3 Music Videos Analysed

1. MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Song I chose was ‘Move On’ from
the Band, The Limitless.
Then I was given a task to
analyse a music video of the
same genre. According to its
mise en scene.

2. LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE, RIHANNA
AND EMINEM
 The music video for ‘Love The Way You Lie’ by Eminem featuring Rihanna
was inspired and based around the line of lyrics, ‘If she ever tries to fucking
leave again, I am a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire,’ shown
through the recurring flaming images and the roaring fire engulfing the
house.

3.  Rihanna is presented to us first which may be representative of how the song relates to her.
For instance in early 2009 she fell victim to an assault from boyfriend Chris Brown, and seeing
as the video is about domestic violence you can feel her really understanding the songs
meaning. The release of the single in August 2010 would have meant that whilst the case was
still in the public and press would react to the song, it had been over a year since the
incident so wouldn’t be so fresh. Both actors, Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan are then
presented next to us in the same frame signifying their equality in the relationship, as we see
Monaghan being violent to her, but Fox doesn’t play the stereotypical naive female but
rather a fiery young girl who is frequently capable of standing up for herself against the man.
However then in a subsequent frame we see Fox, who appears to be holding a flame, which
makes her look as though she is the one in control which is again not stereotypical.

4. The last person/character to then be introduced is Eminem, which seems
strange especially seeing as he is the main singer. He appears in a field, which
I think may be to represent his freedom in the video as opposed to the feeling
of entrapment
in the relationship that is expressed throughout the video.

5.  The theme of being trapped is displayed frequently through the beaming
lights that come in through the windows. It appears as though they are in a
dark place, symbolic of their relationship as well as being literal. This not only
signifies being trapped, but it also may suggest that the visuals are not real
and that the whole concept of the video is a dream. This may be what the
video is meant to portray as at the end the scene goes back to the two of
them in bed asleep as it was at the very beginning of the video.

6.  The video features Megan Fox, who came to the public eye in 2007 in the film,
Transformers, she then starred in the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
which was released in June 2010. After the success of these two films amongst
other appearances, she became a sex symbol to many men, which was
probably a huge factor in her being cast in the video. In addition, she is very
popular amongst young women who aspire to be like her therefore her
following alone would be a huge audience to be targeted let alone both
Eminem’s and Rihanna’s.

7. There are many close ups of both Rihanna and Fox, which I think shows their feminine inferiority
and weakness. The close ups highlight their emotion and display that they are feeling down.
Furthermore, there are only a few close up of Monaghan and only one of Eminem. I think the
lack of close ups for the actor shows that the audience that they should side with the female. It
evokes empathy for her and makes the male out to be the bad guy. I think in many cases this is
to show that it is typically the females that are victim to domestic violence but this is not always
the case therefore I feel that the video may show a biased and sexist opinion. By using only
one close up (that isn’t even that close) of Eminem in the video shows that he is not the
preferred sex in the video. It also emphasises that the video is not about him despite the
controversy and links to his marriage with his ex-wife.

8. 50 CENT IN DA CLUB
 The Costumes used within this video are reflected
by the genre of the song, gangster hiphop. This
genre oof music is full of stereotypes in regards to
costume, and this video adherers to many of these.
Gansgster rap songs and their videos usualy rely on
the principle of being wealthy or powerful and
showing off their dominance to other people,
because of this, many expensive items are used in
the videos and seen on the costumes. Expensive
jewellery and clothing are used to express the
wealth that the artist has. This emulates their
success and shows to the other rappers tthat they
are popular. Basketball tops are also worn because
they are a very STREET item o0f clothing and show
off the pride that the people in the video have for
where they live or grew up.

9.  This music video is very much performance based
one, with no clear story line throughout. This is the
case with most gangster rap songs, as expensive
clothes, jewellery and cars are usually the main
feature, to better or one-up their competetion,. This
video is no exception and the whole video consists of
50 cent in a club with extravagent things and a lot of
women.

10.  There is a wide contrast of colours within this music
video especially between lights and darks. As the
song is called in da Club, naturally we see a lot of
scenes within clubbing environments. The dark room is
juxtaposed by the bright strobe lights and outfits. This
creates a party atmosphere and enhances the title of
the song.

11.  There are many props used in this video that enhance and display stereotypes of the genre as
well as fit the title of the song. For example, there is a lot of excercise equipment shown in the
video with 50 cent using them. As with costume, props are also shown to show status within this
genre,, and so showing 50 cent working out demonstrates that he is fitter and tougher than his
competetion. Although it is considered sexist, many gangster rap videos use attractive women
as PROPS to enhance their image and show off. This video feature many women dressed
provocatively, again highlighting the power and staus that 50 cent has. By being with many
women, he is portraying and intimidating alpha-male role within the video

12. 
“Whats My Name RIHANNA”
The video starts with an establishing shot of a city skyline. The sky is
blue showing us a beautiful day and the time of day the video is set
in. The urban blocks and derelict buildings show the audience a
glimpse into the urban life.

13. Drake plays the main protagonist who looks quite normal. He has stubble and is
not 'blinged-out' like normal rappers are. He is wearing an off-white cardigan with
coloured stripes. The off-white may connote a tainted purity or a bad boy gone
good.
His casual look also associates him with normal men. The setting at the start is in a
corner store (off-licence) which also relates to the target audience as carefree
teenagers and young people.The blurred background shows the focus on Drake
and lets the audience know he's important in the video.

14. When Rihanna, who plays the female protagonist, walks into the store, she is the centre of
attention. Her red hair is a bold statement, which Rihanna is very famous for making and
automatically sets a new trend for her young fans. Her glamour is highlighted in her jewellery and
make up, this makes her seem very desirable in the sense that it draws more attention to her and
through vicarious reinforcement women would want that attention to. The black and white blazer
is a smart way to make her less revealing but also gives her a sassy and elegant edge. The white
and black stripes could connote her personality of being an innocent/pure girl but having a bold,
confident and post-modern attitude.
The light behind her in this shot shown above is bright and white as she walks into the store, it
makes her look romantic and desirable.
Her outfit also is a black top and black and white shorts with multicoloured trim. This also shows
her youthfulness and expressiveness as it seems as if the whole outfit compliments her personality.
Drake spots her at this point in the video and the audience can see this connection. This over-the-
shoulder mid shot shows us what he is seeing and makes the target audience put themselves in
his shoes.

15. Drake, while walking down the aisle to talk to Rihanna is lip-syncing his verse of
the song. This make sit seem like he is talking to and about her trying to 'woo' her
and get her interested in him, like he is in her. The camera follows him straight on
putting the audience right into the action, it looks like he is looking straight at the
audience. The white light is also behind him but it creates a 'female gaze' where
women want to be in the position of Rihanna and men want to be in his position.
In the video Drake seems to get Rihanna straight away. She is by the fridge
getting milk when drake arrives. This mid shot shows how inclined their bodies are
and they then become quite intimate.
During the video, there are flashes of the present and what could be with
Rihanna as his girlfriend. In the future or 'flash forwards', Rihanna and Drake are
couple.

16. He is wearing a grey hoodie, showing the relaxed atmosphere and home they are in, they can be relaxed
around each other. Rihanna is wearing blue, shorts and a bra, with a gown over it. She is also in a relaxed
environment with Drake. The soft focus on her and the haziness that comes through the window,
romanticises the scene, and this is common in many R'n'B videos. The lighting is in complete contrast to the
present and the scene is also in slow motion. This also romanticises the scene, and creates a 'male gaze' for
Rihanna.

17. There are three different parts of Rihanna's performance, this is where she lip-syncs and dances directly in
front of the camera.
The first is this one to the right. She is sitting on a white chair in front of curtains and wearing a light blue and
white patterned dress. The colour connotes purity as well as happiness and contempt. The audience could
also feel like she is not as glamorized with minimal make up and hardly any jewellery; she looks more
'normal' and easier to aspire to here.
The second performance part of the video is when she lip-syncs the chorus in the street and dances in the
street after she walks out of the store. It makes the audience think that she's happy about meeting Drake,
but the visuals don't tie in with the lyrics here. The lyrics of the chorus have sexual connotations but the
performance of it doesn't.

18. The camera follows her as she walks down the street, blurring the background. This makes her
the centre of attention even as she is on a busy street. Also, when the camera follows her from
the back she still is the centre of attention.
There are a lot of close ups in the future scenes and this denotes their intimacy and the soft gaze
and slow motion of the scenes make it look romantic.