Analysis of two music videos

Analysis of a music video

I will be analysing Robin Thicke “the sweetest love” and Justin Timbaland Featuring Timbaland - Sexy Back. I will be looking at the way both artists use camera angles, mise-en-scene and editing to represent of a male artist.
The Sweetest Love begins with a performance shot of Robin playing the piano. The shot is done in a long shot that also establishes that he is in a black studio so the audiences’ main attention is place on the only object in the room which is the piano. Later it cuts to a narrative shot. This theme of the narrative in this song is love in two characters relationship. In this shot the women is asleep and the man’s is caressing her body. This suggests that these two characters have an intimate relationship. This is also suggested by the lack of clothes that the women has on while she is sleeping. This video is done in black and white so colour is nonexistent. The lack of colour is used to make it clear to the audience the difference between the performance shots and the narrative shots because all the performing shot are done in a black back group while or the narrative shots are done in a white back ground.
Sexy Back start off with an establishing shot in an old European country. The opening show shows a tram going up the hill. In cut too two different medium shots. One is with a male sitting on a bed thinking, we know this because of his tense body language and another one with a female in a bedroom identical to his with her taking off her shirt to revel a hidden pistol. Nothing has been visual clear so far in the video, this makes the audiences confused about what is going on but also make them intrigued so they continue to watch. All the characters are wearing suits. Suits have a connotation of power and high status. The hidden pistol make the audiences tell the audiences that everything isn’t as it seems. Because the pistol was hidden it makes us believe there is more to the situation then we know. The pistol has its own connation of death, protection and murder. This video has a stronger narrative compared to “The Sweetest Love”. Instead of giving us the feeling that we are watching the video as a music video it give the audience a feeling as they are watching a film. The main theme of this song mirror themes that can be seen in theme in movie such as deception. This video concentrates more on the narrative plot and lacks a main focus in performances shot. This in its self questions the typical stereotype associated with music videos and makes it different compared to others.
In Robin Thicke video editing is quite simple in the scene the only editing they use is cutting and fading. This makes the transition between shots look effortless. This also serves the purpose of manipulating the audience’s attention meaning that the audiences will look at the camera is focused on. Editing was mainly used for the female character to express how she was feeling. She does this in close up shot showing her smiling with a lightly make up face.
In sexy Back editing is used more frequently and has a stringer effect. Unlike The Sweetest Love editing has a far greater effect on the audiences. There is currently two plot taking place but we don’t know which on took place first and because of this it is hard to identity if the video is taking place in chronological order or if the begging is actually the end. While Justin is in the club the camera view of his is from a low angle. This give Justine status and set the main focus on him as the main character. We see Justine trying to pursue the women without being noticed. This follows the theme of deception and secrecy. Justine is trying to get this girl but in the second narrative he just cant do it as she always gets away. The first narrative on the other hand just does manage to get the girl but he has to do it with force. We know that their relationship isn’t typical as he doesn’t get her by going to conventional way by using a door he jumps from his balcony to hers. Her responses show that he was an unwanted guest and she forcefully pushes him away but instead of trying to defend her self she start to kiss him passionately. This is done in a passion way by the women undress Justine know all the glass to floor that was previously place on the table.
The theme of deception is exploded in the video between what the two characters do when they are not together. Both have spy equipment so we don know if they are both pspay or if one is apolice. Their isn’t a clear justapsition so we cant actually make any assumptions. In the hall way their is a man with a dog that tracking the sent of Justine. This is why he leaves his bedroom to got to the another bedroom. a tape and glass is placed on the door so Justine would know if anybody came into his bedroom. the importants of this situation is emphasized by the camera showing this shot in a close up of the handle of the door after the tape is placed. The mis en scene of the performing shot takes placed in a white room. Instead of looking like a real performance shot it mirror a narrative shot in a movie. Editing is used to cut back to the performing shot and make it seem like he is telling the story.
the sound of JT sound is very future realistic and this explored in the video. The club seen isn’t something hat you would expect to see in a club scene video shoot. The lighting is different in the scene as it isn’t your conventional lighting and sexuality isn’t seen as a taboo as the camera shot two female crossing each other body in asexual manor. The television in the hotel room is old so this suggests that this is set in a distant future. The themes of deception and secrecy are back up by the prompts that we see. For example both main characters have spy equipment so they are trying to find out information on each other.
The sound of Robin Thicke is very clam and relaxing. The video has a theme of modernity and this can been seen in the piano. the piano isn’t your classical piano and unlike you classical piano you can see how everything is functioning. This has a hidden connotation that something that looks so it simple has deeper meaning. The relationship between the two character could be viewed as modern since they are in a inter racial relationship. The mise- en-scene reflects this as well because the house only has the necessary thing in it and that a bed and a phone. In the narrative shot the women were a little black dress stood out to me. It showed her in a feminine way looking appealing to the male gaze.