Serj Tankian – Saving Us music video analysis

• Series of establishing shots in black and white, including sign to signify the man is homeless
• We are instantly made to feel sorry for the character as the music kicks in, with him being kicked by the police officer for simply sleeping, as if he is doing something wrong
• We then find out that the police officer is a gambler, in the same fashion we find out the main character is homeless. This is meant to anger us, that the police is higher authority despite his gambling addiction.
• The signs show things that people are willing to pay for rather than helping out the homeless character.
• All the characters we see who show signs to the main character give him a very disapproving look, yet all have different things that they would pay for rather than creating a better life for him. However, these signs can also be interpreted as things that people rely on, and in the end the only thing he can rely on is faith and hope to help him.
• We see the difference in the real world and the signs world by the change in colour grades.
• By using realistic misé en scene we get a real feel of reality for this character; especially as in this age we see this type of person very often. This helps to enforce the reality of the video.
• The shot at 2:26 shows his travel across the city, yet also shows that he is not just alone in his situation – many people face his same troubles everyday.
• The video features mainly POV shots, to emphasize its realistic sense, and to put the viewer in the shoes of both the main character and those who look down on him.
• The lasting shot at 2:49 juxtaposes the poor homeless man against the rich skyscrapers in (presumably) New York. The American flag then fades in, which connotes the American Dream, which is yet another juxtaposition against the male. The next fade is to a shot of industry, then to the Cross. It is showing a link between all of these, then juxtaposes them against the homeless man.
• The fast paced montage is a convention of the music genre. The fast pace kicks in with the fast paced music.