Research into music genres

A music genre is defined as a conventional category that identifies pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. From cool jazz to grime, music genres follow with stereotypes, expectations and characteristics. Elements such as Mise en scene, cinematography and editing are used in different ways in aim to attract the specified target audience and fulfil their demand in regards to the directors/artists combined vision of the final outcome. 

Educating the audience. Meeting the artist for the first time, although not in person but through a stimulating visual experience ????

Hip-hop/rap

Drake, Over 

Over was the first single Drake released in 2010 from his debut album Thank Me Later. Drake is an artist of the rap and hip-hop genre and the video to Over follows genre characteristics of storytelling through lyric performance and supporting visuals. 

Editing in this video starts off slowly and displays a clear correlation between the lyrics and pace of editing: as the lyrics develop more emotionally, the editing becomes fast paced. Additionally, as the tempo of the song increases the pace of editing increases. An example of this is when the back drop projections on the blank wall behind him change, specifically to the running streets. This may excite the audience as it supports the lyrics of the artist and his previous life where he lived ordinarily with an extraordinary talent. This has connotations of informing the audience of his life story (a genre characteristic of rap) evidence that his life is moving quickly now he is famous which is harmonised effectively with the style of editing. 

A fade in and out is also used when Drake switches location which helps to convey to the audience that the topic of the artists lyrics have also moved on to artisically explain another aspect of his extraordinary life. This is important as it helps to highlight key moments in the artists career and personal life. 

Parallel editing is a motif throughout the video to Over. It is evident that there is a deliberate cut per beat (or an equal number of beats) which is a definite convention for a music video of the rap/hip-hop genre. This in turn makes it easier for the audience to understand the narrative rather than alienate them. 

The video to Over relies heavily on various special effects which inserted throughout the editing stages. An example is the use of fire within his silhouette (right) at the beginning and repeated again supported with the effect of glass smashing (left) This illustrates the artist breaking boundaries and supports Dyers theory by proving artists show their rebellious and agressive nature in their music videos. 

Each moving image/projection on the wall behind the artist is there for symbolic purposes. When the artist raps "I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year" it is evident the video supports Goodwins theoretical point of stating a convention of music videos is a prominent relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The appropriate example to support this point is when the audience witness the artist sat at the left side of the frame which highlights his presence in the lime light. However, the time lapse projected on the back wall is the audiences focus point, therefore the focus is not specifically on Drake as the artist who is in real time. The use of the time lapse is innovative and serves a dual purpose of exciting the audience whilst simultaneously educating the audience about the artists life experience, also conveying a traditional rap characteristic.

 A red tint is used to highlight the artist and draw the focus upon him. This red tint may have connotations of portraying the artists inner aggression. It also appears similar to an X-Ray which could have deeper meaning of stripping the artist of his image conveyed in the Media and that he is in fact a different person entirely, as expressed through his lyrics. The use of red tints as part of special effects illustrates the artists inner aggression as well as fast paced editing combined to move onto the next scene in the artist storytelling event/shot. This helps the audience acknowledge the narrative and the song and the artist in further detail.   

A close-up is used when Drake is sitting on the bed at the beginning. The first time the audience see him as a new artist in the industry. This illustrates his personal emotions and may express that he is open to share his life story with the audience which teaches the audience about his personality. His target audience varies from around 13-28. Needs to build a relationship with the audience in aim to enjoy a comfortable and successful career in the music industry.

A two-shot is also used of the artist which shows 2 different sides to the artist: ordinary and extraordinary in regards to Dyers Star theory. On one side of the two shot, the artist is presented to be a relatable figure for the audience yet the other side may arguably convey his ego, an inflated presentation of the pride he takes in his image. This shot shows him reflecting on his life experiences and possibly in deep thought about his future in the industry. This is effective for the audience as it informs them of his life making him a more relatable figure to aspire to become. Moreover, the two-shot shows the artist close-up which follows Goodwin's theory stating it is necessary for the record label to demand close ups. This could also follow Dyers theory of selling the artist as a product, not a person with talent.

Additionally, a low-angle shot is used when the artist is dancing whilst his lyrics are projected on the wall behind. The use of a low-angle represents Drake as a new artist emerging into the competitive industry whilst the shadow developed behind represents the image and persona the audience will get to build a relationship through future song releases. This shows genre characteristics whilst relating to the rap genre as it defines him as a person and his life experiences and emotions. This would make the audience curious to find out more and would be interested in watching it as it is a convention. Low-angle shots are commonly seen in music videos of the rap genre as it presents the artist as an intimidating figure which is a convention because rap lyrics often depict violence and narratives of life-experiences involving dangerous incidents. This follows Dyers star theory loosely because he states it is common for artists to show signs  of rebelliousness and aggression, following the intentions of a low-shot. 

Mise en scene is fundamental throughout the Over video.  Firstly, the location throughout doesn't change from a bedroom. This is a domestic location therefore the target audience would  be more likely relate to the artist through the video and also his lyrics. There are many long-shots used of the artist sat on the bed miming at the centre of the frame with emphasis on the lamps either side of him. The lamps could symbolise the good people surrounding the artist, a bright light to turn to in times of darkness. However, the diming of the lights could also represent the dark side to fame, how a career in the industry can start off successful and spiral downwards.
 

Lighting is used in correlation to the various special effects throughout. An example of this is low-key lighting which used to highlight the artists presence and act as a general spotlight. This puts the focus on him which is necessary considering it is the artists first music video which promotes him further.

Clothing is also important. Only 3 outfit combinations are worn by the artist and all 3 consist of different colours, which is fundamental as it is symbolic of the artists emotions. The use of white clothing at the beginning presents him to be blank and ordinary, quite the opposite to the artists actual image. However, the use of white clothing may have connotations of him as an ordinary person before emerging into the music industry and becoming an extraordinary artist.

The use of red clothing could symbolise the artists passion for his music whilst black clothing could connote Drake's power as an artist as he is influential to many fans who he may manipluate through his lyrics.

 Black clothing can also represent the evilness of the industry and possible unhappiness which could tell the adience he wants to go back to being ordinary because people "use" him for his fame which supports the lyric "I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year. Who the f*** are y'all?" Although these connotations are not initial thoughts of the audience, they are necessary as they display genre characteristics.

Notably, there are no intertextual references displayed in the video to Over in regards to brands or products. This may be because it is the first video from the artist and  promotional offers may be optional in the future of his career, as evident in his more recent video to Started From The Bottom as a well-established artists. Although this does not follow Goodwin's theory it makes the artist more relatable for his first impressions engraved into the industry as a new rapper. Despite there being no evident intertextual  references in regards to brands or products, the video involves the appearance of Rita Ora who was newly signed to Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation. Although she was not a well-known or established artist at the time of the release of the Over video, her appearance and involvement in the Over video is easily recognised by audiences in recent years due to her emerging into the industry and album release. Arguably, this promotes the new artist which is rarely seen amongst videos of the rap genre, therefore breaking conventions or adding a new one. Rita Ora does not feature in the video in regards to singing, which makes her appearance even stranger.

OTHER SHOTS OF THE WOMAN DANCING SHOWING HER BODY BEHIND HIM
SHOWS 2 VERY DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIPS. THE ARTIST CONNECTS  WITH RITA ON A PERSONALITY LEVEL BUT ADMIRES THE OTHER WOMANS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES /?????????


Nonetheless, it is a success and praised as a music video of the rap genre.

Dance

Club Can't Even Handle Me, FloRida ft. David Guetta 

Club Can't Even Handle Me was released as a digital download on iTunes in 2010 as the lead single of the Step Up 3D soundtrack album. The song is also included on Flo Rida's third studio album, Only One Flo (Part 1) The song is a collaboration between two different artists from two different genres of music with FloRida, an American artist belonging to the rap genre and David Guetta, a French artist often associated with the dance genre. Club Can't Even Handle me almost strictly follows most dance genre characteristics including professional dancers and the traditional location of a club which also follows Goodwin's theoretical point of the relationship between lyrics and visuals and song title throughout.

Snippets from the film Step Up are shown throughout which serves the purpose of promoting it as another mode of media. This acts as an intertexual reference following Goodwin's theory whilst harmonising with the genre of the song and film being very similar: dance orientated. In the video Crazy Bout' You by Jessie J, there are snippets of the romantic comedy film Silver Lining which is similar promotion of both the film and song which benefits the artist and film company. 

Mise en scene is fundamental throughout any music video or media production as it sets the scene (literally) In the video to Club Can't Even Handle Me, the artist wears sunglasses inside the club whilst he is performing to the camera. This may illustrate a certain image he wanted to sell to the audience and may also hold connotations of his power as an artist and make him stand out amongst the busy club.  

Following on from the portrayl of his image, FloRida flaunts expensive materials/goods which may make the audience envious or inspire them to be successful in order to buy into the artists lifestyle. In regards to iconography, champagne bottles are ordered and presented to the artist and his friends with sparklers which appears to be a typical night out due to his wealth accumilated from his fame.

The artist also wears lavish jewellery including a gold chain and gold watch throughout. As the motif of the artists clothing is gold, it conveys powerful imagery of royalty, increased personal power and promotes courage and confidence. Gold chains worn around the neck are commonly associated with artists of the rap genre therefore displays characteristics and conveys a particular image of him illustrating his wealth by wearing it. 

Furthermore, the artist is seen throwing money in the air. This depicts an arrogant persona of the artist and portrays him to have a huge ego... This may also make audiences dislike the artist, therefore effecting his success in the industry. 

People including the professional dancers and extras shown in the background are dressed in black and white whilst the main focus of the video, the artist, Flo Rida is dressed in red which therefore sets him differently from the crowd/masses. Draws attention on to him....

A strobe light expresses the exciting club experience... Enhances the audiences visual experience, harmonising with their auditory experience. Meanwhile, coloured lights are also used to represent a typical club location which makes it relatable for the audience. 
The use of lighting also presents the club to be fun and lively this is conventional of a dance track. Lighting also serves the purpose of persuading the audience they would like to be involved with the action/party and be associated with the artist. 

Cinematography also presents the genre of dance during the Club Can't Even Handle Me video. A long-shot is used which shows the artist performing from a distance away from the camera on a podium above the dancers/people in the club. This shows the artists power whilst establishing his authority over them...

FloRida is continuously shown at the centre of the frame, establishes the focus upon him and him only

Establishing shot displays the artists cars and implied wealth

During the video, a split screen effect is used to display a solitary street on the right with the lively club on the left which presents an overall juxtaposition of locations. A contrast of locations is typical for a video of the rap genre which may often show the artist in the recording studio performing/writing and then the streets in which they would walk along/a bus stop they would have to use. The use of a split screen here however emphasises the atmosphere of the club and the feel good value to the dance track as it is about enjoying yourself on a night out. This appeals to the artists target audience as it is upbeat and catchy whilst being relatable in regards to locations too. The people dancing in the club then spill into the silent street which may represent them wanting to spread the fun they are having to another location and involve all audience members within this. Therefore, this video follows genre characteristics as it obtains many party scenes and a club location which is often portrayed in dance videos. 

In terms of editing, slow-paced editing is used at the beginning. This is necessary in order to harmonise with the artists car doors opening slowly upwards outside of the club location which we as an audience eventually enter. Gentle fades to the next shot are also used to echo the slow instrumental. 

An upbeat tempo is heard by the audience as the genre of the song is dance. Therefore, as the video duration increases and the simple narrative consisting of people moving from each club to another develops, the editing becomes fast paced in correlation to this and also and parallel to the lyrics. This is very similar to the fast-paced editing in Over which also increases pace once the tempo does too. 

Alternative Rock
Thanks For The Memories, Fall Out Boy 

Editing= throughout the video, the editing is parallel to the music as each time there is a new lyric there is a cut
Mise en Scene= what are the band wearing? what does this tell the audience about the bands personality or music?
Cinematography=

Fall Out Boy are an American male band of the Alternative Rock genre. Their record label is The Island Def Jam who forced the band to remove the vowels from their original song title Thanks For The Memories to Thnks Fr Th Mmrs for reasons unknown. Thanks For The Memories was released in 2007 on their album Infinity on High. 

Towards the end of the video, Pete smashes his bass guitar into the "B" from the "FOB" (Fall Out Boy) lights sitting on the wall of the stage then leaves as the sparks fly. The "B" falls off leaving "FO", which stands for "fuck off". This conveys the bands rebellious nature which is conventional within the industry, evident in Dyers Star theory.

A shot of the bassists upper body is shown which could be argued as following Goodwin's voyeuristic theoretical point. This is not often seen in rock videos but in videos of the R&B/pop genre and is typical amongst attractive females.  However, this gives female fans an opportunity to view the artists body in a voyeuristic manner.

The backdrop and use of bright lighting is not conventional of a rock music video as they are traditionally viewed and stereotyped darker and more mysterious. Arguably, lights are used in this particular video to give fans more of an insight to their performances. This mid-shot is more typical of a rock video with the single spotlight highlighting a band members presence as he spins playing his guitar, another movement associated with rock. 

During the performance shots, each band member is dressed formally in either a black or grey suit with ties which breaks conventions of what a typical rock band would wear: a casual shirt and jeans combination. Fall Out Boy break Dyers theoretical point stating that boy bands do not last: Fall Out Boy are still to this day producing and performing new content and are one of the most successful modern alternative rock bands. 

The bands bassist, Pete Wentz wears make-up and is shown being pampered by chimpanzees which informs the audience that he enjoys the luxuries of fame. Following the trend of male musicians of the rock genre including Ozzy Osbourne, Pete is often shown to be wearing make-up. In this video he wears "guyliner" which arguably strips the artist of his masculinity. 


This video follows Goodwin's theory due to various intertextual references. The lyric "He tastes like you, only sweeter" is a line from the play and film Closer which may entice Closer fans to take a listen of the song. Additionally, many close up shots are used of a Nokia mobile phone as well as a shot of TAG deodorant. Although showing the Nokia may not promote it considering it is a universal device, TAG deodorant is promoted as a smaller P&G brand. This may encourage fans to buy into the artists lifestyle as the bassist is shown using it. 

The band has various separate encounters with the chimpanzees who are the crew. Humorously, they patronise the band members and take-over their separate roles... Pete, known to fans as the "ladies man" is overthrown by one chimp when he attempts to charm Kim Kardashian. Insulting their intelligence and ability to charm female fans. 

Many shots of the band playing instruments. This music video is primarily performance based. There are various shots repeated of the band playing on a brightly lit stage which is typical of an alternative rock video 

How do the technical elements vary in the different music videos? Relate to the generic conventions and detailed examples

Technical elements vary in Over and Club Can't Even Handle Me. More special effects were used in the editing process of Over whilst the focus for Club Can't Even Handle Me was on the performance element. Technical elements vary due to the fact both songs adopt different genre characteristics. Each music video appeals to the audience through its technical elements by following conventions to create a music video that is typical of that music genre. Therefore the audiences visual experience is stimulating and is enhanced throughout and may make many wanting to see/hear more from the artist. 

How do music videos appeal to an audience?

Each music genre is designed to appeal to a certain audience which is followed by stereotypes. Music videos appeal to their targeted audience by following a set of conventions or genre characteristics that are designed to attract groups of people and expectations are therefore developed. By employing genre characteristics, it allows the target audience to expect certain elements of the video in regards to mise en scene, editing, cinematography and the representation of the artist. The representation of the artist can be over-arching however, as in one video an artist may be portrayed very differently to how they are represented as a person in another. An example of this is Rihanna is portrayed as a strong, independent female in the video to Only Girl In The World but presented to be a weak, naive and vulnerable individual in the video to We Found Love where she is obsessive over her boyfriend and feels controlled. 

How can the audience build a relationship with the artist?

A relationship between an artist and his/her target audience is absolutely fundamental and plays a vital role in the artists success. Without the artist being relatable or portrayed to be a talented and nice human being, the artist can alienate their audience therefore the relationship is not present.  If an audience can relate to the artists lyrics, that also helps build a relationship. The relationship between an artist and it's audience can be built slowly by the release of new material/videos, album signings and meet and greets after performances. Within music videos are many elements in which are experimented with in aim to create the desired effect on the audience. A close-up shot of the artists face for example may appeal to certain audiences and not others, therefore a relationship is built as the artist becomes a more approachable character rather than an extraordinary human. A close-up shot of the artists face may also allow the audience to feel not only emotionally connected to the artist (mainly in regards to their lyrics) but physically connected with them through their visual experience. In addition to cinematography effecting the audiences relationship with an artist is the mise en scene used throughout. For example, certain brands of clothing or car makes may allow the audience to feel extraordinary like the artist if they own what they are intending to sell/promote. However, if the audience is a huge fan of the artist and they promote the use of a Beats Pill for example like Jessie J does in her video to It's My Party, it may make the audience want to buy into their lifestyle. Promoting products through music videos may have a negative effect on the audience however, many may feel pressured to purchase an item and if they cannot afford it they may become envious therefore the relationship built between them may no longer be present. Lastly, the style of pace of editing during a music video could also enhance or build a relationship between the artist and their audience. For example, fast paced editing may 

What ideas or inspirations can you use for your music videos and why?

Although I admire many elements of the 3 different music videos I have explored, if I were to take inspiration for my own music video they would have to be either adapted or altered. 

I have personally been inspired by the various and innovative use of special effects shown throughout the video  to Over, despite the fact I have identified it is not a traditional genre characteristic of the Indie genre (the genre I am considering to use in my own media production) I like the use of special effects as it adds a different element to the video although it displays a common rap characteristic of storytelling (therefore narrative based) It also serves the purpose of keeping the audience interested and engages them to continue watching, an effect I'd like my final outcome to have on our target audience. 

I am also fond of the use of...