Drafting and Planning: Ms Simpson make up scene

Drafting and Planning: Teacher make up scene

This is a scene which I have recently filmed on Wednesday 16th December after school.  I have accidentaly stumbled on this photo opportunity as the subject pulled out some make up to prepare for being filmed. This struck me as very feminine ehaviour as women have this stigma to appar attractive no matter what. I have used this to my advantage as it allowed me to use very creative shots and props to enhance my message even further.

The over the shoulder shot is exciting and keeps the audience intersts up. Also the mirror is the main aspect of the frame which represents that women to bound to hiding the true selves. The subject is only at the side of the frame staring into the mirror to show her refelection as if she is realising that she is bound to that piece of make up.

There is no editing added, however, I am going to go with either a fast jump to move to the next scene to show the fast paces of womens lives.

This scene deffinitely breaks and challenges R&B music vieo conventions as there are no social messages in music videos and my vidoe is packed with meaningful social messages. The props I am using are not alike R&B music videos as typically expesive jewellery and watches and expensive cars and I use simple make up tools to show a more powerful message.

Research: Methods to shoot in low light

 Methods to shoot in low light

Low light in videos can lead to a lot of undesired effects such as grains in the video, under saturated images, low contrast and muddiness. Low light is tough to deal with but some techniques can significantly improve it.

I want to shoot a scene in a darker light to show the miserable effect that misogyny sets n society and mostly women. The scene which will have low key lighting is in the kitchen as the mother character is making sandwiches and putting on her nurse uniform.

Even though you are shooting in a dark space, it is feasible to add some light. Not too much so that the room isn't too bright and remains a bit darkened to give the best effect. Maybe turn on a small lamp to bounce some light around the frame and give characters and items a visible outline or representation. Maybe have characters stand closer to light or shoot when the sun isn't completely set. Just something to have some light in there.

An external light can help create a cleaner image on the face of the character or an object and add colour saturation.

The best thing to do when  shooting where there isn't a lot of light is to have as big of an aperture as possible. The aperture refers to the focus of the camera in the lens which lets light in. Having a bigger opening lets in more light and the video will look brighter despite being shot in a dark space.

Research: Different types of shots and when to use them

Different types of shots and when to use them

I plan to use a variety of shots to show certain aspects in my video but also to represent characters and items in the desired way. This can be done by manipulating shots to construct the perfect representation of my characters. As my music video will hold a social message, representation is crucial and so the shots have to used in a certain way so that the audience receives the correct and desired message.

Medium Close up - Recognised by having the bottom of the frame being between the shoulders and waist of the character and leaving some head room at the top. A medium close up is great to at creating a comfortable space for the audience as they are too close to the character but are close enough to see emotion on the characters face and hand gestures which are are important part of any communication. Perfect to use for normal scenes where charters are talking and minimal expression is seen.

Close up - The bottom of the frame is higher than medium close up and ends just below the shoulders whilst leaving some head room as well. Allows more emotion to be seen and is best used in emotional scenes when the audience has to be really involved with what is happening in the frame. What is also great about a close up is the ease with which light can be manipulated. There can be a light stand right outside the frame and the audience wouldn't even know, this allows to perfectly light a character or frame as you can be more precise with it. A close up draws more attention to the character or an item in the frame but it's not so close to make the audience uncomfortable.

Choker close up -  Finishes just below the lips and above the chin and starts just above the eyebrows. The audience is kept in a really uncomfortable position as the character is literally in their face. The character in the frame has to be instructed to keep still as any small or minimal movement makes a big change to the frame and ruins the effect and representation. Great for showing expressions of anger as if the character is actually talking to the audience and involves them in the video.

Extreme close up - Not to be used too often but when can be very effective. An extreme close up focuses really close up on one part of the face or item. Come sin very handy when you need to show something small and detailed. When the frame is a wide angle and the narrative brings attention to a small or detailed item, it is an effective method to use extreme close up so that the audience can see the item or facial expression clearly. Can add a lot of visual interest to a video and so it is a smart idea to use it an correct times.

Research Into Similar Products: Trumpets by Rizzle Kicks

Research Into Similar Products: Trumpets by Rizzle Kicks

This video by Rizzle Kicks is great to analyse and look for inspiration as it is pretty low budget as this song was released when they were new to the music industry. This video is very effective and most people do not realise it is low budget as props, location, shots and editing are so effective that this video looks professional and expensive.

At 0:17, the shot rotation keeps the viewers interest at peak as there is an unusual beginning to the video as the camera is slanted and the prop used is weirdly appealing as it is the artists in a boom box. The artists then pick up the boom box and we can see them double, this shot also has very effective lip sync.

The location change at 0:30 is very sudden, jump cut is used to cut straight from one location to the two artist being in a field of grass. They are also in the same position and they turn around to walk away from the camera as if nothing ever happened. This effect keeps the audience interested and forces them to keep watching to find out what happens.

The way the boom box is used is very effective as the linear narrative of the song is displayed through the actual plot and the two artists in the boom box.

At 1:57, there is a very comical chase scene after the dealer realised that he received monopoly money as payment. The props used make this scene hysterical and make it really enjoyable for the audience. The chase scene that follows is effective as it continuously keeps the audience satisfied and their attention is upheld, The use of post production is really effective as the chase becomes comical rather than scary and dangerous, therefore entertaining the audience.

There is literal acting out of what the lyrics say, increases the appealing nature of the video, and makes it a video that is of comedy genre. The scene follows quick shot rotation and helps to prevent audience tiredness.

The use of the trumpet as a prop is also a metaphor for the lyrics, as the trumpet represents drugs but as drugs are represented as a fun instrument and adding to the comical side of the video.

Organisation: Miss Kavanagh's scene

Organisation: Teacher Scene

My second scene includes a teacher in a classroom, this scene will be shot on Thursday 10th of Deember, in after school hourse. Shooting after school will minimise distractions and allow me to shoot the teacher in a manner that is desired. The scene will inlude the teacher sitting at their desk, and then writing some lyrics on the board, then putting warrior stripes in thier face. The teacher will be a female to reinforce the empowerment message that my video is aiming to send out. 

The mise en scene will include the teacher's costume, which will be appropiate and professional, which is typical for a teacher. The teacher will wear minimal make up to emphasise the lacking need for make up and covering up women's flaws in society. The teacher's clothes will be dark to show seriousness and also show the audience the lack of offence that the female teacher is taking from isogyny in the music indistry.

Some shots that I will use in this scene inlude mid cuts to show the teacher sitting at a desk, also close ups to attracte th eaudiences attention to the stripes on the teacher's face. The lighting will be mostly natural from windows and during some scenes such aswhen the teacher is at their desk, thelighting will be of high key to emphasize their importance to society. 

Research Into Similar Products: All Of the Lights by Kanye West

Research Into Similar Products: All Of the Lights by Kanye West

Mise-en-scene- This video contains the use of props, mostly police cars, to show that the African American community is associated with crime but also appeal to Kanye West's target audience. The setting and location seem to varies from black background to streets and an urban landscape, this music video mostly uses man made lighting, and there are also parts in the music video were scenes appear multicolored, some of the setting and props could have also been computer generated to create a drastic change of setting and attract the audience. Mise-en-scene could suggest that the artists are fashionable, it could also suggest that Kanye west is above the law as he is seen standing on top of a police vehicle. and therefore appealing to the audience as they can look up to him and be envious.

Editing- This music video starts with an intro, editing techniques which are present are straight cuts and jump cuts. In the actual video editing techniques which have been used include straight cuts, jump cuts, cross cutting, fast cutting and dissolve to portray an action filed video but also a more chilled out narrative at certain points in the film to adapt to what is happening in the frame. Camerawork and editing help construct a representation of the group as cool and fashionable as through editing we are able to see the group in many different ways, camera work captures the artist at many different shots to make them more appealing to the audience.

Organisation: Opportunity to shoot a scene

Organisation: Shooting a scene

One of the very scenes in my music video is a woman who is a mother ( I will use my mum for this character) and the footage follows her as she gets ready in the morning. She is a nurse and the footage shows her making sandwiches for her daughter and putting on her nurse uniform. My mum is perfect for this as she is a nurse and this role is very caring and nurturing in nature which is exactly what women are known and praised for. I wanted the character to be a nurse as the audience can be reminded of the best characteristics of a woman, which are mostly kindness and love.

The shooting of this scene will take place on the 5th of December 2015, which is a Saturday.

The scene will be shot in my kitchen, this is to pick at the stereotype that has been created over the years which limits women to just cook and clean for their husbands. I want to battle this stereotype by showing the mother playing the stereotype as she is really just taking care of her child and making them lunch. 

The shots that I will be using are mid shots to show the mother as she is putting on her nurse uniform and zoom ins to force the audience's attention to one specific and important object, event or person in the frame. 

The lighting will vary from natural bright to low key as I want to show the mother in different light to show her different emotions and the stereotypes that are being imposed on her at certain times in the video. Low key lighting will be used when the mother is sitting on the couch and next to her a lyric card is placed. The mother will have a certain emotion expressed on her face to show independence and confidence with her life, as if she doesn't care that all the stereotypes are proliferated by society as she is above them. 

Research Into Similar Products: Empire State of Mind

Research into Similar Products: Empire State of Mind

Mise-en-scene: this would include the setting/location New York City, props which are present in many scenes during the music video, the use of man made and ambient lighting and the various different outfit/costumes which have also been used throughout the music video. 

Editing: This music video uses fast cutting to quickly show the various scenes of New York City, this video also use straight cuts and jump cuts, this video also use a lot of fade ins and outs dissolve. Camera techniques: medium shots are mainly used in this video, close ups are also include and during the end of the video a wide/two shot is used to capture both artist. The techniques used here adhere to a typical music video of the same genre as this video contains a lot of editing as well as various shot of both artist.

Both artist are represented as highly knowledgeable about the City of New York, they both look highly fashionable, they are both represented as highly talented at what they do, JayZ and Alicia Keys .Mise-en-scene could suggest both artist patriotism of New York City, for example Jay Z wears Yankee hat. Camera and editing contribute to the already constructed representation of both artist as highly patriotic about New York City. For example the use of fast cutting to show a lot of scenes of new york as possible, this could also seen through the over head panning of the various sky scrapers in New York City.

Research Into Similar Products: Single Ladies by Beyonce

Research Into Similar Products: Single Ladies by Beyonce

This video only contains a performance by 3 women, the whole video shows Beyoncé and her back up dancers dancing for the whole video, the whole video is also in a black and white effect.

Mise-en-scene: the setting is just a white background, props used include the ring on Beyoncé finger a well as the robo-glove, the outfit used is a leotard and lighting was also used. The ring is a common convention as R&B artists do show off their "bling" however it is very minimal in this video which is unusual. The make up the women wear is also very extravagant which is a typical R&B convention as women are always seen in a very sexual way. The costumes are very minimal and show off the majority of the women's bodies. This follows typical R&B conventions as women are sexualised in R&B music videos are are regularly seen in tight or minimal clothing to appeal to the male target audience. 

Editing: this music video uses fade in, straight cuts and fast cutting near the end of the video. This matches the lyrics and the tone of the music as the song is very fast and fast editing and cuts matches the speed and lets the whole video flow nicely. 

Camera techniques: This video mainly use wide shots but also shows extreme close ups, close ups, medium close ups and medium shots to show the 3 characters as the dance, the different shows create visual appeal as the 3 attractive women are seen in different camera angles. This video also use a lot of zoom ins and outs as well as panning to show emotion and follow them as they dance. 

This video shows Beyonce in a powerful and dominant light as she is singing about taking control of her relationship and forcing the man to do as she wishes. However she doesn't challenge misogynistic conventions of R&B as she is dancing around in a tight body suit and mainly focuses on appealing to the male target audience.

Research Into Similar Products: Single Ladies

Research Into Similar Products: Single Ladies

This video only contains a performance type mode, the whole video show Beyoncé and her back up dancers dancing for the whole video. Mise-en-scene: the setting is just a white background, props used include the ring on Beyoncé finger a well as the robot glove, the outfit used is a leotard and lighting was also used. Editing: this music video uses fade in, straight cuts and fast cutting near the end of the video. Camera techniques: This video mainly use wide shots but also shows extreme close ups, close ups, medium close ups and medium shots. This video also use a three shot, this video also use a lot of zoom ins and outs as well as panning. The shot also only appear in black and white only. The techniques used subvert from a typical music video with a female from the same genre as the video contains only simple editing.

Beyoncé is represented as sexy through the choice of outfit which show of her legs, the robot glove could suggest she is strong or powerful, from the video we can tell that she is highly skilled at dancing as the video incorporates choreography .Mise-en-scene could suggest that Beyoncé is confident in her body as she can dance in a leotard. Camera and editing empathizes how skilled Beyoncé and her back up dancers are at dancing.For example camerawork has been use to capture the performers as they dance at different angles which could also be suggestive of how good of a dancer Beyoncé. Audiences may watch the video to enjoy the type of choreography being performed. Audience theories such as feminism could apply here as the outfits that have been used are a bit revealing. This video could attract a male gaze due to the fact that all women present in thevideo can be considered attractive.

Research Into Similar Products: Halo

Research into Similar Products: Halo

The first shot fades in from black with a close up of the artists face. A bright light shines in from the window, a motif throughout, making her appear angelic and relates to the title of the song. Both the fade and spot light on the artist seem to be typical in a female r&b artist videos. A high angle shot of the artists partner in soon straight away in this song, as he sleeps. A recurring shot that is used often in this video is off Beyonce standing in front of her partner, as the light shines on her face, while their is a shadow on his. Extreme close ups of them holding hands, and many similar shots throughout show them being intimate. A bare room is used with plenty of light coming in is where the artist later dances; minimism recurring. High angle shots of Beyonce dancing below shows her partner watching from above. Another moment in shown of her being close to him as she plays with his hands. Like in the other videos I analyised, the artist’s lips are in centre frame as she sings. Most shots are linked by the motif, a flash of bright light to fade us the next shot.

Research Into Similar Products: Representation in an R&B music video

Research Into Similar Products: Representation in R&B

Gender is regularly represented in R&B music videos. Both genres are represented in completely different ways, and that representation is seen in many R&B music videos. Objectification of women is a common video shown in R&B music videos, as are seen as objects not seen as human. Men are also classed as objects but less regularly as the ‘female gaze’ is a term that came around to accommodate to the idea that females also enjoy sexualising men.

Class is represented over and over again through similar actions and props – Youth and wealth are represented in R&B music videos. Characters in R&b wear gold chains and are shown in the center of the frame to show upper class and superiority. 

Ethnicity – Stereotypically African American rappers are portrayed as wealthy and also drug dealers which is a common idea that is glorified in R&B music videos. With the current rise and popularity in Urban and R&B music racism is no longer an issue yet people can argue this. Black and white artists work together creating more money for the music industry.

Research Into Similar Products: The Boyz Nicki Minaj, challenging

Videos that challenge some R&B conventions

Some R&B music videos actually challenge some conventions to create a particular message. One of those music videos is The Boys bu Nicki Minaj and Cassie. 



The music video includes R&B and Rap. This video conveys R&B representations about gender and also how women and men are portrayed along side ethnicity and age. The music video tries to show the two female characters as powerful and superior to males, this challenges some R&B music conventions as it is typically females that are inferior to men and not the other way around. 

The costumes that have been chosen for this music video do not challenge R&B conventions as the two females are wearing very revealing and attractive clothing throughout the video, such as bathing suits, to appeal to the males and the music video is typically seen through a male gaze.  The song isn’t a typical R&B song about women it’s the other way round, where two young women are speaking about men who aren’t really men, they are just boys who are immature in their ways of thinking about women. 

The colour scheme is unusual for an R&B music video, it's also unusual for a rap music video as it is so pink and bright. The colours are very stereotypically feminine. The colour scheme also wants to reinforce a certain idea about women and their fascination with bright colours. The shot that is about 1 minute in, is a quick flash of Nicki Minaj before going into the next shot below, a close up. This shot shows here looking glammed up, hair and make up done. Bright vibrant hair colour to show her in a very feminine and almost girly light. The main colour is still pink as well as lilac and blue and continuously indicating the girly side and also appealing to females as the music video is colourful and bright. Nicki Minaj stands out from the back ground. Her facial expression shows attitude and therefore some sort of power and superiority which breaks conventions and makes the female characters the superior ones.

In the last shots of the music video, Cassie is seen wearing a dark blue suit. The colour of the suit is also very manly and breaks from the bright colour of the music video. This is breaking conventions as she is seen in a superior and powerful light, almost equal to men. However she is not wearing anything underneath to appeal to men and still play with some conventions. Cassie is also seen holding a lot of money which follows some conventions of R&B as wealth is continuously seen in R&B music videos.  

Organisation: Location/props

Organisation: Location/props

One of the scenes that will be making up my video is a headteacher in her office. I have received permission from my headteacher to place her in my video and use her as a character in my video. This is great as I have characters in my video that are actual representations of women that hold respectable jobs and therefore are equal members of the society. 

I will begin filming this scene this week, on the the 26 of November which is a Wednesday. The filming will take place on school grounds, in the headteacher's office. The location is perfect and ideal as I do not have to recreate the scene as the office is already decorated to do its job. I have scouted the office and I may have to redecorate some objects and props to make the location even better and make it more suitable for my video. The chairs and table will have to be moved out of the frame so that just the headteacher and the desk is seen, this will allow the audience to focus just on one thing and not distract their attention by placing a lot of objects in the frame. 

One prop that will be the most important as I will zoom in on it, is some documents that the headteacher will be signing. Instead of the document being a miscellaneous piece of paper, the lyrics will be written on it. This will diversify the video and add variation as the lyrics will not only be written on card. The use of this prop will also reiterate the position of power that the female headteacher possesses as she is in charge of many tasks and other people.

Organisation: Effects

Effects

When it comes to effects, the R&B genre mostly focuses a lot of effects on the colour scheme of the video. For example on making the film black and white for an R&B music video that is about love, romance or sadness and breaking up. R&B music video are also sometimes in sepia  to make the female artists seem more attractive as they are seen in a very seductive light.

In my video, I want to use some effects of slow motion to attract attention to some actions that the characters will be doing. After some women in my video hold up the cards, they will apply black stripes to their cheeks just as seen above. This is to signify that they are bigger than what society thinks of them and misogyny has no effect on them, it is to show that the woman are strong and are ready to battle unfair treatment. When the women are applying this to their face, I want to use slow motion so that the audience are aware of the message I am trying to send.

Some other effects I will use are with scene transitions and cuts from one character to the next. I will stay away from jump cuts as they are too fast and I don't want to confuse the audience with really fast transitions whereas the rest of the music video will have a pretty calm nature which tries to pay attention to the lyrics and the events in the video. Instead

Organisation: Location

Location

One of my scenes is a teacher that is seen teaching a class, standing up at the front of the class and using a lot of confident expressions. The picture to the left is a representation of what the classroom that will be the location at my school.

This shooting will take place on the 18th of November during school hours. I will be require to film a part of the lesson so that she is totally represented as a teacher and she is seen as someone who is trusted and one who holds a position that is respected in society.


I will also get some shots which will be filmed after the lesson, when the classroom is empty. The female teacher will be sitting at the desk, doing work or marking students's books, and the camera will focus on her. The camera shots that I will be using in this scene will include a long shot to show the classroom, students and the teacher, as well as a mid shot to show the teacher at her desk.

The lighting in this scene will be natural and I will not use artificial lighting to excessively bring attention to some objects, as I want the audience to focus on the teacher, she will be placed in the center of the frame.

I will nit place any extra props in the frame as I don't want to exaggerate the classroom, also the teacher will be seen as natural as possible with minimal makeup and casual but professional clothing.

Research Into Similar Products: Potential Colour Schemes of DIGIPAK

Potential Colour Schemes of DIGIPAK

The R&B music genre is very straight forward with its conventions and artists do not usually stray and break them or even try to challenge them. Artists are usually sexualised to appeal to the target demographic which is young people such as teenagers and young adults. Darker tones and black and white colour schemes are very common in R&B music videos as well as digipaks as it helps to lure in the target audience and portray the artist in a very appealing way. Female artists will keep constant eye contact with the camera to create a relationship with the audience and appear attractive. 

As my video will try and battle misogyny in the music industry, choosing to pick an R&B song and challenge the typical conventions is perfect for sending out a social message. I want the women that are present on the digipak to wear normal and casual clothing that a typical woman wears and therefore not be objectified. As woman will be seen in a powerful light, I want the colour scheme to be bright and natural to create an "exposing" effect which shows women are equal and misogyny is a wrongful act. 

In the last scene of my music video, the group of female students will be outside and seen in the natural light, I will try to choose a day on which the weather will be suitable and the sun will be shining to represent happiness and bliss, as well as acceptance and battling of misogyny. The same effect I want to use on my DIGIPAK as I want the women to not hide and be shown in bright high key lighting to show they aren't afraid. 

Research Into Similar Product/Target Audience: We Belong Together by Mariah Carey

We Belong Together by Mariah Carey

Audiences are introduced by a pan and long shot to a big house in what looks like a very posh and rich area. This is typical of the R&B genre, as people are normally portrayed as having big houses, cars, therefore being successful. An R&B convention does include the artists showing off their rivhes and their expensive objects, in this case a mansion. At first the audience is not sure of who the artist is, as we only see her feet and then we see her robe drop to the floor, giving a sexual feel to the video. The room is light, with no mise en scene except for curtains. This video would appeal to the male demographic as they would see the artist in a very attractive manner. 

The video then introduces us to the artist, within the first 10 seconds, as she lies on a bed, with just covers covering her body. Mariah Carey is portrayed in this way to again appeal to the male audience, she is seen in a bed under sheets, giving off a very sexual vibe. White is perhaps used to represent purity or innocence despite the fact that she is naked, the white an also represent her womanhood and femininity, 

20 seconds into the video, the camera zooms into Mariah Carey who is sitting by her mirror as she sings, and does her make- up. This idea shows her in a more feminine and girly manner as she partakes in many feminine activities and therefore play with the typical R&B convention as typically women are represented in R&B videos in this way - spending time on their appearance. The mirror in particular could be used as it shows the artist reflecting on the lyrics, and as the artist herself and focuses on actual reflection. Close ups of her lips are used often throughout, which is centre screened, this is done to show off her neautiful features and appeal to both males and females with her feminine features. The artist again sings, in a bare room, shown by a close up of her face, putting all attention on her. Make- up is quite subtle and typically, wind blows her hair making her appear delicate. This creates the stereotypical view of a female artist as being feminine and the male audience would see her attractive as well.

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: My Boo by Alicia Keys ft. Usher

My Boo by Alicia Keys ft. Usher

 The music video starts in a dark room with light coming from a lamp. Usher is introduced to us almost immediately, within the first 3 seconds of the video, with a pan shot, as lies on the sofa singing.The second artist is then shown an screen with a high angle shot, lying on a bed. Usher takes up the whole of the frame for himself which plays in with a common R&B convention which makes Usger appear important and above the audeince. This convention allows the audience to admire the artist and aspire to be like them.

 The mise en scene consists of a chandelier, two lamps and neutral elegant decoration. The camera then cuts to clips of Alicia Keys, panning her body and up to her face. This makes the audience feel that they are getting closer to the artist and actually scanning her body resembling the way they would if the artist was in front of them. Alicia's costume is a red silk dress and could be used as a symbol of love or seduction, which is very relevant to the song. This costume also makes the female artist look very sexually appealing and through this, the male demographic is kept in mind so that they can find the video interesting.

At 1:15 in the video, the female artist sings while looking in a mirror, this could be used to highlight the fact that her lyrics are a reflection on her love life and the picture on the mirror further shows this as it is about a moment of the two together. The camera continues to switch between the two artists and there are numerous close ups of Alicia Keys lips, a feature that many R&B music videos focus on as it make sthe female artist look attractive and her beautiful features are exploited to appeal to both the genres. As the camera switches between the two artist, very clear difference can be seen bertween them, for example their costumes. The female artist is on a bed wearing very minimal clothing which sexualises her, whereas Usher is fully clothed, lying on the couch. The male artist in the video is many in shadow, compared to the female which is normally in light. This could be a representation that females are the main subject in videos as they could either be making the man look more powerful or they are seen as very romantic and gentle creatures.

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: Noone by Alicia Keys

R&B Music Videos: No One by Alicia Keys

The music video for this R&B song is very fond of using a lot of close ups which keep th eaudience in suspence as they do not know what they are seeing, This plays in with the lyrics as they are about love and suspention. all the fading effects and close ups create a delicate feel which fits the beat of the song and the lyric. This is also being used by the directors to sell the artist and their soft reputation. The subtle fades also make it feel as though you are blinking and thinking about the music as Alicia Keys sings and is placed centrally in the frame. Placing the star in the center of the frame is a typical R&B convention as the artists are shown to be better than everyone and are important enough to have the whole frame to themselves.

The audience is initially introduced to the artist, who is sitting in the middle of a sophisticated room with big windows which allows loads of light to shoff off the artist. This is quite typical of the R&B genre as it focuses the viewers attention on the singer as R&B is very much focused on the artist. Simultaneously it helps create an angelic image of Alicia Keys who is known as being quite admirable. There are many medium close ups in the song as we focus once again on the artist and what she is singing, while long shots in between is used to show her figure, a selling point for many female R&B artists, as it is typical of them to appear sexy to appeal to the male audience. 

There is minimal make-up, which is quite soft in order to continue the soothing theme of the song. Women in R&B are seen with minimal and natural make up to alue the audience. Close- ups of the artist, which nearly almost places her lips in the centre of the frame and her eyes looking straight at the camera makes the viewer feel like the artist is singing directly at them and therefore further appeals to the target audience. This encourages a relationship to be created between the artist and the viewer, which is important in promoting the artist as it will cause them buy into the artists material as they get more familiar with her. 

Research Into Similar Products: Ordinary People by John Legend

Ordinary People by John Legend, challenging conventions

Ordinary people is another example of R&B soul. The codes and conventions within this video are more explicit. Within the conventions of R&B men are commonly topless to show off their well sculptured body appealing to the target audience of young females, but this music video challenges that as John is dressed casually and not trying to gain the attention of the audience through gaze, again challenging the idea of the artists regularly showing off their wealth and power through possessions as he is not surrounded by provocative women, cars and other things that suggest wealth. 

His video and his lyrics do not promote mysogyny and instead, keeps it very casual. The orchestra is another example of what is commonly used within the R&B soul genre, peeling back all the excitement that is frequently used within R&B for example a very uplifting and enthusiastic atmosphere, this video has created a very calm and relax vibe by using soft instruments for example a violin and piano, which allows the audience to close their eyes and enjoy simply the music and the lyrics unlike the stereotypical R&B song. The darker filter used in the video to make it black and white is a convention that is typically used in romantic and very emotional R&B songs and therefore not every aspect of the video challenges the common conventions.

Research Into Similar Products: Breaking Conventions

Breaking R&B Conventions

Breaking codes and conventions Lots of artists want to break the codes and conventions that have been set. A lot of females have done this by trying to not dress extremely seductively and showing themselves as powerful. This idea of breaking R&B conventions will be used regularly in my music videos as I will try to empower women and degrade the idea of misgyny within the music industry which is seen a lot in the R&B music genre. In my music video women will be seen in positions of power suh as teachers, headteachers, but also other important roles such as mothers and great and caring friends.

Beyoncé's video ‘Irreplaceable’ is a great example of breaking R&B conventions. In this song she wears casual clothes that are acceptable and also are not tight nor do they show off too much too skin.



The video starts off in a very powerful way and straight away Beyonce, th emain female presencem is seen in an equal light to the male character in the video. Beyonce is see doing very feminine things in the video such as painting her nails and doing her hair, but the overall message of the video shows her in a powerful way. The lyrics also paint the idea that in the relationship, she was the more responsible one and she was the main provider.

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: Monica - The First Night

R&B Music Videos

The video above is for "The First Night" by Monica. This song is more upbeat than the previous R&B songs I have analysed and therefore the conventions are a bit more lively.

The video starts off similar to "Don't Walk Away" by Jade as we are shown a group of men with aggressive facial expressions rapping at the camera. This represents a gang which a typical convention used in R&B music videos as this genre tries to portray the lives and interests of African Americans. The males are wearing costumes which are very typical for African Americans to be seen wearing in music videos. The mise en scene is made up of costumes which are loose and very gang-like. They are wearing hats and are portrayed in low key lighting to exploit their aggression and represent true gang violence. The video cuts from a male gang to a female gang and such fast cuts represent the difference between males and females and their attitudes. The males have violent and aggressive facial expressions whereas the females are seen as calmer and more relaxed and also kinder to the audience. This is supposed to appeal to the audience as to appeal to African American males, the characters in the video have to be seen as dominant and belonging to a gang. For a female to be looked up to the target audience she has to be seen as attractive and sexually appealing which is portrayed by the difference between males and females.

Mise en scene conventions continue at 20 seconds in with the typical make up that women wear in R&B music videos. It is very subtle and uses a lot of browns and golds to show some relevant dominance to the female which the younger target audience can relate to. Their hair is also done up and neat to create a more stable sense of appeal to the male target audience. The females are also shown in high key lighting which is different to the men in this video. This type of lighting is supposed to put the woman on show and objectify her in a very appealing way so that the male audience can enjoy the video more. The females are wear less clothing to create a bigger appeal for the males.

At 3 minutes in, the star is shown to be embraced by man as they sit on the couch. The male character is kissing her neck and shows romantic interest in her. This is a very common convention used in R&B music videos and it is a great method to make the star appeal to a wide range of target audience. the males will find her appealing as another male has shown interest in her and the female audience will be more interested as a male desired her and the female audience will feel envious of the star.

Research: Development of the R&B music genre

Development of the R&B genre

The R&B music genre has undergone many changes, developments and adjustemnts to become what it is today. In the beginning, R&B was mostly popular among African Americans and they are still the number one target audience. It was a genre that was chosen by both females and males, and both genres have been assigned two very different sets of conventions.

During the 1980’s, music videos were largely performance based, meaning that a lot of thought was put into narrative and the characters taht were chosen to play in the background or co-star. Also videos at this time would have been a dance routine. In terms of costumes, artists would have been seen wearing formal and respectable clothes. The conventions for females begun here and natural makeup was always worn. 

During the 1990’s , costumes began to change and artists began to wear more casual clothes . The music videos had also changed because they became slower, largely narrative based and more emotive which meant cinematography had more close up shots. CLose up shots allows for emotion to be shown and for the target audience to be able to experience what the artisits wants the to feel such as happiness, saddness or even loss.

During the 2000s, more modern R&B videos have different connotations compared to the previous decades.The videos now feature male artists topless and women can be seen wearing minimal clothing. Videos can also be seen as more sexual and material based. Woman are objectified and in the 2010s and onwards, the R&B genre depicts them as weaker and only to be perceived as sex objects.

Research: Conventions of slow R&B songs

Slower R&B songs

Slow R&B songs these days are usually in greyscale or a sepia tone, these are regularly used in many sogs. This is because it makes the colours very soft which portrays the emotion of the song as the darker colours emake the audience experience what the video wants them to feel, such as sadness or happiness. The white balance on these videos is usually quite high so that the subtle and gentle messages of the video are portrayed even further through the filter. A darker tone can show power or dominance which is not the idea that a slower R&B rmantic song wants to give off. If the video is not shot in greyscale, the video is always softened and a lot of natural lighting is used to show a sense of reality. Slow R&B songs also usually follow a narrative, which means having a co-star alongside the musician, this is a convention which is very common in R&B slow songs. The co-star is also pictured wearing minimal clothing which adds to the depiction of sexuality; there are also a lot of close up kissing shots of the musician and the characters in the video. However this convention is typically found in videos by R&B males and songs that are about intercourse. 

Target audience is always kept in mind when producing slower R&B songs. They are typically focused around romance, a broken heart or a happy relationship. Despite the fact that the message of the song moves away from being dominant or powerful, and try to stay gentle, the usual conventions can also be seen. Women are mostly seen wearing tight clothing and are present around men shown in an objectifying manner. 

Slow R&B songs that are about being in love or breaking up, do not have as much nudity as sexual R&B music. These kind of songs are usually sung by females as in the R&B industry they are seen as the more emotional ones. Instead of wearing very minimal clothing, females in these songs will wear clothing will be bright and colourful to show happiness if the song is about being in love. Whereas if it is about breaking up the typical convention that these videos use is the greyscale filter to show emotion and they will be wearing dark clothes. A lot of natural makeup will be used to convey the sense of natural beauty, because there is a lot of close ups on the artists face. Some of these types of songs have a narrative but some of them will just be shots of the artist. 

Target/ Market Research

Target/ Market Research

This is a collection of the genre, plot and storyboard of my music video idea for A2 Media Studies Project. 

A2 media studies project from roxykasprzyk

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: Mya - Movin' On

R&B Music Videos

Above is an embedded video of Mya's "Moving On" featuring Sikk The Shocker. This video follows the convention of R&B and does not break or stray away from them. Placing common convention of the music genre in the video helps the audience make links about the genre and also recognize the genre which it follows.

The video starts in a High School which is predominantly African American. The Mise En Scene follows the typical conventions and sets the tone for the rest of the video. All the actors which are present and even the main stars are dressed in the typical R&B costumes. The male characters are wearing loose clothing, gold chains and hats whereas the female characters are wearing short dresses and tight tops which is typical of an R&B music video. Through such costumes the audience can admire the characters and look up to them for clothing inspiration. The males wear gold chains which set a trend for the generation and the characters follow this convention to appeal to the male target audience. The make up of the background female characters is subtle yet does make them appear really appealing to the male audience but also be an inspiration to the female audience with their look. The main star, Mya, is wearing more make up but it is all in creme and brown tones which is a common convention in R&B music videos. Mya is presented in this way so that she can be found appealing to the male audience but also so that the female characters can look up to her and continue to be fans of her music.

The video also follows the convention of showing some of African American background which is very stereotypical. As African American males are said to have children with women and leave and often be referred to as "baby daddies." This behaviours is shown in the video which the audience would find appealing as the video addresses the common idea of African Americans ans plays in with them. In the video, one of the characters has a child with a woman and he is only in high school. Showing something like this would not be so acceptable in pop music videos for example. However R&B does have difference conventions.

The dancing which is shown in the music video is also street or hip hop dancing which is done my males wearing loose clothing. This convention is shown in the video which would appeal to the audience as many of the target audience would partake in this sort of dancing in their free time. The sport which is shown in the video is Basketball which is stereotyped to be an African American. This is also a convention shown in R&B music videos which shows the African American background and the activities many of R&B target audience like to partake in.

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: Jade - Don't Walk Away

R&B Music Videos

Above is a video for Jades' Don't Walk Away music video. It is of R&B genre and doesn't go against the conventions of this music but instead, it follows them.

Right at the beginning of the music video, the audience is presented with a couple of young, African American males sitting on the street. They are sitting in a group or "gang" which is more suitable for this video. They are wearing the stereotypical clothing for black males that were in gangs in 90's America. The mise en scene was thought out carefully in this shot as to present the characters in a certain way in this frame. They are wearing tank tops and denim jeans to keep with the R&B costume conventions. The camera is also at a slanted angle to show them in a more aggressive and dominant way. The video is appealing to its target audience in this way as teenagers and young males and females of African America descent are targeted. This would appeal to them as gangs were perceived as cool. The gang is also sitting in an expensive car which shows the characters in an attractive light as the target audience would be drawn to expensive cars, resulting in them looking up to the characters in the video.

At 30 seconds in the star, Jade, is seen in a very dominant and attractive way. One of the conventions of R&B is for the women to be wearing costumes which would appeal to men which are targeted by the R&B genre. Jade is between two girls who are walking towards the video and keeping consatant eye contact with the camera. The audience will feel drawn in and also this video would appeal to the male target audience as they would be attracted to the female characters in the video because of their costumes.

The whole video is set in a typical African America neighbourhood which has brick buildings, graffiti on walls and gangs roam the streets. The mise en scene in this video is carefully planned and the location was not chosen at random. The majority of people who would listen to this video would live in these neighbourhoods and through locating the main star in this location, the audeince will feel more involved in this video.

Props such as costumes, make up and expensive cars and motorcycles are also used in this video. In R&B music videos it is a convention of showing off expensive jewellery and cars to make the audience admire the characters. Jade is also wearing very attractive make up and has her hair done up to continuously appeal to the male audience. The males on the other hand which are present on the video, are seen wearing denim and most of them are shirtless which is a common convention.

Overall most of R&B music videos do not break conventions as to do so, one would risk not appealing to their audience.

Research Into Similar Products/Target Audience: R&B Conventions

Conventions of R&B Music Videos

The Conventions of R&B music videos are specific in their terms and remain similar from video to video. The mise en scene is particiluar and is aimed at a particular group so that convenionts can be adfapted to their needs. 

Mise en scene
Mise en scene inculdes costume which are similar from music video to music video. Men are mostly seen without shirts and wearing jeans. For example Trey Songz is usually pictured in his videos with very minimal clothes on and this is because a lot of male R&B singers target market is young teenage girls. 

If the artist is pictured topless they are usually wearing jeans, slightly hanging low so you can see their boxers. They will also have a designer belt on which a few close up shots will be done on as a form of advertising for that particular item. the belt is a prop used to show off their style or "swag." This also helps suit the target audience as teenagers want someone who looks up to and is seen in expensive clothing. Where hip hop and R&B differ is the amount of jewellery they wear in their vieos. Males in hip hop wear bundles of jewellery and long and thick gold chains, R&B stars on the other hand wear subtle jewellery like a watch, chain and an earring.

Women in R&B usually have very little clothing on and their stomachs are shown which is similar in a lot of genres including hip hop and pop. They show off so much skin so that male fans become objects of desire and therefore make them want to purchase the CD of the artist. Hair and makeup of the female artists is also very specific to the R&B genre.  Their hair is always styled in a very dramatic and eye catching way and heir makeup is also very bold and defined, especially their eyes as they have dark eyeshadows with golds which makes their eyes very alluring. The make up and hair is all put togetehr so that females are shown with power, red lipstick is also sometimes worn to show dominance.

Target Audience of R&B music

Target Audience of R&B Music

The majority of R&B fans are teenagers and young adults. The ages of the target audience are roughly between 13-25. I have gathered this because of the explicit lyrics in some of the songs, the majority of the target audiene are also females and so the artisits continue writing similar songs with the same meaning to appela to the target audience. It is usually females that are attracted to R&B music because female R&B artists stereotypically make songs about being in love or heartbroken which is something that will appeal to a great extent to teenage girls and young adults. The fast paced R&B songs will also involve a lot of fashion and the synergy of music and fashion is something that will also attract females because if they are into that sort of music they are usually also interested in fashion. The target audience of R&B males is also majorly made up of females because they are portrayed in a very sexual way, through their nudity and lyrics. Females will find this appealing because usually they will also be physically attracted to the male artists. However some males will be attracted to the jewellery, depiction of wealth and the attractive females. The majority of the R&B target audience is of a black background as R&B developed from soul which is a music genre that has been popular among the black culture for many years.

Drafting and Planning: Lighting

Lighting

Lighting is very important for any type of video productions- from film trailers to music videos.The use of lighting is important for more than one reason, ranging from making it easier to see everything, to portraying a certain mood. For example, if little lighting is used, it would create a dull and sad feeling in the video, which would highlight what the song is about. Then if lots of lighting is used, it gives the impression that what we are watching is a happy and enjoyable moment. 

In Rihanna's video for We Found Love, the scenes at the beginning which are being showed whilst there is a voice over, the lighting used is very little and dull. This immediately gives the impression, even if there wasn’t the voice over, that the song is about sadness and regret.The low key lighting lighting is great for creating emotions of sadness and realisation in the audience.To do this the director either just let the natural light be the main source, or they would have used lighting that could be dimmed to create this dull feeling seen in the images.

In Kesha's Tik Tok video, I looked at it as it has a completely different story line to Rihanna's video. Therefore, the lighting is used to portray a completely different type of feelings andis used more often. As you can see in all 4 images, it is all very bright, and is it clear than bothnatural light and lighting equipment is used to create a light airy look. This immediately makesyou feel happier and allows you to identify with the artist and what their song is about.

Research Into Similar Products: Music Vidoe

Research Into Similar Products

Codes and COnventions of music videos are separated into two parts: technical and symbolic. Technical conventions is how meaning is conveyed using technical equipment e.g the way the way camera angles are used, different types of shots, sound either diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the pace and style of editing, and the genre. Symbolic techniques are ways of showing meanings beyond what you can see for example through, facial expressions, gestures, poses and mis en scene. 

Codes and Conventions are useful as the audience can become familiar with a particular genre, as they get use to recognizing the different conventions within a genre. This allows for the audience to make links between the common conventions seen in music videos and the genre it belongs to.  Sonventions also provide a structure that the audience can understand.

A common convention used in music video is perfomrmance. This convention consists of the artist performing in the video. In these type of videos the artist continuously performs the song and there is no narrative or any other scenes in the video. PErfomance has to be carefullt matched with lighting and costumes to make the whole video interesting as there is no other narritive occurring. 

A Narrative music video follows a story line, there are two types of narrative Linear and Fragmented A linear narrative starts a story at the beginning, goes on through the middle, and ends at the end. Fragmented narrative might have a beginning, a middle and an end but all these will be jumbled up to confuse the audience or portray a specific outcome.

Lighting

The Mis en scene constructs some of the thoughts and ideas associated with a specific social groups,The lighting in a music video can construct certain views by the way the frame is lit , it allows the audience to recognize the genre and style of the music video. A bright light draws the viewers attention and alerts them to keep their eyes on the music video. he angle and direction of the light can also determine the genre of the video as it gives the audience clues about what time of day the scene is taking place. For example a linear narrative can be showing a day in the life of a charcter and how they have changed in tht timne, the audience can be kept included in the video and informed about what is happening by the light showing them what time of day it is. 

Target Audience: Twitter

Twitter

My target audience are mainly teenagers and young adults which are in the age group 13 - 25. I want to appeal mostly to women as this video is about empowering and trying to give some more confidence to women. As social media is very popular among those ages, I have used Twitter, a very popular social media site, as a way to get in contact with my target demographic. I have posted in Twitter ti try and get the general opinion of which shot the audience prefers in music videos. I have used 3 shots from 3 different music videos by Tove Lo, Anna Naklab and Bob Dylan. I have received replies form my target audience and have an idea of what the audience wants to see. The replies I have received are from people aged between 16 and 18 and they fit in with my target demographic.

I will use social media to research my target demographic in the future as it is done fast, for free and also I can find out information fast.

Research Into Similar Products: Camerawork

Music Video: Camera Work

In this blog post I will be focusing on camera work and to be more precise, the walk along shot. On this shot the singer, or the actor, is walking forwards and the camera is panning them by being moved in front of them. The singer can be singing the song and if it is a character, they can be just waking along and following the plot. This is a great technique and it is further developed and discovered in the 25th second of this video. I have found this video and it is very helpful when it comes to deciding which shot to use and when. The walk along shot is used regularly in music videos and I will use it my video too as I want the camera to pan the movement os some of my characters. The walk along shot is amazing and looks fanatstic in music videos as the background is moving. the singer is also moving and it create a very dynamic effect with tons of energy. The walk along shot is used to often because of the appealing nature it gives to the video.

At 1:10, the video goes into more depth about how to add even more effect to the walk along shot. It is best to add a varying amount of different lenght shots and then cut between them. Wide angle shots are the best to also show off the location but cutting from a wide angle shot to a close up creates a bigger appeal.  

Research Into Similar Products: Oner

Spielberg Oner a.ka. a long tale

My music video will be composed of a couple of characters and their story will be portrayed in a similar way to keep a continuous flow. In films, oner takes are usually from 2 to 3 minutes long, however my whole video will be about 2 to 3 minutes long and so my oner takes will have to be shorter. Oner is a type of take which means that an entire scene is done in one shot.



I want each character in my video to have their own oner take which follows them through that particular moment in their day, it could be at work or at home, just going about their business. 10 seconds into the video above, we are shown a Spielberg film which has a great oner. It follows a couple getting out from a car, crossing the road and then going downstairs into a club. The couple are talking and laughing engagingly. This type of oner shot is great as I can adapt it to feature in my video. I also love the camera angles that show the normality of the couple. Spielberg likes his oners to be between 1 and 2 minutes meaning the shots are long enough to cover the plot but not so long as to bore the audience.

In my music video the camera will never move without notice or out of random, it will follow motion to create a steadily flowing rhythm to the video and so move the story along. The background of the oner is also very important. A oner is especially great if the camera barely moves which is explored in the second minute of the video. All the movement is in the blocking and the great location, the background is shifting for example when the characters are on a boat.

Target Audience: Focus Group

Focus Group

In our A2 Media Studies lesson we have created a focus which allowed everyone present to present and discuss their ideas to the group and then receive feedback to make their work better. I have received some great feedback which helped me evaluate my work and make sure it is the best it can be. 

I have received mostly positive feedback about my plot, genre and storyboard which is great as I have evidence  that my idea appeals to my target audience which is young adults and teenagers. A lot of feedback praised my idea with the cards and placing lyrics of most importance and significance on the screen to crab the audiences attention and focus it.

The target audience also appreciate the fact that I have implemented a social message into my idea which promotes the empowerment of women and tries to degrade misogyny in the music industry. R&B conventions typically empower men and make them more dominant with the props that are used such as gold jewelry and also camera angles by placing them alone in the frame. Women on the other hand are usually degraded with tight clothing and through showing off more skin. Their make up is also very appealing towards the male audience. Through challenges these conventions I can make the social message even stronger. 

I have also gotten feedback from my target audience that ideas in the storyboard go well with the song and are presented very well with the conventions I want to use. The ideas fit in well with the plot and there is great relevance between the song and my plot. I have also received messages that my message is interesting and the use of shots interests the audience.

I have gotten feedback which could improve my idea which includes placing those important lyrics not only on cards but other surfaces. These surfaces will vary from character from character for example for the teacher it will be on the white board and for the principal it will be on important papers which need signing. I think following through with this could emphasise the important job titles women hold.