C2 Music
music videos and online media
do now
1 2
2 70
3 30
4 to make money
5 websites and social media
2 contemporary music videos
- stormzy, superheros
- taylor swift, the man
1 historical music video
-TLC
1 to make money, for people to enjoy
2 they enjoy the music peer preasure
why music videos are made:
-to help sell a song
-to make money
-to make song/artist memorable
-allow artist to be heard on more platforms
-promote artists other skills
-introduce a new artist or song
-show off artists image
-entertain audience
-allow audience to connect with the artist
music videos are made to:
-convey meaning of a song
-promote artists image
-showcase artists musical prowess
r&b and hip hop
narrative and performance
weird ladies walk on water like jesus
direct address
some romance story
guy is shot
narrative
a guy is nearly hit by a car and all the people of colour have positive things happening
link to lyrics = black lives matter
rap
do now
1, to make money
2, to raise awareness of a song
3, to highlight characteristics of the artist showcase talent
4, performance and narrative
5, lip syncing, stylised costumes and narrative videos
narrative
taylor swift thinks shed be treated be different if she were a man
pop music
direct address
TLC
the music video relates to the lyrics because at first TLC talk about. a kid not able to keep himself out of trouble and arguing with his mother and the picture shows a kid caught up in a drug deal and arguing with his mother then there is cyclical about not chasing waterfalls and TLC are under a waterfall and are made of water perhaps to represent how the water and bad things they did have consumed them such as the boy caught up in the drug deal who was killed
conventions used :
- lip syncing
- main focus on band
-story matches lyric
- video tells story
- direct address
stormzy
the music video relates to the lyrics as stormzy says dont die on me and saves somebody from being hit. by a car then also stormzy talks about how the girl never letting people down while in the video the girl is giving the elderly food providing for her community stormzy can also be heard saying we take off then in the video the people fly into the sky. stormzy also quotes we know our rights while in the video they are having a black lives matter protest
conventions used :
- video tells a story
- edited like a movie
- story matches lyrics
taylor swift
the lyrics match the video because taylor swift talks about being a fearless leader meanwhile in the video she is a ceo of a company while everyone is celebrating her taylor swift also say if i were a man while dressed to a man and wearing the makeup to look like a man then taylor swift says they would toast to me and inside the music video everyone is having a toast to the protagonist clearly linking the two
conventions used :
- direct address
- story matches lyric
- video tells a story
the music industry
in uk music industry contributes billions to the global community
we used to buy copies of albums or singles now we download or stream
streaming now is 80% of music consumption in the uk
technology has also helped as there are new ways to get money with music
stormzy
- Spotify
- amazon music
- youtube music
taylor swift
- Spotify
- amazon music
- youtube music
- apple music
vinyl records and cassettes are popular again
ownership
record labels are companies that make contracts with artists and release
single release from album normally accompany music videos
publicity generated online
the big three( record labels)
-warner music group
- universal music group
- sony music
all conglomerates and horizontally integrated
invest in potentially commercially successful
benefit from synoge with other organisations with in there conglomerates
do now
1 collectable
2 warner music group, universal music group, sony music
3 the internet
4 cross promotion
5 a smaller record label which is owned by a larger conglomerate
independents
there are also independent labels not linked to the majors
some artists dont sign to a label at all
some must visit major for distribution
regulation
parental advisory screen
-strong language
-depictions of violence
-sexual behaviour
-discriminatory behaviour
- dangerous or criminal acts
music videos
dvds now must be classified if they are 12 or above
if released online bbfc have been working with vevo and youtube to age rate music videos
music audiences
many music genres have developed over time
mainstream- very broad mass audience
niche - small specific audience
visual codes connote genres
star persona
the image of an artist is carefully constructed
THEY ARE NOT REAL
they establish this with:
- music and lyrics
- visual imagery
- design of artwork, website, merch
- social media posts
the persona embodies values and beliefs as-well this can develop as an artist gets older there genre could even change
star persona of taylor swift
feminism
GIRLY
interactive
aspirate
generic visual codes
star persona of stormzy
black lives matter
inspirational
being friendly
and apreciative
Friday 21st March 2025
TLC - WATERFALLS
do now:
1 niche
2 star persona
3 the internet (Digital technology)
4 personal identity social interaction
5 socialise about artist, consume loads of that music, dress to show passion for there favroute music
information about band
tlc is an all girl hip hop band or group at the time the embers were "t-boz" "left eye" "chilli"
waterfalls is from second album
group formed as fusion of r&b and hip hop
created a girl group with tomboy image at the time
had a rap in the middle of it common for there songs
had more of a rock and roll image
honest with press about addiction crime and personal drama
lopes died in car accident in 2002 band continued as a duo
waterfalls is episodic
each verse is a tale about different vices
media language
waterfalls blends 3 genres of music videos; performance , narrative m conceptual
young boy drug deal which kills him
adult male contracts HIV contracted from unprotected sex
in terms of how music videos relate to lyrics its clear illustration images show litteral meanings of words
intercut with narrative sections are shots of members of tlc; close ups of dance moves , head shots
typical of performance music videos
the conceptual liquid effect is irregular
diegetic sound in music video
intertextual reference of terminator ii
in between sections of flying imagery and montage effects
there is special effects for ; liquid water , mother at the start, symptoms of mans disease
almost supernatural element to a song about very real social issues
mise-en-scene
the kid caught up in the drug deal wears baggy gangster clothing connoting a danger and concealment of identity
brown bag holding drugs which aren't explicitly shown
lighting is warm to show hes got a good life but wants more
typical inner city set street corner brownstone house
connotations of dangerous urban environment
iconography about romance ; silk stockings tangled sheets large mirrors
white face glowing eyes - transformation scene from horror movie
symbolism HIV result never seen
special effects
used sfx to balance gritty narative with super natural aspects.
fall from space connoting angel
mother as ghost
water people
HIV narrative scene seem more like magical curse rather than a STI
this alters the tone of the song
music video is more expressionistic than most music videos
context
many r&b videos tend to have quite romantic narratives
often hiphop videos have groups of men celebrating wealth through crime
the message of waterfalls is far more serious than typical of the genre
a lot of public concern about HIV AIDS and relation to drug gangs
tlc were second biggest girl band after spice girls who had similar message but tlc who were far less glamorising social issues
this music video is slightly more subtle using expressionism rather than realism
representation
age is represented by the young boy thinking he needs to grow up faster and gets involved with the wrong things larger part of target audience
gender is represented as both the males had made mistakes as a consequence of there own greed the young boy trying to make money the adult male having a want of more sexual activities
the band is represented as socially aware and tries to explain the effects of the issues around the world and current issues such as gang violence drug addiction and HIV
social issues have been represented by the young boy of colour getting caught up in gangs and drug deals linking to at the tim huge issues of gangs and drugs with HIV and AIDS as well
Tuesday 25th March 2025
Taylor Swift: The Man
Do Now
1 narrative conceptual performance
2 rnb & hip hop
3 blends 3 genres music videos and CGI for water people and ghostly figures
4 expressionistic
5 age gender band
media language
representation
context
conventions:
the man is a pop song
this video challenges conventions of a typical pop music video the man by not including lip syncing no direct mode of address no performance element
no form of seeing the artist singing the song in any form
mise en scen
constructs linear narrative
these typical locations are chose to show three locations where women experience sexism linking to the overall theme of the song.
connotations of the suit is education wealth formality
the man is shown in glamorous locations such as the yacht or tennis connoting the wealth possibly showing the wage gap between men and women
all the women were wearing a yellow bikini representing objectification
the hero figure is taylor swift yet the man is the false hero
the fact it shows written and directed by represents taylor as a powerful and successful woman
intertextuality:
- records on the wall of subway
- Leonardo deccaprio
- wolf of wall street (film about a mysogynistic business men )
- tennis racket breaking John Mc enroe
- sign with scooter with line through reference to fight with producer
- regular areas from american main stream movies
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context:
representations:
men are represented as boistous disrespectful and uncaring shown where the man gets cigar smoke and ash on the lady next to the man presenting a lack of care mysogyny male privilege, hyper masculinity
women are represented as unsympathetic and sexualised shown on the yacht where all the women are stereotypically attractive and wearing gold bikinis further when the man is upset at the tennis pitch the women just rolls her eyes
taylor swift is represented as powerful as she's shown to be the director controlling the music main actor and whole video showing her successful and capable characteristics
inequality is represented in the man being in power and the women work for him and he man plays tennis whereas the women are just watching or even all the women are toasting to the wealthy man on his yacht finally the man is a successful business men whilst the women are just employees
Friday the 28th March 2025
Stormzy: Superheroes
Do Now
1, no lip syncing
2, graffiti on the wall, wolf of wall street, Leonardo deccaprio
3, gesture codes man always center framed
4, taylor as the hero and the man as the anti hero
5, gender , the artist
analyse:
media language
representation
context
song released December 2019
didn't premier until September 2020
shown in key cities in England Ireland and Scotland
aimed at inner city kids at this time
produced by argentinian animation studio , 2veinte
stormzy donated 1/2 million pounds to black heart foundation and pledged to donate 10 million over next decade to hep combat racial inequality
expressionistic
challenges stereotypical pop music videos by non performance aspect the lyrics illustrate the story key references to 2020
six arms represents his many talents
set in a city
pink skies suggest peace and tranquility with the birds singing gives hope and optimism to the stereotypical views of a inner city
colour pallet is different to regular stormzy videos
subverts typical conventions of stormzy's videos
stormzy represents hero propp character role helping young kids allowing them to become heroes in there own stories representing the donor as well and even the helper from helping the children as an inspirational figure on there role towards empowerment
intertextuality:
reference to noughts and crosses synoge
matrix with nerd with pens
toy story buzz and woody
LITTLE SIMZ another artist on a poster in girls bedroom inspiration
iconography:
pandemic (covid-19) can see in the masks
black lives matter protest from George Floyd's death
diversity in the crowd
merky is stormzy's brand in clouds in the sky
everything suggests black empowerment no violence
stormzy gives the world to young boy to show inspiration and hope
positive message that the young people have the power to change the world
lighting:
there is a reoccurring motif of light suggesting those with light have hope
its dark at the. end when stormzy shares his light with the boy 
the light coming off of stormzy could represent how he shares hope and inspiration with others
clothing:
the masks show covid 19 and the pandemic and how people till showed to the black lives matter event despite the outrage of the corona virus 
at the end in the light scene we can see the kid and stormzy are both in the center too represent how they are equally important
representations:
women and men are represented as powerful and inspirational
family shown positive single dad maturnal role young girl grand mother
stormzy inspiration hopeful positivity supportive intelectual education is the root to empowerment ,
value transference shown as a positive role model
young black king
talent
creativity and academics
lacking in confidence yet empowers towards end journey is what stormzy is hoping others can follow
young black queen stereotype of women with dishes yet she's caring for her grandmother
young female with body confidence issues inspired to embrace natural beauty we can see from gesture codes
do now
1 no artist performance no lip syncing
2 naughts and crosses little simz
3
4 stormzy at the end the people stormzy helped
5 gender stormzy ethnicity
preferred : empowered by feminist message
oppositional: unfair to men outdated and offensive
to help promote album it generates the artist more money
a place to sell so the artist can make more money
the fans connecting with the artist expanding there audience to create more money
help promote brand to create hype and more sales of album
a place to keep diary i later years of career serves as nostalgia
Friday 04, April 2025
Online Media
do now
1 link? hyperlink
2 personal
3 entertainment information correct
4 entertainment information correct
5 preferred negotiable oppositional correct
taylor swift
the promotion of a new album or tour seen in the new albums shown on taylor swift upcoming in new album section of her website
taylor swift uses her website to promote there new brand through tie ins on album release shown where we can see merchandise available for purchase with a hyperlink to the taylor swift store
the artist uses the website as a place to sell as can be seen as a store on taylor swifts website providing availability of extra profit from various items such as jewellery clothing and albums
stormzy
the artist stormzy uses his website to help promote an album or tour as seen where we can view the tour timings and places on his website and he also sells his albums
the artist stormzy uses his website to promote his brand through tie ins to an album release as seen where stormzy shows merchandise available to purchase which relates to the album release
stormzy uses his website to sell merchandise an important revenue for artists such as shown in the store hyperlink from stormzy's website presenting tracks albums clothing and various other merchandise
taylor swift
personal identity - people may relate to her music and want to purchase merchandise as shown in the taylor swift store feminist message
information - people can get information about previous songs or collaborations the artist may have
entertainment - people may wish to listen to the artists music as showcased on the artists website
social interaction - people can go to the artists social media which is provided on the website to further talk about the artist to friends expanding the artists fan base
stormzy
personal identity - people may have a deeper connection to the music and wish to purchase merchandise from the artist which is available in the store hyperlink ethnicity
information - there is information about tour dates and places on the website for people to view
entertainment - people listening to stormzy music is a form of entertainment which allows people to enjoy it
social interaction - people can go to the artists social media which is provided on the website to further talk about the artist to friends expanding the artists fan base
Social Media
how do celebrities use social media:
-promote there brand
-promote music videos
-respond to fans
-collaborate with different artists
-post teasers
-make money
-brand deals with various different brands
-responding to controversy so that they control the narrative
-highlighting achievement
1) there profile can include hyperlinks to various other things that the artist owns to promote them
2) artists can respond to fans providing hope that there opinion is taken to account with there social media
3) pinned posts may be to different things such as videos including merchandise people will see the pinned post and will see the brand being self promoted
4) the profile picture can serve as personal identity and also provide self promotion to the artists brand
5) celebrities use there social media platforms to expand there audience to purchase form there brand wanting to make more money off of there fan base complimenting Richard Dyers theory
homework
we can see that the music video waterfalls released by tlc reflects the current times as in 1995 there was a high count of drugs in gangs involving young people the video nods to this with the music video showing a young boy being killed in a drug deal further the video also links to the after effects of sexually transmitted infections and we can infer that in the 90s there was a lot of sti issues happening at the time
now a days music videos still reflect social issues such as in Taylor swifts music video the man showing how Taylor swifts she will be more socially successful as a man providing awareness to the social issues of the time of women being undermined and not represented as well as males we can see in the video the man is in charge and there re women workers who pick up after him showing a patriarchal view point
also in the music video superheroes released by stormzy we can see that the black lives matter movement is heavily applied and supported linking to ethnic differences and social issues such as racial feedback linking the video was made as inspirational and empowering to those of colour acting to combat the current social issues of the time the end of the video was a tribute to Chadwick boesman who had also died around the time as well.
homework #2
(my phone doesn't screen shot)
we can see on Taylor swifts Instagram she reacts to some fans tweets and for stormzy he takes photos with fans as seen where people have @stormzy we can see Taylor swifts personal views upon albums she has made and we can see stormzy donating to schools where he grew up I couldn't find any information upon controversy but I assume there is something feminist and we can see stormzy supporting black lives matter protests
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