Music Video Research 6 - We Can't Stop

 Artist: Miley Cyrus

Track: We Can't Stop

Director- Diane Martel

Camera/Editing/Visual Style/Mise-en-scene

The music video is set in a house party as the iconography within the video consist of red party cups, the amount of people there is and the dancing. The first shot we see is 'We Can't Stop' in bright yellow writing to make it stand out whilst behind the onscreen writing, Miley is cutting off a tag on her foot with oversized scissors denoting that she's letting her real self come out rather than what the media perceived her as before hand. The next shot we see is a close up of Miley looking at the camera directly showing that she knows she is being recorded and is ready to show the audience what she is about. Product placement is used two times in the music video to promote the brands using Close Ups of them, the first one is at the beginning of a Beats Pill being turned up and the second one is when Miley applies the lip balm EOS to her lips. There are a variety of high angle shots especially when Miley Cyrus is singing the track and when people are floating in the pool.The camera always cuts back and forth to Miley dancing and singing on a bed and in one visual the camera moves down Miley's body on the bed this shows Miley as being quite provocative. The editing of the video has a slow pace and normal pace to keep the timing of the slow beat of the song. We see a Big Close Up of Miley singing on a pool edge to directly speak to the audience that we can 'do what we want to' along with pointing so the audience feels even more involved. In certain shots Miley is not featured in them and they tend to be dark and ambiguous suggesting that without her that's how it is, she is the life of the party. We also see in the music video the camera being used as a torch to look as if someone is looking at people sleeping in the dark. Near the end the camera is shot so we see a sunrise of a city's skyline whilst Miley and friends sit on an edge as if they have partied all night. Finally, the last shot we see is a final Big Close Up of Miley

Narrative

The story of the music video is to show Miley's true self. The track is the first song she released since changing her image, she wants to be an inspiration to others that you do not have to hide who you are. The music video could have been made to cause controversy as it is provocative and it would get people talking therefore it was a clever way for Miley to promote the single. The different props used are bizarre such as the skull made out of chips and a Close Up of a man biting a money sandwich, this may of been used to highlight Miley Cyrus's personality.

Conventional/Unconventional

In a way the music video uses the conventions of a typical R&B/Hip Hop song. It's set in a a party and there are girls with their makeup and hair done, they have jewellery on and they don't wear much clothing. The music could be compared with other controversial artists such as Lady Gaga and Ke$ha who use similar conventions.

What works?

The thing that works with this music video is the way the lyrics work with the music video. The music video is set in a house party and the lyrics make a lot of references to that of being in a party. 'It's our party we can do what we want to'.