THE KINDESTCUT

CAROL VERNALLIS

OBSCURE

PATHSVERNALLIS SAID THAT MUSIC VIDEOS USUALLY DO NOT HAVECLEAR PATHS MEANING WHATEVER IS HAPPENING ON THE

SCREEN DOESN'T HAVE TO FLOW. WHEREAS, IN A HOLLYWOODFILM EVERYTHING IS CLEAR AND THE AUDIENCE CAN FOLLOW

THE STORY WITHOUT A PROBLEM. THE VARIETY OF SHOTS USEDIN THE FIRST VERSE OF ARIANA GRANDE'S FOCUS, HIGHLIGHTSTHE OBSCURE PATH PRESENT IN THE VIDEO. IT DOESN'T FLOWLIKE A FILM AND THEREFORE IT DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE

NARRATIVE AND THEREFORE FOREGROUNDS STRUCTURES LIKETHE ARTIST.

ORDEROF SHOTS

THE ORDER OF SHOTS IN MUSIC VIDEO ARE UNCONVENTIONAL MEANING THAT THEY ARE NOT IN

ANY PARTICULAR ORDER, HOWEVER IN A HOLLYWOOD FILM THE SHOT ORDER WILL BE

CONVENTIONAL I.E THE FILM BEGINS WITH AN ESTABLISHING SHOT AND WILL THEN BE FOLLOWED

BY EITHER MID SHOTS OR CLOSE UPS. 

FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE START OF FOCUS BY ARIANA GRANDE THERE ARE A RANGE OF SHOTS

TYPES OF HER, MID SHOT, CLOSE UP AND LONG SHOT. THEY ARE ALL TAKEN AT DIFFERENT

PLACES WHICH THEREFORE SHOW THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER AND DO NOT FLOW.

TIME SPACE, CHARACTER ANDNARRATIVE REVEALED

INCOMPLETELYMUSIC VIDEOS ARE NOT NECESSARILY IN TIME MEANINGTHAT EVENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS IN ORDER, SO THE VIEWERDOESN'T KNOW WHEN THEY ACTUALLY OCCURRED. HOWEVER,IN A HOLLYWOOD FILM THE EVENTS ARE IN ORDER ANDEVERYTHING FLOWS AS THE MOVIE PLAYS. IN FOCUS BYARIANA GRANDE THE VIDEO IS TAKEN IN SEVERAL LOCATIONAND WHEN THEY HAPPEN ARE UNKNOWN TO THE VIEWER.FOR EXAMPLE IN THE CHORUS WHEN SHE SINGS 'FOCUS ONME' SHE IS SEEN DANCING IN A HALL AND AT THE START OFTHE SECOND VERSE WHICH BEGINS WITH 'I CAN TELL YOU'RECURIOUS' SHE APPEARS IN A CLOSED ROOM. THESETHEREFORE SHOW TIME IS INCOMPLETE BECAUSE BOTHSCENES HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND IT IS UNKNOWN.

DISCONTINUITYIN MUSIC VIDEOS, DISCONTINUITY EDITING IS USED THEREFORE LOTS OF JUMP CUTS WILL BE USED.

AVOIDING CONTINUITY EDITING WILL DRAW THE VIEWER AWAY FROM THE NARRATIVE AND HELP THEM

FOCUS ON THE VIDEO. THIS IS IMPORTANT AS IT REINFORCES THE PURPOSE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO,

WHICH IS TO PROMOTE THE SONG AND THE ARTIST. 

FOCUS BY ARIANA GRANDE IS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE AT THE START THE CAMERA CONSTANTLY CUTS

BETWEEN SHOTS OF HER AND WHAT SHE IS HOLDING. FOR EXAMPLE THERE IS A CLOSE UP OF HER

LIPS, A MID SHOT OF HER BODY, A CLOSE UP OF HER EYES AND EYEBROWS AND A MID SHOT OF HER

PHONE. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF JUMP CUTTING AS IT CUTS QUICKLY TO THE NEXT SHOT, THIS

THEREFORE SHOWS DISCONTINUITY AS IT DOES NOT FLOW LIKE A HOLLYWOOD FILM AND ALLOWS US

TO FOCUS ON THE VIDEO AND THE ARTIST.

THE NON-CONTINUOUS SHOTS IN MUSIC VIDEOS WILL BELINKED BY SINGLE FEATURES SUCH AS FIGURE, SHAPE,COLOUR AND SETTING.AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IN ARIANA GRANDE'S FOCUS ISDURING THE FINAL CHORUS WHEN SHE SINGS 'JUSTCOME AND GET IT, LET THEM SAY WHAT THEY SAY, THECAMERA CUTS BETWEEN TWO SCENES OF HER WHICHEMPHASISES HER COSTUME AND THE COLOUR. THIS ISBECAUSE IN ONE OF THE SHOTS SHE IS WEARING VERYBRIGHT CLOTHES AND IS IN A ILLUMINATED ROOM, BUTFOR THE OTHER SHOT SHE IS IN BLACK AND WHITE ANDIN A DULL GREY ROOM.

CONTINUITY

VISUAL HOOKS CREATE

PHANTASMAGORICALBODY

Focus by Ariana Grande also features shots of her body, therefore encouraging viewers

to piece together a phantasmagorical body. .This is a body made up in our mind of all the

shots of the bits of body we see'. A phantasmagorical body has been constructed from

this music video as there are several shots of different parts of Ariana Grande's body,

such as her full frame, her lips and legs. These all help to create a star persona.