MG: Auteur Analysis

Music Videos as Art

1. Single Ladies - Beyonce

    Director: Jake Nava  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY

·         Shot in black and white

·         Performance-based

·         White background, studio location

·         Long takes, integrated with fast cutting rates

·         Lots of zooms, panning shots

·         Co-ordinating costumes

2. 212 – Azealia Banks featuring Lazy Jay

    Director: Jef Martens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Jv9fNPjgk

·         Shot in black and white

·         Performance-based

·         In front of a brick wall

·         Close ups of lips rapping

·         Lip-syncing

·         Contrasts between black and white e.g. skin tones, clothes, etc

·         Blank white screens with the lyrics written in black capital letters flash up occasionally for emphasis

  

3. Sorry for Party Rocking – LMFAO

 Director: Mickey Finnegan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkTt9k4Y-a8

• Colourful costumes, locations, props, theme of neon colours and animal prints

• Illustrative & performance-based, comical
• Handicam to show chaos
• Cartoon effects, green screen
• Futuristic theme
• Use of text
• Split-screen

4. Want U Back – Cher Lloyd featuring Astro

    Director: Parris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inwAc-ZBpx0

• Illustrative & Performance-based
• Split-screen
• Green screen, keying in another background
• Using different layers – two people still almost like a cardboard cut out with her still moving 

5. Freakum Dress - Beyonce

    Director: Ray Kay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArDXxTsJJoo

• Illustrative and Performance-based
• Intercutting the same dance routine in different outfits
• Studio location with black background and red lights
• Use of silhouettes  

6. We Found Love – Rihannahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg

Director: Melina Matsoukas

• Illustrative
• Use of Handicam
• Slow motion & Time compression
• Synchronous relationship between the cutting rate and the music
• Use of projection on a screen which Rihanna is standing in front of

7. Move Your Feet – Junior Senior

Director: Thomas Troelsen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPlQpGeTbIE

• Cartoon, very pixelated
• Amplifying relationship between lyrics and visuals with some disjunctive aspects
• Synchronous relationship between cutting rate and music
• Colourful

8. Meet Me Halfway – Black Eyed Peas

Director: Ben Mor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7HahVwYpwo

• Futuristic
• Amplifying relationship between lyrics and visuals, performance-based
• Green screen and key framing – making it look like he is levitating
• Mirroring
• Exotic location
• Metallic costumes