Skepta ft. Preeya Kalidas - Cross My Heart

"Cross my heart" is a song by British MC skepta featuring vocals from actress and singer Preeya Kalidas. The song was released on 17 October 2010 in the united kingdom. It is the third single to be released from Skepta's studio album, 'Doin it Again. "Cross My Heart" charted at #31 on the UK Singles chart, becoming Skepta's third highest single.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_My_Heart_(Skepta_song))

The title 'Cross my heart' can be interpreted in two ways. The first way is the lady in the video, Preeya Kalidas declaring that she promises to never leave him even though they are not an official couple. Taking this into consideration  Skepta is still surrounded by numerous of women, that act provocatively towards him. Skepta claims never to go mainstream and has claimed 'I will never forget those who got me where I am today.' This is ironic as he has religiously followed the biggest stereotype of a black rapper in this video. There are strong representations of 'money' wealth and status, such as the setting which consisted of a white mansion, white Lamborghini, the gold furniture and the interior and also his flamboyant outfit.
The 'star gaze theory' has been explored in Skepta's video, as the women are only presented as sexual objects (even Preeya is laid on the bed seductively, every time she says "I promise," making direct eye contact with the camera subtly connecting with the audience seductively). I believe the purpose of this is to empower Skepta, so that the audience perceive him as a man of power, and a categorise him in a high status, moreover women will adore him and men would desire to be him.

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One of the main settings used in this video outside a mansion, a wide shot was used to present Skepta to the audience as a man of success. Fast paced editing is used to keep the audiences interest, and also the fast paced editing synchronises with the rhythm of the music itself. As the video begins, we (the audience)  it uses intertexuality as(a given text, to what has been written implicitly/explicitly) as opening credits, SKEPTA and PREEYA is written in gold bold font. The font style and and the gold lettering are tacky and confident, which conforms to the codes and conventions found in most Hip Hop/ Rap videos.
The women in Skepta's video have a very submissive role throughout, this is suggested by their character, and their gestures. The women in his video have been objectified by not only the men who are watching the video (their presence in the video is to seduce the male audience) but the men (skepta) who are also featured in the video.
The colour scheme is dominantly gold; this often connotes wealth and success. The video consists of various close ups of skepta rapping. Andrew  Goodwin's music video theory stated that this technique acts as a branding and promotes the artist to the viewers. The audience are also able to relate to his emotions and empathise with his lyrics.

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A2 Media Studies - Skepta Rescue Me .. Ammature Music Video

Analysing Rihanna - We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris .. Electro pop

Today I am going to be analysing Rihanna We Found Love ft Calvin Harris. The video was filmed in Northern Ireland. It was filmed in 12 different locations, from block of flats to a party on the field. The video was distributed by Universal Music and Video distribution. 'We found Love' is a dance-pop and electro house song, with some elements of techno and Euro pop. This contrasts what Rihanna is usually known as; Rihanna is signed to Def Jam records and is well known for her R&B, Pop, Dance hall, Reggae, Hip Hop and dance genres. This suggests that Rihanna is trying to reach out to a new audience who she may have never aimed to target before. 'We found Love' is featured in the album 'Talk that Talk which was released in the year 2011. The video was directed by Melina Masoukas.
The video follows a passionate love story of Rihanna and her video "boyfriend" acted by Dudley O'Shaughnessy. At the beginning of the music video, it features a monologue about love and heartbreak spoken by an unseen narrator Agyness Deyn. She narrates and  repetitively addresses to the audience as 'You' to interact and reach out to an audience who have had or are having similar experiences. She expresses her emotions of love and how it makes 'You' feel. In between her sentences there are several dramatic pauses, accompanied by prolonged background music, which creates a dramatic effect to draw the attention to the words. The visual content of the video displays love and drugs, in addition, the monologue can be subtly applied to love and drugs also; 'no one can ever how much it hurts, this can be a reference to the true feeling to be heart broken in love, or it could be referring to drugs and the lasting effects and damage on the body. 'Nothing can save you' can connote lack of confidence, and plenty of distrust, when trying to withdrawal from love and drugs. 'When it is gone you wish you could have it all back' may suggest the empty feeling/effect on the body once the 'drugs' ware off, in addition the euphoric feeling you once have when you are passionately in love.



I believe that this video aims to target 18-mid 20's, this is because this age range are young adults with a wild party life style (stereotypically) who can probably relate and understand the plot of video. More over the mise n scene of Rihannas outfit is very retro, which (stereotypically) young teenagers, and young adults may familiarise themselves with.

At the start of the video, Rihanna is presented very healthy, the mood suggest happiness, love, passion and romance. We know that she and her 'partner' are happy because of their facial expressions, and their sexual gestures. A two shot, of Rihanna and the boy (actor) kiss. displays a silhouette in front of bright windowed background; their bodies create an illusion of a heart shape. This suggests to the audience that there is love between them.The non dietetic sound of thunder, and the projection of the lighting bolt on Rihanna can signify fear. The darkened setting and the fast paced editing of the changing moods from happiness to the binary opposite of unhappiness. This implies and emphasises the instant fast changing effects of drugs, and could also signify the unconscious feeling of lack of control over their lives, and a broken heart.
 Moreover where the moods change to unhappiness, rage and pain, both Rihanna and her partner's appearance also starts to change; Rihanna's hair and makeup is very messy and her eyeliner and mascara begins to smudge due to her tears, and her pain. This subtly implies the phases of drugs and love to a a person, there is also an underlying message to the audience that drugs have a negative impact in life, and so can love.

There is no obvious connection between the lyrics and/or the video, as there is no indication in the lyrics, of unhappiness, anger or rage, however there are subtle mentions of drugs 'what it feels to come alive' this suggests the impact of drugs on the body, in addition she recites 'Hopeless place' frequently, which can represent the disorted settings of the video e.g the block of flats; stereotypically society categorises people who live in flats to have a 'Hopeless' future, and are often known for their lower class status.
Ironically I believe that Rihanna is trying to reach out to the female target audience specifically, as she subtly reveals the story behind her relationship with famous R&B, Pop Singer Chris Brown, who was once violent towards her in 2009. Rihanna is trying to caution young females and males in relationships, to be cautious of where their begingings of their relationships start, and also inform them that it can all go wrong; In her case it due to the fault of drugs.

Usual Conventions of an Electro pop genre:
- Over the top wild party scenes
- Use of drugs and alcohol
- Usually do not follow the storyline usually follows the genre
- Very sexual scenes
- Very bright and colourful

Take Care - Drake ft. Rihanna (Official Video)

Analysing Beyoncé - Halo Video .. R&B Ballad

Today I am going to be analysing my second music video. Beyonce - Halo. This song is from the album 'I AM Sasha Fierce' which was released in 2008. The lyrics to Halo by Beyonce explain how much of an impact a man has made on her life. She has been hurt by being in love before, and she has built up walls around her and made up rules to prevent her from experiencing pain again. However she met a person that quickly broke down the walls and let himself in, and she is realising that she needed to protect herself from letting the wrong man in. The right person would not cause her much pain. This man is her 'saving Grace', and she is referring to him as her Angel. She is able to feel his presence by his 'Halo', and she is hoping that he is not too good to be true. He is allowed her to break free from her own insecurities and she now knows that her life will defy even gravity. He has given a new chance at life, and she 'feels like I've been awakened', and she is willing to take the risk of never shutting him out. The light from his 'Halo' follows her, and everywhere she is, she is 'surrounded by' his 'embrace'
The video contains many elements of performances with a base of narrative. Love.
There are many factors that hint to the audience what genre the music belongs to. We as the audience can gather that 'Halo' by Beyonce is an R&B song, this is due to the slow paced rhythm  and yet the visuals of the video, fade very frequently into one an other, we can identify this as an projection of soulful atmosphere. These characteristics minimally supports genres like rock, pop, rap etc...

The music video was directed by Philip Andelman.





In this music video, Beyonce's image, gives an impression of an innocent and vulnerable young woman. The image of innocence is achieved with high key lighting, accompanied with her white garment, also the natural make up. Her hair is also tied back, revealing her neck, which also emphasises her vulnerability in the video. More over the high key lighting can also be used to represent the 'Halo' emerging from the innocence of the new entrant into her life, this is a connection between the lyrics and the video, she sings 'I'm surrounded by your embrace'. The visual effects, creates an Angelic scene to represent the innocence of the man, and Beyonce.
Beyonce has a wide fan base ranging from as young as 2 to 89years old both males and females. However I believe that this particular music video mainly aims to target young women (including teenagers) who have suffered broken hearts, and are afraid of allowing men into their lives. Beyonce is trying to share her real life situation in love to this particular audience (women). I believe that she successfully achieves this with the lyrics, and her changing moods (sad to happy) throughout the video suggesting that there is hope for all.
We are presented frequently with close up shots of Beyonce, this successfully captures her grace and elegance. This aspect of the video allows the audience to connect, relate and build a 'close' relationship with Beyonce, as they build up her positive celebrity image. Also there are various close ups used to present the man, accompanied by bright positive light, 'I've got my angel now' implies she 'Halo' reassures her that she has found the right man; the audience can now gather that there is a connection between the lyrics of the song and the video.

In this close up shot the closeness of Beyonce and the actor (man) suggests suggests a close and intimate relationship between the both of them, the depth of field, allows the audience to focus intensively on them both

There is a man standing in the foreground looking down on Beyonce from a window and there is natural light coming from the window behind Beyonce. The lighting is yet dull this suggests  when the 'man' is not close to her, she feels like she is in 'darkness' she is addicted to his light. Which is suggested in the lyrics of the song



To conclude the entire atmosphere in the music video is very calm, soulful, and brings about hope. The video closely focuses entirely on Beyonce, and additionally her partner, they were the only 2 features throughout the entire video, which implies the importance of the actor and the Beyonce, and it also has a direct connection with the song 'Halo' .

Theories:
Godwin's points out the artist mode of address. Beyonce's song Halo can be seen as a story whilst Beyonce is the storyteller in the video making the video a two communication device; Beyonce telling us the story and us listening. Moreover Beyonce is acting as the narrator and her 'partner' helps to increase the authenticity, however lip sync and other mimed actions remains the heart of the music video. It helps increase realism to the audience.
Beyonce is dressed quite sexy and revealing, for example where she is in her black leotard suit, according to Andrew Godwin this is a voyeuristic treatment of the female body, towards the male audience.

Forms and conventions of R&B Video
I have watched various R&B music videos, and mentally assessed the forms and conventions.
These are the conventions I have gathered
- It is either Performance based OR Telling a story from past experience in the video
- Closely focuses on the physical appearance of the artists or the relationship between the artists and others
- Big focus on flaunting the artists material possessions such as expensive jewellery or designer clothes etc....
- Mainly consists of African Americans (as they are the founders of the genre)
- Some sort of dancing
(The ones in pink are the conventions Beyonce has followed)

I do believe that Beyonce has followed the usual conventions of a 'typical' r&b music video, however she rejected some conventions, such as ' Flaunting material possessions'.

Codes & Conventions

Music Videos can be used as a promotional method for the artist and their music, it can also be a piece of a marketing merchandise that is used to sell records and hopefully make the artist more popular. When creating a music video there has to be a target audience, and some sale figures in mind. In the end they must have successfully reached the target sales, and also have all the codes and conventions to make sure that the audience are satisfied

Music videos themselves are very hard to define, due to their wide variety of conventions and effects which are normally produced to a high standard. These videos often feature a diverse range of shots, but mainly close up shots of the singer and the band performing. The songs which are performed are genuinely based upon a close concept or a loose storyline, traditionally associated to a certain mood/atmosphere and the lyrics of the song. Producers often use a feature or a montage effect which compiles short clips together, to help jump from one image to the other. In the modern day more and more music videos tend to be fast paced with quick edits enabling the clips to flow more smoothly. Post production effects are also key features of an effective music video. Throughout time producers label the title of the song, artist and album at the start or end of the video. This helps promote either the song, record label or the band itself thus generating more fans in the process to help establish recognition. Vibrant and bold images are vital, as it uplifts the quality of the song as the storyline merges together, making the song appear more realistic and attractive to the viewers eye.

Codes and Conventions of a music video are very important when creating my own music video. By researching some codes and conventions, I should be able to decide what my options are when producing my music video, and also by looking at codes and conventions, I can see what props/equipment I can use and how to use it.

There are many conventions in a music video, without these conventions it would be  hard to create a piece that is expected from an audience. Within many music videos it involves the artist performing, for example performing their song on stage or even lust miming words in a certain way. The reason for this is to promote the artist in a certain way, and to make sure that their brand image is clear to the audience. For example Adele mimes her song effortlessly, to try and put across to the audience, her honesty and devotion to her lyrics, she ensures that the meaning of the song is put across in each video. I want my artist to mime the song, depending on the song I chose, I want to ensure the lyrics of the song are explained through the emotion of my actor/s also to create a connection between the audience and the artist. It is often very rare now a-days to find a music video without any miming involved, and if it does it must have a very strong narrative or story involved. This is another convention present in music videos; it usually involves a narrative. This is a story although some of them do not include narratives, most of them have a structured story that works well with the music and will often relate to the lyrics, this often connects heavily with the videos target audience.

Some artists have a mixture of all conventions within their music video. Depending on the song I choose, I may implement a mixture of codes and conventions within my music video.

Conventions

What are codes and conventions?

A way of constructing meaning in media texts

Technical: How equipment and technology are used to construct meaning

Camera – Different angles/shots

Editing – Pace style

Sound - Diegetic/ non diegetic genre

Symbolic

Meaning created beyond what is obvious to see e.g. facial expressions

Styles of music videos

Music videos can be categorised in terms of styles

These are

Performance – Band/ Artists playing

Narrative – Includes story

Mixture – Both performance and narrative based

Cameo – Band / artists features in the narrative but doesn’t perform

Camera – A variety of shots depending on style

Editing and sound

Music videos normally feature jump cutting

Footage is usually edited to match the music

Choosing to include diegetic sound

Change in levels of sound

Mise en scene

Props

Costume

Location

Facial Expressions

Research - Theories

Andrew Godwin's 6 point Analysis
Andrew Godwin identifies 6 features of music video, these being:
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g.  dance routines in a pop song)
2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals
3. There is a relationship between the music and visuals
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups and the artist may develop a visual style that repeat across their work
5.There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
6. There is often intertextual reference (e.g. films, TV programs, other music videos etc.)

I have gathered further information from a slide share document online :http://www.slideshare.net/guestc6d43a4a/andrew-goodwins-theory

Feminism, Male Gaze, and Post- Feminism
Initial thoughts on gender representation, How males and females are typically represented or portrayed in music videos,
Gender Stereotypes in Music
Current research findings suggests men in music videos are significantly more aggressive and dominant in music videos, moreover they are represented as independent, adventourous, and compotent stereotypical gendered occupations apparent (i.e. Males are mechanics whilst women are cheerleaders). Women engage in significantly more explicit, sexual and passive behaviour. Women are more likely to be represented as sexual objects of sexual advantages within a music video. Women are more likely to be presented provocatively or presented in revealing outfits. Women are almost portrayed as decorative objects within a music video. (Taken from Dots' May 2009 OBJECT)

Feminism (1960/70's)
A movement in which women questioned their position within a patriarchal society and their private sphere' of 'home/children/domestic bliss.' Serves to uncover, challenge and eliminare opposition and dominant gender imagery. Women began to debate the narrow range of stereotypes present across all media; Women as virgins, mothers or promiscuous. Women as sex objects. Women as inferior to men.

Sexual Objectification and the Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey 1975)
Voyeurism: Erotic pleasures gained from looking at a sexual object (who is unaware of being watched). Presence of women solely for the purpose of display (rather than narrative function). Female on display is passive and objectified for a male gaze regardless of viewers. Gender Voyeuristic treatment of female body in 'male' videos - use of dancers as adomments to the male ego. The inclusion women for display to stape element in music video's - across all genres. In conclusion women connote to-be-looked-at-ness and are the object of the male gaze.
Looking at the music video 'Buttons - Pussycat Dolls ft Snoop Dogg' Taking Muvleys theory into account the feminist reading of the video may potentially say sexual power is derived from physical attractiveness to men. Snoop Dogg Voyeuristic male gaze/ POV shot invites male viewer to join in.

Post Feminism and the Female Gaze (1980's)
A re-appraisal of feminist values does not strive for 'equality' as this assumes men are 'the best' - they wish to surpass male achievements. Objected to theories in which position them as objects of the 'Male Gaze' identifies a 'Female Gaze' - women actively desiring men. Women began to assert their right to dress and be sexually attractive.
 Rihanna is not on show for the benefit of male audiences, but is enjoying herself experiencing different identities. She is successful, independent and in control. Connotes messages of Empowerment/Confidence/ Independence to female audience . In contrast to other representations here Britney is in control and dominates men within the narratives. She also takes a variety of identities e.g. super heroine. There is also opportunity for the female gaze.

Richard Dyer’s Star Theory

Richard W. Dyer is an English academic specialising in cinema since 2006, he is a professor of Film Studies at Kings College London.

Stars’ was Dyers first full book. In it he developed the idea that the viewers’ perception of a film is heavily influenced by the perception of its stars and those publicity materials and views determine the way that audiences experience the film.

His theory suggests a ‘star’s’ construction takes several forms:

The star is a construction

The image of the star has been developed by the star themselves and/or the management team across a wide range of media (advertising etc). It helps the star has a USP (unique selling point) for example Lady Gaga’s range of earpieces, this construction brings with it connotations of the artist. Lady Gaga suggests that she is eccentric and she wants to stand out from the crowd.

The star is a Commodity:

A record company will listen very closely to audience demands and will construct stars that will appeal to the likes and tastes of various different audiences. Stars are constructed to meet the audience demand, for example Girls Aloud were constructed to appeal to a female audience who would most likely imitate their fashion and dance moves. Whereas kings of Leon were constructed to appeal to more grungy down to earth audience (both male and females)

The star is an ideology

This star represents a set of values and attitude that reflect audiences own values. For example, Miley Cyrus gained a lot of media attention after claiming she is a virgin and wouldn’t have sex until she was married – young girl audiences might follow her lead, and this can also be beneficial to society and its problems of underage sex etc.

Characteristics of a Music Video

Music, particularly rock has always had a visual element. The album cover, the ‘look’ a band strived for in performance, concert staging, and promotional publicity have all stimulate album sales and the birth of MTV as a continuous outlet for viewing simply served to enhance the visual potential present in rock.

Viewers typically do not regard the music video as a commercial for an album or act.

Aufderheide (1986) describes the connection of viewer to video. ‘With nary references to cash or commodities, music videos cross the consumer’s gaze as a series of mood states. They trigger nostalgia, regret, anxiety, confusion, dread, envy, admiration, pity, titillation-attitudes at one remove from the primal expression such as passion, ecstasy and rage. The moods often express a lack an incompletion, an inability, a searching for location. In music videos those feelings are carried on flights of whimsy, extended journeys into the arbitrary’ (pg 63)

That music videos present compelling mood states that may claim the attention of the viewer is not a matter of happenstance.

Abt (1987) states that ‘directors of videos strive to make their products as exciting as the music. In the struggle to establish and maintain a following artists utilize any number of techniques in order to appear exotic, powerful, tough, sexy, cool, unique’ (pg. 103) Further, Abt indicates ‘a video must compete with other videos.’ ‘They must gain hold of the viewers attention amidst other videos; help establish, visualize, or maintain the artist’s image; sell that image and the products associated with it; o perhaps carry one or several direct or indirect messages…’ (pg.97)

Music videos may be further characterized by three broad typologies: Performance, narrative and conceptual (Firth 1988).

These types describe the form and content selected by the director or artist to attract viewers and to convey or indirect message.

Performance videos, the most common type (Firth 1988) feature the star or group singing in concert to wildly enthusiastic fans. The goal is to convey a sense of the in-concert experience. Gow (1992) suggests ‘the performance of performance as a formal system in the popular clips indicates that music video defines itself chiefly by communicating images of artists singing and playing songs’ (pg. 48-49). Performance videos, especially those that display the star or group in the studio, remind the viewer that the soundtrack is still important. ‘Performance oriented visuals, cue viewers indeed, the recording of the music is the most significant element’ (Gow 1992, pg.45)

A narrative video presents a sequence of events. A video may tell any kind of story in linear, cause-effect sequencing. Love stories, however are the most common narrative mode in the music video. The narrative pattern is one of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Action in the story is dominated by males who do things and females who passively react or wait for something to happen (Schwichtenberg 1992). Conceptual videos rely on poetic form, primarily metaphor (Firth, 1988). The conceptual video can be metaphysical poetry articulated through visual and verbal elements. ‘These videos make significant use of the visual element, presenting to the eye as well as the ear, and in doing so, conveying truths inexpressible discursively’ (Lorch 1988, pg. 143) Conceptual videos do not tell a story in linear fashion, but rather create a mood, a feeling to be evoked in the experience of viewing (Firth 1988).

Conceptual videos contain the possibility for multiple meanings as the metaphor or metaphoric sequence is interpreted by the viewer.

‘Thus the metaphorical relations between images structured according to musical and visual rhymes and rhythms play a suggestive role in soliciting multiple meanings from us, the viewers/listeners, that resonate with our experience-something we can feel and describe’. (Schwichtenberg, 1992 pg. 124)

A given music video may actually have elements of more than one category. Goodwin (1992), in describing Madonnas’s videos, suggests that the essential narrative component of a music video is found in its ability to frame the star, ‘Star-in-text,’ as all madonna’s videos seem to do. A story exists solely for its ability to create, or in Madonna’s case recreate, the star’s persona. This blending of elements can also enable a type of music such as rap to have cross-over appeal to a wider audience, Although we may profitably interpret the message potential of music video using these three catagories as a basis for content analysis, certain limitations exist if we remain on that path. ‘Analysis of music video narrative have been all to eager to freeze the moment and study videos shot by shot, but here the problem is that this generates not too much but too little knowledge, because the individual narrative is highly intertextual’ (Godwin, 1992 pg. 90)

As a blend of video technique and imagery from film and television, music video offers us a new perceptual agenda by providing allusions to and incorporations of old iconic imagery from film, allowing us to reconstitute the pieces of the 20^th century information explosion (Turner 1986) The brevity of the music video has created a new grammar of video techniques particular to this miniscule video form.

‘Visual techniques commonly employed in music videos exaggerate… interest and excitement is stimulated by rapid cutting, intercutting dissolves, superimpositions, and other special effects, that taken together with different scenes and character, make music videos usually and thematically dynamic.’ (Abt 1987 pg. 97-98)