Queen: Breakthru
Narrative
- A young woman is seen lying on a train track
- She wakes up and gradually stands, moving her hair from her face
- She begins to walk towards the camera while miming the words 'Break through'
- A train then bursts through a wall that has the word 'Now' on it as this word is sang by Freddie Mercury
- The majority of the rest of the video is seeing the band performing the song on top of the train
- At one point the train goes through a tunnel and the video goes darker and we see a montage of the band playing their instruments
Camerawork
- When we see the band performing on the train the majority of the shots are long shots and extreme long shots of the train. These allow us to see the band all together and give us the chance to see them play
- A handheld camera is used for these sections as well, almost so it feels like we are on the train with them
- Some low angle shots are used too to make the band seem powerful and almost holy as we literally look up to them as they play the rock song
- For the short narrative with the woman many close ups and mid shots are used. This may be because unlike the band, this section is being acted so it is more important to see the woman's facial expressions. She has also got very unusual make up and clothing on so the close ups and mid shots help to accentuate this.
Editing
- For parts of the video when we see the female on the track, the transitions are mostly fades. This creates a sort of dreamy atmosphere especially when we have just seen that the girl had been sleeping
- Similarly to this, there is a shot where the girl brushes the hair away from her face as she stands. This is shown three times from different angles and distances which again highlight the dream-like feeling
- In contrast to this, when we see the band the cuts are straight cuts and they last for a lot less time. This matches the rock music that is fast and loud, and suits the theme of the fast train as well.
Mise en Scene
- The setting of the video is on a train and a track. The fact that it is filmed on a train may be because it suits the fast moving and intense song. The girl is seen lying down in the middle of the track which again makes it quite strange as this would be a dangerous thing to do
- The costumes of the band members are white shirts with different waistcoats on top, except for the drummer who has a yellow shirt and waistcoat. It could be said that the reason they are wearing quite similar clothes is to show that they are united as a band and this is almost like a uniform. It is also quite casual so shows the cool and collected attitude they have
- On the other hand, the girl on the track wears an unusual costume with a futuristic dress and belt and strange make up. This seems to be used to give the unreal feeling that this section has
- The only props used in this video are there in order to make it look like Queen are really playing this song on top of the train; the band has instruments and Freddie Mercury has a microphone.
Sound
- The song Breakthru seems to be about someone who is completely in love with someone else and is desperately trying to show them this. This could be shown in the video by the girl on the track who perhaps is trying to end her life. The lyrics 'If I could only reach you, if I could make you smile' could be meaning that they are trying to convince her out of it, and that it would be a break through to do this
- Some other the parts of the song also fit the events, for example when we see a close up on the girl's eyes as they open we can hear a short glissando which is classically heard in dream sequences in films and TV shows
- The music also crescendos and there are key changes and guitar solos as it gets closer to the end. This may be as it builds up to reaching the girl and finally 'Breaking through'
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