Analysis of ScHoolboy Q - That Part

Concept

• Q is showing his lifestyle of drugs and money through the use of camera and editing
• He mentions about his relationship with the police and how he can get away with anything
• The video takes place on a school bus and in a mansion with various different types of lighting

The Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ_DHRI-Xp0

Symbolic Storyline 

• At the beginning of the video, it shows Q with a few others wearing plain skin coloured masks, this could symbolise that they've had to hide their identities due to trouble with the law or it could be use as a way of intimidating people watching.
• The lyrics "me no compensate with the feds" could symbolise how they have the power over the law and they believe that they could perhaps use their money to get their way through any situation.
• The lyrics "i just want the paper" shows their obsession with money and that they are willing to do anything that leads to them becoming rich.

Camera + Editing

• Opening medium low angle shot of schoolbus to represent Q's trademark, a 'nostalgic' filter is used to fit in with the theme of school and school buses.
• The next shot is a low angle shot of a man wearing a plain skin colour mask, this is used to make the man in the shot to look more dominant.
• They use a dark blueish filter in order to match the slow steady beat of the song along with its slightly unusual melody.
• There is a panning close up shot of three men, two of the men wearing the mask and Q in the middle not wearing a mask, smoking a cigar. The fact that he's in the middle causes the audience to focus more on Q than anyone else in the shot, this therefore shows control and dominance.
• Before  he starts singing, the camera sways heavily from side to side and eventually finishes at a low angle shot just at the time he starts to sing. This could represent the effect of drugs as when you are under the influence of drugs your body cant really control itself.
• It then cuts back to the school bus where Q is amongst a few girls dancing on the seats of the bus, this argues against the innocent representation of a schoolbus and this therefore shows us that Q has the power to do whatever he wants as he has the power over everything.
• When the music starts to have a heavier beat, it cuts back to the men and Q dancing, however their dancing is not similar to a rehearsed production, its more independent and free. There are no sudden movements in their dancing as it matches the speed of the music. Q is shown in the center  again which tells us that he is the dominant figure in the video.
• The lyrics are repeated along with the similar dancing and are however slightly out of time with the cutting rates which supports that disorientating theme. 
• When the camera cuts to the schoolbus, Q is dancing whilst singing and in the background the girls are still which causes are focus to be fixed on Q, the camera also moves back and forth keeping the same angle on the beat of the music.
• During the dancing segment it quickly cuts to Q sitting alone in a room with a surreal green and orange lighting to make the video more disorientating. However Q continues to repeat the same dance style in order to match with the music and to make it look like its normal to us.
• It switches back to the same shot of him on the bus with the girls behind him with the moving camera and then quickly cuts to a low angle shot of Q getting in the face of one of the masked men. This also makes Q the dominant figure in the video.
• When the music begins to slow down again it cuts back to the green and orange lit room with a shot of a girl which starts off with a high angle shot and the camera slowly moves downwards to finish off at a slanted low angle shot. I believe they did this to get attention from the viewers due to the fact that a girl is shown as a sex symbol.
• The Camera cuts back to Q approaching a house, as soon as Kanye West begins his segment the camera shows Kanye opening the door to Q and the camera follows him through as he shows you round. 
• The camera remains at the same level, this could symbolise a POV shot where you play the part of Q following Kanye. The fact that Kanye makes eye contact with you most of the time also supports this.
• The next shot is seen to be in slow motion as Kanye leads you into a room where there is bold red lighting and a stripper on a pole. This could be used to symbolise power and how money can get you anything you want.
• After you go through the red room the camera speeds up time and shows Kanye's unusual style of dancing being sped up, this increases support of the disorientating theme of the video.
• As Kanye finishes his segment the camera cuts as soon as he shuts the door to begin Q's segment.
• The blue filter is used as the lyrics are repeated along with the same dance style, it then cuts to the stripper on the pole, filming in reverse as the money surrounding her floats upwards instead of falls, this continues to fit the abstract theme of the video.
• The camera then changes to Q on the bus with men and women behind him dancing, on the edges there is a 'trippy' effect which represents the use of drugs and how your vision changes and becomes unstable. 
• During this segment the camera is flipped to make it hard for people to focus and uncomfortable close up shots are used to make the audience feel intimidated. Q is always shown in focus and remains the center of attention throughout the segment. 
• To finish the video, it cuts to the camera tracking round Kanye dancing and singing in front of the school bus. The camera also shakes violently for a very short period of time to continue the abstract effect. 

Sound

• Throughout the video the music never stops, this could represent the lifestyle of these people where they never feel like they're living a real life.
• The melody used in the clip is very slow and contains various different volumes and pitches in order to disorientate the audience.
• The lyrics "all i do is profit" tells us that their main aspect in life is their money and wealth and how they are seen as powerful figures due how much money they have. 
• The lyrics "i don't compensate with the feds" means that they don't have time to worry about the law as they believe they have more power than anyone else and they wont let anyone get in their way. 
• The lyrics "beggars cant be choosers" tells us that they believe that you have to work hard to get rich and take risks as that they don't think that people who beg to get what they want should have the amount of power that they do. 
• The lyrics "had the paparazzi doing backflips" suggests that Kanye has the power over them and has the ability to tell them what to do other than them telling him what to do. 
• At the end, Kanye's voice becomes distorted, this supports the disorientating them of the video. 

Lighting

• Apart form the opening scene and the closing scene there was no natural lighting, this could create the impression that they live their lives in an unnatural way compared to normal people, this could be due to the money and drugs they're involved with.
• The blue lighting is used to support the dull melody and pace of the song, the colour of lighting changes to natural and a predominant red when there are uses of women being used as a sexual object to attract the attention of the viewers. 
• There are faint flashes of light throughout the dancing segments in the clip, these are to the beat of the music and they can also represent the use of drugs and the lack of control of your senses.
• The lighting remains rather low key, this could be because it represents their dark lifestyle and how they live in the night and remain separate from everyone who doesn't live their dangerous lifestyle. The low key lighting also makes the people in the clip look far more intimidating and dominant as its harder to see who they are. 

Costume and Props

• In the video, some of the men are wearing skin colour masks, this could be because they are hiding their identity, maybe because they are in trouble with the police or other people.
• They could also be wearing the masks because they are trying to look intimidating and this then adds to the theme of making you feel uncomfortable and disorientated.
• The girls in the video are wearing revealing clothes in order to show sex appeal in order to attract the attention from the audience, the fact that the girls are hardly seen on their own shows us that they could be used as objects and a sign of wealth as in the song Q relates to having girls as being a sign of wealth.
• In the video, Q and the other men are seen smoking, this could be a way of looking intimidating towards the audience. 
• Q is seen smoking a cigar which is a reinforced stereotype of a wealthy man.
• There is the use of a BEATS product which has been used in many other music videos, it is used to promote the company for an exchange of money.

Colour

• Throughout the video, there are uses of various different bright and bold colours, for example when Kanye shows you round the house, there is a red lit room which blocks out any other colour, the uses of these colours could be used to interpret the 'drug like' effect as they mention in the song that drugs play a big part in their lives.
• Blue colours are used in the video in order to suit the style of the song and the setting as the song has a slow tempo and they are hardly shown outdoors.
• When they're all on the bus there are uses of various different unnatural colours, they are seen as over saturated which tells us that you could be seeing this from the artists perspective which adds to the surreal them of the video. 

Facial Expressions

• In the video, the men  rarely smile and keep a straight and serious facial expression, this could be because they want to look intimidating, this is because they want people to take them seriously and not to see them as a joke, (however this could be hard as Kanye West is involved in the video).
• When the girls are shown dancing seductively in the video, they don't look like they are enjoying themselves, this supports the fact that they are seen as objects and are mentioned in the lyrics as a sign of wealth. It almost makes the audience feel like they are forced to perform these acts however the sexual attraction overpowers this. 

Setting

• In the video, they use an empty room to film most of the video, the place seems rundown which symbolises that although they are wealthy, they still live a rough life evolved round violence and drugs.
• In some parts of the video, they are in a school bus which is used as a trademark for Q as on the top of the bus it says 'schoolboy' not 'school bus', the school bus is also used as a challenged representation as you don't expect to see parties on school buses with adults.
• In the video, Kanye shows you through a rather large house which symbolises wealth as Kanye raps about how you have to work hard to get rich and how beggars don't deserve to live the high life.