Initial Research- Existing Products (Beyonce- Pretty Hurts)

To kick-start my research, I am looking at a range of music videos from different music genres. The first music video I have chosen to look at is Pretty Hurts by Beyonce. Andrew Goodwin's music video theory can be easily applied to the video. The music video reflects the lyrics of the song very well, portraying how it is painful to try and be society's definition of 'beautiful', and we should accept each other's natural beauty. The video features the artist narrating the video as well as performing which supports Andrew Goodwin's theory of 'star image'. This makes the video more relatable to the audience as they can understand the experiences of the artist. (See below)

Some shots are also cut in time to the lyrics. For example, there is a shot of the artist brushing her hair and looking in the mirror, in time to the lyrics 'brush you hair' and 'fix your teeth'. This fulfils Goodwin's rule that music videos must have a relationship between visuals and song.


I like the fact that the music video has visuals to correspond with the lyrics as it makes the message of the song stronger and implies a meaning. The fact that the artist is a character in the video, as well as singing makes the video more interesting but is fluent.

Mise-en-scene
The music video is set at a beauty pageant. The dressing room scene is cramped and you can see that the characters are arguing which reveals the true nature of a beauty competition behind the smiles on stage. The girls appear on the pageant's stage, all wearing the same costume. This shot of the girls represents how people feel as though they have to fit into a stereotype and look a certain way.

The music video also has a running theme of the 1950's decade. The costume and setting represent this aspect. This theme is effective but it was an era when women had a certain stereotype to their name, trying to be 'perfect' and look good.

Camera Shots/ Angles/ Movement/ Composition

The music video consists of a range of camera movements, some close-up to get the expressions of the artist when she is singing, and some wider shots to capture the narrative. 

Editing

The camera cuts, not necessarily with the beat of the music, but from scene to scene, building a narrative of the true difficulty and ugliness of beauty pageants. 

Sound

The music is quieter at the beginning of the music video as the narrative is being set and we as the audience can have a better understanding of the reality of the beauty pageant. We can hear the diagetic sound of talking, hairdryers and nervous breathing to help portray the feelings and goings on at the event.