Rebecca Black Friday

analysis
Conventions
This type of music video uses the conventions of lyric interpretation. This means that the understanding of
what is meant by the lyrics being used within the text is defined by the use of visual references.
This music video is a hybrid of narrative and performance in the sense that there is a storyline unravelling
amidst the lead singer performing the song. Through much of the video she is performing to both the group
of young people and for the audiences benefit, too. The video lasts almost 4 minutes, during which the
teenage girl expresses her joys of it being Friday - hence the name of the song - extending her joys to all of
her friends. It captures her friends and her all hanging out together as teenagers stereotypically spend their
time. The group get in a car together and drive all through town from morning to evening. The fact that she
is captured to be having fun by singing and dancing and going to parties with her friends is typical of the
genre, being pop, as many pop music videos include these elements as a constant. The colours, especially in
the evening with the disco lighting further reflect the fun and care-free atmosphere the teenagers are trying
to project to the audience. In effect, this immediately appeals to the audience as they, too, want to enjoy the
joys of life and youth and of lacking worries like this group of friends. Moreover, this relates to Jacques
Lacans theory of the Ideal I in which the viewers observe a lifestyle that they may want to be a part of as
well.

The star of the music video is young and fairly

well-dressed. Her costumes are demonstrated
through a number of medium close up shots.
Initially she is in casual clothing for school. The
school bag prop also indicates that she attends
school, as do many other props, such as the alarm
clock which is an indication that she has to get up
early in order to get to school on time. However,
in the evening, she is dressed in party attire. The
fact that the moon and the rest of the city is in
the background indicates that they do not care
about the time, and want to party the whole night.
This notion is a stereotype affiliated with young
people and refers to Dick Hebdiges theory of age,
in that young people are either seen in colour as
the fun part of the spectrum, or in black and
white, considered to be the troubled part.
Evidently, these young people are on the fun part
of the spectrum as they are simply enjoying
themselves. The fact that they are educated is
another positive connotation associated with
young people. In terms of positioning, especially in the second image, it is clear that the lead singer is also
the star of the narrative, given that she is in the centre of the shot, in the middle of her friends, and has her
arms wrapped around both of her friends shoulders which indicates her importance and power within their
relationship with her. She also stands out by the dark top she is wearing, which may signify maturity but also
a sense of mysteriousness. Conventionally, the audience of this video will be mostly young girls, not only
because the lead singer is a girl and therefore the female population will be able to relate to her better, as
they have an instant effeminate connection, but also the choice of colour. Her friends are both wearing pink
dresses which is considered to be associated with the female population as it is rather a feminine colour. The
Ideal-I theory is therefore reinforced by the fact that Rebecca Black will have some sort of influence over her
target audience. Her facial expression also warrants the suggestion that she is trying to promote an ideal
lifestyle for young people. Through close up shots, she is constantly smiling and enjoying her life.
In relation to this convention of music video, the lyrics of the song are referred to in the music video as a
visual aid. For example, the line in the first verse
Seven am., waking up in the morning is mirrored
by the changing of the clock time to 7am on her
digital alarm beside her bed. This is achieved
through an interesting editing technique which
manipulates the movement of an object, showing
the passage of time, quite literally. I am keen to
explore this editing technique in further detail as it
creates a dynamic within the music video.

At some points of the music video, however, when this convention of lyric interpretation is used, I personally
feel as though it makes the video come across as less professional and more amateurish. The fact that the
director has decided to have the bus stop sign in the same frame as when the lead singer sings the line is
almost indicating that the audience cannot visualize much of her story without needing visual aids
throughout; almost being too accommodating. However, this does show elements of cutting to the beat
which ultimately demonstrates swift changeovers between scenes. Nevertheless, I will think considerably
closely about how I will use this convention within my own music video.

Other examples include when she meets her

friends and she ponders about Which seat shall I
take?

Another editing technique that I thought was a

fundamental part of the fluidity of the music video
is the transitions between scenes. There is a fade
between when Rebecca Black is performing, and
she makes eye contact with the audience, and as
her friends and her are driving in the car.
I believe that this is a smooth transition, taking the
audience through the journey of her day in a
graduated fashion. The car is symbolic of her
journey which could be of many things such as:
completing her week and making it to Friday or
simply Friday itself from the morning to the evening
as she demonstrates how she likes to spend her
day. The car, more generally, is a means of her
moving around from one part of the narrative to
another.

At the start of the music video and again near the end, there is an animation of a note pad referring to the
days of the week starting from Sunday, with activities such as Study, study, study! to Monday where she
has noted down Test today almost like a diary or calendar. Interestingly, the academic lexical field is very
prominent in her diary from Study to test to homework to music practice and beyond. The pages fly out
of the frame to show each day passing, and when it gets to Friday, more positive word such as Hooray! and
Yay! are written on the page. The animation of the digital clock changing its time also opens up into the
page, also in a swift yet smooth transition. Cleverly, on each page of the notepad, you can see the sketched
outline of the singer as she opens with the songs intro. This is a very unique and advance edit which looks
aesthetically interesting, and is a benefit to the audience as the effect is very appealing and different. The
fact that she uses an animated digital alarm clock, not to mention the fact that the notepad is also animated
is symbolic of the fact that this narrative stroke performance takes place within the digital age; a time in
which advancing technologies are heavily relied upon in modern times.
Near the end of the music video, during the bridge
of the song, the animated notepad is shown once
again, with a heightened demonstration of the
creative editing ability. Not only are the days
flashing like strobe lighting, but the lyrics are typed
across the page. This movement is reflective of
their youthful energy and the accentuated fact
that Friday is subjectively the best day of the
week, especially for young people to go out with
their friends, as they look forward to the
weekend and not worry about school the next day.

The changing background during the bridge is also a convention of many pop music videos. The sketchy
background is somewhat of a countertype given that the colour appears almost drained even though pop
music is generally affiliated with colourful scenes. That said, perhaps the various backgrounds reflect the
diversity of pop culture, in that her song lyrics and performance can relate to that of many people possibly
not just young girls.
Further, the only sound that is heard in the music video is the song track. It is very upbeat and catchy a
typical element of pop music, and is of a light-hearted, informal subject matter. The singer/performer is lip
syncing to the track, thereby the song was then added in during post-production. This enables the music
video to appear aesthetically seamless and professionally filmed and edited. The fact that the singer is
always looking directly into the camera at the audience almost makes the audience feel as though she is
performing only for them, individually there is a connection between singer and audience.