Task 2 - Bon Jovi - It's My Life analysis

Bon Jovi – Its my life- This music video begins with no music, only a narrative. Where a teenage boy in his room is encouraged by his girlfriend to get the Bon Jovi concert she is currently at as quickly as he can. The music video focuses on this teenager doing all he can to get the concert – almost risking his life. 
- The audience can relate to the main protagonist as his mother asks him to do boring jobs at home – she asks him to take to rubbish out.
- This video was made in 2000 and the use of modern technologies  at the time are widely used such as computers and mobile phones (the girlfriend uses a mobile to alert the boy that he must get to this concert immediately and the computer has a web cam streaming the event). This would attract and relate to a teenage audience. 
- Music begins when teenager begins to run to the concert. The music suggests action.
- Throughout the video the shots constantly go back and forth from the live concert setting to the narrative of the teenager’s journey to show the audience what he is missing.
- The focus on young people at concerts suggests a mainly teenage target audience.
- Mainly tracking shots whilst following teenager as he risks his life.
- As music begins we see close ups of instruments during the intro – at this moment the focus is on the music and the instruments used to create it such as keyboards and guitars.
- Close ups of male singers whilst singing may attract a female audience
- Action during narrative attracts a male audience
-Dark lighting during concert creates  a great concert/party atmosphere even though is under a tunnel on a road – make it seem like a go-to event so we understand why the teenager wants to be there so desperately. The lighting highlights singers face to draw our attention to his singing.
- Lyrics of ‘Its my life, its now or never’ and the narrative create the message to not waste time and live life to full and don’t let anything hold you back from what you want to do.
- Action is emphasised by the use of slow motion shots – the teenager jumps off a bridge on the road and a lorry has to brake – the music stops during this shot because the high action is the main focus.
- The narrative can sometimes be humorous as the teenager stumbles across 4 men dressed as Elvis Presley and gets chased by a group of dogs that act as obstacles directing him away from his journey to get to the concert.  – reinforces the message, it suggests that even though things may get in your way you can still make it?
- The clothing of the band is dark, probably because their music doesn’t sell for their image it sells for the music itself – many artists focus a lot on how they look such as Lady Gaga but they don’t feel like this is necessary as the focus should be on the music and the enjoyment of the music – not how they look or dress.
- The main protagonist is also in dark clothing, but the girlfriend already at the concert is in white so that she stands out
- Several fade outs are used between narrative and concert to signify a different location.
- they used an edit where it looks as though photos are been taken – the frame freezes and you hear the sound of the shutter as you take a picture on a camera – again, reference to technologies.

By Emily Driscoll