Textual Analysis - Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck

Textual Analysis - Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck

The opening shot to this music video is a tilt close up shot on the artist. The lighting is extremely low key as he has not started singing yet and the producer aims to keep him mysterious and undercover until he introduces himself. The second tilt mid shot establishes the location of a night club, the subject of this shot is a girl that looks directly into the camera. This eye-line match editing tells the audience the artist has made eye contact with the girl and therefore she has some sort of significance in the plot. Her body language and facial expression also contributes to this as she is smiling and standing in an attractive manner. She is also in focus as the crowd surrounding her are all out of focus; establishing the significance of her once again.

As soon as the artist starts singing, harsh lighting is set on him and him only as he is the subject. This is a close up on his face and upper torso as his actions aren't as important, the producer wants the lyrics to be the focus as they have deeper meaning. This creates a link between the plot of the video and the lyrics. The shot is a reverse tracking shot which shows the artist is heading somewhere, the audience assumes this is toward the girl he was looking at. Another reason the audience may think this is because the lyrics could be aimed at someone; the girl in this situation. The cuts between the shots are fast-paced as it sets the tempo of the song. This could also symbolise the thoughts that are rushing through his head quickly. Another zooming mid shot, which includes low-key lighting, is used to set the artist a distance away from the audience. The mise-en-scene is significant in this shot also as there are people surrounding Vic Mensa; suggesting he is lost in a sea of people that are not particularly important in his life. We read this message by the fact they are all out of focus.

Throughout the beginning of the video the majority of the shots used are tracking mid shots. This is because the main focus is Mensa and he is walking through the club in order to get to someone. We follow him on his journey because it gives us a sense of involvement and can portray the same feelings that he himself is feeling. The use of mid shots is significant because all the detail of the plot is established on the upper half of people; there are no details that need to be portrayed on the bottom half. Although these mid shots are noteworthy, the use of a close up is used when something in the plot is important. For example in this video when the girl drops the pill in Mensa's drink, the plot thickens and this is a turning point. This means it needs some sort of importance and notability. This is done by using a close up shot and editing that is added in post-production can also portray effects of seriousness. An example of this is a slow-motion effect. This is used so the audience has time to notice the pill falling into the cup.

One long cut is used so the audience knows this is one long mission for Mensa. Also the special effects that are used when Mensa starts dancing notify the audience that he is under the influence and can help them understand the position he is in. A lot of canted angle close ups are used in this shot as it can also tell us that he is unstable. The breakdown of the song is established by the artist with the use of the lyrics but also the cinematography can show this. The quick pan from left to right leaves us with a mid-long shot of dancers. When the artist leaves the club a reverse tracking mid shot is used also to set the audience in the scene. They are following Mensa and his journey through the night.

A another close up shot is used when Mensa get's caught when trying to graffiti. The close up is of the bouncer putting the handcuffs on him, signifying this is another turning point in the plot. This might also have connotations of the ethnic background the artist is from, negative connotations but connotations all the same. Other signifiers for these negative connotations of the ethnicity of the artist could be the clothing he is wearing and his style. The dark, black clothing, the cap and the cigarette are all elements of his persona which could be addressing his thug like appearance and personality.