The music video begins with an establishing shot of a young girl
playing with her doll and her dollhouse; this sets the scene and is typically
used at the beginning of videos or new scenes. The camera then moves into a
close up shot of the dollhouse while demonstrating a panning movement, which
guides the eye towards the top left of the dollhouse foreseeing the next camera
cut where the young girl puts her doll down in the dollhouse. The young girls
pink pyjamas and slippers highlights her youth and innocents which is
emphasised as the girl has pigtails in her hair, this is a typical
representation of innocents demonstrated by various artists such as Arianna
Grande and Taylor Swift. Her innocents is further emphasised when she runs away
as if she has been called by her parents which implies that she is a well
behaved child living a happy life. This contrasts with the setting of the
scene; the dollhouse seems to be in a dark attic used for storage creating a
creepy atmosphere, which also links to the unsettling lyrics. The camera then
demonstrates another panning movement again shifting the focus towards the top
left of the dollhouse, before cutting to a fast moving establishing shot
focusing in on the dollhouse. This creates high tension causing the audience to
expect something interesting or unexpected to happen. This is also emphasised
by the flashing blue light on the dollhouse, which again creates an eerie
atmosphere and sets the mood for rest of the video. Moving on to the next scene,
a wipe transition is used which replaces the previous scene with the next, and
we see a media close up shot of the artist; Melanie Martinez that slowly pans
into the artists face as she begins to sing. As we first see Martinez she has
slow jointed movements similar to those of a doll, as the camera pans towards
her face we also see that she has heavy makeup on. We can see that she has
freckles painted on her face, which represents her doll like nature; freckles
are also stereotypically seen as cute and innocent which also relates to her
pink hair and bow. The colour pink connotes love and nurturing, which makes her
seem quite innocent and sweet. This is further emphasised by the pink flowery
wallpaper, furniture and clothes. The innocent childish nature of the her
clothes and the setting contrasts to the black hair and dark heavy makeup, the
fact that her hair is half black and half pink could represent the two sides of
her family life, the perfect family everyone sees and the imperfect life they
live that no one else sees. This is also emphasised further in the video
through the lyrics of the song; ‘everyone thinks that were perfect, please
don’t let them look through the curtains’. Furthermore the low lighting on the
right side of her face contrasts with the high lighting on the left side of her
face, which again could represent obvious contrast between the two sides of a
family. As the camera continues to slowly pan into her face the audiences’ eyes
are drawn into hers. Typically dolls eyes are very big which represents
sweetness and innocents however, the camera is at a straight angel looking
directly at Martinez but she is looking down the camera, giving the impression
that the camera is at a slightly higher angle giving Martinez an air of power
and dominance. As the scene changes there is a soft cut transition and we see
Martinez sitting on a child’s bed with severed doll heads behind her, this
links to the sinister disjointed movements of Martinez, creating a horror movie
thriller theme. This is further emphasised when Martinez twists her head to the
left and jolts forwards towards the camera, which again creates reference to
the horror or thriller genre. Once again there is a soft cut and we see the
mother doll lying on the sofa with a bottle of wine in her hand, implying that
she is drunk. This can be seen as a typical representation of a broken family,
an alcoholic mother and an unfaithful father and this is further emphasised
through the lyrics ‘hey mum please wake up, dads with a slut’. A wipe transitions
is then used as the video moves onto a new setting. Furthermore a soft cut and
close up is used with parallel sound emphasising the lyrics ‘your son is
smoking cannabis.’ The fact that the son is also smoking cannabis relates to
the typical teenage rebellion, stereotypically in movies teenagers rebel
against their parents in an attempt to gain some attention. Drug usage is also
a typical representation of todays youth and the music industry, which could
emphasis the message of the music video and lyrics, that the industry is not
all what it seems. As the video continues the lyrics are parallel with what is
happening visually, we see the artist, dressed in a blue dolls dress, blue
usually connotes calm, and a relaxing setting, this contrasts with the actions
of the artist as she is miming cutting and eating a live rabbit. The artist is
also wearing doll arms as a necklace, this again contrast to the calm, safe
connotation of blue, this is further emphasised through the use of make-up on
her elbows as it gives the impression of doll joints creating an eerie and
inhumanly look. This also relates to her facial expression; her wide eyes
looking directly at the camera again creates an eerie feel and draws the viewer
in as it makes it seem like she is looking at you. A hard cut is then used and
we see the son of the family banging on his wall. His actions are very over the
top, emphasising his frustration with his broken family. It could also be
emphasising the frustration of the music industry. A wipe transition is then
used as we see the artist sitting at a dressing table in her bedroom, the fact
that we see the wall separating the brother and sister reminds us that they are
dolls in a dollhouse, it could also again be highlighting how artificial and
synthetic the music industry can be. The pink and white flowery wallpaper and
bow could connate innocents. However, this contrasts with the doll heads, and a
soft cut is used with parallel sound to emphasis the abnormality of the doll
heads. Furthermore the doll heads do not have eyes, this could symbolise the
fact that people look at her family, or the music industry blindly, and make
assumptions without seeing it for themselves. The lyrics ‘put on you doll
faces’ could again emphasises how artificial the industry can be, furthermore
it could suggests that people hid behind a mask to hid their true feelings
regarding their family life which is highlighted through the lyrics, ‘everyone
thinks that were perfect’ as it implies that they have to act superficially or
‘perfectly’ in order to succeed in the industry. The artist is dressed in a
blue dress with, doll arms as a necklace and a bunny in her hand, this could be
seen as very sinister and is further emphasised through her wide eyes and blank
facial expression. A white fade out is then used as we see Martinez singing
into the camera with her ‘family members’. They are moving around in fast
motion in the background, getting ready for a family photo, highlighting how
manic her family life is. A soft cut is then used and we see Martinez in her
bedroom, asynchronous sound is also used as the lyrics ‘please don’t let them
look through their curtains’ matches her hand movements which are suggestive of
curtains opening. As the camera zooms another soft cut is used and we see her
sitting on her bed. The costume she is wearing matches the setting, as it is
all pink, this could connote girly, innocents, which contrasts with the eerie
lyrics and theme. Once again a soft cut is used and we see her pined up on a
wall. As the camera zooms out it becomes apparent that she is inside a dolls
box, her blank facial expression again creates an eerie atmosphere as she
stares down the camera. A hard cut is then use as the sound and image both cut
abruptly and we see the doll family sitting still on the sofa. Once
again the lyrics and the images on the screen matches as asynchronous sound is
used. This takes the viewer on a journey with the characters in the music video
and creates the feeling of a story being told. As the camera zooms in, an
extreme close up is shown of the mother dolls face. The make-up used along with
her blank facial expression gives the impression of a real doll crying, the
fact that she is also not moving plays into the doll effect and again creates a
frightening mood. However, her crying gives the viewer an opportunity to form
an emotional connection with the character and the lyrics. As a hard cut is
used we see Martinez directly addressing the camera and the viewers. The low
angle creates the impression of vulnerability, which also links to the lyrics,
‘oh oh, she coming to the attic, plastic, go back to being plastic’, this could
give the impression that Martinez feels that she has to be fake in order to fit
in to the stereotypes of the music industry. When linking this to the theme of
the music video it could also suggest that her and her doll family have to act
like the perfect family when others are looking in, which is similar to how she
may have to act while being in the public eye. The fast editing used with asynchronous
sound builds up tension within the video and creates excitement, which draws
the viewers into the story of the video. As the young girl approaches the
dollhouse she walks directly towards the camera however, the frame is in a
blurred focus. The dramatic pull focus used throughout the fast editing builds
up suspense within the video. A low angle is then shown as Martinez makes a
direct approach toward the camera, the low angle gives the impression of
helplessness, however her facial expression and slow movements creates an
unsettling atmosphere. Several straight cuts are then shown as the dolls get
back to their ‘places’. The camera then continuously cuts between several shots
of the family members and the young girl, which again builds up tension. As the
young girl gets closer to the dollhouse, we see a focus change, from a blurred
focus to a shallow focus and a low angle is used to show her dominance over the
dolls. The continuous cuts between the young girl and Martinez shows a clear
distinction of power; Martinez is shown from a low angle giving the impression
that she has less power. However, her sinister facial expression makes it clear
to the viewer that something strange is going to happen, this is emphasised
through the lighting change. As we see a close up of the young girl it is clear
that she is smiling, yet as we see Martinez making small, creepy, doll like
movements the camera cuts back to the young girl and her facial expression
slowly changes. She has a look of fright and confusion on her face, this is
further emphasised when Martinez slowly turns her body to the right causing the
young girl to jolt back in fright. The shot then fades to black, this
symbolises the end of a scene, as the image slowly fades in a close up of
Martinez’s face is established. As she opens her eyes, she turns and looks at
the young girl who is now a doll, her costume change from pink pyjamas and
pigtails to a sophisticated black dress and down do hairstyle, makes it clear
that she is no longer an innocent little girl. As Martinez walks around the
girl she sings ‘hey girl, open your walls, play with your dolls, we’ll be a
perfect family’, the three remaining dolls then look directly at the camera and
a shallow focus is used as Martinez whispers in the young girls ear. The young
girl makes direct eye contact with the camera with a fearful facial expression.
A hard cut is then used as the family stands up and slowly walks toward the
young girl. They seem to be forcing her into a situation where she is no longer
in control, the positioning of her arms and facial expression highlights her
fear. As a hard cut is used we see a close up of the young girl with low
lighting, the low lighting highlights the eeriness of the situation and makes
the viewer’s feel fear for the young girl.
The camera makes several fast cuts showing the young frightened girl and
the expressionless dolls, this build the tension within the video and for the
viewers. As the young girl hides her face in an attempt to escape her fear, a
close up is shown of the dolls still moving toward the young girl, this along
with their blank facial expressions again highlight the disturbing atmosphere.
The fast cuts and unsettling mood are very similar of the conventions of a
horror movie or thriller; this helps to make the theme of the video more
believable and enticing. A soft cut is then used as we see the young girl back
in the attic in her pyjamas. She moves her hand away from her face and realises
that she is no longer in the dollhouse, we then see the doll family moving back
into a lined position. As the camera cuts back to the young girl she seems very
frightened and confused which is emphasised through her facial expressions and
body movements. Another soft cut is used as we see Martinez sitting at her dressing
table smiling into the mirror, an immediate fast cut is shown and we see the
young girl running away while an establishing shot starts to take place of the
attic and the dollhouse. This makes it clear that the video is coming to an
end. A soft cut is then used and we see the doll family standing in a line,
while the camera zooms into Martinez singing and making doll like movements, again
creating an unsettling ambiance. A hard cut is then used as we see a close up
of Martinez’s face, while the camera slowly zooms out, another hard cut is the
used as we see Martinez back in the doll box, the camera slowly zooms out and
the door of the dollhouse closes very abruptly creating a feeling of
finalisation which is emphasised as the screen fades to black symbolising the
end if the video.
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