Monday, 19 September 2016

Case Study - Jennifer Lopez Papi

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Synopsis 
Performance and conceptual based video of Jennifer Lopez singing about her being in a dysfunctional  helping relationship as she is a codependent wife or girlfriend to her 'Papi'.

Themes
the main theme in this song is love and some elements of it being unrequited " My rock is shining bright
Even if he ain't by my side" This could possibly have two meanings , one of which could be her being an independent women in which she lives her life without her 'papi' being her main priority , or it could imply her being an individual but longing for her companion to be by her side.  

.Another theme is female empowerment evident in the lyrics "Now all my super ladies
I got my baby
If you got your baby, baby". The use of the premodifying adjective "super, reinforces female superiority towards men as she refers to them as " baby" which can be implied as a belittling statement. Her target audience here are females who have a 'papi', meaning significant other, and that they should dance for them "Dance for your papi". This line also has an underlying sexual connotation as people in relationships use the phrase "to dance for your man " meaning to dance in a sexually provocative way for your significant way. 

.There is also a theme of 'oblivious love' where numerous amount of men are chasing after her and would would go extra lengths just to get her approval however you could say , there are also elements of faithfulness as despite the hundreds of men chasing after her she sticks to her one true love , 'papi' " I'll make sure everybody knows"  

mise en scene
The video starts off like a scene of a movie where Jennifer walks into the establishing shot in her apartment asking for her mail. The camera then switches to a slightly over the shoulder , mid shot focused on her phone with a picture of her and her significant other. This shot helps the audience to establish the male in the photo to be 'Papi'. As most of her target audience would know Jennifer's career background aside form singing also involves acting in rom-coms movies, she draws these romantic-comedic elements into her music videos as it would be something that her target audience is familiar with.

After that scene it lets the audience know its the next morning by having it stated at the bottom left of a panning , establishing shot of the early hours of New York City , then to different establishing shots of the NYC. It goes back to the same location of the previous scene where Jennifer is coming out of the apartment lobby looking glowing with a cute , nude two piece playsuit with nude heels, natural makeup and loose curls. The tracking shot signifies her importance for the rest of the video but has a fast cutaway to a mid shot of male stranger at the back who looks once then again as he fully acknowledges Jennifer's presence , it then cuts away again to Jennifer exiting the hallway where the lights are really dim and can only see her silhouette. This scene could connote that she is finally stepping out into the 'light' or the phrase ' light at the end of the tunnel' in this sense meaning that herself an an individual is coming away from a dark place and stepping into a brighter future without her 'Papi'. 

Ideas for my own video
For my own video some of my inspiration will be from this video in terms of camera angles and shots. I really love the use of the establishing shot which to a degree adds to the story as a whole and is a great way to start a music video. I also like the fun , energetic vibe from the video and the way it keeps you engaged with the fast cutting rates and the ambient lighting which i would like to apply to the music video 

1 comment:

  1. OK, again good on technical analysis. More needed on representation of her as a star. Be a little more specific on the elements you will be able to use in your own music video. Vanessa

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