Case Study 2

Drake ft Rihanna - Take Care

The music video is about Drake and Rihanna who are characters in the video portraying that every relationship has its ups and downs. There is also the use of animals such as a bull and fish to show metaphorically that Drake is a bull who is full of rage, stubborn and uncontrollable whereas; Rihanna is the fish that is calmer hence showing a contrast of two characters.

In the video we see a range of different camera angles used such as long shot, close up, medium shot and many more. At the start of the music video there is a medium shot of Rihanna and Drake who look lonely. This is followed by a close up where the audience can see Drake’s facial expressions where he looks hurt and heartbroken. At this point the song starts and Drake makes direct contact with the camera which makes the audience feel as though Drake is singing to them and expressing how he feels. This can also be seen through Drakes body language which is seen through a long shot where he sings to the camera about his relationship. The audience can also see Rihanna’s facial expressions through a close up shot where Drake sings the line ‘You've seen all my mistakes so look me in my eyes’. At this point Rihanna looks depressed, hurt and miserable as she makes direct contact with the camera hence connecting with the audience and telling them through her eyes how she feels.

During the video we see many shots of Rihanna in Drakes arms where they are hugging. This relates back to the concept of the ups and down in a relationship by showing that they are together one minute and break up another. However after this, the atmosphere of the song and video changes as Drake starts singing ‘One time, been in love one time you and all your girls in the club one time all so convinced that you're following your heart cause your mind don't control what it does sometimes. We all have our nights though. Don’t be so ashamed, I've had mine, you've had yours, we both know, we know.’ From this it is clear that Drake is angry with Rihanna possibly because she made a wrong decision when she went to a club with her friends. As a result Rihanna replies back to him near the end of the song saying ‘I know you've been hurt by someone else. I can tell by the way you carry yourself. If you let me, here's what I'll do. I'll take care of you, I've loved and I've lost.’ This means that she knows that Drake has been through something similar to her but she has now fallen in love with him. This is seen through a close up where she looks honest and truthful. In this scene the audience see Rihanna singing to the camera looking isolated and lonely, the scene then changes half way where she is hugging Drake and sings the line ‘I’ll take care of you’ where she makes direct mode of address to the camera. As a result she sings this line as an indirect to Drake expressing her love towards him.

The music video is a performance by Drake and Rihanna who express their feelings for each other whilst showing the audience that every relationship has its ups and downs. The video is shot in a studio where the mise en scene for every scene in simple and clear in a way that the background is simple and natural. This is because it allows the audience to fully focus on the artists who are singing. For example a simple background helps the audience see Rihanna’s and Drakes facial expressions throughout the song. The video consists of dark colours throughout such as black, grey, white and dark shades of blue and green. These colours are symbolic as they represent different things. For example Drake wears the colour black which represents sorrow, distress and pain. On the other hand Rihanna wears the colour white which represents purity and innocence.

The target audience for this record would be teenagers and young adults who like the genre R&B. They would also be encouraged to buy the record through social network websites where they can preview the song and listen to it. The artists would also promote the song through Twitter and Facebook by keeping competitions for their target audience which would encourage them to buy the record.  Also, by having the target audience buy records will mean that the record label and artist will make a profit and have enough money to release and produce a new song or album for their audiences.

In conclusion, some of the ideas I would take from this video are the special effects used such as the background colours. This is because the colours used the in background are consistent throughout the video which makes the video clear to understand and helps the audience to keep their focus on the artists who are singing by looking at their facial expressions. The background colours are of three colours which are Black, grey and white which blend together. This is a contrast as black is the opposite of white and they both have the two different meanings where black not only symbolises pain and sorrow but it also represents power and authority. Hence when the audience see Drake’s arms around Rihanna it shows that he has got power and control over her. On the other hand Rihanna wears white showing that she is innocent and the opposite to Drake. I would use these colours in the studio where the music video would have cuts between the location and the studio. This will make the music video more symbolic and representative.