Research Task - Music Video Analysis 2.

50 Cent - Candy Shop.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcnnId15BA


This music video uses a vast amount of iconography related to the wealth of the rapper, 50 Cent. It  is very clear that this was intended, as the opening scene, or establishing shot, features the artist arriving in a luxury sports car. The artists wealth is represented through a number of materialistic goods in the video, such as jewellery. A number of different shots and camerawork are also used. One example is the use of Low angle shots, which focus on 50 Cent. This then creates an image of him being powerful and a man of high importance. Other shots used include extreme close ups and various types of panning. These two techniques are both used on women, and draw attention to specific body parts throughout the video. In some ways, it could be said that these women are seen as an object of sex through use of such camerawork.

The concept of the ‘Male Gaze’ is often used in this video. The audience are attracted to follow the gaze of the rapper, as he looks upon the women that are surrounding him. The previously mentioned Extreme Close Up shot, focuses our attention on the artist before intensifying the star-image and the connotations of power and importance that are associated with the rapper himself. The end of the video is very different to what is likely to be expected. 50 Cent wakes up after a ‘dream’. This is a contradiction to the rest of the video. It is also noticeable that the artist is wearing many different clothes throughout the scenes, once again contributing to the image and idea of 50 Cents wealth. Many of the colours used in this video are associated with different feelings and atmospheres. One example of this are the red clothes worn by 3 of the women towards the end of the video. The colour red holds connotations of Passion and Heat.

There are possibly some intertextual references within the video. The house and general concept of the video seem to relate to the famous ‘playboy mansion’. There does not seem to be any kind of solid narrative to the video, instead the visuals seem to illustrate and amplify the lyrics and their content. In conclusion, this music video is very typical of the music’s genre, and in many ways fits the forms and conventions of such videos. Such forms and conventions are met through the use of voyeurism, which is created by focusing on the females within the video. Also, the use of iconography and the star-image are both contributing factors.