Subject Matter

Ideology and representation;

Ideology –“ Doctrine, philosophy, body of beliefs or principles belonging to an individual or group; The study of the origin and nature of ideas”

Representation – “a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something”

When dealing with the issue of representation, music videos offer excellent material to analyse, becoming ever more daring as the years pass, music videos have transformed from a fun, happy go-lucky 2-5 minutes to scandalous late-night after watershed hours screenplay, with controversy ranging from things such as nationality, culture, religion, race, and the two favourite, gender and sexuality – what messages do they convey? What norms and values? And how do they relate to aspects of our life.

Music videos are an essential element of any popular music release, and many producers have been known to push the boundaries of ‘genius’ to create appeal for mass audiences, But as the main character in music video will be a girl in her late teens, My research into ideology and representation will consist of information on the way which girls/women are viewed in music videos and the roles which they play, whether it be erotic, stereotypical or new-age.

Voyeurism

Referring to the notion that erotic pleasure can be gained whilst looking at a sexual object, usually when the ‘object’ is unaware it is being watched, hence the phrase (Peeping Tom) This psychoanalytical theory comes from Sigmund Freud. It has been said that because many filmmakers, directors and producers are predominantly male, The presence of women is used only for ‘display’ rather than them having an actual purpose within the narrative, the purpose of this ‘display’ facilitates a voyeuristic response, which transcends into the ‘male gaze’ (apparently regardless of the gender of the spectator) The person may feel a somewhat controlling gaze at the female which is on display who is powerfully objectified and inert.

Although it is argued that the female is objectified through a combination of camerawork and clever editing, body shots are said to be fragmented, emphasising a sexualised treatment of the star. Within the male performance videos, the female body is used as an adornment to the male star’s ego (Very apparent in many ‘rap’ videos).
Although this idea becomes much more complex when the roles are reversed and we see the male body on display – The post – feminist ‘female gaze’ women are no longer objects of ‘the look’, but hold some power by viewing the men as sexual objects too. (Quite controversial, one of the first female stars to do this was Madonna)

Exhibitionism http://www.madonna.com/

The more powerful independent female artists of recent years, such as Madonna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, have ‘added’ to the complexity of looking at gender/cultural debates, by moulding sexual provocative’s, inviting a sexualised gaze and being in control – This could be termed as the opposite of ‘voyeurism’.

An on-going debate – Is female flesh being on display a cynical ‘exploitation’ of the female body, so heavily increase male- profit margins, or is it in actual fact an assertation of female self-confidence which shows sexual independence? This all poses interesting questions on the diversity of audience experiences of music videos and the very contidictory values and messages that they may evoke.The consequences of objectification are not easy to measure. There is no way to link dangerous behaviours such as eating disorders or crimes such as rape directly to media objectification-- and it would be irresponsible and inaccurate to do so. However, we live in a world filled with the objectification of women, and this objectification contributes to social problems; Sexual violence, eating disorders, backlash, pressure on young girls to be more sexualised?

The reality is that music videos and lyrics are a small slice of an entertainment industry that use the notion of sex sells to create a buzz about their products and services. Advertisements utilise women's bodies to sell products with a high proportion of them depicting women in scantily clad clothing.

Production design

Set Design/Scenic design

Grimsdyke Hotel (Sullivan Suite)
-A large open plan hotel room with a double 4 poster Bed, mini bar, coffee table, green settee and large windows with a view of the hotel garden and woodland – very posh looking.

Central London (West End/Covent Garden/Soho)
-Walking around central London – Clubs, pubs, and surrounding restaurants (No specific set design as we want it all to look very natural)

Props

Grimsdyke Hotel (Sullivan Suite)
Jewellery box, money, fake drugs, alcohol bottles, voice recorder and suitcase.

Central London (West End/Covent Garden/Soho)
Alcohol/ Alcohol bottles, fake drugs.

Special Effects

No special Effects Required

Lighting

Grimsdyke Hotel (Sullivan Suite)
Bright lights so we are able to see every detail clearly, Put emphasis on Brooke’s situation ‘coming to light’.

Central London (West End/Covent Garden/Soho)
Natural lighting E.g.: Street lights and shop light – Mostly dim to keep the realism of nightlife


Use of colour

Grimsdyke Hotel (Sullivan Suite)
Rich reds, brown, and royal green to emphasize that Brooke is rich and is staying at a posh hotel, - In contrast to her, she is wearing all black to connote darkness, death and negativity.

Central London (West End/Covent Garden/Soho)
Different bright colours to show London’s nightlife, although when walking in the backs streets/alleys and park, dark colours and dull tones will be used to indicate the bad situations about to occur.

Characterisation - Main Character

Name: Brooke Dalia Ellis

Age: 19

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Social Class: Middle Class

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight/Bi-sexual

Ability/Disability: Fully able (no disability)

Relationship Status: Single

Looks:
Tall (5’9)/ Brown hair/pale-olive skin/slender frame/ Blue eyes

Personality: Extrovert – Although due to the drugs she has become somewhat shy/ paranoid – emotional rollercoaster.

Costume/Hair/Male-up: Minimal make-up (Heavy Lashes, mascara and eye shadow)– perfectly styled hair – straight/wavy, costume – Short black dress, black tights, black high heels, black winter coat w/ black side-bag.

Representation Issues/ Background story
Stereotypical ‘Troubled’ teen, Thinks the world has turned its back on her and blames everything that goes wrong on herself, uses the drugs as a form of punishment and escape.
Her Parents divorced when she was 15, grew-up in a rich/well-off, but dysfunctional household, she is an only child, Once her parents had divorced her mother gained custardy for her, but then blamed her for the divorce, her father re-married and has another family of his own and wants nothing to do with her or her mother (mother is now an on-off alcoholic), The only contact her father has with her is through her bank-account, he sends her £2,000 a month – she gets to spend it on whatever she wants, One night when she was out with her friends, a guy introduced her to cocaine –She liked the buzz and the way it made everything ‘feel better’, she then tried various other drugs.

Proposal


Inspired by the fact that our target audience found music videos which consisted of a narrative or visual art more appealing (Our Statistics reveal that visual art was the most popular with narrative coming in second) – Surprisingly, as many of the big performers with mainstream music are more performance dominated, But through using the help of our questionnaire feedback I envisioned our song, ‘Blue foundation; Eyes on fire’, to consist of a multi-strand narrative so that the audience would have a lot to keep them engaged throughout the video, and use visual art throughout as well, which would help to make a statement.

Through my lyrics analysis, I decided that my narrative would be based around a young girl (Late teens), Battling a drug addiction, Her ongoing drug use causes her to end up with schizophrenia. Whilst injecting heroin and drinking vodka, she finds herself in a maze looking for someone, but she doesn’t know who yet – “I’ll seek you out”. As she turns each of the corners of the maze, she finds a different person in bad situations e.g.: crying, self mutilation, snorting coke, vomiting ect, after seeing all this she becomes severely disorientated (The streets – Blinded by the lights) and faints, when she wakes up she finds herself back where she originally was but with Polaroid’s of herself in all those bad situations instead of the other people she saw – (Brandy and Ray-j : Another day in paradise)


In the end the whole video rewinds, she looks at herself in the mirror, only to find she’s actually dead (Overdosed).

Location: In terms of location, I thought that we could use a house (someone’s bedroom) and Central London.

Camera Angles: I thought that most of the camera angels would be POV shots (The prodigy – smack my bitch up), this would enable us to really get inside the characters head and see what they are seeing. [ Canted angles – help enhance the feeling of disorientation ]

Character: Caucasian girl, late-teen – I’ve opted to use this character as it is a woman singing the lyrics and I feel that a female lead would compliment the song and I want her to be in her late teens because that the time when the most messed up stuff happens to people.

Time of day: Night – extenuate the vibe/feel of the video.

Which record label: Indie, as the music used is not mainstream and they are more likely to undertake a video idea such as this.

In-depth interview
Name: Samira Ahmed



1) What is your favourite music genre and why? “I would have to say that my favourite music genre is R&b, I like it because I feel that no matter what mood I find myself in, I can always find a way to relate to it. I’m also very fond of it because it’s become very mainstream over the past decade and all of my friends listen to it as well, I enjoy the heavy beats and catchy tunes.” 2) What is your favourite music video and why? “My favourite music video at the moment would have to be ‘Chris Brown; Holla at me’, I like it because he has managed to performance and introduce a new style of dancing which is called ‘Jerkin’, And I think that’s it’s important for an artist to always be willing to show the public/ their fans new things.” 3) Are your familiar with the music genre ‘Dubstep’? If so, what ideas spring to mind? “Yes, I am slightly familiar with the Dubstep genre, I know that it’s a fairly new genre, I like the beats, but I don’t think that it’s something I would be able to listen to all of the time. I don’t have any particular ideas about it, but it’s ability to get everybody on the dance floor springs to mind.”

In-depth interview
Name: Hitesh Bhaji

1) What is your favourite music genre and why? “My favourite music genre would have to be ‘Electronic’, because the crazy beats can always put me in a really good mood, even when I’m feeling down, I know that most people may not be fond of it, But I wish they would give it a chance, It would be amazing if one day Electronic was in the category of mainstream music” 2) What is your favourite music video and why? “My favourite music video of all time is ‘The prodigy; Smack my bitch up’, I absolutely love it because it causes so much controversy, I mean the fact that we think it’s a guy all throughout and then it turns out to be a woman is madness, I love the way it’s able to mess with the viewers head so much” 3) Are your familiar with the music genre ‘Dubstep’? If so, what ideas spring to mind? “Yeah, I like Dubstep music, it reminds me of electronic a bit, but then again most of it is a lot more dark, grimey and sinister, when I think of Dupstep the one thing I think of is a bunch of teenagers in a club scene raving to some intense beats”

Idle-Mindz Project Schedule

Idle

View more documents from idlemindz.

Target Audience Research From Questionnaires

Media target audience research

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Subject matter research: Artist and song
Blue foundation








Blue foundation are a Danish ‘trip hop’ band who were founded in early 2000 by musician “Tobias Wilner”, Their trademark sound is said to be a mix of melodic dreamy pop, influenced by indietronica and shoegaze. They are said to have described their music as a “kind of folk music for modern people”. Influences; film noir, contemporary, alternative and classical. The group released their first 72 via (moshi-moshi, hot chip and block party) and their very first album (self titled) was released soon after. During their past 7 years on the music scene, the bands have expanded their target audience - now embracing the underground and alternative mainstream. The group’s third studio album titled “Life of a ghost”, was released in 2007 in Scandinavia. Much of their music has been featured in major films such as “Twilight, Miami vice, and the popular TV series The Vice”.

Members;
• Tobias Wilner aka Bichi (vocals, guitar, producer, composer)
• Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg (vocalist and songwriter)
• Bo Rande (producer, composer, trumpet)
• Scott Martingell aka MC Jabber (vocals, spoken word)
• Tatsuki Oshima(DJ and vinyl manipulator)

Studio albums
• Blue Foundation aka 33 (2001)
• Sweep of Days (2004)
• Solid Origami collected, reworked and remixed (2006)
• Life of a Ghost (2006)


Zeds Dead







Zeds dead are a ‘Electronica / Hardcore / Progressive’ duo who specialise in dubstep remixes, Originally based in Ontario, Canada, The unsigned duo have toured many countries including the Uk, spreading their dupstep expertise around the globe.
http://www.myspace.com/bluefoundationdenmark#ixzz12cdkQ5p2






Blue foundation – Eyes on fire (Zeds Dead Dupstep Remix) lyrics

I won’t soothe your pain
I won’t ease your strain
I’ll seek you out
Flay you alive

One more word and you won’t survive
And I’m not scared of your stolen power
See right through you any hour

I’ll seek [x6]
I’ll seek you out

Flay you alive
One more word and you won’t survive
And I’m not scared of your stolen power
See right through you any hour

I’ll seek [x4]
Seek
I’ll seek

Felling any foe with my gaze
Steadily emerging with grace


Lyric Analysis

Through analysing and studying these lyrics and using the help of other people’s analysis, I have come to the conclusions that they could be conveying the message of either one of three things.

Drugs (Narcotics) – “I won’t soothe your pain, I won’t ease your strain” – these lyrics connote that even though the drugs are being taken, in the end they won’t solve or help with any of the troubles she may be having, this could then be linked into an obsession or addiction, “stolen power”, she thinks that the drugs are giving her power, but in actual fact its stolen and won’t last for long. “I’ll seek” – these words could relate to her becoming addicted to the drugs and seeking them out, “steadily emerging with grace”, the drugs finally kill her.

Revenge – My next interpretation of the song was that, she may once have been in an abusive relationship and now she wants to get revenge on her ex-partner, or she may have been bullied and she wants to get revenge on those who put her down “I won’t soothe your pain
I won’t ease your strain” – she won’t make him/them feel better for his/their mistakes anymore, “And I’m not scared of your stolen power, See right through you any hour” – She’s not longer scared or belittled by the fake, powerful persona that they once portrayed, “I’ll seek you out, Flay you alive, One more word and you won’t survive” - This section is quite violent and may connote her getting ‘even’ with them.

Herself – My last interpretation of the song is that, she may in actual fact be her own worst enemy; she may have a split personality, this is causing her to fight with herself and find her true identity (may case her to goo slightly crazy) I’ll seek [x6] – The repeating of “I’ll seek” my indicate that she’s looking for who she used to be, “And I’m not scared of your stolen power, See right through you any hour” – she’s not scared of herself anymore, she wants to confront herself and is no longer frightened, “I won’t soothe your pain, I won’t ease your strain” – she doesn’t want to hurt anymore, she’s done with tending to all her wounds and anguish.

Research into Drugs, Revenge and Schizophrenia

Drugs
The word ‘drug’ is thought to originate from Old French "drogue", possibly deriving later into "droge-vate" from Middle Dutch meaning "dry barrels", referring to medicinal plants preserved in them. A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.

Revenge (also known as vengeance) is a harmful action against a person or group as a response to a real or perceived grievance. Although many aspects of revenge resemble the concept of justice, revenge connotes a more injurious and punitive focus as opposed to a harmonious and restorative one. Whereas justice generally implies actions undertaken and supported by a legitimate judicial system, by a system of ethics, or on behalf of an ethical majority, revenge generally implies actions undertaken by an individual or narrowly defined group outside the boundaries of judicial or ethical conduct. The goal of revenge usually consists of forcing the perceived wrongdoer to suffer the same or greater pain than that which was originally inflicted.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of the process of thinking and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with a global lifetime prevalence of around 1.5%. Diagnosis is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and observed behavior. The disorder is thought mainly to affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People with schizophrenia are likely to have

additional (comorbid) conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders; the lifetime occurrence of substance abuse is around 40%. Social problems, such as long-term unemployment, poverty and homelessness, are common. Furthermore, the average life expectancy of people with the disorder is 10 to 12 years less than those without, due to increased physical health problems and a higher suicide rate (about 5%).

websites containg information/essays on the use of narcatics in music videos:

http://www.scenesmoking.org/research/SubstanceUseIinMusic.pdf

http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4650&context=etd_theses

In-Depth Interviews

Interview 1

What is your favourite genre and why?

Rap because they show different moods and ambitions through different songs, for example The Game – My life feat. Lil Wayne. It is a slow pace song describing the everyday struggles in their life on living in Compton, California. Even though it is a slow paced song, it is still very popular any catchy song and music video. I can’t relate to this song but I can understand their struggles. Overall, it’s got nice rhythm, a nice beat and easy to listen to.

What is your favourite music video and why?

Loose Yourself by Eminem. It has an interesting narrative, which takes clips from his movie 8mile. It shows the struggle of an underground rapper seeking to go mainstream. It shows you show rappers can forgot their roots and friend once they become more more famous. It has a motivational beat and lyrics.

Are you familiar with Dubstep music, if so, what ideas come into your mind?

Yeah I am. I like it because it’s something new and innovative. I like producers like Skream and Sukh Knight. It sounds like a fusion of Drum and Bass, Grime and Dub. The main thing I don’t like about dubstep is that many producers can over exaggerate the heavy and wobbly bass lines. When I think of Dubstep, images like chase scenes, mystery and dirt come into my mind

Interview 2

What is your favourite genre and why?

I’m not so particular but I would say Hip-Hop because it’s got a nice beat, is relaxing and dancable. It can often get me in a good mood. I like the facts that I can relate to the lyrics and that I can talk to others about. I only really listen to the songs that are in the charts,

What is your favourite music video and why?

Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy. It is a very unique music video that is very creative. I enjoy the point of view camera shots as makes me feel that I can relate to the video more. The twist at the end of the video is funny as you don’t expect that kind of behaviour by women, but it does happen in reality.

Are you familiar with Dubstep music, if so, what ideas come into your mind?

No, not really. I’m only just getting into it now, which is mostly just the mainstream stuff like Katy On A Mission by Katy B. I like it as it is something different to what is in the charts now, yet it is still raving music but not too hectic (like say jungle). When I think of dubstep, I think of people drinking and raving.

Conclusion of textual analysis

Genre

The genre for many videos analysed by our group show a urban area. For example we see the use of a grimy high-rise council flat in the song by Wiley called “Never Be Your Woman” Ft. Emeli Sandé. The use of high rise council block in a dull setting connotes a lack of energy in the neighborhood and also represents Bow of East London as it is one of London’s deprived areas.

The next video which was analysed was by Katy B called “on a mission”. There’s an establishing shot showing a dark shadowed using low level lighting in a London area. When the camera pull focuses, we learn that the building is the O2 arena in south London which is an urban area. Urban areas are a common feature with Dubstep music videos.

However a different video which will be still counted as in the ‘Grime’ genre starts of differently, it’s by Skepta called bad boy. The video begins, and within the establishing shot in which we are able to see Skepta’s back with a large tattoo reading ‘SKEPTA’ beside him we see a pretty lady who is well dressed in a black evening dress. Though it starts of different, it can signify many things. The tattoo may mean that Skepta prides him highly and had to prove it with the tattoo. The woman who was beside him was wearing a black dress which may mean sadness and neglect. She’s also serving him breakfast on a silver platter. This implies that he always get what he wants, derived from the saying “served on a silver platter” and can be related to the name of the song “Bad Boy”


Another music video is by chase and status called “end credits” featuring Plan B. It starts off with a mid shot, slow motion of a hooded man falling down on a concrete floor, just as he’s about to touch the floor we have a close up of his face to show the full impact of the fall. Once he touches the floor everything is back at normal pace and we can see a foot walking past him. This is quite different from the other genres because at the beginning we hear an acoustic sound of a guitar, however when the video begins to pick up momentum it changes into a drum and bass genre and throughout the video we see plenty of visuals to compliment the sound.


Music

In terms of music Skepta’s “bad Boy” song is chart music. It entered number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Katy B’s “Katy on a mission” is also seen as mainstream music which debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. The single then dropped three places to number eight. It has since spent four consecutive weeks at number eight and six consecutive weeks in the top ten. Though Dubstep is seen as an underground genre due to its low publicity in mainstream music, Katy B’s song challenged that and showed how successful it can be and therefore is unique in its own way. “Never Be Your Woman” by Wiley entered the UK Singles Chart at its current peak position of #8 selling just under 20,000 copies. It showed the level of success and an influence Wiley has in the British music industry with his crossover sound that bridges underground and dance genres together. End Credits reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart. To follow on, it was used in a trailer for the video game F1 2010 as well as the Michael Caine film Harry Brown, in which Plan B co starred. It shows that even though the genre is fast paced and more underground, it can be used in different contexts to relate to visuals for certain scenes or adverts.


Theme/ideology

The Theme behind Skepta’s “Bad Boy” is about a guy treating his girlfriend in a bad way by not complimenting her, not turning up to events she wants him to as well as arguing with her. Skepta justifies this by saying “you’re too deep in love, you need to jump out like free wily”. It shows that although he’s seeing this girl their not in a relationship and he’s looking to take things slow, hence whey they refer him as the ‘bad boy’.
Katy B’s “Katy on a mission” is about being trapped by music, which has taken over her gotten herself lost in the sound. This can be seen on the song in the 40 second mark, where the DJ is caught seeing ‘vybsing’ a term for getting lost in the sound
Click Here To View Katy B’s Video

The meaning of the song by Wiley is about Wiley as himself, growing and maturing as a person from a toddler to a young adult. He’s is seen being brought up in his estate in east London. It also shows what use to happen around his everyday life from a very young age as well as what he used to do at certain points in his life. An example is when he’s seen rapping around the teenage years.

End credits by Chase and Status is a cold, eerie song that is emotionally driven by its wordings. “When the blood dries in my veins/ and my Heart feels no more pain/ I know, I'll be on my way to heaven's door” These lyrics suggest that Plan B, the vocalist in the song is suggesting when he dies he knows he will be going to heaven.


Narrative

All four videos have a narrative behind it. Skepta’s song is about him being a guy and just enjoying life as it comes. The meaning is about how his girlfriend wants to control him but he wants to enjoy life at the same time, this is mentions in the following lyrics. ‘All you do is moan and complain/ It was good when your friend came/ But anytime when my friends want to come around/ You start going insane in the membrane’. In the video Skepta is playing himself and the viewers can immediately relate it to him as he’s narrating the video about himself. Katy B’s “Katy on a mission” is a performance based video, which is about her losing all control and sending yourself into a zone where you let the music control you. The performance based video shows how her fans react to it and how they also indulge themselves into the song and just start partying. Wiley’s track is also a narrative based video like Skepta’s. It shows him at 4 stages in his life; being a toddler, infant, teenager and an adult. Although we do not see Wiley as himself in the end, it still sends the same meaning as Wiley is explaining his life to the audience. By having a kid, a teenage we could see how it was for Wiley when growing up. From End credits, Plan B is giving a narration about an event that happened to him and how it affected him. Moreover, you see he has passed away and that he comes in the form of a ghost and is telling a story of what went on that made him commit those actions. Plan B who sings the lyrics sets the narration in the 3rd person so we as viewers know what happened.


Technical codes

The technical codes from all four videos have some similarity, but on the whole are generally different. Only one video is fully performance based (Katy B- On a mission). However the other 3 are all narrative based. End credits uses many different shots, especially close ups and quick takes to create uncertainty for the viewer. The canted angles allows the viewer to feel confused, but with the quick takes and close ups of some pivotal scenes, the viewer is able to relate to the video. The close ups show the lip sync for the performance based in Katy B’s video as well as the performance part that Plan B does in End Credits.
To continue, close ups allow the audience to see the emotions of the characters. This is best seen in ‘Bad Boy’ by Skepta, where the girl is left by herself on her boyfriend’s birthday whilst he parties with his friends. We can easily see the girl is distraught through the close up and that’s the effect it creates.
Wiley’s video, ‘Never Be a Woman’ uses a variety of tracking shots to set the mood and the environment Wiley was brought up in. In the performance parts, it also continues using mid shots and close up to demonstrates lip sync.


Symbolic codes/Representation

Mis-en-scene plays a part in every music video. First we have the props of each video. In bad boy by Skepta he’s seen being served in a sliver platter as well as wearing a smart white shirt with black trousers when getting ready to go out. This connotes to a fancy life and a life of party as seen in the video. His girlfriend is also dressed up well in a black dress long straight hair to show simplicity and elegance.... Link to Skepta’s Bad Boy video: Click Here To View The Video

Wiley’s video is set in east London, in a place with high rising estates. The area is in fact one of London’s most deprived area known as Bow situated in east London.

The clothes he’s seen wearing shows us how deprived he may have been when growing up as a child.


Katy B’s song shows us the codes for performing in a live show. We have a live stage, microphone and fans dancing to her song. It shows us a live atmosphere. To follow on the use of colours can be seen in the smoke used at live performances to set the mood which in this case was letting yourself go in the music and having a energetic mood. Katy B is seen wearing red lipstick, tight jeans, a jacket and trainers. The lipstick being red could represent seduction or alerting the audience. The reason for this is because it stands out from the normal everyday life and red can be seen as sexual. The clothing however is not what you find people wearing to parties as teenagers and young women of similar age are known to wear dresses and heels, however as Dubstep is an underground genre the outfit Katy B is wearing follows its conventional codes of jeans trainers and a track top of some sort.

Codes and representation that distinguishes End Credits by Chase and Status from conventional genres are its low key, low level lighting. This creates a secretive ambience through its high level of shadown and surroundings in which the the music video is shot. This is all parallel to the lyrics. For example “When my mind stops thinking/ My eyes stop blinking/ I hope/ Somebody's there”. There’s also scenes of violence, sexuality as well as possible drug related problems. The use of hoodies falls into the violence category as it’s stereotyped that people in hoodies should not be approached and may be dangerous. Chase and Status along with Plan B picked up on this and followed these codes.


Culture codes

All the videos represent modern culture. The best example for this is Wiley’s video. It shows current town Bow in east London, as well as how it use to be before. You can see from the location how run down the place looks but also how people live in those types of areas to socialise and commute.

Skepta’s video on the other hand shows a more stylish life which is best represented as a Hollywood lifestyle. Champagne bottles, elegant suits and beautiful women are just to name a few things seen in the video. The ‘perfect' life shown to the audience by Hollywood is what has young kids dreaming off as they all want to be having that lavish lifestyle when their older. This is also represented towards the end of Wiley’s video when he’s seen celebrating with champagne and going home in an Aston Martin worth around £250,000.

Katy B’s video can be seen as a party culture with teenagers going to raves seeing performers performing their favourite songs. This is a everyday thing that happens late night across London and England which London formidably is known for that which results in many tourists coming to the capital.

The culture codes for ‘End Credits’ tell us the more anti social side of London which include violence, sexuality and drug related issues across the youth and young adults. This stuff is shown in the news about violent crimes across the UK and chase and Status are showing what the reasons may have been for their actions and whether it can be justified or not.

Initial ideas

From the research we have collected we found the following. The type of music videos the general public tend to prefer is visual art. The second most popular choice was a narrative based video. This lays the foundation for what I have to design to make a music video that the general public would like. Another factor for me to consider is that our results also showed that the location of the video does not matter that much to the viewer. This could indicate maybe of the majority of the population finds artistic visuals a more of a deciding factor to engage the viewers.

For my music video I’m thinking of including a realist, non linier narrative. This is because relationships are a real life event that occurs in everyone’s life which makes it real. The non linier narrative allows the viewer to see what happened in the past and how it’s affecting the couple in the future.

My ideas have come from drum and bass artists ‘Chase & Status’. This group is known for making videos with many different concepts. For example their song “Hypest Hype” featuring Tempa T is a performance driven video. It included flashy lights, the fans reactions to live concerts and most notably the back stage to the artist’s pre preparation and actual live performance. Click Here To View Hypest Hype

However they also have narrative driven videos such as “End Credits featuring Plan B” It is a non linier narrative video, and from it you’re able to see the stark contrast between the imagery and shots and how it makes it completely different to Hypest Hype. Narrative videos are constructed in a way which relate to the lyrics for the viewer to see. Our song is by blue foundation called “Eyes on Fire” which is remixed by zeds dead. I personally feel that it is a video about a relationship. Click Here To View End Credits

With the video I’m thinking of having a woman in her mid twenties having flashbacks of being hurt by her lover by lies and arguments. This will be shown in a greyscale image to signify the past. We’ll have an establishing shot of a woman in her living room sitting down on a sofa contemplating her life. Her boyfriend is out at that current time and she thinks that he’s hiding things from her, so she uses a friend to spy on him and take a few pictures. After gaining an insight about him seeing other girls, she looks back at what has happened so far and now as she’s ready to confront her boyfriend and seek the truth. The lyrics in the background that will compliment the visuals will say “I’ll seek you out/ Flay you alive/ One more word and you won’t survive/ And I’m not scared of your stolen power/ I see right through you any hour”

She’s mulling over ending her relationship and at that moment her boyfriend enters home. The girlfriend asks questions about where he has been etc. They are seen arguing, with the boyfriend saying you shouldn’t break up and pleading his innocence. This will be done using shot reverse shots and many close ups to signify emotion and each other’s opinions. She’s having none of it and is just laughing at his lies. When the following lyrics come
“I’m taking it slow/ Feeding my flame/ Shuffling the cards of your game/ And just in time/ In the right place / Suddenly I will play my ace”
The ace she refers to in the song which will be the pictures her friends take and she is just going to be sitting on her sofa waiting for the perfect time to show it to him.

The girlfriend would then storm out and go to London to take her mind away from what has happened, in which the rest of the video would be shot at night to supplement the mood. From this we can show the woman walking through London and gather shots such as clubs, tourist spots like the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament.
A variety of shots such as cut shots to switch from one place to another. This would allow us to create the perfect atmosphere of a cold winter’s night with the added extra lights of London City. As she’s walking she will see a few couples who seem good together and she will wonder what went wrong with hers, and parallel editing would be used to show her bad relationship and what she really wanted.

Record Labels

Major Record Label

These can be best decried as music industries that sell compositions, recordings and performances of music. They have many individuals and organizations that operate within the industry which are the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and professionals who create and sell recorded music.

The 4 major record labels

In a recent study by Nielsen SoundScan in 2005 reported that the big four accounted for 81.87% of total market share in the music industry. On the other hand independent labels accounted for only 18.13%.

Universal Music Group (France based) — 31.71%

This is the biggest of all four labels and is the subsidiary of the French media conglomerate Vivendi. A media conglomerate are companies that own large numbers of other companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies to name a few.
Vivendi's headquarters are in Paris, France. The UMG global headquarters are located New York City, Santa Monica within the U.S. The UK the group has a number of offices in London and Romford, and in Japan the group has a office in Minato, Tokyo.

List of few labels owned within Universal Music Group:

• Interscope Records
• Geffen Records

Sony Music Entertainment (Japan based) — 25.61%

Part of Sony, which is the world's fifth largest media conglomerate and is a Japanese based conglomerate whose headquarters is situated in Minato, Tokyo, Japan .
List of few labels owned by Sony Music Entertainment are:

• Columbia Records
• Aware Records
• Epic Records

Warner Music Group (USA based) — 15%

This is the 3rd largest record company and also has a music publishing subsidiary called Warner/Chappell Music, which is currently one of the world's largest music-publishing company.

A Publisher would be in this case a company who works with the songwriters to promote their songs. Publishers usually get either partial or total ownership of the song copyright, known as "assignment" or "transfer" of the copyright. They pitch the songs to record labels, television or movie producers, or anyone else who may be interested in it. They then license the rights to use the song and charge fees which are typically split 50% with the songwriter.

EMI Group (UK based) — 9.55%

The EMI Group (Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.) is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest record label, and subsequently makes it part of the ‘big four’ Furthermore it is a member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA is a trust that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors. The RIAA claim to distribute approximately 85% of the U.S.A.’s sound recording sold. EMI Group also has a major publishing sub company formally known as, EMI Music Publishing which is based in New York City.

List of few labels owned within Electrical & Musical Industries:


Major label release model

The label here is really only a brand. It is used by the record company to give a distinct identity to the release.
Once part of the record company, it is the company’s responsibility to create the release; this will include recording, marketing and packaging. They will then work regionally to distribute the product. These regional offices are likely to be in different countries or continents around the world. The original copy of the audio and any artwork will be used to replicate. One of the main benefits of having many regional places is that costs are kept down by manufacturing close to where the item will be sold, rather than shipping container loads of releases around the world.

If the record company doesn't have a branch in a particular territory, it may license the release to another company in that place and they will arrange the manufacturing and distribu

• Virgin Records
• Get Money Gang Entertainment
• Angel Recordstion of the release. This company could be a record label, or it could be a distributor, manufacturer, or any other company that has the ability to organize the manufacturing and distribution of the release.

Usually, each separate branch of the chain will include their name on the release, as well as the label name. Also, manufacturers and distributors may be mentioned on the release artwork.


This Picture represents where the money goes when signed to a major record label.









Independent Record Label

An independent record label (or indie record label) is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. Indie record labels are where a great number of bands and musical acts get a start, and where many find their success.


Independent release model



This chart shows an idealized path for the artist’s release, from the recording studio through to the public.

The label here is one and the same as the record company; they both have the same name and are the same unit.

This is a standard path for releases on Indies, and most likely are to operate in one country or continent. Non-major label releases in the folk, and jazz genres are likely to follow a path close to this. If you substitute the recording studio for the artists own studio, the model also fits a lot of electronic releases.
The ‘importer’ in most cases is likely to be another business in another country or continent that buys a certain number of copies of the release from the distributor. From that they distribute in their own distribution area. The import will be exactly the same release.

Professional Job Roles

Professional job roles are the roles given to people needed to make a movie or short film clip. The list below gives you information about the key factors involved to get the perfect picture or video and the certain people involved in order to make it a success.

Our Group

In our group the duties involved in making a movie/music team are taken up by the following members.
Producer (Janay)
Director (Robert)
Editor (Julio)
Camera man (Rahul)


Producer Responsibilities

Producers have an overall control of a film’s production. They bring together the screenwriters, director, cast members, finances and the production team. Their primary responsibility is to use everyone’s skills and creative talents and to make them flourish to the best of their abilities. They are held mainly responsible for the success or failure of the finished film. The producer’s responsibilities expand on all four phases of production;

Research & development
This includes coming up with the foundation of a production, or selecting the screen play. Selecting the right screen writer and story edit team, raising finance and to supervise the development process.

Pre-production
This is everything done before producing the film. For example; location scouting, approving the script, finance and keeping an eye on the budget.

Production
Responsible for the day to day running operations of the producing team. Delegating to the line producers and any associate producer. Stay communicated in any script changes cost reports

Post production and marketing
Producers are expected to stay communicated personally with the post production personal, including editors, composers and visual effects staff. They consult with the financial personal on the final print and are usually involved with the distribution entities in planning the market and distribution of the finished film.

Producers assistant responsibilities
Duties range from writing coverage on the scripts, drafting letters, making phone calls to the Clarence of copyright material, arranging business meetings and social events, as well as handling floats and unimportant cash. Their responsibilities are defined by the producers, on an almost daily basis. They must be well organised, have a good overview on the production process and able to rise to the challenge of having so many responsibilities at once. They are sometimes accorded an associate producer credit if he or she has carried out a significant producing function in the producer’s absence
and to stay in contact with all production partners investors and distributors.


Director Responsibilities

Directors may write the film’s script or commission it to be written, or maybe hired after a draft of the script is done. Director must then develop a vision for the finished film and show a practical route which shows everyone how he/she plans to achieve it. They make key decisions in selecting the right cast, crew and the right location for the film. This is all done in pre production. They then direct rehearsals and the performances of the actors and actresses involved in the film. To continue they manage the technical aspects of the filing including camera, lighting and edit. During post production the work closely with the editors to reach the final cut of the film on how they intended it to be in the first place. They are overall responsible in motivating the whole team in general and must meet the need and expectations of the film’s financiers.


Camera Person Responsibilities

A camera operator works with digital, electronic and film cameras in multi and single camera operational conditions. They also produce pictures for directors by combining the use of technology and creative visual skills. The camera operator is usually supported

Types of activities included are:

• Assembling, preparing and setting up equipment (tripods, monitors, lighting) prior to filming.
• Offering advice on how to best shoot a scene, explaining the visual impact created by certain angles.
• Planning shot. (An explosion scene can only be done once as it is expensive, so planning needs to go into it)
• Finding solutions to practical or technical problems (if lighting effects your current shot, the cameraman will need to find a way to overturn it)
• Working quickly. The reason being is because timing is an important factor.
• Keeping up to date with filming methods and equipment.

Video Editor Responsibilities

Working closely with the director to meet his or her intensions of the final product. As digital technology grows day by day i.e. new computers film techniques software etc, the video editors will have to keep up with the new ways of editing Video editors have to be reliable as they are usually given deadlines, the ability to listen to others, excellent communication skills as they have to tell directors and keep them up to date daily about the progression.

The video editing process involves two stages:

1.) Offline editing

Initially the offline editor has to assemble all the raw footages, called rushes, in an offline edit suite. The equipment used relatively cheap compared to online editing. The work involves the following

• Inputting all the uncut rushes onto a computer where they are all stored in files.
• Sorting, re-arranging and creating a digital rough and fine cut of the programme to the director’s wishes.
• Drawing up an edit decision list (EDL) which is the visual ‘script’ for the next stage of the process which is the online edit.

2.) Online editing

The final stage involves an online editor, who is responsible for a more polished version of the product working according to the director’s wishes. As he/she is working with high cost equipment the editor needs to have high amounts of knowledge on how to use them, as they are counting on the editor to make a video of the finest quality.

Material that is involved in editing are:

• Editing rushes to bring them to a higher quality resolution
• Editing the rushes according to the offline editor’s EDL
• Add any special effects and grading colouring required to get the ideal final product.

In-Depth interviews

In-Depth interview #1


1) What is your favourite music genre and why?

I don’t really have a favourite music genre but if I had to pick one, I’ll pick a dubstep, especial remixes of already good songs. I enjoy the adrenaline it gives from listening to that specific genre. The heavy bass line and the drums give it a feel that no other music genre has.

2) What is your favourite music video and why?

My favourite music video is by Chase & Status called, Let You Go which features Mali. The main concept of the video is about a guy in disguise. He’s a talk show presenter interviewing the people who want to talk about family, relationship problems etc, a bit like Jerry or Maury. The video includes sex, drugs, but it also has a story behind it that shows reality.
It’s a story that is clever and sends a strong message of ‘Looks can be deceiving’. It shows even though he’s giving advice on peoples lives or making them better people. When away from all the ‘perfect’ showbiz reality, he’s just as bad as anyone else by taking drugs such as cocaine and sleeping with prostitutes.
That is the main reason why it’s my favourite music video at the moment. It contains entertainment, reality, and the track itself is fast paced which is associated with clubs and that makes it a plus in my eyes haha.

3) Are you familiar with Dubstep music? Iif so, what ideas come into your mind?

Yes I’m very familiar with dubstep, it’s my favourite genre. The first thing that comes into my mind when listening to dubstep is mood. With each track, it always creates a mood for a certain track, for example screams version of la roux in for the kill is calm feel but the drop still makes it adrenaline pumping. But there’s another one like Taio Cruz’s cookie monster remix of dirty picture just make you want to party and have a good time, thats the vibe I get from that track. But some people can go over the top, for example like this Dubstep Artist call Borgore. To me, he’s ruining dubstep, the waves are unnesesary and in most of his tracks, you feel there is to much going on. But hey, thats my view, it still doesn’t stop him from being popular with the fans.



In-Depth interview #2


1) What is your favourite music genre and why?

My favourite genre is Hip Hop & Rap because the of artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem and J. Cole to name a few. They all except Jay Z from that list compose their own intrumentals whether its from scratch or taking smaples from other instrumentals. Melodies from that genre are catchy, slow, or bass bumping music that you play in your car. As well as composing, artists such as Kanye West, Eminem write their own lyrics and that in my view just showcases their eceptional talent. Some artists such as Eminem had nothing to begin with and have gone far with their raw talent, which makes it inspiring to youngsters acrross the world. However you don’t need to come from nothing to be someone, J Cole for example studied, got a degree, but it wasn’t all plain sailing from there. He was rejected as an artist, till he met Jay Z and gave him his mixtape to hear on his own time, and from their hes seen as one of the best new talents in the Rap industry.

2) What is your favourite music video and why?

My favourite music video is 99 problems by Jay-Z because in this music video he explains that there is more problems to life than women. The introduction to the start of the verse just sets us to what is a fantastic song and video in my opinion. ‘If you have a girl problem I feel bad for you son/ I got 99 problems but the bitch aint one’ straight after that famous line, we hear the drums and that heavy electric guitar. Though it sounds rock inspired, it makes it into the Rap genre because of the way the verses are being spoken. He also talks about corruption in the law system which when heard is the funniest and cleverest part of the song. I like the effect of the grey scale videos because it seems different and the camera work done to include shots of New York City and people involved in the video.

3) Are you familiar with Dubstep music, if so, what ideas come into your mind?

Yes I know a lot about dubstep. Few things that come into my mind when hearing dubstep is the randomness of the track changing, like for example. The anticipation of the drop. Some dubstep tracks involve a vast array of sound from high pitch to low pitch; they also have different types of instruments involved from drums, guitar, to tambourines and high bass. Also there’s different types of dubstep, jazz, rock, pop, but the eventual drop makes it that specific genre as you wouldn’t find it in rap or hip hop. All in all it sounds like an experiment with many instruments and sounds that in the end work out to be something unique and very good.