Analysis of music genres

Analysis of the music genre pop.

Music videos play a huge part when it comes down to creating a connection between the artist/band and the audience. Music videos are there so that the audience can see how the artist lives and the visuals can connect with the lyrics, so they can understand what the song is about. The music industry covers lots and lots of different music genres, every single genre has their own differens, for example rap usually contains; cars, sexy women, jewlerry and dance vidoes usually have a dance and party themed atmosphere.

Drake - Over.

Looking specifically at Drake whos music genre is rap, he has a target audience of males and females from the ages of 15-25. His music video Over portrays the way that Drake became famous so quickly and about him becoming more and more sucessful and what has changed during this time. The video starts with  a long shot of Drake, the long shot is used to show drake standing our from his surroundings; this is done so that we as the audience focus on him and so that we know that he is the main one in this video, it also shows how far he has come, it overviews how sucessful he has become and to also introduce him to the music video. The camera then zooms and becomes a close up whilst his body turns into a silhoutte with quick flashing images that resemble fire.The camera then eventually moves back to the long shot and we see behind him his bedroom setting change to a road this could represent his journey. The lighting then starts to change and it dims down around drake and then will suddenly brighten back up, this could represent the dramatic change that he has been through. Fast pace editing is used, we see this alot when the background changes, fast pace editing is used to keep the audience entertained, to build tension and to create excitment. The fast pace goes well with the timing of the song when the song gets quicker so does the editing, this makes everything run smoothly. After the fade out it shows that Drake is done with his past and is letting the audience know that he is moving forward with what it has done for him in his life and the music industry..

Throughout this music video various long shots are used of Drake to establish how much he has grown as an artist. Drake is put infront of a black background as he mimes his rap, this makes Drake again stand out and the audience can just focus on him as an artist and what he has to offer. When the shot goes back to the scene with Drake in his bedroom the fast pace editing in the background shows how quick everything changed for him. A long shot is shown of drake, standing on the left handisde of the camera to the right in the background is a faded white colour with sillouhutes of people rushing around, the effect is unfocused and blury. This connotes how quickly it has all gone from Drake and how he has gone to such an extreme in such little timing.

This video follows the generic conventions of a rap music video, towards the end a woman dressed provactivley is shown wearing gold. The colour gold can give off the vibe of being rich.

Flo rida - Club cant even handle me ft David Guetta.

Flo rida a music artist who specialises in dance music, he has a target audience of 15-25. Club cant even handle me is performance based, this is typical for a dance video mainly because it is a dance/party themed song. It shows clips from the movie step up 3 this is because the song was made around the film to be in it.

The music video starts off with a long shot which includes to glamourous cars parked outside a busy lively club, this instantly creates the party theme and makes it seem like it is the place to be. The way that the artists arrive by these expensive cars creates the idea of them having an expensive fun lifestyle. Another long shot is shown again from outside the club as David Guetta and Flo Rida both get out of their cars they both throw money up in the air, this creates the idea that they have so much money it doesnt matter to them. Throughout this video Flo Rida wears a big gold chain which is typical for these types of videos, the artists express the type of lifestyle that they live and that its all fun and glamourous and that they have lots of money. A close up is then used of Flo Rida when he begins to sing and dance to the camera, as the audience we are then reminded again of what lifestyle they have, it lets us know how much fun they are having with what they do. There is a contrast towards the end of the video, when the screen is split one side it shows the party and how fun it is, where as the other it shows an empty street, they both contradict eachother, this is put in the music video to show us as the audience how great what the artists (Flo Rida and David Guetta) are doing and the lyrics match the visuals ('the club cant even handle me right now'), this is shown in the video when people are breaking through the walls to get in the club.

Analysis of a star

Analysis of a star.

Christina Auglairia started off in the music industry at a very young age, throughout her career she has sung pop songs, however her image has transformed from being innocent to provocative as she has got older. However even when starting from a young age she is seen as being innocent but at the same time as the audience we see the provocative side of her wanting to come out, this then happens later on in her career. Christina's target audience is 16-20 year old girls, however this changed when she started to get old and become a sex symbol to men. Therefore some of her target audience started to become males.

Genie in a bottle.

 Genie in a bottle is one of Christina's first music videos, it was released in 1999. The video is from when she was first even noticed in the music industry, she portrays the image of a young, sweet and innocent young lady. The video is mainly performanc due to there being dance scenes where Christina has a dance routine with backing dancers. It is also narrative based as she is telling a story on how she feels and is expressing her feelings towards someone. However it has a concept to it as well as she is miming the lyrics throughout the video as the lines 'Im a genie in a bottle baby' and 'gotta rub me the right way hunny' are repeated throughout the song. The concept is saying that she wants someone to let her out of the 'bottle' that she is and refers herself as the 'genie' that is stuck in the bottle, but she wants to find the right person. This can connote innocence. Christinas appearence in the video is innocent as she wears orange baggy combat bottoms with a white top which could represent her innocence. Also in another scene she is wearing white and pink, which could be seen as sterotypical for a young girl. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist (this is from Andrew goodwins theory),  this is the most seen in this music video. Continuously throughout this music video there are close ups of Chrsitina Auglairia, this is especially because it was her first music video, and the record label wanted the audience to gain the recognition of her. Overall in Genie in a bottle the message is that if you want to be with her then you have to treat her right, and in a way she says that if you want to be with her then you need to please her in a certain way.

Dirty.

Dirty was one of her first biggest hits apart from Genie in a bottle, it was released on her first album Stripped. This video established the real change that the audience/media were starting to see in Christina Agularia. This video shows how Christian has grown up since Genie in a bottle and how she has changed from being a teenager to an adult. The genre of this song compared to Genie in a bottle is slightly different, Genie in a bottle was pop where as dirty has an RnB edge to it. As the audience we can really see from this music video the huge change that Christina has undergone. In her first music video we saw her in clothing that any girl of her age would usually wear, where as in this music video, Christina is wearing very minimal clothing. The video is mainly performanced based, and doesnt really have a concept or narrative towards it. This video shows the rebellious side to Christina as she is in a boxing ring having a fight with a girl, her whole appearence has changed, her hair has been highlighted she also has peircings on her face with darker make up. All of this shows that she has grown up and is no longer an innocent young girl anymore. Throughout the video Christina is also surrounded by half naked men, this can show that with age while shes growing up she is now interested in that. This video portrays Christina as being a sex symbol and gaining more of a wider target audience (males). The main point that I noticed from Goodwins theory was the relationship between the visuals and lyrics, and example is when Christina sings 'sweating till my clothes come off' she takes off her trousers and is changed into a mini skirt, slowly throughout the video she is wearing less clothing. This proves the change in her appearence and personality and song choice as well. Before in Genie in a bottle she was talking about how shes ready to come out and experience new things and in the music video dirty, she is exeriencing these things. Overall the message in Dirty is sexual, its about having a good time in a sexual manor.

Your body.

Christina Augaliria took a long break from her career, after marrying and having a child. After this is when she decided to make a comeback. Your body was released 2012, it is her latest song out at the moment. As she has got older and is now a woman, she still portays the image of being sexy and provactive but in a more classy way compared to her dirty music video. This connotes that she is a mature woman. The video is mainly performanced based as Christina mimes the song and dances throughout. This video shows Christina as a grown woman, still showing her young side but in a more of a mature and controlled way. Christina is still shown as the same artist however her song as gone back to the genre of which she first started which is Pop. The main point that I noticed from Goodwins theory was the relationship between the visuals and lyrics, and example of this is when Christina sings 'All I wanna do is love your body', she is sitting on a man in a car and touching him. The message of Your Body, is also quite sexual and has a lot of references to this. She is saying that she wants nothing more than a sexual relationship just lust.

Dyers star theory.

I believe that Dyers star theory relates to Christina Augelaria because it is clear that she has changed as an artist completely over the years, this backs up Dyers point that stars arent real people and that the are transformed during the people they work with. However now that Christina is older she has stuck to the same image and hasnt changed, this could be now that she is a mature woman. Christinas appearence changed on purpose, when she was at a young age it was important for her to appear as a innocent young woman, however when she began to get older they changed her gave her more revealing clothes, and a differnt type of song with sexual lyrics.

 

Goodwins theory

Analysis of Katy Perry – California girls.

Katy Perry is a pop artist, her target audience are both male and female, and due to her attractiveness males listen to her music, and where as young teenage girls aspire to be her. This particular music video is concept and performance based as throughout the video we can see Katy Perry discovering this candy world, the concept of this music video is that California girls are the best girls in the world and that California is the place to be. The purpose of this particular music video is to entertain the audience, attract a fan base, show the different conventions of a genre, audience to remember the music video, make a song available to a wide audience, build a relationship with the audience, the audience to understand more about a song. Music videos are split up into three categories performance, narrative and concept.

In Katy Perry’s music video, she portrays Hollywood as being a place of gamble, you can either make it or not. Katy Perry’s target audience is young girls as she is the stereotypical pop singer. However even though her music appeals to a younger generation of girls, she is sexually appealing for young men, therefore attracting a wide fan base. Katy cleverly does this through her music videos, a good example is the one in which I’m analysing as, one part of the music video she is laying on a cloud made out of candyfloss without any clothes on. The performance of this video is about Katy Perry portraying Hollywood to be a wonderful place, almost like a dream this is shown through the use of props, the setting is sweets and uses a lot of bright colours. The Narrative of this music video is about Hollywood and how much of a great place is it but a different side can be seen as, Snoop dog who is featured in the music video is controlling what happens he throws the dice and Katy Perry walks around exploring this paradise place “Hollywood”, the other side is seen when there is a girl trapped in a bubble, this portrays the idea of Hollywood and the media controlling the people in the industry but Katy Perry who in this video, comes across as being new to the experience takes her high hell off and pops the bubble saving her. The lyrics and the music video doesn’t come across in a serious manor, the concept to this song is that “California girls” are the best and inspirational, the lyrics create an image of what these girls look like, also towards the end of the video we are introduced to what they look like. Whether this was intentional or not Katy Perry creates the image of California girls being vein and infatuated with fame and Hollywood and care about their appearance a lot as this is what they seem to be known for.

Camera shots are used throughout Katy Perry’s music video to portray different things, for example the shot below is a Long shot, and this is used to exaggerate and show how wonderful this place is that she is describing; Hollywood. The long shot helps the audience realise what is actually going on, Katy is surrounded by sweets and wrappers, in soft bright colours connoting it being a happy place. The use of sweets help get the image across that it is a happy place too. This camera shot helps portray the idea that this particular music video is targeted at her audience very well, as young girls want to be where she is in this place and have everything that she has. Katy is telling everyone that this is the place to be and that anyone can make it but you have to give It a try. Mis en scene also plays a massive part in this video as it sets the whole image, and uses intertexuality relating the lyrics with the video. Katy is wearing soft pink tights with a dress made of sweets on, her hair is a silvery colour, the video is far from being realistic, which could also connote the idea that Hollywood may be too good to be true, and that this video is making fun of materialistic girls that live in California.

This shot below helps connote the other side of the argument, which is that everything may be too good to be true as, she makes out everything there is brilliant and the people are lovely, however this particular part of the video Katy walks up to  gummy bear and it swears at her. This helps connote that in that particular industry and area you’re going to come across people that aren’t nice and will try and put you down and that you just have to ignore them and carry on in life. This message is not just all about how great California girls are and the area but also how generally, in life you will come across people that aren’t as decent and others and that you just have to ignore them and don’t let them get you down.

Relating to Goodwin’s theory it is clear that this music video demonstrates the genres characteristics. The image below helps prove this as, the genre is pop and the surroundings of the video is full of candy and sweets, both of these relate with eachother well, not only this but to also the target audience.

As Andrew Goodwin believes there is a relationship between the visuals, there are many situations where this happens throughout Katy Perry's Calafornia girls music video, below is a screenshot of an example. The lyrics are "Greetings loved ones, lets take a journey", as Snoop Dog says these lyrics heh places Katy perry on the gambling board, next to her is a sign saying start. Here we can defintley see a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as Katy Perry is going on a journey in this magical world.

Goodwin also noticed that there are relationships between the music and the visuals. This particular music video follow this rule. Below is a print screen of it, Snoop dog kisses the dice, as this happens the beat is in the same timing for when his lips touch the dice. This has an effect on the audience when they watch the video, it makes the video seem as if it is running smoothly.





The demands of the record label will  include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which occur across their work. The screen shot below is a close up of Katy Perry, throughout the music video there are various close ups. These are done so that it is clear who the artist is throughout and to gain recognition, the reason the record labels in particular have this demand is so that the record sells.

The target audience play a massive role in this music video, as it is created to their wants and needs. Katy Perry (the artist) creates a relationship with the audience as she meets the codes and convetions of a music video for her genre in which the target audience watch. As she creates pop music she is dress appropriatley for this. The whole music video is associated with pop, as its very innocent bright colours are used. Katy perry begins to make a relationship with the audience as she performs to the camera and meets the conventions.

When creating our own music video we will use goodwins theory to a certain extent. We will make sure that we have links between the lyrics and the visuals, and our music video will be performance and narrative based.

Pie charts

I decided to use pie charts so that as a group we could analyse and compare the information. By looking at the pie chart with the information on it, it makes it easier to see what people are interested in and like Below are my groups pie charts.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are important because they are part of the research for developing a music video. One of the main reasons that questionnaires are important is because it helps us reach the target audience, for when we finally do make our music video. The questionnaire helps us determine what the target audience want to see in a music video, we can then take their answers into consideration and apply them to our music video. This way we know that we have definitely reached the target audience, and included everything that they want in the music video. Below is an example of our questionnaire.

I surveyed 13 people between my group, the other two people in my group surveyed 13 people as well, we distributed the questionnaire by recording peoples answers. We decided to split the surveys so that we could split the responsibility.  We surveyed 40 people in total as we thought this was an accurate amount to get the target audiences opinion.  

Music channels

Music Channels.

Task:

1) Who is the target audience and why?

2) What type of music does the channel play and why?

3) Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

4) How is the channel used as a form of branding?

5) How does the logo appeal to the target audience?

MTV

1) The target audience for MTV ranges from teenagers to adults, roughly from the age of 14 to 30. This is because it plays the music that is modern and recent and that are currently in the charts which the teenagers of this generation focus on and take in. MTV also has other music channels such as base and dance which are suited to a different group of people, this leaves MTV with a wide targer audience as they cater for all different types of music tastes through their different channels, this makes them the most succesful.  

2) MTV play hip hop, pop and R&B music, however they mainly focus on music that are in the charts of that time, so that they can relate to their target audience. This channel mainly focus’s on, what artists are popular at the moment, as as well as this what songs are too, MTV are well known for this in the music industry.

3) Taylor swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Justin beiber and Rihanna have all been shown on MTV’s music channel, this is because they are in the correct genre for this, and meet the target audiences wants and needs.

4) Even though MTV is known as a music channel it also features reality TV shows such as Geordie shore, MADE, teen mom and Jersey shore, these shows mentioned also relate to the target audience for MTV, this makes MTV even more successful as they are not only showing music videos throughout the channel but also reality TV shows, this could give them an even more wider audience as people who like these reality TV shows will tune into MTV and watch them and then maybe even continue to watch music videos, giving MTV more viewers. All of these appeal to a young audience, mainly because the shows revolve around young people, therefore the audience can relate to it in some way. MTV also have a clothing line, it is a young trendy line, and therefore it can appeal to the target audience which is teens to young adults/adults.

5)MTV’s logo is classic and plain, this is clever as it lets the viewers/audience relate to the fact that it reflects the music channel, as it is always plays the latest music and is very current. Seeing as the logo is in black and white it appeals to everyone in its target audience, as if it was blue for example then it would be seen as being targeted at boys. For special occasions MTV change the colour and patterns of the logo.

VH1

1) The target audience for VH1 is 25 to 30 year olds, this is due to the type of music that they play. The music that VH1 play relate to the target audience as its the music that their generation grew up with. Therefore they are going to have an interest in.

2) VH1 play all different music genres, they also have TV shows that play certain genres, such as ‘Top 100 singles in the 80’s’. It appeals to all adults. By VH1 having TV shows playing on their channel this gives them a wider audience as people who dont necesarily like the music that VH1 play may like the TV programmes therfore this gives them more viewers.

3)Artists from all different genres are played on this channel, but they mainly focus on 80's music as this is their target audience.

4) VH1 is a subsidiary of MTV, this can help massively when it comes down to the branding, VH1 is advertised across all of MTV channels therefore the audience of MTV then tune into VH1.

 5) The logo appeals to the target audience well, its bold with the use of the colours yellow pink and blue this reflects the era 80’s which the target audience can relate to.

THE BOX

   1) The target audience for the box is 14-20 years of age, reason being that they play the music that is currently in the charts. This then relates well to the target audience as they are a generation that follow the charts and take interest in them.

   2) They play current music including different genres such as r n b and indie, this is done because The box's target audience are at the age where this is the music interest of young people that age.  

   3) Rihanna, Connor Maynard, Chris brown, Drake and Rita Ora are all played regularly as they are current in the charts.

   4) Its another subsidiary channel for Kiss, Kerrang and 4 music, this is done so that The box can be promoted by advertising on these channels. It makes the audience watching the box want to know what the other channels are.

   5) The logo can be shown through the name of the channel, this is because the logo has boxes in the writing. The colouring is plain it is black, this is because it doesn’t have a specific target audience that have stereotypes. However the website has the colour pink throughout therefore it portrays the idea of teenagers and youth.

SCUZZ

   1)    The target audience is 16-30 year olds, it’s a niche channel as its a genre of music that a only a certain amount of people listen too. It isnt mainstream therefore it isnt as popular but it has a dedicated audience, however it spreads over a range of different people.

   2) Heavy metal rock such as bands like Enter Shikari play on the channel Scuzz, as they meet the requirements.

   3) Scuzz’s sister channels are Flava, vault and tiny pop.

   4) The logo very much appeals to the target audience as it has sharp pointy edges, also the colour looks like the material metal. This logo clearly relates to its target audience.

KISS

   1) The target audience for Kiss is 16-25 years of age. Kiss has a huge target audience, usually the music that Kiss play are in the charts.

   2) The channel plays a variety dance, hip-hop, urban and r ‘n’ b music, this explains why Kiss have such a huge target audience, all of the music genres that I have listed are the types of music that are currently playing in the charts.

   3) Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jay Z are normally played on Kiss; they are currently played in the charts and are well known for being in the RnB music genre therefore the target audience will enjoy this.

   4) Kiss can be used as a part of branding through promoting itself on Kerrang!, 4 Music, Heat and E4 these are all Kiss’s sister companies.

   5) Kiss’s logo is blue, this can represent the idea of isolation and calmness. It can represent the idea of youthfulness as the letters aren’t straight some of the edges are bent in which can show teenagers having fun.

What is a music video?

What is a music video?

Purpose of music videos.

* To entertain the audience.

* To send a message across the audience reflecting on the lyrics.

* To  portray the bands image.

* To sell the song/product.

* To make money.

* Show the different conventions of a genre.

* For the audience to remember the music video and the artist.

* Make a song available to a wide audience.

* The audience request music videos.

* Build a relationship with the audience.

* For the audience to understand more about the song.

* To promote the song/artist.

Different styles of music videos:

Performance
Performance based music videos focus mainly on singing,acting and dancing. Artists can use performance based music videos to give off a certain image about who they are as an artist or it could be something to do with the specific song. Artists mainly use performance based songs to engage and inspire the audience for example Beyonce's song single ladies, the symbolic dance moves inspired millions of people around the world some 
to even make their own versions and post them on YouTube, through this Beyonces music video got more recognition.

Narrative
Narrative based music videos are mainly used to tell the audience a story. An artist may choose to make a music video narrative based so that the audience can relate to what the songs about, and focus more on this specifically rather than the other unimportant things (for the specific music video). Narrative music videos generally have a lot more meaning, rather than others. Narrative music videos can be used in any music video therefore it is diverse.

Concept
Concept based music videos are used to sell the audience an idea/theme. Concept based music videos are usually used by artists that produce dance songs. This is because dance songs arent usually serious and dont have an important message rather than something that may be narrative or performance based.

A music video that follows the rules of a perfomance based music video is Beyonce's - Single Ladies, throughout the video she is performing to the camera along with two other dancers. The music video focus's on Beyonce as a character and as an artist, she is dancing throughout the video and miming ot tthe song. In relation to the song this type of music video goes extremely well with it, as the song is about independant and single women sticking up for there gender and it shows Beyonce as a strong feirce artist. In this music video there is a in sync dance routine throughout which adds to the conventions of a performance based music video.

A music video that follows the rules of a narrative based music video is Christian Augalaria's Beautiful, throughout the music video a story is being told not only by the lyrics, but by the visuals that the audience see. For example when the artist sings the lyrics you are beautiful no matter what they say, a girl is shown who is extremely underweight maybe even anorexic, looking at herself in the mirror. This has a strong narrative and when the audience watches the music video this is shown.

A music video that follows the rules of a concept based music video is DJ fresh - Louder, this is becasue this artist produces dance songs, just like Louder. Therefore throughout the music video, its mainly random bits of footage being shown. Its off people skating and roller skating around. A lot of close ups of used of people smiling, to emphasise that they are having a good time. Actors in the music video are dressed in brightly coloured clothing, this connotes the idea of freedom and fun.