Looking at how the “traditional” music video has grown from the around the 3-minute mark to the 10-minute plus form which is called the “long” or “long-running” music video. There are two prominent examples of this style of “long” music video, the most recent being Beyonce’s Lemonade (2016), roughly an hour long film which involves the entirety of the referenced album being turned into a music video, while the second is Michael Jacksons Thriller (1983). Looking at these two iconic music videos, there will be comparisons dealing with the aesthetics, the interpretation of the theme, and the use of power.
Aesthetics.
The aesthetics between the two music videos are very similar in places, primarily looking at the use of color throughout both of them. Lemonade can be very vivid during some of the songs, primarily when the music is somewhat upbeat, where others are in black and white, signifying when there is a serious topic coming up. Thriller is a visual mesh that is able to successfully merge darkness of the black and white while bringing down the color brightness into a dark and gritty music video, due to the music being really upbeat while having a serious tone throughout the entire piece. Both music videos show similarities between the use of music, color pallet, and tone.
Interpretation.
Both music videos are able to interpreted along the same lines, as well. The music video for Lemonade goes into a lot of depth when discussing the after effects of betrayal in an intimate relationship, going through the specific forms of acceptance over the entire situation. This is also similar to how Thriller is conceptually about accepting a potential lover despite whatever “baggage” that this person would be bringing with them into the relationship. This is the similarity between both Lemonade and Thriller, both music videos have the interpretation of acceptance in close-knit relationships.
Power.
These two music videos have an immense power when discussing the power of the visuals being given. With Lemonade the power is coming from how Beyonce is choosing to distance herself from the relationship and stand up for herself towards what she wants when she is in a more level-headed mindset. Meanwhile, Thriller is able to be compared as being the polar opposite of Lemonade since Jackson is attempting to keep his unnamed girlfriend in the relationship that she might be uncomfortable being in, agreeing to at least be friends as she allows Jackson to walk her home at the end of the music video. This is the only real disagreement between both music videos, as there is no unified agreement between how the female in a heterosexual relationship should act when confronted by a confusing relationship.
Alice Wants Hats 