An analysis of the creation and depiction of characters within a music video.

1. Beyond the Sea
Narrative Analysis

2. Narrative Structure
The sequence is predominantly performance
based with a minor narrative through-line,
focusing on Spacey as Bobby Darin
attempting to impress Kate Bosworth’s
Sandra Dee. Edited linearly, the sequence
does have a narrative arc with Dee going
from being distant to Darin to being
impressed and charmed. Full resolution
however is not really possible due to it
being a section of a larger story.
The performance elements are most
prominent during the dance number by
the lake and the links to modern music
videos is apparent through aspects such as
Darin’s costume changes, the variation in
time and locations and the seemingly self-
contained reality in which it exists (hence
the musical number), effectively
separating itself form the main narrative
of the film.

3. Characters-Types
Removing the context of the wider film, the sequence it
able to effectively establish its characters with certain
iconography. Darin is immediately recognizable as the
point of identification for the audience, being that he
sings from his own perspective and the majority of
screen time is devoted to him. His yellow suit shows his
jovial showmanship quality, removing any insidious
element entirely and his slicked hair and the musicality
of his performance keenly links to the era and style the
sequence is immersed within. Spacey’s performance is
extremely likeable, constantly smiling and embracing
the musicality of the sequence, making him even more
open to an audience’s affections.
As the object of his affections, Sandra Dee has a similarly
period aesthetic with her blond, voluminous hair and
1950s costume.The blond hair has connotations of
naivety that, again, positions her as a positive
character and the use of close-ups to showcase Darin’s
attention to her solidifies this role.

4. The Role of the Artist
Evidently, the artist (Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin) is heavily
involved in the sequence since he is seen singing and
performing whilst acting within the microcosmic narrative that
is playing out.This criteria is somewhat more difficult to judge
since the sequence is contained within a film where the actors
are playing characters in themselves (based on real people.
Wrap your head around that)
Darin, as played by Spacey in a musical sequence in a movie, must
be heavily involved because this is not explicitly a music video
and is merely a component of the cinematic narrative. To do this
sequence without his presence would be to be completely out of
step with the structure of a film.

5. Deeper Meanings(?)
This may seem like an unnecessary question to level at this
sequence but there is something going on beneath the surface
since the musical number is used in the film as a device to
convey Darin and Dee’s relationship within a self-contained
sequence.
The whole sequence serves as a metaphor for years of their initial
courtship since they are clearly acquainted very well by the end
of the video, showing that the sequence simulates a much
longer swath of time.
This shows that this sequence is more than a simple indulgence as
it has a genuine storytelling purpose beyond simple
entertainment.