Research into music genres

Music videos appeal to an audience with the use of Mis-en-Scen, Editing and camera shots. Each artist uses different techniques and styles to appeal to their specific audience. This is effected by the characteristics of their audience. For example, the age of their fans is a factor when considering how they will film their music video. These conventions are effected by the genre of the music especially.

Rap- Drake 'Over'

Firstly, Rap artists use a common convention of showing their wealth through materials and their party lifestyles. Therefore, the majority of them are concept videos, giving the audience and insight to the artists lives. Costumes are also an attribute to the making of this music video. Drake wears a red jacket at parts of his video, 'Over' to show his anger for how quickly he has shot to fame. He does this to show his fans that he hasn't had an easy ride and how he truly feels about his large success and fame. Iconography is used immediately during the first scene when we see Drake wearing a silver chain and gold ring. This shows his wealth. This relates to the audience as they are in awe of his wealth and how he can afford such expensive items. They therefore think that he is successful and different to an common person. This gives the audience interest in the artist as they are awe of his success. The lighting often changes throughout this video. When the artist is sitting on the bed, it changes from high-key lighting to low-key lighting. This technique relates to the lyrics as the lighting change represents his emotions and feelings.

The audience can relate to this and it therefore feels more personal, as they can relate to having low times and good times in their lives. The audience also gains access to see the artists true emotions, which can leave the audience in awe as their idol is being so honest. The artist is always positioned in the center of the screen. This means that all the attention is on him and that the audience can focus on their idol. Also the audience are able to see more of the body language repesenting the way the artists is feeling.

A low angle shot is used for when Drake is dancing, while his lyrics are projected on the wall. This camera shot represents Drake as a new rap artist and the shadow represents his image. The lyrics on the wall clearly represent and emphasise the message of this song. This relates to the rap genre as it defines his emotions throughout his life that he has been through. An establishing shot when the city is shown on the wall in the background and Drake is in the Foreground. This represents his life and how quickly he had become famous. This is because the setting is based in a normal bedroom and the city on the walls amplifies this drastic change in his life. Drake relates this to his audience as he wants to tell them his story and everyone has a story to tell from their life. 

Editing is also used as we see color filters used when Drake is in the bedroom. These bright colors and fast moving colors reflect on his lifestyle and how fast it is. We analysed Drake's song 'Over' for the rap genre, whereby we are shown the relationship between his lyrics and the visuals. This editing technique is adapted from Dyer's theory which states that a star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the customer. This is to relate the lyrics to his relationship with 2 females. He does this to make the song relate back to his audience as they can emphasise with him due the the normal bedroom setting and they are able to see his lifestyle

Dance- Flo Rida-'The Club Can't Handle Me'

The aim of Flo Ridas dance video 'The Club Can't Handle Me' is different to other genres and this is because it is dance. This means that clearly, he has to try to make his audience want to dance, where as other music genres don't have this main aim. Therefore it is important he does this by using certain camera shots of dancers, which appeal to his fans and they can replicate them in a club. The first shot used is a panning shot. This is showing him turn up outside the club in his very expensive car. We then see numerous club scenes, where there is a large crowd jumping to the music. Here, a hand-held shot is used to entice the viewer and make them feel like they are in the club, dancing to the music.

Editing is also used to give this video a cool, young vibe. By using a split screen, Flo Rida shows the calm and the busy side of the club. This represents how he has different experiences in the club, further leading to show us a concept technique. This lets the viewer become closer to the artist as they are able to get an insight on what their idol does. A split screen also references Flo Rida's lyrics and how the 'club can't handle them'. This leaves the viewing fans in awe of how popular and influential Flo Rida is. Also other visuals relate to Flo Ridas music. These are shown by using a variety of pace in the video and when the music is slow the dance on screen is shown in slow motion. This is mainly during the first part of the chorus and it gives a 'party atmosphere' emphasising the people dancing. The viewer can therefore see clearly how their idol parties and it is fascinating for the viewer.

Mis En Scene is used in Flo Ridas video to amplify his wealth and superiority. This allows the viewer to idolise him as he is so different from the norm, in being famous. Firstly, Flo Ridas positioning during the video immediately separates him from the crowd showing his superiority. He stands on a podium for a large part of this video, hovering above the crowd, which therefore shows him as 'above' them. This also shows him being in the center of attention. The lighting in the club and outside of the club is for the majority low-key.This sets a cool, rebellious atmosphere as it sets the scene. This shows the viewer how fun it is to be in a club with Flo Rida. Iconography is also a key asset of Flo Ridas music video .We are immediately confronted by his clothing, and standing out are a gold chain and watch. This displays his wealth and power, once again separating himself from the general public. This relates to his typical focus on wealth and power, which gives the elitist view that the public perceive of him. The setting of this music video being a high end club shows how Flo Rida's lifestyle once again. He promotes his wealth through this and it is also a cool place to go, which leave the viewers in awe of him. However, a club is also quite a standard place to go to for most people so they are able to relate to the scene and on goings in the club.

Choice- Carley Rae Jepson 'Call Me Maybe'

Carley Rae Jepson's, 'Call Me Maybe epitomises the common conventions of Pop music. Immediately, we are struck by a long-shot with deep focus. This from Jepson's point of view as she stands by the window looking at her crush mow the lawn in the background. Here, the background is in a blurred focus. This shows how the artist is the center of attention and is the main person in this video as we can see what she is looking at. This is a concept-based technique as the viewer is able to see how the artist lives their lives and the how she has a relationship.

 We also see a close up shot when the artist is singing into the microphone. This allows the viewer to see her facial expressions in comparison with the lyrics and how she feels about what she is singing. This makes the video more personal for the viewer as they are able to see the artists facial features, which they wouldn't be able to do un less in the video. The audience therefore feels as though the video is more real and aimed at them.

Editing is also used to highlight concepts and performance techniques in this video. Constantly, throughout the opening of the video the man who appears to be the artists focus, is shown in slow motion shots. For example this is used when he pulls the chain of the lawn mower. This highlights his masculinity and shows him in an attractive light which is appealing to the target audience. The audience therefore see how the artist perceives her crush and the feelings she has are escalated through the lyrics. This is a narrative technique and is therefore relatable to the viewer as they can base their experiences on those of this story of their idol. Deep focus is always used when the artist is in the bar singing. This blurs out everything around her and makes the artists the focal point of the scene. This is a performance technique, making the artist the center of attention. The audience therefore can identify the artist and can see how well they can perform. This will lead to the audience being attracted to the artists singing ability, resulting in for example, more sales of live concert tickets.

Mis En Scen is used in this music video to reflect the mood of the video. This is specifically identified by the lighting used. There is constantly high-key lighting used throughout, showing the happy, quirky mood of the artists video and message she wants to portray. This is reflected in the artists lyrics. The audience are therefore made to feel happy as a cheerful mood is conveyed. The positioning of the artist in the majority of the video is center of the screen, and specifically when she is washing the car. This gives the focus on her once again, and the audience are able to get close and personal with their idol. They therefore feel like they can see the artist more personally and effectively 'know' the artist. This is a typical pop convention as pop artists main aim is often to give the audience an insight into their lifestyle. This is therefore a concept based idea, however as the artist is washing the car it is very relatable to that the audience, making it more personal. The artists costumes are often normal, everyday clothing. In one circumstance she wears denim short with a white vest showing her normality and therefore this allows the female, youth population to relate to her and copy their idols style. It also makes the video more personal. Iconography such as a blue retro car, shows how the the artist is a normal person and isn't a superior in wealth. This makes the video more relatable to the audience and therefore more personal as they feel like the artist is just like them. The setting of this music video being in a relatively normal house. A large part of the video is set in or outside the artists garage showing once again how she has used a normal setting to make it relatable and more genuine to the viewer. This is because a garage is a normal place for a viewer and so they feel as though it is more personal and this love story could happen to them.

Summary
 Pop, Rap and Dance music videos all use different conventions to suit their target audience in what they want to achieve. This affect is established by the use of techniques such as mis en scen, editing and camera angles. The main difference between these genres is that Pop tries to make the videos relatable to their target audience, by using non extravagant settings and ideas under these headings. Rap portrays a strong concept based video, which boasts about its wealth and superiority as well as delivering a personal message and finally Dance enthuses its fans by making performance videos in a relatable environment with artists who are extraordinary compared to the audience.  

Research and analysis or a star- Dyers Theory

Michael Jackson


As this was in the 70's style and conventions were very different. The genre and conventions from Michael Jacksons first solo hit, Ben, shows a drastic change in his appearance and music compared to his latest music. The genre is Motown. At the age of 14, Jackson made this music video and took the pop world by storm. Here, we see Jackson as a black afro-carribean boy with an afro singing a pop hit, for the Motown label. He shows his youth with a live performance at the Oscars  dressed in very colorful clothing and with a constant angelic smile. This appeals to his audience as they are in awe of his talented vocal range at such a young age. Also, due to the style being so different, Jackson's choice of clothing would have appealed to a lot of young people. Here, he wears flares and big collared shirts which teenagers would copy as they idolised Jackson.



Don Black and Walter Scharf wrote this song for the 1972 movie of the same name. It was the sequel to a movie called Willard, which was remade in 2003 starring Crispin Glover. Ben is a pet rat. In the movie, a young boy befriends the rat, but the rat turns evil and recruits other rats to attack humans. In the remake of Willard, Ben becomes an enormous super-rat. The lyrics are touching and sentimental, and make no reference to rodents. A lot of people were very moved by the song and this is its reason for its vast popularity. 
The target audience for this video by Michael Jackson was mainly the younger generation, however the record was so successful and all ages bought it.

Michael Jackson's 'beat it' shows a big change in conventions to his earlier video, Ben. Here, there is a large focus on the performance side as we see a lot of dancing by Jackson, where as before he was just standing on a stage singing. It is set in a bar and on the local streets of a neighbourhood  Therefore his audience are able to easily relate to his videos. He, again uses loud clothing to stand out and set his fashion statement. Also, this videos shows some concept themes such as the gang lifestyle of people during this era. This is especially apparent in the opening when we see the different groups segregated by their clothes and appearance. 

Research into Goodwin's Theory

Disclosure- Latch 

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. For a dance video such as Latch, the setting is a gig, where the artist is performing, but the view is from the crowd looking up to the artist. It contains performance as well as a narrative which is very common in music videos. They often show the club scene or a gig which has been used here. This is to promote their party lifestyle and for all their fans to see the ideology as cool.

The genre characteristic is a dance video. The relationship between the lyrics and visuals are that the visuals illustrate the lyrics. In this case the song is about the start of a relationship and the video shows how they are starting to form this relationship in a club. The lyrics illustrate this by the artist declaring his love for this girl in the first verse matched with the audience viewing their relationship on screen as the go traveling. They are seen flirting here which relates to the lyrics. It also shows all the ups and downs as we see the characters laughing and crying. The lyrics 'i'm latching onto you' correlates with them packing their bags and going traveling together. With very little money, the images illustrate how all that they need each other.

The music and visuals contradict and illustrate one another at different points of the video. The up-beat music used at the beginning of this song matches the couples meeting and this happy concept.
At the beginning of the video we see the characters dancing to the music in a club. Towards the middle and end we see a 3 newly made relationship unfold and this is not to do with dance. Flashing lights are shown on the couple to emphasise this contradiction between the relationship and the music. 

There are few close ups showing disclosure which the record label have included for the artists to be relatable to their audience and fans. These are seen when they are performing. This is a technique that the record label have used in order to attract the audience to buy ticket to watch the live on tour and shows. This is because the audience is made to feel like they want to be at this club scene with the artist. Also this relates to the narrative, as the couples all are at this gig and are shown having a good time. Therefore the audience is made to see this and want to also enjoy this experience. 

Initially, there are a few shots showing voyeuristic treatment of the female body when the couple is in the bedroom together and she is showing her body off wearing only underwear. This is to make the video have a controversial and edgy effect, which appeals to the audience as they are lured in by her beauty. After watching this a lot of girls will also be in awe of her body and therefore look up to the artist even more as they see them as superior.

The intertexual reference is to TV programs in general as there is often a relationship that is the main focus. Also they are promoting apple as we see a man in the club on an IPhone. This will make the viewer want to buy an iPhone as the like to copy their idols. Also at the end of the video the record company promotes the artist album by showing the design of the album cover on the characters faces in the video. This is a technique to promote the whole album and the rest of the songs as the audience will see this and buy the album if they like the song. Also, it represents how all the characters are part of this group with this lifestyle. The audience will therefor want to buy it in order to feel the same as they look up to their favorite artists. 

This video is 70% concept based, 20% narrative and 10% performance. This is due to the vast majority of the video displaying the ideology of a new relationship and the lifestyles of the characters. However, performance is also shown when the artists themselves are performing towards the end at one of their gigs. This is shot from the crowd in order to show the atmosphere at there gigs and to therefore promote themselves. The narrative part shows the start of a new relationship between a boy and a girl and the joys of this experience. 

Research into Music censorship

 

There is a massive argument for and against censorship, which arises when discussing music artist and their videos of today. This divides society and it is a very controversial subject. The censorship law made by Ofcom is often scrutinised and put under a lot of pressure from different parties in the music industry and in the public.

An example of an artist who is often under scrutiny, due to their controversial verbal lyrics and videos is Eminem. These lyrics involve stories about domestic violence, drug taking and gang culture. A parent of a young child would argue that at such a young age, children are vulnerable to being persuaded and influenced. Glamorising gun culture could result in children copying them. "Smoking weed, taking pills, drop outta school, kill people and drink". Also due to these lyrics being based on real life experiences it makes the songs more persuasive to younger children. These experiences include insults to his mother in his songs, who is now sewing him for £10m and frequent fights with his wife, Kim. He also talks of arrests, including a recent charge of pistol-whipping someone, which could have resulted in a nine-year sentence. Eminem argues that he should be allowed a freedom of speech and that if parents raise their children properly they wouldn't take his lyrics literally. His song, Stan addresses the issue of people taking his lyrics literally and it tries to set these people straight and show them that a lot of his lyrics are comical and harmless. The record company of Eminem also agrees that with his freedom of speech as they say that he exposes people to issues in the world that is good for society. Also they say that strong language is common and therefore Eminem swearing in his songs is justified. Radio stations also argue for and against censoring Eminem's lyrics. BBC radio censored the swearing out of Stan when it was most successful. Stations such as kiss say that it's hard to censor his lyrics.

Music videos are also often censored. MTV argue that their channel is a universal youth channel and so they allow minor swearing when broadcasting their artist's videos. But then you can come across music video channels such as AKA who support music, which comes under the crude category, and therefore allow swearing and potential controversial and offensive scenery. Youtube also have to deal with these issues. Only recently, they banned the uncensored version of Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines'.  This because of the excess amount of nudity shown and sexual references.

To conclude, I believe that each music video and song should be assessed and the record company or radio station should take into account the target audience. They should then make in available to those, uncensored but censored for those younger children who should be steered away from overly violent videos or lyrics. I also think that it is the parents responsibility for how their child is raised. They should know the difference between right and wrong and the music artists should not be blamed for this. However, I also think that overly excessive violence in inappropriate and it is therefore also the artists responsibility to create videos which can be of no harm.

Research into music channels

1) Who is the target audience and why?

2) What type of music does the channel play and why?

3) Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

4) How is the channel used as a form of branding?

5) How does the logo appeal to the target audience? (Consider the colors and connotations, size of fonts, style of logo)

MTV

The target is primarily targeted at adolescents and teenagers

The channel plays mainly popular music and promotional music videos. These are often found in the top 100 billboard charts. 

Eminem, drake, Justin Bieber, Rhianna  

The channel shows a lot of advertisements and uses its brand on its other channels such as Viva, as well as its own magazine and its sister channels.  

The logo appeals to its target audience as it is a big font and has a cool look to it, as it is graffiti styled. Also the connotation, which reads ‘music television’, gives the impression that it is the main hub for music videos. 

Kerrang!

The audience is early teens to young adults at late 20’s. 

Light, heavy rock and punk rock. 

Biffy clyro, blink 182, you me at six, less than Jake 

Kerrang own a magazine and supply funding for acts to perform at big music festivals. 

The logo appeals to the target audience as the exclamation mark adds emphasis on the word. Also this is a quirky effect and makes it appeal to a young audience. The crumbled effect also makes it appealing to the audience, as it gives it a blurred effect so they have to stare at it. 

Scuzz 

Young and middle age but mainly people who are hard rock fans. 
Hard rock, metal and screamo's. This is so that their audience can listen to their favourite genre. Also this is a unique genre so it is aiming at a niche audience and therefore Scuzz can receive more views. 
Enter Shikari, Young Guns, You Me At Six, Deaf Havana
The logo has an edgy, metalic feel to it. This is because the colour is grey with a hint of black, representing fear and gloom. Also the font makes each letter look like a lightening bolt, which also represents danger which a lot of hard rock is based on.  

What is a music video?

Disclosure - You and Me ft. Eliza Doolittle

The purpose of this music video is to give the audience more knowledge about the song and provide a narrative. Also it is a feature that the artists uses to attract their audience. In this case the artist have tried to attract a young audience by creating a music video which relates to younger people. This is by using showing a narrative of a relationship between a young couple and their love for one another.

 This is also seen as a concept idea as the music video displays the ideology of how young people live and the relationship between them. In this case the artist is trying to show the message that nothing can get in the way of their love for one another. The performance aspect of this video is seen at the end of the video when the DJ’s, disclosure are performing to a large crowd.

This is an effective marketing tool for the artists as it can promote the song and themselves. This scene especially also encourages young people to by this song as it is in the clubbing scene. As well as selling the song the video also creates a large revenue which is a huge purpose for its creation. By the use of social networking sites such as YouTube, this video can be seen globally which will increase its popularity. The artists will therefore become more famous and earn more money as more people around the world want to by their music. Also this helps the artist earn revenue for tours as many countries may demand to watch them live. This is shown below the music video on youtube, where the there is a link to buy tickets for Disclosures tour. 

The genre of this music video is dance and it is mainly a narrative video showing the relationship between a young couples as they go travelling. This shows their lifestyles and how they go about their everyday lives. 

This music video is very obscure and it doesn’t match a lot of codes and conventions of a usual music video. The usual conventions for a music video show the artist the ideology of them with lots of money in a hot country with nice cars or attractive women. In this case the artist has tried to make the song relatable to its audience by showing a story where the couple don’t have much money as they go travelling. There are no expensive sports cars and the female is even seen arguing with a cab driver of the price of his fare. Also the go to a country where it is quite cold so the artist doesn’t show off their wealth. All the scenes are also quite basic which doesn’t match the conventions of a music video. Usually the artist tries to amaze or impress their audience by showing eye catching scenery or special effects. However in this case the artist has kept it basic and used scenes in a park for example. The end of this video does match conventions however as the artist is scene clubbing and laser lights are used to entice the audience.  

This music video attracts a young audience as factors such as dancing, clubbing and young love a represented. This matches the music which is dance, often associated with the youth. By using two attractive characters to play these roles this video appeals more so to an audience. The audience can also see the artist’s style of clothing and this appeals to them with the use of this music video. A line reads ‘please don’t let go’ showing how she wants them to stay together throughout the tribulations they face such as lack of money, which we see when the go travelling.  This also helps the public build a relationship with the artist as they get an insight to the artist’s lives in this video. The clubbing scene shown at the end of the video brings the narrative story to a conclusion and allows the audience to enjoy the dance music. However the audience is able to relate to the video as they are shown as living off a basic budget and not having much money which can give some of the audience who are poorer hope and show them that they don’t need that money isn’t as important as love in a relationship. They are also seen playing in a park and going in a club making the audience relate once again.