Roles

Me

My Role is location, this is an important role as the location within a video is very important and it must match with the video you are doing. As i live further away from the rest of the group, i am more likely to see more different areas and locations than us therefore this role suits me nicely. I have to look at videos within our genre and analyse locations and why they are so important within a video and make sure our location is perfect.

Dan Decruz

Dan's role in the group is cinematography and camera shots. He chose to do this role as we think that it will be challenging but also a vital role in a music video and understands that cinematography is everything in a music video. To follow this role through and give the group his input to the group he must watch videos of our chosen genre and understand and analyse why shots are used and why angles and the type of shot are important.



Alex

Alex is in charge of the editing. This is an important role as this job is done after the filming is done therefore he must analyse videos and understand why and when editing is important. He must know what bits are important and which parts can be cut out or changed. This is a very challenging role as it is the editing which finishes of the video and the editing must work with the rest of the roles to ensure a good video which people will want to see.


Jordan

Jordan is in charge of mise-en-scene, Like the other roles this is vitally important and must fit the genre which we do. Jordan, not knowing much about HipHop must do some serious research on props, costumes, lighting and much more in order for our video to look like a Hip Hop video, he must analyse videos from our genre and understand what props and outfits are used and why and bring them into our planning to ensure we all look the part in the film.


 

Initial Ideas

These were our first initial ideas of what our ideas were on artists, songs and what songs didn't have videos. It came in very handy and we could see each idea from our group members and elaborate and discuss it.

Peer Assessment

Daryl Hay  marked my blog and gave me a 14/20 mark which is a grade b. however there are several things i need to do in order to improve my blog and make it better.

There were 3 main areas where i could improve on. communication Skills,research and my presentation. For communication i could improve on using more technical vocabulary within the detail i write. The presentation i have improved on greatly. At first i would just stick pictures anywhere however now, most pictures are layed out and put in the correct place in order for me to analyse and explain it. For research i could improve by going into more detail in writing. A good example would be fort editing. if there was not much editing within the video i would only write a line or two. Whereas i could focus on one thing and elaborate on that.

In conclusion i will take all of the constructive criticism on board and try to use all of what was said to help me improve my blog.

Assessment 23/9/11 MCU

WWW

- Some very good efforts to present your work well. The analyses of music videos that are complete to a good standard show creativity in using visual material e.g. the screen grabs next to the points you want to make.
- Some evidence that you are going away and improving your posts, keep this up.
- Most posts attempted.

EBI

- You must have posts 19 and 20 on your blog. The mark scheme looks for audience research.
- Post 17- explain whether each record label would be suitable for your artist, at the moment it is just dry facts.
- You must improve some of your posts, especially the early analyses of music videos- posts 2,3,4,5.
- To develop further with visual material, try including short clips of videos, just the part that illustrates your point. This will really go for the high marks for presentation.

EFFORT - IN

Advertisment Research

This is the advert me and my group analysed. It is of the hip hop artist called Big Boy from outcast. He is advertising alcohol in the advert but isn’t trying to promote any of his music. The company may have chosen this artist specifically to advertise their product as it may influence followers of his to buy the product or make the product look expensive or worthwhile to buy. We see Big Boy within the frame with a hat, shades and jewellery on which goes well with the drink. It may it looks expensive and elegant. Also, his clothing contrasts against the background which makes him stick out within the picture.

This advert shows us the new album of an artist called Bronze Nazareth. The cover of the album has the artist there so you can’t miss him. Some things I noticed within the article were they had the release date of his album, where you can purchase it and his writing has an effect to it. All of these things contribute heavily to advertising something. For example, the release date letters are big and in bold so they stand out for the viewer. Also, telling the customer where they can buy it is very helpful as it will increase the chances they will go to buy it. His name has a gold / bronze affect to it which can be used to show off his name. This sticks out like a sore thumb on the article and gives us immediately an idea who he is.

Record Label Research

Def Jam Recordings:

Def Jam is an American record label. It is predominately focused on urban and hip hop music. Def Jam also have record labels in the UK and japan which are both known as Def Jam UK & Def Jam Japan. Def Jam was established in 1994 and has 3 founders; Rick Rubin, LL Cool J & Russell Simmons.

Def Jam is also under the parent company universal music group. They also have a distributor; Island Def Jam Motown music group. Some artists which have originated from the Def Jam franchise are LL Cool J, Ludacris, Bobby Valentino & Chingy. Def Jam also started establishing spin off groups such as Def Jam south which focused mainly on southern rappers and releasing there music. Another example would be Murder Inc who had artists such as Ja Rule, Ashanti & Lloyd.

Roc-A-Fella Records:

Roc-A-Fella is a record label founded by Hip Hop sensation Jay-Z in New York, America. At present it operates as a subsidiary group of universal music group and is also distributed by island Def Jam Motown music group. Roc-A-Fella was founded in 1995 and has 3 founders. Jay-Z as i stated above, Damon 'Dame' Dash & Kareem 'Biggs' Burke. 

Roc-A-Fella have had many famous rappers pass through them such as N.O.RE, Nas, R-Kelly& Kanye West. However, as of the last decade, Roc-A-Fella have moved onto different things such as their own films and clothing & even taking over the company Armadale who make vodka. They have made the following films; Paid In Full, Streets is watching & state of property 2. 

Universal Music Group:

Universal Music Group is one of the most infamous music groups there is. It is currently the largest in the music industry and have over 10 subsidiary other music groups (record labels).  It was established in 1934 however under the name of Decca records. It then underwent incarnation and ended up being called Universal music group (UMG). 

UMG have several different location, some being; London, New York, Paris & its global headquarters in Santa Monica. UMG also co-developed Vevo who inspire all major music videos. these music videos are shown in much better quality than any others on YouTube.

All In all i think all of these music labels would suit any hip hop artist. As they are very well known and organised well the artist would be in good stead. We have seen many good artists such as Ja Rule and others come from music labels lie this and be successful

CD Cover Research

Above are two different albums from the artist Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is one of the most successful and well known artists within hip hop. Coincidentally the top album was just released. Analysing both albums we can see clearly that they both lookalike. The backgrounds are both bland behind however his face is projected in the top cover. We see tattoos, jewellery and a hat all within the frame which show the stereotypical values of a hip hop artist. We could also add that the second album cover is a juxtapose. We can see he is in a costume that you would use to graduate however his face still has that thuggish look. It is quite intriguing to look at.

The album below looks like him however is a Young boy edited with his tattoos. There must be an explanation why is is dressed up in the clothes he is

Chipmunk is a UK based artist who has done very well and now is in America. He has worked with the likes of Chris brown and his future looks bright. He has newly released an album called transition which is featured above. He has the conventions we would usually look for in a hip hop artist. These can be identified as tattoos, jewellery (bling) and a fresh appeal.

His album i am chipmunk shows the importance of him with his name projected massively. Although we cannot see a clear picture of him, he is on the back cover posing with a hand signal. These shows his coolness. Also, what I've noticed on both albums is that they have parental advisory. This is a stereotypical value of hip hop as most albums or singles have it which are related to hip hop.

Analysis of Music Video 5

Cinematography:

The first shot we see is a close up of a woman clutching her baby. Immediately we feel intrigued and want to watch on. We then get an establishing shot of the hospital room. This gave the viewer the feeling that a story or scene was going to unfold. Throughout the music video, we are given with a story which unravels. The shots within the video were short sharp with different angles to create an emphasis on the specific shot that was taken.

Mise En Scene:

The mise en scene is based in several different locations. Firstly we see a shot of a hospital. We then see the story unravel where the artist Lil Wayne is shown to us in a classroom and hallway. Within the shots, we see he has the stereotypical conventions which we associate hip hop with. He is topless in one of the shots where we see he has a chain and tattoos with glasses on.

Editing:

Editing within the video is established very well. There are many short, sharp shots with different angles to create emphasis. For example, the 1st shot where they show a close up of the lady who has her hand on her stomach in the hospital. This intrigued the viewer and kept us watching the video.

 

Here in this pic. We see the shot was taken very specifically. The half lighting over her face which may be an explantion to some sort of dark side that she may be going through.

Analysis of Music Video 4

Cinematography:

The first shot that opens up the video is an establishing shot of the city Pittsburgh where Mac Miller is from. The second shot is of him in the centre of the frame showing us all the conventions that would normally be seen in a hip hop video. The hat, chain all show us his wealth that we would intertwine with hip hop music. Throughout the video we see a lot going on within the video where Mac Miller is the centre of attention. Different shots. We get a range of mid shots to close up also.

Mise En Scene:

The mise en scene switches a lot through the video. Firstly, it starts on the roof and then it goes into a room where he is laying down. Its almost trying tell us a story and maybe demonstrate something he is trying to show through his lyrics in the video. He then moves into a club where you see people with other conventions matching his which sums up hip hop.

Editing:

The editing within the video is very simplistic. It includes most things that other hip hop videos would have. There typical stereotype in the club scenes with the artist being centre frame. There were many short sharp shots also which helped create an emphasis on the video and diminish any viewer fatigue.

Analysis of Music Video 3

Cinematography:

Firstly, the establishing shot shows us a glamorous car. This would be a good convention as hip hop have stereotypical things that we associate it with. Things such as cars, hats, jewellery all come under that category. There are some close up shots and long shots of both artists within the video. However theres hardly any other things the camera concentrates on apart from the car. 

Mise En Scene:

We are given the American flag in the background of what it looks like an airport hangar. Immediately this shows their love for their country. There are hardly any shots where we don't see the flag involved within the frame. Within the mise en scene we see everything that stereotypes hip hop artists. Cars, girls, jewellery, hats, a fresh looking appeal.

Editing:

The editing is very simplistic. Many different cuts. The main thing they do is show the concentions that show the wealth and power of both artists within the video.

Analysis of Music Video 2

Cinematography:

An establishing shot shows Tinie Tempah overlooking city buildings as the video opens up. This could convey himself going to America to conquer. Often, the shots are from different angles however Tinie is always in the centre of the frame which shows his dominance. This can also be demonstrated as the camera is titled upwards so its as though he is looking down whilst he is on the roof.

Mise En Scene:

The mise en scene used is your typical youthful approach. His swagger and arrogance in the video comes across straight away. I Don't mean it in bad terms i mean it as he is the centre of attention and shows off what he has. Throughout the song we see Tinite dance around and perform. This gives us a sign of emotion that this video could mean something to him.

Editing:

The editing is very simple in this video. there are a few affects that were included such as rewinding and slow motion. The shots were all simple with Tinie being centre frame.

Analysis Of Music Video 1

Cinematography:

The first establishing shots of the video show high rise buildings, Wiz Khalifa himself and jewellery. the jewellery shot is an extreme close up and establishes his wealth and money he has.  Within the video. The camera focuses a lot on him. its almost all about him and the lifestyle he has. They show him getting ready, eating and then driving off in his lovely sports car which also gives out emphasis of his wealth.

Mise-en-Scene:

Firstly, we see the opening shot which is of his city which is Pittsburgh. The song is all about his city and about black and yellow representing Pittsburgh steelers. The song title is represented by several props we see in the video such as shirts being waved, his hats he wears with a P for Pittsburgh on it and also his car is yellow. This really shows the viewer what he is trying to convey.

Editing:

The editing in the video is very simplistic. It cuts a lot from one shot to another and shows different time frames of what hes doing throughout the video. Fort example, first he wakes up and then he gets dressed, it then cuts to him putting his earrings on. There are also a few slow motion shots when he was walking out of his house which emphasises his 'swagger'.

Sound:

The sound is clear throughout the whole song. The beat flows correctly to his lyrics and the narrative has the same vibe as the actual song itself.

Genre - 'Hip Hop'

These are some artists that are involved within the genre i am doing. The genre is hip hop and all of these artists are famous within the culture. As you can see, within the picture are several different stereotypical things we would associate with hip hop that the artists are wearing. Shades are common with hats also and the fingers pointing to the camera or doing an action.

Theories 3 - Bordwell & Thompson

Bordwell and Thompson

These are 2 theorists that came up with their four corners in 2001.  They noticed how shots could link in different ways. They identified 4 different relations between shots in the editing;

- Graphic
- Spatial
- Temporal
- Rythmic


Graphic


- Patters of light and dark, fine and shape, volume and depth, movement and statis


- Can be used to create 'smooth continuity' or 'abrupt contrast'

- Linkage of shots by graphic similarities, centre of interest is constant, movement etc.

- contrasts colour, shape, movment, placemnet of shape.


Rhythmic


Rhythmic editing will show that each shot cuts on length according to the beat and tempo of the music

- Different Patterns, beat and tempo

- Specific emphasis of shots

- Different shots giving different affects

- Longer shots

Spatial

Relation between different people where things are.

- Continuity editing - Flows 180 rule

- Kuleshov effect - Audience will get an idea in thier own head

- Crosscutting - Acting taking place at the same time but at in different locations.

Temporal

- Order and presentation of the way things get shown. (Flashbacks, flashforwards)

- The order of presentation of events can be manipulated changes in story plot relations which interupt temporal order

- Temporal Continuity - Punctuation, Empty frames, Cutaway

- Shot change, wipse, disolve, moving out of frame.

- Shot of another event elsewhere

Theories 2 - Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis: The kindest cut (Functions and meaning in music video editing)



Music Videos

- Multiplicity incomplete sometimes obsecure paths

- Order Of Shots - Unconventional. Shifts more freely between shots. No order

- Time, space, character and narrative are revealed incompletely.

- Visual hooks create continuity. Non continuous shots linked by a single feature. Unified by figure, colour, shape, setting.

- Hollywood film - Unity of time and space

- Single clear path through films world

- Discontinuity - pop video draws us away from the narrative by foregrounding other structures and elements

- Continuity - Film draws us into the narrative.


Some Famous Quotes From Carol;

'In video, our attention to the song shapes the way we percieve the image, but to an equal extent what we do attened to in the image helps to determine how we hear music'


'Shots of the artist will encourage us to piece together a phantasmagorical body (a body made up in our mind of all the sorts of bits of bodies we see)'

Theories 1 - Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin: Dancing in the distraction factory


Illustration

Band image- The band area, band singing, dancing, playing instruments.

Lyrics- Images illustrate the literal meaning or feeling of the lyrics, often just with the band singing and dancing

Amplification

Music - The film cuts on beat to emphasise features

Lyrics -Only images project the lyrics. A specific narrative may be used that would not necessarily be picked up from reading the lyrics alone

Band Image - The band would take on fictional roles in the narrative


Disjuncture

Music - The sign of a badly made video

Lyrics - Images would be used that would not reflect on the lyrics themselves, sometimes used by bands who are already very well established who can afford to take risks

Band Image -  A band takes on an image that would be in complete contrast to their normal image.

This would be an example.There is no rhythm throughout the music video, no lyrics however some monologue is used.The beat changes and it is more like a story being told.

Assessment 9/09/11 MCU

WWW

- Range of videos considered, with some useful analysis in places.
- An attempt to include visual material through the use of embedded video.

EBI

- Your analysis needs a lot more work. Currently you are not really analysing, just describing. Use headers, Mise en scene, cinematography, sound and editing to help you focus your analysis.
- Make sure you include more visual material, use screen grabs to illustrate certain points.
- Think more carefully about the conventions - what are the ingredients? What must you have in a music video? E.g. lipsynching.
- For some reason your blog will not display all the posts on one page, please could you fix this (talk to a technician if you need to)

Effort - PR

Analysis Of A Low Budget Music Video

This video was made just from a cam recorder. Its nothing more than a freestyle of two rappers. If you compare this video to a mainstream video such as one from neyo or a big artist, a lot of stuff would be different. There would be more shots, camera movement and the lighting would be different. There are some short sharp shots however not enough to keep the viewer intrigued.

 

If you compare these screen grabs you can see a lot more going on within the bigger video. More people, lighting and overall you can tell the music video was made on a big budget maybe in comparison to the top screen grab