analysis of music video

1. Long shots are often used at the beginning of music videos to establish the setting. A convention of
R&B music videos is that they are often set In clubs or large houses. This promotes the idea of
partying and having money something that is desirable in popular culture and something the target
audience would look up to.

2. The actors in R&B music videos dress in clothing that is popular this makes them appear relatable and
cool this makes the video appealing to the young target audience as fashion is an important part of
youth culture. This is typical of R&B music videos as R&B is a popular genre of music so they need to
appeal to a wide range of people and by dressing the actors in trendy clothing it ensures they appeal to
the majority of there audience.

3. Another convention used in close ups
especially close-ups of the singer
preforming. These close-ups are used
for various reasons. Such as
establishing who the singer is and
making sure they are shown in the
video to keep there face in the viewers
minds. They are also used because by
showing the singer lip syncing this
breaks up the narrative making the
video more interesting.
They are also used to show emotion in
this case we can see the singer looks
quite uninterested in what is going on
around them. This matches the theme
of the song and helps to convey the
message behind the lyrics to the
viewers.

4. R&B/pop videos often include bright artificial lighting and references to drinking and money. They are
often in a party/club setting. This is because the majority of R&B fans have been found to be between the
ages of 13-25 and this ‘party’ scene appeals to them and is something they can relate to or find cool. It
promotes a lavish lifestyle something which people of this younger demographic look up to. The actors in
these videos are often young this also appeals to the younger target audience as it makes the video
relatable.
Another convention often followed in R&B music videos is the narrative strongly linking to the lyrics of the
song. For example this song ‘Here’ is about being at a party explaining the setting and the use of drinks as
props.

5. Lighting is used to establish the mood in the video. Often in R&B videos low-key lighting is used to
show sadness and loneliness and more bright lighting is used to establish a lighter happier mood.
Lighting is also used to establish settings in this case lighting is used to show the party setting as there
is lots of bright unnatural lighting.

6. A convention followed by most music videos of all genres is to mention either the name of the singer
or the name of the song. This is done to make sure the audience remembers the title/singers name.
This writing is often shown on top of a black screen as it stands out as the viewers eyes are drawn to
the it making it difficult to ignore and more memorable.

8. Costumes for females in R&B music
videos are often quite revealing and
showcase of there bodies. This attracts
attention from the male target
audience and promotes a style we
associate with being cool to female
viewers. They also often dress in ways
that are popular at the time this is so
they appear to be relatable and on
trend. However some artists such as
Rhianna push the boundaries to show
case there individual style to stand out
and make themselves more
recognisable as an individual. For
example Rhianna's bright red hair in
this video became a trademark look for
her as an artist, that she became
globally recognised for.

9. Another convention of R&B videos is that they often feature long shots towards the beginning
showing where the video is set in this case there are shots of the city to show this is where the
video is taking place. This helps the video to set up for the narrative the viewer has a beter
understanding of what is going on. These shots are typically of urban locations as that is where
many R&B videos are filmed.

10. A convention commonly found in R&B music videos is the theme of love and relationships running
through the narrative. This is because many R&B songs are centred around the theme of love, and by
showing this in the video it links what the audience is seeing to lyrics. This also attracts the young
target audience as they look up to these happy young couples and aspire to have a relationship that is
similar.
In this video Drake and Rhianna are playing apart the narrative this is a cameo as the preforming are
acting rather than preforming the song.

11. Bright natural lighting is often used in R&B music videos, this conveys a light and happy mood and is
often used to emphasise the love story in the narrative. This makes the video appear more natural and
gives a sense of realism to the viewer.
Another convention is the use of wine glasses/alcohol as props this promotes a lavish lifestyle and
presents the actors and singers as cool to the young target audience.

12. Close-ups and extreme close ups are used to show the singer lip syncing this breaks up the narrative and
makes the video more visually interesting. From watching various R&B videos I have noticed that close-
ups of the singers lips are often used particularly on female singers. This makes us focus on the
movements of there lips as they lip sync but also emphasises the appearance of there lips, which are a
sexualised part of the female body attracting attention from the male target audience.

14. In R&B music videos female actors are often dressed in whatever is popular and on trend at the time,
this appeals to the target audience as fashion and trends are important to the young target audience.
As well as being on trend women's costumes are often quite revealing this is to attract the young male
target audience.
Actors in R&B videos are young, by using young actors it makes the video more relatable to the young
target audience. As well as the actors usually being young they are also good looking this attracts the
young audience.

15. Males costumes in R&B videos are also typically whatever is fashionable at the time, this makes the
singer appear current and trendy appealing to the young target audience. There is typically emphasis on
accessories such as baseball caps and expensive watches this presents the singer actor as not only
fashionable but also as rich/successful as they can afford these expensive items. This again appeals to
the younger target audience as they aspire to be like them and to have the same lifestyle as the
singer/actor.

16. Another convention followed by many R&B music videos is the theme of love and relationships running
throughout the narrative. In this video the actors are not seen together in many shots but shots of the
singer lip syncing the song constantly cut to shots of the girl giving the impression he is thinking of her.
This is commonly done as lots of R&B songs are about relationships this links the narrative to the lyrics.

17. As used in most music videos this video includes large sections of footage of the singer lip-syncing the
song. This breaks up any narrative and makes sure the viewer focuses on the lyrics. In this video the
singer is filmed lip syncing in several different urban locations this makes the video seem more edgy
and appeals to the young target audience as many of them would live in urban locations making the
video relatable.

18. Through out the video the singer is commonly positioned in the centre of the frame. This puts all the
focus on to the singer and makes the viewer concentrate on the singer not the surroundings. This also
makes the singer appear important as they are the focus of the frame. In this video the singer is shot
from a head on angle this makes the viewer feel on the same level as the singer again making them
appear more relatable.

19. Another convention of music videos is that either the artists name or the song/album name is
shown either at the beginning or the end of the video. I have noticed that typically in R&B
videos the writing appears on an all black screen. This gives a clean stylish finish to the video.
Also by the rest of the screen being blank the viewers attention is drawn to the writing making
sure they read and remember the name.

21. Another convention of music videos is that either the artists name or the song/album name is shown
either at the beginning or the end of the video. This promotes the singer so that the viewer
remembers the singers name. In this video they have chosen to show the name over a shot of the sea
this is a relaxing image and informs the viewer that the song will be light hearted.

22. The costume in this is video is very conventional. It is very common that men in music video’s are
topless, showing their abs. This is to attract their young female audience. In this video the singer is
topless wearing his jeans low so that the top of his boxers are visible. This is very common in R&B
music videos. Also for male artists its common for them to have tattoos and for them to be wearing
caps and shades. Another common convention in R&B video is for there to be a lot of attractive
young woman wearing minimal clothing.

23. A convention of R&B music videos is the use of the attractive model to play the singers love interest.
This makes the video appealing to the young target audience as they either aspire to be like her or
to be with someone like her. This makes the singer look cool as he is seen with attractive women.

24. In many R&B videos the narrative is centred around romance and relationships. In many R&B videos the
actors are shown in a sexual way. They are often shown to be partially clothed and often these scenes are
shot in a bedroom setting on a bed. This is because as well ass many R&B songs being about romance many
of them also make references to sex.

25. Another convention of R&B music videos is the use of alcohol bottles/glasses as props. These props
are used because the target audience for R&B are around 13-25 and drinking is a large part of the
majority of that age groups culture. This makes the singer appear to be apart of this group making the
video relatable to there lives.

26. In some more fast R&B songs there is a performance element include in the video. These dance elements
are often shown when the song has a faster tempo, this makes the video match the music as the tempo
increases so does the action the viewer sees. As well as matching the tempo these dance elements break up
any narrative and make the video appear more fun and upbeat.