Genre: Dance/R&B/Hip Hop (Performance)
Directed by Anthony Mandler
Released on 30th March 2010
At the start of the video we see an old television sitting in a white empty space. The screen flicks between static and a blurry figure of Usher. The camera slowly zooms into the screen and the song starts. The frame dissolves from the television screen and long shot of a room where Usher is surrounded by multiple beams of laser lights and tube lights. The next few seconds allows the audience to analyse Usher's dress sense - he is wearing a suit and hat, something very similar to what Michael Jackson would wear. We know that one of Usher's greater influences is the King of Pop himself and he has emphasised his respect for him through Usher's own choreographed dancing.
The setting seems very futuristic. For this I am pretty sure that green screen technology was used: technology that involves replacing a certain coloured background with anything you want. The scene cuts into a split screen view of Usher and Will.I.Am, perhaps comparing the two music artists. Will.I.Am is known to sing in Hip Hop and Dance music. Will.I.Am is wearing a strange pair of trousers and is in a similar setting to Usher's 'room' but instead of black with blue lights, Will.I.Am stands in a room with pink walls and red lights.
Usher's popping moves are repeated throughout the video emphasising that fact that it is a performance based video. Match on action editing is used when Usher is using lip syncing (a typical music video convention), accompanied by very quick cuts and short takes. Direct address is also used which can allow communication and understanding between the audience and the music artist. Edits are executed in time with the beat, making this a very appealing video as well as a very catchy tune.
A wipe is used taking us as the audience into another long shot of a room, full of white light, with Usher in the middle wearing another casual-wear suit. This is followed by a series of wipes (in time with the beat) flicking between Usher and a group of provocatively presented women. The women start to execute their choreographed dancing as Usher sings his song. The women are wearing high heels, knee high tights and a jacket on top of a bra. As we can see, Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze' is put into practice - the women were in the video, dressed provocatively, for male viewers so that they could get visual pleasure. This may be backed up by the lyrics 'Honey got a booty like pow pow pow, honey's got some boobies like wow-o-wow, girl you know I'm loving your, loving your style, check-check-check-check-check-checking you out like'. This line refers to several body parts belonging to woman and how Usher finds them visually pleasurable. It represents Usher as the dominant male over the female sex objects. In the next scene we see a reflection of the dancing women that are accompanied by the lyrics 'sexy from the head to the toe' followed by the women slowly crawling erotically back to him. This may oppose Mulvey's theory and can put Post-Feminism into practice, saying that the women in the video are lusting for Usher and that it is their choice.
The next scene shows Usher in front of a metal background, very unfuturistic, dancing with 4 of his shadows which does look appealing as it is accompanied by choreographed dancing. He somehow pulls down the background where we find ourselves back in Will.I.Am's pink room where he is surrounding by various provocative girls.
The piece of music in the final scene is slowed down a little. Then the song picks up the pace, ending the whole song with a last bit of choreography with both female and male back up dancers. The camera zooms out of the television screen to end the video, the screen still flickering between Usher and static.
The music throughout the whole video is very upbeat and modern, with a tune to get anyone's feet tapping. But I think that by using provocative female dancers, this song may have been targetted for men. There are elements of concept based video in it - the futuristic setting and the shadow dancing. Apart from the gender generalisations and ill-representation of both genders, I may take some ideas from this video to integrate it with mines.
The setting seems very futuristic. For this I am pretty sure that green screen technology was used: technology that involves replacing a certain coloured background with anything you want. The scene cuts into a split screen view of Usher and Will.I.Am, perhaps comparing the two music artists. Will.I.Am is known to sing in Hip Hop and Dance music. Will.I.Am is wearing a strange pair of trousers and is in a similar setting to Usher's 'room' but instead of black with blue lights, Will.I.Am stands in a room with pink walls and red lights.
Usher's popping moves are repeated throughout the video emphasising that fact that it is a performance based video. Match on action editing is used when Usher is using lip syncing (a typical music video convention), accompanied by very quick cuts and short takes. Direct address is also used which can allow communication and understanding between the audience and the music artist. Edits are executed in time with the beat, making this a very appealing video as well as a very catchy tune.
A wipe is used taking us as the audience into another long shot of a room, full of white light, with Usher in the middle wearing another casual-wear suit. This is followed by a series of wipes (in time with the beat) flicking between Usher and a group of provocatively presented women. The women start to execute their choreographed dancing as Usher sings his song. The women are wearing high heels, knee high tights and a jacket on top of a bra. As we can see, Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze' is put into practice - the women were in the video, dressed provocatively, for male viewers so that they could get visual pleasure. This may be backed up by the lyrics 'Honey got a booty like pow pow pow, honey's got some boobies like wow-o-wow, girl you know I'm loving your, loving your style, check-check-check-check-check-checking you out like'. This line refers to several body parts belonging to woman and how Usher finds them visually pleasurable. It represents Usher as the dominant male over the female sex objects. In the next scene we see a reflection of the dancing women that are accompanied by the lyrics 'sexy from the head to the toe' followed by the women slowly crawling erotically back to him. This may oppose Mulvey's theory and can put Post-Feminism into practice, saying that the women in the video are lusting for Usher and that it is their choice.
The next scene shows Usher in front of a metal background, very unfuturistic, dancing with 4 of his shadows which does look appealing as it is accompanied by choreographed dancing. He somehow pulls down the background where we find ourselves back in Will.I.Am's pink room where he is surrounding by various provocative girls.
The piece of music in the final scene is slowed down a little. Then the song picks up the pace, ending the whole song with a last bit of choreography with both female and male back up dancers. The camera zooms out of the television screen to end the video, the screen still flickering between Usher and static.
The music throughout the whole video is very upbeat and modern, with a tune to get anyone's feet tapping. But I think that by using provocative female dancers, this song may have been targetted for men. There are elements of concept based video in it - the futuristic setting and the shadow dancing. Apart from the gender generalisations and ill-representation of both genders, I may take some ideas from this video to integrate it with mines.
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