Music Video Production: 'Break Stuff' by Limp Bizkit

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First things first, if you haven't seen Limp Bizkit's 'Break Stuff' music video, then slam on your breaks and click that play button right above before reading ahead, I swear it's worth it.

Why I love it

For me, the simple production of this music video is what makes it stand out amongst the overly narratively driven, content slammed and wildly produced videos which fill YouTube's walls. The video is shot amidst a standard music-video mise-en-scène: a large, grotty looking, darkly lit room filled with flight-cases, a stage and of course the band's instruments for them to play whilst head banging and looking scary (true Limp Bizkit style). The video is intermittently cut with footage of their fans lip syncing the words of the song in a rather aggressive and overt manner - we'd expect nothing more from a song focussed on breaking stuff though, right? In terms of the fans who were cast, they offer great representation of diversity, ranging in age, gender and race, there is also the occasional celebrity like Snoop Dog, Dr Dre and Eminem. This mix of the diverse public and celebrities is a great reflection of the fans of Limp Bizkit and I personally think it makes the video stand out. For this reason alone I believe it is inclusive and enjoyable for anyone to watch!

The camera is mainly static throughout, making the people the focus and positioning them centre frame. We do see the occasional location change where we see unusual, single camera, hand-held shots like a low angle shot of the singer or a high angle shot of Eminem as he sings directly to the camera. These short edits keep the video entertaining and follow the conventions and styles of other music videos of this genre in the naughties.

I couldn't possibly be a music video and TV production lover without mentioning the infamous mashup of 'Break Stuff' and the Seinfeld theme tune. The song's lyrics mockingly match up with the sitcom's recognised structure of being about nothing and everyday life, after all it's "just one of those days". The funky slap bass theme song is spun on its head when paired up with Fred Durst's lyrics about wanting to rip someones head off - but joking aside, it scarily works (but maybe I am biased).

Could this Seinfeld mashup possibly be better than the original? Bold statement, I know!

Let me know what you think of this video (and mashup).

Thanks!

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