Analysis of pop music videos for A2 Media coursework.

1. Music Videos
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

2. Ariana
Grande “Into
You”
The first music video that we
decided to analyse is one of
Ariana’s own music videos, to
a song called “Into You”. The
music video features lots of
interesting aspects, such as
traditional conventions that
come with the chosen genre,
editing techniques and imagery
that helps us as inspiration
for the filming of our own
music video.

3. The cutting rhythm of the shots is very important for a pop
music video. For example, when the video for “Into You”
starts, the cutting rate of the shots is matched to the intro
beats of the song, before levelling out again to match the
slow tempo of the quieter verses. As the slow tempo is
introduced, most of the shots are also in slow motion, so
that there can be a contrast when the chorus begins and
so that there can be a clear build up and difference in
shots when the beat changes.
Because this is a pop song with some dance music
elements incorporated into it, the chorus is very up beat and
has a fast tempo. To match this, the cutting rhythm
increases and the shots change from slow motion to quick
and unsteady handheld shots to emphasise the chorus.
Featured at certain intervals in the video is shots of the sky
and landscape that has been edited to match the whole
colour scheme of the video and the fast pace of he entire
song. Each shot is there to mark a change in tempo of the
song e.g. the chorus build up and bridge in the song. It
also makes the video a little more impressionistic and allows
the audience to interpret the song their own way, with the
help of the narrative.
R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N M U S I C A N D
V I S U A L S

4. “CLOSE AIN’T CLOSE
ENOUGH”- 0:23
When the lyric plays, the
video shows a close up of
the couple together (Ariana
and male model Don.) It is
a subtle reference to the
lyrics of the song without
being too obvious and it
emphasises the meaning
and emotion behind the
song.
R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N L Y R I C S A N D
V I S U A L S
“LOOK WHAT YOU
STARTED” – 0:39
At 0:39, this lyric is the
start of the bridge to the
chorus, and the lyrics
change to tell more of a
story. To signify this, the
video also changes from
artistic shots of Ariana to
the actual narrative featured
in the song between the
two people.
“WAITING FOR YOU TO
MAKE A MOVE” – 0:50
Video cuts to a close up
of the male model, because
in the song she is talking
about him, and that she is
waiting for him to “make a
move.”
“INTO YOU” – (2:23 - 2:27)
The chorus plays and of
course includes the name of
the song. Each time it does
there is a little montage of
clips of the two people
together and enjoying being
with each other. Again its
another subtle reference to
the lyrics and their meaning
without being too obvious.

5. C L O S E -
U P S
During the video, various different close
ups are included at random intervals. They
are mostly of the artists, Ariana but also
are of the two people together and at
one point, just the male.
According to Andrew Goodwin, close ups
are a product of demands of the record
label to further advertise the artist and
help develop a motif that may recur
across their work. For Ariana, this means
that the close ups create a sense of
intimacy between the audience and the
artist, and the close ups tend to
predominate the videos purely due to the
smaller screen size that they are usually
viewed on.

6. R E F E R E N C E S T O “ L O O K I N G ” A N D T H E M A L E
G A Z E
Mid Shots & Long Shots of
Ariana dancing/stretching in
revealing clothes that show
her body.
Close-ups of Ariana looking
directly into camera/at the
audience.
When the narrative plays,
they pay no attention to
each other, hinting that they
are too “into” each other to
notice anything else

7. I N T E R T E X T U A L I T Y A N D “ P O P ” M U S I C V I D E O
C O N V E N T I O N S
Intertextuality is when one media sector references another. For example in Ariana’s music
video, she references old movies in the locations and colours, and cliché film tropes of
running away to a run-down motel or “honeymoon inn” to conceal their affair. This can also
be linked to some common “Pop” music conventions of a video. These include things like
the story about a couple/love story; modern and stylish clothing that references the setting;
outdoor and remote locations with bright colours and artistic close ups, and use of voyeuristic
shots and intermittent cuts to impressionistic footage.

8. Selena
Gomez
“Kill Em
With
Kindness”
For the next video, we chose
a song by Selena Gomez.
She is another female artist
in the pop genre that is
similar to Ariana Grande, and
yet this video for “Kill em
with kindness” holds little
narrative throughout. Selena
focuses on impressionistic
shots and the whole video is
in black and white, which is
an interesting comparison to
Ariana’s brightly coloured
video.

9. R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N M U S I C A N D
V I S U A L S
This title card of the song at the beginning of the video is a good
signal and transition into the song. It cuts to this exactly when the
music starts and seems to be a common recurrence in music videos
today, as Ariana Grande used one similar in her video.
From 0:35, the build up to the chorus starts. To match this, the
cutting rhythm increased and the video started to feature some more
erratic and faced paced scenes, such as Selena shaking her head
and strobe lighting.
Similar to 0:35, at 1:40 there is another build up, this time in a
different location and with different aspects of the visuals matching
the music. This time, there is strobe lighting/flashes matching the
beat of the song. Again it signals a change in the tempo of the
song, but presents a different element to the video to keep it
visually interesting.

10. R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N L Y R I C S A N D
V I S U A L S
“YOUR LIES ARE
BULLETS” – 1:25
As this lyric is played the
shot is of falling bullets
from a gun. This is the
only reference to the lyrics
that is this obvious, but its
effective in the way its
artistically filmed and edited
into the video to fit the
impressionistic style.
“PUT OUT THE FIRE” –
1:31
There is a shot of some
candles being blown out.
Its very quick, maybe not
even a second, but after
the lyric “put out the fire”
is played. Its so subtle that
the shot may just seem
like another artistic shot to
fill a gap, but it references
the lyrics really well.
“KILL EM WITH KINDNESS”
– 1:40
Selena is filmed singing
along to this part of the
song, and is smiling whilst
she does so. The eye
contact with the
camera/audience emphasises
her meaning and creates a
relationship between the two
that implies she’s talking to
them
“NO WAR IN ANGER” –
2:32
The full lyric is actually “no
war in anger is ever won”.
At the same time the
theme of the video has
switched to a small
Montage of the newly
introduced dancers. War is
mentioned, and the dancers
start their passionate and
emotional dancing to the
song.

11. C L O S E -
U P S
Close-ups are a key element of Selena's
video, as she doesn't have the advantage
of bright colours and interesting locations to
keep the attention of the audience. As the
song is about using peaceful actions to
overcome our everyday obstacles and
limitations, the close-ups of Selena singing
reinforce her message of the song by
creating a relationship between the audience
and the artist, through eye-contact through
the camera and facial expressions.

12. R E F E R E N C E S T O “ L O O K I N G ” A N D T H E M A L E
G A Z E
She’s looking at other
people/things on set because
she’s not alone in the video.
Close-ups of Selena looking
directly into camera/at the
audience.
Shots of Selena wearing
revealing clothing and showing
her whole body with specific
body language.

13. I N T E R T E X T U A L I T Y A N D “ P O P ” M U S I C V I D E O
C O N V E N T I O N S
The intertextuality referenced in the video seems to be along the lines of old black and white movies/old cinema; in
terms of location, props and video/sound effects. Using make shift sets and old lighting; having locations referencing
old fashioned dressing rooms and sound effects of old film rolling help to set a theme for the whole video. Keeping
with the theme, there is also signs of some “Pop” music video conventions. These things include editing to match the
faced paced chorus, impressionistic shots that can reference lyrics and dancers or actors featuring in the video for
added effect.