Music videos – analysed

Ke$ha – Your Love is my Drug

Initial things I noticed• Eyeline matches • Close ups/Mid shots • Camera movements emulate gazing in and out – drug reference • Wide shots• Edited to beat • Obscure performance shots • Crossfade editing at middle eight • Performance shots – indulge in herself – laura mulvey • Stark contrast shot – fast paced editing/jump cuts/reverse editing• Dismemberment – shots of Ke$ha’s body – forced to sexualise her • Sole artist – man is there as prop• Performance shot same but different angle• Camera moves around artist – artist walks towards camera• Performance > Narrative• Mixture of static/camera movements during performance shots

CAMERASHOTSThe actual shots within the video consisted of mid/close/extreme close up shots. I believe this is because this video is concentrating more on “Ke$ha”, then the actual song. Interestingly, there were a few long wide shots, where the subject was placed directly in the middle, and more focus was on the foreground. This was paired with frequent eyeline matches to enable the audience to identify with Ke$ha’s feelings and the themes of the song. MOVEMENTSFurthermore, the camera movements in this video were very notable. Often the camera would zoom, circle, and go ‘off focus’ of the shot, I believe this is done to emulate gazing, prehaps linking to Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory. Additionally, looking at context, it could be a reference to drugs, and the effect they have on the human mind and sight. ANGLESThe angles remain pretty basic, at mid length, however there are several dismemberment shots where the audience are forced to look at Ke$ha’s body from a low angle (for example the beginning shot). This again plays on the idea of voyerism, forcing the audience to sexualise her.

MISE EN SCENELOCATIONPrimarily located in a desert, this is quite random and unfitting with the name/first impressions of the song – from the word “drug”, we may expect the video to be set in somewhere dark and gloomy, instead of a hot desert. There are a few establishing/gazing shots throughout the video of the surroundings. PROPSThere aren’t props as such in this video, however the male in this case acts as a prop. Additionally, the animal mask/snake/elephant could also be seen as a prop, to aid her performance. COSTUMEShe is dressed appropriatley for sun – shorts/loose shirt however her incredibly short shorts, encourages voyeurism and the audience to sexualise her body/forced to look at her legs. LIGHTINGLighting is high key, and the editor may be trying to emulate the feelings/sight that one has when they are on drugs. In stark contrast, there are low key/strobe shots of Ke$ha in the dark, wearing UV paint.

PERFORMANCEThroughout the video, Ke$ha’s performance towards the camera remains lit. The video mainly consists of performance based shots (which is a convention for pop videos). Once again, this is because it is Ke$ha, and she is selling herself as a brand aswell as her songs. Interestingly, there is a clear mixture of static VS. moving camera within the video. Usually, the camera is moving away as the subject walks towards it. Extravagant performance shots seem to be a convention, too. Featuring shots with/refering to different wild animals. This is significant because Ke$ha’s fan base is called ‘The Animals’, aswell as her album being titled ‘Animal’ and this theme runs through her song. Furthermore, there is no real narrative to this song, it’s pretty much various different performance shots.

EDITINGSince there is no real storyline to this video, it’s hard to determine what ‘type’ of editing was primarily used. However, during the middle eight, shots were edited together using cross fades. I believe this represents the ‘comedown’ from drugs.Furthermore cartoons were used to mimic hallucinations/mirages, and the radioscope lens was used to illustrate another drug-like vision. Moreover, performance shots are often shot in the same location/same part of song etc. but at different angles. I noticed this a lot in this song. The camera would often be front on, then cut to a side angle performance shot. During the middle eight/UV paint scene, the editing picks up, featuring fast paced editing, jump cuts and reverse shots. This is something that I will use in my video. Every single shot was cut to the beat which made the video very in sync with the song, and enabled a smooth run of audio and visual.

REPRESENTATIONThe audience are often forced to view Ke$ha as a sexual object/something of sexual desire, due to the extreme close ups of skin. This represents women traditionally, and backs up Laura Mulvey’s theory that women are purely in music videos to be admired through the male gaze. Shots of her ‘indulging’ in herself further encourage voyeurism, which is a key element in Andrew Goodwin’s theory. Additionally, this is a modern representation of women as they are viewed sexually, there to be admired and ‘look pretty’. However, the absence of an actual male figure portrays a modern representation of an independent woman, in control of her body, mind and feelings. The man in the video has a small amount of air time, and is never seen without the star. Going back to control, the concept of the song and the themes of drug use that run throughout the video can also be interpreted as presenting women traditionally as it is clear that Ke$ha’s emotions are being controlled by this drug.