The document analyzes and summarizes the music video for "Waiting For Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez. It discusses several aspects of the video including the tropical setting, use of lighting, relationship between visuals and lyrics/music, representation of ethnicity and gender, demands of the record label, notions of looking, and performance versus narrative elements. Overall, the analysis finds that while maintaining genre conventions, the unusual setting keeps viewers engaged and examines how the visuals align with and accentuate different parts of the song.

1. Waiting For Tonight – Jennifer
Lopez
Nina Piotrowska – Andrew Goodwin

2. • The music video is set in a
tropical/rainforest location – this is
unusual for a dance pop music video
however at the start of the video when
we pan over the setting – there are
flashing lights in the bathroom and house
• Furthermore, we Lopez is dancing there
are lasers flashing from behind her –
both of these props connote the
atmosphere of a nightclub
• Neale’s theory of ‘Repetition and
Difference’ is demonstrated here as we
still have the lighting and similar genre
conventions of dance pop music videos
however the location is different to
normal dance pop music videos which
keeps the audience engaged
Demonstrates Genre Conventions

3. • In these two close ups of Lopez
the lyrics are “love me now,
and leave me never found a
sacred place, lost in your
embrace” – However from the
use of the close up we are
made to focus on Lopez’s face
and her singing the lyrics
• From this the relationship
between the visuals and the
lyrics is amplifying because we
focus on Lopez singing the
lyrics rather than following a
narrative that matches the
lyrics
• We aren’t shown the narrative
of the song so it leaves the
audience to think what the
lyrics mean to them
Relationship between lyrics and visuals

4. • In this close up we see Lopez
touching her face in an expressive
way – during the verses the beat
of the music is slower and toned
down compared to the chorus
• The close up makes the audience
feel personal with Lopez and adds
to the lower beat
• However, when the chorus begins
the rhythm speeds up and we can
see a medium shot of Lopez
partying with her friends
• The relationship between the
visuals and music is illustrative as
the visuals accommodate to a
change in music
Relationship between Music and
Visuals

5. • In this music video we see a lot of
ethnic and female representation –
in the close up we can see three
women of colour
• The record label may be trying to
promote Lopez as an empowering
artist of minority groups – this
means that females or women of
colour watching this video may feel
a closer connection to Lopez and
her music
• Also, we see many shots of Lopez
dancing – the record label want
Lopez to be an artist that dances
and this also helps the audience
make the connection between
Lopez and the dance pop genre
Demands of the record label

6. • In the first shot we see a medium shot of Lopez
dancing in a sexualised way – the voyeurism is
created as the audience is looking in on
something that they shouldn’t in order to gain
sexual pleasure – as Lopez is wearing tightfitting
clothing it questions to whether the audience
are looking at her dancing or her clothing
• In the second shot we see a close up of Lopez
appearing naked – we have a direct address as
Lopez is looking straight into the camera this
connotes a connection between Lopez and the
audience and we feel more personal – this along
with Lopez looking naked we can apply
Mauvey’s the male gaze theory as we are
looking at her through a heterosexual male’s
perspective and the camera shot and costume
has be positioned through this perspective
• In the third shot we see a long shot of Lopez’s
body and her wearing a revealing top and skirt
again we see this shot through the male gaze
Notion of looking

7. Intertextual References

8. • The music video is mainly
performance based as we
see Lopez dancing lip
syncing throughout the
video. This connotes a
concert feel to the video and
the audience feel as though
they are seeing Lopez live
and having that personal
experience
• However, there are some
aspects of narrative based
because we follow the party
and everyone watching the
clock for the new year
Performance, Narrative or Concept