In this video you can see that some shots are framed inappropriately. you can see this when there were close ups of Rihanna's lips as well as her hands and arms. This video use slow pace and gentle transitions which sets the mood (which is quite eerie). Furthermore the video is in black and white which also adds to the atmosphere. Also in this video clip there are fragmented shots which makes the music video seem sexual in a way. It makes the audience "fill in the gaps" when some pats are not shown in the video.
This video has a lot of narrative and there are a lot of different shots that convey meaning.
Narrative
The beginning of the music video straight away tells you what the plot of the music video is about when it says "The worst thing about crossing a line," and then "is when you don't know, you already have". This text shown immediately indicates to the audience that the main character is going to cross the line and when linking it with the title of the video you can work out that he crosses the line due to love. A man is then seen telling Drake (main character and artist) in a long panning shot that he's going to get himself into trouble and mentions a name, then it cuts to extreme close-up of a mans eyes, this indicates to the audience he's a dangerous guy. It also creates enigma because we know that there is going to be trouble between this man and Drake but don't know what is going to happen exactly. Throughout the music video we see shots of a beautiful girl in a bikini on the beach (sexualisation of women, common in the genre of R&B). This implicitly tells the audience that this is the girl the two men are fighting over.
A range of shots in a club showed that the girl is the girlfriend of the gangsta (Movado), but then she ends up dancing with Drake, unfortunately they were seen which is a narrative cue that possibly leads to Drake's death. Towards the end of the music video we then see Drake going to see the girl but the gate is locked, Movado and his 'thugs' are then seen coming up behind him. This indicates the possible climax of the music video. At the very end of the video we get a close-up of drake handcuffed to a chair with Movado sat opposite holding a bullet, it then cuts to the same extreme close-up of his eyes we saw at the beginning of the music video which confirms who the man at the beginning was telling Drake about. The girl is then seen holding a gun and walks up behind Drake, the enigma of what happened to Drake in the end is still there because you don't actually see him get shot you just hear the bullets as the title is shown on screen so the audience is left wondering if the girl did betray Drake and shoot him or if she shot Movado to rescue Drake. There is no clear resolution at the end of the music video.
Editing
The editing in this music video is done to the beat at some points, which makes is visually attractive. For example at 1.25 it cuts to the lyrics 'hey hey hey'. Also at 3.52 the shots cut to the sound of the piano. Near the end of the music video, it is obvious that the shots have been cut to the beat of the song. The is a convention that has been used in the R&B genre to make the music video look interesting.
Camera Movement & Framing
There are many close ups and mid shots being used on Drake to show how he feels and where he is looking (mostly to the girl in the club). There are also mid shots and close ups of the girl, creating a sense of voyeurism. In the intimate scenes there a wide, mid shots and hand held movement being used to show the girls body as well as Drake. This makes the audience members feel like there are intruding in these private moments. Additionally, there are close ups being used on Movado with his hair covering his face. This is to make him look intimidating to audience member and show how dangerous he actually is.
Diegesis
A clue was given at the start of the music video when Drake talks about the girl he wants. This sets the scene for the audience members and gives a sense of direction in the music video. Furthermore, when Movado is talking in the music video tells the audience members how much trouble Drake will be in and makes him seem dangerous too. The diegesis takes over at the start and end of the music video from the conversations Drake Movado have with other people. This music video almost feels like a movie as the length of it is quite long. Also the music video splits into conversations giving hints to audience members about what might happen next.
One of Goodwin's theory was that 'there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contrasting the lyrics'. As an audience member watching this part of the music video makes me this that the person in the video is travelling home. I assumed this by watching the helicopter and the fast moving shots in the clip. This does relate to the lyrics "I'm coming home" By watching the fast moving shots and helicopter I can infer that the person is trying to get home as soon as possible. There is also a sense of urgency to get home which may be because they would want to meet their loved ones. Love me like you do, Ellie Goulding
The music video illustrates a narrative between two people as the song went on. It shows how the girl has the most fun when the man loves her the way he usually does.
The first screenshot shows how the couple first started bumping into each other which is mostly a cliché in most love song music videos.
The second screenshot shows how the couple then get to know each other by going out. This is almost a journey for them. The setting and how the actors are looking at each other clearly shows that they want to know more about each other. Also throughout the whole video the director chose to focus on the girl more than the boy, which illustrates that it is mostly a journey for the girl. Through this music video a narrative is created around the girl to maybe help audience members relate to her. This is because, girls stereotypically 'fall' for a man they love. It is also perceived that there is a 'perfect' man out there for every girl which is why females could relate to this music video. The producer cleverly creates a narrative out of this as he/she knows that young teenage girls or even young adults will listen to the song by applying it to their own lives.
Goodwin's theory of the relationship between the music and the visuals and the lyrics and the visuals apply here in amplified ways. These lyrics of this emotional song focuses on how girls go through so much just to look pretty but sometimes at the end of the day it may be to no use at all. The shots in this video is mostly of Beyonce getting ready in the dress room and her by herself looking at her body. The main shots of her by herself looking at her body amplifies how much she wants to change herself to be first in the pageant competition. At 3.15 in the music video Beyonce talks about the characteristics of the 'dream' girl such as 'blonde hair' and 'flat chest'. From this point up until 3.29, there are shots of Beyonce exercising and says 'thinner is better'. Here is a good example of the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is because she is exercising to become thin, which is perceived to be better. Again at 2.19 'brush your hair' and 'fix your teeth' shows the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Here she is doing everything according to what is being said in the lyrics.
This music video has a typical iconography of a narrative being shown in its genre. The genre being pop, soul. The iconography is used to familiarise the audience members to the genre of the song. The narrative was shown throughout the clips of Beyonce getting ready when going out for the pageant and her struggles of becoming 'pretty'. The face that the narrative is strong shows that its a soulful genre. This narrative very much applies to today's society as many young females go through a phase of trying to be 'perfect'. Additionally, a sense of voyeurism is created in the music video. This is done through the outfits of the character and the fragmented shots in the video for example at 4.14. This is a typical convention used towards females in music videos.
In this screenshot Rihanna is singing about diamonds and at the same time diamonds are being shown in the music video. This clearly shows a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. This music video literally amplifies the lyrics of the song and focuses on bright diamonds.
Rihanna says "shine bright like a diamond". As you can see this that the music video as being bright. Furthermore its in black and white which makes it easier to make a shot brighter than it actually is. The producers of the music video may have put a bright lights behind Rihanna to create a sort of flash in the background, cutting Rihanna out at some points. For example at 1.47 and 4.12. Furthermore, voyeurism is used in the music video again which is conventional for female artists. At 2.27 it looks like Rihanna is not wearing any clothes which makes audience members think that she is 'naked'.
Disjuncture
This music video is a good example of disjunture. This is because slow track shots are being used while Drake is dancing in the video, but it deliberately has no connection to the lyrics. The unusual dancing from Drake and the abstract colour of the video shows that it contrasts with the lyrics. A staircase has been used in the video in an empty space with slow and fast track shots towards Drake with women dancing in different shots. This is unusual to be used in a R&B genre, although the colours and fast moving shots are conventional. Maybe music directors use disjuncture to attract attention so everyone would talking about this music video. The strange visuals to fascinate the viewer attracting a wider audience. Some people have also created parodies to get more attention but at the end of the day they are still using Drake's song. This again appeals to more audience members.
This music video is another good example of disjunture as the lyrics does not relate to the visuals. In the music video Beyoncé is first dancing by herself and used jump cuts. Throughout the video Beyoncé is dancing by herself sometimes outside and sometimes in a bedroom. People slowly join her and then dance in a corridor, which is very random. At the end of the video a hand held camera is used and Beyoncé end with blowing a party popper. This is very unusual and weird, however this disjuncture of the visuals may have attracted a wider audience than normal.
