Binary Opposites in Music Videos

In this blog post I am going to look at Binary Opposition; this is where something is opposed to each other for example fighting. To explain this I am going to use the music video Not Afraid by the rap artist Eminem. Please click the link below to watch the music video on YouTube:

Eminem - Not Afraid Music Video

In this music video it compares two different Eminems, one being the present Eminem who is a celebrity, and the other Eminem being the past version of him, who is an underground MC.

Present Eminem:

Past Eminem:

In the beginning of the music video, it shows Eminem standing tall upon a skyscraper to show how far he has come whereas the "Past Eminem" is in a room resembling a basement, with stairs up to the world above him. This symbolises his low simple beginnings, and his transformation from being at low points in his life, and to his best points.  

The present Eminem (Top Picture) shows him being cleaner, by having him freshly cut as well as wearing slick clothes and an overall well put together person, whereas the older Eminem was seen to be covered in tattoos and in a vest, where he looks more dishevelled. Which symbolises the fame he has received from his music has allowed him to clean himself up mentally and physically to give him a better quality of life. 

Lighting can be used in music videos to create mood as having a scene which has light usually symbolises a cheerful mood, whereas having a darker lighting can symbolise depressing moods. However in this music video there is use of both light and dark scenes for both the past Eminem and present Eminem which is to symbolise that neither one is completely perfect or hopeless.

Eminem also has a similar method where he shows the present Eminem and the past Eminem being caged-in, then breaking out of the cage. The past Eminem breaks free from a room which where he was trapped into a load of light, where he is depicted for the rest of the song. I believe this light resembles his freedom. Whereas the present Eminem is stuck surrounded by mirrors showing that he is still surrounded by his own problems such as drugs, and then eventually breaks through a mirror back to freedom at the top of the skyscraper, to symbolise a new version of him.

The binary opposition of Eminem's Not Afraid shows that Eminem sees a successful person as one who is simple, plain and clean. He uses the binary effects to create two versions of himself, and shows that both versions of himself has positives and negatives to them, and they both have similar problems, and both can be "good" and "bad".