Props for video

View more presentations from Hiten Vara.

Equipment being used in production of video

View more presentations from Hiten Vara.

Themes in our song

Some of the themes and conventions that will be in a video will include:

• love interest as this is common theme which is represented in the music video, also the song use about love, so we will try to use stereotypical,
• masculinity 
• slight use of bling
• low angle shots to show status and superiority of the artist
• the video will be shot on a bright sunny day

Music Video Analysis 6

• Performance based video
• Rap song
• Tattoos conventional feature of a rap artist
• A derelict area suggests area were they grew  up from and background
• Close up of artist when he’s rapping
• Low angle shots to show the rappers strength and status
• No women which subverts stereotypical conventions of a rap video
• Use of profanities is common within rap
• The theme adheres to conventional representation of violence and masculinity
• Gender roles are stereotypical- males more likely to be involved with violence
• Lots of CGI which suggest a high budget shoot
• Fast paced editing which goes along with the song
• Lil wayne signed to cash money records which is one of the biggest rap groups in the industry
• Male rap audience
• Distributed through youtube reaching 61 million views

Our Artist

Artist: St (Dante Pommels)
Age: 17
Orgin: North west london
Unsigned artist
1 Mixtape - Reincarnation

About ST

ST (real name Dante Pomells) is a hip-hop artist and rapper from Wembley, North West London. He is a student who is currently in the second year of sixth form at Preston manor high school, the school in which he first learned of grime. He began making lyrics from the age of 13 and it is no doubt that grime has had an influence on him. ST has received heavy criticism from hard core grime fans saying he is a ‘sell out’ as he first became noticed as a grime artist. However it now seems, with his relative rise to moderate fame, he has changed styles and become a hip-hop artist, stating this on a number of occasion.
Despite years of hard work ST is still not signed by a professional record label but still continues to make ‘mix tapes’ in which he sells his music. However his undoubted lyrical skill has earned him many listeners and is well known amongst the underground UK hip-hop fans. He has also released a number of YouTube videos where he is sighted around Wembley doing ‘freestyles’ (just rapping on a instrumental with no structure or chorus) and has over 30,000 views in total.
St has already got a relatively popular twitter in which he has over 1,000 followers, a blog and has recently set up his own SoudCloud account by which there is free music streaming. He himself uploads the new songs and freestyles he makes, creating a greater connection between him and his fans. He is now working on a new mix-tape which he will be releasing sometime this year.

Lyrics

Lyrics to 'Somehow Someway'

Somehow Someway

Vox Pox Questions

what do you expect to see from a rap video?

how do you consume your music videos?

how do you expect a male to be represented in a rap video?

what type of music video do you prefer and why? (narrative, concept, performance)

do you expect the music video to subvert or to adhere to the genre?

Music Video Analysis 5

The pussycat dolls are a female music group, the music video I will be analysing is ‘buttons’ which was released in 2006, the music video is a performance based video, the group were signed to interscope records which  is subsidiary label of universal music. The establishing shot is a low angle shot of ‘Snoop Dogg’  who is a famous rapper who is used to help increase the target audience which will help sell the song. We see ‘Nicole Scherzinger’ strutting up provocatively towards snoop dogs which adheres the gender stereotype that men as rappers/singers and females as dances. We then see the rest of the artists in the group join along with her walking along in provocative manner, the audience get shown a low angle shot of the females which show  there superiority and there high status. The other artist are dressed up in tight black revealing outfits which would please male audiences which is known as the male gaze. The group then start to dance around in a tunnel which shows more of their revealing body and what they can do with it, after this they start to rip off their clothing and start dancing provocatively against a ballet bar,  the video has a very sexual theme as the group flick their hair backwards and forwards. The use of props further backs this up as they seductively dance round the chairs and use the chairs to help show off their body. A feminist reading of the video would say that there is sexual power derived from physical attractiveness to men, Snoop Dogg’s voyeuristic male gaze shows the male viewer to join in. A post-feminist reading into the video would be that the group offer messages of sexual empowerment who assert their authority and in  control of the gaze. The pussycat dolls would be seen as sexy icons and sassy. Snoop dogg is represented in a stereotypical rap role as he is wearing a hoody, baseball cap, and gold chains around his neck to show his wealth. The lyrics match the visuals that we see, ‘ these clothes are too hot for me’ then in the video we see the artists taking of their clothing. The music was a huge success by having 50million views on Youtube, the video was partly successful due to snoop dogg being in the video as he attracted his fans to watch the video, the video was also played on channels such as Mtv as they normally show mainstream artists that produce r n b music videos.  This video is mainly aimed and targeted to the male audience due to the nature of the video, the use of male gaze as the artists are very revealing of their body, the women are seen as sexual objects. Overall this music video adheres of what we expect from the genre which is the use of provocative and promiscuous women who visually please the male audience by satisfying their viewing of the video.

Music Video Analysis 4

The song can be identified as a rap song, also he was one of the biggest rap stars at the time of release of the video which was in 2005, this music video is performance based, with 50 cent just rapping along through various different rooms and scenes throughout the house. 50 cent is signed to aftermath records which is run by Dr Dre, aftermath records is a subsidiary label of the universal music group, the music video has been a mainstream success with 45million views on youtube and plays throughout major music channels such as MTV and Base, these channels were probably chosen as they play the most popular music and also play huge content of rap music and also r n b. The video starts off with him coming out the red sports car, with a close of his trainers which say ‘G Unit’ which was the ‘group/crew’ which he was associated with, this is a stereotypical feature of a rapper to be a ‘gangster’ and having their own ‘gang’. We see a variety of camera shots used, mid shots, close ups of the artist facial expressions, low angles to show the superiority, high status and wealth of the artist, the use of CGI with the sports car. In all the camera shots the artist is placed in the centre of the screen to show dominance and that he is the most important person.

The representation of 50 cent adheres most conventions of a rap artist, his clothing is baggy, the use of a baseball cap, bling all symbolise his wealth. This music video adheres all stereotypical views upon the rap genre, the video starts off with  a red sports car with engine noise that typically have interest for men so we can automatically start to think of this video as mainly aimed to a male audience. As 50 cent is a rap artist he follows along with conventionally features we expect to see from a rap artist in this day and age that he is covered with tattoos which has now become the norm, along with the use of ‘bling’ the chains and big watches which connote wealth and a high status furthermore 50 cent is shown as tough and powerful. Therefore it can be said  50 cent is being represented as the more powerful and dominant gender, he is represented as “player” with him surrounded and being with many women.

The music video is based around sexually provocative women which is focused upon them which  is used to attract the male audience which is the typical iconography or style which is stereotypical of the genre in their music videos, also the use of lots of women to attract male audiences is known as the male gaze, But negatively this is objectifying women as sexual objects, the women are wearing next to nothing which visually pleases males, but also 50 cent with a built up figure and shirtless is appealing to the female audience giving them gratification also.

The video is a performance based video which is stereotypical of the genre of the artist rapping in line of the song with the lyrics matching the video which was one of Goodwin’s theory that artist use intertextual reference with their music videos.  The target audience for this music video is definitely more male orientated due to the use of highly provocative women which pleases the male viewing experience. 

Questionnaire Analysis

Questionnaire analysis

View more presentations from Hiten Vara

Questionnaire

Pharcyde Drop- Music Video Analysis 3

The music video for “Drop”  is a concept based music video which is performed by the Hip Hop group Pharcyde. The main concept of the video is that the video is being played in reverse but with forward lyrics , to create this effect they had to record the video in reverse then play the video back in reverse which is an unconventional format for a music video which sets itself out from the rest of the music videos of the hip hop making it much more unique compared to other videos during the time period. Also the video is shot in one continuous long take which is a concept based theme.

The establishing shot is a close up of one of the artist looking up into the sky with also the view in the background, the background is an urban setting showing the area which they in which suggests that there life is more of a struggle and there hardship, but they keep up their reputation by acting tough. As an hip hop video we can already notice the conventions of a hip hop video that one of the artist is in a baseball cap and leather jacket, with other members of the group wearing baggy clothing.  The video looks set in the “hood” where they seem to be from, so they are staying true to themselves and were they were brought, the mis en scene is where we derive the typical conventions for example the tall buildings of houses, graffiti along the walls, the dirty streets tell us that there from the hood along with their clothing. But what is unconventional is that the cars are not what we expect to  see from a hip hop video, they seem rather run down and out dated. But there is no need for expensive cars as they are from the hood and you would expect to see them.

Into the middle of the video we see the group who are topless which maybe be to please female audiences, also one of the artist is wearing a chain around there neck which is another conventional feature that we expect from hip hop artists. The video subverts stereotypical representation of the genre as there are no women in the video or mentioned also there is no love interest involved too.

This music overall subverts conventions but also adheres them too, with subverting the conventional type of video as they it is performed backwards to give an unusual and different effect compare to other hip hop videos. 

Rihanna-Umberlla Music Video Analysis 2

Rhianna - Umbrella

Released: April 2007 

Directed By Chris Applebaum

Mtv Views:8,000

Genre : R&B/Rap

·         This music video is a stereotypical R&B music video which was released in 2007 in the early years of Rihanna’s career, so to help boost her image and help the sales of the song the appearance of Jay Z is used, a well-known  artist who was signed to the same label that Rihanna was signed to, the use of Jay Z would be to attract hip hop and rap genres to the song. The video is performance based with Rihanna using the dancing technique of en pointe ballet, this technique conveys to us as the audience that the artist Rihanna is a skilled performer, there is also choreographed dancers who are dressed sexually provocative along with Rihanna who is wearing black tight clothing which mainly attracts male audiences which they may receive visual pleasure which is known as the male gaze. Throughout the music video we see close ups, full body shots which are all used to show her dancing technique and her body which is visually pleasing to a male audience. Rihanna’s image gives off negative connotations as women are perceived as sex objects. There are a variety of camera techniques used which include wide shots and medium shots to sustain audience interest, some of the close shots include Rihanna wearing jewellery which connotes wealth and high status. We see a clear relationship between lyrics and images which coincides with  Andrew Goodwin theory that there is a clear relationship between both-The chorus of consists on the word “umbrella” and we see Rihanna with an umbrella and that it’s raining. The gender representation is stereotypical as women are most likely to dance than to males and also that women have more of a sex role stereotyping negative attitudes towards females. But post-feminist readings would say that Rihanna is not on show for the male audience but is enjoying herself experiencing different identities which shows she is successful, independent and in control which connotes messages of empowerment and independence to the female audiences. The Editing we see the video is at a fast pace along with the song with match on action editing and the use of jump cuts. Her image as a mainstream artist who is destined for success in the music industry is strengthened by the appearance of Jay Z who is a very successful rapper, we see the high production values of CGI used in the video to consolidate with her identity, the cutting edge technology reflects her as an up to date contemporary artist.

Music Video Analysis 1

The music video I will be analysing is ‘DJ Khaled’s’ song ‘Im On One’, this song is a collaboration with 3 other well know rap stars; Lil wayne, Drake and Rick Ross. This video can be identified as a rap song due to the style of the song and also the artists. ‘Dj Khaled’ is signed to the cash money label along with lil wayne and rick ross, but drake is part of young money label which is affiliated with the cash money label. The music video was directed by Gil Green a well-known director in the rap industry producing videos for Birdman, Soulja boy, Akon and many more. The video was released earlier this year in the middle of July which made it a summer anthem which it received a platinum plaque and peaked 1 in the us billboard rap charts. The music video was distributed through tv i.e. MTV and also online through youtube which it has reached 8 million views for. The music is mainly a performance based video with the artist’s performing and rapping to the song. This music video would be aimed to the mainstream rap market as they have used lots of well-known rap artists, but would mainly be a male targeted audience. The music video starts off with a low angle shot of a women, which may connote that she is of a high status this subverts what we would expect to see from a rap video as they normally objectify women, but the camera cuts to the next scene of a mid-shot of the main artist with the women in the background which suggest that actually she is insignificant to the artist and of a lesser value which then adheres the normal stereotypical representation of a women in a rap video.

We see the normal conventions that you would expect to see from a rap music video which would be the use of; Bling- gold chains, big watches, women, alcohol, expensive cars – rolls Royce, smoking these all reinforce the stereotypical representation of a rap song which have all become the norm. The message we infer from the video is that the artist are powerful and run the city. We know this through the use of mis en scene, in the scene of the balcony shot as one of the artists ‘Dj Khaled’ are looking over the whole city and looking down upon the city showing the artist superiority and status of their new found fame that they have reached the top of the city showing their strength and power, also there is shots of them in the streets which they may be keeping true to their origins  which shows they still have respect from where they grew up from. We see lots of birds eye views of the city which connotes that the city (Miami) is theirs and they run the city.

There is clearly a relationship between the lyrics and the video as when drake raps about the city we see fast paced camera shots of the city at night time, also the use of profanities is a typical convention used in rap music, there is lots of use of low angle shots looking up at the artists to show that they are superior beyond everyone else, we look up to them, rick ross has developed an iconography that in every song he has a certain way of saying “boss” which the audience recognises with the artist. We see the stereotypical gender stereotypes that men are engaged in more aggressive behaviour  with the use of profanities, there movements  and also the use of bling.

This song is clearly a mainstream song we know is as they adhere all the typical conventions we expect to see from a rap video, also they follow the iconography and style of the rap genre with expensive cars, women, bling ect. The song is aimed at the mass market and the use of 4 major artists collaborating will have a bigger consumer base, the song has been on all the major music channels and getting millions of views on YouTube. Overall the music video adheres to all the stereotypical representation of a rap genre, and is a successful video in attracting the mainstream audience with a collaboration  of artists.

Sexual Objectification & The Male Gaze - Laura Mulvey

• Women are just objectified, just seen as sexual objects
• Voyeurism- pleasure from looking at a unaware object (Women)
• Females are displayed for the enjoyment and pleasure for males.
• Women's display is only for viewing pleasure
• Female nudity implies that they are lesser of importance than to male

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew goodwin’s theory

View more presentations from Hiten Vara

Types Of Music Video

There are 3 types of music videos;

Performance: Is a music video based around a performance of the artist/group.

Narrative: Is a music video that tells a story.

Concept: Is a music video that is played backwards

Genre

Genre is a way music is  characterized, for example ; Rap, R'n'b, Pop, Classical, Rock, Grime ect

Certain genres have different connotations associated to the genre, for example a typical R'n'B music video would have a theme of love interest, an urban setting, subtle use of bling and mostly are performance based or narrative.

Genre relies on both repetition and variation.

Steve neil said that "Genre is in a constant state of flux"