Remember, He's Not Irreplaceable

In Beyoncé’s music video for her song Irreplaceable, which was released on December 5^th, 2006, the audience is shown a very young Beyoncé who has just broken up with a man that cheated on her and has decided to kick him out of her house. Throughout the video, she embodies a lot of sass, self-confidence, and strength. The music video plays with elements of Mise-en-scène such as the position of cameras and props to show the message that she is trying to portray to her audience: she does not need a man by her side who does not uplift her and that she can always find someone better.

Through the use of the position of cameras, the producer manages to successfully manipulate what the audience sees. After the ex-boyfriend leaves, there is a scene where Beyoncé is admiring her beauty and physique. This scene takes place in her closet where she is surrounded by at least five full-body mirrors. The camera is focused on the many reflections the singer has of herself and how captivated she is by each of her reflections. Through the position of the camera, the audience is witnessing the immense amount of self-love and how obsessed Beyoncé is with herself. She smiles a lot as she takes in and accepts every inch of what makes her who she is both physically and emotionally. This scene is very empowering because the audience would expect her to be upset and heart-broken after realizing that her boyfriend cheated on her. The way they position the cameras throughout the scene and video furthers the fact that women are strong and do not need a man.

The props used in the music video are also very significant to the intended message. In the same scene, she is wearing hair rollers, a bra, and a long skirt. The use of hair rollers is used to show that she is pampering herself and that she must always look her best. The hair rollers show that a woman must always look her best even though she may not always feel the best. The fact that she is not wearing a shirt in this scene shows that she is accepting her sexuality and is becoming aware of the fact that she is too pretty and too much of a woman to be crying over someone that did not value her. Lastly, the long skirt adds to her femininity and it also touches on the fact that she is adamant on keeping her composure and poise after going through a break-up.

            All in all, the way the cameras are positioned and the specific scenes shown in the music .  

video along with the props manage to clearly pose the meaning behind the song. Through the manipulation of these factors of Mise-en-scène the message would not have as been clear. The audience is able to get an idea of what Beyoncé is trying to share but these elements allow for the visualization to happen. To see how well these elements are implemented in the video click here.