Diddy - Coming Home (Music Video)

Above is the R'n'B/Hip Hop music video 'Coming Home' by Diddy & Skylar Grey. The video is mainly performance with a basic narrative relating to the lyrics such as when Diddy goes into a burnt out house during the line - 'Is a house really a home'. All of the video is set in a stone desert.

Cinematography - Throughout this music video, quite a few extreme long shots are included. These a really effective because it establishes the setting which is a rock paved desert in America. This then links to how lonely and isolated the single artist is walking across this desert which in turn links to the lyrics of struggling to get back to a safe place in his life.
When Diddy begins rapping his  first verse, this is the point at which the camera shots are mainly medium shots to close ups. Therefore, the audience get to see the artist they are a fan of - another convention of music videos relating back to the history of the music video and why they where first produced.
Because the video is mainly performance from this point throughout, the camera shots don't vary as much in order to see the artist performing. There is the odd long shot cut to the beat for the purpose of including the mise en scene in the frame such as the burnt down home in the second verse.
In terms of camera movement, the camera is obviously handheld and not very steady. This is really effective within this hip hop genre because it adds to the up-beat, abrupt and powerful lyrics during Diddy's performance. The camera movement becomes steady during the chorus whilst Skylar Grey sings because the pace has been taken down a notch because of the change in style of music.
At the final line of the song, the artist holds the final note and the right to left pan goes along really well with this because it runs parallel with the smoothness of the note, in turn, ending the song in a softer, less abrupt way.

Mise en Scene - During the beginning of the song, we see the typical conventions of hip-hop videos in terms of an ostentatious display of wealth. In the example above; a flash helicopter, sunglasses, smart, fashionable clothing and the confident walk. This is mainly used in many hip-hop videos because it often relates to what rappers write about. However, as the song progresses, Diddy turns this on it's head as background props start coming into scene. A burnt out; house, car and expensive household items spread around a lonely desert portrays the image that the rich lifestyle that many artists show off, could count as nothing if you neglect the things that actually count in life, such as; family. This then reflects the lyrics..For example, 'Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone'. In addition to this, the line 'And money can't make up for it' again relates to how Diddy just walks by possibly thousands of dollars laid in a pile next to a cupboard in the desert and the rest of the expensive items.

Editing - The music video begins with a low angle shot placed on the ground looking out across the desert. This shot doesnt really have a purpose to the video but it allows the director to cut to the extreme long shot just as you hear the first beat - which is one of the conventions of music videos. The editing to the beat is continued throughout the whole music video and is really effective within this type of fast paced genre. Whilst the chorus is being sung, the editing pace is slowed down durastically to reflect the slow pace of singing. This will be something I take into consideration when producing my music video. The pace of beat reflects the pace of edit.
During the beginning of the music video, there is no continuity within the narrative. I can see this because the shots change back and forth between Diddy sat on a helicopter and walking through the desert. Both scenes eventually merge into the one of him walking through the desert as the performance of his verse begins