Nelly- Just a dream

Nelly is signed to Universal music group which released his major label debut Country Grammar in 2000 with a predominant genre of rap and r'n'b. The audience he targets ranges from teenage girls who will be attracted to his appearance and lyrics about love, and teenage boys who aspire to look and behave like him, however he also targets a mature audience as rap contains a lot of taboo language therefore he is also aimed at students and men and women aged 20-28. However selective stereotypical groups such as gangstas and people interested in rap culture are attracted. The video has a clear narrative in which Nelly is missing his 'ex-girlfriend', however it also consists of performance when he sings into the camera.

The lyrics of the song 'Just a Dream' is reflected in the music video as it contains a lot of unrealistic features. It begins with an extreme close up of water which has been edited into slow motion which immediately introduces the pace of the song. The lighting is black and white but almost sepia toned which creates a sense of reminiscing and adds to the originality and effect of the music video, this again links with the lyrics. The low angle shot of the car floating in the air above the beach indicates the 'dream effect' of the video as it is unrealistic, it also could be a significant symbol of his past relationship which he misses. The car is shown in many different shots such as mid shots, close ups and long shots to emphasise its importance in the relationship. The beach is an iconic location for a couple as it is seen to be romantic and gives a sense of togetherness. The girl is shown sat in the car with a soft focus of the sun shining through the window, this suggests that he says her as a ray of happiness, also the close up of them holding hands is a convention of music videos with a romantic narrative. The close up of his eye opening shows that it is a dream and also links in with the lyrics. The soft focus in the middle and around the edges of certain shots give the audience the sense of love and attachment. Along with the blur of lights in the distance also giving off this effect.

The different shots of the ring shown later in the video also is unrealistic in real life reinforces the audience about the idea of fiction and dreams. It is an iconic link of a happy marriage and love and it could be another symbol of his relationship he misses. Also, the mid shots of nelly performing with the soft focus ring in the middle could be another link to the ring and its connotations of relationships. The camera goes underwater to show the girl floating and the pair kissing which could indicate flashbacks of the past but it could also connotate that theyre relationship is dead because theyve been in the water for a long duration. Due to the fact her leg is wrapped over his this indicates a sexual reference. The long shot of the girl running along the beach with the ring in the frame suggests that she misses him aswell as she is running towards the ring. The fact that Nelly is looking down from the car at the girl on the beach indicates that he wants to go back to how it was and the beach could be of importance to him as they could of spent a lot of time together there or they couldve met there.

The medium shot of Nelly sat in the club with the people dancing at the edge of the frame tells the audience that he is bored going out without her and he feels isolated. The extreme close up of the word 'Gents' on the door follows the narrative that he gets distracted by thoughts of her when he tries to move on therefore he has to leave the business and talk to her.

The medium shot of the 'Summerhouse' or small flat which sets on fire in slow motion emphasises the fact that they will never get back together; asif their relationship has burnt out. It is then emphasised even more when the ring and the car then set fire and rocks and ash begin to fall, this could mean that everything he has given her has been thrown back at him. The close up of the eye shattering with glass and the ring coming out of his eye is iconic and a key motif in this music video, it connotes his life being shattered and him being extremely upset. The video ends with a close up of their hands parting in slow motion which truly emphasises that that was the last time they would ever be together.

Although this music video is slightly more romantic than Nellys others he still maintains his tough image through the mise-en-scene and the clothes he wears. The car, the ring and the close up of his expensive mobile phone still shows signs of wealth which is common of the rap genre. He wears a diamond earring in his ear, a silver chain bracelet and a silver watch which also symbolises wealth and it shows that appearance is important. His leather jacket portrays his tough image well along with his tattoo which is shown underwater, however the white top and white shirt he wears later on shows his softer side as white suggests purity and cleanliness. The girl has brown hair which is worn down showing that she is attractive and feminine, she wears a top with longer sleeves which is curved round the neck;this suggests that because she isn't wearing revealing and provocative clothing she is really respected and loved for who she is by Nelly. However in the underwater section she is wearing an appealing swimming costume which portrays her more 'sexy' rather than 'cute' side.

The editing in this music video is continuity editing which creates realism for the audience and makes the video flow, however it uses a lot of slow motion for emphasis. The special effects such as fire and the close up of the eyes shattering glass is used for connotations.

This video heavily relies on the narrative to run through it. This video links very well with the video I am going to create as elements of the genre are the same and its theme will be predominantly romance throughout.