Video Analysis- Kanye West Runaway

Kanye West's video to his song Runaway is slightly different from other stereotypical R&B music videos, it doesnt include the usual atmosphere of clubbing and partying and is infact quite the opposite. His video has 2 main aspects, which is him and then also a group of female ballet dancers. The start of the video is Kanye West walking away from a table predominately of black people, this may signify the history of R&B and its beginning and how now it is becoming a more spread out genre, interlinking with others such as Pop music and creating many subgenres. The video looks as if it is some kind of celebration like a wedding as the table spread and chairs are white, creating a look of purity and cleanliness. Kanye West portarys himself as a smart important man in this video as he is the only character that you see making a speech and his clothing looks expensive, which is typical of R&B as they show off their material possesions.is suit is cream and black and he is wearing a bow tie, which shows that it is an important event that he is part of so he must be an influential figure, the black of his suit, and also the outfits of the dancers shows the sincerity of the song and that the lyrics are powerful. The setting of the video looks as if it is outside on an estate due to the garage like buildings behind him and the concrete pavement, this may suggest the origination of R&B as it came from the streets and is an urban genre, which lets the audience understand and associate with the situation in the video. He is playing the piano in this video, this suggests that he, as an artist, has natural talent and shows his ability. He portrays real emotion for what he is singing as he strokes his face in a frustrated way and throughtout the whole song holds a position and facial expression that seems in pain and frustrated/upset. This is also illustrated through the use of a downward camera angle showing his weakness about what he is talking about. The dancers in the video are all female, and their moves are subtle yet strong and powerful. The amount of female dancers overpowers Kanye West, maybe suggesting that the song is a speech for the women and of their actual strength, making Kanye West seem like a sympathetic influential figure, promoting his importance in the music industry.