Music Video Analysis - Lose Yourself

 Eminem - Lose Yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s

As a group we decided to use Lose Yourself by Eminem as our song for our final piece of creating our music video. We chose this one as we wanted to stick within in the mainstream rap genre and we thought that this song fits in well within the codes and conventions of the genre and that we could create a good music video to this song by using the different elements of Mise-en-Scene and ensuring we meet the codes and conventions of a mainstream rap music video.

In this screenshot below from Lose Yourself you can see that the artist is the main focus throughout this music video and within this screenshot you can see him sat a public transport bus from the film '8 Mile' this song was created for this film and has Eminem as the main star within this film. I think this was a good shot to have within this music video as it shows that he has not always been successful and there was a time in his live where he would have to use public transport.

In this screenshot below from the music video you can see the artist; Eminem looking at himself in the mirror of some toilets in a bar that he is rapping in. Within this frame it meets the codes and conventions of a rap music video as it is showing poor conditions an un-wealthy which can be shown through the use of graffiti and writing on the walls behind Eminem. I think this is effective as it shows the low cost area which he comes from and that he had to make his success through his music, which is shown throughout the film '8 Mile'.

In the screenshot below you can see the artist hiding a microphone to his mouth from the film '8 Mile' which shows how he became successful in the rap industry. This is effective because it shows the journey which Eminem has gone through to be as successful as he is and a well-known name worldwide. 

In the screenshot below from the music video 'Lose Yourself' you can see a struggle taking place in the frame. Which fits in with the codes and conventions of a rap music video I believe that this looks effective within a rap music video as it begins to show a history of the artist and the different things which he has had to go through to become as successful as he is. 

Within this music video I like these different elements especially the fight/struggle shot as this shows that he has not always had his life as easy as it seems now by having all his fame and success. I want to include something similar to this within our music video. 

Storyboard

We decided to make two storyboards as a group because it could mean that we could create some more idea's for the music

This is the storyboard which I created with Tommy Brading:

This is the storyboard which the other two members of our group created - Kirsty Roberson and Jordan Gregson.

The storyboard we have chosen to go with is the one which was created by Kirsty Roberson and Jordan Gregson as we believe this matched within our lyric analysis. As this shows the different ways of the frames whereas in the story board which I created with Tommy Brading as not in all the photographs you cannot see how the artist will look in the frames.

Permission Letter

In order to be able to use Eminem's song 'Lose Yourself' we had to send a letter of permission to be able to use the song due to Copy Right Laws over the song.

This is the copy of the letter of which Kirsty Roberston created to send:




This is the copy of the letter I created to send:

We decided to use the letter which I created because it was straight to the point and didn't involve to any unnecessary information and as a group we believed that this was the best letter out of our group. We sent this as an email as this was the easiest option for our group and a address to be able to send it as a letter was hard to find and an email is easier to hear back from. We sent this email in order to gain permission to use Eminem's song to be able to create our own music video.

Setting/Locations

For our final piece we have decided to film it within Jordan Gregson's house and inside and outside of our college as this fitted well within the codes and conventions of a rap music video.


Photographs of locations we filmed at:

Jordan Gregson's House
We are planning to film at Jordan's house because we want to create a house party look on our music video, as this would have a different spin compared to the original music video created by Eminem as his is showing scenes of his film and it is a large focus on him rapping. The photograph to the right shows the front of the house which we will be using within our music video.


This is going to be used to show the artist entering the party to show the transition between being out on the road with his partner to then being inside a party to ensure the story is told throughout the music video. The image to the left shows the location of where the argument will take place between the artist and his girlfriend.






We are also planning to film in the living room of Jordan's house because this would create the correct impression of a house party which we want to create for our music video. We want to have a few boys in these shots which will show that he does not want to be around woman at that moment in time so he is only with the 'lads'.  The two images show the main areas which we are planning on filming in the video as the entrance will be made through the white door in the left image and then the artist will poor himself and his friends a shot on the cupboard side which is shown to the right.

College
We want to film inside our college within our music video to add to the different locations in the video, in the image to the right you can see the toilets which we are planning on using within the music video these are our colleges disabled toilets, we want these toilets as it was easy accessible for the artist and we want to be able to take a long shot image of the artist with his head down the toilet and running back to the toilet after leaving. I believe that this will be a good shot as it will show the artist is an intoxicated state and that alcohol is not always alright when drinking as he will be showing signs of throwing up due to his alcohol intake.


Another location within our college we want to film at is the lift in the college building, this is because we want some shots of our artist in this lift rapping down into the camera and dancing a little to show a different vibe from the music video. The image to the left shows the inside of the lift which we will be using in the video, we want to include this shot in the music video as we used this for our preliminary music video and the audience said that they liked this shot so we wanted to include it again.


We also want to use our college common room for two different shots within the video. The image on the right shows the common room sofas which will show a few people from our college laid on the sofas in an intoxicated way which will match how the artist is throughout the music video.

This is the other section of the common room which we want to use in the music video, we want this shot to include a close up of alcohol which will be showing that the artist is drinking, we have chosen this location to film this shot because this is a quiet area of the college as we do not want to include anybody else but the artist within this shot and the drink will be able to be slammed on the table to the beat of the Eminem song as well which will be effective.

The top floor glass section which is shown on a photograph to the right is to be used at the beginning of the music video as the beat is kicking into it after the artist has seen his girlfriend in the street and had an argument. This will also be a shot of the artist rapping some of the lyrics for the first time in the video.



Outside College

We want to film on the college roof (shown to the left) because this will show the large flats which are in the distance and will also fit the codes and conventions of a rap music video as this will show an urban life surroundings which are shown in rap music videos. We want a lot of shots on this roof which will show the artist and the location.








We are going to film road area outside our sixth form which will have different shots of smoking and of the artist laying on the road as he is intoxicated and is unable to walk, this will also be the location where the artists girlfriend finds him and they make up by hugging each other.




We also want to film in the outside area of the school which is attached to the college, this is because we will be able to create some shots within this location which will fit the codes and conventions of a rap music video as we are able to have the artist standing on a table looking up at the eye looking thankful for everything which he has within his life.

When we are filming our sports hall will be undergoing construction which will enable us to get some shots of this which will be effective within our music video we want to include shots of the artist sitting on the stairs, walking up them and rapping in the bottom photo to the right as this will meet the codes and conventions of a rap music video.

Props and Costumes

In order to create our music video we need to have different props and costumes to create the music video, these items below show the different types of props and costumes which we need.

We need the artist which is going to be played in our music video by Jordan Gregson and within the music video we want him to be wearing a tracksuit  as this will fit in with the codes and conventions of a rap music video which will make it look effective and realistic. Also as this is similar to what Eminem is wearing in his music video of Lose Yourself which gives me confidence that the artist wearing this will fit in with our music video successfully. 

The use of sugar in our music video is to represent a drug form of Cocaine which will show the bad life choices which he is making in his life and career and the affects of these on him to put a bad image in the public eye which will put people off doing drugs sort of a drug awareness music video.

The setting of our music video is going to be within a house this is because we can use this to create the house party effect in the video which is where the drug taking and alcohol drinking will take place which will be the area to show the bad decisions. 

We have planned for others to be in the shot to represent other people at a party to make the scenes look more realistic. 

Costume

Main artist- 

Throughout the music video the main star is going to be in a grey hoodie along with some tracksuit bottoms, the images below are the type of style we want the artist to wear within the video as this will look effective. We also did not want to put loads of jewelry on our artist which is commonly known in mainstream rap music videos as we wanted to modernise it and also as we want the main focus to be our artist instead of the items he is wearing.

Artist's Girlfriend- 

In the music video we want the girlfriend of the artist to be covered up with their items of clothing so that she does not become the main focus due to the male gaze. The girlfriend will be wearing black jeans with rips in the knees as this is a current fashion trend and our target audience will be able to relate to this. Furthermore, we want our artist;s girlfriend to be in a coat and ankle boots as a lot of the filming including her is based outside and we want to replicate dull, boring weather because this is a code and convention of the rap genre.

Lyric Analysis

As a group we have decided to create a music video to the song 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem. We have decided to do this song because it fits in well within the mainstream codes and conventions of a rap music video.

These photos show the analysis that me and my group have done on the lyrics of Lose Yourself.

 

As you can see within the images above of our analysis you can see that we have decided to include three different types of drug into our music video we have decided to use

• Cocaine 
• Ecstasy   
• Marijuana 

We have chosen these to show the bad choices that can be made through the effects of alcohol and what can happen when under the influence. We decided to do this to show that hes only had once chance to sort it out for himself.

As in the current music video by Eminem of Lose Yourself there is a scene which shows fighting which I believe looks effective within the music video so I had the idea to re-create the fight within our music video as this would then have a small aspect of the original video would be in the video which we wish to create. 

Music Video Analysis - Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg - Who am I?

http://youtu.be/-hIjgofcuWU

Within the music video there is a strong reference to dogs which is included into the artists name, this is used continuously throughout the music video which relates well and is effective to the audience.



In this screenshot to the right from the Snoop Dogg music video 'Who am I?' you can see that he is using the reference of his name of 'Snoop Dogg' to include dogs within his music video, this is effective because he is using his name as an additional feature within his music video which relates well to his artist name.

In these two screenshots you can see that they are a few seconds apart as within the music video Snoop Dogg on the top image on the left transforms into the dog which is the bottom image to the left which shows another link to the reference of his name. This works well because the song is also called 'Who Am I?' which resembles he doesn't know who or what he is and could create the effect he does not know if he is human or infact a dog.

In this screenshot to the right  from the music video you can see two male actors laid against a car which is a code and convention of a rap music video, this is effective as it meets the codes and conventions which we have listed and it also shows a rich car which shows a luxurious lifestyle which the artist may have

From analysing this music video there is not a lot of content which I want to include in our music video as I do not believe it would fit in with our idea of our music video.

Music Video Analysis - Eminem

Eminem - The Real Slim Shady

http://youtu.be/eJO5HU_7_1w

Within the Eminem music video of 'The Real Slim Shady' there is a lot of bright colours which goes against the codes and conventions of a rap music video. I believe that he has done this to make his music videos original and unique. This shows that he wanted to stand out within the rap industry to make himself more of a star to the audience as this creates his down individual look. Within this screenshot from the music video you can see that he is in a waiting room at the beginning of the music video which  goes against the codes and conventions of a rap music video as the colouring is usually dull.

In this screenshot of Eminem's music video you can see a photograph of Dr Dre from NWA, through the time of Eminem's video showing this he says that Dr Dre is dead. This is promoting the rap industry within his music video as NWA was a extremely successful rap band a few years ago and are still very well known within the music industry. The NWA image was promoted by a film which was released in 2015 called 'Straight Outta Compton' about the rap band and all the troubles which they faced along the way through the build up too the success and how the rap star life was for them individually and how they all reacted to the new opportunities which they had. I believe including Dr Dre within Eminem's music video was effective because it shows a different rap artist within the industry and it could represent the direction Eminem wanted to go in through his music career by being a successful rap artist.

In the screenshot below of the music video there is a machine within the frame which ordinary people are going into which is shown on the left of the image and then once they come out they are a copy of Eminem as their hair and costume is the same as Eminem's through the video. This abides by Goodwin's theory as he is the main focus within the music video as he is making copies of himself in the video to show his followers and his fans and that he believes he is going to be a large. successful rapper.

Within this screenshot you can see Eminem rapping in a pink coloured room full of men who look like the artist, I believe that this is effective as it creates a clear image of the artist which will leave a lasting impression on the audience and make the artist recognisable to the audience. Having this scene in a pink room goes against the conventions of a rap music video as the colour is usually dull and boring but this scene is different and has a lot of lighting. This is effective as this makes the location of this scene look like they are in an underground subway by the lights and the different pictures which are located around the walls and on the ceiling which creates a messy image for the artist.

In this music video screenshot from The Real Slim Shady, you can see him looking down into the camera which makes the artist look like he has power and it makes the audience feel as if he is talking over them which makes them feel intimidated within this scene. This is powerful as it represents an image of Eminem that he is in control.

Through analysing this music video I like the idea of having the artist looking down on the camera as it makes the artist look powerful and in control of the music video and the people around him. I would like to create something like this within my music video. 

Next Steps

My next steps of our rap music video research is too begin planning my ancillary task with my group, we will do this through the different elements of Mise-en-Scene to plan the correct music video to benefit our group.

Location
Through our ancillary task we have planned to create the images for this around the area of our college of the Bitterne Park, Townhill Park/St Mary's area to be able to create the correct image for our ancillary. We have planned to use the skate park in Woodmill of the Bitterne Park area to create some shots for his to make the right affect for a rap artists digipak and magazine cover. We have decided to use this due to the Eminem poster for his album Recovery and the urban setting which it has on it, we would like to create something like this as this would appeal to the target audience as it fits in with the rap industries current style. In Townhill Park/St Mary's we are planning on taking photographs of a large block of flats to use within our digipak to create a more urban vibe for the audience.

Costume
We would like to have similiar costumes to what is currently being shown in the rap industries music video's as we know this fits in, but also having the artist look like a normal everyday person due to our results of our questionnaire of a lot of people selecting the option for a normal everyday person. This would appeal to our target audience as the large majority of people who answered our questionnaire was within the 17-20 age range which shows a lot of the people who selected a normal everyday person would have been from this age range. We could create this by showing a rapper through their clothing but having their facial appearance look like a normal everyday person.
For example within this photograph of Eminem on the right, he is dressed as an ordinary person but he also has his rap side to him which is clear that he is currently doing.



Style of Rap
We have decided to create a mainstream rap music video as this was the most popular, this has maintained from our initial ideas, I believe that the audience we had answer our questionnaire rated highly on mainstream rap instead of alternative rap because of the Tribe Wired Life Matrix audience we have. I believed this would be rated higher than alternative rap for this reason.

Props
Within our music video we have decided to involve different props which are within the codes and conventions of a rap music video as we have decided to incorporate different types of drunks and alcohol into our music video to fit in with the codes and conventions of a rap music video.

Why?
We have decided to create our music video using these different options through the research of our questionnaires which we sent out. Our final idea of our rap music video is based along side of out questionnaire to be able to meet the requirements of our audience as this shows the different parts which will  meet our target audience in order for our music video to be a success.