Music video - assignment 1 (case study)

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
JAC K H U RS T

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
• We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this template is for
you to write up your notes and to complete your case study.
• The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate questions to
answer.
• Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the strategies
employed by labels and artists
• Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions of music video
production
• Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music videos where you
can unpack and discuss the videos considering everything you have looked at in
Task 1 and 2
• You are expected to submit each section on a weekly basis during your remote
learning weeks.
• If you get stuck, talk to/email your tutor for guidance.

NOTES ON COMPLETING THE
CASE STUDY
• It is often easier to show something you are discussing than to
take time describing it. With this in mind, feel free to add lots of
illustrative images from your chosen video examples. Links to
YouTube/Vevo/etc are also encouraged.
• Remember, when you make a point or define something, you
should follow this with an example, an explanation of this and
then link to further texts/videos where possible.
• If you don’t think there is enough room to add your full
response to a question, don’t just reset the font size to really
small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.

TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 1
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K

TASK 1 - PURPOSES• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short explanation
for each:
• To promote an album or a single to increase sales.
• Using the music video will act as advertisement for that album or single
because people will then download or buy it on a different platform.
• To promote a new artist to an audience and maintain an audience focus on
an existing artist.
• A music video will advertise the new artist and the old artist which means
that both artist will have an increase in their audience. Newer artists will
feature in a famous artist’s work to be recognized and to help boost their
career.
• To promote an image of an artist or band that is exciting and dynamic.
• The artist that is making the video will want to attract as many people as
possible so will create an exciting video which makes you want to learn
more about them. Artist will also want to create a strong image of
themselves so people don’t think that they are a negative person or will
have a negative impact in the lives of the younger generations. Many artist
will want to use the music video to support the story and/or meaning of the
song through acting and dance. This could make a music video more
exciting for the audience and for the artist as it means a lot to them.

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? Try and outline a minimum of 3.
(Think about some of the strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they represent
themselves, you could consider where the artist is on a major label, independent label of unsigned,
is there a difference between them?)
• A music video allows the artist to not have to play live or go on tour as much which will increase
the amount of free time they have. Being famous will have a massive effect on their mental health,
so having more free time away from being in the public view will help them to have a more positive
outlook on their work. Using their free time to look after themselves will encourage them to
produce higher quality of work.
• To promote a brand in the video meaning they could make more money from that project or have
a higher budget. Promoting brands can also help to create an image for themselves as they can
promote the brands, they truly believe in.
• Many artists will use a music video to make the song’s emotion stronger by helping tell the story
using acting and/or dance. The artists will use visual and technical codes to help support these
ideas.
• Some artist may use the video to help put a political or social message in more of the media. A
music video will increase their audience, so we hope that the artists that use their platforms to
show a political view have the correct view as it will reflect on others who look up to the artist.
• For many artists, it is their time to show what they are capable of and to show their ideas in another
form of media. This creates an image for them that everyone will see so they will want to get it
correct. They will also choose correct brands and views to compliment the video idea.
• If the artist is unsigned or in an independent label, they would use the music video to help promote
themselves to be able to have a label sign them. As said above, they use music videos to crate an
image for themselves which labels will see so they will judge the artist of their songs and videos,
not really who they are as a person. This could mean that some newer artists will

TASK 1 - PURPOSES• Q3 – Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they present
themselves in their music videos. Explain what their ‘brand’ is, who is
appeals to and why they might have done this.
Billie Eilish
• Billie wear baggy clothes which are often designer brands and are bright
colours or unusual styles. She wears baggy clothes because of her low
self-esteem but has recently been showing body positivity to her fans to
encourage them to be ok with their body. After doing some research, I
think Billie wears baggy clothes to hide her figure which she isn’t very
comfortable showing. I think she also wears designer brands to distract
from her not being so confident with her own body.
• Billie’s music videos are often set in a darker location and has a more
minimalistic style which compliments her music as it isn’t busy. She
doesn’t use lots of special effects or performers making the video focus
on her when she is singing. She has made the scenes quieter to keep
production costs lower but to still have a high production video
produced for all her songs.
• Billie hasn’t changed her style of clothing or music since she started, and I
could not see it changing soon as it is very simple and easily adapted to
what she wants without making her songs busy like other artists. She also
sings very calmly which is her style and is well transferred to her music
videos. I think Billie has used this to her advantage as it has made her
more famous. She has used a more laid-back style meaning the audience
will listen to the lyrics in more detail and can relate to her. Singing slower
and calmer has helped Billie as it means she can show more emotion in
every word instead of speeding through the whole song without
emotion.

TASK 1 - PURPOSES• Q4 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music videos [find them on
YouTube!], what can you discern about each act from their videos? What is the main aim?
Explain why.
• One Direction
• One Direction are making videos to promote their own song and to make more money
from those platforms as they want to be better known so if they did split up then they
could all carry on as solo singers. I also think that One Direction have spent lots of time
being creative with their ideas to create a more appealing image to a wider audience.
Overall, their main aim is to promote their own work and to gain as many new members
to their audience, who could tell a friend about them, which helps them to sell out when
on tour. Having a massive fan base (21 million followers on Instagram and 33 subscribers
on YouTube) will encourage hundreds of companies to sponsor them when doing
videos, tours, adverts and albums.
• Animal Collective
• Animal Collective are making videos because they want to be more creative and make a
piece of work that they are happy with even if it isn’t going to do the best for their band.
They are not worried about splitting up as a band because they wouldn’t have as much
success in a solo career as the One Direction member. Their main aim is to promote their
work but keep the audience they already have whilst being proud with what they
produce. This shows that they have a big enough fan base (90.6 thousands followers on
Instagram and 55.8 thousand subscribers on YouTube) to keep themselves content with
work.
• Overall, I think One Direction are doing it because they love singing but also to become
famous whereas Animal Collective are doing it because it is their passion for life.

TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS• Q1 – Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music videos, i.e.
the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this and how this
creates meaning
• The camerawork can accompany the movement of performers or
make the movement for still objects. To make a more dynamic feel in
the video, the cameraman could circle the artist or object to make it
feel more like a live performance.
• Close up shots are the most common camera shots as it is the most
effective angle. Close ups are mainly used because of the size of the
screen as less of the background will be in the shot. It makes it easier
to understand the emotion of the song or performer and it can create
intimacy.
• Low angles are used when the artist wants to show a sense of power
or a sense of vulnerability or both whereas a high angle creates a
sense of weakness of a lack of size.
• The camerawork can help make a video seem more realist with tiny
movements. For example if the performer is walking then the camera
could wobble a little bit to make it feel like you are walking with them.
The camerawork can also help portray certain emotions; slow
movement could reflect colder emotions whereas quick harp
movements could reflect warmer emotions.

AND CONVENTIONS• Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the types of shot
used with examples to illustrate this and what the effect of this is/meanings that
are created/etc.
• Fast cut montages are used to change shots on the beat to make it more
appealing to the eye. The faster pace songs will have more cuts in a shorter
period to emphases the speed of the video. This can make it harder to show
deeper emotions, but the song will be a great song to dance to with all the beats.
• Gentler transitions are used to establish different moods. A slower song can show
more emotions in the video as the clips will be longer and gentler compared to
the faster songs. Having gentler pace will make the video simpler and more
effective as it will create a relaxed vibe when watching.
• Digital effects are used with the original shot to give a variety of style in each
video. Using digital effects can help as you can make some sequences that
wouldn’t be possible in the real world. Some examples of digital effects are split
screen so you can have different angles of the same shot on the screen or have
multiple shots on the screen at once. Another one is colourisation where you add
colour to black and white videos to help show emotions. The other main effect is
CGI which is used to for visual effects because the quality is often higher, and
effects are more controllable than other more physically based processes.
Greenscreen is used in CGI because green is the colour furthest away from the
skin tone meaning the performers wont merge with the background.

AND CONVENTIONS• Q3 – Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to genre conventions
within their visual style and production techniques. Select a recognizable
genre and use illustrations to explain what their genre conventions are…
• Pop Music Videos
• Pop videos normally have choreographed sections in with lots of dancers or
they will use a narrative style video to compliment the lyrics. In most cases,
there is a strong connection between the lyrics and the visuals.
• Mostly all of pop music video will have lip syncing into to create a feel of
the in-concert style. Using lip syncing helps to create a better video for the
audience as they will join in when watching.
• Lots of pop music videos will be the same as they follow current trends
rather than going independently making the video unique. They have the
similar videos because they follow a verse-chorus-verse structure and then
use certain lyrics to be remembered by the audience.
• Lots of pop videos use MISE EN SCENE: the costumes are trendy and in
uniform, the locations are normally on stages, the camera shots are
normally close ups to show more emotions, the narrative links to the lyrics
but still has room for imagination and the props are mainly instruments.

TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS• Q4 - John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating, raiding and reconstructing” is essentially the
essence of intertextuality [something asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can you explain what intertextuality is and
find a minimum of 3 examples of it in music videos?
• What is Intertextuality?
• Intertextuality is the shaping of a media form’s meaning by the influence of another media form. Someone can
‘borrow’ ideas and themes from other media forms and use it in their own work.
Iggy Azalea – Fancy
The music video for
fancy has a strong
intertextual link to the
American film ‘Clueless
Taylor Swift – Bad Blood
This video has several
intertextual references to
films such as ‘The Host’ and
‘The Hunger Games’ series’
Chris Brow – She ain’t
you
He is wearing the same
costume as Michael
Jackson as a tribute –
homage style.

TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY

TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist of
choice, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
• This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
– Camerawork/editing
– Genre conventions
– Critical approaches [you should be applying some of the critical
approaches from your lessons and some of your own, to your
selected videos]

TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the videos used
• You should include illustrative stills from the videos chosen
• Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use the
heading on the previous slide a guide on how to structure your
response to get you started
• Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the chosen
video as an example, explain yourself and then link to another
video where possible
• Compare and contrast your artist/genre to other artists/genres
• Remember to consider differing contexts

ARIANA GRANDE
• Ariana Grande is a pop singer so her songs and videos are similar to a lot of the other pop
singers such as Billie Eilish, Beyonce, Ed Sheeren and Harry Styles.
• However, you won’t be seeing any videos similar to rock artists or country artist such as Kid
Rock, David Bowie, Luke Combs and Tenille Townes.

ARIANA GRANDE – 7 RINGS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYh6mYIJG2Ya
• I would say that this video is an impressionist style video as it is more about creating the atmosphere rather than the little
details.
• All the camera movement is smooth with no sudden movement making the video cleaner to watch. The camera shots are a
range of shots such as close ups, long shots and high shots for the scene outside. Changing between these shots makes the
video more appealing for thew viewers as there isn’t much repetitiveness through out the video.
• There isn’t much editing in this video, just cuts of different shots to link scenes or angles together. In the second half of the video
there is a range of specials effects used such as, neon waves around the box Grande is in, neon lighting blots appear on screen
and a pattern of squares and lines appear and slide of the screen.
• The main lighting in this video is pink lighting as that pink the main colour in the video. There are hints of blue in some scenes
and the main light in the staircase scene is blue lighting. In the scenes with blue lighting, the makeup is darker or damage
whereas the scenes with pink lighting are more positive. This could infer that anything to with girls as pink is associated with girls
is nothing negative, however in the scenes with blue lighting which is associated with boys, damage is caused. In the scene at the
front of the house, there is a white spotlight which could be a helicopter looking for someone who is on the run from the police
or who is lost. This could suggest that that person is hiding in the house and the other performers are tyring to hide them from
the searchers.

ARIANA GRANDE – 7 RINGS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYh6mYIJG2Ya
• In the video the only performers are females who are all in party outfits with heels, long hair and simple makeup making their
skin look flawless. They are all wearing lots of jewellery which implies that they all want to show off their money with bling
around there necks wrists and ears.
• The location of the video is in a main house where lots of scenes take place. The main scenes are, in the front garden, in the
kitchen and in a small box room with doll size furniture. In the front garden, all the furniture is pink and the cars have been
painted fully pink. This could have been done to empathises the use of pink in every aspect of the video making the blue
contrast even more. In the kitchen scene there seems to be glass pillars around the island which add a cool effect as the camera
pans the kitchen. The glass reflects different light and adds a sense of distance from the camera to Grande. I also noticed that
Grande was referring back to the Japanese culture as she was eating sushi and had some Japanese toys on the table. Finally in
the scene where Grande is in a white box with doll size furniture, the back is ripped open when I cuts to her behind the paper.
This scenes make you think the box is tiny as if she is the size of a doll until the back wall is ripped open.
• Overall, I think this video would be expensive to make as the scenes are large, there are lots of performers with different
costumes, there are lots of different lighting effects used and lots of large props. I think Grande has made this video to make her
name bigger as the video will make a statement saying she knows what she is doing and isn’t messing around with her music.

ARIANA GRANDE – THANK U, NEXT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k
• The style of this video is references back to other pieces of work.
• The camera shots are close ups, long shots and bird eye view shots which all have smooth movement when the camera moves in
those shots. There hasn’t been much editing in the video as there are any special effects, just cuts from one scene/shot/angle to
another. The lighting is all natural lighting from outside or from the ceiling lights. This has been done to make the video more
realistic as there isn’t any unnatural lighting running the shot as they are in natural locations.
• Grande has used quite a few locations as she has quite a few scenes. The locations are, a school, a bedroom, a bathroom, a
salon, a school field and a stage. In all of these scenes there are many performers which would make the production cost higher
for more food, transport, hair/makeup and wages. Each scene have different colours as the whole video doesn’t have a colour
theme like other videos do to portray emotions and to help tell a story.
• In this video there are lots of costumes for different scenes. In the scenes in her house, Grande is wearing lounge wear and gym
wear when she is on the gym equipment. At school they are all wearing casual clothes, some are wearing trendy clothes to show
off to their fellow students and they are wearing cheer leader’s outfits when the 2 teams join together. In the salon they are all
wearing retro clothing which could be referring back to a different movie.

ARIANA GRANDE – THANK U, NEXT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k
• Intertextuality – there are lots of references in this video to different movies. Grande has recreated the Mean Girls Christmas
performance, she ahs recreated the scene from 13 going on 30 when she has the doll house, she has recreated the iconic Legally
Blonde look in all pink with her dog and finally she has used the cheer leading scene from ‘bring it on’.
• The purpose of this video was to use lots of references to other pieces of work and to use lots of celebrities, some from her old
show called Victorious. Here is a list of celebs that have featured in the video : Colleen Ballinger Jonathan Bennett Matt Bennett
Courtney Chipolone Jennifer Coolidge Gabi DeMartino Stefanie Drummond Elizabeth Gillies Toulouse Grande Kris Jenner Alexa
Luria Daniella Monet Victoria Monet Scott Nicholson Tayla Parx Troye Sivan. Using all of these celebs and references in the
video have helped the video to reach over half a billion views in 2 years. This video would have lots of money spent on it as there
are loads of performers, large scenes and lots of big name celebs who are expensive to book if she was paying them.

ARIANA GRANDE AND LADY GAGA – RAIN ON ME.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs
• This video is dance video for a pop song.
• In this video there are lots of different scenes and camera shots. The main camera shots used as close ups of performers faces,
wide shots of the whole group dancing and high shots to make the location look larger. The camera shots are smooth as they
move away or towards the subject in shot, the camera also pans left or right to present the subject to be longer.
• The editing in this video has made their ideas come to life as the shots are editing to look like Ariana Grande is on one side of
the floor where Lady Gaga is on the other side of the floor. The transitions from one group to another are very well edited as the
shots merge through a puddle and you can see the other group through the puddle making it look more realistic as every detail
is thought about. There are lots of cuts from different angles, different scenes and different groups. This emphasises the
contrasts between the 2 groups and then the 2 styles of the 2 groups together. In one scene, they have edited the group
dancing to be in front of a giant version of Lady Gaga’s head to show her power.
• For Grande’s group, they are in purple with purple lighting whereas in Gaga’s group are in pink with pink lighting. This has been
done to contrast from each other as they are different sides on the floor as pink represents love and harmony as pink is on the
sweeter side of red, whereas purple means power and mystery. In the arena they are in, the lighting is quite bright all around
them which is reflected on their clothes and shoes. As the floor is wet, the lighting also reflect off the floor to add texture.

ARIANA GRANDE AND LADY GAGA – RAIN ON ME.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs
• In the first half of the video the costumes are very busy with chains and some are reflected which contrasts to the second half of
the video where the costumes are flowy and plainer. The first half of the video, the costumes are mainly black with pink/purple
to add some colours whereas in the second half of the video the costumes are mainly pink/purple with some black which could
infer that they have wanted a more positive look on the video. The makeup is very similar to the costumes as in the first half of
the videos the makeup is busier which contrast to the simple looks in the second half of the video. In one scene Gaga has
crystals looking like tear drops which could infer she is in power of the rain. This idea is also supported by the red lighting which
coveys power and dominance.
• The ideas and imagery I have inferred from this video is that Gaga is soaked from being in the rain when she has the knife in her
leg, but when she takes it out, she is dry like Grande. The shots go back after she is dry to when she is wet and she has a knife in
her leg again which shows the knife shots the ability to being dry. I think this represents ignoring the rain as it doesn’t cause any
harm to you as it is temporary. I also understood that they were in separate groups contrasting to each other, but then they
merge to one group and moved onto contrasting that larger group by creating a more minimalistic group.
• Overall this video would be expensive to make as there is lots of special effects, lots of performers and lots of different costumes.
This video was made to collab with Lady Gaga making their names even more known and has been a piece of work that they
both have wanted to do as the idea is so unique.

ARIANA GRANDE – BREATHIN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0a
• I think this video is an impressionist video as there is unique scenes and editing.
• There is very little camera movement in the video as Grande does all the movement, or the sped up background is the
movement. I think there is little movement to show that you don’t always think about breathing, you do it naturally like you
don’t have to think a lot to move around. The camera shots used are switched between close ups of lights turning on, Grande’s
face and some other subjects and long shots of the train station, the clouds and the swing. Grande also uses a birds eye view for
when she is lying on the ground.
• When editing, they have used quite a few effects such as a greenscreen, having the background a different speed to the main
subject and freezing the background. All of these have been used to create a more appealing music video as you haven’t seen it
before or you rarely see it. Other than these effects, there hasn’t been much more editing as they have just cut shots and linked
them to create a sequence of shots from all the scenes.
• The lighting is quite dark at the beginning in the pub which gets lighter as the light begins to turn on which is shown by close
ups of the lights. The lighting become lighter in the train station as all the shops and main walk way have their lights on but it
has a blue tint in the station which could infer she is feeling a bit lonely and lost in the open location. There is a spot light on
Grande in the scene with the suitcase tower and in the scene with the smoke and clouds, the lighting is a lot brighter which
could infer that when she isn’t around anyone she finds it easier to breathe as she is less panicked.

ARIANA GRANDE – BREATHIN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0a
• Grande uses lots of performers in this video, except you can’t see their faces as they are sped up expect for a shot where the
background is frozen. In the frozen background, you can see that the performers are all in casual wear as they are acting as the
public. Grande has used a range of outfits for herself, she has started with a black jumpsuit for the bar and train station scene
which makes her stand out as she is better dressed than all the other people. Then she changes to a black dress in the empty
station with all the suitcases. These outfits contrast to the 2 other outfits she wears in the smoke scene and the cloud scene. In
the smoke scene she wears a large grey blazer and thigh high boots and in the cloud scene she wears a white top and she also
wears a loos grey jumper to represent the clouds.
• The ideas I got from this video was that she couldn’t breathe properly when she was in the train station as she was slower than
everyone else and when it got really bad, everyone froze. I then think that she felt lost and lonely as everyone was quicker than
her so no one noticed her in pain. It looks like she can breathe better in the smoke room which is ironic as it is harder to
breather with smoke around you. In the final scene she is on a swing which could represent the smooth flow of air in and out of
her lungs as she is in the sky with cleaner air.
• Overall, this video would have been expensive to make, but not her most expensive video to make. The special effects would
have cost quite a lot as they are large sets and had lots of people in them even though you couldn’t see their faces. I think the
purpose of this video was to entertain her audience with a simpler video as most of her videos are very busy.

ARIANA GRANDE – NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffxKSjUwKdUA
• I think this video is an impressionist style video as the scenes don’t match the lyrics.
• The camera is flying through the city sky line and through the window of a building. The camera movement is very smooth and flows through
the air. There is a variety of camera shots, there are close ups, long shots and lots moving towards the subject as they are small compared to
the building. They have used the camera to empathises the confusion as the camera is perpendicular top the floor but Grande is walking on
the walls and ceilings.
• Grande has used a range of locations in this video to show of the amazing idea she has with this geometric city. The first scene starts as the
camera goes through a window into a long corridor with lots of windows and light which contrast to outside as it is dark outside. The next
scene is a tunnel filled with lights as she fell through the wall. The scene after this is a scene on a stair case which is one side of a square that
she I sat on. After that, the next new scene is where Grande is on a building with dancers on the face 90 degrees to her. The second to last
location is in a room that only the lines of objects and walls are shown, Grande is sat on the ceiling swapping faces. This could infer that
Grande is deciding what face she wants to put on for the day as she is in a different mood for the day. The final scene is Grande sat on some
grass through the ball for her dog who is on the wall that is 90 degrees to the one Grande is on.
• The main light in this video are the city skyline lights shining through the windows. Inside they had more lighting which contrast to the
monochrome look on the outside of the buildings. In one scene, Grande falls into a square tunnel full of fairy lights which leads to dark end
which contrast to the inside of the buildings. For the scenes outside, there is no natural lighting as it is night time which gives the monochrome
look through out the whole city.

ARIANA GRANDE – NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffxKSjUwKdUA
• In this video there are only dancers and Grande performing making it simpler as less is going on. The dancers had waist coats and blazers
which were all monochrome contrasting to Grande’s white dress in that scene. Grande has a few different outfits, she has a black jump suit in
the tunnel scene, a silver dress with silver heels in the stair scene, a grey leotard and grey knee high socks in the light face scene, a white short
dress with black thigh boots and a green flowy dress inside the first tunnel room. The green dress is a big contrast to all the other outfits as it
is the only coloured outfit. She has simple hair and makeup for all of the scenes with square earrings.
• For this video, there has been lots of editing to make trick the mind and make the viewer watch it again and again. They have used editing to
make the city sky lines that are in parallel lines and make up 2 squares, one inside the other one. They have used a green screen to make the
illusion of the performers going against gravity as they are on the walls or ceilings. In one scene they have edited Grande falling through a
wall, they have edited lots of Grande’s faces on to the ceiling where she is picking what face she wants to have on, they have edited the city
lights to become blurry and make circles and they have edited Grande falling off a building which is the only time gravity works.
• The ideas I got from watching the video are, the city has lots of 90 degree angles in the sides of the squares the city is on, the corners of the
building and the windows. This could infer that from the outside of the city, everything is done in one way all in a straight line, whereas inside
the buildings there is lots of light and softer shapes such as the circular windows and lights making the interior a more positive place. However,
the first building was twisted which foreshadows the interior as it contrasts to the exterior as all the building look the same. I also noticed that
lots of things were squares, the base of the city, the stairs make a square, she is dancing on squares that are raised from the building and her
earrings are squares. This could imply that living in this city, there are strict rules that you have to follow and there is no chance in having any
slack on those rules – the sharpness of square. I also noticed that when Grande was falling, she wasn’t crying or changed emotion which links
to the scene when she is changing her face as she has loads on the ceiling. This also infers that you have to have a lack of emotion, as all the
faces are the same, when living in this city. I also noticed at the end that scene was a lot brighter when she was outside and the video ends
with a bee flying past showing that nature is still there. This could imply that you have to escape from the city to see the world’s beaty as being
in the city doesn’t show you what you are missing out on.

Music video - assignment 1 (case study)

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Music video - assignment 1 (case study)