Saturday, 27 January 2018

Music video analysis:


Butterfly Effect - Travis Scott:


The song 'Butterfly Effect' is by American rapper Travis Scott, however was written by rapper Shane Lindstrom and the production was constructed by Felix Leone and Murda Beatz. Travis Scott originally hinted about him dropping a new music when he was performing in Portsmouth - Virginia in May 4th 2017. Scott said to his audience "Dropping new music in a few days. Bout to go crazy for a few days". Travis Scott then released 'Butterfly Effect' on the 15th of May.




Mise - En - Scene:

The music video starts with Travis Scott lying on a car looking up at the sun. There is then a sequence of colourful flashing images of objects such as Butterflies, Dragonflies, water, the sun, motorbikes, Travis Scott himself and other women who also feature in the music video. Majority of the flashing images all relate to nature and the outdoors.



The video then progresses to short video clips of a motorcycle and car racing  one another, however the colour drastically changes within the same clip. For example in the first clip the colours are shown to be purple and blue whereas in the second, they change to green and turquoise. The next clip is shown of the same car racing ahead in a more orange/tangerine colour, this radiates a warm tone to the music video. Scott's video then has a complete contrasting vibe with bright blue colours and water images. This conveys a more cool tone from the video.



As well as having Travis Scott himself in the music video there are also many young women that feature in the back, up close to the camera and around Scott. The young women in the video are not wearing as much clothes as Travis Scott. This is to appeal to the male gaze as the clothes they are wearing are rather revealing.



A key image that is constantly featuring throughout the video is the references to nature and butterflies. For example, in the back of the plain white walls there are butterflies stuck on, same whenever there are flashing images majority are either of butterflies or other nature references. This constantly is referring and linking back to the title of the song and to show the audience what's important to Travis Scott.   As the music video moves on, again the audience is shown young women in revealing clothes, however in the video Travis Scott is wearing dark clothes and colours such as black, whereas the girls are wearing brightly coloured clothes such as lilac, pink, green, yellow ect. Travis Scott may have chosen to do this to make him stick out to the audience more.



Camerawork:

The majority of shots used throughout the video are medium wide shots, this is to include a clear picture to the audience of what's going on in the video, but to also not be too zoomed out that it's unclear to the audience what they're meant to be seeing. As well as using a medium wide shot to capture what Is going on in the video, it is also used to include the location that is being used. In this particular music video it is unclear as to where specifically it is being filmed, however it may be to show the location as paradise.
The camera movements that are done, are completed by using a dolly shot to have a smooth transition from one frame to another. This allows Scott's music video to flow more easily and have a smooth transition.



Travis Scott is always in the center of the frames that are shown throughout the video, this is key as he is the musician and therefore should be in the center of the video.  Another clever technique that is used in the video is Travis Scott's use of heights. He has positioned himself so that he is standing taller and higher than anyone else in the video, this discretely portrays Scott in a superior light as opposed to the other actors in the video.
Some of the shots are close up to the actors and also Travis Scott's face, this could be to include a variation of shots.
The lighting throughout the video does vary, however majority of the video is shot using bright lighting.



Sound:

In terms of sound the main aim is to hear the lyrics and understand what they mean. The song starts with the chorus which is Travis Scott talking about drugs and his high lifestyle which he does not want to change, for him it is paradise.  Right before the chorus even starts the audience hears "Murda on the beat so its not nice". Travis Scott says this because the production company is Murda Beatz who is in association and partnership with Shane Lindstorm who actually wrote the lyrics of 'Butterfly Effect'.




There are many sound effects that feature throughout the song. For example at the beginning the audience is able to hear a sequence of different sounds such as a motorbike revving, electricity sparking, a faint scream of an eagle (which is Travis Scott's trademark), water trickling, and a lighter. As the song progresses there is a part in the video when a young girl pushes the camera under the water and the sound correlates to her actions. Also as the butterflies appear on screen, you are able to hear the flutter of their wings which is key to the song and sound. As the song is ending more sound effects are heard.




Editing:

In terms of editing, it is rather complex and detailed as editing is a key concept with this particular music video. The editing in this video is complex due to the bright colours and flashing images that is included within it.

Special effects are clearly demonstrated throughout the video as it allows Travis Scott to express himself and allows the audience to connect and understand his perception on life. Most of the frames in the video are bright and have light tones, this could potentially be to convey to viewers how Scott feels and his mood.



Each frame and shot include some form of quirky and unusual editing which makes the music video stand out and provokes thought as to what is happening and why.

Additional: 

Travis Scott is the main person on camera, mainly due to the fact of it being his song and therefore he is the star. His attire in the video is a black shirt with the buttons undone and black trousers, whereas the women in the video are wearing bright colours and more revealing clothes.

This could potentially be to identify Travis as the main person and also superior to everyone else in the video. The women may be dressed specifically to cater to the male gaze and therefore engage both male and female viewers.


Personally i think that 'Butterfly Effect' has a target audience of young adults who are not only fans of Travis Scott but also who enjoy R&B Rap and who like to express themselves through music. 

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