Music Video Analysis

1. In the name of Love
Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha
“In the name of love” is a song by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix and American
singer Bebe Rexha. The song is a pop ballad and includes electronic
features.
The music video for the song was released on streaming formats on the 9th
of august. The song and music video were both highly rated by critics.

2. “Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage
performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band,
aspiration in Hip Hop).”
 The music video includes two young characters finding each other and
suggests that they are in love. This is a classic characteristic of pop music
videos.
 The music video is mostly performance based as we see Bebe Rexha
performing the song and singing throughout most of the video. However,
along with this we see a very simple story unfold as the two young
characters find each other and then hold each other once they are under the
water. This is another classic characteristic as most pop songs follow either
the performance or narrative route for their music videos, and this video has
included aspects of both.
 Another classic characteristic is the use of jump cuts or fast editing. As the
song includes a lot of different sounds and beats, the image changes at each
one. Showing the water erupting out the pool at moments where the beat
drops or water rushing across the screen as a tune is held. There are also a
lot of jump cuts when we see Bebe singing the song, showing her on the
ground at low or calm parts of the song, and then up on a high balcony
when she hits high notes or sings strongly.
Shows the two young
characters stood together.
Fast paced jump cuts,
moving from water to the
characters and then back

3.  Bold and vivid colours are used throughout the video. The lead
singer Bebe wears a bright red dress to stand out, along with
bright red lipstick to match the dress. This could also
symbolise the theme of the song which is love. Along with this
the storm clouds an lighting gave of vivid bursts of colours as
the pool filled with a deep black. All the colours used cam
together to make a dramatic video. Colours are used carefully
in music videos to portray the genre, and the strong, bright
colours in this video let the viewers know it is a pop/party
anthem.
 The video is set in a large mansion, the colours of the building
itself are very bland and neutral, which help the colours of the
clothing and other features pop. The setting doesn’t really go
with the genre of music, as you would usually see a mansion
or vintage building in a slow/classical music video. However,
the setting works well with the video as it is if the two
characters are breaking out of the boundaries of the mansion
and find each other.
The old mansion setting, which
contradicts the setting for other pop
songs.
Use of vivid colours throughout
the music video.

4. “There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
The lyrics are represented with images. (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).”
 The “in the name of love” music video follows the story of a young girl
who is ready to love, but is curious if her lover is. The lyrics portray the
story of a girl who wants to know if her boyfriend is ready to love her and
walk through the pain it takes to love someone.
 The pool is portrayed to be ‘love’. The dark pool shows that no one
knows what love will hold for them but they have to jump in the find out.
“would you let me lead you even when you're blind? In the darkness, in
the middle of the night” as the lyric ‘darkness’ is sang there is a jump cut
to the pool, making the audience assume that the pool represents the
darkness and unknown.
 The lyrics are shown in the visuals as the girl is seen alone for the
duration of the video as she sings about the questions she has for her
boyfriend who is undecided. Then as the song goes on, we see the
boyfriend join her by the pool as he has decided he is ready. The lyrics
then change from questions to her declaring her love – “you bring me
back to life, and its all in the name of love”

5. As they are seen jumping in the
water (love) the lyrics “in the
name of love” are repeated as
they have finally leaped and taken
the risk to love each other.

6. “There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).”
 Visuals through out this music video relate to the music itself.
When strong or high notes are hit, we either see the female
lead crouching or bending over as she lets all her feelings out
through singing, or we see lighting strike or water erupt from
the pool. The beats and sounds are also matched with the
movement of water or the gathering of storm clouds. When the
beat drops heavily, the water surges and lighting strikes along
with water pushing across the camera and bright colours burst
from the clouds above.
 There are several fast cuts during the main chorus of the song,
and the visuals change colour and very vivid colours are used
make the screen light up in time with the music. The cuts are
also placed in at the same time that the bear changes or drops.

7. The demands of the record label will include the
need for lots of close ups of the artist and the
artist may develop motifs which recur across their
work (a visual style).
 During this video there are a lot of close ups
of Bebe. The close ups enable the artist to
portray emotion through their facial
expressions and movements. The only visual
style that recurs throughout Bebe’s work is
her lipstick. Her lipstick usually matches the
colour of her outfit so she looks fashionable
and uniform.
 Bebe looks directly into the camera quite
regularly. This may be to make us feel like
her boyfriend, as she's asking if he will love
her unconditionally she looks desperately at
us, the audience, through the camera.

8. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens
within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic
treatment of the female body.
 There is no real notion of looking in this video. The artists never look in mirrors,
or screens/stages. There is also no voyeuristic treatment of the female body. The
female lead wears a red dress, which is of reasonable length and doesn’t show off
her figure too much. The only time there is a notion of looking is when the male
lead stands on the balcony and looks down at the female.

9. The artist may develop motifs or iconography
that recur across their work (a visual style)
 Bebe wears lipstick in each of her music videos which
matches the rest of her outfit. In this music video she
wears red lipstick which matches her red dress, and in the
song “no broken hearts” she wears a pink outfit and is also
wearing a pink lipstick that matches it. Bebe in a different music video wearing a pink
lipstick matching her dress colour.
Bebe wearing red lipstick that perfectly
matches her dress colour in the ‘in the name of
love’ video.

10. There are often intertextual
reference (to films, TV
programmes, other music videos
etc).
 The setting is very similar to the film
‘Gatsby’. The fashion in both the film
and music video is similar. Bebe is seen
in the video in a bright and vibrant red
dress, which is similar to the vibrant
and sparkly dresses the women in the
film wear. As well as this the man in the
music video is similar to Gatsby in the
film, as he is clearly a well dressed and
wealthy man.

11. Dancing on my own
Callum Scott
“Dancing on my own” is a song by Callum Scott, a English
singer. It is his first single released after his success on
Britain's got talent.

12. “Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in
metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl
band, aspiration in Hip Hop).”
 This music video goes against the usual
characteristics of a pop ballad song. It is a
very slow moving video with a very bland
setting and very bland clothing. There is no
dance routine and hardly any movement at
all.
 The lip syncing is a general characteristic,
and there is quite a bit of lip syncing
through out the music video. The lead
singer lip syncs well and puts a lot of effort
into the singing to make it realistic.
 The video is narrative based as it follows the
story of a man and woman breaking
through their restraints and finding each
other in a crowd. However there are some
performance parts added in with the
addition of lip syncing and some solo parts
where we see the male lead singing and
moving.
Goes against the usual charactersitics of a pop
video as they are all wearing identical clothes, which
are very plain and boring.
A story is shown throughout
the video, which is a general
characteristic of a pop video.
Lip syncing is a general
characteristic of pop music
videos.

13. “There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are
represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).”
 The song is about a man not getting the woman he wants and
being alone. The visuals portray this well as from his facial
expressions you can see he feels alone and deserted.
 As the lead male sings “I keep dancing on my own” he is stood
alone in a dark room, portraying that he is physically alone.
 “I'm in the corner watching you kiss her” we see the girl that the
lead male is in love with kissing another man, whilst we are viewing
from a far making us feel like the lead singer standing in the corner.
 “you don’t see me standing here” The light dies around him as the
two characters find each other and he is left alone without the
woman he loves. Whilst the new couple are surrounded by light as
the woman only sees the man she loves and not the lead male.

14. “There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).”
 As the tempo of the song and the strength and volume of the
singing increases, the story builds and the two characters begin
to run to each other, one tripping as the song slows again. A lot
of the video is in slow motion or very slow movements as the
actors break the rules of staying still and watching, which flows
well with the tempo of the song.
 As well as this, as the song picks up and the story reaches its
climax and end, the light they are all staring at bursts with light.
The light also dims and brightens accordingly to the music
volume and speed.
 Also with the light, when the two characters meet, the boy
singing is put in the dark, as he becomes sad and upset that he
has lost the girl he loves. Whilst the two character who are now
together are covered in bright light.

15. The demands of the record label will include
the need for lots of close ups of the artist and
the artist may develop motifs which recur
across their work (a visual style).
 There are a lot of close ups of Callum
Scott in this music video. They show the
pain and emotion in the artists face as he
is stood alone. It also allows us to see the
emotion in the song as we see the effort
he puts in to his singing and mouth
movements.
 Callum Scott doesn’t seem to have any
motifs whilst singing. However, he does
close his eyes quite frequently, showing
us the emotion and effort he puts into
his singing and putting his feelings across
to the audience.

16. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens
within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic
treatment of the female body.
 In this music video there is frequent notion of looking, as the two lovers look at
each other from across the crowd. But also as the lead male looks on at the
woman he will never have as she is in love with another man.
 There is no voyeuristic treatment of the female body however, as all characters
are wearing the same clothing and these outfits are not body hugging and don’t
show the woman's curves or body features at all. The only part of the woman we
see is her face, which has no makeup and she look extremely pure.
 The theme of the video seems to be that the people are controlled and
disciplined, so it would not fit in with the theme if the woman was looked at in a
derogatory way or for her to be acting in a very sexual way which would grab
peoples attention.

17. The artist may develop motifs or iconography
that recur across their work (a visual style)
 Callum Scott is a new artist with no previous songs or work
before this song. So it is hard to say if he has any iconography
as this is all I've seen other than his Britain’s got talent
performances. From what I have seen previously I can see that
he closes his eyes frequently whilst singing, although it is not
really a motif, it does help put across a good emotional
performance and lets the audience feel his pain and emotions.

18. There are often intertextual reference
(to films, TV programmes, other music
videos etc).
 This music video relates a lot to the film equals, which is
about a community that have all human emotions
stripped away from them and cant love. They wear similar
clothing in the film to those in the music video. The film
includes a couple that learn to love again and break the
rules to be together, just like the couple in the music
video. There is no clear reference to the film, however the
director of the video clearly took inspiration from the film
as the themes are almost identical.
 Intertextual references is a key feature in John Stewarts
theory as he says that bringing in inspiration from other
texts helps the audience feel closer to the video or more
familiar with it.

19. Hold Up
Beyonce
Hold up is a song by Beyoncé. It was
released in 2016 on her new number 1
album ‘Lemonade’.

20. “Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance
routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).”
 In the music video, Beyoncé lip syncs very
rarely, but when she does the music video
meets the characteristics of pop music. The
outfit worn by Beyoncé demonstrates basic
genre characteristics as it is very bright and
eye catching, which is what pop outfits should
be like. The outfit is unusual however and
looks like a one off, which also meets the
characteristics of the indie/ R&B aspects of the
song.
 There are no dance routines which is unusual
for Beyoncé music videos, and pop songs for
that matter. However there is a small band
playing behind Beyoncé and a crowd forms in
the music video. Which adds a performance
aspect to the music video.

21. “There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).”
 There are slight relationships between the
lyrics and visuals. For example as Beyoncé
smashes the car window the lyrics ‘What's
worse looking jealous or crazy’ are played.
This links the visuals and lyrics as Beyoncé
is shown to be crazy.
 As well as this the lyrics ‘I’d rather be
crazy’ are played as she hits a fire hydrant
with a baseball bat. This also links the
lyrics to the visuals as again Beyoncé is
shown to be crazy.

22. “There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone
and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).”
 When Beyoncé smashes the window
of a car, a drum/cymbal sound
sounds, linking the smashing of the
window to the instrumental sound.
 The atmosphere and setting also
match the tone of the music, as it is
slightly jazzy and the setting is based
in an old fashioned American town,
with only black people on camera,
which stereotypically links to jazz
music.
The setting looks like an old fashioned
American town.

23. The demands of the record label will include the
need for lots of close ups of the artist.
 There are a lot of close ups of Beyoncé in this music video, and
also a lot of close ups of other people in the music video. The
close ups show the facial expressions of the artist and also the
emotions she's portraying. We see the craziness in her eyes as
she destroys the town she's in and see the shock and joy in
other faces as they see the fun side to her actions.
 This music video meets this characteristic very well, as there are
a range of close ups of the artist and others.

24. There is frequently reference to
notion of looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of
the female body.
 There are frequent notions of looking
in this music videos as the passer-by's
stare at Beyoncé as she trashes the
town. There are also times when the
female body could be treated
voyeuristically, as the artist where's
very revealing clothes. Beyoncé's dress
is very low cut, and shows her
cleavage to the audience, which would
bring about the male gaze.
 There is also a notion of looking when
the female lead looks up at the CCTV
camera and we are looking down on
her. Showing a screen within a screen,
which is a clear characteristic of a
music vide.

25. The artist may develop motifs or iconography
that recur across their work (a visual style)
One thing that is usually portrayed in Beyoncé's work is a story. In her
newer songs the music videos are usually narrative based and have
deep meaning. The beginning if this music video show a 2 minute
video of her dictating to us. There is also a key reissuance of feminism
in Beyoncé's work, as she is a well known feminist.
Even though Beyoncé is shown to be crazy or jealous in this video,
which is usually a sign of weakness, she seems to change this around
and make herself strong throughout the video, showing that she is in
charge, linking directly to her feminist side.
At the beginning of the video we see Beyoncé helping herself out of
bed, showing the audience that women should stick together. The
same message is portrayed in her other music videos, for example
Pretty hurts.

26. There are often intertextual
reference (to films, TV programmes,
other music videos etc).
 One intertextual reference that I can recognise
would be the slight link to the music video roar, as
the two music videos show a strong female lead.
Even though the roar video is more based on a
woman finding her feet and standing up for herself,
the ‘Hold up’ video also links to a woman who is
tired of being held down or controlled and Is finally
free, causing her to destroy things.
 The two videos are very promoting to women and
both focus on women only. The ‘roar’ video stands
up for women more that the lyrics, as we see the
man be the weak character in the situation rather
than the woman. Whilst in Beyoncé's hold up, we
hear about the man being in the wrong and the
female lead standing up for herself. And also
showing her strength and she runs havoc in the
town.