Costumes and Props

 Costumes and Props

The old war picture is the first prop we see in the music video. It symbolises the relationship which the war veteran used to have when fighting in the war, and it is the same picture which he lays next to the war grave at the end of the video; the picture is of him and the soldier which ended up dying in the music video.

Another prop which we see is the newspaper. It symbolises the hatred which the war veteran has for the corrupt media and Government/leaders; soldiers are being forced to fight for causes which they don't necessarily agree with and are also dying in harsh conditions whilst the leaders are simply watching along as their soldiers struggle.

Another prop is the rifle. It is obviously a usual weapon of choice for a soldier, particularly in World War II (WWII). It is used mainly for protection and attack should a soldier encounter any enemy soldiers.

The final prop is the bible. The bible is used for religious symbolism, with several of the song's lines referring to how religion is used as an excuse for war and conflict. The war veteran holding the bible as he walks alongside the Church is powerful as it symbolises the fact that religion should be used for peace, which is something that he clearly believes in as portrayed in the music video.

As for costumes, there is a similar ideology behind them. The younger version of the war veteran wears a full camouflage costume since it is a kit which soldiers were (and still are) required to wear whilst out in combat since it helps them to blend in with the scenery around them.

The war veteran wears all black in the music video which connotes sadness, regret and a 'dark mind'; he watched his fellow soldier die and is scarred by it, with the corruption of the Government and media also still playing about in his mind.

Finally, the boy wears a football kit since, in the modern day, many young boys support a football team since it is the trendy and 'cool' thing to do; this matches up with the symbolism of the boy in the video since he is supposed to be a typical young boy who plays video games and enjoys, for example, killing people in a video game. This also highlights the ignorance of not only the boy, but also his whole generation with regards to knowing what the war was like and how it effected people.