Comparison between 'Break My Heart' and 'Riptide' music videos.

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  • What key differences are there in style between the two videos?
    The 'Break My  Heart' music video heavily features  the convention of putting the artist of the song front and centre, for the vast majority of the song she makes direct address with the viewer creating a sense of it being the audience's POV, it also alligns us upon her, and by extension looking over her and her various outfit changes throughout the music video. - Which, in conclusion makes the music video feel somewhat /more/ of a promotional piece than anything else due to it's lack of nuance or subtletly. The 'Riptide' music video in juxtaposition, doenst feature the artist of the song whatsoever and comes off akin to a short film stylistically, there is zero direct address as to the audience, again, reinforcing the video as an attempt at an abstract short-film to some extent.
  • In what ways do the two videos visually match the lyrics of the song?
    'Break My Heart' seems to use hyperbole and exaggeration to literally show what is metaphorically happening to Dua Lipa narratively, for example, 'falling in love' literally turns to her tipping back into a bathtub to transition into the next set piece. Meanwhile, the 'Riptide' music video was said to 'artistically depict' each lyric word for word  within it's visuals, not necessarilly follow any original intent of a narrative the artist had aimed to create.
  • What is the preferred reading of each music video/ And who is is the target audience?
    Dua Lipa as an artist is constantly represented as an aspirational celebrity figure for young women, with her music video, songs and other texts  as well as glamorous lifestyle both working in cohesion to create this impression, so going by this, the preferred reading of her music video would be to support her through and through the narrative being painted, in juxtaposition, I feel the 'Riptide' music video's preferred reading is one of surprise/disgust from the viewer with the universal understanding of what they are seeing on-screen simply isnt okay, thus the introduction of horror pop culture iconography throughout the video.
  • Both music videos rely heavily on costume and mise-en-scene as symbolic codes. What deeper meanings do these two videos hold?
    We see Dua Lipa wearing the color pink through her outfits in the music video, being a tender color symbolic of innocence, love, femininity, little girls, etc. - Having her wearing attire with this as their primary color associates the artist as to holding these various qualities. This is further emphasised in a scene in which we see her with an intertextual reference towards the Disney character Bambi upon her sweater, an iconic character known for her naivety and innocence.
  • How do these music videos use binary oppositions?
    Through the 'Break My Heart' music video, there is this element of the constant movement of Dua Lipa through out. This lack of stagnancy could be in reference as to how the narrative of the music video renders her as unable to find a stable relationship. The riptide music video uses movement within the same light as a means of displaying the women represented are uncomfortable with the standard status quo.
  • One video is conventional, the other unconventional. Why do music videos differ so wildly?
    There could be various reasons as to why the two differ in conventionality, I'd argue for the most part it is dependent upon target audience and demographic. Though more simply put, I'd say it is due to music videos being such a diverse medium; Every music video can be designed to promote a different theme or message. 'Break My Heart' goes off the convention of promoting the idea of celebrity through the way it stars and glorifies the song's artist throughout, whereas the 'Riptide' music video doesnt seem to have celebrity in mind, and thus is able to work further unconventionally by becoming somewhat more abstract.
  • What messages do these videos encode about young women?
    The 'Riptide' music video represents its women within the video as helplessly attempting to escape the hegemonic standard as per being subordinate beneath the opposite gender. I believe it speaks as an outcry for this to come to an end to some degree due to the way in which the women are majorly portrayed as brainwashed, horrified, saddened, etc- Only via means of negative connotations. Meanwhile, within the 'Break My Heart' music video, it to an extent promotes reappropriating the current hegemonic standard in such a way that Dua Lipa (A notable celebrity/ aspirational figure to young women) being displayed to narratively be jumping from one man's apartment to another is a means of female empowerment, and she's going/leaving on her own terms.

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