Music Video Analysis- SULE

Ja Rule- Always On Time ft Ashanti
The video start off with Ja Rule in bed with 2 ladies and the camera starts off in a long shot and then zooms into him to highlight that he is the star. There's alot of different shots of Ja Rule in the bathroom where we can see his body from all angles which shows off his masculinity and tattoos, this is aimed at the female target audience. 

We see the two females he woke up with making him breakfast which shows that they are inferior to him and are at his service. They do everything for him yet he doesn't seem to appreciate them and walks out. 

We see Ja Rule in varies different locations which reflect his busy life unlike the females that were left in a domestic setting. The lighting and setting is dark in his scenes which yet again reflect's on the male ideology of being masculine and that there is an element of danger to him, which in this video may be because he is a player. 

The scenes of Ashanti she is in a well lit location to show her importance and she is wearing provocative clothing which highlights her cleavage and we see her through the male gaze. Her purpose in the video seems to be standing there and looking pretty. 

Even though Ja Rule gets with alot of girls it is evident that he likes one girl in particular but still doesn't see the need to just stick with her and does however he pleases.

 In the scenes that Ashanti and Ja Rule are together she is wearing just a bikini top but seems to be acting in a more masculine manner which is evident in her movement and the dark item of clothing she wears. This shows the can be pretty for her man but also be like 'one of his boys' for him which is the ideal woman for this videos and artists target audience, even though it is aimed at a young target audience the females in it are older than them this is because the target audience will aspire to be like them in the future. 

The only place that Ja Rule is well lit and highlighted is when he is given a private concert to a bunch of females whom all lust for him, this is in order to emphasize his importance which is also evident in the low angle shot of him where he looks powerful and he audience just like the girls in the video are looking up to him.

Conventions;
lack of/explicit clothing, clear distinctions of the male and female roles, females more bright lighting whereas males more dark/dull.

What we will use;
Camera angles such as close-ups to exaggrates the facial expressions. The dull lighting to show aspect of danger.

Rihanna- Hate That I Love You ft Neyo

According to Goodwin this is a illustrative video where the video has literal meaning to the song lyrics. The video has a 30second opening scene which helps build up the narrative. There is diegetic sound of wind and birds to set up the location. We then see the male protagonist and the artist Neyo in a close-up shot where half of his face is visible but we are able to identify him, it makes him look mysterious.

 The female protagonist in this is Rihanna, she is wearing provocative clothing but seems appropriate due to her location, which seems private and makes the viewers feel as if they are getting to know her up close and personal. There is a close-up on her jewelry which shows she's well off and lives in luxury. The non-diegetic sound starts at 00:31 at which point we see Rihanna looking at the phone as if she is waiting for a call.

 This is a performance based video where the artist sings directly to the camera but it also has a narrative embedded in it. There is a direct relationship between the lyrics and visuals, for example, on the word 'smile' we can see Rihannas' facial expression mimicking the word. We watch Rihanna through the male gaze, she is on her bed posing in a sexual manner which could be interpreted to her lust for the man she is singing about, which in this case is Neyo. 

For Neyo there is mostly close-up shots whereas Rihanna we can see her full frame rather than just her face which emphasizes her sex appeal which is also evident in most of her videos, this is a image created for her by her record label. This also fits in with the RnB stereotype where females are mostly in minimal clothing and are sen through the male gaze.

Camera time is mostly occupied by Rihanna even when Neyo is singing. Both the artists facial expressions match the tone of the music and the lyrics, you can see the longing they have for the person they are singing to. Near the end of the song and video the two artists come together at 3:31 at which diegetic sound can be heard and the song is paused for a more dramatic effect. 

From an over the shoulder shot we can see how startled Neyo looks when he see's Rihanna which builds tension then they smile at eachother which confirms that they are indeed singing about eachother. However, a twist to this love songs comes at the end where both of the characters reunite with their current partners which makes their love come across as forbidden. This is a theme that is played out on many other artists videos, the concept of forbidden love. For example, Kelly Roland and Nelly. There are alot of cut editing in this video to show shots of the locations and shot reverse shots to show both artists. There is also parallel editing which shows two event, or two peoples lives going on at the same time.

Conventions;
Lack of/explicit clothing, more camera time for the female, zooming in on items they own to show wealth, facial expressions match the lyrics and music tone.

What we will use;
In our song the non-diegetic sound comes in at 00:30 seconds just like this video therefore we will have 30seconds to build up a narrative. Our one will be of the artists memories rather than the actual locations.

Beyonce- Best Thing I Never Had

This video is an illustrative according to Goodwins theory. The video starts off in the bedroom which makes the audience feel as if they're getting insight into the artists life, they use voyeuristic technique. The background is all white and she is wearing provocative clothing but she doesn't make it look tacky but rather classy. The white reflects the on the wedding theme of the video and the colour white symbolizes pureness and makes Beyonce look angelic.

We see alot of cut edits where the camera shot is a close-up to her face which makes the audience feel closer to her. We see alot of medium shots in the beginning which shows off the minimal see-through clothing she has on and exaggerates on her figure which she is famous for. This inspires her dans and shows that she is comfortable in her own skin.

The whole video seems ironic because the audience if they had not seen the tittle of the song would suspects that this would be a happy video as wedding symbolizes the happiest day of a girls life but small gestures such as her throwing the rose on the floor suggests otherwise.

The frequent close-ups show her natural beauty and reflects her confidence in herself. There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Beyonce is literally singing words while she does the action for it, for example, the word 'dodging.' This makes the audience feel like she is singing directly to us and is informing us about her life as she trusts her fans, through the video she builds a rapport.

A low angle shot of her in a wedding dress suggests that she feels superior and is over the guy she is singing about and shows that she is in power. This makes her a good role model and embarks on her already gained image of her independent woman. The background is of a bright sky which symbolizes innocence, peacefulness and makes her look angelic.

The video then goes to a flashback of her and the guy she is singing about, the footage quality is not as good as rest of the video which contrasts with the main setting of the video which is vibrant and white. This setting consists of dark colours which symbolizes the unhappy memories and reflects her feelings towards him, which is a contrast to the current time where she seems happy. Th clothing worn by both of the characters and the date displayed on the flashback video shows that the footage is old and that they were young.

The setting throughout of the video is very fictional and like a fairy-tale, which is iconic for Beyonces young fan base as they aspire to be like her and would like to look like a princess on their wedding day. The camera movement near the end of the video becomes careless and looks as if a guest has recorded it which makes the audience feel as if they are also there.

 This video emphasizes female power and independence.

Conventions of this video;
Lack of/ explicit clothing, emotion and tone conveyed in the stars facial expression.

What we will use;
We are going to use the bedroom as a location which will help the audience feel more involved and intimate with the star. Another aspect we want to use is the flashback that Beyonce includes however we want to show the memory as happy rather than a negative manner that this video has used and the rest of the video more eery and dark to reflect on the lyrics.