Beyonce1+1 analysis

Close up Camera shots are used throughout the music video to show the intentional sexual emotion in her facial expression, they make her seem more connected with the audience as we are allowed to see her reactions and emotions a lot more clearly and she is also making constant eye contact with the camera. These expressions include the ‘chocolate box’ expression- half smile where her lips are slightly parted with her teeth barely visible, this creates a seductive mood as she gives off a relaxed vibe to the watching audience. There are often close up shots of Beyoncé’s lips which emphasises the sexual intent of the music video also as the lips are often seen as a highly sexualised part of the body. Camera shots such as the mid shot is also used in the music video to emphasis her slow and sensual body movement which also shows sexual intent as it puts the focus on her body, which suggests she is objectifying to the male gaze as she is allowing her body to be viewed by men in a sexualised way through her movements and body language.

Editing has been used to slow down many of the scenes and shots that make up the music video; this is used because it enhances provocative and sexy movements which are appealing to male audiences. The slow fading between shots make the audience feel as if they are watching her In person at it acts as the opening and closing of a blink, the idea that the audience are mesmerised by her beauty and sexuality. She is constantly the focal point of every shot as her movements and expressions stand out to the audience showing with her confidence that she is knowingly being objectified by the male gaze. Also the fact in the close up shot the only body parts that can be seen are lips eyes and hands emphasis the element of sex as they are significant sexual body parts as the connect partners intimately. The hand being spread out and flat against some sort of surface indicates there is pressure reinforcing the idea of sex and the point of the song. 

The songs itself is very promiscuous and sexual, through the use of the phrases like ‘make love to me’ although being overly sexual it still holds on to the emotional sentimental feel through the use of slow and sensual singing and instrumental in the background of the song. Beyonce sings the song using a range of different tones in her voice which add to the idea of sex as it shows pleasure and sensuality.

There is many different additions to the idea of how mise-en-scene adds to the overall atmosphere of the music video. First of all is the appearance of Beyonce, her makeup includes a lot of glitter which makes her look luxurious or expensive- giving the idea to the audience that she is desirable and special. Her hair is thick and full of volume; although it looks fairly messy giving the idea of typical ‘sex hair’ she looks careless and effortlessly beautiful. Her lips and eyes are highly made up with makeup as these a features that are made to look highly sexual by the music videos shots- especially her lips which are constantly made a focal point by the camera. Her outfit is minimal, but changes throughout the different shots. Firstly she is seen just above the shoulders but through this shot it makes the audience question whether she is not wearing any clothing at all which objectifies her to the male gaze. She is then shown to be wearing a corset style bra top, it looks to be sheer although her hair is covering her body- this makes the audience curious as her sexualised outfit is hidden through her long hair- thus adding to the sexual idea. Her final outfit is again a sheer top which is covered in diamonds and glitter which again add to the idea that she is desirable and sensual, the sheer style of the top adds to the idea of the male gaze as it adds a lot to the imagination and is appealing to men. the music video is the way when dancing slow and seductively with a male he is seen to be supporting her wrapping his hands round her, like he is in control and she is just a sexual object- suggested by the lyrics and presents of the song. She is seen in an underwear set at some points in the video which again suggests sexual nature and adds to the sexual intent of the song, also pulling in further audiences to watch as the are seduced by it. The element of water is used throughout the music video as it can be seen in a sexual way. She is seen with water dropping over her in a close up shot, the water suggest some sort of fluid suggesting sex. Throughout the music video the background is plain black, this draws our full attention on Beyonce, allowing us to absorb everything she does in a fuller extent. It also gives the impression she is sexually mesmerising as because there is no distractions she has our full attention and we cant look away, emphasising the sexual intent of the way she moves, looks and the lyrics she sings. However at some points there is shots with her in focus with a red lit background which indicates a sexual nature; as red can be seen as dangerous but seductive. 

shameless- mise-en-scene representation

Mise-en-scene representation of shameless

The first scene that the audience is able to see shows the stairway in the background, the paint is chipped and marked and there is lots of items of clothing that are lying about making the scene look messy. This links to class and status as it shows that they are of a working class because they clearly cant afford, or don’t have time, to redecorate and tidy up the house.

There are empty cans and bottles, many of them alcoholic, scattered around the entire scene of the house, from windows, dining tables and on the floor. This gives the impression to the audience of the stereotype that working class people are known to binge drink a lot more. It also shows how they are lazy characters because they have not bothered t tidy up. There is also a juxta position which is shown as there is orange juice being drunk from a wine glass which is situated on the dining table, this shows how an object that would be seen to be upper class is being used by the children who obviously don’t care for its cost or status.

The appearance of most of the characters is shown to be scruffy as the hair of the main character is long and untended as it looks grey, dry and knotty. The other characters clothing is mainly branded sportswear which gives off the typical working class ‘chav’ look. This links the class and status because as a working class family they may not have time to look after themselves as they are trying to cope financially which is a struggle that many members of the audience can associate and empathise with.

The general appearance of the house that most of the scenes are situated in also add to the idea that the characters cannot afford to decorate for example the breezeblock walls that look cold and cellar like. The furniture looks used and the general look of the house is dated and scruffy. This links to class and status because it shows how the characters living here are obviously not from a high class or status as they can’t afford to redecorate the home. The lighting of the home makes the imperfections look even more drastic and has been used to make the home environment look cold and uninviting.

The two teenage boys have short haircuts which are similar to how prisoners hair is cut, it is easy to maintain, giving the impression that lower class people are lazy- it also links to the idea that it makes head lice easier to treat giving the impression that the characters have bad hygiene which again is a common stereotype of lower or working class people.

When the children are sitting at the dining table their body language shows that they have very little formality or respect for their surroundings as they are mainly slouched, some with arms folded or their arms leaning on the table itself. This gives the impression to the audience that the characters are disrespectful, informal and lazy as they seem to have no motivation to sit up and present themselves as higher class or status.

The older characters voice is slurred and his speech makes it easy to see that he is either under the influence or alcohol or drugs. His speech is understandable but links the idea to the audience that the character is an alcoholic or drug abuser- which is a common stereotype of lower class people.

When the scene switches to being outdoors we can see in the background that the fence is patched up with a variety of different wood types and looks to have been broken in many different places. This links to class and status as it symbolises how working/lower class families have to patch their lives up, whether it be financially or emotionally through stresses at work or at home.

Finally the audience are able to see character that looks to be of a higher status and class of the other characters. An older man wearing a smart looking suit and a clean shave and haircut, his speech is also shown to be more clear and formal. Although it is clear in the clip that he works his general appearance makes the other characters look uneducated which is a stereotype of lower class families.

Ethnicity representation (spooks clip)

Ethnicity in spooks

First of all is a scene which is shown through the downwards panning of the camera angle. It shows a close up of an eastern European woman, the gun that is also included in the scene is above the woman showing how she is inferior to the gun and the person holding the gun, this shows how her specific ethnicity is also underestimated and made to look inferior to others.

A British man is holding the gun which shows how his ethnicity has more power than others, this links to how the white English speaking ethnicities generally have more power and wealth worldwide. The fact that this character is also holding the gun shows how his ethnicity is also the founders or new technological advances that they can also use to overpower other ethnicities.

The white character holding the gun is also shown to be wearing a dark tailored suit giving him the generalised thug appearance, giving the idea to the audience that he is a typical rich white man creating the idea that his race has more wealth than others.

The black man is shown to be at arm level with the dominant white male who we can see is unfocused in the background holding the gun, this links to ethnicity as again the white man is shown to have more dominance as even though he is in the background he is still shown to be higher than the black character.

There is music in the background which adds to the tension and drama of the scene, the sound conveys a sense of foreboding doom and also imitates the sound of dripping blood which links to the idea of blood being spilled between different races trying to assert their power over each other.

We can see in the background that there are accomplices of the powerful character with the gun, this gives the idea of how certain ethnic people gang up against others that are seen as racially inferior- mainly black or eastern European characters. This links to historical references also for example how ethnicities have been part of genocides and general hatred purely because of racial stereotypes and discrimination.

The general scene set up is edited to make it look dark, this dark colouring gives off an eerie, dangerous atmosphere to the audience so builds tension. Black and dark colours also have connotations of death which is used to forebode the coming events of the shooting. This idea links to ethnicity because it shows the danger that is involved when there is hatred between different races- also the many deaths of people globally because of this reason.

A bird call is heard faintly in the background as the scene starts to rise in tension. It sounds very similar to a scream of a woman which could symbolise to scream that later takes place when the first man is murdered. It could also be symbolic of a crow as this specific bird signifies death and is known by many audiences to have connotations of death and mourning. This links to ethnicity as there have been many murders because of the ongoing conflict of ethnic discrimination.

The powerful man is shown to suddenly shoot the black man whilst he is making a speech about right and wrong. This shows how the powerful man knows that he is doing wrong but essentially has to remove the honesty from the situation and get rid of anything or anyone that could show him to be guilty- therefore he shoots the black man. This links to ethnicity because the black man signifies how many murders that are carried out in TV dramas; the victim is usually of a minority race.

As the camera pans around the scene a column is shown to obstruct the view of the audience which could signify how societies view is obstructed to the cruelties that take place against targeted races and ethnic groups.

The jump cuts have been added to show the different perspectives and reactions of the people watching, these people symbolise how society usually sits back and doesn’t act upon the discrimination and prejudice that is so obviously happening around the world. The slow movements and jumps of the characters symbolise the feeling of guilt and shock. This idea is used in TV drama so that the audience empathises with the characters and makes the situation feel more real-life. This links to ethnicity as many people see the hatred that occurs between races but like these characters many sit back and don’t try to make a difference for the good.