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Lose Yourself - Eminem (Textual Analysis)

In this essay I will look at how an artist is represented in their music video. The artist I will be analysing is Eminem in the music video for Lose Yourself. Lose Yourself is a song from the soundtrack for the film 8 mile, which Eminem stared in. The film is about a young white boy who wants to become a rapper. This is shown in the music video, it is in a way a mini film itself. Due to this song being the soundtrack for the film, the job of the music video isn't only to show fans and interest new listeners but also to sell the film. The music video is also therefore narrative based. Here is the video:

The genre for this song is Rap. Today Eminem is one of the most famous white rap artists. Rap is genre generally stereotyped with black people, which the video emphasises. The video starts with a close up of Eminem, wearing a black hat and oversized clothes, this could show he is trying to hide under them as he is nervous of his new venture. A tracking shot follows him onto a nearly empty bus. The bus has been graffiti'd on, and the low key lighting further makes it look run down and poor. This represents the poverty area where Eminem grew up.

As the famous, powerful piano chords are played, the location changes to low key lit toilet, who's walls are covered in defacement something which is associated with deviant youths who are also stereotypically fans of the rap genre. A variety of camera angles show Eminem practising in the mirror. This creates an image of hardworking boy, as with his working/lower class background he wants to use his talents to better himself.


A close up shot shows an apprehensive Eminem  as the lyrics say 'His nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready'. A shot reverse shot then reveals he is on stage, infront of a huge crowd of people in a dingy, low key lit room. The crowd are predominantly black, fitting the stereotype of rap music. He is the only white man in the room, however instead of being shy and hiding away he is on the stage, this represents him as a confident man. Whilst on stage the lyrics sing 'he opens his mouth but the words won't come out', and visuals show a dumbstruck Eminem, this shows that the video is illustration in terms of Goodwin's theory.

The location changes to what looks like a car park. It is full of mostly black men, one of which tries winding up Eminem, who responds by starting to fight the man. This shows Eminem as aggressive, which is also a characteristic of rap videos, as the rap genre is known for its threatening lyrics and lifestyle.


Further on into the video, we see Eminem back on the stage, this time with a lot more confidence and courage. This location is used every time the chorus is played. This shows he is willing to keep trying for he wants, even though he knows some of the people in the crowd will instantly judge him for being white. Whilst on stage he proceeded to pull down his pants and show his bottom half to his rap challenger. This shows he is controversial and could come across as rude, however the rap genre can be associated with being impolite.

The pace of this video is fast as there is always new locations and visuals to look at. The fact the video is from a film may help, as there was already hours of footage for them to use. The next location seen is a urban town street. Eminem is seen hanging out the side of a car window grasping a gun, shooting at a police car. Violence is another association with the rap genre. The image of Eminem shooting the gun makes him a scary, criminal individual, however moments later we see a whole different side to the rapper as he sees his young daughter. As the lyrics sing, 'he goes home and barely knows his own daughter', he tucks her up in bed showing his loving side.





On the third chorus, the location returns back to the stage and Eminem looks even more confident. His eyes are puffy and red, foreshadowing he is tired and been up working hard to perfect his raps. The look in his eyes shows determination, which is proven by showcasing how far he has come when each chorus is played. His determination and hard
work can also be seen when he is shown turning his anger and hurt into lyrics on a page.

The next scene shows Eminem once again being aggressive and confronting a black man. They are surrounded by other black men, once again a characteristic of rap music. There is then yet another fight and there is a heavy sense of gang culture, which is affiliated with the rough rural streets where rap music is listened to.

When we reach the last chorus, the lighting of the room has changed. Although it is still low key lit, it is less musky and more how you would expect concert lighting to be. Eminem has the whole crowds attention. As he ends his rap, the visuals on screen illustrate the lyrics, 'you can do anything you set your mind to'.

In terms of selling the film and the artist I think the video does a great job, as it shows a range of scenes and locations from the film which interest the viewer, however as the clips are silent so we can hear the song we don't know what is really going on. After watching this music video I would definitely want to see the film 8 Mile.

I Loved You - Blonde, (Textual Analysis)

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Work From Home - Fifth Harmony, (Textual Analysis)

In this essay I will be analysing how the male gaze theory is created through mis-en-scene, in the video for Work From Home by Fifth Harmony, director by Director X.

In terms of Goodwin’s theory, this video is an illustration video, as the images shown are relating to the name of the song and then the chorus of the song.

The setting for this video is a building site, which is stereotypically a male place of work. However, the girl band Fifth Harmony are dancing around in the building site, alongside topless hunky male builders. This shows the gaze theory associating both male and female. The first character we meet is a muscular male builder. Through a tracking shot we then meet one of the girl band, who is wearing a hard-hat representing the building site. This breaks a stereotype as the building trade is typically associated with males. It is seen as a not very glamourous job and linked to the working class. However, this isn’t the case in the video, as good-looking, well-built men portray the builders, and complete there work in a sexualized way. This can also be related to the girl band, who are seen completing standard building tasks, like pouring cement, but completing them using sexualised dance moves. This can be seen within the first 20 seconds, showing that the male gaze theory will most likely be used throughout.

When we are introduced to the second member of the girl-band, her costume is also a seductive take on builder’s wear. All of their costumes amplify the building setting, whilst accentuating their femininity. When looking at Mulvey’s theory, and the virgin/whore dichotomy, this video relates to the ‘whore’ idea. It can be seen as a pop genre characteristic for females to wear revealing outfits, and in this video all of their outfits are quite skimpy, which would be associated with male attention and therefore the male gaze theory.

In terms of props, building trade items have been used, such as tractors, drills and spanners. This further implies the setting and the form of ‘work’ being sung about it building, which you would not know from the lyrics on their own.

The positioning of the members of Fifth Harmony depends on what part is being sung. The video is a performance based video, so the main part consists of the member’s lip syncing and dancing. When there is a chorus and all members sing, they are all shown. As there is 5 of them, they have been positioned so that there are 3 girls on a rasied platform and 2 on the ground. This allows them all to be seen, whilst being interesting for the viewer to watch. Different camera angles and shots are also used, with the scene of all the girls being cut into with different ‘builders’ around the site, further creating more interesting visuals for the audience to watch.

The girls further complete sultry dance moves to the camera, which proves the male gaze theory. The close up shots used when viewing the girl bands members bum’s/breast’s will attract the attention of male viewers. In the second chorus a more interesting location is used. New locations are introduced to ensure viewers don’t feel like the same images are being repeated and that there is a reason to carry on watching. A wide shot is used to display all the members of the Fifth Harmony, and close up shots are used to watch them dance around men.

Initially, the lighting of the music video is high key, with the idea of the sunshine being the main light source, beaming down on the workers on a hot summers day, therefore causing the males to be hot and sweaty and take their top off, leading to the gaze theory. The high key lighting and use of bright colours allow the pop genre to be easily identified. In terms of male gaze, it allows the audience to easily be able to see Fifth Harmony and their provocative dance moves. Nearer to the end of the video, the lighting changes to lower key, with the idea that night time has emerged. And lights from the building site are the main source of light. At the end of the video a montage of shots featuring all of the members is re shown, which along with the night time effect lighting, gives the impression that a wholes day work has been completed.

The band are dancing throughout the video, so when looking at body language we can look at how their dance moves apply to the male gaze theory. Close up shots are used of the girls pouting their lips, flicking their hair and fluttering their eyelashes. All of these create the image of a flirty girl, stereotyping women as even on a building site they are seen as flirts. As previously mentioned, the choreography of the video consists of the girls dancing sexually, using their body’s to gain attention from the male builders, who they end up dancing closly with in the end. This creates the idea that the girls are objects and even though they are on a building site, still only want to impress men. All of these dance moves and facial expressions gain male attention, proving that the male gaze theory has been used in the video.

ANDREW GOODWIN THEORY