Taio Cruz, a London-based singer, known for writing and producing for the Sugababes and Justin Timberlake has just debuted his hit single “Break your Heart” in the states. It debuted at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and is continuing to climb the charts in the states. I heard the catchy song in my car the other day and went YouTube to watch it. I decided it would be a great video to do a meditation on.
Here is the music video so you can follow along as I connect it to the four media tool sets we have learned in class.
Brain Triune:
Limbic- images on the screen appear rapidly and get my limbic brain going.
Reptilian- This video appeals to the sex instinct through images of bodies in bathing suits and the main characters kissing each other.
Eight Shifts:
Epistemological shift- From word to image. The words of the song are brought to life through the images on the screen.
Personal shift- From mass to personal/participatory. I am writing about this video on my blog!
Technological shift- From analog to digital. Instead of watching this video on a television screen I am watching it on my personal lap top. I can also access it on my smart phone, through Verizon Wireless videos.
Seven Basic Principles:
Production techniques- There are many different camera angles and shots in this music video. There are far away shots with the girl behind him on the left (image on left), zoomed in shots, and wide angled shots. The lighting is also used in an interesting way when rapper Ludacris and Taio Cruz are shot together.
Pacing - The scenes are cut really fast and can be difficult to follow. I think that the cuts from scene to scene, or shot to shot were paced far too fast.
Value Message- This media promotes the message that if you are a rapper you can have luxury boats, yachts, beautiful women, parties, and drink endless amounts of champagne. The "rapper luxury life" message is repeated throughout music videos. Depictions of wealth, beautiful women, and alcohol send out both negative and positive messages.
Persuasive Techniques:
Beautiful people- There are many beautiful models and dancers used in this video to persuade.
Repetition- lyrics such as “break your heart” are used repeatedly, and certain shots/scenes are repeated often too.
Group dynamics- The video shows clip of people at a party, dancing together, and having fun.
Rhetorical question- “You know I’m only going to break your heart right?” This rhetorical question was stated at the beginning of the music video by Taio Cruz to the model.
This music video was very fun to analyze and I really enjoy this song! It will be interesting to see where Taio Cruz's career goes. Even if it is not your cup of tea, I hope you enjoyed this meditation too!
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