Analysis of a Music Video - Fifth Harmony

Research - Task 8 (part 1)

As part of my research into the music industry, I have chosen to analyse a variety of music videos in order to gain some key knowledge into how they promote certain themes and ideas, and how they are constructed through a variety of camera shots, editing techniques, mise-en-scene and sound.
For my first music video analysis, I have chosen Fifth Harmony's new single, All In My Head (Flex) which is directed by Director X, as this video is a good example of a conventional girl band's music video. The song primarily belongs to the pop genre, however as Fetty Wap is featured towards the end of the song this adds a Hip-Hop/R&B vibe.


The video begins with a wipe effect that has been created in the post production editing, and then leads on throughout the rest of the music video with continuous straight cuts, before finally ending with the same wipe effect. This creates an aesthetic that portrays a story-like effect, or a short insight into their ideal lifestyle as it begins and ends like a musical would, with the wiping screen acting like curtains. This attracts their audience, as it creates the feeling of wanting to know and see more from the artists, so therefore the
audience will feel obliged to watch more of their music videos and eventually purchase their products.

The girl-band continue to entice their audience through their use of camera shots and costume. Each member of the band is featured wearing a revealing bikini and a full face of makeup as their costume, which is slightly altered towards the end of the song when the location changes - so they cover up slightly more by adding a
sarong to each of the girl's costumes. The very minimal costume helps the girl-band to attract a male demographic audience, as they are portrayed as sex-symbols which attracts the 'male gaze'. The 'male gaze' relates to Laura Mulvey's theory of female sexualisation in the film and music industry, as audiences have to 'view' characters from the desired perspective of a heterosexual male. The camera tends to linger on the curves of a female's body, and the female body is often overly-sexualised in order to attract large audiences. This theory is present throughout the All In My Head (Flex) music video, as the female singers are sexualised by their costumes and the dance routines featured in the video, which the camera focuses on heavily through a succession of close up shots during each girl's solo, and various long shots and mid shots in the chorus.

The music video is shot in an unknown, exotic location on the beach, where the girl-band is featured dancing and partying. The girl's are often shot in the ocean, or with the ocean in the background which creates a relaxed, carefree environment, which helps to attract the audience. This relates to Richard Dyer's theory in 1992, as he proposed that media texts (music videos) help to make up for some of the deficiencies in modern life through 5 uptopian solutions: community, energy, abun
dance, transparency and intensity. The use of the exotic location in this particular music video fits in with Dyer's theory, as the beach and ocean create a glamourous location and lifestyle which comes under the abundance utopian solution. As the girl-band and actors in the video are also shown to be partying and drinking, this will appeal to their teenage target audience as these are common themes of teenage life.

Throughout the video, a slow motion effect has been used strategically in the post production to reinforce the sexual themes and the sex appeal of the artists to attract their audience, particularly their male demographic audience. Throughout the dance routines and during seductive shots on the beach, the post production have altered the speed of the footage so that the girl's movements are in slow motion which creates the effect that the camera is lingering on them for longer. This captures the 'male gaze' as previously mentioned.

The music video does not reflect the lyrics to the song, however themes that are present throughout the video do reflect the nature of the lyrics. The lyrics in the song reflect sex and relationships, and the girls in the video are dressed in revealing costumes and are portrayed as seductive and lively. However, the beat and pace of the music is reflected in the editing as the shots are fast-paced and flow together smoothly which matches the tempo of the song perfectly. When the lyrics of the song are slower, the switch between camera shots becomes less frequent, and when the lyrics are faster the switch between shots is more frequent.

Male model in the Work
From Home music video

This video is quite similar to the previous music videos produced by this girl-band, as the themes present within this music video has been previously featured in their other videos too. In each of the music videos the artists are portrayed as seductive and sexual, as a  lot of their songs are about relationships and intimacy. For example, in their Work From Home music video the artists are dressed as construction workers, whilst still keeping their sex-symbol aesthetic. The Work From Home music video also features multiple male actors who are topless, which is also a key element in the All In My Head (Flex) video.

Overall, this music video is a mix of narrative-based and performance-based, as the video follows the girl-band around an exotic beach location, where they meet some friends and then continue onto a party later in the evening, however the video also highlights the girl-band's choreography ability as they are featured dancing in multiple parts of the video in sequence with each other. The video is mildly sexualised to attract a male demographic, and revolves around themes of partying, a carefree and glamourous lifestyle and having fun which appeals to teenagers and encourages them to buy their products.

All In My Head (Flex) music video: