Visual Review Music Video
For this visual review I chose to analyze Kid Cudi’s music video, Day ’N’ Nite . This music video was produced in 2009, and is what I believe as Kid Cudi’s big hit that got him to pursue a road of fame. This music video starts out with a completely black background with a solid white figure drawing walking closer getting larger faster and faster, a still hold shot on a moving man. This goes on for 14 seconds.
Then, immediately, the man walking becomes real life, singing “Day ‘N’ Nite”.
This focus truly makes the viewer focused on the man in the picture. What will happen next? The next few scenes follow his daily life in his own mind. Real and fake, attempting to locate reality. First he is walking down the street with a still hold shot, then the camera is focused on a grocery store frozen food and drink section, panning right across all the foods. First drinks, then foods, then desserts. The next scene is him walking closer towards Jesus in a church for a few seconds. Then back to reality - back on the street walking. Trying to figure out what life is and what life is not.
Immediately after the man, Kid Cudi, as a still shot walking alone just like how it did in the opening, now has colors on road he is walking on, starting to figure out purpose yet still wandering
He reverts back to the grocery store, where a continuum of near and far shots are taken, and back on the street panning left and right while he walks. Kid Cudi then starts with a saying “seeing the dreams of a life he made”. He looks at everyday people, colorizes them on how they could be different, and outlines how every day (and night) choices affect your. Even something as simple as a haircut.
Outlining a barber, a police officer, and more. Every day decisions lead to changes in life. I am enraptured by the complexity of thought of this song, and music video. I have listened to it over 100 times, yet analyzing a piece of art allows you to extrapolate a different perspective. <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} -->
The same guy, who was walking on the street earlier, now has a suit and gets off clean after a police search. The next few scenes are all still shots, panning left, or panning right. They could do better on this with a greater variety of shot types. What I do appreciate is the visual representations and transformations of videos and real life to cartoons and mixes in between. My favorite was an over the shot shoulder of Kid Cudi entering a building where their is pool being played. It is much larger than this.
All of these shots are with 2 mere seconds. Complexity and extreme thought provocation. It shifts to still portrait shot of an Asian woman where he is singing “the lonely nights, they fade away…” with the pool balls surrounding her. I believe the pool balls represent thought.
Overall, this is a great music video. Not the typical music video, but one that prevokes thought through the usage of transformations of reality and real life pictures to cartoons. The mind can be freed.
By: Jaime Gottlieb
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrDfSZ_6f4U














