Favourite Music Video Analysis

MUSIC VIDEO TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 

Chris Brown, Tyga- Ayo

The purpose of this analysis was to understand the codes and conventions of this genre but also to analyse the different shot types and editing techniques used. even though some of the editing techniques used within this video will not be relevant to our chosen genre it will still be beneficial to us when editing our own music video.

GENRE: 

What is the Genre of the Video?	Hip-Hop/ Rap
What is the genre of the Artist?	Rap / R&B / Hip Hop
Is there a typical narrative?	There isn't a typical narrative in this video in fact there isn't really a narrative at all its mainly performance and concept based.
What is expected in the video?	The close ups of the artist  Expensive cars (generic conventions of Hip-Hop)  Expensive jewellery Female characters Performance based video
What is unexpected in the video?	There isn't anything unexpected in this video is very extravagant which was the purpose to show off what they have.
Intertextual References?  (Video link to other music videos?)	There isn't any intertextual references

NARRATIVE: 

What is the storyline of the video?	The video doesn't follow a clear storyline, the video is set in various locations where they show off their cars, jewellery and money.
Is there a theme?	Wealth/Power (Their brand label is on the towers at the end of thevideo)
Is there a recognisable structure (TODOROV – Equilibrium 5 stages)?	There is no recognisable structure to this video the only thing is at the middle of the video, the two are chased by police however, this doesn't faze them.
Are there recognisable characters?	Chris Brown and Tyga
How does the video reflect the lyrics?	Throughout the song the lyrics mention about their money which is reflected through the use of the materialistic items that can be seen the whole way through the video. One of the lines is "tatted like a Mexican" which is backed up with them showing their countless tattoos in the video.

REPRESENTATION: 

What issues of representation are evident?	There are none, males, more specifically the artists are seen as being totally dominant within the video.
How have these been represented? Stereotypes?	Stereotypically, males are seen as being the more dominant gender which has been made apparent in this video however, some are more powerful than others for example, the police couldn't catch the artists.
Look at the artist as a star – how have they been constructed?	Chris Brown and Tyga have both been constructed as more than celebrities in this video, it's almost as if they are implying that they are the most powerful in the city that it is set in. This is made apparent through the lyrics as well as the props used within the video and their brand label shown on the skyscrapers.
Do they have an anonymous role in the  video or are they there as celebrity?	They play the role of massive celebrities in this video and have been constructed almost as self obsessed or arrogant characters.

VISUAL CODES: 

Where is the video set? Connotations of this setting?	At the beginning the video was set in a huge mansion where Chris brown showed off his 'money pool' and Tyga's 'gold toilet'. The rest of the video is set in a city where they race their Lamborghinis and perform on top of a skyscraper.
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
Written Iconographics? Typography? Why?	There is not any writing in the video
Shot Compositions that stand out?	At the end of the video when they are performing on the skyscraper there are many shots where the two are in focus and behind them is a blur with all of the city lit up.

TECHNICAL CODES: 

Camera Angles? Interesting ones? What effect is created?	The most common angles used within this video are close-up shots which are probably demands from the record label as well as long shots where they are able to show off all of the cars, jewellery etc. Low angle shots are also used in this video to make the artists appear powerful to the audience which is they way that they have been constructed in this music video.
Does the way the camera moves help to tell the story?	During the race between the two artists cars, a tracking shot is used to show the speed that they are going. However, there isn't a narrative therefore, the way the camera moves doesn't help to tell the story, only used to help show off the the artists power.
What is editing like? Type of cuts etc?	The editing is quite fast which is stereotypical of the hip-hop genre. Lots of jump cuts have been used to show this pace.

AUDIENCE: 

Who is the target audience for the video?  How does the video target this specific audience?	The video is targeted towards mainly towards a male dominated audience aged between 14-25 as they will have an interest in the cars and the lifestyle that the artists are living.  The hip-hop genre has conventions that will typically appeal to males more than females for example, cars, woman and money.
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?

The two artists have been constructed as extremely powerful celebrities that come across as arrogant to the audience however, this is often seen in this genre mas the whole idea is showing off their wealth. Chris Browns clothing brand (Black Pyramid) can be seen written on top of one of the skyscrapers and Tyga's brand (Last Kings) can be seen on another which convinces the audience that this is their skyscraper and their city.