Massive Attack- 'Unfinished Sympathy'

What the video entails

massive Attacks music video opens up with a close up shot of a black leather glove swirling two metal balls within the palm of there hand. Using Steadicam the camera pans outwards  to from a very masculine action performed by a gang of rough thugs who are wearing stereotyped clothing of leather jackets, white low cut vests, bandanas and also sporting typically a violent breed of dog wearing a metal studded collar. The camera technique used keeps the audience intrigued when gradually exposing reality in representing poverty within poor areas of American culture. 

The shot then continuous to a upwards high angle shot of a very young boy, dressed in a vibrant orange tracksuit. This scene is very reminiscent to that of traditional but also memorable
prison uniform potentially signifying the possible foreshadow of the boys future. The boy within this scene is very clearly holding a toy gun and points this towards the camera. Toy or not the overall intention was to shoot at someone and in this case the camera/audience. This is very typical in the American urban district. Children are raised through violence and danger so will be presented with a tough persona when growing up to survive the harsh truths of urban reality. To become this figure they are most generally given violent toys and wear outrageous clothes to essentially have them become the role models they have around. 

Furthermore the tracking shot continues following the pavement showing other youth and baby stores on the shop street line. This shows the audience that this will be an occurring thing of children gradually becoming these violent people despite the innocent acts of violence the first child presented. Further down the pavement  its made apparent that we are simply following just one specific individual and they are our main character of the narrative. The women here is wearing all black singing along to 'Unfinished Sympathy' (the song). We as the audience gradually move around the women until we are directly facing her and it is at this point we are remained at this level for the rest of the video. 

As we to follow the character we are able to see more scenes of the urban streets and the people within. She appears to not be caring or instead unaware of her surrounding but the people we encounter within the blurred backdrop are drunks, homeless, poor disabled people with no medical attention and also bikers, all living in poverty. As she appears to be unknowingly seeing the poverty around us as the audience are led to understand that the morale is even though we may be unaware of the social status issue and the vast wealth between them in terms of poverty it does still exist but if we look close enough its not transparent and is also everywhere despite where you live or area. As the main focus is on the women, in the backdrop the setting is quite partially blurred showing poverty is sometimes difficult to see. 

As the video come to an end and she walks on a contrast is seen as she seems to be the only character in the narrative walking with a purpose. On her journey she did walk past many others stood about not achieving any life goals of there own or heading towards this way at least. This use of imagery and camera use could imply that these people are unemployed swerving back around to the ideology of poverty trap within poor cultures.