Music Video Analysis: Bryson Tiller - Exchange
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS
As previously stated, the music video follows the fragmented narrative of a past relationship and how Tiller and his respective lover wishes to rekindle. It is easy for the audience to establish a clear and solidified relationship between the visuals and lyrics because of how it is based entirely off the song, and bears no relation to a conceptually devised piece. The setting varies throughout the entirety of the video as the audience are taken on a journey from past to present-day and features a myriad of frames that feature intimate low-key lighting to vibrant high-key lighting. In terms of a successful relationship formed through the visuals and lyrics, a wide-angled camera shot features a radio with the overlaying track vocalising, 'everywhere she goes, they're playing my songs', as she looks over to the radio itself. This is significant as it reveals to the audience that she is aware that he is trying to reach her through other forms of communication, i.e. the radio and he wants to let her know that all of the songs are about her. Another example of when the relationship is established between the lyrics and the visuals is when Tiller says "blow dank" which translates to "smoking marijuana", whereby the visual of Tiller lighting up a 'joint' is mirrored with the lyrics. The lyrics themselves speak of heartbreak and redemption as Tiller is desperate to fix his past relationship and often mirror what the visuals are conveying to the audience.
GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
Tiller redefined the R&B music industry when he released 'Exchange' from the album TRAPSOUL in 2016 from the record label RCA. Typically, as a genre, R&B is associated with intimate and subdued visuals, both of which are present within the music video. The majority of the video is filmed with settings that feature low-key, warm lighting, further intensifying the intimacy that the audience would experience as Tiller recalls a past relationship; the stimulus for the entire music video and song itself. There is also an element of performance prevalent within the music video, as a high-angled camera shot captures Tiller lip-synching to the song whilst nostalgically looking out of a window. A further convention of the R&B/hip-hop genre would be that of the expected 'gold chains' donned by the artist; a wide-angled mid shot captures Tiller as he continues to perform to the lyrics of the song whilst also highlighting the two heavy, gold chains around his neck. An interesting feature to note about this music video is that the majority of scenes are shot in slow-motion; this further reinforces the intimate nature of the video and contributes to a typical convention of the R&B genre, whilst pertaining to the cynosure of the song, allowing the audience to appreciate the visuals a lot more.
INTERTEXTUALITY
Intertextuality features through a minimum during the music video for 'Exchange'. The only notable relation that one could infer from another media text would be that the opening of 'Exchange' is similar to that of the opening of 'Heartbeat' by Childish Gambino. This is recognised through the camera following the respective actor walking down a suburban street, adjacent to a fence and seemingly saddened or affected by another person, with a non-diegetic, melancholic beat running in parallel with the visuals (demonstrated through stills taken from both videos [BELOW RIGHT]). As Tiller continues to grace the music industry with his solemn and brooding releases, he gives a hint to the audience of a future music project, 'SHE'S GOT MY SOUL'. Tiller is now known to go by the alias 'Pen Affleck' and hints that 'SHE'S GOT MY SOUL' may be a music project that is to be released after the platinum album release of 'TRAPSOUL', this is evidenced in the video through a wide-angled/establishing shot of a cinema. Aside from this, there seems to be no other distinct relationship drawn between other media texts and the music video for 'Exchange' but continues to exist on it's own for the remainder of the video.
LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS
Throughout the video, Tiller refuses to acknowledge the camera, therefore reinforcing the element of disconnect between artist and audience. Because of the overarching theme of the song, being it a homage to heartbreak and redemption, this would be expected as Tiller remains no way inclined to publicise the extent of his feelings as the non-diegetic, overlaid sound continues with it's melancholic beat accompanying the visuals and further pushing the story onwards as to establish a clear, but fragmented narrative. However, there is one direct address to the audience near the end of the video, where a close-up shot captures Tiller in a state of agitation, accompanied by harsh red, low-key lighting. There is an element of Colour Psychology prevalent here that establishes a foreshadowing of some sorts and as an interpretation, the general population would associate the colour red with either anger, love and/or danger. As the narrative ensues, the audience are aware that he drives "back and forth from Louisville to Lexington" to meet his ex lover, this highlights an element of danger, for fear that the girl won't reciprocate his feelings and he will have his heartbroken again; anger, so that the girl and him get involved in an argument or, finally, love; wherein the pair reconnect at the end of the video and rekindle the relationship. This close-up camera shot highlights to the audience that Tiller is indeed trying to connect with the audience as compared to at the beginning of the video where it could be inferred that he was reluctant in opening up about his feelings, but is now in a position to reconnect and accept the extent of what he feels for his ex lover.
As previously stated, the narrative is fragmented but is closed, as it seems to be that Tiller and his ex lover come to a state of reconciliation by the end of the video. The way in which it is fragmented is that the quick-cut and slow-cut camera shots jump back and forth between the past and the present, although bearing no significant detail as to how the audience would differentiate the two separate narratives much like in the music video for 'Everybody Talks'. In terms of complexity, the narrative exhibits no ambiguity or hidden subliminal message, therefore reinforces the idea that the music video was driven solely by the message of the song; which was to rekindle an old relationship.
STAR TREATMENTTiller operates as a sole artist under the record label RCA. As a new and up-coming artist within the music industry, audiences start to establish links between the artist and their music, such as through artist iconography. Albeit, considering that Tiller is new to the music world, not a lot of theory could be applied that would detail audience recognition as he is steadily building his fan-base with the release of the platinum album 'TRAPSOUL'. Although, the release of the album gained Tiller immense notoriety from the public with the single 'Don't' being released in early 2015 and started to solidify the franchise behind 'TRAPSOUL'. Throughout the video, Tiller is consistently seen by the audience as the narrative unfolds, with a variety of differing camera shots that establish his status and dominance throughout the video, but very rarely are there close-up camera shots of the artist.
MIS-EN-SCENE
The video features a fragmented narrative, as the aforementioned point states, but however lacks in the diversity in setting. Because of this fragmented narrative, the audience are taken on a journey of a recollection of memories that are seen through wide-angled, high-angled panning shots of the pool and contrasted with a quick-cut edited shots of the past that are shown to the audience through low-key lighting and a mid-shot of Tiller. The significant contrast in camera angle and lighting are important as it highlights Tillers feelings at that time and ensures that the audience can distinguish a clear narrative and difference between the past and the present. Vibrant high-key lighting accompanied by a high-angled panning camera shot of Tiller enforces the happier times that he had during the relationship, although, a typical high-angled camera shot would disempower the artist (as shown through the still on the top right) and empower the audience; subverting the typical convention of the camera angle. However, this choice in camera angle could suggest that the relationship was known to the public, as the enforcement of power to the audience is suggested by us looking down on Tiller and his lover. Perhaps alluding to the idea that because the relationship went too public, it was inevitably what tore them apart. As the narrative continues, the sexualisation of the female ex lover is apparent to the audience and appeals to Laura Mulvey's ideology of 'The Male Gaze', in which female actors or performers are portrayed in such an overtly sexual or provocative way, as to satisfy the male population. An intimate, subtle high-angled camera angle portrays Tillers lover in a sexual light as it is accompanied by amorous low-key lighting, scantily dressed in frilly, white lingerie, while she seductively rubs her hands over the tops of her thighs. The colour white, in most senses, is associated with purity and 'virgin-like' attributes, however, the depiction of the woman and her 'purity' in this video is heavily subverted as she is objectified in order to satisfy the male demographic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj9coPGuFkM
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