Motifs in Music VIdeo

COMMON MOTIFS FOR

MUSIC VIDEO

There are varieties of motifs used in different music videos to mirror the purpose or theme of

the video itself. On this PowerPoint, I will be evaluating each motifs and linking the motifs to

different music videos.

Jay Z “Holy Grail ft. Justin Timberlake”

FRAGMENTATION OF THE BODY

Fragmentation of the body is the close up of

the artists’ or models’ body part (mouth,

eyes and breasts), where the body is

obscured by objects. This may have no

relation to the music video but may be used

for artistic purposes. When a body part is

fragmented, it doesn’t have to be sexual-

you can have feet marching to the beat of

the music. In this image, we see a close up

of Beyonce’s mouth which enhances the

idea of her sexuality and the water dripping

down her face which also corresponds to

the idea of her sexuality.

Beyonce- “1+1”

MYTHICAL AND MYSTERIOUS

In a mythical or mysterious, the main props

used are castles, medieval elements in the

video however it may also be the complete

polar and include places from the past or

“fairytale”. With the mythical and

mysterious theme, a post apocalyptic scene

may also be set to add on to the mystery

and suspense. In Katy’s Perry “California

Gurls” Katy is talking about the amazing

and surreal place of California and that’s

reflected upon her video whereas in Justin

Biebers’ “Next 2 U” is talkng about the

destruction he would have to face if he was

ever to lose the love of his life, which is yet

again reflected on the video.

“California Gurls”Katy Perry

“Next 2 U”Justin Bieber ft. Chris

Brown

HORROR

Horror is a common theme used in

metallic rock music videos which shows

extreme violence, elements of the hellish

experience and satanic and monstrous

creatures and the idea of war. “Run This

Town” is a song that expresses the

overthrowing of society’s norm and

shaping their environment based on how

it suits them. The video shows a hellish

atmosphere and the rebellious props

indicate that they are prepared to take

what they want and whatever costs.

Jay Z “Run This Town ft Rihanna and Kanye West”

INTERTEXTUALITY

Intertextuality is the idea of the

artist realizing that what they are

doing is artistic and art creating

art. They may also make

references to other music videos or

movies or even make caricatured

commentaries or versions of the

original song. In Intertextuality,

you may see shots of cameras, sets

or directors or the artists looking

at their own reflections to highlight

the idea of Intertextuality.

Katy Perry “Wide Awake”

Robin Thicke “Blurred Lines Parody ft Pharrel and Jimmy Kimmel”

Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball”(Directors Cut featuring Terry Richardson)

Justin Timberlake “Love of My Life (Mirrors Interlude)”