Thursday 14 June 2012

Analysing a Music Video: Chris Brown With you


Image: Throughout the music video we see the character wearing casual clothing, jeans, t-shirt. The clothes seem to be baggy, and seem to be designer. Later on in the video we see him wearing a distinct T-shirt in which can be bought in the shop Selfridge's this connotes again money and wealth. The positioning of the camera is commonly  in a mid shot of the character. At one point within the music video we are tracking the main character as he dances down a road. This means that the audience will then focus on the character directly and listen to what he is saying and relating this to his dance moves. Cuts are used showing the different situations that the singer is singing about, the cuts portray different relationships and this relates to lyrics of the song. There is also a special effect that is added to present the effect of time going fast. The effect is lights passing the main character as he is placed in the middle of a road. The moving lights presents traffic moving fast, mirroring the pace of time.  

Editing: The pace of the song is again slow and the music video conveys this. As an audience, we really are let into the characters relationship as through his lyrics he is directly speaking to us and also we are presented with other characters relationships. The colour scheme within this music video in contrast to the Usher music video seems to be a lot brighter as the song is more positive. The frames that are presented within the music video really gives a sense of variety to what the artist is singing about. We see different settings of a city, in which I assume is to represent different people around the world. Also at some point within the music video near enough every character is presented through a special effect which makes them out as though they are being recorded (Its as though a photo album of love letters is coming together through all the different images of females and couples together within the music video). Cuts are used, but in contrast again to Usher's climax music video they are slow, this is to convey the calm atmosphere as we really feel a sense of emotion from the artist.

Genre: There are specific elements that are used within the music video that communicate the R&B genre. The singer is of a black ethnicity this is similar to Usher's climax song however within this music video there are characters who are of other ethicalness such as white people are presented. This could connote that the song applies to all types of people with different ethnicities. Within the song that is conveyed either words of wisdom are presented or deep emotional feelings are conveyed. Within this music video in particular the lyrics suggest a love story as the male character reveals his love for his other half hence the title 'with you' . Within R&B music videos, a lot of 'money' seems to be conveyed and this is from the fresh looking lifestyle that is conveyed with this music video, this is not particularly conveyed, with the exception of costume of the male character but, the setting seems to be a city, and his transport is on a public bus. This suggests that this R&B music focuses more on the lyrics rather than the 'bling' part of these particular music videos. The video is stripped down the the characters and there surroundings.

Connotation: The secondary level of communication within this music video is the lyrics. The lyrics describe a story, about how the character is feeling, if it wasn't for the lyrics I don't think as an audience we would understand the moving image on screen, as the focus is on the black male character where he reveals his love. This develops throughout the music video when he witness other characters relationships.

Target audience:  The song is perhaps aimed at Male and Females of all ages as the song mirrors adult relationships and situations however young adults could also relate to the song. The common theme within this music video is about 'love' and the relationships that reflect love. Female's may be most attracted to the song as it is from a males perspective. This is extremely significant as females try to relate the lyrics to themselves as though the Artist is talking to them.

Mode of Address: The audience is directly spoken to through the artist and this is presented through close ups and mid shots throughout the music video and additionally at some point the character even points towards the audience as though he is pointing at yourself.The mood and tone is created throughout the calm sound within the song, but also from the visual image that is presented. The story line will have an impact on the audience as it is a male character revealing how much he loves someone. This is a weakness for females as this shows the male character being caring and affectionate which goes against male stereotypes. 

Narrative: Within this music video Propp's theory does not apply as the music video does not have the typical character functions of a hero, princess or villain.  Todorov's theory however could possibly be applied to this music video as we sense a disruption within the song. We wonder why he is revealing his love, this could be seen as an attempt to fix the disruption we really see the characters facial expression when he witnesses other peoples relationships but at the end when he finally sits on a bench with his head in his hands a mysterious girl sits down next to him and gives him an affectionate hug this suggests  that the problem has been resolved and that the equilibrium in the relationship has been reinstated.

Post Modernism: I do not believe there is any inter-textual reference to anything within the media.
Representation: Within this music video the characters are of all types of ethnicity. This is not so common in the representation of R&B music as the genre itself represents African- American people. Additionally the representation of love relationships is conveyed. Male characters are conveyed as being affectionate, and loving. This goes against the conventions of a male stereotype.

The story of the music video seems to be a male character revealing his love for a female character (although this is not made clear until the end) An enigma is presented through the main character as he witnesses other peoples relationships and observes other peoples feelings. From his reactions that we get to witness first hand makes us want to watch further to understand the narrative more. These specific elements attract target audiences as the song and music video portrays real emotions in which every person goes though this means an audience member can relate to the song and the music video. 
  

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