EG8 Cher - Believe

ACT: Cher

TRACK: Believe

YEAR: 1998

DIRECTOR: Nigel Dick

GENRE: Pop

MAIN AUDIENCE: M+F 15-50

Performance + Narrative:

The video follows both performance and narrative. Cher is in a nightclub in a double role as singer on stage, surrounded by many people to whom she is giving advice. The video includes a woman who is in club and looking for her ex-boyfriend and broken hearted and feels that she cannot go on when she sees her ex-boyfriend with a new a girlfriend. 

Costume:

Cher wears a glowy headdress which may dennote some kind of signifier that she is a god-like creature and as a supernatural being in a cage. The audience (in the club) are wearing casual clothing.

Audience:

In the music video the audience in the club reflects the audience in real life as the people in there are early 20's having people that look of a similar age to one another creates verisimilitude.

Link between visuals and lyrics:

Following the narrative of the video the lyrics link well with the video 'do you believe in life after love' as one girl see's her ex boyfriend - to whom she has just been in love with, in the club with the other girl. The lyrics are encouraging one to believe that there is life after love even though the girl is clearly struggling in the video hence 'i really don't think your strong enough no'. 

Star Treatment:

Star treatment is again used it is arguable whether a performance video solely focuses on the star, but my interpretation is that star treatment is allways used if it is a performance music video. As the costumes are used as signifiers as well as the camera shots used eg. close ups of the singer - you don't see close ups of the audience.