The characters which are used in R'nB are stereotypically shown as rich which is portrayed through their costume and jewellery, the females have their hair styled and have make-up on however the make-up isn't overpowering and is quite subtle but highlights different facial features like the eyes and lips, the males on the other hand either have short black hair or wear a hat therefore cannot see their hair, this 'gangster' style which is portrayed in men as it's make to make them look more masculine. The females costume aren't normally to revealing however a shorter top or skirt might be used to make them look more flattering. In some music videos there is a narrative which is portrayed throughout therefore the singers multi-role as the characters within the story. The way the artist is portrayed in the music video aren't always their natural appearance however the production company make them look this way in order to have more views and to promote their music.
Most R'n'B music videos have some sort of shot of the artist and they are normally included within the video however they aren't always the only character. Additional cast/ characters are used in music videos to set the scene, for example a party scene requires a mass cast in order to create the right atmosphere in order to make the music video look more exciting and busy. Males and females are portrayed the same as the singers however the camera shoots which are used make it clear of their importance in comparison to the artists in the music video.
Christina is a massive icon in pop due to her powerful face as well as her beauty. Her song Genie In a Bottle is now an old school anthem. The music video commences with Christina on a beach at sun down. Shot reverse shot is used of her rolling around in the sand and leaning against open french doors singing with a lot of emotion on her face. Her costume allows her to have either her legs or mid rift out but not both, this makes her flattering however also not to revealing or sexualised. When the corse commences dancing elements start to be included. Wearing a tassel top and comeback trousers she starts to hip dancing however in
between the dancing there are shots of her sat down against and on wooden decking. Camera doesn't tend to stay still, if focuses on one thing them starts to more either right or left to create the effect of us dancing or moving away, the camera sometimes moves the direction Christina is moving her body therefore she could be controlling the camera. In the second verse Christina is greeted with a group of females then a group of males which arrive in a old but clean car, this suggests the teenagers are about to have a party as it's night time and this would adhere to the teenage stereotype. The course has the same layout to the pervious one, the shots of Christina on the beech however have become more sexualised and she is pouting and rolling around more as if she is looking for attention, the way she looks down the camera makes her look more deviant and controlling. She then is crawling over the car bonnet singing to the male in the car, from the males angle he can see her cleavage a well as he bottom which makes her
look very sexualised and trying to get the attention of the male character. A worms eye view is used as the male jumps over the fence because he want to get to know the female singer. The narrative is very clear that theres some sort of love story in process. The editing technique of slow motion is used when they walk towards the sea bed to show him taking bigger strides in order for him to catch up with her. He then kisses her on the cheek which makes her smile and shows the connection between the two characters The course is repeated in the same way it had done before. The music video finishes with the social group sat round a fire on the beech talking and giggling.
Toxic- Britney Spears: 2003
Britney is a massive Pop icon. Her song 'Toxic' is pop however does have elements of dance in it making it slightly a hybrid song however having a song which is just one genre isn't as common anymore. The main setting of the music video is set on a plane and Britney is the air hostess of this air line. There are cuts between air hostess Britney and Britney wearing a full body suit however it is see through with jewels or glitter in different places. Britney's image is very pretty with her blonde hair and small waist which is a male gaze which widens her audience. Making the artist look good is a convention in all music videos, to make sure they capture the audience. As she is walking the refreshments try down the isle the camera is behind her allowing the audience to see her underwear which again is another male gaze element. Britney then spills a flute of champagne down one of the male passengers lap, she them cleans it up however where she is so close to his genitals he pulls worrying facial expressions. The dancing is very technical however when see calls one of the men over, her hands do different dance moves round her boobs to make her look more submissive and sexually available. She then follows him into the bathroom with a little run. She then kisses him passionately pulling his tie and hair. At first he is an ugly fat geek however when she sings the course she removes
his mask and a muscle blonde male is in his place, this suggests within the story line she has down this more than once. As she finishes kissing him she takes her hand down towards his genitals however steals his wallet and walks away before changing scene. The next scene Britney's costume is a leather outfit whilst she rides on the back of a topless black mans motor bike. The story line within the music video is about Britney controlling the men. The music video them becomes slightly consecutive as the motor cycle does lots of different moves. Between the second scene there are shots which go back to Britney in the cat suit. As she walks down a walk way fire behind her makes her look powerful and confident. She then takes a special drug which is green suggesting that it is toxic like the title. The rhythm of the music changes as she performances some sexy dance moves round the laser lines. Close ups of her face pouting and biting her lip makes her look like she is posing for the camera but also making her look submissive and allows the audience see she is trying to attract other people. At the end she is wearing shorts and a crop top as she walks towards a posh looking male, at the beginning she stole money therefore suggesting now she has got a rich man she can settle. To end the music video the location returns back to the aeroplane location an she winks to the camera. The music video follows the conventions of a pop music video for a female as males are represented differently. Throughout she is represented as being sexy and always using men. There is a narrative throughout however it didn't connect lyrically to the lyrics.
One More Night- Maroon 5: 2012
Maroon 5 have changed their sound over the years as the sound and popularity of music has changed over the years, 'One More Night' being one of their most recent famous singles. The base story line of this music video is about a couple who have a baby who always argue and fall out. This story line is shown within the first 2 shots within the music video, the male is feeding his baby and the female is washing up and smiling at her little family. This adheres to the stereotypes of genders the female does all the hard work whilst the male doesn't do as much. The location of the music video then changes to gym location, the male is working out with a friend or possible trainer with different mid and long shots of him doing sit ups, punches and skipping. A close up of his hands being tapped up blur's out to a lo angle of him holding his baby whilst the women is cooking, the lyrics sang at this point is 'we can't do this no more' which suggest that the relationship isn't working.
It's clear that the male is a boxer as he quickly eats the meat he is given for dinner, before a quick cut to him training again. As he trains he punches to the beat to keep the rhythm going however additional punching sound is added to show and emphases how hard he is working. Slow motion is used as he quickly eats his meal, then kisses his baby good bye, punches the baby as if he was training but softly then grabs he's belongings to leave. At the wrestling ring additional sound of people cheering is played over the top and everything is done in slow motion to build tension before the fight. Whilst the fight is happening the female is packing her belongings into a suit case as if she has had enough and is leaving him as he is so obsessed over his boxing. A low angle is used when the ring lady walks round with 'round 2' written on her board, this shows he has survived the first round therefore is doing well. Flash cuts between the fight and the women packing her things became quicker and quicker. Mid- shots of a man within the audience recurred throughout the fighting scene, his costume is a blue suit and and straw hair with sun glasses and has long blonde hair, the fact he has his own shot suggests that he has placed a bet on one of the fighters or he is looking for a new boxer for his own team however his facial expressions suggest he
is on the other mans side. As the family man punches his opponent he falls the ground which foreshadows the women putting a stuffed zebra into the box which she is packing, this symbolises boxing has taken over his life and he chooses winning over his children. When he returns home he notices that the apartment is empty and his trophies were all over the floor. A close up of his face shows his expression as well as all the bruises and cuts he has on his face, this represents all the effort he has put into his boxing. At the beginning of the music video 2 goldfish were shown swimming around in a fish blow representing the 2 people in the relationship however the last shot is the fish tank with one fish in it shown that the other fish is gone.
Can't Stop The Feeling- Justin Timberlake: 2016
This is one of the most recent pop songs also being know as, the summer song of the year. Music videos for pop songs normally have some sort of narrative within however there are some pop music videos which contain quite a bit of performance, ' Can't Stop The Feeling' is one of them. As a male Justin is portrayed as a good looking gentlemen and as before mentioned artists are made to look their best within there music videos. The opening scene starts in an American style cafe, a mid shot of Justin eating a pie. Then is jumps cuts to the waitress dancing, the dancing wasn't technical however it was a step dig to the beat. Within the verse there are several long shots of different people in different locations dancing, such as the dry cleaners, hairdressers and car wash. This simple dancing creates a energetic atmosphere creates a feel good song. Between all the bop like dancing there are mid shots of Justin in the cafe, he doesn't dance however does simple hand movements which have a connection to the song such as 'just imagine' the
fingers point away from the head. The dancing for the course becomes more jumpy to keep the energy of the song going. There is a second narrative running through the music video of Justin food shopping which is a boring task however the beat of the song makes it sound exciting. Justin breaks the forth wall as he sings directly to the camera and again uses small hands actions to act out the words. Different locations are used for the second verse but the same simple dancing is used. This
song is used within the new animation film 'Trolls' therefore there is one location where a sales males is dancing within a TV shop and on the screen of the TV are the animated characters from the movie dancing, this promotes the film as well as the song as the audience will recognise the song when its played within the movie. The different locations of the dancing continues. Justin in the course is walking through a row of columns and on the word ' dance' he would dance. The music video hasn't got its own narrative however the song lyrics link to the dancing as the song's story line is about being happy so dancing is to let the energy and excitement out which is being showed through the dancing within the music video. All the dancers from all the locations come together towards the end to do a final dance which is a bit more technical than what they have done before. The conclusion of this dance shows the happiness and excitement of all the characters and every sharing it and spreading it. The lyrics sing 'keep dancing' so that's what all the characters do they all have their own personality and job however they are all very happy with their life as they are dancing about it looking happy.
All the music videos above follow the pop music video conventions because they all have a narrative which is lead by the layout of the song. The females are always seen as being sexual and attractive where as the men are seeing as being confident and again attractive.
We sent a SurveyMonkey, survey to 20 people. These people had a range of ages and tastes in music, this questionnaire will allow us to understand the importance of a music video and popularity and structure of your music video. 80% of the audience where females and the other 20% there males. Females are our main target audience however due to the mass audience and audience pull with R'n'B music our song reaches out for both females and males. Their ages stretch across a whole range of years, from teenagers to adults its clear from the star ratings that R'n'B music is a popular genre. This is important as we need to make sure that our music video isn't to graphic as well as making it look interesting for the older audience members.
We asked the audience to rate R'n'B music out of 5 stars,this was to allow us to understand whether or not we need to make our music video global or make it more indie style. From our research the majority of the people said only positive comments about R'n'B music and over half rated it either 4 or 5 stars. The most popular R'n'B artist from our survey was Rihanna with a massive 8 people choosing her as their favourite artist, followed by Beyonce and Whitney Huston, there were also some other artists that are less known such as Lauren Hill. We want to use a mainstream artist to keep up with the high expectation of these R'n'B artists. The rating for Pop music was also positive the majority rated the genre at 4 stars, however Pop had less favourites than R'n'B. Justin Bieber was the most popular pop artist chosen for this genre, followed by Sia and Adele, we have already decided as a group we want to do a female vocal song in order for it to connect with us better and will allow us to do our best. On the other hand Rock had quite a few negative comments as 30% rated the genre rubbish therefore we have chosen the most popular genre. 7 people said that they didn't have any favourite Rock artists, this may be due to the fact they don't like it or they don't know any artists, the most popular band was Fall Out Boy with a total of only 5 therefore highlighting the lack on interest into Rock music. Overall we have come to the conclusion of using a R'n'B music genre. This will allow our music video to be successful and aim to the mass audience.
Music videos are only shown through TV Music channels and on social media. When in a car or at work, the radio is normally played therefore the music videos aren't shown. With technology improving every day its becoming easier to access a range of different music devices some containing just the MP3 version but others now including the videos. We asked our audience how long a week they would spend watching music videos the majority said they only play the video in the background which shows they aren't fully focused on the music video however a large portion watch between 1-3 hours, this motivates us to make sure that if our song gets played within their time slot of watching it needs to be a remembered one. The audience who chose none where all in the over 20's bracket therefore they spend most time at work or in the car therefore only a radio is at access.
From our research we have come to the conclusion that we are going to chose R'n'B for our genre and we also understand the importance of our music video. We will look at different Rihanna songs before deciding our final song however we do still want to consider the genre pop therefore we could look at Sia or Adele songs. We need to make our music video stand out however still fit with the song. The next post will allow you to see our son choices.
Pop music stands for 'popular music' as it has a mass audience. It formed in the 50's from the Rock 'n' Roll genre. It's slightly a hybrid genre as it includes other genres such as folk, hip hop and jazz. The common theme within pop is the song layout, pop songs commence with a verse which is followed by a course then the whole process starts again, sometimes the course is repeated more than once towards the end. Pop over the years has really changed however the music videos are usually more creative.
The music videos within Pop usually have a narrative with some elements of lip singing as well but not very often is live performance used. The video above is a really old pop song from the 70's despite is being old the structure of the song is still similar to todays pop songs.
The music video starts within a street with a batch of people where black and dancing however after about 2 seconds the camera quickly cuts to a male kissing a women. All the characters within the music video are black, this is because rap stereotypically is for the 'street gang' look which is stereotypically given to the black ethnicity. There are quite of few cross convergences with rap and R'n'B, themes such as partying, night club and getting drunk. A scene is shown between a olive skinned female and a black male, he is looking her up and down with sexual gestures such as biting the lip. There are more clips within Rap in terms of dance and its more hip dance than sexual dances however there are still low angles where the mise-en-scene is females bottom. There are a lot of shot reverse shots from Montell lent against a wall in a leather jacket with sun glasses to give him the 'cool' look, and a party. The course isn't intense rap, this is when the dancing clips become more frequent. There's not a story line within this music video however there are elements of different locations where a story line could have been created. One of these being Montell and other characters sat round a poker table with a cigar. The lyrics within this poker section talking about money and he is shown talking to several different girls, therefore suggesting the girls are gold diggers and he is trying to get the girls by flirting with them and boosting up his ego by talking about his money.
The dancing shows all the characters in the music video working as one in a gang, which gives the impression that they are controlling and as a group quite powerful. The 'gang' join in the sing a line in the course 'this is how we do it' to give the impression that 'we' are the gang of people, the build up in vocals within the course keeps the song going and the beat more exciting. Throughout the music video live performance is consistent just in different locations. There are continuous shot reverse shots with the poker scene and the gang dancing to foreshadow the life he lives, the relaxed gang social life as well the fame and fortune. When the beat changes when the location changes to a club/ party so show the social aspect of the rapper life. It appears that he is still playing poker at the party therefore showing the audience that no matter what happens to him he's happy with life and poker is a fun game. A lot of furniture is used throughout the music video which makes it the relaxed chill atmosphere. The end of the music video he is rapping to a women on the sofa, this suggests that he has made his chose on who he wants.
Missy Elliott- Work It: 2002
This music video is sung by a female rapper which isn't very common, even today rap is very male dominated and therefore making the female artists stand out. One of the first female artists was Missy Elliott. Her song 'Work It' commences with her being a DJ within a bee hive and bee's flying round her, despite this being very abstract this shows her confidence and how brave she is, her impression was always make the female gender look as brave and confident as the males, this is why she is sat with bee's. Her costume is very baggy and is almost dressed the same as the male dancers, she is shown dancing in a run down park, the movements are very similar to a hip hop style, these movements being very robotic and isolated. She's the centre of the dancing with 2 males each side of her, this is to show that she can dance the same as them and still be a female and have the control. The next location looks as if it is in the basement of a shop of some sort. The checked floor creates the dance battle atmosphere, and the hip hop dancing continues. The music video doesn't tell a story as such however there are references to the words such as when she said 'give me all ya numbers' she has several phones being held to her head. In the checked floor location has two elements to it, hip hop dancing from either Missy or a small group of boy dancers and Missy singing live. The editing technique of black and white is used a few times which makes the gang effect quite strong. There are several shot reverse shots, mid-shots of her singing on the checked floor and the old park, this is to show the difference between her dancing outside and inside. One location is set in a hair dressers, this is to renforce the female gender, a row of females with long hair are having their hair cut whilst Missy raps along side them, this shows that despite Missy acting and dressing like the stereotypical guy, she still is a female. The editing effect of different coloured filters are used to represent the genders mixing. the following scene shows Missy on a date, the lyrics rap about illusions which change the view of someone, which foreshadows the fact that everyone see's Missy as this male looking female but actually when she wants to can make the effort to look like a female. The her whole image changes as we starts dancing with females with their bottoms out and rapping about 'if the boy can handle her' which is completely sexist and subverts everything she said before hand. One character who stands out in tis is a little white female dancer, she suggests that she is copying Missy and wants to become like her so this idea of freedom is pasted down through generations.
How Low- Ludacris: 2010
The message of this video is a lot more sexual than the pervious videos. The music video commences with two girls twerking and body rippling in front of a mirror. This is a massive stereotype as girls are stereotypically known to dance in mirrors with their friends practising moves which they can use to attract the opposite sex. The video is a home made video, so the composition looks as if someone is watching back an old home video. The special effect of Ludacris' face glowing on the mirror raping looks as if he is watching the girls as if the boys were looking at them in a club. The shots change to the beat. There are elements in this first clip where you see a mid-shot of Ludacris, its here the lights are flashing to the beat and he is wearing a white top which looks like a blue lit top due to the UV lighting which is used. He is dressed like a stereotypical black male with chains and sun
glasses, very similar to the first video. He then, with other female and male dancers come out of the mirror and start rapping to the very confused girls. He to is dancing however his style of dancing is more hip-hop and tutting with the hands rather than full body movements. Gangsters then jump out of the mirror which scare away the girl. The storyline at the beginning showed what the lyrics were about however now its become which abstract and almost a little bit like a thriller film. Ludacris steps out the mirror for a second time however he is covered in lighting strikes and electricity to show he has lots of energy and power to do what ever he wants. When rapping directly to the camera he usually crosses his arms quite a lot, this gives he impression that he's trying to look tough and wants control over what he is looking at as well as making the audience feel slightly intimidated. The camera work is quite jittery and moves with the beat to jump only slightly forward to the movement. The effect of illusion in the mirror is recreated when Ludacris looks into the mirror and see's girls dancing, this shows that the mirror is a reflection of his dreams and they could never happen. On certain words the image freezes this is to pause the frame before it does a shot reverse shot to either the UV light or looking into the mirrors. Ludacris' power rips the girls clothes of in the course, despite this going against their own will they start dancing in a sexual way using dance movements such as dropping their bums to the floor then jumping back up. This music video is more sex based unlike the other videos however it still follows the conventions of a rap music video because the singer isn't white and he is dressed in chains and glasses.
The Night Is Still Young- Nicki Minaj:2015
Nicki Minaj is a massive female icon with the rap genre as she doesn't care what people think and is very outgoing in her music videos. Nicki always dress' in the longest nails with the brightest of colours, the tight clothing she wears shows her boobs and bum which despite being both fake are really large and is a male gaze. Her hair and make-up is always well done and she definitely adheres the stereotypes of a women. Her music video commences with shots between her singing live in a mutli-coloured stripped room with doll looking dancers and a teen flat with a female who appears to have done a work out. The dancing which is shown from the doll looking dancers is very robotic and controlling, this type of abstracted composition shows people you can do and be anything you want which is a strong message to portray. Another location within the music video is a locations where teenagers are playing music and joking about, looking a little bit like hippies.
Hippies vibes are relaxed and cool therefore creating a relaxed atmosphere despite the heavy beat. Nicki sings as well as rap within this music video so elements of hip hop combine with rap which seems to be a common hybrid which is recurring more often especially with singles which feature another singer. Images of the moon are shown however the moon has a special effect on them which makes it look as if the moon is growing or making some sort of sign. The second verse is very pink as its set in a sushi place however everything is pink to emphases the female gender. The moon is very big with different electric colours crossing it, this attracts the teenagers which is a stereotype as they are always interested in new and different things. This is then followed lots of different poses of Nicki to make her look flattering, she is wearing a black dress which crosses over the boobs, her hair and make-up is well done and the green lighting brings out her eyes. Nicki follows the conventions within rap however her image isn't follow the rap convention as she is very girl. The location of the teenagers scene is set in a busy city which is suggested to be New York which is a massive population of teenagers.
Over the years the image of rap hasn't really changed however with different sounds of hybrid music being introduced artist's are singing with featuring acts or having a slightly different sound to keep their audience going strong.
Rap music first commenced in the early 1970's in America. It was seen as a type of street art as talking fast to a beat was seen as impressive. African American teenage's where the main target audience for this genre of music. Rapping involves speaking or chanting to the rhythm of a beat. The addressed subjects within this genre was stereotypically sex, violence and political issues. One of the first rap songs is below. It doesn't come equipped with a music video where its so old however as it's one of the first songs of the genre it amazed the audience therefore there're lots of live videos.
One Sugarhill Gang realised these song other rap artists started to surface such as Run-DMC. In the early 1980's rap songs were being placed in the top charts and creating a strong new genre which was imbed mainly for males. In the 1990's rap had an upgrade as the beat became louder and the lyrics became more complex, artists such as Snoop Dogg, experimented with the new style and not long before it's time came into the charts.
Waterfalls -TLC: 1994
The setting of this music video is mainly set in a hot place however these is all an illusion of the green screen as the girls first appear standing on water which isn't statistically possible. The 3 girls are first appear wearing clothing which is quite revealing. The clothing symbolises the year's fashion however with crop tops as the top characteristic the females mid rife and cleavage is show. However on the bottom half of their costume they are wearing trousers which almost subvert the stereotype as girls are stereotypically expected to wear skirts therefore this slight subvert creates and image for the singers. Their hair is rather relaxed with little effort put in to make it look flawless. The make up is quite minimal however is only used to highlight certain facial features such as the lips and eyes. A lot of close ups are used of the females face as they sing the song, this allows the audience to connect to the song and focus them to the lyrics, alongside the sections of singing there is another storyline being revealed of a man leaving which is suggested to be his mother. The male character running away is black and is dressed in a hoodie and jeans, this creates a bad representation for that ethnicity however is a stereotype. The lyrics of the song whilst showing the male running away highlights he has been in some sort of trouble. There is a section of the song where the music is just instrumental and the storyline of the 'bad boy' builds. Continuity editing is used as the boy shows some money on a close-up and then another gang of black men dressed very similar to the boy punches him and runs away. His mother stands over him and cries as she tired stopping him but as a ghostly figure which is a unique editing technique. Quick zoom, panning and flash cuts are used to show lots of different locations which can suggest this situation could happen anywhere. The next verse tells a different story of two lovers, match on action flash cuts foreshadows the strong through movements the singers do and the movements the lovers do such as waving their hands across there face. The female has a flash back as the image of herself and the male changes to several different males.
The next setting is at a waterfall where the 3 girls becomes water models. The dance moves are quite simple and have a small bouncy to them. When the rap commences the bounces in the dance moves become bigger and flash cuts are used of various long shots and mid shots of the bouncing and female rapping. To end the music video the 2 story lines are re-shown however this time is shows the person in the wrong slowly fade and disappear. Overall the music videos structure is a mixture of the stories and live/ physical performance by the end of the music video the lesson is learnt therefore the lyrics tell the story of them two stories. The editing is quite simple as the technology wasn't as advance as today, however there were a lot of different camera angles in order to make the music video look more interesting. For the females to have their word put across about not going wild and being quite plain and controlled subverts the conventions of R'n'B however for them to sing about love is very conventional, as most R'n'B songs have the common theme of sex or love.
Ignition- R.Kelly: 2003
The beginning of the music video opens with a low angle panning shot of some girls dancing in club, wearing shorts skirts and crop tops, despite this being the fashion in this year it is a male gaze and the females are looking very flattering and with the movements of body ripples the sexual attention is brought to the females.
The live performance of R.Kelly on the other hand shows him wearing a big white fluffy coat which shows wealth and control. With the coat being very large it shows the 'swag' look which is the image of R.Kelly. A low angle is used throughout to show the females boobs and bump as well as the status of the singer.The lyrics are very sexual as R.Kelly sings 'trying to get you to a hotel' showing the domination of the males. When the live performance is shows a background of a stack of squares with bottles in them with a very bright light, this suggests the atmosphere of a club and the amount of money in which they process, the light tries to make the males look innocent despite them singing about sex, this juxtaposes the mood. The girls get into a limo which emphasises the wealth of the males. Flash shots are used and the camera jumps between the females and males walking into the club, the changes of the angle happens on the beat of the music, this creates rhythm of the story line. Whilst in the club the lyrics sing'so what I'm drunk' which shows the immaturity within the adults as well as them splashing the cash, the movements of body ripples and hip swings which is a suggestive sexual movements. As the males become suggestively drunk their costumes changes to a brown and yellow looking basketball wear which is stereotypically a black man's sport which makes the male looked relaxed. The structure of the verse and course is the same, the cuts change on the beat and a low angle in the club continues as the girls body ripple and hip trust. R.Kelly is then stood on a turning board and he turned round, this allows the audience to see his ear ring, which is a jewel, his glasses and the chain around his neck as well as the lack of emotion on his face which shows he doesn't care. The editing technique of a fade is used throughout as a transition of the club and the live performance. A male white boy then stands forward which creates tension as he is the only white character within the club however he starts dancing which continues the party, this shows it doesn't matter what race you are all you need is drink and sex, or so the song suggests.The return of the limo is shown to continuous the theme of wealth and the idea of R.Kelly taking a female to the hotel room in his limo. The difference between the previous video and this one is the lyrics and subject of the song, TLC sung about a heart break where as R.Kelly sung about sex. The females in both videos are portrayed as 'sexy', the dances moves have become more sexual for the female characters. The transition of each shot has a fade transition where in the before hand video there were just flash cuts. I chose this music video because it follows the R'n'B conventions massively with the codes of the little dressed women, in a club and drinking.
Don't Judge Me- Chris Brown:2012
The sound of R'n'B became more soothing in 2012 with the beat being softer and the lyrics being deeper and having a deeper meaning 'Don't Judge Me' by Chris Brown shows this. The music video tells the story of Chris Brown travelling. Long shots are used to show his location, due to the large back pack it is suggested that he is travelling quite far. His walking is shown in slow motion to show the length it is taking him to walk his distance. He is wearing jeans, a plain top, with a checked skirt tied round the middle and boots, this costume is accessorised with glasses and a watch, this shows he is a mainstream character as he doesn't show himself as being poor or rich.
A fade transition then brings us to Chris sat against a sofa with a women lying on it asleep, this lyrics sing 'your hearing rumours about me' which suggest this is a love story which has gone wrong. There isn't any separate live performance however within the story line Chris sometimes sings the words, this words which are being spoken are more symbolic and have a deeper meaning. A tank is show coming over the horizon and the camera cuts between the tank and female foreshadowing the female was as tough and powerful as the tank.Chris Brown then climbs onto the tank to show the connect he has within the relationship. The lyrics sing 'please don't judge me' which suggests Chris Brown is trying however the female is being stubborn and judging him. There are mid shots of Chris in different angles glazing into the landscape suggesting he's thinking, the angle changes to the beat, similar to 'Ignition'. Light blue writing then falls down Chris' skin, this symbioses all his feelings and emotions coming to the surface as he realises them. He then arrives at a war camp which changes the audience and meaning of the storyline, the reason he doesn't want to be judged is because he wants to go into the army where he could be risking his life. Whilst he walks around in the camp slow motion is used to show the amount of people around before turning back to normal speed to emphasise the rush and business of the camp. From this point the camera cuts between the strong and Chris Brown sat and around different positions to the sofa we previously saw, however this time he is on his own and signing. Both him and the girl are shown with there head in their hands as if they are stressed and worried. Even though when I make my video there won't be any stops within the music, in this music video the music stops and the story line is told more and Chris tells a reporter he is doing the mission to save his country, the music then re-enters as Chris abroad's onto a space craft. As he is launched into space the cuts are quicker going between him crying in the space ship as he knows its a one way ticket and him talking to his girlfriend. The ending is quite abstract as we see Chris turning into someone sort or alien. The rocket explodes but the last image is back at the sofa with the girl and Chris hugging however the female is topless. The music video is the most emotion compared to the other two however is slightly more creative as it has a deeper meaning. The female is shown at the end without the top on however throughout she hasn't been seen as a sex object which shows females are gaining more respect over their bodies. One similarity throughout out all these videos is they aren't white people, each artist is a mixture of ethnicities which are stereotypical conventions of R'n'B. This music video slightly subverts the conventions of a male because it's a male singing about his feelings where stereotypically its the females however for a genre of R'n'B it follows the conventions as the themes within this genre as before mentioned is love and sex.
If It Ain't Love- Jason Derulo :2016
This is the most up to date R'n'B. The setting of this music video starts in an office where Jason is eyeing up one of the workers. She looks smart in a skirt and her hair up however her lipstick colour is a dark purple and her skirts is very short which is very submissive, Jason on the other hand is looking very smart to in a suit and tie. He moves towards the female and on the beat the editing technique of the camera jilting is used, this is an artist technique and Jason uses this within all his music videos. The dance has upgraded from just the bod ripples and bouncing of the knees and its a full on hip-hop dance. In these era songs aren't usually just one genre therefore r'n'b normally hybrid up with hip- hop therefore sometimes having the course as a music piece.
A mid-shot of Jason against a wall with a spot light is used as hands which have red nails touch him, this is to make him look appealing and create the effect all the girls are after him. The light is flashing and the camera is very quickly looking round the dancers to create the night cub look. Within the flash of light the image of Jason against the wall appears become the next flash where they are back at the office. Despite the dancing being more complex, sexual references are still made. The female bends over so her bottom is on full display as Jason then hip thrust's it. The flashing continues and the female goes onto the floor then pulls up on his tie, the sexual connection between the two characters is being portrayed through the art of dance. Every flash of the light changes the angle or setting, whether it is back at the wall or dancing in the office. The two characters walk down the stairs as Jason removes his jacket, the female throws herself against the wall to show the passion between each other. Another dance sequence is used however the female is lifted and her lefts open which make her look submissive. Jason then lifts her up onto the printer, it is here where Jason starts to remove certain parts of clothing such as her glasses. The scene keeps cutting back to the wall where the hands still run over him and the dance routine where now she has her lefts round his neck and is spinning her around. They start to pull each other around as if they are playing and start removing some more clothing such as his tie. I feel the lyrics are distracted from the video and therefore making the storyline only about sex. Alcohol is a common theme within all these music videos, again 3 bottles are shown in the flashing light suggesting, what the girl and Jason have is just a laugh and nothing serious. The idea of the two character being drunk is portrayed and Jason starts to dance upside down on the ceiling as the alcohol bottle is shown. Jason shirt is up buttoned in the wall scene as he rubs the girls leg. Another dance sequence then commences as the jump off the walls, as this is the climax of the song the cuts are quick however the flashing light still remains. The rest of the music video is very similar, with more clothing being removed (Jason's top) and more dancing on all walls, the flashing continues and various shots of the different locations are used. To end the female get into a red fiat and Jason leaves, they are both fully dressed as if nothing had happened which suggests the story line was about a drunken love. This music video has more shots however the shots change to the beat as they always have been however the dancing is more intense despite the storyline being as clear as previous storyline without the day (Don't Judge Me). Some artists however have kept with the old stereotypical R'n'B conventions such as Beyonce. This music video shows the conventions of R'n'B massively as both male and females are very submissive.
The main theme within R'n'B music is about sex and love therefore all the videos strongly show the conventions of R'n'B music, however in TLC Waterfalls the message is to be submissive and not to do anything different and to stay very quite however this is still a convention of women as they are stereotypically presented as innocent, especially in the early 90's where sex wasn't as dominated as it is today.
R'n'B music has changed from the 1940's where is was emerged in America. R'n'B original was a combination of Jazz and Blues and is stereotypically associated with Black Americans and used mainly piano and saxophones. Below is a music piece by Sister Rosetta Tharpe called 'Rock Daniel' which was realised in 1941 the music is very relaxed and where the music is so old there isn't a music video as they didn't have the technology. From this the sound of R'n'B has changed massively.
The change in sound within R'n'B has created the more of a hybrid genre of Urban R'n'B which includes more elements of soul and hip-hop, this introduced the instruments of the drum and the cords are closer together which is called close harmony. One of the major artists which broke throw with R'n'B was the famous Whitney Houston. R'n'B singles and albums where sold on CD's however in 2008 Lil Wanye took his music onto the internet which is now the nuclear source of the majority of music for all genres. The main target audience for R'n'B music is mass reaching out to those who age between 15-30. Some other audience members may listen to R'n'B through the hardware of radio's.
