Analysis of Logic's 1-800-273-8255

One of Logic’s newest songs, abbreviated as 1-800, tackles the uncommonly spoken about topics of homosexual acceptance in today’s society and the danger that suicide poses to communities around the world. The song itself is named after the US suicide helpline; which gives us a very clear indication of what the music video is going to be about. It features a mainly African American cast, which then allows it to incorporate other themes like race and prejudice. It is an extremely effective and moving music video and as a result is one that I feel needed to be analysed in the utmost detail.

One of the most key aspects of Mise-En-Scene that is prominent throughout this video is lighting. The lighting changes throughout the runtime, at points it is natural and high key (which reflect the main character’s happier emotional state), whilst at others it is seen as more low key with tinges of blue (this connoting the depressive tones of the video). One example of lighting that really caught my attention was of the latter variety, when the two homosexual characters are caught in bed together. It is low key and has a blue hue to it, strange due to the fact that in the video this scene could be seen as a moving point for the character. Instead it accentuates how, as a society, homosexual relationships are frowned upon, they are not something that should be glorified in these types of videos. This particular scene is perfect social commentary from the creator’s, it shows that the boy is ashamed of his homosexuality, reflected again by the way he quickly leaves the house. This contrasts perfectly with the marriage scene near the end, which is lit up in a golden tinge with high key lighting. This is showing societal acceptance of the main character’s homosexuality and that ‘things do get better’. This ties into Jaques Lyotard’s theory that our values and beliefs as a society will soon become more fluid and less stuck in their ways; as is shown here with the acceptance of homosexuality by both characters’ families and friends.

The settings used in this video aim to make the narrative shown far more relatable. They are based mostly around school, which is something that almost every single participant in their audience has experienced. This can also invoke emotion in an audience; schools are notorious for being the home to mass bullying and social prejudice, so it is almost familiar for us to see these things happening here. However, we also see a lack of acceptance in the setting of the main character (and later his ‘boyfriend’s’) home, which accentuates that the main character truly feels alone and unaccepted everywhere he goes, even the place that most would see as the safest. This is later shown by his attempted suicide in his home – showing that his fears are always out in the open and he has nowhere to hide from them. When we see later how his P.E teacher is helping him, we come to realise that the settings here are contrasted – the school is where he receives help and is also where he calls the suicide helpline and where he sleeps, whereas his home is where he attempts suicide and is unaccepted by his father. This acts as a commentary on family, it shows how as a parent you should accept your children for who they are and not isolate them so much that the house they live in is no longer a home to them.

Props and Costume do not heavily influence the narrative or the message behind the music video, instead acting as aids to progressing the story and informing the viewer of any suspicions they may have. For example, the gun connotes the idea of death and of giving up whilst the magazine found by the main character’s father shows how he is not accepting his son’s homosexuality. We see a wide variety of different costumes, from athletic wear (which shows where the main character’s passion lies), a denim jacket (reflecting the boy’s need to dress ‘normally’ in order to aid a façade of acceptance) and, towards the end of the video, we see him getting married in a white shirt. The colour white connotes the idea of innocence and surrender, both of which can be applied here in that the boy (now a man) no longer feels guilty and isolated by his sexuality and instead he has surrendered to it and accepted himself for who he truly is – which is the overarching message of this video, that you are yourself and that should not be taken away by you by family, friends, relationships, bullies or even your own insecurity. It shows how life will always get better and that suicide should never be a real option. It also accentuates that people can get help, which is why the song is named after the suicide helpline number. 

The first thing that I could infer from the way that camerawork was used in this video was that it was trying to convey both emotion and to hint towards the homosexual nature of the narrative. One example of this was the usage of close-ups of the white male’s lips, showing how the main character is sexualising the other person and is fascinated by their ‘sexual’ or ‘love-related’ features. This could tie into a reflection of the male-gaze theory; showing that it doesn’t always have to be women who are sexually accentuated in media texts.

In the scene where the main character’s father finds his son’s homosexual erotica magazine we see a high angle being used to show the father. This connotes the idea that the father is taken aback by the revelation of his child’s sexuality and that it has somewhat weakened him as a person. Thus, the shot makes us believe that the younger boy holds the power in the situation, but only because he is unaccepted unconsciously by his own father. It also shows that emotionally, the boy is far more affected by this as he was obviously hiding his sexuality from his parent – in an attempt to protect them from the pain of the revelation.

Close-ups are used throughout the video in order to convey the raw emotion that is shown, especially bearing in mind the nature and the themes of the narrative. We see close-ups of the main characters’ face, showing emotions like fear (when he has the gun), sadness (when he is bullied at school) and even extreme happiness and gratitude for the life he goes on to lead (when he is getting married). We also see hands reflected a lot throughout the video, for example when the two boys have their handshake their fingers touch one another (showing their budding relationship and affection for one another), or when the main character’s hand is hanging out of the car window (showing that is alone, abandoned and searching for something else in life to grab onto). Finally, just as with the close-ups of faces, we also see a close-up of the two men’s hands when they are getting married; showing us the rings and their loving relationship together. The idea of hands relates to the sense of touch; which is the most intimate of all the senses as it can be almost transferred between two people. The iconography of this throughout the video allows for the audience to pick deeper into the meaning of some scenes and apply their real life knowledge to it - people often see hands as a sign of love, in holding hands, or placing your hand on someone’s face.

Something that is shown very prominently throughout the duration of the music video is the usage of slow-motion edits. This allows for a scene to be shown in more detail, as we see it on screen for longer, but also reflects the importance of movement (which is one of the most key themes in this video, especially when it comes to editing). Most of the slow-motion examples come in the form of the main character running. It seems to be the only time he is ‘happy’, apart from at the end of the video when he gets married. The action of running could connote the idea of running away from his problems and his worries, but it could also be a psychological thing for the character himself, where he is able to just shut off the world. We also see him running during the night time when he is angry or afraid, which again reflects that he needs this action to act as a method of escapism for him. It could also be representing how he needs to move on with his life in order to ‘get to the best part’, instead of standing still and letting life overthrow him he needs to tackle it head on and move forward.

The music video incorporates colouration as a way of reflecting emotion. During the scenes that have more of a deeply emotional impact; for example, when he is found in his lover’s bed, the colour is more blue/grey. These colours are often coupled with feelings of depression or sadness. You could apply these connotations to the scenes, and even incorporate societal views into this. When the characters are found together, the father knows immediately about their sexuality. In our current society, being homosexual isn’t entirely accepted, so showing this scene with a darker hue reflects this view. At the same time, the audience feels sorry for the main character, so they are able to contrast the connotations of the colour and subvert the societal view – which is the message that the artist Logic is trying to put across. This usage of colour to change people’s ideologies is very clever. Another example of colour that we see is with the red lights whilst the main character is running down the road. Red connotes the idea of anger, violence and love. All three of these ideas can be incorporated here; the boy is angry that is not accepted in the world, he feels the only way out of this is through enacting violence upon himself (through suicide) and at the core of all his feelings is the idea of love (or at least HOW this character loves and is loved – which is what isolates him).

Another example of editing that we see is the overlaying of the performance into the world of the music video. This is seen through the artists performing on a mirror and then computer screens. This immediately applies Andrew Goodwin’s Theory of Music Video Analysis (especially accentuating the idea of looking), in that we are watching this performance inside of the world of the text; but at the same time this performance is surreal and almost hallucinogenic. This idea of looking allows the audience’s focus to be drawn to the performances, due to the way that we would look (in the real world) at mirrors and computer screens. It allows for that section of the song’s lyrics to be understood and payed attention to more than the rest as our focus is solely on the performance of these sections.

The final thing that we see is a sound bridge, which is used to transition between the prelude of the song into the start of it, and to then link the beginning of the song with the end (which incorporates a visual echo). This sound bridge is the father’s humming when the main character is a baby. When it is reflected at the end, this time with the main character being the father to his own child, it aims to show that there are always reflections of your younger self’s in the way you act when you are older. It shows that the things that the character had been through in his early life have shaped the way he is now – and will hopefully be passed on to his own children in a different way than his own father did. It shows that society changes, but our roots still remain (whilst the boy’s homosexuality is now accepted, his love for his own family have never truly dwindled).

As already mentioned, the music video incorporates Andrew Goodwin’s Theory Of Music |Video Analysis, especially when considering his proposition that music videos incorporate a fascination with the idea of looking. This is shown by how the performances of the artists are overlaid onto a mirror and computer screens (things we would often ‘look’ at in the real world). We also see a link between the music and the visuals that are shown, when the music gets more upbeat and lively the grading of the colour becomes more warm and bright; whereas during the slower more depressing parts of the song we see more brutally real and upsetting iconography.

We see Todorov’s Narrative Theory shown here, in that at the start the characters are found in an equilibrious state, especially the main character before his sexuality is revealed to his father and the other males father. This event acts as the disruption and the video after that all acts as the attempt at resolution (which seems to be failing when the main character attempts to commit suicide). The actual resolution is then reached when the boy contacts the suicide helpline, followed by the reinvented equilibrium shown by the boy’s future marriage and child. This, in context with the message of the video, shows that despite everything life will get better and that taking the ‘easy way out’ is not the best option.

Jaques Lyotard’s theory suggests that societies views are based on pre-defined meta-narratives that have been put in place by generations before us. This video reflects that almost perfectly, in that instead of the character’s formulating their own opinions about the homosexual nature of the main character they have instead chosen to stick by the meta-narrative to anti-acceptance towards homosexuality. This is what acts as the drawing point of the whole video, that out main character is isolated because of pre-defined ‘ways to do things’ in society. However, Jaques Lyotard also states that in a post-modern society these meta-narratives will be broken down into practical non-existence and as a result society as a whole will become more fluid instead of set in its ways. This is also reflected in the narrative of the music video, we see that (if the boy in his teenage years in seen as modern) the post-modern section (where the boy is a man) shows that he is being accepted for who he truly is; as he is getting married with his friends and family (who previously isolated him) surrounding him. This shows that the views of society have become more fluid and, over time, the acceptance of different people and their own beliefs, views, sexualities or races will be at its highest.

In conclusion, Logic’s 1800 not only made an extremely successful and empowering music video but, just like most of his music, it also tackled key issues in our society in a way that allowed for growth and reflection by the audience. It allowed us to see the error of our ways and the problems within the existing societal values (according to Jaques Lyotard’s theory), allowing us to grow and progress as a society and make our views, and the practice of these views, more fluid. The video shows that a lack of acceptance is a dangerous thing, but also that people facing oppression (whether it be because of their race, sexuality or just the world in general) also have other options other than suicide – which is currently a very big problem throughout the world. It shows that help is there for anyone and everyone and that if you grasp it then you have the best time in your life to come. This message is one that I think should be broadcast from the rooftops, and tackling it through a music video of this magnitude is a very good start.