Sober is a music video for the single was released by a music group BigBang in 2015. In this mv, we can see a lot of fast shot switching and dynamic shot editing.  The camera also shows the dance movements of the music video actor from different angles, which further enhances the sense of rhythm of the song.This rapid editing enhances the audience’s experience of perceiving the mood of the song.Pat Aufderheide（1986）argue that music videos are more than just a passing fad or a source of entertainment; they are pioneers of video expression, and the consequences of their reworking of the genre go well beyond television. Because music video aesthetics combine visual, hearing, rhythm, and emotion.
 

video source:https://youtu.be/XoO_a0qNWok?si=Ee0LaWW9ipMF0ZMM

Moreover,the lens rotating in the room at the beginning of mv contrasts with the room and forms a design sense like geometric figures. And also many of the rapid push-pull shots and distorted lens angles break the traditional cognition and perspective expectations of many viewers. The most impressive thing for the audience in the mv should be the bright colors of each actor’s clothing and a large number of solid colors in the background arrangement. Bright colors and solid colors form another visual impact. Furthermore in several scenes, the photographer stands against a solid white background, which allows the audience to focus on their prominent emotions and movements.

image source:https://images.app.goo.gl/Loz7ZazBMp4sh63R7

In addition, there is a slow rhythm in the latter part of the song, and in the mv, a man enters a fog, as if the character is in an inner struggle, and the fog seems to mean that the contradiction in his heart can not be dissipated. But when the song gradually becomes sober, the fog disappears again. In line with the theme of Sober, his inner struggle disappears. It is worth mentioning that the whole scene design is full of ingenuity, many quick cuts, distorted shots and the performance of the actors give the audience a feeling of interweaving the reality and the virtual world, which is a very novel and unique visual experience.

Reference:

Aufderheide, P. (1986) Music videos: The look of the sound, Journal of Communication. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/1599014/Music_Videos_The_Look_of_the_Sound (Accessed: 20 November 2024).

By Chuyi Zhang-33741312