Analysis Exsiting Music Videos

Raining Men analysis



This video is set in many different locations and is focused mainly on the physical body. It has a theme based around the musicals Fame and Flashdance.
Intertextuality- many themes are used including Fame and Flashdance.
The camera shots are nearly all from the front showing Geri Halliwell face on. Many people star in this production and it is very energetic and lively.
At the beginning the first words of the song are “humidity’s rising“and the camera shot moves upwards to match the lyrics. Later during the video when the words “getting low” are sung the camera shot moves downwards.
During the chorus more dancers join in, in a carnival style with lots of colour and dynamic dancing. But up until them the colours in the video have been mainly black and white.

During the first scenes the dancer is not identified. This video is based around the empowerment of women and launched Geri Halliwell as a solo singer. She used this opportunity to present herself in a new way and to show off her new slender and lean body.

There is a contrast between the judges being dressed in suits and the dancers dressed in leotards and leg warmers. The judges are dressed very formally in business suits and are looking at her over their glasses and frowning showing that they are not impressed. Half way through the video Geri kisses the head judge trying to break down any barriers that there may be between them.

The video is mainly a song and dance routine with excerpts from both Fame and Flashdance included in the sequences.
The record scene relates to Flashdance and enables her to mess up as the needle on the record slips. There are also shots showing other students ridiculing her from the doorway.

Diegetic noise of the dancers’ footsteps can be heard as well as traffic and the needle going around the record on the record player
The sequences of fragmented body shots create a feeling of anticipation.
The fact that a record is being played on a record player shows that this is set in pre CD era.

First image is a close up with a formal made of address
As music starts she is looking at her feet or the judges.
The shot at foot level showing the judges tapping their feet is reoccurring all through the video and there is lots of movement of the cameras with her. There are also over the shoulder shots which show us the judges’ perspective.
There are many quick cuts to show the vigorous pace of the video.
The second half of the video is much more colourful and shows her in many different outfits, it also shows her doing lots of different physical activities including running down the corridor to rehearsals (links to American school), aerobics, curl ups ,kickboxing and even ballet. This is to depict that men can not be relied upon and women lead the way.
The last section of the video is set outside in a New York street with lots of colour including a yellow taxi showing an extremely up -beat mood and full of life, although the weather is raining. She is wearing a top with “famous” on it which looks like the Fame logo.