Sunday 11 September 2011

Music Video Deconstruction 13: Womanizer - Britney Spears

Britney Spears is a huge inspiration to young girls by just doing what she loved, from the age of 5 she was performing on stages and landed a recording contract with Jive Records before becoming the '8th top selling female solo artist of all time' and selling 'over 100 million records woldwide'. The track was released in September 2008 as a Pop song. The video was directed by Joeseph Kahn.


1.Opening shot is text on a black background which reads 'Britney Spears' revealed by lighting effects and then a transition to the same shot saying the tittle of the song 'Womanizer' before a long shot of smoke rising against a wall which they cuts to the same shot this time with Britney laid across a table naked although the smoke is cleverly used so you cant actually see anything, which brings in the idea of the male gaze, as Britney is a female artist the primary audience is females.
2. There is then a close up of her face, heavily made up and oil has been used to show sweat carrying connotations of sexual activity, the shot then jumps to a close up of her legs tracking slightly to the right which also look shiny making them look like plastic which could signify she is a barbie and a perfect example of a female, all these shots picked specifically to appeal to the male audience.
3. There is then a frontal close up of her face highlighting her hair is wet carrying sexual connotations aswell as her eye make up running. Before a highangled shot of the room tracking down to body before fading out to stop everything being revealed.
4. The lyrics come in here and there is a close up of a steamed up mirror signifying heat, which is wiped to reveal a close up of a man looking into it. There is then a medium shot of Britney in a very short robe in a kitchen (feminists wiould say a sexist image as males think women are only useful to look at a cook and clean and should not have the same proffessional jobs as men) which we guess she is cooking breakfast for the man.
5. The camera then jumps to an extreme long shot of the room showing her turning round with her chest on shot and taking the food over to the man who is sat at the table waiting. He also is only wearing his underwear highlighting the use of also the female gaze in the video aswell as signifying sex. There is then a medium POV shot from the male showing britneys chest as the robe is undone at the front.
6. As she puts the food down on the table there is a close up of it before the man puts his phone above it giving anchorage on the date (in this being the 20th April) There is then a close up of Britneys face and her biting her finger (sexual connotations given)
7. There is then a medium shot of the man getting up and turning round to face her as he does so his clothes are suddenyl on signifying the time period the video is baseed is in the future earlier signified by the moderness of the kitchen and the shape of the food she gave him being in a perfect square on the plate.
8. There is then a medium shot of the man sat at a desk in an office withother men doing te same around him but no women signifying an unbalanced work ratio is women to men.
9. Close up of your typical looking secretary drinking out of a water fountain, wearing glasses bright red lipstick and jewelry (all very feminime and carrying sexual connotations) two men turn round to look at the woman in a medium shot one of them being the man from previous shots, male gaze. She is then shown in mediim long shot with men around her walking down the middle if the office signifying dominance and power over them sexually which she embraces. She is then shown in a medium long shot being lifted up by the men showing her dominavce and control there is then a flash of the man getting up out of his chair before flashing back to her.
10. The camera follows the dominant female around the office showing she is at the centre of the video, there is a shot of her sitting on the man table which tracks in to her chest before a medium close up of Britney back in the sauna.
11. The dominant female in the office has now stopped all the men from doing work and they are all staring and dancing aorund her (anchoring the feminists theory that women are just there to be looked and leered at) although the woman still appears dominant, there are close up of the male starring at her ass and trying to grab her which she results in slapping him. There is then a long shot of him standing up and chasing after the woman a countertype of what he was doing before when she was running around after him making him breakfast etc and he follows her. There is then a long shot of her in the photo copy room.
12. There is then a close up of a hand filming her suggesting porn and sexual references before a medium shot of her from the side kicking him away form her and then showing a photocopy image of her ass which the photocopier has taken which he then holds up and looks at. There is then her POV of her breaking the photo and showing his shocked face by her doing so. She then grabs him and throws him onto the photocopier which signifies masculine strength questioning that men a stronger physically then females, which the camera tracks to follow and then her leaning on him to signify her power over him.
13. There is then a medium shot of him sitting back down at his desk before another close up of britneys face in the sauna smiling as if she knows whats happening to him. There is then a shot of a red headed waitress bringing drinks to the man (red heads often signify sexuality and  control for example intertexual links to Rihanna and her videos although often she is suggesting sexuality and anchors the male gaze theory to get more hits and play up to the male audience) we can see from the shot that it is a high rise office block and is based in a sky bar signifying upper class jobs. There is then a medium three shot of the man and two other males looking at the waitress (male gaze theory being used) also smoking cigars signifying pimps as they are also wearing suits.
14. There are then a range of medium shots showing her dancing on him and teasing him before a long shot of her dragging him by his tie up with her again signifying physical power of women that is often associated with men.
15. There is then a long shot of a group of people including the waitress and men all ripping eachothers clothes off carrying sexual activiry connotations before cutting back to Britney in the sauna standing up against the wall which cuts back to the waitress pushing the man onto one of the kitchen tops in a resteraunt and dancing on him there are then a shot form inside a car the door opens and he sits down in the car, before he sees the driver is also a female wearing little. There are close up shots of her teasing him and a medium shot of her legs steering the car before an ariel shot tracking down to show the car swerving all over the road.
16. There is then a shot of all three females uncovered behind a long shot of openign doors who when they spoin around turn into just Britney the origional from the first shot stood in her robe and underwear before a long shot of her pushing him onto the bed signifying sexual and physical dominance over him a countertype of how men see women. She then pushes him under the covers and makes then bed and he disappears, the final shot is of her face (close up) smiling.

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