Genre Conventions

As we are doing a hip-hop-rap video, it has to follow some conventions of a hip-hop/rap video

1.) Girls (the male gaze)

our video will contain attractive female extras which is a common element shown in hip-hop/rap videos

2.) Money & Jewelry

Many hip-hop/rap videos emphasis the artists wealth 

3.) Cars

Hip-hop/rap videos often show expensive cars, either being driven or parked

4.) Scenery

Most hip-hop/rap videos take place outside/inside big expensive houses with pools

5.) Party scene

Most hip-hop/rap videos feature a party scene which features alcohol, drugs, dancing etc

Song Selection

1. Miguel - How Many Drinks (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
2. Drake - Wu Tang Forever
3. Rihanna - Pour It Up 
4. Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools
5. A$AP Rocky - Goldie
6. Drake - Up All Night (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
7. Jay-Z - Venus vs Mars
8. Kanye West - Clique
9. PARTYNEXTDOOR - Right Now
10. Drake - Make Me Proud (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
11. Beyonce - Bow Down/ I Been On
12. Nicki Minaj - I'm Legit
13. Ciara - Super Turnt Up
14. Meek Mill - I Be On Dat (Feat. Nicki Minaj and Fabulous)
15. Nicki Minaj - Her I Am
16. Migos - Versace (Feat. Drake)
17. Cassie - RockaByeBaby
18. Justine Beiber - Right Here (Feat. Drake)
19. Drake - Pound Cake (Feat. Jay Z)
20. Rihanna - Fresh Out The Runway

From a list of 20 songs we (my team and I) have compromised on the song Drake- Up All Night ft Nicki Minaj

Tutorials

Here are some tutorials for using a camera and how to use premier pro, these will help when record and editing my music video

Ideas!

My pintrest mood board!

I created this board on pintrest to put together ideas for my music video, what I want the artists to look like, what I want them to resemble. songs I got inspiration from etc

Dizzee Rascal- Love This Town

The lyrics to this song express Dizzee's love of London and how even though there's different layers (different cultures, beliefe's, ages etc) everyone acts/should act as one.

The videos starts off with Dizzee sitting at a bus stop next to a man, (who is famously known for being assaulted during the London riots 2010) with his crew of friends joining him shortly after, they (Dizzee and Crew) then surround the man in an intimidating fashion, looking as if they're about to steal from him, none the less, this is not the case, you then later see Dizzee and crew, instead of stealing from the man, they fill his bag with sandwiches 

As the video progresses you see Dizzee and his group of friends wearing dark clothing and balaklavas looking as if they are about to cause trouble, however, this is not the case. In the first instance you see the group of boys surrounding a shop as if they were about to riot it, however they throw a bucket of water on the widows and start cleaning the shop

Also, there's a scene where Dizzee and crew are supposedly looting a shop, but, they're actually recycling old boxes 

This theme of supposedly doing bad but instead doing good, continues throughout the video and subverts stereotypes. 

The concept of the song is the love of London and the video shows how good London can be, it emphasizes the fact that one incident shouldn't determine the perception of London. 

This video shows people of different races apart of Dizzee's crew to take away the stereotype that only black youths cause trouble in London.

One key clip of this video is when the police and Dizzee's crew come face to face, initial thoughts are that there's going to be war, as young people are often associated with hating the police and vice versa. But, this is not the case in the video, they actually end up dancing together, highlighting the emphasis of the lyrics of the song... London is one and that's how we should act

This video successfully tackles and removes the negative stereotypes of London, (that London is ran by ruthless youths who have no morals) it shows that there is positivity in London. I feel that this video is a good representation of London and a benefit of the video is that it can be viewed all around the world so those around the world who heard about the riots, or those who even hear bad things about London, can look at the video and see that it's not all doom and gloom and that there is some positivity within the city.

Video Director analysis

I have analysed 3 music videos Michel Gondry has directed

Video analysis of my choice!

Jhene Aiko ft Childish Gambino- Bed Peace

 

Audience

This video has no specific audience, however it does mainly appeals to fans of Jhene Aiko and/or Childish Gambino and even fans of John Lennon

Genre

The video has elements multiple genres, such as Rock and Pop and aspects of R&B

Representation

This video represents Jhene as a calm person, someone who enjoys relaxation, she is essentially presenting herself as being like everyone else in the world, she likes to chill out and enjoys relaxation and being at home, even though she is a celebrity

Narrative 

In the video, it is implied that Jhene has a love intrest, her featured artist (Childish Gambino) although they don't show obvious displays of affection they are shown to be laying in bed together and have moments of play fighting. It is obvious that this video was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-Ins for Peace protest against the Vietnam War

Institution

Jhene Aiko is currently signed to Def Jam, She been signed to many other labels including The Ultimate Group and Epic Records, however she left these labels in order to persue education. Jhene started her career in 2002 as backing vocals for group B2K and signed with Def Jam in 2012

Analysis

This video has no specific audience, it relates to those of all genders, races etc, and as it contains elements of multiple genres it appeals to a wider audience, those who are fans of John Lennon and possibly those who enjoy peace and happiness. The video shows Jhene as a calm loving person, who, possibly alike John Lennon, has a calm nature and is all about the music. Although the video shows Jhene as having a slight love interest, it is not highly emphasized  and by the fact that she is being interviewed within the music video, shows she is a person of the people, she's not self-centered and has firm beliefs, those of which she will fight for.

5 videos that can easily be recreated!

Kanye west - Gold Digger

Jhene Aiko- The Worst

Jhene Aiko- Bed Peace

Robbin Thicke ft Pharrell & TI- Blurred Lines

Rihanna ft Mikky Ekko - Stay

These videos are all easily recreate-able as they only feature on scene and the setting is really cheap and easily accessible. These videos dont use any special effects of hard camera angles yet they still remain really effective videos. They are all simple and don't require any choreography or true narrative, yet you still understand the purpose of the song

The record business

The Record Business The Majors Majors top artists Indie Labels The Major-Distributed Independant The True Independent  | Infographics

Holy Grail

During this song, they mention a lot of other songs and artists, what effect does this have? What theories can you apply to this?

By Jay-Z mentioning loads of artist during the song, it has one of two effects, he's presenting himself as one of them or above them. By him mentioning multiple artist/performers it could imply that he likes them enough to include him in this song by giving them props, or, it could mean that they're so beneath him that he shouts them out as they were either once above him, or he sees himself as helping them out (in a negative egocentric way).
However, In this case it's none of the above,  Jay Z is comparing himself to other great artist/performers and expressing his love for the fame and bright lights a like them but is also analysing how unfortunate they, the artist turned out. He is discussing the music industry, how amazing, but also how cruel and how flaky it can be 'one day you're here, one day you're there' (as said in the chorus by Justin Timberlake).

I can apply Richard Dyers theory of pop stars. This song shows Jay Z as being a pop star as he evidently has brand awareness, he knows his brand and how much he's worth and the brand of those that he mentions that he mentions in his song, like international pop legend Michael Jackson and rock legends Nirvana.

My Trailer!

This is my first attempt at editing, I created a trailer, I found it difficult to make the storyline of the trailer make sense and for it to look like a real trailer, I think I made an mediocre first attempt however, there are major improvements I could've made, such as the sizing of the video clips, the narrative of the trailer and how well it's edited together.

History of the music industry

 

Most expensive to least expensive music videos

Top 3 most expensive videos:

1.) 1995  Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson- Scream

Cost: $ 7,000,000 

2.) 2002 Madonna- Die another Day
Cost: $6,100,000

3.) 1989 Madonna- Express Yourself
Cost: $5,000,000

Although there are many expensive music videos, I have found a couple that are on the cheaper side

1.) The Cure- In Between Day
This video was filmed with a shopping cart and camera

2.)  Ed Sheeran a team
Ed recorded this song for under £200 and recorded the video for just £20!

Analysis of video

I watched James Arthur- You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You and have came up with an analysis of the video

Audience

This video appeals to a very broad audience, this is shown by the representation of various amount of ethnicities and ages shown in the video.

Genre

The video has elements multiple genres, such as Rock, Pop and Reggae.

Representation

This video represents James Arthur as a person of the people, someone who is fun loving  and sociable person. This is shown in various ways. Firstly, by him being surrounded by a diverse amount of people; Secondly, he constantly sings into the camera as if he is singing to viewers and trying to relate to them.

Narrative 

In the video, James Arthur didn't have a love interest, his song was directed to the audience."You're nobody till somebody loves you" was the main lyric in the song and by him not having a specific love interest it implies that the world loves him, he is now somebody. This is supported by his now pop star image.

Institution

James Arthur made his come up from winning X Factor in 2012, since the show he has taken a year off to record an album.

Analysis

This video has no specific audience, this is good as the song contains elements of multiple genre, thus not appealing to a particular audience anyways which means a wider population of people can enjoy the video. The video highlights James Arthur as a person who cares about everyone, his main concern is the people, his lack of love interest in the song highlights this and it shows he does not focus on one individual, he makes music for the whole world to enjoy. With James Arthur being an X Factor winner, he has now adapted a pop-star image as it is evident that he has be reconstructed into a socialite pop star. James Arthur comes from a small town which most likely was not the most sociable of places, by him now being the main star/host of a street party shows his reconstruction from a reserved person into a 'social butterfly', and essentially, from a nobody, to a somebody.

Conventions of a rock video and R&B video

From looking at R&B videos and rock videos I have found similarities between the two, some of their elements intertwine.

The similarities between a rock video and an R&B video are:

• Women are the object, men are the subject
• Male artist performing to a camera - interaction with the audience
• Frequent close-ups of the artist performing
• Often themes of recklessness e.g.: Partying /getting drunk

The difference between a rock video and an R&B video are:

• Rock videos are often filmed at night, R&B videos are often filmed during the day
• R&B artists often wear baggy expensive clothing in their videos, Rock artists often wear casual, scruffy clothing
• R&B artist often show their wealth in their videos with close ups of their cars and jewellery, Rock videos are often them performing to a crowd with no expenditures being the object of the video
• Rock videos often use dark colours in costume, lighting, set etc, whereas R&B videos use bright colours in costume, lighting, set etc.

Conventions of an R&B video

I found that through looking at various R&B music videos, that they often follow the conventions of rap and hip hop videos. Here are some key elements these music videos share

1. Male artist performing to the camera
2. Males are subjects Women are objects
3. Displays of wealth e.g.: Jewellery, cars
4. Bright colours are used opposed to dark colours
5. Frequent close-ups of the artist(s) performing
6. Outfits worn are baggy and expensive
7. Often set in an urban setting
8. Editing is paced to the beat of the music
9. Women are highly sexualised, they wear tight clothing and are often shown walking in slow motion
10. Colour schemes are basic, often minimalist
11. Often filmed in the day rather than at night
12. Low angle shots are often used to show the dominance of the artist, like they are looking down on the viewer

Conventions of an R&B video

I looked at R&B stars Usher and R.Kelly in the collaborative music video, Same Girl.

I then focused on what makes its an R&B video and looked at different shot types and the effect it has on the viewer/video

  Shot types

Shot type	What is shown?	What is its effect?
Low angle	Usher and R Kelly sitting on the floor after just finishing playing basketball	This shot passes the artists from right to lefts so the audience can catch the conversation occurring between the two. The low angle puts the audience at the same level as the artist as if they are to relate with their dilemma.
Close up	R Kelly’s Cigar and diamond ring and the landscape outside of his apartment	This shows the audience that he has a lot of money and is living the typical R&B artist life style, it relates to those aspiring to be like the artist/have the same life style.
Split Screen	Usher and R Kelly wearing similar outfits and on the phone	They are both wearing white showing their innocence in the situation and showing the conversations allows the audience to emphasise with them as they seem like two normal friends having a conversation over the phone

Conventions of a rock video

From watching multiple rock videos, Including Kings of Leon- Use Somebody and Sex on Fire, I have made a list of the most common elements in a rock music video

1. Dark colours
2. the use of night opposed to day time
3. Inclusion of backstage footage
4. Clip of the bands physically playing the instruments
5. Dark coloured clothing, mostly casual/scruffy tight clothing
6. The use of black and white
7. Close Ups of the lead vocalist
8. Fast editing
9. Wide shots of the band performing to a crowd
10. Studio backlighting
11. Religious symbols are often seen/worn i.e.: Crucifix Necklace
12. Men are usually the subjects and women are usually being the objects
13. Multiple panning shots, (a lot of camera movement)
14. Clips of the band bonding

Conventions of a rock video

I looked at rock band, Kings of Leon and wathced their video, Use Somebody, and pin pointed out what makes it a rock video.

I then looked at the shot types, what these shots showed at the effect it has on the video/viewer. We also looked at what elements contained in the video that portrays the rock genre.

Shot types

Shot type	What is shown?	What is its effect?
Tracking aerial top-shot	A cityscape at night, buildings which are lit up and the headlights of cars in traffic	This shows the hustle and bustle of a big city. It implies constant movement and a city that never sleeps (possibly like the band, they’re always up and active). The aerial shot looking down on all the busyness resembles a singer looking down at their audience.
Extreme close up	The lead singers face (whilst he’s singing)	It shows the emotions of the singer and which allows you to empathise with him and connect with the words. It is like he is singing directly to you.
Long shot	The band on stage	It shows the band performing and makes the viewer want to be a part of that experience.
Black and white to colour	Some shots are black and white and others are colour	The shots that are in black and white show the band at work; this shows the business side of the band and shows that they take their job very seriously. The shots that are in colour are when the band is performing, this gives the impression that when the bands are on stage they come to life.



Verve- Bitter Sweet Symphony spoof!

We came across multiple issues during the filming of the video, none the less we over came them and this is what we came up with!

Music Video Challenge!

We had the task of recreating (a spoof) of Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony; here I have video diaries explaining the process of recording the video

Brief:

(A little add on I forgot to say!)

First take!

Being an extra!

How we over came the issues!

In Conclusion!

(My turn being the main!)

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey stated that because filmmakers are mainly male, the presence of women in film (in this case, music videos) is often solely for the purpose of display. The purpose of this is to create a voyeuristic response in viewers, which presumes a 'male gaze', one that is powerful and controlling which is focused on the female on display, who, in turn, is objectified and passive.

This theory is evident in 2 Chainz- Birthday Song, in this video the females are highly revealing clothing and are only used as props and serve no real purpose other than to dance seductively.

As with Kanye West ft Jamie Foxx- Gold Digger

And Usher- Yeah

It is evident that this theory is predominant in R&B and Rap Music videos 

Videos that inspire me

Five music videos that inspire me:

1.) Beyonce- Countdown, this music inspires me because I love the use of editing and the different colour effects used

2.) Kanye West- Mercy, this video inspires me because the camera angles and shots are amazing and flow effortlessly 



3.)  Bruno Mars- The Lazy Song, I like this video as the camera angles/shots are consistent and simple which allows the performer to be showcased



4.) Bruno Mars- Treasure, I like this video because even though the video was filmed recently (June 2013) it has an effect as if it were filmed in the 80's/90's which correlates well with the song as it sounds like a song from that era.

5.) Ed Sheeran- Give Me Love, this video inspires me because the storyline portrayed in the video and the asthestics used to portray the storyline is amazing.







Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer stated that 'pop performer' and 'pop star' are not the same thing, 'pop stars' have a lasting significance and have 'brand awareness' they are constructed, artificial images.

An example of a 'pop star' is Lady Gaga, she is considered a 'pop star' as she has a unique selling point, she is very artistic and outgoing in her music videos/songs

Another example is Nicki Minaj, she is considered a 'Pop star' as she/her style remains consistent and it is evident that she may have been constructed and is essentially artificial even though she may be trying to represent female rappers

Fianlly, another example is James Arthur, winner of XFactor, this video shows his construction process, how he's gone from an ordinary person to styled into a records company expectations

 

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin had 5 different ideas regarding music videos, these are:

Genre- videos that represent stereotypes and conventions of the genre, e.g: Little Mix -How Ya Doin'? This represents the sterotype that girl bands are always dancing

Sound and Vision-  clear relationship between lyrics and visuals e.g.: Justin Bieber- As Long as You Love Me. This shows sound and vision as there is a clear correlation between the lyrics of the song and the music video

Notions of Looking- We are 'watching ' the performer and gaining pleasure from it, typically features windows and mirrors e.g.: Justin Timberlake- Mirrors

Star Image- Promotion of the star through the video using frequent close up ands motifs to represent the artist e.g.: Justin Timberlake- Take Back the Night

Intertextuality- Reference to other media texts (such as other songs, flm etc) which allows the audience to quickly decode the meaning e.g.: Ariana Grande ft Nathan Sykes- Almost is Never Enough, this video features clips of the film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones 

Simon Firth - 3 typologies

Simon Firth stated that music videos may be characterised by 3 broad typologies: Performance, narrative and conceptual

Performance- Feature the star or group singing in concert to wildly enthusiastic fans. The aim is to convey a sense of the in-concert experience, performance videos that display the star or group in the studio remind the viewer that the soundtrack and album are still important
e.g:. Passenger- Let Her GO

Narrative- A video that may tell any kind of story in linear, cause-effect sequencing. (Love stories are the most common narrative mode in music video) 
e.g:. J.cole ft Miguel- Power Trip

Conceptual- Rely on poetic form, primarily metaphor. The conceptual video can be a metaphysical poetry articualted through visual and verbal elements. 'conceptual videos do not tell a story in linear fashion, but rather create a mood, a feeling to be evoked in the experience of viewing' Firth 1988

e.g:. Rihanna ft Mikky Ekko- Stay

Summer Project

Over the summer I recorded me and my friend on a trip to London and edited it together and added a song over that, this helped me gain an understanding behind the process of editing a music video

My Lip Sync Video

In order to understand how artists make music videos and the difficulties of it, I have created a Lip Sync Video to Beyonce - Love on Top. This lip sync video helped me to understand how important it is for the mouth and words to sync to endure the authenticity of the music video 

Time lines

I've made 4 timelines of different genred artists dating their most famous music videos

Whitney Houston

Nirvana

The Killers

Kanye West