Music Video Analysis 5 - Bruno Mars' Just The Way You Are

Genre: R'n'B/Pop (Concept)

Directed by Ethan Lader
Released on 8th September 2010

Just The Way You Are is a music video of a rare category: concept based. It is unusual to create a concept based music video as it is not the norm. However I think that this music video has done well with the idea of stop motion animation.

The video starts off with a woman listening to the actual track through headphones on a Walkman music player. Bruno Mars walks in and picks up the player, removes the tape cassette, pulls out the tape onto a table and the song starts. At this point, stop motion animation is used when Bruno writes his name and the song title with the unraveled tape. He then forms a drum with the tape and makes flicking gestures at the same time as the drum beats in the song. For the next few lines of the song 'Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining. Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying', Bruno uses the tape to draw pictures as the song is being sung (in this case images of the woman's eyes and hair). This tells us that the video is trying to convey strong feelings and emotions to the audience. 

Direct address is also used when Bruno is looking at the camera but the shot/reverse shot editing technique identifies that Bruno is in fact addressing the woman. Handheld camera is used which makes the video more realistic. Bruno moves the tape to form the shape of himself. Stop motion editing is used again when the tape reel starts to move, showing tape-Bruno singing. Over-the-shoulder shots are used to show the reaction of the woman - she seems quite flattered but finds that he is exaggerating on her looks as she makes amendments to the shapes that the tape reel is making (e.g. closing the tape-woman's mouth to hide her teeth when Mars makes references to her smile). She moves from one of the sofas and sits next to Mars, showing that she has been 'bought' by Mars' charming words about her. Sheilding is mainly used to show the closeness between characters. She starts off on the other end of the sofa and ends up right next to Mars, indicating that she feels more comfortable around him.

A pulling focus is used later the video between Bruno and the woman (medium close-up) and the coffee table with the ever-moving tape-Bruno. Both Mars and tape-Bruno are miming in sync with the song, which may show that his feelings towards are so strong that 'one Mars' is not enough to express it. When the camera is focused on Mars and the woman, handheld camera is used which is often used to make have a more realistic appeal.

There are many themes that are involved in the video, all of them of which are positive. This video incorporates themes like love, relationships, crushes, happiness and looks. I beilieve that, based on the lyrics and the direct address to what seems as an audience (which ends up being the woman), this music video is aimed at young females due to its appeal about finding love.