Deconstruction of music video

Lana Del Rey: Born To Die - Deconstruction of music video

Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer, songwriter, and model. Born and raised in New York, Del Rey embarked on a music career in 2005 and first received widespread attention in 2011, when the music video for her single "Video Games" became a viral internet sensation. Del Rey received further recognition after her major-label debut Born to Die peaked at number two on the U.S. charts and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. A remix of its single "Summertime Sadness", produced by Cedric Gervais, peaked at number six on the U.S., and the Paradise EP followed that November, garnering Del Rey her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Three of the EP's tracks were featured in her short film Tropico, which premiered in December 2013.

Current Record Label

Interscope Records

Interscope Records is an American recording company that is a division of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, whose parent is the Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi S.A.

Interscope was founded in 1989 by Jimmy Lovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Time Warner's Atlantic Records. At the time, it differed from most record companies by giving decision-making authority to its A&R staff, and allowing artists and producers complete creative control. It had its first hit records less than a year after it was founded and achieved profitability in 1993.

In 1992, Interscope acquired the exclusive rights to market and distribute the hardcore rap label Death Row. Albums by Death Row artists including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg were at the center of the mid-'90s gangsta rap controversy. As a result, Time Warner severed ties with Interscope by selling its 50 percent stake back to Field and Iovine for $115 million in 1995. In 1996, 50% of the label was acquired by the MCA Music Entertainment Group for a reported $200 million.

'Born to die'

'Born To Die'

My oh me, my

Feet don't fail me now

Take me to your finish line

Oh my heart it breaks every step that I take

But I'm hoping that the gates, they'll tell me that you're mine

Walking through the city streets

Is it by mistake or design

I feel so alone on a Friday night

Can you make me feel like home if I tell you you're mine

Don't make me sad, don't make me cry

Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough I don't know why

Keep making me laugh,

Lets go get high

The road is long, we carry on

Try to have fun in the meantime

Come take a walk on the wild side

Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain

You like your girls insane,

So choose your last words, this is the last time

Cause you and I, we were born to die

Lost but now I am found

I can…

Synopsis

"Born To Die" by Lana del Rey is about the wild romance, true love, heartache, loss and growing up, underpinned by the opening line that set's the scene as her having already lost; journeying the road to recovery and reminiscing on the journey her and her lover traveled together and that she desperately wants to turn back time. We can tell her relationship is toxic as her facial expressions look dull and lifeless throughout . As she sings the words "born to die" I think it means that she wants to live each day like its her last, in other words doesn't care what isn't good for her.

Plot summary (Wikipedia)

The video begins with Del Rey seen standing topless in the arms of a tattooed man, played by model Bradley Soileau, with the American flag as a backdrop. This is actually an animated version of the single cover art. The scene is followed by the singer leaving her home and joining her boyfriend for a long car trip. As they enter the car, they start to smoke marijuana together and make out before leaving. While on the road, the relationship of the couple is revealed to be unstable, as Del Rey is forced to kiss her boyfriend while expressing sadness. The trip intercuts with scenes of the couple staying at a luxurious hotel, where they are seen lying on a bed together with the boyfriend ominously holding Del Rey's throat at one point. As Del Rey makes her way out the hotel, the scene cuts back to an apparent car accident, with the singer's bloodied corpse being carried by her lover as a huge fire burns behind them. Also, the video intercuts scenes shot at the Palace of Fontainebleau, showing Del Rey sitting on a throne with tigers 

Timeline

• 00:00-00:12: The video opens with a mid shot of two naked people hugging. Her restricted body posture suggests the entrapment of the relationship. The American flag  in the background also sets location and informs us of nationality. 

• 00:13-00:45: The next shot transitions from a tilt down into a close up zoom of the girls face (Lana). Everything in the room creates and in forces Lana's power from the two tigers guarding her at her throne to the grand high ceilings of the open church plan. At 00:35 Lana puts her hand over her heart, her body language implies to occurrence of recent heart break.

• 00:46-01:10: The relationship of the two is revealed through a mid shot. The shot is flashback of  Lana running towards her boyfriend looking happy in love. We know it's a flashback as colour grading has been applied as a filter.

• 01:11-01:56: As Lana sings the words "Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough I don't know why" The camera transitions from a zoom to a close up. The focal point of the shot is Lana's eyes. When she begins to sing her eyes roll to the left in a awkward manor suggesting the ignorance of other peoples views on the relationship. The next shot has a link to the eye roll as we see an over the shoulder of the two kissing and smoking. The shot also foreshadows danger as a red filter has been added to the guys hand gesture of a gun pointing towards her head. 

• 01:57-02:40: The high angle shot of Lana in a bed full of flowers makes her look weak and powerless. As she sings the words “Lost but now I am found” the video transitions within seconds to a fade in fade out of her boyfriend lying next to her, however she cannot see him, or has chosen to ignore him. After a few fillers the video goes back to the shot of them in bed together, but this time her boyfriends hands are wrapped around her neck. At 02:16 another death threat message is shown as he slices his neck with his fingers looking directly at her.

•  02:41-04:11: A different setting has now been located trough a mid-shot. The mid shot transitions to a close up of us looking at the driver of the car through the front wind screen. His facial expressions suggests he's planning something evil as he has a smirk on his face.  As Lana says the words “Born to Die” her  fingers trace over her neck when her boyfriend then decides to take his hands off the wheel and violently kiss her. The cars bright white headlights and slow moving architecture shots of the church walls symbolise heaven and peace. Meaning she has died.

• 04:11-04:46: To confirm her death we see her boyfriend holding her dead body. As the mid shot zooms out we also see the car on fire. The video is drawn to a close as we are re introduced to the opening.

To get a precise and good understanding of the video and its concept I re-watched it many times.

Analysis 

Overall Shots/ Camera Angles

Total Time- 04:46

Total Shots- 54

Zoom In- 7

Zoom Out- 4

Mid- 17

Low Mid- 1

Low Angle- 4

High Angle- 1

Tilt Down- 2

Long Distance- 2

Close Up- 8

Low Close Up- 1

Over the Shoulder- 5

Tilt- 1

Pan- 1

Tracking- 1

Mise-en-Scene

Setting and Location

(Behind the Scenes)

Born To Die was filmed at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France. They used a significantly higher budget than a normal music video would need as real tigers were used as props.The video was intended to be set in heaven which was represent by a Romanian Castle.

Interview about the tigers;

"I always feel uncomfortable spending anyone's money, but I really did want the tigers, just because of what they symbolize to me, and just visually, they're so striking." she laughed. "I always like the vision of a girl in a white nightgown with two majestic tigers. (In one scene), I was sitting on the throne first, and then I had to leave the room and then he tiger was filmed right by the throne, and then sliced in... Tigers and women can't be in the same room, even if the tiger is female, because of the pheromones."

Costume and Makeup

Lana’s makeup is flawless. There are no imperfections on her skin or body. The whole image of her looking flawless has been made to give the impression that she is now in heaven. What’s very striking about her makeup is her red lipstick.  The meaning of red lipstick is to increase sex appeal, which her unstable relationship seems to resemble. 

Her boyfriend in the video is covered from head to toe in tattoos and stretchers which gives him a badass scruffy look.

Lana has four different costume changes:

All the costume changes are white which represents purity and heaven

• Naked body
• White long structured dress and flower crown
• White silk dress
• White leather tassel jacket with shorts

Focus group

I asked members of the focus group to see what they had to say about the video:

"I like the fact this music video is different from any other music video I've ever watched. They have been very clever when creating it using two different setting and locations to identify different tenses, which makes the audience reflect negatively on the actions taken of the boyfriend towards Lana Del Rey."

"Throughout the video we can clearly see star image has been created through lighting, costume and makeup. Lana's white costume changes reflects innocence and purity and symolises heaven. I love the way the idea of heaven is also shown through the church with close ups of its architecture."

" Lana Del Rey's videos are always different however thy always have some link towards the american culture which I think is very cleaver. The only thing that I don't understand about the video is why there are two tigers guarding her as the explanation behind it is not made clear in the video."