The story in few words
The video begins in a remote planet somewhere in the Universe. There lies the corpse of a dead astronaut. A Serpent approaches the corpse, detaches his skull and delivers it to the mythical Villa of Ormen, where a death ritual is about to begin. Behind Villa of Ormen, three crucifixions are taking place as a heavy storm approaches the village.
Eyes- flirting
Lyrics/ Music:
In the center of it all, your eyes
Hearing
Physical inability (failure)
Physical effort kept quiet
Blurry images
Blindfolded
Seeing
Failing senses
or Transconsciousness
May Kokkidou
Adjunct Lecturer,
Department of Music Science and Art,
University Of Macedonia
Vaia Eleni Paschali
Drama Practitioner- Theatrologist,
Master of Semiotics and Communication, UOWM
Beyond senses: The existential agony of David Bowie in Blackstar videoclip
Models for video analysis
Andrew Goodwin (1992)
Nicholas Cook (1998): (a) conformance (b) complementation and (c) contest
Barthes (1977): (a) the information level, (b) the symbolic level and (c) the third (obvious)
Excruciating pain and anger kept silent
Vulnerability
Touch- Gestures
Imagination/ Creativity
Irony
Prayer/ Confession
Thank you for watching
May Kokkidou
[email protected]
Adjunct Lecturer,
Department of Music Science and Art,
University Of Macedonia
Vaia Eleni Paschali
[email protected]
Drama Practitioner- Theatrologist,
Master of Semiotics and Communication,
UOWM
Circular motif of the icon of Blackstar
Black screen
Conventional and slow editing
Atmospheric long musical bridges
The soft vocal timbres signify moments of meditation or peace
Slow tempo/ Plans change in accordance with music
Passing
Losing human identity/ Exploring infinity/ space
Moments of enlightment and peace
Beyond Senses
Dead senses/ static figures/ no activity
Beyond Senses
Fight
Defendless
Technical features of
Conceived by Bowie and directed by Johan Renck
Released only two days before his death (January 8, 2016)
Different levels of narration: reality/ hallucination/ infinity
Three are the main characters who narrate (sing the lyrics) and link the stories. They are impersonated by Bowie himself: Button- Eye, the Preacher- Trickster and the Missioner
The visuals are psychedelic and surrealistic
The lyrics address the theme of physical mortality in both spiritualist and ironic manner
Beyond Senses
or Passing
Absence of sound
(outer space, infinity)
Beyond Senses
Mysticality
Rituality
Beyond Senses
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