C2 music
Tuesday 4th March 2025
Do now
1.2
2.70%
3.30%
4.to make money
5.Social media, television
Artists create music videos to give an additional way of consuming the music, a new perspective on the lyrics, to help make the song more memorable ,to help sell a song, to show off an artists imagery, to help fans connect with the musician better and to promote the single or album
Audiences watch music videos because they get entertainment from the art, to discuss the videos with other and to learn more about the song through its imagery
Record labels use music videos as promotional tools to convey the meaning of the song, to promote the artists imagery and to showcase or promote the artists musical prowess for a specific audience.
Types of music video:
- performance- we see the artist singing and or playing the song, often with dancing, usually with direct address to the audience
- Narrative- where we see the storyline of the video. Narrative music videos might narrate the song or create a parallel narrative that comments on the meaning of the song.
- Conceptual- sometimes there are simply images or lights that are more about mood then telling a story.
Direct address .Lyrics have a semantic field of water which is shown in the artists performing at what seems like an ocean Mix of narrative and performance Lip syncing choreographed dancing.The lyrics in waterfalls by TLC is creating a story that is shown inside of the music video.
Narrative music video. In the video it shows multiple members of the black community being successful in their hobbies and jobs The lyrics reference Malory Blackman who is a succsessful writer and wrote noughts and crosses which is a book about racial equality
Friday 7th March 2025
To explore the music industry and the role of the music video within it
Do now
1.to make money
2.to communicate the meaning of an artists music better
3.to promote the musician, to promote other artists such as dancers
4. performance, narrative
5.direct address, lip syncing, choreographed dancing
The music industry:
- In the UK the music industry introduces billions into the economy; it is a massive global industry
- The UK exports a lot of music around the world
- Due to the changing way we consume music, the industry has faced many challenges
- most people download music and stream it rather than buy physical copies
- streaming now accounts or 80% of that music
- the technological developments that once threatened the music industry has allowed it to generate revenue in different ways and to extend their reach to different and new audiences
- Stormzy is on music streaming services of youtube, spotify, deezer and pandora
- Taylor swift is on spotify, amazon music, apple music, deezer, tidal, quobus and Soundcloud
- as most of our music consumption is digital, cd sales are in decline however vinyl records and cassettes are becoming popular again. Stormzy offers most of his albums as vinyls avaidible in HMV
- Record labels are companies that make contracts with artists and release their music. Record labels usually fund the costs of producing, distributing and circulating music to an audience.
- A single release from an album is normally accompanied by a music campaign
- The big three records are Warner music group, universal music group and Sony music which own many other subsidiary smaller record labels. Labels that are that large can create massive advertising campaigns to promote new music very well.
Tuesday 18th March
Music audiences
Stormzy star persona:
- Stormzy's personality is highly appreciative of his awards and fans whilst also having a hint of humour. Stormzy also tries to remain grounded and remembers his background. Role model to young black men.
- In pictures stormzy is mainly wearing trendy, urban clothes and communicates the message that he can still relate to his fans
Taylor swift::
- Taylor swift's personality is somebody who is very appreciative towards her fans, self aware public apologies, and isn't afraid to go against the media
- Taylor swifts look is very basic and is made not to offend anyone or drive anyone to make her safe for consumption by anyone
Fandoms are for people who are really into a particular artist or genre, music offers many opportunities to engage in fandom. Fandom meets both personal identity and social interaction in the uses and gratifications theory.
Friday 21st march 2025
TLC: waterfalls
Do now
1. niche
2. star persona
3. digital
4. personal identity and social interaction
5. buy physical copies of music, buy merch, go to concerts
TLC is an all girl RandB hip hop group, hybrid genre. Waterfalls is a track from their second Album (1994) and achieved international success. TLC would frequently be more real with their representations of themselves and as a group about their individual battles with addiction and abusive relationships.
Waterfalls is an episodic song several different scenes are depicted in the lyrics. and each plot-line unfolds as a cautionary tale against various vices. The first scene and the first verse describe a mother-son relationship in which the son resorts to unorthodox money making methods. His "greed" is his waterfall ultimately leads to his death.
The second scene follows the story of a different man with a different waterfall he is chasing. Specifically his insatiable physical desires result in him contracting HIV, the 'three letters".
Waterfall's video blend together three types of video style: performance, narrative and conceptual. There are two narrative sections that directly link to the lyrics. in the first verse, a young male dies during a drug deal a young male dies during a drug deal. Intercut with the narrative sections are shot of the member of TLC dancing the music video and lip syncing following the formal conventions of performance music videos.
The music video had intertextual references to terminator 2 where the girls are coming out of the water with the same effect as the terminator. Bookending each section, there is also a montage of flying imagery. With natural. and urban landscapes zooming past. Special effects used to represent the ghostly characters the mother and son and the symptoms of the mans disease. The CGI adds an almost supernatural element to natural real issues.
Mise en scene:
Diegetic sound is used in the first narrative and a warm colour scheme to show that the kid is in a warm environment and doesn't need to deal drugs. In the first scene there is reference to the inner city sets and locations which is intertextual to films like boyz'n the hood
To juxtapose with the first narrative, the second narrative has a cold colour scheme which can represent. the severity of the mans illness. The iconography in the second narrative is of the romance genre is used: attractive semi naked actors, silk stockings, tangled sheets.
Symbolism:
- Symbolism is used to communicate meaning through connotation
- Drugs aren't explicitly shown, and neither is any clear HIV diagnosis.
Special effects:
- Special effects are used to bring balance from the gritty realism of the narratives with something almost magical
many r&b videos focus on romantic narratives and often hip hop videos feature groups of men celebrating their wealth often achieved through crime. 'waterfalls" reference's these genre conventions by showing the temptations of both sex and crime. Its overall message is less glamourised and more cautionary than many other videos of the same genre.
Tuesday 25th March 2025
Taylor swift: the man
Do now
1. performance, narrative and conceptual
2. r&b and hip-hop
3.warm colour scheme in first narrative to show the child is in a warm environment and doesn't have to deal drugs.
4. expressionistic
5. age, race, gender
Taylor swift is one of the worlds vest selling artists, having sold over 200 million records globally. She is the most streamed female artist on spotify and the only artist to have five albums with over one million copies sold in the US.
The man explores Taylor swift's feelings on how she think she would be treated as if she was a man.
The man music video breaks the standard conventions for a pop music video because it has no performance element within its content which is different from the regular genre conventions of direct address and lip syncing to the song.
Mise en scene:
- the everyday settings represent places women may experience sexism
- The man is also shown more in glamorous locations- enjoying leisure time on a yacht and a tennis court reflecting his wealth and the gender pay gap between men and women
Propp:
- The character of the man could be described as the false hero, as Taylor Swift is unmasked as the real her o at the end of the video. This is highlighted by the credits written and directed by encouraging the audience to view her as a powerful and successful women
Intertextuality:
- many references to wolf of wall street the man and Jordan Belfort have similar appearances which draws parallel to their characters
- In the tennis scene there is reference to john McEnroe who was notorious for angry outbursts while playing tennis
clothing codes and props:
In the video props such as strawberries yachts and champagne is seen this connotes the man's mass wealth and could also be a reference to the gender pay gap
Colour palette:
there are multiple colour palette's in the video but mainly the video uses warm colours to connote the man's large amount of confidence.
Gesture codes:
In the scene in the train the man is manspreading and flicking cigarette ashes onto a nearby women showing his disregard for his surroundings and his dominance, presenting the man's sexism
Technical codes:
The man is often framed in the centre of the frame, showing the focus is on him.
In this video Men are represented as much more powerful and more domineering than women and the ruling class of modern society, the scene inside the club and the yacht scene. Men are also presented as misogynistic and immature from the reference to the Tennis scene where The man is raging at a tennis game for a women's charity. To make a statement about male privilege.
in this video women are presented stereotypically in the video using the male gaze theory in the yacht scene where there are many women surrounded around the men in yellow bikinis which imply they are being objectified by the man. Women are also presented as having to deal with the patriarchy and men being more dominant in the train scene where a women is putting up with the man manspreading and flicking his cigarette ashes around.
in this video Taylor swift is presented as not overly wanted by society in how she has missing posters put up on the subway which dont even show her face. Taylor swift is also presented as domineering in the end scene of the video when she tells the male actor to be more sexy which is a direct mockery of the male gaze theory.
Friday 28th March 2025
Stormzy: superheros
Do now
1. no lip syncing
2. wolf of wall street, john McEnroe
3. man is centre frame showing importance to the narrative, champagne, strawberries and diamonds all props as part of a wealthy persons mise en scene
4. false hero
5. Taylor swift, gender
OVERVIEW:
- Superhero's was released on 13th december 2019 as a part of stormzy's second album, heavy is the head. The video for superhero's premiered on 9th september 2020 when it was show in school classrooms in London. After schools had been closed since March due to the covid-19 pandemic.
- The video was directed by a British film maker taz tron delix and produced by Argentinian animation studio 2veinte. Stormzy dedicated the video to Chadwick Boseman to the actors death in August 2020
- In 2020, Stormzy donated 500000£ to the black heart foundation to provide educational scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and pledged to donate 10 million pounds over the next decade to help combat racial inequality
subverting music video conventions, Superheros does not include the artist performing the song. It is entirely narrative based, with stormzy featuring as a character leading the young boy on a typical hero's journey, showing him other characters who have found their gifts or superpowers.
The colour palette is bright and pastel which connotes hope and happiness.
In this narrative Stormzy has the role of the hero, donor and dispatcher as an inspirational figure helping people on their own journey towards racial empowerment.
Intertextuality:
- references to noughts and crosses through the lyrics and animations, Stormzy was also involved within the TV series, Synergy
- references to buzz lightyear in how Stormzy flies and leads the young boy
- and a reference in the matrix
- Little simz is also referenced who is a popular black artist
Iconography:
- masks symbolise how the events of the music video was during the pandemic
- BLM movement
- video is associated with black empowerment. The placards and raised fists. in the protest scene send a message of black power. Then, the symbolism at the end of the video when Stormzy places the world in the boy's hands before leaving him sends a clear message of optimism for the young black kings and queens who have the power to change the world
MEDIA LANGUAGE:
- clothing codes and props: the boys Adidas tracksuit was selected by the director to reflect a style similar to the dress code in Stormzy's sounds of the skeng video adding authenticity and relatability for the young audience, women is wearing Rashford's football shirt who is another big proprietor for the same economical help as Stormzy and thus commending what he has done for poorer people with free school dinners.
- Lighting:light is used to be a beam of hope much like stormzy is to his black kings and queens
REPRESENTATION:
- Stormzy is represented really positively as a black role model with power to inspire the younger generation. From the start he is presented as caring to save a little kid from that cat, the events of the black lives matter movement are depicted in the graffiti shot and in the scene where the protestors are holding placards and wearing face masks.
- Men are seen as young black kings as empowered by education in the classroom scene and as talented and creative in the scene in the the music studio.
- Women are also presented as young black queens capable at doing what all men do just as well.
Tuesday 1st April 2025
Do now
1.no lip-syncing, entirely narrative
2.noughts and crosses, toy story
3.bright colour palette, casual streetwear clothing
4. Stormzy
5.race, stormzy
Taylor swift industry;
- Taylor swift signed a song writing deal with sony records in 2004 and a recording contract with big machine records in 2005. She signed to republic records in 2018, the label under which her 2019 lover album was released. After a dispute with big machine records she began re recording her first six albums, the third of which is due for release in june 2023
- Swifts music is promoted to audiences through her website and its convergence with her social media accounts. The official website promotes album releases such as 'taylors version' of speak now
- prosthetic makeup was used to transform swift into the Man. this involved her wearing a muscle suit and having facial. Sculptures which took 4-6 hours to apply for each day of filming. The final, behind the scenes shots of the video reveal the transformation of Swift into the man and remind us she was both the writer and director of the song.
Taylor swift audience:
- in 2020, swift posted a short trailer for the man music video on her social media accounts, announcing to her fans that it would be released two days later, on her youtube channel. Swift answered fan questions 2 days after in the hour before the premiere of the video. The hashtag TheMan was used by fans to share responses to the video after its release. to build up hype.
- Swift posted thank you messages to the actors in her music video thanking them for the parts hey played, she posted a message to Loren Gray who played part of the tennis umpire, saying "@loren your eye roll really was aStOnIsHINg
- Swift 's social media accounts often take a more personal approach to connect with her fans. She often posts about her cats and also has expressed her views through social media on issues such as the metoo movement and the 2020 US presidential election.
- On international women's day in 2020, the man was added to playlists on streaming platforms.
Reception theory:
- The preferred reading of the Man would to empower women and campaign for gender equality and the oppositional reading would be if The Man would be seen as an unfair representation of men and is outdated and offensive.
Stormzy industry:
- Stormzy's first album, Gang, signs and prayer, was released independently. It was the first rap album to win the BRIT award for British Album of the year
- He was then signed to Atlantic records in 2018. under which his second album, heavy is the head, was released.
- in 2020, Stormzy signed to 0207 Def Jam (part of universal music group), a new group of universal music group focused on grime and rap music.
- The production company responsible for the superheros music video was 2veinte, a well known boutique design and animation studio established in buenos Ares that works with traditional frame by frame 2d animation.
- Stormzy brand is #merky, has pledged to donate 10 million pounds to black organisation in the uk to fight racial inequality.
- the primary audience for the video was school pupils in the UK, with the video being streamed to classrooms on 9th September 2020.
Stormzy audience:
- The target audience for superheros was black British males and females from generation alpha. This target audience is younger then usual for Stormzy's music videos due to the focus on animation and on younger characters
- older Gen z audiences reacted on social media to stormzy's use of lyrics from Keisha white's someday, which feature at the end of the superheros track. This is better known as the Tracy Beaker theme tune and sparked comments
- Stormzy is the 5th most popular rap artist
- Stormzy uses convergence of his website to his social media accounts
- The preferred readings of superheros audience, embrace positive message of strength and hope in the song and feel empowers
- The oppositional viewpoint might come from and older, white audience, who may not understand the representations and issues the black community faces
ONLINE MEDIA:
why do musicians and artists have websites?
- to help promote an album
- to sell merchandise as a revenue stream
- to direct fans to their social media accounts
- to help promote their brand
- a place for fans to connect with artists
HOMEWORK
1.Music videos reflect the time they were made in. For example, the TLC waterfalls music video reflects the time it is created in by referencing many social events during the time (1995) for example the AIDS epidemic. This is referenced in the second narrative part of the music video where the man is turning paler and doesn't recognise himself because of the "three letters" this is a direct reference to HIV which started the AIDS epidemic of the time.
Additionally the TLC waterfalls music video represents its time when it was produced by its following of standard music video conventions for pop videos. In the video their are multiple sections where lip syncing and direct address are used by the three people inside the music group and this is standard for a pop music video at the time.
Finally, the TLC waterfalls video's mise en scene is compromised of trendy streetwear of the 90's with bright colours and baggy, oversized jackets reflecting their hip hop influences and strongly establishes their 1990's time period with these fashion trends.
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