SONG CHOICE: LYRICS

3 SONG CHOICES

SONG 1:

Artist: Frank Ocean

Song Name: Lost

Pros & Cons: This song is a very meaningful song with lyrics that paint a picture of a girl who is deep in love but is lost at the same time. These powerful lyrics make it easy to relate the video to what is being said. However the slow pace of the song could make it hard to edit and film an exciting video. Overall it is a good song but not so good for filming a music video to it.

SONG 2: 

Artist: Jaden Smith 

Song Name: Hello

Pros & Cons: This song is a lot more up beat than Lost but is still a bit slow however it has a good beat to it that can be worked with really well to make a good music video. The lyrics are very random but the chorus is very catchy and I have a lot of ideas that can make this video really good. Overall the song has no swearing which is good so it is easy to sing to. 

SONG 3:

Artist: Jaden Smith

Song Name: Pumped Up Kicks (Like Me)

Pros & Cons: Out of all the three songs this is the most upbeat one and is probably the easiest to edit and film. However, the fast pace of rapping is going to make it hard for the person to sing to. Once again the lyrics are pretty random but like "Hello" the song has a good chorus that is really catchy. Overall it is a good song that would make people want to dance and sing to.

SMALL NARRATIVE ANALYZING ESSAY: BEYONCE

Analysing Narrative in Music Videos

Video: If I were a Boy – Beyoncé

In the video Beyoncé plays the narrator and protagonist. She’s singing about the narrative and is also acting it out. This video is from one point of view which is Beyoncé’s so this means that the character identities are objective. Todorov claims that there is always an equilibrium at the start whereas this video doesn’t have a clear action that states a disruption. The video just displays the disruption happening and getting worse and worse. However towards the end there is some signs of a recognition of the disruption when the man questions Beyoncé about the other man. This can be linked to Todorovs theory however this video doesn’t clearly show his 5 stages that he claims to be in narratives. It’s hard to put props theory into the video as there is only two character of seven that he claims should be in a music video. The villain is the man/husband because he is being disloyal and treating Beyoncé badly. Whereas Beyoncé can be recognised as the hero because her intentions are good as she just wants love and honesty. She want to save the relationship whereas the man doesn’t care which makes him the villain. In this video I can identify a lot of binary opposites. One being man vs woman, Beyoncé is the girl who is hurting inside and she’s trying to get the boy to change but it is a struggle. There is a clear collision between commitment and dishonesty. 

MUSIC VIDEO NOTES: CODES & CONVENTIONS

Music Genre 1: Rap/ Hip-hop

Rap and hip-hop is a genre consisting of a stylish and rhythmic beat that a rapper or MC’s as they were known rap over using rhymes and sayings. Over the years this genre has developed a culture known as the hip-hop culture. This culture normally consists of expensive clothes, cars, women and overall a flashy lifestyle. This flashy lifestyle is something that the artist is supposedly living. Through the music videos this way of life is extremely encouraged and is something the audience can aspire to achieve. Ultimately, the videos of rap and hip-hop are trying to get the viewers to want to be like the artist. Typically in a rap video the artist is performing but with a twist. They are normally performing the song while living their luxurious lifestyle. For example, a normal rap video would be a rapper rapping into a camera while surrounded by money, jewellery and barely dressed women. In today’s world this is a very attractive lifestyle and people like watching these types of videos. In the rap and hip-hop genre, the main aim is always to promote the star image of the artist and make him look as attractive as possible to the audience. 

Song: In Da Club

Artist: 50 Cent

Genre: Rap/ Hip-hop

This video is a mixture of performance and concept. The performance is just the artist rapping into the camera while in the club which is in relation to the lyrics of the song as he is rapping about being ‘in da club’. The main parts of the video is basically showing what happens in the club when the 50 cent goes there. For example, girls are dancing, money is being flashed around and alcoholic drinks are being consumed. However, the video is not just a plain performance in the club, it has a small side story concept that includes 50 cent doing physical activities in what seems to be a laboratory. He has wires attached to him while doing so which suggests that he is in some ways being tested and examined on. This can be linked to Dr Dre and Eminem being in the video as they are dressed in lab coats which suggests that they are testing 50 cent and trying to mould him into the perfect artist. The training is almost representing 50 cent getting himself ready to go into the club and be the best person there. The artist needs to look the best, feel the best and really be the best. This is key in trying to get the audience to want to be like him. The main performance is when 50 cent is the club and is surrounded by girls and money.  The performance doesn’t involve any dance routines but it does involve provocative dancing between the men and women in the club. This type of dancing is very common in the rap and hip-hop industry. As for the club, it seems to be a very low key setting. It looks underground which shows that is for exclusive members, like 50 cent of course. It’s very dark but always light where 50 cent is showing his importance and his authority on the club. This shows the power and influence he has on the club because he is a star and is treated with high importance. The image of 50 cent is very important and he is presented as star. This is done by him wearing expensive clothes, shiny jewellery and he is always surrounded by girls trying to get his attention while he is focused on performing to the camera. He is constantly trying to look cool and tough which contributes to his star image and this makes him even more attractive to the audiences. Most of the camera angles are close up with 50 cent portraying him as a very important person in the club. He is the star because his face is always in the shot. Overall, this music video follows the codes and conventions of the genre as it portrays an image of 50 cent being the main person in the club dressed in expensive clothes with women trying to get his attention.

Song: Love The Way You Lie

Artist: Eminem ft. Rihanna

Genre: Rap/ Hip-hop

The main artist in this video is a male rapper called Eminem. One of the most known rappers in the genre of rap and hip-hop. This video does have a very constructed and narrative feel to it. Including performance from Eminem and Rihanna it also has a side story that has two separate actors. It is clear to see that the side story is acting out what Eminem and Rihanna are talking about in their song. For example, the actors appear to be a couple that are constantly fighting and arguing with each other. This comes from the main message in the song that the man is lying to the girl and is making her upset but he uses his anger and dominance to keep control of her. In the video the girl discovers that her man is cheating and talking to other girls so she confronts him. They argue but never resolve anything because she ends up loving him again even though he lies to her. Like the lyrics state, it’s like she enjoys being lied to and treated badly. While this is all being acted out the artists are performing the song. The setting of their performance does appear to be the same as where the narrative is being acted out which shows the connection between the artist and the song. Through this, the audience can relate more to the artist through the song. Although their screen time was limited due to the detailed narrative parts, it was clear that Eminem and Rihanna have been styled in a specific way. For example, Eminem is wearing very basic clothes witch contradicts the stereotype associated with rap and hip hop because normally in these types of videos you see the artist in expensive looking clothes with shiny and flashy chains. However, Eminem was in a plain white vest with basic jeans looking like a normal person. This means that a connection is made with the audience that were basic just like him. Wearing a white vest is easy for a normal person so when they do that they will feel like Eminem. 

Song: Still D.R.E

Artist: Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg

Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop

The video contains a lot of performance. Nearly all of it is the artists rapping the song into the camera while surrounded by things like flashy cars, women and gangsters. It has a small concept to it by it being filmed in the streets which dre refers to him still being in the streets meaning the rap game. The narrative is all about dr dre and snoop preannouncing that they are still one of of the best rappers and are still present in the game. He talks about how he still does things he done when he was a normal guy. The performance is on a location and not a studio and the location appears to be along a bitch in California. The artist is wearing dark clothes showing presenting him as a hard and aggressive person. Also, Snoop is wearing a huge chain which is real common in the rap and hip hop videos in this day and age.

Song: Chandelier

Artist: Sia

Genre: Pop

This video is purely a concept based video. There is no performance in it whatsoever and is just a straight hardly edited video of a girl dancing through abandoned rooms. It appears to be linked to the lyrics in a way that she is expressing herself like the lyrics say. She is letting go and doing what she wants and dancing how she wants. It appears to be non-strutted dancing but it would have been staged and done on purpose to look this way. The location is very powerful and strong in a sense that is raw, its looks untouched in a way that it hasn’t been edited or jazzed up like it would for a normal pop video. The editing of this video was constant and had hardly any cuts on different angles. However it is clear that it was planned with detail.

Song: Hideaway

Artist: Kiesza

Genre: Dance

This video is a performance based video however it is not shot in a studio or a setting. It is in a random location on the street. It appears to be a massive dance routine that was continuously recorded and wasn’t cut at all. The location looks like a normal neighbourhood in America and it literally looks like a bunch of people got together and danced really well. The artist is the one performing the song and dancing at the same time. Her image is made up by her bright orange hair and classic, effortless outfit. She’s been styled as a rebel and someone to aspire to be like for her fans. 

Song: Crazy Stupid Love

Artist: Cheryl Cole & Tinie Tempha

Genre: Pop

The video is a performance based video and has some concept to it. Cheryl Cole is performing the song by singing and also dancing to what looks like a routine. The video is in a crazy looking place in an underground room which refers to the title as well. Also, the locations has a lot of colourful lighting that makes the place look fun and loving which is the purpose of the song. Cheryl is the only dancer that is wearing less clothing, she is wearing a small skirt with no leggings however the backup dancers are wearing leggings with a long sleeve top. This is done to promote her as she looks different and stands out. 

Song: Erase My Scars 

Artist: Evans Blue

Genre: Rock

This video is only a performance based one as expected in a rick video. It is in the same location for the whole video which means the editing and effects has to be good to add that feeling it needs to be a rock music video. For example they use smoke to create a gloomy and scary atmosphere. The artist looks crazy and hurt, he looks raw with no colour whatsoever. He has rags as clothes and this done on purpose because the song is about him being scarred and asking for help. 




I researched all these videos and made notes on them so that I could gain an overall knowledge on all the different types of music video genres. I now know what I would need to do if I was doing a rap video or a rnb video.

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEO

Here i took a music video from Youtube and look at its conventions and characteristics. MUSIC VIDEO: EMINEM “Without You” GENRE: HIP HOP/RAP The music video that I am analysing is a video for the song ‘Without You’ by Eminem. Eminem is a very popular rap artist that is known as one of the best. The genre of the song is mainly rap but also touches on hip hop themes as well. The video has characteristics such as money, girls, cars and jewellery that are all associated with rappers. The start of the video shows Eminem waking up as if he’s been away for a while and this links to the lyrics “guess who’s back”. It’s like he’s been away and him waking up shows him coming back. He wakes up next to two girls that are basically prostitutes showing the life of a rapper/hip hop artist. He goes on to say “tell a friend” and this is shown on the video by people telling people. In most of the video the cutting and editing of it matches the beats and speed of the song. The pace of the video is extremely random and is forever changing and increasing at different points. There are a lot of different scenes that don’t link to each other. For example it cuts from a TV show scene to a scene in a car like batman and robin. The scenes have no link whatsoever but are put together randomly a lot throughout the video. The record company is trying to sell this music video by making it funny and comical. For example it has a scene with an Elvis lookalike dancing that is meant to be funny. Most of the themes in this video are skits and remakes of other TV shows or rappers. For example, Eminem is portrayed as coming back as robin from batman and robin. The image of Eminem that has been projected is that he is a very controversial person and isn’t afraid to do certain things like make fun other international tv channels such a E. Also making fun of Elvis takes guts to do as Elvis is very iconic in the music industry. A lot of Eminem’s videos follow the theme of skits and parody’s so this video is nothing new in terms of videos from Eminem. Most of the ideas and themes have been used before, for example in another one of his music videos “just lose it” he mimics and makes fun of Michael Jackson, another huge person in the music industry that he isn’t afraid to make fun of. The only feeling of sexual advertisement is at the beginning when he wakes up with two women that look like they are dressed in a promiscuous. However I think the goal isn’t to portray him as a sex icon. The goal is to show him as controversial character that will say what people are thinking and scared to say. There is barely anything that promotes sex really. Just the two women he is in bed with at the start. This music video has lots and lots of intertextual references. For example it has the popular tv channel called EEntertainment. He uses it to portray Elvis as if it was the real story about him. Basically, it’s saying that the true story programmes in E are wrong and a joke. This music video has a good balance of performance and narrative themes. For example it has a certain scene of him just rapping to the camera but it also has a back story of him being robin saving a kid. However during the narrative scenes he is still rapping and singing the song. This looks very good on camera. It shows him very involved with the video and everything going on. A lot of the video is him dressed up. In conclusion, this video is solely made to be controversial and provoking. It’s trying to annoy certain people and give enjoyment to the public because of the funny way he is doing it through parodys.

ANDREW GOODWINS CONVENTIONS

Andrew Goodwin’s Conventions

 

 

Andrew Goodwin states that in a music video there should be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. In most cases it would be the visuals illustrating and amplifying the lyrics.

 

The music and beat of the song should be related to the editing and visuals of the video. This could either be done by amplifying or contradicting the music.

 

There are many different genres in music and this means there will be many different type of music videos with different themes. For example, rock music normally involve on stage performances.

 

In nearly every video the artist is the focal point. They contain lots of close ups of the artist which is normally wanted by most record companies. It is a good way to sell the artists personality.

Furthermore, it is up to the artist if they want to progress their star iconography.

 

Every music video will either be, narrative, performance or concept bases. There will be a lot of intertextual references to either other videos or films.






Here I just quickly outlined the conventions that Goodwin stated there should be in a music video. I did this so that when I'm making my music video I can always look back and see if i'm having these things in the video.

INTRO: BRIEF & AIMS

The Brief:
During this year my coursework requires me to create a promotion package for the release of an album and to include a music promo video.
Furthermore I will need to design a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package)
and a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

Personal Aims:
I hope to produce a music video that would be acceptable in today's actual music industry. I want a video that actually looks like a video that is on YouTube or on vevo. Overall i hope to gain a lot of skills in videomaking that I can use in the future.