Analysis of music video no.2

Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Work from Home

This video of girl group Fifth Harmony and rapper Ty Dolla $ign's song displays many genre characteristics of pop music and strongly supports Goodwin's theory. An example of this can be seen in how there are many sections of the song (particularly the chorus) where the group can be seen performing a dance routine (which seems to be specifically choreographed for this song in particular so that when they perform concerts it can be linked to the video further).

The fact that the chorus is focused on their dancing while the verses focus on each member singing (involving another part of Goodwin's theory about having many close-ups of the artists) gives a balance of individual and group shots, giving each member a personality by themselves and a place in the ensemble.

The addition of a rapper to the girl group's song is another genre convention that has been made use of here. He is also not involved in most of the video, which is typical of a featuring artist, however he is stylised to fit with the theme of the song as he is carrying a sledgehammer and wearing dungarees.

The dance moves themselves also relate to another part of the theory, which states that there is often a relationship between the lyrics/music and the visuals. Many of the moves physically show the idea of "working" as well as being to the beat of the music, which ties all three (lyrics, music and visuals) together. In fact, the whole video shows an amplified version of the lyrics, as it takes place on the construction site of a house- literally "working from home". The repeated visuals of this emphasise the lyrics, which while being about working, aren't actually about construction. In this way there is an interesting mix of illustration, amplification and disjuncture, as the visuals have been exaggerated to the point where it actually has little relation to the lyrics at all. Some examples of this are: the setting, props such as a cement mixer and a tractor, and background figures dressed as builders.

Further links between music and visuals can be seen in how the camera focuses on the person who is singing, showing the audience who it is that should have the focus on them in that moment. However, it still sometimes cuts to other people or things to show how the singer relates to them, for example when some of them are interacting with the men in the video, it cuts to show them and their reaction.

On a related note, the cutting itself often coincides with the beats of the music, creating an even stronger relationship between what the audience sees and hears. A good example of this is on the final few notes when the camera cuts to an individual shot of each girl before ending on one of the whole group, solidifying this as the final impression that the view leaves with.

In the video the girls are quite sexualised, as their actions and dance moves in the video are exaggerated in order for the audience (particularly male viewers) to enjoy watching them. However, due to the fact that they are the actual stars of the video (as opposed to back up dancers for a male artist) they have a degree of control over it, therefore making it not overly voyeuristic as it is their chosen actions rather than camera shots or editing that displays them like this. Also, there is an interesting reversal of typical music video roles, as it is the men in the video who are sexualised for purely audience enjoyment and given more of a voyeuristic treatment than the girls, which is likely due to the predominantly female fans and audience.