2.Relationship between lyrics and visuals (amplifies, illustrates and contradicts)
3.Relationship between music and visuals
4.Demands of the record label (lots of close-ups on the artist)
5.Reference to notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment (through window, spying and sexualisation)
Analysing Music Videos
Genre Characteristics
- costumes: gangster/street look
- getting in trouble with Police/criminal activity
- hip-hop/street dance
- dog fighting
- violence
- lacking representation of wealth - cars are normal, clothing scruffy, images of bling minimal (seems like he hasnt got it but looking at it)
- some images of sexualised women (gold bikinis, looking like prostitutes) but not as you might expect
- setting - urban - Brooklyn NY - run down neighbourhood and some shots of the bridge
- images of underground, rough looking clubs adding to the gangster lifestyle
- stereotypical race conventions - policemen white, bad guys black/jailbirds/on the streets
- shooting at the end - reflects image of gangster cool
Lyrics and visuals
- song is about being a gangster/lifestyle and video images illustrate this
- sychronous relationship - thoroughout song, images reflect the lyrics sometimes generally and sometimes more specifically/literally e.g: 'God' = image of crucifix, 'bitch' = image of woman/dog etc.
- story about getting pulled over by police is literally illustrated in visuals - very narrative style
- "from the hood" - pulls hood down
- "paparazzi" - images of criminals (camera flash)
- visuals show some of the 99 problems and the pinnacle one being him getting shot
Music and visuals
- camera movements are jerky and constant which matches the rise and fall of the beat
- cuts are in sync with the bass, especially at the beginning
- lots of cuts and many different images making it hard to see everything at first viewing - similar to song, which is also dense with themes/imagery/narrative
Demand of the record label
- lots of (worms eye) low angle shots and close ups of Jay-Z makes him appear powerful - desirable image to promote within the hip-hop industry
- fewer shots of him than you might expect - seems like hes being modest or that hes the topdog/elusive on the streets. Also, reflects face that he is a well-established artist and doesnt need his face all over the video
Notions of looking/voyeurism
- looking at police in the wing mirror
- various shots of women which are very sexual
- looking through bars into prison
- video of Jay-Z outside subway station
- looking through fingers
- x-ray vision shot through boot of car
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