The video includes mature clips so I can't provide a link for it due to it being banned by the administration.
Glimpse of Us (for background context) is about someone who is reminiscing a relationship, more specifically the gradual change of his girlfriend's personality - becoming somoene he doesn't recgonise and can only remember.
This is significant to the video as a whole as the music video is a complete contrast to the speed of the song. The song itself is slow, and reflective of heartbreak. However, the music video is fast-paced and chaotic. The overall meaning of the music video is to reflect the destruction of a relationship, and on the artist themself. As the video progresses, we watch his behaviour decline and he becomes a more defensive and reckless man. The artist becoming a more toxic and depressed person by the end of the video is to show the attempt to numb the idea of not being with his past lover.
In the first clip, we are introduced to the artist in quite a unique and concerning way. In pop music videos, artists would be introduced as a 'star persona', they would be wearing memorable and iconic outfits - this music video doesn't do that. The artists face is blurred/ pixelled so we are only introduced to his presence rather than his identity. The first few seconds of the video are handheld camera shots by the artist. The setting is rough and dull. Instantly reflecting the state of mind this artist/ or character is in. The room is a mess and truthfully not very satisfying to look at. With the shots of cigarettes and alcohol in just 8 seconds of the video, the artist isn't pictured in a good light/ or a responsible one. There is no establishing shot either - this shows how the production of the music video is low budget and possibly to represent the carelessness or the artist/ character.
The next few clips start to build the artist a personality - he is throwing stuff at his roomate who is passed out on a dirty mattress. We understand their living conditions, which could also be a way of showing the mental state of the artist post-break up.
Within these first shots - the theme of drugs and alcohol is very relevant and are a clear depiction of mental health issues. They are used this way too, and show how the effect only gets worse as the video continues.
We are consistently reminded of who is behind the camera (the artist) through the use of mirror shots that show us the physical state of the artist - we understand that he isn't in a good place mentally of physically. With the shot of him in the mirror with his middle finger up to the camera, we see his carelessness and rebellious personality revealing itself.
A lot of clips are doing 'illegal' things. The song and video are completely contrasting each other during the middle sequence. There are fights and disturbing diegetic sounds that interrupt the peaceful music. The location is established one minute in, when the artist leaves the concerning home environment and travels to a park where they set off fireworks unsafely. Although we don't know exactlt where he is, we know that it is a small town area/ possibly run by gangs as there is a lot of fighting, smashed up buildings and run-down areas. Linking in to the house that they were in - it had animals roaming in it - the area is not taken care of.
The rest of the video is a lot of these concerning clips repeated. A clip I found interesting is the argument with the girlfriend. The diegetic sound is clear and we hear the argument. Her face is blurred but we still hear everything she has to say about him - he keeps this in. Because of the handheld camera , it is hard to determine whether this clip is real, and if this was a moment/ break up that was actually caught on camera. If it is acting, then it is incredibly realistic.
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