Teacher Feedback

Akilah you have been consistent in your approach to the research tasks and have demonstrated a real engagement with this unit. You show that you are clear about the level 4 criteria and you show a real enthusiasm for the production work - keep this up.
Target: add your work on narrative and audience theory

Vox Pop Questions

Question 1- What type of video would you imagine to accompany this song?

Question 2- Who do you think the target audience is for this song? and how would you describe the genre?

Question 3- How do you visualise the main performer for this video?

Question 4- What messages do you convey in the lyrics of our chosen song? 

Delilah- The Gospel

This track was chosen in the end as it lend itself and gave our group room to develop a video that was narrative based and performance based, that would appeal to both male and female audience whilst also providing a moral ending. The lyrics especially gave room for creativity for the video.

Summary of Peer Feedback

Song choices

Delilah- the gospel SONG 1
. it lends itself well to a performance based and conceptual based video
. the song hasnt got an upbeat tempo, so can be limiting to video options
. the narrative of the song is easily followed with the lyrics of the song
. the track length is short however lends its self well to an intro/ outro.

Never meant 2 luv U SONG 2
. it lends itself well to a narrative and performance based video
. the track can be made as a hyrbrid genre
. it would be difficult to make this video unique and not a cliche r&b music video
. the track does appeal to the majority female listeners and viewers

Dreaming SONG 3
. the genre is the typical rap/hip hop genre and so lends itself to subvert typical videos
. appeals to both viewers (both sexes)
. song appeals to a mainstream audience
. some lyrics are explicit and so you would need to sensor and change them.
. lends itself well to narrative based video

Neyo music video analysis

Ne-yo

Champagne life

R&B/Soul

Producer- David Dorohn Gough, Dana Marshall, Neil Maiers

Director- Ne-yo, Wayne Isham

Composer- Shafter Smith, David Gough

Record Label- Def. Jam Records

Copyright- © 2012 The Island Def. Jam Music Group

Mise-en-scene/ editing/camera techniques:

Actor dressed in black suit, white shirt, black braces and black skinny tie- showing a sense of class and sophistication, but with the addition of the skinny tie, he is able to add a sense of fashion that is highly associated to the image of an R&B artists and the ‘Champagne Life’. The braces however change his look to fit a 1950’s gangster, whilst matched with the visual modern take of the video, gives this video and edge over other typical R&B videos. The black hat is a staple piece in all of ne-yo’s videos and this fashion choice has become a way for the audience to identify the artist. The extras that play the roles of the club goers are also dressed in sexy sophisticated attire completing the sense of the verisimilitude within the video.  The fast, sharp editing matches his intended image- the fast lane within success and the extravagance that accompanies it. The blurring of the actor along with the chandelier of champagne glasses- means to blur his own identity with the identity of fame and riches as one. Multitude of long/wide shots expressing the grandness of his location along with his fortune and lifestyle- ‘champagne life’. Low angle shots- making the main actor look successful and dominant. Every shot apart from the black and white newspaper clips has a hint of gold in it, emphasizing the ambience of wealth.

Representations

In the music video, the artist, Ne-yo is represented as a successful black male whom is well dress and ‘living It large’ with his wealth and fame and very popular with the ladies. This is evident with the majority of the cast being female flaunting themselves at Ne-yo. Ne-yo’s ability to dance adds to this image, as along with the three female dancers in this video, he and his two backup dancers are seen to be a sex symbol also.

Audiences

The target audience for this video is young men and females who listen to R&B and those who can identify with this lifestyle and also younger teens who look at this video and aspire to this life style. It is also for those who like to watch glamorous videos and enjoy the club life. This song isn’t a mainstream song as in it wasn’t in the charts and so I would adhere to fans of Ne-yo’s and R&B. Audience who are familiar with Ne-yo’s work will watch this video and will identify with it as it is a mix between narrative and performance but leaning more so on performance.

Uses and gratification theory

- satisfying curiosity and general interest as people may be
- exploring personal values as the behaviour seen in the video some people may understand as adhering or subverting to certain values like money and fame.
- finding a basis for social interaction as people may want to discuss the entertainment from the performance

-  Escapism from personal problems/ dreary lifestyle
- cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
- to fill time
- Sexual arousal as the artist is an attractive male artist and there are also attractive women who dance within the video

Beyonce- video analysis

BeyonceChampagne life

R&B/Soul

Producer- David Dorohn Gough, Dana Marshall, Neil Maiers

Director- Ne-yo, Wayne Isham

Composer- Shafter Smith, David Gough

Record Label- Def. Jam Records

Copyright- © 2012 The Island Def. Jam Music Group

Mise-en-scene/ editing/camera techniques:

Actor dressed in black suit, white shirt, black braces and black skinny tie- showing a sense of class and sophistication, but with the addition of the skinny tie, he is able to add a sense of fashion that is highly associated to the image of an R&B artists and the ‘Champagne Life’. The braces however change his look to fit a 1950’s gangster, whilst matched with the visual modern take of the video, gives this video and edge over other typical R&B videos. The black hat is a staple piece in all of ne-yo’s videos and this fashion choice has become a way for the audience to identify the artist. The extras that play the roles of the club goers are also dressed in sexy sophisticated attire completing the sense of the verisimilitude within the video.  The fast, sharp editing matches his intended image- the fast lane within success and the extravagance that accompanies it. The blurring of the actor along with the chandelier of champagne glasses- means to blur his own identity with the identity of fame and riches as one. Multitude of long/wide shots expressing the grandness of his location along with his fortune and lifestyle- ‘champagne life’. Low angle shots- making the main actor look successful and dominant. Every shot apart from the black and white newspaper clips has a hint of gold in it, emphasizing the ambience of wealth.

Representations

In the music video, the artist, Ne-yo is represented as a successful black male whom is well dress and ‘living It large’ with his wealth and fame and very popular with the ladies. This is evident with the majority of the cast being female flaunting themselves at Ne-yo. Ne-yo’s ability to dance adds to this image, as along with the three female dancers in this video, he and his two backup dancers are seen to be a sex symbol also.

Audiences

The target audience for this video is young men and females who listen to R&B and those who can identify with this lifestyle and also younger teens who look at this video and aspire to this life style. It is also for those who like to watch glamorous videos and enjoy the club life. This song isn’t a mainstream song as in it wasn’t in the charts and so I would adhere to fans of Ne-yo’s and R&B. Audience who are familiar with Ne-yo’s work will watch this video and will identify with it as it is a mix between narrative and performance but leaning more so on performance.

Michael Jackson- You Rock My World Analysis

Friends Michael Jackson and Chris Tucker, the protagonists, start off the video in a state of equilibrium. 'Rock my world' adheres to Tzvetan Todorov's theory of equilibrium intently as after this state of equilibrium which is the Michael and Chris walking into the bar prepared for their night out when there is then disruption/ distraction when the protagonist sees a girl he wants is with another guy then he causes upheaval in the bar: fighting, creating a mess, breaking bottles etc. Then the resolution is found in the form of a dance off between the two groups of guys then the return to equilibrium when the protagonist gets the girl he first tracked down.

'Rock my world' adheres to Vladamir Propp's theory of the narrative of folk tales. This text displays the 'stock characters' that Propp believes provides a structure for the text. Michael Jackson, the main artist and the protagonist in the text, falls into the 'stock character' of the Hero as he is a character that seeks something. Chris Tucker falls into the 'stock character' of The Helper as he aids The Hero in retrieving the damzel in distress. Michael Madson and Marlin Brando fall into the 'stock character's of The Villain. 

Claude Levi-Strauss' theory that meanings, including narrative, depend on binary oppositions in terms of underlying typical themes is a factor in this text with the binary oppositions of Good Vs. Bad with Michael Jackson and his gang vs. the gangsters  and this also falls into Hero Vs. Villain with the same two groups.

Through the use of postmodernism there are signs of intertextuality in 'Rock my world'. In 'Rock My World' there is hommage and self pastiche to the artist's own previous song 'The Girl Is Mine' alongside intertextuality. The intertextuality  is when the artist Michael Jackson says the words 'beat it' as this is the name of another one of the artist's previous tracks. Intertextuality can also be seen as some of the actors in the video are well known for other film roles for example Michael Madstone is playing a villain in this music video and was a well known villain in the film Reservoir Dogs. This is also similar to the intertextuality of Marlin Brando playing a gangster in this music video as he was one of the worlds most famous gangsters in the film The Godfather.

Analysis of missy elliot- All N My Grill

How might female audiences respond to this text?

The majority of females may identify with the feministic messages within this video which portay missy elliot as a dominant female who holds a significant amount of power within the relationship. The lyrics" why you all in my grill" shows missy elliot asking her male partner, 'why are you nagging me?' if you are unable to pay my bills and go above and beyond the role of a boyfriend. The female audiences may understand the stereotypical role of the men represented in the video as those who try to be players and use women.

Who is the target audience? How does the text gratify this audience?

The target audeince for this video is women and men who identify with the hip hop/ rnb genre and who can appreciate the unisex nature of Missy Elliot's video's.  Both sex's can identify with some level of the lyrics, be it the subversion of sexuality that is typically adhered to in most rnb music video's or the flashy cars and masculinity portrayed in the video.

How far is the text conventional of its genre? Is the text successful? Explain

The text follows the conventions of its genre only slightly as alike most hip hop'rap genre's that feature a main female artist usually portrays themselves as powerful/dominant. However in majority, the text is unconventional as it doesnt portray the lead femal in a sexually provocative nature but infact the mise-en-scene shows them to almost masculine in male clothing and stereotypically 'pimp' styled outfits- the pinstriped hats, trouser suits and long bright coloured coats.

beyone- halo video analysis

Beyonce

Halo

R&B ballad

Producer- Ryan Tedder

Director- Philip Andelman

Composer- Evan bogart

Record Label- Sony Music Entertainment

Mise-en-scene/ editing/camera techniques:

The actress beyonce is mainly dressed in white/ cream knitwear in the video. This choice of clothing adheres to the overall impression that was put across of the actress; she is dressed comfortably and looks warm and inviting adhering to the image of purity and gnetil nature. The image of an angel, beyonce has a constant white ora/ glow around her that identifies with the lyrics- 'halo'. The lighting within the video has a very bright contrast level which sells the image of the couple as perfection, alike angels, showing there relationship to have the utmost like-ability and ethereal. The editing used within this is slow and with depiction of longevity, the cuts almost blur or merge itself into the next that creates a soft flow within the video.

Representations

In the music video, the artist, Beyonce is represented as a beautiful woman whom radiates love and special quality. This is potrayed throught the constant glow around her and the stylle of filming whereby the audience sees Beyonce through the eyes of the male. The focus on Beyonce's and the males eyes also show a sense of pure connection between them both as their eyes are the key to thier soul. This is also the case as Beyonce is represented as the perfect girlfriend as we the audience sees thier relationship and humourous and cute as they brush their teeth together and splash to toothpaste on eachother but also as they dance in a jovial manor together.  Beyonce's ability to dance adds to this image, as along we the audience knows her as a all rounded performer so in a conscious way this video is giving of the message that Beyonce is also perfect in real life and that is probably how she is with her boyfriend in reality.

Audiences

The target audience for this video is young men and females who listen to R&B and those who can identify with this their on screen relationship. Also younger teens to young adults would look at this video and aspire to their relationship. This song is a mainstream song as in it was in the charts and so I would adhere to fans of Beyonce and other music genres. Audience who are familiar with Beyonce's work will watch this video and will identify with it as it is a mix between narrative and conceptual but leaning more so on concept.

 

Hybrid modes

Hybrids: (a mixture of two or more genres) can reach a much wider audience (e.g. Shaun of the Dead is a horror and a comedy so therefore it had the potential to reach the target audience of horror and the target audience of comedy).

Video Hybrids

Beep me 911

Missy Elliot’s lyrics in song Beep me 911 is heavily influenced in narration however as an artist she deters from following trend. Missy transforms her video, to something which could be directed as narrative based video with visionary alike Angie Stone – Wish I didn’t love you injected with a rap twist, into a performance/ conceptual hybrid. The appeal of Missy’s choice of mode being performance/ conceptual is that it subverts stereotypical female music videos whilst adhering to the typicality of its female voice being a back and forth questioning of the relationship between the male and female. This provides Missy’s target audience with entertainment whilst providing a sense of familiarity in topic (a topic that her target audience can relate to). The performance aspect of the video subverts the stereotypical music video that would include female backing dancers that represent females as a sex object that is used for the pleasure of men however as Missy Elliot is also one of the dancers in the video, the video develops an alternative image of women in videos, especially as the Mise-en- scene portrays women as sexual whilst also have a larger physic. Missy Elliot purposely chooses a wardrobe that makes her look even bigger than she is in reality, exaggerating self-appearance with pink puffer jackets and orange suits. The conceptual side of this video allows for appeal on another scale than more simple videos as it depicts Missy Elliot and her backing dancers/ singers to be dolls in a doll house. As they dance in restrictive movements as dolls would if able to dance, they are contained in doll boxes/ doll rooms that are held for the males visual pleasure and the idea of Missy Elliot being the perfect doll asking the question in one of her lyrics “Why you playing on me, wasn’t I good enough for you?” The overall complexity of the messages provided by the performance and conceptual modes of the video show an underlining picture of self-worth and image acceptance, this showing that a hybrid of modes can make a video more appealing.

Critical Perspective : Marxism

Marxist analysis               

Goldie's Inner City Life

The video's narrative explaining the result of oppression on the proleteraits follows the daily routine of the single mother juggling financial hardship and two children, urban youth struggling with their own pre-determined futures and an old man whom represents the older generates watching over these youth, knowing what is install for them however unable to prevent the effects of the ''inner city life''. The video is set in a ghetto in america on an estate portraying the dominance that location has on social groups. The mise- en- scene shows a group of adolescent boys playing basketball in hoodies, however the intention of the wardrobe choice may be to challenge the stereotypes of boys in hoodies, looking for trouble, becoming another statistic in the ghetto. It deters the idea of these black youth trying to live the exciting rough night life but in actuality it shows these boys tyring to get by day by day in a opeless reality. Marxists argues that the messages in the video show the everyday struggle but the reality is that the undeveloped lifestyle that they live isnt self- created but forced upon them due to financial state. Challenging the hegemonic control, the concept of Goldies video attempts the distracts/ counter argue the status quo. This video looks to attain the target audience of those whom proably live in undeveloped areas helping to build upon the idea that they are not to blame for their circumstance. In addition, this video would try to target a broader viewer, reaching out to the bourgeoisie who would usually adhere to the stereotypes of the black ghetto.

Artist: Wiley feat. Daniel Merriweather

Song: Cash in my Pocket

Produced by: Mark Ronson

Released: 1^st December 2008

Analysis

The most striking technical aspect of the music video is the director’s use of a “handycam” or handheld camera to seemingly film the entire music video, a view reinforced by the splicing of shots of a wedding that occurs at the beginning and the end of the video. Aside from the end and beginning of the video, the entire scene of inside the stockbroker’s office is filmed in one shot using said handycam, resulting in some blurring effects as well as some “shaky-cam”.  This could have been done to reinforce the view of the director that all of those performing in the video actually work at that place and that the camera man also works there and is using their own personal camera to film the video as evidenced by the shots of the wedding occasionally interrupting the video, something that can often occur in handheld cameras.

The shot at the beginning of the video also furthers the view that the video was meant to be seen from a worker’s perspective, as it depicts two of the people at the office going into work and passing City Hall, near Tower Bridge as they drive to work, suggesting again that they work in London’s financial sector.

The final shot of the video suggests a satirical or even critical attitude towards those who work in the financial sector, and could be a politically charged statement, as it depicts many people in the office gleefully singing about how they love “cash in their pocket” yet the final shot shows the continually spiralling FTSE 100 stock prices and points in the stock exchange, suggesting the director is attacking the perceived greed of those who caused such an event in caring only for themselves, or could just be a humorous approach to the situation they find themselves in. This view is reinforced by the fact that the video was released on December 1^st 2008, of course being right in the middle of the financial crisis that was plaguing the world, and in particular the UK and its financial system.

The view that the video could be a critical analysis is supported by the obvious looks of glee in the faces of those who work at the office (presumably in real life many if not all are very well off) in the face of the crisis. In addition the final shot also shows the workers waving the camera man off as he departs from the office to end the video, and the final shot could be seen as ominous as he leaves them to deal with the crisis as evidenced by the fact that the final shot is of the stock market prices.

The representations of the video are also key as it show the bank workers miming along to the lyrics of the song while the crisis unfolds, heightening and displaying the greed of the bankers and festering anti-banking, anti-finance sentiment prevalent around the world and in London as well as the whole of Britain at the time. The video is also very typical of the racial minorities having very little representation in the fields of finance, with only a handful of minorities appearing throughout the video, and very little black representation.

Teacher Feedback

Akilah your textual analysis is detailed and insightful; you demonstrate a good understanding of these texts and some of the theoretical concepts studied. Well done. You now need to include sumaries of all the theory covered: feminism, post feminism, post modernism and Marxism.