This document compares and contrasts the 1990 music video for "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer and the 2012 music video for "Mercy" by Kanye West. It discusses the representation of the artists, camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing, branding/style, lyrics, and dance moves in each video. In the 1990 video, MC Hammer is portrayed as a fun and relatable figure rather than a flashy celebrity. The 2012 Kanye West video represents the artists as intimidating but common in the genre, with unconventional single-shot camerawork and minimal editing focusing on the characters. Both videos showcase iconic elements of their eras in terms of style, lyrics, and dance moves.

1. The history of music videos
(1990-2012)

2. ‘Mc Hammer’
‘U CAN’T TOUCH THIS’
• 1990 – ‘MC HAMMER’ is represented
throughout the video as a fun iconic figure
that is relatable to a younger ‘hip’ audience.
He isn’t so much represented as a luxurious
celebrity with a ‘flash’ lifestyle.

3. ‘Mc Hammer’
Micro elements
• Camerawork is used to speed up the tempo with quick cuts and a
variety of distances and angles that keep the audience intrigued. A
master shot of Mc Hammer dancing is used which was common of the
90’s era to focus on dancing.
• Mise-En-Scene is used such as his provocative and extravagant clothing
to gain a reaction from the audience. The locations present an persona
for Mc Hammer with the rural settings showing a gangster lifestyle but
in a sociable environment.
• Editing is used to fit the era and the genre of 90’s rap, the color
represents excitement and something new and popular to the genre.
Jump cuts are also used to keep the video flowing quickly and match
the music.

4. ‘Mc Hammer’
• Branding/Style – The artists trousers are something that became
iconic and accessible to the audience. Mc Hammer out broke a
new style in this era.
• Lyrics – ‘U Can’t Touch This’ ‘Stop… Hammer Time’ are the two
memorable lyrics from the song, the lyrics continuously
reference to music and dancing creating a fun and upbeat
atmosphere.
• Dance Moves/Personality – This is a key element for Mc
Hammer as an artist, a single dance move became iconic and his
personality shines through during the music video as being very
confident and imaginative.

5. ‘Kanye West’
‘Mercy’
• 2012 – Kanye West and other collaborating
artists are represented as thuggish appearing
men who may come across as fairly
intimidating or unsociable however this
representation isn’t as demeaning to the artist
nowadays as it is common within the genre.

6. ‘Kanye West’
Micro Elements
• Camerawork is used unconventionally in this video as there is
only one continuing panning shot complimented by a few zooms
during the shot.
• Mise-En-Scene includes a very abstract location of a warehouse
which clashes with the props which include an expensive car
however the use of luxuries is now common in the rap genre.
• Editing is used to cleverly make the artists seem to be
multiplying. The editing is common to the current era with
minimal camerawork and sound, this creates a lot more focus on
the characters the artists present.

7. ‘Kanye West’
• Branding/Style – Kanye is sold by his persona which a lot of
people respect and aspire to be like. In his videos he comes
across as powerful/wealthy, some audiences are jealous of this
and want to be like him therefore selling him more. His style of
‘flash/gangster’ is now very common in the genre and
lifestyle/appearance is represented clearer than the meaning of
the song.
• Lyrics focus on women, money and rough memories which are
more often not related to personal experiences from each artist.
• Dance Moves are contemporary within the genre, the moves are
known as ‘skanking’. The artists personality comes across as
dominant and confident.