10 Frames

Woman Like Me - Little Mix

Women’s gender roles & stereotypes. Narrative of the video: girls being sent away to a house in order to be taught how to behave like a ‘proper’ women 

The first shot is a  performative close up of Jesy lip syncing along to the song, dressed in all black in a prisoner container van. She is central in the foreground, with Jade to the left in the background, making her the main focus.  “I always say what I’m feeling’ protests against the typical stereotype that a woman should keep their thoughts to themselves. 

The second shot cuts a mid close up shot of the girls, with Jesy still lip syncing but this time in the foreground on the right with the other girls in the left/center background.They are wearing simplistic black unitards, to signify that they are  prisoners, but with their legs on show which contrasts with a the view that women should not wear provocative clothing. “I was born without a zip on my mouth’  adds on to the idea that a women should be seen and not heard, and in this case how Jesy defies that role.

The shot then cuts to a long shot where all four of the girls are placed evenly around the shot. Leigh Anne & Jade appear to be sitting in more masculine stereotyped positions, refuting their typical role. “It takes a little while to figure me out” explains how women are not as straightforward as men may perceive.

The fourth shot cuts quickly to the girls standing outside of the house, with the transport van in the background, positioned central in the scene as Leigh Anne takes over lip syncing. They are now wearing more vibrant clothing to symbolise their break from  being a simple black & white role. “I like my coffee with two sugars’ is a mnemonic for the word necessary, emphasis how women are necessary and shouldn’t be an accessory.

The short fifth shot is a close up of Leigh Anne as she lip syncs, positioned in the centre. Her hair in this scene could protest against how women of colour’s hair is sometimes seen as unattractive/undesirable. This is contrasted with Leigh Anne’s hair in the transport van, which is straightened, which could represent societies preferred appearance of women.

The scene then quickly changes to a long shot back in the van with Leigh Anne in the back centre. “Drinking I get all fired up” could reference how girls can have confidence when drinking and shouldn’t be seen as being passive or embarrassing and can have just as much fun as men.

The shot once again quickly changes to a close up of Leigh Anne in the center, lip syncing & performing to the song. “Insecure but im working with it” represents how women acknowledge that they have flaws but are in no way letting it bring them down. 

The scene changes to a choreographed scene in which the girls are sat on chairs in a line, wearing their black unitards, in the old fashioned house from a long shot. This could hint at tradition being replaced by modern concepts. The lighting is mostly dark apart from the light coming through the windows which act as a spotlight for the girls. “I made a few mistakes,  I regret it nightly’ demonstrates how women do make mistakes but acts a basis on how to better themselves.

After a few seconds, the scene once again changes to outside the house, with Jade lipsyncing to her verse with a close up. “My mama said you’re always trouble” could emphasise how girls dont always have to live up to the role of being extremely well mannered and obedient & can break that stereotype. Boys are often seen as ‘troublemakers’.

The tenth shot quickly changes back to the performative choreographed scene in which the girls are now laying on their chairs in an obvious ‘unladylike’ position, refuting the stereotype of how a girl has to sit in a flattering way. “Could you fall for a woman like me” asks whether men in the modern day can handle the change in women from the traditional, passive being to a confident equal. 

The first 10 shots are made up of mostly close ups and long shots. The close ups draw attention to the performer at the time and how women are more independent than they used to be, wheras the long shots (which usually include all four of the girls) could showcase how women are a team striving for equality & a break from stereotypes.  Additionally, the fact that the cuts and shots are quick may represent how traditional concepts are being replaced by modern ones.


Chained to the Rhythm - Katy Perry
Political views, distorted perceptions & manipulation

The first shot is an extreme long shot of the futuristic theme park. The fact that it looks geographically isolated could represent how Trump wants to make America ‘great again’ and independent.  The instrumental introduction of the song plays which has connotations of a theme park/fun fair ties with the video and how people are being childishly lead.

It then cuts after a few seconds to a long shot of the gates of the park with lots of people entering. The park’s name ‘Oblivia’ could be an obvious hint at how people are being oblivious to whats going on in the world and are being easily mislead.

The third shot is a mid close up of Katy as she enters the park in a futuristic white outfit with pastel pink hair & eccentric blue eye makeup. She contrasts with the other visitors who are wearing more vintage styles from the 70s/80s. This could represent how people are being bought into a more modern world.

Katy looks excited upon entering the park in a mid close up in a quick shot change. “Living our lives through a lease” emphasises how people’s perceptions are limited and clouded, obscuring whats really happening in the world. Another meaning could be that of social media and how all we care about is keeping up appearances online.

The videos colour palette is brights & colourful which could demonstrate how the government, and those in charge, are painting the world as a bold, bubbly image to act as a disguise for what’s truly going on. This could once again insinuate how the civilians of America are being oblivious to the truth.

In the sixth shot we see Katy running off into the park with excitement, perhaps alluding to how people have a false sense of excitement & hope about what they think is happening and is going to happen in the world with false perceptions. The man in the right background shown to be engrossed in his phone also adds to the idea that people are more focused on what’s happening on social media rather than the real world.

There is another brief shot of the park and the variety of colourful rides going on inside it with long shots. The way it keeps occurring almost presents itself as an advertisement of what is has to offer, like the way the government keep showing promising claims & ideas to draw in the population and to gather a following.

The following mid close up of  Katy admiring the park with awe shows how people are being blinding by the possibilities and the front put on rather than whats actually happening. “Trapped in our white picket fence” could illustrate the ideology of the American Dream, in this case owning a substantial suburban house. This could be followed up by the next line “ like ornaments” which are are seen to have no purpose but are deemed attractive, aka the American population.

The next quick shot of the statue reading “the greatest ride in the world’ could be perceived as the false hopes and exaggerations the people in power make in order to win the civilians over. The fact that all the visitors are crowding round it and photographing it could show how some really are mislead by these ideas.

The tenth shot is of a group of women in a long shot holding their phones in front of their faces, obscuring their view. This once again builds onto the idea of social media being taken over as a priority and becoming obsessive. “So comfortable were living in a bubble” emphasises the idea that the American people are living in a ‘dream world’ which does not allow them to see the truth of whats actually going on, “so comfortable we cannot see the trouble” aka seeing what the government wants them to see.

Take Me To Church - Hozier
Homophobic violence

The first shot is a close up of a bonfire which makes a continuous theme throughout the video. It is a retrospective shot of what happens at the end of the narrative. The theme throughout is black & white which takes away the focus from the colour & onto the message, additionally it could signify how the topic is sinister & dark.