Generic Research: Case Study 1

 Thank you, next – Ariana Grande

 

The music video for the hit song “thank you, next” pays homage to many teen movies and famous romcoms, including Mean Girls, Bring it on, Legally Blonde, and 13 going on 30. The camera shots and mis en scenes used in the music video are almost identical to the ones used in the original films, allowing Grande to gain value transference from using successful media products staring iconic female leads. Grande’s target audience is mainly teenage girls who will enjoy these genres of film, and will therefore understand and enjoy the references to familiar favourites. 

 

In addition to the heavy intertextuality within this video, there is also a clear narrative that mimics the ones set out in the original films that Grande references. Using such iconic films allows Grande to replicate snippets of the films whilst still having the audience understand the storyline references. These rom-com films all portray different types of relationships that reflect all of Grande’s ‘ex’s’ that she’s reflecting on in the video (“Sean”, “Ricky”, “Pete”, and “Malcolm”), therefore matching the lyrics to the different scenes, for example, “one taught me love” references the Bring it on scene where Grande is flirting with her crush whilst brushing her teeth, and “one taught me pain”, references the 13 going on 30 scene where Grande cries whilst holding her doll house after her love chose to be with someone else. 

The references to mean girls clearly mimic specific scenes due to the codes of clothing and mis en scene. The use of intertextuality links to the lyrics “Spend more time with my friends, I ain’t worried bout nothing”, as she is clearly having fun with her friends like what happens in the actual Mean Girls film.

In this scene Grande replicates a scene from Bring it on, where the characters are flirting, linking to the basis of the song about past loves and their impact on Grande as a person. The wall in the background magpies the key elements, like the red towel and floral wallpaper, which hints to the audience that they are in fact paying homage.

She moves into scenes that reference Legally Blonde, a movie about a strong woman that opposes stereotypes and becomes a successful lawyer studying at Harvard university. Grande’s lyrics speak about the effect that each of the ‘ex’s’ have had on her and eventually says she’s “turned out amazing”, referencing the concept of how women can overcome their hardships and achieve great things, like how the character Elle Woods does in legally blonde

Towards the end of the music video, Grande wears a slick brown wig and floral red top to replicate what the character Jenna Rink wears in the film 13 going on 30. The doll house and porch reflect a famous scene from this romcom where Jenna cries after being heartbroken by her true love. Linking to the lyrics “learned from the pain”, Grande has used the narrative to reflect her own experience in a way that can be understood by her target audience