Video Analysis: The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (2019)
Song Title: Blinding Lights
Artist & Label: The Weeknd & Republic Records
Release Date: January 21 2020
Video Director: Anton Tammi
Genre: Synthwave / Synth pop
Video Style: Conceptual / Narrative
Music Video Conventions (Andrew Goodwin Theory):
Relationship between lyrics and visuals:
There are many parts of the video where the lyrics are illustrated or complemented by the visuals at that point. For example, when Abel Tesfaye says "I'm going through withdrawels" the video cuts to shots of him smoking, which connotes to the concept of addiction and withdrawel symptoms. This is done to not illustrate, but complement the lyrics; Tesfaye is not actually singing about withdrawel symptoms from a drug addiction, but the connection is still there. Another example is during the line "Sin city's cold and empty" which has an extreme long shot to show Tesfaye dancing alone in the middle of a seemingly deserted urban area. The other obvious example is in the chorus; "I'm blinded by the lights". It is the name of the song after all, and the entire video is set in an urban area at night with lots of neon and sign lights, as well as particular emphasis on the head and back lights of a car.
Relationship between music and visuals:
At several points in the video, Tesfaye dances in time with the music of the song, in some points with quite extreme movements reflecting the beat. This is accompanied with frequent uses of cutting on beat at other times to give an overall illustration of the rhythm of the song.
Also, the pace of the video complements the dynamics of the song and changes with it; for example after the chorus, where the high pitched, striking synth comes into the track, the video is much more fast-paced and intense, with more frequent cutting and shaky camera shots whereas during the verses, where the synths are more muffled and quiet, the shots are longer and steadier, often using slow-motion at parts to lower the pace even further.
Record company demand for close-ups of the artist:
As with the other music videos I've analysed, Blinding Lights includes many close-ups of the artist. In this case, even more than before; there are many, many close-up shots of Tesfaye all over the music video. This is of course done to help push the brand identity of The Weeknd and also because Tesfaye is the main subject of the video regardless.
Artist Iconography:
Blinding Lights is part of The Weeknd's most recent album, After Hours, and the music video has been made to be a clear part of the album by consistently presenting a number of similarites to other marketing for the album that is easily recognisable and, well, iconic. In this case, the entire marketing effort for the album has been very significant, with the album even having a 5-minute short film to promote it. The Blinding Lights music video is another effort of promotion, like most music videos.
Examples of this Iconic marketing are mostly found in Tesfaye's costume choice for the album; He has a distinct red suit with a black shirt and tie underneath. He also appears to have injuries and bleeding on his face. Another example is the setting choice; All of the visual promo material is set in an urban area at night. These examples are consistent throughout Blinding Lights and music videos for other songs in After Hours, as well as any other promotional material relating to the album itself.
This has been done to enforce a clear and memorable brand identity for this album, which helps to market the album effectively; audiences can easily recognise that certain songs are part of the album, and are therefore more likely to buy the album.
Genre Conventions:
Synth pop music videos often make use of harsh, extreme bright/dark lighting throughout the video, and usually have a conceptual style or vague narrative. The videos also try to appear quite creative or artistic, which echoes the heavy use of synthesisers and synthesised sounds in the song.
Blinding Lights certainly makes use of bright lights, it's even in the name of the song! The video also does have an unclear narrative with lots of vague events that don't make much sense, which is also conventional of Synth Pop videos. The unclear narrative is used to make the viewer focus more on the artist, who normally appears in the music video as a character or themselves, and the music itself; this also aids the creative and artistic feel that Synth Pop aims for.
Mode of Address:
The Mode of Address for Blinding Lights is clearly indirect; there are no shots at all where the action of the shot is directed at the camera. This has been done to help meet the conventions of Synth Pop music videos; it emphasises the vagueness of the narrative, thereby leaving more room for creativity and artistic freedom.
Mise-en-scène and Locations:
The mise-en-scène is very important for a synth pop video because it's most important convention is the use of harsh lighting. The lighting in Synth Pop videos is mostly either very dark or very bright, often using a mixture of the 2 in different parts of the video. This is certainly the case in Blinding Lights; the location of a city at night naturally provides this contrast between dark and light. When the lighting is bright, it is usually very vibrant and colourful to convey the artistic feel as previously mentioned.
The costume choice in Blinding Lights is part of the album iconography, and also somewhat conforms to synth pop conventions because it is quite random, seeming out of place at times. This randomness also aids that artistic feel that is important to the genre.
Camera work and Shot variety:
Blinding lights has several close-ups of Tesfaye, including an extended shot that slowly zooms in on Tesfaye while he is laughing (above). The above is done to give a clear focus on the character's emotions at that time, yet the unclear narrative fails to draw context to these emotions. This immediately provokes curiosity in the viewer's mind, intriguing them to continue watching. It is also done to aid the creative and artistic feel as earlier described. Other close-ups, like the lower shot, are moreso done to push the Brand identity as mentioned in the Record company demand.
Many shots in the video have a wobbly effect to them, achieved by freehanding the camera when filming the shot and deliberately moving it. This creates a feeling of confusion and randomness in the shots which, as you may have guessed, aids the artistic and creative theme. The wobbly movement also reflects the character in the shot in some instances such as the above shot where Tesfaye is staggering around.
As is conventional of Synth Pop videos, Blinding Lights features many shots of extreme light or darkness to amplify the contrast of lighting in the video. This is also often paired with camera movement, sometimes making the shot very blurred. This rapid movement is also conventional of synth pop videos; the range of motion and pace in shots helps to keep the viewer engaged as well as further enforcing the unique creativity that synth pop strives for.
Camera movement:
Blinding lights has camera movement in almost every shot, often using handheld cameras and sometimes adding extra shaking effects in editing. Here are a few examples;
One of the first shots in the video is quite interesting and it's technique is not repeated. The camera is actually strapped onto the subject so that it moves perfectly with him. This creates a frame where the subject stays in exactly the same position, but his surroundings wobble and change as the subjects moves. This emphasises how Tesfaye feels confused and lost at this point; he can see himself clearly, but not his surroundings.
This is an arc shot, where the camera moves around the subject to show it from different angles. In this case, it is to emphasise the subject's position in his environment; on the road, in a car.
This is another arc shot inside a club. It has a similar purpose to the other arc, to show more of the subject's surroundings as he dances amidst it. Adding arc shots also provides more variety of shot types which makes the video more exciting and interesting for the viewer, which complements the intense nature of the music.
This is a handheld dolly shot that follows the subject from behind as he stumbles around. This is done to emphasise his movement, as the camera moves with him. This also immerses the viewer in the video more, as the shot feels as though it is from the perspective of somebody following him. It is handheld to give a slight wobble to the shot which mirrors the subject's clusmy, stumbling movements.
This is another dolly shot, likely filmed from another car which gives it a natural shake similar to handheld shots. It moves alongside the subject, which keeps it in roughly the same position in the frame. This has the same purpose as the aforementioned dolly.
Another dolly shot of the subject in a car, this time in front of the subject with the camera moving backwards. These shots are used often throughout the video to really drive home the emphasis on movement and travel in the car.
This shot is a combination of a zoom and rotation from an aerial position. The camera turns horizontally like a pan shot, but since it is facing downwards the camera actually rotates the entire frame. Combined with the zoom to increase focus on the subject, this is a very interesting and complex shot that is exciting for the viewer to look at.
The video uses many short, shaky extreme close-up shots of car elements like the above. This is done using both a handheld camera and probably adding extra shakiness in editing as well. These shots are mixed into the video at the most intense parts of the song to complement it's fast-paced, sharp and exciting sounds in the song.
This shot is a slow zoom from a long shot to a close-up, gradually increasing the viewer's focus on the subject as he fills more and more of the frame. This allows the viewer to both clearly see where the subject is, see all of his body movements and see his facial expressions in detail all in the same shot.
Throughout the video, Blinding Lights uses many cutaways and cross cuts, sometimes in rapid succession. This is done to emphasise the more intense sections of the song and also to push that conventional uniqueness as earlier mentioned. Rapid cutting also helps amplify the contrast between shots, which has a similar purpose.
As with other music videos, there are also many instances where shots are cut on beat. This complements the rhythm of the song and ties the video to the music more closely.
At the start of the video, there is a cloce-up shot of Tesfaye that slowly zooms in. Towards the end of the shot's duration, the shot starts to rapidly flicker between black while the original shot becomes increasingly red. This is done to emphasise the emotions going through the character's head, of which the purpose I have already mentioned; unclear narrative, mystery, artistic creativity.
Here is an invisible cut where the camera quickly zooms in on Tesfaye in the car shot and then transitions to another shot that is an extreme close-up of Tesfaye. Invisible cuts are cuts that are masked by an object crossing the frame, an instance of solid colour (usually black) or rapid motion to hide the cut. In this case, it's the latter method.
Blinding Lights uses several match cuts to transition Tesfaye between locations in shots without appearing too jarring. In this example, a shot of Tesfaye dancing in the street cuts to a shot of him dancing in a bar.
Here is an example of cutting on action, where the cut is placed on, or just after, Tesfaye getting punched. This is done to somewhat hide the cut, similar to an invisible cut. Other instances of this in the video are shots of the car in motion, cutting to other shots of the same car continuing that motion.
Cutting on action doesn't truly "hide" cuts as invisible cuts do; they simply smooth the cut by continuing the motion of the previous cut into the next one.
Representation:
1. What sense of the world is it making? Ideals and attitudes?:
The video is about a person who has gone through heartbreak, and is doing everything he can to NOT deal with his emotions. This includes being very reckless and dangerous while drunk and/or high.
The perception of the world that the video pushes reflects the main character's point of view; since they are very intoxicated, their surroundings are very chaotic and blurry.
This gives the message that the world is unimportant; nothing matters except the self and personal experiences.
2. What does it imply? Is it typical of the world or deviant? Whose world is it representing?
This is not a typical world view, as of course there are many important things going on in the world. This world is presented similarly to the world of a struggler; somebody who is looking for escape from their life. These people are often financially unstable, for a variety of reasons including drug addiction and reckless spending. These themes are seen in Blinding Lights, as the main character is implied to be high throughout the video.
3. Who is it speaking to? For whom/ To whom?
The video is an insight into the life of a (likely) rich person who is trying to distract themselves from their life, specifically a recent breakup (implied in the lyrics). It is then logical to assume that the video is aimed towards people who may be, or have been in, a similar situation to the character in the narrative (albeit without the sports car). The target audience for the video would be mostly young people who have suffered, or are suffering, heartbreak. This is because these people would be able to relate to the narrative and sympathise with the main character. It is more targeted towards young people rather than older people for because the genre's intense, punchy style is more attractive for younger audiences.
4. What does it represent to us and why? How do we respond to the representation?
It represents the emotional intensity of heartbreak and how that can affect a person's mindset and actions. The audience is inclined to respond through sympathy; feeling sorry for the main character and therefore for those who are going through negative and damaging mindsets, such as the reckless and careless mind of the main character.
5. What stereotypes can you identify and why are they used?
In this video, there is only one clear stereotype; in one scene of the video, the main character gets beaten up by two thugs (they may be the bouncers of whatever location he was in at the time, but the narrative is unclear). These people are both dressed in leather jackets and black underclothes, which is stereotypically something a biker-type person or thug would wear. Another note is that they are both bald; stereotypically, bald people are often antagonists / evil or violent in some way.
This stereotype is used for the audience to very quickly and easily identify what kind of people these characters are. This is important here because the two thugs are only briefly in the video, in only a few shots. If the audience can easily recognise what kind of person they are via the stereotype, the audience can make more sense of the brief section that they feature in.
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