textual analysis

1. Textual Analysis 3

2. Dusk Till Dawn - ZAYN ft. Sia
Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN ft. Sia is a
pop song released on 7th of
September 2017. The video was
directed by Marc Webb. ZAYN is a
solo artist from the UK and Sia is well
known for singing and appearing in
songs like this.

3. Genre Characteristic
In a pop video I would expect to see bright colours, high key lighting and it to be mainly performance based.
Zayn’s video challenges these genre conventions by using a lot of low key
lighting especially in a scene where they are in a warehouse and there is
blue/green lighting. This is during a narrative section where he is being
interrogated by a group that is after him.
However genre conventions have been
conformed to in terms of costuming as he is
wearing a suit with a colourful shirt underneath.
This is different from what may be seen in other
pop music videos however it fits with the
narrative.
There is also conventions in the video that would conform to other genres
such as R&B for example a group of gangsters featuring in the narrative, their
costuming, props and the locations it is set in wouldn’t be associated to the
pop genre so this challenges conventions.

4. Timeline
The video is both narrative and performance based and it is made to be like an
action, crime film. There are points in the song that cut away to dialogue between
performers relating to the narrative making it similar to a short movie, this adds
interest for the audience and will keep them watching as this isn’t as common in
most music videos.
Blue - narrative orange - performance

5. Technical Aspects
The video is 5:37 mins in total and contains a total of 236 shots. There is a wide
variety of locations including city streets, inside of cars, hotel rooms. There are …
costume changes and this is used to maintain audience interest

6. Lyrics and visuals and music and visuals
There is a link between the lyrics and the visuals for example the lyrics
say ‘I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn’ and the end shot of the video is
Zayn and the female actress driving off into the sunset.
There is a link between the music and visuals as the editing cuts to the beat of the song. Throughout the
song the tempo changes therefore the editing pace changes which is also used to keep the audience
interested and to link to the narrative for example in the video there is a car chase and the editing
increases in order to create suspense.
There is also a part where they lyrics says ‘can you feel it through all of
the windows in this room’ and at that point it zooms out to show him
sitting at a window looking out.

7. Close ups and star image motifs
The video uses lots of close ups of the artist so that the label can
create an image to portray and sell to the audience. This makes the
artist recognisable to the audience and therefore they will be more
likely to buy their music. They also use low angle shots so that it
seems as if the audience are looking up to the artist. This makes the
artist appear superior and more dominant therefore they are
persuading the audience to buy the music and products.
Within all of Zayn’s videos there is an element of brand identity. His
style comes off as quite dark and mysterious and creates a clear
contrast between his previous image of being in a teenage boyband
when he was in One Direction. This is because as a solo artist, he is
aiming his music at an older audience and therefore his image has
to appeal to what they want to see and consume.

8. Reference to the notion of looking
In the video the female actress is sexualised by using close ups of her face and her body. This conforms
to the idea of the male gaze that women in the media are only there to be looked at, are inferior to the
male lead and hold no real importance. For example there is a shot where the female actress is walking in
slow motion in high heels from Zayn’s point of view. There is also another shot of the lower part of her
body focussing on her legs which also suggests that she is being sexualised as it is used for more views.

9. Intertextual References
The music video takes inspiration from action, crime films from the 90s such as
Casino and Goodfellas as the narrative is based on Zayn and the female actress
on the run from two different groups ending in an intense car chase and Zayn and
the female actress driving off into the sunset.

10. Conclusion and Reflection
Overall I like the video, it both challenges and conforms to the genre of pop and
the style of taking inspiration from 90s movies makes it unique to any other current
pop music videos which will maximise audience attraction. The colour scheme and
mise en scene make the video look attractive and they have used a range of
performance and narrative to maintain audience interest. Therefore I have decided
that my product will be both performance and narrative based and also it has
made me realise the effect of using a colour scheme and lighting throughout the
video and how it can completely change the mood and also how editing pace can
enhance a narrative.