In this essay I will be analysing the video “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz who is an English R&B singer.
The image that Taio Cruz has managed to put across through this video is that of a conventional womanizer, which is common among R&B stars. His masculine character is shown in many ways: Firstly, his opening shot in this video is of him riding a motorbike. He then takes his helmet off and puts on some sunglasses. These objects are associated with power and masculinity, thus establishing Taio’s manly character portrayal. In terms of editing, the juxtaposition of the BMW symbol on his motorbike reinforces this masculine stereotype.
There are a lot of women in this video who are dressed in skimpy outfits
establishing a sexualised representation of them and reinforcing Taio’s
‘womanizer’ image. There are a lot of close ups of the women’s bodies drawing
attention to this portrayal.
Taio’s image is carried on throughout the video in various ways: he performs stunts on his bike, he performs on a stage with fire blowing around him, he always walks in front of all the women and he is given the most privilege. Also, he’s almost always placed at a very low angle putting him in a high ‘star’ status in comparison to the women where the attention is drawn mainly on their bodies.
This song falls into the R&B category and the video is quite conventional in the sense that it portrays Taio Cruz as a manly figure that the audience of this product will look up to as an idol and star. It doesn’t challenge the norms in any way since the main element is the performance element, which is done in a style that adds to his image that conforms to the generics.
This video would be aimed at teenagers (mainly male) who would look up to his masculinity and maybe even wish to be like him. The sexual content is done in a rather safe way, making it available to the young teenage audience as well, thus widening the target audience.
No comments:
Post a Comment