Challenging the different conventions of music video

In the type of genre my group is doing, there is a high use in graffiti or text referring to the lyrical content this is one convention included in the music video. However this is not used for every lyric in the song, this is usually used to emphasize the important lyrics or the key words in the song. However, this is not consistent in our music video, therefore its not particularly the main theme used, as it is only seen in the first verse and a few glimpse are seen in the second verse too.

In this music video we also use, the green screen to make the background, a certain colour, this is also used to emphasize the text being used.

The text is then further emphasized by the camera angle and the angle I face, as seen I am facing the text itself, making seem as if I'm actually in producing the words from my mouth, which is another way to make the text stand out to the audience. And this itself is also another convention frequently used in hip hop music videos.

Another convention in most hip hop music videos is, the way the actual rapper dresses, for instance, a new fashion Trend which used to be popular in the 90s which has been brought back by the hip hop fashion trend, and now most rappers in many videos wear the same sort of clothes or have the same fashion sense. The jumper I am wearing in the music video further relates to the music video and the song title which is fresh me. The jumper says “get fresh” in large bolt letters, which in turn relates to the music video.

One other thing is the mise en scene, which continuously changed throughout the music video itself, for instance in the clip I am at a stair case, which can be classed as a very urban environment, something which is viewed as hip hop culture. There are many other different backgrounds used in the music video which basically highlight the hip hop culture, along which the green screen effects, which started in dance and techno genre however it has been taken on by many hip hop.

Body language is also another main part in hip hop music videos, certain positions give off a sense of confidence, danger or insecurity, and the main stances used in music videos give off a confident energy and along with this sometimes show danger or threat, however these are some of the main influences of hip hop, for instance in this scene I am holding out gun signs which is one this done repeatedly and has stuck with hip hop since the start and development of the genre.

In this scene there is another glimpse of the use in text, however this is different font. As seen this scene it also relates to the lyrical content and so does the body language I am putting across. This lyric is actual the last line in the second verse, which shows how it emphasizes the importance of the lyric and where it is in the song, in this case right on the beat.

In hip hop culture, there is also a connection between basketball or sport and the music videos, in many videos the artists usually relate to the sports or the type of lifestyle “high living” which is one element we have tried to include in the music video, as we where trying to show many different aspects in hip hop and use a lot of the different conventions. In this case I have used basketball, a sport which is very popular in rap and hip hop.

The background as I mentioned before has changed however it is still related to hip hop, as basketball courts are seen quite a lot in many rap and hip hop music videos as it relates to the phrase used by many artist “Balling”. I have tried to include this in music video too to show another feature of the hip hop music videos.

There are also different types of effects we have used. In this case there are different layers we have used, as seen there is a layer of another clip in the scene, this is of London, which is a very popular feature in hip hop music videos.

The background is also now a which screen (all white background) which is also typically scene in many hip hop music videos. There clothing also highlights the genre

of music as I said before, the jumper saying get fresh in bold letters, which relates to the lyrical context, along with this there is also a typical dressing of snap back hat, the jeans and the over lapping baggy top underneath the jumper I am wearing.

Another thing is that, when the artist is rapping they tend to emphasize what they are saying, with hand gestures and the body language put across, this can also be seen in this scene.

In this scene, you can see the shoes, which is one other factor mainly incorporated with the term “swagger” which is very popular in hip hop. As most artist like to show off their ability to dress well and their ability to wear expensive clothing and things most regular people can not buy. I have tried to show this by highlighting the very nice shoes, which are very popular in todays hip hop fashion life style. However the jeans also challenge this convention as they are tucked in, this is a new Indie way of dressing, however this is currently influencing the hip hop world making a new fashion and developing the sense in dressing in hip hop, which works great.

There are many different trends in shoes, usually Nike is the label of shoe very popular amongst many rappers, however, there are more impressive labels such as Gucci, Luis Viton, YSL and many others.

The video itself has been put in black and white for most the time, this is one great way to make effects more effective, and make green screen look a lot more professional, the black and white video also goes with the kind of theme we are trying to put across to our audience, which also goes with the artist we have covered as they use a lot of black and white video, which is just aesthetically pleasing.

In this scene the mise en scene is prominent, for instance the setting of the studio is something many artist do, this is very popular, as it can show the process of which the artist went through to create the music video.

The hand gestures are also a great way of emphasizing the lyrics and the mood or the feeling of the lyrics, as the body language shows a lot of confidence and a lot emotion and meaning in the lyrics.

The swagger of the artist is also shown again in the music video and even so, the artist also changes clothing throughout the music video showing the fashion aspect and view of hip hop. As many artist show a lot of different clothing and high labels throughout their music video.

One of the effects, and one of the hip hop favourite effect is mirroring, this can be used in many different ways making the video have different shape and appear more abstract, which is also and usually very successful in most music videos. This usually goes according to the beat, and usually flashes on either lyric and beat, this creates a really good effect which increase lyric significance and creates focus on the beat, making the video very aesthetically pleasing.

This effect is shown in the scene of the video below a song by drake called headlines, in this video there is great use of mirroring and in switches colour or positioning according to the constant drone in the background in the track, making the audience enjoy the beat a lot more. m

There is great use of music to display in this video as I click in the video, the scene in the background changes size, becoming wider.

There is also a change in clothing in this scene

I have worn my hat in a different way making it look more fashionable, which works with the different dressing.

The back ground has also changed, this is now a graffiti background, which is a cropped clip, which looks very hip hop and professional.

Different top and jeans in this scene.

In this music video we have included, dancing which is one main factor usually seen in many hip hop music videos. This is because typically music videos are usually fast beats and a instrumental the listening audience can dance to, hence the party life style and high living.

There is also a great use of effects in this scene as the background is constantly flashing showing the difference in effects used, as initially this is a green screen clip, however we have saturated it and used the Chroma key to take out all the green and insert another clip in the background creating a great effect. As the black and white mixes with the colour background.

However the dressing in this particular scene is a bit indie however it mixes well with the hip hop feel of the video challenging but also emphasizing the fashion convention in this hip hop music video. The dance also has a snap back which mixes the different fashions making them work together, and make a great match.