NOTE: All references to ‘Jessie’ within this passage, will refer to the actress used, within the video. All scenes depicted here should correlated directly to the shots on the storyboards, should there be any confusion.
The video opens to no music, with just a forward perspective of trees and shrubbery. Footsteps are gradually heard as the protagonist runs past the camera hurriedly in a frenzied state, and the camera pans leftwards as she runs further away. It cuts to shaky camera at her side which tracks along with her for a few seconds. The camera is now seen further on, through the gate, which she reaches and comes to a standstill, clutching the gate and letting out a wild deafening scream. There will be a slow introduction of sound, in this sequence, with the first eight seconds of the song, a gradual heartbeat-style, drum loop, playing from when the subject reaches the gate, with the diegetic sound of the scream overlapping this.
The video then cuts to an establishing shot of a block of flats, which is pictured along the first of the distortion sounds within the songs intro (0.05). The second distortion sound (0.09) is accompanied by a high angle shot, looking upwards at the stairs, within the building. The third distortion sound shows a hallway, depicting several doors. The fourth distortion sound focuses on a door, specifically.
The video now cuts to a room, (within the flats although this is not made explicit) which has a red light bulb, filtering the entire shot red. The camera pans down from the window to the corner where the same girl, from the outdoors, is in the corner, with her head faced down. Jessie will remain in this position, until 0.28 of the song. During this time however, shots of the plates of meat and bones within the room will be apparent. During the next couplet of the song’s lyrics Jessie shall lift her head to reveal strewn make up – i.e water-run mascara and lipstick all across her face. Her arms will stretch out to either wall, and her head movements shall be erratic. The bridge of the song, will see the protagonist crawl out from the corner and sing towards the camera, before lying flat on her back, just as the chorus kicks in.
The song then cuts to a new location, with the broken beats which lead into the chorus (1,2,3,4) each rapidly depicting a different aspect of the table scene. A long shot reveals, a long table, within the middle of a lit wooded area. The table itself is empty, with six chairs (3 each side) and a main chair at the end, with Jessie upon it, on a much larger chair. Along the table are waiter platters, with the tops and contents covered by platter lids. Jessie is revealed to be tied to each arm of the chair she is on, by handcuffs. Erratic head movements, aggressive shaking and general thrusting, with Jessie singing at the camera for the duration of the chorus.
Throughout the chorus, however, three shots against a black backdrop; the word “Flesh” written on Jessie on three of the following body parts – shoulder, thigh, stomach, back, chest, neck, will appear.
The second verse will begin with Jessie against the gate, swinging on it, and taking the anger, in relation to her entrapment and inability to progress, on the gate. Shots through the gate of Jessie singing, in a belligerent fashion, will continue for this couplet. At 1.27, the video will cut back to shots within the bedroom, of Jessie kneeling down , filmed from a low angle, and looking up at the camera. To accompany the line “Here’s a sneak little peak...” the show will cut to a close –up, of Jessie drinking liquid from a dog’s bowl. The next couplet about “being a freak and liking it rough” will see Jessie take an off screen whip and bang it erratically three times to the beat of the same beat which introduced the first chorus.
As the second chorus kicks in, shots of the other two settings (the table and the gate), are interspersed, with no real change to the narrative, although both should show growing frustration and anger from Jessie. Interspersed within this, still, shall be the remaining three shots of flesh inscribed in blood upon Jessie’s body, upon a black backdrop.
As the song’s middle eight kicks in, the song will cut to an overhead shot of Jessie on a bed, within the red room. Movement, now shall be far more concentrated, and whilst not overly aggressive, shall focus on small jerks which reveal the peak of frustration and angst, such as the clutching of bed sheets and the twitching of legs. This shall be shown by various mid shots and close-ups, both of her face and body. At the middle point of this section, she will roll over, on the bed, and face directly into the camera and sing the remaining three lines, as the red light within the room flashes more and more dramatically, and increasingly rapidly and her hand reaches towards the camera.
As the final chorus kicks in, Jessie rips her arms into the air and rids herself of the handcuffs. She steps onto the table and kicks the platter lid off angrily, the camera then cuts to a close-up of the meat, which was inside the platter, being grabbed by Jessie. She drops to her knees, upon the table, and throws herself about, within the food, which is revealed to be, cuts of various raw meet. The final three choruses shall then cut between the indulgence of Jessie upon the table and within the setting, including close-up shots which seems to indicate the biting and tearing of this meat, coupled with more enjoyed, pleasurable faces from Jessie. This shall be interspersed with Jessie, still in the room, now in a complete frenzy, with the light still flashing rapidly. The movements seem to indicate complete wildness, throwing herself from wall to wall, with delighted, yet sinister grins, at the camera.
The end video will see rain pour down over the table scene (possibly) and day break in the bedroom scene, with the red filter gone and the naturalistic day-light accompanying the shot of Jessie sitting up from the bed, and waking up.
