Miley Cyrus, a teen icon that millions of young people across the world have grown up watching on Disney Channel. The child star of Billy Ray Cyrus, and actress turned pop sensation, she deffinately knows how to cause a scene with her controversial “Wrecking Ball” Video.
Directed by Terry Richardson, a controversial photographer known for the sexual nature of his photo’s it is evident Miley was looking to cause a reaction.
A simplistic opening with an extreme close up of Miley, the music video takes a reserved approach. For the first 30 seconds this is all you see as an audience, just an emotional Miley crying and singing directly to you to draw your attention in and make you feel connected to the artist.
This is then followed by close up shots of Miley with a hammer, posing with it and long shots of her walking around dragging it; this hints at the possibility of some destruction to follow and also shows the possibility that she isnt wearing much, but does not confirm this, it only suggests.
From here the controversy with the audience kicks in. Strutting around in just a pair of white knickers and a small white crop top Miley is seen to lick and caress a hammer in a “provocative” manner. She is seen to mount a wrecking ball, as the title suggests, and swing back and fourth, making “sexual” facial expressions and to be licking the chain in which she is hung.
Obviously as a chart hit/artist, it is expected of the music video to show the female in very little clothing and acting in a suggestive mannor, its the nature of the genre now-a-days, but a teen/childhood icon who is admired by a lot of very young adolescents, would be expected to be a little more reserved as to not send the wrong example, or so it would be thought.
Initially in her little white outfit and brown military boots, Miley goes on to adapt an outrageous image of loosing her clothes and swinging on the ball completly naked. Still singing about coming in “like a wrecking ball” the video also shows the desruction of the brick wall that is behind her.
These three baisic shot concepts pretty much form the entire three minute video that doesnt really have much of a storyline other than a wall being knocked down, Miley getting naked on top of a giant swinging ball, and her making out with a hammer. It is understandable why this video has provoked the reaction it has from the audience. But in its first month of youtube it has reached well over 220 million hits; her marketing of herself and her song can therefore technically be concidered successful, shes getting the views and the publicity thats for sure!!
The outrageous video concept aside there are some really nice shots of her through out when it comes to the close up work although some of the shots of the wall being broken and the longer shots could have been a bit better I thought; but in terms of video, its not too bad. My advce to Terry Richardson for next time though would be to be a bit more discreet with his placement of the GoPro camera in the background of some of the shots.
Abiey Humphries 