Deconstructing two music videos to identify characteristics of the music video genre.

Daniel Powter - Bad Day

Within deconstructing music videos, there are elements that are essential to the video. These include; narrative, performance, artist in videos, link to lyric, fast editing on beat, miss en scene, a variety of shots and a target audience or brand that the music video is attracted or aimed at. 

As we can see in Daniel Powter- Bad day, the narrative is linked to the lyrics as we can see both characters in the video having a bad day day in, day out. However, throughout the video we see the artist in the video playing his piano and lip syncing at different places without the piano. As the music video begins we see an opening shot of both characters laying in the exact same position, which shows they are alike and are symmetrical and are both about to experience the same things and both have a bad day. As the alarm clocks go off it shows that they are both trapped in their own worlds and are going to have to start facing their daily boring lives. 

  


These two images shows both characters sleeping in the same position, and their alarm clocks going off which shows that they are in sync and are both getting ready to start their day.

This shows the girl getting ready for work. The screen split into three shows that this same life style continues day after day/week after week.

This image shows the man character getting ready for work also. The use three split screens suggest that hes in the same position of the girl and is also doing the same routine day after day/week after week. 

Throughout the rest of the music video, we see both the girl and the boy going through their daily lives, however they always seem to be isolated whenever they are surrounded by people.


The next song I have chosen to deconstruct is Rihanna - 'Shut Up and Drive' 

In Rihanna's 'Shut Up And Drive' we see how Rihanna is portrayed as a sex symbol with the mise en scene. The music video is set in a garage , we then see cars and girls in short skirts/shorts. This instantly suggests that this music video is aimed at men and wants to attract men as stereotypically cars and women are two things that men love. The use of camera angles also show the way Rihanna is being sexually exploited in this music video. We see many low angles of Rihanna bending over in a short skirt, and we also see many close ups of her breasts and bum including her legs in the frame of the shots. The eye connection that Rihanna makes with the men in the music video suggests the sexual tension of the whole music video.

A media theorist Laura Mulvey introduces her theory of 'the male gaze.' This is a theory that women are viewed as objects to men in music videos and films. Her theory also suggests that men see womens breast, hair, legs and bum. In the music video we see a variety of shots which show Rihanna's legs, bum, and breast and also close ups of her bending over. This confirms to the male gaze theory. We then see Rihanna and the other girls in the music video doing men things, e,g, fixing cars and cleaning them, this challenges the theory in my opinion because Laura Mulvey believes that women do not have agency and do not move the plot forward. However Rihanna has shown her feminist views in this music video. Laura Mulvey confirms the theory of the car bonnet in the music video representing malizim as she dances and twirls around it, The leopard print heels that Rihanna wears portrays her character and shows that she is in charge which matches the lyrics 'Shut Up and Drive' This represents that she is boss and is in control, which again shows her feminist views of dominance and power that men have, women also have to.