Hip-Hop Music Video Analysis

MUSIC VIDEO TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 

Picture me Rollin’- Chris Brown 

GENRE: 

What is the Genre of the Video?	Hip-Hop
What is the genre of the Artist?	Rap / R&B / Hip Hop
Is there a typical narrative?	There isn’t a proper beginning, middle and end which is usually seen in a narrative as there was a narrative within the whole album for example, the next music video would follow from the last
What is expected in the video?	The close ups of the artist  Expensive cars (generic conventions of Hip-Hop  Performance based video
What is unexpected in the video?	Scott Disick is the only Caucasian in the group of males which is unexpected in this genre
Intertextual References?  (Video link to other music videos?)	The music video ties in with the rest of the music videos on the album as there is one long narrative

NARRATIVE: 

What is the storyline of the video?	There isn’t a strong storyline in the video as it followed on from the previous song but it shows the artist breaking up with his girlfriend and then going to a part with his friends
Is there a theme?	There isn’t a proper theme presented in this video
Is there a recognisable structure (TODOROV – Equilibrium 5 stages)?	There isn’t a recognisable structure within this video individually as it finishes on a bit of a cliff hanger however, if the whole album is played one after another a clear narrative is apparent and an equilibrium at the start is disrupted later on in the album and then there is a reinstatement of the equilibrium at the end
Are there recognisable characters?	There are many recognisable characters in this videos such as Chris Brown, Asap Rocky, French montana and Scott Disick
How does the video reflect the lyrics?	The lyrics do not have any links to visuals at all really in this video the only possible link to visuals is quite literally the word “lambo” which can be seen at the start of the music video.

REPRESENTATION: 

What issues of representation are evident?	At the beginning of the video males are represented in a no-stereotypical fashion as Chris Brown lacks control in the scene where his girlfriend leaves him. On the other hand, males are also presented as being dominant when Scott Disick is ordering the women to get off of his car which is a stereotypical representation of gender. Ethnic minorities are seen as being more dominant for example Scott Disick is the only Caucasian seen in the video which is non- stereotypical however, it is expected in a hip-hop style music video.
How have these been represented? Stereotypes?	There are multiple non-stereotypical representations seen in this music video and the artist isn’t presented as being a dominant character in every scene.
Look at the artist as a star – how have they been constructed?	Chris Brown has constructed himself as being a very powerful character that has all of his friends backing him at the end of the video almost as if he is untouchable and in full control.
Do they have an anonymous role in the  video or are they there as celebrity?	Even though there are many celebrities that feature in this video, Chris Brown is the main focus and play a huge role as a celebrity in this video.

VISUAL CODES: 

Where is the video set? Connotations of this setting?	The video is set in various locations however, the majority of the video is shot at a mansion where there is a party which is typical of this genre and the other scenes feature expensive sports cars which have connotations of wealth and power.
Dominant colour used in the video? Why? What is the effect?	There are many colours in this video therefore, there isn’t a dominant colour especially at the house party there are many colours used to present this.
Written Iconographics? Typography? Why?	There is not any writing in the video
Shot Compositions that stand out?	At the beginning of the video when Chris Brown is on the phone to Scott Disick, there is a close up shot on Scott’s face where he is the main focus and the expensive cars can be seen in the background, this has connotations of dominance.

TECHNICAL CODES: 

Camera Angles? Interesting ones? What effect is created?	There are many camera angles used in hip-hop music videos to represent the fast pace of the music. In this video there are multiple high angle shots on the artist which makes them appear smaller and less powerful to the audience. This style of shot is unusual especially in this manner as the role Chris Brown plays in the video is a wealthy, powerful character.
Does the way the camera moves help to tell the story?	The only camera movement in the video is used to show the atmosphere of the party and to exaggerate Chris Browns dancing/ performance.
What is editing like? Type of cuts etc?	The editing is quite fast which is stereotypical of the hip-hop genre.

AUDIENCE: 

Who is the target audience for the video?  How does the video target this specific audience?

This video is mainly targeted towards Chris Brown fans as I said, the whole album tells a story through the music videos of each song meaning to understand the narrative the audience would have had to have seen the previous song on the album.  However, the video will also appeal to fans of hip-hop music as it still includes key conventions of the genre seen in the music video meaning people other than specifically Chris Brown fans can still enjoy it.

Demographic?

I would say the demographic for this video is younger males aged 16-25 as the video involves cars, money and women. However, the video will also appeal to a wider audience as a large proportion of Chris Browns fans are also female.

INSTITUTION: 

What role does the record company play in the music video?	The record company for the music video allows the funding of the video however, like many popular artists they will request a certain number of close-up shots on the artist which is evident in this video.
What is the brand image of the star that is sold?  How is the star marketed and promoted?	In this video Chris Browns image comes across as a powerful character that is also very popular due to the number of other celebrities that feature in the video with him.