Logic - 1-800-273-8255 ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid- Music Video Analysis

I chose to analyse this video because its a different genre to my other 3 analysis and I would like to explore how different genres market their music through videos. I really enjoyed the storyline and how the story was almost like a short film in the sense it provoked emotions and became very stressful to watch yet in addition had an overall message which it enforced which I really liked also. The video was created in 2017 and directed by Andy Hines. 

Relationship Between Lyrics and Video

The visuals link very closely to the lyrics within the song expressing mainly the emotions the protagonist within the video is feeling. The video explores social issues within current society and unlike all the other videos I have analysed presents a hardship as the protagonist struggles with his close friends and family accepting his homosexuality. This close relationship helps us create a larger narrative and almost empathise with his hardships which in turn creates a greater awareness to us as a viewer as we see what can happen without the acceptance of everyone. The video narrative is Linear however the lyrics help provide an insight into the protagonists pain and thoughts and the both compliment each other to provide a really captivating and impactful piece. 

Director Style

This video is very cinematic and utilises a lot of cinematic methods such as the use of push-ins, slider shots and steadycam work really help establish a clear story and puts our focus as viewers on the protagonists and being able to clearly understand the story despite the turbulence throughout the video. In addition Hines utilizes a very grunge look to the video Colouring it using very green tones which add to the hostility of the world around the protagonist. Despite the initial joy the characters experience it is set from the beginning. Colour is a very important tool within this video in establishing the mood and it only purifies in the last few shots as the protagonist (a lot older) is accepted for his true identity. The director also uses a lot of slow motion to compliment the smooth tracking shots to truly exert the intimacy between the 2 protagonists and in addition it is used to really enhance the emotions of the various other people within the story. This allows us to study their emotion and truly experience the level of emotion which adds to the impact of the story. The director also includes frequent long takes potentially for a similar reason to slow down the story to really help us empathise with the protagonist as he struggles through life. wide shots are also frequently used to establish the protagonist as small and weak as oppose to the dad figure who is viewed at through close ups presenting him as more dominant and a strong character. There is at least 50 different shots within this video. The video creates interest of people to buy the song as it projects a message and emotion once again similar to the other videos I have looked at making people who can relate to the emotion or depression as a whole (which is everyone) buy the song for this reason. The final scene also creates a feel of overwhelming happiness which contrasts to the rest of the video being so deprived of happiness which would also attract interest and potentially encourage the marketing of the song. 

Representation

Representation is a huge theme within this piece being that it is based around a school teen who struggles with his sexuality. The piece depicts the older generation as very judgemental and closed about whom and what they accept and this is a theme that runs throughout. The older generation however is also presented as understanding and encouraging as the teacher figure takes time out of his day to talk to the father in an attempt to persuade him to accept his son. The primary audience of this video would be youths being the genre is rap. The video focuses around the struggles within youth culture and shows both ends of the spectrum illustrating a very diverse image of youth with the message that everyone should be appreciated and accepted into society no matter how different which really helps to entice the listener into buying the song but moreover also projects a positivity surrounding the artists which will help to promote him as a figure helping him to grow which is a completely new aspect of videos which I have not seen before. Instead of marketing the song its self sometimes an artist will market his personality and values to help attract a following or fan base in which would be tempted to purchase a number of songs and will continue to carry interest as he releases more content. 

To conclude this is a genre of music which tends to hold the most meaning as rappers will often express their struggles through songs leading to an increased meaning within the song which is so popular with youth culture due to their relatability and inspiring impact. The video is shot beautifully leading to a huge success with the video on YouTube grossing more than 39 million views and over 1 million likes.