Copyright refers to the ownership of someones creation of work, this could be products or specific designs across their work. Copyright in the music industry is when an artist creates a piece of work which can be a music video or their song, and has it copyrighted so that people cannot copy their work or reproduce it so it sounds exactly the same. There are many examples of copyright issues in the music industry for example there was a problem with the song by Robin Thicke - blurred lines ft. T.I., Pharell with the song Got to give it up by Marvin Gave as they sounded very similar to each other.
Our group had to apply for the copyright of Jake Bugg's song "Two Fingers" to the record label mercury records, this was so that we could use the video as we are not claiming ownership of the song but rather the video that we make for educational purposes, if we didn't apply the video could be taken down by the record company as they wouldn't approve of the use of the song without any permission from them. Our group identified that the record label that held the rights to Jake Bugg's content was mercury records and so we went about finding their email. When we found their email we sent them this message:
Me and my group are still awaiting a response, this edit was made 16th November 2015.
Indie is a music genre that includes bands that have been funded independently by an independent record company for the artists. Normally these indie artists are males or male bands with some bands that have a female singer or a feature of a well known singer. However our group have decided that a solo male indie artist singer would be the best direction to go as we would only require one person as the artist. The artist that we have chosen is Jake Bugg therefore I need to pick artists that are similar are Bob Dylan and Hozier.
The first artist I'll be talking about that are similar to Jake Bugg is Bob Dylan who most likely inspired Jake Bugg to start his career in the music industry. In this video subterranean homesick blues made by Bob Dylan, the audience can see Dylan standing with some big cue cards that match the lyrics to the song as he keeps dropping them in time with the lyrics. This was one of the very first music videos created and some other artists believe this to be one of the greatest songs to be made. There are some codes and conventions from the indie genre used in this video, for one the audience see the artist throughout the song showing the audience that it is his song, this is effective because it lets his audience know that he's around as well as the fact that he's able to be in the music video for his audience, this makes the video more personal for his audience as they think he's in the video just for them. Another convention in the video is that there is a relationship with the visuals as well as the music the reason behind this is because it gives the song visuals which may be better understood with the use of the music video. One last convention in the music video is that there's a story behind the lyrics, it may be a music video but the lyrics play a more important part to the music video than other videos, this helps create a deeper meaning for the song that the audience try and find out.
Mise-en-scene is used very effectively throughout this video, firstly iconography is used to tell the story of the song through the use of cue cards that Dylan is handling that contain some of the important lyrics as well as some cards that don't match the songs lyrics at all, the reason he has only some lyrics on the cue cards is because he's trying to emphasize the points that he was making in the song, for example there is a lyric "try hard, get barred, get back, ride rail, get jailed, jump bail, join the army if you fail" which is implying the difficulty of getting jobs back in those times, people would ride trains to look for jobs round america, if they were caught they were sent to prison so joining the army seemed to be the route to go to because jobs were hard to come by. The setting of the video almost ties in with the song's name "subterranean", as you can clearly see the background shows a building having construction work done on it, this is seen as a stereotype because in these more urban areas, it's quite common to see building work going, this suggests that this is all ordinary or that the lyrics of the video is just another ordinary story of someone that lives in this area. Another good use of mise-en-scene is the costume of the man in the background that is clearly a rabbis, as the audience can see that the man is wearing robes and has a very bushy beard which is a common stereotype associated with Jewish people, the reason for the rabbi even being there is either a nod that Bob Dylan is Jewish or that when he found that religion it influenced him and his music a lot. The last element of mise-en-scene is the lighting and colour of the video, firstly it's black and white due to the fact that cameras hadn't been made to see colours yet but the lighting is quite bright symbolizing that it's day time where Dylan is, almost further suggesting the story that the man is struggling to find a job so has to make drugs or ride trains even more normal as it happens every other day in this subterranean life. There are only two uses of cinematography used in this entire video as the video is done in only one shot. First there is a zoom out at the beginning of a doorway to where in the frame the audience can see Bob Dylan as well as the rabbi in the background, this is implying that one of the many stories Dylan sings about in the songs lyrics is down that alley way or doorway as the lyrics mention "you better duck down the alleyway" probably saying hide from someone or something. The next use of cinematography in this video is the two shot of Bob Dylan and the rabbi, they don't look at each other or speak at all to each other but it is trying to suggest there is a relationship between Dylan and the rabbi, that being that they're both Jewish and possibly have dealt with the hardships of this subterranean lifestyle. As the whole video is done with only one shot there isn't much at all to talk about in terms of editing but there is a possibility that they may have had to slow down or speed up Dylan while he drops the cue cards, this is so that the cards match the lyrics of the song which further emphasizes the importance of the lyrics for audiences which makes them look up what the song is about and what Dylan is trying to get across in this video and what he's trying to say.
The target audience seem to be more in the range of 25-50 range depending on the music the audience like, Dylan here is talking about jobs drying up in America and what some people had to resort to doing just to make some money, including drugs(making them), train riding to other places in America or joining the army, so american audiences related to it at the time but as in recent years jobs having are going at an alarming rate, people can still relate to this songs theme. Dylan is presented in a way that makes him come across as rebellious, instead of performing the song he uses cue cards with the words on it almost like subtitles, almost refusing to perform for the video, some of the cards he shows also show this when he starts talking about the government and being careful around people that wear trench coats as they're watching the audience which is a stereotype of people that work for the government. The style of the video is concept based as he warns the audience about the government and those types of people as well as the people who struggled to get jobs in those times. Goodwins theory is also used in the video, for example, as i have clearly identified before, there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals to further emphasize the importance of the lyrics in the song. Another element in this video that is part of goodwins theory is the need for lots of close ups of the artist which can better get an image of the artist for the audience to relate to the hair that Dylan has is iconic and had throughout most of his career.
The next artist that is similar to Jake Bugg that I will discuss is Hozier "Take me to church". The song is about a gay couple as well as an angry group of men that don't like them and want to know what is a certain box that is so important, the contents of the box is left as a secret but you can imagine it's important as one of gay couple try and bury it and padlock a chain around the box for good measure. The song has some conventions of the indie genre as well, one being that the video shows a relationship between two people and video pretty much follows them throughout. The video also has a very strong and hard hitting message about today's society and what people accept and what they don't accept, this is important because there are still homophobic people that just don't like gay people at all, this video is trying to get across that this isn't right and that we're all human and we should all be respected and equal to one another. One last convention is that the video has a narrative as well, this is so the audience can remember the video and what it was trying to get across to them.
Mise-en-scene is used effectively in this song as well, there is much more to talk about in terms of content for this video, iconography is the most important as it involves the biggest plot device, the box with its contents kept a mystery apart from only two people which are gay, someone saw them walking who lead the march of the angry people walking towards one of couple's house, this symbolizes the contents of the box is something to do with their relationship, they keep it a safe secret as with their relationship, both understand how important it is that no one gets the box or what's inside as the angry homophobe at the end is screaming at them holding the box trying to get it open but the gay man refuses to tell him, therefore it's safe to assume the contents of the box could mean an actual metaphor for their relationship. The main setting of the video is a forest as the audience see the angry group of men walking through one while one of the gay people runs through a forest to get to his lovers house, the forest is used as a way to suggest the pre historic nature of the angry homophobes, they live in the past and refuse to accept people for who they are so the forest ignites their aggressive and violent nature that they have, this is also suggested with iconography with a flare and a molotov cocktail symbolizing that aggressive nature. The costumes of people are kept different so that it's easier to distinguish between the characters, even though there are few of them, the angry group of people attacking the gay couple wear nearly identical clothing as well as masks to keep their identities secret, the clothing is used to show that these people are exactly the same as each other even their beliefs over gays is implied through their clothing which is that they hate them. Finally the colour is again black and white but this is used to further the messages of the video, the black and white also suggests the pre historic nature of the angry men and to show the contrast of the two groups, the angry men and the gay couple, the lighting is used effectively as well as it's only really dark towards the end of the video, it's always dark when the angry people are in the shot but bright when the gay couple are on screen together, further implying that contrast between the two groups. Cinematography is also key in this video, one example is when the audience first see the angry group walking through the forest there is a low angle shot of the leader who saw them earlier, this low angle shot is used to connote the threat that these people bring to the gay couple and that they think they're higher than them because of their beliefs. There is a tracking shot of one of the gay people running and the camera is looking at him from a profile perspective, this is used to show that we're following him which can be further connoted into meaning that we agree with his belief that anyone can have anyone they wish no matter the differences. Editing is used very well in this video as well, there is a use of linking shots where the audience see the angry group and then it changes to the gay couple walking past a transmission tower, this shows what the angry homophobes are after and this makes it more dramatic for the audience because they know the gay couple are in trouble even though the gay couple might not which furthers the suspense for the audience. Another editing technique that is used is faced past editing as one of the couple packs his belongings from his house to try and quickly find his boyfriend, this portrays that the gay person is scared for his boyfriends life and is panicking that he may so the editing complements that very well.
The target audience for this music video would probably be people around the ages of 16-30 year old people as the themes of the video are mature made for mature audiences in hopes that the video will change them or that they will agree with what the video is trying portray. The artist isn't in the video but the video represents him in a way that makes him seem accepting of all people no matter who they are as he let them use his song for the video, so the video shows he supports equality. The style of this video is concept based and narrative based, the concept of this video is to show that people who are prejudiced against gay people are wrong have very dated beliefs on the world and society, the narrative is used to support the concept as it is about a gay couple who get caught up with the wrong people. Goodwin's theory again ties in with this song as his elements are used for this video as well, there is a relationship between the music and the visuals, this can be seen when the music goes into the chorus and the visuals become quick and editing becomes faster paced to complement the music and to make some moments more suspenseful than others, this is where the man is trying to pack his belongings while the angry men march through the forest. Another example of Goodwin's theory is that this demonstrates genre characteristics like having the video talk about a strong message that needs more attention even in today's society.
In conclusion, analyzing these two videos will be beneficial to the planning of my video as it helps me understand the genre's characteristics i will have to undertake as well as the different visuals that will further class my music video as a conventional indie music video. Some inspirations have come to mind that i would like to implement in the video and that is the concept based video with something that people can still relate to and to show the artist on screen as this will increase the popularity of the artists image.
Celebrities seem to reinvent themselves in the eyes of the media when they're in the music industry, there could be many reasons for the sudden and diverse changes of themselves. One reason an artist may want to change how they look to the world is that they want to appeal to a different target audience, they may realise that they're so popular to an audience but would also want to become popular to another set of fans and maybe increase their target audience. Artists may also just want to do it for all the media and the attention they get and use it to promote themselves further as well as an album they may be soon to release. A perfect example of this change in an artist is Miley Cyrus, She first started out as Hannah Montana with light hearted songs like "best of both worlds" where she had just become famous, she was seen as an innocent girl when she had her show on Disney, she then progressed to an older stage with the song "party in the USA" talking about how she becomes more of a party animal, she talks about how she was nervous but loves the party lifestyle and atmosphere and then her next stage is her current stage with songs like "we can't stop" and "wrecking ball" where she wants to be overtly sexual. This is how Miley cyrus has become so popular in the eyes of the media because she has had so many drastic changes to her image, many like it and many dislike it but it all created a lot of controversy which created hype and buzz around the subject of Cyrus and her changes but it's made her undeniably famous everywhere. For my discussion i'll be looking at an artist that has also changed three times throughout their career much like how Cyrus has changed and this person is Justin Bieber, the songs i'll be referring to as the different time periods are Baby, Boyfriend and Where are U now.
Baby is a video about a boy who falls for a girl and really wants her but she doesn't seem to like him until the very end when they pear off with each other. The artist, Justin Bieber, is in love with this girl as the lyrics suggest as well but he doesn't seem to get her right away, she seems to friendzone him first, seeing him as a friend rather than a boyfriend, and trying to brush him off. The audience see exactly this in the video, he tries to pull her and get closer to her but she either pushes him away or walks off, this falls into Goodwin's theory as there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals, however the song's lyrics and visuals at the end are completely different, but the relationships are present for example at the very beginning of the video Justin Bieber sees this girl and is immediately head over heels for her and gets his friends to help get her by following her up and escalator, the very first lyrics of the first verse explain this "You know you love me, I know you care, just shout whenever and i'll be there, you are my love, you are my heart". Clearly he would go anywhere for this girl as we've seen him try and follow her with his friends to help him get her and he clearly does show that this girl means a lot to him, this is trying to evoke that Justin Bieber really does care about this girl and wants her more than anything bu he doesn't really know girl, many boys at around his age feel this way about girls so they relate to him on that aspect but it's also used for girls to sympathize with him as they feel bad about how he's been treated by another girl. Bieber is going for the pop genre for this video as he follows all the different conventions of the pop genre, firstly there is one quick shot in the video where the audience can see drake and lil twist as well as other famous people that have a main feature like ludacris who has his own verse that's related to the song, this is a convention in pop songs because the artist is trying to show off their life, he knows these really famous people and wants the audience to know it and be jealous of him, therefore he comes across as cool in the video. Another convention of the pop genre that is followed in the video is that Justin Bieber seems really down to earth and he does quite ordinary things like going bowling, going out with his friends and playing pool, but he also does things that are quite out there like having a dance off with his and the girl's friends, this implies that Bieber wants to live happily and show the he is a fun person to be around which is a convention of the pop genre as artists want to come across as likable people towards audiences. The video represents the artist in a way that shows he is like most other kids of his age, a lot of kids growing up fall for someone and sometimes it just doesn't work out at all, Justin Bieber is a representation of these kids but showing them get the girl instead, in the video he gets the girl, because he persisted, therefore it inspires a lot of young kids to just not give up and try and try if they really want something. The artist isn't a product as such because in the video for baby, he seems more down to earth, he has a bunch of friends that he goes out with and struggles to get girls like certain audiences he is targeting towards, however he does seem to have some features that could consider him a product instead, his hair for example was trending back then so it's almost done on purpose but this is just one point and the song is meant to be relatable for audiences. Bieber is singing about and trying to achieve the girl that he loves so much, that part is ordinary, the lengths he is willing to go just to get the girl in this video is extraordinary including dancing, pulling her closer, always following her and even the singing sometimes makes him sound more desperate than enchanting "I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring" this shows that Bieber is willing to go to some extreme lengths for this girl who may or may not actually like him, this is relatable to the audience to some extent, they understand his need to keep trying but never really consider following these crushes they have to try and impress them. The video places fans for hegemony as Bieber is known as a dominant figure in the music industry, the video shows that if you follow what he does and look the way he does then you could get all the girls you want, this therefore makes fans want to start looking up to Bieber and become as cool as him. Biebers target audience are supposed to be young people of both genders that are aged 12-16 as these are the kind of problems they face at about this age and are able to relate to the songs messages a lot more easier, the reason why girls would like it is because they would find him attractive and feel sorry for him that someone turned him down (lyrics more than the video), either genders would be jealous as the two in the video are supposed to be attractive for those ages. The message the Bieber is trying to get across in the video is that everyone does fall in love and everyone gets their heart broken, it's a natural part of life that you get used to but in the video it shows him getting the girl, in the song he doesn't and Ludacris almost hints that is just what happens in life and you've just got to move on.
The next video i will be looking at to see the difference is Boyfriend, this song came two years after the video of baby was released, this time difference will be key to the changes that the audience can see. Goodwin's theory can be applied from the get go when the audience see Justin Bieber right behind a girl singing to her and how he'll never let her go, he gets closer almost as if he is leaning in for a kiss, this shows voyeuristic treatment of the female body by Justin Bieber himself just showing the audience that he can get anyone he wants as he seems to have got this girl. Bieber is trying to appeal to the conventions of a pop song, one being that the artist idolizes the girl, however now that he's older, his music has got a bit more adult themed as the video at the start focuses more on the girls flesh rather than her, this is typical to the pop genre and shows a voyeuristic attitude towards the female body. Another convention of the pop music video genre is that he is seen driving a very flashy car with all his friends looking as if they're about have a party, this shows that he had a lively lifestyle and is always out doing stuff with his friends which presents him in a very rich and cool way, he even has jewelry that further emphasizes the money and the lifestyle that he has with his friends. Justin Bieber has made some significant changes to himself, one being that he is presented as a sex appeal now, the extreme close up at the beginning with the girl obviously displayed this as it looked almost sensual for both of them, with this change is doesn't make relatable at all for male audiences, because this video is trying to get across that he's aware that he's good looking and attractive towards female audiences. I would make the argument that he is now a sex product so yes, they clearly saw the potential he had if he aimed his songs and videos more towards the female demographic and that they could see all the money that he could make, he has been made so that female audiences would find him attractive so that they can bring in more money than they would've got than before. The artist isn't as ordinary as before, though he has a normal desire which to always be around his girlfriend and would do anything she wanted so long as it pleased her, but he is extraordinary and trying to express this in the video, as said before he has become much more a sex appeal, so rather than trying to get the girl, he just keeps hold of her because he just wants to show that he's protective over her and wants her all to himself. The video places it more towards hegemony, the video is trying to get across again that if you look like Beiber you will get any girl you want, this means that Bieber can't be so far in rebeliance as he wouldn't have anyone for himself, so that's what the video is attempting to get at, the Bieber followed a lot of society's norms like having good hair, nice jewlry, nice cars all the things that people think gets them girls are used by Beiber meaning he is trying to be what his audience wants to see of him. As identified earlier, Bieber has tried targeting himself more towards the female demographic as they thought he was very good looking and loved him and his music, he tried to target himself towards boys as well but all the female attention would have put others off, in straying away from being the boy that every girl wanted and some boys wanted to be, he is now just what every girl wants from him thus why they have made him much more sex appealing towards his audience. Bieber knew what he was attempting as he tried to change himself further from what he used to be by spiking his hair up instead of just brushing it to the side, this shows the Bieber wanted to go in a new direction and wanted to become more attractive for female audiences as well as more masculine for male audiences so that he's more relatable. The messages behind this video are quite simple, if you really love you girlfriend, don't let go of them, be anything they want you to be if you want to make them happy. The messages have changed since the last video but this is because he's grown up which makes him more eligible for adult themes like sex appeal. Justin Bieber made this drastic change because he knew it would make him much more successful and more popular towards the media and would make him even more famous and a much talked about topic in the eyes of the media.
The last change of Justin Bieber I'll be talking about is with his song Where are U now. Goodwin's theory can again be applied to the video, there is a clear relationship between the music and the visuals, for example when the tune of the music is quite slow the audience see a slow zoom in towards Bieber which matches the beat which is just a slow tempo, but as soon as the beat picks up and the tune changes completely, the video also changes to show thousands and thousands of animated frames for the video, it matched the beat perfectly. The purpose of the relationship between the beat and the visuals is because it makes the music video flow a lot more efficiently, with a beat drop something intense has to be happening or something has to happen to show the drastic change of beat and tone. Justin Bieber has again noticeably changed his image and even the genre of music, it was a collaboration and a remix of an existing song, the song is more of a house track or dance track so the video must follow the conventions of those genres, one example of a convention the video follows is that the music and the video flow together really well it makes the video a lot more memorable as the audience will always think of what happens in the video when they hear the song in public. Another convention the video follows is that flashing imagery throughout the video where the beat has dropped, this is conventional as it simulates the night club atmosphere in a way, the people that would listen to songs like this would understand the flashing colours because it's like that at a club when the beat drops to a song. The video represents the artist in a very different way than before, he has found love or a good friend and let them in to his life, but they never return the favor and he feels all alone due to this neglect from a friend or lover, so Justin Bieber is alone in this situation and has to get through it without help, this is a huge leap from what he did before, there are no women in this video he fantasizes about either, this direction change put Bieber in high regards from different variations of audiences. I think there is a meaning behind this that shows he has always been a product, the fact that the audience see all these different drawings all over him are to suggest this is what record labels have done to him to make him so successful, they have changed his appearance numerous times and made him do collaborations so that he can get a wider range audience, the lyrics detail that someone had used him before and they never returned the favour, there is much speculation as to whom this could be but evidence suggests it's Selena Gomez as everytime she releases a new album he's seen with her but when he was in trouble with the police recently for crimes he committed, she was nowhere to be seen. In summary, Bieber feels he has been used for media and all the paint that is covered over him are how people perceive him and how record labels have changed him multiple times just so he can sell his albums. The artist is both ordinary and extraordinary in a way for this video, he is upset that he has been used by people he thought he could trust which happens to most people and makes people feel angry and upset at both the fact the person had no grudge against doing it for their own personal gain and the fact that the used person feels stupid for trusting them, the extra ordinary factor of Bieber in this song is that it feels much more personal to him and that he's helped someone become famous that didn't really care for him and only really cared for the publicity that would follow. I believe that the video is going against hegemony instead because he is almost showing the audience that he doesn't necessarily like the image that he has become for his fame and looks sad at the fact he's been used so much by record labels, this can be seen when his face is nearly covered with paint but looks down to suggest he is upset with what's become of him. Bieber's target audience are still his core audience from before that were girls that are really attracted to him, but he is also trying to branch into new territory like house audiences and dance audiences as this is a really conventional song of a dance track, the reason why he is branching out i because he feels as though the people who are with him are just using him so he doesn't to help those types of people anymore. The message behind this video is to be careful of those you trust, and if you can't trust them, then leave them before they use you for their own personal gain. Bieber has changed significantly since the last video as he seemed so trustworthy of the person he loved, and would go to any lengths to make them happy, in this video however he has become distrustful of those around him and doesn't feel he can trust them anymore.
Justin Bieber is not a very much liked singer as people feel others should be more popular than he is but he is very famous, this is due to the fact his first song was such a big hit to all audiences, he made it relatable for those similar to his age, he also made it popular because so many girls were attracted to him throughout his whole career and still are, he reinvented himself because he wanted to try and capitalize on the all the hype that was surrounding him at the time by becoming a sex appeal and changed one last time as he felt distrust towards those around him and thought he was being used. This research will help me decide on an artist specifically because all this has helped me gain a much greater understanding of Justin Biebers career choices and why an artist may choose a different path to go down, i believe using the same style of research for my chosen artist will help me understand more about the song itself and the different way I could make the music video for it. Maintaining a target audience is always good because if you keep hopping from one genre to another, you won't have a core fan base, you wouldn't really have many fans either due to the amount of variation in the videos, no one could understand the different career paths not would they understand the sudden changes.
Music videos appeal to audiences in several ways, music videos are a great way of expressing the artists true emotions to their core audience these emotions or feelings may not be obvious in the song's lyrics so the video is just to further emphasise these feelings. Audiences like controversy in music videos and when videos are risky or weird there always seems to be more people trying to understand the artists intentions of the video or to see how bad the video actually is. The audience also like the videos artists create at they can make their friends watch it and talk about it afterwards. A lot of hard work goes into making a video as every micro element is considered and implemented to make the video everything the artist wants it to be.
Drake - Over
27 seconds into the video whilst Drake is singing the hook for the chorus, the audience see a clear example of the use of cinematography. There is a close up shot of drake at eye level wearing a white hoodie while he is sitting on the bed. This close up is trying to suggest that Drake is talking to the audience, as if he is sitting the audience down trying to talk to them about what is going on with him, especially because it was around this time he signed a record deal, he is trying to get across that he is doing this for his audience so that he can keep making the music he wants. This is stereotypical to the rap genre as it shows that the artist wants to be true to his core audience and still wants to make music for them and performs the song as a kind of message to them. Another clever use of cinematography in the video is about 38 seconds into the video where the audience can see the room he is sitting in. It's a medium shot of Drake sitting on the bed in the small room, when he starts to say "Oh yeah, that's right, I'm doing me, I'm doing me". This lyric does have some relationship with this shot specifically, he feels pressured that he's making songs that he doesn't want to make and the lyric "I'm doing me" just means he's doing what he wants instead of doing things that he dislikes, the relationship this has with the video is that the audience can see on the walls that there is a perspective of a car driving slowly down one road and when he starts with the lyrics mentioned earlier, the walls show hundreds of cars speeding past instead of one going slowly, this shows that he wants to change his music direction and just wants to do the things he wants as this is his lifestyle now. This is stereotypical of the genre as most rappers show off their new lifestyles and always like the faster lifestyle and want to do the things and music that they want to do and not what people would prefer them to do, Drake's audience understand the point of this and what the lyrics are trying to say and would try to support him in his career. The next micro element I would like to discuss is the mis-en-scene or rather the lack of it. Throughout the video there is one location that he stays in, a small room with plain white walls, the audience can also see some dressers, some lamps, a seat, a bed and a phone and they're all plain white, the audience can also see drake's costume which is again plain white, plain white hoodie and shirt and even trousers with a golden cross. All of this together suggests that drake has become pure or has become something else that he wasn't before, this is very symbolic of a resurrection like jesus, he's even wearing a golden cross so it is clear they're trying to make the comparison, and it does make sense, as he is becoming more popular to audiences and his lifestyle has changed so much, he feels he's living a new life than before not a resurrection but more of a rebirth into his new life, this also makes sense because his room doesn't have any personal belongings almost as if he has just started living this new life that he hasn't got anything yet, this is stereotypical to the genre as many famous people feel as if their lives change forever as soon as they start becoming successful and sign to a record label, Drakes audience then understand that his music is about to change and that his new life is rather alien to him and want to support him for his new turn in his music career. The last micro element I would like to look at is the editing of the video and the different connotations each one has. At 1:03 into the video, the audience see a mirror edit while Drake does his first verse. This is shows the audience that Drake is reflecting on himself, as a person and even the music he makes the lyric "I'm doing me" is almost trying to imply that he will better himself as a person, he will do himself but as we've seen prior this is his new self he is trying to be, to fit into this new lifestyle and reflecting on his past actions. This is stereotypical to the genre conventions as rappers always do reflect themselves and maybe criticize some of their music or decisions they they have made, but drake is doing this to better himself and to fit in to this lifestyle. The last use of editing I think is important to discuss in relation to the lyrics of the song itself is at about 1:44 of the music video. Drake is seen in a sort of corridor on the left while all these people, that are all blurred, walk past at a quick rate while the lyrics are "I know way too many people here right now that i didn't know last year". This conveys that Drake has started living his new lifestyle but notices how different it is, as he keeps meeting new people (presumably other artists) that he can't keep up with, it all seems like a blur to him as he can't remember a lot of these new people in his life, the video shows the audience a visual representation of the new lifestyle as he sees loads of blurred faces go past or meet him everyday. This is stereotypical to the genre because a lot of artists in the rap genre feel as if their lives are very different, some people don't like the change and feel as though they won't fit this new lifestyle.
The next genre I would like to discuss is the Indie genre or indie rock genre, the video I'll be analyzing for this is Jake Bugg's two fingers. The first micro element I'll be referring to for now is cinematography. The first shot i'll be looking at is around 30 seconds into the video. The shot is a long shot of Jake Bugg waiting for a bus in a quiet area, presumably a poor area due to the houses in the background not being massive but small instead. This shows how far Jake Bugg has come as a musician, from living in a poor area to becoming a successful singer and song writer, the shot also shows the he is looking beyond the frame, he isn't looking back at the town of houses, he is looking forward to try and get out of this lifestyle that he's been living in all his life. This is stereotypical to the indie genre as artists of that genre always talk about getting out of their hometown and try somewhere else and just try and become famous, the audience relate to Jake Bugg as lots of people from the indie genre have started in poor areas and slowly worked their way up. The next clever use of cinematography is in relation to the lyrics as well as the song's name. There is a mid shot of Jake Bugg after he tries to fight his mum's boyfriend, Bugg walks away and puts two fingers up towards the camera but he has to turn around to do it. This clearly conveying the purpose of the songs title as well as the fact he grew up in a poor area, the songs chorus says "So i hold two fingers up to yesterday", this lyric saying that he hated his past or his past actions, in this case it's the past, and the reasoning for this is because of the domestic abuse his mum always seemed to have yet she didn't really consider what it would do to Bugg. This isn't really stereotypical but it does show that he has a bad lifestyle and that his target audience sympathize with him as it must have been bad on him if he grew up in the kind of area. The next micro element i'll be discussing is the use of mis-en-scene in the video, the one key use of iconography is the guitar throughout the video. The guitar is always seen when Bugg is trying to get somewhere or leave somewhere, for example when he's walking down the street for the bus it shows he's going somewhere, when he is running for the train the guitar is again on his back that shows he is trying leave somewhere, the other examples include when he chooses to leave home to try and make it he has his guitar with him. The use of the guitar is trying to symbolize that this is his only way out of the neighborhood or area that he lives in, it's almost used as a last hope as starts his life again just to try and make it in the real world, so the guitar is used to hint that this is what will get him famous. This is stereotypical to the indie genre because most artists of the genre have made it or become famous because they primarily focused on the music they liked to play. The next micro-element i would like to talk about is the editing of two fingers and there is one good use to show Bugg's situation. Early on in the video there is a jump cut from Bugg to one of his friends smoking a joint, they're almost identical, one after the other. This could be illustrating that Bugg's friends also want to get out of this area however they can't, or that they have the same views as each other, they want to leave but only Bugg could because of his talent of the guitar. This isn't a stereotype of the genre but it does show that Bugg cared about his friends and that when he meets them later to say goodbye, he has one last smoke just to rekindle that fond memory of Buggs'. The last use of editing that is effective in the video is right at the end and it is used to convey that difference of his past and his present. The edit that is used is again a jump cut but it shows a completely different theme than before, the jump cut is from Bugg's mum screaming to Jake Bugg performing on stage for a big group of people. The purpose of the jump cut is to show how far Jake Bugg has come to where he is now, as it shows the clear difference between the domestic abuses of his mum to him performing for his fans and trying to leave it all behind. This is stereotypical as it's showing the differences of lifestyles to his audiences so that they can further respect his talent as a musician as they know that he aspired to be what he is today and that he got famous with quite a bad upbringing, which inspires his fans to keep trying.
The last genre I am going to be looking at is pop, the video I will be using to talk about conventions of the genre is "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars. There is good use of cinematography in the video to display the group of men as cool people. At around 1:07 there is a mid shot of the group of people, including Bruno Mars, dancing while the camera pans to its side while some people in the background dance to the beat of the song. This shot is trying to convey just how cool these people are, the reason why the camera pans is because that's almost supposed to be an actual person turning their head to look at them, the people in the background on the stairs are dancing because they want to be like these people and have their happy lifestyle. This is stereotypical of the genre as most pop songs now have a dance that goes with it so that when people here it a club or party, they dance like Bruno Mars from the video as it makes them feel like him in the video. The next use of cinematography is presented in a way that conveys the artists lifestyle and how busy he always is. There is a tracking shot at 1:33 of Mars and his friends walking down the street, the lyrics here are relevant as Mars sings "fill my cup put some liquor in it, take a sip, sign the check Julio! Get the stretch!". This is trying to show how quick and busy this lifestyle is, he can't take a break at all because he is so cool and popular and wanted 24/7, he has a quick drink and not even a drink a sip instead, and then he's off somewhere else probably to perform another song. This is stereotypical of the genre because the artist always attempts to come across as popular as shown by the lyrics and the video, but they also want to show off their lifestyle, he always drinks and he always performs at venues to the audience. The next micro element for this song is editing. The editing occurs when Mars first sees some women that he likes the look of, there is a reaction shot of the first woman going past then it goes to Mars and he is really happy. This shows these men like women and, as the lyrics throughout the song suggest, they can always get women all the time whenever they want. This is stereotypical as male pop artists are always seen with girls or they flirt with girls to show how good looking and attractive they are in real life and that any woman they see they could probably get, this makes the audience envious of their lifestyle as they are presented in a way that makes them get girls easily. The next use of editing is used to convey their lifestyle as said earlier. It shows the whole group dancing down the street with a limo in the background slowly following and then jump cuts to a gig that they're all performing in and doing the same dancing from before. This suggests that their lifestyle is always on go and that they have to almost be everywhere at once as they're so popular and famous to everyone and it also shows the lifestyle of someone famous as limos to the venues they'll be performing at are a stereotype of famous music artists. This is stereotypical to the pop genre as it shows they're cool, famous and have nice cars which makes some of their target audience jealous but also makes the audience aspire to be famous as them. The last element and discussion point i'll be referring to in this video is the mis-en-scene of the video. The costumes that the group wear are all nice clothes that probably cost a great deal and they look quite jazzy with the sunglasses and the hats and they never change the clothes once in the video. This shows that the group of people including Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are materialistic and care a great deal about the clothes they wear and how they look as it's part of their image, they believe it's what makes them so famous. This is stereotypical as most pop artists are materialistic to designer fashion wear and aren't shy about it at all and wear what ever costs the most to give everyone the image that they're so rich and famous.
In conclusion, all types of music video genres vary, for example Drake and Jake Bugg mostly talked about their problems, however in uptown funk they couldn't get any happier, though Bugg does come across as being happy now, he does miss his friends. Uptown funk showed them being so popular but in two fingers no one really seemed to notice Jake Bugg, Drake had been popular but he didn't like the sudden change into his new life but he just wants to keep himself to himself. Music videos appeal to audiences in many ways, some think that the video tries to give away an implied meaning behind the song to make it easier for the audience to understand in further detail (Drake over) , some are meant to just better visualize the song (Jake Bugg Two fingers, Mark Ronson Uptown funk) and others just want to show the lifestyle they live on a daily basis(uptown funk). The audience build a relationship with the artist in many ways within the music video, they like the fact that people perform the songs for the videos because it feels a bit more real, as in they're actually watching them perform live, some just like to see the artist in general as they may be big fans of the artists, audiences like the fact they got to far lengths just to show themselves for the video and some like the stories that are part of the music video and make it more memorable, all of this is done in music videos so the audience can build a relationship with the audience, so the audience feel as if the creators of the song or video really care about the fans which encourages them to buy merchandise and albums to further support their artists. One inspiration i have is to show the artists in the video at some point performing the song or singing the lyrics as all the videos i've looked into have done exactly that, so showing the artist is very important to me and another inspiration is to have a story for the video but this may be up for debate as some videos are very successful without them.
