EG14 Destiny's Child - Survivor

ACT: Destiny's Child

TRACK: Survivor

YEAR: 2001

DIRECTOR: Darren Grant

GENRE: R&B

AUDIENCE: 15-40 M+F

VIDEO:

LYRICS

the island setting

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?: This video is a mixture of performance and narrative. The main narrative follows the band who are shipwrecked on an island, and they learn how to 'survive' throughout the video, before getting rescued at the end. The performance shots are inter cut throughout the narrative.

a shot of the group hunting

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS: There is a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals. The video shows the three members of the band on a deserted island, and there are several shots of them going hunting to survive on the island.

in most of the shots, Beyonce is
at the front in the middle

the other members sing backing
while Beyonce sings most of the lyrics

STAR TREATMENT: As Beyonce is the lead singer of the group, the majority of shots are of her. Because she also sings most of the lyrics throughout the song, most of the lip-syncing shots are of her. In the shots with the two other members of the band, she is mostly always central and slightly ahead of the other two members.

the beach setting

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: The video takes place on what looks like a deserted island, and this is the only location throughout the video. There are a few different locations on the island where the video is shot. We see them on a beach, and performing a dance routine in front of a tomb. There are also several shots of the three members in a raft waving for help. At the end of the video, there is a shot of them getting into a helicopter and flying off into the sunset.

revealing clothing

MALE GAZE: There are a lot of close up shots of each of the members bodies, as they are all wearing quite revealing clothing, in the style of bikinis. This signifies that the main audience would be male.

Kelly Rowland winks into
the camera whilst lip-syncing

LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS: In all of the shots of the band lip-syncing, they are looking into the camera. This creates a connection with the audience, and in a one shot one of the band members winks into the camera. 

high angle shot of the dance routine

DIRECTOR STYLE: Darren Grant is an American film and music video director. He has directed over eighty music videos for mostly R&B and Hip Hop artists.He has directed 8 music videos for Destiny's Child in total, and all of his videos feature a mix of narrative and performance, and usually they feature a hip-hop dance routine.