Wham! Wham Rap!

(Enjoy What You Do?)

Music Video Analysis
Wham!, made up by George Michael and
Andrew Ridgeley, was a pop/dance duo
who were active from 1981 until 1986.
Their music video for Wham Rap! is an
interesting video which I feel could be
quite influential in my own music video for
The Cure. Ill be analysing the mise-en-
scene and camera, and then how Andrew
Goodwin and Jon Gows theories can be
applied to this video.
Michael rapped a number of verses about
the joys of living every day to the fullest,
reveling in unemployment and celebrating
government assistance from the
Department of Health and Social Security
(the initials "DHSS" are repeatedly chanted
during the song). The explicitly political
song flew in the face of the conventional
British left-wing who were talking about
the 'Right to work' at the time.
 The introduction to this video juxtaposes the two main characters (who are also
the artists of the song). In the first shot we see a young men throwing a towel in
to the corner of his room before checking his appearance in a mirror, putting his
jacket on and walking out the front door.
The other character, we see hes reading a newspaper with his dad, when his
mum then enters the shot and dirty looks are thrown over at the young man. We
can assume the young man is their son through the camera angles looking up at
the mother giving her superiority. But the proxemics and body language in the
father and son show a relaxed atmosphere which you wouldnt feel with a
stranger.

The Intro
 When the music begins, so does the performance, which
introduces Gows theory of enhanced-performance, as Goerge
Michael combines narrative with song and dance. This could also
show Goodwins theory of the record label requiring close-up shots
of the artist(s).

The camera is used to track Michael, and frames him in the middle
of every shot making him the focal point. As he walks through the
street you can see people in the background watching him as he
sings, and dances. Having the audience makes it look unorganised
in a comical way as passer-by's are wondering what hes doing, but
this could have been directed.
Personally, I really like this 1:1 perspective with Michael giving us
direct gaze. This makes the video feel more personal its not just
the audience watching, but we are also being shown and joining in.
Shots are juxtaposed along side George
Michael dancing and singing in the street
of everyday life. These everyday sites are
unusual shots to use, especially in a pop
music video. Instead this shows an
informal approach, but also a realistic
depiction of everyday life which the song
subject is challenging.
Later on in the song a reference is made to
Mr Average, and the man in the top
photo on the right is a good example of
average business man in the city.
When Michael enters Ridgeleys house, we see a very good example of
Goodwins theory of relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

When the lyrics: Get yourself a job come

on, the visuals show the parents waggle
their fingers at the camera in an
authoritative way. The parents here are
probably being used to represent the
governments push on employment at the
time
When the lyrics say A finger in each
ear//you pretend not to hear we see
Ridgeley with his hands over his ears
ignoring his parents imperatives
commands.
The Chorus
With a visual que from Michael, we are transported through
the curtained-window to the chorus. The chorus is a
changing point in the narrative of the video in which we are
taken to a song and dance number, a genre identified by Jon
Gow. Though we also see performance from a band playing
too.
The rest of the music video is very conventional pop. The
setting changes to indoor studio but we see lots of dancing
and fun.
The dancing in these scenes is very 80s style which is worth studying to master in my own
future. The dress styling of the two singers though is what Im drawn to. They both having
serious, dark clothing on. Leather jackets are obviously a must. Costume is particularly
important for me to be taking notes on because despite previous research Im still unsure
what exactly Im looking for. Must admit the leather jackets may be the lead.