To help understand the different genres of music and music videos i have looked at three different genres of music videos and analyzed them individually. I will be looking into their cinematography, editing and the mise en scene to help me analyse them.
First of all there is Drake's music video to his song 'Over', this falls under a mixture of genres with both 'rap' and 'pop'. There are many close up shots of the artist in Drake's music video for his song 'Over', for example he features in all of the first four shots but on the fourth shot there is a close up shot of his face. This is to contribute to advertising the artist and boosting his popularity but also to show the artists emotion to help build a relationship between him and the audience. This follows the conventions of a 'pop' or 'rap'artists music video as it allows the audience access into his emotions and lifestyle and will also appeal to his target audience of teenagers and young adults as it is fueled by emotions and relationships in which the demographic can relate to.
This song is about relationships and shows Drake with other women in the video, for example there is also a two-shot and also a close up of Drake and another female artist ,Rita Ora, who performs very similar music and songs that fit into the same genres. This acts as a visual representation in showing that Drakes is close to her literally in the shot and emotionally in the narrative. This makes it clear that there is a relationship between them in this video. This is done to appeal to the target audience of this video as they are young adults and teenagers who are renowned for having many relationships and can therefore relate to the song lyrics and theme whether they be the good or bad aspects of 'love'. Also the female is Rita Ora who is popular with most of Drakes fans as she produces similar styles of music, this may increase popularity of the song as fans of Rita Ora who do not listen to Drake may persuaded to listen to him. It follows the codes and conventions of 'pop' and 'rap' music as it shows ideology as in the video there are parts of the artist's lifestyle.
In terms of editing in this video it is trying to show that drake is maybe trying to cope with himself, for example there are editing styles that contain multiple images of Drake in one shot and some of the shots have images of him inside of his own silhouette. I believe that this is done to make it look like he cant stop thinking about himself or he is upset or angry with himself therefore he cant get himself out of his mind. Again this follows conventions of similar videos in this genre as it is showing the artists dealing with something and it is allowing the audience into the artists personal life. This can help the the video connect and relate to its audience as most people have done something they are feeling guilty or angry about and maybe that they are not proud of, this also make the artists image seem more realistic which people like in and artist.
The main setting in the video fits in with the whole idea of Drake being inside his own mind as he is sitting in a small room on a bed. This room is shown to be his mind, for example the are multiple images and colours projected on the walls of the room that he is in which represents his thoughts and feelings and makes it clearer that this is his mind. this lets the audience see what the artists is feeling and thinking about which helps them connect with him in a more ordinary and human way.
Again to help the audience and the artist build a better relationship the artist is wearing very average clothes in all of the shots of this video to appear more every-day and believable. The key costume piece in this video is his chain which holds a silver cross. I think this is done to show that even this well known artist looks up to someone or something higher than them.
The lighting in this video is effectively used to show that music is a way of the artist expressing himself, for example in the beginning of the video when he has not begun singing there is low key lighting being used and he is just a black silhouette in the dark but as soon as he begins performing his face is lit up by high key lighting so that you an see the emotions on his face. This shows that he is only able to express feelings thoughts when he can be seen which is when he is performing and singing.
In this video there are props used to decide attitudes taken towards the characters of the narrative, for example the woman that Drake desires is surrounded by crystals and chandeliers in her shots. This is to help the audience associate her with glamor and all the desirability that comes with diamonds and jewelry. In contrast to the artist's ordinary and dull clothes this makes her seem almost to good for him witch a lot of the demographic for the video can relate to. This music video therefore follows the conventions of others work in this music genre as it contains sexually ambiguous and desirable women.
The second video I have analysed is Flo Rider's massive hit 'Club can't handle me' which is predominantly classed as a 'dance' and 'pop' track. The genre of this video can be shown through the video's cinematography, the first example of this is the fact that there are many establishing shots to show different exciting or exotic locations which is typical of the conventions of this genre of music video. There is evidence of this in the second shot of the video which is a wide-angle establishing shot of the outside of a club which makes it clear that the video and song relate to the 'clubbing scene' but more importantly there are two very expensive sports cars pulling up outside. This means that so far the video is showing ideology, typically found in dance and pop videos, and follows the conventions of this genre as it it selling a lifestyle to the target audience through the use of expensive things such as the black and gold Lamborghinis. This therefore creates a relationship between the artist and the audience as the audience would find the cars desirable and and would feel like by watching the video they would possibly become a part of this lifestyle that is being sold to them. This could also make the video and song increase in popularity and boost sales of records.
Music videos made for songs in the dance genre usually include lots of point of view (p.o.v) shots to give the audience the feeling that they are there dancing with the characters in the narrative or the performance. For example in this video there are lots of p.o.v shots of people dancing and having fun when the performance is in the club. This can help the audience connect to the video and the atmosphere as they feel as though they are in the club with the artist. This is a typical convention of a dance music video as it contains lots performances and choreography rather than narratives which would be found in genres such as R&B.
Editing is used in this video to make the club featured in the video appear to be a fantastic place to be, for example in the beginning of the video when the artist (Flo Rida) has not yet entered the club there is a heavy use of continuity editing which is also slow paced. Slow paced editing has been used to convey that life outside of the club and partying is slow and boring whereas in the club all of the shots have been put together in short clips to create fast paced editing which helps the club to appear more energetic and full of fun. The reason continuity editing has been used in the scenes outside of the club is done to create a sharp contrast between this and the distorted montage of shots of the club that are not continuous. This is done to create a sense of mayhem in the club and therefore adding to the desirability of the location. These techniques are common in this genre of music and follow the conventions of most other dance music videos. This all combines to help connect to the target audience who are young adults, the demographic for this video are people who regularly go out clubbing and dancing as they are still young enough to enjoy this but old enough to of experienced going to clubs. They can relate to this video as they could feel as though life outside of their favorite clubs is boring and that they look forward to letting go again and having lots of fun in a club.
The main location in this video is a club based in a city at night. We know this as all of the shots that are set outside are low key lighting and all the light is artificial not natural it is clear that the remainder of the video is set mainly in a club as the shots inside are filled with lots of strobe lighting and lasers which are both commonly found in and associated with clubs and bars. This is to show the artist as someone who enjoys going to clubs and bars at night and having fun. This follows the conventions of dance videos in the music industry as it is filled almost entirely with dancing whether it is on the streets or expensive clubs which this video features. This allows the target audience to connect and build a relationship with the artist as both the artist and the demographic for the video enjoy going out with friends at night and share this passion.
Another feature in this video is the use of costume and props, for example the majority of the females in this video are dressed up with make up on and faltering dresses or other similar outfits. As the target audience for this video are males and females this aspect of the video appeals to both sexes as the male viewers are enticed by the voyeuristic nature of the video and the females can relate to the women in the video as they also probably enjoy getting dressed up and putting make up on to go for a night out in the town. The use of props such as champagne bottles can also contribute to creating a relation ship between the video and the viewer as the audience at this age also enjoy getting drunk and letting go, this relates to the early point that outside of the club for the target audiences is seen as dull and boring. This is also a common feature of dance videos as the actors are usually getting drunk and having fun.
This music video by
Three days grace opens with the lead singer of the band sitting on a stool and
playing a guitar. He is also wearing a black t-shirt. This one shot conforms to
many stereotypes of this music genre and follows the conventions of the rock
genre as many other videos in this genre feature a lot of people in either dark
or black colours. For example as a request by the record label it is focusing
on a band member for publicity, he is surrounded by and is wearing black
(signifying death), which is a stereotype of the heavy metal music genre. Also
the shot includes the singer playing a guitar, a guitar being the iconic symbol
of rock and metal. This is important as it allows the target audience to
identify this video as a particular genre and helps to make the video
attractive to the demographic as most of the audience for this genre tend to
play similar or the same instruments as the band members which can help create
a relationship between the artist and the viewer.
One of the conventions
of any music video is that fast paced montages are used and this video is no
different, in this video it is used to tell a story for example there are short
clips of a narrative merged with a performance from the band in quick
succession, this story is a sad one and conforms to the ‘emo’ rock genre
stereotype that it is depressing for example the subject matter of this video
is made up of a story of a young girl who is abused and becomes mentally unstable
when she grows up. It is filled with sadness and anger which is effective in
getting the audience involved and wanting to watch the video, this is done by
the heavy use of close up shots of the characters faces to show emotion. There
is a large use of shadows to convey lots of sad emotions in the video.
The audience also see
the whole of the band playing their instruments, which is another common theme
within the genre of rock. The girl featured in the video is wearing a white
dress to connote her as being innocent and pure, this is done to create
contrast between her and the man who is attacking her who is wearing red and
black, red being the colour of anger, blood and violence and black again
conveying death and authority over the girl. The shots of the girl are mainly
high angle shots so they are looking down on her, which gives the impression that
she is inferior and the shots of the man are low angle shots, which makes him
look more powerful in the story.
Also this video
conforms to one of Laura Mulvey’s stereotypes that women are either seen as
‘whores’ or as innocent virginal characters. In this case they are represented
as innocent virginal characters due to the white dresses worn by them. The band
in the video are represented as ‘rock stars’ to match there style of music as
they are all playing instruments, wearing dark colours, have unusual hair cuts
and have lots of tattoos. All of these things are stereotypically found in
music videos related to this genre of music.
Your analysis of your three chosen music videos shows a good understanding of the different micro elements that are used within the music videos. You have identified the main points and you have also considered the role of the conventions in some extent too.
ReplyDeleteTo make your analysis more detailed you need to consider the role of the target audience in more detail and you also need to include the summary points too.