One of the most iconic archetypes of the film noir genre, the femme fatale character, is known for her undeniable sex appeal, her shady personality, and her uncanny ability to lead the protagonist into trouble. In short: le femme fatale is the kind of love interest described in the lyrics of "Warning Signs."

This connection is what's at the core of this concept. By coupling the stark, brooding aesthetic of classic film noir with some tongue-in-cheek goofiness that's a hallmark of The Hearsay's style, this concept mirrors the in-song juxtaposition of sad-boy lyrics with fun, upbeat music.

We cold open on a down-on-his-luck detective-type, laying face down with his head on a bar. A shotglass slams down in front of him & he startles awake. The bartender (ASHTON) pours some soda into the glass, then gestures for the detective to drink his last round then be on his way.

Wiping some delirious sleep from his eyes, the detective props himself up. From out of his pocket, he produces a crumpled piece of paper. This is a MISSING PERSONS notice, and plastered on it is a photo of a gorgeous woman wearing a cocktail dress. The detective balls up the notice in his hand, and then takes his shot.

However, just as he slams the shot glass down, from across the bar he spies her: the same woman from his MISSING PERSONS notice. She's sitting at the bar drinking a Shirley Temple martini, smiling coyly at him. She takes one last sip, puts down her glass, then turns to leave.

Springing into action, the detective pushes his way through the throngs of people in pursuit of this mysterious woman. One of the people he has to push through is JEFF, who was in the middle of snorting a Pixie Stick off his hand. As the powder falls to the floor, JEFF gets pissed and takes a swing at the detective. Lucky for the detective, JEFF swings, misses, and falls to the ground. We cut to a low angle, right by JEFF as he lays on the ground and air guitars a riff from "Warning Signs."

The detective shoves open the door that his mystery woman sneaked out through, and finds himself in a dark, dank alleyway. Down at the far end of the alley, he sees the silhouette of the woman standing sentinel. He sprints down the alley after her.

Rounding the corner, he comes face to face with a gang of thugs, led by TRAVIS. The gang members look menacing, like they're ready for a fight. TRAVIS steps forward...leers at the detective...and then leans in and asks him how he can help him. All the gang members are concerned, offering the detective some space to catch his breath. From out of his pocket, the detective retrieves the balled-up MISSING PERSONS notice and points the mystery woman. TRAVIS points off into the distance and claps the detective on the back. As the detective sprints away, the gang locks arms and skips away together.

We cut to the exterior of an seemingly abandoned warehouse. A few people litter the parking lot, chatting. The detective stands perplexed, unsure of where to look next. Despondent, he kicks a dumpster that he's been standing near. Then, all of a sudden, a disheveled homeless man (aka RYAN) pops out of the dumpster, a half-eaten banana strewn across his shoulder. RYAN leans into the detective, pissed that he woke him from his nap. The detective apologizes and shows RYAN the MISSING PERSONS notice. Without thinking, RYAN points off into the distance. The camera zooms around and catches the femme fatale just as she swings open the door to the warehouse. The detective thanks RYAN and zooms off. RYAN takes the banana off his shoulder, takes a bite, and closes himself back into the dumpster.

The detective enters a room filled with people, all dancing and grooving to the sounds of "Warning Signs." The Hearsay are center stage among the people, all still clad in the various costumes they wore earlier. Also, unlike the rest of the video--which has been shot in stark black & white monochrome--this room is exploding with colors. The detective makes his way through the room, to the very back where his mystery woman stands.

He approaches apprehensively. From a profile view, we observe as the detective gets right up to his quarry. He's been chasing her for so long, he can hardly believe his eyes. As he gets close, she puts a cigarette to her lips and offers him one. He takes it, and then they both begin to chew. They're candy cigarettes.

We punch in on their lips, quivering as they get closer and closer together. Then just as they're about to meet...the lights come on, just as the song ends. The only people left in the room are the detective and The Hearsay, now in regular clothes.

Both parties look at one another, shrug, then exit the studio.

• The video would cut between the narrative progression of the detective and the band all playing on the white cyc. This contrast of black & white in the narrative sections and the pops of bright color during the performances would keep the video visually interesting throughout and also act as a reveal once the detective makes it to the actual performance.
• This concept takes a lot of usual film noir tropes--the hardboiled detective, the femme fatale, excessive use of drugs & alcohol, etc.--and tweaks them into oddball jokes of themselves. This goofy narrative direction is meant to reflect The Hearsay's young at heart feel/sound.
• The detective's chase after this mystery woman reflects the same anguish and frustrations readily apparent in the song's lyrics. Just as narrator in "Warning Signs" allowed himself/herself to be duped by a love interest time and time again, so too has our detective been given the slip by his mystery woman. But, as this concept's tongue-in-cheek approach to noir suggests, even something as serious as this vaunted genre or the pain of being lead on can be funny if you just see it the right way.