Analysis of real music videos

Music Video 1: Majid Jordan - Small Talk 

This song is by an alternative R&B, contemporary R&B and synthpop duo called Majid Jordan (Majid being the lead and Jordan producing the music). It's music video includes narrative as well as performance shots of Majid (the lead singer) lip syncing. I really like this music video because there are many camera shots and angles that are interestingly different such as mid shots of the two female characters and a shot of the car. Both these shots are almost as if a picture is being taken which is subversive to music videos as there is always movement to match the beat. The effect of this is that it creates a disorientated vibe which is almost quite artistic. This also fits into that alternative R&B genre and contemporary genre, as well as representing the actual artists and what they stand for. Majid Jordan have very unique music and style compared to other R&B artists so they always have this trademark artistic and contemporary feel in their music videos. There are close ups of Majid as he sings which adheres to the typical conventions of a music video. The editing within this music video is effective with many cross cu

tting between the narrative and performance shots to keep the audience interested and not get bored. There is a lot of subtle slow motion used as well to match the slow beat and created this chilled vibe. This is something a lot of alternative R&B music videos use therefore it adheres to that stereotype successfully. The use of transitions also create the same effect with the fade into the next shot transition which reflects the tempo and style of the song. The mise en scene within this music video fits into the genre especially with the costume. Majid and Jordan both have this edgy urban style which is showcased with their brightly coloured jackets and rolled up trousers. This helps to appeal to their audience and fans that already know of their fashion and what they stand for. The lighting is very high key with the scenes outside which create this summer atmosphere. The performance scenes have unnatural lighting of reds and blues in the darkness which is effective as it creates an artistic effect. There are also a few props such as the toy water gun that appears to look real. This potentially fits into the R&B genre of this gangster ghetto theme, however it turns out to be a toy gun. This creates a humorous effect as well as having this hidden meaning. The narrative focuses on Jordan, as Majid gets him to go out to meet some girls. This is typical for an R&B video to feature guys meeting girls and going out to impress however this video appears more innocent as they are simply going out on a fun date. The costume of the two girls are very urban and alternative which isn't so promiscuous unlike the girl seen as Jordan's girlfriend sat in her apartment by herself in just underwear and a shirt. This adheres to the R&B genre as this attracts the male gaze. I really like how the lighting and picture of this video is quite faded and has a pastel tone as the colours look more washed out creating an artistic effect. This may be something we consider when editing our final music video.

Music video 2: Snakehips - Cruel ft. ZAYN

This song is by Snakehips, an electronic duo, featuring the now solo R&B artist ZAYN. The music video is very vibrant and fits into the electronic/pop genre well especially with the use of mise en scene. The setting is seen to be in dark empty rooms with colourful lighting, props such as plants, TV screens etc. The colourful lights give off this club vibe which fits into the dance/electronic genre well as it would appeal to the target audience of this genre. The props of the TV's are very effective as they also create that different and artistic theme as well as tying into the editing used. There are many shots of Zayn singing in the TV screen and it then zooms into that screen and turns into a whole new shot. This is a very effective editing technique by keeping the music video interesting and matching the fast beat of the song. The costume Zayn wears is quite casual with a stripy jumper and in another location, a leather jacket. This reflects his own personal style as an artist as Zayn is an edgy/alternative trend setter, but also fits into the genre and theme of this music video well. This is something we want to make sure we do by creating this individual 'look' for our artist to have, for the target audience to then relate to. There are many camera shots and angles such as many close ups of Zayn singing (as it seems to be a performance video) and long shots of the choreographed dancers. This use of choreographed dancing is effective as this reflects the dance genre, as it would need to appeal to the target audience.

Analysis of other student music videos

Music video 1: The Worst - Jhene Aiko

This music video uses the song 'The Worst'  Aiko who is an R&B singer. There are various strengths and weaknesses to this video in terms of camera shots, mise en scene and editing. There are various camera shots that help strengthen this music video for example the close ups of the character help build emotion and show off the characters lip syncing. There are however a few shaky shots which makes it obvious that it's hand held which overall can give an unprofessional look. There are some nice establishing and scenic shots that create a chilled vibe. This fits into the genre as although typically R&B music features girls and rich rappers, the more slower songs by the female artists can look more artistic and contemporary. Jhene Aiko herself is classed under more of alternative R&B and neo soul which means there would be more of an artistic theme in her music videos. The mise en scene is effective in terms of costume as the main singer wears a red dress, to show off beauty, a leather jacket to show edginess, and hoop earrings which fit into the more typical conventions of the R&B genre. The locations seem to be in London which is effective as this city look fits into the genre as well. The editing has some weaknesses as a lot of the time the lip syncing is not in sync which creates an unprofessional look. However there are some strengths to the editing as there are slow motion edits and reverse shots which makes it less boring and more appealing to the audience. Although this music video is more of a performance music video of just lip syncing, there is a slight narrative with the texts from her 'bae'. This use of slang would help appeal to the target audience of this genre and the use of props (the phone) also appeals to the audience. The continuity in this music video is could be improved as the shots could be more quick cut to match the beat. This is something that I will make sure we do correctly, as the cutting with the beat makes it more effective. Overall I would say this music video has some strengths such as adhering to the R&B genre, however on the whole is quite weak. I've learnt from this video to make sure our lip syncing is effective and continuity flows more. We would also want to have more interesting shots with more angles.  

Music Video 2: The Internet - Under Control

This music video is a performance type video with no narrative. The song is by an Alternative R&B band called The Internet who also fall into the neo soul genre. There are many successful camera shots and angles within such as mid shots showing the singers shadow in front of a projector screen. Shots like this are effective as they create this artistic effect which fits into the alternative genre. This also creates an edgy look which may be something my group want to go for. There are also many long shots to show off the setting and costume. This mise en scene is very effective as the settings chosen are very artistic looking (art galleries, arcades, sunset beaches) which fit into that alternative genre. The costume of the singer is also very effective as she wears quite indie/vintage clothing. With the oversized denim jacket, caps, and nose piercing it gives the overall impression of the edgy style. This successfully adheres to the alternative R&B genre as this would appeal to the target audience who may have a similar style or interested in that style. The editing in this video is also very successful and professional looking. There is a lot of flash cutting that matches the beat of the song which is important. One example is at 0:15s where the camera cuts so quickly back and fourth between two shots as a lift door was closing. This created a distorted but cool effect which matched the beat. This may be something that we would include in our video as the more adventurous the editing is, the more interesting the video becomes. Overall I would say this is a very strong music video and one that I have gained good ideas from for our own music video.  



Artist Biography

http://prezi.com/w-yzvgrdphfj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Target Audience Mood Board

This mood board is a visual representation of our target audience. Our target audience for our music video and artist would be mainly females aged around 17-24 as this is usually the age range for those who listen to the alternative R&B genre.  I have included some brands that represent what our target audience would be interested in such as clothing brands,  food brands, and sports brands. These brands such as urban outfitters would target our audience successfully as this sort of store would appeal to more alternative people with an edgy and unique style. As the target audience is older than the typical young teenage girls, the food brand I have chosen is Pizza Express as it's more classy, expensive and probably a more likely place for our target audience to eat. In order to therefore appeal to the target audience we may choose to include outfits that are from urban outfitters for our artist to wear. I have also included examples of films and TV shows that may represent our target audience. The TV show Empire predominately features black people and music which is widely popular within the black community across the world. There's also the film poster of 'Dope' which features alternative black characters that do not fit into their stereotypes. This could appeal to our target audience, especially teenagers and young adults as the teens can relate to the high school atmosphere and the young adults could be more intrigued with the drug storyline. The fashion in this film is also very alternative and has a '90s hip hop' vibe which could be the sort of style we incorporate in our music video to appeal to the target audience. I have also chose to include music magazines that feature R&B music with a more edgy and artistic theme. These may be of interest to our target audience so we may chose to feature some in our music video. There is also a picture of an iPhone as well as many logos of social media which represents the youth of today. Many young people own a social media account and use it to express themselves, which is why this has been featured on my mood board. To reflect this in our music video we could have sections where an iPhone is featured, to give this relateability aspect to it. Lastly I have chosen to include screenshots of some tweets made by the artist SZA. These tweets represent her views on the 'BlackLivesMatter' movement and how she strongly disagrees with the injustice of black people. These views would also reflect the views of our target audience, as a lot of the youth today also believe in this movement no matter what their ethnicity is.

Potential Logos

Here's an example of a record label logo that is of alternative R&B. This is also the record label that has the artist SZA on, which is the song we have chosen to do. The graphics of this logo is quite bold and has a metallic look about it which represents the more lavish aspect of R&B. The name 'Top Dawg Entertainment' also has this slang element which also reflects the R&B/Hip hop genre.














Example 1

This logo was created by Liv and has many strengths and weaknesses to it. The colour scheme she has chosen is black and purple which does fit into the genre R&B genre, especially the purple linking to our artists song SZA. The graphics used are a thin font of the letter 'V' which creates a simplistic but effective look.

Example 2

This logo was created by Laura and has many strengths in terms of graphics, font and colour scheme. The grey and black fits into the R&B genre however the lack of colour could be less appealing to the audience. We could incorporate both Liv and Laura's logos together.

Example 3 (cannot upload as my photoshop is not opening)










we have chosen this Logo for our record label 'Vibe Records' due to the graphics fitting into the genre of R&B music. Similarly there is bold writing and the colours consist of the simple black and white as well as a metallic feel.

Mood Boards

Genre Mood Board 

This mood board is a visual representation of our chosen genre - Alternative R&B. I have chosen many images that would reflect both the artists and the audiences of this genre. For example there are a few album covers from artists that are of this genre and represent the style we are going for. With artists such as FKA Twigs and Blackbear who offer a edgier style to their music, I feel like they represent the route we may be going down in terms of genre. I have also included a still from the movie 'Dope' which includes a young Black teens who bond over 90s hip hop culture, and who are also seen as geeks. This film pushes boundaries and breaks a few conventions of how black teens are portrayed e.g. with the geek theme, so therefore offers an alternative image. I have also chosen to include some wall art, as the alternative R&B genre can be associated with being artistic and contemporary.


Artist Mood Board 

This mood board is a visual representation of the potential artist we would have in our music video, in terms of their style and image. I have chosen various images of female style icons such as Kylie Jenner and Rihanna. They both have edgy styles that in particular to the images I chose, are casual and urban. This is definitely the look we are going for in our video, maybe with a few accessories such as a cap. I have also included a few brands of clothing such as Palace from Adidas and Supreme. These two brands are usually worn by people with a more edgier style and this would therefore fit into our chosen song. There are also some vintage looking clothing featured too which is to show how we may subvert typical conventions and may have our artist dress more vintage which is a convention for indie music. There is also an image of highlighter makeup as our artist should wear makeup and highlighter to give her the extra 'glow'.  

Song choices

Here I have presented our potential song choices on a prezi.
http://prezi.com/hqs8z9vuljsd/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Final Song Choice

I
n this video, my group and I have explained to many reasons why our final song choice will be 'Ice Moon' by SZA in terms of the genre, artist style, potential locations, and overcoming the initial drawbacks. We came to the conclusion that the alternative R&B genre allows us to subvert usual conventions and push boundaries by using conventions from other genres such as indie.