Narrative Theory

Todorov's Narrative Theory:

His theory is separated into 5 points which are:

1. Equilibrium (happy/balance)

2. Disruption of equilibrium (something goes wrong)

3. Recognition of this disruption

4. An attempt to repair the equilibrium is made

5. Equilibrium is restored (back to balance) OR a new equilibrium is established (life has changed)

The Katy Perry video is a very good example of Todorov's Narrative Theory. As we can see in the capture above the music video begins in a wedding ceremony which shows the first point of the Equilibrium showing a happy surrounding as the individuals are about to get married. The music video then moves onto the man having second thoughts which are represented visually by the man running away with Katy Perry chasing him. This scene moves then onto a scene which presents Katy Perry along with many other brides who are holding baseball bats which signifies the breakdown after the man running away from the church meaning that the equilibrium is disrupted. The video then moves of the equilibrium topic and shows Katy Perry performing however at the very end we see her approach her groom in a gentle manner as if she was attempting to repair the equilibrium in which she does succeed as in the next scene we come back to the church and both the bride and the groom say "Yes". 

Propp's Narrative Theory:

Propp believes that each different character plays a different narrative role such as:

- Hero - Individual(s) who's quest is to restore the equilibrium

- Villain - Individual(s) who's task is to disrupt the equilibrium

- Donor - Individual(s) who gives the hero(s) something, advice, information or an object

- Princess (Prince) - Individual(s) which need help, protecting and saving

- Helper - Individual(s) who aids the hero(s) with their set task

I have chosen the music video by Enrigue Iglesias - Hero inn order to support the Propp's Narrative. Within the music video we can see elements of the narrative theory by the inclusion of roles such as the: Hero, Villain, Donor, Princess and the Helper. The music video is based around lovers who have been approached by the villain and his companions in order to destroy the equilibrium. There were only three main characters within the video, however some of them have overlapped in order to take on more than one role. For example the hero which targets to restore the equilibrium is also the doner of a necklace to the princess that later on helps him with his task in the form of a helper. The video portrays a contrasts of sensual lovers, harsh villains and the anticipation to succeed in the task which I believe emphasises the power of the hero and the princess within this video.

Levi-Strauss : Binary Oppositions

Levi-Strauss believes that some kind of a conflict has to occur in order to allow the story to move on. He has argued that meaning in narrative is based upon binary oppositions. He observed that all narratives are organised around the conflict between such binary opposites.

- Good vs Evil

A good example of the conflict between good forces and evil forces is the movie "Transformer". The constant fights and elimination which occurs within the movie clearly portray the fight against the evil forces known as 'Decepticons'. Additionally I believe the movie fits into Propps Narrative due to the various roles which are seen within the movie such as the hero, villain, helper etc that construct an effective fight against the evil.

- Human vs Nature

- Black vs White

- Protagonist vs Antagonist

- Humanity vs Technology

- Man vs Woman

In Levi-Strauss: Binary Oppositions I have found that the music video of Beyonce - If I were a boy was a good example of the Man vs Woman opposition. This is because the video portrays a straight forward comparison between the male and the female and their roles. At first we can see that the music video blends the gender roles as we can see Beyonce in a police uniform which is mainly associated with a male job whereas her partner sits behind a desk at work. As a result of this counter type we can see the female character in a more dominant position which can interlink with the title of the music video as this could be what she thinks she would be doing if she was a man. The conflict between the man and the woman turns back to the traditional view at the end of the video, showing the stereotypical gender roles. 

- Human vs Alien

Roland Barthes : Enigma Code

This narrative theory is mainly seen in crime series. It refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.

Throughout the whole video we are being portrayed a very abstract composition of all of the band members representing a different character. The video includes elements of 'future like'  or rather 'space like' powers and locations which do not clearly portray a message to the audience therefore keeping them in anticipation to watch the whole video in order to fully understand the concept. 

Cutting to beat - Task

Above we can see a video which I have constructed. The purpose of constructing the video was to practice cutting the images to the beat of the song as this is what I have found that is used quite often in music videos. This exercise allowed me to experiment with Adobe Premier as I could use various functions such as cutting, importing files and exporting the video. I believe that this exercise was very valuable for me as it broadened my knowledge about the software which I will use for my final music video, making it far less easier to use.

Genre Research & Brainstorm

WHAT IS GENRE?

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The main properties of various music genres which differ them from the rest are their tempo, the instruments used as well as the implementation of the structure and the format in the form of choruses, bridges or verses. Music genre additionally be identified by its representations within the music videos. Each specific music genre tends to have certain representations which are mainly associated within the genre due to the mediated view by which the audience can identify the genre. The specific inclusion of representations within various genres as a result has allowed for stereotypes to be constructed. 

We as a audience need to define the different genres in order to broaden our knowledge on the ongoing creation of various subgenres. By being able to recognise and associate different elements of music videos or songs with a particular genre will allow us to set our interest within music and allow for expression of interests with fellow members of the public such as close friends.

Some of the main genre associations have been portrayed below:

Within the brainstorm above I have portrayed some of the key representations of hip-hop music genre. The representations mainly place the hip-hop genre in a negative light as the associations are mainly unpleasant. The music artists mainly follow aggressive and muscular representations in order to empower their high status and 'manliness'. In terms of the mise-en-scene which is mainly portrayed within hip-hop music videos the artists focus their videos on elements which underline their social status such as the inclusion of gold jewellery, money, expensive cars and well decorated villas. In addition to this, the artists mainly use women as a sexual symbol which has been mainly developed through tv, magazines within the recent years. Concluding, hip hop artists and any individuals which appear in hip hop music videos have a 'irresponsible' image pinned onto the, which is emphasised by the aggressive poses, inclusion of vandalism in the form of graffiti or by wearing baggy clothing. The negative representation of hip hop has been mainly affected by today's media, which I believe has caused the artists to fall into the 'self fulfilling prophacy', therefore they have started to believe and reflect the image they have been set by the media. As a result of this, the audience believes that this is the true representation of hip hop genre.

Todays Pop artist representation can be considered to be a complete contrast to what todays Hip Hop genre represents. The Pop Artists are mainly portrayed as innocent and feminime causing the genre to be more pleasing for the end consumer in comparison to hip hop. The feminime look of the artists has been mainly constructed by the inclusion of stylish clothing such as skinny jeans and tight tops, which can be seen within the most know boy band 'One Direction'. The boy band mainly includes matching clothing and dance routines portraying the whole group as cheerful, connotating positive messages to the audience. 

I have found that the R&B genre which can be represented by artists such as Neyo, mainly focuses around portraying the artists as confident to a point that they reflect their masculinity, however not being over the top such as Hip Hop genre where the artist hyperbolate their 'gangster' look. Within R&B the artists mainly consider wearing loose clothing with a stylish touch such as leather jackets or hats. Furthermore, females which are portrayed within R&B videos tend to wear revealing clothing which portrays their feminine characteristics to the artist and the audience. In comparison to the rest of the genres. R&B is well known for the inclusion back-up dancers where their purpose is to exaggerate the importance of the artist.

Within the last brainstorm we can see the genre associations for Rock and Alternative Rock. I have placed the two genres together due to them portraying interlinking associations as Alternative Rock is a subgenre of Rock. Both genres portray their artists as long haired, tattooed individuals who mainly acquire piercings and black clothing in the form of leather jackets and trousers. The stereotypic association of rock/alternative rock in terms of the artists behaviour is quite unusual in comparison to other genres, due to the artists mainly screaming on stage as well as their ability to break their musical equipment. These factors portray they as quite brutal and confident which has been further enhanced by the inclusion of mainly dark makeup on the artists faces. 

Media Language Analysis | Rihanna - Rude Boy

"Rude Boy" is a song by a Barbadian singer Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album, Rated R. Rude Boy is an up-tempo dancehall song which incorporates elements of ragamuffin. The song received mixed to positive reviews from critics;some called it is the highlight of the album, but other criticized Rihanna's "monotone" and "icy" vocal performance. The music video of this particular song is based around the use of various graphic effects which indeed makes the video stand out against other music videos available on the net. The use of very colorful special effects makes the video intriguing for the audience as well as allowing the artist to show herself in a very unusual way.

Cinematography/Editing/Mise-en-scene

At the very beginning of the music video, we can see Rihanna introduce herself in a very strong manner. A close-up has been used to convey the impact she has on the ground e.g. the floor changing colour when she steps which to us shows her being very dominant. I believe that this has been used deliberately to capture the audiences attention as they have a limited view due to the close-up and the strong message it conveys. By the song fitting into the dancehall category I believe that this strong stump with her foot could link into that music genre, as dancehall is mainly associated with very decisive dancing moves which convey feelings as well as temper of the dancer.

Following the close-up we can see the artist being shown using a multi-image shot on the screen. This is not a common view in music videos, however I believe that by the artist implementing this shot she does underline herself as the artist, but mainly the dancehall genre. This is because in this shot we can see a drum set, whereas drums are essential to dancehall music as they construct the beat. The special effects used in this shot make it quite simple as the main purpose of them is to emphasise the artist, however we can see a squared background being added and a spray like border.

This special effect which has been used in the music video portrays Rihanna twice on the screen which to the audience emphasises her lip-sync as well as her body movement. By this the audience can easily see the artist perform the song which does indeed make the song performance based, however by the clever use of special effect and props its quite concepts based. This concludes onto me believing that the music video is a hybrid. Additionally, a second special effect which has been used in this scene is the placement of "Rude Boy" text in the background behind the artist. This has been placed there deliberately to underline the lyrics of the song as this text appears during the chorus of the song. The same use of special effects can be seen used later on. The mise-on-scene in this shot shows the character wearing quite summer related clothing as she is wearing a vest which does signify the region where the dancehall music comes from. She is also wearing jewellery, large earrings and sunglasses which could also be signifiers of hip hop music, however in this instance they have been used to emphasise the Barbadian temper of the song and the artist.

Here we can see a second use of the special effect in order to emphasise the lyrics of the song. This shot presents a dancer with "Want Want" text on top of him. Again this is a very useful technique as it allows the audience to keep up with the lyrics as well as grabbing their attention as the music video consists of flashing images. I believe that this special effect technique does go against the dancehall genre as I mainly associate dancehall with dancing therefore the song does not need any particular lyrics. In this song the emphasis on the lyrics is not as necessary as it mainly is in dancehall songs.

The mise-en-scene in this shot fully depicts a very exotic surrounding which the music genre originated. As a symbol of this we can see that Rihanna has placed a fake lion which she uses as a prop for her to pose against. Additionally the special effects in this shot cause the surrounding to look very cartoony, representing a very warm country due to the colours used and the rocky sculptures they represent. Rihanna is wearing clothes which do resemble a leopard print. This again represents a hot country as well as making her contrasts with the surrounding and the lion she has on her side.

At around 1:11 into the song we can see a very good example of a fast paced cuts which are there in order to link with the songs lyrics. The lyrics at that time talks directly about the "rude boy", who is then represented using the cuts as they represent quite masculine.In this sense masculinity would convey the rudeness Rihanna is singing about. The use of fast paced shots does indeed make the music video seem faster and snappier. By the artist using fast paced cuts in a section of a video it does make the video go with the genre presented as dancehall music does vary in pace.

This is a very good example of special effects being used in order to construct the video. A ripping paper effect has replaced an ordinary cut, making the video by far more attractive for the audience.

Sound
Throughout the song we can see the artist performing as well as dancing and modelling therefore the sound we hear is very mixed. I believe that the song is a hybrid of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound as partially we can see the artist lip-sync with the song and partially the song presents shots which do not convey any performance from Rihanna's side. By the music video conveying such combination of diegetic and non-diegetic sound I believe that it makes the music video quite intriguing. This is because at times we can see the artist perform and the lyrics on screen due to the special effects which allows us for easy following of the song, however at times where there is no artist or on screen lyrics we have to focus on the song and listen carefully. This way the artist makes sure the audience is kept focused on the song, and additionally is allowed to implement secondary shots which reflect the genre.

Media Language Analysis | Kaiser Chiefs - Coming Home

Camera Movement:

Tracking shot is the main camera movement within the music video. This is very essential as the continuity of movement empathizes the concept of the video which is ‘coming home’ as suggested within the title of the clip. Besides, from that this makes the audience more engaged and focused on the conceptual part of the video. This is partly achieved through the mise-en-scene, particularly props which create precise stories with a strong link to the concept of coming home and various experiences faced on the way. For example; a wide shot representing the main character and few others, drinking from the glasses around the piano. This idea of celebration is quite symbolic due to the props such as alcohol glasses or even colorful balloons. The colour of the balloons can be also quite symbolic as there are contrasting colors. The yellow can be considered as a symbol of happiness, in this case it might symbolise the joy of coming home. In contrast to blue and green tones which could signify negative experiences or emotions as they are considered to be cool colours. This creates an idea around the symbolic concept as the colours and props are used to provoke thoughts about the journey and possible interpretations of the characters the performer meets on his way.

Medium close-up already at the beginning of the clip brings attention to the facial expressions of the character. This brings audience’s thoughtfulness already at the beginning of the video, as the make-up stylisation of a wounded man is quite empathetic building up tension and focus towards the next scenes. This is also empathized due to the white background, as his facial features significantly stand out. The direct eye contact makes the audience even more engaged as they might feel as if the artist was directing the song to them.

A wide shot is used almost throughout the entire music video. At the same time it is combined with the tracking camera movement which is strongly zoomed out allowing to demonstrate the wide frame throughout various parts of the clip. The open fields within the background strongly emphasis the conceptual idea of the character going home, showing that there is nothing around expect emptiness. The pathway in which he is walking on is significantly the focus as this is where the story is told. However, the fields itself could be considered as a link to the artists’ regional identity, as it might potentially suggests the area he is originally from. This can be supported by the fact that he is walking away from the fields. The interpretation of this element can be quite open and analysed in many different ways. The idea of the pathway and journey can be strongly suggested through the performance itself, in which the artist is continuously singing. The combination of the performance and narrative is creating a hybrid, making the music video even more successful as it makes the audience feel more engaged into the conceptual story found within the clip.

Editing Techniques:

The music video doesn’t include any cuts which is quite unusual. This can be considered as challenging the codes and conventions, allowing the video to be even more unique comparing to other clips available on the market. This is significantly effective as it presents the conceptual story of the video in a continuous prose using tracking camera. This allows the clip to be seen as more creative and imaginative. Towards the end the freeze-frame is used creating an appearance of a still image. This is effective as it underlines the fact that the band is reunited. This shows a clear link to the title and the idea of ‘home’ which is often associated with positive relationships with family members and friends but also the idea of being re-united at some point, no matter how far you are from home. Besides, from that the freeze frame is empathizing the ending of the clip, giving the audience an opportunity to reflect on the setting and the conceptual purpose of the video.

Furthermore, the freeze frame at the end of the clip suggests there is a linear narrative of a beginning, middle and end. The freeze frame itself is used to present the ending, however the clip beginning is based around entering into a new world through a door placed in an empty field, whereas the middle of the clip is focused around the journey and the gathered experiences that allow the audience to interpret the story. The linear narrative allows the video to be seen as more reflective and thoughtful as it builds up thoughts and curiosity through the beginning, middle and end.

Mise-En-Scene:

Already at the beginning of the music video a prop is used to set up the scene and engage the audience. The door strongly empathizes the narrative within the clip as it begins to tell a story using fantasy. This is because the prop is set alone within the empty space. This might engage the viewer’s even more as they might be interested in the story he is about to tell. As it’s clearly less realistic it might be seen as more thought-provoking. At the same time the door are used to signify him leaving a particular place and starting his journey back home.

The set of costumes found within the video were very essential to show the conceptual idea. Throughout the path the artist walked next to character’s dressed as hotel workers including a vacuum cleaner as well as a waiter with a phone. This strongly empathizes the idea of the character being away from home as it creates a visualisation of a hotel. Another set of props and costumes is focused around the piano surrounded with balloons and various characters. This again empathized the idea of celebration and happiness suggesting that he is achieving his goal but also empathizing the journeys and people he met on his way. This positive representation is then contrasted with two cowboy characters firing guns against each other. The gun might be considered as a phallic symbol, which is then used to signify danger and aggression. Towards the end of the video two knights are also fighting empathising the negative representation even further. Besides, from that this might create an idea of a war, battle or a conflict. This can be supported through the artist’s costume and stylisation as my first interpretation of the character was that he is a soldier or an army character. This can be seen as impressionistic thought as it’s based on my personal feelings and ideas.

At the end of the video the sunbeds are used to empathize the ending of the journey. This is very effective as it’s supported through a wide shot which demonstrates the entire band facing towards the horizon, creating a peaceful and positive atmosphere. The ending also allows it to bring the entire band together as throughout the music video the main focus was based around the singer. Besides, from that the setting empathizes the view as well as the length of the journey, creating a sense of accomplishment, simply reinforcing the purpose of the journey, which might be based around re-uniting with friends or a family.

Sound:

The non-diegetic sound (the sound track) is used throughout the entire music video .This is successful as the sound has much more advanced quality. The fact that the sound from the environment is not used influenced this as well, allowing the sound to be clear, accurate and expressive reinforcing the genre of the rock music even further. The use of non-diegetic sound influences the visuals as well as it allows to reinforce the visual images within the clip, creating a bigger impact around the audience.

Parallel Sound is used accurately with the speed of the video frame, meaning it reflects the mood of the song. This is very essential within music videos it makes it more engaging for the audience, meaning they want to carry on watching the video clip. Besides, from that it’s important for the parallel sound to be accurate to the genre of music you are trying to promote. In this case the mix of indie rock, power pop, Britpop and post-punk is shown through the energetic movement of the performer as well as the rhythm of the song and expressiveness of the instruments.

At some point in the clip the artist stops miming the track however, the non-diegetic sound of him singing is still on. This doesn’t creates a massive change as throughout most of the video the artist is performing to the music, however it creates tension that something else might happen. This might engage the audience to watch it even further.

Media Language Analysis | Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

The song 'Just the way you are' by Bruno Mars represents pop genre which is portrayed using animation. (Animation is a rapid display of a sequence of images that is used for an effect to create an illusion of movement). The use of this technique allows the video to be more appealing and understanding to the audience as it is portrayed almost like a cartoon way which is often associated with children. This makes the story line of the video be seen as exaggerated but at the same time easy to understand. In this example the animation technique is combined with the performance and narrative, creating a hybrid. This makes the clip even more successful as it makes the audience feel more engaged with what's happening in the video. 

Concept:

The concept of the video is focusing around relationship and love. Within the animation a cassette can be seen as a symbol which portrays the feelings of the artist towards the woman. The use of this prop allows to portray the narrative in an interesting and unique way, allowing the concept to be visually appealing. 

Camera Movement:

Already at the beginning of the video close-up shots are used to introduce the audience to the characters but also to set the scene. This is effective as it brings viewers attention to what is happening within the scene. As the video continues, over the shoulder shot is used to empathize the characters reaction to the taken Walkman. This short episode effectively introduces the audience to the conceptual idea of the clip. This can be seen as a convention which is often used by the artists to set the scene to the audience. It's not specific to any music genres.

The over the shoulder shot is continuously used throughout the video to represent the woman's reaction to the words the artists is performing. After almost each lip-sync the camera is focused on the girl. This is effective as it creates a link between the two characters. Besides, from that it also empathizes the concept of a relationship and feelings as both character's reactions towards each other are portrayed in a continues prose.

One of the main camera shots used within the clip is the point of view that allows the performer to demonstrate his movement. This shot is used throughout the clip to reinforce the use of animation, as the artist is manipulating the tape in order to create the story line. The animation is used to speed up this process. This is effective as the artist is giving a sense of realism to the clip although the set of images is created using editing techniques. The combination of animation and realistic frame can be seen as challenging the codes and conventions of other music magazines as these elements are hardly ever mixed together. At the same time this allows the song to reach greater success because this convention can be seen as a unique point. 

Furthermore, a medium close-up shot is used in order to empathize the artists performance using animation. The cut between the realistic scene and animation allows the audience to see the performer from different angles. The lip-sync is used in both types of shots, however the animation allows the artist to bring more body movement which is successfully reinforced using lip-syncing in a form of a medium shot. The idea of performance within an animation may be considered as again challenging the codes and conventions as we tend to see the artist singing in a realistic setting. Although, this makes it extraordinary as this clip element might be considered as more engaging due to creative visualisation. 

The ending of the clip is demonstrated using medium close-up shot with a side way focus onto the performers facial features. This is effective as the concept of the clip was more reviling at the beginning of the video in order to bring audiences attention whereas towards the end it starts to flow back to the song and the artist itself. The medium close up and the use of depth of field allows to bring awareness to the strong expression of feelings and the exaggeration of body language, which might make the audience more engaged, as the artist seems to be revealing his emotions. 

EDITING TECHNIQUES:

A variety of quick cuts has been used within the video in order to empathize the facial reactions of both characters. This allowed to empathize the symbolic concept of love found within the video as the audience was constantly informed about their reaction caused by one another. Besides, from that I think the quick cuts worked quite well as they made the video seem to be more energetic and powerful due to the continues movement within the frame but also the non-diegetic sound of the song in the background.

Another editing technique used within the music video is the fade towards the end of the clip. The speed of fade is quite slow allowing the audience to casually withdraw from the told story. Besides, from that the use of fade empathizes the change in the speed of vocal from fast to slow. This allows the audience to see this change visually. The use of fade can be seen as a convention used within the music industry, however it is not specific to any genre, although it's an effective way for an ending. 

Mise-en-scene:

The mise-en-scene is used within the clip to bring emphasis to both of the characters using costumes. However, at the same time the casual but stylish look also reinforces the modern pop genre. The woman is wearing quite loose clothing which could be associated with R&B genre, although her body figure and overall appearance suits really well with the image of a pop character. In contrast Bruno Mars is wearing a casual jeans coat and a hat which also gives him a comfortable and informal look. This use of costume links also very well with the concept of the video, which is clearly set at the 'couples' apartment. The relaxed, informal look may be seen as a exaggeration in order to make the clip more appealing for the audience and make the story flow even more.

The cassette is used as a symbolic prop within the video as I have mentioned above. It's aim is to build up representation of love and a relationship. The tape within the cassette is used to create a visualisation for the song lyrics which are focused around these themes. At the same time is demonstrates the artist singing towards the woman again showing him revealing his feelings using the song and the tape to portray what he loves about her. This is then supported using reaction shot or over the shoulder shot which demonstrates the facial response of the woman.

Sound:

Parallel sound was used accurately with the speed of the video frame, meaning it reflected the mood of the song. This was quite essential as the video included a lot of quick cuts which supported the fast pace of the beat, allowing to create fluent and accurate music composition for the pop genre. 

The non-diegetic sound (the sound track) is used throughout the entire music video. This is successful as the sound has much more advanced quality due to the fact that the sound from the surroundings is not included, allowing the soundtrack to be clear, accurate and expressive. At the same time the high accuracy links with the visualisation (animation and the rest of the frame) as the clip portrays images using the lyrics and lip-syncing. This significantly creates a bigger impact upon the audience. 

Lastly, at some points in the clip the performer stops miming the soundtrack, this is then quickly followed by the animation which creates an image of the artist and carries on singing. This is effective as we hear one artist, however visually we are able to see him in two different styles. This can be seen as a convention as in many music videos we tend to see the artists in different situations or stylisations. This is portrayed using cuts from one scene to another. It allows to build up curiosity and allows the audience to make various opinions about the artist as they might suit one of their styles.

Media Language Analysis | Skunk Anansie - Charlie Big Potatoe

The genre of this music video is alternative rock. Alternative rock is a genre of rock music which emerged in 1980s.

This music video is concept and performance based therefore it is again a hybrid. In this video a mix of thematic and symbolic concept has been used as the video is packed with small symbols as well as a theme. The symbols used in the music video are hard to understand as they convey a concept that the artist had however objects like water and bugs could be used to symbolise  the artists concept.

I believe that this music video clearly represents the alternative rock genre by what is visible in the video itself as at the first sight it does really stand out to what is shown by the mainstream music. In the video we have a lot of symbols which do interlink with the concept based idea of the music video. Water, insects or even abstract way the artists sit could symbolise the thought the artist had behind the music video.

The sound in this music video is a mix of both diegetic and non diegetic as we can partially see the whole band perform and partially a concept story being shown. In my opinion having both diegetic and non diegetic sound really helps to get the concept across as the audience is not focused on the artist singing but on what is shown in the video. In terms of the mise-en-scene used in this music video we can see that a very dark theme has been set. The band is wearing black leather clothing which is mainly associated with rock music therefore this clearly presents the genre to us.

Additionally the clothing contained spikes which to the audience signifies the sharp and hardcore tone of the music. To emphasise the dark theme the video uses a lowkey lighting which makes the scene very mystical, allowing for a very effective use of strobe lights which can be seen in the background. In terms of the editing, this music video used a high amount of cuts. The cuts have been done at both fast and slow paces depending on the songs rhythm. By this the song is emphasised as the audience gains tension according not only to what their hear but to what they see. The cinematography used in this video included close ups on the walls and face, trackings shots, medium shots and medium close ups . The close shots such as the close up or medium close up were used either to show the scene or show the artists emotions. By the use of such various cinematography, the artist conveys her performance and the concept behind it very clearly to the audience.

Media Language Analysis | Beyonce - If I Were A Boy

The genre of this music video is R&B. “If I were a boy” is a tragic love song which conveys feelings of sorrow and sadness. This is because by the title of the song we can tell that the artist conveys miserable feelings as she questions herself. Overall the music video portrays two sides to a story; at first we can see the woman being a policewoman and the man being a business man.

Towards the end of the video, a completely different story is portrayed with the characters having their roles being swapped over. This is a very useful technique as by this Beyonce shows us a woman in a male surrounding which is very controversial as we mainly associate a police job with a male. The video is mainly narrative however it includes performance based areas therefore I consider it being a hybrid.

Non diegetic sound has been mainly used throughout the video which as a result caused the audience to focus on the storyline presented via the video. As we can see in the video, both characters have their roles shown by their clothing and location. The woman (Beyonce) is wearing a police uniform whereas her video husband is wearing a rather elegant suit which depicts his high paid job. Later on in the video we can see that Beyonce is in surroundings such as the police car, police station or at a police party which shows us a rather working class environment whereas the man is seen in a nicely designed office while searching for expensive jewellery.

 This shows us a direct comparison of social classes, which I believe links to the conflict the characters have in the music video. By this the two characters differentiate from each other as of their surrounding and their acting.  In the video we can see a wide range of shots being used such as a medium close ups at the very start of the video, medium two shots, tracking shots, low angle shot.

For example a low angle shot has been used deliberately as by this it emphasised the power which the female police character has in order to arrest a man, showing a manly job done by her. In terms of editing this video manly uses cuts which vary with the speed according to the pace of the song. Additionally they use a slow motion being used and a fade away. By the use of slow motion they have underlined the tension seen in the Policewomen job which is done by Beyonce, which as a result empowers her in the music video. On the other hand a fade away has been used in order to take the tension away which gives the audience a very soft feeling after which we can see Beyonce in a completely different character. The use of fade away contrasts with the use of cuts throughout the music video.