CONCEPTUAL MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

CONCEPTUAL:

RIHANNA - WE FOUND LOVE

'We Found Love' video is based on the concept of a stereotypical "love junk" relationship. This is displayed through the various iconic props and locations used. The video fits the song lyrics as it explains how the two characters found love.

As in all music videos, 'We Found Love' uses a variety of different shots but a common pattern of shots throughout the video are close ups. This allows the audience to establish who the artist is, which in this case is Rihanna. It also enables the audience to understand the emotions that she is portraying in which I think, given the concept of this music video, is very important. There are close ups in this music video of different things, all important in their own way.
Mise en scene such as costume, lighting, locations, artist performance, symbols and motifs all play a part in creating an understanding of the concept provided in the conceptual music video. Editing brings the life to the video as a common convention in conceptual music videos is that the music video has been cut to the beat of the song.

Here is a close up taken towards the beginning of the video. I think that this shot alone is very powerful as we are not clearly introduced to the artist's face just yet. Back lighting creates Rihanna as a silhouette. This develops a visual motif in which becomes stronger as the music video progresses.  

The audience are introduced to the love interest in the music video. This is relationship between the visuals and music lyrics as he is the icon used to define the term 'We Found Love' and Rihanna and himself make the 'We' within the song name. This again develops a visual motif.

Here is the first close up the audience see of the lovers together. Both characters are composed in the center. The shot has a sepia tone to it which subverts to the pace of the song itself as it is of the Dance genre. As an audience we would expect the music video to be lit in high key lighting all the way through. The close up and performance of Rihanna denotes her smoking drugs.

Eyes are a common theme throughout the music video. This extreme close up shows the lover's eyes. This shot makes the audience feel uncomfortable as he is looking directly at us. During this shot, the non diegetic sound of Rihanna's voiceover is saying "you feel hopeless, like nothing can save you." This reinforces the fear that this extreme close up brings upon the audience as we have established that he is the love interest of Rihanna's but regardless of the love, even he can't save Rihanna and stop her from feeling hopeless.

This is a close up of drugs. It is a roll up of cannabis which is being glamorised with pastel colours. This is done in editing with the use of special effects. Drugs are a common theme throughout the music video and reinforces the "love junkies" relationship.

 This is a close up of a gambling game. The couple lose their money on this. It reinforces the "love junkies" relationship and the relationship between the visuals and lyrics "we found love in a hopeless place." It is a point of view shot and puts the audience in the lovers' shoes and we sympathise with them when they lose their money. This is a short take  and a part of continuity editing.

Here is a close up of the love interest's face. The background is in shallow focus whilst he is in deep focus which reinforces his importance and role in the music video. This is a common music genre characteristics when the song is about love. This close up develops a visual motif for the audience to establish the love interest. This shot is being cut in rhythm and is a short take taking place in a number of shots put together creating montage editing.

 This is a low angle which connotes superiority. In this case, the low angle displays two blocks of flats. We later learn that this is where Rihanna and her lover live. This visual motif goes with the lyrics again "we found love in a hopeless place." The lighting is low key which reinforces the description of "hopeless." The editing is slow paced here as the beat has not dropped as of yet.

This is a mid shot. The space between the two lovers creates a sense of enigma for the audience. Make up connotes Rihanna's been crying as her mascara is running down her eyes. The fact that both lovers are in a bath tub gives a sense of living poor and again brings a sense of enigma. 

This mid shot is reoccurring throughout the music video. Not only is it a mid shot but also uses camera movement. The room is spinning around them which reinforces their love for each other and that nothing else matters. This is a visual motif which goes along with the lyrics. This is a long take and is editing to play just before the chorus.

This is another mid shot. They are both framed in the center. The space between each of their bodies almost creates a heart. A heart is a popular symbol/icon symbolising love which reinforces the concept of the song. The silhouette of their bodies gives a sense of voyeurism. They cannot see us, as they are blind to the world as they are so in love.   

This extreme long shot displays a isolated setting. The car, Rihanna and her love interest are all framed in the center. The landscape reinforces the idea of a "hopeless place." The car is white in which has connotations of purity and Rihanna is also wearing white. The lighting seems natural but low key and therefore in contrast with the bright white car and Rihanna's white costume, they are being highlighted. 

The love interest is composed between Rihanna and the car making him eye-catching. There is some intertextuality in this shot. The scene is similar to the famous scene in Bonnie & Clyde. They are both madly in love and run away together in a cornfield to escape. The shot displayed gives a sense of escapism because the cornfield is deserted. 

Here we see another close up of the lovers. Hair denotes that they both have blonde hair. This gives a sense of unity between them. Rihanna's performance shows that they are a couple. He is framed in the rule of thirds signifying his importance. This shot is a part of a series of shots displaying continuity editing. Each shot of that series of shots is cut to the beat and is fast paced.

Here is another shot from the continuity editing series I explained in the previous screenshot. This shot is a long shot. The red smoke connotes the drugs they smoke. The colour red connotes love. They are both symbols and motifs displayed within this music video.

This is a close up which is also reoccurring throughout the music video. Rihanna is composed in the rule of thirds. Her costume makes her look pure and innocent and the blue tint reinforces her innocence. As soon as the lyrics are heard, this shot is displayed. The sound of the lyrics are sychronised with the movement of Rihanna's lips: "yellow diamonds in the light."

Rihanna is framed in the rule of thirds of this long shot. She is the foreground whereas the love interest is in the background. This shot is entirely filmed using hand held camera movement which gives the audience a sense of realism. Props and performance show Rihanna drinking alcohol whilst her love interest is playing with fireworks.

This mid shot is gives a sense of voyeurism as the two lovers have their back to the audience. They are both displayed on the rule of thirds and the space between them allows the audience to see the setting of an indoor skateboard park. Lighting is low key. This shot is in a sequence of continuity editing. The couple are represented to have a stereotypical "teenage relationship."

Mid shots like these are reoccurring throughout the music video however the background is always changed. Here we can see petals which reinforcing Rihanna being the female in the relationship. The petals are pink which connotes love and white which connotes purity. Lighting is low key however the petal background is being reflected on to her body. This is an example of intertextuality taken from a famous photographer: Davis Ayer. He did a project called body art in which he projected images on to peoples body. Here are some examples of his work: 

In this long shot, the lovers are in the rule of thirds. Their performance shows them kissing which is an affection of love. Lighting is low key, however there is a lamp in the room spotlighting the bed. The room has Christmas lights hung up in a wavy pattern along the wall, again spotlighting the bed. The setting is a messy bed room which contradicts the colour of the walls and bed as white has connotations of clean and pure.

This mid shot shows Rihanna framed directly in the center. The lighting is natural and the shot is being cut to the beat. Rihanna's costume is striking. She is wearing an American print bra and an American print sleeveless jean jacket. This clearly represents her as a proud American citizen, however her outfit contrasts with the British accent she puts on during her voice over in the beginning of the music video.

This high angle close up of the couple develops a visual motif for the audience. It is lit naturally in the late afternoon/early evening time of day. Rihanna's hair hides her face away from the audience which only highlights the love interests face to the audience. 

The performance of the two lovers in this mid shot shows them messing around in a supermarket. It is a part of a series of continuity editing. The costume of both characters represents the stereotypical dress sense for junkies in America. Wearing baggy hats, baseball jackets and dark clothing. 

This mid shot is also part of the series of continuity editing from the previous screen shot. It displays the lovers messing around on the street. They have stole the trolley from the supermarket and are having fun whilst being deeply in love with one another. The lighting is low key because it is outdoors in the night however the two lovers have been slightly spotlit to make the stand out on the dark streets.

In this mid shot, make up denotes Rihanna crying as her mascara is running down her face. Lighting is low key however the small lamp in the corner is highlighting the American flag hung up on the wall. In my opinion, this is the center of attention in this shot. The American flag itself is a symbol and motif of America.

This high angle shows the lovers in the car drifting. This is an example of intertextuality from the Fast & Furious saga. There are multiple scenes throughout the saga in which show drifting. Below is an example taken from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift. 

In this shot the love interest is drinking alcohol which reinforces the representation of this "junkie relationship." He is deep focus whereas the background is in shallow. The song beat itself has drums in it therefore the drums in the background are iconic. The drums appear in the background of shots throughout the music video. This shot was a short take which had been cut to the rhythm. 

This is a close up of a police light horn. It looks as if it was filmed using a fish eye lens. The colours blue and red are in the American flag. Using colour's and flashing lights, American symbols and motifs are being shows throughout this entire music video. This is a short take.

This mid shot displays Rihanna using a sparkler to write "yours" using smoke being released from the sparkler. Later on in the music video, we see a shot of the love interest giving Rihanna a tattoo by himself reading "mine". This reinforces the relationship they have and the trust they have for one another. The fact that he is giving Rihanna the tattoo is unsafe and dangerous, however they are represented as junkies and therefore conforming to the stereotypes in which are given to them in the American society.

The mise en scene in this close up shows the love interest smoking a large number of roll ups at once. Also, Rihanna is encouraging this behaviour by lighting them for him. This is a short take which has been cut to the beat. The background is in shallow focus reinforcing the importance of the two characters.

Throughout the music video, there are shots of natural things such as clouds or thunder projected on to Rihanna and the bedroom wall. In this mid shot, there is a building crashing down. This may have minor references to 9/11 which is something well known in America. Again, using intertextuality, American society is displayed again.

This mid shot displays Rihanna smoking drugs whilst cuddling with the love interest. The setting is casual, sitting on a sofa. Lighting is high key in this. They are both represented as drug users and being in a relationship. Costume denotes that both of them barely have clothes on. This is also an example of commodity as Rihanna is promoting the use of drugs.

Throughout the music video, disasters are shown to emphasise on "hopeless place". This shot is edited in a short take and is cut to the rhythm of the beat. The explosion is directly in the center and contrasts with the beautiful blue sky background.

This is a beauty shot of Rihanna and is involved in a series of continuity editing. She is framed directly in the center and is wearing bright red lipstick which is considered beautiful. Her hair is curled to the side. This is an example of intertextuality referencing to American sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. 

This is the last shot the audience sees before the actual song starts in the music video. Special effects in post production are used to create this shot. Also, sound effects of thunder and lightening has been added. This is a short take. The dark grey clouds contrasts with the concept of love.

In this close up, the setting and props denotes a bathroom tub. Rihanna's performance shows her drowning herself in the tub. Her white vest top which connotes innocence has become see-through because of the water revealing her bra which is a typical costume for a female artist to wear in a pop genre music video.

In this long shot, Rihanna is framed in the rule of thirds. The lighting is low key however in editing the tones have been made to look sepia. The performance shows Rihanna throwing up however the vomit has been edited to be crepe paper being released from her mouth. The song is dance/pop meaning it'd be played at parties. Crepe paper is commonly used decoration for parties. 

In this close up, Rihanna's face is being hidden by a shadow caused by low key lighting. She is acting innocent and shying away from the camera/audience. She is composed in the center of the frame. This shot had been cut to the beat.  

In this long shot, the audience can see Rihanna hiding her face in the corner of the bedroom. She is framed in the rule of thirds signifying her importance. The room is quite plain and simple. Her performance suggests that she is attempting to hide from the audience on purpose as her body is facing us.

The representation of Rihanna in this music video is being challenged as she is empowering in the video. This music videos visuals had been born from the situation between Rihanna and ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. The love interest in this music video even looks similar to Chris Brown. Ex-boyfriend Chris Brown had beaten up and injured Rihanna during an argument that arose late night in a car. In that situation Rihanna was inferior to Chris Brown. In this music video, violence is being shown by the love interest however Rihanna empowers him and gains the dominance over him. Here is an image of both Chris Brown and the actor in 'We Found Love'.

There are evidently two main people in this music video being Rihanna and her love interest resulting in one female character and one male character. They are represented to be drug users, drinkers and sexually active. They seem to be young and messing around, enjoying life living lower classed. We know this through the various settings and props provided. Rihanna is black, from Barbados whereas her love interest is mixed race through both black and white. It is interesting as Rihanna is American, whereas her love interest is British. Also, this entire music video was filmed in Britain, London and Rihanna is putting on a British accent during her voice over in the beginning of the song. Throughout the music video, there are references to America through the visuals and mise en scene. Its almost as if America is being represented as a corrupt society but being compared with British society. The contrast between the two cultures within the music video highlights the issues being raised in the world.