Forms and Conventions Conclusion
Conclusion of Forms and Conventions:
From our analysis’s we concluded that the common conventions used in dance music videos was the music. The music was constantly repetitive of a thumping base accompanied with various computer generated beats, using this mixture created a more engaging song and video which is more likely to keep the audience on their feet. As well as continuously repetitive lyrics with are consistent throughout the music video, this is one of the most common conventions for a dance anthem. Another convention we found in all music videos was hat is was narrative driven; all the actions followed a sequence and had a realistic storyline excluding a few videos. When making our music video we would need take into account the beat of the song we are going to use and whether it is fast paced and effective in the sense of the music. We would also highly consider a narrative plot as it seems to be successful in dance music videos.
Intertextuality in the music videos seem important and engage with the audience on a different level, if the audience spot the indistinctive reference. If included it can increase the effectiveness of the video and create a more popular video that can have a great impact on the artist’s star image. This is a hard convention to fit into all music videos so it used less often, however when used it shows to have a large impact on the audience that recognises it as it gives them a sense of self accomplishment and makes it more likely for them to want to watch and listen to the video.
They also seem to have a strong use of symbolism to make the audience think a little and to create a bit of an abstract view, combining the abstract and realistic view seems to interact with the audience better. This is because they feel it simple to follow the plot; however they get involved in parts of the music video which makes them included so they feel more receptive to the video. It also seems that dance videos heavily include representation of voyeurism and exhibition as they include many explicit shots of women and show them as sex objects. However this seems to be effective in manipulating the public in order to get a bigger audience and it increases the male audiences, it also increase the male profit margin which gives and artist more power by increasing their star image if another one of their videos is successful.
This convention still needs to be smartly used otherwise it can cause feminist and controversial problems with the audience creating more of a profit margin as a lot of people will be more interested in it, however as a star it can decrease your reputation and may make you lose viewer, therefore if we are to use this it needs to be carefully thought out in order to be successful.
When looking at camera work in particular for dance music videos the most common shots that are used are close-ups and cuts. Close-ups are used to show the audience key characters reactions as dance songs consist of little words, showing the audiences actions is a key convention to portray their emotions as there is no other way. Other genre songs can show it in the lyrics, however for most of the dance genre songs this is not possible. Many cuts are used as transitioning shots in order to give the video an edgy feeling and keep the audience dancing. It also is more effective since music videos do not need to be continuous or in sync with lyrics and movements it makes it easier and more effective to try and show a complete different idea to increase the audiences thought horizon and make them more able to engage with the video.
Similar Textual Analysis - Iram
The video that I will be analysing is ‘Bonkers’ which is a song by British rapper Dizzee Rascal and American producer Armand Van Helden. The genre of this song is a combination of alternative dance, electro and hip-hop. It was released in the UK on the 17th May 2009. The target audience for this song would be teenagers and young adults or anyone who enjoys listening to the artist.
The lyrics are about living life to the fullest, making the most of your life by having as much fun as possible, this is depicted by the lyrics “some people pay for thrills but I get mine for free, man I’m just livin’ my life, there’s nothin’ crazy about me” which accentuates that he lives his life as if there’s no tomorrow, this relates to how young people nowadays also want their life to be like.
The lyrics are repetitive and unvarying; the main focus is on Dizzee rascal, who most of time is dancing ‘on top of the world’. The genre of this song is a combination of alternative dance, electro and hip-hop. The music contains a mixture of hooks and beats which are frequent throughout the entire song to emphasise the whole dance genre and the cheerful atmosphere that is implied; this is a usual element of dance music. The artist reflects his feelings and his lifestyle of clubbing, in the narrative. He also implies his carefree style of living. His lyrics suggest that he does not care about what other people think about him ‘Some people think I’m bonkers but I just think I’m free man I’m just living my life there’s nothing crazy about me’ , this implies that he lives a very wild, exciting lifestyle. The narrative in this song is non linear and single strand as there is only one storyline running through the video. In the music video there is not much narrative, it is mainly based on performance, although there are some elements of a storyline, which we see every now and again in the music video as it begins with the artist waking up on the back of a long fabricated van, we next see him as very energetic and in high spirits as he starts passionately dancing. Throughout the whole song there is lyrics which links with the performance e.g. when Dizzee rascal is standing on top of the world going round and round in circles his lyrics, (‘some people think I’m bonkers’) link with the performance.
A lot of music videos use a technique called Intertextuality. This is when there are other media texts included with the video. In this particular music video intertextuality is not included. There is a definite recurring theme of a persistent passion to dance and the fun of clubbing whilst just enjoying life as it is.
Camerawork, sound and editing are important factors in music videos. In ‘Bonkers’, there is a lot of zooming in and out in the music video. This is used to link into the repetitive beats of the music that allows both the music and video to complement each other and to come together as one. Also the slow motion editing is used in the middle section of the music video which represents life as a stand still, they are overwhelmed by the dance music and are embracing it. There is a very vibrant, blue tone to the video, which emphasizes on the genre of music and the whole dancing and clubbing theme. Also the colours in the first section of the video include a very light blue tone, which suggests peaceful and relaxed/chilled atmosphere. There is not much vibrancy and subtle implications of the dance music and genre. However, this then totally changes on the second section where the artist changes from a blue top and cap to a red t-shirt and red sunglasses; signalling the change from the old boring lifestyle to this carefree, energetic clubbing life.
The clothing that is used in the music video portrays themes of the dance genre. The feminine tops, vibrant t-shirts, glasses and hooded tops emphasize on the fusion of dance, hip hop and electro music. Near the end of the music video, there is a group of glow in the dark skeleton costumes; the whole glow in the dark theme originated from the clubs in which dance music is played; to get dancers more into the whole ‘care-free’ sense and ‘electro’ feeling.
At the start of the music video we see a van in a fabric look which is unusual. There is a sense of exaggeration in the music video, where the artist is wearing a huge chain, it is unrealistic and you wouldn’t see it being worn by people usually. I think that there is a very strong relationship between the song lyrics and the visual.
Similar Textual Analysis - Ninthuja
Similar Textual Analysis (Ninthuja):
The title of the track I have chosen to analyse is “Now You’re Gone” by Basshunter; the genre of this is Eurodance music. The target audience I interpret of this music video based on certain features I feel is teenagers to young adults; firstly based on the type of music, which is very upbeat and I catchy, more so the actors in the video being young adults, amidst a setting of a party scene, which relates to the younger audience; as well as the storyline embedded within referring to supposed “young love”.
DJ Mental Theo used the "Boten Anna" instrumental in the year 2007 to create an English version for his DJ sets; it was this song which was then eventually released as an official single. The song's theme is different from "Boten Anna"; which is about an IRC bot, and "Now You're Gone" is about a young couple breaking up. The music video expands on this theme, although it suggests a reunion of the couple, which is not referenced in the song itself, as well as the kiss between the couple at the end of the song, whereby the lyrics do not follow this event. The tempo of the song has also been increased compared to "Boten Anna".
The narrative of this would be described as a linear/closed/ realist structure. I presume this based on how we only view two perspectives of the storyline which is narrative driven, of the young woman and man in this relationship, which also reflects upon the realities and views upon society. The theme of this song being about a typical teenage type of ‘break-up and make up’ between young couple, conveys a stereotypical prospect; as the notion of the video is shown as through the barrier and connection of technology, the status of relationship can be determined; breaking up and then making up via texting through mobile. This promotes the idea of the digital age in the 21st century, and how influential technology can be upon people and behaviour; this is specifically highlighted through close-ups of the mobile phones being one of the sole attentions.
However the theme doesn’t reflect on the emotional effects of a relationship crisis, but a young-loving care-free and fun environment; which we are able to see wide and long shots of the club the girl goes with her friends, to clarify this we see several shots of the DJ, which establishes the setting. Also I tend to notice the video is to some extent sexually suggestive, as various shots displaying women baring skin, as well as single shots of the main girl in the video giving off sultry expressions connoting the use of voyeurism and exhibitionism; more so the exposure of close physical contact especially between women are factors expected to attract the male audience. Furthermore, I feel the ideology is situated around the concept of stereotyped teenage lifestyle; which predominantly appeals to this particular audience, as this is the overall intended mode of address to make those who feel they are in similar circumstances; that they are in relation as of the same people within the video, which secondarily creates a connection.
The technical codes of this music video in terms of camerawork and editing are very suited to the actions. For example, close-ups to emphasise facial expressions and body language as well as panning and tracking shots in the club to establish the depth of people within the room. One scene was extremely effective in my opinion; silhouette figures of the women dancing, with special effects; bright neon lights emanated around them to create an intense dance effect which weaved in well with the tone of the music also. Many appropriate and abrupt cutaways, showings us differences of people and location so viewers are able to easily acknowledge and understand well. The juxtaposition concept was incorporated well into this video considering the emotions of the woman and man, where represented with the woman dancing in a lively bright setting, as opposed to the man who was a little glum; in a more stable position amidst a slightly drearier aura.
The symbolic codes of the mise-en-scene was presented in a corresponding manner, as there were two settings of the whole video; one being the bedrooms of the couple and the other being the club. The attire of the pair in their bedroom was very conventional in casual clothing. We then are to see a change of tone in advance when the girls begin dressing up in party outfits which are an enigma code for the party taking place later that night. One of the main props used, and a part of the focal point, would be the mobile phone, as I feel these close-ups tied in the sequence of the video very well to allow the views to understand what is taking place. Aside from the lyrics illustrating the narrative, the lack of any dialogue from the actors can only be replaced by expressions and prompts such as the text messages representing visual speech.
I interpret this music video to be successful as a preferred reading, as I believe fans of Basshunter will most likely be interested in viewing his music video regardless of their age or gender. But I also feel that certain characteristics that I mentioned above which feature in the video will specifically attract a male audience, even as a separate entity to the music. Being a teenage female who isn’t a fan of Basshunter, I would personally say I enjoyed the types of shots produced especially with the special effects and lighting, and the track itself. However the parts in which it involved the women expressing their sexuality, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the music video, as the disappointments overweighed the attraction. This goes to prove if the target audience weren’t of a particular gender; both female and male appeals should be taken into consideration, thus a higher chance of gaining more views. Although, I would say it merely depends on individuals tastes, as it isn’t always necessarily that women dislike female voyeurism and vice versa.
Similar Textual Analysis - Davina
Similar Textual Analysis - Jasmine
Similar Textual Analysis (Jasmine):
My chosen song to analyse is ‘Without You’, which is a song by the French DJ David Guetta featuring Usher’s vocals. The genre of the track is Electro-house with elements of Dance. The song was filmed at the end of July 2011 and was released on the 14th of October 2011. The targeted audience for the song is people who like the artists and people who like dance or house music. It is also aimed at people who are interested in the political and economical situation most countries are finding themselves in today.
The lyrics are about being useless - not being able to do anything with a special someone, which is what is lacking this is portrayed by the lyrics “I lost my heart”, emphasising the heart-ache that is faced today all over the world. It seems to be important with a moral behind the story. It sends out a bigger picture of humanity uniting and coming closer, so everyone can find the one’s they love and they overcome the “paralyzed” fear like the singer. However it could also be more to the spiritual side, feeling something untouchable maybe being lost with God. It also inter-relates to the drift in humanity in today’s world and the problem we are faced with as a country and as a person.
The music is a repetitious thumping base accompanied by various computer generated songs. This makes the audience more engaged and relate to the song. It makes people want to dance. Also when the streets are dividing and all the countries on Earth are conjoining, there is a noise of movement as the earth separates and there is an earthquake noise.
The music video itself is a mix between narrative and performance driven. Narrative holds 90% of the video and performance for the remaining 10%, the performance is portrayed when Usher is on the beach singing. This gives the video a more interesting vibe as it doesn't only focus on a story line. The video also has a moral to it which makes it that much more relatable to. The moral is that people work better together then alone.
The video is also single stranded and linear, the male in the situation is drifting away from the world, he is lonely, but when the world comes together he starts dancing showing that you need to be open and have support by everyone together in order to succeed. It could also be interpreted more spiritually and bringing the world together, working united to fix the world’s situation. The song has one direction there is one story to it, it doesn’t branch out leaving you ‘thinking what happened’. This shows the video has a closed narrative structure because when the countries cometogether and the world shifts closer into one big party rather than many small parties. It also shows how everyone is alone they are lonely and unconnected but when the music starts everyone starts partying and the world joins up, the dying belief that they can get through their problems ends and they start believing. The song is realistic because of the position the world is in at the moment (recession and globally the economies are faulted and declining). However the music video itself is very unrealistic because music cannot separate tectonic plates and cause the countries to conjoin into one massive country, as Earth becomes one.
The music video also references another song ‘Digital Love’ by Daft Punk at about a minute or so into the video. This will increase the audience’s engagement and effectiveness of the video, if the audience realises it. However, not all audiences can spot such indistinctive references.
One of the themes in the music video is music itself and how it can bring love and people together. It is a main theme because music is what causes the shift in the Earth and the world to connect. Power is also a main theme in the music video. It shows how we as the people in a country have power and can bring out peace and by doing that bring together the different economies too. This gives the audience hope that it can happen and it connects with the audience and what they would like. There is also the constant theme of ambition throughout the video, shown by the moral of the story because it takes a great deal of ambition to bring together all the different countries together to end the problem faced in today’s world and economy. This is also relevant for the generations in today’s society as they all want to go further in life and the video emphasises if you have the ambition and drive for it, it can happen.
The whole ideology behind the video is that all people should have the power. Its portrays a cultural statement, if we all compromise and help each other we can compromise and make the economy whole again and say bye to the weak situations we find ourselves in.
There is strong cultural representation in the video, shown by travelling through different countries in the world. It shows “Thailand...USA...Brazil...South Africa”; this adds diversity to the music video and attracts a larger group of the public, especially people in the countries shown. The video also creates a political statement, as it shows people helping each other, countries joining forces to get through the economic situation most of the world is currently in at the moment.
David Guetta and Usher made a video that is very unusual in today’s world as most videos include some sort of gimmick to gain a greater audience. However, they have seemed to be targeting everyone as we are all in the situation yet most of the time videos include sex symbols such as under-dressed women in order to increase the male profit margins even female artist do this, for example Madonna. This is Sigmund Freud’s theory, where he says men predominantly gain pleasure from sexual objects, a women’s presence is solely for the purpose of display. It is a cynical exploitation of the female body to generate more sales. ‘Without You’ only includes female attraction to the male audience in a fraction of the video, instead they are sympathizing with the public which seems to be an effective method. This is shown by the amount of sales of the single and the number of the song in the charts. The song was fourth in the USA’s top 20 and third in its top 10 and has so far peaked up to tenth on the UK singles chart and third on the official dance songs. After this song David Guetta has also been nominated for the award of “Number one DJ”, showing the success of the song and his career escalating even more.
The video starts with an establishing shot; this shot is an edited image of a rotating Earth. It zooms into a section of the globe, which tells the audience the location they are going to be shown. There is a superimposition of the countries name and the time it was filmed. This further emphasises the location, this adds to the diversity and culture of the video. The first super imposed text says “Brazil – 6:07AM” and it then cuts to a beach in Brazil. Here there is a medium close-up of hands swaying in the air, which shows the numbers of people in the country, it represents the Brazilians. Then it cuts back to the globe rotating and repeats its pattern of close-up and superimposition now saying “South Africa – 9:07PM”. The lighting in each country is a significant use of symbolism; Brazil had natural lighting while South Africa is portrayed with red strobe lighting. This is important later in the music video, as it allows the audience to keep on track of which country is been shown.
There is then a cut to Usher singing at a beach in a vulnerable state this puts emphasis on the volatility of the economy which creates tension and creates an interest for the rest of the video. During this shot of him there are a number of cuts that show the audience the other two established countries. After easing the audience into the video it is made a little more complicated by adding another country to the story using a cut, “Thailand – 4:07AM” (which is shown with blue lights). Next there another cut is used to show the transition of the day to night. This transition is held over a shot of the ocean, as it becomes darker it symbolizes the ongoing death of the economy.
The use of close-ups to show David Guetta is a way of showing you the other artist in the song, having his image in the video helps build up his star image. In each country it shows him as well known and loved by the people waiting for him to start playing. It cuts back to Usher in a mid shot singing and then launches a new country “USA – 2:07PM”, USA is filmed on a beach. After the establishing shot of USA there is a track to show a side view of the people. It then cuts back to David Guetta playing; this holds importance as it shows how his music is what is bringing the countries together. While he is playing there is use of close-ups of his hands on the DJ decks and of various DJ instruments, this emphasises the importance of music.
The video intercuts between the different countries and Usher singing in a repetitive pattern, which makes it easier for the audience to follow and understand the story line. The close-ups in the different countries show the people dancing and having fun suggesting that they seem to be having most fun when music comes into the picture. There is use of tracks of the country’s population enjoying themselves to David Guetta which emphasises he is the one who creates the peace with his music. Together with the countries there is repetition of random cuts back to Usher, emphasizing his isolation and loneliness as he is alone, this contrasts with David Guetta as he is crowded with people and having fun.
Then there is an extreme close-up of the concrete ground cracking and each countries foundation shaking while people’s feet are shown in the shot to suggest that it is the side effect of the music and dancing. The next couple of shots are cuts between the ground shifting and the parties in the different countries which are separated by the lighting; the lighting tells the audience what countries they are seeing. There is dolly shot of the crack on the ground and people running following it creating tension for the next shot to take the effect it was meant to. With an extreme close-up of the tectonic plates shifting and a cut to the globe were the countries are moving closer to become one. There is an over the shoulder of two girls sitting on steps reading the news on the Ipad showing that it is a worldwide situation and emphasising the effect it causes if countries come together and help each other.
There is a cut to Usher on the beach and everyone from all the countries joining him, showing his isolation is obsolete. The main focus is on the beach and the people around David Guetta and Usher and a cut to David Guetta putting the music louder. This portrays the importance and the moral which is about working together. It also shows the effect once everything is over which may push the public to think differently and change their views. There is a wide shot of all the countries people hugging and becoming one. The video ends with a wide shot of people’s hands in the air creating hearts suggesting that the outcome can only be good.
In the whole music video everyone is happy and joyful apart from Usher because he is lonely, isolated on a beach, however towards the end when the countries join he becomes happy and everyone is smiling.
The song doing well in the charts emphasises the audience’s opinion showing that they enjoy the song. Since the song has a moral concept, there are no usual complaints by certain sections of people such as feminists that don’t like the portrayal of women in certain videos. This video has received no major complaints apart from a few of the public who don’t like the song as it is with all music videos and songs.
The videos preferred reading is that there is a party going on in different parts of the world, which brings them together by the cause of an earthquake shown by the close-up of crack in the ground. This is a simplistic and transparent outlook on the video. The negotiated reading of the video is when the audience decodes the videos coding by looking at the possible meanings of the video. The video’s symbolism can be interrelated in different ways. It could be seen as a religious video, a prayer to God this can be a possible negotiated view as Usher’s lyrics seems like he has lost faith in God and is asking him for his guidance. However, it could be viewed in a political way which links to the current state of the economy. In addition the political view links with the oppositional view as the audience have their own individual vies on the state of the economy and how we can solve it, therefore it might create a debate for the audience.
Overall I enjoy the song and the concept behind it, I like the somewhat individuality of the video as it is more moral and uses little to no gimmicks for money purposes. The continuous use of cuts creates more interest for me in the music video as it shows many places not focusing on one long shot, but the constant change keeps me interested in watching more and listening to the song. However I think that they could include other countries to portray how the whole world comes together instead of using the few countries to try and show this, I think it would have worked better. In conclusion my overall opinion of the song is positive.