Voyeurism

The theme of sexuality is seen in many videos, especially throughout this past decade. It seems as though every artist in the charts today has had at least one or two videos using this theme, as though it’s the “thing” to do. I have chosen different music videos which all demonstrate this theme.

The video of “Womanizer” by Britney Spears touches the topic of sexuality in nearly all of the music video. From the title of the song we already get a sense of what the video will be like and what the song is about. Straight away in the first 8 seconds there is a nude shot, which automatically grabs the viewers attention, this indicates that the video will be about sex and the attraction between men and women. From the title womanizer us viewers would assume that it is about a player who may constantly cheat on all of his girlfriends. Throughout the whole music video we see the two main characters dressed seductively, which indicates that they both have a adventurous/dangerous side to them, for example, the opening minutes we see Britney wearing revealing night wear and the man practically half naked. This could suggest that Britney is not as innocent as the guy thinks and that he should pay more attention to her, whereas for the guy it could suggest that he is expecting her to approach him and it lives up to the title of the song that he really is a “womanizer”. Throughout the rest of the video we see Britney’s character intimidating him and making him beg for her in many different ways.
Through the video we see many bold and dark colours such as black and red, which in my opinion shows that the song is associated with sexuality and the colours black and red are usually used in a very suggestive way, which is also related to this song. The colours show Britney’s fierce side as well, as though she is trying to tell him that he has lost his game and his title as a “womanizer”, and to show that women are more dominant than men.

Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake



Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake is my second choice for a music video to analyse in terms of sexuality. This song is similar to “Womanizer” by Britney Spears in terms of the theme and meanings of both songs, which is sex and the attraction seen on screen. From the very first few seconds of the music video the colours portrayed are very dull and grey looking which gives the viewer a feeling that the video will be very dark and mischivious in some way. However, in the same shot there are also bold colours such as red and white which stand out from the other colours. These colours are usually associated with danger and adventure, so automatically the viewer knows that the video will not only be very dark and mischivious but also adventurous and full of action.
The location of is not the most glamourous of settings as it is a dark/ gloomy and even grotty looking hotel. This can also be related to the theme behind it – cheap sex in a cheap motel room. Watching the video the viewers get a sense of mystery as they don’t excatly know where it is taking them as the setting changes from one place to another every few minutes, as the shots change from being in a motel room to a big, large, dark (maybe an office) room. The shots of the office scenes are quite mysterious and confusing. There are young professionals along the corridor who are just making out; then there’s a close up shot of Justin in a suit and tie just looking out of the window
For most people the location of the video (shady motel room) would not be a familiar place, they would only make the association with films. In the first few shots Justin and the women appear to be in two separate hotel rooms, Justin’s character has a gun, and the woman has a pen knife. They both seem to be involved in a sort of spying/ criminal activity, something which they shouldn’t be doing (due to their actions). The way the scenes are shot make it difficult to understand if they are working together or seperatly.

The lyrics don’t match the scenes, therefore the director of the music video has not taken a literal approach. There is also an unrealistic atmosphere in the scene of people making out in the corridor, as it seems to be an office building and these things usually happen in a private home or a party. The characters and extras in this music video seem very out of place. With that said, you would not find a woman who is all dangerous/ adventurous in a little hotel like the one in the video; she is not someone one would imagine to have such a strong and dangerous character, or someone very mischeveous. However in the office scene the extras along with Justin Timberlake, seem more comfortable with their surrounding as they are dressed quite smart and seem to be more at ease.

The use of editing is very well done, as there are a lot of jump shots, however the video does not have a steady flow as it cuts very quickly and the viewer can easily get lost in it. The succession of jump shots, mainly in black and white, in very unfamiliar surroundings add to the mystery, which I think the producers of the video try to convey.

The choreography targets young adults in their late teens and early 20s, of both genders. This is evident as the video is all about sex, which is one of the main interests young adults have nowadays. All the action, violence and other themes portrayed in this music video is another reason why the target audience is so, as many people these days want the excitement a video like this brings.