Music Video Analysis: Little Mix - Black Magic

Genre

In Little Mix’s video ‘black magic’ the genre of this music video is very obvious by the clear pop characteristics this video upholds. The target audience of this song is aimed at teenagers so the connection that Little Mix make being at school and of teenage culture makes it very relatable for the target audience watching. The girls are seen to be going to lessons and being around school, as well as having sleepovers which are very common things and stereotypical things that occur in a teenager’s life. Little Mix again show the genre of pop through them singing along and acting out the scenes which is very common in popular music videos. Also not only does the music video clearly have characteristic of a pop music video but also a girl band music video as well. The shots of the girls being shown all together and then individually are usually common in many pop videos by bands. The close ups also show when each band member is singing making it distinct to the audience which band member sounds like what and for the fans to get a close up of their favourite member, as favouritism in fandoms of bands is very common.

Another way the genre of pop is demonstrated is through the clothing. The very fashionable, up-to-date, mainstream clothing is all very common in pop music videos. By the girls wearing this style of clothing makes them become idolised by the target audience as they are keeping with current trends which appeals to their target audience. As a result of their target audience being predominately girls, in the first half of the narrative the girls come across as relatable which means the audience can feel connected with them and identify with what they are acting out. However, in the second half of the music video instead of the girls being relatable, they become girls who the audience will want to be like and aspire to. This will therefore make the audience more likely to be interested in the song and therefore make the band gain more popularity.


Relationship between the song and visuals

The narrative of the video is about four un-popular nerdy girls who find some magic and have the characteristics of a stereotypical ‘popular girl’. As the video does have a narrative the relationship between visuals and the lyrics is not as obvious as some other videos. However, although the narrative is ongoing throughout the video, the artists are still shown singing, dancing and acting without the narrative. An example of a link of visuals to lyrics is the lyric ‘just to help him see what he’s been missing’ being acted out by one of the band’s member by looking for a book in the library. This action of her doing this makes it seem like she is searching for something linking this to the lyrics of the song.


Not only is it the lyrics and visuals that link but also the music and tone of the song that links to the visuals shown on screen. The beat of the music is shown to reflect the atmosphere in the visuals. This is seen through the strong emphasis and affect on the word ‘hey’. The girl’s strong movement in the video with the same time as the strong beat helps keep the video flowing. The lyrics are linked clearly to magic, hence the title ‘Black magic’, so the special affects used where each of the girls have separate ‘magic power’ again links to the theme of magic running throughout the narrative. Linking the lyrics and images on screen together helps the audience remember this video and make it memorable to them, which is an important part of any artist profession.


Camera Shots

As this music video s make up of four girls and not by an individual artist, there is a need for individual shots as well as seeing the group as a whole. It is important to show the four girls having close friendships together and a bond as well as seeing what they are like as an individual and seeing their unique talent.

Towards the end of the video we see a huge focus on just the band instead of the characters around them. During the bridge of the song we get to see a final shot of each individual as the camera pans around them in a circle. This gets a chance to see each individual’s style and get to see what that specific band member is like. One way we get to see this is through their clothing. As each of their clothing is different it means that more of a variety of audiences will connect with these four different girls. As each of the member of the band have such different styles for different audiences, the record label will insure that each member is given equal amount of time on camera to ensure that fans get to see their favourite member as much as the others.


Voyeurism

Voyeurism is the concept that stems from psychology. It is used in Media Studies to explain the gendered pleasures of cinema and refers to the idea of looking in order to gain sexual pleasure. Goodwin states that it is usually the women who are being objectified in this way, through a number of editing and camerawork with body shot. The idea of ‘screens within screens’, and the notion of looking, emphasises the fact that an audience is watching someone for pleasure’.

In the music video there is a theme and constant reference to the appearance of the characters. The first appearances before their transformation, shows the band in ‘geeky’ outfits. The girl who pushes past the band in her revealing outfit presents to the audience her status compared to the

girls in their conservative clothing. After their looks have changed around, the attention now falls on to the four girls rather than the original girl who was catching the attention of the boys. This suggests that because they have now turned into attractive girls and that their styles have changed, they are now the centre of attention. This shows the shallowness of the boys as they are now paying the girls attention due to their sudden attractiveness. Although the girl’s appearance has changed, the lighting and camera shots help emphasise the notion of looking. For example in the classroom the girls are in a bright spotlight whereas the characters around them are all in darkness, making them the centre of attention.


Intertextuality

Intertextuality in media is when one media text is referenced in another. There isn’t much obvious intertextuality in black magic music video. The reference to magic and how the girls help other people who may not have been noticed before, links to the TV series charmed. This is where 3 witches help others who are in danger or need to be helped in some way.
Another link is the film ‘Freaky Friday’ where magic is used to swap mother and daughter in each other’s bodies who have very different lives. The purpose of this is to help them see and appreciate each other and notice the things which are important. The reference to this in the music video is that magic transforms some characters they realise how different things are from other people’s perspective.