A2 Media Studies Advanced Portfolio
Ester Dios Vidal
Click ALL the titles in the menu bar.
Analysis of three music videos
Beyoncé- Broken-Hearted Girl
'Broken-Hearted Girl' lyrics are about a woman's fear of the darkside of love. The main character sings about heartbrake, and the possibility of a breakup due to the end of her relationship with an unfaithful lover. She conveys the fear of love and the fear of putting one's heart in the hand of another.
Codes and conventions of R&B/Soul music video can be clearly seen. During most of the videoclip there is a greyscale tone which reflect the narrative. It is shot on the beach to further reinforce the idea of love as it is a calm and solitary place. There are constants flashbacks to when they used to be together and were happy, which are then contrasted with many medium/close up shots which communicate her sadness after being cheated on. Expression is key in Beyoncé's videoclip. Furthermore there are minimal props which once again convey the conventions of this genre in music videos. This videoclip is very simple but at the same time realistic as it is able to transmit what the lyrics convey perfectly through the video. The audience is able to understand her feelings as they get to know the story behind her break-up, and therefore the song has the ability to come across on a more personal level for many people.
Editing and Camera:
​
The shots in 'Broken-Hearted Girl' tend to be mainly medium and close-up shots in order to be able to convey the feelings of the character effectively. Because of this, the audience can understand how she is feeling at all moments and therefore engage more and feel the song in a more personal way. The medium shots let the audience see both the facial expressions and the body language. In terms of the camera movement, it is always very repetitive. The camera is either still or it moves closer to the person, also known as push in. Once again, this helps to draw the audience's attention to the emotion of the character.
​
Most of the transitions used are cuts as it is the most realistic editing technique to use. However, there are also times were one image replaces another image on screen, but briefly the two images remain on screen together at the same time. This is know as dissolve. In some shots she is seen alone whilst in other we can see both the characters together. During the video there are constant transitions as there are many flashbacks of the women and the lover on the beach. This black-and-white memories show their happy moments and once again reflect the theme of the song.
Mise en scene:
(everything in the frame)
Based on the costume we can immediately know that the major theme of the song is about love and heartbreak. Beyoncé wears two different dresses throughout the videoclip, a black one and a green one. In a way, the costume helps portray all the emotions she is feeling. Furthermore we can also know through this that the music video is set in the present.
​
The natural make-up and hair help to convey all what is being told through the music video. It also helps create meaning and communicate the personality of the characters to the audience. For example, in 'Broken-Hearted Girl' she wears her hair loose, letting it blow in the wind. This reflects naturalness and alllows the audience to emphatize more.
​
The use of props in the music video is minimal though extremely significant. At one point, Beyoncé's character appears on the beach in a green dress and holds a rose without its petals, which she later restores. This once again helps the audience understand what the theme of the song is.
​
The positioning withing the frame in the music video helps the audience understand the relationship between the characters. Beyoncé's character dominates the frame during most of the video, as the song reflects her emotional situation. She talks about how her lover has broken her heart, nut despite this she chooses to be with him. Due to this, she constantly dominates the frame and the lover appears only at times.
​
During most of the video clip, there is no lighting as there is a greyscale tone. A visual mood of sadness is created which reflects the theme of heart-break. However, towards the end of the music video there is a part where there is source lighting as well as back lighting. This contrasts with the rest and moreover reflects how she gains confidence and decides to fight for her love despite the adversities.
​
​
Tom Odell- Another Love
‘Another Love’ lyrics are about a man who is in a relationship but can't manage to stop thinking about how he was broken-hearted in his previous relationship. “On another love, another love All my tears have been used up…'' represents the pain he is going through as he can’t manage to love her because of what he has already gone through in the past. The music video shows how he is going from one failed relationship to another. Once again, love is the main theme of the song.
Codes and conventions of chamber pop and R&B/ soul music can be seen and heard. The instruments heard during the song are organ, piano, vocal and guitar. These are all commonly heard in songs with these genres. The idea that when the narrative is about love, the artist tends to be solitary in a bedroom or in calm places that do not involve many people around and the amount of objects in the setting is minimal, is clearly reflected in the music video of ‘Another Love’. The audience can maybe even be able to relate to such a situation. The camera work is very repetitive and it tends to show mainly half of the body of the main character, in order to see his face clearly and understand the emotions he wants to convey. The lighting is natural and tends to be profile lighting although there is also a very grey colour palette. The way most R&B/Soul music videos are edited is in a way it can create a reality between the audience and the artist. To create a sense of reality, the artist has become involved in the narrative.
Mise en scene:
(everything in the frame)
By looking at the costume we can immediately understand many things about the narrative of the song. Tom Odell wears very simple clothes that do not stand out in any form. He has the same basic black jumper with black trousers during the whole videoclip. In a way this could communicate to the audience many things such as the theme of the song as well as his mood. However, the female is wearing many different outfits during the song with the aim of attracting his couple’s attention.
During the whole videoclip, the main character of Tom Odell is sitting in an armchair directly in front of the camera, meanwhile the woman can be seen moving around. This helps the audience understand what the character is going through as he can’t manage to feel the love she does for him.
The use of props in the music video have been used with a specific intention. The mirror seen during the whole video clip does not move at any moment like other props such as the shelf. It enables the audience to see different perspectives while the artist is singing, and furthermore understand and engage with the narrative. Another clearly used prop is the vase of flowers. They appear as well from the beginning to the end however, at the beginning they have colour and are in perfect condition while at the end they are faded and give a dead appearance. In a way it reflects the pain of the character.
The decor adds to the mood of the song and the story told. It changes slightly during the music video, until the end where the setting is destroyed by the woman suggesting that she is upset with the artist. It helps the audience assume that they are both heart broken.
The lighting and colours in the music video communicate a lot about the mood and tone. The lighting varies from no light at the beginning to then profile lighting during most of the song. The use of this lighting shows half of the artist's face lit while the other half is in shadow, making you focus more on the artist. In a way, all the audience's attention is drawn towards him as the lighting is used while he stares directly at the camera. Again, the lighting then fades to darkness, although not completely, towards the end of the music video. This helps reflect his plain, unfeeling emotion towards the woman.
Editing and Camera:
​
Throughout the video there are not many editing techniques used. There are no clear transitions nor cuts as there is only one long shot. However, there is a use of fade in and out of both the characters and props, which help represent the idea their relationship is deteriorating. Aswell, the fading editing technique can help change the audience's attention to not always be on the artist and more on the secondary character and what she is doing.
In terms of the camera movement in the video, a pattern can be clearly seen. This music video features a remarkably static camera position and primarily POV shots, cutaways, and tracking shots. The most noticeable camera movements are the constant zooming in and out towards or away from Tom Odell’s face. This is why there are variations in the camera shots such as medium shots, two shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups. The use of a close-up both at the beginning and the end of the music video loops the story together. This allows the audience to get in touch with the artist's emotions. Also, at one point of the music video the shot continues to distance itself from the characters while seeing the woman leaving the frame, but she can still be seen reflected in the mirror. This is very interesting because it allows viewers to see the event from a different angle.
Birdy- People Help the People
‘People Help the People’ is an R&B/Soul song which lyrics talk about how people become greedy, spoiled, and think with their heads instead of their hearts. About how not everyone is cold hearted, but some people are, and they are hurting others. The message in the song is trying to show how we should be helping others and not take things for granted. How there are very few good hearted people left. Some are giving love but not getting anything in return.
The whole music video is shot in black and white in order to add more meaning to the narrative. To create a sense of reality, the artist, Birdy, has become involved in the song. She wears a very casual outfit in order to make it more realistic. There are numerous shots of many people that surround her as she is transmitting a powerful message about people through the lyrics of the song and the video clip, making it more emotional and serious since it is in black and white. Shots are of a long and slow duration as it matches the tempo of the song. However, the camerawork tends to change because there are many shots as there are many different people who appear. As it is a calm and slow song, she primarily used the piano and string instruments, along with the slight use of drums.
Mise en Scene:
(everything in the frame)
The tone created in the song ‘People Help the People’ can be both sad and reflective. In this case the costume tells us that the video is set in the present tense and little more. It is true that the fact Birdy wears a casual everyday outfit reflects the naturalness of the situation and that the video has a very important meaning.
Position within the frame can help the audience understand significance or relationship between people and things. In many shots, she dominates the frame while in others there are many other secondary people seen. We can see the girl walking down the street while singing and the people that surround her as well as their actions and what each of them are doing.
There is no specific use of props, but it is true that the audience can see each person doing many different things such as reading, riding a bike and more everyday activities. These help communicate the intended message and reflect the society we live in.
During the music video there is no lighting as it is entirely filmed in black and white, however the audience can still know it is in the daylight due to the numerous people walking in the streets shown. The same happens with the colours. Even Though there are no colours shown except from black and white, the mood and tone is perceived and understood through other ways.
Editing and Camera:
​
Most of the transitions during the video are cuts. This a clean change between one shot and another and it adds a sense of realism. It is mainly an eye-line match as we see the character looking in a particular direction at something or someone and then the next shot is of the thing she is looking at from her point of view. Through this, the message in the song about how we should be helping others and not take things for granted is reflected. Aswell, all shots are continuity edited to, once again, add a sense of realistic.
​
The predominant camera shots are medium shots, when they are showing the many secondary characters in the street, or close-up shots when Birdy is singing. Shots of many different people appear to portray that out of all of us in the world, there are only a few good-hearted people. Through this, she tells us how the world is morally incorrect as we should “Stop looking at people for their appearance, instead look at their heart”. The camera movement in the music video varies, there are either panning shots, where the camera moves from one side to another in order to focus on different people around the main character, tracking shots or even the camera is still. The different camera movements help the audience see all what is happening around her in order to understand the message better.
Levi Strauss theory - Binary Opposite Theory
This theory talks about how most of the narratives in media forms such as music videos contain opposing main characters. This is the case in two out of these three music videos. In ‘Another Love’ and ‘Broken-Hearted Girl’ the only two characters which appear are both a male and a female. Levi Strauss believes that in media products binary opposites are often created by producers specifically because it creates conflict, drama and it makes thing more entertaining. In these cases, the appearance of a male and female character communicate meaning and engages the audience more. In a way, it reflects the theme of the song, love. In the two music videos, the audience wants to know during the whole song what will happen to the couples and what are their stories. In a way, these binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative as well as introduce contrast.
