Music Video research

Techniqual and symbolic

Music video allow the audience to become accustome to seeing certain genres and conventions of this genre

performance band and artist
narrative: includes a story
camera: variety of shots depending on genre
Crane shots: hovering over stage
low angles: show dominance
long shot/extreme long shot
close up/extreme long shot
pans/tilts
tracking
rhythmic editing / pace

Costume: specific outfits related to genre
Locations: Wyke theatre, Pozition night club, streets and facial expressions

editing, camera work, character, narrative theme, location, mise-en-scene and sound
what is the song about?

DIFFERENT GENRES HAVE LEXICAL CONVENTIONS
high mimetic
revearse zoom

Three influential texts questions continued

Out of these two videos which would you say is more closely related to RnB genre and what kind of music and music videos do you enjoy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M –Beyonce- If I were a boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekAXPCphKXQ – Trey Songz ft Nicki Minaj – Bottoms up


Audience feedback videos

Remake of Taylor Swift Video

This is our attempt of recreating the song 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift

Codes and Conventions of selected brief : Music Video

Beez in the trap - Nicki Minaj ft 2 Chainz
This video begins with arrhythmic editing which is in time with the beat of the song. It has quick flashy cuts between different images of the artists, graphic text images of artists name and connotations to the artists such as chains for artist ‘2 chainz.’ This editing is related to the form of the song.  It gives and upbeat, fast rhythm and sets the tone of the song as being a ‘party’ type of song. We have fast cuts to a club which also connotes this and gives us an impression of the type of genre of the video.

From the mise-en-scene we can see that the song genre is RnB or hip-hop related due to the connotation of the location. For example the location is within a club, filled with glitter, disco balls, money, dancing and drinking. From this we assume they have a good, fun lifestyle which is often related to this genre usually ‘going out’ ‘party’ songs with a fast beat. Smoking, drinking and drugs are also strongly linked within this genre.

For the outfits the artists are covered in jewellery or ‘bling’ holding money which connotes a good wealthy lifestyle, showing how successfully they have become. Stereotypically from underprivileged background and now are living the high life so want to show off how well they have done. A lot of attractive women in revealing outfits have close-up shots in the club dancing. Practically naked so sex is also a big code convention within this genre of music.

The audience for my chosen song would be possibly someone who can relate to or aspire to be like the artists, for example someone who is living in a deprived area may relate to this to see someone similar to themselves become successful and wealthy. The audience is mainly younger generations possibly because they are more tolerant or even find the vulgar and explicit language use within the songs more tolerable than older generations. As well as this younger generations are more commonly going out clubbing on a regularly basis or to ‘student nights out’ which is when  music from this genre would be played so it is mainly aimed at an age group of about 15-30 years of ages.
Throughout the video the cinematography shows how the main focus is Nicki Minaj and 2 Chainz as the shots including single shots of both artists, firstly close-up shots of Nicki Minaj followed by long shots and medium long shots which get her body in the shot. Nicki Minaj has a curvy body and wears revealing and little clothing throughout the video, this shows how she is willing to put it ‘all out there’ and does not care. Connotes a confidence and independence, shows a strong female image that some girls may admire this kind of attitude. Similarly 2 Chainz is seen as cool and laid back seen in the video with lots of girls which boys may admire and shows as rich and smoking which could be possibly drugs.  This again shows a care-free rebellious attitude that some teens may be impressed by which shows how it relates to the target audience. These are typical conventions we would expect to see within an RnB or hip-hop related music video.  

Three influential texts: questions for my audience

I showed my audience my chosen song and then asked this question:
This is the song for This is my chosen song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_0kgqMn6ZI

After listening to this song what conventions would you expect to see within this video? (this is RnB genre what things would usually be shown in the video?)

What genre do you think Nicki Minaj falls under?



What type of audience would usually listen to this type of music?


  

NICKI MINAJ

TAYLOR SWIFT

KATY PERRY

Audience Key Terms

Qualitative data: This is in-depth data which gathers detailed answers often including the audience’s thoughts and feelings, leading questions.

Quantitative data: This is data which is measured in numbers and groups, answers are often recorded as yes/no type questions which can be put into graphs and easy analysed.

Psychographic Data: This data includes people’s thoughts and feelings, interest’s lifestyles, answers questions with varied opinions and in-depth detailed answers.

Demographic Data: This is ‘pure’ data, for example a question such as “are you male/female?” easy to answer because it is either one or the other, not expectations or different opinions.

Genre

Genre is the main starting point when creating a media text
Point, type, kind, category, codes and conventions
Refers to the codes and conventions: different media texts appealing to different audiences
Rules of the text for each genre
Conventions: expected and predictable signs we read which make expectations
Codes: a system which signs are organised ---> connation’s and denotation
They create meaning to the audience
-Technical codes
-Symbolic codes

RnB Genre Conventions

Taylor Swift Storyboard

Taylor Swift's genre of music is a complete contrast with the RnB genre, it is good to compare the differences between the two to get a clear ideology of the codes and conventions within a genre.

This is a storyboard of the song 'You belong with me' by Taylor Swift.
We will be recreating this video in a group in order to get an idea of how to use the filming and editing equipment.

 

The Lyrics

Yo, Man, Man, Uhh

[Chorus]
Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothing
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothing
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothin’
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothin’
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

[Nicki Minaj]
Man I been did that, man I been popped off
And if she aint tryna give it up she get dropped off
Let me bust that U-ey, Bitch bust that open
Might spend a couple thou just to bust that open
Rip it off, no jokin
Like your name Hulk Hogan
Niggas move weight and sell but live in Houbouken
Bitch, I spit that crack like I’m in that trap
So if you need a hit then I’m with that bat

[Chorus]
Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothing
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothing
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothin’
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothin’
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

[2 Chainz]
Okay now Nicki Nicki Nicki, put it in your kidney
Got a new LS 450, ain’t no keys in this do-hicky
If I weren’t rappin’ I be trappin’
If I weren’t trappin’ I be pimpin’
If I weren’t pimpin’ I be gettin’ it, period
I don’t smoke no Bobby, but my denim be from Ricky
Got your girl Amalie and we smoke loud and drinkin’
Got my talk back so you can see what I been thinkin’
If you know me then you know I’ve been think Franklin
Money, thousands, True Religion trousers
Got a private home, started from the public houses
Hair weave killer, causing her arousal
Audi A8, told them Audi 5000, uh

[Chorus]
Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothing
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothing
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothin’
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothin’
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

Damn, damn what they say about me?
I ‘unno man, fuck is on your biscuit
If I get hits swingin on a big bitch
I ‘unno man, I’m shittin on your whole life

Bitches aint shit and they ain’t saying nothin’
A hundred mothafuckaz can’t tell me nothin’
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

[Nicki Minaj]
Man, I’m out in Texas
Man, I’m out in A-Town
Then I’m up in Chi-town or Miami shuttin it down
This that New Orleans, it’s LA or the Bay
It’s New York, Philly
And the whole DMV
I’m a Detroit playa, man it’s north south cats
Ohio Pittsburgh, got St. Louis on deck
It’s Delaware, Connecticut, it’s New Jersey got hella bricks
It’s Queens, Brooklyn and yeah they wildin’
Bronx, Harlem, and Staten Island

[Hook]
Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t saying nothin’
A hundred mothafuckas can’t tell me nothin’
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap
I beez in the trap, be-beez in the trap

Damn, damn what they say about me?
Iunno man, fuckers on your biscuit
If I get hits swingin on a big bitch
Iunno man, I’m shittin on your whole life

Damn, damn what they say about me?
Iunno man, fuckers on your biscuit
If I get hits swingin on a big bitch
Iunno man, I’m shittin on your whole life

Chosen Song: abstract lyrics therefore will be creating an abstract preformance based video: Lyrical Meaning: Nicki Minaj stated in an interview with Graham Norton "It just means, 'I am always...' you know, that's our slang way of saying, 'I beez doing such-and-such-and-such.' So it's really like, 'I am always in the trap.' Now, the trap, ladies and gentlemen, relates to anywhere where you get your money”

not clear will make the video abstract with hidden meaning also to relate to the artists lyrics - very perfirmanced based and will relate to the R&B genre

Production Plan

Production Plan for Taylor Swift video:

Location: Lydia’s House – Lydia’s room mise-en-scene of a teenage girls bedroom.

Equipment needed:  video camera, tripod, change of outfits for Alicia Baldwin including: geek glasses, big white signed tshirt, checkered pjs,  pen and paper.

Actors: Rob Gibbs and Alicia Baldwin

Time/Date to start filming: Sunday 7th October at 7.00pm – till however long it takes

Storyboard for 'Beez in the trap' song