Digi pack drafts

These are our drafts for our digi pack, it was important as part of our planning to create a draft of what we wanted our promotional packagae to look like and then get feedback on it. this then alowed us to imporve our digi pack with the audience comments and improve them to ensure that they are clear and represent our RnB genre.

Front Cover and Front Inlay

CD Back Cover and Back Inlay

Poster

Shooting Schedule

As a group we decided to produce a shooting schedule whereby we would list.....

• the days we wanted to film
• what scenes
• what time
• what props we would need
• what characters were involved
• what shots we were shooting in what location and ......
• what part of the song we would be shooting.

By putting together a shooting schedule it helped us as part of our planning stages, it helped keep our group organised and on schedule. We gave everyone a cop of the shooting schedule including the artist so that everyone in our group was aware of what and when shooting would happen. For the majority of our shooting schedule we were able to follow it concisely and to plan , however there were a few mishaps when characters dropped our or the artist or people in our group had other commitments. However when this problem did arrive we worked well as a group to catch up with our filming and carry on with the production.

StoryBoard

This is the story board of our music video. We used digital technologies such as Celtx and our digital cameras to create our storyboard. This allowed us to create a more concise, clear storyboard, it was also a lot more efficient than drawing each picture.
Creating a storyboard was a major part of our planning stages for our pr duct. By constructing a story board it enabled us and our artist to know exactly what was going on in each shot and what camera angle we needed to shoot. By creating a story board we was able to work more efficiently and i feel that it was a key aspect to creating a music video that with a fluent narrative, by the way we had planned each camera angle, movement, gesture and costume appropriately.

Narrative

We have discussed our idead for a narrative and created a mindmap wiht ideas. From that we decided to create a story board of our music video to ensure that we had a concise and clear narrative that we could follow whilst shooting our music video.

Instead of going straight out and filming our music video straight away, we did some preliminary filimg before to try out different camera angles, camera shots and locations.
We also took inspiration from Professor Greens-I Need You Tonight video, as this illustrated a role reversal in patriarchy and the dominant ideology

planning Stage 2

As a group we created a multimedia powerpoint, this was to show the class our ideas of what we plan to do in our music video.

Our presentation consisted of us showing....

• locations
• costumes
• narrative aspects and the theories we will use
• technology we will use
• our target demographic

We will use our powerpoint as a guide of what to use in our music video. This therefore means we do not have to stick to the ideas, however we can use them as a guideline and a process to create our music video. We got our ideas from the two questionnaires that we did early on in the course, these helped us define RnB as a genre and enabled us to show what we think is represented in an RnB music video.

Planning stage 1

Genre Documentary

After finding out research about our RnB genre, we decided to use our creativity and present our information as a documentary about our chosen genre. We used multi-media visuals such as youtube clips, pictures and background music. We also narrated the documentary as a group just explaining a little bit about our genre.

Physcographic Questionnaire

We created a second questionnaire to find out more physcographic information about the particular person we are aiming our genre of music video at. Our fist questionnaire gave us an idea of what the audience like seeing in an RnB video whereas our second questionnaire was more sepcific to who our target demographic is. By doing this secong questionnaire it will allow us to create a good media product that is aimed towards the correct audience.

Psychographic Questionaire...


1) What is your occupation?

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2) What job do your parents have?
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3) What do you plan to do in the future?
O Uni O Travel O Job O other ______________________________________

4) What do you aspire to be?
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5) What class do you think you are from?
O Working class O Middle class O Lower class O Upper class

6) Do you travel abroad much?
O Yes O No

7) Do you watch media texts in company?
O Yes O No

8) Do you prefer watching media texts by yourself or in company?
O Yes O No Why is this? ---------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9) What is your nationality?
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10) Do you go out on the weekend?
O Yes O No Where do you like to go? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11) What type of media do you like to watch with other people?
O Documentaries O Soaps O Dramas O Films O Reality O other -----------------------------------------------------------

12) Do you have a religion?
O Yes O No Please state ----------------------------------------------------------------

13) What type of clothes do you like to wear?
O Sportswear O Indie O Chick O Emo O Fashion O Other ------------------------------------------------------

14) Do you like to follow trends?
O Yes O No Please state why ------------------------------------------

15) Are you a leader or a follower?
O Leader O Follower Why?--------------------------------------------

16) Are you extravert or introvert?
O Extra O Intro Why? -----------------------------------------

Summary of Findings

1) What elements do the music videos have in common in terms of genre and form?
The r&b genre in general has the same form, the majority of videos we analysed were songs based on relationships, break-ups, money and love.

2) How is youth gender and ethnicity represented?
Youth is normally presented as stereotypes in music videos, this could be done to perhaps reinforce the realism and help the viewers connect with the character and their story in the song. I personally think that music videos don not challenge the conventions of dominant gender, as in most of our groups music videos the males have been stereotypically dominant of females. The characters they play are also stereotypical to patriarchy and roles of men and women, the females are glamorous, dressed up etc. The men have cars in their videos, girls etc.

3) How do they appeal to the target audience?
In the music videos we have analysed for research we have found that an average target demographic of 10-50 is suitable. The characters and stories told within the music videos are easy to relate to for example Beyoncé-Irreplacable about a cheating man. This allows a lot of women and also men to relate to the characters.
The costumes in all the videos are very glamorous and cool, they appeal to the target audience as this is what they would like to look like themselves.
Also the pros used in the videos such as expensive cars, money, diamond rings, big party’s…these all appeal to the target demographic and they look up to and admire the artists.

4) How are technical codes used generically?


5) What narrative theory can you apply?
The R&B and soul videos we have studied have demonstrated narrative theories, such as Levi Strauss’ binary opposites. In some cases the narrative tension is based on opposition or conflict, this is usually with the male and female characters. These narrative theories are perhaps used to portray realism or connect with the dominant genre. Furthermore, some of the R&B/soul videos we studied had a subtle element of Todrov’s theory, which is the simplest form of narrative. The basic structure starts with equilibrium, a calm period…then agents of disruption cause disequilibrium, a period of unsettlement and disquiet. This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end. However, in some of the videos, all of the elements of the narrative theory, are not all shown, for example, in the Beyonce video- Irreplaceable, the video starts with the disruption and then follows on with showing the reconciliation of equilibrium. However, it is obvious that there was equilibrium, previously in the relationship, by the storyline portrayed.


6) How might audiences make use of the videos?
Music videos not only allow audiences to enjoy their preferred music or songs, it also allows them to connect with the artist, follow and enjoy the message they are attempting to portray. This could also allow the audience a sense of either escapism, allowing them to get lost in the world of the video or a sense of realism, determined on their personal situations…. Which perhaps makes it most enjoyable.

7) How do the CD covers make good use of the enigma code of narrative?
CD covers give the audience an insight into the narrative of the music, therefore creating a strong enigma. The CD covers perhaps represents the genre of the music and also the character and perhaps the personality of the artist, depending on the image presented to the audience. A CD cover can portray to a demographic a chosen message of narrative.

8) How is the font/colour etc used generically?
In R&B/Soul CD covers, we found that the fonts are generally bold and striking, allowing them to catch the audiences eye and also the colours are generally normal and realistic, to portray realism to the audience, as it expresses real life situations and people, which helps the artist to connect to the audience efficiently.

9)How is youth gender /ethnicity represented on the CD covers?
The use of the codes and conventions that are represented on the album covers convey the particular gender and ethnicity. They are highlighted from the colours, images and dominant genders used on the album cover. The gesture and the position of the artist or the model used on the album cover represents the way the artists or want the CD cover to be viewed and

10) How do they appeal to the target audience?
They appeal to the target audiences by the use of generic codes used on the album covers. The mise en scene, camera shots and costumes relate to specific target audiences making it visible who the target audience is. The audience would be able to relate to the chosen CD covers allowing them to become interested and eager to buy the album.

11)How might audiences make use of the CD covers?
Audiences make use of the CD covers as it allows them to have knowledge on what genre and style of music they album conveys, and whether the particular music suits them. The CD cover allows the audience to recognise and relate to the CD covers from the codes and conventions of the genre the CD cover is conveying.

A2 Questionnaire

We created a second questionnaire to find out more physcographic information about the particular person we are aiming our genre of music video at. Our fist questionnaire gave us an idea of what the audience like seeing in an RnB video whereas our second

This is the questionnaire that our group did, to find out more research about the R&B genre.

Audience Questionnaire Draft

1)Gender: Female O Male O (Tick one)

2)Age: 0-5 O 6-10 O 11-15 O 16-18 O 19-21 O 22-25 O
26-30 O 31-39 O 40-45 O 46-49 O 50-59 O 60-69 O
70+ O

3) Do you like R&B/Soul music?
Yes O
No O

Why/Why not?
_______________________________

4) Which of these artists would you consider to be the most conventional R&B/Soul artist…(Tick one male, and one female)

Beyonce O Justin Timberlake O
Mariah Carey O Chris Brown O
Ciara O Timberland O
Lady GaGa O Drake O
Rihanna O Ne-Yo O
Alicia Keys O Jason Derulo O
Mary J Blige O Usher O


5) Who is your favourite R&B artist?
________________________________________

6) Do you prefer realistic storyline in music videos or a storyline that offers more of an escapism?

Realistic O
Escapism O

7) Which of the following female music CD covers do you believe follow the codes and conventions of R&B/soul (ie. Colour, font etc)? (tick one)


O O O O



O O O O

8)Do you prefer a more traditional R&B artist, such as Beyonce or Toni Braxton, or a more alternative R&B artist such as Rihanna or Lady GaGa?

Traditional O
Alternative O

Please explain your answer _____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

9)) What settings do you expect to appear in a typical R&B/Soul music video? (Please tick)

Night club O
On the street O
Large house O
House party O
Field/park O
Danger zone O
Shop/car park O
Deserted area O
Bedroom O
In a car O
A rooftop O
Other………………………………………………………………………….

10) would you prefer to see a R&B/soul music video set at night or day?

Night O
Day O

11) What colours would recognise the most on a R&B/Soul CD cover, or perhaps in a music video?

Black O Blue O
White O Purple O
Brown O Orange O
Green O
Red O
Yellow O
Silver O
Gold O
Other……………………………………………………………………………

12) What music channels do you expect R&B/Soul music to be aired on? (tick 3)
Kiss O
Smash Hits! O
MTV O
MTV Base O
Kerrang! O
Scuzz O
VH1 O
MTV Dance O
Viva O
4Music O
The Box O

Other _______________________ (please state)

13) Do you like relating to a narrative portrayed by a dominant character?
Yes O
No O

Destiny's Child - Lose My Breath

'Loose My Breath' was destiny's child comeback single in 2004. It was filmed in an alley in clafornia in september. There isnt a paricular narrative as aspose to other music videos, however destiny's child are taking part in a dance off of there own. Taking into consideration all three of their own styles Beyonce 'fierce', Kelly 'street and Michelle 'stylish' they came up wiht three different dance routines and three different styles. There was then three different groups of them dancing against eachother, this is a unique way of making an RnB music video, however it enabled each band member to show their own unique style. it was a fresh, new idea that helped their single rocket to the top of the billboard charts.

The first part of the video, we see each of the girls in their own individual style; beyonce in a fur crop top and tight jeans with heels connoting sexiness and confidence, kelly wearing cropped beige trousers, fur cropped coat, bikini haltner kneck top and heels...this connotes kelly's street taste and shows her as a girl who can look street and be cool too. Michelle dressed in high waisted white suit trousers connoting innoscence, white halterneck crop top and cream fur coat with heels, this shows michelle as classy, glamourous and connotes her stylish personna.

Each of the girls costumes reflect their own particular steretypes....

Beyonce- as the sassy one, confident, sexy and likes looking good.

Kelly-street one, likes looking cool, dosent have to be a tomboy to look street.

Michelle-the stylish one, glamourous and cofident, on trend reahces out to typically stereotyped glamourous girls.

The next scene is of the 2 other styled versions of them approaching eachother, its is clear to see which one is street, which one is stylish and which one is fierce. Thier variety in costumes help appeal to a variety of viewers enabling them to reahc a more ranged and wider target demographic. Each of thier individual styles are unique and reflect their own personalities and also connect wiht their movements and gestures.

fierce-has more sexy dancing, typical of all her other videos such as 'crazy in love', typical of her sassy stereotype. The clothes are bright pinks, girly colour connoting both danger and sensuality. Thier hair is curly and pretty and there make-up is girly with bright eyes conveying that particular style and stereotype.

street-uses more masculine but sexy dancing, the movements are more harsh and not as soft as beyonce. Thier costumes are combat trousers and cropped bomber jackets, typical of a street style. The hairs scraped back into a high pony and represent a more street style overall.

Stylish- the dancing is more girly, sophisticated mathes their outfits, hair curly wavy, glamorous and girly. thier outfits are very on trend and can help the viewers relate to each of the styles.

The lighting used is majoratily spotlights, they help each band member stand out and also becuase of the dark setting, using quite small lights dosent take away form the effect trying to be presented of a street dance off....which is quite frequentyl done in RnB music videos.

The editing used is straightcuts and some jumps cuts are used to show each of the three versions of them dancing so it connects ans flows cohessively, connoting a cool feel. The editing is also fast paced to co-ordinate with the pace of the track enabling all the different scenes to entwine with eachother.

Mariah Carey, Fatman Scoop, Jermaine Dupri - It's Like That

Mariah Carey's single 'its like that' was written as part of a sequel, 'we belong together' was the on continuing narrative to the story. 'Its like that' was on Mariahs album 'The Emancipation Of Mimi' released in 2005. It was one of Careys biggest commercial successes in years.

The main narrative is of Mariah going to a masked ball at a mansion, she goes there planning to have a good time and celebrate her night "it's my night". When all the masked people arrive she recognises an ex-lover (wentworth miller) and the video is left on a cliff hanger.

The first shot we see of mariah is a long shot to show what she is wearing, she styles a variety of costumes in the music video such as a floor lengh silver diamond low cut dress, black one shoulder dress and another black one shoulder dress but a sparkly one. All these costumes reinforce mariahs stereotype for the video as being a glamourous women. As soon as we see her in the first dress we instantly know her personna and that her sterotype is a typical glamourous, girly girl, who likes to look good. The black dresses connote mystery and sophistication and the silver outfit connotes glamour and also wealth.

The first scene we see mariah in is where she is walking down the steps to the dance floor of the mansion, she is standing in the middle of 6 masked men. From a veiwers point of veiw, mariah looks like the dominant gender as she has the men following her around. This challanges the dominant idea that males are classed as higher, as in the video the men are waiting on mariah. This is featured in alot of RnB and some soul music videos, particularly females where the women have been more dominant characters.

The next scene is mariah dancing with her girlfriends and having a good time, she is constantly referring to it as her night "this is my night, no stress, no fights, im leaving it all behind"......this could be connoting forgetting about a past relationship as it does link to the narrative of the music video. Dancing and having fun with her friends and putting lipgloss on reinforces the realism of the narrative and her stereotyped character.

The next scene is mariah changing her outfit...in keeping with her girly stereotype and flirtind and dancing with people at the mansion. This reinforces realism of her going out and having a good time, she is a typical glamourous female, who is using her sexuality and good looks to gain attention.

The end of the music video wentworth miller reveals himself behind the mask and mariah is left wiht a shocked expression on her face.

The lighting used is mainly lights from the setting of the mansion to reinforce the realism of a glittzy and glamourous masked ball. there are lots of big shandaleers and brihgt lights which are often associated with RnB artists videos as they can connote wealth and a glmaourous lifestlye. There is often key lighting on mariahs face to show that she is the focal point of the music video and also it sets her apart from everyone else, connoting importance and a higher status than everyone else.

The editing used is mainly straight cuts form one scene to another, this helps the flow of the music video and keeps the narrative cohessive, it also goes wiht the pace of the song as it is not too fast. Near the end of the music video where wentworth miller walks in the editing speeds up to cut from mariah to wentworth even faster, this enables us to see there expressions and emotions as each of them start to notice eachother. this alos creates realism and is often used in RnB music vidoes too, it helps us as the veiwers connect wiht the artists emotions.

The setting is in a mansion, the colours of the setting are browns, reds and golds...all these colours co-ordinate well with the style of the song and also the style of mariah carey. The colours connote sensual emotions, luxury, importance, mystery and glamour.

The gestire and movement of mariah carey expresses a feeling of confidence. She dances very seductively and sensually, using her steretype to help her. She is posed as a very self confident and secure women who knows she is very pretty and uses this as an advantage and as confidence to reinforce her typical glamourous and luxurious personna.

Ciara - Like A Boy

Ciara is a well established RnB female artist. She wrote 'like a boy' after many girl conversations about how men in relationships can do certain things, but when women do the same it is looked down upon. The protagonist in the video wishes to act 'like a boy'. It is to be portrayed as a female empowerment record and a role reversal of male and female steretypes.

The start of the video is of ciara as the male, she is wearing what is strereotyped as males clothes, bagging jeans hanging off her bum, a long vest top, tattoos down her arms, chains on her neck, a beanie hat and trainers. her hair is straight to try and reinforce a masculine look. This costume is to be portrayed as a males character and i think it has been portrayed well, in the way it isnt too exaggerated but you can clearly see that ciara is playing a male.

We then have a shot of the female in a cropped top and tight jeans, her hair is curly and she has make-up on to reinforce a more girly than usual look to clearly differenciate the two. The cotume which she is wearing is typically worn by veiwers so they can relate to the narrative and character.

The scene of ciara dancing as the male gender and female, uses merging of two scenes to put into one, which enables ciara to look asif she is in both scenes. The male is wearing a suit, hat and trainers, the colours are all dark maybe connoting mystery or danger considering he is the male who thinks he can do as he wishes. This is a steretyped male look to reinforce the realism of the gender, the female ciara is then wearing a white dress connoting purity and innocence of a women being the victim. In the dancing scene, the style of dancing alone differenciates the two genders clearly, as the girl is using more softer ans sultre movements, making her out to be a pretty, sexy female. The male character is dancing typically of RnB male artist using blunt, small, and complicated movments, perhaps refelcting on the characters personalities.

In the scene where ciara plays the males and she is dancing with 4 other dancers, her costume is different to the other to make her stand out, however they are only different by a slight change in top, ensuring that group of dancers all look cohessive and stereotypical too. The style of movement that ciara is doing is masculine, toy like and in the style of a break dancer, this too reinforces the realism of the reversal.

The use of the grey scale background could be used to perhapd keep the focus on the characters instead of what is going on in the background. Grey scale is also used in alot of RnB music videos, such as Beyonce...they are often used to show the real artist natural and real. This could be why ciaras video is in grey scale to reinforce the realism of the message that she is trying to put across.

The lighting used is very minimal, due to the grey scale it is quite light anyway. Spot lighting is used on the male character when he is dancing and the rest of the scene is a darker colour to, as to not deflect attention away for the male. Also key lighting on ciaras face is used when she bends down behind the young male character at the very start of the video, this could be connoting that now she is in charge and that the male is not as important as the female, connecting with the message of patriarchy being put across.

Camera shots used are varied throughout, however there are alot of close ups and an extreme close up of ciara spelling out her name in her boyfriends ear, this could be connoting a taking of controle and showing who is boss by spelling out her name.

A medium shot is also used to show the two characters dancing, clearly showing the difference between the two.

Close-ups are used also to etablish the characters, as it is the same person playing both roles it is important for the audience to understand the concept, by having a close-up pf each character it allows the viewers to connect with the steretypes being presented.

The editing used is fast paced to enable us to see both characters and thier individual personnas. Straight cuts are used to link the two characters together, from the girl ciara to the male ciara. This creates realism and reinforces the idea and message that is trying to be put across of reversing the roles of men and women.

Chris Brown;Chris Brown featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss

Chris Browns 'kiss kiss' ft T-pain is set in a college high school in Florida. The narrative is Brown playing two characters a nerd and a jock both trying to impress a pretty girl at their school. the jock brown picks on the nerd brown and trys to impress the girl by looking tough and bullying the nerd. However the pretty girl realises how immature jock brown is and kisses nerd brown...jock brown is left looking totally bewildered. Kiss kiss was number 1 on the billboard top hot 100, and was released september 2008.

The first scene is of Chris Brown in the corridor of the school, pushing a teacher out the way and parading down the corridor, we immediatly see him as a typical jock strereotype, who dosent care about anything else accept for good looking girls and getting noticed. The jock chris's costume is typically steretyped jock, jacket with print on the back, cap, head scarf, baggy jeans, chains, rucksack and gold teeth. the majority of the colours he is wearing are reds and browns generallt connoting sexuality, danger and excitment. The jock also has a 'crew' of boys same age surrouding him all wearing the same, reinforcing his jock streotype and the fact he wants to be a leader. We as the veiwers can immediatly relate to this character as the jock who wants everyone to be just like him (two mini chris browns in the background).

The nerd chris brown character is wearing very neutral colours, beige cut off at the ankle trousers, braces, check shirt, glasses, backpack ect. We first see the jock helping the pretty girl pick up her books that she has just got knocked out of her hand by one of the jocks. As soon as we see this scene we instantly know he is the nice guy in the video who will come off better in the end. The strereotypical characters used are often associated with RnB mucis videos because the target demographic usually start in the teenage years where the majority of stereotypes appear.

The next scene is one where the jock has parked a swuave sports car in a car park and is dancing in front of it, his outfit is the same but has hints of pink this time and pink sunglasses, males that wear pink are generally thought of as secure with their sexuality and the jock therefor could be portrayed as following steretypes or challanging his jock character for wearing pink.

The middle part of the music video shows the jock dancing wiht the other jocks in the school gym, which also reinforces our RnB genre wiht the way that nearly the majority of male RnB artists can dance really well, this adds to thier personna and general 'coolness'. We then move to a shot of the jock dancing typically bady and falling on the floor, this also helps reinforce realism of normal stereotypes that appear today.

We then have a close up of the pretty girl looking at the football mascot who is the nerd, the jocks come over and punch the mascot and we then see a close-up of the girls annoyed and shocked facial expression, as the audience we then have more of an idea about what the character is like.

The last scene is of the jock stood next to his flashy, typical of his character red sports car, clearly connoting coolness and also a sense of arrogancy. the nerd is stood next to his car, a typical car for a person of his age however alot less flashy and stylish than the jocks but typical of the nerds steretype reinforcing realism once again. The pretty girl then walks into the car park and walks straight past the jocks car to the nerds, kisses him and gets in. the jock is left looking shocked and a little embaressed.

The lighting used is relatively natural accept for spot lights on in the gym and car park so that we can clearly see the main artist who is the focal point off the music video.

The camera shots used are varied, the use of close-ups are used to show each fo the strerotypes faces when the girl approches them, we can then clearly connect wiht the nerd and jock. The jock gets more camera time as he is the main character and the nerd is seen more in the background. There is also medium shots used when the jock is dancing so we can see everything that is happening and the setting in which they are positioned. Medium shots are also used in the car park so we can see the car aswell as the jock to reinforce his stereotype of being flash and arrogant.

The editing used is quick paced as it allows the veiwers to see the switching between characters and the story of each between them and the girl. The fast pace editing works best because it helps speed up the pace of the song and flows cohessively with the story being told.

The movement and gestures also help differenciate each of the steretypes not just by their costumes. The jocks movements are very confident and big asif he dosent care who is watching, however the nerds actions are quite awkward and all over the place asif he dosent want to move at all. These gestures also reinforce realism of the steretypes trying to be portrayed.

Beyoncé - Ring The Alarm

Beyonces track...'Ring the alarm' was on her album b'day and was recieved with mixed reception. The narrative for the video is Beyonce playing a women who is feeling threatened after her husband is cheating on her. The lyrics 'ring the alarm' clearly state a scared and angry women who is feeling threatened by th other women taking everything she owns and profits...."She gon' take everything I own, If I let you go, I can't let you goDamn, if I let you go".

The video is quite different to Beyonces previous videos as the tone of the song is more angry, i think this could slightly challange the typical RnB steretyped music that is presented today.

The fisrt shot we see of Beyonce is a close up of her face, she appears to not be wearing much make-up and be lying down across a table. There is a red light cast all over her, that could be connoting danger...love or anger, all of these emotions would link with the narrative and title of the song. the immediate close-up shot helps establish her character and helps us connect with beyonce too.

Her costume at the beginning of the music video is just a plain, what looks like a white males shirt, the white can suggest connotations of vulnerability, innoscence and pureness, these connotation co-ordinate well with the emotions that are trying to be put across as Beyonce being the victim and her cheating husband being the villain (similar to propps theory).

There is a siren that is used throughout the music video at different times, this acts as a background sound, it reinforces the meaning of the song and the siren adds to the theme of 'ring the alarm' to alert beyonce of what her cheating husband is doing.

Beyonce is in several costumes, another is where she is in a crochet crop top and cut off jeans, this look is very realistic; reinforcing the realism of the situation. In this costume beyonce is set at home overlooking a beach, the waves are visciously coming up to the shore connecting with the angry tone being demonstrated. Beyonce has hardly any make-up on and her hair is sort of messy, this also reinforces the realism of being a home and her looking natural.

The next cotume is a white top, pencil skirt and long jacket her character now looks dominant and the white again represents innoscence that she has not done anything wrong. In this setting beyonce looks asif she is in an office of some kind....trying to sort out what is hers from her marriage and trying to make sure the other woman dosent get anything, there are men around her restraining her from the anger she is feeling, this portrays men and women as strong and dominant in this scene.. Her hair is nicely curled and put up, reinforcing her gender as a female and almost challanging dominant gender as she looks asif she is very much in controle, this is similar to a lot of female RnB artists videos, they portray women as strong, dominant and in controle people.

The majority of camera shots used are close-ups and medium shots, these are showing what is going on in each scene and are genrally used in most RnB videos to allow the veiwers to connect with the characters emotions (in this case anger) and it makes the video seem more realistic.

The last part of the video see's Beyonce putting on red lipstick, we get an extreme close-up of her lips which connote sensuality and sexiness. The red also used in the beginning of the video to connote danger could now be construded as Beyonces character gaining controle and now flauting her sexiness and senualness infront of her old lover as the red lipstick connotes love...mystery...danger...and also sensual feelings.

The lighting used in the video is mainly spot lights on Beyonce especially in the scene where she is getting interogted, the use of spotlights higlight her face so we can clearly see her expression. There is also a red light being projecting onto beyonce in some of the scenes, the red light can signify the siren going off and also connote a feeling of danger.

Throughout the majority of the video Beyonce is dancing, this reinforces the RnB genre as in almost every RnB video, especially females dancing is always included.

The editing used is fast paced and swithced between the different scenes to connect the whole video together. The fast pace editing connects well with the fast pace of the song and also reinforces her angry emotions but the quick flicking between each shot.

Beyonces movement and gestures also match the songs ton of anger and desperation, all RnB music videos try and match there dance style and actions to the theme of the song...if the song was about love the dance and movements would be more softer...is the song was about a male or female the movements and dancing would be more sexy to co-ordinate with the music. As for 'ring the alarm' the movements from Beyonce are very harsh and striking due to the angry emotions, her dancing is also more free and contains bigger more drastic moves, they too coenside with the tone of the song.

Mariah Carey

*Memoirs of an imperfect angel is Mariah Careys twelth studio album released september 2009. It rocketed sales with 'obssession' and became on of her many top selling albums.


*The costume mariah is wearing is quite revealing and sexy, however compared to her other looks it is more sophisticated. The white dress is very pure and fresh which could be connoting a n innoscence that we have not yet seen. It also links to the title of the album 'Memoirs of an imperfect angel', mariah looks quite angelic on the cover in white, which is a colour generally associated with pureness, innoscence, angels, heaven and softness. however the dress is quite short which could be connoting the 'imperfection' in her angelicness. Her hair is curly and wavey it looks asif she has come out of a dream and makes her stlye look cohessive and effective. Mariah also looks stylish and girly which could be her typical stereotype and will appeal to alot of girls.


*The font that is used for the album title links to the theme of girlyness...angles...heaven...pretty...ect. The curly font reinforces the title and also adds to the glamourous side of Mariah that she is known for, however on this particular album compared to others she looks more simple and natural and this links cohessively with the neutral silver colour of the font.


*Mariahs movement and gestures suggest she is very comfortable in her own skin and knows that she is a glamorous, stylish and pretty female. She has 3 different facial expresions on her face which could suggest that there are many different styles and emotions of songs, however it could also be reinforcing that Mariah herself has many different emotions and sides to her personality that is not always seen, as her costume helps reinforce this more natural looking mariah and we as the audience get a sense that she has been 'stripped' and left with a fresh and more personal approach to music.


*The lighting used is generally suggested on Mariahs face to highlight her natural beauty which is a main point of the album. Using key lighting on the face helps us connect with the artist and reinforces the angelic theme that is being put across.



*The background colour is white, it is a neutral colour that co-ordinates with the angel like theme of the album and symbolises feelings of pureness, innocence and freshness. The white background is also used to help Mariah as an artist be at the forefront of the album. On the cover there is three pictures of Mariah, which could be connoting that there are a varierty of different emotions and stories presented on the album.


*I think the target demogrpahic for Mariahs album could be both male and females, although she is a stereotypical female woman...who is girly...glamourous and pretty...her good looks also help her music appeal to males aswell. Also her album is quite neutral and not aimed at one specific audience and her songs are varied and can also be intepreted by both genders many different ways. Overall i think her target demographic would be males and females between the ages of 9-50.

Looking for Genre's

On thursday 17th June, our group went on unsigned.com to look for artists we could use for our A2 coursework (create a music video production). We looked through all the genres and finally decided on soul/RnB as these genre is what our group is most familiar with.

Timbaland

*Timbaland is a very well established artist and has become a prominent producer for RnB and Hip-Hop. He has collaberated with many successfull artists such as Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Shakira and Katy Perry.


*The costume Timbaland is wearing, is a slick black suit and tie. This makes him look cool, sophisticated yet stylish. Typically on many male RnB album covers, they are all dressed in suits ...Justin Timberlake.....Jason Derulo ect. I think costumes like suits and smart clothes are genrally used because not just Timbaland but other male artists too, like to look sophisticated and well presented, also suits generally connote wealth and someone that has done well for themself. Timbalands cool and laidback stlye is also steretypical and will act as a role model for males of a younger or older age even, to aspire to look as 'cool' as he does.

*The font used for 'shock value' is cohessive with the actual name of the album, the style relates to that of 'shock' and the red can connote danger, sensual feelings and also mytery and evil. I think the use of colour and font has made the album look very appealing and stand out agaisnt others. The style is refelcted by Timbalands music too, as some of his lyrics have sexual meanings and also very mysterious in the way that you can choose how to interpret them.

*The background used is generally very darked which also connects with the connotation of mystery. The setting looks asif it is at the back of a club or something similar, this is typical of a male his age to be at clubs and defines his stereotype. The door looks asif it has been kicked open and there is a shadow of what looks like a man by the door, this could purely just be a image selcted to link to the title 'shock value'. Or it could possibly relate to his music style and personna he is trying to create of a 'hard man'. The darkness used on the album cover is frequently used in some of Timbalands videos....'The Way I Are' and 'The Morning After'.

*There is key lighting on Timbalands face enabling the buyers and audience to connect with him as an artist, there is also lighting used on the door that is open, this is effective as it has created the shadow and almost brings the shadow to the forefront of the album, however not overshadowing the key lighting on Timbaland showing he is the main one, and almost suggesting that he is not scared of the shadow.

* Timbalands gestures and movements are very minimal, he is positioned to the side wiht his face facing front, the pose he is in is quite dominant even though it is minimal, it shows him as a strong figure and connoted cominance and strength.

*I think the target demographic for Timbalands album should be between 14-50, as it is parental advisory marked, meaning there are some trakc s that could be deemed offensive and contain swear words. I think Timbalands colour scheme is unisex and can appeal to all....young or old, however the style would be more appealing the a male target demographic.

Beyonce

*Beyonce Knowels, now signed to Sony Records, is the biggest selling female rnb artist of the decade, with countless number 1 hits and albums she has sold over 100 million copies combined.
The latest album I Am....Sacha Fierce, features songs about many emotions.


*There does not seem to be any apparant costume, as Beyonce seems to be naked on the cover, this could connote her bearing all in this new album and also in connection to her alter ego Sacha Fierce, it could connote a feeling of unveiling herself as an artist. Beyonce does not seem to have much make-up on and have her hair simple connoting happiness wiht herself, confidence and a neutral look to the cover. The natural look that has been acheived is connoted by the simplistic style that has been presented by Beyonce.


*The background of the cd thats is used is a beach veiw with the sea and sand, this particular background could be connoting the naturalness of Beyonce and who is behind the music. There is a certain freshness conoted by the beach background and it could be portraying a different side to Beyonce that we have not seen before, maybe a more fresh, natural and vulnerbale side.

*The greyscale colour of the background connotes freshness and is also used in a variety of Beyonces videos such as 'put a ring on it' and 'if i were a boy' this could help connote the genre that is being presented aka Rnb. This then allows the buyers to immediatly associate this genre with the grey scale colours and also with many of Beyonces videos.

*The ligthing that is used, is mainly presented on Beyonces face to enable the target demographic to connect wiht the artist. The ligthing connotes exposure and we see a more 'out the' and fragile Beyonce just by the lighting on the face.

*On the cover she is wrapping her arms around her body, which could connote feelings of vulnerabilty and sense of showing what is really behind the alter ego of Sacha Fierce. It could also help show a more natural and less superficial veiw of Beyonce.

*I think that the target demographic for Beyonce as an artist, is very varied as her music reaches out to alot of genders and ages. I think both genders can realte to Beyonces songs and probably ages between 5-50 as her music and genre is not specific to one particular stereotype, which is what helps in making Beyonce a successfull artist.

Ciara

*Ciara landed in Atlanta georgie and ended up meeting Jazze Pha who then signed her up to the LaFace Records company and went on too become one of the many successful female Rnb artists, selling over 8 million albums worldwide and having numerous top ten hits, inclduing 'like a boy' and 'love, sex & magic ft Justin Timberlake".

*The costume ciara is wearing is quite revealing and sexy, this is showing her as a confident female artist who presents herself as sexy yet confident. The white colour of her outfit connotes both coolness and purity, white can also symbolise positive happenings, these connotations can all relate to Ciaras genre and genral style of trendiness and sophistication. The sunglasses also help to reinforce her ge eral style and quirkiness, also it helps to portray her as a cool and stylish women, Her style is unique yet sexy and cool, it helps represent her as a strong female artist for others to look up too.

*The movement and pose she is doing is quite masculine and challanges her stereotype of having to be a girly girl. Her stature and pose almost contradicts what she is wearing as her costume is sexy and girly however her pose is more masculine wiht her hand raised towards her face.. This could also represents two sides too her as an artists as the tracks on her album such as 'like a boy' tell the story of switching genders.

*The grey background is very simplistic and helps make Ciara the focal point of the cover, it makes her stand out and she looks like a confident and strong women. The simple layout and background could also suggest that she is a established, confident artist who dosent need anything else in the background of her cover, just her...portraying a very secure and self-confident female. The grey background also connotes feelings of coolnes and strong emotions, it is also a darker version of white supposed to symbolise perfection whihc is exactly how ciara looks on the front of her cover.

*The lighting used is very limited however, you can tell that key lighting has been used to highlight Ciaras face and make her the key feature. Her face looks like perfection due to the lighting and her masculine expressions shows a sexy yet unique artist, the use of lighting also will attract the buyers as the cover is bright and cosumers can automatically see who it is by the use of the bold white font used to higlight CIARA!

* I would say that the target demographic for Ciaras album would predominantely be women, girls ect, however due to her challange of dominant genders, her album could also atteact a variety of males. i would generally say that the target demographic would be males and females between the ages of 10-50, as the album can generally appeal to both genders and Ciaras style and songs are very diverse and appealign to all audiences.

Jason Derülo

*Jason Derülo is a new upcoming and very successful pop sensation. Signed to Beluga Records/Warner Bros, jasons album 'Jason Derulo' was released at the beginning of 2010 after his debut single 'Whatcha say' headed straight for number one in may 2009.
*The costume Jason is wearing is very stylish, slick and on trend, definatley connoting his personality and desired style. The clothes he is wearing are quite smart with the tie, however add a bit of uniqueness wiht the quirky hat, which could portray his unique voice.

*The lighting used at the side of his face looks asif it is portraying a spotlight, whihc could connote that Jason has just come into the spotlight and is a very respectabel and upcoming star. The bright lights also connote fame and fortune which is definately what this singers career entails.

*Jasons face is in the middle of the cd cover which suggests importance, value and that he is the focal point of the cd. His face is positioned to be looking to the left of the cover towards the bright light, this could connote that he is heading towards fame and looking out towards the light that symbolises fame.

*The background colour is a luminous blue which connotes feelings of importance, value, loyalty and a strong person. These all fit with Jasons music and his certain style.The particular blue used also features in videos such as usher 'yeah' as a strobe lights, its a typical boy colour which could connote his dominant gender and typical stereotypical boy personlaity and style.

*His movement and gestures are subtle yet striking, the way his head is turned to the side could connote that we are only seeing one side of his music in this album, however it could also show his carefree attitude but the way he is looking away and that there is an element of mystery in his music and style.

*The target demographic for Jason i think could be vary genral too, as his music and genre can appeal to a variety of ages and definately both genders. He is typical of a boy stereotype with his music, which appeals to males and his good looks would prodominantely appeal to females. I would say a target demographic of males and females between 10-50 as some of his lyrics could be perceived as complex.