analysis of bon jovis living on a prayer

1. Music Video Analysis
Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi

2. Introduction
• This song was released on October 31st 1986.
It falls under the genre of glam metal and
dance rock. The music video itself won the
MTV music video award for best stage
performance. I believe that this song has a
target audience of both genders between ages
of roughly 13 and 60.

3. The Song
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4. Technical Codes: Camerawork
• This video uses a variety of shots. It is a performance video and this
is clearly demonstrated by several wide angle shots which allow you
to see the size of the arena that they are playing in. although it is
empty this still causes the audience to feel as if they are there and
seeing this with their own eyes as you would be able to see
everything if you were there yourself. These wide angle shots offer
a sort of POV perspective for the audience.
• There are also many mid shots which help to give a good
representation of the artists. These artists are often looking directly
into the camera during these mid shots which makes the video
more personal.

5. Technical Codes: Editing
• As this is a performance video and not a narrative,
continuity isn't as important. The shots are all composed
into a fast montage of short shots which change in time
with the music. There are plenty of eye line matches in this
video. This is to attempt to make the video more personal
and connect better with the audience.
• During this video there are no transitions between shots.
That are all sudden jumps that fit in with the change of
beat with the soundtrack. This lack of transitions can have a
slightly jumpy and harsh effect on a video. If u watch the
video without the sound you can see this clearly, however
as the soundtrack itself is jumpy and constantly full of
changing beats, this idea works well.

6. Technical Codes: Mise en Scene
• This music video is a performance and therefore doesn't’t have any
sort of narrative. Overall it is just the artists dancing and singing on
stage, but there are several key aspects of it which make it a great
video. The fact that it is all in black and white tells us that this is no
ordinary music video. The artists want this video to stand out and
be something a little different from the norm.
• They are performing in a large concert venue however there is no
audience, but there is several staff who r in front of camera. This
makes the video look as if they have tried to film the video several
times and then just taken out the ‘best bits’ and put it together into
a film. This gives the look of a very mature video, however it works
as it gives the audience a chance to feel as if they are backstage and
witnessing something special ( the filming of the music video).

7. Symbolic Codes
• Typically rock and roll and this genre of music
are well known for their outlandish
performances and wild stage presence. This
video demonstrates how ‘wild’, ‘fun’, and
‘energetic’ these performers are. This style of
crazy outfits, stylish hair, and exuberant
dancing clearly conveys the ideologies of
typical glam metal and dance rock music.

8. Audience Appeal
• This video appeals to their target audience
because, whenever u listen to this song, most
people want to get up and dance and sing along.
This is the stereotypical dance rock audience. This
video offers the audience a chance to do this. It
encourages the audience to get up and get
involved with the music.
• The eye line matches emphasis this as they make
the video more personal yet making individuals
want to get involved with the song.