The role I will be tackling during the pre-lim task is the camera operator. I will be responsible for capturing different types of shots instructed by the cinematographer. My role will involve filming the music video using different angles, locations and shots ready for the video to be edited and published. This will be a vital part in the turn out of our video and is also a highly challenging task due to the nature and the intensity of the task at hand. However, I believe I am capable of taking this role as I have an already existing knowledge on the equipment will be using as I have got the experience to use the camera in the past.
A camera operator
Members roles - pre-lim
Callum - Callum will be taking on the role of a director for the pre-lim task.He will be leading the group when planning, creating, and producing the music video. Callum's main tasks will consist of organizing props, actors, and where we will be filming.
Rajvinder - Rajvinder will be taking on the role as produce during the pre-lim task. she will have to complete objectives set by Callum to ensure that our video is produced on time for any deadlines we encounter. For example, if Callum wants a specific person to act in our video, Rajvinder will get the person that suits our specific needs. Rajvinder will also have the ability to make vital decisions on how we make the music video
Jacob - Jacob will be taking on the role of Director of photography during the pre-lim task. He will decide which type of shots we need to take, taking into account the angle, height and position of the camera. After this, Jacob will inform the camera operator (me) to capture the shot he wants. Note
These roles are only for the Pre-lim task therefore, members roles are not finale for the main task What I have learnt so far
During the process of organizing the roles and responsibilities within our group, I have realized how important each role is in the creation of the music video. This is definitely an area which we will pay attention to when planning the main task.
There are many different codes and conventions for the rap genre. These range from generic conventions to conventions associated with a specific artist, and even different codes and conventions of the different eras of rap.
Codes and conventions list
Gang Culture - Gang culture is a key convention displayed in rap. This has been key throughout raps history and is still a key aspect of rap in today's era which is the late 2000s.
American struggle - This specific theme is present in a lot of rap videos and lyrics. However, in the late 2000s this specific theme seems to be fading as glamour, money/ luxury life style is becoming more popular in today's rap music.
Bling - Although contrasting to the American struggle, bling (jewellery) was very popular back in the 1980's which is a huge contrast to the themes they talk about, as bling shows wealth. However, this could act as a message to viewers demonstrating how you're life can change drastically.
Urban locations - Urban locations such as cities are a key feature in a rap music video. This is because they are able to showcase the different range of cultures such as gang culture. In American rap, city's such as Compton are featured heavily and is normally the main focus point for LA rappers.
A picture of Los Angeles at night
Props - Guns, drugs, cars and jewellery are huge iconic symbols of the rap genre. Props such as Guns and Drugs help display the ruthlessness of gang culture and cars and jewellery portray the opposite, Luxury. This also displays evidence of Levi's theory of binary opposites. Props such as bling were a common convention in the 1980's and also are still used today by a few selected artists such as Fetty Wap.
A picture of the artist Fetty Wap wearing bling
Colour - Black, white, blue and red are all conventional colours used in music videos as well as album covers. Black and white colours represent the grittiness of the artists lifes and the blue and red colours could represent gang culture. This is due to the compton gangs like the crips and the bloods who have a fierce rivalry between each other. These colours symbolise this as the crips represent the blue and the red represents the bloods.
How rap has changed since 2010
Since 2010, rap has in some cases diverted from it's roots and has incorporated new elements into it for example, certain artists are using more of pop music culture into the music, and conventions such as guns are being seen less and less. However, a large majority still oblige by the old structure and foundations of rap music, as seen by a recent music video, 100 by the game. In this music video, we can still see evidence of gang culture, shown by the colour red which represents the bloods (a notorious L.A gang), and their gang symbols shown through their hand gestures. We can also still see elements of bling, like the gold necklaces around their necks, as well from over rap stars like Fetty Wap and drake.
Summary - What I have learnt so far
Overall, genre conventions in from different eras, are still consistently being used in todays modern rap to a certain extent. As the years have past, some conventions have faded away such as bling, however, this seems to have been released by physical money which symbolises the same thing, luxury and wealth. On the other hand, some rap stars still use older conventions to this day for example, Fetty was with bling and The game with gang culture.
The style I would prefer to recreate for our main music video task, would be the newer style, as it still includes older elements of rap like bling but, introduces new elements that would work well with the facilities we have. For example, we could include the music studio into our music video, as a lot of current artists contain images of them working in the studio, therefore we will be able to conform to modern and older conventions better than just older conventions.
There are three types of narratives in music videos. These narratives are linear, circular and episodic. each of these narratives contain their own unique style and structure which can be seen when watching different music videos.
Linear Narrative
This is the structure of the linear Narrative
A linear Narrative is similar to a film as it has a clear beginning and end and shows the events leading up to the finale. This is a great narrative to tell a story as you can create a clear storyline that viewers get to make sense of due to its simplistic structure.
Circular Narrative
This is how a Circular Narrative is structured.
The circular narrative is a bit more complex than a linear narrative as its more abstract and fragmented. Although the circular narrative is least common of the three, it is mainly used to advertise the star/artist which is what a lot of record labels like to do.
Episodic Narrative
The episodic narrative is the most fragmented and abstract narrative. This is because the narrative is broken up into different events that take place in different times. For example, it could show an event that took place in the past even if the event before hand was in the present. This type of narrative is also one of the most common as it can be used to create a brand image and advertise the star as well Narrative theories Propp - Propps theory states that there are multiple different character types that are reflected in films and music videos. Some of these character types are The hero (who is on the quest), The villain (who opposes the hero) and the princess (who is the reward for the hero) Levi-Straus - Levi's theory is about binary oppositions. An example of this would be night and day or/and good and bad. Levi states that binary opposites tended to structure stories in some shape or form. Todorov - Todorov suggests that there are five stages to a narrative. These are equilibrium, a disruption of the equilibrium, a realisation that a disruption has happened, an attempt to repair the damage, and a restoration of the equilibrium. This can be seen at the start of the music video for stan where the equilibrium is broken, and Stan attempts to repair it by getting Eminem's attention. Roland Barthes - barthes concept is negotiated meaning. This is when readers/viewers make up their own meanings to the text as they can relate to it in someway.
Eminem - Stan music video analysis
Analysis In eminems music video, the narrative structure is a mixture between linear and episodic. The narrative is linear at the start as it shows a clear beginning and the events that take place leading up to eminems concert scene where it becomes a bit more abstract therefore, episodic. We can see this as stan keeps on having flashbacks of when eminem rejected him at his own shows with his little brother. This is a vital part in the story as it shows key events that happened in the past which ultimately has a huge impact in the ending of the video. However, after this the structure returns to linear as it shows the events leading up to the end in chronological order, therefore creating a clear plot that viewers can understand. The linear narrative can be seen through the use of camera work as they use longer takes at the beginning. For example, when the camera enters the room (tracking shot) through the window and during the toilet scene, longer takes are used to show a slow progression in the storyline. Then when the episodic narrative starts, faster paced editing and shorter cuts are used to show the different events leading up to the end quicker. The episodic narrative has been used during this sequence of scenes as it allows us to see the hard hitting encounters with Eminem which gives context and makes the story understandable for the viewer. Fast paced editing is also used to show Stans irrational thoughts when driving to his death as the quick cuts creates intensity and tension which gives us an idea that Stan isn't "right in the head" which ultimately leads to his and his girlfriends death, as well as his unborn child. This also becomes evident when Eminem says the line "You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counselling" which confirms our believes that Stan needs help. These narratives are not conventional for the rap genre, however for Eminem, they are very conventional as he likes to tell a story in his lyrics and on video and by using this structure, Eminem can do exactly that.
Even though this is a video that follows a strong storyline, its hard to apply Propps character types which isn't conventional for this type of narrative as normally, they contain more character types than other narratives. However, you could say that Stan is the hero as he's on a "quest" to get Eminem's attention and become like him but he ends up killing the princess who is meant to be a reward for the hero so this character convention is broken. Propps theory is very limiting to understanding the types of characters that you get in music video's, especially one as unique and as contemporary as Eminem. This could be due to characters becoming more complex and not your generic typical character type that follows the conventions of a specific type.
Eminem's performance in this music video strongly shows how Richard Dyer's star theory is implemented into the music industry. Richard Dyer suggests that stars are constructed/manufactured to represent "real people" experiencing real emotions. We can see that Eminem is portrayed to be a "real person" as the use of medium shots as well as close ups clearly express his emotions about Stan well. At the end of the video, when Eminem realises what Stan has committed, close up shots enhance the emotions of guilt as we can understand what Eminem must feel like. This is because guilt is a very relatable emotion as almost everyone has experienced it allowing Eminem to be portrayed as a "real person". Richard Dyer then suggests that this is done to create sales and generate revenue for the institutions as people will buy more songs as they are relatable. This proves Richard Dyers theory as seen in this video, as institutions choose the linear narrative to construct a story as it is able to achieve this effect stated in Richard Dyers theory.
What I have learnt so far?
I have gained knowledge on the different types of narrative's and how they are used by the artists/institutions. For example, institutions will mainly use the circular narrative as it shows of the artist creating more revenue for the business. However, an artists like Eminem, wants to show his music as a type of art form therefore, going with a narrative that shows a clear story such as episodic, or linear narratives. This also helps my group decide on what narrative we should use for our music video.
Rick Altman states that there are three types of genre pleasures. Each one of these are Visceral pleasure, Intellectual pleasure and Emotional pleasure.
Visceral - The first pleasure is Visceral which is the videos stylistic construction that triggers a physical effect upon the viewers. For example, feeling sick.
Intellectual - Intellectual pleasure is experienced through the mind. Things such as puzzles create mystery which stimulates the mind. This pleasure is created through trying to uncover the plot and make sense of the narrative during a music video.
Emotional - Emotional pleasure is when the video creates a strong audience response which creates uncontrollable emotions.
A good rap artist to analysis Rick Altman's three genre pleasures is Eminem as he always tells a story through lyrics and the camera and therefore, its easy to identify the three pleasures of Rick Altman's theory. Today, we are going to be analysing Eminem's song called "Not Afraid".
Eminem - Not afraid - music video
Visceral pleasure in the video - In the music video, a very strong and powerful story is told of struggle and how to overcome it. This creates very powerful emotions which can trigger physical effects for the viewers such as being motivated and acting upon that. This effect is mainly told through the use of lyrics, as well as visuals like the storm, as it is used to imply messages about poverty, and people from the same background as Eminem can relate to this. This is also part of Richard Dyers theory where he talks about Stars being represented as "real people", as this allows the spectator to connect more with the artist. For example, the lyrics "Yeah, it's been a ride I guess I had to, go to that place, to get to this one Now some of you, might still be in that place if your trying to get out, just follow me I'll get you there" This lyric states the start of our journey with eminem himself.
Intellectual pleasure in the video - This is a key concept during this music video as it contains a strong plot, thats about the struggles of life (Especially his life) and the ideologies behind it. This is shown through the storm (mise-en-scene) during the video, as it expresses difficulties about living in poverty struck area. Therefore, viewers will find it interesting to uncover the messages behind it and start to understand the story behind Eminem, and the messages and values he is trying the express during the music video. Eminem portrays his messages in an unconventional way compared to others in the rap industry. Typically, rappers would include cinematography of poverty, for example, area's of Detroit. This is not the case with Eminem's work, as he includes the same messages, but with subtle techniques, that symbolise themes of poverty instead of implying it directly to the spectator. This is created through the performance and narrative of the video, which eminem tells a story through acting and his lyrics.
Emotional pleasure in the video - This pleasure comes from mainly being able to relate to the viewers as the emotions that the video creates will effect the viewer in a deeper and more powerful way. Eminem puts across emotions of fear, desire and determination that help build on the message of overcoming challenges and the struggles that not so fortunate people might have to deal with on a day to day basis. These messages, are shown through lyrics, and miss-en-scene. The lyrics "yeah, it's been a ride I guess I had to, go to that place, to get to this one Now some of you, might still be in that place if your trying to get out, just follow me I'll get you there". This could create intense emotions to the E1/D2 spectators, as they could have experienced similar situations to what Eminem is talking about, therefore, will feel more moved and engaged to what Eminem is saying in his lyrics.
What I have learnt so far
I have learnt about Rick Altman's theory and the three types of pleasures he states in the theory. I can now start to think how I will embed this theory into our music video to help create these three different genre pleasures for the viewers. This is best done when the material can relate to a person/ the viewers as they can understand the idea's and messages we are producing.
Andrew Goodwin's theory states and describes different features of music videos. These are the different typical genre characteristics that each music genre has. For example, in the rap genre, a typical characteristic would be the use of flashy car, sexualising women and the use of weapons such as guns.
Here is a stereotypical shot that a rap music video would include.
This can be seen in the use of the red Mercedes 300 gullwing and
the person holding a handgun, which resembles violence.
Andrew Goodwins theory describes five key aspects to a music video which are...
-Thought beats - visualising the sound
- Narrative and performance
-Relation of the visuals to the song
-The star image
-Technical aspect of a music video
In the music video I first analysed, all these five key aspects are visible in the video. For example, Asap Rocky (The star) is portrayed in a way that suits the characteristics of the rap genre, and not necessarily his personality in real life. This can be seen in the use of golden jewellery, which puts enthuses and shows off the fact that he is rich. This then starts to create the stars image of what the artist wants the viewers to see him as creating his overall star image.
Asap using jewellery and cars to portray a image to the viewers that
he is clearly wealthy.
Relation of the visuals to the song can be seen during this video. Lamborghini's play a big part of the music video as there are full scenes just focused on the car itself. This is relatable to the songs title and lyrics as the artists mention the brands manufacture name multiple times in the songs lyrics.
The narrative doesn't really tell a story in this video, as the lyrics don't enable it to. The lyrics seem to be very repetitive and this goes along with the episodic narrative as it brings back the same ideas and choruses over and over again.Unlike the rap genre, its easier to tell a story through something like a love song as its very generic and easy to do. This is why theres such a vast amount of music videos/songs centred around the theme of love because its simple. However, performance was a key factor in the video as there is a huge focus around the main artist as well as the other performers during this video as the camera is using the stars as the centre of attention due to the long amount of camera time the star receives.
The technical aspect to a music video is also very important. This includes things such as mine-en-scene, Lighting, camera work and editing. As you can see from this specific music video, editing was a vital asset in the production of the video. Editing has been used to create a different atmosphere to the video by changing the form of natural colours into unnatural colours.
As you can see from this image, the editing places us in a alien environment as we find the colours strange and uncomfortable. They also merge overlapped clips with static effects that gives us a unusual experience when watching the video.
What I have learnt from analysing this video.
From this music video, I can clearly see that star image is an important factor when creating a rap music video. The camera shots must be mainly focused around the star however, can briefly cut to other scenes that do not include the star just to give the video a bit more flow. I have also noticed the the variety in camera shots is extremely important as different shots and angles keep the viewer entertained and interested in the video. Performance is also key as the artist has got to look the part. This can be achieved by excellent lip syncing as well as movement such as dancing and other activities.
A image that has been purposely distraught for the
music video
Ofcom are a organisation that regulates all content released and put onto the media such as music videos, radio shows and TV shows. The regulations set by Ofcom must be followed and met the criteria expected by Ofcom. If the material breaks the regulations, Ofcom could ban the material. One regulation is the "protecting under-eighteens" code which states that "Material that might seriously impair the psychical, mental or moral development of people under the age of eighteen must not be shown. This can be hard hitting on some music genres such as rap as it portrays a life style that Ofcom do not accept as it could have a negative influence on children due to behaviours such as physical violence being glorified in the song lyrics/music videos. This behaviour could be portrayed through lyrics or symbolic objects associated with violence such as guns or drugs.
I have also gathered research findings from online articles that contain key information on why regulations are important. Livestrong.com suggest that rap can have negative influence on younger children and therefore, Ofcom's regulations can protect these children from being exposed to these negative influences. One of the findings this article mentions is from the Florida International University, where they found that the presents of sexual lyrics and images resulted in the viewers more likely to engage in sexually risky behaviour themselves.
Livestrong.com showcase how rap can influence kids behaviours and suggests why Ofcom is a important institution to have
What I have Learnt so far
I have an improved understanding of how Ofcom operates and the regulations that the music industry have to abide by. It's clear that Ofcom are here to protect us from sensitive subject matters and ones that can cause harm to ourselves and others. They also have the power to remove any content deemed unsuitable within a music video such as lyrics or the video itself.
Colour - The colour used for the video were all really bright, vibrant and stand out colours such as orange, blue, red, yellow and pink. This provokes an unusual emotional response (Rick Altman 1999) of a sort of happiness due to the bright colours and what they are associated with. For example, the CGI editing (although unconventional to the rap genre) gives of the idea of "being on a high" which is conventional to the rap genre as it suggests ideas about drug use and taking drugs, all of which are heavily linked to the rap genre and are commonly used conventions.
Costume - The video consists of various different outfits, ranging from army camouflage jackets/trousers to dressing gowns. Also, along with the costumes, props (such as jewelry) are also worn that shows off the flashy and rich life style these rappers live. The army camouflage outfits could also symbolise violence and terror, as it is associated with conflict mainly due to the war against terrorism which is shown a lot through media outlets. However, this can also be seen as a contradiction, and subverts conventions to some extent because the army is about discipline, and expect the highest standards of behaviour, and rapping in a music video is the complete opposite of their expectations. This serves as a deliberate contradiction to provoke the viewers to think they are breaking rules, and this is a common theme in the genre - to be edgy.
Costumes are also used to objectify women such as the red robe and bikini in the video. This suggests connotations of love and lust as well as being showing a lot of skin which is used to get sexual attention from the viewers the achieve pleasure. This is suggested by Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory which suggests women are sexualised to satisfy mens sexual pleasures and desires. As well as this, it also degrades women's statuses and implies a wrong image of women to men, which is another common aspect of the rap genre. These costumes are also directly linked to the lyrics where he says "Bitches bitches bitches" which creates intentional sexual remarks and suggests that women are some sought of sexual slave to men as it lowers there status in the music video. However, women are also dressed in army camouflage, which suggests equality as they are wearing the same as the males. This also gives women power as it suggests they are also capable to inflict fear and power. This can also be seen in McRobbie's theory where she suggests that women are not of lower status if they use their sexuality to their advantage to gain what they want. Men are, however, shown to be of the highest status as they are the only ones who sing/rap during the video and are shown from a lower angle shot presenting them as more powerful and dominant.
Props - Props such as expensive cars (Lamborghini) are shown through out the music video to again show the expensive and luxurious life style commonly associated with this music genre. This also is a contrast to the life that the use to live We also see images of people holding up guns which represents the dangers of this life style and the gang culture that is associated and portrayed in this video. These props are used in videos as gang culture is a huge influence to their life style as well as being a convention to the genre. They also use these weapons to show how hard their life wars and to display some of the struggles they went through in life such as violence and crime and this also suggests that they want to show a contrast to what their past was like compared there present which shows off how much they have achieved.
Editing
The editing used within the music video is fast paced for the majority of it. This type of pace could be used to represent an extreme type of life style that involves danger. This can be assumed as typically, fast paced editing is generally used during action sequences in movies or TV programs which contain violence to some extent. Therefore, when fast paced editing is used, it creates connotations of danger and violence which when used in a music video, it shows off the rap lifestyle as thrilling and intense.
Lyrics
The lyrics used in this song are mainly used to glamorize his life style and the rap music genre. This is very stereotypical of the rap music genre as these types of lyrics are highly associated with the music genre. The lyrics "B****** b****** b******" and f***" is degrading to women and does not represent the modern values of equality and respect.
Camerawork
During the music video, there is a vast variety of shots used throughout the video that show meaning. One shot that is commonly used throughout this video, is the close up shot of the main star. The close up shot helps the institutions create a star image/persona for the artist as it can reveal their actions and emotions better given the viewer an understanding of the artist that the institution wants us to see. This is also part of Andrew Goodwin's theory about the five key aspects of a music video and star image is one of the five. This states that star image is constructed through the music video and we can see evidence of this during the Yamborghini High video.
Narrative
This video follows the circular narrative as it is mainly used for advertising the main star which we can see due to close ups (camera work) used in the video. The ending of the video is at the beginning stage which is also a trait for the circular narrative.
Sound
Sound is the most important part of music. As well as being the sound of the music, in this video they also include sound effects such as car noises. This sound effect has been chosen carefully as it matches the video due to the scenes of cars driving, but also the lyrics as well when they mention Lamborghini. The race car type sounds glamourise the cars and make it more appealing to the stereotypical viewer who likes rap as they tend to want the same luxury's as well.
What I have learnt so far
It appears that micro elements in music videos a key in sending across complex messages to the viewers. Micro elements are a vital aspect when creating and producing a music video as rap music delivers a themes of violence, poverty, luxury and many more. Therefore, each of the elements such as Mise-en-scene, editing and camera work have to work together to create these themes. This is displayed well as editing during this video implies the affect of a "high" and as we know, drugs are a huge convention of the rap genre.
Rajvinder - Rajvinder will be taking on the role as produce during the pre-lim task. she will have to complete objectives set by Callum to ensure that our video is produced on time for any deadlines we encounter. For example, if Callum wants a specific person to act in our video, Rajvinder will get the person that suits our specific needs. Rajvinder will also have the ability to make vital decisions on how we make the music video
Jacob - Jacob will be taking on the role of Director of photography during the pre-lim task. He will decide which type of shots we need to take, taking into account the angle, height and position of the camera. After this, Jacob will inform the camera operator (me) to capture the shot he wants.
