Music Video Research 3 - Hurt

Artist: Christina Aguilera

Track: Hurt

Director: Floria Sigismondi

Narrative

The music video uses the narrative of how a young girl aspires to become a circus act with the help of her grandfather/father (could be either) who took her as a child to watch. With practice and the support of her grandfather/father the young girl makes it as a circus act. As an audience we gather that her grandfather/father has passed away by how she reads her letter and cries whilst reminiscing a flashback of memories of her and her grandfather/father. We see this to be true when Aguilera sees him for a second and is gone in which she falls to the ground and cries. We get the sense that she cries due to her herself being too caught up in fame to make time for her father figure. 

Camera/Editing/Visual Style/Mise-en-scene

The music video is set in a circus in the 1940's or 50's. In the beginning it is shot in black and white and is shot as if it has been recorded on an old camera by the crackling sound and the black blotches on the screen. A circus track is played before the actual track starts. The camera records shots of the different circus acts and then speeds up like old cameras use to do, this is just before 'Hurt' begins. When Aguilera sings, the camera uses big close ups whilst she is alone in a tent with a spotlight shining on her. The camera then cuts to a flashback of her childhood. Close ups are used on the feet of a tight roper which then cuts in to the feet of her own to show how she aspires to become one with the help of her father/grandfather.  The camera then flashes forward to when she makes it in the circus. From visuals we as an audience gather that she has made it in the circus from the low angle shot of her being lowered on to an elephant, pride is shown from her grandfather/father by the use of a big close up of his expression on his face. When Aguilera reads a letter given to her, the camera acts as the spinning of her head to show how she feels when reading the letter. The letter allows her to flashback to a montage of memories as a child with her grandfather/father.

Conventional/Unconventional

The music video in most parts is unconventional. It uses the story of a circus as a metaphor for something that has happened in Christina Aguilera's own life to help the audience to try and visualise it. However, it does have the typical convention of dramatic miming.

what works and what doesn't

The whole concept and story of the video works as it is not to difficult to understand. If you listen to the lyrics and watch the video you will recognise why the video was made the way it was. It allows people in an audience to relate to the story of the video in which ever way they want to perceive it as if they have had a similar experience.