Likes - In this video I liked the use of cinematography as the different shots which made it conventional - thus making it a lot easier to watch. It was also edited to the beat very well. The use of different locations also helped create voyeurism. The use of lighting is also very interesting and complimentary and creates verisimilitude within the diegesis. Overall, this video was put together quite well.
Dislike - I didn't like the close ups of Cheryl in provocative poses as I felt that they were irrelevant and primarily aimed at men. Given the genre, this video and style of music is not aimed at me, therefore i would not willingly consume this product.
The second video I watched was Love on Top - Beyonce.
Likes - In this video I liked the colouring as it was all very neutral. I also liked how there were different ethnicities in the video as it promotes equality. We also see a long shot which shows Beyonce in front of the other performers wearing all black and a hat. The performers however, are wearing very casual clothing which makes Beyonce stand out rather than blending in with the rest of them - which helps identify her as the star. The use of mise-en-scene in this sense was good for promoting Beyonce, and suited the genre well. The use of cinematography is also conventional which makes the video easier to watch.
Dislikes - I dislike how you have to wait half way through the video for the location to change as it gets very tedious an boring. If I was watching this video on the television I would not be entertained in the slightest and would feel the need to turn the channel over. If there were different locations early on then it would convince me to stay tuned as it would have more elements of voyeurism to it. I have taken on board the fact that I am not the desired target audience for this genre of music, which is porbably why I disliked it more than I enjoyed it.
The next video I watched was Ella Henderson - Glow.
Likes - In this video I liked the cuts to different locations as it kept me entertained. The fades to black were also edited to the beat and fit the colour of the music video as it is very dark and spooky. The song also has that feel to it. We also see a medium long shot of Ella standing alone in a field singing. She is wearing black which fits in with the rest of the iconography. She is also centre frame. This shot cuts to a close up of her in the same location. The fact that Ella is alone in these shots which have more attention on them than the other shots proves that she is the main person in this video and supports Richard Dyer's star theory.
Dislikes - The first few locations were repeated for almost the entire first minute of the music video which I found to be boring and lost interest quite easily. I can't find many faults with this video as it seems like a lot of thought, planning and effort was put into it. Once again, I am not the intended target audience but I did appreciate this video a lot more than the previous videos as I felt it showcased a lot of talents from the produces and crew rather than just showcasing the star.
I then watched J Lo - If you had my love.
Likes - I enjoyed the different use of shots in the introduction and the lighting as J Lo was in the darkness which made it appear more mysterious and put all of the focus on her, which once again supports Richard Dyer's star theory. The shots were also edited together at a fast pace and cut from location to location which kept me entertained. We then see J Lo centre frame in a medium long shot. She is wearing white and the location is also white which creates voyeurism as it is very aesthetically pleasing. There is also a clear narrative in the video which is apparent from the very start. This video looks like a lot of time and effort was put into it, much more than the previous Beyonce video I analysed.
Dislikes - I didn't like the dance scene as it felt really out of place and I think the video would be much better without it as it made it drag and unenjoyable to watch, however I am not the desired target audience so that may be why I didn't like it.
The final video I watched was Happy - Pharrell.
Likes - I liked the use of locations and different performers in the video as it kept me entertained and made me want to watch more. It was also edited well to the beat. The use of framing is also good as the long shots reveal more interesting parts of the location whereas the close ups of Pharrell inform the audience that he is the main performer - showing Richard Dyer's star theory to be true once again. There are also a few celebrities and familiar faces featured in the video which makes the video consumable to people who aren't fans of Pharrell as they may watch it to see the famous face they like.
Dislikes - It gets very repetitive after a while because everyone is doing the same thing. It is the same thing happening throughout the entire video and I just think it was a very simple idea, which does appeal to some but not to me.
Overview
I selected these videos by watching music channels on the tv and seeing which ones came up on different channels. All of the genres seem to be pop. I noticed that Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory' is very apparent in all of them. The star of the video is always made to stand out more than the other people in the video, who are essentially props. The use of mise-en-scene and cinematography are the main macro elements that make the star stand out, for example the use of close ups and the performer always being centre fram and the mise-en-scene always being more interesting on the star and very plain on the other people in the video. The costumes on the star are also things that people would not wear everyday, whereas the costumes on the other people could quite easily be passed off as everyday outfits. I also noticed that the videos by the most famous stars i.e Pharrell and Beyonce, use more simple narratives as they don't need much to sell themselves as just showing their face is enough - whereas the more unknown acts such as Ella Henderson have much more interesting videos with better thought out narratives as they need help to promote themselves and having a good music video increases the artists' chances in increasing their fanbase.
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