G324 - Student Music Video Analysis: Labrinth - Express Yourself

The video created appears to be well fitted to Labrinth's funk (a style of R&B) and hip-hop style which he is popular for. This is achieved through the use of colour, editing effects and being cut on beat as well as through the quirky narrative. The video has adopted many conventions of R&B to suit the genre, including the dress of the two men. The typical narrative for R&B videos centres around some form of relationship with another, however it is made evident through the video that this song subverts the norm for the genre and instead focuses on the relationship with oneself.

The storyline of the video follows a "regular" man being taught how to express himself from a seemingly "superior" man, through the mediums of dress and dance. The video begins with the "regular" man being unhappy with his life and throwing a diary entry out the window. It lands at the feet of the "superior" man who decides to help him find himself. The "regular" man appears adamant that he is nothing special, whilst the "superior man" endeavours to change his mind. The video ends with the "regular" man becoming comfortable with himself and dancing with a group of friends. The "superior man" passes on his stick, representative of power, before walking off and fading away. This symbolises that he has completed his goal.

The silhouette of the singer against the coloured background is expected within videos of this genre, however is unexpected within this video due to it being student made. it is made very apparent that the students who made this video had wide knowledge of the conventions for their music video genre and followed them entirely. The theme of the video is evidently self-discovery and confidence, indicated by the focused narrative. By basing the narrative around the lyrics and incorporating them into the video, it allows for them to be clearly reflected within the narrative and helps to create a story.

What makes the narrative so strong within the music video is the way in which the students have stuck to Todorov's narrative theory and structure. There is a clear equilibrium established at the beginning and the end, with an evident disruption, recognition and resolution of said disruption within the video. This is further enhanced by the use of two important recognisable character's from Propp's character theory; the hero (the "regular" man) and the helper (the "superior" man).

The video looks at representation of ethnicity in a non-stereotypical way as it presents the ethnic minority as being caring, helpful, talented and ambitious, rather than as being unintelligent or a danger. This is important to the narrative as it allows the target audience to understand the futility of stereotypes and also allows for a wider target audience. It appears, therefore, that the target audience for this music video would be middle class males between the ages of 13 and 23, coming from any ethnic background. The video targets this group by including characters of a similar age and with relatable content.

The video is set in a variety of locations, including London streets and a natural green space. The use of London streets connotes ambition as well as lack of identity due to how busy and compact London is. This is important as it reflects the way in the which the protagonist feels like a nobody. The use of the natural green space when th
e protagonist becomes comfortable with his dancing talent connotes freedom and peace and allows him to appear more dominant due to being the only person around.

The editing of the video is on beat, showing the careful consideration the students must have put into the process. The variety of transitions used between scenes have been used to great affect and help to easily portray changes in time and location. In addition, some of the editing effects used such as the silhouetting of the man against the coloured backgrounds adds a sense of professionalism to the overall video.

Finally, the lip sync of the video is extremely well edited. It is believable that the actors within the video are singing the song and as they not only have the perfect synchronisation between lip movement and lyrics, but also act as if they are singing the song. This raises the overall quality of the music video dramatically as it suddenly becomes more realistic and believable.

Completing this analysis will help me when it comes to creating my own music video as it has allowed me to see which aspects of the music video are most important and has shown me the high potential for student music videos which I should aim towards.