Case StudyThe Weeknd – Wicked Games

Produced by Doc McKinney and Illangelo

Released on September 25th, 2012

Synopsize of the song• Wicked games by The Weeknd has a very dark theme to it. By listening to

and analysing the lyrics I understand that it is about how the artist is empty and broken and is using all his cash to pay for sex to make him feel better. In the hook of the song The Weeknd says “ I need confidence in myself”, which shows that he is doing this to stop himself from feeling so low. The lyrics of the song explain how he wants her to say “I love you” even though she doesn’t which suggest that he wants to solve all his problems and insecurities by using the woman.

The Video • The music video is all in black & white and I think this is done to represent

the dark emotions of the artist. The video is very abstract as The Weeknd does not literally explain the lyrics of the song but actually used the video as a representation of his darkness and insecurities. The video actually begins with a woman dancing, presumably the woman he is using to pay for “love” although we do not actually see this in the music video.

• The artist is shown as very tired and frustrated in the video. During the line where the artist says “I need confidence in myself”, his face and shoulders are very shadowed out to the point where we can only see slight highlights of his face so this element is used in the video to show his little confidence.

Camera Angles

• The music video begins with a woman dancing however the shot is half her body & face. The camera then begins to move with the woman’s movement and zoom out so it eventually opens up to a medium shot of the woman and her shadow behind her. The woman’s shadow moves away from her and the camera tracks her shadow moving along the wall. This is important because it highlights how her shadow plays a part in the song. The shadow could be a representation of how the love that she gives him is fake and she is only giving him what he wishes as it is only the shadow that is seen interacting with the artist and not the actual woman.

• There is mainly medium shots and close up shots of The Weeknd used in the music video. Also The Weeknd is mainly stood in one place during the music video which makes the video quite basic but I think that this is done to make listeners concentrate on the actual lyrics and emotions of the song.

Editing Techniques & Lip Syncing • At the beginning of the music video there are little cuts used as the camera

moves with the female dancing instead of cutting to different shots of her. One good edit technique used is when the woman shadow opens up and then it cuts to a darker set. This is like parallel editing as the two shots are linked together and are brought together. Another cut is used where the lights of the car flash bright and when the lights fade down then we’re in a new scene in a brighter set. I think The Weeknd uses minimal editing to keep his videos simple but conceptual. When there is editing used it’s smartly incorporated into the music video so that its not noticeable. Slow motion when The Weeknd is walking and singing, which is used to fit the slow pace of the song.

• Even though this video is mainly conceptual, The Weeknd does include a goof amount of lip syncing. However some of the lip syncing is done where parts of his face is shadowed out and I think that this is done is match the lack of confidence he describes having in his song.

Mise en Scene• The set design is very basic. They use a blank screen that’s either light or

dark in most of the video. Around halfway through the song it changes to The Weeknd with two bright lights behind him which is then later revealed to be a car and this is where the set changes to a dark outdoor set. The outdoor set has a very misty background making it difficult to make out what is behind him. This can also be seen to personify the artist emotions and lack of confidence. Also what shows this is how the artist is also faded into the background so it is like he is barely there.

• The costume in this is just as simple as the set. The woman is dressed in a open long coat with nothing else on and The Weeknd is dressed in all black.

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Post-Modernism & Representation of artist• I think out of all my case studies this one includes the most post-modern

element as it mainly conceptual. The whole idea of the woman’s detached shadow is different and abstract. This video doesn’t follow a certain time sequence, it’s just very dark. It also mixes both conceptual and performance because of lip synching mixed but the simplicity of the video plus it doesn’t follow a narrative. The Weeknd’s videos are so different but simple that they are able to welcome so many different interpretations of it.

• The Weeknd is represented as to a certain degree as depressed as the video has a very dark theme to it and the lyrics are quite dark too, for example “bring your love, baby, I can bring my shame”. There is a sense of guilt and desperation in this song as well. We can also gather that he has very low self esteem as he uses dark sets to block out his face.

Applying this to my music video• I like many features of this music video and if I was to use a Weeknd song

then I would definitely take some of these features and try to apply it to my music video. For example I like how it is all in black and white. It makes it seem dark and mysterious. Also I like how the shadows played a part in the video for example the movement of the woman’s shadow was more of a focus than herself and the shadows on the artists face so you don’t see his full face, just a small part.

• The simple set like outside and the blank screens are a good idea to use as it is basic and effective and not a lot has to be spent.