The Weeknd - Starboy
I have chosen to analyse The Weeknd because this music video is not the typical RnB music video as many scenes challenge the stereotype but there are also many aspects that conform to the conventions of RnB music videos.
The first scene in the music video shows a dark room with the camera moving towards the light coming through the door that gradually opens more as the camera gets closer. This is a very strange introduction to an RnB music video and the sound of the music at this point is also very different, the beat is not very upbeat or deep like the usual sound but its much slower and higher. The shot is very mysterious and dark which makes the audience feel very curious at to what this video in tells.
The first time we see the artist is in this shot with him and what appears at first to be someone else, but he is not sat there by choice he is tied up. This again adds to the story of the video because we can now see that there is a message or story behind this song which the artist is going to show us throughout. This wide shot allows us to see the full table and that there are two people both at each end of the table which looks very formal and set up. The lighting is very dark with the blue tones in the sky standing out in a deep way and the bright yellowness of the light also stands out. The reflection of the glass light onto the glass window appears to show a cross which resembles the religious Christian cross which is a continued prop later on in the video. The lighting also makes the two characters appear very dark and with the dark clothing which the currently unknown character is wearing makes it hard to make out his face and its still a mystery to who he is. The distance of the shot also allows us to see the location of this setting which looks like its quite isolated from other houses and cities because there is only a small amount of light on the left side from outside places. This could be to show the danger in which the artist may be because there aren't people around to help him.
This shot shows the lighting in the same way with the underlining blue tone even on his leather black jacket. This jacket makes him look very alternative and dangerous which is a stereotypical image which RnB male artists portray. The cross on the necklace is shown very clearly in this shot and the black background of the shirt and jacket emphasise the necklace which is what the artist wants to do as it suggests that this is a key theme within the video. The shot is very simple and basic but with the cross being central it gives it a deeper meaning than just to show is jewellery because it could be suggesting that he has a strong religious belief with God and that is why he has included it in many of his shots. The thickness of the necklace and the chain itself adds to the masculine figure in which he is portraying because as its very chunky and not delicate and fragile, it shows that e has a care for God but in a strong way.
This is the first time we see the cross to be the only item in the shot and its extremely bold with the brightness of the red illuminating the wall it lies on. They have contrasted the lighting completely as it went from the deep blue tones and bright yellow, to this vibrant powerful red shining bright all alone. This is making it very clear that this cross has a lot of meaning or symbolism to the artist because of how much power he ha given it in just this one shot. The shot is also very slow as it zooms in closer and closer which blend with the other length of the shots with the artist himself in because the beat itself is quite slow, so for it to have slow shots it means that there is a relationship between the beat and the video.
This shot has the similar lighting to what the video started like, he yellow tones n the fire have been brightened and exaggerated to show the burst of light the scene needs so that the dullness of the dark black does not drown out the colour that they want to be bright. Throughout the video there is another theme of destruction and this shot adds to it with the fire burning, it continues the breaking glass and tearing the house down which we previously saw with the big red cross. The yellow light in the background does make the artist stand out much more against the light and almost illuminates him, and makes him look darker because it creates a boarder around his body especially his face. This makes it clearer to see the balaclava in which he is wearing which is often associated with danger and gangsters which could be showing the audience that he isn't who he used to be, he has changed which seems to be a strong message within the video because from the start we saw him killing himself but who he used to be and the destruction could be just to show that he is changing so everything will be new and different.
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