Research - R&B Pop Music Videos

Beyonce - Sweet Dreams

This video is part of a group of videos with a new style that Beyonce has been trying out, to support the introduction of Sasha Fierce, her alter-ego, only used for the stage. These videos, since the start of the single ‘Single ladies’, have seen her have two women dancers in the videos with her.

The colours in the video support the title in being soft angelic colours, having a white background. However, she then switches to have a dark sky background, to connote the ‘beautiful nightmare’ part of the track. The video is also seen to be very surreal and what connotes this is the weird costume change towards the end of the video which is particularly strange.

Her costume supports these ideas, because in the ‘sweet dreams’ part of the song, the background is white and Beyonce is wearing a soft lilac dress and she then switches to wearing a silver foily dress. Towards the end of the video though, Beyonce is seen with her hair spiralled and gelled to her head and she’s wearing a gold outfit, so this could connote that she’s God.

The lighting also fits into the meanings, as with the nightmare part the sky is dark and I expect there would have been high key lighting to aid verisimilitude.
The video starts with Beyonce lying down with a nursery rhyme playing to connote the innocence of her but to also reflect the title of the track, sweet dreams. She then slowly rises from the bed, showing that she is going into a deep dream and that’s when the track starts.

The camera movements don’t vary much in the video. Panning tends to be used the mainly as a soft camera needs to be used to reflect what the track is about. Still camera is also used to show the singer with the dancers and to fully show the dance.
Camera shots used are long shots to help incorporate the dance routines in full view. But also a high angle shot is used in the middle of the track to possibly connote how vulnerable the girls are or saying they’re at Gods demand, because they’re in heaven. Medium shots are used because you clearly see Beyonce but you also see the dancers behind her too. But close ups are used mainly on Beyonce to connote her importance to show her facial expressions.








Chris Brown – With You

This music video isn’t actually studio based this time and is set on the streets of New York. It tells the story of how Chris Brown can’t live without his girl and the video shows him on his way to see his girlfriend.

The costume in the video is very much what an R&B male singer would normally wear. The baggy clothes, however which he can make look surprisingly good. It makes him look good without even trying. It connotes a laid back attitude.

The lighting in the music video is street lighting, which aids verisimilitude, but it also highlights Chris Brown. The editor and director have also done the shot like in the picture above where you can only see Chris and the traffic behind him is going really fast, which could connote he is in his own little ‘love bubble’.

The camera movements in the video are pans as it enables the audience to see Chris ‘moon walking’ and free styling to the full. However, there are a few still camera movements for the medium shots and close ups to enable the audience to see his facial expressions, which are important as he portrays his emotions through the song’s lyrics.

The camera shots used are close ups, especially on his feet because of his dancing and the intricate footwork. Medium shots are used to show him walking down the street, these emphasized again by the long shots used. He is always positioned in the middle of the frame. He dominates the screen at all times.




Ciara – Work

This video is again apart of Ciara reinventing herself into a new woman, and particularly a new sexier Ciara. The video is set on a building site, which is glamorised by the bright colours used in the video. It is shown to reinforce stereotypical ideas that men and women are equal.

This video starts off on a building site, which has been brightened up by the use of the bold machinery. There are close ups of woman using the machinery, possibly to connote the fact that women are just as equal as men, and that we can do the same things as them, a connotation of power.

The lighting is a fake or real sunset (fake using a green screen). This creates the effect that they’ve had a hard day on the site and they now want to let their hair down and chill out with each other.

The costumes in the video are typical of a R&R pop music video. When dancing with the other girls, all of them are wearing cut off vests and ripped jeans to reflect the dirtiness of a building site and Ciara is also wearing the type of glasses a builder would wear to protect their eyes. Later on in the video she is dressed up a little bit more to keep the glamour code of an R&B music video.

There are many camera movements such as pans, especially when Ciara is dancing on the raised part and swinging her hair about. The pan reflects how quick she moves. Most of the time though the camera is still so the audience can gain the full effect of the dancing.

The editing cuts used are mainly straight cuts and they’re used very quickly and often, and this by itself help to create the pace for the song, as the song is upbeat and the cuts reflect that.

The camera shots used are a variety. Long shots are used for the group of women dancing and also when Ciara is up against any large machinery or vehicles. Possibly this is to connote that she can use that machinery just like any man could. Another shot used is a medium shot and this is generally used for when she’s walking towards the camera. There are only a few close ups, to show her face and how it dominates the screen.


The lighting in the music video is street lighting, which aids verisimilitude, but it also highlights Chris Brown. The editor and director have also done the shot like in the picture above where you can only see Chris and the traffic behind him is going really fast, which could connote he is in his own little ‘love bubble’.

The camera movements in the video are pans as it enables the audience to see Chris ‘moon walking’ and free styling to the full. However, there are a few still camera movements for the medium shots and close ups to enable the audience to see his facial expressions, which are important as he portrays his emotions through the song’s lyrics.

The camera shots used are close ups, especially on his feet because of his dancing and the intricate footwork. Medium shots are used to show him walking down the street, these emphasized again by the long shots used. He is always positioned in the middle of the frame. He dominates the screen at all times.





Jade Ewen – My Man

This video is the second one from Eurovision song contestant Jade. It is evident in this video that she wanted to get rid of the innocent Eurovision girl and present herself as being much more confident and sexy, and making a much more mature approach to the music. Again, her video is typical of an R&B pop music video.

The song is about her man and how he gives her everything she needs and desires and the video reflects this as he follows her around the house and she tries to seduce him.

The lighting in the video is quite low key, but romantic setting light. The video is set at night and the main lighting, comes from the torch her boyfriend is shining at her the whole time. This could possibly connote the fact that she is his bright star and he thinks an awful lot of her.

The costume is again very glamorous and is used to show sexiness and to connote the woman’s power; it is also there to emphasize her body shape and to make the man want her even more.

The camera movements used as mainly pans to connote the fast pace sound of the song, and to help emphasise her dancing. The other camera movement is when the camera is still and filming her.

The camera shots used are close ups, long shots and medium shots. The long shots tended to be used to fully show her dancing and to show how she dominates the screen by being positioned in the middle of the frame. The close ups are used to show the expressions on her face, which help reflect the lyrics. Finally, the medium shots are used to show the connection between the man and the woman, which is helped by the straight cuts which are strategically placed in between shots.





Livvi Franc – Now I’m That Bitch

‘Now I’m That Bitch’ is the debut single for a new upcoming artist called Livvi France, originally from Barbados, like Rihanna. The video completely connotes girl power and showing a man you once had what he’s missing. She uses the word ‘bitch’ as an acronym for being in total control of herself. Her feisty vocals reflect the lyrics. The video is typical of the new R&B pop era.

The video is filmed in a studio; therefore the lighting is adjusted to create certain effects. There are flashing back lights when she is dancing the men with the different coloured ropes. There is also low key lighting to create a dungy effect towards the end of the video, possibly to connote her darker side.

The costumes she wears in the video are glamorous and sexy, which they had to be if the point of this video is to get back at a guy. She has to look good for that effect to take place. The one scene where she is dancing with the guys and the ropes, she has her hair stretched back in a pony tail and this is generally a code of what a bitch tends to look like. For example, women bosses also tend to have their hair back in a pony tail, as it can tense their face giving them a ‘bitchy’ moody look.

The camera movements in the video tend to be pans, to show the dancing to its full. The camera moves round the dancers and Livvi and this reflects the movements and the pace o the dancing. It’s also to show her body when she is on top of the men (shown above). Most of the time thought the camera is still and using different camera shots.

The shots used are mainly close ups, long shots and medium shots. The long shots are used for the scene above and for when she’s dancing with the two girls at the end (which is similar to Beyonce’s videos where she dances with the two girls). They’re also used for the dancing with the men and the coloured ropes, and this enables the audience to fully see the dance routines. Medium shots are used to show her upper part of her body and face, so you can some facial expressions and body movement. Then there are close ups used, which are strategically placed when she sings the word ‘bitch’, and this connotes that she is saying she is the bitch and this is my face.




Rihanna – Umbrella

This song was released in 2007 and was number one for 10 weeks in the UK. The song is an R&B pop classic and features a rap verse from rapper Jay-Z.

This video again was set in a studio, which is stereotypical of an R&B music video. Therefore the lighting is backing lighting to emphasise Rihanna in the scenes, this also reflects Jay-Z’s lyrics when he calls Rihanna a little ray of sunshine, which is the total opposite of what the songs about.

The costume in the video is quite R&B, however this is the time where Rihanna was reinventing herself and was becoming a lot more mature and was creating a new sexier image of herself, and her costumes reflect this. In the one scene she is seen wearing a PVC dress, which in itself is quite seductive and racy. There is another scene where she is seen dancing with an umbrella, which again emphasizes the title of the song.

The camera movements in the video tend to be still camera shots, as Rihanna mainly dominates the whole frame through her dancing, therefore the camera need not move much.

The camera shots used are long shots, close ups, extreme close ups and medium shots. Again the long shots are used to show Rihanna dancing and the full editing effects used. The close ups are used to show her facial expressions and the medium shots are also to show her facial expressions and slight body gestures and movements.