Music video deconstruction

1. All of the Lights – Kanye
West ft Rihanna and Kid Cudi
Annabel Street

3. • This is the music video for the pop/hip hop/rap song ‘All of the lights’ by Kayne
West featuring Rihanna and Kid Cudi. The target audience would be young
people (aged 13-30) who like to listen to popular chart music as it reached
number 18 on the billboard hot 100. It is also likely to play in clubs suggesting
that the target audience is also people that often go out clubbing.
• The opening of this music video features a young, black girl walking around by
herself. In this mid shot she is wearing a hat, a scarf, a coat and a rucksack which
shows she is dressed for cold weather. The picture is black and white which
reflects the sad tone of the music at the beginning of the video. This relates to
Andrew Goodwin’s theory that there is often a link in music videos between the
tone and the atmosphere of the visuals and the music.
• We hardly see any other people which suggests her loneliness and sets another
theme for the video.
• We, as the audience, wonder what’s she doing which makes us intrigued to watch
the rest of the video. We also assume that there will be a narrative to follow in
the video, however, we do not see what happens to the girl.
• There are no lyrics at the start of the video, just slow, sad music which intrigues
the audience.

5. • We then see still, extreme long shots of bare trees and blocks of flats
with snow covering the ground. These monochrome images are quite
dramatic which again reflects the atmosphere of the music.
• The slow camera movements and cuts show the slow pace of the
video and captures the audience, making them feel sad and
questioning the meaning behind these clips.

7. • The previous black and white images are completely contrasted by
the sudden bright, eye-catching colours. The last medium close up
shots we see of the girl have different colour washes over them and
then we see multicoloured text against a black background which
show the artists’ names and some of the lyrics. However, the images
still continue to reflect the music because the bright colours appear
when the music picks up. The fast transitions also contrast the
previous slow camera movements and cuts which makes the video
now seem much more exciting.
• The first lyrics in the video are “all of the lights” this reflects
Goodwin’s theory of matching lyrics and visuals because the lyrics
appear on the screen as they are being sung.

9. • We see a medium long shot of Kanye West’s silhouette down a dark
alley, making him look mysterious. He is alone which is similar to the
girl at the start of the video. The neon lights behind him change
colour which is a reoccurring theme throughout the video and it gives
the impression of being in a night club– a place where the song is
likely to play. This shows Andrew Goodwin’s theory that the visuals in
a music video reflect the tone of the music.

11. • The next series of close up shots shows Kanye looking quite frustrated
as he raps. He is against a black background with flashing white lights
around him, possibly to seem like paparazzi and how he’s struggling
with fame.
• The lyrics ’I hold my head’ is reflected in the visuals as he starts to
hold his head and rock back and forth as if he is in pain. This again
illustrates Andrew Goodwin’s theory.
• He’s wearing sunglasses which means we can’t see his eyes, and
unconventionally, he doesn't make direct contact with the audience,
making him seem distant and unfriendly.

13. • He’s rapping about struggling and being poor throughout the song
but is wearing expensive looking clothes. This shows Goodwin’s
theory that visuals sometimes contradict the lyrics. Or maybe he is
showing the audience the tough life he has previously led.
• He is standing on top of a police car which is illegal and suggests his
aggressive, rebellious personality.

15. • We then see Rihanna in a mid shot. Unlike Kanye West, she is making
direct contact with the audience by looking into the camera as she is
singing. She has bright red hair which connotes danger but also love
and it stands out against the dark background. She is wearing a very
revealing outfit which shows Goodwin’s theory of the concept of
looking (at the female body) and makes the video appeal to a male
audience.
• The lyrics ‘Turn up the lights in here’ suggests she talking about being
in a club.

17. • A close up of her face is also used as she is singing, which is
stereotypical of music videos. The colour of the picture is constantly
changing which again reflects a nightclub where this song is likely to
be heard, showing Goodwin’s theory that visuals match the tone of
the music.

19. • We then see ‘Kid Cudi’ who, like Kanye, doesn't make direct contact
with the audience - he has his back turned on us, making him also
seem unfriendly. He is wearing a bright red jacket, similar to Rihanna’s
hair which suggests that they are linked.