Analysis on Nelly Furtado's video I'm Like a Bird and Promiscuous Girl

Analysis on Nelly Furtado’s video’ I’m Like a Bird’ and ‘Promiscuous Girl ‘ and the difference between the two.

The music video for I’m Like a Bird is very different to her more recent released video ‘Promiscuous girl.’
The costume used in I’m Like a Bird is very casual with the artist wearing a pair of jeans and a top which shows her stomach but is long sleeved and round-necked. Therefore the artist is trying to use sexuality to appeal to the target audience of the video and instead is making the scenery and lyrics her main focus. This is also shown in her make-up which is natural which is linking to her setting of her forest. The look she is using is that which is fitting for her genre of music ‘folk’ as other folk artists such as Laura Marling and Regina Spektor have a natural look to their appearance as their music is uplifting as well as sorrowful rather than sexy and provocative.

This costume is contrasted in her R&B single for Promiscuous girl as she is now wearing tops which are much more alluring and provocative. She is also wearing heavy makeup showing how she is now trying to portray herself as feminine and sexy. Therefore the artist is using her sexuality as the main focus of the video which links with the lyrics as she is a ‘promiscuous girl’. This look is now typical to the genre of R&B as she is competing with artists such as Rhianna and Beyonce who will also use costume and make-up as a focus within their videos to entice their audience and make them desirable. Some of Nellys Furtado’s earlier fans will be likely to criticise her for this change of image as they would have liked her personality before of a beautiful woman who doesn’t need to use her sexuality to sell her singles.

The lighting is high key making the colouring used with the video much more saturated which enhances the green grass of the forest and the orange on the artist’s top. The lighting is also ambient making the video appear natural. The sun is used within the video to make the artist and location appear brighter it also is a representation of freedom as she wants to ‘fly away’ and also has a contrasting effect of something positive being used with something negative.
The lighting works well with the setting of the forest. This is the only location used throughout the video and the wide angled shots of the vast forest and meadows show her freedom.

The lighting for Promiscuous girl uses blue and green filters which make the scene feel like a dream or fantasy. The blue is also showing the artist to have a ‘cold side’ to the male who is trying to ‘win her’ and therefore makes her seem secretive and mysterious. The skin of the artist and the dancers is enhanced within this video to make the female body seem ‘appealing’. It has a definite contrast in lighting to I’m like a bird as she’s not trying to make a single which is uplifting but instead ‘sexual’ and this is reflected within the colours of the video. The colours also make the setting feel claustrophobic as though the artist isn’t trying to be so free with her music anymore but more generic.

The mise-en scene within this video helps uncover hidden messages of the lyrics and what they are trying to portray as well as the way the female is being represented. The long shot of her floating in the air makes her appear powerful as though she is Mother Nature or even Eve trapped within her own Garden of Eden. Therefore portraying her femininity as being dominant and powerful. Also the power she has within the video reflects the energy of the song and makes the listener feel powerful as well. Crowds used within this video show how she doesn’t need to be a bird to have the freedom to fly away as she is crowd surfing and therefore saying how people have the power to lift your mood and make you feel happy.

The Mise-en –scene of ‘ Promiscuous Girl’ is trying to appeal to her new target audience of the younger generation aged 16-25 as technology of the mobile phone conversation between the male and female shows their divide in character and role. The club setting is also appealing to her target audience and how she wants this song to be listened to.
The setting of this video is very claustrophobic which is generic to the ‘club scene’ as it makes it seem as though people have to dance closer together and therefore the video can include the dancers ‘bumping and grinding’ within the video which again adds sex appeal to the single. This is a contrast to the setting for I’m Like a Bird which was more free and natural where as this location is more urban and gritty.

The editing used within this video is representing life and nature as there is a shot where the artist is standing at a tree and the camera zooms in and out making it seem like a heartbeat. The editing as also made the artist the main focus of this video with the shots cutting to mid close ups of her face as she is singing and then cuts back to her being lifted in the forest.

The editing on Promiscuous Girl is still showing the artist to be the main focus but now for the role sexuality rather than just being the artist of the track. Rather than just the artist in the video she now uses a male and female cast. The video is also edited around the track as it is a single intended to dance to the dancers and music link at certain points of the song. The video is trying to show the artist to be independent and dominant as a female but by including Timbaland it now shows her as an artist who needs to have influences from other mainstream artists in order to sell.

It is therefore clear that Nelly Furtado has completely abandoned her previous style of folk/rock in order to appeal to a more mainstream younger audience. But in order for her to have done this she has had to abandon her independent natural appearance and style and become generic and ‘sexy’ which is typical of an R&B female. This is a negative representation of the music industry as it’s not allowing females to use their individuality and talent to come out of their music. However this is mainly shown within the R&B/pop genre with other female artists such as Ladyhawke and M.I.A who are of Indie and electronica who don’t try to use this image to sell their singles.