Massive Attack- Unfinished Sympathy
Massive attack are an English trip hop group formed in 1988 in Bristol, consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall and formerly Andy "Mushroom" Vowles (Mush).
Upon release as a single, "Unfinished Sympathy" topped the Dutch Top 40 and became a top twenty hit on the singles charts of countries including Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The single was accompanied by a memorable music video, directed by Baillie Walsh, featuring a single continuous shot of Nelson walking through a Los Angeles neighbourhood, oblivious of her surroundings. Recognised as a pioneering song in the development of British dance music, "Unfinished Sympathy" was acclaimed by music critics for its distinctive production and Nelson's vocals. It ranked highly on several publications' year-end lists of the best singles of 1991, and has since featured in many polls of the best singles of all time of both music critics and the public worldwide.
The music video uses a single continuous shot filmed on a Steadicam and begins with a shot of a street gang before moving to follow Nelson walking along the pavement unaware or uncaring of her surroundings, which include drunks, bikers, and disabled people. As the video progresses, first Daddy G, then 3D (having finished making a call on a public phone booth) and then Mushroom (pushing a cart) can be seen walking several paces behind her, slightly out of focus. At the end of the video, Nelson walks past the camera and off down the road into the distance.The gang at the beginning with the dog – they were real and lived there, many others weren't actors, they didn't want to move away from the street.
In the music video, the overall message and theme is about poverty and how people grow up living in such conditions, what they do for fun and what they turn to if they can't get a job. Examples in the video include gangs, homeless people and beggars. The mise-en-scene is the most important factor in this music video as the camera uses one continuous shot and little to no editing. This important factor emphasises the idea of poverty and unemployment with people standing around looking bored implying that there is nowhere for them to go. Many other elements reinforce this: a child with a toy gun, graffiti, a biker gang, alcoholism etc.
Upon release as a single, "Unfinished Sympathy" topped the Dutch Top 40 and became a top twenty hit on the singles charts of countries including Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The single was accompanied by a memorable music video, directed by Baillie Walsh, featuring a single continuous shot of Nelson walking through a Los Angeles neighbourhood, oblivious of her surroundings. Recognised as a pioneering song in the development of British dance music, "Unfinished Sympathy" was acclaimed by music critics for its distinctive production and Nelson's vocals. It ranked highly on several publications' year-end lists of the best singles of 1991, and has since featured in many polls of the best singles of all time of both music critics and the public worldwide.
The music video uses a single continuous shot filmed on a Steadicam and begins with a shot of a street gang before moving to follow Nelson walking along the pavement unaware or uncaring of her surroundings, which include drunks, bikers, and disabled people. As the video progresses, first Daddy G, then 3D (having finished making a call on a public phone booth) and then Mushroom (pushing a cart) can be seen walking several paces behind her, slightly out of focus. At the end of the video, Nelson walks past the camera and off down the road into the distance.The gang at the beginning with the dog – they were real and lived there, many others weren't actors, they didn't want to move away from the street.
In the music video, the overall message and theme is about poverty and how people grow up living in such conditions, what they do for fun and what they turn to if they can't get a job. Examples in the video include gangs, homeless people and beggars. The mise-en-scene is the most important factor in this music video as the camera uses one continuous shot and little to no editing. This important factor emphasises the idea of poverty and unemployment with people standing around looking bored implying that there is nowhere for them to go. Many other elements reinforce this: a child with a toy gun, graffiti, a biker gang, alcoholism etc.
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