R&B Muisc Video Analysis

MUSIC VIDEO TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 

August Alsina- No love 

GENRE: 

What is the Genre of the Video?	Contemporary R&B
What is the genre of the Artist?	Contemporary R&B/ Hip-Hop/ Hip-Hop Soul
Is there a typical narrative?	Yes there is a typical narrative in this video as it is based around a relationship and the artist cheating.
What is expected in the video?	The close ups of the artist  Slow songs= Greyscale Male Artist- Tattoos, topless, jewellery Co star which is Nicki Minaj
What is unexpected in the video?	Nothing unexpected as the video follows generic conventions/codes of R&B very carefully.
Intertextual References?  (Video link to other music videos?)	There isn't any intersexual references in this video.

NARRATIVE: 

What is the storyline of the video?	August and Nicki are together however, he cheats on her with another woman but charms her in order to get her back.
Is there a theme?	Relationships/ Love
Is there a recognisable structure (TODOROV – Equilibrium 5 stages)?	At the beginning of the video August and Nicki are happy however this equilibrium is disrupted when he cheats on her however. In order to get her back August buys her flowers and leaves her a note in which the equilibrium is restored by the end of the video.
Are there recognisable characters?	There is the two artists that feature in the song (August Alsina & Nicki Minaj)
How does the video reflect the lyrics?	The lyrics throughout the song talk about August not wanting a relationship which is reflected when he cheats on Nicki. "Don't come looking for love" clearly supports this idea.

REPRESENTATION: 

What issues of representation are evident?	The video could suggest that all males are like the character that August plays which obviously isn't true in everyday life. Furthermore, although stereotypically men are seen as more dominant than female characters, in this video Nicki is almost made to seem weak compare to August as he knows he can get her back as easy as he did.
How have these been represented? Stereotypes?	Overall, the video is very stereotypical in terms of representations of gender, wealth etc. Males are seen as having power over female characters as August cheats on Nicki and gets away with it. Furthermore, wealth is represented in a stereotypical way as August is able to buy happiness or his way out of trouble. His dominance is also shown through materialistic items such as his jewellery and car.
Look at the artist as a star – how have they been constructed?	August is presented as a powerful character and has been constructed in a way that suggest he is a bit or a "player" and lives like a bit of a king in a sense with all of his money.
Do they have an anonymous role in the  video or are they there as celebrity?	In my opinion I would say that the artists plays an anonymous role where some members of the audience are able to relate to some of the content in the video. However, he seems to play a powerful character in which seems to come across as being very popular and confident in himself.

VISUAL CODES: 

Where is the video set? Connotations of this setting?	The beginning of the video is set in the artists home which creates a sense of security and loyalty to Nicki Minaj however, this changes throughout the video. August is seen in a club which has connotations of him potential cheating and spending his money possibly on other women (further promotes his wealth in the video).
Dominant colour used in the video? Why? What is the effect?	Greyscale and white backgrounds are the most common colours used within the video which is common within this genre as dark colours creates a sense of emotion. The white balance helps to imply softness to the video as the dark colours could start to connote dominance instead of showing softness.
Written Iconographics? Typography? Why?	At the start of the video before the song starts, the producer and artists that feature are shown in a white font on a solid black background. This is last seen at the end of the video when the name of the song "No Love" is presented.
Shot Compositions that stand out?	At one point in the video when August looks at a picture of him and Nicki, a close-up is used on his face to show his expression/ emotion, the majority of the frame is filled with his face and the focus is on him as everything in the background is a blur.

TECHNICAL CODES: 

Camera Angles? Interesting ones? What effect is created?	There are a lot of high angle shots used on August which is controversial especially for the role he plays, as a dominant character in the video. Having said this, these camera angles are also used on Nicki which creates a sense of weakness.
Does the way the camera moves help to tell the story?	The camera moves faster when the artist is in the club as this could show that he is having fun or living a fast life. On the other hand, the movement of the camera is much slower when Nicki is in the frame which could have been done to show that she is at home whilst he is enjoying himself which tells us that she is loyal whereas, he isn't looking for a relationship.
What is editing like? Type of cuts etc?	For the majority of the video the editing is very slow paced especially in the greyscale scenes in order to evoke that emotion. However, at the start of the chorus after every verse the editing picks up to show the artists enthusiasm and enjoyment.

AUDIENCE: 

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

R&B mostly appeals to teenagers/ young adults possibly because of the explicit language used within the music. The genre will also typically appeal to females as most songs are to do with relationships/break-ups which appeals to teenage girls/ young adults. Furthermore, when it comes to male artist, females may also be physically attracted to the artist as they are usually portrayed in a sexual way. This video will also mainly appeal to people from a black background as R&B originated from soul which the parents of the teenagers/young adults would have listened to.   In one scene, August is seen topless which could appeal to a female audience because of the way the artist is being portrayed in a sexual way.

Demographic?

This video is likely to appeal mainly towards females aged between 13-25, the majority being from a black background.

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 as August and Nicki are in every shot
What is the brand image of the star that is sold?  How is the star marketed and promoted?	In this video August could be seen as selfish as he doesn't care for Nicki until the end of the video when the equilibrium is restored however, he is also presented as being powerful and wealthy, with this he is able to do what he wants. August is promoted in a way that shows he is wealthy and a popular character even though he doesn't play the role of a star in this music video.

The purpose of this analysis was to improve my understanding of conventions and existing music videos within this genre. I am able to analyse the video and work out whether theories have been applied in real life situations.