When I first saw this video it i found it very interesting how it had been edited in such a creative way, so I fully analysed it to get a better idea of the concept.
The song 'Buddy Holly' was the second single that was released from the début album (The Blue Album) in 1994 by rock group Weezer. The lyrics of the song quote the names of the 50's rock and roll star Buddy Holly, and actress Mary Tyler Moore.
The video for this single was directed by Spike Jonze and shows the band performing the song on the original set of Arnold's Drive-In Diner from the popular 1970's American television show 'Happy Days'. The video starts with an intro from the original TV series including the end of the theme tune and a voice-over stating "Happy Days is filmed before a live audience" whilst a shot of the "Arnold's" sign is shown. This then cuts to an original piece of footage in which a television reporter introduces a live event. A horizontal transitional wipe is used to give the effect of blinds of shutters closing and reopening on another scene. The next shot is a mid-shot of Al Molinaro, an original cast member who plays the owner of the diner, who introduces Weezer who are on a raised stage dressed in matching 1950s style clothes; white shirts, stripy ties, mustard colour cardigans and drainpipe tailored trousers. The props used in the video like the guitars and microphones are indicative of the era the video is depicting as are the lyrics "I look just like Buddy Holly" and "you're Mary Tyler Moore".
The rest of the video is mainly mid shots of the band performing and long shots of the whole band with the audience dancing around the diner before the band. The upbeat song and memorable lyrics go hand in hand with the 50's costumes and dancing to create a cheerful, warming atmosphere. Jonze has cleverly knitted together contemporary footage of the band filmed in the Charlie Chaplin studios in Hollywood, to which Jonze applied a slightly grainy and tinted filter, with period clips from the original TV programs. Any shot containing Weezer is staged with actors in vintage costumes, any shots where the band would not be in frame Jonze has used original material. Use of body doubles allowed Jonze to frame shots of Weezer picturing what appeared to be the same customers as in the original footage. An example of this is at 1:26 into the video which shows a mid shot of two original characters from 'Happy Days' which at 1:27 then cuts to a reconstructed shot showing Weezer in the background with people dancing in front of the stage and two doubles in the foreground, who are dressed in very similar looking clothes and acting as if they are the same people as in the previous shot.
At 2:15 the music is cut in full flow and a freeze frame shot of the band is held on screen whilst "To Be Continued" is layered on the shot whilst you hear a studio audience sighing as the music has ended. After this the 'Happy Days' neon sign is shown with a voice-over saying "stay tuned for more Happy Days". Next the video cuts straight back to the performance in the typical American diner. At the end of the video when all the customers in the diner have left, there is dialogue between the diner owner and the band members. These elements plus the original television introduction and narrators voice-over give the video a feel that it is an episode of the TV show as it is shot and edited in the style of a short film. The use of some authentic recordings reinforce the episode-like nature of the music video and create an even more realistic portrayal of the past.
