An Essay in Video Interpretations
“Are you anything like that animal?” Kenzo Gabriel, like so many people who meet and interact with Amos Burton, falls into the trap of seeing the space brute as just another unemotional and psychopathic thug in the Belt but he, like the others, would be wrong. Amos Burton is one of the many intriguing yet complicated characters that viewers are introduced to in the Syfy television series The Expanse which focuses on a future in which mankind has colonised the stars. When the spaceship and the crew that Amos is working with become involved in a conspiracy to jump start a war between the planets Earth and Mars as well as the asteroid belt dwellers known as the Belters, Amos finds himself caught up in the churn as the rules of survival change.
Viewers and fans have a front row seat of seeing Amos for the man that he really is and have shared their views and interpretations of him in various online mediums. The use of computers, the internet and editing software has allowed some fans to broaden their reach in ways that are vastly more engaging than simple pen to paper or words on a screen hurled out into the void of the internet. By creating 1-3-minute videos uploaded to social media sharing sites such as Youtube, they can reach a wider range of viewers and content consumers by combining voice-overs and dialogue, music and entertaining visuals into visual evidence of their own interpretations of specific characters or media content.
One such content maker published an interpretation of Amos Burton (Shainira, 2017). The video opens with a voice over of Kenzo Gabriel, questioning the integrity of James Holden, the crew’s Captain, and comparing him to Amos in such a way that paints Amos as a clear antagonist and someone to fear and distrust. This introduction sets the tone for the rest of the video and provides the instantaneous hook that this ages generation needs in order to remain engaged with new content. Kenzo Gabriel’s inspection is further evidenced by the second use of a voice over and dialogue by another character, Paolo Cortázar, whom says:
You want to be that real boy again, to feel how you felt before the world broke you. But you
cauterized that, in order to survive.
Paolo implies within this moment that Amos was self-made, that the way in which he behaves, his values and his views are directly connected to his instinct and need to survive in a harsh and cruel world and that there is no going back to the way he was before this trauma happened to him. Throughout the video these implications are repeated and drawn clear when even Alex Kamal, a member of Amos’ crew and a friend, questions what made Amos the way that he is “What happened to you?”, further implying that something in Amos’ past is what crafted him into the man that he has become now. When a second crew member and friend, Naomi Nagata, attempts to explain that for all of Amos’ intimidating qualities and behaviour, that he isn’t the animal or the villain that many mistakes him for “He’s not crazy and he’s not evil.”. This contrast between two perspectives impact the audience by creating two conflicting ideas of who and what Amos is, is he an unemotional brute or is he a man doing the best with what has happened to him?
The continuous use of direct quotes taken from the series allows for even first-time viewers and non-fans to come to a clear and visible understanding of Shainira’s interpretation of the character as being a frightening and intimidating force, “Whatever leash you had him on, you better get him back on it.”, whilst simultaneously hammering home that he is still more than that. As difficult as he appears to be to control he does have a certain perspective on the world that explains his clean cut and black-and-white viewpoint, “There’s only three kinds of people in this world. The bad ones, the ones you follow and the ones you need to protect.” The use of such dialogues allows for the viewer to clearly see how Amos is duo faceted and how he is one or the either to different people as well as creating a haunting and aggressive tempo and beat of the video that keeps the viewers engaged and on the edges of their seats.
Furthermore, the video combines these voiceovers with music. Evil Prevails is a stirring tune, beginning quietly, it fills the listener with a sense paranoia, a need to be alert and aware that conjures feelings of being watched or followed. As the music continues it slowly begins to grow louder and louder, the beat becoming faster and causing a rise of intensity and action whilst still maintaining a powerful atmosphere of lurking danger. The continuous high and low, rise and fall of the base beat causes the listener to feel as if this moment will never end, trapping them in a constant state of vigilance until the sudden peak and finality of the music itself. Cut off at its apex and leaving the listener’s heart racing long after the music itself has ended.
Shainira has combined the music itself with sound effects taken from the show that complement the music itself, the sound of Amos taking a breath in the introduction is sharp and sudden, the sound of his footsteps as he climbs the ladder into the control room is added to the shrill beat of the music’s instrumental, the hiss of the ship doors opening or closing, the sharp sound of a bullet cutting through Sematimba and the blood splatter as it splashes against Naomi Nagata’s face, all of these sounds adding to the force of the music itself and the feelings that it elicits for the viewers of the video.
In the same manner in which sound impacts the listener, Shainira combines the music, voiceovers and sound effects with scenes taken from the television series, splicing together each medium to create their video interpretation of Amos. From the very first scene we are introduced to Amos, waking and sucking in a sharp breath with Kenzo Gabriel accusing him of being an animal, when combined with the low intro of Evil Prevails, creates a daunting visual and adds to the concept that encompasses the weight of Amos’ presence.
Another key moment that combines the music, voiceover effect and scenes taken from the series is when Alex Kamal is voiced lecturing Amos on what they do and why they do it, “That’s what people do, we help.”, something that is clearly shown as a subject of conflict with Amos who goes between helping others and committing extreme acts of violence as shown on three separate occasions where Amos assaults Joe Miller, pinning him against the galley table and appears to be able to strangle him or snap his neck, or the moment when Amos beats Roma into bloody submission with a can of chicken and holds even Alex Kamal, one of Amos’ closest friends, over the railing of the ship’s control room. Each moment of confrontation separated by someone stopping him from going too far, either Naomi Nagata with Joe Miller or Prax Meng with Roma, until Amos is shown threatening Roma with a gun and asking, “Are you gonna help us?”. The use of these scenes in rapid succession of each other creating an uneasy feeling of apprehension whilst simultaneously showing us the way in which Amos has carefully begun to evolve into becoming more concerned with the lives of those around him but maintains an explosive violence.
This is further evidenced when incorporated with the way in which he stops attacking Alex of his own volition rather than needing Naomi or Prax to stop him as they did or attempted to do when he attacked both Joe Miller and Roma. This single instance is short but for those who have seen the series would appreciate that sign of Amos’ growth and ability to control his own violent and aggressive impulses when he needs to.
The music and the combination of the sound effects and voiceovers used in the television series creates a sense of unity between the video and the scenes chosen from the series that other fan made video’s lack, such as NatalyaCorvus’ Bucky Barnes tribute video. While the scenes chosen had a specific intent to the video’s overall presentation, the song chosen lacked the appropriate impact as the lyrical use of the music itself distracted the audience and took away from the video’s aim and created a disconnect between what audiences were watching and what they were hearing. Where many fan tributes are only snippets of their chosen series or film with music slapped over the top, Shainira manages to encompass all mediums into their video seamlessly, showing an escalation of events and actions that builds while the music does as well and provides a clear interpretation of the character Amos Burton.
Brooks, C. (2015). Gangsta’s Paradise. On Awaken the Fire. Another Century. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGM3I33W70c
Brown, J.F., Daniel, S., Fergus, M., Hall, S., Johnson, B., Kosove, A., Lancaster, L., McDonough, T. & Shankar, N. (2019). The expanse. Amazon Prime Video, Syfy.
De Veer, C.T. (2013). Evil Prevails. On Utopia – original TV soundtrack. Silva Screen Records. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2YNn08n0ys
NatalyaCorvus. (2017, June 12). Bucky Barnes – gangsta’s paradise. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPb8KX72ZE
Shainira. (2017, April 21). Amos Burton || What happened to you?. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXxxLxCv2ec