Monday, 1 November 2010

Textual Analysis Music Videos - Rihanna, Rehab

This song is performed by a solo artist instead of a band like the other two videos I have studied, the difference between styles of artists may be reflected in the style of video. The song was written by another famous solo artist, Justin Timberlake inspired by his hurtful relationship. The video is in a cameo style, with the artist and songwriter both appearing as main characters. The reason for this style choice may be because the collaboration of two solo artists intrigues the audience, it could also be because both artists want their contributions shown as they are proud of the outcome. The cameo style of this video is a contrast to the Arctic Monkey’s but similar to the Example video.

The mise-on-scene used in this video contributes to creating an unusual and unique feel to the narrative. The location of the video changes form one extreme to another, the first shot reveals one of the two main locations which is in an enclosed room. This location is normally only shown when focusing on her rather than him, perhaps to represent that she is trapped. The location then changes to a vast open space with no one but the two characters, the use of open space shows the characters isolation and the sunlight provides a good contrast to the other enclosed location.This vast location is juxtaposition to the Example video and the use of daylight is juxtaposition to the Arctic Monkey’s video. However, this video uses large mountains and miles of desert to make the characters seem isolated and insignificant which is similar in comparison to how the director of the Arctic Monkey’s video used the tall buildings to make the drummer seem isolated and vulnerable. The isolation of the two characters in this video shows the connection and focus between them.

Props used within the location are used to help support the narrative, there are no musical props or microphones as the style is not a performance. The first main noticeable props used are the car and motorbike,the two juxtapose each other which may be a reflection of the differences between characters, these props may also be used to show independence from each character. Another prop used is the shower which seems surreal in its placing and use, however the reason for it is to show sexual tension between the characters, this is something that I haven’t seen used in the other two video’s I have studied as their narratives were very different. However, the Arctic Monkeys video does show images of water to represent the emotions of the character as well as building tension which is a similar use of the technique but with different outcomes. The trailer is used as part of a prop in the open location and also becomes a location when the shots change to the second location. The trailer looks quirky which is a theme that runs throughout the video. This excentrique theme is also shown through the use of fake flamingos which have no relation with the narrative and seem bizarre. These quirky props could be for effect or they could be to show that the imagery is part of a dream sequence and is not reflecting reality. The clothing used in the video is sometimes also excentrique but follows modern fashion for the time the video was released. The clothing is changed a lot throughout the video which is a contrast to the other videos I have analysed, the reason for these changes could be to symbolise the change in mood and narrative.

The colour used within the mise-on-scene is very bright and colourful in some clothing and scenes with the open landscape location, however, this location also cuts to black and white which is a huge contrast, the cuts between the two colours often happen whilst the imagery stays the same. This could represent the ups and downs of the relationship and possibly the confusion of feelings. When the imagery is shown in the other location, there is a purple colourwash, these scenes often only show the female character so the colourwash could be to show her emotions and also to distinguish between the two locations.

The narrative of the music video is not obvious because of the surreal imagery used along with different colour effects and probs. The lyrics of the song would suggest that it tells a story of a broken relationship or an obsessive relationship which is reflected in the imagery, however, the video is open to interpretation as this is not an obvious storyline, there could also be confusion as to whether the narrative is part of a dream sequence or reality because of its surreal imagery. This is also the case with the Arctic Monkey’s video but not the Example video. By leaving the narrative open to interpretation, the audience can find it easier to adapt it to something that they can relate to. The song was written by Justin Timberlake who appears in the video and it is likely that the song is based upon his brake up from a relationship with Britney Spears as the connections to rehab would relate to her lifestyle.

There is a wide range of camera work used as there are many quick cuts between shots. There are many low angle shots used when focusing on characters, in particular Rhianna this shows her importance and is also an aesthetically pleasing angle, this shot is also used a lot in the Arctic Monkeys video to show admiration for the character which could be the reason for its use here. The camera work often uses the rule of thirds in the imagery which is a convention often used in music videos. The director uses long shots to show the location or a character in the background, however, the majority of the shots are close ups to show the relationship between the characters and the individual emotions, a few shots cut the image short which looks abstract and unplanned and adds to the quirkiness. This is similar to the Example video which uses many close ups to help create an abstract image. There are a lot of shots that show Rhianna in the foreground with Justin in the background, this could be to show the narrative is coming from her perspective. There is a lot of movement within the camerawork not only through pans, tilts and zooms but also through handheld shots that are not steady, this may be done to reflect the primitive surroundings and is not a technique that has been used in the other videos I have analysed.

At the start of the music video the editing uses fast paced cuts to change between the vast variety of shots, it does this using very few transition shots. These quick cuts between shots could represent the confusion in her thought pattern as she can not gather her thoughts productively due to her emotions, this changes as the music progresses when shots stay on for longer and transitions are used such as slow cross dissolves. The shots are cut in time to the music but do not go off san obvious beat such as the Example video, however, the cuts are still made to the tempo of the song. Another editing effect is on some of the black and white shots, the image is speckled to make it look aged, this could simply be for effect or it could be to reinforce the abstract take on the narrative.

The tempo of the song compliments the narrative as it is fairly slow which allows time to show the characters reflections. At the beginning of the video, there is no music playing and no other sounds at the very start, this shows the isolation of the location which reflects that the narrative is based around them and no one else. The sound of chimes is then introduced which sounds relaxing which is then interrupted with the sound of a motorbike just before the music kicks in. The sound of chimes was also used in the Arctic Monkeys video along with the imagery of water, this created a bizarre image. The Arctic Monkey’s video also did not introduce the song straight away and had distant sounds like this video which was also used to show the isolation of the character.

Overall this video represents a broken relationship that is portrayed through the use of abstract imagery. It conforms to certain conventions such as the cameo style and the use of the rule of thirds but also brakes conventions due to the unclear storyline and strange imagery. The main influences that I will take away from analysing this video when creating my own is the use of colour and the inspirational location. I also like the song as a possible choice for my own video as it is open to interpretation.

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