treatment for music video

1. MUSIC VIDEO TREATMENT
LINKIN PARK – FIGURE.09
SUBMITTED BY RONAN SMYTH

2. Lyrics
Nothing ever stops all these thoughts and the
pain attached to them
Sometimes I wonder why this is happenin'
It's like nothing I can do would distract me
when
I think of how I shot myself in the back again
'Cause from the infinite words I can say I
Put all pain you gave to me on display
But didn't realize instead of setting it free I
Took what I hated and made it a part of me
And now you've become a part of me
You'll always be right here
You've become a part of me
You'll always be my fear
I can't separate myself from what I've done
Giving up a part of me
I've let myself become you
Hearing your name the memories come back
again
I remember when it started happening
I see you n' every thought I had and then
The thoughts slowly found words attached to
them
And I knew as they escaped away
I was committing myself to em n' everyday
I regret saying those things 'cause now I see
that I
Took what I hated and made it a part of me
(And now you've become a part of me
You'll always be right here
You've become a part of me
You'll always be my fear
I can't separate myself from what I've done
Giving up a part of me
I've let myself become you
Give me my space back you gotta just (go)
Everything comes down the memories of (you)
I kept it in without letting you (know)
I let you go so get away from (me)
Give me my space back you gotta just (go)
Everything comes down the memories of (you)
I kept it in without letting you (know)
I let you go
And then you've become a part of me
You'll always be right here
You've become a part of me
You'll always be my fear
I can't separate myself from what I've done
Giving up a part of me
I've let myself become you
I've let myself become you
I've let myself become
Lost inside these thoughts of you
Giving up a part of me
I've let myself become you

3. TREATMENT
This video treatment is inspired directly from common themes in other Linkin Park music
videos as well as other metal-based artists music videos. There are themes of paranoia,
anxiety, mental health, adolescence, as well as themes such as spirits, demons, science fiction,
horror, supernatural beings etc. The video is planned to be very serious, gritty and edgy,
featuring a stereotypical teenage protagonist and his encounter with a supernatural figure.
There will be lots of cold colours, dark/grey scenery and scary visuals. Some of the ways I will
present the figure to be supernatural/demonic will be by showing close-up shots of the
demons head moving around and twisting in weird ways, which I will then speed up in post-
production to create fast-moving/unnatural movement (fitting of a horror movie type
creature).
Throughout the video there will be shots of the band performing in a secluded and harshly lit
garage. This location represents the underground and alternative genre of the band, and flips
the stereotype of bands playing on a huge stage/on a podium. The garage will look gritty,
fitting with the rest of the videos aesthetics as well as the narrative. The band will be wearing
dark coloured clothing fitting the metal/nu metal genre. These portions of the music video will
feature shots of individual members of the band and their instruments focusing mainly on the
lead singer and rapper. There will be low angle shots to represent the power and impact the
band and their music has, as well as mid-shots and wide/long-shots of the band playing
together.
As the video begins, there is a low angle dolly shot that moves forward into a bedroom, and
the camera slowly pans up showing the man in his bed. It is night time and so the room is very
dark, and a close-up shot of the clock on his bedside table tells the audience that it is the
middle of the night. These shots are played in the music video alongside the intro to the song
itself; a quiet guitar riff and a beat that slowly builds up to the rest of the band joining in, and
lasts about 13 seconds. As all the instruments kick in, there is an extreme close up shot of the
mans eyes suddenly opening, and a reverse POV shot of him looking at a demonic/sinister
looking figure in his room. The man is visibly scared but cannot move, and all the figure does
is stare at him. This plays on the common medical issue ‘sleep paralysis’, a nightmarish like
experience where people hallucinate beings in their bedrooms and are unable to move. This
leads us up to the first verse about 24 seconds into the song.

4. When the lyrics kick in to the first verse, the man jolts up into frame, however now it is day time, and
the demon is gone. The man assumes that his experience was just a nightmare, and so he gets up
from bed and a shot from outside his front door shows him leave the house. In the video the man is
portrayed as quite average, but paranoid. Once he leaves his house, he begins to go for a walk,
however after turning a few corners he suddenly appears disorientated towards the end of the first
verse as the lyrics “it never goes away, it never goes away” play. This then brings us to the chorus of
the song where once again, after the man goes back to normal, the figure appears in front of him and
blocks his path. The man freezes in terror, and the figure outstretches his arm as if he is trying to lure
the man closer. There are a few close up shots of the mans hands clenching and his eyes that
emphasise his paranoia, and as the chorus finishes he manages to snap out of his trance and run back
the way he came..
As the second verse plays (1:13), we see a close up shot of the man realising he is in danger and trying
to process what is going on. We see a shot reverse shot of him looking over to a woodland area,
which he decides to run into to try and escape. There are low angle shots of him spinning around
looking for danger purposely shot to look confusing and perplexing, as well as long shots of him
through trees, as if something is watching him. As the song lyrics repeat “it never goes away” at the
end of the verse, the man visibly starts to freak out and the figure appears again behind him in a pull
focus shot.
As the chorus begins, there is a reverse shot from over the figures shoulder walking towards the man,
who collapses onto his knees. The pacing here changes, and suddenly everything is much slower and
more dramatic. There is a low angle shot of the figure walking up behind the man as the chorus ends
and the song once again repeats “it never goes away”. This dramatic build up leads up to the
breakdown in the song, and as the singer screams “Get away from me!” the man suddenly opens his
eyes which are fully white, like a demon, and jolts up. The figure falls back, stunned, and for every last
word of each line which the singer screams, there is a close-up shot of the figures head which is sped
up demonically like before. For example, as the song sings “Give me my space back you gotta just
(go), everything comes down the memories of (you)”, the words in brackets are coincided with shots
of the figure freaking out. The other parts of the breakdown show shots of the man rising above the
figure, intimidating him, and overcoming his paranoia. At the end of the breakdown, the demon
vanishes, and the man falls back fatigued.
In the final chorus, the man looks confused yet amazed that he managed to overpower the figure that
was possessing/stalking him. He gets up, brushes off the dirt and walks away, still looking slightly
paranoid. There is a POV shot of him looking at his hands, contemplating how he did what he did. As
the outro to the song plays, there is a still shot of the man walking past, but as he passes the camera,
the figure appears behind him once again, this time in the distance. This ends the video on an enigma
code, leaving the audience questioning if the man really did beat his paranoia and the figure.

5. PRODUCTION DETAILS
Although there is a limited budget for the music video, there are techniques we can use to create the
desired atmosphere of the video. The video will often use a wide aperture to blur out the
background and create a claustrophobic feel that represents the paranoia and anxiety we are trying
to portray in the music video. This will also be effective for the pull focus shot revealing the figure
behind the man as it will be more unexpected if lots of other portions of the video are shot this way.
The mise en scene is particularly important within the music video, as the costume design for the
figure will definitely have an effect on how the audience views it. I was thinking of using a black
plague doctor mask, as these masks look particularly creepy and supernatural, as well as a black
hooded robe. The man will be dressed pretty stereotypically for a young adult/mature teenager. I
think a darkly coloured hoodie and black skinny jeans will work and still fit the dark colours in the
video.
The locations in the video will need to be quite secluded. The garage will be gritty and grey and
harshly lit, and the band will be dressed in dark colours as not to break the conventions of the genre.
I will need to use a fairly stereotypical teenage bedroom that my audience will be able to relate to.
One of my aims is to create a sense of relatability between the man in the video and my audience,
perhaps allowing the audience to recognise that mental issues are quite common. There will also be
a suburban alley location needed which will also be quite secluded and gritty. This will be where the
young man encounters the figure in the first verse, as well as an isolated woodland area for the
second verse and breakdown. These locations will allow the audience to relate to the man in the
video, but still add to the creepy and supernatural/sci fi aesthetic of the video. I would also like to
shoot a few shots of the demon at night on an open yet well lit plain, like an empty bridge or road. I
would like to use this shots as editing techniques in the video for very quick intermissions (a few
frames) between shots, perhaps when the singer says the lyrics “it never goes away” before the verse,
as I feel this would add to the creepy and paranormal aesthetic even further in post production. For
the casting, I will need a teenage boy (about 17-19 years old) to play the man, of a regular build and
average height. Ideally for the figure, I would like a tall (6f or taller) and slender male to play this role,
as I feel these features are typical of a figure who is both intimidating and creepy.
The lighting in the video will mostly be quite natural, especially for exterior shots. For shots in indoor
locations, like the garage, I think harsh lighting would work best, leaving a lot of negative space
around the band members so it almost looks as if there could be something lurking in the shadows. I
would also like some static/bad signal effects added in post production for specific transitions, such
as when the video cuts between the band and the narrative, perhaps using products like Paranormal
Activity or The Blaire Witch Project for inspiration.

6. REFERENCE – LIGHTING, COLOUR, TEXTURES
Harsh frontal lighting from above, green yet bleak colours, dark interior location. Edgy aesthetic. Good for performance shots of band
performing in Garage.

7. REFERENCE – LIGHTING, COLOUR, LOCATION
Dull. gloomy and natural lighting. Suburban alleyway, good location for first verse. No bold or charismatic colours, focus is on main
character.

8. Reference – mood, atmosphere
Reference – camera shot, focus,
location
Reference – protagonist, climax of
video
Reference – band, wide angle lense