Music Video Analysis
Explain how representations in music videos are chosen to promote the artist(s). Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. [10]
In production of a music video, representations are selected very carefully as they can have a large effect on the meaning of the song, how it is reacted to by the audience and how they perceive the production.
For the music video of 'Stop Where You Are' by Corrine Bailey Rae, the representations shown in the video are clearly seen and work in partnership with the lyrics of the song. The main theme of the song is about helping others less fortunate than yourself and putting them before you as it can brighten up their day before being on your way. The video consists of multiple people of different ages going about their day to day life. The video shows how a few minutes of your time can positively impact someones day. The first person we are shown in the video is a teenage girl. This part of the video is filmed in a long shot angle to show that she is alone and potentially vulnerable. The girl has her hood up which could potentially show that she is trying to hide something or that she could be upset by something, maybe other people who have not treated her as they should have. Corrine Bailey Rae come to sit down with the girl in the dark corridor where she is situated. Corrine shows an attempt to make the girl feel better which is her main message from the song.
We next see an adult woman. The woman is also on her own and seems to be homeless or sleeping rough. The video shows a man in a suit (potentially a businessman) passing the woman. The fact that the man is in business attire carries the connotations of him being wealthy or maybe just well off, however, he is still in a better position than the homeless woman. As he passes the woman, the woman pleads for help. The man walks on but then after some time, returns with a coffee for her and begins to have a conversation with her. As the conversation proceeds, the woman begins to show a smile and it seems that her mood is lifted as she has been acknowledged as another equal person. The differences in age between the people in the video show that you can fid anyone from any age or any background in difficult situation and it is important to treat them as an equal and with respect. As well as using differences in age to portray the message, the video also uses differences in class to represent the message that is trying to be conveyed through the song.
We next see an adult woman. The woman is also on her own and seems to be homeless or sleeping rough. The video shows a man in a suit (potentially a businessman) passing the woman. The fact that the man is in business attire carries the connotations of him being wealthy or maybe just well off, however, he is still in a better position than the homeless woman. As he passes the woman, the woman pleads for help. The man walks on but then after some time, returns with a coffee for her and begins to have a conversation with her. As the conversation proceeds, the woman begins to show a smile and it seems that her mood is lifted as she has been acknowledged as another equal person. The differences in age between the people in the video show that you can fid anyone from any age or any background in difficult situation and it is important to treat them as an equal and with respect. As well as using differences in age to portray the message, the video also uses differences in class to represent the message that is trying to be conveyed through the song.
