Star persona

50 cent’s USP is the g-unit which is the representation of his “gang”, therefore a lot of clothing and jewelry sold with g-unit labels. Another product that has 50 cent’s name is the vitamin water that is also sold in his image. The ideals that this artist conveys is through showing being rich and powerful such as wearing a lot of jewelry that is expensive, living in a mansion, driving expensive cars is supposed to be the ideal life.

He also challenges the cultural ideal by representing himself in a gang throughout his music videos there is a lot of strong verbal representation implying the rebelliousness and usually in the lyrics as he is a rapper representing a way of life through violence. 50 cent also was involved in shooting, where he got shot nine times, well this happened quite a long time ago but people still remember it and may feel sorry for the artist and support him for that, therefore giving him a minor boost in his popularity.

Goodwin Points

Lyrics related to visuals- illustrative amplifying, abstract. If the video gives us a clear message. By amplifying the video you make it stronger. Abstract which basically means nothing to do with the concept of the video that relates to the lyrics.

 Another Goodwin’s point is that music is related to visuals. For example you see a guitar when it’s played during the song, or the shot cutting on beat. Also the camera movement can reflect on the song, such as movement of the body, or gestures. Demands of record label, such as selling brand identity. For example close ups of the artist or visual motif which is repeated. Also some videos provide USP (Unique Selling Point) throughout the video.

Intentextuality is a reference to other texts such as films, books, TV shows etc. Specific test or general reference, Michael Jackson’s thriller. This makes it very personal to the spectator, which also depends on the previous viewing.  

 Another point is reference to notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Voyeurism- pleasure of seeing without being seen. For example in a music video you notice the artist but the artist doesn’t see or notice you directly.

Genre characteristics, different conventions depending on genre. For example pop, dance or rock.

Video Analysis 3

Beyoncé- Countdown

The purpose of the video is basically about the countdown, each number in the song indicates a different interaction. For example “makes me feel so lucky 7” well 7 is considered to be a lucky number. Another example would be when she says “he’s still the 1” 1-the one. Usually a music video tries to give a message to the viewer that the artist feels or felt like and in a music video this is usually shrouded by metaphors or such to reveal the actual meaning. The video is conventional because the music video is related to the visuals. The camera movement and transitions are in sync with the rhythm of the song as is the lip sync. We also see a lot of close ups of the artist, as well as usual dance routines, which seem to be popular by this artist in every single of her music videos. Throughout out the video we also see some voyeurism; we see displays of Beyoncé’s waist etc. The implies the way all the females should looks like. The genre for this song is pop, and the conventions are such as wearing bright color clothing revealing clothes and dance routines. 

Cheryl Cole- Under the Sun

The genre of the song is pop therefore a lot of pop conventions are displayed such as wearing modern stylish clothes, artist usually happy with content of life, music usually about love and relationship and etc. The lyrics go with the song and we see a lot of lip sync close up shots of the artist as well. In the video we see the same dance routine at least twice with the same moves. Temporal editing is displayed with lots of continuity for example when Cheryl throws an apple and the scene is transitioned. Also in the video everyone takes notice of the artist. Also some parts of the song are not lip synced; we can hear the song going but the artist isn’t singing in the video. A lot of voyeurism is shown, camera focuses on the waist which also encourages voyeurism. The camera most of the time is positioned in the male points of view, which increases the target audience. Also the artist looks at us which could be representing seduction.

 

Video Analysis 2

Avicii – Silhouettes

In the song, the lyrics are related to the visuals, for example taking big steps in life as we see the main character in the hospital talking to the doctor about some kind of surgical operation however it is not revealed to us what it is. The video lyrics are quite clear however the real story behind the video is not revealed to us until the end of the video.

In the video we don’t see any lip sync as we only see the artist represented once. But during the part of the video where the guy is walking in the corridor we see the lights strobes in sync with the rhythm of the song. We also see a glimpse of the instrument in the apartment. We also see the people in the club dancing to the rhythm. Some body gestures are in sync with the song as well. Also some of the camera shots are in sync with the rhythm as well, for example the camera shots are changed during a different beat.

We see the artists name and the song represented at the start of the video. We also see the artist in one of the shots in the TV slicing up the cucumber. Quite few brands are shown throughout the video such as the alcoholic beverage names on the table or the “red bull” drink or the clock brand.

In the video we also see some representations of voyeurism. We see a shot of one of the females doing their makeup, also we see a shot of them walking and the shot focuses below the waste.  However we do seem some notice of the main character looking at us at the parts of the video.

The song genre is mainly dance, and this is represented through the quite fast paced rhythm, shot cuts on the video and also the lighting being colorful in a dark environment such as the club.

Video Analysis

Alex Clare – Too Close

The Video is quite abstract. In the video we pretty much only see the artist and two other unidentified characters kendo fighting.  The video is not related to the lyrics, only some parts of the song could be interpreted as illustrative amplifying, such as at the start of the song with the part where the artist mentions “I don’t want to hurt you”, we see both kendo fighters meeting.

The song doesn’t show any visual instruments. However the movement of the characters is in sync with the rhythm of the song. For example when the kendo fight scene begins both fighters are fighting in sync with the beat. Also during the video the artist is shaking his head to the beat of the song as well. WE also see camera movement that is in sync with the rhythm of the song such as changing the shot types during the beat or camera angles being changed.  The movement of the camera and the gestures such as the artist saying “which way is right, which way is wrong”, in the first turns his head according to the lyrics to different sides.  

No brands are represented or advertised in the video. However there are close ups of the artist, the kendo fighters identities are never shown, however there is an implication that one of them could be the artist, because there is a shot where the artist is shown with the camera facing his back, and then the scene fades with dark lighting and one of the kendo fighters reappears the same way in the scene as the artist did in exactly the same setting.

Voyeurism is shown during the video, as none of the characters including the artist look directly at us or notice us but we do see them. However there are parts on the video were we directly stare at the kendo fighters face however their faces are covered with masks.

The song genre is a mix between alternative rock, electronic and dubstep.  The lighting in the video is not entirely bright there are some dark parts to it, but throughout the video we do see some more bright lighting on the characters during the lip sync or one of the kendo fighters standing.