What gender are you?
Male __ Female __
How old are you?
-18 __ 19-24 __ 25-31 __ 32-39 __ 40-49 __ 50+
Do you listen to music?
Yes __ No __
What do you consider your favourite music genre?
Rock __ Dance __ Pop __ RnB __ Indie __ Drum & Bass __ Other:_____________
How do you listen to your music?
Computer __ Radio __ MP3/Ipod __ Television __ CD __ Other:___________
How do you find out about upcoming music?
Television __ Posters/Flyers __ Internet __ Magazines __ Other: _________
What would you expect to see in a dance music video?
Dancers __ Nightclub __ Artists’/Band __ Children __ Other: __________
What stock settings would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Nightclub __ Bedroom __ Hotel Room __ Streets __ Playgrounds __ Other:________
What colours would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Black __ Blue __ Yellow __ Orange __ White __ Red __ Other:_______
Do you expect a music video to have a narrative or simply to entertain?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
How important is the album cover when considering purchasing an album?
Very Important __ Considerably Important __ Not very Important __ Not Important At All __
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Summary of Music Videos (Dance Genre) and Album Covers (Dance Genre)
Music Videos
Stock Settings;
Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were such as nightclubs, bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music, for example, a bedroom getting ready for a night out where you would listen to dance music.
Stock Characters;
Female dancers/artists who are slim, beautiful and dressed very provocatively with revealing clothing to entice the audience. This appears in a large amount of dance genre music videos, gaining the appeal of the audience.
Women are often represented as objects within the video and reinforce the dominant ideology of woman being objects for men. This is also reinforced by the constant use of extremely attractive females and not often attractive males.
Representation;
Creates a sense of realism towards the demographic audience as the setting of night clubs are where they are expected and do listen to this genre of music, allowing them to relate towards the music video.
The ages of the characters used within the videos are teenaged or young adult. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth.
The use of the typical seductive woman used throughout the music video links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus around the gender of women, but could appeal to males because of the provocative woman that tends to be the main focus within the frame throughout the video.
Technical Codes;
Lighting- use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel.
Camera Shots- There is use of extreme close ups that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking is used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots are also seen in the videos allowing the audience to clearly see the settings
The use of close ups of the dancer/artist throughout the video allows the audience to relate the audience. Long shots are also commonly used so the audience can visualise the setting and the dancer/artists and feel like they are in the dancer’s shoes and also allows the audience to relate towards the setting.
Editing- The editing of all the videos is very fast paced, showing this as a key convention. A number of jump and straight cuts being used to create a fast pace to the edits to match the beat of the song.
Costume- Use of provocative, revealing clothing upon the women within the music video reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing the realism towards the audience.
Body movement and gesture- repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music are used to reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray as much realism as possible. Flirtatious dancing and ‘grinding’ are commonly used, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere.
Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s it would suggest that narrative theory such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. However, within the frame there doesn’t seem to be a clear Todorov’s theory, apart from in some cases where you are able to see the equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium.
Album Covers
Enigma Code;
The artists/models used on the front cover of the albums covers do not engage in eye-contact with the audience which creates enigma as it portrays a sense of ambiguity and mystery towards the identity upon the album cover, drawing the target audience towards the album.
Font/Colour;
The use of a structured, bold title, normally placed within the middle of the album cover and in a large, capitalised font attracts the audience’s attention towards the name of the album.
Bright colours such as yellows, light blues and oranges are key to the dance album covers, as they create a happy atmosphere and giving an insight to the music and what mood it will portray towards the target audience.
Representation;
Similarly to the dance genre music videos, an attractive female is usually used on the cover of the dance genre albums. She is usually dressed provocatively and gives a sexy feel to the cover. This is seen as a key convention of this genre as it appeals to the target audience as the ‘youth’ age which is the demographic age can relate to the person on the front cover. Also, the gesture of the model is usually high energy giving the sense of them dancing and creating a happy atmosphere.
Appeal;
A lot of the models used are attractive, thin, big breasted blondes reinforcing the stereotype of an attractive female and the ideology of females being objects for males.
Medium close ups are often used to shoot the models. This allows the audience to see their emotions and their features, as well as highlighting their good appearance. The covers usually also include disco lights or strobe lighting within them, linking the cover to the nightclub scene.
The emotions portrayed by the models however often challenge the conventions of the dance genre. As this genre is seen to create a happy atmosphere and the emotions of the models are sometimes deep in thought and full of emotion. However this creates an in sight into the songs on the album as the emotions normally link with the narratives of these.
Stock Settings;
Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were such as nightclubs, bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music, for example, a bedroom getting ready for a night out where you would listen to dance music.
Stock Characters;
Female dancers/artists who are slim, beautiful and dressed very provocatively with revealing clothing to entice the audience. This appears in a large amount of dance genre music videos, gaining the appeal of the audience.
Women are often represented as objects within the video and reinforce the dominant ideology of woman being objects for men. This is also reinforced by the constant use of extremely attractive females and not often attractive males.
Representation;
Creates a sense of realism towards the demographic audience as the setting of night clubs are where they are expected and do listen to this genre of music, allowing them to relate towards the music video.
The ages of the characters used within the videos are teenaged or young adult. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth.
The use of the typical seductive woman used throughout the music video links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus around the gender of women, but could appeal to males because of the provocative woman that tends to be the main focus within the frame throughout the video.
Technical Codes;
Lighting- use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel.
Camera Shots- There is use of extreme close ups that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking is used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots are also seen in the videos allowing the audience to clearly see the settings
The use of close ups of the dancer/artist throughout the video allows the audience to relate the audience. Long shots are also commonly used so the audience can visualise the setting and the dancer/artists and feel like they are in the dancer’s shoes and also allows the audience to relate towards the setting.
Editing- The editing of all the videos is very fast paced, showing this as a key convention. A number of jump and straight cuts being used to create a fast pace to the edits to match the beat of the song.
Costume- Use of provocative, revealing clothing upon the women within the music video reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing the realism towards the audience.
Body movement and gesture- repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music are used to reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray as much realism as possible. Flirtatious dancing and ‘grinding’ are commonly used, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere.
Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s it would suggest that narrative theory such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. However, within the frame there doesn’t seem to be a clear Todorov’s theory, apart from in some cases where you are able to see the equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium.
Album Covers
Enigma Code;
The artists/models used on the front cover of the albums covers do not engage in eye-contact with the audience which creates enigma as it portrays a sense of ambiguity and mystery towards the identity upon the album cover, drawing the target audience towards the album.
Font/Colour;
The use of a structured, bold title, normally placed within the middle of the album cover and in a large, capitalised font attracts the audience’s attention towards the name of the album.
Bright colours such as yellows, light blues and oranges are key to the dance album covers, as they create a happy atmosphere and giving an insight to the music and what mood it will portray towards the target audience.
Representation;
Similarly to the dance genre music videos, an attractive female is usually used on the cover of the dance genre albums. She is usually dressed provocatively and gives a sexy feel to the cover. This is seen as a key convention of this genre as it appeals to the target audience as the ‘youth’ age which is the demographic age can relate to the person on the front cover. Also, the gesture of the model is usually high energy giving the sense of them dancing and creating a happy atmosphere.
Appeal;
A lot of the models used are attractive, thin, big breasted blondes reinforcing the stereotype of an attractive female and the ideology of females being objects for males.
Medium close ups are often used to shoot the models. This allows the audience to see their emotions and their features, as well as highlighting their good appearance. The covers usually also include disco lights or strobe lighting within them, linking the cover to the nightclub scene.
The emotions portrayed by the models however often challenge the conventions of the dance genre. As this genre is seen to create a happy atmosphere and the emotions of the models are sometimes deep in thought and full of emotion. However this creates an in sight into the songs on the album as the emotions normally link with the narratives of these.
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