VIDEO/AUDIO PRODUCTION

CW1-REPORT

5EJ517

Eduard Bruzac
100338164

Content
Introduction
.p.3
Evaluation
.p.4
Conclusion
p.9
Reference
list
p.10
Introduction
The music video that this report is going to evaluate is Johnny Cash`s cover of
Nine Inch Nails Hurt. The original song composed by Nine Inch Nails is about
consequence and bitterness, it gives the listener a strong message that everyone
should live their lives wisely and take care of the choices they make because there
is nothing worse than being stuck with a pain, sickness or even a death that will
leave them with the wish of changing what have done in the past.(Songfacts.com,
2017) According to Hooton(2017), when Trent Reznor NIN`s singer was asked if
Johnny Cash could make a cover of his song he said that he was flattered at first
but also he was worried that the idea sounded a bit gimmicky however, his
opinion changed when he first saw the music video.
Johnny Cash worked with producer Rick Rubin on this song which would be part
of their fourth album released as The Man Comes Around. They were both a
strong creative combination with Rubin trying to persuade Cash to step outside of
his comfort zone it was his idea that Cash should record a version of Nine Inch Nails
song. (Spinditty, 2017)
The music video was made by the movie director Mark Romanek which is also
a friend of Rick Rubin who had previously produced videos for big artists such as
Madonna, Beck and Lenny Kravitz, R.E.M, Red Hot Chili Peppers. After Romanek
Heard Johnnys new album he rang Rick Rubin and begged him to give him a chance
to work with Cash saying I have to do a video, I have to do hurt (The work of
Director Mark Romanek 2005 [film])
 Evaluation
Most of the footage is filmed at the House of Cash museum in Nashville. The
museum was also Cash`s home for thirty years however at the moment of filming
the music video the house was in advanced state of dereliction which also inspired
Romanek to use Johnny`s home as a metaphor for Cash`s health deterioration.
(Spinditty, 2017) Also, the video was made with archive footage of Johnny`s career
and life along with the artist performing the song.
Throughout the music video, there are multiple shots with religion
connotations. In the opening of the video, there is a close-up shot of Jesus Christ
carrying something heavy which can symbolize the weight of responsibility he had
because of the popularity he had gained over the years.

The music video follows a structure where when lyrics are being sung, only
shots with the artist are shown while the instrumental parts are played the archive
footage is shown.
As the first verse of the song starts the video introduces an old Johnny
sitting in a chair playing guitar and looking at the sunset. The long shot used for this
scene allows the viewer to see that he is dressed in black which is also his
signature. The lights used for this scene are tungsten giving the scene the imagery
of a sunset which may be interpreted not only as the end of the day but also the
end of the artist career. From the long shot used, the video gets to a close-up shot
showing the emotion of Johnny`s face.
 The first archive footage presented in the video is the House of Cash
museum banner and the American flag waving at its back. The banner shows that
the museum is closed to the public which can mean that he`s not that popular
anymore and he doesn`t want anyone to disturb him in his last years he has while
the flag could mean that he lived the American Dream.

After the museum footage, the video jumps back to the artist with a long
shot of him. In this scene, the artists can be seen as he stands along with old
museum furniture and sings I focus on the pain, the only thing that`s real. It is
known that in his final months Johnny Cash was very ill and had experienced severe
pain in his body. The museum setting could represent his age but also the pain
experienced in his final years.
 The next shot shows the artist laying his hands on the piano lid with the same
sepia light effect. This can symbolize his final song, one last performance before he
ends it all.

The entire chorus has a powerful meaning both lyrically and visually. When he
sings What have I become, my sweetest friend the music video shows flashes of
archive footage of him and his daughter which could mean that he is referring to
her. After this scene, Johnny sings Everyone I know, goes away in the end, and the
music video gets a close-up shot of a frame on the wall which represents his mother
who died in 1991. This particular scene shows that the artist is missing her and it`s
not going to take long until he is going to see her again. And you can have it all, my
empire of dirt, at this moment the music video shows different frames of the
museum and the smashed famous record of his live performance at Folsom prison.
This means that Johnny considers that everything he builds in his career can be
considered an empire but for him, it`s just dirt.
 In the second chorus when he sings my sweetest friend a long shot of him
and his wife is shown. It can be seen that his wife is staying on stairs higher than
him. This could symbolize that over the years she looked after him along with his
mother at every stage of his career.

Throughout the chorus more flashes of archive footage of the family, it's
shown, him and his wife in their younger age, there is also shots of their son as a
family showing how happy they were back then. The next shots show him alone at
the table without the family, pouring red wine over the meal he has on the table.
This scene could have biblical meaning, the red wine could be Christ's blood and the
meal on the table to represent his last supper. As the song goes along images from
an old movie showing Jesus crucifixion but also happy moments from his life are
shown. As the song reaches to the fastest tempo it suddenly jumps back to Johnny
and his old piano. He is closing the lid which could only mean that this is the end,
the final note he played.
 Also for the last scene of the music video as the artist closes the piano lid, it
can be seen that he gently touches the closed piano lid. The piano could also be
interpreted as his sweetest friend.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, the report evaluated the music video of Johnny Cash-Hurt. A

brief research was made on the song on who wrote it, who played it, produced it but
also who directed the music video. The evaluation was made by describing scene by
scene what shots were used, what lighting techniques were used but also what
integration of audio and video was made.
Reference list

Hooton, C. (2017). The story behind Johnny Cashs Hurt, still the saddest music
video of all time. [online] The Independent. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-story-behind-
johnny-cash-s-hurt-still-the-saddest-music-video-of-all-time-a6683371.html?
utm_medium=hootsuite [Accessed 27 Feb. 2017].
Songfacts.com. (2017). Hurt by Nine Inch Nails Songfacts. [online] Available at:
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2727 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2017].
Spinditty. (2017). Johnny Cash: Hurt, The Story Behind The Video. [online]
Available at: https://spinditty.com/genres/Johnny-Cash-Hurt-The-Story-Behind-The-
Video [Accessed 27 Feb. 2017].
The work of director Mark Romanek. (2005). [DVD] USA: Mark Romanek.