As me and my group are looking into a male pop artist for our music video we decided that looking into male pop artists would be appropriate for our research. I chose Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day' as I think that it has elements that every pop video should have. From the cinematography to the mise-en scene I think that he targets his audience and draws them in.
The first shot is a high angled shot that is split screened. The high angled shot is used because they're shown asleep in their bed, connoting that they're tired and therefore at their weakness. It could also portray them as vulnerable as they don't want to get out of bed in the morning as every day for them is a 'bad day.' I think that they use them getting out of bed and appearing weak as one of the first shots as neither one of them has met each other yet and therefore as the song progresses their moods will change. I think that this is also emphasis by the use of high key lighting as it's a representation of a new day and a new start, connoting that things are about to get better and pick up.
I used this second shot as it is a complete contrast to the first. A mid shot is used to convey how happy a couple are on a train. Their use of body language and gesture reinforce how fond they are of one another, and how he's seen as the alpha male by looking after her and keeping her safe whilst she sleeps. This only antagonizes the audience has they're able to relate to both the characters who are looking for love. I would say that Daniel Powter targets teenage girls/young adults in this video, who stereotypically like love stories and happy endings, and therefore you cannot help but assume that this video will have a happy ending.
Shot three is beautifully framed, using the rule of thirds technique. You could almost say that this is nearly symmetrical, apart from the fact that Daniel Powter is directly centered in the middle. The use of the extreme long shot emphasis the metaphorical meaning as to why the artist is presented as a tiny figure amongst the big city. Daniel Powter represents how both the male and female character feel in this music video. They feel consumed and swallowed whole by this city, leaving them lonely amongst a city full of life and energy. That is why I think that the location has been chosen cleverly, inside of in a small park or in a house of some sort. Through analysing this particular shot I learned that location and setting is key when planning or filming your music video. You have to think about it carefully in order to help convey your message to your target audience.
The third shot is another split screen shot of the two main characters. By allowing the audience to recognise that they're so similar yet they have never met intrigues the audience and leaves them feeling excited as we're given the impression that they will meet by the end of this video which is reinforced by the split screen being symmetrical to one another. By always presenting these characters on their own this connotes how both of them are so lonely, and how they need eachother. The way they're positioned and their body language make it evident of how vulnerable they are which rewinds us back to the third shot of how small and useless they feel in this big city. Even though there are elements of high key lighting used in some area's the colours used are pretty dull and dreary. In not one shot is anything remotely bright or vibrant. This has been framed deliberately as they wanted the locations and setting to have connotations of sadness, and that the colours are dull just like their life is.
I love how the fifth shot is framed and I think that it has great connotations. The over the shoulder shot is specifically used to disguise the girls face as she stares out of the window. You could suggest that she is staring out of the window because she thinks that there is more to life out there, or to be more specific some one out there. Her face is hidden from the camera because she feels like she has no purpose yet, and therefore she is a nobody and no identity. Her posture is slouched connoting that she is fed up with everything and tired. She is staring at the shut door/window because she feels like she's stuck behind a wall, unable to progress any further. I think the use of all these connotations are so that the audience is able to relate and easily understand what is going on, as that is key in a music video.
The sixth and seventh shot are near enough identical, yet again hiding each others identity. This is because they're communicating through drawings on a wall, and therefore have never met each other. The girl is very pessimistic as she draws a raincloud over the photo of the lady, as she is representing herself and how she feels. However, when the male character see's this drawing he then goes on to draw an umbrella over the lady. The drawing of these objects are metaphorically used to represent each character. She feels like everyday is a bad day and that she never has any luck (hence the raincloud.) However he is represented as the umbrella, who's there to metaphorically save her from the rain and brighten up her day (as cheesy as it sounds.)
In shot eight we come to the climax of the video, where you could suggest that the picture becomes a reality for both characters. A low angle shot is used so that the male character and the umbrella can appear to be more powerful and have more of an impact in the scene. The costumes/hair and make up are used cleverly in this scene as they have made the female character's clothing and hair all wet in the rain. I think that this only emphasises her vulnerability and the mood that she portrays. This contrasts to the male characters clothing, and for the first time in the music video we realise that there is a different between them. Stereotypically the male character is presented as strong and powerful, whereas the female character is vulnerable and weak.
My ninth and last shot is of the artist lip syncing the song. I included this screen grab as my last shot because even though this pop music video tells a clever and interesting story you'll normally find in pop that they always use lip syncing. You could stereotypically suggest that this is because pop is probably one of the few genre's that focuses a lot more on how the artist is presented or what they look like than others. Therefore, by using close ups of young, attractive men it is going to appeal widely to their target audience of young/teenage girls.
Here are a few gifs taken from the music video.
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