Analysis of music genres

Music videos appeal to the audience through various elements, their main purpose is to relate to the audience which can be done in different ways however it is most commonly done through the use of narrative.Different music genres tend to relate to different people for example, the pop genre mostly relates to people ranging from teenagers to young adults.  Music videos frequently create a relationship between the audience and the artist through the narrative which conveys different emotions to the viewer.The lyrics of the music video also seem to bring a greater meaning to the music video which again can appeal to the audience further. There is also a performance element to most genres of song, particularly the pop genre, through the use of dance and singing the audience can then again create a greater relationship with the audience. The viewers may also be able to appreciate the performance that the artist performs within the music video which adds to the appeal of the artist in the view of audience.

The music video was produced in 2009 and directed by Anthony Mandler. This music video is typical in many aspects of being from a rap artist as it informs the audience of his struggles to make it in the music industry and gives us a personal view into his life in order to connect the audience with the artist. Editing plays a key role in the style of the music video and makes the music video far more spectacular. In the video the colour filters many times whilst drake is in a bedroom, the lights are fast moving and quickly flash from blue to red and also yellow. This shows the audience that Drake has a fast paced life style and he can never just be left alone as he is famous. This relates to the audience as he is sharing aspects of his life in order to make the audience more aware of the hardships that he may have had to go through in order to get to this current position, it could also be seen that Drake is in fact advertising the fast pace of life. It is considered conventional of a rap artist to let the audience into his life. 

Another technique is the relationship between lyrics and visuals, this is when people are reflected and fits in with Goodwin's theory, as it matches with what he is saying 'I know way to many people that I didn't know last year' as the people being shown are blurry and unrecognisable. Which again allows the audience to relate to the artist as Drake is exposing his fast paced life to the audience so they can relate more to him and the song.The lyric that he used also tells the audience that along with the fame that he gained it also brought unwanted people into his life, the relevance of the blurry and unrecognisable people is that it allows the audience to see that these new people in drakes life are people that are not known to him or he simply does not want to know these people. 

Drake is shown in a minimalist room with gold chains clearly visible. This is a clear indicator that he is of the rap music genre, as many artists within this genre frequently show of their wealth through expensive jewellery. The extremely dark  room is unconventional for the rap genre, yet drake uses this to his advantage as he is portraying himself as an ordinary person who has now become famous within the rap industry. This is a key marketing tool as his target audience will understand him and where he has come from as well as relating better towards him. The purpose of using the simplistic room may make him more popular amongst the audience as they are able to see that Drake still regards himself as a normal person despite the fame and wealth he has received. The use of the subtle chain around his neck again makes drake more appealing to the audience as they still want to see some conventions of a rap music video and it also makes the audience feel like that they are not less finically or socialy inferior to him as they may dress similar or own piece of jewellery similar. 

Another key aspect of Drakes video is the cinematography. One of these being the shadowed focus of himself where a dancer is blurry in the background, this subtly shows the audience that Drake had relations with this girl yet he does not care about her. The next camera shots shows a pretty woman in her bedroom in full focus, therefore highlighting to the audience that he cares deeply about her and not the blurred dancer. This relates to Drakes lifestyle and as an audience he sells himself as attracting a lot of female attention which is typical for a rap artist who wishes to show the audience the idealistic life of someone rich and famous.

An establishing shot is used with the bedroom back wall where a fast moving american city covers drake. This shows the audience that Drake is becoming lost in his new life of fame and fast moving lifestyle. This literally shows Drake to being swallowed up by the city and all the people within it, which is conventional of a rap artist as he is showing us that he has a fast paced and his fame can get too much.Whilst sitting in the blank coloured room, a mid to long shot clearly shows the buzz of a city behind Drake. This follows Goodwins theory by displaying a clear lyric to visual relationship, as he sings about his fast paced lifestyle a city rushes behind him. This is used to show the audience that as an ordinary person drake finds it hard to come to terms with his new found fame therefore is being absorbed by the city behind him. This follows the extravagant conventions of the rap genre who nearly always use urban settings when shooting videos. The audience when watching this are not only visually stimulated, but also buying into Drake's lifestyle and seeing first hand what he is going through. This intimacy is conventional of the music genre and makes him far more successful.

When drake sings about a girl within the video, goodwins theory is also followed as there is yet another visual lyric link. The close up of the female is typical for a rap genre song as she appears to be good looking and dressed lavishly. The ideal girlfriend is a common topic for rap songs, which helps promote the girl featured plays up to dyers theory and the woman becomes sexualised with feelings of love and passion being exposed by the artist. The artist in this case Drake, also represents himself as a 'player' which is a conventional way for men to be portrayed in rap songs. The fact she appears in the video also attracts an audience as the woman used is Rita Ora who not only has a huge fan base herself, but is also deemed sexually attractive by the audience and makes them more engaged with the video.

The Mise-En-Scene of the video also appears to be conventional of a rap music video, Lighting goes from low key to high key frequently, and makes the audience feel an on edge vibe, which is what the artists intentionally wants the audience to feel. 

The iconography used such as a lamp turning on and off and the red light appears to express his anger which ties in with the audience trying to express how he feels to the audience. The setting in the bedroom is used as a stage to perform his music, where the past is played around him which draws the audience in and makes what he's singing more relevant. Clothing in the video changes frequently which is conventional, and Drake wears a red jacket when he is singing about being angry, this gives away his body language and the colour red has connotations of pain and aguish which is what Drake is feeling throughout the song.

Flo-Ridas music video appears to the audience as being very genre specific. The genre of the music is dance music which is mainstream and largely popular. As an artist Flo-rida uses a variety of editing styles such as the split screen which shows the audience that the club is busy, this is also a lyrics visuals reference as it fits into what the artist is saying about the club not being able to handle him. 

The visuals relate to the music as when the music slows so does the pace of the video, and when the music speeds up the pace does as well. an audience is drawn in by this as they relate the music to the video successfully. This is conventional of any dance tracks as dark rooms and clubs are used to advertise the artists music and convey people to be having a good time and using dance music as a form of escapism.

In relation with the rap genre, the dance genre also uses frequent references to expensive iconography in this case a sports car. Parked outside the club the car advertises the music video by displaying the expensive taste for the artist. Wealth is common feature of the dance genre and the flash images of expensive cars, conveys the artist as a success and makes him more of a extraordinary star to the audience.

Probably the most recognisable feature of the dance music genre is the use of dancing in a club setting. This is a common feature of music videos that portray dance songs as the artist wants to give the impression of fun and a lively lifestyle. The artist Flo rida here dances within the crowd wearing shades, which further makes him stand out as an extraordinary artist meaning he follows the conventions of dyers theory. He is made more of a success within this genre as he is not afraid to be involved with the crowd, which makes the audience watching the video  relate better to the artist and view him as entertaining which promotes the sale of his record and any additional ancillary products.

Cinematography in this music video plays a vital role. The long shot focuses on expensive sports cars which displays the artists wealth and makes the artist appear materialistic. Audiences can relate to this by idolising the objects that people within this club have, and this relates to the video via the lyrics of the club not being able to handle them. Another camera shot used is the mid shot which shows the artist in the club. The levels show him on the stage which sells the idea of him being the main attraction to the club and that he is popular and idealised. This is conventional of a dance track as the artist appears powerful and the centre of attention.

The theme of dancing is continued throughout the video which is conventional of the dance genre. Females are seen to be carrying bottles of champagne which illustrates the scale of the artists wealth and the amount of girls carrying alcohol fits in with the performance narrative and shows them to be sexual objects which fits in with dyers theory. The artist Flo Rida is seen to be more successful by the audience as within the video he is portrayed as a player and is able to obtain large numbers of girls through being cool and wealthy. This makes the artist a success as his club setting is made vibrant and exciting, somewhere which the audience would wish to go and be interested in seeing how the performance that advertises the film 'step up 2' plans out. This use of double advertising makes both the film more money  having big stars appear in the soundtrack, and also step up 2 fans more interested in watching the video in order to see characters from the movie on screen.

The Mise-En-Scene of this song is again very conventional of the dance track genre. Iconography of bottles with sparklers fits the narrative as it shows the audiences extraordinary life and his hedonistic nature of having a ludicrous lifestyle. The positioning of the females at the start of the video show them to out number Flo Rida. The clothing of the girls was also very revealing, therefor showing them to be attractive and sexual objects. The women also wear the same outfit which shows they are all the same in Flo Rida's eyes and that he can have sexual relations with all of them if he wants, this shows the audience that Flo Rida is a powerful and attractive man with a lot of money. The light in the club scene is also very dark which shows the club to be fun and lively this is conventional of a dance track.

The final music video that I analysed was 'burn' by Usher. The genre of this song is R'n'B as it follows the conventions of these genre of music. Through the cinema shot that are evident throughout the music video, i can understand the conventions that is used. Through a mid-shot in the music video, during the start when Usher stands in front of the bed and then the bed is on fire. It can be explained that he has a history with the girl in the bedroom and he needs the bed too go in order to forget her alongside the history that they have had. It relates as he is trying to tell a story through the song about their love that went sour. Within the music video a long shot is evident when he is sitting on the bed and the girl is in the background also on the bed. It relates to the music video as it shows that she is always over his shoulder and she has an effect over him. It relates to the song as it he has made the song about this girl.

The editing that is used within the music is effective as it also shows the conventions of an R'n'B music video. A fade was used within the music video when it fades from the girl face, then fades out. This was used to show her emotions and to show that she meant a lot to the artist. It relates to the song as it is based on love and their story is a love story. A relationship between the music and visuals which is a part of Goodwins theory, this is evident when the women's face is on the wall and then it has been set on fire. It relates to the song and the music as it relates to the relationship burning and not going well. The song is based around the relationship and it can be said that Usher feels lost without this girl.

Mise-en-scene is used throughout to represent the artist and the genre of the song itself throughout the song. Positioning is used in the clip, it has been used to show that the girl is everything to drake and it is hard to let him. The positioning was used when the women is on top of Usher when they are on the bed together. It relates to the song as it about them two having an relationship together. The location of the video is within a house, it shows the life style that Usher lives with the girl. It relates as it shows that he has a relaxed chilled lifestyle, which is stereotypical for R'n'B artists. The costume that the girl is wearing is a bikini. There are normally women within R'n'B music videos which the song is either based on or they are used to show that artist has a good looking girlfriend. However, in this song it has been used to show that the song is about the women and about the relationship 'burning' hence the name. Iconography has been used during the clip when User dances in front of an Aston Martin car at the end of the video clip. It shows the lifestyle that he lives but he is lost without the girl as he is still singing about the relationship burning at the end of the video. Facial expressions were used in the clip, is when Usher is sad after the start of the video, when he says its burning. It shows how emotional the song is and gives away how upset he is that the relationship has been burned. It relates to the genre of the song as R'n'B songs are mostly about love or losing someone.

Mise-en-scene is used throughout to represent the artist and the genre of the song itself throughout the song. Positioning is used in the clip, it has been used to show that the girl is everything to Usher and it is hard to let him. The positioning was used when the women is on top of Usher when they are on the bed together. It relates to the song as it about them two having an relationship together. The location of the video is within a house, it shows the life style that Usher lives with the girl. It relates as it shows that he has a relaxed chilled lifestyle, which is stereotypical for R'n'B artists. The costume that the girl is wearing is a bikini. There are normally women within R'n'B music videos which the song is either based on or they are used to show that artist has a good looking girlfriend. However, in this song it has been used to show that the song is about the women and about the relationship 'burning' hence the name. Iconography has been used during the clip when User dances in front of an Aston Martin car at the end of the video clip. It shows the lifestyle that he lives but he is lost without the girl as he is still singing about the relationship burning at the end of the video. Facial expressions were used in the clip, is when Usher is sad after the start of the video, when he says its burning. It shows how emotional the song is and gives away how upset he is that the relationship has been burned. It relates to the genre of the song as R'n'B songs are mostly about love or losing someone.