Music Video Analysis
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Transcript of Music Video Analysis
Rihanna is a successful, modern artist that
has released a variety of number ones,
that are different genres including; dance,
R&B, hip hop. However I have decided to
analyse her ‘California King Bed’ release.
California King Bed’ is a song based on a love struggle, it
shows two people that used to be in love but they are now
broken hearted and are trying to find the feelings they
once had for each other.
NATURENature is shown during the video in
lots of sections, through leaves, trees
and the main location surrounded in
sky, this creates a natural impression
and suggests that this is a dream
due to the clouds. At the start a
backing track is used of the sea this
establishes the mis-en-scene.
LIGHTINGSoft lighting is used with a natural
theme, however in parts the visuals
get over exposed by the lighting, this
gives the impression of a dream like
feeling. The video also uses a red
toned light which is highlighted by
Rihanna’s hair, red shades suggest
warmth and an autumn impression
which represents a new start.
EFFECTSIn the video there is a scene where it
cuts to black and white this creates
interest and makes the video unique
from others with an exciting feature.
ACTORSThe only other character in the video
is Rihanna's love which is a
handsome male actor, the camera
never focuses on him and only shows
him sitting on the bed and
interacting with Rihanna, this means
that focus is not taken away from the
artist. Although in one scene his body
is shown with water flowing down it
but its reversed and is shown in black
and white.
CAMERA ANGLES & MOVEMENTSThe video consists of lots of close-ups whilst
Rihanna is performing and profile shots are
used this creates focus on the artist, also
shown in areas were Rihanna is directly
singing into the camera. Transitions are
smooth throughout the video and in places
over exposer is used with the sun to blank out
the visuals. The camera has oft and flowing
movements and often does arc and circular
techniques.
COSTUME & MAKEUPRihanna uses the codes and
conventions of a love pop video in the
aspect of clothing this is achieved with
little clothing which Rihanna is known
for, the clothes she does wear are all
white and cream suggesting purity,
they are pretty pieces which gives the
idea of a perfect girl. The makeup is
natural with making a statement which
also suggests a perfect girl and allows
people to focus on this meaning
without being distracted.
LOCATIONSThe whole video is based around one
room with a bed in the middle which
links in to the lyrics of ‘king bed’ the
room is surrounded by white curtains
which blow in the wind. However parts
of the video show her lying on the grass
or standing next to an autumn tree.
COMPOSTIONRihanna is sometimes shown on one
side of the camera to create focus
on the background and location this
also creates visual impact.
"California King Bed LYRICS“
Chest to chest
Nose to nose
Palm to palm
We were always just that close
Wrist to wrist
Toe to toe
Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose
So, how come when I reach out my finger
It feels like more than distance between us
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
Eye to eye
Cheek to cheek
Side by side
You were sleeping next to me
Arm in arm
Dusk to dawn
With the curtains drawn
And a little last night on these sheets
So, how come when I reach out my fingers
It seems like more than distance between us
.
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apartI've been California wishing on these starsFor your heart for meMy California king
Just when I felt like giving up on usYou turned around and gave me one last touch
That made everything feel betterAnd even then my eyes got wetterSo confused wanna ask you if you love meBut I don't wanna seem so weakMaybe I've been California dreaming
Yeah yeah yeah
In this California king bedWe're ten thousand miles apartI've been California wishing on these starsFor your heart for meMy California kingMy California king
In this California king bedWe're ten thousand miles apartI've been California wishing on these starsFor your heart for meMy California king
The video to ‘Mine’ is based on a performance and narrative theme. The
narrative is addressing a love story of ‘boy meets girl’ as its realistic and her fans
can relate to this. The video is structured as her life and the audience seems to
be following her as a fly on the wall to this love struggle.
Taylor swift is a well established artist that uses
meaningful ideas and issues in her song and
lyrics, although most of her releases focus on love
ideas.
LIGHTINGLight is flashed to create a
transition this is used to suggest
that it’s a dream or a memory to
the audience. Light is also used
to create the right emotions and
atmosphere were she is looking
back at her childhood its duller
this gives the idea that it was an
unhappy time. Whereas in the
future its shown to be bright and
a happy time period of her life.
CAMERA ANGLES &
MOVEMENTSSimple camera movements are used,
however during the performance the
camera is looking down at her and follows
her this creates the idea of we want to be
n her position and allows the audience to
focus on the artist. Taylor sings into the
camera making us concentrate on the
song as well as the strong narrative.
LOCATIONSThe video is set in a rural area, and shows
the family home, town and a beach. The
beach is first shown when her and her love
go together then later they revisit with their
children. The locations are meant to
suggest that this story could be anyone's
and that it relates to everyone life.
PERFORMANCEThe scene where she is
performing is in the woods there
are family photos hanging from
the branches, this links into the
narrative and creates an
interesting mis-en-scene. Taylor
is wearing a white dress to
suggest purity and there is light
dapple beaming through the
trees.
COSTUME &
MAKEUPTaylor’s clothing gets
more mature as the
narrative develops
this indicates the plot
of time to the
audience. However
the costumes are
always pretty and fit
in with the
stereotypical. EFFECTSTaylor looks into a family photo and the camera is looking
into it as an over the shoulder shot this gives the idea of we
are in her shoes, it then shows are reflection looking back
at us before it cuts into her memories of this time period.
Silhouettes are used in scenes were her and the male
character are used this is an effective method to clearly
show the characters and not the situation.
THEMEThe lyrics paint a vivid
visual image to the
audience
This is then linked in with
the images shown on the
video.
• "Mine LYRICS"
Uh, oh, oh
Uh, oh, oh
You were in college working part time waiting tables
Left a small town, never looked back
I was a flight risk with a fear of fallin’
Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts
I say "Can you believe it?
As we’re lying on the couch?"
The moment I can see it.
Yes, yes, I can see it now.
Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time.
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.
Flash forward and we’re taking on the world together,
And there’s a drawer of my things at your place.
You learn my secrets and you figure out why I’m guarded,
You say we’ll never make my parents’ mistakes.
But we got bills to pay,
We got nothing figured out,
When it was hard to take,
Yes, yes, this is what I thought about.
Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.
Do you remember all the city lights on the water?
You saw me start to believe for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.
Oh, oh, oh, oh
And I remember that fight
Two-thirty AM
As everything was slipping right out of our hands
I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street
Braced myself for the "Goodbye."
‘Cause that’s all I’ve ever known
Then you took me by surprise
You said, "I’ll never leave you alone."
You said, "I remember how we felt sitting by the water.
And every time I look at you, it’s like the first time.
I fell in love with a careless man’s careful daughter.
She is the best thing that’s ever been mine."
Hold on, make it last
Hold on, never turn back
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.
(Hold on) do you believe it?
(Hold on) we're gonna make it now.
(Hold on) and I can see it,
(Yes, yes) I can see it now (see it now, see it now...)
The Music Video style relating to its pop genre fits in well. Most pop video's show
artists singing and dancing. Some pop videos also use voyeurism also fitting in
with the style of genre. Bright lights and lighting editing is used really well to give
a fresh feel to it which is normally used in pop videos. Way's in which it may not fit
into pop video conventions may be that there is no use of choreographed
dancing. Most of the dancing in the video is people jumping around or dancing
freewill.
The reason I chose this music video to analyze is because I think it is a fun, atmospheric and feel good music video. I really like the way the director has depicted the representation of a ‘teenage dream’ throughout the video
with a narrative. The way in which the song is linked to the video is also clear with sections in the music video being expanded on and amplified from the lyrics. The song is mainly focusing on the love story of both the boy and girl which can be quite common in the music genre of pop. Close-up’s of the artist are shown throughout the video to emphasize iconography and are also a demand from the artists record company. Some examples of close up's are shown in the music video screen-shots shown on the right.
The first section of the video is more mellow compared to the rest of the song and is set in a car. Establishing shots show this to the audience by setting the scene with landscape views and shots of the artist sitting in the car with the wind blowing through her hair. This part of the music video mainly focuses on
close up's whilst she is lip-syncing. The Mis-en-scene of this section is bright and sunny. The convertible, sunglasses and the 'bleached' light effect shows it is most likely Summer. Summer is usually used when representing 'teenage romances' so this may have been why this was done. Her skin also look bright and flawless with the lighting effects making her look young. Also her hugging and holding hands with the man whilst he's driving shows a sense of being clingy. These factors all add up to represent a teen romance.
When the song speeds up to the chorus it continues with
the stereo typical view of teens. Other friends of the
couple drive past them in cars with there arms out giving
off a party atmosphere. It shows they are carefree which is
what the video is trying to show to the its audience - that
teen romances are spontaneous and carefree. This is also
show in the party scenes of the video.
The forth section of the music video emphasizes how they
are teens. It shows her boyfriend in a gym sports hall whilst
she is standing outside watching from behind her locker.
This shows an innocent side to the narrative showing her
infatuation with the guy. The way she is styled here is also a
lot more reserved compared to the rest of the video
showing they are most likely in a school environment. This
all links in with the video's narrative. I think it is a good use
of narrative as it is not overly strong. It leaves some
imagination to the audience but also amplifies some of
the lyrics.
A scene towards the end that really shows of
the teen influences in this video is the use of
bikes and skateboard's at a party. A group of
people jump around in a car park with the artist
amongst them singing. These objects and the
location would not be used to show an adult
party as they are representations of teenagers.
Lyrics and Visuals
During the first section of the video she plays with her hair whilst smiling to go
with the lyrics "you think I'm pretty, without any makeup on". This shows a
relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is because she is smiling at what
she's saying as if she's being almost being shy about it. Another link between
lyrics and visuals in this section would be the lyrics "lets run away and don't ever
look back". This is linked to them driving away in the car. A main relationship
however would be the line "lets go all the way tonight, no regrets just love" this
section is shown in the hotel room scene and amplified from these lyrics.
Music and Visuals
A part which shows a link between music and visuals is when the song starts
speeding up for the chorus, the man driving the car puts his foot down on the
accelerator almost as if the car is speeding up with the song. During these fast
paced sections of the song the editing is sped up to go with it. This is effective by
keeping the audiences attention and creates a further party feel-good
atmosphere. During the verses of the song however the cut's edited are much
slower than the chorus showing the innocent side of the song too.
Genre
The music video style relating to its pop genre fits in well. Most pop video's show
artists singing and dancing. Some pop videos also use Teenage Love which fit in
with the style of genre. Bright lights and lighting editing is used really well to give
a fresh feel to it which is normally used in pop videos. Way's in which it may not fit
into pop video conventions may be that there is no use of choreographed
dancing. Most of the dancing in the video is people jumping around or dancing
freewill. This style would not fit in with the song however as the main focus is the
artist and her "boyfriend".
Camera Shots and IconographyThe camera angles and shots used in the video as i have already mentioned are mainly
close-ups of the artist. However long shots are used to establish the location of the scene
and also medium close ups of the couple. During the first section of the video the camera
is shaky to go with the scene where they are in the car. This makes the audience feel as if
they are actually in the video themselves. This makes the audience relate to the artist more
by being in her position. Other camera work includes some point of view shots that are
used when she is looking at the guy in the gym. The camera looks like it is peeking around
the corner of the gym door at her. This technique was probably used because she is
peeking secretively around her locker door at the guy in the gym.
There is not much specific star iconography for the artist as of yet. But her hair in this section
shows her typical fringe which she has in her other video's but not shown in this one. The
reason for this is possibly so the audience can see her whole face. This also shows she is
playing a role for the narrative. This maybe also due to her thinking the narrative through as
if she's reliving her 'teenage dream'. The lighting during the video also emphasizes this as it is
bright and quite dream like. Another thing common to this artists style is dancing, she is not
dancing specifically in this video but she is in a party scene which is also common in her
videos.
This is typical to her genre of pop.
"Teenage Dream"
You think I'm prettyWithout any makeup onYou think I'm funnyWhen I tell the punch line wrongI know you get meSo I let my walls come down, down
Before you met meI was alright but thingsWere kinda heavyYou brought me to lifeNow every FebruaryYou'll be my Valentine, Valentine
Let's go all the way tonightNo regrets, just loveWe can dance, until we dieYou and I, will be young forever
My heart stopsWhen you look at meJust one touchNow baby I believeThis is realSo take a chance andDon't ever look back,Don't ever look back
I'm a get your heart racingIn my skin-tight jeansBe your teenage dream tonightLet you put your hands on meIn my skin-tight jeansBe your teenage dream tonight
[Chorus:]YoooouuuYou make me feelLike I'm livin' aTeenage dreamThe way you turn me onI can't sleepLet's run away andDon't ever look back,Don't ever look backNo
My heart stopsWhen you look at meJust one touchNow baby I believeThis is realSo take a chance andDon't ever look back,Don't ever look back
I'm a get your heart racingIn my skin-tight jeansBe your teenage dream tonightLet you put your hands on meIn my skin-tight jeansBe your teenage dream tonight(Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight)
[Chorus:]You make me feelLike I'm livin' aTeenage dreamThe way you turn me onI can't sleepLet's run away andDon't ever look back,Don't ever look back
My heart stopsWhen you look at meJust one touchNow baby I believeThis is realSo take a chance andDon't ever look back,Don't ever look back