Kaledo Art
Cosmic Funnies
Peter Solarz
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
DEAR READER
$LAYYYTER
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TVSTRANGERTHINGS
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tannertan36
Mike Driver
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
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@jackcraiga2media
INTRODUCTORY POST
Welcome to my A2 Media Studies blog! At the bottom of each page, you should see clickable numbers that will allow you to navigate backwards and forwards through the different pages of my blog, in chronological order; the oldest posts are on the highest-numbered page, with the newest posts on page one.
Name: John (Jack) Craig
Candidate Number: 7238
Centre Name: Newport Free Grammar School
Centre Number: 16527
Evaluation: Part 4 of 4
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The overall visual style of my products all work together to connote a congruous artist image; a somewhat quirky, flamboyant and playful romantic, with distinct undertones of suave coolness. This is presented primarily through his costume; the well-pressed business suit carries an air of smartness and sensibility, but the bow-tie stops him from appearing too visually bland or “safe” - and the sunglasses hide his eyes, giving him a sense of anonymity and mystery. He looks relatively ordinary, almost nerdy, in fact - and this gives his character and overall appearance a feeling of realism and relatability. His clothing is formal and modest, yet not uninteresting or overly serious.
The deliberate “filtered” look of the video and the album artwork reinforces the effects of the traditional visual cleanliness associated with pop music, despite the real-world environment in which the video takes place; if anything, the over-bright compound blur effect makes the setting somewhat cold and emotionless - which draws parallels with the song’s romantic lyrics, and frames the artist as a stand-out feature of “warmth” in the dull, empty environment. It’s supposed to have something of a “wintery” aesthetic, giving implications of the main character returning to the familiar warmth of the arms of his girlfriend - and making the artist himself appear like a “safe” person to be around in such a harsh environment.
At the beginning of the video, we are shown that the main character is a student (in a montage of close-ups on him during the song’s riff, he is seen leaving a school). This instantly creates appeal with teenage audiences, as it makes the video a story of teen romance, which adds further to its relatability; it creates a voyeuristic appeal (as the audience is granted the ability to look into the character’s love life) and serves as something of an aspirational piece for those of a similar age looking for romance - and combined with its realism, this cements the video’s appeal for youthful pop audiences. In addition to that, the character’s distinctly ‘80s-themed clothing and dancing (chosen due to the song itself being from that era) should evoke feelings of nostalgia and familiarity for any adults who grew up in the ‘80s, (as many current parents did) reminding them of their own experiences in their teenage years - and thus broadening the appeal of the video to include the adult demographic. It’s the blend of the ‘80s themes and modern filming techniques that gives the video a cross-audience appeal.
The album artwork represents tropes more traditionally associated with dance music, including bright, colourful, club-like bloom lighting, with the artist in the center of the shot, directly facing the camera. The bright logo and clear brand identity reinforce the “coolness” and distinctiveness of his image, and the bokeh filter on the lights on the inlay sheet and back cover give the impression of the camera looking at spotlights, or stage lighting in a club. This amplifies the artist’s “star” power, and associates him further with the traditional dance music audiences, compounding with the video’s audience appeal and giving the artist multi-genre appeal.
Evaluation: Part 3 of 4
Use the left and right arrows in the bottom-left corner of the presentation window to navigate through the slideshow.
Evaluation: Part 2 of 4
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
This is an audio post; click the play button to listen to my response to the question.
Evaluation: Part 1 of 4
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Throughout my video, there is a central focus on travelling; walking shots with the artist singing directly to the viewer form the backbone of the piece, with heavy emphasis put upon his movements and dancing (mainly through assorted hand-cam close-ups and medium-shots). This starts the narrative with a similar tone to Pet Shop Boys’ West End Girls, even going so far as to lift some shots and camera filters directly from it (the similarities lying in both videos’ uses of the compression of time through fade effects, and many of the camera positions during walking shots).
Due to the emotive nature of the music (it being a love song), this constant closeness to the artist gives the audience the impression that he is in some way “close” to them personally. In addition to that, the dancing and relative freedom of movement that the artist has implies a feeling of liberation; “freedom” is a key concept in many pieces of dance music and their videos, and in my video, the main character is presented as being dominant and free. The camera literally revolves around him in some scenes, and he’s almost always the primary focus of the shot. This fits the themes presented in more dance-centric videos such as Weekender Girl and Everytime We Touch, and the dance moves themselves were designed specifically to resemble classic ‘80s dance-pop video Never Gonna Give You Up; the artist’s demeanour, smart-casual dress and somewhat lazy dancing was based heavily on Rick Astley, combining the aforementioned theme of freedom with a sense of realism (the “boy next door” effect) not present in videos like Weekender Girl.
Developing on the “boy next door” theme, I decided to set the introduction for the video at the gates of a school as opposed to my initial idea of having it start with him coming home from a workplace; this links into the idea that dance and pop music is generally linked with youthfulness - and having the star portrayed as a schoolboy in love, I created a sense of relatability to the younger members of the audience. The main character has just got out of school, and is meeting his girlfriend in the local park - and this scenario is familiar to a vast number of students and ex-students.
I expanded upon the conventions present in many of the videos that I was influenced by, however; by mixing more modern dance video inspiration with a distinctly ‘80s visual style, I have challenged the notion of technological modernity present in many of the newer videos, as well as infusing a “retro” feel with distinctly non-retro filming techniques and props. In the opening of my music video, the main character checks his mobile phone for messages - the mobile phone being a modern piece of digital equipment. This was done so as to create a sense of ambiguity surrounding the time period in which the video itself is set - and this, in turn, attaches an implication of timelessness to the song’s central message of love. It says, effectively, that the emotions in what the artist is singing transcend time (Believe by Cher featuring a similar idea). As much as anything else, it’s supposed to evoke feelings of nostalgia in older audiences, reminding them of the music videos and general emotions of their own childhoods - and this links back into the the point I made earlier about the scenario of the video seeming relatable. It’s a kind of synthetic personalisation that adds a sense of voyeurism to the video - and ultimately, said video is designed to make the viewer feel good.
Common dance video conventions such as lip-sync, tracking and ever-pervasive dancing are all present and correct - though traditional means of filming have been subverted in favour of a more modern hand-cam style. This was done to provide the video with a sense of realism, and to increase its immersiveness - but it also contrasts with the excessive bloom lighting that I put on the video during post-production. I wanted the video to have something of an other-worldly, dream-like aesthetic, (as with Cher’s Believe) while making the audience feel as though they’re really there with the artist; that was the reasoning behind the close-ups, the artist’s direct interaction with the camera - but it was mixed with a compound blur effect and a few additive dissolve transitions in order to make it appear ethereal. This links back to my intention for the piece to appear to transcend time, and distances itself both from ultra-realistic dance videos such as Calvin Harris’ Bounce and totally unreal videos like Weekender Girl by mixing tropes from both of them.
In short, the stylistic clash of modern vs. retro and unrealistic vs. realistic is what makes my video unique, but the tropes that make up the different sides of this clash are inspired by existing media.
Final Product: Music Video
This is the full, final version of the music video for Ken Laszlo - Tonight. Featured in it is the shorter edit of the song that I mentioned in this post. Please watch in 720p HD for optimal quality. As with the album artwork, a more in-depth description will be available in the Evaluation.
Calvin Harris: Bounce - Music Video Analysis
Link to music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZwmeUfuXg
From the very beginning of the video, the word “bounce” is used as a metaphor for moving on or leaving something behind; the diegetic speech in the opening sequence has a girl, presumably the main character’s girlfriend, telling him to leave her using the word “bounce”. This sets the theme of the video immediately; as he walks away (bouncing a tennis ball) the man is shown in a montage of close-up shots to have something of a smug expression on his face, though while he seems energetic, he doesn’t look genuinely happy. In a later montage of close-ups in what is assumed to be his bedroom, the character takes off his shirt and jacket - to represent him washing his hands of his girlfriend - and resolves himself, later leaving the house fully clothed to meet his friends. The implication here is that, while he is deserted by his girlfriend, his friends remain loyal to him - and in the following scenes, he is shown to be having fun with them, recovering from being dumped (which fits with the aforementioned “bounce” metaphor, and the theme of moving on).
The video shows him becoming progressively happier and more wild; the whole thing is a compressed-time sequence representing him getting over his breakup, and in various scenes, he is seen flirting with several girls - another series of close-ups revealing him presumably having sex with a girl at a friend’s party at 3:00. Beyond this linear progression, there isn’t actually all that much in the way of meaning and symbolism in the video - though once again, the classic dance music themes of freedom and a lack of inhibitions come into play. It climaxes in a quickly-cut series of shots that depict him drinking alcohol, followed by another montage of mixed slow-motion and standard-speed shots of him dancing at a party - having found another girl and seemingly not caring about the previous events of the day. Once again, this shows his character development; he has successfully moved on from his previous girlfriend, proving to himself that he doesn’t need her by romancing several other girls and having a good time without her. This ties together all of the video’s themes, as well as giving a retroactive sense of irony to the opening scene; his girlfriend tells him to “bounce” - and he does so.
Final Product (Ancillary Texts): Album Cover Art (Front, Inlay and Back) and Magazine Advert
The final version of the CD album artwork and magazine advert for Ken Laszlo - Tonight. The top image is the front cover, and the lower image is the back cover. A more in-depth explanation will be available in the Evaluation.
Steps: Buzz - Album Cover Analysis
This album cover is brightly-coloured, featuring excessive bloom lighting and an almost blur-like effect coming from the lights on the walls. Because of this, the album has an exceptionally “clean” look to it; the band appears pristine and bright, with the environment framing them in pure, white light. This gives the impression that the band themselves are “clean” and “pure”, which itself connotes with innocence; we’re supposed to believe that the band members are clean-cut role-models, and their perfect appearance makes them desirable and aspirational in this aspect. They look happy, healthy, youthful and untarnished, which reflects the sterile and inoffensive nature of their music, painting it as friendly for all ages.
The setting appears to be some sort of metallic corridor, and in a way looks like the corridor of a spaceship; its shiny, bright nature gives it futuristic connotations, implying a degree of technological advancement in the music. This is added to by the band members' individual costumes; aside from Lee (far right), their clothing once again fits the “shiny” aesthetic of the environment, the bloom lighting giving it an almost metallic, other-wordly look. It's also atypical clothing for the time period in which the album was released (2001), and thus could be construed as an attempt to make a fashion statement, or to show some kind of theoretical evolution of fashion (as a sort of “this is what you could look like in the future”) - which once again contributes to making the band appear both aspirational and technologically advanced.
In terms of their positioning and overall presentation, the band gives an impression of stage presence, with their “front-and-center”, relaxed look giving them something of a powerful image; the fact that the light centres on them gives them the sole focus of the shot and the full attention of the audience, yet they appear totally laid-back – and this makes them look dominant. Again, this links back to the point about them appearing visually perfect and untarnished – and in turn contributes towards making the band seem “superior” to the average person; it's this superiority that gives them their “star power”, and makes them aspirational. These are traits common across many commercial dance-pop groups.
Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls - Music Video Analysis
Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs
Immediately noticeable is the dystopian nature of the video’s setting; the fast cutting rate in the montage at the start of the music video creates a tense, foreboding atmosphere, with the interspersed shots of people adding a degree of confusion and uncertainty to the sequence. This is followed by a series of medium shots and close-ups of the band and its lead singer as they walk down a foggy, battered-up and generally run-down and largely empty street, with this shot establishing a gritty, moody tone that forms the foundations of the video’s key themes. The following shots of the lead singer have an extremely low cutting rate, with a transparency effect put on the other member of the band; this serves to create a lull in the action, and juxtaposes with the lyrics of the song (“kicking in chairs and knocking down tables”) - which once again reinforces the image of a sinister dystopia, as not everything is as immediately meets the eye.
The increased cutting rate and blur effects during the second verse amp up the tension once again, as the blurred POV slow-motion shot makes it difficult to focus on individual people’s faces, generating a sense of paranoia and claustrophobia - and the fact that the singer is often obstructed by pedestrians in the following sequence (“if, when, why, what”) further emphasises this. Slow blending transitions between scenes signify the passing of time; the scenes slowly bleed into each other, cutting between walking shots in different settings and close-ups of the singer as he sings. The overall effect of this is a distinct feeling of apathy; the band is made anonymous by the fast-moving, uncaring crowd, spending what looks like a lot of time wandering, travelling aimlessly around a disappointing dystopia - as the singer performs expressionless.
Later on in the video, the focus of the camera moves onto other, faster forms of transportation, with the desaturated bird’s-eye shots of the London skyline eventually giving way to sped-up shots of cars and taxis - with the POV walking shot slowed down to make the faces of the individual people more visible. This shows variation in the crowd of formerly anonymous people, and signifies the different, separated lives of those who are “fast” and those who are “slow” - in a kind of metaphor for the fast-growing businesses and poverty-stricken underbelly of inner-city society. In the close-up shot that starts at ~3:17, the image has a super-slow-motion, transparent overlay placed on it which, by the way it pans past signs and buildings, looks as though it’s a slowed-down view from a car window. This adds an extra layer of depth to the “speed” analogies; the fact that the video ends with a slow-motion panning shot of the city (complete once again with blurred, faceless people) effectively equalises the “slow” walkers and “fast” drivers - and this carries with it a feeling that the city itself is inescapable, no matter your “speed” or social status. The apparent apathy of the singer makes its meaning clear; there’s no point in caring about how fast you go, as everyone is part of the same system, trapped in the same city, and fundamentally faceless and anonymous. The “West-End town” is even described as a “dead-end world” in the chorus, further highlighting the setting’s dystopian nature.
Risk Assessment
There are many risks present when filming in an outdoor environment. Not all variables in the surroundings can be controlled, and hazards like cars and slippery surfaces must be avoided. For example, while filming my “star”, he will be walking towards the camera - and I will be walking backwards while holding it. If I’m not careful, this could lead to me walking off the edge of a pavement, or into a lamppost - so, I’ll prepare locations on straight pathways on which I have plenty of room to walk, and my actor will stop acting and tell me if I’m in danger of being run over.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to take into account the stability of the surfaces on which my actor will be performing; as there will potentially be scenes in areas that could become wet and/or muddy, and the actor is supposed to be dancing energetically at some points in the video. One option is not to film too much dancing in those areas, though I’d like to maintain an efficient filming schedule, so it might become necessary to film dance-based filler shots in a variety of locations - but I could also ensure that the shoes that my actor wears will grip the ground well enough (that they don’t have slippery soles). That will need to be integrated into the costume.
Another point to consider is the weather; the camera will suffer damage if it becomes wet, the weather may not entirely fit the tone of the piece if it rains excessively, and the actors probably won’t enjoy being made to perform in the rain. For these reasons, I will ensure that the day on which I film will be one that is predicted to be dry. Being winter, however, the outdoor temperature will still be low, so we may need extra jackets to wear between shots to avoid becoming too cold.
kz(livetune): Weekender Girl - Music Video Analysis
Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06d8SwcSm_Q
NOTE: For this analysis, I have chosen a video for a Japanese song. This was done for two reasons; firstly, to better examine how different cultures handle tropes in music videos, and secondly, to eliminate the risk of my analysis being coloured by the meaning behind the lyrics. I don’t speak Japanese; I can’t understand what the singer is saying, so my analysis and interpretation will rely solely on the visual elements in the video itself.
The video begins with a full-body mid-shot of the singer (Hatsune Miku) wearing a yellow dress, superimposed onto a rainbow-like background. Her outfit contains primarily cute elements, with its joyful, summery theme complimenting the happy tone of the music. There’s also a hint of sexuality, with her inner thigh left exposed on both legs - however, this is more playful than it is overtly sexual. This is all further exemplified by the quick-cut close-up shots of different parts of her body as she dances; the dance itself is very jolly and energetic, and the camera focuses on the parts of her body that are most active.
As the vocals begin, the background changes to a green and yellow flower pattern; this symbolises nature, connotating with concepts of natural beauty and natural talent - which is deliberately ironic, considering that Miku’s appearance and voice are computer-generated. Her dancing is also very “human”; her motion is smooth and flowing, as opposed to being stiff, precise and robotic. She is also seen in a close-up shot making a heart-shape at 0:20. The symbolism of all of these elements serves to humanize the audience’s interpretation of Miku; we’re supposed to think of her as a “real” performer with a “real” personality, as opposed to seeing her as something “fake” or “digital”.
The bright, open, natural environment seen in the slow-motion long-shots (such as at 2:30) as well as the change in Miku’s dancing in these scenes connote a sense of freedom; it implies that the character isn’t bound by the limits of a computer, as she effectively jumps out of the top of the screen. A rainbow colour-scheme also takes over the flowery background pattern as the cutting rate increases nearer to the end of the video. There’s a clear sense of energy, excitement and carefree happiness - but it’s all punctuated by the clear message that, despite her having been created digitally, Miku is as human as any other pop star.
Audience Research
Within the last couple of weeks, I sent out an email-based feedback sheet to a selection of random recipients (some from my own personal contacts, and some from public message boards). The sheet contained a link to the song that I’ll be using in the video, as well as the existing concepts that I have planned out for the video itself (initial concept, costume, shot list etc.). This is what a few of them said (please note that these comments are the most representative of the general consensus, and this blog post will run to obscene lengths if I include them all):
“Great idea Jack. Sounds like it will be fun! :)”
“Wow, takes me back to the 80’s! The video sounds like it could be one for Rick Astley or something. Very classic, reminds me of the music videos when I was younger, back in the days of MTV.”
“Nice idea, though the intro could be a little bit long for my tastes. Can you take some out of the song or use a shorter version? A whole minute for the intro seems like it would be a little bit boring. Other than that good idea. Looking forward to it.”
“I like it personally. The time-of-day thing is pretty clever, and it’s very nice and romantic - just like 80s!!! But it’s not modern. You could make the costume a little bit more up-to-date, at the moment it just looks like school clothes.”
“What impressed me most was your self-analysis: it really makes a lot of sense when you explain it, well done! I think that the pacing is good, but the long instrumental sections could be a bit boring. Not much you can do about that though, unless you edit some of the original song.”
What I can glean from this can be summed up by the following key points:
Ideas are generally good. This is equal parts relieving and reassuring.
Intro is too long, and needs to be condensed. This can be achieved through stripping out unnecessary shots, and cutting the length of the song somewhat (via editing, or somesuch other method).
Costume needs altering. I might just let my star decide what he feels is most suitable dress for the tone of the song and the video; this will increase the genuinity of his performance, as well as provide a fresh set of eyes to evaluate the concept of the video itself.
And with that, I suppose that there's nothing left to do but get on with it!
Music Video Shot List - With Timestamps
0:00-0:10 - A long shot of a bus stop in an urban area with a man waiting at it. Various jump cuts show the passing of time.
0:10-0:20 - A bus arrives, and the man steps onto it. The camera shows a mid-shot of the man getting on the bus, and follows him to his seat.
0:20-0:30 - The bus begins to move, and we are shown a close-up shot of the man looking boredly out of the window. The shot switches to a first-person view, jump cuts again showing the passage of time, and the change in location as the sun begins to set.
0:30-0:50 - The bus slows down and arrives at the character’s destination, and he leaves it, putting a jacket on as he walks down a now-dark suburban street. The camera rotates around him as he walks, headphones on, down the road - occasionally switching to long shots taken from across the street. Progressively, the different parts of his clothing are given rapid close-ups as he walks.
0:50-1:00 - The man’s walking falls in time with the music, and on the word “tonight”, the scene cuts briefly to a clip of him dancing.
1:00-1:20 - As the man begins to sing, the shots become more focused around a montage of different shot angles from around his face; while still not completely dancing, he is walking in time with the music, occasionally addressing the audience directly as the camera switches to a close-up of his face. From 1:10 onwards, low-angle full-body shots are interspersed into the close-ups.
1:20-1:35 - The pre-chorus begins, and the shots of him walking are complemented by shots of him standing still and moving his arms in time with the music while singing directly into the camera - almost as though he’s performing to an audience.
1:35-2:05 - During the chorus, the man’s movements and dances will become more focused, and take higher priority over the walking sequences. On all of the “oh”s, there will be a mid shot of him singing, and on the hand-claps, there will occasionally be close-ups of his hands clapping. The sequence will be composed mainly of medium shots, with the artist’s singing being clearly visible in most of them. Camera movement (panning) will be necessary on the chorus repeat to keep the scene varied and interesting.
2:05-2:35 - The riff will be entirely composed of shots of the character dancing; mid-shots of spins, close-ups of foot-shuffles and hand-claps, and some brief full-body shots for variation (this is a long sequence). On the second half of the riff, the dance moves will be combined with the walking as we lead into the next verse.
2:35-3:40 - The second verse, pre-chorus and chorus will be largely the same as the first, but simply with more exciting and extroverted dancing, more frequent cutting rates and a few more extreme camera angles (and on the chorus repeat, maybe some slow-motion effects on some of the dancing).
3:40-End - During the fade out, the main character sees something out of the corner of his eye, and immediately stops dancing. The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of a smiling girl, and the pair immediately run to eachother and embrace. The camera fades to a long shot, with the pair slightly off to the side of the shot - and a few seconds later, fades to an even further shot, eventually fading out as the song does.
Plan: Costume
Being an '80s-style piece of electronic dance music, I thought it best to use a fittingly "retro" outfit style, while still retaining a few key themes that give hints as to the context of the narrative; despite the bright colours, it's actually quite a "smart"-looking outfit - and this implies that the lead character is coming home from work, from some kind of office job. The colours give the character a kind of lighthearted playfulness; he doesn't quite fit in a office job, and is glad for work to be over at the end of the day. This is congruent with the progressively brightening mood and tone of the video; as the character comes closer to home, he becomes obviously happier, and his dancing and movements exude more joy.
The vintage jacket gives the outfit the "retro" look that I mentioned earlier, while not interfering with the distinctly modern production values of the video. In effect, it's a tasteful allusion to older videos to similar songs such as Never Gonna Give You Up, and follows the business-like fashions of the era. The hairstyle is also a reflection of this; it's brushed backwards, but not a full mullet.
This all contributes towards a sort of "boy next door" look, but with a slightly more edgy and off-the-wall aesthetic than the typical teen heartthrob - however, it preserves the appeal associated with seeing a "real" person as opposed to an obviously fake, Photoshopped supermodel. In addition, it was important to choose an outfit and overall appearance that would make it look like the star of the video is actually the artist of the song; their visual style and demeanour needs to fit - and I believe that this outfit captures that effect well.
Plan: Setting
The video will begin in a built-up, grey, urban area. The contrast will be deliberately flat, with the overall scene looking somewhat dulled and subdued; any lighting will be natural, but made colder and desaturated in the editing process. During the bus ride, the colours will brighten as the scene progresses, and the time of day draws closer to sunset. This is done both to compensate for the progressively dimming lighting conditions and to create a stark contrast with the character’s improving mood and more excited demeanour later on in the video; as mentioned in my initial plan, his dancing grows more overt and happy towards the end of the video, and the more impactful colours should highlight this.
I also mentioned earlier that the character will get off the bus in a more suburban, country-like village setting; it won’t be entirely rural (so as to prevent the feeling of solitude associated with being “in the middle of nowhere”), but will still appear distinctly more natural than the city area. Again, this is largely done to create a contrast with the comparatively dull blandness of the visually industrial cityscape, but also creates connotations with the concept of “natural beauty” when we see the character’s girlfriend. The colour boosts and added artificial lighting (as we need to see the main character clearly despite it being dusk) will compound with the low-key ambient lighting of the sunset to create harsher contrasts, with lit objects able to stand out more from the relatively unlit backgrounds than if we were filming in daylight.
In addition, it makes much more sense for the music video for a song called "Tonight" to be set near to or during nighttime.
A-ha: Take on Me - Music Video Analysis
Link to music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914
What’s particularly interesting about the music video for Take On Me is that it largely takes place inside a fictional comic book universe; the hand-drawn, monochrome visual style is reminiscent of cartoons and graphic novels from the “golden era” of comics, and the storyline is - at heart - typical of generic comic book plots. The boy-girl romance, act of heroism (Morten Harket’s character - the lead male - saves the girl from the men with the wrenches) and dramatic plot-twist (Harket escapes from the comic book and becomes real) are all associated with the narratives of voyeuristic romantic tales in girls’ monthly comic anthologies. Relevant here is the inherent unreality of simplistically-drawn comic strips; the disparity between the fictional, hand-drawn world and the real world allows the comic characters to appear visually “perfect” - and this perfection brings both aspirational and voyeuristic appeal to the video (and the 180-degree rotating shot at 1:35 emphasises this).
This is, perhaps, the most important theme of the video; the pursuit of artificial perfection. While in the comic book world, the girl is chasing a perfect-looking, heroic man - but she has to leave him behind when she returns to the real world. After a struggle, he manages to free himself from the comic book - but at this point, inter-textuality becomes relevant; A-ha’s next music video, The Sun Always Shines on TV, begins with the comic book man disappearing back into the comic world, as he’s unable to sustain his real-world form. This presents the implication that true perfection cannot exist in reality, and that pursuing it can only lead to disappointment; despite her best efforts, the girl ends up being unfairly thwarted by circumstance. There are points here about the incongruity of “expectation” and “reality”, as well as the implication that young people tend to let over-idealised imaginings set their expectations unrealistically high.
