Video Analysis - Jason Derulo 'What If'

Jason Derulo – What If

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video ‘What If’ by the artist Jason Derulo. He is an artist who has recently emerged onto the music scene and is predominantly known for his music in the R ‘n’ B genre.

Narrative

The overall narrative of the video is based around a relationship between the artist, Jason Derulo and his girlfriend. Before the song actually starts, the video shows Jason unpacking, which shows that he’s just moved into a new house. He pulls out a small red box containing a wedding ring which suggests that he is going to propose to his partner. We are then introduced to another character who assume is his girlfriend. They have a conversation (diagetic sound) and from the excitement and smile on his girlfriend’s face, we can see that she is happy as she has now moved in with her boyfriend and could be potentially entering the next phase in her life. The video then takes an unexpected turn, as his girlfriend goes to collect a box whilst a careless driver who is texting on his phone drives straight towards her. We don’t actually know whether she gets hit by the car and dies or survives, as Jason comes running to her rescue. The video at this moment freezes and the song then starts. Everything after this point then starts to go backwards in time, showing the experiences that Jason and his girlfriend shared together, up to the point where they actually met for the first time.

Treatment (Concept)

The very beginning of the video establishes a pleasant and happy atmosphere, which contrasts to the end where we are left contemplating fate and gives quite a pessimistic perspective on life. The name of the song ‘What If’ represents the contemplation that we experience as we are left to wonder what the outcome would’ve been if Jason and his girlfriend had never met i.e. “What if they never met? Would things have turned out any different?”. The concept is determining whether true love can be a cause of fate, or could lead to ill-fated love. The video raises questions such as: “Are they really meant to be?” “Is this accident a sign of showing that they’re not meant to be together?” etc.

Connection To Song

The song itself is quite ambivalent because Jason is asking “What if?” about his relationship. He’s asking “what if I’m the one for you, and you’re the one for me?” which suggests that there are some uncertainties or unresolved conflict at the back of his mind i.e. he’s saying that if we’re meant to be, then this here is fate. This is represented when Jason says: “We can’t tell, the future no, but that’s just the beauty of the world we know”. This shows that Jason feels that although we cannot predict what the future may hold, our relationship is still a beautiful thing and he wishes to prolong it. There is a strong connection between the video and the song because they both represent the theme of love and relationships. The video shows how a negative aspect of daily life can affect love and relationships.

Mise en scene

The mise-en-scene involves several elements which contribute to the overall effect of the video.  The beginning of the video is shot in the room of a house, with has two lights switched on at the back to give an authentic feel of being in an actual house. There are also scenes with Jason and his girlfriend outside, so therefore natural lighting has been used to represent the “beauty of the world we know”. There is also a scene in the kitchen and bathroom of the house where artificial light has been used. A night scene is also shot where Jason is “still hoping, that you are the one for me”. The video moves between day and night showing Jason’s relationship with his girlfriend before the accident, which gives us a genuine feel of their relationship. A clock is also consistently used showing time going backwards, just as the relationship unwinds back to their meeting point. Jason also looks at his watch regularly representing the same thing. A dog is also used which is referred to in the lyrics. The furniture and food used give a sense of ‘being home’ which is crucial in order to connect with the audience and ensure that they are receiving the full effect/moral of the video. In addition, the general companionship shown between Jason and his girlfriend contributes to the pleasurable atmosphere and base of their relationship. It shows that they have a genuine connection. During an outside scene, Jason is dressed fully in black so that he stands out amongst the crowd. He is also the only one standing still whilst the background is busy with people walking backwards in time.

Mise en shot

There are a lot of shots used in the video. The establishing shot is a wide shot and shows Jason unpacking furniture for the new house. A pan is also used to follow Jason when he runs to his girlfriend. A close-up is also used when Jason is alone amongst the crowd, which emphasises him and the lyrics. There is also a close-up of the watch that Jason is wearing to also lay emphasis on the fact that time is going backwards. Also, there are two shots of Jason and his girlfriend. A medium close-up is also used of Jason with his hands covering his girlfriend’s eyes for a surprise, which then shows the girlfriend disappear representing going back in time suggesting what it would be like if they never met. The same happens with a close-up of a photograph, showing what it would be like if she wasn’t in his life.There is also a medium shot used which zooms out from being a close-up of Jason to represent all of the people surrounding him.

Audience

The video can relate to the audience because a lot of people may have experienced an accident such as knowing somebody who has got hit by a vehicle of some sort. The video can also connect with the audience because the majority of people can connect their emotions with a song and video based around love and relationships.

Historic, Social and Cultural Context

The video represents contemporary issues such as ‘hit and run’ accidents that unfortunately occur on a daily basis. This relates to society, as many people today are careless when driving, particularly young drivers. The man in the video driving the car however, isn’t young so therefore contradicts the stereotype. You can also interpret the aspect of fate in relation to history, as astrology has emerged from many years and centuries ago. In the cultural context, there are several cultures displayed in the video in the background.