Going into this task i believe we had an advantage as i was in contact with several producers and artistic people alike who make music.
Soundcloud
Soundcloud was a site i was already familiar with, i already had an account of which i shared music on. I also use this platform to interact with other artists and it's convinient as it is just so simple to use and free although recently it introduced a new upgraded feature that restricts some professional songs unless you pay for the 'full' version, which was an annoyance as the whole point of Soundcloud was to give amateur artists a platform but now however it still works as the amateur artists' music is still free to checkout, like and share.
Immediately i had a few artist in mind that i wanted to use...
During summer i was working with a producer that a close friend put me on to. My friend also put me on to this artist (Woddy Green) who had worked with and was in a collective with the producer.
He had just dropped a mixtape 'Taped in Green' which he released on his Soundcloud account several months ago, as he was an unsigned artist there was multiple songs to choose from.
Conviniently i had just spoken to him a month ago regarding music and projects he was working on so i already felt like he was someone who i knew we could easily work with as he was very forward thinking and open minded as we bounced ideas off each other.
J Antz is an artist from London that i was also introduced to by a friend, regarding a proposition of a collaboration. I started listening to his content on Soundcloud and have been enjoying his content ever since.
I have him on certain social media sites therefore it wouldn't be difficult to contact him regarding this project plus.
If we worked with this artist i would be partial to using his track 'Vybe with me' to create a video.
It happens to be my favourite track by this artist and it reminds me lyrically of music videos that i am fond of such as 'Nothin but Love' - BJ The Chicago Kid and Joey Bada$$, Exchange, Just another Interlude - Bryson Tiller and L$D - A$AP Rocky.
ASAP Rocky in a still from his 2015 music video, L$D
Inspiration from other existing videos...
Constructing this task i new that we wouldn't have the luxuries of a budget from setting, cast and props therefore i though of effective music videos that seemed relatively easy to create
When i die - goldlink
Easy Easy - King Krule
I Need - Maverick Sabre
Caroline - Amine
Here - Alessia Cara
Seminal Music Video Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana were a band from Seattle, Washington who rose to fame in the early 90s in large part to their studio album 'Nevermind' which featured perhaps their biggest hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.
The band consisted of drummer Dave Grohl, bass guitarist Krsit Novoselic and frontman Kurt Cobain.
Technical Aspects
Mise En Scene The music video is set in a school gymnasium and is filled with everything you ordinarily expect to see in it, a basketball hoop, crowd seats etc.
As there a cheerleaders in the middle of the gym you expect to see vibrant colours however the dull greyish mise en scene jars with our typical idea of what a packed out celebratory gym would look like.Nirvana play there set in the middle of the gym next to the cheerleaders and its almost as if they are orchestrating the chaos that is transpiring around them as the crowd goes crazy to the grunge they play. Camera Work Sound
The genre of the music played in the video is grunge, which is rather slurred and this is mirrored by the visuals.
At times during the song the lyrics are shouted which again incites chaos, the crowd cheer harder and more aggressively.
Editing Kendrick Lamar - Alright
Kendrick Lamar is a rapper from Compton, California. Born in the late 80s he's writes often about growing up in an era rife with crime, corruption and the constant reminder that the threat of death is always waiting around the corner.
Technical Aspects
Mise En Scene
The video is shot entirely in black and white which gives it a retro feel however it also hints at an element of timelessness something which rings true in his lyrical content as well. Props such as the police's cars and guns highlight their power and authority in the video, something which resonates throughout the video up until the dramatic climax where the subject of the film is shot a policeman who does so coldly with no remorse, this is highlighted by his emotionless expression and the fact that the act is carried out simply with his hands and without the prop of the gun which is a metaphor for the ease in which he murder's Kendrick's character.
Camera Work The production is peppered with close-ups of props, in particular the camera focuses on the prop of the policeman's gun. It does toward the middle of the video and near the end of the video to highlight the impact of the police's physical authority in the street. Sound
The track is introduced by the artist's voice speaking to the audience, he's setting the scene and painting a picture. His attempts to reason with those who mis-use their position of authority - police in america.
The name and chorus of the song are extremely fitting, especially at the time the track dropped. It was during a time of racial and political unrest as essentially african americans were being unjustly murdered by the police.
The track ends in a similar fashion to the intro, Kendrick speaks as an ambient instrumental plays in the background which is effective as it contrasts with the upbeat tone of the song and reinforces the seriousness of the production.
Editing
One of the most apparent pieces of editing in this video is that the subject character is levitating throughout the video, this give the character a 'spiritual like' presence which with the theme of the video with young black men dying is apt.
History and Conventions
Hip Hop was born in the 1970s in the South Bronx, New York City by African and Puerto Rican Americans although it has Jamaican origins. It was a movement that manifested itself in art most synonymous however with music, dance and fashion. The youth would go to clubs and gatherings where they would showcase their best dance moves and styles. Many youngsters in each of the four boroughs of america would spray paint walls, bridges and trains so that everyone would see their tag.
In clubs Disk Jockeys (DJ's) were often seen as the coolest people, they selected what was played and controlled the whole mood and atmosphere of an environment, as they became more skilled at they're craft they quickly began to make names for themselves. Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) was the most notorious for-father of the art of mixing, cutting and DJ-ing, part of his story is featured in the 2016 Netflix series 'The Get Down' written by Baz Lurhman which depicts the lives of the youth in New York in the 1970s who are at the forefront of the Hip-Hop movement.
Soon wordsmiths began to rhyme and recite poetry over the beats mixed and crafted by the DJ's, this became known as Raps.
1980s
In the 80's groups and collectives began to appear and become recognised not just regionally or nationally but globally. Rap music was commercially doing well which was a surprise to some as it came up from the underground circuit and many of the artists started off simply on the streets, battle-rapping and performing in clubs.
(Run Dmc and A Tribe Called Quest)
Shoe endorsements for hip-hop artists were first introduced in the 1980's, most notoriously with the collective Run- Dmc who were sponsored by Adidas, a company who still endorse rap artists today including A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Pusha T and Kanye West.
Perhaps the most relevant artists from the 80's are the group NWA who inspired countless rappers that are thriving in the game today like Kendrick Lamar and his collective Black Hippy which also includes Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and AB-Soul.
NWA were the subject of the 2015 biopic smash hit 'Straight Outta Compton' that tackled issues of race, police brutality and educated the audience on the origins of rap in L.A in the mid-early 80's.
1990s
The 90s was perhaps the golden age of rap, artists such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Jay-z, Nas and Snoop Dogg rained supreme alongside the likes of NWA with Ice Cube, Dr Dre and Eazy E.
However the 90's was rife with murder, gang violence and illegality in the streets and in the music industry. The two biggest rappers in the game sparked a rivalry which was blown outward by the media, Tupac from L.A and Biggie from New York were involved in a bitter war of East coast vs West coast which lasted less than a decade and unfortunately in the suspected death of the both of them Tupac 1996 and B.I.G 1997 although both murders were never solved. Both artists released diss tracks aimed at exposing and humiliating each other, something which became a bit of a trend in the decade. Jay - z and Nas sent for one another as well as Ice Cube and NWA.
(Nas, Tupac and Snoop Dogg)
The styles and fashions of the 1990s in hip-hop was baggy and expensive. Big chains, baggy jeans, white t-shirts and timberlands were a common site amongst fans and rap artists alike. Denim was also very in much fashion with items such as jean jackets and dungarees'.
2000s
Since the turn of the century Hip-Hop/ Rap has seen its biggest shift in interpretation and innovation with the introduction of alternative styles such as Drill, Trap and it's responsible for inspiring international artists from all over the world in sub-genres of rap such as grime. Mainstream rap artists such as A$AP Rocky and Kanye West tend to be well rounded musicians that delve into several genres outside of hip/hop in the aim to find that new innovative sound that they relentlessly search for.
The Kanye Years (2003 - present)
Kanye West is without doubt the 'most relevant voice past the age of 35'. West is a model student of the rap game and he is now a role model to young and upcoming artists. For years he studied the art of rhyming whilst he tried to break onto the hip-hop scene, it was a long struggle as he had already become notorious for his beats that he crafted as a youth and people want to hear him they simply only wanted his instrumentals.
After a tragic car accident he dropped his single 'Through the Wire', which he recorded with his jaw wired shut (hence the song name) he finally began to make waves and since then he never looked back, Roc Boys finally put him on and allowed him to create as an artist with full backing and soon enough 'The College Dropout' was released and it revolutionised everything about the game.
Hot Nigga - Bobby Shmurda (2014)
This 2014 song embodies this 21st century movement of innovation in the genre, artist Bobby Shmurda from Brooklyn, New York is categorised as a trap/drill artist and was experiencing mainstream success and gaining worldwide recognition before his arrest the year following, shortly after the release of his 2014 hit song Bobby Bitch.
The success of his single ' Hot Nigga' was helped by it's popular dance named the 'shmoney dance' something which took off and trended worldwide most likely due to social media buzz through sites such as Vine and Instagram with athletes, celebrities and other artists seen replicating the dance.
Present Day
The modern day hip-hop artist is typically versatile and dabbles in producing as well as writing and rapping. Fashion has always been at the forefront of the hip-hop movement and today is no different than before, today you can almost identify different sub-genres of hip-hop by the way they dress and their accessories. Artists such as A$AP Rocky and Kanye West strive for high fashion looks, they attend fashion shows and have their own collections, they even have their own shoe deals respectively.
(Kanye at his own Yeezy season 2 fashion show, sporting his own adidas signature shoe - Yeezy 750)
A Digipak is essentially the cover of a CD however it offers much more than just a simple diagram, it is typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs.
The front of the digipack often shows an image of the artist accompanied by their name and names of the album/ single being released plus other credits such as record labels. If the content is explicit which the one above happens to be then the cover will be marked with a logo signifying 'explicit content', which is usually positioned to the bottom left of a CD digipak.
Here is a typical example of the net and layout of a digipak. The back cover features the soundtrack of the album from first to last (often in chronological order).
This is a prime example of a promotional poster for the release of an album.
It features the artist (Plan B) to the bottom right of the page, accompanied by the album name and tour dates beneath it in smaller text. Magazine Adverts
Similar to CD covers magazine covers feature texts and an image.
This recent edition of XXL (right) features a cover artist (Kendrick Lamar) amongst texts around him including his name in bold branded most centrally to the magazine cover.
Next to him on the right hand side lies a collection of names of other artists and topics to be mentioned inside the magazine such as Rick Ross, Ty Dolla Sign and Bryson Tiller.
To the right is another issue of XXL this time featuring cover artist Jay-Z regarding his album , 'The Blueprint 3' which officially dropped on the 8th September 2009.
The cover is effective as it has the subject central and he can be seen towering above New York City amongst other sky scrapers.
Similarly both covers are peppered with Red and stick to neutral colours, white, black and grey.
Technical Skills - Camera Dolly
Becoming more familiar with the equipment we were introduced to the camera dolly. Personally i was eager to get a chance to work with it as i knew it was effective at giving us a collection of professional shots, something that would come in handy in any future production. From previous tasks i could appreciate that a steady camera will increase the quality of production and will mean that you wont have to spend considerable time in post-production correcting errors.
Our camera dolly ran on a basic straight track compiled by plastic poles, typically bigger productions have longer and more luxurious equipment however the principle is the same, the dolly enabled us to get...
Tilting shots - where we could capture footage that allows us to tilt upwards or down a character or subject, the dolly will stabilise the shot being performed and create a smoother effect
Panning Shots - that enables us to pan across rooms and people in a steady and professional fashion from a still or moving position, something that would be difficult if one was trying to use a handheld. It would also result in us having more flexibility with cuts and scene length, productions like 'Birdman' ( 2014, Inarritu ) appear to be all one scene however clever camera pans make it seem this way.
Tracking shots - these let us follow a subject from several angles, its effective as it throws the audience into the action of the shot, this effect is demonstrated below.
Technical Skills - Green Screen
For the filming of our initial music videos we were introduced to green screens.
Green screens are used in television, film and in other media circles. (Green Screen being used during filming for one of the instalments in 'The Avengers' franchise)
The screens are simply single coloured backgrounds that are removed in post - production via the process of chroma keying and replaced with an alternative background of choice.
These screens are often referred to as 'green screens' as green is the most common colour for them however blue screens are also used.
During summer i was working with a producer that a close friend put me on to. My friend also put me on to this artist (Woddy Green) who had worked with and was in a collective with the producer.
