MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Taylor Swift
LIGHTING & COLOUR
The lighting in this music video changes between the different scenes. However, the majority of it is quite dark and moody. This creates a mysterious effect for the audience and the moody lighting almost represents the romance in the song as she is singing about love or a past relationship. This is also a typical convention of pop music songs because they nearly always sing about love of a past relationship.
POSITIONING OF ARTIST, BODY LANGUAGE & FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Taylor Swift's body language in this music video comes across as if she's important and perhaps quite bossy. The fact she keeps quite a neutral facial expression nearly shows the audience that perhaps she doesn't feel anything or as if she is so hurt about the relationship that she is singing about. This is also a general convention of pop music videos as they have to look as if they are not bothered by anything.
SETTING & PROPS
There are many different props that are used in this music video. The props depend on what the artist is singing about in the music video and they generally represent or mean other things. For example, in this music video, when Taylor Swift is laying the bathtub with all of the jewellery, it has been said that she is mocking another celebrity, Kim Kardashian, who had recently been robbed. This is another thing pop songs generally tend to do, create drama between other celebrities as this keeps the audience interested as they enjoy the gossip.
COSTUME, MAKE-UP & HAIR
The costumes used in pop songs reflect what the song is about and there is always multiple costume changes to change the effect of the song on the audience. For example, Taylor Swift is dressed in a posh red dress when she is sat on the throne. This shows she is supposed to be acting like she is the queen or a very important person. The camera angle, at this point, also shows she has power as it is below her and she is looking down at it. The make-up used is quite glamorous to fit the scenes and the red lipstick almost reflects that the song is about love.Overall, pop artists are made to look 'perfect' and is generally a fake image for their audience.
Ariana Grande
LIGHTING & COLOUR
In this music video, the colours used are all pastel and light, bright colours. This gives the artist, who is young and has a young audience, a very girly and almost barbie look. This could be seen as fake which is typical of pop artists. The lighting in the beginning creates a silhouette of the artist but throughout the rest of the video, the lighting is very bright and clear which adds to the barbie effect.
POSITIONING OF ARTIST, BODY LANGUAGE & FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
There is a lot of choreography in this music video by the artist and all of the other people involved. This is typical for a pop music video as they nearly always show have the artist in them and have the artist as the main person so the attention is all on them. The artist's facial expressions remain quite neutral as she is singing and pop artists typically come across as they are supposed to be 'strong' so they have a good influence on their audience, who are generally young.
SETTING & PROPS
There are not many props used in this music video as the artist and others are mainly dancing however, the artist uses her phone at one point in the video to take a picture of herself. This could come across that the artist is quite self-obsessed as she is posing however it could also mean she is just trying to connect with her young audience and this is a typical action for teenagers. The setting looks like she is in an empty room which adds to the fact she is trying to give off a barbie look because it almost looks as if she's in a dolls house and she is the doll.
COSTUME, MAKE-UP & HAIR
The artist's hair is a silvery purple colour which is quite unnatural however more normal nowadays which shows she is trying to connect to her young audience and the fact that the other dancers have dark hair, it brings more attention to the main artist and as the title of the song says 'focus' on her. Her hair colour also represents the young, girly, barbie look that it looks like she is trying to achieve. The artist's make-up is quite natural however it makes her look plastic and this also represents the barbie look. This creates a fake image for the audience which is very typical of pop artists.
Demi Lovato
LIGHTING & COLOUR
The lighting in this music video is quite dark and gives off a moody effect, especially as it is at night. This is also because in the music video, Demi Lovato is shown at a party. This could have been done as Demi typically has quite a young audience and this may relate to them as the typical young person goes to parties. There are many different colours used which makes the scenes appear colourful and reflects the pop genre of the song as it is not just all one, plain colour - this also gives off a happy effect and does not bore the audience watching.
SETTING & PROPS
One prop used in this music video is an expensive looking car. This shows that the artist has lots of money and is almost showing it off. This is typical for a pop artist and pop music video as they have lots of money and nearly all of the time show it off in their music videos which creates another fake image for them. Their are also props like pool inflatables and items as they are at a house party with a pool. The setting is in a house as this is a house party and the artist is trying to make it realistic so her young audience can relate to it.
COSTUME, MAKE-UP & HAIR
Like nearly every pop music video, in this music video there are many costume changes. The outfits change depending on the mood of the song and the effect that the song is supposed to be giving off to the audience. For example, pop songs are usually quite fast paced but may have a slow verse to create sad emotions for the audience - the outfit may be different here, for example the artist may be wearing more covering clothing compared to the revealing outfits they typically wear throughout the rest of the music video.
POSITIONING OF ARTIST, BODY LANGUAGE & FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
The artist in this music video is nearly always in the centre of the camera, this keeps the focus on her as she is the main person. This is a typical convention of pop music videos because the artist has to always be the centre of attention. The people in the background are most of the time just there for the effect, not to bring attention towards them. Her facial expressions are also kept quite neutral and she does not give off much emotion apart from the fact that she acts quite sassy as if she doesn't care about anything - this creates a strong image towards her audience.