her from the rest of the scene making her stand out and looking like she doesn’t belong. This isolation with again be empathised by the audience. She then goes to a flashback of when she first saw her boyfriend, while the main hook of the song plays.
As the music calms down again, the song ends with her realisation and she runs back through the rooms, symbolising to the audiences that she’s erasing all her previous feelings and so the song finally ends as it started in present day with her changing her mind; this gives the audience a sense of hope and leaves them on a good note.
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