Research into star image

I looked at the music video of 'Where is the love?' by Black Eyed Peas for my textual analysis.

http://youtu.be/WpYeekQkAdc

Media Prep: Music video – Textual Analysis

Through textual analysis of the music video, how the star is sold to the target audience?

Name of artists : Black Eyed Peas

Name of  tracks: Where is the love?

Throughout the whole sequence of the music video, there was a black paper with a red question mark on it to signified that the nation asking question their government about peace as this video revolved around the issues concerning the injustice treated to the minority, violence of war/terrorist and hope and unity.  There were two similar props: steering wheel andd the cassette turning which they  used to reinforce the idea of the world cycling as they are repeating its history. The singers were all in black costume putting up the posters in the video and they represented themselves to the media as heroes/part of the nation who is brave enough to stand up for the nation against the government. SO the star is sold to the target audience as them being courageous and they are the peacemakers for the country, America.

They use camera shots such as the wide shot of the two singers who were in van like they were the radio djs who were broadcasting the news. They used a low angle shot of  America buildings with American flags on top and then having high angle shots people of people in the shop, the crop land and the people in the scene symbolising that the government and the higher authorities are surely aware of what is happening to the nation through news, TV, radio, etc but why are they not taking any action to it. The singers are questioning the government about their usage of the power for the right reason. We also have many close up shots of young kids from different minority races and lip singing the chorus part of “Where is the Love” to show their expressions and emotions to the situation. Through this, the singers are asking not only the target audience to sympathise with the poor children who are innocent but have to suffer  and be supportive of the campaign they are proposing, but also making an awareness to other older audience about this song and them. This would bring them a good image about  again. The beginning of this sequence is shot in a handheld camera to show how terrified or chaotic to be living in this country as a minority. So they are shooting some part from the children’s point of view and also the reporters’ point of view.

Towards the end of the song, they used several individual close up shots of the children, a black older woman and an old man who was holding the bible looking up representing the image of longing for hope.

There were a quick montage sequence of the same  question mark posters at different places to make the audience to think about issues being raised in the country such as justice, war and poverty and if there is hope. There were continuity editing of the group dressed up as a secret agent holding the question mark business suitcase as they were crossing the road to signify that they would not stop and they will keep on trying until there is an action taken. Then there was a freeze frame of them crossing the road with the suitcase and this makes the audience to keep our focus on the question mark sign again.  Although there were many quick cuts during the sequence to reinforce the idea of chaos, there were some long shot as well. One of them was the road sign not being covered by the question mark to show that the country is lost without a guide and that they need the government to help the nation and mean what they say about making improvements.

In this video, The Black Eyed Peas used paradoxes adapted from Richard Dyer: ordinary and extraordinary, present and absent. This group were ordinary in a sense that they were just like the nation living in fear being chased by the police, being watched, therefore they are emotionally connected with the target audience however they extraordinary and absent at the same time because this is not their world as they are singers and they are more fortunate. This is positive as the target audience are now looking up to the group. And this is the method they used to sell the target audience.