Analysis of 'Bonnie and Clyde' by Jay-Z and Beyonce

Analysis of Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-z and Beyonce

The music video I am analysing is Bonnie and Clyde, this features Jay z an American rapper And Beyonce an RnB singer. The video was directed by Chris Robinson and released in 2002.

Bonnie and Clyde contains a large number of examples of intertexuality a good example is at the beginning of the video when Beyonce performs the illuminaty symbol, this creates mystery and interest furthermore portrays to the audience that Beyonce and Jay-Z have power as they’re superior.

Another example of intertexuality is marketing as there are many brands such as Burberry, Timberland, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Manolo Blahnik etc. The declaring of these brands portrays money, which fits the genre as Hip Hop and RnB singers are seen as having the wealthy life such as nice cars and designer clothes. Jay-Z mentions the programme Sex in the City, this represents the idea of the glamorous lifestyle which also fits in with the Hip Hop/RnB genre plus signifies the star image. An obvious example of intertexuality is the re-make of the classic movie Bonnie and Clyde, this suits the Hip Hop genre as both the movie and song demonstrates crime, money, and living the rich, wealthy life. In addition the music video also incorporates elements from Tupac’s song “Me and my girlfriend” plus in the Bonnie and Clyde music video a large image of Tupac is shown in the background, this interests the audience as there’s a significance of Tupac being from the same music genre and being a Hip Hop legend.

Different camera angles help portray the importance of the video. A high angle shot of the police is used to show that the police are superior as they have power; however Jay-Z and Beyonce successfully escape and are seen as the heroes which displays that they are invincible together. In addition Robinson uses long shots of Beyonce and Jay-Z together to show the strong relationship they have. There are many close up shots of Beyonce in the hat and red lipstick, this is voyeurism as its seen as being quiet sexual. Similarly more voyeurism is displayed in the long shots of Beyonce in her bikini and shorts which are used to show her complete body, they also show the surrounding setting of a big house and empty pool which portrays money to fit the genre. in addition a close up shot is used to show the big Louis Vuitton bag full of money, this exhibits the Hip Hop genre as it is all about money and the glamorous life. The camera keeps flipping from a long shot of the police and back to the long shot of the criminals (Beyonce and Jay-Z), this shows how they are opposites and the difference between law and crime.

Many of the Mise en Scene factors in the music video complement the genre, for example the clothing. Most of the clothing in the video worn by the main artists are designer thus expensive; examples of the brands are Burberry, Manolo Blahnik, Timberlands, Louis Vuitton, etc. The expensive designer clothing shows how they have a glamorous wealthy life which fits the genre as Hip Hop is all about the glamorous life. The props also represent money such as helicopters, expensive cars, money and cigars. Moreover the setting is a hotel which includes a big pool, the camera keeps switching from Mexico to USA showing freeways. This demonstrates the American dream, money and how Beyonce and Jay-Z keep escaping to different locations with all the money.

The music video is both performance and narrative based. The narrative is shown through the short clips of the police talking at the beginning and end, also through the lyrics. The lyrics match the video, an example is when Jay-Z talks about ‘Timberlands’ and ‘Burberry’, then in the video he is wearing Timberlands and Beyonce is wearing a Burberry swimsuit. Another example is how they mention different cars such as ‘Mercedes Benz’ and ‘freeways’ and then the video is about them escaping on the freeways using different cars. The performance is shown when the artists sing to the camera and dance which also portrays the star image.

In conclusion the different factors such as intertexuality, genre, Mise en Scene and camera angles help to show that the music video fits in well with the genre as its about a story of criminals escaping being heroes, which portrays the genre of Hip Hop through the idea of having a glamorous life with money and expensive clothes and cars.