CB Deconstruction of Muisc Video

Institution and Audience

Wynter Gordon, Dirty Talk (A. Djerrahian, 2010)



The music genre of this track is dance, and therefore attracts the core audience of 16-24 age brackets. This dance videos follows the conventional styles of the dance genre, and therefore would be played on the mainstream TV channels.

How might this video be consumed?

It would be consumed through the 'mainstream' TV channels such as MTV Dance, MTV Base, 4music, The Box, Kiss, and Viva. Furthermore the video would be spread throughout the social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo as it relates to the majority of the core audience.

The record label would also put the video on Youtube as it is another expanding website which the core audience visit to view new music videos.
This video would be viewed in a focused way, this is because it is a very performance based video, strongly concentrating on the artist (Wynter Gordon) in a fetishistic way, giving her an artificial look.

Genre and Narrative
Far East Movement, If I Was You (OMG) (C.Belen 2011)




Being in the hip hop (electro hop) genre the conventions are typical, creating a concept based performance video. Being a male band featuring Snoop Dogg (hip hop artist) it shows the concept creating their meta narrative.

• The performance of the band playing to a crowd under lights creates an undergroud like club scene.


• The expensive costume with sunglasses represents their power in the club scene, making them unique and different to the crowd.


• The women are given an artifcial look, making them an object to the band, typical of the hip hop genre.


• The lyrics do represent the visuals in a subtle way, such as when the lyrics are "OMG you are so sexy" the visuals represent a band member objectifying a women in a sexual way.


• The beats also match the visuals, as the cutting rate relates to the beat, giving a fast rate dance club scene affect.

Goodwin's framework (Dancing in the Distraction Factory 1992) shows how the visuals are amplified in the music video as the concept is given a unique twist in the fact of the two women wrestling in a 'caged ring', thus creating the concept of the bands' image that they are not like any other hip hop band but have a twist.

This music video is commercial as it directly creates a concept based performance which is solely focused on the band, given them conventions of other hip hop artists such as the artificial look and sexual themes of women. Furthermore the first person mode of address expands this idea and gives the impression of their meta-narrative and lifestyle. The video is made like this to enchance the selling of the track as it is the club scene which relates to the track.

Is this an exmple of illustration, amplification or disjuncture?

This music video contains mostly illustrative visuals, this is done to emulate the club scene which is conveyed through the quick cutting rate, bright flashing ligths and the sexualisation of women in the video. It is very voyeuristic as the band (Far East Movement) featuring Snoop Dogg contain the majority of screen time breaking the fourth wall in the majority of shots to enhance the camera and audience.

Could this be consumed as art?

This music video could not be consumed as art as the majority of techniques used including, type of shots, mise-en-scene, camera movement, editing, costume, location and cutting rate are very conventional of the hip-hop genre. This makes the video a commercial video to 'sell' the artist.

Media Language
Eminem ft Lil' Wayne, No Love (C. Robinson, 2010)



What is the message or purpose of the video?

The social message of this video represents the song name (no love) of bullying and revenge. The video is a mixture of narrative based, concept based and performance based. The whole message of the music video represents the bullying and victimising of people, the narrative explains this, a young boy who is constantly bullied in an American school. Also the constant cutting to Eminem and Lil' Wayne is the performance which shows how they explain the narrative and act as the inspiration for the bullied victims and how this song acts as an inspiration.

What visuals and techniques are used to do this and why?

• The lyrics "no love lost, no love found" and "you don't hurt me, you don't hurt me, no more"which is in the chorus represents the concept of bullying and the revenge that is found at the end where the young boy 'fights back'.


• The cuts between the performance of Eminem and Lil' Wayne and the narrative show how they are the inspiration for the justice of the victim, offering 'advice'.


• The black and white affect shows how it is in the past and keeps the narrative seperate from the performance, whilst also giving sympathy to the victimised boy.


• The victim is the sole focus of the narrative making the audience sypathise with the victim and show how he is suffering through the low angled shots.


• The final scene shows the victim 'standing up' to the bullies and showing how justice prevails with the lyrics statimng "no love" again futhering this no forgiving scene.

Are there any references to popular culture?

There is constant references to youth culture in the narrative of this video, conveying the separation of different people, it does not make it evident how this is done, for example it could be done through the differeces in race or social class. I believe this it not shown as the visuals match the lyrics and cover the whole topic of victimisation and revenge in youth culture.

How does this video match other videos by the same artist?

Eminem is well known for his lyrics and how they emulate to every different person and situation, therefore in his videos, the visuals usually match the lyrics as it does in this video. Depending on the lyrics the video will convey different symbolic codes as seen in other Eminem videos, in this cirumstance it is youth culture.

Representation
The Streets, OMG (S. Leven 2011)

How are the band/artist represented?

Richard Dyer (Stars, 1998), shows how stars are constructed through different materials. In this particular video Mike Skinner (lead singer of The Streets) is being portrayed through the material of the music video. It is evident through the lyrics that he is conveyed as a mixture of both ordinary and extrodinary. He is being created through the lyrics, beat and cutting rate of his 'confusing life' creating a meta-narrative.

• The cutting rate matches the beat, representing his rate through life.


• Narrative fuzz conveys his star persona.


• Extrodinary shots include him performing and names of places which relate to his name.


• The lyrics dont match with the visuals creating narrative fuzz, which represents his fast paced and unpredictable lifestyle.


• The quick cutting rate of different shots and different locations relate to his different lives (performing lifestyle and personal).


• The scene at the end which shows him unable to escape the audience shows how his enterainment life will always dominate over his personal life.