Music Video Deconstructions - Treat You Better

Treat You Better - Shawn Mendes

In order to create a unique and effective music video, we started by looking at other music videos and analyzing them shot by shot, looking at the following points-

• Camerawork
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-En-Scene
• Narrative
• Representation
• Conventions

"Treat You Better- Shawn Mendes"

The 'Treat You Better' Music video by Shawn Mendes is about Shawn's character who falls in love with his next door neighbour who- who happens to be in an abusive relationship. It follows both characters and shows the abusive side of her (the neighbour's) relationship, whilst also focusing on Shawn's character and his turmoil as he can't do anything about it. Treat You Better is a Pop song

The establishing shot in this music video is a tracking shot, first panning along a car to show a couple sat inside arguing. Their faces are darkened due to the low lit lighting and the male is shown to be arguing- making him seem anonymous and possibly suggesting his is villainous, or violent- also suggested by his hand movements.The female is also anonymous due to the lighting, but isn't seen to be talking or contributing to the argument, showing she is the more civil of the two but possibly the weaker on. Her head is lent back on the head of her seat, showing that she is sick of the arguing, possibly suggesting it is a common occurrence.

The tracking shot then continues, following the female character as she gets up out of the car,leaving the argument behind her, and begins walking towards a block of buildings. She doesn't make eye contact with the camera, or the male character. She keeps her head up high showing she is trying to stay strong, but her shoulders are a bit slumped and she is walking considerably quickly showing she really doesn't want to be in that situation anymore. 

As she is walking away, the editing begins to show flashbacks of the man from the car and the woman. The man is shown to be quite violent as he is shown beating someone up. The low lit lighting, shaky camera shots and quick cuts allow this to be conveyed.

Whenever the male character is shown the lighting is always very dark or dimly lit, contrasted by the woman who, during flashbacks, is mostly seen during daytime shots where the light is brighter and clearer. Along with the fight and the dark clothing he is wearing, the lighting connotes the man as a dark and aggressive character. Throughout these shots the boyfriend and girlfriend are both central shot, making them seem important to the story, as well as making them seem connected despite being in different shots,

These shots are very jumpy and done using a handheld camera. This makes the audience seem like they are really there at the fight and entices them in to the story further.

In contrast to this, the man can also see to be quite loving when he is kissing the woman on the head. In this shot the lighting is brighter, possibly suggesting that whilst she is around everything is better and he is happier. However, the lighting isn't completely pure as the sky is still quite grey and cloudy. This could connote that when he is around, the girl's days become murky and blurred- this could also been seen due to her facial expression as she doesn't look genuinely happy. Her body language is also closed up compared to his and she is wearing thicker, more layers of clothing. This can be seen as she is almost protecting herself or wearing some sort of defence. The boy's body language on the other hand is very open and he is wearing less clothes. His body language suggests that he feels their relationship is fine whilst his lack of "armour" could possibly suggest he doesn't need any and he is clearly stronger.

Mixed in with the tracking shot and the first few shots of the fight. It shows the girlfriend stripped of her clothes, sat in a low-lit room with wet hair and a simple background. It makes her seem depressed and like she has been stripped of everything. Her facial expression is dull and blank which adds to the sense of abuse and depression portrayed throughout the video.

This is amplified by one of the shots at the end of the montage/flashback. As the tracking shot ends, the girlfriend takes a deep sigh (of relief?) and lies down on her bed. She just stares into blank space and looks as if she is thinking/contemplating what to do. Their room has a flowery bed sheet but it has been left untidy and jewellery and other pretty things on the that have been left in a tip. This could connote their relationship as it is something beautiful that has become ugly and messy. Or it could simply portray their abusive relationship which has left their room a mess as he throws her around etc.

After the tracking shot ends it cuts to Shawn Mendes, sat in a room, staring blankly at the floor. Along with the lyrics you can clearly tell her is thinking about the girl next door (the one in an abusive relationship). His body language is very tense and looks stiff as if he is angry or upset. The blank face adds to this. As the songs reaches the end of the line "I know he's just not right for you" if cuts to the girl's boyfriend rattling and slamming against a fence.

In this shot the boyfriend's arms are above the girl's emphasising not only his violence but his dominance in the relationship. The angle of the shot also shows the muscles on his shoulders and upper arms, adding the the sense of power. The difference in height between both the characters works in a similar way. 

As he pulls himself away from the fence, it reveals the girl's laughing face. Despite the happiness expressed on her face, she is clung on to the fence which encircles them, almost suggesting she is trapped. The wiring on top of the fence reminds me of a prison, and the man is acting like the other wall trapping her in. Tattoos are often associated with thug like people so the one of his arm adds to his character.

Once again the sky is murky which could represent their relationship, it also makes makes the story shown through the video continuous.

The next four shots build up to the chorus and show the turmoil both the above characters are going through. You can see the female character's struggle with "Do I love him?" and the frustration of Shawn's character. He has constantly been looking down and he has his arms in lap like a sad child. Shawn's character is against a black wall which could also show he is trapped, similar to the girl. The girl is still in her room, but this time a light is shining through the windows behind her. It could symbolise that inside her trapped and dark relationship there is a light waiting for her outside.

As the chorus begins the lyrics state "I know I can treat you better than he can", which work hand in hand with the story. As the music has been building up to the chorus, so has the story line and as the meat of the song begins along comes the abuse. In the first few shots it doesn't show the male's eyes, once again showing the height difference between the characters. At first they are just looking at each other, almost lovingly, but then he puts his hands on her neck and he becomes more dominant in the scene.

As the abuse scenes are happening shots of Shawn's character cut in between to show his aggravation and angst as he is powerless to stop what is happening next door. The 2nd shot especially makes him seem weak as the high angle is as if we are looking down on him or he is being towered over.

He man throws the girl on the bed and proceeds to leave, once again showing his power as he traps her in the room. She looks genuinely scared for the first time and very confused as to what to do. In the background we can see female clothes hung up on the wall. Along with the flowery covers and jewellery seen earlier we can tell the room is rather feminine. Despite this the man is still clearly in control and domineering. This can be seen to be trapping her in her own life.

As the chorus ends the the second verse starts the girl begins to have a shower. This links back to the to one of the shots in the montage where she is seen wearing no clothes with a barren and empty look on her face. We now know she is in an abusive relationship and this shows she isn't coping. She does however seem calmer in the shower, as if the shower curtain is protecting her from whats outside.

As she showers water floods under the door in to Shawn's flat.

He opens the bathroom door and his sink is overflowing. Everything in his bathroom is white and pure- like his character. The water can be seen as an indirect call out for help from the girl next door. 

As the song continues the story continues to show the struggles both characters are going through, especially the female. It shows her staring in a mirror and crying, but also the happy times she has had with her boyfriend. On one hand he excites her and is proud and flirtatious. However, he is also abusive and angry which confuses her as she doesn't know what to do. Throughout all of this Shawn is still trapped in his room, unable to do anything.

This car scene especially shows the two sides of her relationship. Both shows are from the same angle but one is wider and shows the girl enjoying driving around with her boyfriend, having alot of fun. The second however is from slightly outside the car, with part of the window covering the screen. This suggests we are seeing something we shouldn't, being the argument.

As the song builds up to the final chorus the girl leaves the car in distress and we then see her in a club.

She is surrounded by smoke but occasionally lights flash around her. This could signify her relationship and her state of ind about the matter. She loves her boyfriend but whenever she thinks there's a flicker of light it disappears and he feelings become blurred again- like smoke.

She sees her boyfriend with another girl and confronts him.

A medium close up shot is then used to show the girl's realisation that he isn't good for her and that he doesn't really love her.

This music video is very stereotypical in the sense that a male character is dominant whilst the female character is portrayed as the weaker of the two and more emotional. When people think of abusive relationships it is often assumed that as men are naturally stronger the female one is the person being abused, which is stereotyped in this video.

A lot of pop music videos don't have a story or message behind them but are often over sexualized and focus largely on the artist singing their song and/or dancing. Although the "Treat you Better" video does do this to a degree, it mainly focuses on the story and the relationship/meaning behind it.

 I haven't decided on what story line or song I want to focus on for my music video yet but this music video is a good example of a meaningful video I'd like to accomplish.

This video is a good example of the sort of story and meaning I want to convey throughout my own music video. With the use of realistic lighting and realistic story lines it captures the audience and helps them at the same time.