"Bittersweet - Wonwoo & Mingyu ( feat. LeeHi ) Analysis"

BITTERSWEET - MINGYU & WONWOO ( feat. LeeHi )

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✮ Introduction 

As for the continuation of Love, the next music video that I want to have a closer look at is Bittersweet by Wonwoo and Mingyu, they’re two members from a K-pop group called Seventeen, and this is their first single together. This music video has been directed by Kim Jong Kwan and released 2 years ago, with Seventeen promoting their 8th EP ( extended play ) “Your Choice”. Bittersweet is a mixture between music,  storytelling and cinema since it contains all of the 3 elements. With a soft R&B melody and nostalgic cinematography, it has attracted quite a lot of audiences and has been a sample that everyone could have a quite hard time finding a song that has a similar vibe to it. 

This music video has a clear storyline, which explains why it’s a narrative music video. The story is about a love triangle between a group of 3 people and they are best friends. The group consists of Mingyu, Wonwoo and a woman in her 20s. As for the closeness, their tension between each other becomes bigger through days, even months. In my perspective and observation, the love triangle starts with Wonwoo liking the girls, when the girl liking Mingyu but Mingyu actually like Wonwoo. Everyone have their own interest on someone. However, in order to keep their long - term friendship, which obstruct the opportunity to express their own feelings. This music video mainly focuses on Mingyu's thoughts since it's different and how this song can portray the queerness in this video. Further explanation about this video will be portrayed later in this analysis.

✮ Camera works 

Firstly, camera works were involved quite a lot in this video, compare to "love". This music video mostly captured people, which means it involved medium and big close up shot, medium shot and wide shot. Medium close-up, medium shot and wide shot were used to capture Mingyu. His scenes mostly captured him sitting in front of the window, the camera let us look at him at the back, including the rain drops on the glass, which reflect his emotions and feelings at that particular moment. Moreover, big close - up also used to captured mostly Wonwoo's state of emotion while he sitting in the bar. Not only the window scene, the scene that consists him standing at an empty road and it have been captured by a wide shot. One special thing about that scene is the camera didn't focus on him, but focus on the road with no vehicles, no trashes or anything. The lighting didn't flashed on him either, therefore, we can acknowledge that he didn't want to show his emotion, he hiding the truth and pretending that he's fine, which leads to a convention which I will mention it later.

One more thing that I also want to mention about is the slow shutter techniques, most significant in the running scene, when Wonwoo chasing the girl and Mingyu chasing Wonwoo. It created a stop - motion liked effects. Everything is glitching with them and seems to immerse with their flow. Furthermore, Dutch angles also involved in some scenes such as inside and outside the bar scene. Extreme close up also included for a short period of time, to capture Wonwoo's eyes while he have his time in the bar. The ECU captured his eyes wandering around as he is looking for something or someone. 

✮ Editing

Editing also bring a big contribution into this video. The transition in this video are a bit artificial, which is smooth and including some effects, for instance, in this video is the red light flashed between scenes. Slow motions also included, mostly on every scene in the second verse of the lyrics, All of the scenes that include slow motion were used for a main purpose - to portray what are they doing and how were they feeling about that. The dancing scene have included that effect, which captured a more clear point of view of their emotions. However, in my perspective, the slowed scene that attracted me is the scene that captured Mingyu being so hopeless and kneeling down in despair with slow motion, with the lighting that I have mentioned before, hence it can make the audience related to Mingyu's problem. 

Color is one of the most significant aspect in this music video. As we can see, the color in the video were not genuinely natural, it's all gone through editing process, in order to create a tranquil, somber yet nostalgic and chill atmosphere. In this video, there were 4 main color - red, green, blue and yellow. There are some additional colors such as brown, orange, black and more, however, those 4 color are the dominant color that can reflect what are the 3 people were feeling at some particular moments. For instance, the redness on Wonwoo at the beginning and Mingyu at the nearly end shows their romance tension have risen, or green on Mingyu at the end to show the jealousy, mixed and conflicted thoughts  that Mingyu have since he can't win.

Non - diegetic sound also appear in this video, most significantly in the nearly end. The rain sound at that moment was heavier, which make the atmosphere more sorrow. Mingyu step into the rain and smiling while he look at Wonwoo. The actions and the rain seems to spoken on behalf of Mingyu, that he have been hiding his emotion for a quite long time since he didn't want to ruin it either. Moreover, it also make the stillness and silence of Wonwoo more appeal. From my interpretation, Wonwoo seems to realize that, however, it's really unexpected and mostly everyone can have a really uneasy feelings about it, therefore, he also choose to stay silent as a way to hide his feelings and move forward into the rain and smiling with Mingyu. 

✮ Mise - en scene

The mise-en-scene in this video will be the next aspect that I want to analyze next. The setting in this video was taken in South Korea, might be in a small road area where Mingyu stands. The emptiness of the road, with no vehicles, no people, just him and the silence atmosphere. The set have somehow support the meaning of Mingyu's situation, he's hopeless and confuse, don't know what path he should take, between moving on or stayed. The bar also contributed a lot for the mise - en scene. It become a place that Wonwoo usually come since he likes the girl, however, the green and red lighting harmonize with the bar setting also interpret Wonwoo's situation, even though at the second verse, he also come to the bar, but this time he come to confess his feelings for the girl, and it seems he has been rejected. That's why we can see there are some green light flashed into him, which shows that his thought is mixed and conflicted either.

The outfit that they wear also reflect their background, according to my observation. Mingyu's outfit was normal, simple and casual, yet a bit sloppy, hence we can say that Mingyu's background was average, neither rich nor poor. However, Wonwoo's outfit was a bit flashy, formal and neat, as he wear a vest, T-shirt and a trousers, which said that Wonwoo's background is wealthier and more repertoires than Mingyu. Therefore, it had create a binary opposite between two people, however, it didn't affect their relationship much since they're really good friend.

✮ Conventions

Throughout the video, there are many conventions that have been shown through camera works and editing. First, the lightning and mise - en scene have marked the relationship between the lyrics and the visual. As for the lyric

"Hiding the truth, pretending I'm fine"

( 진심을 숨기고서 괜찮은 척 )

These lyric have been visualize by a particular scene. Mingyu standing in the middle of an empty road, wandering where to go. The camera and the lighting didn't focus on him, left him as a black figure like a shadow. Therefore, we can see how the lyric and the visual related to each other, as for the black lighting cover all of his body and his face, showing the way that he hiding his true emotion and faking that he's fine.

Another evidence in this video also support this convention is the last lyric in the chorus

"Eyes meeting but hearts apart

 So sweet and so bitter"

( 같은 시선 다른 마음
너무 달고 너무 쓰다 )

This scene of Wonwoo and the girl at a convenience store have explain everything by visualization. Despite for the fact that they sit next to each other and their eye might touch for a bit, the girl's eye mostly focus on the outside more than touching with Wonwoo's eyes. It seems like she's looking for Mingyu, which means that between him and her, their heart were just different. 

As well as the relationship of the lyric and visual, intertextual convention also involved in this video. Since I have watched this music video quite a lot, I think I can claimed that this video has their inspiration from Wong Kar Wai's movies. The most significant evidence we can see is the slow shutter running scene, which reminded me of ChungKing Express (1994). The speed was faster and less glitching than ChungKing Express, yet it still got a reminiscent feeling whenever I watch that scene. 

Color grading and mise - en scene might also take some references from the same movie, especially with the bar scene. In ChungKing Express, there is a bar scene that He Zhiwu ( Cop 223 ) drink and he accidentally meet the Blonde Woman, the setting and color grading were actually similar with Chung King Express, the only thing here is the setting is more modern than Chung King Express. 

✮ Effects Model, Reception Theory & Use & Gratifications :

Based on the Effects Model, this music video doesn't cause any harm to anyone because it's amusing and nice in terms of acting and images. Additionally, the film has no information about sexual or violent content; as a result, it is suitable for viewers of all ages and free from any harmful content.

Bittersweet has affected many people, especially for Carats ( Seventeen’s fanbase ). Not only for the vocal, but also the story that they want to bring. In terms of media, it has used many gratifications in order to gain more interest. Primarily, it’s entertaining, since it contains R&B melody, which makes it more chill and dreamy. Personal identities also included, not only for the lyrics to be related, but also the cinematography, the lighting and color grading in this video could actually connect the audience's emotion since it’s quite gloomy, melancholy yet nostalgic and vivid. It obviously has some social interaction, since they already have the fanbase. Carats are actually quite active on many social media platforms, which means they could post anything to promote and share their thoughts about the song, therefore, it could reach many different communities and fanbase.

According to audience theory, it can be viewed by the audience as a fun music video with intriguing effects. In my opinion, audiences will largely respond to it along with Preferred Reading because it is sufficiently intriguing and the setting of the music video feels suitable for all ages. Not to mention that almost everyone could relate to the video's meaning. It's likely that a Negotiated or even Oppositional reading opinion would claim that this song or music video is not their style, or even their experience are not the same with the story line.

✮ Conclusion

This music video also been one of my favorite K - Pop music videos, since the vibe was so nostalgic yet melancholy, hence create a different world that we can immerse in and actually related to it. The choice of colors was so ingenious that all of them can be harmonized. Intertextual conventions between this video and Chung King Express have spiced up all the scenes, which makes it more dull yet sad at the same time. The visual was so related to the story, therefore the connections between the narration and all the scene become stronger. The color grading of this video were also significant since the purpose of this technique is to portray each characters' emotions toward their situations. Love is one of the most common theme for every songs, even though it's not really common, however, it still give the audience a really different feeling, therefore it can give the audience a different insight of love that somebody might didn't know before. Overall, this music video has been one of the best ones I have ever seen for healing purposes since it has reflected my feelings for a while.