Research into music genres

Intro- How do music videos appeal to an audience?

Rap- Notes, videos images, analysis 

Dance- Notes, videos images, analysis 

Choice- Same as above 

Summary

Different music videos appeal to various audiences with different interests and from varied backgrounds. Music genres have a big effect in terms of appealing an audience to their music video.

Rap Video-DRAKE, OVER

Rap and Hip/Hop music videos often follow conventions which work well with the style of music. Many videos of this genre use short shots of up to 2 seconds. This works extremely well with the fast paced music and words, keeping the video conventions relevant to those of the song. Jump cuts are often used to show a jump in time, this works well as it quickens up the events on screen keeping the story line in sync with the song.

In the Drake music video 'Over' the mis-en-scene involved follows the type of rap conventions associated with rap songs. In the video we see a girl wearing underwear, suggesting that she has an intimate relationship with Drake, the concept of girls surrounding rap artists and almost worshiping them is present here and clearly follows rap conventions. Rap videos also shown many signs of wealth, Drake is highlighted as wealthy as he is shown in a new costume every scene (every new location in the video, a new costume is shown). This conveys that he cares about the way people perceive him as an artist and the concept of being 'fresh' is developed. His clothing has significance in this video, he wears various colors to represent different things about his life. At the beginning of the video, he wears white, accompanied by dark lighting. This creates suspense as the audience can see his clothing but not his face. The white he is wearing also connotes innocence and purity showing that Drake has a good side, but the dark dim lighting may suggest that he has come through a hard journey. This projects himself to the audience and builds a relationship with him and the people who are consuming him. Drake also wears red, which shows he also has a dangerous side to him too, this links to Dyers theory of 'A star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to target audiences' as the juxtaposition of white and red support this.

Much of Drake's video is located in a bedroom, this make it easier for the audience to interpret and makes it more accessible for the audience, therefore creating a connection with them. At the beginning of the video Drake is located  in the center of the room, highlighting that he is the central focus.  The dark lighting accompanies this location and as the scene moves on, Drake is revealed, perhaps a message that he is up and coming. The other location is in a dark room, posing a question of mystery about the artist. Therefore Drake is always keeping the audience questioning about his life.  Through the utilization of special effects Drakes journey through life is depicted. There are cars moving on the wall behind him, changing into images of cities. This shows the various paths in life that he has gone through and the work that had to be done to get to where he is now. Shadows are also moving behind him, this scene shows Drake is moving in real time, and the shadows are moving faster, conveying that Drake is the central focus and that it is his time in the limelight. It also creates a link between the lyrics and the visuals, as seen in Goodwins theory. 'I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year'. This creates a link as it accompanies the shadows in the back ground, again creating a connection with the audience as they are gaining an insight into Drakes life. It is also evident in the video that when the pace increases, so does the effects that are utilized.

The cinematography also highlights Drake as an artist. The low angle shot of Drake shows him as a powerful artist, again highlighting that he is the central focus and that it is his time. During this shot the background consists of roads that are coming towards him, highlighting Drake coming towards success. There is also a high angle shot of Rita Ora- this is common in hip/hop, rap and RnB videos to have a well known artist in the video too. The high angle shot shows her innocence and later on in the scene the light dims and she leaves the room. This could suggest a love triangle between Drake and the women involved in the video, adding an additional narrative and engaging the audience in the video. The utilization of Rita Ora gives the video an extra appeal as she is well known.


Editing in the video includes shadows growing larger behind him, this portrays that Drake is growing as an artist. The use of special FX also shows more about Drake as an artist, these include fire whilst he is singing and glass shattering, this shows Drake in a rebellious light. This links to Dyers theory of common values of stardom. These editing techniques are minute but have a vital effect to the appeal of a music video as it gives an extra edge and flare.

Dance Video FLO RIDA ft DAVID GUETTA

The mis-en-scene in this video paints a clear picture of Flo Rida and the dance genre. Iconography is used in the form of cars. A gold Lamborghini is placed outside of the club with the color gold representing royalty. This highlights that Flo Rida is expressing his lifestyle and this is reinforced when he throws his money up in the air, suggesting that money isn't an issue for him. The iconography supports Flo Ridas lifestyle again with the use of champagne bottles and jewelry, this really enforces the picture that Flo Rida wants to get across to his audience.

The location he uses is a club, which would appeal to audiences 18+. He also utilizes a deserted street, linking with the lyrics 'the club can't even handle me'. The concept of the deserted and empty streets highlight that everyone is at the club because Flo Rida is there.

The costumes that are assigned to the people in the video convey that Flo Rida is the main focus. The people around him are all wearing black, white and generally bland colors. Whereas Flo Rida is wearing a red jacket, this may not be so much to connote danger, but a device to stand out in the crowd. The placement of people in the video conveys that he is almost a god to everyone else, they are surrounding him and worshiping him, he is also in the middle of everyone else and clearly stands out in the crows by being placed in higher positions to promote his power to everyone else. This appeals to an audience as some would aspire to be like him, with the money, power, popularity and a party lifestyle.

Camera utilization is vital to the success and appeal of a music video. A low angle shot is used to convey his superiority and success. At the beginning of the video, an establishing shot is used to introduce his lifestyle to the audience, this shot displays that expensive cars and the money that he possesses. He is always portrayed in the main frame of the video. Goodwins theory is evident in this video with the lyric 'the club cant even handle me right now' linking with the visuals of Flo Rida in an empty street surrounded by thousands of people, suggesting that the club was too small for Flo Rida's big personality and image.

ROCK VIDEO- ARCTIC MONKEYS- WHY'D YOU ONLY CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE HIGH

Generic conventions of a rock music video consist of dark lighting, performance and narrative based and often a derelict location to heighten the narrative. They also contain frequent alcohol consumption and sometimes drug consumption.

The mis-en-scene involved in this video conforms to the generic conventions of a rock music video. There are various locations that reflect different things within the video. The location begins with a busy pub and the lead singer of the band Alex Turner. He is clearly intoxicated with alcohol as the iconography of the shot glasses suggests that he has consumed many shots, as well as his band mates. This location fits in with the generic conventions as rock bands are often associated with heavy drinking and self destruction. This is also in-keeping with Dyers common values of stardom, in this case it is rebellion. Dark locations are utilized throughout, rock bands are commonly associated with darkness and the color black, which is evident in the video by using settings such as alleyways to perhaps show isolation and emptiness. The whole video is Alex Turner walking home from a night out and the various things he encounters. These dark locations create a mystery surrounding the whole night and keeps the audience wondering what will happen. Also the location of the empty public street highlights that it is late at night due to the emptiness and that only shops such as kebab shops and off licences are open. The costume he is wearing reflects the generic conventions of a rock band and video. The color black is constantly enforced in this video, perhaps to surround the narrative with some sort of mystery. He wears black clothing with a leather jacket, which again, is conforming to the generic conventions of a rock music video.

The cinematography involved reflects the narrative. The close up shots of Alex Turner highlight that he is the main focus in the video, these close ups are presented throughout the video to depict his emotions as he makes his journey home. POV shots are also used to show the events that are going on through Alex's eyes. We see how Alex is thinking of sex as he believes he is seeing a man in the kebab shop having intercourse with a woman, when really the man is just preparing food for customers, the fact that the audience is able to witness the things that Alex is viewing creates a connection with the audience as they are able to relate to the character on a more personal level. This is repeated when Alex sees a taxi driver having sexual relations with a woman, when really the taxi driver is just trying to talk to Alex, these hallucinations that he is having are also felt by the audience and we get a deeper insight to his thoughts. They also highlight his intoxication. This is reinforced through the utilization of a long shot at the end of the video. The long shot reveals Alex knocking on the door of an old woman's house. He was meant to be at the woman he had been texting and calling throughout the night 'Stephanie'. The use of the long shot is often used in rock videos to enforce a bigger picture on the audience and allow the audience to have a greater understanding of the narrative. This is similar here as there is a link between the lyrics and the visuals, this is evident as he is knocking on the door of an old womans house because he is intoxicated when he was meant to be at Stephanie's as he had been calling her, referring back to the title of the song 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High'.

The editing in this video reflects the generic conventions of a rock video. Much of the editing involved is too show that Alex is 'high' and intoxicated. This is evident when the clock in the pub morphs into a smiling face, this is done to show that Alex is tripping out. Similarly this is used when Alex goes into the toilet in the pub and looks in the mirror, the mirror then starts shaking and making wavy motions, then a duplicate of Alex appears in the background, perhaps to suggest that Alex has two sides of him and two different people when he is high and when he is not high, almost as if the duplicate is a ghost of Alex and watching over him; his sober self is watching intoxicated body. Effects are also used with the use of the text messages he is receiving as they appear out of the phone, this is done to display to the audience the role of Stephanie and to give them a deeper insight to what type of relationship they have.