It isn't very often that an adult band focuses a song or video on a pressing youth issue. However, in their new music video "Make It Stop", rock band Rise Against did just that. While there have been an excruciating mix of rock music videos dealing with love, hate, and social anarchy, "Make It Stop" digs into new territory; teen bullying and suicide. Tim Mcilrath, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band, teamed up with the It Gets Better Project to make the video. The project has a goal of preventing teen suicide by letting kids know that outside of high school, things will improve for them. "I immediately felt that if our song is the road, then the It Gets Better Project is the destination," said Mcilrath, "I hope the synergy between the two can reach people and make a difference."
The music video features three dramatized scenarios of teen bullying leading to suicide mixed in with shots of the band playing in a high school auditorium. Both facets of the production are very well done; the band shots look very cinematic and well-lit and the bullying scenarios are both powerful and disturbing.
The three teen stories depicted in "Make It Stop" mesh very well with ending theme of the video. The students have been shown getting bullied to the point where they are on the brink of suicide. When they think about their futures outside of high school, however, they put down their gun, noose, and step back from the bridge that were about to end their lives. In the last section of the video, when different webcammed teens are shown saying "Don't Worry, It Gets Better" a truly powerful message has been brought to the viewer.
Overall, the video for "Make It Stop (September's Children)" by Rise Against is both well-made and inspiring. Because of this, it receives a rating of 4/5.
RATING: 4/5
To view the video on YouTube, use the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4clbHc4Xg&ob=av2e)
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