Beyoncé - 7/11

Camera Movement, Shots and Angles

In most shots the artist is by herself, including in the opening, this shows the audience who the artist is and ensures the focus is on her, however there are also a wide variety of shots of the artist with her friends to show her as fun and social. The first shot shows Beyonce as if she has turned on the camera and walks away before the song starts, this gives the audience the idea that she has created the video herself to make it feel like a home video and more personal. Wide and long shots are used within the music video which allows the audience to obtain a full view of the setting. Showing the large balcony or extravagant hotel room shows the glamour and fanciness of her lifestyle so the audience aspires to be like her. There are some close ups and mid shots used as shown below. These show the artist's facial expressions and allow the audience to focus on her. It also emphasises the fact that she has minimal make up on to show her as very natural and relatable to the audience.

Editing Transitions and Special Effects

The music video has been renounced for it's editing, winning Best Editing at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. It is the editing of the video that gives it the professional feel amongst the candid footage which Beyoncé filmed herself. Many shots within the video are sped up and very short, this gives the video a fun and energetic feel to entice the audience. This also makes the dance moves seem more sharp to have more of an impact, they are edited to hit slightly before the beat which is more pleasing to the audience. Some parts of the video are also put in reverse to add a lively and fun feel. The quick shot changes keep the video fast and upbeat and some shot changes, such as switching between the black and white dice, add a more artistic and professional feel to the video.

Mise-En-Scene

Beyoncé undergoes many costume changes within the video and can be seen in a variety of different outfits. They are all very casual and something that the audience themselves might wear which adds to the representation of her being just like everyone else and someone that the audience can relate to. The artist wears a hat upside down to make it appear as though it is a crown, this shows her to be very fun and is quite humorous to attract an audience but also gives a glamorous impression and makes her seem important. Her and her friends all wear the same underwear, they are brightly coloured with the words 'smack it' written on the back, these look quite cheap to add to the ordinariness of the girls but also bring a fun and vibrant atmosphere. Her make up is very minimal which adds to the feel that she is very ordinary and relatable but also shows the audience her natural beauty and gives it a more personal feel. We can also see that her hair is very wild and seems quite free which mirrors the way in which the audience views her and how she is represented in the video. Despite this the audience can see a large array of make up in the background of the video which shows how even though she is not wearing it in the video it is something she uses and makes her even more relatable. The way it is spread out across the bathroom also makes her more relatable to the female audience as she is still messy. The video is set in a hotel room, despite most of the video providing a casual and ordinary feel the setting completely opposes this. It provides the insight into her glamorous life with a large balcony and all the rooms being large and richly decorated. The choreography is very basic and mainly corresponds to the lyrics in the song, this not only shows it as a home video that is very relatable but adds a further element of humour to the video. We can see the artist spinning in circles with her hands in the air as the lyrics say 'Spinning' while my hands up' which shows how it was made by the artist in her hotel room.


We all see a christmas element in the video which presents the video as a present to the fans which adds to the personal feel. We also see the artist jump out of a present which makes her appear as a gift and gives her a powerful and important feel. The video was released 21 November 2014 and so having this christmas element gives it a fun and festive feel.

Representation

The main representation of the artist is that she is very normal and relatable. This representation entices the audience because they view her as someone like them. This is done very well through the mist-en-scene and costume as well as the actions of the artist. Despite this representation she is also presented as very glamorous and fun and superior to other popstars, this is mainly done through the setting.

Genre and Signifiers

The video is of the dance-pop genre as well as R&B. The dance moves from the artist and her friends signify this, we see them twerking and the dance moves are very commercial which is very stereotypical of the pop/r&b genres. The bright colours used such as on the girls underwear is also very representative of these genres because they are usually upbeat and lively to add a positive atmosphere. It is also common in the pop genre to surround an artist with friends because it represents them as popular and someone the audience can relate to and would aspire to be like.

Audience Reception

The video own Video of the Year at the 2015 BET Awards. It also won Best Editing as the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards as well as being nominated for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Best Choreography. Critics praised the video because it stands out from any other Beyoncé video that is very high profile, choreographed and expensive where as this video was filmed by Beyoncé in an afternoon.

Why might an audience enjoy this?

The video presents Beyoncé goofing around and acting as someone just like the audience, it is someone they can relate to and so they enjoy watching it. Despite showing her in this candid manner the video still presents the artist as very glamorous, even though her costume and actions show her as very relatable the setting looks very expensive and also gives the audience something to aspire to. The audience might also enjoy this due to some slight humour in the video, for example when Beyoncé sings into her foot or falls over while skipping with her leg.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

This video supports Goodwin's theory in a variety of ways. Firstly the video follows many genre characteristics such as having dancers, dressing in revealing clothing and using bright colours. The lyrics and visuals are also very closely linked as most of the choreography and actions reflects the lyrics that the artist is singing. The mood is also reflected in the visuals, when the video is at a fast pace the visuals move and change quickly in fast motion to reflect this however when the song slows down the visuals become much more calm with less dancing for example the shots of the artist meditating which zoom out slowly.

Laura Mulvey's Theory

In some aspects the video does conform to the male gaze theory. The actors in the video are all female, which is quite empowering to the female audience, it draws in a wider audience because females will aspire to be like them and men will be attracted to them. In some parts of the video their clothes are very revealing such as the underwear they are all featured wearing which could be seen as objectifying however they also it is for the audience to consume in their own way. We also see her dressed in sweaters and much more casual clothes which goes against the ideas of the male gaze theory. Their dance moves such as twerking could also be considered to support this theory. Mulvey's theory also provides the virgin/whore dichotomy stating that as an audience these are the types of characters we are attracted to however Beyonce is not shown to be either of these and is just having fun with her friends.