PW - Music Video Analysis #1

Artist: JLS
Song Name: Beat Again
Producer: Wayne Hector
Genre: Hip Hop/Pop


JLS, also known as ‘Jack the Lads Swing’ are a British based boy band who were formed in 2008, their video ‘Beat Again’ was directed by Jessy Terrero and produced in 2009. The song was very successful on the UK Singles Chart, it debuted at number one, selling 106,299, so the single was the second fastest-selling single of 2009 so far in the UK, behind Dizzee Rascals ‘Bonkers’. In its second week on the chart, it remained at number one, even with a 36% drop in sales, selling 67,731 copies. It has so far sold 301,660 copies in the UK. I am going to be analysing this music video. There are no previous videos by this boy band because they have only just been formed.

Their genre of music is in the pop genre, this specific genre has a number of characteristics that make it unique. In most boy band music videos under this genre, a lot of the video is performance based with only a little amount of narrative. However, this is not always true because there have been videos in the past where boy bands have used just a narrative based video to promote themselves and their song. It is typical for this genre to have the dancers throughout the video and also looking into the camera in a large number of close ups which is continuous throughout.

This music video is all performance based with no narrative involved. However, it can be seen that the boys are singing to the camera in order to make contact with the viewer by singing to them. The main consumer of this video is going to be teenage girls so it was important for JLS to create the right mood for the video.
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals which is shown very early on in the video. In the first few lines the lyrics say ‘there’s no time’, and simultaneously the boys point to an imaginary watch on their wrists to show what they are singing by making an action. Furthermore, the main action that they use is when they sing ‘Beat Again’ in the chorus and when singing it they use their hands to represent a heartbeat on their chest, this action alludes to the song title and its theme. Also, this action is continuous throughout the whole song when you hear the words, by doing this it creates an iconic look which can then become their trademark action that they can use over and over again when they sing ‘Beat Again’. Therefore the lyric to visual relationship is illustrated and so are linked with one another. I do not think that this video could be considered art, only the fact that they are dancing can possibly make it art but there are no underlying ideas or issues represented in the video, it is purely a commercial video.


The relationship between music and visuals is also strong; the video regularly cuts to the beat which enhances the effect of the video. This also allows the video to change pace to match the music with the help of the dancers who follow the beat of the music with their actions and dance moves.

Some visual techniques are used in the music video to help back up the theme of the song and also the beat of the song. When the dancers stomp their feet the camera slightly shakes to create the effect that they have shaken the room. The biggest visual technique is when the boys look into the camera; this is shot mainly in close up. The close ups are essential in this video as they are the meat of the video; they show the dancers looking into the camera and singing to the audience
The editing of the video has a fast cutting rhythm which cuts with the beat, this is used to keep the rhythm of the video and to keep the consumers attention.
The record company are trying to sell this track to a young audience because the fan base of JLS is mainly the younger age groups. They are trying to create an image for this band which is new and modern. This is the first music video JLS have created so for it to be successful they need to present themselves in the best way possible so that their image is conveyed in the correct way. JLS are reinforcing the dominant ideologies and conventions of a British boyband by using a number of conventional styles and ideas throughout this video. As most boyband music videos use dancing as the main part of their videos JLS have copied this to enhance their own video. They also follow other iconic conventional ideas that other boy bands have used such as smiling, looking into the camera, singing to the audience and using well known dance moves that are easily imitated.

There is a definite sense of sexual display shown in this video. The boy band is dancing in a way that could appeal to girls. As the theme of this music video is about love they can appeal to the opposite sex with ease. Also, the four men are wearing tight t shirts and shirts which show off their muscles. By doing this they are trying to look attractive, therefore by looking attractive they are appealing to the opposite sex. The boys in the boy band are portrayed to be seen as role models, or even for women they could be seen as attractive figures and could well be making good use of ‘macho’ posturing to help sell their brand image.

There is a sense of dismemberment in parts of the video where a couple of the dancers show off their stomachs which could express that they are ‘good looking’ and desirable to girls which ultimately will boost their sales because their fan base will then become larger. However, this does not make them become objects for consumption they are just using themselves as an object to help themselves become more popular. Gender is represented through the way that the boy band is portrayed. They are portrayed to be very handsome and are made to look desirable to the consumer, as they are young men it is a good idea if they aimed their target audience at a young age. This may be because teenage girls and young women have a lot more time to watch TV music channels than any other age group.

This video could be consumed on many of the TV music channels in either ambient or focused viewing. However, I think that it will be consumed a bit more by casual viewing because it is a pop song, its upbeat sound would definitely attract a group of people rather than solo commitment.

Overall I think this music video is very simple but its effect is a lot bigger than most would think. The energetic dancing and choreography makes that video excellent because it attracts the consumer to watch the whole video. As some people just flick through the music channels to find a video rather than sticking to one, I think that this one would stand out.

Here is this music video 'Beat Again' by JLS: