Analysis Of Music Genres

Music videos are used in order to attract the specific target audience of the music and the genre that it belongs too. A music video is used to give an insight into the artist as well as the image that they want to portray to their fans. It allows the fans to feel as if they know the artist personally and to build a relationship (of sort) with them. 

Different genres appeal to audience in different ways as they have to follow specific conventions which are individual to each genre. Drake 'Over' falls under the genre of Rap and follows many of the conventions that is attached to it. For example in the video girls are objectified as sexual objects. This convention is shown by the woman wearing just underwear and dancing in the background of the video. It suggests that she is some kind of lust that is present in his life. It could also reflect another convention of the R&B genre as the artist usually writes lyrics that tells a story about their life, and this could be showing that he is surrounded by women due to being famous.

Many R&B videos present the artist as being wealthy and a source of envy for the fans. This is highlighted in Drakes video through him wearing a new costume in each scene. It shows that he is conscious of his image and how it influences the persona that is portrayed to the audience. It creates him as being inaccessible to the audience as not everyone would be able to afford the clothes that he is shown wearing the video which also follows the theory of Goodwin. The clothing choice throughout the video is of high significance as each costume is chosen to represent different ideas. For example at the beginning of the video Drake is wearing white which hold angelic and pure connotations.This could have been used to show his more vulnerable side which is also reflected through the lyrics at the beginning of the song (example of lyrics). The dark background however contradicts this and reflects the idea that although Drake has come across as innocent in the white clothing, there might be hidden secrets and more that meets the eye to his journey and story (that is being rapped about). In one of the following scenes he wears red which holds the connotations of warning and danger which also shows that there could be a side of his personality that is hidden. The juxtaposition of white and red sends mixed signals to the audience and follows dyers theory as Drake creates himself as being accessible but also inaccessible through the hidden connotations.

The chosen setting of a bedroom allows the audience to relate to the video and therefore makes it more accessible. This allows Drake to connect to the audience and makes is easier for the audience to create a connection with the artist. Throughout the entirety of the video Drake changed location on the screen. He begins in the centre of the camera which allows him to dominate the room which allows the audience to identify him as an important person. In other scenes of the video Drake changes positions to the left hand side of the screen to make room for other aspects to take the audiences focus. These aspects are shown through special effects to show his journey, e.g. Cars and people moving busily in the background.This allows the audience to be given an insight into other parts of his life and shows that perhaps Drake feels unimportant in comparison to his lifestyle and also gives the impression that his lifestyle is what he is known for in the public eye. This is also paired with dark lighting that creates a sense of mystery and keeps the audience guessing, encouraging the audience to want to find out more. However, Drake is moving in real time whereas the special effects are moving at a faster pace. This helps to show that time is passing but Drake is staying the same, this could be showing an insight into the facts that although things are changing Drake remains unchanged. Goodwin's theory could also be applied here as it creates a link between the lyrics and visuals. Drake says 'I know way too many people here right now that i didn't know last year' which is accompanied by the vast amount of people in the background behind him.

The cinematography within the video is used throughout to show different sides of the artist. Drake is shown in a low angle shot to show him as being powerful and presents him as the focus of video which highlights his importance. There is also a high angle of Rita Ora which represents her as being of a lower importance than Drake and portrays her as being innocent. This is also an R&B genre characteristic as there is some kind of love interest shown within the video. It also provides the video with another layer of mystery as the importance of her being there is unclear and a love triangle is hinted (with the dancing girl in the background, Drake and Rita Ora.) This could also show that his priorities may be confused and leaves the audience guessing.

Flo Rida ft Davis Guetta

An establishing shot is used at the beginning of the video to show the artist entering the club. This allows the audience to focus on the iconography that is presented through the use of expensive brands. For example a gold Lamborghini is parked outside of the club when Flo Rida is shown entering. This has been used to represent Flo Rida as being wealthy and to show his extravagant life style. Other products such as champagne and large amounts of gold jewellery are also shown in the video to reinforce the idea that money is not an object for the artist. Flo Rida also throws a large amount of money in the air to also give this impression to the audience. All of these aspects are used to lead the audience to want to aspire to have the lifestyle that he has and creates the artist as being superior. 

The video is set in a club which is a connotation of the dance music genre. This will appeal to the target audience as they will be able to relate to the setting and therefore make them feel as if they are with the artists and a part of the video. Within the video it also shows an empty street to connote the idea that everyone is enjoying themselves in the club with the artist and boosts their reputation as it gives the impression that the club is the place to be and that it is a big event because Flo Rida is there. These visuals also link with the lyrics 'the club cant handle me right now' within the song and therefore follows Goodwins theory.

Throughout the video Flo Rida is given the main focus. This is achieved through the use of the costumes of the artist as well as the surrounding people. Flo Rida wears a red jacket which draws the attention of the audience on to him and makes him stand out against the other people in the club. This is contrasted with the plain colours that the dancers are wearing, predominantly black and white. The emphasis of Flo Rida is also achieved through his placement within the scene. When the artist is in the club he is placed on a pedistool high above the surrounding crowds in a low angle shot in the middle of the camera. This gives the impression that he is of higher importance than the other people present within the video and allows him the stand out and continue to be the center focus. It presents the artist as being popular as well as presenting his party lifestyle to make the viewers believe that he is someone to aspire to be.

Research and analysis of a star - Dyers theory

Rihanna began her career with her first album 'Music of the sun' containing songs such as 'Pon De Replay' that reached number 2 in the UK and USA as well as becoming number 1 in 3 countries. Her image was largely R&B inspired to reinforce the genre of the album also being R&B and the single specifically which was a pop song but containing R&B beats. She was styled with natural and subtle hair and makeup and paired it with casual clothing to create the image of a normal person in order to be relatable to her target audience. Her choice of clothing follows Goodwins theory of frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body, as she is wearing revealing clothing, exposing a large amount of her body which will attract her chosen target audience of 16-25 year olds that listen to the R&B genre. Goodwins point that a music video should demonstrate genre characteristics is also met through its use of a club setting. It shows her dancing in a club with a large group of people and this is a covention of the R&B genre. It also represents her as an artist as she is enjoying herself and portrays the message that she is fun loving and exciting to the audience which also helps to create this image for herself within the media.

In 2007 Rihanna released her next album 'Good Girl Gone Bad' which contained up-tempo dance tracks such as 'Shut Up and Drive'. Her image changed in this period of time where she rebranded herself as being edgy by cutting her hair short and dyeing it black as well as adapting her clothes to becoming more fashion forward. 

'Rated R' was Rihanna's next album and led the Rolling Stones to describe her as "Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year". The album was R&B and pop-orientated with  Hip Hop and Rock influences. The single 'Rude Boy' was one of the most successful of the album and reached number 1. Her image had seen another change at this point where it was more heavily influenced by the genre of rock. She wore heavy makeup as well as dyeing her hair blonde and shaving it on one side and her fashion also reflected elements of rock. 

Richard Dyer had written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music. He stated that: 

“In these terms it can be argued that stars are representations of persons which reinforce, legitimate or occasionally alter the prevalent preconceptions of what it is to be a human being in this society. There is a good deal at stake in such conceptions. On the one hand, our society stresses what makes them like others in the social group/class/gender to which they belong. This individualising stress involves a separation of the person's "self" from his/her social "roles", and hence poses the individual against society. On the other hand society suggests that certain norms of behaviour are appropriate to given groups of people, which many people in such groups would now wish to contest (eg the struggles over representation of blacks, women and gays in recent years).

Stars are one of the ways in which conceptions of such persons are promulgated.”

Richard Dyer (Stars, BFI, 1981) 

He believed that stars have some key features in common: 

• A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (eg advertising, magazines etc as well as films [music])
• Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings.
• The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audiences 
• Stars depend upon a range of subsidiary media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in which can be marketed to their target audiences. 

Dyers theory concludes that the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and 'open'. Dyers says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes:

• The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer 
• The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer 

The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense of' of the image by the consumption of the star through their products. The star image can then be used to position the consumer in relation to dominant social values. Depending on the artist, this may mean that the audience are positioned against the mainstream (though only to a limited degree, since they are still consumers within a capitalist system) or within the mainstream, or somewhere in between. 

Rihanna for example during the time period of her album 'Rated R' was promoted as being edgy with a Rock influence and many of her promotions for the new album followed this theme. It was thought by many that Rihanna had transformed into raunch and risque and that the 'R' stood for 'restricted'. This however was not the case and in fact stood for 'Rihanna' and therefore made the album more personal and accessible to the audience. 

To launch her new album Rihanna performed at the O2 academy in Brixton where she performed an intimate 45 minute concert for press, celebrities and competition winners. Her fashion reflected the transformation that her music had also made where she was equipped with an eye mask, studded leather leotard, fishnets and killer heels. 

Research and ideas for chosen songs/ Initial Planning

Group members:

• Luke Thompson - Luke has gained experience with the recording equipment and is confident with operating the camera.He believes that he can achieve different camera angles and editing techniques in order to create a professional music video.
• Max Heath - Max has expressed a range of different ideas to make our music video original as well as aquiring the abilities to use the editing software that we will use to produce our video
• Will Stacey - Will has shown his ability to come up with original ideas and has expressed them passionately throughout our meetings
• Rhiannon Andrews-West -

Meeting 1:

We collected all of our original ideas and evaluated each one to decide on an idea that we all prefered and that would produce the best music video to give us the best grade possible. We considered whether the ideas would stick to the genre coventions of the song that we had selected as well as whether is would successfully attract our chosen target audience. These were our options: 

• Song 1: Zinc - Only for tonight

- Narrative idea: We thought that we could take the idea of teenagers receiving their alevel  results as it would reflect the lyrics 'something on your mind' that is repeated in the chorus of the song. We thought that we could also show the teenager going out and being involved taking drugs and drinking alcohol in order to drown out the stress of their alevels. This would then go with the uptempo music of the song and create the correct atmosphere.

- Why we decided not to use it: We decided that the idea was not in depth enough and may therefore lead to the music video looking amateur. We also felt that our other ideas would be easier to carry out and would create a more successful video

Song 2: - Sun dont shine

- Narrative idea: The music video will start in a graveyard with a priest leading a funeral. This coincides with the lyrics on the first line 'ive walked through the valleys' which is a biblical term and therefore lends it to the story line. From here we are going to create flashbacks of the couple's (main characters) memories together to show an insight into the background of the people. This will be paired with the couple being shown at a house party that will be alternating with the flashbacks. This will help to create a faster pace to fit the fast beat of the House/Dance genre. We then will skip back in time to explain the use of the graveyard at the beginning by showing the couple leaving the house party (after having been drinking) and arguing in the car. The next scene is going to be a car crash which leaves the girl laying on the floor.

- Inspiration: Ellie Goulding & Calvin Harris - Need your love / Coldplay - The Scientist

- Why we decided to use it: We have chosen to use this narrative as we all agreed that the song choice fits with the ideas for the narrative better than any of the other songs that we had discussed using. We felt that the song spiralled a range of ideas and that this would lead us to create a more original and effective music video.  

Further analysis:

Mise-en-scene:
- Iconography: Car
- Setting: House Party / Graveyard / Country Road
- Lighting: Light and Dark - Show the good times contradicting the bad - Lyrics link with the visuals

Cinematography:
We havent yet decided on the camera angles that we will use for each shot, however we know that we will need to use a range of them, including:
- High angle
- Low angle
- Close up
- Establishing shot
- Long shot
- Mid shot

Style of music video:
- Narrative - Drink, drug use, death, relationship

Target Audience:
- 16 to 25 - As this is the target audience of the song that we have chosen as it belongs to the House/Dance genre that is fairly new and therefore would attract a younger audience.

Editing:
- Fades - To show the change in time and to make a simple transaction between each scene

Codes and Conventions:
- Conforms to conventions - Dancing, Narrative

We planned our ideas under each heading of the factors that we need to ensure we cover within our music video:

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Meeting 2:

In meeting 2 we worked on gathering all of our ideas and ordering them so that we had a step by step plan of the narrative and what we will need to film in order to create our music video. This will allow us to make sense of all of our notes and ideas that we have already collected and organise them so that each member of the group is able to grasp and understand the concept. 

In my individual research into our chosen genre of Dance/House I researched into other songs within the genre. The song 'I need your love' by Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris was a video that I took inspiration from as it has many dance characteristics. I thought that the flashbacks shown within the video is the same idea and creates the same effect that we want to achieve for our video. I presented this idea to the group and we all agreed that it would be an idea that we will take forward and use for our own music video. It also gave us an insight into the locations that we would need when filming. 

We further discussed the ideas that we originally had for the music video and looked in more detail at each one and refined them. An idea that was fairly vague was which flashbacks we would use within the video to show the relationship that is presented within our video. We planned some further ideas which included changing the cause of the crash from drink driving to driving whilst on the phone. We decided that it would be more relevant to the narrative that we have chosen as it would link more to a relationship we are conveying. We thought that she could be looking at her phone while receiving a text (arguing with her boyfriend) which leads her to having a collision. 

We then continued to discuss the different flashbacks that we will film for the video and the settings that we will need to visit. Our ideas included: Park (boats on a lake), Forest, Bed, and a suitable place to act the crash (High Beach or David Lloyd). 

Lastly we looked closer at the lyrics of the song and discussed how we could link the visuals with the lyrics so that our video follows Goodwin's theory. We decided that the lyrics 'the sun don't shine, without you, without you' should be when the flashbacks of the crash are shown apposed to the happy flashbacks of their relationship. We also felt that darker lighting should be used in these sections to further reflect the lyrics. 

Research into Goodwins theory

Goodwin’s music video analysis

Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’ (Routledge 1992) states that: 

• Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics: 

In a girl bands music video for example the audience would expect to see a dance routine of some kind. An example of this is ‘The Promise’ by Girls Aloud where all of the girls are dancing in sync with each other. 

• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals: 

The lyrics of the song are supported with the visuals of the music video to demonstrate the narrative or concept as well as trying to convey any literal or hidden meanings within the song. It can also however be used to completely contradict the lyrics to represent an alternative artist. An example of this is in ‘Heart Attack’ by Trey Songz where the lyrics tells the story of a broken relationship and references it to being like a heart attack and this is paired with images of the artist in hospital. 

• There is a relationship between music and visuals: 

This link between the music and song is created using tempo and transitions. For example ‘Brokenhearted’ by Lawson employs an upbeat tempo using drums and guitars etc (convention of the indie/rock genre) that emphasises the pop conventions present within the song. The editing is quick and clean and the tempo matches the speed of the song as well as the positive message of moving on from an ex present within the video. 

• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work: 

Using this technique allows the audience to empathise with the artist and make the viewers believe that they are singing directly to them. It helps the audience to relate to the song and feel more engaged and therefore enabling them to build a relationship with the artist. An example of this is in Chris Browns video for ‘Don’t Judge Me’ where he is singing directly to the camera in sections of the video. 

• There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body: 

The 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience by focusing on things that would appeal to the male audience and is often achieved by objectifying women. An example of this is in ‘No New Friends’ by DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. The camera focuses on the female body in little clothing and is objectifies the females, especially as the face is completely cut out of the low angle shot shown below. 

• There is often intertextual reference: 

Most music videos reference other forms of media, such as television, radio and magazines etc. It can help the audience take further levels of meaning away from the video. Lady Gage in the video of ‘Paparazzi’ is shown to be reading a newspaper and is therefore a technique of intertextuality. 

• Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based: 

Narrative based video: Uses moving image to tell a story throughout the video. It usually involves actors and is sometimes linked to the lyrical content of the song.

Performance based videos: Performance based videos often show the artist performing the song. This is often in a studio or live performance. 

A performance based will allow the audience to imagine that they themselves are watching the artist at the concert and therefore sells the experience to the audience. It also advertises the artist concert and makes the audience want to purchase a ticket. 

An example of a performance-based video is ‘Ego’ by Beyoncé where the entire video shows Beyoncé and two backing dancers performing a dance routine. 

Concept based music videos: These types of videos usually follow a random concept and have no storyline. A concept video tends to be fairly unusual or utilise a particular editing or filming technique. 

Example & what is the purpose & how does it appeal to the target audience 

Research Into Music Censorship

Research into music channels and target audiences

Kiss Fm's music channel has a large target audience due to the large range of genres that is played, such as: music from the charts, R&B, hip-hop, dance and urban. However it is more specifically aimed at the target audience of 16-25 year olds as the type of music that is played on the channel is by modern artists with a newer interpretation of music that elder generations may not appreciate. Artists such as Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, Drake and Nicki Minaj feature frequently on their programme. This will appeal to the target audience as they are artists that are popular with people between the ages of 16-25 as they are largely in the public eye and continuously bring out new music. The channel promotes itself through its sister companies such as: Kerrang, 4music, Heat and E4 and is therefore used as a form of branding. Kiss's channel logo is a pale blue which is fairly unobtrusive and allows the channel to target such a wide audience. This is more affective rather than choosing a colour that may have connotations that doesn't appeal to a section of the target audience eg. Pink for girls.  The shape shown on the logo is very obscure and could perhaps reflect the vast range of genres and artists that the channel plays. 

MTV is a cable and satellite television with a target audience of youth (ages from 12-24 years) and this is due to the channel broadcasting popular music and promotional music videos.  MTV aimed to capture the teen audience by giving them a feeling that they are the centre of the universe: that they are powerful, and cool. The channel immerses them into these young adults music, style, and reality. They also use many techniques such as changing styles and introducing new music to keep teen viewers wanting more. The channel plays popular music thats in the charts including artists such as Miley Cyrus, One direction, Rihanna and Pink. (How is the channel used as a form of branding)

4Music is a part of various different channels that makes up the Channel Four company and plays a range of different genres, usually the UK Top 40. The target audience is 16-25 year olds as they play current music which will attract a younger audience. The logo is in the shape of a number 4 with a bold purple/pink outline with the word music written inside. The bold colour succeeds in grabbing the attention of the audience and advertises the channel. Artists such as: Rihanna, Jessie J, The Saturdays and The Wanted. (How is the channel used as a form of branding)




Kerrang! has a target audience of males aged 18-25 with an interest in the rock genre and subgenres. The channel therefore mainly plays music that belongs to the rock/metal genre, usually hardcore but also has features soft rock, in order to attract and entertain their audience. These music videos generally focus on the band and the instruments and usually features them playing to an audience. Artists played include: Pearl Jam, Biffy Clyro, Korn and Paramore. The logo consists of a red background in a jagged shape with contrasting bold white writing. There is also a bar code features underneathe the writing and is used to promote their best selling magazine. The bold colours and font stands out and grabs the attention of the audience.

Why do you think MTV is broken down into different channels (base, hits, dance, rocks, classic)?

MTV is broken down into different channels in order to appeal to different audiences. This allows the brand of MTV to be wider spread as it can cover a large target audience and will therefore create awareness of the channel.

Why do you think there are a variety of music channels?

There are a variety of different music channels as there are many different genres of music and a huge fanbase for each. If there are a variety of music channels it allows them to be specialised in different types of music so that each genre is covered and the large fanbase of each can access their own choice of music.

What have you learnt from analysing music channels and how will it help you with your own production?

By researching and analysing different music channels it has highlighted the importance of choosing the correct target audience and making sure that each aspect of my music video will appeal to them.

What is a music video?

Purposes of a music video: 

• A Market Tool to promote artist/song

A music video is primarily used to promote the sale of music recordings of the artist that has produced the song. They can also be used to promote other companies. An example of this is in ‘Beauty And The Beat’ by Justin Bieber where they promote the new gaming product ‘Just dance 4’ by showing the logo within the video. 

• Short Narrative or representation of artist 

Many music videos use a short narrative to tell a story within the clip. An example of this is in ‘Heart Attack’ by Trey Songz where his video shows Kelly Rowland (the love interest) and himself falling in love as well as showing their ups and downs. This attracts the audience, as they want to follow the storyline and is also often used to compliment the words of the song and make it easier for the audience to understand.  

• Attract a particular type of audience 

Videos are used to attract the target market that the song and genre is aimed at. An example of this is ‘The Promise’ by Girls Aloud where they use glamorous dresses and a choreographed routine that would attract teenage girl to watch the video and listen to the music. 

• Buy into the artists lifestyle 

The artist’s lifestyle is often portrayed in a music video so that the audience can put themselves into the world of the artist and understand the life that they live. ‘Got 2 Luv u’ by Sean Paul is a good example of this as they show the artist in a club with alcohol and lots of girls. This gives the impression that this is a regular occasion for him and gives the audience an insight into his lifestyle.

• Show the different generic conventions of a genre/music video

The generic conventions of a music video are shown throughout each individual video. This alters depending on the genre of the song as well as the artist and directors personal ideas. 

• Audience to remember the video

An audience will often remember a song by the video that is played along side it; especially as the most popular way to listen to music is on TV channels and YouTube where the videos are a main feature. An example of this is ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke where the video created controversy and was therefore remembered by a large group of people.

• Audience to understand more about the song 

A music video can tell the story behind the lyrics which allows the audience to see both the hidden and literal meaning. This allows them to understand the song in more depth as well as giving them an insight into any themes prominent within the song.

• Build a relationship with the artist 

The audience is able to understand the artist through the choice of video and the persona that they create throughout it. This allows the audience to understand the personality of the artist through their choice of video and the different images that it shows of them.