Keri Hilson's music video for "Knock You Down" features her as a woman who is two-timing both Kanye West and Ne-Yo, contradicting the normal narrative where the man cheats. It shows their past happy relationship in black and white and their present conflict in color. There are shots that focus on the artists' faces and Kanye's shoes to identify them, as well as suggestive shots of Keri from above that exemplify the male gaze. The video aims to portray Keri as strong and in control rather than a victim, which would appeal more to her target female audience.

1. Keri Hilson-Knock You Down ft Kanye West and Ne-Yo
ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEO

2. ABOUT THE SONG
• Knock You Down" is a song by American singer-
songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her debut studio
album, In a Perfect World... (2009). The song features
guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
and American rapper Kanye West.

3. THE NARRATIVE
• The narrative of the video features Kanye
West and Keri Hilson as love interests. He
is seen painting a portrait of her and they
touch each other Faces these could be
signs that they are very much in love. This
type of narrative very much conforms to
the conventions of a R&B/Hip Hop music
video. The face that there is a love story.
But this story isn’t like a normal one in
contradicts the norm and instead of the
man cheating or leaving the women in this
story the woman is seen as being the two
timer. As what seems like a art showing
Ne-Yo Keri Hison’s other lover comes and
she is seen by West touching his face and
he gets angry

4. GOODWIN’S THEORY
• Andrew Goodwin’s 6 Features of Music Video are featured in
this video in different ways
• 1. Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics: The fact a
love story conforms to the genre characteristics as this is a
common feature of RnB/Hip Hop.
• 2. There is a Relationship between lyrics and visuals. When
Kanye raps about a rocket and NASA a image of a rocket flying
off comes up which is a shows the relationship between the
lyrics and visuals
• 3.There is a relationship between the music and visual when the
song is about love knocking you down and there are visuals of
the artist falling over
• 4. The Record label will want close ups and motifs to be
developed for the audience to identify with the artist. There are
a few close ups of Keri Hilson and Kanye West and Keri Hilson
and there are close ups of Kanye West Yeezy 1 which are his
shoes he made with Nike.
• 5.There is frequently reference to notion of looking and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body there are
split scereen where it looks like Keri Hilson and Kanye West are
looking at each other. Keri Hilson also isn’t wearing a lot clothes
with could linked to Laura Mulvey s theory that she is being
seen through the male gaze .
• 6. There are often intertextual reference there aren't really any
intertextual references in this video.

5. MISE-EN-SCENE
• There is no colour associated with the
music video but I think this was down on
purpose as this would draw attention to
the artists that are wearing colours. Kanye
West is wearing pink and black which
matches his Yeezy 1 which draws
attention to them when they are shown.
• The end scene the scene being set seems
to be that of a party there are a lot people
drink and talking so it seems they are at a
party.

6. LAURA MULVEY’S THEORY
• There isn’t a lot of voyeurism but it is a
present theme in this video. It is not as
much as most hip hop video. I think this
is because of the fact it is a women artist
so it is different. If it was a male artist
there would be more cause the video
would be seen through their eyes which
is the a male gaze. The fact that there
are models an be linked to Goodwin’s
theory as a characteristic of the genre it
can be a sign of aspiration as they paid to
have the models present.

7. CAMERA ANGLES, SHOTS AND MOVEMENT
• There were a variety of shots used when
Kanye West was rapping there is a switch
between mid shots and close ups to make
us focus on him.
• When Keri Hilson is in the bed we are
shown a birds eye view of her. This can
be linked to Laure Mulvey’s Theory and
the male gaze she isn’t wearing much
clothes ad she moves around on the bed
in a suggestive way.
• There were also mid shots and close ups
of ne-yo when he was singing this
conforms Goodwin’s Theory.

8. SPECIAL EFFECTS AND TRANSITIONS
• There were a couple split screen there was
actually one with a colour footage and one
with black white. This was used to show
contrast between before and after the black
and white was the past when they were
happy but the colour was the present when
they are arguing now. There was also one to
show how she played both men and showed
them both love but was going behind their
backs.
• There is also an effect where Kanye West
falls back this conforms to Andrew
Goodwin’s Theory as there is a relationship
between the music and the visuals The
shattering of his body it represents his
heart as she broke his heart so in turn she
broke him as a person.

9. DOMINANT IDEOLOGIES/AUDIENCE RECEPTION
This video contradicts the dominant ideologies as usually the man would be
the one cheating on the women an example is Usher –Confessions. But in
this video they women is the on that is doing the two timing. This change in
conventions is because the song is by a female so making her one the
victims would make her seem weak and that wouldn’t be a good image to
give her as her target audience women may not want to purchase her
music. This would make the women the Dominant readers as they would
enjoy seeing a women in control of the relationship and it would be a form
of escapism for them. The oppositional readers would be men because they
will not be happy with the way me are being treated as they are being
played.