VOYEURISM: THE MALE GAZE.

Voyeurism is how sexual gratification is achieved by observing sexual acts to gain self pleasure. An example would be whereby people would be naked, engaged in sexual activity or wearing tight and revealing clothing as seen in the music videos of the modern era of today. The proactive sexualised men and women of today's music videos keep their viewers entertained and "hooked" throughout the music video by often expressing and exaggerating their bodies for pleasure.

There are 3 different theories of voyeurism that all have a similar approach to what voyeurism is, but from a different perspective.

1. Freud's Theory
2. Goodwin's Theory
3. Laura Mulvey's Theory

Freud's theory looks at how voyeurism talks about the prime focus of simply looking to gain sexual pleasure. This is same from the perspective view point of both men and women. Goodwin's theory on voyeurism looks at how the men and women in music videos keep their viewers entertained by expressing themselves in a sexual manner using their bodies and attire. Finally, Lura Mulvey's theory on voyeurism, concentrates on the physical appearance of the body. Laura Mulvey's theory on the "Male Gaze", looks at how the physical appearance of women enable them to be viewed as sexual objects of desire and how this is absolutely vital to keep the viewers engaged.

The "Male Gaze" focuses on how men are looking at women and what they are actually looking at. Many music videos express this. An example would be Nicki Minaj's song / music video called "Anaconda".

In Nicki Minaj's music video "Anaconda", the male gaze is easily identified at exactly 11 seconds of the music video. We see a shot of Nicki wearing a gold laced bikini, accompanied by 2 ladies sitting on each side of here, wearing a black bikini. As the shot slowly zooms out, we see 2 other ladies sitting below them with one of their legs stretched out, evidently emphasising and showing off their curvaceous and chunky body. The next shot is a close up of one of the dancers bum, whereby she is seen shaking her bum (twerking) really fast for only about 1 second. We then see another zoom out shot of a dancer splitting her legs to show the viewers her legs, as well as showing off her private area by wearing a small black underwear. A close up of Nicki's face is shown, as she is looking into the camera in a very lustful manner. This is just in indication of what more is to come. In the shot after that we see Nicki crouched on the ground, shaking her bum in the air. This is very deliberate as she wants the viewers to see what ample assets she posses. Finally, at 27 seconds, Nicki begins to sing.

Initially, the first 27 seconds of the music video acts as a foundation for what is yet to be shown on the screen. All the shots of the bums, legs, thighs, lustful looks, semi naked attire and breasts are just a taste for the men to get stimulated, surprised and excited for more body action.

All the women in this music video are wearing EXTREMELY revealing clothing which ultimately accentuate all their curves and edges. We can see Nicki and some of her dancers wearing bikini's, thongs, short shorts, short vests, tops and crop tops, latex / rubber material gym clothing, tracksuits, short skirt, ripped black fishnet leggings, slutty mistress cooking dress and also stretchy ripped leggings with a sports bra as well as a one piece pink swimsuit. We can see Nicki's dancers exercising whilst moving their body in such a way that they are able to expose their bums and curves to the viewers. However, the main attraction of this particular scene in the music video is Nicki Minaj. We can see her standing the middle of everyone, wearing a super tight pink sports bra and a pink thong, whilst also lifting pink weights at the same time with each arm. The significance of her lifting weights is that she is almost pushing out her boobs / breasts and making them squeeze together so that there is a sense of satisfaction and pleasure of the viewer looking and praising her body parts. Nicki was also moving her hips side to side at the same time. The much exaggerated style and stereotypical feminine manor they are portraying is most definitely working. Also, the camera and framing are used very well throughout the music video as when looking at the girls body parts in detail, the full picture is shown in a close up. The way the girls have been directed was absolutely superb, as they were able to portray that image of a sexually motivated and lustful character for the viewers, in particular, the males / for the male gaze.

So far, the male gaze has seen every part of the girls body at different angles. However, the first 27 second son the music video had only been providing glimpses of their bums, legs and body by cutting quick to different shots in order to get the "male" happy. As soon as the 27 seconds are over, everything else is exposed to the male gaze in terms of the girls showing off every other part of their body in a continued sexual manner. As the music video continues, the male gaze continues to see plenty more nudity until the very end of the music video. This is done by showing more shots of the bums, legs, thighs and breast in more detail, for a longer amount of time as well as a shorter amount of time with quick cuts and close ups with more seconds on the clock. There are many master shots of Nicki Minaj which exposes her breast / boobs from a high angle shot, as well as the rest of her body parts with close up shots. At 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the music video, we can see Nicki Minaj spreading her legs out wide. This is an indication to all the male viewers that she is not a concealed and closed woman, but intact is an open and dirty minded woman who craves for sexual pleasure and attention from men. At 1 minute and 54 seconds of the music video we can see Nicki Mina give a wink to the camera is she is working out. This wink goes out to all the male viewers, as it sexually stimulates and excites them. Therefore, the sexual use of body language drives the male gaze.
The last scene of the music video shows Nicki Minaj crawling in a slow and seductive manner in tight clothing towards Drake who is sitting on a chair waiting for her. We can see her perform a lap dance for Drake which involves touching and feeling the body. There are also quick cuts to Nicki in her oink tight one piece swimsuit, licking her lips in one of the shots as well as opening her legs in the pool.

The sense of being seductive is very well portrayed by the women as they are constantly using and moving their bodies in a sensual and sexual manner, with the ultimate objective to gain and please the males attention.
Overall, the "MALE GAZE" is 100% satisfied with the outcome. This is due to the constant exposure of the shots of the bums, boobs, legs and rest of the body to the male eye. The male gaze is stimulated, tested and teased throughout the entire music video, as the creativity, imagination, pace and tempo of the shots increase, the level of sexual pleasure and desire for crave increases with the males. The men want more and more nudity and sexual references. This can be seen in the music video as we see Nicki taking a huge bite of a banana (imitating a penis) and also showing body on body action between her dancers. The male gaze always remains in an active state of mind as the explicit and lovable content for men creates an exciting atmosphere for MEN. The male gaze states how men visualise women in such a sexual manner that it has become the norm for them. To conclude, the male gaze loves and can never get enough of women showing off their sexual bodies, and always have a crave for more, which invokes their inner passion, desire, sexual pleasure, to always WANT more. Seduction, Sexiness, a Slutty character and women showing off their curves is always pleasuring and appealing to the male / male gaze.

Here are some screenshots from the music video (Anaconda by Nicki Minaj) showing what the "MALE GAZE" is particularly looking at, in need for the sexual pleasure and self satisfaction.

J COLE - NO RO MODELS - A2 MUSIC VIDEO. - (ANALYSIS)

In this music video there is a narrative on how the character is talking about  "No Ro Models", which is a reference to women who look up to talentless reality TV stars.  He then relates himself in the same bracket, mentioning that he actually had NO ROLE MODELS when he was growing up... which led him to the question on what it has made him to be as a person in terms of his success, positive mindset and personality.

The first 17 seconds of the music video show an establishing shot, high angle shots and bird's eye view shots of the area the shooting is taking place. We see a spectacular view of the neighbourhood from a very high distance, which allows us to get familiar with the first location. Also, the first 4 seconds IS the establishing shot with the studios name being shown in white in the middle of the screen. (CHOW STUDIOS)
After the first location is set, we see 2 shots of the young teenage boy leave his house, see him in his living room and are then introduced to an entirely new location... The Piccadilly Circus. We see the young boy lip syncing and showing hand gestures faded into the huge electronic curved billboards. Whilst the most popular brands are being advertised, we see him take over the majority of the screen, which is signifies how big he is and also the importance of the situation. We then see a mixture of shots whereby there is constant cutting back to the neighbourhood and Piccadilly Circus. At 44 seconds, we see him relaxing with one of his friends in his neighbourhood. This led up to a new character introduction at 48 seconds, which is a teenage girl. This sets the scene about him talking about "women", backed up by the lyrics..."Don't save her, she don't wanna be saved". Quick cuts of the words "LOVE" and "HOPE" are shown with a flickering effect at Piccadilly Circus.  These words were hanging down from the buildings as the city illuminated lights for the night. We see the boy leaning back against a bin building in a parking lot, talking about his past and his level of maturity in the present. He then talks about himself being in a white neighbourhood and having no shame about it, then continues to talk about his perception of women. Also, as he recalls his past and future, the word "celebrity" shows huge impact as we see him on the electronic billboards at Piccadilly Circus. Although they are used for advertisements, many celebrities have been shown on there as well.

We then see the boy and the girl sitting on a wall then walking together... eventually as they walk,(showing no affection along the way) an old lady pushing her portable luggage trolley. This is very significant as the lyrics "Don't save her, she don't wanna be saved" are repeated, signifying that the girl or women that are inappropriate will go on to be old very quickly, indicating that their life is short and how quickly their time passes by. Also, as they were walking together, the girl was smiling at her phone. This signifies she is probably talking to another boy, and could be going into the wrong path of being branded  "hoe". We then see the boy in his neighbourhood walking by himself and eating, then talking about how he doesn't want a woman from reality TV shows. One of the lyrics states "bird trap" which expressed how women use people. At the Piccadilly Circus, a shot of the artistic light bird design was shown. The object being stationary, expresses how women keep you to themselves and use boys. We then see shots of him and his girl (friend) smiling and expressing how people do not understand the difference between "LA sisters" and "LA hoes". The sisters are being referred to as normal woman who care about themselves and are conscious people. The so called hoes are being referred to as prostitute like women who carry no dignity and respect whatsoever. The boy believes himself that he envisions the difference between them, hence why he has a successful career.

From 2 minutes and 44 seconds to 2 minutes 57 seconds we see old footage of the American President at the time... MR Bush saying a famous line, and I quote:  "Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!". This was very meaningful as the next shot was of the boy at Piccadilly Circus saying "Fool me one time, shame on you...". More references of the word "Fool" are then used. The significance of that footage and the boys footage about being fooled shows how woman being looked down upon due to their unjust actions. I really like how the old footage was used to relate to the boys current situation and perception about some woman being branded as 'hoes". The remaining of the music video shows the boy in Piccadilly Circus talking about his regrets and success, and how he has changed as a person. Towards the end of the music video we see the girl smiling with him and then a shot of the boy twirling his arms and body around in happiness all by himself in his neighbourhood, with the lyrics "Don't save her, she don't wanna be saved". This connotes how he is happy by himself. The music video ends with the "LOVE" sign in the city flickering, which is a reminder of the right woman and life in general about loving and being successful. The music video fades out from a white to black screen after the "LOVE" shot.

In my opinion, the editing of the music video was really good. I enjoyed the use of continuity editing throughout the music video, which was complimented by sharp cutting between various shots. The use of the continuity editing really set the scene, as I was able to tell that there is a very clear narrative. The use of the young teenage boys actions and the 2 main locations, alongside the girl really told a story. Th establishing shot, 180 degree rule, 30 degree rule, cross-cutting, match on action and the re-establishing shot were used. All the shots were very smooth and precise, which enabled me to follow along the journey about how the situation has developed. It was very clear for me to identify the story / narrative. I really loved the flickering editing technique. This was used various times in the music video. An example would be the fast flickering of the "LOVE' sign towards the end of the music video. My favourite part of the editing was how the boys footage was faded into the huge electronic billboards at the Piccadilly Circus. I felt that this was a clever move for added impact and affect. Also, parts of the girls scenes had a cinematic feel which looked really amazing and eye catching. The jump cuts were extremely effective throughout the whole music video. The time lapse technique at 3 minutes and 54 seconds to 3 minutes and 57 seconds shows how time is flying by and how quick everything is moving forward (in life) (shows the movement of traffic - life issues - obstructions out the way). The panning and slow motion techniques were also great to see. They were well implemented. I also liked the fast forward and rewind of the footage at 1 minute and 2 seconds of the music video.

The use of colourisation was good but not great. This music video was very dependant on natural lighting and increasing and decreasing brightness of colours and footage. From 3 minutes and 15 seconds to 3 minutes and 17 seconds, we see a mid shot of the boy at Piccadilly Circus, but everything included himself is completely blacked out, and only the electronic billboards are standing out really bright. This was a great use of low key lighting and also highly lit lighting in the same shot. At 1 minute and 23 seconds of the music video we can see and example of natural lighting. The natural lighting expresses the natural and life like feel of the area. The natural lighting was a key feature that was used very well. On the contrary, I would have liked to see more colourisation between 55 seconds to 1 minute and 18 seconds of the music video, as the background was brown wooden sticks of a part of a parking lot. At 3 minutes and 20 seconds, we see a hue flashing effect with a pink screen. I really liked the addition of the pink screen and I would have liked to see more of this. I would have liked to seen various bright colours, possibly highlights or illuminations of anything within the shots between this time frame.

The special effects made sense and were extremely effective. The music video included fast zooming in and fast zooming out, as well as overlapping of footage, fading in and out, footage being shown on the electronic billboards, vigorous shaking of the camera, and also flickering. I would say that the use of flickering would be the main special effect as it was used constantly. There was flickering with white screens in between the footage but mainly black screens. The flickering was very pacy, as the beat and intensity of the music had increased. At 2 minutes and 40 seconds, we see the shaking of the camera as the boy is walking up the stairs, coming out of the Piccadilly Circus underground station. Also, at 4 minutes and 39 seconds of the music video, we see the extreme flickering of the "LOVE" sign at Piccadilly Circus. This music video did NOT specialise in special effects but used the techniques mentioned above quite effectively.

The pace and rhythm of the music video was fast for the majority of it. The first 38 seconds were slow, but as the beat had dropped, the onscreen action was more focused and energetic, as well as the editing itself. There was increased flickering and flashing effects. The fastest onscreen action, flashing and flickering, increase in beat of the music was at 2 minutes and 15 seconds to 3 minutes and 57 seconds of the music video. At 2 minutes and 34 seconds of the music video, we see a slow-motion effect which shows a slow pace of the onscreen action. We can see that after Mr Bush' famous quote, we see a burst of pace, rhythm, action and editing. At exactly 3 minutes we see the boy jump abruptly infant of the camera. This is an example of the rapid burst of energy. The pace and rhythm was very well controlled in terms of increasing and decreasing the moments onscreen and the editing, in order to follow along with the flow of the beat.

The only diegetic sound was the voice of the actual artist / singer (which is being lip synced by the character)
The non-diegetic sound was the music.

The transitioning between the shots were good and efficacious. At 9 seconds of the music video, we see a fast inwards zoom into the neighbourhood. This is showing us in depth, the first location.At 13 seconds we see a fast outwards zoom of the neighbourhood, again expressing the location. At 47 seconds we see a black flash of the girl, coming from a previous shot from the boy. From 1 minute and 26 seconds to 1 minute and 34 seconds, we see a fade effect from the footage itself duplicating and playing on top of one another, and also see the footage fade into the huge electronic billboards at the Piccadilly Circus. From 2 minutes and 36 seconds to 2 minutes 37 and 38, we see another fade effect from the girl being in the neighbourhood, to shining on the swing in the park. This fade effect had started off with a vague slow motion effect at the beginning. At the very beginning of the music video, we see a wipe up and wipe down effect whereby the black borders from the top and bottom of the screen divert, allowing the actual footage to be presented. At the end of the music video, we see a simple fade to a white screen then a black screen. The transitioning effects were of very good use, allowing the shots to seamlessly flow and work together.

The main artist of the music video (boy) got the most screen time, as he was telling a story to the audience and was lip syncing the song. The neighbourhood location as well as the Piccadilly Circus location receive the 2nd longest screen time, as they are the 2 primary locations of the music video. The shot duration varied as the quick cuts especially after Mr Bush' quote were very precise and choppy. These shots such as the close ups and long shots only lasted around 1 to 2 or maybe 3 seconds maximum as the beat was very fast. The longer shots such as the mid shots during the parking lot scene where the boy was having a reflective moment, had lasted around the 5 or 7 second mark. This is because a meaning is trying to be portrayed, allowing the audience to visualise and capture what the important moment is about. The shorter shots are used for added impact and effect, and appear to be more abrupt and exciting in comparison to the longer shots that are used for taking in information and understanding the narrative with some more time to comprehend.

This was NOT a performance base video, as there was a story to tell. The performance only consisted of the girl on the swing, the girl and the boy walking together, the hand gestures and body language of the boy letting out all his expressions and emotions, and also matching hand and facial expressions to the lyrics.

A various number of shots were used. These shots consist of...

1. Long shots 
2. Mid shots
3. Wide shots
4. Zoom 
5. Panning
6. Close up's
7. Establishing shots
8. Re-establishing shots
9. Bird's eye view shots
10. High angle shots 
11. Low angle shots
12. Extreme close ups
13. Big close ups

Every single shot mentioned was absolutely important, as it allowed the audience to view the music video from literally all angles. It feels like an insight from the boy's perspective and how the close ups and big close ups would show his emotions, in comparison to the long shots, wide shots and panning expressing the location and describing the atmosphere. The high and low angle shots can be seen as having power, authority and a boost in confidence. The main shot used in this music video was the mid shot. The mid shot captures the constant moments and gestures of the character.

The props used in this music video consists of:

1. Cable cabinet
2. Mobile phone
3. Swing
4. Watch
5. Ring

The slight presence of these props added to the reality of the situation in the music video.

The lighting was very highly lit throughout the music video. This is because of the use of the natural lighting as well as adjusting brightness levels and also using shots of the lighted up signs of the "LOVE`" and "HOPE" signs plus the lighted up bird. Low key lighting was only used around 3 times in the music video, lasting for 1 or 2 seconds. Predominantly, natural lighting was the main use of lighting, hence why the music video is well lit throughout.

The costume was simple but absolutely outstanding. The boy had 3 costume changes, ranging from ripped light blue jeans and a white top with red trainers and a black puffer jacket to a dark green camouflage tracksuit and a dark black and blue tracksuit. The girl had 2 costume changes, ranging from a white collared shirt, beige coat and tight fitted dark blue waist jeans to a grey dress and a black fur coat with leggings. The costume choices were very smart as they were showing off the modern look that teenagers would typically wear.

This music video was spectacular. I enjoyed the approach to it, alongside the influx of ideas such as the sole of editing and transitions. I loved the storyline, though I do feel it could be emphasised more interns of the girl and the boy interacting more. The lip syncing was good on a whole, but was not consistent throughout the whole music video. I enjoyed the message that had been portrayed across about the 2 different types of woman (Loyal and not loyal) and also how woman's perception of men doing as they plead is NOT always correct. Overall, this music video was outstanding and mind-blowing and I would give it a firm 8 out of 10.

SHAKKA - WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS - A2 MUSIC VIDEO. - (ANALYSIS)

 

This music video does not really have any narrative to it, although it does include very amazing, eye-catching and attractive visuals. The video itself is based on performance, showing 4 individuals expressing themselves via hand gestures, body language and attitude.

At the very beginning of the music video, we are introduced to a light blue abstract sketch of an elephant, with the name of the song at the bottom and then the artists name at the top. We then see 4 friends running through double doors to the highest empty parking lot level, as the first male had opened the door out wide. Digital video security camera's are shown to us as the group of friends are seen running up the staircase. The layout of the footage consists of the date on the left, the time on the right and the words"SURVEILLANCE CAM" at the bottom left. We see all of them at the same spot in the parking lot but then all the footage is reversed, showing them walk backwards, (fast forwarded) whilst the name of the song is shown in a outwards zooming effect. (white lettering and back background)
We see one of the group members start singing in a dark room, but with multi-coloured disco lights shining everywhere, also showing parts of the lyrics appearing on screen in a white bold font. The shots keep cutting back to the parking lot, with only himself getting familiar with the location and looking around. At around 28 seconds we can see that the entire screen has blurred out, showing a cropped version of the parking lot with the hash tag sign in the middle of it, as that is what the lyrics state. The small size footage in the centre of the screen has white boarders around it's sides, to show what is being shown and what is in main focus. At around 31 seconds, we see quick cuts and flashes of a dull and tinted orange screen with a still tiger roaring tn the top corner. We then see a change in the screen, with a 3 by 3 multi split screen, showcasing the same footage for 1 or 2 seconds.

We then see various shots of a girl in an elevator, the same girl walking on a pavement, then the first male back at the parking lot. The other shots consist of the young girl inside the parking staircase area, with subsequent shots of the parking area with lyrics on screen, alongside visual logos of old TV shows being shown on screen whilst the young male still rapping in the parking lot. The shot of the parking lot decreased in size due to matching with the beat, then another split screen is shown, but this time, the screen is being split in half (with a digital effect. Only the upper part of the male was shown.
We finally have a needed location change, with the same male sitting on the banister of the staircase inside the parking lot. The view of the Orange doors were the same set of doors we were introduced beforehand. A new location is shown when we see the young teen girl in her bedroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Another shot is shown of her, looking directly at the camera, which is then followed by a shot on the outside, showing her surroundings covered in turquoise blue smoke. A shot of 1 of the friends were shown, with many other shots of the inside parking scene, the inside of the bedroom and also another shot of the friends stuck in a bush maze, as they are separated by a wall of bushes, with 2 of them on one side, and 2 on the other. After all these shots and what has happened so far, we see a lot of shots and scenes of colourful smoke, running up different flights of stairs, running through the gaps of the maze (individually) and also, opening another set of doors.
Another one of the boys start singing in the parking lot, whilst the shots cutting between, are showing him in a different graffiti based location. The white on screen lyrics still appear on screen. Another neat transition shows the same singer inside the parking lot staircase. The following shots after all this action consists of more bedroom scenes of the young teen girl, more scenes of the parking lot, flashbacks and old memories of their past visit to the graffiti place and finally... the end of the music video ends on all the 4 friends walking slowly on the highest parking lot level. The wind emphasises that the end is quite near, hence we see them looking around with dull faces. The music video ends just like a an old television was being switched off.

The editing was absolutely spectacular. The flow of the music, visual performance and precision of the cuts were all in sync, as well as the lip syncing. There was more dis-continuity editing than there was continuity. The continuity editing were quite vague, and could be seen in the bedroom scenes, whereas the dis-continuity editing could be seen throughout the entire music video, and in my opinion, suits the style of the music and action much better.What really caught my eye was how the music video was very exciting at all times, and kept me hooked to continue watching it. It was really well constructed and with the help of fast editing, the overall product was amazing. Parallel editing could be seen very quickly during the quick cuts between the parking lot scenes and the bedroom scenes. I really enjoyed the transitioning between the shots and also the use of colour via the colourful smoke cans.

Colourisation was a key aspect of the music video. The scenes of the parking lot had natural lighting, ultimately showing the natural aspect and raw footage of that particular part of the music video. At 1 minute 21 seconds, we see a bright blue flash effect taking up the screen. This was very eye catching and meaningful as it had signified that a new part of the music video that we are yet to see.  The multi-coloured disco lights at the beginning of the music video really lit up the room and brought light to the dark room, adding a sense of realism to it. Also at 1 minute 47 seconds we see an even brighter dark blue flash taking up the centre of the screen, as the orange doors open wide. (with a mix of bright white and light blue) At 1 minute 52 seconds, we see a very dark background with high contrast, alongside a hooded boy with his face completely blacked out. This shows that he was kept as an anonymous figure, not revealing his identity. The colourisation adds more meaning to particular scenes.

The special effects in this music video were really outstanding. An example would be at 7 seconds of the music video where what looks to be, footage from a security camera, showing the time and date. This effect was quite special as the footage was dark, grey and pixellated. This is what would typically be seen from security camera footage, and especially in a stairway parking lot. At 30 seconds of the music video, we see a blurry orange screen with an orange stripe running across the screen, alongside a fierce tiger in the top right corner. The tiger really suited the situation, as there was a roar of the tiger in the background. At 43 and 44 seconds of the music video, we see the logo's of 2 old TV shows. These logo's were appearing very fuzzy and sudden for effect. At 47 seconds we see another effect with half of the screen being covered in thin black lines. This was a similar effect to the security camera effect, but the visuals and colours were might lighter, yet more abrupt. At 1 minute and 2 seconds we see a kaleidoscope in the background, whilst the main actioned was centred in the middle of the screen. The kaleidoscope effect really added more depth, also bringing the actual footage closer to the audience. At 1 minute 21 seconds, we see a blue flare on screen, indicating (again) that more shots of their actions are yet to come. This acts like a very very short interval, but is extremely effective. At 1 minute 40 seconds, we see that there is a slight light blue tint on the whole screen. This goes really well with the colour of the sky and the purple smoke as well. Also, at 1 minute 47, we see a bright blue and white light take cover of the whole screen as the orange parking lot doors are opened. This indicates a new chapter of the music video. At 2 minutes 2 seconds, we see major distortion that lasts around 1 second, as soon as a derogatory term (for black people) is used. This was vital and abrupt as it creates suits the vibe of the music video. At 2 minutes 45 seconds we see an imitation of an old video camera, as the screen is very digital like, clearly showing that the footage is from the past. The music video ends with an Ariel fuzz and an almost elliptical sonar switch. This is very similar to when a television looses connection, then completely switches off. The special effect were absolutely important, as they added more excitement to the video itself.

The pace and rhythm of the music video is very fast for the majority of the video. When the beat drops, followed by the lyrics "I walk with the elephants", the editing speeds up and the the shots cut quicker. There is no slow pace or rhythm in this music video. The pace and rhythm vary between the friends lip syncing, running up the stairs and using the colourful smoke cans in the parking lot. Overall, there is a fast pace for the rhythm. The general pace of the song and everything going on screen is fast and rapid. The beat of the song and the actions happening on screen both compliment each other as everything is in sync, and is really sharp, clean and precise. It is clear to see that the increase in intensity is shown instantly through the rapid exchange between the cuts. Half way through the video, we see a 30 second plus scene, where all the friends are running and enjoying themselves. In total, there was 3 / 4 locations shown.
Overall, the short shot duration conveys action and urgency. This is displayed in the entire music video. It was very interesting and eye-catching.

The only digetic sound in this music video is the voice of the actual singer (which is being lip synced by the characters)
The non-digetic sound is the music playing itself.

For the transitioning of the shots, at exactly 49 seconds of the music video we see the camera tilt downwards at speed, with one of the boys complementing the shot with hand gestures. We see his hands acting as if they are holding the camera, dragging it down and eventually in the next shot, we see the same character lifting the camera back up with his hands, and placing it steady - centre so it captures him in the shot itself. This imitation effect is visually pleasing as 2 of the shots both flow together and work well. The idea of showing the camera movement by hand and making the impression that the camera is being controlled by the person's hand is quite amazing and is very imaginative in terms of allowing the shot to follow on from a previous shot.


The shot durations for the various shots in this music video last for around 1 or 2 seconds due to the fast beat and pace of the song. I find it much more interesting and appealing that the shots are quick, short and precise, allowing the on-screen actions to suit the music itself. The longest shot was 11 seconds, as we were coming to the end of the music video. The pace of the music video was temporarily slow, and had then kept a constant tone, to build up for the end the music video. The very first person lip syncing on screen at the beginning of the music video had the most amount of screen time as he had started and ended the music video. The girl in the music video received the second longest screen time amount, as she was in shots that appear in quick succession. Her parts of the music video were very accurate, as she can be seen sitting, running, staring, walking, kneeling, fixing her hair, showing hand gestures, using a coloured smoke can in various shots throughout the music video. From 1 minute 53 to 2 minutes 41 seconds, we see the 3rd member with the most longest screen time. The rest of the group only got very minimal screen times... (in seconds)
In terms of the screen time for the locations, there have been 13 locations shown in the music video. The staircase of the parking lot has been the most popular, as the majority of the lip syncing and running up the stairs as well as opening the doors had been shot in the staircases.

The music video is performance based as we see the group of friends running up and down the stairs of the parking lot, running and opening the doors of the parking lot, and most importantly, having fun with letting colourful smoke from smoke cans. There are a lot of hand gestures which relate to the lyrics themselves, allowing the on screen actions and lyrics to match. The dancing towards the end of the video was quite vague, although it was still very affective. Overall, the idea of using smoke cans was great, as it had livened up the mood, also expressing the fast pace of the song... thanks to the shots of the group of friends running back and forth on the staircase.

The props consist of:

1. Disco lights
2. Mirror
3. Smoke cans

These were the only props used in the music video. The Smoke cans were the most important prop, as they were used throughout the music video, adding vibrancy and colour.

The camera shots consist of:

1. Close ups
2. Mid-shots
3. Long shots
4. Low angle shots
5. Big close ups
6. Wide angle shots
7. Out zoom shot

Every single one of these shots were vital for the music video, as each of them focus on a particular thing. The mid shot was the music video's most popular / most used shot, as the friends were lip syncing, and the content shots of the girl throughout the whole music video were being shown.

There is high key lighting for the majority of the music video, as it is filmed during the day. Also, the natural lighting plays an even more significant role within itself, as the exposure of light is coming from the sky. This is a huge advantage as the main focus point on the screen is being highlighted. At 1 minute and 9 seconds, we can see an example of natural lighting. The girl is sitting in her room, facing her mirror (but looking straight into the camera) with her room and face looking bright via the natural light coming in from the window. However, at 37 seconds, we see the girl walking during the night. The lighting is quite low key, but the help of the street lights enable the shot to look brighter.

The choice of costume for the music video was simple but effective, with a bit of a twist towards the end of the music video. From the  the very beginning of the music video we see all 4 of the friends wearing BLACK clothing from head to toe. This signifies how they are all wearing matching clothes, and how later in the music video (as we see) the colours appear from the smoke cans to add vibrancy. In certain parts of the music video we may see the girl wearing a dark midnight blue jumper in her room, and a dark green bomber jacket outside. however, the primary colour throughout the music video is predominantly black. At 1 minute and 53 seconds, we see one of the friends wearing a mixed light and dark green camouflaged jacket in a different location. Also, at 2 minutes and 46 seconds, we  see a more casual, retro, old and vintage look on the person on the left. He is wearing a dark brown / beige jacket, with light blue jeans. This was a very casual look from the mid 90"s. This signified (alongside the bad quality camera effect) the time frame of when the footage was filmed. Overall, the costumes were cleverly throughout. The music video started with all the friends wearing black, and ended with all friends wearing black. This was again, simple, but meaningful as well.

Overall, I would say the this music video is really well directed with the colour coordinated costumes, the usefulness of adding different transitions when changing between shots, and also the feel of the beat of the music matching the on screen actions. I felt really excited and exhilarated when the friends ran up and down the stairs, as the music was really fast with a strong and rapid beat to it. The lip syncing is absolutely on point, and is very accurate. I would give this music video a good 10 out of 10.