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1. MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS:
Meghan Trainor, ‘No’
Phoebe Little

2. Trainor’s video begins before the song begins, which
is fairly unusual in most music videos. The video
instead opens with a close up shot of someone,
dressed in high heeled, black boots, strutting along a
corridor. The high heels, along with the sound of
them clicking suggest an attitude or some sort of
sass. This is also seen in moody low key lighting.
As the song begins, Trainor continues walking along this
mysterious corridor. The slow motion of these shots suggest
empowerment, as she relishes every second of her power. As
well as this, women dressed in khaki and military style boots
begin running in the same direction as Trainor. This video is
clearly putting the women in control, creating the feel of a
female rebellion.
This screenshot is taken from when the beat of the song drops. All
women are standing in a symmetrical, organised formation, as an
army would be, and Trainor is stood in the centre, making it so the
viewers focus on. She has been lit in more high key lighting than
the rest of the group, furthering this idea. The women all have
clenched fists, emphasising the fact they are angry and ready to
fight.

3. This shot includes Meghan and the dancers performing
harsh, synchronised movements. They almost seem as if
they are marching, highlight the militaristic feel of the
video. Each movement is emphasised on the word ‘NO’,
making it certain to these audience about how these
women feel about being objectified and mistreated.
During this section of dance, as seen in the GIF I made (to
the right), these contrasting images have been cut into the
middle of these longer shots. This creates more variety in
the visuals, speeding up the pace of the video. As well as
this, we are able to gauge how much anger there is in the
video. The image of a woman’s silhouette against a blood
red background connotes anger, power and danger. Woman
are something to be feared, not looked down on.
This shot is also cut in between longer takes of the group
of women dancing. The nature of this birds eye/ high
angle shot shows how women feel as if they are put
under a microscope by male expectations. This idea is
highlighted the lit circle around Trainor, creating the feel
that she is trapped in a cage.

4. The set up changes in the chorus, creating a varied and engaging
video. The same group of women are now all dressed in back,
connoting danger, death and power. The low angle of the shot
here makes them seem powerful to the viewer, creating a sense of
feminine empowerment and rebellion. They are the ones in
control. The lack of men in this video also shows that. They aren’t
giving men the screen time to have any form of voice.
The camera tracks into Meghan’s face here, with her glancing at
the camera for a second and then quickly turning back. I feel that
this quickens the pace of the video whilst also creating Meghan’s
persona as someone who is sassy, clever and empowered. The
close up to her face keeps Meghan as the main focus of the video.
She is the leader of this rebellion.
This shot appears before the second verse, showing
Meghan’s hair blowing in the wind, as she is dressed in a
red dress and lipstick. I think this shot is poking fun of
men’s cliches of women and how they present themselves.
The red lipstick and dress is showing her power, and how
dangerous her message is to men.

5. The second verse open with this shot, panning down a woman’s
body, in a fairly revealing outfit. I think that this panning shot is
really effective in showing the perspective of the male gaze, looking
up and down a woman’s body in a sexualised manner. This is fairly
stereotypical in many music videos but I think in this context, this is
a way of making fun of and presenting how men look at women’s
bodies.
The video then cuts to Meghan’s face, shot from a high angle,
making her seem looked upon, as if she is inferior. I think here
she is teasing the men she is talking to. She’s presenting herself
as they want to see her, but she won’t let them have her.
Instead she is sat with a group of other girls, making it very clear
with their bold, precise movements that they are ‘untouchable’.
This is one of the final shots that the last verse cuts to, showing
several women’s hands moving over another woman’s bum. This
shows how women feel sexualised and objectified by those
around them. However, I also think that the close up nature of
this shot is used to tease men watching the video, making sure
they know that they can’t do this.

6. This shot marks the beginning of the build up to the end of
the song. This shot has been put into slow motion, showing
how Meghan is relishing in her empowerment. Her
movements suggest that she is independent and only in
need of herself. The shot tracks her hand, showing her the
focus is solely on her.
This birds eye shot connotes something different to the last one.
Instead of feeling under a microscope, Meghan is now with a group
of women and saying how she feels ‘untouchable’. The distance
between the camera and her shows this. The circle around her shows
the support between the women, whilst also maintaining focus on
the star.
This medium shot has been used towards the very end of the video to
show how this rebellion is ongoing. The red light comes from the flares
shows danger, anger and passion towards this cause. Flares
stereotypically connote war and combat, highlighting the key theme
within the video. As well as this, the ‘X’ made with both of the flares
could also be seen as a cross, saying ‘No’.