The Analyses: Music Video

50 CENT PIMP 2003



In this video, there is a heavy presence of stereotypical masculinity with flawless physiques, money, expensive possessions and girls. These features are typical of many rap music videos, along with the expensive cars like the Roll Royce Phantom and Cadillacs. There is heavy focus on the iPod and Phantom (product placement), with the camera lingering on them with multiple shots, in effect emphasising luxury. Expensive branded clothing is worn, and flashy jewelry is constantly on focus, and combined with the white clothing, conveys even more of a sense of luxury. The song was significant success, peaking at 3 on the Billboard Chart.

The Analyses: Magazine Advert

Here we have a double paged magazine advert, with Binary opposition in play. On the left side we have the vulnerable, pure Beyonce, highlighted by white coloured clothing, transparent logo background and general lightness to the image. She has her hair pulled back illustrating a sense of exposure, and we see she has a slight smile, showing happiness. In the opposing photo, we have the "fierce" Beyonce; darker colours replace the pure white, and the transparency of the logo background is now black. Her eyebrows are thicker and her face is now expressionless, giving a tougher exterior then the opposing image. This advert shows that Beyonce as an artist is versatile, with different genres and styles in both her music and performances. Also the fact that the logo is very minimalistic shows that the artist doesn't need an obvious signpost for the audience to know who she is, and this gives off a high status.

The Analyses: Digipak

This is the Sasha Fierce album cover. There are many connotations to this image which show wealth, luxury, and even mystery. The colour scheme of black and gold found in her clothing, her hair, the lighting and the logo, portrays a sense of luxury, and also compliments her skin tone. The dark background also highlights the gold colours along with the main artist herself. The black panther in what called be called shadows, gives a sense of mystery, and the fact that it is in the background could represent a sense of underlying aggression, along with the scratches on the wall. Her stance is reminiscent of a model, giving off a sensual image, along with her lack of clothing. Many of these features are found in the same genre (pop/r&b) featuring female artist, or similar genres.