Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Codes And Conventions of Hip-Hop Music.
Within the Hip-Hop genre, the artists are dominantly male with African or Caribbean backgrounds due to the origin and inspirations of the genre. The artists wear stereotypical gang clothing, gold jewellery, tank tops and baggy trousers, for example. Their clothes show off how wealthy and successful, which makes them very important part of Hip-Hop culture.This of 'showing themselves off' is seen throughout the Hip-Hop culture and in the videos.
The lyrics in the Hip-Hop songs are usually about relationships, everyday struggles, gang life and prejudice and the artists use these topics to reach out to other people and present themselves as a fighter for the cause. However, they represent women as 'Sexual objects' which belong to the males, which could come from the origins of which Hip-Hop music came from this or could be used to make the males look dominant or powerful, which is also a common code and conventions of Hip-Hop music videos and this idea of 'ownership' can also be seen through Hip-Hop music videos as women are seen dancing around the males.
Combining this ideology of Hip-Hop songs being dominated by males singing about standing up to the masses, the tone of the song is usually aggressive and upbeat, another code and convention. However, songs can be relaxed with a steady beat, which is usually for a different topic like relationships.
The lyrics in the Hip-Hop songs are usually about relationships, everyday struggles, gang life and prejudice and the artists use these topics to reach out to other people and present themselves as a fighter for the cause. However, they represent women as 'Sexual objects' which belong to the males, which could come from the origins of which Hip-Hop music came from this or could be used to make the males look dominant or powerful, which is also a common code and conventions of Hip-Hop music videos and this idea of 'ownership' can also be seen through Hip-Hop music videos as women are seen dancing around the males.
Combining this ideology of Hip-Hop songs being dominated by males singing about standing up to the masses, the tone of the song is usually aggressive and upbeat, another code and convention. However, songs can be relaxed with a steady beat, which is usually for a different topic like relationships.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Research - Tupac - California Love - Hip-Hop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKtMiCD_oqk
The whole video is about preparing and having a party in California, hence the song name. It starts out with quite a nihilist theme, with abstract and violent scenes of fire and explosions with slow motion, cross faded editing. After this it switches to a narrative based post modern video and shows the glamour life style of being a Hip-Hop artist preparing a house party. In the first minute, you see many of the main codes and conventions of Hip-Hop videos like: Black males, attractive females used as sex objects and expensive cars. Again, the type of video switches and it turns into a performance based video as you see the camera primarily focused on the rappers looking directly at the camera, even though they are not on stage the audience still gets the feeling they are performing to them as the atmosphere in the video is like that of a club or concert. The setting fits in with the Hip-Hop-lifestyle-codes and conventions as it is set in an expensive house with expensive features such as chandelier and swimming pools which may give the audience a sence of escapism as it's sort of like a soap you watch on television.
Throughout the performance scenes minimal editing is used which gives the video a simplistic but effective feel as it allows the audience to enjoy the slow paced video. However, there are a large range of camera shots, from close ups to low angle shots which allows the audience to see the artists from a variety of angles which may be aimed at attracting a female audience to the video, but this combined with the females, may attract a male audience as they 'aspire' to be like the rappers. Low angle shots also give the impression that the rapper is of higher status or dominant over the audience.
The whole video is about preparing and having a party in California, hence the song name. It starts out with quite a nihilist theme, with abstract and violent scenes of fire and explosions with slow motion, cross faded editing. After this it switches to a narrative based post modern video and shows the glamour life style of being a Hip-Hop artist preparing a house party. In the first minute, you see many of the main codes and conventions of Hip-Hop videos like: Black males, attractive females used as sex objects and expensive cars. Again, the type of video switches and it turns into a performance based video as you see the camera primarily focused on the rappers looking directly at the camera, even though they are not on stage the audience still gets the feeling they are performing to them as the atmosphere in the video is like that of a club or concert. The setting fits in with the Hip-Hop-lifestyle-codes and conventions as it is set in an expensive house with expensive features such as chandelier and swimming pools which may give the audience a sence of escapism as it's sort of like a soap you watch on television.Throughout the performance scenes minimal editing is used which gives the video a simplistic but effective feel as it allows the audience to enjoy the slow paced video. However, there are a large range of camera shots, from close ups to low angle shots which allows the audience to see the artists from a variety of angles which may be aimed at attracting a female audience to the video, but this combined with the females, may attract a male audience as they 'aspire' to be like the rappers. Low angle shots also give the impression that the rapper is of higher status or dominant over the audience.
Research - Kanye West - Stronger - Hip-Hop
This music video is primarily a Nihilist based performance video as it contains a lot of quick editing and intense camera movements with the mise-en-scene and rapper in your face, although there is some sort of story line (The scientific experience on his body, the travelling through Japan on motorcycles) there isn't really any meaning to it and, I think, is only to show off Japan with camera angles and shots.
The video starts out with several establishing, pan shots of Japan (12 Seconds) to set the scene and tell the audience where the video was set - this grabs the attention of the Japanese audience as they might be able to relate to the setting and may interest people who have never been to Japan and may want to know what it looks like. In between these establishing shots there are several close and medium shots of futuristic people in robot suits controlling machinery in a majestic and memorising way (15 seconds) to catch the eye of the audience. The futuristic-robot-people fit in with the stereotypical view of Japan - that it is very modern and technological - viewers are constantly reminded that the video is set in Japan as Japanese text appears on screen, the females in the video are Japanese and there are pan shots of towns. Later on in the video, there are scenes of fast paced cuts with slightly blurred editing and freezes to make it look almost like a holographic message, through this there pauses where Japanese text appears, keeping the Japanese theme flowing throughout the video. (3:30)
As it is a performance video, the vocalist is the main subject of the video - this is shown by the close up camera shots of Kanye throughout the video, which leaves the abstract, unclear narrative with very little screen time. Although, his face isn't full shown until 25 seconds into the video, and makes the audience think that the video is going to be narrative based as it mainly focuses on the enviorment (Japan) and the robots and their machinary. This quickly changes when Kanye starts performing at around 33 seconds, which cuts to an extreme close to of Kanye directing himself at the audience, in what appears to be an alley way. (37 seconds) In these alley way-perfomance-scenes the lighting is used to focus on Kanye as the rest of the shot is darker, like a spot light has been shone on him but still allows him enough room/light to move and swing himself around, as if he was on a stage performing live. Through out the video, Kanye is seen in various places throughout Japan - the main two being the experimental lab and the alley way.
Hip-Hop codes and conventions are seen throughout the video. At around 35 seconds, an attractive female is introduced, firstly with an extreme close up of her face, through the video she is seen dancing and posing with and without Kanye, using her as a sexual object to attract a larger male audience and making them watch the video multiple times. Another code and convention is the black, male artist - Hip-hop is mainly dominated by these types of people due to origin of the genre, this video is no different as it shows a black male dressed in baggy trousers, jewellery and fashionable items (Such as the glasses, which later became an iconic item of his)
The video starts out with several establishing, pan shots of Japan (12 Seconds) to set the scene and tell the audience where the video was set - this grabs the attention of the Japanese audience as they might be able to relate to the setting and may interest people who have never been to Japan and may want to know what it looks like. In between these establishing shots there are several close and medium shots of futuristic people in robot suits controlling machinery in a majestic and memorising way (15 seconds) to catch the eye of the audience. The futuristic-robot-people fit in with the stereotypical view of Japan - that it is very modern and technological - viewers are constantly reminded that the video is set in Japan as Japanese text appears on screen, the females in the video are Japanese and there are pan shots of towns. Later on in the video, there are scenes of fast paced cuts with slightly blurred editing and freezes to make it look almost like a holographic message, through this there pauses where Japanese text appears, keeping the Japanese theme flowing throughout the video. (3:30)As it is a performance video, the vocalist is the main subject of the video - this is shown by the close up camera shots of Kanye throughout the video, which leaves the abstract, unclear narrative with very little screen time. Although, his face isn't full shown until 25 seconds into the video, and makes the audience think that the video is going to be narrative based as it mainly focuses on the enviorment (Japan) and the robots and their machinary. This quickly changes when Kanye starts performing at around 33 seconds, which cuts to an extreme close to of Kanye directing himself at the audience, in what appears to be an alley way. (37 seconds) In these alley way-perfomance-scenes the lighting is used to focus on Kanye as the rest of the shot is darker, like a spot light has been shone on him but still allows him enough room/light to move and swing himself around, as if he was on a stage performing live. Through out the video, Kanye is seen in various places throughout Japan - the main two being the experimental lab and the alley way. Hip-Hop codes and conventions are seen throughout the video. At around 35 seconds, an attractive female is introduced, firstly with an extreme close up of her face, through the video she is seen dancing and posing with and without Kanye, using her as a sexual object to attract a larger male audience and making them watch the video multiple times. Another code and convention is the black, male artist - Hip-hop is mainly dominated by these types of people due to origin of the genre, this video is no different as it shows a black male dressed in baggy trousers, jewellery and fashionable items (Such as the glasses, which later became an iconic item of his)
Research - Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools - Hip-Hop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ejyHzz3XE
The video starts out with a stationary camera, birds eye view, establishing shot showing the main vocalist descending into darkness, it starts out as a extreme close up to show the audience his facial expressions but turns into a medium shot to show the black, nothingness he's falling into. The camera quickly cuts to an extreme long shot of a side view to give the audience a side perspective of the abyss he's falling into. The video quickly changes and shows bottles travelling in a different direction to the direction of Kendrick and smashing on a surface. This scene may have been done to show the contrast between alcohol and Kendrick as they are travelling in different directions and have opposite background (White & Black), or simply may have been done to make something look memorising in slow motion, that in normal motion wouldn't.
Throughout the video, there are scenes of an attractive women dancing in tight and revealing clothes, which is a code and convention of the Hip-Hop genre, because it attracts a male audience, makes people watch the video more than once or makes the artist look egotistical.
There is a scene where Kendrick is in a dark, run down building which uses natural lighting to make the scene look more serious and uses the lighting to focus in on the artist and important items. During this scene there are cuts between him and photos, these photos and the building may be something related to the lyrics and building - which makes the video and lyrics personal to the artist, which makes it more appealing to the audience as they may be able to relate to the lyrics. The tempo of the video is quite slow, allowing the audience to focus in on the lyrics and relate to them, this slow tempo compliments the slow motion editing throughout the video and portrays a chilled and relaxed atmosphere and life that a Hip-Hop artist may live.
The topic of the story is about alcohol, because of this the video is mainly concept but has parts of narrative and performance as there is a small story to the video and there is scenes of the rappers performing and directing their lyrics at the audience.
Codes And Conventions Of Dance Music
In Dance songs they are usually performed by female vocalists, as well as backing dancers from both genders, depending on the target audience for the video, for example; if the target audience is female then the backing dancers will usually be males wearing little clothing. However, the target audience is usually aimed at both genders who are young teenagers and like to party or go clubbing as this type of music is primarily aimed at this demographic. Due to the fact that it is aimed at this environment and demographic, the song is very upbeat and energetic and this is normally portrayed through into the video. As the song is mostly sung be females, they are dressed up in revealing clothes, make up and styled hair to attract males and make people watch the video more than once to admire the artist's look. The camera work is usually hand held with fast paced cuts to give the audience the feel that they are experiencing the party or event in the video themselves, and if the artist performs live people may want to go see them because of the energetic atmosphere they saw in the music video. Unlike the vocalist, the DJ or rapper gets little or no screen time, unless they are very well known.
SNAP - Rythem Is A Dancer - Eurodance
The video starts out with an establishing shot of the space station and the pans past the backing dancers and then zooms into the lead singer who is elevated on top of a platform to show off her importance over the backing dancers. Her face isn't really focused on in the video which, combined with the futuristic theme and smoke effects creates a sense of mystery, also, makes the audience focus more on the dance routine and strange animations, rather than the appearance of the vocalist. Throughout the video there are cuts and pans to dance routine performed by the vocalist and several backing dancers dressed in futuristic suits which makes the audience question the meaning or relevance of the video.
The video has scenes of strange animated objects and flickering people dancing which fits in with the weird and futuristic theme of the video. The set is dark due to it being set at night but there are many strobe lights to in force a clubbing atmosphere into the video, as this is the place the song is expected to play in and makes the audience want to go to a club and listen to the song, making them more likely to buy the song and listen to it at home if they can't experience it in a club themselves.
There is a catchy chorus and beat throughout the song, which makes it easily recognisable, when listening and remember able, which makes the audience want to listen to it again, making it a key selling point for the song, as the lyrics and raps aren't that good.
The video has scenes of strange animated objects and flickering people dancing which fits in with the weird and futuristic theme of the video. The set is dark due to it being set at night but there are many strobe lights to in force a clubbing atmosphere into the video, as this is the place the song is expected to play in and makes the audience want to go to a club and listen to the song, making them more likely to buy the song and listen to it at home if they can't experience it in a club themselves.
There is a catchy chorus and beat throughout the song, which makes it easily recognisable, when listening and remember able, which makes the audience want to listen to it again, making it a key selling point for the song, as the lyrics and raps aren't that good.
Research - David Guetta - Lovers On The Sun - Dance
This video is a narrative based concept video which is based around western cowboys and love. The video goes against typical stereotypes as the female in the video is the hero and the male is the one in need of help. Throughout the video there is a lot of extreme close ups of the eyes and cuts between the characters to show the contrast between good and evil. Although it is narrative based the western theme of it does not fit in with the genre and what the music is made for - clubbing, which goes against the typical codes and conventions of a dance music video. One code and convention that it does have is the attractive female who plays the main character in the video.
During the video there is a wide range of camera angles and shots used. Near the start there is an establishing shot to set the scene and instantly tell the audience that the theme of the video will be related to the West, also, towards the end of the establishing shot if tilts up towards the sun - a big part of the music video. There are a few high and low angle shots in the video to show the shift in power between good and evil, for example, when the female character saves the male - there is a low angle shot of her on the horse to show she is in control and the most dominant character at that time. During the video there are also faded used to show the passing of time without having to indicate that time has changed using words on the screen which makes the video looks more professional and more appealing to the audience. When the camera focuses in on the eyes of the characters the colour of the screen changes colour, this may have done to attach a certain colour and it's connotations to a character, eg red - evil.
During the video there is a wide range of camera angles and shots used. Near the start there is an establishing shot to set the scene and instantly tell the audience that the theme of the video will be related to the West, also, towards the end of the establishing shot if tilts up towards the sun - a big part of the music video. There are a few high and low angle shots in the video to show the shift in power between good and evil, for example, when the female character saves the male - there is a low angle shot of her on the horse to show she is in control and the most dominant character at that time. During the video there are also faded used to show the passing of time without having to indicate that time has changed using words on the screen which makes the video looks more professional and more appealing to the audience. When the camera focuses in on the eyes of the characters the colour of the screen changes colour, this may have done to attach a certain colour and it's connotations to a character, eg red - evil.
Research - Krewella - Alive - Electronic Dance
The video is a post-modern and is a bit off all three styles of music video: Performance, Narrative and Concept. The video shows the vocalists, two females and the DJ, a male. The two female vocalists are both attractive and wear quite revealing and tight clothing as these clothes are the sterotypical young-person-clubbing-clothes, which for the purpose of attracting a bigger audience to the video, get most of the screen time. They are mostly shown while they are singing, during solos the camera shot is a close or medium close to up focus on their clothes and face but still has enough room to show the other female in the background. The male DJ doesn't get as much screen time as the females as the camera focuses on the narrative-style video and the females.
The song is very upbeat and rebellious, which is shown in the video by having young adults jumping around, smashing buildings ect. making it appealing to a younger audience and ideal song for partying or clubbing. The editing fits in with the tempo of the music - lots of fast paced cuts with scenes during the chorus where the camera shakes to make it feel like the audience is there jumping and being shaken by the loud, bassey music. The video is set outside and is very bright which represents a happy and good atmosphere for the video.
The song is very upbeat and rebellious, which is shown in the video by having young adults jumping around, smashing buildings ect. making it appealing to a younger audience and ideal song for partying or clubbing. The editing fits in with the tempo of the music - lots of fast paced cuts with scenes during the chorus where the camera shakes to make it feel like the audience is there jumping and being shaken by the loud, bassey music. The video is set outside and is very bright which represents a happy and good atmosphere for the video.
Codes And Conventions Of Metal.
INSTRUMENTS: Guitars, drums ect. Very important part of the metal music genre. The sound of an electric guitar is iconic and is a iconic, it is easily recognised by the audience.
LYRICS: In my opinion, they are the most important part of a music video and not the narrative or sound. This is because lyrics are usually from the heart of the band and it something that one or more members or someone they know has experienced which makes the lyrics more personal and meaningful, and can be expressed through the vocals - overall improving the quality of song. People listening to the song may also be able to relate to the video and may help them get through some tough times in their lives. The tone of the lyric could be called aggressive because of the passion they put into singing, because of this the metal and rock scene are mostly male dominated due to the deep growling or screaming, although, there are female vocalists who are successful.
TOPICS: Much like the lyrics, the topics that metal videos are mostly personal the band or something they feel strongly about, for example - war. These topics aren't usually covered by mainstream music like hip-hop. Although, some topics do cross over genres like love.
BAND IMAGE: The stereotypical black clothes, long hair, tight or ripped jeans with tank tops and sometimes make up (bands like BVB or MIW). This type of look makes metal bands sound out more and make them stand out more, easily recognisable and iconic. The band image may also influence the audience and makes them a part of the genre, for example, in live performance music videos when the camera pans over the audience you may see some of the audience wearing similar clothing to the band.
VIDEO: The videos are normally dark with graphical scenes and are narrative/performance based, which related back to the lyrics and band image as they usually compliment each other (lyrics relate to the narrative and band members and their image are seen in performance videos or in some cases the narrative videos when it cuts back to them)
CAMERA ANGLES/SHOTS:
LIVE
Quick cuts - Show the fasted paced excitement of a live performance. Promotes and sells the products which makes the target audience want to go experience it themselves.
Pans of the audience: Like the fast paced cuts this also makes people want to go see the band, they see that the audience is having a good time so they want to aswell.
Close ups of the band members: Focuses in on their talents, e.g guitarist.
NARRATIVE
Mainly focuses on the story being told in the video, makes people focus on it more than the band who usually have little screen time, if they do then it'll most likely be a close up of the vocalist.
Slow motion editing to show the audience the transition between reality and the narrative.
LYRICS: In my opinion, they are the most important part of a music video and not the narrative or sound. This is because lyrics are usually from the heart of the band and it something that one or more members or someone they know has experienced which makes the lyrics more personal and meaningful, and can be expressed through the vocals - overall improving the quality of song. People listening to the song may also be able to relate to the video and may help them get through some tough times in their lives. The tone of the lyric could be called aggressive because of the passion they put into singing, because of this the metal and rock scene are mostly male dominated due to the deep growling or screaming, although, there are female vocalists who are successful.
TOPICS: Much like the lyrics, the topics that metal videos are mostly personal the band or something they feel strongly about, for example - war. These topics aren't usually covered by mainstream music like hip-hop. Although, some topics do cross over genres like love.
BAND IMAGE: The stereotypical black clothes, long hair, tight or ripped jeans with tank tops and sometimes make up (bands like BVB or MIW). This type of look makes metal bands sound out more and make them stand out more, easily recognisable and iconic. The band image may also influence the audience and makes them a part of the genre, for example, in live performance music videos when the camera pans over the audience you may see some of the audience wearing similar clothing to the band.
VIDEO: The videos are normally dark with graphical scenes and are narrative/performance based, which related back to the lyrics and band image as they usually compliment each other (lyrics relate to the narrative and band members and their image are seen in performance videos or in some cases the narrative videos when it cuts back to them)
CAMERA ANGLES/SHOTS:
LIVE
Quick cuts - Show the fasted paced excitement of a live performance. Promotes and sells the products which makes the target audience want to go experience it themselves.
Pans of the audience: Like the fast paced cuts this also makes people want to go see the band, they see that the audience is having a good time so they want to aswell.
Close ups of the band members: Focuses in on their talents, e.g guitarist.
NARRATIVE
Mainly focuses on the story being told in the video, makes people focus on it more than the band who usually have little screen time, if they do then it'll most likely be a close up of the vocalist.
Slow motion editing to show the audience the transition between reality and the narrative.
Saturday, 13 September 2014
Research - Lamb of God - Laid to Rest - Groove Metal
This music video is both performance and narrative base as there are scenes of the band performing and a story throughout the video. The story is socially concious as there is a meaning behind the it - the man in the red top is a murder victim and the man he is chasing, in black, is the murderer; this represents a murder victim coming back from the dead to haunt or seek revenge on the murderer. The man in red could be interpreted as anything bad for you, e.g drugs or alcohol coming back later in your life to harm you. The story is normal speed (except for the part where they run past the band and when he splashes a puddle, this may have been done it focus on the band and make things that in normal motion would be normal but in slow motion look cool) which is odd because normally narrative is in slow motion to resemble the change between reality and the story.
The band get little screen time during the video, which tells the audience to focus more on the narrative that them. During the time shown there are a variety of shots to focus on their faces (close ups) clothes and instruments (medium/long shots). Like typical metal genre videos, the style is very rock and roll and gothic: long hair, dark clothing, lots of head banging ect, which easily attaches it to the genre that it is. this is also the same for the lyrics which are powerful and relate to the video which helps the audience to get into the video more and relate to it even more.
The band get little screen time during the video, which tells the audience to focus more on the narrative that them. During the time shown there are a variety of shots to focus on their faces (close ups) clothes and instruments (medium/long shots). Like typical metal genre videos, the style is very rock and roll and gothic: long hair, dark clothing, lots of head banging ect, which easily attaches it to the genre that it is. this is also the same for the lyrics which are powerful and relate to the video which helps the audience to get into the video more and relate to it even more.
Resarch - Five Finger Death Punch - Coming Down - Heavy Metal
The style of this music video is purely narrative based and again, is socially conscious, which is a main code and convention of metal music videos. The topic and tone of the video is very serious, this is set by the silence at the start. The video starts out showing an attractive female who is wearing close to nothing, and what seems to be a normal boy which is unusual because people would think that people in metal videos would fit into the goth/rock look and these two do not. The narrative of the video is unclear until the key moment when the sun reflect off the gun - at this point you know it's not going to be a happy topic. The whole video is very graphic and powerful ad it shows scenes of suicide, bullying, self harm, drinking and smoking to help forget about their problems. During some of these scenes the vocalists tone of singing changes, and you can hear the anger in his voice, like he's singing from experience and this topic is very close to his heart, which is also a code and convention of metal videos - lyrics and topics are usually based on something that has happened to a member of the band or someone they know. There is an animated scene during the music video showing monsters attacking the girl and boy at college and at home behind her computer screen, showing that bullies are like monsters and you can't escape from them, even at home. The colours in this scene are very dark; lots of black and red which are colours you would ossociate with monsters and demons.
The end is the most important and powerful scene of the video. It shows the mother of the girl running in and hugging her and a friend of the boy asking him if he wanted to go outside - the meaning of this is that if just one person cared or talked to someone who is depressed then it could save them, which in the end creates a completely different ending to the start which most people don't expect.
Research - Killswitch Engage - The Arms of Sorrow - Metalcore
The style of this music video is part narrative and part performance as there it a story to the video and has scenes of the band performing, it is also socially conscious as there it a meaning to the lyrics and story. The story is about a man who is depression; the video shows a suited man falling from a building, past people who live or work in the building. The suit portrays a normal life, the bag of groceries he is holding backs this up (living a normal life at first glance.) In my opinion, the falling resembles his falling deeper into depression and not actual suicide, as some may think, at the very end he is shown falling to a pool (the pool resembles the bottom, the worst point of the depression) and climbing out, which is important and sends the message that you can get up from the bottom, meaning you can beat depression. The camera mainly focuses on the narrative, leaving the band with little screen time (in this screen time it mostly focuses on the lead singer) who are wearing dark clothes and are in a dark room, which shows that even when they are being shown you aren't really meant to be focusing on them, these scenes are in normal motion, which unlike the rest of the video is in slow motion - this is done for a few reasons: to signal the transition between reality and what isn't real, to make things that at normal speed (girl blowing bubbles) would be boring look cool and mesmerising and lastly, to make the audience focus on the man's facial expressions. There are a few key codes and conventions in the video, the main one being the band - them performing in dark clothes, electric guitar, drums, long hair ect - things you would expect from a metal video.
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