Media Language Based Reading

In Beyoncé's music video for Pretty Hurts; you would not think that she is just an artist yet she could appear to an unknowing audience as an actor. The images that are portrayed to us through her acting with the lyrics accompanying the video it acts as an emphasis on the meaning of the song and can at times appear to the audience quite emotional.

Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXQLa-5n5w

During the music video Beyoncé plays the part of a beauty contestant in different pageants; she shows the audience all the preparation and the formalities of being under such scrutiny from society based purely upon your looks.

The opening scene of the music video shows Beyoncé looking into a mirror with minimal makeup; with a backing track of piano chords. Even though the desired effect of this shot it to show she is using a mirror, it can also work as an intimate shot with the audience. The obvious wet hair and freshly applied makeup connotes the code of getting ready for something.
Throughout the video Beyoncé portrays the many different sides to one persons personality; all the different elements within each picture make up a code to show to the audience the preferred reading of the video and of each personality she is showing.










Paloma Faith - Trouble With My Baby

Paloma Faith is another artist who is able to create a story with music through reflection of the lyrics. One example of this is her new music video for her song Trouble With My Baby, from her new album A Perfect Contradiction. The story of this song is that she has issues and 'troubles' with her fella and she's working in a bar as a live singer and it shows some of the difficulties that she has to deal with her troublesome man. In the slideshow below you can see some of the shots that are in the music video which I think work well to emphasis the lyrics and emotions caused through the music and lyrics of the song.