george

1. Music video analysis
Music videosdemonstrategenre characteristics- certainfeaturesare expectedoutof a video
dependingonthe genre of the music,forexample inthissongyou’dexpecttosee some weed or
someone smokingsomethingdue tothe stereotypical connotationwith reggae and smokes.
Throughoutthe musicvideothere are small referencestoJamaica (the birthplace of reggae) suchas
the flagand the Rasta colours(red,yellow andgreen),whichisshowninnearlyeveryshot.There are
Jamaicansplayingbongosandsmoking,whichis
purposelybeenadded, asyouwould imagine to
see ina musicvideolike thisasit’sthe expected
characteristicof a reggae video. Youwouldexpect
a musicvideosuchus thisto be colourful
howeverit’sfilmedinthe night andisonly
colourful due tothe flag.It’sa black male singer
whose locationisinJamaicawhichare all factors
we’dassociate withareggae musicvideo.
There isa relationshipbetweenthe lyricsandthe visuals-The lyricsare representedwithimages-
themes,mise-en-sceneandeventsof the videomatchwiththe lyricsof the song,tohelpportraythe
message across.For example alyriccouldbe 'Jamaican',theninthe musicvideowe see the
Rastafariancolours whichhave the connotationof Jamaica.Inthismusicvideothere are Jamaicans
playingthe bongosandalsothe mainman dancingby a Jamaicanflagsingingabout‘Reggae music
rockingmy bone’,thistherefore provesthatthe lyricsandvisualsmatch.
There isa relationshipbetweenthe musicand the visuals(mood/tone).The tone andatmosphere of
the visualsreflectthatof the music,whichthe case in thismusicvideois the cutsand editsare in
sync withthe beatof the song.Specific drumbeats matchingthe drummersdrumming. Asthisisa
chilledrelaxingsong,the cutare not harshand sharp.It’s a mixture of longtakesandshort takes
howeverinmajorityof the shotsthere isfocusedobjectsamongstblurryobjects,thiscanbe softon
the eyesas the shotis tellingyouto lookatspecificthingstherefore youaren’tlookingatloadsof
thingsandthinkingitsbusy.Thistherefore matchesthe songsrelaxedatmosphereasitssimple and
has a subconsciousfeel towardit.
The demandsof the record label will include the needof lotsof close upsof the artist andthe artist
may developmotifswhichrecuracrosstheirwork(avisual style) - thisallowedthe recordlabel to
promote a setimage forthe band/artist,whichwillhelptargetaudiencesempathise withthe
band/artist.FantanMojahis visiblethroughoutmostof the videowhichissomethingyouwould
expecttosee ina videolike thisashe isthe creatorof the song.Thus meaningwhensomeone plays
thissonghe shall be associatedwithitas he isseenandhe producedit. Alsoas reggae isn’tone of
the most popular(charts/modern) genre the more thatFantancan beenknow/recognisedthe better
to promote himself andthe genre.
There isa frequentreferencetonotionof looking(screenswithinscreens,mirrors,stage,etc.) and
particularlyvoyeuristictreatmentof the femaleboy- the ‘male gaze’isoftenusedtoattracta male
audience.The male gaze isa focuson presentingthingsthatappeal tomensuchas the smoking,the
fire andthe male extras(cast).Bywatchingthe videoIwouldn’tsaytheytargetaudience isfor
womendue tothe stereotypical male factorsshown.Now adaysinmusicvideothere wouldbe
womenbeingscantilyclad,howeverthatwouldbe inappropriateinareggae video,especiallythis
songas it’sgot nothingto withthe lyricsandfeel of the song.

2. Music video analysis
There are oftenintertextualreferences(tofilms, TV programmes,othermusicvideos) musicvideos
reference otherformsof media,mostcommonlyfilm, butcanalsobe TV or othermusicvideos.I
thinkthat thismusicvideogoesagainstthispointasI can’t identifyanyreferencestoanyother
mediaform.I believe thatFantawantedhisvideotobe quite patriotictowardwhere iscomesfrom
as the genre isfrom where he isfrom.The lyricsalsosupportthis ‘Some don'tknow the history’and
‘Sobig updi legendcalledBobMarley’ singingaboutother‘legends’of the genre whichoriginated
fromJamaica. Ashe alsohave the Rasta flagsinnearlyeveryshotwhichare a sentimental (belief)
“the black is for Africa. The red is for the blood of all living things in the world. The gold is for all of the
treasures in the world that people cherish. The green is for the earth that people walk on, to which
Rastas feel a special connection. These colours represent the Rastafari way of life. They were often
proudly displayed by Bob Marley, one of the leading people in the rastafarian movement.” This
therefore backsupmyideathat Fanta isbeingpatriotic.