Deconstructing music videos

In this blogpost I will be deconstructing 10 music videos and for each one I will take 5 shots and give a detailed explanation of why certain props, costumes and colours have been used. 

Artist: Drake
Song: Take Care
Album: Take Care
Genre: Hip Hop/ Rap
Director: N/A
Year: 2011
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: Canada

Shot 1

This image is of a bull's horns. This portrays power and authority. The slight low angle shows more of the horns, as opposed to if it was a high angle camera shot. This shot comes across as a random object to viewers because we don't see the full image. The use of brown and black has connotations of loneliness, vulnerability, danger and also authority.

The use of a bull alone shows that this music video is about love and fighting as bulls have many connotations and symbols of being strong, confident, aggressive and determined.

The use of a close up shot is to convey to the viewers the shape, texture and detail of the bull's horn. This captures the audiences' eyes, as it takes up the whole frame.

Shot 2

This image of a mountain surrounded by clouds suggests dominance and again, power because of its size. This is supported by the long shot that is used, portraying a setting, a mise en scene for this music video.

Because mountains connotate religion, this implies a belief in hierarchy, in good and evil, higher and lower, superior and inferior, and it is an obvious step to represent such spiritual differences by differences in altitude. In this case, it can be a difference between man and woman, the protagonists Drake and Rihanna. 

Mountains also possess many routes, each starting from a different place and each having a different character and set of problems. The important thing is to reach the top, and choose a way.

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection.

Shot 3

This low angle shot of Rihanna connotates that she has some authority and power. This goes against the stereotypical view of women as they are normally shown in high angle shots. 

However, the audience is able to see that part of her is exposed. This conveys to the viewers that she is a sex object as she is looking at the camera in a sensual way. In this way,she is also interacting with the audience with her eyes. 

The plain background helps to focus our attention on her, as she is on one of the hotspots on the rule of three. 

Shot 4

This close up shot of a bird taking off is very abstract, as it doesn't relate to this particular music video. Birds denote personality characteristics, usually high characteristics of beauty, joy and love that transcendent quality that lifts man from his lower self to his higher self, from the material world to the spiritual world. To see a bird fly can symbolise the desire to fly free or to reach heaven.  

Shot 5

In this image, Drake is facing away from the camera. This could suggest that he doesn't care, full of himself, oblivious to what is happening. 

The spotlight above him illuminates his head, making him seem almost angelic, though this isn't a quality associated with men. His shirt is black, which can mean that he's dangerous and dominating. 

The camera shot is mid shot, which helps the audience to see part of his body and his body language, but the fact that he isn't facing the audience makes it seem he is not an open person. 

Artist: Neyo 
Song: One in a million
Album: Libra Scale
Genre:R&B
Director: N/A
Year: 2010
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: UK

Shot 1

At the start of the video, there are white credits across a black background. This breaks through many barriers of movies and music videos. It lets the audience know that it is a film to be enjoyed and not just a music video for promotional reasons. This music video is one from Ne-Yo's very inventive album Libra Scale. The idea for all the music videos that are released through this album is for them to be clips of a film on the whole, the beginning of this video definitely highlights that by showing a continuation from a previous video as the narrative seems incomplete.

Shot 2

Ne-Yo is the main protagonist in his narrative and the video starts with him talking to his friends about a young lady he is in pursuit of. I noticed that his importance is highlighted as his friends are sitting down and looking at their girlfriends while Ne-Yo is still talking to them. The audience aren't focused on his friends but are focused on him because he is the only one standing and talking at the time. His costume is black and white; a white shirt, with a black tie, black braces, black trousers and a black hat. The white in Ne-Yo's outfit connotes his innocence and purity but this is highly contrasted by the black which denotes darkness and possibly perverse intentions, the mixture of the two may show a good guy with a bad side.

Shot 3

The audience will see Ne-Yo as a gentleman and well dressed. His importance is also shown by the fact that his friends (the dancers) are dressed in a similar yet very different way to him. One is wearing a white t-shirt and black braces and trousers whilst the other one is wearing an open dress shirt that's also white with a black waistcoat. Their costume seems to be a lot more casual than Ne-Yo's and seem to have one element from Ne-Yo's costume each.

Shot 4

The female protagonists in most music videos in this genre are usually overly glamorized with make up and hair and bodies that set unrealistic standards for people watching. This video is different from others as the girl Ne-Yo is in pursuit of is not overly glamorised with minimal make up and casual wear. She is wearing an off-white top and cardigan with silver hoops. Though she looks very 'normal' she is still aspirational as through vicarious reinforcement women would want to be like her and men would want to be with someone like her. This is the 'male gaze'. The off-white connotes her innocence but also makes her glow in a way no other girl in the video does. This is an example of the visuals linking in with the lyrics when Ne-Yo sings 'makes your soul stand out from all the rest...".

Shot 4

She is also the one playing 'hard to get'. She seems to be not very interested in Ne-Yo as she tries her hardest to get away from him. This ties a narrative in, she is a female protagonist with 'male gaze' and Ne-Yo is a male protagonist with 'female gaze' but she seems like the only girl that doesn't want him. This makes the target audience - young women - feel more drawn to him.
The mise en scene is the busy street of a city, could be LA or New York but it seems like a place where women love to shop and hang out with friends. The yellow taxis let us know that it is set in a city in the USA. This busy and upbeat street ties in with the music video as it is an upbeat song and so is an example of how the visuals tie in with the lyrics.

Shot 4

The female dancers that arrive at the end have a different and more urban look. One is wearing denim shorts and a light pink patterned corset, another is wearing baggy trousers and a sleeveless tube top and the other is wearing a black tank top and leopard print leggings. These girls are 'sexy' but less focus is on them as the protagonist the audience aspire to still seems more glamorous than them whereas they seem quite wild.

Shot 4

At the end of the video, the song ends at it goes back to being a film with over-the-shoulder shots denoting that. It also goes back to dialogue as she shows her jealous rage when Ne-Yo dances with those female dancers.

Artist: Christina Aguilera and Lil'Kim
Song: Cant Hold us down
Album: Stripped
Genre: R&B and Hip Hop
Director: N/A
Year: 2002
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: UK

This music video is 'Can't Hold Us Down' by Christina Aguilera ft. Lil Kim. Christina Aguilera is known for conveying a message through her songs and music videos to the viewers. An example is her song, 'Beautiful' which uses words like, 'You are beautiful no matter what they say' repetitively throughout the song.
This song is about women being seen as insignificant, while men are seen as controlling. Her lyrics emphasise this, 'The guy gets all the glory the more he can score/While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore'.

Shot 1

This shot is at eye level and shows a car driving past, with young African or Latin American children in the background. We can tell this is a part of a neighbourhood where living is tough or not as fulfilling because of the graffiti in the background. We can say that the car, a significant prop in this shot, doesn't look that expensive. The driver inside is also wearing a hat and a short sleeved top. This makes us as the viewer conclude that this place and the surrounding area are not very well off because of what we can see in this screenshot.

Shot 2

This second shot is a low angle shot of a mural, with the words, 'Crack is Wack'. From The Online Slang Dictionary, the term 'wack' as an adjective is defined as crazy, bad, bizarre and awesome. Here, in this shot, the word 'wack' is used to describe crack (which is a drug) because both these words rhyme and so they can easily stick in the characters' mind and in ours'. The use of this slang word supports our assumption that the area is ghetto or otherwise neglected and where there is constant trouble because drugs like crack are promoted by graffiti and murals such as this one.

Shot 3

This shot is a long shot at eye level showing two groups; the women against the men. This mise en scene is used to put the lyrics visually in a way people could simply understand. The men at the right while the women are at the left conveys a sense of opposition and conflict between these two sexes. 

We can see the women wearing clothes with tightly cling to their bodies, while the majority of the men are not showing flesh except for one we can clearly see wearing short shorts. The women outnumber the men, though, in exposing more flesh. We can also notice that the women are brightly clad in their clothes, while the men are wearing more neutral to dark toned colours, thus illustrating their differences.

Shot 4

Towards the end of the video there is an extreme long and high angle shot. It shows us the neighbourhood as a whole, with a yellow taxi visible in the center and the artist, Christina Aguilera walking towards the camera. The building at the back looks like the American equivalent of council housing, because of the flats clustered together in that building. There is small graffiti to the right of the lamp post. 

This shot may be unexpected to be seen at the end of the video, as we would anticipate it at the beginning, where the setting is introduced to us via this type of shot. However, we could consider this to be a significant point in the video, where the setting is finally revealed.

Artist: Mary J. Blige
Song:Be Without You
Album: Be Without You
Genre: Hip Hop/ R&B and Soul
Director: N/A
Year: 2005
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: UK

This song is typically about a girl and boy falling out and then getting back together, as can be seen in the video.

In this video, Be Without You by Mary J. Blige, there is a typical scene of New York City at night, serving as the opening. It is a high angle, moving smoothly as a pan, from left to right. This sets the scene and helps to get the viewer into the video.

The video overall has parts where the colour is filtered to black and white and then to coloured. This can depict the past and the present. So, we can say that this is a music video narrating a story, guiding the viewer through a series of events taking place in the character's life, played by Mary J. Blige.

Shot 1

This close up of Mary J. Blige's face clearly shows how she feels. You can see, although this shot is in black and white, there is a solitary tear running down her left cheek. The use of a close up is helpful in portraying emotion. A camera angle isn't used, because there needs to be a clear image of her face in order for the audience to emphasise with her.

Because only Mary is in the shot, it makes the whole shot have an intense atmosphere and we are focused only on her.

Shot 2

This shot in the video lasts for 1 second. It is then followed by a black screen. This happens for several of times in this R'n'B video. This editing technique gives the impression of time passing quickly because of the frequency of cuts and the speed in which they are played at.

Colour is used, to make it look like this part of the video is animated and comic-like, so we understand that there is action and that it is lively.

The man is in the background and Mary is up in the foreground. This seems different and unusual, as the woman is blurred out so that our focus is on the main character's partner. His ringed finger on his left hand may suggest that he is married to the woman. We can assume that this is a typical argument that happens between a married couple.

Shot 3

This coloured shot of Mary J. Blige and her partner hosting a party is very interesting. We can see by the type of shot that is used that a lot is going on.

The use of someone's head in silhouette can restrict our view of what is happening. But it seems that it is used to somehow make us a part of the action. The way in which it does is by the mise en scene, the position of the people in this shot.

We can see the relationship between the two main characters are not strained, and instead from the eye contact between them, we assume they are happy, content, and once again, in love.

Shot 4

This third shot is still in black and white. The use of this as a filter, brings out the simplicity of the shot. This can be said of the shot described above.

This shot shows Mary J. Blige typing words into the laptop. We later understand that these words are the lyrics of the song. The fact that she is typing her own lyrics shows just how strongly she feels about her situation. The camera angle is slightly high. This could mean that the value of the words or the worth of them are pointless or that the artist is vulnerable as part of her hands are visible, because of what we associate with this angle, ie. the object/ person seeming weak or worthless.

Artist: Aleesha Dixon
Song: Breathe Slow
Album: Breathe Slow
Genre: R&B
Director: N/A
Year: 2009
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: UK

Breathe Slow' by Alesha Dixon is a contemporary R'n'B song. Alongside this video, the song gives a message to the viewer of a woman breaking up with her partner, coping with her emotions and trying to 'compose' herself.

Shot 1

This establishing shot is a long shot at eye level. We can see that there is a black and white filter applied to the video, which could mean that this narrative is set in the past. From this point in the music video we understand that a story is being told because of the filter that is used.

At the centre of this image is a dumpster with the number 25 on it. The number 25 could relate to the age of Alesha and how 'rubbish' she feels about it.

At one of the hotspots of the rule of thirds, we can see Alesha coming out of a back door of some place. This makes us focus on her, as an audience, because she is the main character of this narrative.

Shot 2

This next shot is a close up of one of Alesha's hands gripping the dance bar. We can say that she may feel stressed and emotional as the bar could connotate life. Thus she could be struggling to hold onto her life because of how she's feeling.

The filter is still used here, so we are reassured that this is still in the past. The appearance of the bar as blurry could mean that her life is insignificant and it could be futile for her to hold on when it is disappearing.

Shot 3

This shot is a crucial one in the music video. Alesha is taking her wedding ring off her finger. This is emotional as it is a close up shot and also because the ring connotates love, relationship, attachment etc.

The high angle of the shot also signifies insignificance and futility, in relation to the ring because of the angle of the camera. This is later reaffirmed by the ring being placed on the bar counter and left when Alesha leaves.

Shot 4

This shot is of the bar where Alesha goes for a drink. She drinks from the white mug and then leaves the ring on the counter. Alesha then unbuttons her coat and reveals a show girl costume.

This shot is a slight high angle at a mid-long shot. Alesha is situated at one of the hotspots of the rule of thirds. This, alongside the sparkly costume fixes our attention on her.

Shot 5

This shot is one of the final shots in the music video. It is interesting because a lot of things are going on, compared to the previous shots.

We see to the left of the image two show girls with an Elvis Presley lookalike in between. The inclusion of this famous singer could signify how much of a Rock and Roll legend he was, how he was charming and 'to die for' in the mid 50-60s. He was a well known sex symbol, as can be seen here, where two girls are focusing their attention on him.

When Alesha walks passed the trio, they exchange glances and smile, so there is a sign of acknowledgement between them. We then see Alesha face the guard on the right. This could mean that she is an acquaintance of the two show girls, Elvis and the guard at the stool. This could convey to us that this is a familiar environment to the main character.

Evaluation of Final Product

What was the purpose of replicating a music video?
The purpose of replicating a music video was to learn skills of how music videos are made and also conventions of this media text. We developed a deeper meaning of how music videos are created and we actually found out how hard and time consuming creating and editing a music video actually is.

How successful do you feel you were at replicating this music video?
With the amount of shots that were in Robyn's video i think we replicated the video pretty successfully with the use of props, costumes and location(maybe). The only difficulty that i think we had was probably making some of the props for example with one of the props that looks a bit like gemstones put together. I think that the props were the hardest thing to make because we had to spend a lot of time on them but it's good that we did because the props really good in our video. We managed to improvise with that prop although it doesn't look exactly like the one used in the video. There are definitely some things that we could have improved on, for example the camera was shaky so we know next time we will make it better. Also some of the things are not in sync but we that is one of the mistakes we will amend next time. Overall i think we managed to pull it off but we know that next time we will do a better job. 

What changes would you make to your: organisation, editing, filming?
Organisation wise i think that next time our timing and communication will be much better than it was. Also finding a place for us to film was quite hard sometimes but i worked out in the end. We used a school camera to film so there were some moments where we got annoyed because the camera had it's moments where the battery would be low, then we'd charge it and the same thing would happen again. We would also make sure that the camera isn't shaky and just spend more time on the music video than we actually did.

How does your chosen music video adhere to the conventions of a music video? (You will be able to answer this question in more dept next year, when we have some work on analysing music videos) for now, use the information on this slide share to help you.We used camera movements, angles,editing to make sure our music video adheres to the conventions of a music video. Camera movements are an important thing in music videos because it's all about the artist in the music videos and we wanted to show that in our video. We wanted to make it all about the artist.