R&B/Soul Research

Music Video Analysis- 'Ignition' R.Kelly

'Ignition' R.Kelly

 

 

It is clear to the viewer that the genre of this music video is R 'n' B; this is due to the stereotypical mise en scene used to make the genre recognisable. The music video is typical of this genre as the women are dancing in a provocative way, and also their clothes are quite revealing. This relates to genre R 'n' B as the lyrics normally consist of content relating to women. A viewer may have a negative reaction to the video, as the women are portrayed as objects, and the artist comes across as quite disrespectful. The location of the music video is a club, this is also common with the R 'n' B genre as this is typically were the music is played. I believe it is important that the location is suitable as it needs to fit in with the narrative, allowing the video to flow well. The artist is included in the video, although there is no clear narrative as he seems to be talking about women in general. I like the idea of the artist singing parts of the song, then using their voice of different shots, this is because it makes the video more visually appealing, and also creates a clear link between the lyrics and the video. There is a clear verse/chorus structure to the video, the artist is seen lip syncing parts of the verses, however on the chorus the girls dance to the beat. This is effective as it makes the song seem catchier and the use of the girls dancing in the chorus relates to what he is singing over the top of the shot. There is common theme running throughout the video, the artist refers that women are "rollin that body" and "got every man in here wishin", this adds a sexual tone to the video, which some people may not find appropriate. However it must be taken into account that the target audience for a song and video of this genre is young people, therefore the content and shots are common. The artist has two main outfits which are used throughout the video, for parts of the chorus he wears a very over the top white fur coat, and for the verses he wears a more relaxed outfit that consists of a sweat band and sportswear. The outfits the artists wear are very important as it shows the audience how they want to be perceived, and also helps understand the narrative. The extras used in the video are dressed suitably for the genre, which makes the video look more realistic and professional. There are a variety of shots and camera angles used, at one point of the video the camera pans along the women in the club, this gives the impression that they are trying to highlight the women, in order for the video to seem more appealing. There are a lot of fade-in and outs in the video which fits well with the relaxed feel of the song. There a lot of face and body shots of the artist, this is useful as it reminds the audience that they are the main character. One useful editing technique used is the shots changing to the beat of the song; this makes the video flow well and also gives the video pace. Lip syncing is used on parts of the verses and chorus; however it is done very well which makes the video look more professional. 

'Happy' Pharrell Williams- Analysis

Music Video Analysis

 

 

 

The beginning of the music video is very contradictory to the title of the song, the location is quite dark and solitude and the sounds are very simplistic and eerie. However, you can hear faintly in the background the upbeat tune, which suddenly takes over, changing the mood and tone of the video. The artist of the song is the main feature in the video, he has a lot of costume changes, which makes the video more interesting, and also shows his personality.

 The different locations are effective as each ones fits the different narratives of the video. For example, there is a 'church like' feel throughout the video, due to the backing vocals. By having different shots of people in churches, it makes the video flow and looks more professional. The different locations are also effective as they appeal to a wide range of people. The video includes locations of all different types, such as a community centre, a wealthy looking street and different places of occupation. The range of different characters helps the music video to be more well-rounded and intriguing.

The video includes children, students, manual workers and celebrities; this makes sure that the video would appeal to a large audience. By having different people lip sync the lyrics, it makes it more humorous for the audience and this makes the video stand out and more memorable. The music video is known worldwide for featuring in the popular film 'Despicable Me 2', by using characters from the film in the video, it not only makes the video more recognisable, it also adds humour. One main thing that stood out whilst watching the video is that the different shots relate well to the lyrics and overall theme of the song. Due to the song being called 'Happy', it fitted well to use lots of people dancing and singing, as it makes the audience also feel upbeat. By having the name of the song on a shot at the beginning of the video, it allows people to identify what it is even before the music starts. This is effective as not only does it make the song more well known, it adds a different twist on the editing, making it more interesting to watch.

What I have learnt from watching this video? 

When planning and creating our music video, we will make sure that we use a variety of locations and costumes in order to make the music video more appealing to watch. We will also use different editing techniques to make it visually stand out, as this is what the audience will remember. By having more than one person in the music video, it makes it more interesting for the audience, as they can relate to different people and their narrative in the video. We will also make sure that the lip syncing is accurate; otherwise the music video will not look as professional. We need to make sure that we have a clear theme running throughout the video. Whether there will be hints of humour or tragedy, the audience needs to understand what our music video is trying to portray.