ZS Techincal Analysis Review

Bruno Mars Ft. B.o.b - Nothin' on you

My first techincal analysis was the music video for Nothin' on you by Bruno Mars. I chose this particular video to analyse because it is by the same artist as our potential track and it has a fun feel to it, using some interesting techniques which we may be able to emulate. Thsi is why it is important to find out how a piece like this is structured and put together, which is what the techincal analysis allows us to do.

I analysed from 20 seconds into the video, up to 1:32, giving me over a minute of shots to analyse. The main difference when analysing a film opening in AS and a music video in A2 is the vast amount of shots needed to cover a minute in a music video. Film openings are more about suspence so tend to use longer shots such as panning shots whereas music videos are constantly chopping and changing to keep the viewers captivated with new images, interesting angles and bright colours. Within the time i analysed there were 27 shots. The majority of these shots were medium close ups which allows the star performer to feature and sing at the camera, breaking the fourth wall.

Nearly all of the shots in the music video were performance shots, however the performance and narrative were interlinked which allowed the shots to focus on the performer lip syncing but also telling a story about all of these different girls in the background simultaneously.

When thinking about music videos it is important to consider Richard Dyer's theory of Star Image and the two paradoxes they show. The first paradox is the star being both present and absent at the same time. This is shown in this music video as there are two artists and in a lot of the shots there is only one of the artists presnt, whilst the other is absent. The second paradox is the star being both ordinary and extraordinary. The music video is set mainly in a street, which shows that they are ordinary and simply walking down a normal street. However each of the characters look like they have been cut out of a magazine making them look unusual and thus extraordinary. They are also seen as extraordinary as both of the performers are able to attract attention from all the surrounding women who pass by.

Bruno Mars - Grenade

My second technical analysis was again by Bruno Mars, but this time starring on his own. For this music video i analysed from the very beginning of the track up until 1:30, giving me a minute and a half worth of shots to analyse. The cutting rate in this video was very fast, there were 47 shots, averaging out at a shot just under every two seconds.

Again most of the video was perforamce shots but the narrative was incorporated. The majority of the shots are close ups of Bruno Mars performing. The music video is set in what looks like his bedroom, moves into him dragging a piano through a busy tunnel and out into a street with some yobs.

Another theory which is important to consider when analysing music video's in Goodwins 'Dancing in the distraction factory'. In this theory it states there are eleven criteria which most music videos fit. One of these is the notion of looking, which gives the audience another way to observe the star in the video. A lot of the time this is done through cameras, tv screen and mirrors. In this video there is an interesting close up where a car drives past Bruno in the tunnel. The close up is of the car's rear view mirror which we are able to see Bruno dragging the piano in. This is the notion of looking and is a great example of an intersting shot allowing us to view the artist in an alternative way.