As you may know, I am a Video Editor – and one of the things (probably the main thing) that inspired me to work in television post production was actually music videos.

Music videos are one of my favourite things in the world and I spent hours and I MEAN literally hours when I was growing up watching them Even now in the modern world, I can find myself getting lost on YouTube watching music videos for hours on end – they are an addiction.

This month we are looking at a band that I actually only really started to like BECAUSE of their music videos. I couldn’t really stand their music when they first came out but then I started to watch their videos and it was much after Under The Cork Tree came out but much before the next album, I became a fan but this happened because of the videos (and still am as this site is dedicated to one of my favourite set of lyrics by them) – Fall Out Boy.

Fall Out Boy – A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”

Why did you choose this particular video?

Whilst last week was the first real video that got me to pay attention to this band, this is another one that opened up my eyes to how fantastic the guys music videos are. I have watched this video so many times and adore it, there is so much cinematography, camera shots and edits that are so well done that it is incredibly hard to get bored of this video. I think it is also one of my favourite FOB songs. It was also one of the first videos I saw like this with a in depth film style narrative which goes on for a solid 6 minutes.

So, what is the narrative?

Pete is infected with a vampire disease, the band try and cure him then there is a huge vampire style battle at the end.

Favourite parts of the video?

The opening pan up from the car – the colour grading on that shot is absolutely magnificent – I love how green and dirty everything seems. The light in the sky contrasts with the colour of the car and I adore how it heightens the browns in this show like the floor, the rood and I suppose the lights of LA (I am guessing its LA). To me this feels like a metaphor that there is a lot of darkness that is about to happen and it feels also like the narrative is jumping out of a comic book – especially with the font as well. Whilst this is clearly in a location that is a sort of ‘make out point’ the shakiness of the camera as it moves to reveal the title of the video is a connotation that not everything is what it seems and things are about to get a bit ‘shaky’ and mess things up.

There is a lot of use of the colour red in this video – Pete Wentz scarf, Patrick Stumps jumper, parts of the table, I adore when red is used a lot in a production you know that it is there to signify blood, passion maybe love but the fact that this video is about vampire it is probably about blood and the mess that is going to happen.

I love Love LOVE that loads of the band members from other groups that are on Pete Wentz record label all turn up to have a huge fight at the end – the fight is hilarious and also if you look below the one in the centre is Brendan Urie from Panc! At The Disco. This song was released around their first or second album so he is sharing the spotlight with the others including Ryan but it is great seeing Easter Eggs like this.

Another video where the music is secondary in areas – I adore this about Fall Out Boy it is so simple yet super effective. In the middle of the fight when Pete takes on Panic it becomes all about the sound of the footprints and the silence of the music makes it super effective and really heightens the comedy.