Research - Castle Of Glass

 Case Study 3

Castle Of Glass - Linkin Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScNNfyq3d_w&list=PLeDakahyfrO-4kuBioL5ZAoy4j6aCnzWy&index=21

'Castle Of Glass' is a narrative music video following the story of a young boy being delivered news of his father being killed in the war. Linkin Park have created this story as a tribute to lives lost in war, with a combination of performance and narrative footage where they are exploring the idea of hopelessness eventually ending in the idea that there is hope within the complexity of life. Through following the young boys' life upon discovering the death of his father, it is clear to see that not only are Linkin Park attempting to present that war is a tough battle, but that our internal battle's coincide with the same level of pain as war.

The video has been shot in front of a green screen, relying on CGI and effects to create the dark palette and meaning of the song. Particularly through the performance sequences, the effects of the storm and shattered glass reflects the ideas of war and the way it can shatter a person's entire life in an instant. Linkin Park are trying to not only create an awareness of the impact that was is having on especially families, but are portraying life through the eyes of an innocent young boy to make sympathising and understanding the messages they are putting across that much more sincere and allowing a wider audience to experience it.

In the opening sequence, there is an edited slow motion clip of the boy walking towards the door and opening it with a close up shot focused on his hand on the door-knob. The use of a grey colour saturation reflects the hopelessness that the boy is feeling, and the use of slow-motion shows that for him, time has now slowed down so much because his whole life has just come falling down. Once the boy has gone to his bedroom, there is a motif of the colour blue, in both his walls and the water and marbles as he pushes the vase onto the floor. Not only is the boy surrounded by the symbolism of sadness, but the colour blue represents his desolation and sadness. The close up of the shattered glass, and the water flowing away from him is like his despair, like he himself is like this glass, shattered to the point of no repair. 

Following this, there are sequences of performance from Linkin Park, with the use of shaky camerawork to reflect the feelings of instability and raw emotion. These sections are edited with a dark, blueish saturation, like previously to show that the feelings that the boy have are not only his, but shared by millions of people who experience the same loss.

At 3:35, the boy enters the kitchen to pick up his father's cap, where the lighting has changed drastically to a golden yellow brightness implying that the boy is going to be able to get better, and now realises that he wants to be able to do as his Father was able to do and try to fight for peace with the editing to the future where we see him in action, fighting. As he places the hat on his head, there is a close up shot of his face, highlighting the determined expression that is now on his face as an adult. 

The ending of the song is a cyclical technique, with the boy having grown up and now delivering the same news that he was once given as a child to a young girl. This further shows how things aren't changing in terms of world peace with constant wars happening. The name of the song 'Castle Of Glass' could be considered a portrayal of society, and that something beautiful can be broken so easily. The people who are shattering the 'Castle of Glass' are the people who decide to create war and havoc in the world, rather than living in peace.

Website Analysis

Linkin Park's official website has been created to promote their album Meteora's 20th anniversary, and the new limited edition box set available. Their band name logo is the centrepiece on the website, with a simplistic grey background to put the focus on the band and their material rather than any images and giving viewers a logo to recognise. Not only this, but when you scroll down to the bottom of the website, you are able to enter a virtual world that you can explore, with many interactive features like a game. This follows conventions of a rock band since they tend to use alternative advertising styles and the inclusion of a game reaches a wider audience who enjoy both listening to music and exploration games. They use a sans serif font over the whole of their website, making it bold and readable. Meteora's album features a figure kneeling down with a gas mask on, which has been turned into a graphic design on the website when you scroll down, linking the website to the promoted album clearly, but giving it a modern and new twist, appealing to newer and younger audiences. The website focuses rather than creating any elaborate images, on their band recognition and their simplistic but graphic style has been repeated to establish their image as a band. They have primarily targeted an audience of men, with the neutral colours and the interpretation of gaming. Linkin Park have included promotion of their albus through images and offers, showing different ways of streaming such as links online, vinyls and CDs, encouraging audience interaction.