Will.i.am, Cody Wise – it’s my birthday

By Shanaz Ahmed

The mid shot of the people sitting at the table establishes the setting of a birthday party. I found this interesting because the effect that is used in the editing draws the attention to the person in the middle, highlighting it’s his birthday. The props used also portray this as there is a birthday cake with candles and party material. In this scene, the events occur according to the lyrics, as when it says “it’s my birthday, Ima spend my money”, the hand with the money comes out of the cake.

I like this scene due to the unique style of editing used to present the person, which is on a watch. The camerawork used is a mid shot with the person sitting at a table. Also, as the lyrics say “we can take it higher”, the props on the table lift higher by themselves.

I found this interesting as they use creative ways to present the people and match the lyrics of the song. The long shot establishes the props in the background, which are of two balloon-like figures that have “hands”. The lyrics say “ima throw my hands up in the air”, in which the balloon-like figures float their hands around in the air.

This scene uses a long shot, which shows the car driving off and the person hanging onto the car. The style used is different to other music videos, due to the person hanging onto the car. The lyrics used are “pretty lady, won’t you let me holla”, which matches to the scene as the girl is driving off, not allowing him to speak to her.

The mid shot of the first scene allows the audience to see the superman costume and cape that he is wearing. This implies that he may be going to rescue someone. He put his hand up according to the lyrics “ima throw my hands up in the air, the air, the air”. I like the effect used, when “the air, the air, the air” is used, the scene is also repeated.

I found this scene interesting, as it subverts the typical method used to enter the scene. The lyrics say “where are the ladies” and the girl appears hanging upside down. The mid shot shows that he is in a studio, recording, and is surprised when the girl appears hanging upside down.

The long shot of the women dancing allows the audience to see the car behind them. However, the head and shoulder shot of the boy enlarged, may portray that he is superior than the women. As the lyrics say “ima live my fantasy”, he grabs the car and takes it. The editing used in this scene is unique as the boy is presented as a giant, whereas, the women are not.

The long shot establishes the setting, and it enables the audience to see props in the background. The costumes of the people are party clothes, whereas, the person in the middle is wearing a costume from a different era. It makes him stand out from the other people in the scene. The lyrics say “turn the people in the disco, burn it down to the floor”, as the word disco is said, the disco ball behind him is revealed to a clear view.