Kanye West - All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi (analysis)

This music video by Kanye west and Rihanna is a performance based music video. It closely focuses on their moves by various close-ups from low angles to high. There is a clear relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. As this song is mainly about different lights they have used colour change lights in nearly every picture. Close ups are also used when different singers are singing to show their importance. This video is primarily based outside in an ally way.

 

This is the first shot you see in the music video. This is very unusual as most music video go straight into the lyrics or dance however this video slowly builds a narrative at the beginning with the girl walking. This shows that this video is not only performance based but tells a narrative to.  

 

I really liked the ways in which the colours are used in this scene. Having different colours appear every second helps create a fast movement to the song. It helps the viewer to view the song faster as many things are happening at the same time. There is a lot of cross cutting involved from the dancing to the lights. these two screen grabs show the two dancers performing in different coloured lighting. 

Here you see Rihanna using her sex appeal. In many music videos this is a key concept used not only for the viewer’s purpose but to give an R&B genre. Seconds after this shot, another close up is taken of another performer. This shot cuts very quickly and also shows other images. This is a key feature i liked as it doesn’t bore the viewer; everything is almost at your face making you enjoy the video. 

This is a medium close up of Kanye west. I like this shot in particular as it shows him dancing with different lights highlighting him. This builds the narrative of the song and the whole concept of the song. 

overall i think this video is very succesfull mainly beacuse of the affect of the different types of lights used. Also the fast cutting to other images on the same screen is a good affect as it enlightens the viewer. it goes with the lyrics well and what is happening in each scene.