Focus group - Devlin - Marching through the fog

Marching through the fog is a song by urban music artist Devlin from his latest album Bud, sweat, tears. The video uses a very gritty theme which uses violence and shows many typical scenes that you'd expect from the genre. The main narrative of the music video is basically what Deviln's life has been like. It shows him showing no fear when facing certain or near death and how he overcomes and fights back.


Genre characteristics -

The video uses many different enviorments and it works well as it portrays the song very well. It uses urban enviorments from London that look very gritty and dark and works well. The dress code is very typical also. Devlin himself is wearing a tracksuit and trainers and the other people is wearing similar i.e hoodies, jeans, trainers.

What is there a relationship between lyrics and visuals? - During the chorus of the song it says "Has Devlin gone soft, does Devlin think he’s bad, nah he thinks he’s at the top," and during this chorus Devlin is one person swearing and shouting at a group of thugs who are looking to do him some damage.  What is the relationship between music and visuals? -When he emerges from the fog the beat of the song builds up to imply that something is about to emerge.  Are there any close-ups of the artist and star image motifs? - Yes, the music video close-ups of Devlin mostly show him lip syncing to the song in the way that he does with is arm moving etc. This could show his passion for music and what he does for a living and that he's trying to portray that to the audience.
 

 

Focus group - P Money - Slang like this

Slang like this is a Grime genred music video which features P Money. The video is a typical of a grime video where it incorporates estates and very urban areas though it doesn't use the gritty dark side of grime. The song maintains a very light mood which is done when the song goes to the chourus and you see many diverese people of all races and colour. The video doesn't have any narrative structure and most of the camera shots follow P Money and he's walking thorugh the different urban enviorments.

Genre characteristics - 

The music video uses the very typical Grime scenes which incorporate estates and alleyways littered with graffiti. Also the people who star in the video is what you would call typical of the genre with a few exceptions, you mainly have young male and females that are wearing urban clothing which you'd associate with Grime. P Money and other grime artists like D Double E.

Are there any relationships between visuals and lyrics? -
Yes there are, during the chorus the video has the words being lip synced by a diverse range of people as well as the main artist P Money. This could incorporate part of the chorus as well as the song name which is "We speak in slang like this", "Slang like this".

Are there any relationships between the music and lyrics? -
Not really, the song maintains a light grimey beat which is mostly lip synced to. Other than that beat does have a dancey theme to it where the people on screen dance and bop to the beat, an example of this would be toward the end were the instrumental is playing and P Money is bopping away to the beat.


Are there any close-ups of the artist and star image motifs? - Yes, throughout the music video there are several close-ups of the people in the video during the main parts and chrous. But mostly the close-up shots are of P Money and D Double E. There is also a bit are the start where the camera see P Money walking through a tunnel and as he gets closer to the camera it changes to a track shot + mid shot.

Focus group - Skepta - Mike Lowery

Mike Lowery is a Grime music video from artist Skepta from his album "Doin it again". The video incorporates many unconventional scenes but still maintain a deep and hectic grime beat. The main narrative of the video is sort of a thriller where a person posts abusive language about the artist in question and comes to kidnap to torture them in Saw-esque way. The video starts of with a person on his laptop writing "F**K SKEPTA" then his doorbell rings, as he opens the door Skepta appears and takes him to a warehouse where he gets tortured for his actions. 
Genre characteristics -General - The video uses a very unconventional scenes and theme for what a grime video is or conveys. The video uses a thriller theme where the main artist takes the role of a kidnapper and tortures his victims. Although the song itself does go with the video.
Detailed - Very deep grime beat which gives of a very dark gritty feel. 
General - Door bell at the beginning and door slamming at the end has exact on screen visuals.
General - Yes there are several close-ups and mid-shots of the artist Skepta.
Detailed - They show him in different angles to portray different meanings. For example they show him in some low angle
Are there any intertextual references? - General - Yes, during the video whilst he's torturing one of his victims the camera does a close-up of his "Boy Better Know" chain which of course refers to the label which he and JME run "BBK".
Detailed - References to other members of BBK.
Is it performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based? how much of each? - General - It is narrative based as there is a sort of story to it as Skepta takes the role of a kidnapper/torturer.
Detailed -  The video then shows that Skepta has many people in captivity. 

Music Genre Research - Dubstep

Dubstep is a new style of urban music that came into prominence in the early 2000's. It originated in London and stems from many other urban genres from the UK. It sometimes is regularly featured on many radio stations such as Tim Westwood's 1xtra and Radio 1. It has been described as a mix between grime and 2-step with some of the grime scene popular artists making the odd tune in the dubstep genre such as P Money and JME.

The characteristics of dubstep include sounds and beats from other genre's such as UK Garage and grime. Sometimes and often in present day, music videos use dubstep elements or a whole dubstep beat for their music video. Many perceive dubstep as a fusion genre which can be mixed and used to make entirely creative, fresh and funky soundtracks and beats.

Present day dubstep has had mainstream popular success with many o mainstream artists using the dubstep vibe in their songs. Also the dubstep genre has been popular for theme songs of tv shows, the main example being Channel 4's Dubplate Drama.

How are artists work promoted?

There are many ways an artists work can be promoted, these methods include mainstream TV, posters, billboards etc. The reason that an artists work will be promoted could be for different reasons. These reasons can include:

-       To boost an artists sales in terms of albums.

-       To popularise an artist so he/she would be an influential and iconic person to a certain target group.

-       To get artists in to shows to further promote them.

-       Many times an artist would be promoted so he/she can be signed to a major label.

-       If an artist brings in a new sound then they will be further promoted as the music industry knows that they will be successful as well as influential.

There are also other reasons why artists will be promoted. Positively there are a number of methods that can be used to promote an artist. These methods are used very strategically and effectively so that they produce results to a maximum level. The methods used or can be used are:

• TV Commercials – TV commercials can be used to promote an artists album, shows etc. TV commercials can be seen as an effective method to use to promote an artists work as it reaches out and promotes on a mass scale. It is also effective as many people get to familiarise with the artist.
• Brand Association – By associating an artist with a big brand it can popularise an artist as it allows the market that are familiar with the big brand to become familiar with the artist.
• Posters, Billboards, Newspapers etc. – These methods of promotion are useful as it can also reach a wide range of the target market which can create a lot more awareness for he artist.
• Shows – Doing shows is an important part of an artists career, not only is it because of the revenue that a show can generate for an artist but also because of the turn up numbers, the more people that turn up for the artists shows means the more people that know about the artists or will know about the artist as the show can generate more marketing, through word of mouth. The more people talk about the artist the more promotion they will be getting.
• Tours – Tours around different countries is a more common way for a major record label to promote their artists work, this is because tours include doing shows which creates awareness of the artist, not only this but doing shows in different countries means the artist would be promoted and known in different countries which results in the artists being known on an international level. 

Music Videos and Lip Synching

Many artists use lip synching to make their music videos, lip synching is when the artist would synch their words/lips with the words from the chosen track. Once the lip synching process has been recorded the editor would cut the background sound from the clips recorded and drop in the chosen track by the artist, whilst editing the music video. The reason that artists use this is to symbolise the fact that they are the artist that had produced this track, this is an important factor when promoting an artists albums, shows, and the artist themselves. The reason that this is an important factor is because when the audience watch the music video’s produced by the artist they are more likely to purchase/attend the artists albums/shows because they get more familiar with the artist. This can be evidenced by placing another artist to lip synch a different artists track, by lip synching the other artists track the replacing artist would gain the credibility and fame, therefore boosting their sales. This is one of the main reasons why artists lip synch their music video, for the credibility as well as so that it can go in synch with the music video. Lip synching is mainly used in music videos so that the words are said on time, this can be done mainly for the pleasure and satisfaction of the audience as the audience would not like to see a music video where the artist’s words do not match the words from the track.

Goodwin's theory

Goodwins theory is based around eight different points when analysing a music video.

1. Links between the lyrics and the visuals. This means are there any on screen actions where the lyrics match them. For example in Skepta's music video So Alive he says the lines "It's as if I'm looking through Michael Jackson's eyes" during this scene he puts his hands over his eyes which implies this.

2. Link between music and visuals.

3. Genre characteristics. This means is this typical of the genre? is it conventional? an example of genre characteristics would be a conventional RnB video which would have loads of sexualy attractive women dancing etc.

4. Intertextual references. Are there any references to any other media texts or forms. An example would be if a music video has a certain theme such as Rihanna - Disturbia which has a horror torture theme which references to films such as Saw.

5. Notion of looking.

6. Voyeurism.

7. Representation of the Artist.

8. Performance-based, narrative-based, concept based.

Album art analysis - US (cont)

Shontelle No Gravity album is an album which is mostly compromised of POP tracks with some of the tracks influenced by Rock music. The album cover shows Shontelle in what looks like a bird cage, this could be done to show Shontelle as trapped. This trapped representation could have been used to coincide with the album title ‘No Gravity’ as being trapped often can bring someone to feel as if there is no air or ‘No Gravity’ around them. The lighting of the album cover also gives off hints as to what we would hear in the playlist, this is done through the shading where there is dark and light in the background, which could also be used to represent that in Shontelles playlist we will be hearing both sides of different views, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad.’ This representation is a convention which Shontelle seems to be following as some, if not most of her tracks are compromised of relationship songs. The background lighting and colour could also have been used to make the artist look bolder and more of an eye-catcher as well as more of an iconic figure on the album cover.

Bruno Mars is an American singer and songwriter who has worked with various artists such as B.O.B, Flo-Rida, Travie McCoy and more. Bruno Mars’s album cover ‘Just The Way You Are’ compromises of different colours and shapes to make up one image, this technique is called a ‘montage’ and has been used by other artists such as Michael Jackson etc. The reason that Bruno Mars had decided to use this technique could of been to create a link between the album title and the image used, this visual link could of been meant to show that no matter the differences (shapes and colours) Bruno Mars would still like to show that he likes a single thing, ‘Just The Way You Are’. This is further represented by the fact that the different shapes and colours makes up the head of a single image. Also the colours used on the album cover are colourful and vibrant. This could have been done to catch the eye of the audience to boost their sales. Another method that Bruno Mars’s album cover uses to boost its sales is by making the artist’s name ‘Bruno Mars’ large and readable, this could of been done to again, boost sales as the album cover can use the artists name, popularity and fan base to generate more sales.

Demographics and Psychographics

Demographics is the market research done by various media outlets to identify their target audience by identifying key characteristics of the audience. Characteristics such age, income, education, status, type of occupation, region of country all come into play for the media institutions when targeting their audience. Identifying these key factors determine whether their media product whether it be a video game, music video or magazine all affect the outcome of sales and ultimately the exposure of their brand.

Psychographics is the next step in this, it include people's lifestyles and behaviors such as moral values, how they behave etc. Both demographics and psychographics help media institutions tailor their text to the catered audience that their trying to target.

A real life example of this would be if a company was advertising 3D TV. They wouldn't advertise their television in a magazine that people over the age of 65 would read. They would conduct market research to identify what current trends there are with 3D technology and would discover that people up to the age of 45 (example) or below are interested in 3D TVs. The same can be applied to a media text. For example if Sony wanted to market Katy Perry's new music video they would use popular websites such as YouTube or Twitter to advertise as that's where the mass audience for likers of the pop genre accumulate and have it spread via hash tags such as #KatyPerry.

When trying to determine the demographic for your music genre or video you have to look at current trends.  You'd want to look at how many people downloaded songs in that genre as opposed to buying a physical CD copy, an example being how many people downloaded Rihanna's latest single off iTunes compared to total sales from stores such as HMV. Within the actual music video itself if also under consideration. Music video popularity determines what gives the types of videos you'd expect to see from the genre. Rihanna's music videos of late may pave the way for similar music videos of type in the future from different artists.

Album art cover analysis (U.K)

Skepta ft Preeya Kalidias - Cross my Heart

                                         

Skepta - Cross my heart is a grime song by Skepta that features Preeya Kalidias. There are different representations on the album art which symbolize different things. On first glance Skepta is stood in a in a stance and a pose which represents that he is in a high position looking down on people. This is backed up by the golden background behind him which glows around him and then has a black fade as the colours reach the edges of the CD cover and the crown under the name of the song. The clothing also could symbolize that he is a hero as the jacket looks like armour and this could cross represent with the song as him being the hero saving someone. Lyrically the name of the song goes with the CD cover, during the song Skepta says a line that goes "Listen to me when I'm talking, the same guy you're looking at right now is the same guy I was this morning. Even when I top the chart I'll be the same guy that I was from the start, hope to die and Cross my heart". This verse goes with the song and is the overall theme of the song.

 Tinchy Stryder - Third Strike

Third Strike by Tinchy Stryder is his latest album from his record label Takeover Entertainment. It features many different songs by Tinchy Stryder himself and various other artists Giggs, Taio Cruz and Eric Turner etc. The album art features him standing by himself in a derelict building and having his image projected on the the building front. The album art has many different representations on it. Firstly Tinchy is stood in a stance like he's ready for something and the album name suggests this. It features a spotlight upon him which could suggest that this is his third strike or third coming on the music industry and he going to make an impact. The image being projected on the building could suggest that this is his rise in power or how he sees his image as huge and massive.

Cheryl Cole - The Flood

The Flood is a song from Cheryl Cole's second album under the record label Fascination. The album uses simple colours and conventions to convey the genre of the song which is Pop. The album art has a simple background and could signify the life and issues that Cheryl has at the moment which is dark as she's going through hard time. It features Cheryl looking into the distance and a light glowing on her face which could signify that the light is at the end of the tunnel type of effect.

Music video shots & camera angles - Lethal Bizzle ft JME, Wiley, P Money, Face, Ghetts, Kano - Pow 2011

 

This is the shots and camera angles analysis for Pow 2011 music video:

0:01 - Wide shot - Artist walking on screen.

0:03 - Medium shot - Close up on Lethal B looking through binoculars.

0:04 - Long shot - JME stood against a wall.

0:05 - Close-up - Close-up of undercover police officer monitoring somebody.

0:10 - 0:21 - Quick shots - Video has quick shots of all the different artists and settings, goes with the beat and rhythm of the song.

0:22 - Close-up - Close-up shot of Lethal B

0:25 - Wide shot - Wide shot of roof and the artists on the roof.

0:33 - Over the shoulder shot - Focus blur - Close up of JME and focus blur into background to show police officer chasing him.

0:35 - Same as above - Focus blur - JME starts to run from the undercover police officer.

0:47 - Medium close up - Lethal B sees JME being caught by the undercover police officers.

1:04 - Close-up - Close-up of police officer after he's caught JME.

1:07 - Close-up - Shows a close-up picture of Wiley held in the police officers hands which he's showing to JME.

1:30 - Wide shot - Wide shot of Chipmunk, Face and shows a tied up security guard.

1:34 - Wide shot to a medium close-up - Shows a wide shot of Chipmunk outside the vault then changes to a medium shot inside the vault then the camera angles alternates between the two.

1:59 - Medium close-up - Tilt - Face brings the money and leaves it for P Money to loading the money into the van.

2:34 - Close-up - Shows close-up of Ghetts in the van driving it.

2:42 - Medium close-up - Reflection of Kano in a mirror.

3:00 - Two shot - Kano and Ghetts in the same shot.

Music genre research - Pop

Pop music is a mainstream genre of music that has commerical worldwide commercial success and is widely listened to. Typically the Pop genre is aimed at all people but it finds a mass audience with youth in particular. The typical sound conventions of Pop utilises different sounds to create a consistent beat and often uses a sub-genre to create a whole new style and sound. As oppose to other genres Pop aims to appeal to a general audience rather than a ideology or culture with the aim of getting the most singles sales and top the music singles and album charts.

Another convention of Pop music is that it tends to reflect current trends within the industry rather than innovating and making something new and nice to listen to. The main conventions of Pop is that the song usually runs for 3-5 minutes with a structure and a consistent rhythm. Also the song typically takes form of a verse-chorus structure and uses hook lines to which stick in the audiences head. Pop also uses simple themes to convey the song, examples are themes such a love, hate, dancing etc. Pop music gets a lot of promotion via radio stations. In the UK Pop songs are guaranteed to play on the popular radio stations everyday.

Other promotion for pop is via online and iTunes where a particular album or single gets a main page advertisement when the customer goes on the store homepage. Pop music video also have typical conventions and have themes too, many successful Pop music videos tend to have simple setting and story. Music videos such as "Just Dance" by Lady GaGa follow these conventions.

Music video analysis - Pop

This music video is "California Gurls" by Katy Perry from her album "Teenage Dream". This music video uses the typical conventions when it comes to a pop music video. The usual conventions of a pop video include different aspects such as dancing and sometimes parody or and event taking place. In "Teenage Dream" the video utilises these conventions to great effect. Also a popular theme within pop music videos especially amongst the female artists is the use of sexuality to promote the video. Katy Perry does this in her music video by wearing various different outfits and uses intimate scenes. The use of sexual innuendo is also present within this music video by adding a comical twist to it. It does this when Katy Perry and the dancers are in the background and cream starts launching out of her feminine areas the added comical twist is that she guides where the cream is being shot.

Music Genre research - Grime

Grime is a genre of music that oringated within the UK and has seen much success over recent years as the number of people listening to the genre has risen. Grime can be considered a sub-genre of UK Garage and hip-hop but has its own distinctive style which sets it apart from other similar genres. Generally grime has a similar style within each song in which it maintains a consistent beat and the artists says his lines to go with the beat. Unlike other genres grime allows many different artists to collaborate in one song with each artist doing an 8-bar or sometimes depending on the song length a 16-bar.

Recent examples of this would include "Game over" by Tinchy Stryder which features Giggs, Example, Prof. Green, Tinie Tempah and Chipmunk. The commerical success of grime has been dependant on the promotion of the track via the artists or radio stations. Grime has had a recent push for promotion on radio stations such as 1xtra and Logan Sama where usually an artists comes into the studio and speaks with the host i.e. JME on 1xtra with Tim Westwood. Another outlet of  promotion for the grime scene has been on TV with music channels such as Channel AKA(formally Channel U) which often plays grime music videos to those who don't have record deals and trying to break into the scene.

Grime is seen as a creative innovative music style where the artist has creative freedom, with top songs from top grime scene artists such as Skepta, P Money, Kano etc. Often with grime it has a negative tag within the media and publications as some of the lyrics some artists say threaten or promote the actions of violence. These lyrics stopped the growth of grime in its early years but since then more and more artists have dropped the violence tag for more subtle words and phases in their songs.

Within grime the growth of music videos has become prominent with more artists making music videos for their songs. Usually grime videos have certain conventions which most videos tend to adhere to. Examples of this would include Tempa T "Next Hype", the video has an urban backdrop as well as some scenes within a gym and within a building. However some grime videos don't stick to these conventions and  do something completely different and do a different style within the video which often works well. Examples of this include "Game over" in which the video does a 360 degree pan around the artists and some cuts, close-ups, mid shots, and some long shots.

Designing CD cover analysis - Grime

This is our first try at making a CD cover. For the grime genre we attempted to make a CD cover for Skepta's single "So Alive ft N-dubz". When creating it we decided that it would be very effective to use a shot from the music video itself and it goes well with the CD test and title. For the text Skepta's album and CD covers usually have bold text that looks basic but is really effective when looked upon so we designed a black rectangular shape and and put Skepta's name in a basic font and complements the shot very well in the background.