Eminem - When I'm Gone Deconstruction

Eminem - When I'm Gone

Length - 6.09

Edits - Approx 192

    For the first of the music video the song is not being played. The opening sequence of the music video is introducing the narrative for the music video. It is set in a rehab group with a circle of men in the group. The target audience can recognise elements of this meeting from either their own personal experiance or knowledge of rehab meetings. There is low key lighting in the meeting location. This helps to highlight the sad nature of the song which is coming up. All of the men are wearing very normal everyday clothes which the target audience may be able to identify with. After the first man speaks the camera eventually focusses of Eminem in the shot seen above. It is a midshot of eminem. He is framed centrally to highlight his importance within the group. The midshot helps to highlight his clothing which is very stereotypical of the 'rap' style. This helps the audience identify with him and the clothing helps to represent the Rap genre.

    As verse 1 begins there is a jumpcut to Eminems house. This jump in location from the rehab to his house then gives the music video a more personal feel which attracts the target audience. It also links with the lyrics which mention family throughout the song: "Daddy where's Mommy". The shots on the screen link to the lyrics. For example Eminem is singing about how we would give his arm for her:"Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for? Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?". At this point he lifts up his sleve to reveal a tatoo of a girl which later on in the video we find out is his daughter. This link between lyrics and shots helps to make the music video more realistic and interesting for the target audience.  He is framed centrally in the frame highlight his importance. He is well lit but the background behind him is dark. This suggests there is darkness and negitive emotions within the household which encourages the target audience to keep watching the video to understand the narrative.

During the chorus, Eminem is singing to the camera. He is framed in a midshot to highlight his change of clothing from the first section of the music video. He is wearing a white t-shirt, a american baseball style jacket and a red beanie. The american base ball jacket is too highlight his american origins. This is reinforced with the american flag pictured in the rehab hall. It also helps to show some of his interests which helps the target audience feel closer to him as a person and as a artist. His red beanie cap is symbolic of the stereotypical type of clothing Rap artists where. By wearing these clothes they help to represent the genre of music he is singing; Rap. Also in the chorus there is several cross fades to different shots of his daughter. This is to help highlight to the audience that the lyrics of the chorus: "And when I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn, Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice, Just know that I'm looking down on you smiling, And I didn't feel a thing, So baby don't feel no pain, Just smile back". The daughter is wearing a white and red striped shirt with red dungeeres. This simple childish type clothing helps to represent her innocence. The colours also helps the target audience recognise the link between her and eminem as they are both wearing the same colours.

     During the second chorus, Eminems daughter is blocking the doorway using empty carboard boxes. This links to the lyrics during the second verse: "She's piling boxes in front of the door trying to block it". By using carboard boxes it helps represent her innocene. Thos boxes are also extende a lot higher than they would naturally be to create a fantasy effect. This helps grab the audiences attemtion and interest them in the video. It also makes the daughter seem smaller against them in the long shot seen above to represent how she doesnt have any power over her father. This idea links to the narrative of the music video. In post production a light has been added at the top of the boxes. With the combination of the light and the slight low angle shot it represents heaven looking down upon the girl to represent her innoence.

During the second chorus Eminem is seen performing on a stage. This links to the lyrics at the end of verse 2: "It's turns to a stage, they're gone, and this spotlight is on, And I'm singing...". This link of lyrics and shots between verse 2 and chorus 2 helps create a flowing narrative which keeps the music video interesting to the target audience. He is wearing a suit on stage. This is a massive contrast to the outfits we have seen him wearing in the previous sections of the music video. He is shown to be uncomfortable in his suit despite long shots of his fans screaming up at him. The long shots of the fans have low key lighting. This is maybe to represet the dark smokey atmosphere that fans do experiance when in a gig helping the target audience identify with the situation in the music video.  This links to the next part of the narrative when his daughter turns up. This awkwardness is then revealed to be because he was not meant to be on stage: "I followed you Daddy, you told me that you weren't leavin'".  The daughter is once again wearing the same outfit as before; a white and red striped t-shirt and red dugerees. This once again links to eminems outfit, he is wearing red and white too, to symbolically highlight their relationship.

    Despite this not being a main section of the music video, I have picked it out because of the ceartivity and interest of shots. The lyrics for this short seuqnece are: "I turn around, find a gun on the ground, cock it, Put it to my brain and scream "god Shady" and pop it". During the lyrics: "I turn around" There is a 180 degree turn of the camera. Eminem is now back in his orginal style of clothes and after the 180 degree turn we see Eminem also shown within the shot in a mirror in a over the shoulder shot of Eminem in 'Rap' clothing. This effect of there being two Eminem's is constructed by the Eminem in the suit being shown in the mirror being the real Eminem and the Eminem being shown in 'rap' clothing being a stunt double. The real emimen was wearing the suit in the mirror because it was his face being shown. This short but effective sequence makes the music video more interesting to watch. After the lyrics: "pop it", the stunt double punches the mirror. At the same time of the punch a gunshot is heard which links to the lyrics. By the punch being edited at the same time as the gunshot it helps the music video flow and makes this moment of the music video more dramatic.

    After the song has stopped the music video continues. It cuts out of the main narrative back to the original location of the rehab clinic.  Before Eminem started singing at the very beginning of the video, most members of the clinic where looking down at watches appearing bored. In contrast at the end of the video, in the long shot you can see above they are all looking up clapping praising Eminems bravery for speaking. The clapping and emotional expressions of the people in the clinic helps to represent the emotional lyrics and narrative of the song and music video.

The rap genre video "Eminem - When I'm Gone" keeps to many generic conventions of music videos. The music video has a strong narrative. The editing within the whole video happens on the beat of the music to help the music video flow. The clothes within the music video help to represent the style of the genre and lip syncing is used by the artist throughout the music video.

I also found specific generic conventions which belong to the rap genre. The music video is a lot darker than any others I have deconstructed reflecting the true life meanings behind the lyrics of rap songs. There was also a much stronger narrative within this music video than any others I have deconstructed. This may be however just because of the strong family message in the music lyrics.