Analyse - Kanye West "Power"

Background: Kanye West is a 33 year old rapper/producer. The Song "Power" has just been released and is charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #22 as a Hot Shot Debut.

I choose this music video to show how simple as this, where there is no movement at all of the main character and still be affective. The Music video is clearly mainly CGI (computer generated images) with the background. In the music video the camera is set in the same spot throughout the whole 1 minute 33 seconds with an additional 5 close up shots of the extras in the shot.


The Majority of the music video, it just contains zooming out and characters coming into shot as the camera zooms out. I TubeChopped this clip because i like the element of how as the camera zooms out the audience learns more about the scene, however i will not be using this in my music video as i don't think this element would work with my storyboard.



I TubeChopped this scene because i really like how the action of the extras matches with the beat of the music. For example, when the two women either side of the main character are lifting their 'staffs?' and as soon as the beat starts the two women bang their staffs against the ground in sync with the beat, and then the big beat of the song comes in and the extra hanging from the top of the scene drops a cloth and the scene speeds up for a split second, it adds effect to the beat and action within the scene. This is the sort of effect i would like to use in my music video, i believe its very affective.



This TubeChopped scene links in with the one above, the close up's act in sync with the lyrics, as the lyric comes out repeating the camera changes close up from extra to extra.

Analyse - Lil Wayne "Knockout ft. Nicki Minaj"

Background: Lil Wayne is a 27 year old Rapper. The song 'Knockout' from his most recent album 'Rebirth' only reached to 44th in the US charts.

The music video has a lot of special affects within the 4 minute 10 seconds, mostly being CGI (Computer Generated Images) with the use of Green Screen. Whereas most CGI music videos can come out looking cheap and bad, this one seems to pay off.



I TubeChopped these 11 seconds because of the cut scenes being in sync with the beat, which i find very affective and something i would like to use when i come to producing my music video. With it being a blank canvas background it allows the characters to glow and be the only mise en scene in that scene. Within the 11 seconds their is good use of amplify of Lil Wayne wearing two different outfits in double occasions, this is very affective and can symbolise two sides to the character.



In this scene there is a lot of cotinuity cut scenes which makes the music video have more of a pace, this is very affective when the action in the scene doesnt illustrate enough pace, i would like to use this in my video to make some scenes in my video seem more of a fast pace. In this TubeChopped scene their is a good example of CGI being used with the locker room. I would not be able to get hold of a Green Screen for my music video and even if i did i would not know how to use it, this is something i would like to learn at some point whether it be at college or university.



I TubeChopped this part of the music video to show the props of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne and how the scenes amplify from one beat wearing a white top and jeans to the next beat wearign a cardigan, also with Nicki Minaj's hair being two colours, both peoples looks could symbolise to sides to them.
In this scene we also get another glimpse of CGI inside the ring, we also see camera flashes from where the crowd are meant to be, i can only imagine that would be very challenging to do if not impossible to do at this level.
The flashes of white around the character can symbolise power as the character glows and the glow beats along with the beat.
When the camera gets an establishing shot of the ring and zooms in on Lil Wayne, i believe it is a good idea to get an established shot within any digital media production so the audience get a vibe and knowledge of the setting. I would like to use a number of establised shots in my production.

Overall i feel this music video is very simple yet very hard and confussing to put together due to the CGI and Green Screen, hard to produce yet when watched looks simple. However with CGI Green Screen being used they would have filmed the whole production within one room (Stage/airport hanger) because of the space.

Analyse - Kid Cudi "Pursuit of Happiness ft. MGMT"

Background: Kid Cudi is a 26 year old hip-hop artist. The song Pursuit of Happiness was on the album "Man on the Moon: The End of Day" and reached #3 in the UK R&B Chart.

The Music Video has been edited to be in slow motion for everyone other than the actual Artist, this shows the viewer who the artist/lead role is in the music video, i feel this has a positive affect on the music video as the lyrics of the video are about being drunk and on drugs etc. So the slow motion illustrates being drunk and on drugs.



The first part i decided to TubeChop is the beginning of the song, and i am picking up on the slow motion again here. At the beginning of the music video everything is in normal motion speed until the artist starts to sing/rap, this is when everything surrounding the artist slows down whereas Kid Cudi is in normal motion, this can represent that Kid Cudi is "Godly" as only god should be able to speed and slow time, it represents the power kid cudi has in the music video.
The mise en scene in this clip is doom and gloom with the lighting and room colours, although in saying that the surrounding people in the scene are celebrating drinking glasses of wine and champaigne and doing the old "cheers" with the glasses. This could come under as being a disjuncture as you expect with the setting being all dark and dusk and then people being all happy and celebrating.



I Decided to use this clip to talk about how the lyrics represent the celebrations going on in this scene, "im in the pursuit of happiness.." and the surrounding people looking happy. Having confetti fall from the ceiling could connote and represent a new years eve party.
As the surrounding cast seem to people happy and enjoying themselves, Kid Cudi's lyrics "im in the pursuit of happiness" connotes he is not currently happy however he is in search of happiness, this is why, in the scene he is the only person who is looking miserable, until the lyrics "everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold" can connote to be happy for now as things could be much worse, which then cuts to him and 'Drake' dancing looking happy.



In this clip we get a close up of Kid Cudi's face and his eyes, by the looks of his eye's the rapper is made to look high on drugs and sad, this fit's in with the lyrics as they go "Tell me what you know about dreamin’ dreamin’, You don't really know about nothin’ nothin’. Tell me what you know about them night terrors every night. 5 am, cold sweats wakin’ up to the skies. Tell me what you know about dreams, dreams. Tell me what you know about night terrors, nothin’" these lyrics fit in well with the action because the lyrics are saying that nobody know's the pain/challenges he is going through, which leads to why he looks sad on the close up of his face.



In this scene the speed of the clip speeds back up at random intervals, this can symbolise how thigns are picking up for the lead character and how life is becoming more normal and not depressive. The lyrics "I'll be fine once I get it, I'll be good." can connote that once the artist has reached fortune, fame and happiness he will behave.



In this last scene, time slow's down again and speed's up at random interval's. At the start of the scene Kid Cudi is shown to throw a bottle at the floor, and then walks towards the camera, the mise en scene and action can connote that he is a 'bum' and is not happy or successful at this point because of his rigid clothing and actions. As the lead character strolled into the toilets looking 'high' or drunk (or both), Kid Cudi then goes on to see himself dressed smartly in a tuxedo, however also drunk or 'high' (or both), we can see this as he falls when he try's to pick himself up off of the floor. As the 'bum' kid cudi is watcing the 'successful' kid cudi get up off of the floor we the viewers can see in the 'bum' kid cudi's face the dissapointment in what the 'successful' kid cudi had became, to add to the dissapointment look, he looks to the floor as if he is ashamed.

The whole point of this music video could be to show the viewer how he struggles to become what he wants, which is fortune and fame and happy, however we see that when he gets fortune and fame, he is not happy, so at the end when he looks to the floor feeling ashamed could represent a cliffhanger because he never reached happiness.

If i could take any ideas from this video it would be the slow motion surroundings with the main character moving, i think that is a very affective way of showing whos the lead character in the scene and can add to the mood of the scene.