In nearly all of Chase&Status’s music videos, there is a theme of betrayal, sex, love, drugs and socialised representation, and Let You Go is no exception. The plot is linear, showing you a peak into in the life of the protagonist Patrick Chase (played by Glenn Carter), a talk show host who has parody like similarities to Jeremy Kyle. After finishing his show he spends his evening taking drugs, drinking, screwing prostitutes and causing destructive behaviour (crashes his car), then returning at the end of the video back in the dressing room of his show’s set, ready to start all over again. Like their hits such as Time, Pieces and Blind Faith, Chase&Status like to show what the public don’t see in certain people’s day to day lives, and they do it through the juxtaposition created by the flow of the music.
One thing about this video that makes stand out is camera work. When it starts there’s a great feel of realism with the shots used, they look like a chat show and represent it further with the heard dialogue over the top. To emphasise what’s happening in the video effects such as slow motion, close ups and dynamic camera movements, they express the energy in certain scenes and distinguish the subject matters at hand. One scene in particular that uses interesting camera work is near the end, after the protagonist has picked up the prostitute. He is shown drinking, smoking and taking drugs through a certain type of shot known as a Steadicam, the actor wears a special harness that makes sure the camera doesn’t shake and ruin the image, but this particular style of camerawork focuses on the actors face and shoulders, keeping them in the middle while the rest of the world moves around him. It expresses a sense of hallucination and out of mind due to its aggressive speed, and with the quick cuts and editing techniques it quickens the flow of the video for the scene.
Another thing the camera work does for this video is show the levels of power, class and importance in different characters. When the protagonists show begins to end the camera tilts vertically, putting the protagonists head in front of a bright light and above everyone else on the stage. This shows that he has an omnipotent like status in the show, and is in control over it, it also expresses that he is shown as being a good person, someone willing to help others when really it’s just a mask of deception. The same technique is used at the beginning and end of the video when he introduces the show; he permanently keeps repeating this pattern of hiding his true self.
The piece has distinctive editing as well as camera work. Near the end of the video we see a small montage of different parts of his day, that when edited with his present place give the watcher a huge burst of energy and information, much like to what the protagonist is feeling. It also shows him becoming tired and showing signs of the abuse he is giving to his body once the montage ends. The editing also has a good relative rhythmic flow to the music, when it speeds up, shots become more dynamic or slower for a juxtaposition styled scene, this helps firstly to set different atmospheres for the piece, and secondly to illustrate what it is that the artist wants the viewer to think towards their track.
Glenn Carter gives a great Jeremy Kyle like performance as Patrick Chase. He is seen as very punctual and upper class whilst hosting his show through his tones and dialects, as well as the certain attitude and body language he expresses when talking or insulting his guests. In the rest of the video we don’t here him speak which could show a connotation of the disguise he uses to protect his outer work lifestyle. There is a sense of reality to his performance, in that when he takes drugs, drinks and rear ends the prostitute it looks believable, tired eyes and a heavy face show the signs of exhaustion.
The setting and mise en scene for the video relates firstly to its subject and to the artist. Chase and Status and both from around areas of London and use its night scene in many of their videos. As for the chat show set, we see how the audience sits like in reality, and how you can always see the cameras and crew members filming the guests as the host wanders around. Typical hospital like waiting chairs are used to replicate what they do on Trisha ECT... And they are set out in a way that represents the guest characters relationships with each other.
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