Plan B analysis - Writings on the wall

MUSIC VIDEO TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

WRITINGS ON THE WALL – PLAN B

GENRE:

What is the Genre of the Video?	Pop
What is the genre of the Artist?	Rap/Pop
Is there a typical narrative?	Love story- man cheats on woman
What is expected in the video?	Performance shots Artist
What is unexpected in the video?	The affair
Intertextual References?  (Video link to other music videos?)	The album or Stevie Wonder song.

NARRATIVE:

What is the storyline of the video?	Man has affair
Is there a theme?	Strickland Bank
Is there a recognisable structure (TODOROV – Equilibrium 5 stages)?	Equilibrium – Man and wife Disruption – meeting one night stand Recognition – woman putting phone down.
Are there recognisable characters?	Male artist, female protagonist, female antagonist – one night stand – a little dirty.
How does the video reflect the lyrics?	Yes it reflects the lyrics in that their relationship isn’t over.

REPRESENTATION:

What issues of representation are evident?	Woman = domestic in kitchen Male = worker/celeb = more power
How have these been represented? Stereotypes?	Woman in kitchen = stereotype
Look at the artist as a star – how have they been constructed?	Plan B = Strickland Banks (fictional character) successful.
Do they have an anonymous role in the  video or are they there as celebrity?	Male is fictional celeb – seen as a big star in the night club they are in.

VISUAL CODES:

Where is the video set? Connotations of this setting?	1970 nightclub
Dominant colour used in the video? Why? What is the effect?	Black/darkness - sinister
Written Iconographics? Typography? Why?	Strickland banks written on venue header at the start of the videos
Shot Compositions that stand out?	ECU – wife/girlfriend at home face.

TECHNICAL CODES:

Camera Angles? Interesting ones? What effect is created?	Extreme close up of guitar Close up of pan Long shot of pan A lot of POV shots
Does the way the camera moves help to tell the story?	A lot of POV shots
What is editing like? Type of cuts etc?	Fast and slow Fast cuts, keeps up pace

AUDIENCE:

Who is the target audience for the video? How does the video target this specific audience?	Young adults Strong narrative
Demographic?	Female – male prevalence Male - relatable E,D

INSTITUTION:

What role does the record company play in the music video?	Funding – old setting
What is the brand image of the star that is sold? How is the star marketed and promoted?	Two different personalities, a lot of prevalence.

This has helped me understand the importance of signifiers and how they tell the story or narrative to the audience therefore when coming to make my own music video I can take this into account.