Codes And ConventionsÂ
My Genre
Introduction Here throughout this presentation I will be discussing the different codes and conventions that are used within my music genre - Hip-Hop. This will give me an insight to what Macro and Micro components are used to craft the visual medium. I will be referencing the artist that I am currently studying such as Tyer the Creator as well as Macklemore and how they both use the individual conventions to produce individual pieces of art that separate them from most generic pop/Hip - Hop artists.
Macro Elements – done First I will be discussing the Macro components of different Hip Hop videos. This will range from how the director creates Narrative within their video, how the culture is represented and what Era the song was set in. I will be focusing on the different characters scene within Hip-Hop videos and how they are used to within the medium. This will of course be my main interest, as I intend to create a product focused souly around Narrativity meaning that I will need to investigate how different characters are represented in order to a believable story in which audiences will be able to identify what is happening within the song.
Narrative Â
Narrative can range from anything to everything especially in modern day music. However within my selected music choices, the story behind the lyrics is somewhat controversial. For instance most of the music by Tyler the creator is based around being lost/split in terms personality. It also references how Tyler himself is misunderstood within society. Macklemore also takes o topics such as gay rights and drug abuse.
Representation The way that a Hip Hop music video can be represented is almost limitless. However, what we can expect from these videos is for it to be based heavily around visuals. Vibrant colors, eccentric fashion and cartoonish props usually make their way into these videos as artist address previous lovers and flashy cars within their song. However with this style of Hip Hop the video and story is represented in more of an articulate way meaning that the video is based around a group of people dancing however, it is being told almost as if it were to be a short film. Again, this can be seen in the Gorrliaz song – Do Ya Thing as we follow our protagonist behind the scenes of his tragic life, it hasn't been shown to us through synchronized dancing instead, it has almost been portrayed as a short story as we experience this person life behind the curtain rail. Yet, what I do appreciate is the comedic undertone that these videos consist of as the directors often throw some light on these tragic times meaning the video isn't always so bleak. This is what I intend for my video to be like, I aim to create something that addresses a serious issue yet, there is a sense of humor in the background meaning that viewers are more inclined to watch the entirety of the video instead of being turned away from its depression story behind it.
Era –  The Era that I'm looking into is between the early to late 2000's the ear is when the music being created by the Gorrilaz as began to populate around beginning of the Era however, artist such as Tyler the Creator and Macklemore didn’t begin to show up until the mid 2000's. This means that the music is relatively modern and is still is considered relevant within the modern world. The gorrliaz began to introduce the fans of hip hop into a new era as they began to address the music instead of the faces behind the music. Whereas Tyler the creator was recognized for his controversial music video that shocked millions however, this got their attention and people began to listen. I aim to mix both these together as I want audiences to not just focus on the video itself but to listen to the lyrics as it corresponds with the video. This will allow people to interpret the medium differently as they are no longer looking at a group of people on stage singing and dancing they ae beginning to watch a narrative unfold that helps to fill in plot wholes within the story.
Culture The culture behind Hip-Hop has always been an ongoing debate however, looking back into the 80's Hip-hop was always about fashion, who wore what and when. From fur coats to Dans jackets fashion has been an ongoing occurrence even into the 2000's which was formally known as the bling era. Hip-Hop stars have always been known for their eccentric designs it was almost a luxury, stars who were "brought from the streets" now began to assert themselves by creating their own look. This I believe is what has now inflicted so many music videos, time and time again, we see pop stars showing of flashy cars, and large watches in order to gain any recognition. However, some artists now have now taken this opportunity to reinvent themselves to a whole new level by drawing attention to themselves for their comical dress sense.
Characters I see characters and actors as different representatives within the music industry. Actors/popstars who people who star within their own videos acting out chorography whilst lip sinking their own song. This to me doesn’t add a sense of Narrative within the song. However, sometimes the song itself can be recognized as non-diegetic meaning that the actors are unaware of the music instead, they begin to create a scenario related to the song. These people then become characters with their own personality and we begin to feel as though the song is written for them and that we as the audience are experiencing a part of their life that they are going through. Yet, this can be contradicted as singer/songwriters can become their own characters, portraying their emotions behind their life. This then helps fans to connect with these stars as they feel as though they are being let into their idols life. I do feel that the characters needs to relative to the song, meaning that their appearance is in fact believable thus suspending the audiences disbelief. If the characters themselves don't in fact fit the scenario presented by the directors it would then look visually bad meaning viewers would lose interest quickly.
Micro ElementsÂ
Camera Work Camera work is used for many different situations within this medium. It can be used to set the pass of the video for instance, a more upbeat song would use a series of quick cuts and shorter shots to portray a fast motion within the video whereas a video portraying a more serious matter might use a selection a long shots that a held for a longer duration of time to help create emotion within the song. Most Hip-Hop songs use a mixture a different camera techniques throughout their videos since the genre is so diverse most directors can pull of nearly anything and are able to relate it to the song purposes. However, the artist that I have chosen to study have a tendency to rely heavily on mise en scene and costume design meaning that their camera work is somewhat limited. For instance, The song -answer- uses only slow Zooms and mid shots as the soul purpose of the song is to portray the emotion behind Tyler's upbringing. Another example of this would be -Who Dat Boy- as tracking shots are excucuted perfectly to define the corresponding color scheme between both Tyler and his environment. Relating back to my textual Analysis I do intend to incorporate the motion of distortion within my video as seen within –Yonkers- to empathies the chaotic nature I aim to recreate within my product.
Editing Editing between both film and ,music share a lot of the same qualities. Both use the same techniques and the end result –depending on the type of music video- can look extremely similar. However there are a few different approaches that editors can take when putting together the video. For instance, editing to the beat, this is essentially making sure that certain elements within the video and song match up perfectly to add a dramatic effect to the action. This is typically used within Narrative based videos as they are more focused around serious events, this technique can then be used to centralize a specific object e.g. a ring that has been left by previous partner. However, what I intend to do is use this technique within a nonlinear video so that I can separate different events by the beat as a transition effect.
Other effects used in film can also be used within music videos such as; cuts both long and short, dissolves often used for transitions, eyeline matches used to represent the relationship between two characters, montages can be used to show a series of events within a short amount of time, shot reverse shots are used to show communication between two or more characters and parrel editing can be used to show a series of events happening at the same time yet in different locations.
Another technique used frequently within music videos is the Action Match, which is a sequence of different shots that show a action from multiple POVs. This technique can be used to mislead audiences as the shots can be so quick that important events can be shown in quick succession. However, this is typically used within the music industry to represent dance, making it more appealing to viewers at home.
Lighting Lighting is used for a variety of different reason within both music and film. It is used to portray mood, emotion and feelings. For instance, a song that is based around a more serious subject might use a darker/colder tone to represent the importance of the message. Whereas most generic Hip-Hop songs are usually met with warmer tones to represent the joyfulness of their music. It also depends on the Target audience as well, songs that are targeted at older audiences might use harsher tones to create an appearance that might relate to the seriousness of the product whereas artists that aim their music at younger audiences will have a tendency to use lighting that creates a more inviting environment that is family friendly.
Lighting can of course represent the situation that characters/actor is in, for instance if they are working within an office the lighting might be more intense to represent a working environment however, if the song is based within a pub, the lighting might dimmer to represent the moodiness that lingers behind the bar. Much like film Lighting can also be used to reveal information to the audience without them realizing it, this can be done by changing the overall intensity of the lighting, adding or subtracting lighting for certain areas/characters or even highlighting specific objects within the scene can help audiences gain more understanding to how valuable the object is.
Sound within music essentially works the same as sound would within film, Both contain Diegetic and Non diegetic. However how it us used is almost completely different., Sound within film is almost used to create tension, or to introduce to audience to a new scene, character or even romance. However, a music video cannot exsit without sound.
Sound
Both the lyrics and the beat help to create a song and both should correspond with one another this is also the same throughout the video itself. For instance, perhaps a cup as fallen, the situation is tense, all music cuts as the cup slowly falls to the ground, in this case the cup could be symbolic and as it falls all music could come back into to play. This technique can be used to represent what is/isn't important within the medium thus giving audiences a deeper understanding to the video. The music can also be "employed in conjunction" with the editing to determine the pass of the song/video. There can also be speech within a music video, this is typically seen within videos that are based heavily around Narrative as all music cut meaning we are left with only the characters/narrators voice creating an emphasize that this is not only a song we are listening to but a story in which we should feel a part of. This motion can also be brought to life by the quality of the music as the song itself could perhaps be hear through a radio as we listen to our character interact with one another, this gives the narrative depth as we begin to feel as though we belong in the same world as these characters as we are listening to the music with them.
Mise en Scene Mise en Scene is one of the most important concepts in the music industry. It covers most if not all of the micro elements ranging from lighting all the way to composition. It adds depth and meaning to how the audience perceives the text meaning that any alteration could in fact change how the video is viewed entirely. Things such as colors and costume are often combine together to help give the audience an indication to how the character, looks and behaves. For instance, Murdoc from the gorrliaz is often viewed by the audience as a green zombie like character, this automatically makes us think/feel that he is one of the worse characters of the group as the colder tone and scruffy appearance then makes us see that he is not someone to be around. The position of the characters gives the audience an insight to what their role is within the medium for instance, within the song Perfect by Tyler the creator, Tyler is placed on the left behind a blue backdrop and Kali Uchis is placed behind a pink backdrop. This is perfect for this idea as Tyler's creations are often based heavily on stereotypes and by positioning the characters here it makes the audience feel that she has been placed purposefully behind the pink backdrop because she is female and that all female characters are associated with the color pink. Setting/location can be created both inside and outside the studio, typically when a video is shot outside it often leaves more room for the directors to be more creative leaving more room for them to rotate between different sets. However, when a set is created within the studio it is often smaller and focused heavily around the placement of each specific object, it almost means that camera work will be limited as the space within the studio is most likely to be limited.