3. This shot here shows an image of a
soldier. We can see that the soldiers
surname is Cantrell from the patch.
Anyone who knows about the band will
know that this must be a relation to their
guitarist, Jerry Cantrell. This immediately
sets up what the music video is going to
be about. The soldier takes up the majority
of the shot, making him the main focus. In
the background we can see that it is dark
as there is a streetlight that is turned on.
We can see that the soldier is happy as he
is smiling, suggesting that this picture was
taken before he was sent to war.
5. This shot is shown very quickly in the video as it
flashes on screen. This shot shows an injured
soldier. We can see that the soldier is wounded and
not dead as his mouth is open and his hand is up.
His hand is the main focus of this shot as it is close
up to the camera and is covered in bright red blood.
The use of this bright red blood makes it easy for
the viewer to see that what is shown as a quick
flash on the screen is a dead/wounded soldier. We
know that this is a soldier due to the bullet belt. The
identity of the soldier is kept a secret as his thumb
is covering his eyes. Due to this, we don’t know
whether this is Cantrell, the soldier shown
previously, or someone else. High key lighting is
used in this shot, showing that it is daytime.
Everything in this shot is shown with a high angle
shot, making the soldier appear more vulnerable.
7. This shot is a shallow focus close up shot of lead
singer, Layne Staley. The use of the close up, along
with the shallow focus, draws the viewers attention
away from the background and to Layne. This shot
creates a star image as it is showing a member of
the band. The right side of Layne’s face is in low
key lighting whilst the left side of his face is in high
key lighting. This makes the right side of his face
practically invisible. This, along with the use of the
dark shades, makes Layne appear dark and
mysterious, adding a dark tone to the video. Also,
this shot of Layne is shown amongst what appears
to be flashbacks of the war. Since this shot is shown
for a few seconds, the viewer can see that the main
focus of the video is not the band, but the message
that they are trying to get across.
9. This shot shows a group of soldiers carrying
there guns using a medium close up. The
soldiers are pointing there guns outwards whilst
looking around them. This shows that the
soldiers are out fighting a war and are in
constant danger, never having the chance to
put their gun down and lose focus. Also, the
soldiers appear to be walking in a single line.
This shows that the soldiers know what they are
doing and are looking out for each other, the
soldier at the front of the group may be the
leader, and may be Cantrell. It is clear that the
soldiers are in a jungle environment, suggesting
that this video may be showing the Vietnam
war. To the left of this shot is a tree. This tree is
covered in blood, showing that someone has
either died or been wounded there before. This
highlights the danger that the troops are in.
11. This next shot has been faded to from a close up shot
of an old man which could be someone who took part
in the war. This shows that the video is been shot as a
flashback. The soldier in the shot has just had is leg
blown off, which can be seen clearly as at the very front
of the shot is the soldiers open wound. This soldiers
face shows a shocked expression, suggesting that this
shot is showing just after his leg has been blown off.
There is also blood on his hands, which could mean
that he has touched his wound or may have the blood
of his fellow soldiers who will have also been blown up.
The shot is in high key lighting, showing that people
were dying in broad daylight, showing that there was
never a time that they were safe. The explosion before
this shot happened just as the music was getting louder
and more aggressive, which makes the two link
together. At the left of the shot, we can’t see anything
as it is too bright. This could suggest that the soldier is
about to die, as it could be the “white light” that people
supposedly go to when they die.
13. This shot pans across a sharp piece of wood
being held by a soldier to reveal that it is
being pointed at a child. We can see that the
child has already been hurt as he has blood
trickling down his face. The child is trying to
pull himself back but he is unable to as he is
pinned against a tree. This shows that the
child is scared and helpless. This shot is
rather shocking as it is showing a US soldier
threating a child, probably to gain information
from him. This makes the soldiers appear to
be evil. Also, that fact that a child is in the
middle of the jungle where a war is taking
place shows that not even children were in
danger during the Vietnam War. Again, the
shot is shown in daylight (high-key lighting).
15. Prior to this shot, a US soldier had just been shot. This
shot here shows a fellow soldier crying over the top of
the wounded soldier. This shows that the two soldiers
were close. The fact that he is over the top of the
soldier suggests that he may be risking his life, trying
to keep him alive as he is vulnerable to gunfire whilst
the wounded soldier is protected. The fact that it is
raining adds a more dramatic feel to the shot. This
section is close the end of the song, leaving it on a
sad ending. This shot, along with other shots showing
the soldiers being hurt, is shown along with the words
“here they come to snuff the rooster”. By looking a bit
more into Cantrell’s life, you will know that Cantrell
(the soldier) was Jerry Cantrell’s father and in the
Vietnam war he went by the name “the rooster”. The
use of these words along with clips of people getting
hurt suggests that Cantrell has been hurt, but not
everyone viewing the video will know this, giving it a
hidden meaning.
17. Towards the end of the music video, there is a
series of shots showing Alice in Chains guitarist
Jerry Cantrell. This shot of him here is a medium
close up of him, showing only his face. Just like
with the shot of Layne Staley, the right half of his
face is in darkness, making it impossible to see.
However, from what we can see of Jerry, he
appears to be sad. This confirms that the music
video was about a member of Jerry’s family,
showing that the song has a close meaning to a
member of the band. It also gives a little more
information about the band, developing their star
image. Jerry’s surrounding is completely dark,
showing that he is stood in a dark room on his
own. This is something commonly done by people
who are upset and want to be away from everyone
else whilst they grieve.
