Vid EG7 The Heart Wants What It Wants- Selena Gomez

ACT: Selena Gomez

Track: The Heart Wants What It Wants 

Year: 2014

Director: Antonio Armato and Tim James

Genre: Pop

Main Audience: Females 13- 25+ (the reason to why she targets such a young age is because most people know her for previously starring in disney channel which means that she will appeal to a younger audience)

Lyrics

Relationship between visuals and lyrics:

The lyrics relate to the visual as the performer is referring to her love life and how hurt she felt once it ended which is shown through close ups her crying and flashbacks of her and her lover shown together. Furthermore, it is in black and white  which reinforces the idea that it is a sad sentimental song, as black connotes loss which is the message that the artist is making the audience understand.

 Genre Characteristics:

The lyrics are part of the genre characteristic as pop songs are usually known for referring to love and the performer's personal experience. Also another genre characteristic is the auto tune used to repeat the word 'want' almost like a broken record, further reinforcing the idea that the song is mainly focused around the performers past relationship.

 Performance, Narrative and/ or Concept:

The narrative is Selena looking back onto old memories of her and her lover and how upset she is that it all had to come to an end. She first introduces the narrative with a personal message at the beginning of the video before the song even begins saying "when i was on stage and i was thinking of.. i felt like i know, i know him and i know his heart and i know what he wouldn't do to hurt me.." already introducing the audience to the story that will be further developed within the song.

Performance Style:

The main performance is Selena Gomez lipsynching. However throughout the video she is shown through close up shots crying, looking very convincing for the audience in order for them to be able to understand how much in pain she is due to her having to give up on something that she really cared about. The performance of her crying also makes the audience feel pity as they are watching their idol expressing their pain not just through the lyrics of the song but also through their performance.

 Linear, Closed Narrative:

This is a linear narrative as there is a beginning and an end. Starting off with the brief introduction to what the story is about and concluding with an ending that the artists has given up with this love story and has got to move forward from it. 

 Looking, Mode of Address:

There is a lot of direct address made throughout the music video, however it is not used to intimidate the audience but more rather to make them understand the way in which the artist is feeling, because whenever she is presented in a close up shot f her face whilst addressing the camera, she is crying because she trying to make the audience understand that she really is in pain, and also for the target audience to be able to relate to her as they may have been in a similar experience before.

 Star Treatment:

Selena Gomez is the main focus throughout the song as the song is based upon her story. When she is alone in the dressing room, there is a contrast between the lighting by darkening the background and having high key lighting where she is sat. When seeing her from a close up shot whilst crying the lighting is very high key giving of this surean image of her. However, whenever she is seen next to 'her lover', the couple is shown through and oblique shot so that the focus is on them and not the rest of the crowd.

Representation:

The representation in the music video is a typical good girl falling for the bad boy. This impression is given off through the use of props as the male is dressed in a blazer, usually presented drinking a beer whereas Selena is dressed more classy (which is a typical convention for her) and not doing the same actions as he is. However, this relationship is a clear representation of the good girl being intrigued by the popula/ rebellious boy and in the end having her heart broken from it.

Male Gaze:

There is some male gaze because Selena is wearing a sheer top and a very short skirt. However the outfit has not been used to intrigue the male audience but more to add on to her persona since she is known for wearing classy, yet a bit revealing clothing, but it also relates to the character that she is playing  in the narrative as it is a party outfit and she is being shown in a party atmosphere.

Pace + Variation of Pace:

The pace throughout the music video is quite slow and there are a lot of long takes especially when selena is seen at a close up shot whilst crying. This is because the pace is reflecting on the meaning of the song since it's a nostalgic message being said to the audience.

Shot Variety + No. of Set Ups:

There are two specific locations in the video, the party when the couple is shown together and the the dressing room when the artist is alone. In the dressing room there are various over the shoulder shots of the artist looking into the mirror, long shots to show the isolation and close up shots when only focusing on her face to see her emotions. However at the party there are long oblique shots when just focusing on the couple and some long short to establish that they are at a party.

Locations + Mise-en-scene:

The locations where the artists is performing are conventional to her as they are places that she is mostly known to be at in real life not just in music video. Furthermore, her outfit is another convention because when watching the artist in interviews or walking the red carpet she is always dressed classy usually with her hair up, appealing to the institution that she belongs to because if we compare her to Taylor swift who is from a similar genre, she also wears classy clean cut outfits.