Analysis of Students A2 Music Videos

Macklemore - Cant Hold Us - A2 Media Studies Music Video

To gain inspiration towards our music video and give us an idea on what would give us the highest grade possible we had to look at previous students work. We were comparing different music videos and picking up on genre, type of video, group image , intertextual references , camera shots and representation. This will give us an all round idea on what we need to think about when it comes to creating our music video. 

The genre for this song Can’t Hold Us is a combination of hip hop and R&B. The original music video by Macklemore doesn't have a pacific storyline, there isn't one set location or a theme to that clearly links to the song lyrics. However in the recreation of the music video they have kept with a random theme like the original video, but it consists of a much more exciting and funny storyline which is easy to follow and understand. 

This music video is a combination of performance and narrative, for example when the camera cuts from the robbers in the symbolized white and black striped outfits who are frantically looking for there bag in which a stranger misplaced as his this part is classed as narrative, then the next cut we are shown the three male actors lip synching into the camera which is the performance section to the music video. The body language and facial expressions on the actors faces emphasizes a joking and humorous side to the video, the stereotypical coedy of over exaggerated falls and everything being more over dramatic reveals a comedy value to the storyline in the video.The special effects used also represent the comedy side, by having a cartoon comic effect creates a unique and interesting ,fun incorporation to the video. 

Group Image 

By just watching the first few second of the music video you can automatically tell that the storyline and overall video is going to be classed as comedic group. There element of silliness and messing around in away which is over dramatic emphasizes the comedic feel to the video. For example the  exaggerated falls and posing in random location with funny faces highlights the jokey recembalance to the clip. The twist on not having a stereotypical romantic narrative and instead placing a comedic atmosphere to the video is intriguing and very unique.  Another thing I noticed is they seem to subvert the stereotype of looking frantically and sensibly for their missing bag, instead they seem to be represented as chilled people who also when filming are very comfortable and relaxed to just randomly start dancing and play fighting informant of a camera in a busy park, this resembles their professional side to their image. 

Intertextual References

This video is based around a comic / cartoon theme , the special effects and filters placed in during the editing stage to make is come across as a kids comic strip is intriguing. It portrays a mix of different medias and which combined it has created a peice which works well together. There is also a storyline to this music video which perhaps could've been inspired by a comedy film Rush Hour Or The Other Guys, due to the black and white striped stereotypical robber outfits two of the boys wear and then the misplacing of an item which they then hunt for , is very much similar in my opinion to that film.

Camera Shots 

Throughout this video there is a variety of different mer angles and shots, which have been used to create an eye-catching music video which also portrays the narrative in a view in which the audience would understand and be able to follow. 

mood board for target audience

This moodboard symbolizes the stereotypical target market we are aiming our music video around. These images demonstrate the areas such as gender and age.We as a group have chosen to aim the video around girls between 14-20, due to the song relating to relationships and emotions we've chosen to base it around an age where teenage girls could relate to the song. Because the word pop is typically known as being a term for popular , i've chosen some key stereotypes for teenagers which fit into trends such as clothing brands, foods, hobbies , social media and even tv shows which teenagers may have influenced there look or personality from. I decided to add social media sites such as snapchat, facebook , twiter and intragram, these are the most commonly used sites available for comminocating and keeping incontact with celebrities and friends. These kinds of social media are steritipically accosiated to teenagers, by having an account on these sites teenagers are able to comminicate and follow their idols and artisits who they enjoy listerning to.  This gives the artist time for free advertisment ,either selling concert tikets or promoting their new song or merchindice. If the celebritry is the target audiences fashion icon then things such as posting images in clothing stores or photogrpahing their outfit of the day on social media can be another way that makes the artist feel a connection between there fan. The overal fashion trend and look for a steriotypical teenager would be casual clothing, things such as crop tops and high waisted rip jeans are seen a the typical look for a teenage girl. Shops such as missguided , topshop and forever 21 are stores whihc pormote this look and are aimed towards the teenage fanbase, also some pop artisrs shop in the well known shighstreet stores. Another typical item of clothing which every teenager girl has is a pair of traingers, these are steritypically seen on females within pop music videos and is therefore being used to fit the target mrket and appeal to them.
The reason for including tv series such as gossip girl and pretty little liars id because teenagers ate sterioypically known for loving romantic and heartbreaking programes. Throuhgout any programe background music is used to make the visuals going on in the narrative,  they are used to set the scene and make the overal atmospher more intense and drmatic.

Fifth Harmony Bio

 Fifth Harmony Biography 

Fifth Harmony Biography from Megan Clements

Logo Designs

For this section to our research and planning we had to create a record label logo which we would use on our CD cover and to overall represent our music video. As a group we together designed three logo ideas, using a combination of pop art/ cartoon effects, basic font and interesting girly icons. We came up with the name 'MME' which stands for the three of our initials within our group, we played around and experimented with the positioning of each initial but found  'MME' sounded more fluent and professional ranter than something like 'EMM' or 'MEM'. Our influence for choosing this name was from EMI records ,we found that the combination of vowels and contents  worked well together and was an rememberable record label and therefore we also chose to include lettering to produce a name it just so happened that our initials worked extremely well together , its also not a tough twister and something that could easily be remembered by people. We came to the conclusion to base our record label around females aged 14-20 because thats the target audience in which our music video would appeal to. 

Our first logo was created using photoshop, using a base image of a young male celebrity (Zac Effron) who has been in the music industry and is a male character with a mass audience fan base. This meant that he's got a rememberable face especially to our target market due to him being a face seen on programs and movies our target market would've grew up with and due to his appearance they would perhaps of had a crush on him due to his appearance  for example in high school musical.  The overall appearance of the logo has a pop art and cartoon theme, this created an eye-catching and fun feel to the logos image. However we didn't choose to use this logo due to us thinking it looked too grown up  after asking some students and fellow peers , they found the logo boring and dull in colour which meant it lacked interest and vibrancy. Overall I feel this logo doesn't come across to be  very record label themed , their is no indication and when firstly glancing at it it comes across to be a badge or piece of merchandise. 

This logo was created on powerpoint , using a record template from google images this was used as the outline icon for the record label logo. The font was from Da font ,the decision to have curly handwriting text was to emphasise a feminine theme to the logo, we also used a thick bold bubble writing font which complemented the bold record player icon we used. We kept to a black and white coloured logo due to us wanting to experiment with having a basic and simple idea which we could compare with the more colourful and eye-catching  logos. 

This was our third logo we designed, using photoshop we experimented with different coloured filter and themes , coming to the decision to base this logo on a pop art theme. The lips and headphones are images from google images , however the colours and opacity/levels were all adjusted in the pohotshop software to create a more vibrant and cartoon feel to the overall logo. The font was from DaFont and by adding a white outline around the lettering it complements the pop art theme by linking to the black outlining the other images obtain. By having each image and font outlined it created a bold and more interesting picture, the font especially stands out more with the contrast in black and white colours making the image have a 3D feel.The lips portray a proactive feel to the tongue positioning, however this foreshadows how women in pop music have to behave and also dress in a revealing way to gain a mass audience. The headphones are used as a icon to represent that the overall purpose of the log inks to music. 

This is our final logo design, we came to the decision to stick with these images as they portrayed the logo and record companies name we created .However we changed the font to the handwriting and flowy italic font to represent a girly element purpose to the logo. and positioned it a quirky diagonal position to add a feeling of quirkiness and fun. 

Mood boards

This mood board was created to show the representation of pop, I  selected a variety of different  images with I found clearly represented the genre of pop. The mood board includes a variety of different  well known pop artists such as one direction, Katie Perry and Justin Beiber who all show the signs of the stereotypical pop theme within a music videos and is also reflected through their public image. For example the bright and bold coloured clothing  with  the pop art  feel worn  by the dancers in the Justin Beiber sorry video,  fits the representation of a pop genre music video.  By me choosing images which show the dancers and the artists clothing, it highlights the variety of elements  that an artist has to fit the pop genre of music , for example the fashion, colours and the overall representation of the artist is a key part to identifying the song as being pop.  From the images on the slide we can establish that they are very bold and vibrant shades , they wear a lot of pattern printed clothing  with works well and gives a unique combination, therefore by there showing a numerous amount of colours it shows that colour makes a huge part to a pop music video . The clothes worn within the images are very in trend and casual fun pieces with the splash of courageous colour to them. Although pop has a fun and energetic theme to  it  some pop songs can be  more emotional and serious which could be shown through the artists clothing, such as  Mileys song wreaking ball, this song comes under pop genre but she wears white clothing which isn't  a daring and lively colour. However because Miley is dressed in revealing clothing which shows off her tinny figure it could be classed as sexual which is another key representation of pop in videos such as Katie Perry ‘roar’ and Justin Beibers purpose’ with the dancers exotic dancing. Pop which  is very colourful  and energetic is classed as  hard pop which means it is all 100% pop and not only partly,  due to a song could come under pop and R&B. I have found that the majority of pop artists that focus only on pop music are in there teens and late twenties, this could be due to pop focusing more on a teenage audience and therefore use find there music makes more of a connection with the younger fans and they them self can relate through there songs to being a teenagers, creating a strong bond between the artists song and their fan base. 

R 'n' B Music Videos

What Is R&B?

R&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, it’s a genre that originated from popular African American music in the 1940’s. The term was originally used by record companies to define recordings marketed mainly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. R%B backing tracks  are usually made up of piano, guitars, bass, drums and saxophone with the maybe the slight background vocalists. The lyrics of this type genre songs usually consist of themes to do with encapsulate the African American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy. Lyrics looking more into relationships, economics ,sex and freedom.

Conventions for R&B 

Women in R&B are represented to appear attracting in a sexual and revealing way, they wear little clothing showing off their chest and stomachs, the way they do this entices a male audience due to R&B using the concept of slowing skin off to achieve more of an audience. The hairstyles the females have are very dramatic, not very classy rather cheap and unpractical, for example, they can be eye-catching and very interesting but extremely hard to copy and try out yourself. This genre of music is known for the girls having dark eye makeup, a smoky eyeshadow and bold eyelashes to make the eyes more impressive. Due to the females wearing little clothing they use heels to extenuate the length oof the girl's legs, this creat an illusion, however, because there in a lot of dancing in the R&B music videos trainers are used in dance choreography. However the dance moves they incorporate into the dance are sexual and used to show off the female artists body, which appeals to the male audience. To create an intense and extremely R&B look huge hoop earrings are worn along with rings and necklace chains.

Men are presented very sexually in this genre of music videos, there usually seen shirtless which draws the attention from their female fan base. The most common piece of clothing which is worn in a music video is baggy jeans, preferably ones which hang low and reveal their boxers, this is prefered to in R&B as cool and there made to look like they have swag. The jeans are normally held up by a bulcky siginture design buckle on the belt, this represents the artists welth and is also away of advertising a brand. To show someone's masculinity within an R&B music video usually tattoos are seen on the chest, arms and neck of the artist, this is to imply they are strong and feerless people all reflecting back tothe idea of masciliity because they cn uphold the pain. Sometimes the tattoos can be shown on the scalp, but that a very rare place, within the tattoos there is normally a meaning behind them, sometimes death can be shown through skulls and flames.  The hairstyles in which an R&B artist has in very short, normal its too short to style and a cap is used to cover the hair completely, caps are used the majority of the time by the boys. Jewelry like watches and chains are worn, normally they are subtle and not too dramatic but it depends on hoe R&B the rapper is. If they were to wear loads of bulky rings and necklaces then the video would come across too hip hop. 

Attracting flies by AlunaGeorge

Attracting flies is an indie pop genre song and within the music video it uses a combination od performances and narrative. Within the indie pop music industry there are a few conventions which are stereotypical within that genre music video. For example slow motion it used the majority of the time within an indie pop video, and is used within the fairy tale themes scene in the attracting flies music clip. She is filmed in a close up camera angle and framed at eyelevel to the camera, the director has done this especially because she plays the main character within the narrative, and still obtains the main focal point throughout the video. Close ups are also used toward the beginning  of the music video to introduce the fairly tale characters that Aluna plays. With there being slow motion editing added along side the close ups make it easier for the audience to understand each fairly tale character individually. We are also given hints to which character is next for example the close up of 'beauty' on the necklace she wears and then she's shown accompanied by a beastly dog, connoting that she is the tale of Beauty and the Beast.

The whole concept of the video breaks away from the conventions of fairy-tale through its productive and sexual representation n women. Each princess has a far from modern style and is all the time seen wearing revealing tight fitted clothing rather then the typical classy gowns that typical princesses wear. This may be due to the video wanting to be appealing to the wider audience of both genders. By putting the artist in red lipstick it matches the conventions of an R&B track, the red symbolises power and gives a dramatic feel to the image as if she had a lot of power.

This long shot of the computer generated castle has been added to create a fantasy themed music video. The unnatural location implies that  this video is going to be unusual and mysterious, they have used a long shot to show the surrounding of the location and it also foreshadows what the first fairy-tale that is going to appear in the music video. The setting for this music video is therefore set al in this block of flats with each level being a different fairy-tale , Rapunzel is shown at the top of the building with her hair dangling off the balcony, this whole video shows mystery and elliptical style which helps keep the audience intrigued.

During this scene we are shown a young women growing was seems to be hair from a drug plant, this is seen as unnatural with a joke spin to Rapunzel having fake hair which is being sew onto her head after it being the grown from a cannabis plant. The filter overlay which has been placed in during the editing stage adds to the wavy , supernatural feel to the music video, also during this scene we are shown a mid shot of a muggy room when an elderly lady sits brushing Rapunzel's hair which sits floating out of what looks like a flat apartment, the camera zooms into show the delicate brush strokes the women does whilst the camera pans up the platted hair and out the window.  The intersexual reference to this section the Aluna plays Rapunzel who is locked in a tower in the middle of London in what looks like a drugs sweat shop, growing her hair like the narcotic Cannabis and attaching it to her hair to place out the window.

When we first become  introduced to Aluna she wears a tight figure hugging booby dress, this outfit is used to symbolise little red riding hood with a modern day twist with the red hoodie instead of a cape. The colour red is used to symbolise death, evil and danger which all link to the song lyrics she is singing during her wearing this colour.The intersexual reference for this scene is that she plays as a fairy-tale character carrying a basket of food through a housing estate with a backdrop of a woods, whilst George and a dog are spying on her whilst waiting in a car, the dog plays the wolf which howls after she walks past which foreshadows the little red riding hood storyline.This male protagonist who is represented as prince charming in the narrative has been transformed into a modern day twist in the fictional fairy-tale story of Rapunzel. His body language and positioning implies he's confident but also cool, the replacement of the bike instead of a horse subverts the stereotype of how prince charming travels and dresses. By the location set in a backyard ally it adds a feeling of trouble and danger, with flood lighting and no natural lighting is doesn’t gives the scene a lot of shadow and overall produces an unsettling atmosphere which subverts the fairy-tale idea of prince charming being a hero and saviour.

Within this scene the camera angle tilts and slowly zooms into a mid shot camera angle, the use of a tilted camera movement  gives the impression that something isn't right and its out of the ordinary which foreshadows the fairy-tale scenes  having a modern day twist and being turned into dark scenes.

We Belong Together –Mariah Carey

Within the beginning of the music video we are introduced with a pan camera movement followed by a log shot, to show a house perched on the top of a hill. This type of idea of a big expensive house is stereotypical of an R&B music video because they usually are portrayed as having big houses , the most expensive cars and as a character come across wealthy, and therefore successful.By using a close up camera angle we are introduced to the artist of the song, she lies spread out on a white sheeted bed. This could've been done to represent innocence and purity despite the fact she in naked. By her being so close to the camera and looking straight into the lens it makes a connection between her and the audience which is something as an artist its advisable to-do. The fast cuts and quick editing done to combine her tugging at the covers and proactively looking into the camera gives the impression she's teasing someone by giving off indigenous .The camera then cuts to Mariah sitting at a dressing table, during this scene she sings into the mirror why the camera is positioned at a mid shot and captures her reflection in the mirror. This is a stereotypical for R&B artist to-do; sing into the mirror whilst touching up and admiring her appearance. The mirror prop could've been used to represent herself reflecting on the song lyrics and thinking about every word she saying. Her body language is very sinser with her constantly softly hugging her arm as if she was looking for forgiveness and company.  Within this video her makeup remains very subtle and natural looking, in one shot there is a close up is used to focus mainly on her ,there’s wind being blown in her face which represents her as delicate and overall links to the stereotype of a female artist being feminine.

A full shot camera angle was used to show the artist positioned centre frame and perched on a stall,  the producer has done this to show her long elegant legs and pink silky long split dress, the way she is perched on the stall bending down reveals her cleavage and would've been done to receive male attention. This shot shows her femininity and by slit in her dress it is very proactive and gives off an inviting innuendos  in some viewers opinion which is a common stereotype in R&B style music videos.

A tracking shot is used towards the end of the video, this is done to show the bride and groom within the narrative walking away happily married, the camera follows them from behind, due to them holing hands and running off together it gives the impression that they could be running away from their past or from someone th4y are trying to avoid.

The transitions throughout this music video are quiet show ,there aren't a lot of cuts due to the frame shots being longer then a stereotypical R&B music video, due to there being a soft mellow beat to the songs audio it meant that the cuts couldn’t be made through the songs beats.

There is a variety of different camera angles, from positioning and types of movement to create this music video. the produced has added continuity editing, this has been used to establish a smooth transition between the slow panning of the extreme close up camera angle, they have kept this a tight framing then used a handheld camera to tilt in an unstable way by following his neck line to the side of his hip. This kind of movement has been used to identify the artist and show is body language by the way he is standing, also it shows off his tattoos an facial expression painting him as a very tough and gangsta like appearance, due to the facial tattoos which are stereotypically associated with someone who's dangerous and not approachable. However by using this technique it could've been used to foreshadow the song title ‘mirror’ by suggesting he's reflecting on who he is and all the bad decision he's made within his life. another eye-catching and interesting edit they have made within this music video is a shallow depth of field which occurs then the frame cuts away to a mid-shot with the composition being the rule of thirds, this has been done to allow the  audience to see lil wanes mirrored image of himself.

Another editing technique which has been used is a slow motion effect, this is stereotypical within an R&B music video, they have captured the red paint dripping onto the floor. The color red represents death, danger but also love and by lil wayne referring the the song in the first person we are implied to that the narrative is todo with what he has gone through within his life and the struggles he has dealt with.

The birds eye view which has been used to capture the black and red paint which as been splattered is used to represent the artists struggles  and for a further meaning which links to the song theme it could be todo with how society saw him.

Mise en Scene 

 The location for this music video is a studio, there are florescent lighting and studio lights onto of the the dark backdrop, the use of these lights could've been used ti symbolize hope and the meaning of ‘ theres light at the end of the tunnel’ which would link to the theme of towards the song lyrics.  The little clothing he wears shows of his very well kept body image and would've been used to attract a mass audience, it also suggests he's very confident within his body. However there is a contrast within the way he stands due to his body language coming across to be very weak and lacking comfort , however it some car close ups we can see he clenches his fists which is perhaps an indication to staying strong which is the main concept of the videos purpose. The artist within this music video subverts the stereotypical male representation inR&B music videos, due to men being presented as fearless people which isn't the case for the mid shot which is used within the video. However due to the bold colours, high key florescent lighting it overall connotes an intense and courageous artist.

Song Choices

On this link,there is the 3 song choices me and my group decided to analyse and from this, we were influenced by different editing technics and the positioning of the camera and also it gave us an indication into what locations would be best for recording the music video we will eventually be creating. Within this Prezi I have explained what we found interesting and eye-catching from these music video and weather we could incorporate the effects or similar locations into our final music video. I also took into consideration what made these songs fit the pop genre they are given.