Task 3 – Music Video Case Study

My chosen Artist: Ariana Grande

Positions Music Video:

The genre for this music video is contemporary R&B. The main conventions for
this for women are sexual, minimum clothing and breaking stereotypes. Ariana
covers both of these in this music video.

In this screenshot we can see that Ariana is sat

in the president's office. She is putting herself in the position of the president,
ultimately breaking the stereotype of that being a powerful male role, and saying
it could be a women's job too. She is showing that women can also be powerful
which is a strong theme in some of her other music videos, for example: God Is A
Women.

In this screenshot we see her wearing more

minimal clothing to sexualise herself, fitting in with the more traditional R&B
genre conventions. In this scene she is showing herself off while also cooking.
Women cooking is a very stereotypical thing, so this contrasts with the other
scenes in this video.
With the conventions, Ariana mixes both the modern and the original ones in this
music video to ultimately show that women can be and do both.
 This is a low angle shot. By showing
Ariana from below, it emphasises her importance and the role that she is playing
in this video.

This is a medium shot that is used often

throughout the video. It is used to put the focus on Ariana but also the location. In
this screenshot we have Ariana as the main focus, but we also have the
Whitehouse type location, clearly in the background.

With the editing, each clip has been put to a beat in the song. This is to further
connect the video to the audio and to make the video easy to watch. This video
also includes inventive transitions. During the chorus, the whole scene rotates to
the side in a 3D way, and switches into the next scene. This is an original
transition, making the video even more unique.
 The music video also contains a few
cutaway shots. This is where a shot is added in that takes you away from the main
parts for a couple of seconds. It helps to add small bits of visual information to
rest of the video.

Throughout the whole music video there are clear references to the
Whitehouse/presidency. In the first screenshot we see a recreation of the cabinet
room, and in the second screenshot we see the Whitehouse. Another room they
recreate in this video is the oval office.
Thank U, Next music video:

The genre for this music video is pop. The main conventions for this is bright
colours, lots of make-up and use of close-up camera shots. All of this is covered in
this music video.

In this screenshot you can see that Ariana is

wearing make-up. In pop music videos this is the most common feature,
especially with females. It is done to make the artist look as flawless as possible.
This screenshot is also a close-up shot. This type of shot is used a lot throughout
this music video to focus all the attention on just the artist.

Bright colours is a key part to most pop music

videos. This video includes a lot of these bright colours as seen in the screenshot
on the left.

The video also includes a lot of medium shots.

It is used to show off and focus on the artist while also showing the background to
set the scene.
The whole video is filmed at eye level. This is the most common camera angle,
and it shows how we would see things if we were there and looking at it.

This music video contains referencing, intertextuality, pastiche and homage to

four different classic chick flick movies. These are Mean Girls, Bring It On, 13
Going On 30 and Legally Blonde.  Ariana shows her love for these movies by
recreating scenes from each one throughout the whole video. She even goes as
far as recreating the outfits in the movies in her own style.
Mean girls:

Ariana recreates the famous ‘Burn Book’ from mean girls, hers being the ‘Thank
U, Next book’. She also recreates scenes of the ‘mean girls’ walking down the
school corridor and their jingle bell rock dance.
Bring It On:

Here we can see she has recreated this cassette from the movie. She also
recreates the cheer-off scene, tooth-brushing scene, and mixtape dancing scene.
13 Going On 30:

Ariana recreates the dollhouse scene from this movie. She doesn’t just do this
visually she also does it emotionally as well by copying some of the emotions
shown in the movie scene.
Legally Blonde:

Ariana recreates the lounge on campus scene from this movie. She also recreates
the arriving at Harvard scene and the bend and snap salon scene. For this part of
the music video she even goes as far as recreating the outfits for her dog as well
as herself.

Right There ft Big Sean Music video:

The genre for this music video is pop. A lot of pop music videos are colourful and
contain some type of party scene. This music video contains both of these
conventions.
 In this screenshot you can clearly see the
party that is happening in the music video. The party is a masquerade party but
getting screenshot to show this clearly, is difficult. This also shows the use of
bright colours, both of these appear throughout the whole video.

This music video uses cutaways. These

types of shots take you away from the main part of the video to add extra parts
that help to set the scene which in this video is a masquerade party.

The video also uses a lot of close-up shots

throughout. This is to keep the attention and focus on the artist and really helps
to show her off.
 This screenshot shows an eye level shot. This
is so we can view things as we would in the real world ultimately meaning it is
easier to watch the video as we see it in a natural way.

This music video contains some intertextuality and referencing. This is to do with
Romeo and Juliet. Ariana recreates the famous balcony scene and states at the
start of the video that she is playing the role of Juliet and the male in the video is
playing the role of Romeo.
Popular Song Music Video:

The genre for this music video is pop. The only pop convention this video uses is a
lot of closeup camera shots. This is to emphasise the performers reactions and to
make the artist the main focus of the video.

This music video has been created in a goth style. The story line ends up being
quite dark and involves murder. The theming in their dining room is very gothic, it
is dimly lit with black candle chandeliers and other gothic décor. The clothing on
all the performers is in monochrome along with the scenery too. There is some
colour in the video, but it is very minimal.
The music video is a narrative. It is the story of two siblings in high school being
picked on by other, more popular people, this is shown throughout the course of
the video. We also see the siblings creating some kind of potion at their home. At
the end we see them hosting a dinner party, their guests drink the potions and
turn to stone before the siblings smash them to pieces. There is also a small twist
at the end where we see Ariana turning her sibling in the video to stone over
something he did when they were younger. This is a clear storyline that it easy to
follow for the whole video.

This is a screenshot of an over the shoulder

shot used in the music video. It is used to focus in on the artist and the emotions
they are showing in this scene.

God Is A Women Music Video:

The genre for this music video is pop. The main pop conventions used in the video
are close-up camera shots and the use of bright colours.

Here is a screenshot of an example of

a close-up shot in the video. It is used to keep the focus purely on the artist.
 Here is an example of where bright colours
are used in the video. This is the most common thing done in pop music videos.

There is a few pieces of intertextuality and pastiche in this video. Ariana recrates
the, “The Creation of Adam” painting and the “thinking man” statue which she
changes to the “thinking women”.

The video includes a lot of animation throughout. Some example of these are:

In the first screenshot there are animals moving around behind her. And In the
second screenshot all the flowers and plants start to grow as she walks past them.
 Here is a screenshot of a birds eye view being
used. This was done to allow us to see the whole area around the artist while also
still making the artist a main part of the shot by placing them in the middle.

This is an example of where a full shot has been

used. This is done to emphasise the feeling of strength and power that they are
trying to get across through the video.

Green screening is used along with other special effects to produce the creative
and unique visuals that we see in the video. Here are some examples.