7th November 2014
TASKS
- Find and discuss two videos which are 'typical' in reflecting their genre of music
- Find a quote to illustrate a viewpoint (from a text) and compare my own opinion
- Evaluate the use of the investigation; how it has informed me (project objective)
Textual analysis - Genre
Music genres have conventional mise-en-scene, editing and other visuals in their videos which define and distinguish it from other styles.
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSnkWzZ7ZAA
This link is to Flo-Rida - Whistle. The genre is popular rap. The most conventional iconography in this video which we immediately identify are; the explicit sexual content, luxurious location, focus on possessions, representation of the rapper, and strong use of editing.
Mainstream, or corporate, rap typically consists of sexual references. The video includes women in skimpy beachwear on the sand and in the water, simply for objectifying purposes, which "enhances" the viewers experience by appealing to their sexual desires. The target audience is presumably male. The video does this throughout, achieved by camera work and editing: angles and framing of the camera are used to enhance bodily features, barely covered by the women's attire. Furthermore, a party scene (a typical feature of pop) also presents women in the same way; there is particular focus on their insufficient dress, such as short skirts and low cut dresses, while shots of Flo Rida continuing to smile and rap are integrated. This misogynistic representation is meant to reflect a typical man's heaven.
The location, too, is meant to create a picture of paradise; the video is set in a hot country, by the beach and the cliffs. There are shots of lights in the built up area in the dark, and at the end there is a party or celebration, showing how the night life is good. Flo Rida is seen sitting on a a four poster bed, and the ariel shots of big houses and pools create a setting of expensive luxury.
The way he is represented is also a convention of rap. The video is very materialistic through its use of props: Flo Rida is seen topless, revealing his tatoos, wearing white trousers, a chain and shades. He wears and watch on his wrist that appears costly, and the use of product placement (a Nokia phone half way through the video) strongly signifies his wealth. Flo Rida also uses typical hand movements/gestures while he performs. All of these elements are conventional of a rapper.
Lastly, there is great use of editing; a convention of rap videos to accompany the vocals. Split screen is used, particularly with shots of women and scenery. Throughout the video there is use of slow motion to emphasise aspects of the relaxed, luxurious lifestyle. Overlay is used to blur together elements of the mise-en-scene to create the same effect. During the party scene there is lens flare to enhance the cinematic tone. These are a typical choice to visually entertain the viewer while the lyrics can be heard.
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwWm3om-gSw
My second choice is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Yumeno Hajima Ring Ring, which is J-Pop (Japanese pop music). I chose it because of it's stark contrast to my previous choice. It is conventional J-pop in its colours, visual effects, dancers, performance, text, clothing and much more. The video is female driven; in terms of tone, it has a bouncy, baby-like and girly charm about it.
The singer, Kyary, is a young Japanese female, and she is seen with wild hairstyles, dressed in a variety of wacky outfits which are bright and patterned. A stark connotation of her culture, she appears in a kimono, representing national dress. Her outfits are fun and childish, with skirts, dresses and knee high socks. They are colouful, and include features such as big bows, detailed frills. This style of dress has connotations of dress up, particuluarly for the Western viewer, because of it excessive and extravagant tone. This is conventional of J-pop since Japan is know to have vibrant styles such as kawaisa and decora cultures. It also associates with school, through iconography such as blazers, pigtails and skirts. Typically, J-pop and other Japanese media has a focus on school environments and education, take anime such as Tokyo Mew Mew or Sailor Moon, for example, as there stories are based around super powers of school girls.
Lots of J-Pop classically contains a variation of set types. A distinctive style of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's videos is that the set she is on is on display to the audience, and she regularly travels between them so that we see her walking about a studio. The sets are full of bright and colouful backdrops, with green screens and patterns. There are lots of special effects, such as text, bubbles, and clouds appearing to emphasise lyrics or actions for a cartoon effect. There is a baby-like look to the location as it is full of an array of interesting visuals and shapes, reminding the viewer of a child's playroom.
To further the point of resembling children's entertainment, there is strong use of animal characters in Kyary's videos, in this case there is a polar bear as her friend, inanimate objects (e.g an onion) which have come to life, and other unusual features, much like that of a cartoon or children's TV show in the Western world. The video is also performance based, as it includes dancers which are dressed up similarly to the back drops. Towards the end of the video, Kyary performs a short dance routine in a group, and this is a conventional of J-pop videos.
External views of genre - in terms of use
In the LRC at my college, the informative Media & Film Studies handbook (2007), by V.Clark, P.Jones, B.Malyszko, D.Wharton, defines genre on page 88 as "[...] a loose category or classification of media product (e.g. tabloid newspaper, soap opera, science fiction film)."
It goes on, putting, "Classification into one genre or another is governed by codes and conventions, and each has its own more or less obvious iconography. The codes and conventions of a genre refer both to the cultural signals contained in the text, and to the ways in which the text's content is presented."
Page 89 then says that genre "[...] helps audiences know in advance what to expect of the product, and many become fans of certain genres; for producers, genre helps to make clear what is being proposed when they are pitching ideas for new products. Conversely, a media product that does not fall into a clear genre, and is therefore more challenging to describe, may be less successful than one that does".
I think this really explains the use of genres for producers, as well as the media consumers; they both give guidelines for understanding or to finding similar products: in this case, music videos.
Conclusion
This research has helped me practice analysing text, and made me think about the contrasts between genres. It has also helped me to investigate into genres and discover that they are useful for both consumers and producers.
TOTAL TIME SPENT: 3hrs
