Analysis of existing music video

'If I were a boy' by Beyonce knowles


Beyonce is a well known American singer, I am going to analyse her video 'if I were a boy'

Narrative
This song portrays a narrative about an ordinary day for a couple in a role reversal that is hinted at by the lyrics. This is visually revealed at the end of the video when we realise that the husband is a cop and what the female character has been doing throughout the video is what the male character has actually done to her all along. The song begins by showing the male cooking the braekfast while Beyonce (female charcter) is getting ready for work (she is a police officer). She does not sit with her husband to eat breakfast and goes straight to work. Throughout the video she is working with another male police officer whom she is very close to. He shows signs of liking her. Beyonces husband is on his laptop whilst another woman is trying to distract him but he ignores it. Beyonce goes out to eat with her work friends and ignores her husbands phone call which upsets him. Beyonce and her husband go to a party and she is busy dancing with the police officer while her husband is looking and getting angry because she ignores him. At the end of the music video the husband tells his wife (Beyonce) that when she acts like that it makes him look bad. Beyonce says to him 'its not like i'm sleeping with the guy' this is where their roles are switched back and the man says 'its not like im sleeping with the girl'. The music video ends with a tear going down Beyonces face and the next mornig their roles are reversed showing beyonce cooking the breakfast and her husband as the police officer who just ignores her and goes to work. When you reverse the roles Beyonce is the one who feels hurt and left out whilst her husband who is the police officer does not give her any time because he is too busy with his job and work friends.

Treatment
The name of the song 'if i were a boy' is informing the audience from the females perspective of what she would do if she was a boy. She is trying to say that if you are a boy you have more freedom and choice of what you want to do compared to being a women who is always oppressed and marginalised because of her husband and that you are taken for granted.

Mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene inlvoves elements which are shown in a shot to give across an image of the music video. The music video is portrayed in black and white all throughout to show that there is sorrow and no trust between the husband and wifes relationship. It gives the music video a depressing and lonely feel. This represents what the husband is going through which when reversed is what Beyone feels. When the husband is cooking the table is full with food to show how much effort he went through but it was a waste because Beyonce just went to work. In the kitchen there is a glimpse of natural light shining through the blinds which shows a little bit of light which could have been in their relationship if the couple compromised. Beyonce wears her police uniform which shows her profession and refelcts her strong personality. When she walks out her house, there is sun shining on her which shows that the atmosphere is changing. The police car is outside her house which shows that someone was already waiting for her which is why she did not stay with her husband. when Beyonce is sitting with her friends in a cafe the atmosphere is lively which shows that she is enjoying herself. Her husband gifts her earrings for a present which shows that he still has hope and feelings for his wife. At the end of the music video Beyonce is sitting at her dressing table when she finds out that her husband might be having an affair. This shows that all the effort she put in looking good for him was not worth it.

Connection between lyrics and music video
The opening of the song starts when Beyonce says, 'I'd roll out of bed in the morning and throw on what I wanted'. This is portrayed in the music video when she does not realise how much effort her husband went through to cook the breakfast and goes straight to work with another police officer. She goes onto sing 'I'd kick it with who I wanted and I'd never get comfronted for it'. This is when she sits in the car with a police officer and she knows her husband wont ask her what she is doing with him because that is her job. She then sings 'I would turn off my phone, tell everyone its broken, so they'd think that I was sleeping alone'. This is where in the music video she ignores the phone call from her husband and continues talking to her work mates. She pretends that she did not know because she doesn't want to talk to him. when she sings the part 'it's a little too late for you to come back'. This is when Beyonce was dancing with the police officer in the party and she realises that her husband was standing alone and he pushes her away when she goes to him. This tells her that shes too late to come back after spending all her time dancing with the police officer.

Target audience
The target audeince for this song are people who understand the concept and lyrics of the song. It would mostly appeal to women who feel that this does happen in real life even if they are experiencing it themselves because they will feel that they are not alone in this situation.