Music Video Analysis: Craig David - 7 Days
Styles:
The video is mainly done in a narrative interpretative style, as well as performance. Craig David starts the video with the story, which later on changes to something slightly different than what he is singing about. Although he still sticks to the same story, there are some elements that he skips in his narration. The video looks more like a short film than a music video.Techniques:
In the video, we see a lot of common techniques for music videos, such as cutting to the beat, chroma key and animation. In the video, beats are not only used as transitions between shots, but also as cues for certain actions, such as the time on the clock changing, turning the TV on and spilling a glass of wine. Animation and Chroma Key are combined in this case, as he pauses the scene and plays it again, which is achieved by animation, and jumps out of the scene and rewinds it, changing the background to a few scenes back.Theory:
☆ Andrew Goodwin - The Music Video Theory
This video supports Andrew Goodwin’s theory, by proving all 5 parts of his theory.The first part if Goodwin’s theory is thought through beat, where Craig David is identified as the star of the video and the narrator, establishing a connection with the audience as he tells the story.
The second part of the Music Video theory is the relationship between the song and visuals. In this vide, the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is illustrative, as the video show exactly what Craig David is singing about :
“In front of me, stood a beautiful honey with a beautiful body”
“Endless ringing of my phone”
In the third part of Goodwin’s theory is narrative and performance, where the artist mimics the lyrics of the song, which is evident in the video.
In terms of the technical aspects, the most important feature of the video is the mise-en-scene, as it plays a crucial part in the narrative, creating a feeling of deja-vu, to later reveal the fact that he is going through the same day over and over again.
The final aspect of the Music Video Theory is the Star Image. His star reputation is well preserved through the house he wakes up in, including his furniture, his car his clothes and the fact that he is mentioned by the radio host in the beginning.
☆ Roland Barthes: 5 Codes
Judging by Roland Barthes’ Theory, this video approaches the action (Proairetic) Code, where the events are put together in a sequence that creates suspense and anticipation to the climax of the story. Every time the same sequence of events replays, the story changes, making the audience wonder what is going to happen next.Representation:
☆ Richard Dyer: The Star Theory
As the song and the video were made in a time where R&B was still developing and gaining more audience, Craig David’s image is mainly constructed to connect with the already widely established audience group - African-American people. However, his image takes the role of the sweet, funny and likeable charming guy driven by his interest in women. He is ‘casual’ and laid back, relating to the everyday guy in his 20’s at the time.☆ Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze
Every introduction of women (except for the elderly lady) begins with a tilt from her feet up to expose her body, and then face, as it isn’t very important. This gives the audience a point of view from a heterosexual man, checking a woman out, objectifying her body by looking first at typically attractive feature - long legs, skinny, etc.
At the end, when they are back to his place, the only person who is shown undressing is the woman as he removes her top and bra, while he is still fully clothed and hid behind her naked back.The barber shop in the video represents the men as a very tight group of friends, where they share experiences and brag about their experiences with women, while also slightly addressing the stereotype on men who lie and exaggerate to ‘show off’ in front of their friends, when at the beginning it seems like Craig David is lying about what happened since he is rejected the first time.
Women are shown as the weaker sex. Every woman in this video needs some kind of help - from the girl with the broken heel, to the elderly woman who lets go of the balloon by accident, to the main girl in the story, who stops him to ask him for the time. This subconsciously sets the idea in the audience’s heads that the artist is not only nice and relatable but also desired and constantly needed by women. The main character seems like a gold digger, as she only agrees to go out with Craig David, when he shows his nice watch and flashy car.The kids in the video seem reckless, rude, hyperactive and dirty, as they bump into the artist and step on his shoes, making them dirty. This connects to the universal representation of children being careless, disrespectful and making things harder for the adults.
☆ Symolisms
On the date, Craig David and the woman of his interest are drinking red wine, which symbolises love and affection, creating a warm and cozy setting. This shows the audience that this is a date and it is going very well.
Red lingerie represents passion, excitement, love and sexuality. The colour itself is known as the colour of emotions, naturally being able to quicken the pulse and increase the breathing rate in people. Typically, a woman wearing red lingerie suggests promiscuity, desire, acknowledgement of her power in terms of looks and confidence. This is exactly what image the director of the video was going for when he made the last scene, where Craig David and the woman are finally in his bedroom.Mise-En-Scene
☆ Lighting
The lighting in the video is High-Key, as the song is very happy and upbeat, while the music video seems like a funny short story with a happy ending. The lighting is mostly natural, suitable for the scene and helping the audience relate to the artist as an everyday man
The direction of light is also important. When he’s walking down the street, just before he meets the woman, a soft light can be seen behind him, directing the audience’s attention to his face and his face expressions as they change throughout the video.
When he meets the woman, the light is coming from behind them, slightly closer to him than her. This could be interpreted as a hint that there is future for them, which solely depends on his part.☆ Props
The props are a vital part of the video, as they help create the feeling of deja vú essential to the storyline, as Monday keeps repeating until he gets the girl’s number. The most obvious prop is the clock, giving the day and time, followed by the TV, that covers the same story every time.
On the street, the biggest indicator of the day being repeated is the headline of the newspaper - “hero fireman saves baby”, followed by the girl’s heel breaking and the balloon flying away.
Props are also important for delivering the story properly. For example, the third time the woman stops Craig David, we know she was asking for the time, not only through the lyrics, but the fact that he has a watch - unlike the previous two times. They start talking and he takes his phone out, dialling something in it, informing the audience that she is giving him her number.
The car deck later, showing that the car is low on petrol explains what happens in the story earlier, so by the time the music stops and Craig David is telling his barber, the audience is already aware of the situation.The restaurant setting and the wine tells us that this is a special evening and their first date. When he rewinds the time, before he spills the drink on her, the background changes, as the waiter is there, the glasses aren’t full and the woman mimics her previous moves in reverse. This creates the illusion of rewinding time and going back.
☆ Costume
Craig David wears simple, casual clothes, typical for R&B performers at the time, as he sings about relatable topics and is ‘just a normal guy’, like everyone else. This lets the audience see him as a character in the video, more than a successful star, which wouldn’t work with the narrative.
The women in the video wear revealing clothes (tight jeans and tops with heels). The subject of the artist’s interest is wearing a top that reveals her shoulders, chest and her belly button, with the purpose of showing off her body. In the beginning, she wears a pink top, which symbolises femininity, romance and affection.When she waits for him outside the restaurant, she is wearing a long, black leather coat, which gives an impression of power and sex appeal.
On the date, she is wearing a red top and skirt, again, signalling passion, sex appeal, and attracting attention to her body.
At the end, when they are at his place, they are shown kissing and undressing, but wearing different clothes in each scene, which tells the audience that this happened more than once - just like it was said in the song.☆ Locations
His bedroom - where everything starts and finishes. This is a very intimate for his character, as the audience is invading his personal space. This not only makes him seem like a simple and normal guy, but also shares level of intimacy at different levels. While at the beginning, it is very personal about him, as we see his bedroom and him waking up, towards the end, it becomes personal on another level, as he has taken the woman to his bedroom and is undressing her, imitating for another private act to happen.
The Street/London - When he is walking down the street, we see not so busy street without traffic or many people, which location is only established through the British accent and headline of the day, as well as the red London bus that goes past while he’s in the barber shop.
Barber Shop - Stereotypical bonding place for men, especially African-American men. This is where they socialise, talk about their experience and get the chance to brag about their sexual experience - exactly what Craig David does.
☆ Colours:
Orange - Seen in the barber shop and his house - an optimistic and uplifting colour, represents happiness and warmth, as it delivers energy in the same way as red, while cheering the audience up in the same way yellow does. Orange is seen in his bedroom, in the barber shop, and on the street, creating a calm and relaxing environment.Burgundy - Seen in his bedroom and the barber shop, burgundy symbolises determinism, maturity, willpower and courage - what he builds up throughout the video.
White/Beige - White and Beige are used a lot in the video, while he walks on the street, in the barber shop, his bedroom and when he meets the woman. White represents wholeness, completion, balance and a blank canvas to write on. Beige is a relaxing, neutral colour that combines warmth and softness. This creates a soft, light-hearted atmosphere and brightens up the video, matching the upbeat tone of the song.
Camera Work:
In the video, a lot of medium and long shots are used, to establish the locations and setting of the action shown. It starts off with a long shot, which is tracked forward to a meduim shot, and moved back and forward again, as Craig David speaks to his barber.
As well as this, it is also used later on when showing the rest of the men in the barber shop, medium shots also appear every time there is a point made about a relationship or interaction between the artist and another person, This happens when he notices the newsstand man, when the woman walking past him almost falls due to her shoe breaking, when he helps the old lady and catchesher balloon, when the girl he’s singing about appears, during the date, and at the end of the video, when they are at his house.
Close ups are used when Craig David performs, and when he speaks to the woman on the street. Close ups reveal his face expressions, accenting on his feelings or reaction to an event happening. More specific close up shots are used to direct the audience’s attention to props significant to the story, such as the clock (showing the date and time) and the phone (showing they are finally exchanging numbers).
Tracking shots follow the movement of the artist, letting the audience get into the story and keep their interest throughout the video. Towards the end, the camera spins around them, as they are at his house kissing and undressing each other. This is the result of the built up anticipation throughout the whole video, when things piece together and they end up together.
Sound:
The video starts with a diegetic sound of the main character, Craig David in the barber shop, where he tells his barber and the men there the story that’s about to be told in the song. Later on, there is another break in the song, where Craig David explains the story further, before the video continues. Those short interruptions act as annotations to the video, making sure the audience receives the right message, as well as representing the men in the barber shop as a tight community, where experiences and secrets are shared.Throughout the video, a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are used to create a sense of nostalgia in the audience, as the sound of the TV, Radio, people and the newspaper man shouting are repeated to create the same atmosphere. The first time the Monday is repeated, the main character speaks to the newspaper guy, asking him what day it is, only to make it very clear to the audience that the day is repeated.
One of the more important non-diegetic sounds in the video, is when he rewinds the scene towards the end, which is paired with a rewinding sound, again, to explain the visuals to the audience, making sure they are understood well enough.
Connection to The Record Label:
In the beginning of the video, after the barber shop men are introduced, the host of the radio introduces the song, mentioning the name of the artist, Craig David, promoting him further.Other than that, there is no evident connection between the artist or the record labels that released the song (Wildstar, Edel Germany, Atlantic) and the video.
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