Next steps analysis.

Now that our group has progressed in analysis for the rap genre and rap videos and we've looked at the demographic's we need to cater to, we can now specify our analysis on what we'll do for our own music video. We've really focused on two aspects of the video and have extensively thought through what we'll do.

Now as we've picked Swimming Pools to be the song we make a video from, it's important to explore different aspects of the video. In the original, there's a marginally negative representation of gender. I say marginally as it's not overly negative, however the females in the video are shown to be objects of desire, as they don't add anything to the video, they are just there to look good. Now some people may see that as a huge negative, I believe as they aren't meant to be the focus of the video and they're not being mistreated or grossly misrepresented, I believe it's only marginally negative. With our video, there won't be a focus on gender, so men and women will be represented equally, as we want the focus to be on the negatives of excessive drinking. The narrative will be mixed, with the main focus being on the main character and how drinking is affecting him, whilst depicting other people drinking and also with visceral shots to represent drinking and to fit with the lyrics of the song.

OUR VIDEO
For our music video, we want the setting of it to be in a party. The idea of it being to represent the negatives of drinking and peer pressure in getting someone to drink excessively. This isn't stereotypical of rap videos, as usually drinking alcohol is associated with partying which is what rappers usually advocate in their songs and videos. We also think the setting will be entertaining and will appeal to an audience, as an entertaining video was the most voted for in our questionnaire. Some problems will be organising a 'party' for us to get the necessary footage and also as some of the actors are under 18, making it realistic will be a challenge. However we can these are problems that can be worked around.

50 Cent - In da club

Schoolboy Q - Collard Greens

Usher - Yeah

R Kelly - Ignition

To submerge our audience and make them feel like they're at the party, we're thinking about using hand held camera work. This is again to make it entertaining, as they can feel like they are at the party. Also we feel this will be the most effective way to show the negatives of excessive drinking and peer pressure as well, thanks to the handheld camera not being fixed to one spot, can capture a lot more footage of the party.

Our take on the music video is positive, as we plan on subverting the stereotypical messages of drinking loads and partying is great by showing the consequences of these actions. We want to set it up by drawing people in and then subverting their perceptions of rap videos and the lifestyle most rap videos condone. We hope by going against stereotypes, we will catch people's attention and the music video will be memorable.

Album covers: Do they require the artist upon them?

The long play record, or album to you and I, has been in existence for nearly 70 years. The albums themselves have artwork on the cases that hold the albums, to save them from looking boring to the average consumer and die hard fan. The idea of having iconic album artwork can be just an illustrious honour as having an iconic album itself, and most commonly they go hand in hand.

A quick search of 'cool album covers' on the internet produces list upon list of thousands of people's opinions. And as a result of this, begs the question 'does the artist need to be on the album cover?'

Here are some albums from the aforementioned 'cool covers' list, and a link to the whole list.

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/50-coolest-album-covers#gallery-15

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks

Now, for those who are eagle eyed, out of those 3 covers, only one had the artists on them, suggesting that having the artist on the cover isn't important to how well the album sells.

The Plot Thickens!!

Now, those covers spanned all genre's. My group's practical coursework is focused on the rap and Hip Hop genre, so it makes obvious sense to focus on that.

Now using 3 lists, we can really get a big grasp of famous album covers from the Rap and Hip Hop genre.

Links below
http://uk.complex.com/music/2011/10/hip-hops-50-greatest-album-covers/
http://www.capitalxtra.com/xplore/lists/best-hip-hop-rap-album-covers/
http://genius.com/discussions/51734-Best-hip-hop-album-covers

And upon looking at them, here are some things I have noticed.

• Album covers vary from person to person. Seems kinda obvious but a point to highlight nevertheless. One artist may have an album cover that is more artistic and will not feature the artist at all, whereas other artists will have themselves on the cover.
• The further back the years you look, the more likely you'll find the artist on the artwork

Here are examples of album covers with and without the artist on the album artwork.

These are some of many examples, showing the point that the decision to have an artist on the album artwork is neither here nor there. There are famous albums which incorporate both ideas, and it's not necessary to use one or the other to achieve success.

When looking to make our digipaks, we shall look to what modern album covers look like and will probably incorporate ideas used by rappers and artists that the group enjoy, as to ensure we stick to modern conventions and ensure we have our own input on the product.

Star Theory!

Most musicians nowadays, are not only known through their music. Through many other forms of media, an artist is treated as a marketable brand over a long period of time. Their face becomes well known and is used as an advertising tool.

Richard Dyer says that these musicians or 'Stars' are constructed and artificial. The Usp's which are a part of the image can be copied and parodied, as the person becomes associated with the image, and are virtually unrecognisable without them. The stars are made to appeal to audiences which will then generate more money for the record company. An example of this is the young boy bands who are manufactured to cater to the new generation of 7-12 year olds that come around every 4 or 5 years.

Outside of music, the 'stars will represent certain cultural attitudes and promote certain ideologies, and the more interested the audience, the more it enhances there 'star quality'. Stars will start out as ordinary people, and then become constructed figures. They act as representations as to what people should look like and aspire to be. However, there image is constantly assessed, and for it to maintain the same effect they have on most people, their image had to change with each album.

Kendrick Lamar

As we are choosing one of Kendrick Lamar's songs for our main text, it's important to look at him in terms of how the star theory can apply to him. Music videos are a way to express oneself, and someone who has a lead singer persona would be essential in an advertisement music video. However we want to go with a more abstract/cinematic video, something which is common in rap video's more so nowadays. Kendrick Lamar doesn't create a celebrity image in the same as other mainstream rappers do, so in our video we think it isn't essential to do so.