Research task: Generic Music Video Analysis 2
10:32I also wanted to analyse 'This is what you came for' by rihanna ft Calvin Harris.
Camera Angles/Movement
We are introduced to the music video with a title screen reading the title of the music video, the artists and director. It s presented on an LCD display screen that seems to be glitching and the words go in and out of focus whilst the colours switch to black and white and back.
This is effective as it is a unique way to introduce a music video and captures the attention of the audience.
We also see in the beginning a shot of a landscape with a box followed by a shot of a room with a beaming light which eventually reveals a glowing box. This then switches to another landscape of a field with trees and we see the box once again.
The use of nature scenery shots alongside an ambiguous box creates a contrast and shows the juxtoposition of the two different types of scenery. There is also juxtoposition where we see a box in the landscape shots as it isn't something you would normally find.
The use of these ambiguous shots grasps the attention of the audience as they begin to become curious as to what the box is.
We are then shown a longshot of rihanna in the cube as the cube changes colour from white to red to blue. Following this, the camera zooms out.
Most of this music video surrounds rihanna in a box where projections are shown around each side of the box. It tends to change from block colours to landscapes, people dancing, smoke clouds and shapes. At one point we also see an effect here where the camera tilts up to reveal the projection of the door and tilts down as it seems we get closer to it. The projection shows a shot of a door in the distance which then gets closer and closer in a track and eventually we go through the door.
This is a very effective shot as although rihanna's composition is consisitant, the background around her isn't which creates an almost 4D effect like you would see in surreal 4D effect rollercoasters. This then makes the audience feel as if they are floating and flying towards the door.
Rihanna thoughout this video walks away and towards a still camera, however a common shot we see in this music video is a dollyzoom where rihanna walks in one direction (towards or away from the camera) and the camera moves in the opposite direction.
(here she is walking towards the camera and the camera is moving toward rihanna)
This is effective as it is an almost uneasy camera effect to use and makes the audience fell as if they're moving closer. The shot is also fast unlike the other dollyzooms in the music video and this emphasizes the upbeat chorus.
Another technique used is where the camera follows rihanna's movements in the direction that she's walking in a track. This is when the camera is moving as rihanna moves. She stays in the same composition however the background doesn't.
This is effective as it allows us to see the whole set even whilst rihanna is walking away from it.
Near the end of the music video we see an effect of a handheld camera which moves towards and around rihanna. the movements are smooth which may show that it was done on a track however it does mimic a handheld camera being around her.
This is effective as the camera isn't moving in just one direction and is rather moving with rihanna, creating the illusion that the audience is almost dancing alongside. it also makes it quite intimate as we get up close with her. It also emphasises the almost party atmosphere where you are unfamiliarly closer to people when dancing. This is also a common convention of the genre featuring dancing.
There is also a canted angle shortly after whilst the camera is in a dollyzoom. This again is a very fast short shot and the speed is important as it imitates a fast bird. The canted angle overhead of rihanna emphasises the bird imitation as it is a technique they use when flying.
Therefore this also gives the illusion that the audience is flying towards and over her.
There is also a really smart technique used near the end where the camera is zooming towards her and stops and when she then uses her hands to gesture coming closer the camera and the camera continues. Rihanna gesturing to the still camera appeals to the audience as it is inviting the audience towards her.
This once again implies that she is gesturing to the audience and the camera moving closer creates the effect of the audience moving.
Editing
In terms of shot choices, there are a few common shots used in this music video consistently.
Tracking of rihanna walking forward and back:
Zooms/Dollyzooms :
Handheld rotating around rihanna:
Long shots of her dancing:
By mostly using similar shots hroughout the music video it creates consistency and makes it easier for the audience to follow. It also emphasises the shots throughout that aren't the common ones.
The order of shots is also important when it comes to editing as it can suggest a relationship between shots or contrasts them. An example of this is where we see a landcape shot followed by a shot of a warehouse with an intense glow and then another shot of the landscape.
We see a clear contrast between the calming nature shots with the glowing intriguing box shots and this creates a juxtopostion, drawing our attention to the most ambiguous shot; the box.
Also another example of the way clips have been strategically placed is where we see a projection of something and then the real thing.
This is a projection of calvin:
This is the actual shot of calvin:
This is a projection of a moving car:
This is the actual shot of the car:
By having a projection of a shot and then showing the actual shot shows a relationship between the two. It kind of emphasizes the notion of something versus the reality of it. It could present how Rihanna is only exposed to the implied presence of something rather than being exposed to the real thing as she is in a box. This can also play on the saying of 'living under a rock' except the only reality she knows is the box rather than a rock.
Many music videos tend to have continuity and follow a linear narrative however this is a non-continuity music video as it has more of a montage style. We know this as we see a series of clips of rihanna strung together that flow in a montage fashion.
A lot of the transitions in this video tend to be just cuts as it flows more with the music however some of the ones used are very effective. First we have the popular dissolve/cross fade across different shots. We also see a graphic match here too where we see a picture of a landscape.
This fades into a projection of the same landscape.
Another example of this is where we see a projection of a car where a graphic match is used and reveals the real car.
The use of a graphic match is really effective as it is considered playing with the audience's visuals, drawing their attention.
Shot duration here is varied as we see many shots that are long in duration but closer to the chorus the shots get shorter. This is effective as it plays on the pace of the music making it more pleasing for the audience. Shots are also in time with the rhythm for example this shot. the lights turn on in rhythm with the music.
This also keeps the music video upbeat and lively for the audience.
SFX is used here throughout, such as the use of glitches. An example of this is in the title screen where we see a LCD screen glitch that flickers. There are also many glitches inserted during tranitions to create an almost wipe effect.
This SFX captures the attention of the audience as it isn't a common convention of a music video. It also creates an almost techno vibe to the video too.
Sound
Sound ofcourse includes the music from the video that is non-diegetic however at the beginning before the music starts there is no music and we can hear nature amongst the landscape shots. This is a common convention of a music video to start off quiet and use diegetic sound before the actual music to create a sense of intrigue.
Mis-en-scene
The setting is of mostly two places; the landscape outside and the white box on the set. By only having two main locations in a music video it keeps the music video simple and easy to follow. Lighting here played a very big role, the landscapes were very well lit with natural light however the set with the box was darkly lit except for the strobe lighting. 
The box setting had very bright lights for example where the box changed colour but also had streaks of light throughout the music video, imitating the atmosphere of a club.
This is a common convention of a pop video to include an almost lively atmosphere through the use of lighting. Rihanna's clothing was nothing unordinary to the common fashion, and imitates teenager's clothing which is mostly the target audience.
It is very street and stylish, a common convention of this type of music video. It is also quite casual as her top is off the shoulder, showing her as being a very liberal person.
Composition varies in this music video as we see rihanna taking up less room in the frame however near the chorus and upbeat parts we see her closer to the camera.
In terms of acting, she is the only main protagonist which is a strange and obscure as it isn't seen in most music videos. We do see just two clips of Calvin, one outside the box and one in a car.
However this is nothing compared to the screen time Rihanna had, which makes sense as the song is based from a stereotypical females prospective talking about how all guys want her but she only wants one guy. Also the shots we do see of Calvin are long shots and we see no closeups at all which signifies how insignificant he is compared to Rihanna, the main singer.
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