Codes and conventions of music videos

1. CODES &
CONVENTIONS

2. Having previously analysed ‘R Kelly - Ignition’ music video and explored other music videos.
I do not want to make a music video which conforms to the conventions of a typical R&B/
HIP HOP video. This is because I want my music video to have a story and rather it being
sexual I want it to be emotive and to leave the viewer with an emotion after watching it.
CONVENTIONS OF R&B AND HIP HOP MUSIC VIDEO
R&B as a genre tends to focus around the theme of love and sex. Because of this it is
inevitable to see music videos revolving around this theme. As most R&B and Hip Hop
artists tend to be male, the music videos which they perform in tend to sexualise women.
Women are seen as an object of sex, where looks are the main focus. This can be seen in
extremely in ‘Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines’ video. Other music videos which show women
being sexualised include; Kanye West - Fade, Trey Songz - Na Na, Chris Brown -
Paradise.
In terms of Hip Hop another them apart from sex which is featured is the use of drugs
and alcohol. The main drug being sung about is Marijuana and in some music videos it
shows the rapper smoking marijuana. The themes of sex and drugs can be seen in ‘Pusha
T - mpa’ music video
ROBIN THICKE - BLURRED LINES PUSHA T - MPAKANYE WEST - FADE

3. OS WHICH DON’T CONFORM TO TYPICAL R&B/ HIP HOP C
In order to create a music video which does not conform to typical conventions, I have investigated music
videos which are different to other music videos.
The first video I have investigated is ‘Childish Gambino -
Sweatpants’ music video. The reason why I chose to look
at this video is because it is very different to other Hip Hop
videos. This video is a continuous loop however with each
loop it features Childish Gambino as another person.
Unlike other Hip Hop music videos this video is taken in
one shot. In terms of mise en scene, it is shot in a cafe/
diner. The location does not change however the camera
follows Childish Gambino around the cafe and then we are
taken outside, then back to the beginning. I think this loop
theme is effective as because it is unusual and different it
keeps the viewer captivated. Also the use of the loop
keeps you captivated as every time the loop is repeated it
features Childish Gambino as someone new, so by doing
this it keeps you wondering who he will be in the next loop.
In terms of camera angles, the whole shot is a tracking
shot. Following Childish Gambino around the diner. I think
this is effective as it looks aesthetically pleasing. Editing is
used in order to have Childish Gambino appear more than
once in a scene, they do this by over lapping a scene on a
scene. I think this is very effective as it kept the viewer
enticed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExVtrghW5Y4

4. OS WHICH DON’T CONFORM TO TYPICAL R&B/ HIP HOP C
The second video I investigated is ‘Tyler the Creator - She’.
This video is a narrative music video, as the story fits the
song. The song and story is about a boy who can’t express his
feelings toward a girl.
Location wise there are different locations, the street,
bedroom, living room and the river. The establishing shot is of
a street sign, indicating that the video will circle around the
street. This is a narrative video so in some parts the lyrics
mirror what is on screen. For example ‘New girl moved on the
block’ we then see a girl moving into a new house. You can
see she's moving in as she is holding a box, this shows the
use of props can help establish what a character is doing. I
think having lyrics which mirror what is going on, on the screen
is effective as it keeps the viewer captivated but also it helps
visualise what the lyrics mean. Although this is effective I think
with my music video I will
The costume Tyler the Creator is wearing is considered ‘skate’
it revolves around his own clothing brand ‘odd future’.
Unlike the Childish Gambino video this video has cuts and is
not a continuous shot. In terms of screen time, Tyler the
Creator, Frank Ocean and the girl have the most. This is
because they are the main characters, so they are relevant at
pushing the story onwards. From this I have learnt that screen
time for a character is pivotal in movie a story onwards.