1. Textual Analysis of Music Videos
The video I’m analysing is Love on top by Beyonce. Beyonce is a conventional
R&B artist and in her videos she often follows the typical code and
conventions of this genre.

2. The video for ‘Love on top’ does not have a narrative and is made up
of performance shots. Despite this the lyrics are still illustrated by the
visuals.
This is first seen when Beyoncé says
‘Bring the beat in’ she illustrates this by
raising her hand and gesturing to come
in.
There is then a close up of Beyonce
raising her hand in a star shape whilst
gazing up to the stars. This represents
the lyric ‘I can see the stars all the way
from here’.

3. Throughout the video Beyonce is
using dance to characterise her lyrics.
The lyric ‘Every time you touch me I
just melt away’ is denoted by her
running her hands down her body.
A long shot has been used whilst
beyonce is using jazz hands to
illustrate her words. ‘ Nothings perfect,
but its worth it after fighting through
my tears’.

4. Another long shot has been used from a
slight low angle to show beyonce pointing
at the camera/ towards the audience. This
symbolises the lyrics ‘Baby its you’.
Again Beyoncé is using dance to be a
symbol of her lyrics. She jumps up and
freezes to illustrate the lyric ‘ When I need
you make everything stop’.

5. ‘You put my love on top, top, top, top,
top’ this lyric is represented by Beyoncé
and her dancers simultaneously raising
from the floor in time with the music
and lyrics.
Beyoncé uses universal hand signs like
the one on the left to exemplify what
she is singing. Here she raises her hand
in a phone shape to represent the words
‘ You’re the one I can always call’.

6. The video ends with Beyoncé on bended
knees pointing upwards and her backing
dancers also pointing in the same
direction. This is the last time the visuals
are represented by Beyoncé's
movements ‘Finally you put my love on
top’
All throughout the love on top video Beyoncé uses dance to represent her
lyrics, she does this through her body language and hand movements. She
effectively represents the lyrics in the song with out using moves that
obviously represent what she is saying.

7. In the music video for Love on top there is a clear relationship between the
music and the visuals. The video cuts to the beat, as seen above the video
cuts from a close up to a birds eye long shot before cutting to a medium
shot all in time to the beat. As the music becomes faster paced so does the
video, the editing becomes much faster with the music.

8. In the video there is no narrative
it is completely performance. The
artist is the focal point of the
video, with many close ups and
solo shots of Beyonce.
The record company have used sex appeal to attract
an audience. they have used her costumes and
dance to give the video sex appeal. This is
conventional of female R&B artists and is often used
in Beyonce other music videos. However just as male
R&B artists often use female dancers in the back of
their video, Beyonce has used male dancers and has
switched the conventional gender roles in an R&B
video.

9. The video for Love on Top was inspired by the work of New
Edition, an American band. The idea for the video to be set in a
penthouse with the artist singing and dancing came from the
video for New Editions, If it isn’t love.