Eminem Video Deconstruction

Eminem- Survival            Signed to Shady Records           Genre: Rap

SHOT: Low Angle Mid

LYRICS: Intro

EDIT: Cuts to next shot

ANALYSIS: The establishing shot shows a hooded figure outside at night time. This is extremely stereotypical of what someone in a rap genre music video would be wearing. They are made to look intimidating and as we can’t see the person’s face we automatically become wary of them. We as an audience assume that the figure is Eminem. The low camera angle makes him look taller and more intimidating and if it is Eminem, more powerful and important. 

SHOT: Medium Close Up

LYRICS: ‘The winner takes it all so take it all’

EDIT: Cuts to next shot

ANALYSIS: This shot confirms that the hooded figure is Eminem. This shot will please the audience as his fans will recognise his face and will relate his role in the video to his background in real life. This shot also shows us that this music video has a storyline and sets the location of it. It is almost representing Eminem’s life before he became famous and then shows his success through the rest of the video. Again the lighting of this shot is very dark and shadowy, creating a tense, apprehensive atmosphere. 

SHOT: Mid Long

LYRICS: ‘Hands up like it’s 12 noon’

EDIT: Cross fade

ANALYSIS: This shot shows the artist Eminem on stage at one of his gigs. This shot puts us in the position of the artist, involving the audience much like a point of view shot would. This shot also shows the crowd the artist is performing to. This appeals to the fan as they can recognise the show they attended, reminding them of the time they had there giving them a personal link to the video and the artist. The lighting is quite dark with shadows, making the concert location realistic.