This document provides an analysis of the music video for Robbie Williams' song "Candy" through the lens of audience theory. It summarizes key scenes from the video and analyzes them using different audience theory frameworks. The opening scene establishes Robbie Williams' mysterious persona and links his pink suit to the song's title. Later scenes show Williams getting injured trying to protect Candy, though she seems unaware or uncaring of his efforts. The final scene portrays Williams' injuries escalating as he tries increasingly reckless stunts to gain Candy's attention, showing he has not fulfilled his basic psychological needs according to Maslow's hierarchy. Overall, the analysis uses audience theories to examine how the video portrays relationships and influences viewer perceptions.

1. Audience Theories + Analysis - Robbie
William’s ‘Candy’ Music Video

2. This is the opening shot of the ‘Candy’ music video. This shot tells the audience a lot about the character
as he is looking away he creates a sense of mystery about himself to make audiences figure out who he
is and about his personality, where he is looking to or who he is looking at. The mystery evaporates
when his name and the song title appear in the background in front of him, so audiences who are
familiar with Robbie Williams will recognise the name. This could also be interpreted to mean the start
of something new. As this is the first song from his new album this first image could be looked upon as
the start of a new journey into the rest of the album, or a change for Robbie Williams. Star image is
therefore represented. A final thing about the opening of the video is you clearly see him dressed in a
pink suit. Pink being the most common colour of candy, this crates a link between the song title and
costumes , that the video is going to be upbeat, colourful and fun. The audience theory here would be
The Power Elite – C Wright Mills (1965) The main function is Identity, because when we first see R.
Williams we only see the back of him and half his back wearing a pink suit, this could show we can
assume any identity we want.

3. This scene confirms that Candice needs a guardian angel/protector as she just about misses getting hit
by a car but the man who does is distracted due to his focus is on admiring her. Showing another link
between lyrics and visuals by ‘she was educated but couldn't count to ten’, she is book smart but lacks
common sense to look where she is going as she is walking in the middle of a road. The establishing
shot is a good way to capture the scene as it encases the surroundings well. It shows Candice turning to
look at the man who got hit by the car, it shows where the car came from and it shows where she is
going. It also gives audiences the idea that the man who got hit by the car also lacked common sense, if
he was crossing the road he was to distracted by Candice to look properly. The audience theory in this
scene is Richard Dyers utopian Theory because in “Real Life” Candice would have got run over as she
was carelessly walking on the road, but in a made up “Utopian” world someone who was admiring her
took the hit for her, as she ignorantly walked off. The man also was in a daze about Candice, he may
have been imagining a life with her or what he could do to talk to her instead of him paying attention to
the road.

4. This shot where Candice is walking on the street without paying any attention to the fact that she might
bump into an elderly couple, so Williams pushes the gentleman out the way and punches his wife to the
ground to make way for Candice which she doesn't’t even say thanks let alone notices. We can see here
that he would literally ‘kill’ for the girl and doesn't’t care about anyone else yet she doesn't’t see him in
the same way or even acknowledges that he feels this way. The audience theory in this scene is The
Hypodermic Needle Theory as this video is “injecting” the fact that whatever you do for someone is
okay even hitting other people and getting run over. It is a false representation of what should happen in
reality. The passive audience would believe what he is doing is good and okay however in reality it is
pointless and he didn’t need to go through all the pain and suffering to get her attention.

5. In this shot we can see from here that he is trying to connect audiences to Candice by pointing at her
and making her feel centre like the of attention, which she isn't bothered about. There is another link
between lyrics and visuals through out this scene, as when Williams stops singing about Candice’s past
the beat then changes and the camera focus’s on Candice and reverts from the establishing shot we see
here to that one, creating a link between the music and visuals as the shots are cut in time to the beat.
Characterisation also occurs when he is singing along with Candice and she doesn't pay him any
attention he begins to ignore her and find other things to do, and when he sings the line ‘what are you
doing it for?’ his facial expression is shown in a close up showing the audience he isn't happy and he is
getting impatient with her. The audience theory in this scene is Uses and Gratifications Theory as he is
drawing the attention of the audience away from his own life and confidently redirecting it towards
Candice who barely notices it.

6. In this shot, Robbie is dreaming about being her guardian angel walking behind her and protecting her. The
establishing shot type is effective at creating a real life situation. The shot is also combined with shots of
Williams on the ground from the other scene showing that he is definitely day dreaming about this. It shows
that he thinks he should be attired more dramatically and portrayed as a knight so that danger will get out
their way so he doesn't have to get injured by anything anymore. The shot is shown throughout the repetition
of the line ‘what are you doing it for’ and often creates a link between music and visuals by the cuts and pace
and types of shots that are used. The most common cut would be at the end of ‘what are you’ the shot type
changes on ‘doing it for’. Many shot types were used such as birds eye view shots of Williams on the ground,
low level close ups of Candice making her seem powerful that she has a knight to protect her, close ups of
Williams on the horse which emphasise the smug look on his face. This show also shows the power balance
has been restored as Williams is bigger than Candice and rides a horse and wears armour to show his authority
and dominance. The audience theory in this scene is Richard Dyre’s Utopian Theory as Williams is dreaming
about his “Utopia” where he is Candice’s Knight and shining armour but then relaises it wont happen he gets
back to reality. This gives the audience the impression that “fairy tales” only occur in movies and no one could
achieve a happy story unless they are dreaming.

7. The scene in which this shot is taken from is the final chorus scene, and again it is filmed in one continuous
shot incorporating lots of different shot types and accidents making the last part of the video that bit more
dramatic.. There is a link between music and visuals as the beat increases in tempo and the song increases in
pace, the action increases in pact too and the accidents become more reckless like he is trying to portray
himself as a more dominant figure such as the self he envisaged while he was daydreaming about what he
wanted to be dressed like. He also becomes more aggressive which develops on the already link between
music and visuals as the beat is increasing in power so does his aggressiveness and behaviour. For example
when he catches fire, its the first time that something that dramatic has happened in the video so far when
he has been protecting Candice from danger. For example a piano has also landed on him, he has smashed
through glass and been hit by a bike. The audience theory in this scene is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs as he
wants to be at the love and belonging level however he is stick at the entry level of “Psychological needs” as
he is in pain from being set on fire and hit by cars, pianos falling on him and even being stabbed. So he
cannot reach the love and belonging level until he fulfills the first two levels. This music video make give the
audience the wrong impression of what needs to prioritise as in this video R Williams is literally dying for her
without looking at his own needs whereas she only cares about hers.