The video for Jason Mraz's song "The Woman I Love" is analyzed. It is determined to be in the indie genre based on various conventions seen in the video, such as the symbolic representation of lyrics rather than literal, casual clothing of Mraz, and focus on emotion over performance. The camera work utilizes mid shots, medium close ups, and dolly shots of both Mraz and the woman to show emotion and connect the audience. The video effectively markets the artist by promoting his appealing appearance and allowing the music to reach a wide audience through online sharing. It aims to attract young women aged 14-26 by portraying an aspirational lifestyle and relationship.

1. Jason Mraz – the woman I love
Analysis – ‘The Woman I Love’

2. It is indie because of how the lyrics are symbolised rather than represented in the
video. The main focus is not of the main vocalist however when he is shown
between scenes of a woman, he is wearing a casual suit and is miming the lyrics to
the song. This correlates to the conventions of a indie music video. The shots are
mainly mid shot’s and medium close up’s of Jason Mraz and the woman to show
emotion and to let the audience connect with the artist. There are many shots of
the woman including a dolly shot so that the focus is on hre as much as possible
because of Laura Mulvey’s theory, a medium close up and a long shot to show all of
the woman in enough detail for the audience. There are also medium close up’s of
the butterfly, all to show detail, emotion and beauty. The mixture of narrative and
performance signals that the genre is indie and the main vocalist is also playing the
guitar - parallel diegetic sound. Part way through the video a butterfly is
incorporated; the filming of the butterfly is symbolising the lyrics rather than
literally representing them which is another classic sign that the video is indie. Also
there is an effect on the screen the whole way through the video, hazing the
screen, suggesting almost as though the artist is looking through ‘rose tinted
glasses’ which is symbolizing the meaning of the lyrics without literally representing
them again. It symbolises the feeling of being in love and the beauty of it in
everyday life. The whole video is focused on the artist the butterfly and the woman
which implies that when in love there is nothing else to life except nature and the
two persons involved. It could suggest that nothing else matters to the people
involved.
What genre is it?
And camera work

3. It shows the artist looking and sounding his best which
promotes sales and records are more likely to be sold. It allows
their music to be viewed by a mass audience demographic
through YouTube and therefore social networking sites for
example Facebook where videos can be uploaded, which the
target audience age range will be signed up to. It allows
synergy through technological convergence which will attract a
large audience range. It allows mtv et al. to show their music
video which will then enable overseas to be introduced to the
artist and song (or introduced to the UK -visa versa).
How does this
video market the
artist?

4. Young women form 14-26ish. She will shop on the high street in
places such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge. She will dress to
impress and be a social butterfly, demonstrated by her Facebook
account and other social networking sites where events can be
arranged and people can talk to others they know. The target
audience is a feminine woman who has many friends and enjoys to
spend time with them. Audience demographic: c2 c1 b and a.
The lyrics appeal to teenagers because they are typically about first
heart-breaks or crushes however this song will appeal to young
adults too because the lyrics have less attitude and are more light
hearted speaking about the good times once you have found love.
Who is the audience

5. How do they attract an audience?
They attract the audience by a certain amount of sexual appeal, appealing to both
genders by the appearance of both a male and female in the video however they also
attract the audience by showing the target demographic what women want which is a
handsome man saying that no matter what, ‘she’ is the woman he loves implying that his
love will never change. The demographic targeted will like the video because it is as
though the lyrics are being sang to women as a whole which could, for a short period
boost the viewers self concept making them like the song and video. The reason why this
appeals to the target audience is because it is seen as cute but also because it is what
many girls will dream of to happen to them. They also show thin attractive women which
is the type of women that stereotypically find gorgeous men and ‘live happily ever after’
and this is appealing because this is what every woman aspires to be, especially around
the target age that the music video is supposed to be aimed at because they are just
finding their identity and who they wish to be around this age range meaning that they
could become the type of girl that appears in the video giving the young women hope.
Also because of the stereotyped woman pushed by other types of media such as TV or
magazines. Mise-en-scene is used to create an aspirational lifestyle through the video
that cannot be emphasized through staging a performance. This means that many people
will be attracted to watching the video. They also use repetition through the chorus so
that people can understand the lyrics; the repetition gives familiarity to the audience
which when replicated in the video by using effects and the same people (actors)
throughout will attract people to the video and make them wish to watch many times and
hopefully buy the single, album or merchandise related to the artist.

6. Andrew Goodwin

7. Relationship between
the lyrics and visuals…
(Illustrating, amplifying of contradicting the lyrics)
• ASYNCHRONOUS: at around 2:16 ‘another reason for me to old on’
– the woman lets go of the butterfly; this is symbolism which is
illustrating and contradicting the lyrics which could suggest that
nothing in life ever goes the way you expect or want it to, this could
be to suggest that the woman he loves came unexpectedly but it is
a good thing that she came because he fell in love with her.
However it could be foreshadowing that he is going to let her go
even though he doesn’t want to. He is, however, singing about the
woman he loves throughout the whole song and the video is mostly
focused on a woman so we can therefore assume that the visuals
are amplifying and illustrating the love he has for this
woman, which he is singing very blatantly about.

8. The relationship between
the visuals and the song
Illustrate – in Jason Mraz’s video the mise-en-scene are there to illustrate a type of life
style to the audience, to make it believable but to also emphasize the lyrics of the
song through symbolism. For example the woman in the video will not do what she is
filmed doing every day of her life, such as holding a butterfly; she may not even do it
at all. The video is solely for those lyrics and the look of the whole video is to
emphasize the lyrics and the artist which in turn will market the artist.
Amplify – the effects on the video make it seem as though he is dreaming, this could
be because he can’t believe he has this girl or it could be that they are living in a
dream world where they only see each other and some day they are expected to
wake up from this and have to live life like everybody else. The effects are blurring
which could, alternatively mean that they cannot see properly and the only thing that
matters are what the artist sings about in the song. The pallet of the video is pastel
colours and very natural which could suggest calmness which correlates with the feel
of the music of the song and the lyrics being about love which is the opposite to
hatred and anger and violence which would be defined through vibrant colours which
attract your attention through being bright and loud for example the colour red
suggest violence and danger.
Disjuncture – this song and music video does not fit into this category because the
video is how it is because of the lyrics and tempo of the song.

9. Particular genres may have
their own video style and
iconography
The genre is indi, as stated earlier. You can tell this because of the use of props
in the video such as polaroid cameras, cassettes, records and a record player.
This is very retro and old fashioned. The wall paper that is shown when the
tweets and photographs are shown is floral (50’s,60’sand70’s) which all adds to
the theme of the video which defines the genre. Also there is more props such
as air mail, letters/ love letters and negative film, which, if viewed by the right
audience would incorporate intertextuality and give new meaning to these
props aswell as incorporating nostalgic associations. There is no show business
or fancy sets (as perceived or shown); all that the audience can see is that he is
singing a love song using drums, his voice and a guitar which all adds to the
iconography and style of the video which results in a large influence of genre.
The artists costume and look all influences the iconography and therefore
genre. For example, he wears a hat and a casual suit. This type of costume is
what defines the indie genre, partly because the clothes are unusual and
wouldn’t be worn in every day to the normal mainstream person, especially
while in a forest.

10. Reference to voyeurism(screen
within
screen, binoculars, cameras…)
There is a point in the music video where the woman is viewed under
the covers as though we are looking from the artists point of view and
the two are laid in bed together.
She is also viewed above the covers although is it implied that she is
naked even though the sheets of the bed cover her almost completely.
Low key lighting suggests that intimacy and romance are looming.
At the start of the video we can see that the artist is sitting down
through a mirror. This could show that what you see isn’t a real image
and its just a reflection of what things could be like which would
correlate with the effect of the screen which is almost as if Mraz is
dreaming about loving this woman. It could also show that he is looking
at himself and looking into his own eyes and heart and his life and
writing the lyrics to the song based on his life which would comply to
the lyrics because he is singing about his love for his woman and not
somebody else’s love. This will also mean the the artist connects with
the audience because they can empathise with him and what he is
feeling, especially because of the emotion shown through the close ups
of the artist.

11. John Stewart

12. Intertextuality
The use of twitter posts meant the video has familiarity
(intertextuality) within the video. This will appeal to the target
audience because they will be the main people who are using
twitter and the familiarity will enable the song to sell.
However, the use of these posts that can be seen in the video may
take a different meaning because twitter is seen as a sight where
you ‘talk to yourself’ instead of posting for the popularity; it shows
here that the woman is all he needs and posting on twitter is to
show to anybody on twitter who wants to see how much he loves
her and also to make her feel as though she is valued because he
can post the message for all to see. This also emphasises the
target audience because many adults past a certain age would not
understand what all these posts are and what they mean because
they don’t have or need these social networking sites.

13. A demand from the record
company to have lots of close
ups of the main artist
There are many close ups as demanded by the record label,
however, the camera is sometimes shooting a medium close
up and a high angle shot to show more of the artist including
his clothes which can define the genre and show power to the
male artist. This is to market the artist. It is also acceptable
because the genre is indie which means that people expect
different things that may sometimes contradict the
conventions.
The high key lighting accentuates the artist and makes him
look bright and happy and in a good place which creates an
appealing and aspiring setting he audience will be influenced
and see him in a good light. The high key lighting is used on
the close ups of the main artist to make the audience view
him in a particular way which will influence sales.

14. Mise en scene
Costume
The woman in the video is first seen wearing a white short flowing dress, this could
correlate with the lyrics and feel of the song because everything is going good at the start
of their intimate relationship which is reflected in the bright clean colour of the dress she is
wearing. It could also signify that she is sexually pure and she and him have waited to find
love.
The woman in the video is next seen wearing a peachy coloured dress and then pastel
colours outfit with shorts. She is always wearing short provocative clothing, which fits the
male gaze theory, like shorts which show off her legs and the peach coloured dress which is
tight to her chest to accentuate her breasts. The woman is very regularly changing outfits
to imply that a long period of time is passing fast and they are still doing the same every
day things and not getting bored of each other or the things which amplifies the lyrics.
The main artist is first seen when the lyrics kick in from the introductory instrumental
however he is wearing a grey hat, which is a sign of the genre of the video: indie. Because it
is grey is could also mean that he is not sexually pure compared to the woman which
contradicts the lyrics because he is singing that this is love.
The main artist’s bottom half is not seen throughout the video, however he looks to be
wearing a casually suit to match with the hat, this could be a sign that a formal ceremony is
taking place such as a marriage.

15. Mise en scene
Lighting
The lighting is high key and therefore the audience are attracted to the
aspirational lifestyle that they then expect him to life where is it ‘always
sunny’.
It is all mostly natural light to show the natural side of love that they just fell
in love naturally and took the time each day to get to know each other and
be with each other.
At 0:44 and 1:16 seconds in the video backlighting is used and at 2:00
minutes low key lighting is used which could signify secrets in the
relationship of that things are not going very well due to mystery of
uncertainty. However it could imply a seductive feel because of the candles
which are seen in society as romantic and sexual.
All of the way through the video the main artist is seen with light all around
him: back lighting, high key lighting, fill lighting, hard light and soft light (this
is done by an effect on the camera lens) which leads the audience to believe
that he is a good person because bright lighting is associated with the sun
summer and happiness; the opposite to winter where no sun is associated
and many people get depression.

16. Mise en scene- actors
and actresses
The two people in the video are always shown as the same age although it is implied that a lot of time is
passing. This could mean that no matter how old they both are they see each other as the same and that
the woman ‘ who he loves’ is always beautiful in his eyes because he loves her, this amplifies the lyrics and
gives a positive correlation between the visuals and the lyrics.
It could also imply that even though they are spending lots of time with each other they are still having
just as much fun even if they are getting older, it just doesn’t seem like it to them because they are ‘in
love’.
The woman in the video is very pretty with is a convention of an R&B music video, however, indie videos
have many conventions of othe videos because lots of the conventions are all there to attract a large
audience demographic so that the artist can make money from the single or album. This woman could
have been chosen because of her looks and her figure because this is shown off a lot within the video. She
could have also been chosen to play the part because of her features, for example she has brown eyes and
brown hair and millions of girls have brown hair and as a result will be able to relate to this and this could
improve their self esteem. Alternatively, girls could think that she looks prettier than them and they could
therefore start to feel insecure about themselves. Girls may aspire to look like her and have her figure and
also men will be sexually attracted to her and therefore both genders will want to watch the video and
listen to the song. The male will come across as having an aspirational life style because other men will
think he is lucky to have such a beautiful woman because she is so pretty, almost like a model which is
what is accepted in todays society.
The artist in the video is also presented to have a sexual appeal to women, for example the beard can be
seen as sexual, especially because society has grown towards the hero in films being raggedy look and
being masculin which is the look that Jason Mraz is going for in this video.

17. Mise en scene
Make up
The make up in the video is subtle, for example on the
woman, she is portrayed to be just in the house and not going
anywhere and therefore to have no makeup on although she still
looks beautiful and therefore all the women watching the video
may feel inadequate because they don’t look like she does when
they have no make up on; all these women will aspire to look like
her.
It suggests that the artists doesn't care that she is not wearing
very much make up because he loves her, which would
correspond to the lyrics.
Props
The props in the video such as the guitar, implies the indie genre
further. It suggests that he only needs his voice and a guitar to
sound good. Many people would also like to play the guitar;
creating an aspirational life style for the audience.

18. Mise en scene
Setting
The setting is shown as calm and peaceful and they are the only 2 people
there. This could imply that they are in their own world with just each
other because they are in love which would amplify the lyrics through
representation. This could be what the artist thinks love is and should
be: just 2 people doing every day things with no interferences that are
strong enough to pull them apart (which starts to show his character).
They are in the forest which could have a small link to Adam and Eve;
being on their own in and amongst wild life and living very naturally.
This is shown in the wooden house that they ‘live’ in and also through
the lighting due to the only source of light used in the video being the
sun. Many people would love to have a large house in the middle of the
countryside and this also creates an aspirational life style. However, this
wouldn’t be an aspirational life style for the target audience that the
song is aimed at. Many people would want to retire to the countryside
and therefore this could imply that the two shown in the video have
been together all their life and they are still in love and their feelings
towards each other haven’t changed, represented through the actress
and artist being young.

19. The male gaze
Women are portrayed as something to love and look at because of their elegance and because of how
the heterosexual man will view women: the woman in this video is thin curvy and looks beautiful and
the artist is singing about how he loves her. Also she is filmed in the kitchen cooking and doing the
washing which is where many males think that women ‘should’ be. However she may have been
photoshopped or tweaked to achieve this look which only emphasizes the view point of the ‘viewer’;
what’s accepted in society as pretty; and what women have to do to be accepted and given attention
by men(the male audience). In the video she is wearing very little which is provocative and also has
make-up on which is seen as sexual and done to attract male attention because it makes their
complexion and over all look appear more elegant and beautiful be being able to accent and highlight
certain features on the woman’s face that will be attracting the heterosexual male and therefore the
view point of the audience. She could be classed as a countertype to Mulvey’s idea however, because
of the little done in the way of clothes and make up to show off her womanly aspects although the
woman is naturally stunning and clearly has a model’s figure even though she is covered in a baggy
clothes, some on the times she is filmed, because of how revealing it is. Also suggesting she is a
countertype is the first shot of her being a high angle shot implying that she has power as a woman
either in the ‘relationship’ the lyrics speak of or she could have power because of her high place in
society. This could show how women as a whole have a high status in the society we live in or it could
be specific to the woman in the video which could attract viewers because they aspire to be like her
and her apparent state of life. It could also be to show how tall she is signifying that she is proud to be
a woman which could be a trait of the suffragettes' who fought for their right and all women’s right to
be able to vote

20. Cont..
Alternatively it could also be to show off her figure to the
males lowering her standards and place in society. Due to the
butterfly shown she could be viewed as, as a delicate beauty
and in need of looking after by a male partner who will take
care of her and cater for her basic needs (rather than being
able to look after herself which was unimaginable many years
ago); lowering her apparent status of power and giving the
earlier shot a new meaning that she has power because of the
male involvement and therefore she is only higher than other
women because she has a man. It is implied that the camera is
looking through the male artist’s eyes all of the time, for
example when she is filmed lain in bed, so we can see how the
artist sees her, this would comply with the male gaze theory
because we, as an audience, are given the perspective of a
heterosexual male and have to see from the view point of
him.