1. Ramz- Family Tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoMtG1CexN8
Genre: Grime/UK Rap
Type of Video: Performance with narrative elements Target Audience: Adolescents/Young Adults – Ages: 11-30 Camera: Mid-shots, low angle shots, tracking shots, slow-mo, over the shoulder shot, establishing shot, surrounded by groups of people, tracking shots of people living in urban environments, young children, ethnic minorities etc, up close shot of artist to long shot of artist with crowd, high/low angle shots used typically for the children, high angle when opposed to people with power, low angle when just with children all together, Editing: Use of lots slow motion effects, stylistic, a lot of jump-cut transitions, as well as smooth slow, fade-in transitions Mise-En-Scene: Costume: what would typically be considered as urban clothing: tracksuits, what people in typical daily life would wear, meant to be true to real life. Lighting: transition between light, e.g outside lighting, natural light and inside a restaurant, dim lighting, only light on the main subject of each scene within the restaurant, e.g. Ramz as a child or Ramz and all of his friends celebrating together. Performers: the main performer is the artist himself Ramz, and he is lip-synching for a large majority of the video, as well as this there is the young boy who is meant to portray Ramz as his younger self, to suggest that he has always been this way, and that he still has the same people around him same ideals etc, as he did from the beginning, also there is Ramz’s entourage where there is also this contrast between them now and as children, again suggesting the same people around him, the new found fame hasn’t changed him. Make-up: N/A Props: Use of bicycle – typical of urban environments, quick image of giraffe toy, possibly some hidden meaning/symbol, perhaps suggesting how he’s kept the same ideals with him since a child despite new found fame. Setting: Inside restaurant, on adventure playground, alleyways etc. Sound Track: New age of Grime/UK Rap, influences of afro beats/Caribbean music, fairly upbeat. Synopsis: Ramz appears to be looking back on life as a child and how not much has changed since he has found fame through his hit single “Barking”, still with the same friends and family, still wearing the same clothes, going to the same places, more or less emphasising he is still humble despite his fame. Inspiration: What inspiration I have taken from this video and would like to carry over onto my own would be the types of locations utilised such as a playground, or alleyway, as these are common locations that can be found almost anywhere, more so in a town/city and are perhaps most effective at giving the aesthetic I’m aiming for, which leans towards more of an urban feel. Furthermore what I have taken from this music video would be use of the entourage throughout the music video as Ramz constantly changes from being on his own to being with his close friends or a large crowd of people from his area. I would somehow like to incorporate this in my video to implicate that my artist, is down to earth and for the people e.g. working class and those associated with urban environments. For example as Ramz is trying to suggest that despite his new found fame he still remembers where he came from, my artist Primz would be trying to share his own idea that he’s still friends with the same people and that he is humble. Finally what I have taken inspiration from is the editing, this is because the video has two separate entities to it, the storyline and the performance, they are closely linked yet separate. In order to portray a sense of social classes in my video and keep my initial plan the same, editing in this sort of manner seems like the best fit. 2. Dizzee Rascal – Sirens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPpxxrl0xhM
Genre: Grime/UK Rap
Video Type: Narrative Target Audience: Adolescents/Young Adults: 13-30 Camera Shots: A variety of shots throughout, e.g extreme close ups, mid shots, over the shoulder shots, tracking shots, low angle shots, wide shots, tracking mid shots, establishing shot, high angle shot, Editing: Lots of jump cuts, build up pace and tension, coinciding with video, especially towards the climax, cuts to the beat also. Use of slow motion also, again to build tension as well as a way for the audience to establish what is going on in what would normally be a action orientated, fast paced scene, or used as a breakaway between scenes of high tension or to the next setting. Mise-en-Scene: Costume: The main artist Dizzee Rascal can be seen wearing what would be associated with UK urban and rap culture, dark colour scheme, big coats jackets, gold chains, trainers etc, as well as the boy he is seen with at the beginning of the video. As well as this there is the presence of what appears to be soldiers of the past riding on white horses, perhaps referencing the poem “Charge of the Light Brigade” where there are similar soldiers riding white horses. They are wearing red long coats, with black hats. Lighting : Overall the lighting is fairly dark and only lighted by the street lamps from the street apart from when the main artist and the young boy are at their flat before, the action breaks out, furthermore there is evidence of the use of spotlights also on the main artist when within the darkly lit streets, a common trend found within Grime/UK Rap videos, and furthermore these spotlights are used to indicate where the artist is in the scene and for us to focus on them, but also to be used to demonstrate that the artist appears to be alone against the group of horse-riding soldiers, or emphasising his distress. Performers : There is no evidence of lip-synching throughout the videos, however the main performers/focuses of the music video is the main artist Dizzee Rascal himself as the audience follow him in his attempt to escape these soldiers, there is also the young boy who makes small appearances throughout and of course the soldiers. Make-Up: N/A Props: Not the typical ideas of props, utilisation of white horses for the soldiers, to convey that these soldiers are from the past, and perhaps be a metaphor for something else, e.g. the government oppressing those in urban environments, and therefore the fact they are from far into the past may suggest that the government is stuck in its old ways and hasn’t kept up with the times. Setting: There are two main settings throughout the course of the music video this being the darkly lit streets as well as inside the flat where the young boy resides for the entirety of the music video, perhaps the two representing the class divide between working class and upper class and the government intruding onto this. Sound Track: Hard, heavy-hitting beat, rock influences perhaps also, also uses sirens, reflecting the name of the song “sirens”. Synopsis: The main idea of the music video is that the main artist can be seen with a young boy in a flat, making music together, all of a sudden he is attacked by what appears to be a soldier on a white horse, he hides the young boy and flees the scene, he is then followed by an army of these same soldiers and dogs, and is running through the darkly lit streets in the cold, the end is then ambiguous and it is up to us to decide whether Dizzee Rascal had been captured by these soldiers and killed, and worn as a prize or he had escaped, it then ends with the young boy in the flat as an onlooker of the events taking place, looking as if he is ready to enact his revenge. Inspiration: What inspiration I have taken and would like to carry over into my music video would first of all be in the shots used throughout Sirens, particularly the shots of the main artist and his friend laughing and joking with one another, which would fit my music video perfectly, as it brings about a comradery between my main artist and his own entourage in the making of my music video, some other shots I would use would be the use of tracking shots his Sirens, as the use of these in my music video will bring about the idea of some sort of journey taking place as my music video progresses. Other inspiration I have gathered to hopefully put into my music video is the idea of social class. In Sirens, the use of a social class is utilised as a metaphor for the higher class e.g. government versus the working class e.g. urban, although I do not intend for my two social classes, which are similar to be pitted against one another, this gave me the inspiration for what social class to include in the first place, with this being the urban/working class joining forces with a higher class through some sort of businessman. Even more inspiration I have received from watching this music video is the idea to incorporate an narrative element to my own video. This is because initially I had planned for an entirely performance based video, however due to the social class aspect of my video and I have seen how Sirens manages to incorporate these two elements so effectively I would now like to have some sort of narrative so I can convey my message much more effectively. Finally what has inspired me in Sirens and therefore would like to put in my own music video is the settings utilised, as they again show off urban environments throughout its entirety and therefore would like to do the same in my own work. 3. Drake – God’s Plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpVfcZ0ZcFM
Genre: Rap, Trap, Pop-Rap
Video Type : Performance, with some elements of a narrative Target Audience : Due to the artists reach, can be seen as a wide variety of people of varying ages but again pre-dominantly: adolescents/young adults: 13-30. Camera Shots : Again a variety of shots, establishing shots, mid-shots, tracking shots, long shots, low angle shots, POV shots, over the shoulder shot, close-up shot, dutch angle/tilt, action shot, zoom shot. Editing : Not heavy use of editing, mainly just use of slow motion, or shakiness of camera to increase intensity, and just cutting of shots to the beat and to help develop the fast pace and liveliness of the song. Mise-en-Scene Costume: Not any particular costumes used, people dressed in their own typical clothes, performance video meant to depict common urban life, as well as giving back to the less fortunate and therefore actual real life reactions, not just for the purpose of the music video, to document the event, also youth dressed up in their own clothing, filmed partly at a high school. Lighting : Majority of the lighting is bright, to emphasise the feel-good atmosphere of the song, as well as the contents of the music video, where people less fortunate are receiving gifts such as money from the main artist Drake. Performers: The performance aspect of the music video mainly consists of Drake and his entourage in various scenes, there is a range of stylistic shots, as well as shots of him lip- synching, there are also dances from various members of his entourage as well as the high school students. Make-Up: N/A Props: N/A Setting: Again mainly within a lot of urban environments, Drake was trying to depict, the normal people who would be in these areas, instead of actors or actresses pretending to be from there, as well as a high school, in which Drake had donated a lot of money towards, showing his appreciation for the future generation. Sound Track: A trap influenced beat, as well as pop, therefore giving an overall feel-good theme that corresponds with the song. Synopsis: The music video begins with the information that Drake has used the budget he was given not to produce the typical video he would normally but instead to use this money to give back to the public, he then throughout the video donates this money to various families as well as a school, and therefore who he recognises and deserving of it, these typically being of those living in an urban environment. Inspiration: What inspiration I have taken and would like to put into my own music video is first of all the atmosphere/tone of God’s Plan. Throughout the video there is a sense of some ‘feel-good’ atmosphere taking place, as well as through the content shown throughout as Drake becomes some sort of a ‘people-pleaser’ and therefore they have happy faces, happy reactions etc. Therefore in my own music video I want to portray my main artist and his entourage particularly in my planned performance aspects to be seen with smiling faces, and happy reactions to give off the connotations of young people having fun that is forever associated with the younger generation and a common trope in media overall. Furthermore what I have taken from this video is various cues for my main artist to take in his own personal performance, e.g. how Drake is lip-syncing to the song, such as his movements etc. I would like my artist to have similar mannerisms and dance moves to Drake as this will bring about some sort of a high quality to my music video as well as reinforcing the feel-good atmosphere through things that evoke the emotion of happiness such as dancing. This will also be passed down onto certain members of the entourage who I intend to dance with my main artist also. Finally what other inspiration I have taken is through the editing and post-production of the music video, in particular the inclusion of an intro and outro. This is because in the video there is evidence of an intro and outro that reiterates the artists name as well as credits, I would like to include this within my own music video as will reinforce my artists brand as well as having a proper/obvious feel of the start and end to my video.