Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake ft. Jay Z
07/10/2015
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. During the group's hiatus, Timberlake released his debut studio album Justified (2002), which included the successful singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", and earned his first two Grammy Awards.Suit & Tie is a 2013 song recorded by the american singer Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z. It was made for his third studio album 20/20 experience and topped the charts. Timberlake himself wrote and produced the song, gaining him enough experience to continue writing further hits such as Mirror, which was on Suit & Tie's A side.
The music video for Suit & Tie is argually conceptual as it features both a narrative and performance due to it's genre, that usually features narrative and performance based videos. It is not uncommon for the RnB/ pop genre to feature these concepts because of the way the artist has to attract their chosen audience. Richard Dyer argues that celebrities must stay intact with their traits, so to speak, especially if that chosen genre continually potrays it's artists as performers. Timberlake is seen dancing and singing within the video, proving that the artist is a talented person, a method mainly used in pop and rock songs, though rock features the artists playing their instrument, pop makes up for this by showing the artists dancing skills. Though the video could be considered contradictory, I think that it is more of an illustrative, subtle video that features the suitable environment and style when paired with the 'swing' music.
The vast amount of mise-en-scene used within the video compliments the final product to be percieved as a music video of the pop/RnB genre. The costumes used within the the video are smart and classy, which is a form of amplification as the song title is Suit & Tie and the characters within are wearing suits and ties. This smart attire makes Timberlake look like a man of high class, but knowing that everyone is able to dress like this makes us feel similar to Timberlake, therefore coinciding with Dyer's paradox 1 "ordinary and extraordinary" theory. The fact that Timberlake is in the settings of a high end apartment at the start, and in a recording studio and a concert, makes him seem untouchable due to the connotations of his wealthy lifestyle, thus making him extraordinary. Whereas seeing him at the beginning in an unbuttoned shirt and in the recording studio with an unbuttoned waistcoat makes him seem ordinary due to his relaxation in comfortable environments.
There are also several props that are seen within the video that portray Timberlake as a celebrity that is ordinary yet extraordinary. At 0:05 we see him in his apartment as he has a massage, the connotations of this are luxurious as he has workers pleasing him almost like servants. Whereas at 0:17 we see him playing chess with a female which connotes wisdom in an attempt to percieve Timberlake's iconography as an intelligent one. And at 0:23 we see him eating cereal which comes back to his ordinary approach to his target audience which will hopefully make them share a bond with the star, according to Dyer. When we see Jay Z throughout the song, he is either drinking alcohol or smoking a cigar, two actions that are seen as luxurious ones as well as rebellious ones also. This links with the stereotype of blacks and how they are often considered rebellious/dangerous. While Jay Z is rapping, we see a girl at 3:47 who is using the microphone stand as a prop, the fact that she is in limited clothing instantly sexualises the act. Mulvey's theory states that this would be considered fetishistic as she is aware of other people watching, hence her performance for us. Goodwin's theory is also relevant as the scene is considered voyeuristic due to the strong sexual connotations, something that is often only done by females within music videos.At 0:51 we can see that a spotlight is directly focusing on Timberlake, connoting that he is special and God-like, relating to how famous he is, the same applies to Jay Z when he begins to sing, seperate spotlights are focused on the singers implying that they are to be the main subject in the room due to the attention focused their way.
The camera work within the very first frame competes with other pop music videos as it is a close up of Timberlake's fingers playing the piano. The reason for ehy it rebels against many modern pop music videos is becasue it shows the artist practicing his talent rather than performing like many other artists such as Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber; people you hardly ever see playing instruments. The playing of instruments is most often used in rock music videos. This already proves Timberlakes's extraordinary side of Dyer's paradox, while we see his ordinary side when he is watching a football game at 0:31with Jay Z. It is a long shot as we can see far back, but the focus and close up is on Jay Z's face. The reason for the close up is because it makes the audience feel as relaxed they are within the apartment because in reality only those we feel comfortable with come that close to us, the director (David Fincher) does this so that we as an audience come to trust the characters. At 0:39 there is a mid shot of Justin as he is about to perform his song, as he turns around and walks towards the microphone, the camera tilts down to follow him as he begins to sing. The reason for the following camera is because the director is aware that the singer is the main subject and that we want to see him, agreeing with the surveillance uses and gratifications theory. And if we do not want to see the scene, we are forced to anyway, consistantly reminding us of the artist in an attempt to make us buy the single, acting as an advertising technique. From this point to 3:15, the shots used are that of medium and long ones, all of which feature Timberlake as the main focus, yet again, using his iconography in order to advertise the album. From 3:18 onwards, we regularly see long shots of women that are delibarately sexualised due to the distance between the camera and the woman so that we can completely see what she is doing. The women are fetishistically placed because they know that they are being watched, and this also links to Mulvey's male gaze theory as the director is aware of the attraction and how it will draw in men.
The first sound heard is that of low key which instantly sets the tune for the following song. It is slow and sounds very RnB (which it is) and this also gives the listeners the genre of music that they are listening to. When Timberlake says the first line - "I can't wait till I get you on the floor, good-looking" we instantly know what type of song it is. It is a romantic song that is the typical 'boy wants girl' which has been shown in almost every single pop song in todays age which can be linked with Neale's repetition theory - "genres are instances of repetition and differences", this states how pop, for instance, often has the same formula e.g. boy isn't good enough for girl but ends up with her, this formula has been used in many different videos as well as fil, but all make it their own by changing certain aspects which represents the "difference". The first line also contradicts the first sound which is actually quite sad and 'down', whereas the line is instantly more upbeat as rhythm introduces trumpets at the beginning, which connotes a jolly tune as no sad song involves a burst of a trumpet. The diegetic "are you ready, JT?" that is said before the song's introduction is a reminder to show the audience how real the scenario is, that it is in a normal club with a public audience. It is also aa interrogative that asks whether the star is prepared, showing how respected and powerful the artist is due to the way that people arewaiting fro the lead (Timberlake) to begin. Though the song itself compliments the atmosphere and era very well, the song is infactthat of a contradictory one as the lyrics are not truly matched with the visuals, but e do sometimes hear some amplification such as the line that Jay Z says during his rap - "get ready for the light show" is said at 3:25 when high key lights are shon in the background of the scene.
The editing used within the music video is chosen in order to connote information of what Timberlake's lifestyle is like as well as how techniques are used in order to compliment his music. From 0-41 seconds, there are a total of 17 various shots. The first three shots where Timberlake is playing the piano, are within quick succession of eachother because it lets the audience see his talent as he sits playing the piano, making the video contradict typical pop videos where the artists perform. All cuts before the first song line are also fade-ins that refresh each shot, representing a passing of time, and how many activities Timberlake participates in throughout one day, implying how busy his lifestyle is due to his fame and higher class. The whole beginning is also done in slow motion which compliments my precious point; that he has a long tiring day due to how busy he is. The slow motion also represents his laid-back approach to his pop music as it is very calming, which is shown through slo-mo as it is peaceful and...slow. As the music starts, all of the cuts between shots now convert from fade-ins to normal, fast cuts which could imply how fast and serious his performance is to him, dance wise as we can tell that the dancing within the music video is choreographed. At 3:16 we see women that have been sexualised through dance, they are also in slow motion, suggesting that this slo-mo is linked with the beginning slo-mo in order to imply how Timberlake is used to this sexualisation in his normal life which links with Goodwin's views of how many modern music videos use seduction in order to sell their product. The whole video also has a greyscale filter that suggests how the video is supposed to look from an old era, and it emits this feeling perfectly due to the combination of 'classy' mise-en-scene as well. Black and white also suggests mystery, which is a contradiction as we see a lot of Timberlake's daily routine throughout the video, this could mean that his music is very enigmatic as the song itself never uses any specific names in order to address his love attraction, leaving the audience to think.
On the whole, I liked the music video for Suit & Tie because of the way it looked to the viewers. I am aware of how the video features many ways to advertise and attract a large audience so that the album is sold and profit is made. My favourite techniques used within the video is the black and white filter because of the class it brings and how it is instantly recognisable by the audience, I think the filter could easily be incorporated within our video because there is a moment of the song that is quite serious and would benefit from the black and white tone. I also like the smart attire warn within the video, this could also be placed within our upcoming music video because the song is quite a 'smart' sounding song itself.
