Putting the Theory into Practice

I have annotated the video using the Media Theories.

Analysing last years digi-packs

WWW:

• They had good post production as the images were all edited effectively and showed the genre  (indie) clearly.
• They had a variety of shot types which was good as there was no repetition.
• There was a good colour contrast as they used red text with a green background.

EBI:

• The text needed to be clearer as it was hard to read due to all the wavy lines coming off the flowing letters.
• a few of the images were blurry which made them stand out from the other meaning the digi-pack didn't flow.
• the digi-pack didn't flow.

Album Advert Analysis For my Genre

The conventions for grime adverts are:

• exaggerate the brand image so that it is instantly recognisable such as Tinchy Stryder who uses bright text and always wears a 'Star in the hood' tee shirt.
• high and low camera angles are used to show the status of the artist but mainly they use an image of the artist head on so that he is recognised by the audience.
• The framing of the shot is also very important as it can either have the artist in the centre but they can also show the artist at the edges which is effective as it draws your attention to them and entices the audience to read on.
• The body language and posture are also important as it helps to convey the mood of the artist but in grime they are usually standing tall and trying to convey how angry they are as there music is speaking to the 'streets'.
• Low/ high key lighting are rarely used although it is mainly low key lighting to show the darkness of the 'hood'.
• Setting and location are also important as it helps to portray the artist to the audience what they are but mainly the images are either from the street or in front of a single colour background.
• Costume and props are all very similar, most of the artist wear tracksuits with hoods up or a hat to show that they are urban so the audience can feel like they relate to them.
• Background colour is usually only one colour such as the Dizzee Rascal album covers and the album adverts for both Ice Cube and Tinchy Stryder
• Post production is always very simple such as having basic text with not a lot done to the actual image

Album and Advert Photo Conventions

The conventions for Advert photos is that they:

• exaggerate the brand image so that it is instantly recognisable by their niche market.
• high and low camera angles are used to show the status of the artist but they can also be used to make the artist look glamorous.
• The framing of the shot is also very important as it can either have the artist in the centre but also at the edges which is effective as it draws your attention to them and entices the audience.
• The body language and posture are also important as it helps to convey the mood of the artist.
• Low/ high key lighting are also important as it helps to show the artist in the light they want to be shown, high key lighting is used to show 'glamerouse' artist and low key shows a more grime or R'n'B feel to the photo.
• Setting and location are also important as it helps to portray the artist to the audience and helps to show what they are like e.g. a manchant and super cars or a studio.
• Costume and props are different for each genre and the artist/album title.
• Background colour is usually important depending on genre.
• Post production can vary due to the genre and how the artists wants to be represented.

Survey Results

 This shows that our target market is mainly the 16 to 18 age category.

 This shows that the most common way to get songs is by downloading them for free so when we release our song and music video we have to ensure that there is a way people can download it. The only problem with this is that if people download music for free the music industry will get and profits so the artist will not make any money.

This shows that the most common way of accessing music videos is through the Internet, mainly YouTube, as it is a free website which is easy to access and can be accessed by anyone.

 This result shows that, out of the people surveyed, most of the participants listened to R'n'B but an equal amount listened to Hip Hop which is good for us to know as we now know that we have a large target market to appease.

 Here is a graph showing the results of our previouse question in a way that is easier for us to analyse.

Although the majority of our participants said that they never watched Hip Hop videos, the second highest majority watched them almost everyday which is beneficial for us as they have an insight into what a Hip Hop video has to contain.

This shows that a vast majority of the people surveyed have heard of some Hip Hop/Grime artists.

These results are vety useful to us as we can see what the audience expect to see in a music video for our genre and this will help us to know what to put in it.
All in all, this survey has been very beneficial for us as it has allowed us to gain deeper knowledge about our target market and what they want to see in a Hip Hop music video.

CD Cover Research

dizzyyy

Genre Research - Record Label

Record labels By Shehabur


2Point9 Records is an independent record label, which is a all-in-one entertainment company called 2Point9, that was established in2003 when Telstar Records A&R manager Billy Grant and Promotions manager Rob Stuart decided to leave the company, organization to set up their own little independent runnings.

Artist who also where in signed to the label before making it to the mainstream,

Craig David, Jay Sean.

Signing producer Rishi Rich and artists Jay Sean, Juggy D, Mumzy Stranger and Mentor, 2Point9 quickly developed a sound which was to represent the new generation of young western South Asian youth.

Ricky Martin and Britney Spears were just two of the international artists who benefited from the 2Point9 sound

UK Grime/Hip Hop Mood Board

Artist from this genre like to be represented in several ways. Half of the genre have become franchises such as Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder as they have their own brand of clothes such as 'Star in the Hood'. Most artist from this genre like to be represented as coming from the streets to making it big through hard work ('rags to riches'). They like to show this by the clothes they wear and the houses and cars they own which are shown a lot in their videos. They also like to be represented as being in charge of what they do and who they do it with, this is very important to them as they want to be icons for people and you can not do this if you're being told what to do all the time.
 This also shows the type of shots used in the CD covers of artists from the grime genre, they have been conveyed as not caring much as several of them do not seem to be paying much attention as to what is happening but the images become effective due to post production effects which make the album covers more interesting and aesthetically pleasing to the audience.

Low Budget Music Video - Rizzle Kicks

I have added annotations to the video with sections and effects that I think have been effective in the video. For best results, full screen the video.

Low Budget Music Video - The Fix

I have added annotations to the video on sections and effects that I think are effective and that I might try to incorporate into my video. For best results full screen the video.

Record Label For Our Genre

Take Over Entertainment

 By Jamal

The company was founded in 2006 and is run by Archie Lamb, Jack Foster and Tinchy Stryder. Tinchy Stryder is a Current Uk Hip Hop artist who has had many number 1's for example 'Take me back' and 'Number 1'. 

In 2008 Tinchy Stryder and his management, signed a joint venture publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing to create Takeover/Cloud 9. From 2010 onwards Jay-Z and Roc Nation signed a joint venture deal with Takeover Entertainment to create a European Record label named Takeover Roc Nation.  Takeover Roc Nation is based in the United Kingdom, and distributes its record releases through Sony Music and partners with Live Nation.

Take Over Entertainment has signed many known artists in the UK Hip Hop industry such as:

• Jodie Connor
• Dappy
• Giggs
• Rapid
• Dot Rotten
• Ruff Sqwad
• Tinchy Stryder

Genre Research

Here is the questionnaire I created using an existing account I had with the website Survey Monkey.
Survey monkey is very effective as it is free to use and you can create a survey with both open and closed questions which allow you to gain more in depth qualitive and quantative data. It also creates graphs which is good as it allows you to analyse your results in a visual way. After creating this survey, I emailed it to a variety of people whom I know have different interests to ensure that I get a variety of results.

Carol Vernallis' - The Kindest Cuts: Functions and Meaning in Music Video Editing

Carol Vernallis compared music videos to Hollywood/continuity films and produced a list of differences such as:

• In Hollywood films there is a single clear path through the film whereas in a music video there are a multiple, sometimes incomplete, obscure paths of narrative.
• In music video there is an unconventional order of shots as they shift more freely between different shot types whereas in Hollywood film the order of shot types is conventional as it goes establishing shot to a closer shot such as a mid shot.
• In Hollywood films there is a unity of time and space whereas in music video the time, space and narrative are revealed incompletely.
• In music videos we are drawn away from the continuity as the star and music are foregrounded but in Hollywood films there is continuity so we are drawn into the narrative.
• Sometimes in a music video all the elements will be equal, but other times one will be dominant and the others less so.

She also found that, in music videos, it is the visual hooks that create continuity as the non-continuous shots are linked by a single feature such as a shape, colour or the artist.

Andrew Goodwin (1992)

Andrew Goodwin suggested that there are 3 types of music videos such as:

Illustration: In this style of music video, the clip is always cut on beat and the images shown illustrate the literal meaning or feeling of the lyrics often with the band singing, dancing or playing instruments who are all dressed as they are expected to according to their genre or narrative.

Amplification: in this style of music video the film cuts on and off beat with the images amplifying the lyrics as a specific narrative may be used to convey a deeper meaning as it would not be picked up from the lyrics alone. The band also take on fictional roles within the narrative.

Disjuncture:  this is when the film cuts off the beat, it is sometimes but not always the sign of a bad music video. The images used do not relate to the lyrics which is sometimes used by bands who already very well established who can afford to take a risk and the band themselves take on an image that is the opposite of their expected image.

Bordwell & Thopsons Theory of Editing

Bordwell & Thompsons theory of editing focused on Hollywood/continuity editing and identified 4 different relations between shots and editing which are:

Graphic- transitions between shots can be linked graphically through similar images, patterns of light and dark, fine and shape, volume and depth etc. There are three parts to this section which are:

• Graphic match - linkage of shots by graphic similarities.
• Graphic continuity - centre of interest is constant throughout cuts, maintaining lighting level and avoiding colour clashes.
• Graphic discontinuity - contrasts such as colour and footage types, movement and stillness, placement or shape of focus figures.

Rythmic - the duration of shots (the shot length in relation to previous and its pattern involving accent, beat and tempo). it can create specific emphasis on certain shots giving different effects on the audience.

Spatial - the space and how shots relate to it previously and following the shot. through continuity editing we use an establishing shot to show the location then use closer shots to follow it such as a mid shot. The kuleshov effect states that we want logic so our brain assumes they are the same place although it may be a studio. Cross cutting can be used to distort the space and emphasise action occouring in a different place.

Temporal - the time of the action and the story being manipulated either by order, duration or frequency such as a flashback or flash forward which are clear to the audience. Also, the duration of story events within the plot can be altered using ellipsis which is when we take out the stuff we, the audience, don't want to see. This can also be done by cut aways. The frequency of events in continuity editing tend to only be shown once.

Genre Research - Tinchy Strider

By Shehabur Rahman


This is a music video of Tinchy Strider called ‘In my System’ This is a fairly new song by him, I have chosen the genre British Hip Hop/RNB, Grime. Which I feel I can do very well in as I am aware of the types of artists that are within that specific industry, as Tinchy Striders previous music was very much grime and garage, however he made it to the mainstream which meant he changed his type of flow to his music.

This video is a very successful music video because it has all the conventions within it, it contains a variety of shots and cinematography. For example the first shot is a bird’s eye view which is taken from a helicopter of a bright/ sunny Island straight away this represents the image of a hot place like Maguluf or Ibiza. This is because the title of the song is called ‘in my sytem’ places like these which are shown are known to be partying islands where there is drinks every where this links with shot number 9 which shows that the artist are making money and showing their party life’s are because of their success. Shot 3 is of Tinchy Strider in the white car travelling to his destination which after seems to be to a party. The shots are well though about having much variety of shots. The helicopter looking down cuts straight into the next shot which is a extreme long shot of the beach. The purpose of the scenery shots are because its informing the audience where exactly the artist are.

Shot 4,5,6 are clearly well thought about as the rule of third has been applied to it and each frames mise en scene is extremely eye catching. I say this because it represents warm and sunny atmosphere with this it portrays a positive ‘partying’ vibe to the viewers.

Each shot is clear, shot 11 expresses to the audience that Tinchy Strider has made it to the mainstream however he still is a ‘underground’ hood boy. As the mise en scene looks like a ruff estate looks to it. The blue metal railings paint has come off and the location in general seems like it hasn’t been taken care of.

Genre Research - Giggs

Gigs monster man By Shehabur Rahamn

This is a music video of Gigs who started of from raw Grime, making music on street roads and making very little low budget music videos. He was known very well on you tube and made it to the mainstream. His music video has full filled many ticked boxes as a well conographed video. As there are a large variety of shots included from long shot like number 2 which is a shot of all the girls that are ‘after’ the artist and want him.

 The music video also has used the rule of third which is in shot 4 and 6 where the girl and Gigs are centred of the frame which has the focus on them. The viewers would less likely to get viewer fatigue because so much is happening and there is a variety of shots used to make the music video flow with the sound track.

Shot 8 and 11 are very affective as they both portray the lifestyle of the artist, which is being flashy, having girls everywhere and partying all the time.  This is seen as ‘living the life’, Gigs expresses himself through his music video as being a ‘baller’ with flashy location, large mansion. This means having healthy amount of money and using it to have fun.

Conventions of my Genres Music Video

The conventions for a Hip Hop/Grime music video are:
The camera shots are often close ups or mid shots to show the artist who is usually on his/her own which is effective as it allows for the body language and emotion to come through to the audience.
There are a few establishing shots to show how much wealth they have accumulated e.g. Super cars, jets and luxury estates. 
The video is usually centred around the artist and set in locations that they spend a lot of time in such as clubs or the street.
There is occasionally a linear narrative in the video although it is mainly centred around the artist with a montage.
They have attractive women in little clothing to show that they are a sex object for the opposite sex showing how much better they are than the audience.

XL Recordings - Genre Label Research

XL Recordings (a sub-company of Beggars Banquet Records) is a British independent record label which was launched in 1989 to release its rave and dance music. The label has grown into one of the most commercially successful and influential independent record labels in the world who now operate across a range of genres. The label was originally an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records more commercial dance label Citybeat but with the signing of successful acts such as The Prodigy the label surpassed Citybeats.
In 1994 the label expanded the range of genres although they still looked for artist who were considered to be original and innovative.
Artists that have signed with XL Recordings include:
- Dizzee Rascal   -Giggs   - The Prodigy    - Adele    - Basement Jaxx    - Radiohead      - Wiley    - Weezer   - The XX    - M.I.A.   - Friendly Fires   - Tyler, the Creator

The Streets - Genre Research

Cinematography:

In this video the point of view shot was used a lot to show you how the artist is feeling at several points of the video. This is effective as it allows the viewer to feel empathetic towards the character especially as the video is about how a girl friend is cheating on him at a wedding where he and his friend are taking drugs. There are a lot of close ups and mid shots where you can see how the artist is feeling. The camera shots also allow you to see how intoxicated he becomes throughout the night as they become wobbly and blurry

  

Sound:

The sound from the video comes mainly from the soundtrack although there are parts where there are some diegetic sound coming from the fight which is good as it adds to the realism created by the linear narrative of the video. The realism of the video is also good as the lyrics are more like dialogue for thius specific song so it gives it more of a meaning.

Mise-en-scene:

The setting for this video is mainly the wedding although it does begin in the bathroom with the artist when he is texting his girl friend. The wedding setting is very original as I havennt seen it in any other music videos from this genre. The costume is typical wedding atire as they are all wearing suits and long dresses so the lighting is both high and low key for different parts of the wedding which, again, is effective for the realistic setting of the video. 

Editing:

The video uses a lot of straight cuts which is effective as it adds to the realism of the video although to end it there was a fade out. At several points during the fight scene there was a slow motion shot to emphasis the agression and the punches.