Mr Probz – Waves Analysis

Lily Saunders

Genre

• The artist of this song is known as Mr Probz. He produces hip hop, R&B and soul music.

The opening of this music video uses a tracking and establishing shot of an island in the distance. The second shot shows a birds eye view of the beach, the sea is blue and the sand is clear, creating a paradise like environment. As it is at the beginning we can tell that this is the setting for the music video.

There are a series of shots that show parts of the island, to start with a close up shot of an exotic looking bird in a tree, followed by a long shot of the waves and then a medium long shot of some palm trees blowing in the wind.

A series of jump cuts show a man, the protagonist, arriving on the island. From his ragged clothes and worn out appearance the scene strongly suggests that he has been shipwrecked and washed up on the shore of the island.

The next sequence of shots show him on the island as he looks around. A range of shots are used to portray his feeling of isolation as he looks out at the sea.

The scene then changes to a medium close up of him sat in a car. His head is tilted upwards with the sun shining through the glass, he appears to be reminiscing about things. After this shot we then see a girl suggesting his thoughts were of her. They are shown sat closely together. The message from this scene is hard to understand, as it gives the impression that they are together in some senses but at the same time they are apart. This pattern happens across the entire music video.

In this clip there is a pull focus between the man and the woman. The focus begins on the man who is in the foreground, but the blur of the woman shows that she is looking directly at him. This then changes so that he is blurred and she comes in to focus. This effect could be used to imply the tension felt between the two of them.

In this short scene jump cuts are used as the couple argue which we are aware of due to their facial expressions and body language. At the end of the scene, she waves her hand looking away from him, in a dismissive kind of manner.

However, the following scene shows them as they appear to be enjoying each others company once again. They play around with a camera and a series of shots imply that they are happy as they lie side by side, smiling.

Things begin to turn for the worse once again, they appear to be wearing the same outfits in the next argument scene suggesting that these events are happening on the same day. The long shot shows similar body language to earlier on in the video, the hand held camera could indicate the unsteadiness and imbalance of the relationship as they swing between enjoying themselves and arguing. A close up shot of the woman walking away shows him in the background raising his arms and looking up to the sky in a helpless and irritated kind of way.

In the next scene we see the unstable couple at a bar. A man at the bar makes eye contact with the woman, shown by the 180 degree rule and a medium shot of her looking up at him. In retaliation, the next scene shows the man looking at the behind of a girl who has walked past, shown by a close up shot.

The scene changes to night time around a fire. It cleverly uses a flame which obstructs most of the screen as a transition between the man and the woman. They are sat facing opposite directions which follows the 180 degree rule, suggesting that they are facing each other. The way that they appear to be staring at each other but not sat side by side again emphasises the difficulties that they are dealing with in their relationship. They appear to want to be together but feel distant from each other.

One of the last few scenes again shows the couple arguing aggressively, their body language is almost violent. Short takes are used to show the fast progression of the fight.

In contrast to the previous scene, a close up shot of the couple shows them in a much more pleasant looking atmosphere. The sun is shining behind their heads as the man uses romantic gestures towards the woman.

We then see the man on his own in a pool, he is drinking shots of vodka. Jump cuts are used to show him drinking shot after shot. The camera begins quite steadily but it starts to wobble implying the progression of drunkenness. In the last cut in this sequence the mans head can be seen just above the water as he sinks down.

This shot is followed by a shot of the man plunged under water, then a smooth change of location and transition is used as there is a shot of him floating on the surface of the sea.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Thought Beats • In the video, the transition between shots changes in time with the

music which makes it run smoothly and we can visually see the rhythm.• The lyrics of this song are clearly related to the music video as they

talk about being lost out at sea and a relationship that isn’t working. At the beginning of the video we see a man who has ended up isolated on a desert island. We see the problems he has with his girlfriend which could imply that the idea of being on a desert island is symbolic of him feeling cast away from his girlfriend because of their issues.

Andrew Goodwins Theory – Narrative and Performance• The narrative of the lyrics matches the video making them easy to

follow and interesting to watch. For example, the lyrics “I can see the sands on the horizon” link to the video that shows the protagonist, a man, washed up on an island, looking out at the horizon. Also the lyrics “Slowly drifting” link well to the scenes of him and his girlfriend arguing and glaring at each other.

Andre Goodwin’s Theory – Star Image• This part of the theory doesn’t apply to the music video as the artist

doesn’t appear.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Relation of Visuals to Song• This video demonstrates illustration, as the lyrics link to the visuals.

We see a couple that appear to be going through a difficult time and the protagonist feeling the mental distance between them. This is visually represented through the video showing the desert island and the events taking place throughout the video appearing to be set on that same island.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Technical Aspects• The technical aspects work well with the lyrics. For example, the

setting is introduced in the opening shot, a desert island which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. This ties in with the lyrics of someone feeling as though they are drifting through the sea.• The video is made up of a compilation of different clips that show the

couple arguing and then getting on with each other again. The use of pull focuses emphasizes the tension between the couple.

Overall Analysis and Summary

• This music video visually portrays the lyrics that are sung through symbolism and literal demonstration. The song talks about “slowly drifting, wave after wave” and this is shown by the setting of a desert island. This idea is cleverly symbolic of the way that there appears to be a great distance between the couple as they face problems in their relationship.