7. Pompeii - Bastille
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F90Cw4l-8NY Bastille raised to high popularity in 2013, and their video for "Pompeii" really had me wondering what exactly was going on. We follow frontman Dan Smith around a city that seems completely barren. The first sign of people that we see besides Smith is a woman at a small restaurant. But something is different about her. We discover the other people in the city have the same problem as this woman, and it's freaking Dan Smith out. They all have completely blacked out eyes. To make it even creepier, as Smith enters an arcade, the video pays tribute to the twins of Stephen King's The Shining. This sends the singer running out of the building and into a car, driving away from the city to find himself stranded as his vehicle refuses to work. As day comes we see Smith's eyes becoming black, and at the end of the video, he has become the same as the other people.There's a much more deeper meaning to this video then people turning creepy. The song "Pompeii" all on its own is a metaphor. Bastille uses the historic tragedy that is Pompeii to symbolise what the world is becoming today. The lyrics talk of black clouds and walls falling down and in the midst of all the destruction, we try to "close our eyes" and pretend it isn't happening, that things aren't changing, and remain optimistic about the future. The black eyes symbolise seeing the truth. Instead of hiding under covers the people now see the world and its cruelties. When Dan Smith's eyes turn black, he loses his innocence and is seeing the world for what it really is. This may seem depressing but disregarding a problem and turning away from it, pretending it doesn't exist, doesn't fix it. Embracing the harsh truths of reality is understanding a problem so you are able to find a solution for it.
Alexandria Schmidt
Contributor
Art is expression, with any possible form of media you can think of. Throughout my life I have experimented with many creative outlets such as music, writing, painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, and film.
Recently I have grown to love the art of film. It is a great way to get my creativity working in fantastic ways. I am now working on getting a degree in Communications with a minor in Creative Writing. I will be graduating from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2014 and hope to pursue a masters in film down the road.
I have currently started working as a video/audio assistant and technician at my University. I also freelance write, produce and edit stories, poetry, and video.
I hope that someday I can produce my own films and work on documentaries focusing on nature and destinations.
Life is too short to stop and think. Act, see, and experience the world and it's beauties. There's no better way to do that than seeing it first hand, then reminding yourself later of what awesome things you've seen, by looking through your camera or expressing it in a story.
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Alexandria