Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

Beyoncé – Ring the Alarm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_mrU8MPfI Target Audience & Needs

The video’s target audience is women in the early-20s+. I think the video is mostly aimed at women because certain lyrics in the song are about women being the boss in the relationship and basically about how they call the shots. In the video Beyoncé shows two different side to women. In the last few scenes of the music video we see the stereotypical reaction from a female about her breakup and we also see a vulnerable and hurt side to a woman. In the scenes leading up to the vulnerable ending we see a woman who can stand up for herself and can easily fight for what she wants. I think the age range for this video is early-20s+ because you very rarely get someone younger wanting to react that angry at their boyfriend cheating one them with someone else. Stereotypically people younger than the early-20s+ gap go home and cry and dump their boyfriend, whereas someone who does fit into that age gap would have a lot more angrier approach to the revelation of an affair.

I think the videos other target audience is feminists and people who believe in women empowerment. I think this because in the video we she her break away from two guys attempting to drag her away also in the video Beyoncé shows that women are not people who should stay at home and cook and clean they are people who are strong and can easily fight for what they want and can fight for what they deserve. I also think the video is aimed at this target audience because Beyoncé fights for equality between the sexes and does a lot to try and stop sexism and she fights stereotypes. I think this attracts a whole audience to her music videos because she portrays how women really are and how strong they can be in her music videos and lyrics and this is one of the songs where she does it in both.

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

Lyrics (Meaning Implied?)

The first verse to the song is:

“Tell me how should I feelWhen I know what I knowAnd my female intuition

Telling me you a dogPeople told me ‘bout the flamesI couldn't see through the smoke

When I need answers, accusationsWhat you mean you gone choke?”

Beyoncé starts the verse off by saying “Tell me how I should feel” this lyric tells us, as the audience that the other half in the relationship has told her that she is overreacting and she’s just lost her temper and that is why this verse has an angry feel to it. The line after it says “When I know what I know” this is showing us how much it has hurt her. She could either be refusing to say it so he confesses to her about his affair or she doesn’t want to admit it to herself even though she knows it’s already true. Two lines after that says “People told me ‘bout the flames I couldn’t see through the smoke” in this line she’s saying people warned her about going out with this person but she couldn’t see through the “smoke” which is shortened from being “smoke and mirrors” which is the deceptive illusion. The last two lines in the first verse are “When I need answers, accusations. What you mean you gone choke?” in this part of the first verse she’s basically saying that the one-time he could defend himself or at least give her the tiniest piece of respect and admit to the affair and say why he did it. He can’t even speak to her when she has the right to know exactly what happened.

The second verse to the song is:

“You can't stay, you gotta goAin't no other chick spending ya dough

This is taking a tollThe way the story unfolds

Not the picture perfect movie everyone would've saw”

At the beginning of this verse she says “you can’t stay, you gotta go ain’t no other chick spending ya dough” she is carrying this on from the first verse it’s like she’s had enough of all the lies and arguing so she just finishes all the argument by basically saying get

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

out. The second half to this verse says “This is taking a toll the way the story unfolds not the picture perfect movie everyone would’ve saw” in this part Beyoncé is saying that the relationship has gone on long enough and it’s no longer fun like it was in the beginning. In this verse she also says that from the outside the relationship looked like something out of a romance film but now she can’t hide over the cracks and pretend everything’s okay when it’s not like she most likely has done in the past.

The third verse to the song is:

“Tell me how should I feelWhen you made me belong

And the thought of you just touching herIs what I hate most

I don't want you but I want it and I can't let it goTo know you give it to her like you gave it to me, come on”

In the first two lines to this verse it says “Tell me how I should feel when you mad me belong”. In these two lines we see that she wants an explanation about why he treated her like she was welcome wherever she went when all the time he was cheating on her. The next two lines to the song are “And the thought of you just touching her is what I hate most”. This give the audience an idea that the woman already knew her partners’ mistress and she got on well with her before she found out about the affair. She’s basically saying that just thinking about them two even being near each other whilst she’s been there makes her want to throw up because it’s like the ultimate betrayal. The last two lines of the verse are “I don’t want you but I want it and I can’t let it go to know you give it to her like you gave it to me, come on”. In these lines she’s saying that after all he’s done she can’t let him go because she still loves him and she doesn’t want to be broken hearted.

The fourth verse to the song is:

“He's so arrogant and boldBut she gone love that shit, I know

I done put in a callTime to ring the alarm

Cause you ain't never seen a fire like the one I'm gon' cause”

The first two lines to this verse are “He’s so arrogant and bold but she gone love that shit, I know”. This is saying now that she is

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

sitting down and thinking about the whole situation she is finally seeing his flaws and she’s realised that the woman that has tried to steal her partner away from her is fully welcome to him because he’s not as perfect as he likes to make out. At the end of the second line she says “I know” this is basically saying he did the same stuff to get me and I know what it’s like. The last three lines of this verse say “I done put in a call time to ring the alarm cause you ain’t never seen a fire like the one I’m gon’ cause”. In these lines she’s saying no matter how much other women have gone mental at him that nothing compares to how she’s going to react. She’s basically rewording the saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.

The final verse to the song is:

“How can you look at meAnd not see all the things that I kept only just for you

Why would you risk it baby is that the price that I pay?Cause this is my show and I won't let you go

All it's been paid for, and it's mineHow could you look at meAnd not see all the things”

The first three lines of this verse says “How can you look at me and not see all the things that I kept only just for you why would you risk it baby is that the price that I pay”. In these lines she is basically saying how can he see not see how much of a good woman she is. She tells the audience that she loved him because she did things for him that she wouldn’t do for anyone else but it must have been meaningless to him because he risked it all by cheating on her. The last four lines of this verse say “Cause this is my show and I won’t let you go all its been paid for, and its mine how could you look at me and not see all the things”. In these lines she admits that she calls the shots in her relationship and she isn’t ready to let go. On the last two lines she admits she hasn’t changed since the beginning of the relationship so she can’t understand why he has all of a sudden fallen out of love with her.

Tempo The tempo of this song is fast and aggressive. This is shown in the music video because the scenes don’t stay on screen for too long and they don’t fade into each other it’s just a sharp cut into them.

Genre The genre of the song used is R&B. The genre conventions for a R&B video for a song sung by a female are; usually wear minimal clothes, hair is styled in a very dramatic and eye-catching way, women being seen as powerful, involves bright colours, a lot of special effects used, involve dancers or male co-stars, challenge stereotypes. The video for Ring the alarm sticks to majority of the genre conventions listed. In some scenes of the video Beyoncé is wearing minimal clothing, as shown in the images below in the first image Beyoncé is sat on a couch in just a top. In the second picture she is wearing an army outfit but it could also be classed as

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

minimal clothing. As mentioned in the first box the video challenges the stereotype of women not being able to fight or stand up for themselves and that a man has to do it for them. The video challenges that stereotype because she’s seen breaking free from two men, as seen in the third photo used. In this video we see two men try to grab Beyoncé but she kicks one and pushes the other away. This goes against stereotypes because women aren’t seen as fighters.

Camera Technique The first camera technique we see is a mid-shot. The purpose of the mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. The first mid-shot we see is of Beyoncé lay on a table with a red light shown on her. In the scene the red lights moves on and off her like there is danger and it is warning people to exit the place. The colour red is used because it is associated with danger and strength. This links in with the video because she’s angry at her partner because he has cheated on her. Red is also associated with love and passion. This also links in with the video because she’s reacting this drastically because she loves him and she feels hurt and she wants to make him feel that pain that he has forced her to feel. The next mid-shot we see is shown 1:08 into the music video. In this scene we see Beyoncé looking mad. In this scene she walks round the room looking like she’s just found out about her partners’ affair. This scene involves many different camera angles and in the scene the shots only last for a four seconds whereas in other parts of the video the shots last for 1-2 seconds. The next three mid shots are all from the same scene. The first of the three mid shots could also be classed as a POV shot because it is like we are looking at her through somebody else’s eyes. In the next two mid shots we also see her looking angry she looks more and more annoyed as the lyrics start to sound angrier. This could also be why the mid shots are also point of

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

view shots. I think they are also point of view shots because it is like she is arguing with the person she’s in a relationship with and her body language is like she’s involved in an argument.

The next camera angle we see is a low angle shot. The purpose of using this shot is that when you use a low angle shot it makes the character seem taller therefore more intimidating. This fits into the music video because that’s Beyoncé’s goal. She wants the other person in the relationship to fear her and to regret what they he has done to her. The first low angle shot we see is used in the first 18 seconds making it one of the first camera angles we see. In this shot we see Beyoncé on her knees on a table with her arms in the hair and her hair stuck out like she’s just jumped up onto her knees. This could be seen as her wanting to intimidate the person the song is aimed at because if someone suddenly jumps up after lying down silently it’s going to scare anybody also her hands are in the air giving the illusion that she is going to turn violent and that he should watch out. The last low angle shot we see involves Beyoncé flinging her head back with her arms in the air. This gives us as the audience the impression that she has completely lost her temper and she is only seeing red. In these two low angle shots she is in a room with a red lighting flashing on her. I think this is used because it gives the audience the idea that she has been sectioned away from the public because she could be seen as a threat. As a result of us thinking this we think that she has gone on a rampage in public or has gotten violent with her partner in a public place.

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

The last camera angle I will be using is long shot. The purpose of using a long shot is to provide the audience with the knowledge of what setting the character is in. In this shot we see the red alarm at the top corner of the screen highlighting her face. The setting we see the character in in this scene is very plain and looks like she’s alone in a police interview room. This leads to the audience making all sorts of assumptions like she has been arrested by the police, this makes the audience wonder what she’s done to the partner to lead her being arrested. The second long shot includes Beyoncé sat on a chair all in white with men in uniform and wearing helmets stood around her in a circle. The colour white can be associated with goodness and innocence, this relates to the video because the way she sees the situation is that she’s the victim in all of this and she can do whatever she wants as revenge and still be seen as the victim. I think the men around her dressed in all black are an image of her imagination and there shadows from her past. Maybe they are ex-boyfriends who have mistreated her and she didn’t have the chance to express her feelings back then so she’s taking it out on her current partner. One of the reasons I think this is because they are dressed in black and black is associated with evilness and mystery. Also with the chosen colours it could be seen as her making reference to the never ending battle between good vs evil. The third and final long shot shows her in a camouflage outfit stood alone in a corner. This could be seen as her before the fight and she’s building up to it. I think the director chose to put her in a camouflage outfit because it could be associated to when the people in the army are hiding waiting to kill somebody. This could be what she’s doing she could have known about the betrayal for a long time but she’s been waiting for the right time to confront him. Other than being associated with the armed forces camouflage could be seen as someone wanting to hide the real them or protect themselves and because in this scene she’s dancing wildly she’s obviously not hiding the true version of herself and she’s going to take revenge on him like she should have done to everyone who has wronged her in the past.

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

Editing The editing technique used is jump cut. This is used to get from scene to scene. I think it is being used because it’s showing how the day’s events panned out. For example it they would have used fading then it would have been telling the audience that it went smoothly but because they used jump cuts it’s telling the complete opposite its saying that it was an eventful time and nothing was relaxed. Another editing technique used is low-key lighting. This is used to show that it has been a dark/miserable time. If they used high key lighting it would be saying that she was happy and everything was ok.

Use of Digital Effects The digital effect used is colour correction. This is used to make the scenes darker it is used drastically on all of the scenes except for the scenes where she is in the house. This is because they wanted them scenes to look as natural as possible.

Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan