Music Video Analysis - 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack

Massive Attack - 'Unfinished Sympathy' Analysis

In this post, I will be analysing the video for 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack, including my own interpretations, others views as well as analysing the look and feel of the video. This may help me with my own video through how it could inspire me, especially looking at the concept of the video.

Concept/content of the video -

When I first heard the lyrics of the song, I thought it was about being incomplete, firstly from the name of the song; Unfinished Sympathy. The word, ‘unfinished’ provokes a sense that this persona feels incomplete as if missing something. This can be revised through the line ‘how can you have a day without a night’ which makes you think that this is about a two-way relationship in which one person was more devoted to, as well as ‘you’re the book that I have opened’, indicating that the woman in the video feels she is in a one-way relationship.

   The final line of the song is ‘I’m missing every part’, so it is almost as if the lyrics are quite vague at the start in terms of what they mean, however the crux of the meaning is finally introduced at the end of the song, where it is far more obvious that this woman is experiencing heartbreak. I also think the lyrics speak about rejection, since one line describes ‘the curiousness of your potential kiss’. This highlights how she may feel foolish because she is full of desire for a person but this person may not love her back. This is a difficult emotion to experience for anyone, which is why it is so effective as it is relatable for many members of an audience watching and listening to the video.

   

Beginning to look at the visuals, the video starts with a conceptual visual of a pair of hands holding two silver objects. At first this was very confusing yet from my own perspective I thought the significance of the two objects relates to the lyrics of the song and this sense of there being two people in a relationship. Symbolically, the objects are exactly the same, hinting that the two members of a relationship require the same effort/exertion to make a relationship. Perhaps the persona featured in the video is longing for this circumstance; to be in a position where her lover ‘loves her back’. This concept relates to the saying ‘there are two peas in a pod’, which supports this sense of pairs and being in love. Perhaps the woman in the video feels suffocated in a pod, by her emotions and the other half of the pod is empty.

The next shot features a group of men; throughout the video there are more men than women featured suggesting that she is living in a patriarchal society, surrounded by male dominance. This in a way is similar to today’s society yet is much more extreme. For a deep complexioned woman, she may feel even more alone and alienated as she may be seen as having a low status and disrespected. Especially because the video was shot in 1991, and although segregation was over, the video may have been looking back through history.

We then are introduced to the main character of the video, which is played by Shara Nelson, who emerges from the left and is seen walking down the street, before we pan round so we see Nelson walking towards us. I like this transition because it is not obvious at first that Nelson is the main character that we will be following throughout the video, as if she is presented at first as a ordinary person within the crowd. This presumption is then broken by seeing that this person has a message she wants to put into the world, suggesting a theme of not prejudging, 

She mimes the lyrics as she puts emotion in the song, passing people and markets. This one shot of footage is roughly the same the whole way through, we see someone with a disability go past her as well as a man and a woman who are kissing. This moment seems important as she looks sad and alone, as if the video expresses her as feeling isolated among people who are not and are happy.  

At the end of the video, the camera pans round and Nelson walks with her back to us down the road. The video ends when she turns a corner and can no longer be seen, before fading to black.

My own thoughts towards the continuous-shot video is that there is a cyclical narrative, meaning we are introduced to a character yet the video ends the same as it begins, the woman still looks emotional as she walks off. This makes it feel as if the persona is still stuck in the same situation, as if nothing has been achieved as she still feels the same way.

Above was my own interpretation of the video and the meaning behind it, yet I as well as my own views, I have gathered information about what the video means to the band as well as the makers to see whether my own interpretation and what it is ‘supposed’ to mean differentiate.

   The video, directed by Baillie Walsh, was filmed starting from 1311 South New Hampshire Avenue to 2632 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Wikipedia describes how Nelson walks along the pavement, unaware of her surroundings, including drunk people, bikers and disabled people. When I watched the video, I was unaware of any drunk people in the shots, as mainly I was focused on Nelson. Some of the people filmed were not extras yet were simply walking down the street and happened to get in the shot. The gang at the beginning, for example were a real gang, who lived there. The guardian described the video as a ‘benchmark in modern video direction, more of a breath-taking short film than a mere pop promo’ (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_Sympathy), which I definitely agree with. Although there is not much build or difference in scenery in the video, I was still left captivated by the unique and vague meaning, which I then tried to find out.

On www.songmeanings.com, one commenter describes how the vocals are very ‘eerie’, which is complemented with the violin, describing the video as ‘simple but effective’. They go on to talk about how the video ‘beautifully conveys the feeling of emptiness as a result of desire over a person, and is about missing something you feel you need’. I agree with what is said here, yet from my own point of view, she is complaining about a relationship whereas there are arguably far more significant problems relating to the people around her, such as being disabled. Perhaps the video is about the fact that everyone is missing something in their lives, no matter how significant this problem is, we should not judge others because everyone is fighting their own battles. I suppose the video is effective as it can comfort many different people as it may mean something different for everyone.

   Another commenter states how the video is ‘about the fear of getting hurt by someone you are falling in love with and the fear of getting close’, as if you dream for a relationship yet it will hurt you at the same time. From this, I have realised that the video does not have one set-in-stone meaning, rather it stands as so powerful because it can mean something different for everyone, healing and comforting many different people watching the video.

Massive Attack have not officially stated the ‘meaning’ of the song, so it is up to different people’s interpretation, as if the meaning caters towards everyone.

Aesthetics/Colours/Filters –

The video’s quality reflects the time in which it was filmed (1990) so a Steadicam was used as well as an Arriflex 111. This quality however would have been excellent at the time it was filmed yet looking back, it still has a nice effect being all blurry and pixelated which I could use myself in my own music video for a nostalgic feel.

   There seems to be a sepia filter over the top of the video which gives an amber hue as if it is filmed at sunset. This may have been the case however, that the video may have been filmed late in the afternoon. When Nelson is walking between the buildings, sun rays reflect onto her face which highlights her features and create more dimension and variety in the look of the video. The look of the video actually reminds me of Bruno Mars’s video for ‘Uptown Funk’ which has an amber filter and vintage clothing.

   In terms of props and infrastructure, there are many vintage inspired motifs/elements in the video which I may influence my own music video. For example, graffiti on walls, thrift shops, old fashioned cars, outdoor markets and shopping trolleys all feature. As well as this, there are other props such as stereos, old faded commercial adverts, motorbikes, old mattresses left on the road and telephone boxes. However, these were all naturally on the sidewalk and were not staged, so the video becomes even more authentic and realistic, like a snapshot of history.

   Overall, the filters, colours, props and scenery all contribute towards making this video seem old, vintage, lower-class, retro and almost hauntingly strange. Because of how old the video is and the concept of a woman simply walking down the road, the video instantly seems odd and ambiguous, almost eerie.

Cinematography –

Although the video is filmed as one continuous shot, the cinematography is very good taking in mind the time in which it was filmed. The movement of the camera work is very smooth which is something I aim to achieve by using a tripod or other equipment I can manage to get my hands on. When they filmed this video, they had to be very organised through how all the actors and cameramen had to know exactly what to do and when because the video was filmed as one continuous shot for five minutes straight. I might use this technique because you can easily show growth and build of both the music and the storyline. Other music videos that have used this technique include Lorde’s video for ‘Tennis Court’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, which are examples of videos which are very challenging to create, so if I were to use this technique I might choose to pick a simple concept.

    The video also uses an establishing shot of the two silver objects being held in a pair of hands which is very intriguing for an audience due to the lack of context behind it. When making my own music video, making sure that my establishing shot captivates an audience right from the start will be very important as it can also be used to set a scene.

Genre –

Massive Attack are described as ‘trip hop’ which is described as ‘a style of dance music, usually in slow tempo, that combines elements of hip-hop and dub reggae with softer, more ambient tones. This is quite an unusual style of music which suits the quirky visuals and concepts of the video. Because the song ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ is very instrumental with limited lyrics, the visuals take on a more significant role in delivering the meaning behind what Massive Attack are putting into the world.

   Other artists under this genre include Portishead and Tricky, both of which have similar styles to Massive Attack. All of them use visuals and music to tell a story or raise an issue which is something that I want my music video to do; instead of being solely based around the aesthetics of the video I want my music video to raise awareness of a topic that I wish to make a change in. 

Public opinion –

I asked 50 people my age (17), in my year to watch the ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ music video and gather their thoughts. I thought this would be useful information because I want my music video to attract a younger audience so knowing what my audience like and dislike in a music video will help me craft my video in accordance.

The results told me that many more people disliked the music video (36) with many less people who liked it (14). However, I needed reasons for these answers that would help me with targeting my audience which consists of people like my participants, so I asked each person to tell me one reason why they liked/disliked the video. Here are just a few:

I liked the music video because:

• 'It was really cleverly filmed in one-take which looks really hard to do'
• 'I liked the old vintage theme it had'
• 'I like the song because it reminds me of my parents playing it when I was younger'
• 'I liked how it included people of different backgrounds, genders, races'
• 'It is an iconic song'

·      I disliked the music video because:

• 'It was quite boring because there wasn't any changes in the scenery and it was all filmed in one shot'
• 'The song and video are quite old and not very modern'
• 'The video was so long that I got bored but still had another three minutes to watch'
• 'It wasn't very captivating because nothing dramatic happened'
• 'It doesn't use any exciting, modern techniques'

So it seems that although the majority of people aged 16/17 disliked the video, there are elements within it that were enjoyed and that I could bring into my own music video. This includes the vintage feel and the diversity and multiculturalism within it. From my research I have found out that I should maybe not film in one continuous shot as this is described by the participants as boring and monotonous. Also my song choice should not be too long otherwise the viewer will become disinterested; my music video needs to grab hold of a viewers attention from start to finish. I may also use some more modern techniques in which I could explore later on in the process. 

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My personal opinion -

I both have reasons for liking and disliking the video. Predominantly, I like the music video because of the vintage feel and the concept of a 'journey' from start to finish with this whole sense of a cyclical narrative which could look very nice when executed correctly. However, I find the length the least successful element amid the high success of the video overall, as it doesn't catch my attention for the entire five minutes.

   I can take alot from my analysis when designing and creating my own music video such as adding in symbolism that suits the lyrics such as the silver balls in the pair of hands which is a very subtle 'nod' to the meaning of the song. I definitely want to add this in as I think it 'completes' the video in the way in which it makes for a more rounded and carefully thought theme. Furthermore, I will think carefully about the message I want to convey but even more so the way in which I do this, either subtly, obviously or even using sarcasm may work well to get my point across in a more intelligent way. I want my lyrics to suit the visuals because this also contributes to a more rounded idea, however I could choose to have lyrics that completely oppose the visuals in the video to make a political statement, for example lyrics that explain about promoting peace yet visuals that show war and violence that is going on in the world. 

   I think also that I am liking the idea of the 'vintage feel' yet to appeal to a younger audience, I would have to blend 'vintage' and 'modern' so it is more 'vintage inspired' rather than solely vintage. Selena Gomez's 'Wolves' music video is very good at achieving this, with a very modern, sleek look yet the video uses vintage coloured lights.