NARRATIVE MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

NARRATIVE:

BRUNO MARS - GRENADE

'Grenade' music video is based on the concept of the artist Bruno Mars being in love with a girl for which he'd do anything for. He witnesses her kissing another male which leads him to commit suicide.

'Grenade' narrates the love story through biblical references. Bruno Mars has a reputation of being a very strong Christian and therefore displays this through his music videos. The music video is put together through a number of different types of shots and mise en scene hold powerful meanings. Being a narrative music video, the mise en scene and performance is what brings the video to life.

This is the opening shot of the music video. It is heavy rain falling down connoting the sad mood in which Bruno Mars is in. The lighting is low key which also connotes Bruno's down mood.

This mid shot denotes Bruno in shallow focus. In America, the colour orange connotes that someone has committed a serious crime as it is the colour of the jumpsuit in which prisoners are given to wear. Bruno's costume is orange which foreshadows the crime of suicide in which he commits at the end of the video.

This close up shows Bruno composed in the rule of thirds. Lighting is low key which causes a shadow on the side of his face making this is a restricted shot. The background of rain pouring down is in shallow focus.

This close up allows the audience to identify that Bruno is in a relationship. Editing uses stop motion to crack the photo frame whilst it is in Bruno's hands. This editing technique automatically tells the audience that Bruno is heart broken.

In this mid shot, Bruno's performance denotes him struggling. The prop of a rope reinforces the struggle. Lighting is very low key which enables the audience to identify that he is struggling and we feel sympathy for him.

This close up shows the shoes in which Bruno is wearing. He is wearing smart black and white shoes with his black suit. It is as if he is dressed for church and as Bruno is a strong Christian, this attire represents his star persona.

This close up shows Bruno's determination and need to drag the prop of a piano to the girl in which he is in love with. Lighting is again low key in this shot which connotes to the audience that he won't complete him mission, no matter how detemined he is. There is space between his face and the rest of the shot in which denotes his passion to get the piano to the girl.

This mid shot shows Bruno framed in the rule of thirds. There is a green light behind him which represents 'go'. It is a symbolic for his determination. In the background we see a dark gloomy sky which juxtaposes how he feels towards the girl and why he is going through this struggle.

This long shot denotes Bruno in the rule of thirds. Lighting is extremely low key and he appears as a silhoutte. The audience can see the difference between the piano and Bruno. The piano is almost his height and width. The background looks gloomy and creepy. The tunnel is completely empty.

In this long shot we see Bruno dragging the piano in which is superior to him. The space we see in front of him makes us feel sorry for him. The lighting is low key again which we learn is a theme throughout this music video. Bruno's performance shows him walking on the road as if he is a car. It makes us wonder why the piano does not have wheels when it usually should and because of this we feel sorry for Bruno.

This reaction shot is a long shot and denotes a homeless man watching Bruno and questioning his actions. The man is composed slightly off the center. It makes the audience wonder why he's there and what happened to him. It questions who we feel sorry for.

This mid shot denotes Bruno walking along the road in the tunnel. He is composed slightly off center which makes him seem inferior. We see cars behind him travelling fast. The head lights of the car are shining in which causes a long line of light. This connotes the direction in which he needs to go in order to see the girl he is in love with.

In this close up of a rear view mirror, we see Bruno dragging the piano with so much struggle. The rear view mirror is framed in the rule of thirds and is surrounded by darkness because of the use of low key lighting. This is a point of view of the driver for which moves the audience. This is a convention in narrative music videos.

This close up denotes a hand on the same raining window from the beginning of the music video. The lighting is low key in which makes the hand to appear as a silhoutte. The hand is framed in the rule of thirds. The shot has a dark blue tint over it. Dark blue connotes sadness.

This over the shoulder shot denotes Bruno walking past an intimidating looking gang of men. They are all wearing white in which connotes unity between them. The lighting in this shot is high key as they are outdoors. The use of high key lighting makes the audience feel as if there is hope. The background is in shallow focus.

This close up denotes a vicious looking dog. The dog is composed in the rule of thirds in which connotes its superiority and dominance. The use of the close up allows the audience to identify that this dog is being used as a weapon. The fact that the dog is facing the camera makes the audience feel uncomfortable.

This mid shot displays Bruno Mars getting bullied by a gang of Latinos. In American society, in certain parts of the States, Latinos are stereotyped as a gang to stay clear from. The audience can just about see Bruno's head in between the two biggest Latinos. This makes Bruno appear as inferior.

In this close up, the gang slapped a prop of the picture of the girl that Bruno is in love with to the floor. Bruno's hand is composed in the rule of thirds in which connotes his important. Also, the audience can only see his actual flesh which has religious connotations as Jesus gave up his flesh and blood for everyone. There are shadows being shown of the gang in which connotes them being inferior as you cannot see them. This is a restricted shot of them.

This mid shot is in Bruno's point of view which makes the audience feel empathy for him. The background is in shallow focus which highlights the fact that this intimidating gang is right in front of Bruno. The lighting is high key which is a convention of narrative music videos.

In this mid shot, Bruno is in the foreground and in deep focus which connotes his importance. The background of which includes the gang is in shallow focus. Bruno is also composed in the rule of thirds. The main artist being composed in the rule of thirds is a convention of narrative music videos. The struggle in which Bruno is facing connotes the struggle in which Jesus faced in sacrificing himself for his loved ones. This is what Bruno is doing, he is struggling and sacrificing pain for the girl he loves. This reinforces that Bruno is a strong Christian.

This long shot displays an urban location. There is graffiti on the wall. Bruno's composition makes him appear to be extremely small in which connotes him as inferior.

This mid shot displays Bruno composed in the center. He is looking at the window in which he sees the girl he loves. The background displays a beautiful blue sky with barely any clouds. This juxtaposes the setting he is seeing. His costume is now scruffy looking and the tie is distorted in which represents his confused, jumbled thoughts.

An eye line match displays to the audience what Bruno is seeing. The girl in which he loves is cheating on him. This is the disruption in the narrative. Most narrative music videos tend to have a disruption within their music videos. This gives it repeatability.
The girl is wearing a white t-shirt in which has connotations for purity and innocence. In this context the colour white is being juxtaposed with her actions of being unfaithful. Because Bruno is a strong Christian, the act of cheating is disrespectful. This is also a restricted shot as the audience cannot see the girls face however they can see the man's face in which makes him dominant.

This close up shows the girl framed in the rule of thirds. This time the audience cannot see the mans face as his performance in the shot has him restricted from them. Even so, the female is also restricted as her lips are cut off. The background is a cream colour which is plain and simple.

This is a reaction shot of Bruno. He is composed in the rule of thirds. Reaction shots are a convention of narrative music videos. His performance denotes him in distress as his eyes are closed and brows are creased. The audience feel sorry for him. Narrative music videos usually bring an emotion to the audience.

This mid shot displays Bruno pushing the piano away from the female's house. He is composed in the center however he is between the piano and a bush in which looks the same size as the piano. This connotes his feeling of being trapped in love.

This over the shoulder shot belongs to the female making her superior. However, she is in shallow focus and Bruno is in deep focus. Bruno is also composed in the center. This shot restricts the audience from seeing the female.

This mid shot denotes Bruno in the rule of thirds. The shot feels voyeuristic as it seems as if the audience are watching him through a window. Lighting is extremely low key creating a dull saddening mood which connotes how Bruno is feeling.

This long shot is at a canted angle. The canted angle reinforces the struggle in which Bruno is facing pushing the piano up a hill.

This close up is of a priest who is looking at Bruno. The use of a priest in the narrative reinforces Bruno's strong beliefs in Christianity. The background is gritty and it is in shallow focus whereas the priest in is deep focus which reinforces his authority and respect within a community.

This close up denotes Bruno at a train track. The fence and the emptiness in the shallow focused background denotes to the audience that Bruno is in danger. His performance shows him looking emotionless.

This close up of train lights foreshadows future events. The colour red signifies danger. This is the only colour besides black being shows in this shot. The red stands out on the black highlighting that danger is about.

This extreme long shot displays Bruno composed in the far right hand corner of the shot connoting him as inferior. There are signs of red light within this shot reinforcing danger. The train barrier is in the rule of thirds and as the shot goes on, the barrier lowers still with Bruno standing in the way of it. This then cuts to  black which connotes death and the music video ends with a sad ending to the narrative.

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.