Analysis of Music Videos Genres - Miss Georgiou

Each music video that is created has a genre attached to it whether that be Rap, Pop, R 'n' B, Jazz, Rock etc. Most music videos are conventional to the genre in which they are, for example, Rappers are stereotypically flashy with a lot of money and so are expected to display expensive accessories and impressive settings in their videos. Being conventional to the genre in the music videos engage the audience as they are intrigued by the way that this artist/music video has gone about the genre and developed it in their own creative way. People watch music videos to see the artist they're watching express the emotion the song suggests. They are also intrigued to watch them as they are able to witness the artists lifestyle and way of performing the song.

Drake is a current and highly successful rapper of today. His music video for his song 'Over' has many different aspects to it and the content of which is very conventional to the genre of Rap. The target audience for him here is around 16 - 30 years old.

This video is very technical in the way that there are a lot of features of all aspects of the video: cinematography, editing and miss-en-scene. I am firstly going to talk about the cinematography.

Around half-way through the video, there is a low angle shot shown where Drake is sitting on the end of the bed performing. The low angle shot makes the artist appear bigger than they actually are and the audience are made to feel as if they are in a position where they are smaller than him. This reflects the dominance that Drake has here and also ensures that all attention and focus is on him at this point especially when this is complimented with the fact that the artist is central in shot - emphasising the focus. This also allows for the artist to express himself through the way he is able to also act on hand gestures and body language. Having a variety of camera shots is very conventional to the rap genre as it tends to create diversity within the video. The artist is able to express themselves in different ways for example, rapping directly to the camera makes his performance more direct to the audience and therefore, can give a more personal delivery to the viewer. This engages the target audience as they are able to retrieve the emotion from the artist in different ways and the low angle reinforces his power and dominance in the video when for the majority he is alone in the video.

Another element of cinematography is demonstrated through the use of a shallow focus. This ensures that the focus is solely on the artist, especially as this is the part in the song where the tempo becomes slightly faster. The audience are enabled to see him perform intricately with no interference or distraction from the background of the woman dancing. Consequently, the artist is able to express their passion and expression of what they are performing. Him being at the side of the shot also allows him to cover up what's going on behind him when he feels like it so he can move more into the centre of the shot. This type of shot is conventional to the rap genre, as this acts as an emphasis not only on the artist, but also the music and what he is rapping about (lyrics). Even though the woman in the background still has relevance to the video and the scene because she is in with his lifestyle in which he is describing, at this point the focus ideally needs to be on Drake. This enables the emotion of what he is rapping about to be put across to the audience. Therefore, the target audience appeal to this as although they get to see what's going on in the scene behind the artist, they can also still see him and focus on what he is doing and how he is performing at this point. Also, having him  at the front in focus gives the illusion that he is closer to the audience, which further appeals to them as they feel like he is rapping mored directly and personally to them.

Moving onto editing, a projector is on him that plays a clip which has been fast-pace edited. The clip that plays is an ongoing clip of a road, and then the lines double up and become quicker as the tempo of the music gets faster. The way that this occurs is conventional to the rap genre as the tempo of rap songs tend to fluctuate throughout the song. Having visuals that compliment this is satisfying for the audience as it creates diversity and interest within the video, without the risk of any repetitive nature. The way the clip has a likewise image to a road going faster and faster demonstrates the journey of the artist's life and what he is rapping about. It reflects how his career has risen so fast that and mirrors the idea that his fame has came essentially 'overnight'. Followed by this clip is another clip that has been fast-pace edited which shows crowds in a busy city going about their everyday life:

This being fast-paced edited could show how the artist feels that everything around him is also going quick and people are going about their life as normal whilst he could inferably feel like the minority - taking life as it comes. This is also conventional to the rap genre as the fast-pace nature of what is around him singles him out who is performing at normal speed, which reflects dominance onto the artist. Rap artists are always seen as a main focus in rap videos as expression and passion can be portrayed across to the audience which helps the video appeal to them. The use of this type of editing is also generically conventional as it also reinforces how the artist feels, as a visual image compliments what they are rapping about, helping the audience to relate to them. Therefore, this appeals to the audience as they feel they can relate and empathise with someone they like.

Another editing technique used in the 'Over' video is the use of green screen, complimented with visual on-screen lyrics. The green screen allows effects that may not be possible to carry out in real life to be inputted (due to safety, for example) into the video, for example fire. The fire effect used in the video (as seen in the screenshot) is created through green screen. Using this with the artist in the shot also reflects the passion and conventional anger that the artist wants to illustrate throughout. The fire could be a representation of the artist's emotions which is then further confirmed through the facial expressions of the artist. This is conventional to the rap genre as rap artists tend to express anger and passion which can be complimented with similar images that mirror this emotion. Fire connotes danger, anger and unpredictability which can also be illustrated in the particular way Drake is performing at this point. In collaboration with the lyrics which have been edited in front of the screen, it creates an emphasis on the lyrics and the emotion that is intended to be created. This is conventional to the rap genre as it makes the lyrics more clear and distinct, easier for the target audience to follow and understand making it also appeal to them.

Mise-en-scene is used effectively in this music video, particularly through the use of lighting. As clearly shown in the screenshot, there is low-key lighting present in some of the scenes in this video. The main source of light here is the spotlight which illuminates Drake. With the way this is and the fact that he is central in the shot, he is the total focus here as he is all the audience are able to see. This could suggest that he is around all negativity or literal darkness but the way he is shown in the light reflects him in a positive way. In a more literal way of looking at it, he is clearly the dominant figure here in the scene and outside of it, as the audiences whole attention is on him. This is conventional to the rap genre due to the fact that the way the lighting falls on the face creates emphasis on the facial expressions of Drake. This way the expressions can be portrayed clearly and more empathetically which appeals to the target audience as they are able to watch a better performance with a raw, real feeling behind it from the artist.

Another element of mise-en-scene is setting. The use of a simplistic setting of a bedroom for one of the scenes in this video is conventional to the rap genre as it makes the artist seem more relatable to the audience as they are more familiar with this kind of setting. It also contrasts to his wild lifestyle, it could be inferred to be seen as a way to escape from the fame. The bedroom could also be significant in what he is rapping about and could have a meaning or feeling behind it, such as nostalgia. The setting of the bedroom here could also emphasise the fact that he is just like anyone else in the world but he has just risen to fame. The way that the setting isn't very decorated in reference to the way it looks quite simple with block colours, makes it seem clean and fresh. The heavily detailed aspects or madness in the artist's life could be emphasised here as they are (again) the main focus and are therefore shown in contrast to the setting in this way. 

Costume, hair and makeup is also a part of mise-en-scene and I have particularly chosen to talk about costume. Throughout the video, Drake goes through 6 different changes of costume (a different one for each scene). All of the outfits consist of casual clothes for example, he is wearing a simple white hooded jacket in one scene and more of a casual coat in another. The casual manner of the costumes make him relatable to the target audience as they are able to and probably do wear similar clothing as to what he does. The frequent changes in costume are conventional to the rap genre as it creates diversity in the video, along with a change of mood and distinct difference between the scenes. The target audience also appeal as it makes the video more interesting for them to watch. Taking a look at the last screenshot, Drake is wearing a gold watch which he places in shot as he puts his hand on his head. This type of accessory as part of costume shows Drake to be wealthy and content as gold is seen as a valuable material to wear. This makes his costume choice not too flashy but just enough to show that he does have money and that working hard allows you to buy expensive, valuable accessories such as this one. Representing the artist in this way is conventional to the rap genre as the artist likes to be able to show their wealth in one way or another.

Facial expressions and body language also fall into mise-en-scene. The generic convention of rap referting to facial expressions in-particular is anger. As visible in the screenshot, the artist is displaying his anger and passion through the way in which he shows his facial expressions. The passion is satisfying for the target audience as it shows them how passionate he is about what he is rapping about and so, a realer emotion is passed across. It also appeals to them as it reflects the way that an artist they like is living their dream and are showing to be making the most of it and not taking granted the opportunity they earned The expressions are conventional as the content of rap songs usually contain something the artist may have a concern about or a personal meaning that may have a personal feeling connected with it.

The positioning of characters is the last element of mise-en-scene. For the majority of the video, the artist is positioned in the centre of the screen, near the front. This ensures that all the focus and attention of the audience is on him. As screenshotted, the first and last position of the artist are extremely similar - almost identical. From this, it is clear that this focus is maintained all the way through the video which is typical of a rap gene music video. The target audience appeal to this as they are made to not become distracted and the detail of the emotion in which the artist expresses can be shown clearly throughout. Having him central also could be inferred that he believes the world revolves around him. When complimenting the fast-pace edited shots of the people in the city going about their life, this seems like a possible idea. This appeals to the target audience as they are able to see the artist they like as centre of attention. This is also conventional to the rap genre as rap artists normally like to be dominant with attention on them.

The next genre that I have analysed is pop, through the 'Marvin Gaye' music video by Charlie Puth featuring Meghan Trainor. The target audience for this song is fairly wide as the song makes frequent reference to a song released by Marvin Gaye named 'Let's Get It On' in 1973, meaning that older generations will recognise the reference. However, generally the target audience is around 16 to early 20 years old.

A medium shot of the main artist for this video, Charlie Puth, as part of the cinematography, is evident near the beginning of the video. He is shown playing the piano whilst performing the song. This shot shows how that the artist cannot just sing but also play an instrument, showing his talent off to the audience - who may not realise he could also do this. The target audience appeal to this as the artist looks extraordinary here, especially when the scene has a rather sombre tone before he arrives on stage and starts singing. It is also conventional to the pop genre for a shot to show this because the majority of pop artists can play a musical instrument - typically piano or guitar. If there is a point in which they are able to flaunt their various talents, other than their vocals, they choose to, to enhance their star quality and talent rating, as well as their like-ability. Audiences tend to enjoy a multi-talented artist as it demonstrates their dedication and the hard work in which they put into their material for the industry.

The cinematography is varied throughout the video and shows a long shot, as shown in the screenshot to the left. In this shot, it is clear that the artists are shown performing on stage whilst the school students are dancing along to them. This shows that the spread of artists' music has a had a positive effect and makes the audience feel engaged and satisfied. Furthermore, where the camera is situated makes the audience feel as if they are there, in the crowd and in the scene making them want to get up, dance and enjoy themselves which is the vibe the song intends to create. This is conventional to the pop genre as the majority of the songs produced are extremely catchy or dancy. Showing that people in the video are enjoying the music helps to influence the audience to feel the same as it encourages them to listen and catch on to the melody. 

Editing is used throughout the video to ensure that the video flows well and makes sense. Shot-reverse-shot is used just over half-way through the video when Meghan has entered and is singing to/with Charlie. The use of this here enables the audience to see both expressions of the artists whilst Meghan is singing at this point. It also demonstrates the good relationship that the artists have in the industry - the positive emotions reflect this. Furthermore, the happy and upbeat tone of the song mirrors this expression. The target audience appeal to this as it ensures that they can see the artists in a way they may have never before. Seeing 2 artists interact with each other that may be unexpected is interesting for the audience to watch as it is intriguing to see how they show the relationship between them. Having a shot-reverse-shot like this one is conventional to the pop genre, as a large number of pop songs feature more than one artist. Using a shot like this allows two things to be seen at once and expressions, emotions and reactions to be shown in the most effectively way possible. Therefore, he artists can show their emotion and expression in a way it will be valued in the video.

Reaction shots as part of editing are also included in the clip for example of the teachers. When the artist first starts to sing, a reaction shot of the teachers appear. The woman is seen lifting her glasses to show her pleasant surprise and shock at how good the artist is. She lifts her glasses inferably to acknowledge who it is who is singing on the stage. It's as if the mood changes in the scene as he begins to sing. An uplift is created and it is clear that the teachers see that this will come as the initial hearing of the artist begins. Likewise with another reaction shot of the teachers but this is when the students start dancing sexually with one another. The teachers look shocked and slightly disgusted at what they have seen because it is so unexpected to see them act in such a way. This appeals to the target audience because it is quite humorous to watch, especially as they give in at the end. Reaction shots like these are conventional to the pop genre as there is often something in the narrative that sparks a reaction whether that be good or bad. Reaction shots therefore are able to capture these reactions as best as possible.

Mise-en-scene is used effectively throughout the video. The setting of the music video is in a school hall, appropriate as they event they are holding is some kind of school 'Spring Fling' (as the banner says) disco/party. The audience are familiar with this setting as they would be at the age of going to school or have recently left which appeals to them as it could bring back fond memories of their school life. Therefore, they would also be familiar with the situation the people in the video are as they are clearly not enjoying themselves at the event. This often happens where you build an expectation for something, especially at school and it doesn't go as you expect. This is a conventional setting for pop genre music video because a lot of pop artists' target audience are young. Having a school setting makes it a relatable one to the target audience and so, they feel more engaged and involved as they watch. Having iconography such as the vintage/old style microphone used my Meghan makes the performance seem a lot more live and 'old school'. The song has aspects from previous musical eras to it and so this is mirrored through the use of this microphone because of its style. This is conventional to the pop genre as making it seem more live makes it more engaging to watch for any events that may purposely go wrong. It also engages the target audience as they feel as if they are witnessing more of an exclusive live performance. Furthermore, the iconography use of the Fiat car is product placement within the video. This is conventional to the pop genre as many artists have product placement in their videos in order to promote the products that are included. The target audience appeal to this as, in this case, it makes them want the car as artists which they like are associated with it.

Another element of mise-en-scene is the costume, hair and makeup. The costume used in this music video is varied. The students are wearing a mixture of dresses, suits and more slightly casual smart clothes. Each of the costumes help define and reflect the personalities of the students but also add to the visual satisfaction of the video. The costumes supply a vast amount of colour to the video and so, when they start dancing it's as if the colours start to blend and move, reflecting the happiness that the song intends to create. The way that the costume is varied for the large amount of people is conventional to the pop genre as it helps to create a personality mark on each individual. The target audience also appeal to this as they are able to associate with some of the outfits that may have been similar to what was worn at their own party events.

The lighting (as part of mise-en-scene) used can always have an effective impact on a scene or shot. It is used in this video effectively where Meghan makes her appearance. It is used to help hide her identity but also create a build up to her revealing as bright light is placed in front of her, making an emphasis on her presence in the shot. As shown in the screenshot, the audience are able to see the back of her but not the front which would spoil the identity of her. This also allows the audience to witness the reaction of the students to the 'mystery' artist, which is in fact a positive one from the facial expressions that they portray. The lighting is a prominent feature at this particular part of the video especially as the artist is wearing black which is in contrast to the bright white light in front of them. This creates a clash of the colours making Meghan the centre of attention which appeals to the audience as there is also a thought within the audience's mind as to who they think it is (obviously if they didn't know who the song was sung by). This is a convention of the pop genre, using lighting to create some sort of tension or build up through hidden identity as it creates a slight climax within the video making it interesting and unique.

The positioning of individuals in a scene is also part of mise-en-scene. As shown abundantly in the screenshot, the students don't really looked engaged in the even and are scattered around the sides and some in the middle. This is at the beginning where the students don't seem like they are enjoying themselves at the event which is clearly shown in the way that they are not interacting with one another and are not dancing. The positioning of the characters show the emotion and how they are feeling to the audience even though none of them speak. This appeals to the audience as they can relate to a moment like this where they may feel embarrassed to get up from the edge as they do't feel encouraged enough to make the effort. The positioning of characters showing emotion and how they are feeling is conventional to the pop genre as it doesn't take away the attention from the artist but also allows for the emotions of minors in the scene to be recognised and understood.

Body language along with facial expressions is also another element of mise-en-scene. The song refers to 'getting it on' which is reflected frequently throughout the video. As the song progresses the students start to 'get it on' until eventually the artists also do at the very end of the video. The song makes reference to this all the way through and so having the artists joining in with it at the end confirms the message of the song. This appeals to the audience as it is unexpected and they begin to wonder as the song reaches to the end what is going to happen. This is conventional of the pop genre as there is only a minority of pop songs that are not about love. Therefore, showing affection in pop genre music videos is common as it matches the content of the song. 

I have chosen to also analyse the music video of 'Budapest' by George Ezra, which is from the genre of folk rock. His target audience is hard to be specific with especially because of the genre, however, it is roughly 16 to early 30's.

Cinematography has a prominent role in this music video. As shown in the screenshot, here is a shallow focus shot of the artist performing to the camera. The lyrics of a folk/rock song are performed quite slow in some cases, with a lot of meaning and so, the artist is able to put across their emotions to the audience in a direct and personal way. The focus is all on him, even though there are many people around him, this shot enables him to be the centre of attention. The shot captures the expression on the artist's face as he performs the song but also his movements of playing the guitar too. The audience appeal to this as they are able to retrieve the emotions that the song intends to deliver and they can understand the personal feeling of the artist more too. This type of shot is conventional to the folk rock genre as there are normally a lot of individuals involved in folk rock music videos. However, this shot allows the artist to still be the main source in the video without the distraction from the other minors.

As part of cinematography also, many frequent high angle shots are used throughout the video. This emphasises the amount of people in the video and surrounding the artist. It also puts the audience in a dominant position as they are at the higher angle, looking down on all the people. The audience are able to judge each person from the way they interact or look which makes them seem higher in authority. This appeals to the audience as they get to feel at a level where they have more power and also they are able to see each individual as clearly as possible. This is a convention of the folk rock genre as high angles tend to show status and represent some type of emotion within a song - which many fold rock songs have deep meaning to.

The editing in a music video is vitally important in order for it to be interesting and different. At the beginning, the artist's name and the name of the song appears over the top of the clip in capital letters. Editing this in enables the artist to kind of promote himself as he is essentially creating a visual watermark for this video. It also allows the audience to immediately acknowledge that this is a music video from one of his works. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as it gives an identity to the artist and relevance to their name which is often seen in folk rock music videos. This appeals to the audience as they are able to see who's video it is and are more likely to remember it and the artist as, it being placed central, large and in capital letters makes it hard not to forget.

Slow-pace editing as part of editing is also used in the music video. This is used when the people begin to move and create habits that they carry out all the way through. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as slow-pace editing engages the audience and not only does it allow for the audience to see the deeper meaning but also it reflects the chilled atmosphere folk rock songs provide. The target audience appeal to this because they are able to see every detail, even when n reference to a minor individual. Moreover, they are able to get to know the people featured in the video a little better.

The lighting in this scene illustrates and outlines the artist above from the rest. He is seen in a spotlight whilst standing in the middle of everyone else. This makes him dominant and authoritative in this part of the video and the darkness upon the other minors make them almost seem irrelevant in the scene. This is a folk rock convention - that light outlines the individual artist performing alone. This ensures that focus is on him entirely which appeals to the audience as they can also pay focus to the lyrics and he meaning that may be carried with them. 

In terms of costume, in folk rock genre music videos most of the people in them are wearing really casual clothing. This is likewise shown in this video where everyone is dressed how they want. Having them dressed differently and how they want means that the audience can recognise the personality of each other. This appeals to the target audience as they can relate to the characters that are wearing the clothes, being something they would buy. This is conventional to the folk rock genre because it reinforces the chilled and relaxed look of the people making the overall video fairly chilled out.

The setting is not very clear in this video for the vast number of people that surround the video actually block out any evidence suggesting where it is. Talking about iconography, many uses are found in this video where they start to pass around the accessories. The main one however, is the guitar. This is a typical, generically conventional aspect of the video, as well as the fact that the artist is the one who is playing. This is a stereotypical instrument used for this type of genre which appeals to the audience as they are familiar of the sound of this instrument from this genre.

The characters are positioned very closely together which actually looks slightly claustrophobic. This illustrates the tight-knit community in which they are expressing. The way that the artist is positioned within them is different because you wouldn't expect there to be as much attention of George as there is. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as keeping the main artist the centre of attention is key and also the audience appeal to it because they can still see how the artist performs but just with quite a few motionless people. 

The facial expressions shown in this video reflect the personality of the individuals. For example, as shown in the screenshot these 3 men are choosing one of them to eat a chilli. This suggests they are quite daring and enjoy spending time together as they seem to have a good relationship within them. Facial expressions are used without speech conventionally in this folk rock genre as it allows the emotion to deliver to the audience visually. This appeals to the audience as it enables them to look into the different types of people and different types of personalities that are included in out society.

The technical elements clearly vary in the different music videos in which I have analysed. For example, in the pop genre mostly demonstrates love and affection in their videos - 'getting it on' in 'Marvin Gaye'. Whereas, in the folk rock genre for example, there is less content about love and more about a general, personal narrative which affects the way the video is carried out. Music videos appeal to an audience as they are able to see how an artist performs their song or justifies it with a deeper meaning narrative. As well as this, the audience also appeal to them because it enables them to create a better understanding of the meaning and background of the song they are listening to. The audience can build a relationship with the artist through how relatable they show themselves to be or how deeply and directly they put their emotions across. For example, if an artist is performing directly into the camera, the audience are more likely to build a stronger relationship between themselves and the artist because they are able to retrieve the artist's emotions more easily. Using the idea of the shallow focus shots help to engage the audience and portray the emotions and expressions that the artist displays which I think is effective and an idea I am likely to take on board for my music video. In addition, I have noticed that lighting has been used in all the videos to create some kind of intended emotion, which I think is also really effective and I will be using this idea when creating my own music video to create the same effect of showing emotion.

Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory - Miss Miller

Many artists in the music industry tend to reinvent themselves for a number of various reasons. Some choose to change so that they can keep up with the modern and current industry, ensuring that they can still attract a large audience. An example of an artist who has done this is Madonna. She has changed her appearance slightly, by having surgery, including a nose job and a face lift inferring that she wants to stay looking youthful and show that she can still perform and create songs like she did years ago. 

For example, how she looked when her music career first 'set off' (1979) is very different from the way she is now (2015) - fashion and trends also have a part to play.

 

Madonna has been one of the longest serving artists to date, and with the manipulation and development of the pop genre, it has meant that as Madonna's songs are predominantly pop, she has had to change with the genre as well. Technology has also changed, meaning that new genres have opened up and have become more popular with today's generation. For example Madonna's song released in June this year 'Bitch I'm Madonna', is classed as 'electronic dance music' in genre. As technology is developing, original genres such as pop have become less popular as the branch of new genres such as this one (electronic dance music) have meant that people are more interested into listening to a genre they may not have heard before. By Madonna releasing a song from this genre, it means that she is likely to appeal to the majority of today's audience as this genre is more likely to appeal to them.

Another reason why stars may feel the need to reinvent themselves are because of a bad past. If an artist has received bad press and negative publicity, they most likely want to diminish this reputation of themselves and create a new identity to achieve this. A way they do this is either changing their look, their name or their style of performing. Some also go absent for a period of time until the media dies down and then become apparent again in their new identity. 

Other artists such as Miley Cyrus, want to breakaway from a previous image that they may have had. She was a childhood sensation playing the lead in the award-winning, children's comedy TV programme, 'Hannah Montana'. Miley played the main role of this programme from 2006 to 2011 and started when she was only aged 11 and so was primarily recognised as being this character (even when she was no longer filming for it). A film 'Hannah Montana The Movie' was also released worldwide, giving the artist more recognition for this character on a more global scale. After finishing 'Hannah Montana', Miley wanted to shed this image that people had of her from her childhood. She wanted to be an artist who was recognised as Miley Cyrus herself, not 'Hannah Montana' who everyone assumed she was like. 

On the left, you can see Miley as 'Hannah Montana' with long hair and non-revealing clothing, acting as a young schoolgirl, living the dream. However, there is a distinct change from the left picture to the right - hairstyle, clothing and even attitude and pose. Miley Cyrus also reinvented herself to gain more publicity and get the message across that she has changed and she is not the character that everyone thinks she is. For example, when she released her 'Wrecking Ball' video, this was the first time that she had released a music video as her 'new' self. This video went viral extremely quickly and has gained over 797 million views so far. Having this much popularity drawn to it so quickly, made the media pick up on the video immediately to comment and review the new release. Receiving this much publicity in such a short amount of time made Miley one of the most-talked-about celebrities at the time as her transition was so diverse and shocking as opposed to the image the public initially had of her.

Ever since Justin Bieber was discovered in 2007, his music career was destined to be a consistent and ongoing success. Since being in the industry from a young age, he has been through some changes as he has grew older to develop and reinvent himself into the artist he wants to be. 

One Time

'One Time' was Justin's first single released in 2009 when Justin was 15. 

Goodwin's theory is supported in this video through the link between the lyrics and visuals. When the lyric remarks 'me plus you', the artist gestures to himself and then points at the camera (to the audience) - as seen in the screenshots below. These gestures are used throughout the video, as this lyric is often repeated frequently through the song. Having the artist doing the gestures that match the lyrics makes the lyric more catchy and engaging. As the audience are the ones being pointed at, they are more engaged and involved in the video, making them believe that the artist is being more personally directing to them as an individual - especially as 'you' is very direct. His target audience of 13 - 16 year old girls appeal to this as they want to feel as included with him as possible and with him making these gestures they are made to feel included.

This video displays many genre conventions of pop. For example, in pretty much every pop genre music video, there is love interest. In this video, we see the artist looking at a girl several times since she walked into the party. He then is shown sitting, talking and dancing with the girl as well as laughing and essentially singing to her. On the bridge of the song, starting with the lyric 'shawty right there...', there is a change of setting as the two of them go outside and the focus becomes more on them as most of the other party members have their backs turned and attention elsewhere. This shows to the audience that the artist is willing to draw all of his attention on her and also displays the meaning of the song. It reflects the way the artist feels about the person he is singing about - inferring he is talking about the girl in the video. The target audience feel engaged because they want to feel empathetic towards the girl as they are attracted to the artist.

A further pop genre convention displayed in Justin's 'One Time' music video is the numerous close ups of the artist. The close ups of the artist display the emotion the song is trying to portray and also shows the audience how the artist feels through the facial expressions that they show. Having close ups of the artist also maintains the focus purely on the artist and the way they are performing and interpreting the lyrics of the song. The target audience appeal to this convention found in pop genres as it allows them to see their artist in more detail and in a more intricate way. Close ups act as a more direct and personal shot to the viewer and so the audience enjoy seeing these type of shots as they feel like the artist is singing more personally to them. 

Dyer's theory is displayed in this music video. The video represents the artist as being innocent and genuine from the way he doesn't commit any offence or act in an antisocial way. Justin could be viewed as a product in this video as his haircut was a very iconic feature of his at the time. Many boys copied his look getting the same haircut in the hope that more girls would be attracted to them.

He is shown in the video as being ordinary as he is dressed in casual clothes and doing social things with his friends - for example as shown in the screenshot where he is sat on his phone with his friend. He is also shown as being ordinary as he is relatable in this video for many boys of this age are looking for a girlfriend or are trying to impress a girl. Some don't know how to express their feelings, so the way he is singing to this girl makes it seem possible to express feelings in this way. Furthermore, Justin is shown as being ordinary through the way he has organised a party in a sort of unapproved way where Usher acts as a parent figure in the video. He doesn't tell him that he is organising a party but decides to invite everyone over for one any way. This is fairly common at this age as many teenagers tend to organise parties, some without parents' approval. Therefore, this makes him ordinary as he is relatable to the audience. 

At this time in Justin's career, his target audience was 13 - 16 years old. This was when Justin had just been discovered so this was his first, original target audience which did change slightly as he got older and grew as an artist. 'One Time' music video was released in November 2009 and is in accordance with the era. At this time, a large majority of the songs being released were pop in genre and were based on a love interest. The initial message of the song is that he the artist is trying to show a girl that he loves her which is demonstrated in the music video. The first verse talks about how when he met the girl which is reflected in the music video as he keeps looking at a girl when she walks in. As he is with her throughout the video, it shows his message of how much she means to him, even when there is so much going on around him.

Boyfriend

'Boyfriend' is a song from Justin's third album and was released as a single in 2012 - Justin was 18 in this video. This video shows the gradual change in the artist from the simple change of his haircut to the way in which he acts in the video performance wise.

Goodwin's theory is illustrated in this music video from the way that it is primarily performance based. Throughout the video, the artist is seen dancing, singing and playing the guitar making it a distinct performance video. The majority of the video, he is singing and it is only later on in the video where he is shown playing the guitar whilst singing. He is still performing when he is with the girl in the video also. The purpose of the artist doing this allows them to express other talents they may have other than singing (for example, dancing and playing the guitar in this case). It shows the audience that they are more than just what people originally associate them to be and that they are more impressive than they may have been seen before. The target audience appeal to this as it makes the artist more attractive knowing that he is multi-talented. Another purpose is to make a more direct connection with the audience as they are able to witness how the artist performs and expresses the emotion that the song portrays. Personality is also demonstrated through this and familiarity with the artist can be developed for example, picking up on certain characteristics that the artist may do.

The genre of this music video is R 'n' B and many genre conventions are visible throughout. 

Firstly, the close ups of the artist allow the expression of the artist's emotions to be shown clearly and most intricately as possible. R 'n' B music videos tend to have close up's of the artist to make the artist seem more attractive to the target audience and to be more direct to them. Songs from the R 'n' B genre often have quick lyrics and so, having the close ups included in the music videos enables the audience to be able to see how the artist perform and interpret the lyrics. In contribution with the filters used in the video, the artist is seen looking airbrushed and complexion perfect. This is able to be captured through the frequent appearance of the close ups. Having this effect shown and elaborated through the use of the close ups makes the artist seem more attractive and effortlessly immaculate.

Another genre convention demonstrated in the music video is that there are expensive items displayed in the video through the artist's use. Firstly, one of the first shots to the main video is this one below of the artist driving a clean, smart and expensive-looking car:

This particular shot shows the artist driving the expensive car with the title of the song 'Boyfriend' spread across it. This is conventional to the R 'n' B genre as R 'n' B artists like to flaunt how much money they have and show off the items that they can afford and own. Having expensive items can reflect success and so can make the artist seem more attractive as they are seen a in a more positive and impressive light. As Justin is only 18 in this video, it also further emphasises success as it is rare that someone can be so rich and successful at such a young age. The way he is singing about being someone's boyfriend makes him seem more in urge to impress and display his assets - one being the large amount of money he has. The amount of money he has is also displayed through the jewellery he is wearing:

On the artist's wrist there is a visible gold bracelet that he is wearing. This item looks very expensive and clearly the artist doesn't mind 'showing it off' from the way he raises his hand as illustrated in the screenshot above. The jewellery however, is subtle and although it does show that the artist has money, it is not too flashy and doesn't distract the audience away from the artist themselves. This is conventional to the R 'n' B genre as the artist is still able to show their talent and way of performing as the main feature and most impressive aspect of the video.

Dyer's theory is displayed in this music video. The artist is represented as being popular and mature, but also youthful. He has met up with quite a few friends in their expensive cars and is shown to be attracted to a girl - he spends most of the video interacting with and singing to her. As the girl does not show any disinterest, Justin is represented also as being smooth and attracted to by girls. The way that at the beginning of the video Justin's name is displayed on-screen, creates an instant sort of watermark and the audience immediately know that the video is his:

Having this essentially promotes himself as he is making himself recognisable even if he hadn't appeared on screen yet. The way in which he is represented makes people want to buy into his lifestyle as he makes it seem relaxed and successful with a positive vibe created throughout. Justin is shown in the video as being extraordinary. This is from the way he looks like he is wearing expensive clothing with sunglasses on which are seen as being glamorous as most celebrities tend to wear them to avoid a bad shot of themselves. Having the talent of the artist playing the guitar and also dancing also displayed in the video, means that they are seen in an extraordinary way. Moreover, the way he artist skids in the car could be seen as being talented and extraordinary in this way as not many people can successfully (and safely) do this and so he is seen as a rarity. The video places fans for hegemony as they are easily influenced into falling into the artist's lifestyle. He makes it appear calm and happy and so having expensive cars, limitless friends and a love interest makes his lifestyle seem a good one to be influenced by.

The target audience of the artist at this time was girls around 14 - 17 years old, however, more boys became fans since is music started becoming more R 'n' B style. Comparing to 'One Time', the target audience has changed as the artist has become more mature, so have they. In 'One Time' the artist is seen as being more sweet and innocent, whereas in 'Boyfriend' he is seen as being more mature and serious. The change in genre from pop to R 'n' B is a more popular genre that a higher majority of males listen to and therefore, this is why the target audience changed slightly in reference to gender. In general, around this time of release, the R 'n' B genre was gradually growing and becoming more popular as more songs from the genre were released. Therefore, this music video fitted in coherence to the era in which it was released because of the growing popularity of the genre at the time. The literal message in the video is showing that you have to have good assets for example, money and values in order to be a good boyfriend/girlfriend. The artist is trying to be impressive saying how good he would be as a boyfriend because of all the qualities about him that could be seen as attractive. This has changed since the last video I analysed ('One Time') as all he could offer before was dedication and the girl being his 'one love' and saying that would always be 'making time' for them, when in this video he shows being more closer to the girl saying how he'd 'never let her go' and giving her the label of a 'girlfriend' makes his intentions seem more mature and serious.

What Do You Mean?

'What Do You Mean?' is Justin's latest single, released in August 2015 -  Justin is 21 here. This single was released after having released no new music for around a year. A 30 day countdown was created for this single to be released along with the music video with numerous celebrities promoting its countdown from James Corden to Michael Bublé - many got involved. This created a hype around the single and video before they were released and a high expectation was also created for the song and video due to the large build up that was created.

Goodwin's theory is displayed in this video. This is shown through the link between the lyrics and the visuals. The lyrics remark 'what do you mean when you nod your head yes..' which is shown in the first screenshot. The girl is showing interest in the artist and is approving of his affection to her as she welcomes it with no sign of disinterest. However, the following lyric says '..but you wanna say no, what do you mean?' which is when the second screenshot appears. This shows the girl pushing him away from her but only to return back to their initial interaction. This is used to show how the artist feels about the impression the girl is giving him, that maybe she doesn't want to be with him but can't help herself from being attracted to him. This makes the artist seem sexually magnified and the audience get to witness how this is shown through the way the artist and the girl act in a sexual nature. 

This song is more drifting towards the genre of dance music. There are many conventions of  the dance music genre that are shown throughout the video. 

Firstly, one convention of the dance genre is having strobe/neon lighting. This is shown most clearly when the artist is sitting on the end of the bed performing to the camera. The light captures the scene so that the artist can be seen vividly but also making sure that the light does not distract this at all, from its resplendent nature of the colour of the lights. It also allows the scene to be set for the intimacy between the artist and the girl as the lighting is not too light giving off too much exposure, but also not too dark that would lack any visual image onscreen. Many dance music genre music videos include strobe/neon lighting as it gives off a party atmosphere. In this particular scene, this is not initially created - not until the end, however it gives a glimpse and insight to the audience for what is to come. In the second screenshot, the artist is displayed the centre of attention within a crowd (party). This is another convention of the dance music genre as it shows what the music created is for and the effect it is meant to have. People are seen dancing and socialising all together in this part of the video giving off a positive, welcoming dance/party vibe. Having the artist as the main focus at this point makes it seem as if he is the one who has created this positive dance vibe and that he is the centre of attention. This is used to show that the song can also create the same effect of being positive and giving off a dance - as it is intended to do.

Dyer's theory is also shown in this music video. The artist is represented as being youthful and socially popular from the way he creates this positive atmosphere near the end during the party scenes. This is through the way he is the centre of attention and he achieves what he is supposed to. Furthermore, he is represented as being heroic as he manages to rescue the girl from her kidnap and also manages the retain her love. As well as this, just before the artist and girl jump out of the door:

Justin asks "do you trust me?". The way that they both end up safe and happy in the end makes him seem not only heroic but trustworthy. The artist can be viewed as a product for example, he is promoting Calvin Klein in the video as he wears them visibly to be caught on camera and to enable the audience to want to buy into the product because he is wearing them. This also self promotes himself as he was part of their recent campaign that has been widely spread across the media. The artist is shown being extraordinary and ordinary. At first he is shown ordinary as he seems like he is doing a 'dodgy' deal with someone that you may not want to be associated with in order to stay out of trouble, however, as the video progresses it is abundantly clear that he becomes extraordinary. This is from the way he manages to break the girl out of the place she is captured in, he has knowledge on how to get out of situations for example, when he uses a lighter to burn away the rope that they are tied to:

As well as the fact that he is shown to be one step ahead, as if he knew he was going to come to a door that had no other side. He persuades the girl to jump with him as he knows that they will be safe as well as her. The video essentially displays a modern day fairytale where Justin acts as the hero rescuing a damsel-in-distress, resulting to a happy ending. The video places fans for hegemony as they are influenced to act like the artist for example in reference to sociability and his heroic nature displayed in the video. 

The target audience for the artist now at this time for the video is girls aged 16 - early 20's. The video shows a lot more intimacy than the previous videos that Justin has been in before and therefore, the target audience is more older and more mature. Boys are still also part of the target audience, especially from the new branch of genre from his original pop genre reputation to more R 'n' B, dance music genre material. Dance music is a very popular genre of the modern day and so this video works in coherence with the era as a wider audience has been able to like it purely because of the genre it is under. Not only this, but music videos have increasingly been included more sexual images and behaviour within which is also mirrored in this music video. The artist is displayed in a way that exposes him a lot more as opposed to his past videos for example in this video, there are many frequent shots of him topless. 'One Time' shows Justin fully clothed, likewise with Justin in 'Boyfriend' although he is illustrated as being more stylish, he is still fully clothed even when both of the videos still demonstrate a love interest within. Sexual magnetism is largely shown in this video portraying how the artist clearly wants to show how he has grown up and matured into a new re-invented artist, branching away from his innocence and sweetness that he was initially associated with. The artist's message is inferring that here isn't enough time to wait for something that may not happen. This is more displayed through the lyrics whilst the video shows more that dedication and perseverance pays off and is worth it in the end.

In conclusion, many celebrities have reinvented themselves in order to seek a new identity or new intended perception. Justin Bieber has had a whole image change as he has matured and developed into an adult. Not only visually in reference to his appearance, but also his music genre has changed over his career from being a predominantly pop genre artist to becoming more associated with R 'n' B and dance music material. I believe that Justin changed his look to show how he had matured and to escape from the innocence and young 'baby face' look he initially entered into the music industry like. Changing his hairstyle was one of the main noticeable features that caught the attention of many 'Beliebers' - from then on it seemed that his appearance gradually changed more and more. Since then Justin has coloured his hair numerous times, resulting it to be a dirty blonde at present, which could show how free he is to express the way he feels and wants to look as an artist. Doing campaigns for the likes of Men's Health and Calvin Klein meant that as an artist he had to look his best and so decided to work out a lot more. This also changed the way he looked and reinvented his image to be a more healthy and fit role model. I think that Justin has reinvented himself to enable him to morph into the artist he wants to be and to step away from the pop artist he was originally known for being. My research for this post  will help me to decide on an artist to choose for my music video as it will ensure that I take into account how my artist would have changed (if they have), taking into account their past and what they were/are originally known for. It also allows me to recognise any common features that mirror all the way through their transformation (if they have one). It is important to identify and maintain a target audience as an artist wants to stay as successful as possible and so with maintaining a target audience, it creates a certainty and a definite, secure and dependable audience. Having this ensures that the artist continues striving for success and is still recognised as a valued artist in the music industry.