Narrative

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin, 1992, is a Music Video Theorist which said "Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements. As consumers, we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds: a music video can anchor meaning and gives the record company/artist a method of anchoring meaning". He believed that it was important for the artist to be involved within the music video by performing or acting as a role within the music video. 

Goodwin states that there is five key aspects to a music video which are;

• Throught though beat (seeing what the lyric mean in your head)
• Relationship between the songs and visuals
• Narrative and performance of the song
• Technical aspect of a music video
• Star image (protagonist), lots of camera shots making him/her centre of attention

Katy Perry

Roar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8 

An example of this is from Katy Perry's music video Roar as she is the main focus in the music video as she is the main actor and is also the singer within the music which makes the music video look more realistic and it is more engaging for the audience. 

Does your music video conform to Goodwin theory?

The music video Roar by Katy Perry conforms to Goodwin's theory as she is the main character within the music video which shows that she is the main focus for the audience as there is only one other person within the music video and he is only shown in the beginning as the main character as such as he is making Katy Perry hold his bags for her and leading the way then he is attacked by a tiger which gives the impression that he has been killed by the animal then it leaves Katy Perry as the only other person in the jungle with all the animals which are shown. The camera shots mainly involve close ups of animals and Katy Perry's face but there is also mid-shots of her when she has a spider just below her shoulder this then shows the fear from the artist.

Ed Sheeran

You Need Me, I Don't Need You - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs 

Does your music video conform to Goodwin theory?

The music example which I have chosen is Ed Sheeran's song 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' as this goes against Goodwin's theory as he is not the main focus within his music video which makes him go against the theory that the artist is the main feature and focus of the music video. This is shown in the video as the main focus is on a young boy who is performing a dance which is mainly with the use of his hands.

Suggest why/why not and how far with media language evidence from the song?

I believe that Ed Sheeran was not shown within this music video as his main focus within the video is on the music not on him, this makes members of the audience focus on the music and the lyrics instead of the artist this shows that he wants members of the audience to listen to the lyrics and understand his story. In the screenshot to the left, you can see the photo of a young boy who is shown throughout the music video and you can also see a screenshot of Ed Sheeran below which is shown at the end, this is the only part within the music video which shows Ed Sheeran.

I would like to use this theory within my rap music video because I believe that this would be effective as having the artist as the main focus as this fits in within the rap industry which would meet the expectations of the rap audience. On the other hand, having this style of music video would also look good within the rap industry as this would be different within the industry and would stand out from the rest by being original and different.

Representation

Ed Sheeran - You  Need Me, I Don't Need You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs 

The artist which I have decided to focus on is Ed Sheeran in his music video of 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' I chose to do this music video as it is within the rap genre but it does not meet all the codes and conventions of a rap music video. 

Who or what is being represented?

Within Ed Sheeran's music video you can see that he is not shown until the final seconds of the music video, throughout the music video Ed Sheeran does not want to be shown throughout his music video as he wants the main focus to be the music and the lyrics, I believe that he has done this to focus more on the music than his own image as a star. The main character within the music video is a different race than Ed Sheeran which shows the different ethnicity within the music video. The actor Lenny Henry, said called for a new law in 2014 for a new legislation to reserve the low percentage of  black and Asian people within TV shows, films and music videos. He said that the situation had "deteriorated badly" as it has fallen significantly, by falling 30.9% between 2006 and 2012  and now make up only 5.4% of the broadcasting workforce. This theory from Lenny Henry works well with this music video as it is a white artist singing the song but the main focus is on a young black male. Within the music video the young boy is interpreting the lyrics through the use of sign language and dance which tells the story through his dance movements as he is not lip singing as he is using his whole body instead of his mouth within the video. This shows that Ed Sheeran did not want a large focus on himself when he first started out as an artist hiding his appearance within his first two music videos of 'The A Team' and 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' as you can only see him at the ending of the music video and throughout the video there are short scenes of mid-shots without Ed Sheeran's head showing within the shot as it just shows him playing his guitar which also implies that he cares more about the music than having his appearance on TV. 

Is this a positive or negative representation?

I believe that this is a positive representation of this life as there is no swearing involved within the music video and the lyrics mention that he has sold out venues and the different places which he has played and that if he isn't there he is in the studio writing more music which shows the great success that he has had. Another reason why this is a positive representation is that it does not mention sex, drugs and swearing whereas other rap genre music videos involve a lot of the above and strong references to money and cars but Ed Sheeran did not involve any of this within his rap music video which gives a positive representation of the rap industry and for Ed Sheeran which can promote his image. 

Is this what the audience would expect?

I don't believe that this song is what the audience would expect for a rap song as other rap artists such as Eminem have a lot of swearing involved in them and they have a key theme of life struggles, drugs, cars and women but within Ed Sheeran's song you do not hear any offensive language or the lyrics involving a few of the codes and conventions of a rap music video but not them all which makes this song different to others.

Through my research of the representation of Ed Sheeran's music video 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' I learnt that about the different things which can be represented within a music video. 

Music Video Analysis - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran - You need me, I don't need you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs 

Within the music video by Ed Sheeran for his song 'You need me, I don't need you' you can see many different features of the music video that have been used. Such as Mise-en-Scene, camera work, editing and sound.

Mise-en-Scene
Within the music video Mise-en-Scene is used alot to create a successful music video, the use of costume through the music video shows that the main use of clothing is plain, as you can see in the image below that the boy who is shown throughout the music video is wearing plain looking clothing as he is wearing black jeans and a black jacket over the top of a patterned shirt which is the only use of strong detail within the music video which is being covered up. This could be that Ed Sheeran believes that he is different but he doesn't know if he can show it so he shows a small part of it and keeps the rest hidden.

Camera Work
The camera work used within the music video is mainly strong uses of long shots and close ups of the people within the music video as you can see that there is a long shot of the boy who is shown throughout the video and a close up of the artists chest area showing him playing his guitar, this could show that he wanted to be seen in the music video but he didn't want a large focus on himself so there is short clips if Ed Sheeran which are rare in this music video. To the right you can see the image showing the close up of Ed Sheeran playing his guitar within his music video and below you can see the young boy in this long shot which is shown a lot within the music video.

Editing
Throughout the music video it is in black and white which shows dull and dark colouring and you cannot make out what colour clothing the young boy is wearing within the music video. Ed Sheeran also done this through his first single of  'The A Team' as the video was also filmed in black and white the same as this one and he was not shown in the music video, another artist that does this currently is Sia, in her two hit videos 'Chandelier' and 'Elastic Heart' where a young girl is dressed as her through the music videos and dances. I believe that this is effective because the audience do not see the face of the real artist which may want them to listen to more music created by the artist.



This image shows the young boy in Ed Sheeran's music video of 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' shows that the main spot light is on the young boy instead of Ed Sheeran.

This image is also from an Ed Sheeran music video which shows Rupert Grint acting as him within his video of  'Lego House'. I believe that Ed Sheeran to play him in this music video due to the similarities which they have such as their ginger hair.

These image shows the young girl who dances through Sia's music videos of 'Chandelier' and 'Elastic Heart' shows that this young girl is within both music videos.








Sound
The sound created through Ed Sheeran's music video appears to come from his guitar after it is shown a couple of times throughout the music video, the music also sounds like it only comes from a guitar which shows the strong amount of talent that Ed Sheeran has.

Genre Conventions
This music video only matches a few Rap music video conventions as there is dull colouring but there is no large focus on drugs, money or women which show that this is not a full rap song and that it is a chart song aswell.

What pleasures does it offer?
I believe that this music video shows an emotional pleasure as the song is about his life achievements and that he has realised that they need him and that he doesn't need him and that he is happy do to it alone as it is what he loves. Through the music video the talks about different venues which he has done through the process of his career.

While I was analysing this video I liked the idea of keeping the main artist hidden throughout the music video but I do not believe this would be good within a mainstream rap music video as this would not meet the codes and conventions of a mainstream rap music video which may make it harder to fit into the chosen audience market.

Conventions

Conventions of a Music Video

I have created a Prezi to show the conventions of a music video which you would be created by the artist, this shows different features which may have to consider when making a music video.
These conventions of a music video would be seen in a lot of music videos of different types of genres.

Conventions of a Rap Music Video

I have also created a Prezi to show the conventions a Rap Music Video this shows all the different themes and features which many have to be considered throughout the making. The clothing of the artists is a key feature of the music video as they are commonly known to have tracksuits or american jersey's on which make the artist seem like they are powerful and mean what they are saying.

Within my rap music video I will ensure that the conventions of this are met by providing the correct costumes, props and background. I believe this will make a successful rap music video as it will fit in with the rap industry. 

Genre Research - Rap

Rick Altman (1999)
Rick Altman is a theorist which argued that genre offers audiences 'a set of pleasures'. His theory includes three different pleasures which the audience may feel towards a music video, the three different pleasures are; emotional, visceral and intellectual.

Emotional Pleasures
The emotional pleasures are when a music video uses different features to pull on the emotional strings of the human body to experience an emotional pleasure due to the music video. This could be from a sad music video such as 'See you Again' which was wrote by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth for the actor Paul Walker after he passed away in a car crash which was emotional for Paul Walker and The Fast and The Furious fanatics.

Visceral Pleasures
Visceral pleasures are defined by the physical effect to the audience, this can be either revulsion, kinetic speed which has a physical effect on the audience.

Intellectual Pleasures
Intellectual pleasures is from being surprised by the unexpected in a music video.

What genre is your media text?

The genre which I have chosen is Rap, this is because the industry for Rap music is continuing to grow larger.

How does the genre make you feel?

The genre that I have chosen is a relatable genre as people who have experienced hard ship can relate to rap lyrics who have gone through life struggles themselves, this can be seen as inpirational to people who have had hard ship as they always explain the story behind them and how they have achieved what they can.

What are the main codes and conventions of the genre?

The main codes and conventions of a Rap music video is to have a lot of different camera shots on the same things such as the artists clothes and dancing. Through the different camera shots

Clothes

Clothes on the artist and people within Rap music videos are usually dresses in track suits and jerseys, this is to show a message to the audience to show that they can afford expensive clothing which makes the artist look more 'bad' and 'hard'.

Dance

Within Rap music videos there is usually street dance within the music video. I believe this is th beets type of dance to have within a Rap music video because it makes the video stand out.

Lighting

Within rap music videos there is usually dull lighting with a spot light or a main light on the artist so that the main focus is on the artist.

Through my genre research of rap I have learnt the different elements within a rap music video such as the clothing, dancing and lighting to be able to make a successful music video. From this research I will ensure to keep the artist dressed within stereotypical clothing for a rap star this is usually track suits, jerseys, hats and loads of 'bling'. 

Music Label Research - Rap

The genre of music which I have selected to study is Rap. I have also chosen three different institutions that produce Rap music for artists within the industry. 

The three different institutions which I have selected are; Stange Music, Shady Records and Doggystyle Records.

Strange Music

Strange Music is an independent American record label which was founded by Tech N9ne and his business partner Travis O'Guin in 1999. The record label is located in the United States, over the years they have worked with a lot of artists such as Krizz Kaliko who joint the record label in 2006 and has made 5 albums with Strange Music's record label. The founder Tech N9ne has created 15 albums through the use of his music label record. 

Shady Records

Shady Records is an American record label founded in 1999 by the hit rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenburg, Shady Records was launched after Eminems successful release of his second album The Slim Shady. The record label are located in the United States, New York. Eminem has created 7 albums through he use of his record label Shady, 50 Cent is a former act of Shady, he joint the label in 2002 and left in 2014 after making 4 albums with the record label. 

Doggystyle Records

Doggystyle Records which is also known as Dogghouse Records is an American record label located in the United States, California, which was founded by Snoop Dogg in 1995 and is named after Snoop Dog's debut album Doggystyle. Some of the artists which have worked with Doggystyle Records, is 213, D.P.G.C and Warzone who was successful with this music label. The record label have also worked with guest producers such as Dr. Dre. 

Through my music label research for the rap genre if I created a rap musiv video I would want to partner up with 'Shady Records' as this is a well known music label as it was created by the rap star Eminem which makes it well known around the rap industry to other artists and the audience which would give a large boost for a new rap song. 

Music Video Analysis - Tech N9ne

For my A2 Media project I have chosen is Music Video to analyse, I have chosen this because I believe it will be an enjoyable topic to focus on and I can also use my current knowledge within music which could help me through the process of my research of creating a music video.

Tech N9ne - Aw Yeah

http://youtu.be/Sxks3Z6QByc

In this video you can see that all the cast within the music video have face paint on the same as everyone else while all in the same clothes. This shows that the main focus is on the artist by having everyone else within the video looking the same as the artist. The screenshot below shows that a s the song starts you can see the artist in the front of the frame standing out to the rest of the screen, this makes the video look like a lot of time and effort went into making this video because of the large detail on their faces. 

The music video was set in a factory and the only source of light seemed to come from cancels which the artist raps infront off. It creates a miserable feel as the factory is so dark and looks like he is in an abandoned building which makes the audience have a mysterious feel with the music video. The screenshot shows the candels which have been lit with the artist in the background which show the main focus of lighting is from the candels.

The only use of colour is on the hoodie of the artist, this stands out a lot in the music video because of the dull lighting, this then makes the hoodie of the artist stand out from the rest of the background due to the dull colouring through the setting. I believe that this is effective because the main focus is on the artist which is powerful within a Rap music video.

In this music video I like the different features of the music video of the low lighting and the strong focus on the candles when the artist is standing in front of them while performing the song. Also in the final image above where the only colour is shown on the artists body which makes him the main focus point so the audience are drawn to him. I would like to create something like this in my music video because I think that it would make it an effective music video.

My New Genre

After all the research I done with the music genre of House, I have decided to use the research I have done and change my music genre to Rap as my knowledge of this area is higher which would mean I could input more into my work.

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