'Up in the Air" by 30 Seconds to Mars Video Analysis

Hello world,

Today, I want to discuss the artistic and aesthetically pleasant video 'Up in the Air" by 30 Seconds to Mars, because I am clearly obsess with this song and video.

It has been a while since I have seen such a video done with such an artistic concept behind. Lets be honest, 80% of current music videos are crap and it is nice to see one that it can view several times and won't bore me to death.

So, I haven't done any research whatsoever about the director of such a video but I have to say, Kudos for you, Bartholomew Cubbins and thank you for placing a lot of effort into this video.

I am going to attempt to interpret to the best of my knowledge what it is happening in these series of beautiful sequences.

If you didn't understand anything about the video, the greatest clue as to start decipher this art piece it's at the end of the credits:

This is the end of the video, believe it or not

Basically, it is the name of a king in Greek Mythology who was punished to push a rock up a hill for an eternity and this one is cursed to roll back down for Sisyphus to push it up again.Thus, Sisyphus repeats this action to no end, story to teach that this is what he got because of his arrogance by feeling witter than Zeus. It is used also used a reference as to explain addiction...and obsession.

Irrational dreams that you are addicted to... A drug per se ;)

In summary, addiction meaning to repeat the same action over and over again, expecting a change in vain. NOW, you get the song, right?

'Stuck in a moment of emotion' = Trying to move on and staying stuck in one place.

If you want to know more about Sisyphus and are to lazy to google it, here is the link for wikipedia: Sisyphus

There is also a Russian folk tale that is similar to this story, if you have seen the "Storyteller" you will know what I am talking about...

The Story of "The Soldier and Death"

It is the first episode of "The Storyteller"

Anyway, going back to the video, I shall start on with the symbols:


1) Circles. They are everywhere in this video and it is not only circles but the spinning of them. If we follow the story of Sisyphus, the rock is "round" and a circle itself that just keeps going and going forever and ever. My bet is that all of this circles represent life as an ongoing process that we keep repeating with not much change. The circle of life, you say? yeap... that is my guess too. It goes with the lyrics of the song "A thousand times tempted fate. A thousand times I've play this game. A thousand times I've say today..."

3 skulls in a triangle formation...Keep this one in mind

Spinning around in a circle...literally

 This concept also applies to the repetition of movements/scenes and the rewinding scenes.

2) Animals. They flash in the video from time to time, zebra, lion, bird, wolf and even a snake.

Bet you didn't see this one the first time you watched the video

I think the people at the end having that fight of color at the end, are each one representing an animal seen in the video and it is actually a fight of survival at the end. The girl or guy on the bicycle really looks like the bird that flashes on the video for a few seconds.

On top of the picture, the one with the hat made out of feather. Too similar, don't you think?

I guess the girl with a stripe bra is a zebra, and the guy with the long puffy hair is a lion...lol

Plus, I bet you saw the bunny man and confused him with the bunny from the movie Donnie Darko (Even thou they don't look alike). Or is it just me?

Bunny Man and his army!!

Donnie Darko's bunny man (Tumblr)

3) 3...Yeap, the number 3

Remember the coin with the 3 skulls? HA!

 Triangle, trinity and basically the symbol of the new album. It entitles "Love, Lust, Faith" and these three components like 3 lines end up composing a fourth element a "triangle"... "Dreams"

4)Colors. I am going back to the color fight, the whole scene is like a survival fight in the Darwin view but it made me think that it also has to do with personality and individuality. To be more specific, how people are shaped and 'colored' by environment, people, and themselves, all of us are not painted in one color but we are painted by everything... and how people fight for their dreams. Or maybe I am thinking about this one, waaaay too much.

The drummers with the different masks, they are one color and are pretty much following the band's drummer, Shannon Leto. I shall leave you to interpret this one *whistles*

 This takes me to Themes

1) Fight. There are two different types of visual fights, the already mentioned fight with the powder colors and the fencing one.

Both to which are done to emphasize the fighting for 'dreams' and are caused by "Love, Lust, and Faith" which are repeated at the beginning of the video and just before the fight with the color powder but translated on Spanish (amor), Russian (страсть ), Chinese (信条) and French (rêves).

2)Running. Jared Leto shows up running twice and to be quite honest, I am not sure of the reason. I am going to take a guess is the running away from everything when faced down with life itself and obstacles. If you have a better idea, let me know because I am intrigued.

3)Fire. Burn baby burn, disco inferno~

Light my fire *wink*

Just like a phoenix? Burn everything to the ground to start all over but nothing anew for there are always ashes.

Now I shall move to the different Characters and Scenes

1)The girl who thinks and pretends to be older... yes, the one who eats ice cream and frozen lollipops and who has this nice scene with balloons that zooms out greatly. I think all these females are an attempt to emphasize 'Love, LUST, faith" and "dreams" Plus, the theme of 'Arrogance' from Sisyphus's story.

Acting tough like a grown up and who eats seductively with a spark of innocence

She is just a girl in a million and yet, somewhat unique.

 2)Woman on the rodeo bull machine. She must have something to do with the video besides being the sex appeal, right?? Well, someone has to tell me because I still don't have a damn clue besides her appearance screaming LUST all over the place. Besides the already mentioned themes... this video might have the 7 deadly sins hidden somewhere... This woman has to be lust and the chubby one has to be gluttony. Pride.. the girl with the arrogant tattoo? lol ... Not sure if I can pull this out of my ass, really...wrath, be the adolescent?? XD

Lust, I got it!

Sisyphus's arrogance?

3) The bee man and butterfly girl. This one is hard to figure out because it can fall into different categories, maybe in the differences in gender and social views? Like men are working bees and woman are beautiful like butterflies. Or how fragile and insignificant an individual is in comparison to the whole humanity, like one bee in a colony or a butterfly in a million.

 Lastly,

4)The gymnastic, she is literally up in the air, chasing a dream... duh!

However, she is the ONE that wraps everything together (My guess why she is the icon of the video)

'Up in the Air. Chasing a dream so real'

The audience pretty much can assume she is a gymnastic who is passionate about what she does (her dream/drug/love) She 'fights' and jumps through obstacles to be victorious and be above all. She repeats her routine (Endless cycle) in what could be in vain or not.

 "A thousand times tempted fate. A thousand times I've play this game. A thousand times I've say today..." 

FITS PERFECTLY and I bet she has done sacrifices to be where she is and... you can guess the rest.


Other frames that I found during the flash of sequences that don't last but a few seconds AND are peculiar to me are these:

The only plantae in the entire video

A closed door

Men in military attire with guns

Your turn to tell me what these 3 mean.

Thank you for reading, this took me hrs to make. Hope it helped illuminate your artistic side and aid you to figure out the complexity of this wonderful work of art.

Ciao~

UPDATE: Someone told me that Sisyphus is likely to be referring to the production house company since it also appears at the end of "Beautiful Lie" video. However, on this video it appears as "Sisyphus Product" so it is up to you to interpret it in any way you like, I think it still fits somehow on "Up in the Air." ;D

Thank you, to the lovely person who let me know about this. Keep the comments coming~

Goodbye 2012 and Welcome 2013

Last post of the year and I am not sure what to say,

I've been trying to finish anime and my story but haven't done so...Shame on me.

Life just keeps going at it and doesn't let me finish anything *sweat drop*

Well, I did finish Btooom! and here are some screencaps:

Ending of what seems a first season. D'awww~ I hope there isn't a bomb going stray for their asses.

Oda is my favorite because...

This guy... is indeed HOT!!!!

From this Season of anime, I have to say Btoom! got the second slot, first one goes to Psycho Pass. Plot is very interesting and of course the male protagonist is hot as hell. I love the Opening song "Abnormalize'

 
The other song that is also included in this single is pretty cool "Make up Syndrome" is as great as "Abnormalize" The ending theme is also nice but I am bias towards more rock type than pop.

I don't want to put more videos but I have to because there is a lot of music out there that I have been gathering. To my surprise, I was watching another shojo anime, Sukitte ii na yo, and the opening was made by Ritsuko Okazaki, the same artist who did the "Fruit Basket" Op. My heart felt really warm by that :3

Other than this, yesterday a friend of mine show me this Russian music video:

and... I feel in love with the singer, Alexander Rybak!!! Ohh come on, wet, crazy, hot and plays the violin!!! How can anyone say no to this sick and catchy beat song. It also has an English version:

I would so be the crazy girl following him!!! Stalking is caring ;)

I don't have anything else to say at the moment. May all of you have a happy new year.

I'm a Miss Take~ Music Post (Buck Tick, Super Junior & Kinky)

Hello World

I have been pretty depressed these past couple of days, I have been feeling mentally and somewhat physiologically sick. I have been neglecting many things and one of them is this blog, which I should just keep it alive because it is a source of artistic therapy to me. It has gotten to the point that I even dyed my hair black like an emo kid. Anyhow, since I don't talk to anyone and been focusing on my solitude; the only thing that has been always keeping company is music...Therefore, I believe it deserves to be here once in a while.

Time to criticize awesome music and whatnot...

First of all, the new BUCK TICK single came out some days ago, it is called 'Miss Take~ 僕はミス・テイク～'

Here is the full PV

 

 I have to say that I love every piece of it, as always I have to say I'm bias towards Buck Tick since it is my favorite band. Particularly, this PV is once again very well delivered with graphics and band performance as previous ones; I have to say that the model and the slow motion and reverse portions of the video make it very pleasing to the eye. However, talking about the song, I really enjoy this single before the previous to this one, Elise no tame ni, because of many reasons. Main one is that I did not time have to enjoy it (I barely noticed the released days before Miss Take came out) and the other main reason it is because of the mysterious and captivating lyrics to Miss Take. 

The translation I have gotten so far is from  'Not Greatest Site' and my favorite part is:

‎"Transcending even Eternity
Stop Time, the wind is blowing
Through this world with nothing at all
Shout my name, shout my name

Sad songs, you sing them all the time
You sing them very well
It's beyond a question or a doubt
There's no way to escape
From you...

My deepest love, reality"

Overall, the lyrics of this song can be interpreted in many ways (I love Buck Tick for this). As far as I can interpret the meaning, to me it is that there is a contradiction between "reality" and "love". Love being so unreal but a "heartbreak" is the opposite. So is it really a "mistake" or a "miss take", meaning that if it was an error to fall in love or is that love is an identity that takes everything away from a person in exchange for happiness? 

These are mere speculations coming from me, a person who analyzed this song for about 20 minutes while been depress and enjoys pain in a none masochist manner.... yeah...

Second in line, I have...SUPER JUNIOR, which new album 'Sexy, Free & Single" came out almost 2 weeks ago.

Here is the PV for 'Sexy, Free & Single" 

All I have to say about this PV is that it is hilarious!!! It cheered me up to no end.

 I mean...it has bishies everywhere and I can never complain about that, but...oh my...Siwon doing the whole "diva" pose thing at the beginning (around sec 22) it got me thinking "Guy is so...FABULOUS" 

Then the guy, whose name I can never remember but looks super gay to me...got a really punk manly look but then he does the leg thingy (0:48) (O.o)?.... lol???

Everyone swimming at 2:05 X'D

The random "too hot" shouting and Yesung having to say "Party time" in a very dramatic pitch voice= LOLs all over

I am already getting used to the weird effects so the weird looking glass thing explosion was nothing in comparison to the most hilarious part of this video which is....the weird 3D pictures of all members that jump in slow motion...(3:19)

Genius!!!! whoever thought of this was and it is a genius!!! i couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the video the first time I saw it, and everytime I see it...I have to at least giggle.

Really...DA HELL??!! I love it how they start with the guys with hyperactive poses and they end up with the 3 guys who just did a random simple pose. 

Not only these funny parts made me love this pv/song, but MAN!!! those guys are sooo HOT and smexy~

 This PV was made to make Doughae and Eunhyuk look the hell handsome (Plus, shirtless Siwon and Leekun *drools* they know what we want lol). The song and beat are contagious and makes you want to sing and DANCE!!! I like ^^d

This post is getting longer and longer...BUT, I have to talk about the rest of the songs in the album because I have my favorites already.

First one, and the one I can't stop listening because it is "Bittersweet" and I can highly relate to it at the moment.

When I heard and read the lyrics the first time, I have to confess I cried like a little girl... and my chest hurts a little everytime I listen to it. I also believe it quite reminds me of a song in Spanish from the group "UFF" but can't quite put a finger on which song...

Second favorite song "Butterfly"

 This song is full of awesomeness, dubstep+ french + lyrics about metamorphosis = WIN

Honorable mentions:

"I'm a Rockstar" because Engrish is great X'D

"Now" since it is full of hope and it is very Katy Perry-ish but, I don't care since it has a nice beat.  

Lastly, I shall talk about this song that captivated me during "True Blood"

It is a "OhmygoshSteampunk,urgasmicVIOLINS,andsingerwithaDEEPvoice" song.

Ohh and I can't forget another favorite band of mine, 'Kinky', which new single has also been added to my playlist, ENJOY~

Sorry for the long post, but I had to do it ;)

Until later my lovelies~

I'm Somehow Alive...

Hello world~

Finals passed, my traveling tour finished and I am super tired...

Things about my life...

Been traveling to the point of debt for God knows how long... and life still sucks. I don't want to depress anyone so I'll just shut up and say that I shall go back to blog randomly.

It is summer which means... WEATHER LIKE HELL!! So yeah...I'm not going to be able to sleep and I shall become irritable which at the end it means love spread all over my posts. Tehee~

Things to highlight...

Saw the Solar eclipse yesterday while driving without any protection and probably shouldn't have done that, DON"T DO IT KIDS!!! MY EYES!!!! didn't become blind but I for sure saw the road brighter at a 70mph speed...

Anyhow, things to expect: Movies, ANIME, music and RANDOMNESS!!!










....If I don't feel lazy.

That's it for now, just shouting to the world I'm alive...

and now, some music that has been out for some weeks ago but /were/ and are STILL excited about:

Video so coool!!!

Eargasmic song, which I blast to high volume in my car bc I bought the CD

If you haven't hear this song...there is no hope for you.

Finally, the only song that I like from a Mexican Rock Band while I was in Mexico City.