“We come into this world unknown,
but know that we are not alone. They try
and knock us down, but change is coming; it’s our time now.” These are the
words that Kelly Clarkson opens with in her VMA nominated video “People Like
Us.” The video, which was nominated for “Best Video with a Social Message,”
inspires everyone who feels like an outsider to embrace his or her uniqueness.
At the beginning of the video a girl is seen as an outcast, being the only
colorful person in a world of black and white. By the end of the video,
however, she is joined by an army of people just like her in a world where
everything is in color.
Because the girl is the only one not in black
and white at the beginning of the video, scientists are observing her. The girl
is treated like some freak of nature. The girl is then shown trapped in a cell.
Clarkson, who is a scientist, sneaks into the cell. She takes the girls hand
and swipes it across her face. As the girls hand drags across Clarkson’s face,
Clarkson’s face reveals color. Just like the girl she is colorful and
different. Clarkson then grabs the girl’s hand and the two make their escape
out of the black and white lab. The alarms in the building go off and the
colorless scientists chase after Clarkson and the girl. Two colorless men
finally catch up to Clarkson and the girl in a forest that is covered in
colors. Several other colorful people emerge from the forest, showing their
support for Clarkson and the girl.
Clarkson is
sending a powerful message in her video, telling people not to be afraid to
break the “normal” role and to show the world who they really are. The little
girl was brave enough to show her colors but she was considered a freak, being
poked and prodded by scientists. Clarkson was hiding as a monotonous human just
like everybody else in their society and was hesitant to be different by showing
her colors. Clarkson finally reveals her colors and by the end of the video she
and the girl were in a land where everything was vibrant. They were joined by
other colorful people and the colorless scientists who were afraid to be
different were the outcasts.
Micaela, this is pretty solid. I like Kelly Clarkson, and I like this video. I think you were wise to choose a video that had a more traditional narrative format. Many of the other nominated videos rely on some really wack imagery and random allusions. They are painful to watch. This one was more pleasing for me. That said, I think there were some opportunities missed in your response. At times, I feel like your post reads a bit more like summary than analysis. Look at your second paragraph. You have captured the critical moment in the video, when Clarkson first approaches the young girl. Unfortunately, rather than really get into why the writers write this particular scene, you just summarize the episode - this happens, then this happens. I would have spent more time explaining the swatch of color on Clarkson's face. You hint at this at the end, but too quickly. Was Clarkson really "hiding," or was she unaware of her "uniqueness"? What does it say that it took a young child to free her? Also, I wish you would have looked more comprehensively at the video. Clarkson juxtaposes a very simple image of her solo performance with the narrative. This is a format that no other video has chosen. The video is half performance, half narrative. Why do you think she does this?
ReplyDeleteFinally, please be careful of this expression, "a powerful message." This is pretty weak. What is a "powerful" message.