Review of music video "Celebration" by The Game
Reasons for choosing to review this video:
I have chosen to review this music video as it represents the rap genre perfectly - in terms of the mise-en-scene, content of the video, and also backs up Goodwin's theory behind music videos in their particular genre.
Mise-en-scene:
In this particular video, the mise-en-scene is very stereotypical for the rap genre as a whole. Throughout this video of "Celebration", various items connected with the artists are seen. For example, the lead artist, The Game, is seen performing the song throughout California, standing in a very expensive sports car - The Game proudly boasts about his heritage of growing up in the tough areas of California when he was younger, therefore the setting is linked to his background. However, we see the artist being driven through a very sunny, rich and well established area of the city, which is also an area that attracts a lot of celebrities, meaning that The Game is telling his audience that he has escaped the poor lifestyle and is now living a very successful life, which is why he is in areas like these and driving cars like that.
In terms of clothing, The Game shows off a particular brand on his belt, "Gucci". By showing this brand to the audience, he lets them know that he is very rich, ans he doesn't have a problem with letting the audience know about his wealth. This also creates the desirability of the product - because fans of The Game will be watching this video, they will see him with that expensive belt, meaning that his fans will also want the same one. The Game is promoting stylish and expensive brands in his video, which is similar to many other videos of this rap genre. Another brand that is promoted throughout the video is Dre Beats Headphones, which are worn by American rapper and featured artist, Lil Wayne. These are a very popular brand of luxury headphones, and much like The Game wearing the Gucci belt, create a desirability for them. The creator of the headphones, Dr Dre, is also from the background as The Game (they both grew up in Compton, California) and is also responsible for starting The Game's career in music - so The Game may be helping out his friend by promoting his brand of headphones in return. All people in the music video represent high-class, as they are all wearing expensive clothing brands and accessories, which is representative of this area of California.
There are also many props used in this video, ranging from the car that the artist is driving in, to the barbecue that they are having in a field. Throughout "Celebration", the use of props give the audience a feeling of relaxation and happiness, indicating that everyone involved is indeed having a "Celebration". This is seen through the use of activity-themed props such as skateboards and basketballs - both signify to the audience that people are having fun, and aren't worried about daily troubles. As mentioned earlier, the car denotes to the audience of the vast richness of the artist. We have already seen what The Game's appearance is (expensive jewellery and clothing) so we as the audience assume correctly that his style of transport will be no different. All props used in this video signify wealth and luxury, once again conforming to conventions similar to other rap videos.
Also, like many other rap videos before it, "Celebration" conforms to the voyeuristic presentation of the women characters in the video. Women are portrayed seductively to the audience, as most of the audience these artists will attracts are males. They are presented to us in this way to show us what kind of women the artists attract, which is another hint at their vast wealth.
In terms of conforming to Goodwin's theory, the mise-en-scene does this perfectly. Things in the mise-en-scene in the video are presented the way they are thanks to the lyrics of the song (which is the second point of Goodwin's theory) and indeed the voyeuristic portrayal of women in keeping with the particular genre (which is the fifth point of Goodwin's theory).
Camera Angles and Shots:
Similar camera angles and shots are used throughout the video "Celebration" by The Game, most notably the close ups and medium shots. The reasons why these shots are used the most is due to the importance of seeing the artists during the video - the artists are the main reason as to why the audience would view this particular video, therefore the directors will use as many close ups and medium shots as possible of the artists. This is important to any genre of music, not just one genre.
Another shot used quite frequently was the tracking shot - this was used in the video to keep up with the action of what was happening around the area, such as playing basketball, women dancing and laughing, and skateboarding. This shot informs and updates the audience on activities of things happening around the focus of attention.
In terms of camera angles, an angle popularly used in the video was the low-angle shot. This is used to represent power and dominance, and was used whilst The Game was driving around California. The angle in this particular instance signifies his wealth over the audience, and that we look up to him as a powerful figure in the music industry. This is also presented through the lyrics.
Editing:
For music videos for professional, well known artists, the editing has to be perfect to reflect the artists professionalism. If the editing is below par, the audience won't feel as privileged to watch their artist perform, as they would feel they can do a better job than whoever edited it. In "Celebration", there are no fancy editing techniques. For example, a clean cut or a fade is used to switch between scenes, which represents realism to the audience - that is we become as successful as them, we can have all of these things too.
Lip syncing also has to be perfect, as the audience want to enjoy the song, but want to do this visually, which is why music videos are made. Luckily for The Game, lip syncing in this video is perfect.
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