Production Log- Filming week

9/10/10 - Took the camera out for 1 hour and filmed a bit however ran into a few problems concerning the model for the music video

10/10/10 - Today we had to change our artist which we was using in the music video. This was due to him being camera shy and therefore we had to look for a more suitable model for the video.

12/10/10 - Took the camera out for 2 hours today and filmed the new model for the music and also considered more possible locations in which to film in.

16/10/10

Audience Research- Vox Pox

Storyboard Part 2

Storyboard Part 1

Potential location shots

Potential car we may use in one scene of the video.

Potential venue of hall used for Pepstar concert.

Another image of the hall for the concert.

Image of props to be used for the concert also.

Further images of the potential location.

Research into the music channel that would exhibit our video

Research into the music channel that would exhibit our video

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Pepstar- Where I'm from lyrics

Verse 1-

Turn my mic up a bit

Yeah

Lets get in 2 it

Yeah …yo pep pep star

East London stand up ..north ..west ..south London stand up ..even up in The midlands ya dun kno

Oi oi and its not even a post code war

Its jus how were living

I’m from where we mostly grown up in a council estate

Probably never seen the day when love cancels to hate

If you’re in the shubz iced out with jewels on display

Jus believe there a bunch of goons with tools on their way

That’s the way it’s always been that’s the way it will stay

Thugs make a bit of money but don't plan their escape

All in the biggest cars and.. Living with their marges

Feeling like a star till their yard gets raid

Laws don't mean a thing

From a place where the government aint took a step in so how the heck can they relate

Where babies have babies like fabolous says one in the hand, pram and one on the way

Thought your hurt man dam then this guy came

Showed her bait of change.. She’s forgotten your name

Failures never our thought now we've forgot you to blame

And we all had targets jus forgotten to aim

-Chorus-

This is were im from ..

And we might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city L.N.D Still

It’s where I’m from

Yeah it’s where I’m from

Still it’s were I’m from

And it might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city LND still

-Verse 2-

I’m from where light skin was the in thing

Now its shottas AC droppers with sick rings

Where even your tight bredrins might show a different side

If you glide ahead of them you never win

See it’s a basic equation

P's brings the status

You’re famous

Now welcome the haters

Any given day you can ask what’s the latest

You'll always hear the same thing coz nothing ever changes

Like he fell in love

She set him up

He got robbed retaliated and he got shot

Now he's locked up, box punching a clock

While she's probably out deer jumping the cock

It’s a lot

Round my zones

Divided by post codes

You could of been a different person if you lived across the road

It’s that serious

Bloody all periods

I know all my London dons are feeling this

-Chorus-

This is were I’m from..

And we might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city L.N.D Still

It’s where I’m from

Uh it’s where I’m from

Yeah it’s were I’m from

And it might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city H.A.C Still

Its where I’m from ..yeah its where I’m from

-Verse 3-

I’m from where there’s been a few success stories

But all the rest I tend to here bore me

You can either kick, spit, legit you’re way out of it

But when all three fails you catch a murder mile in it

Mouthing it

They’re going out of town with it shit

I got a few brothers that were down for it but went down for it

Know a few smart brothers uni or apprenticeships

Know they gotta make it happen

Though we are not meant to win

And not mentioning

Those who kill for there zones like they own it

When there’s youths with no homes shit

Leting on the postcodes don't make no sense

Don't make no pounds don't make no pence

But it’s the mentality

Treated like a mannequin

Don't shoot the messenger

My nigga and be mad at me

Greaze spreads in every spot like acne

Knee deeper you know how that be shit

-Chorus-

This is were I’m from ..

And we might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city L.N.D Still

It’s where I’m from

Yeah it’s where I’m from

Look it’s were I’m from

And it might not be pretty always gritty living in the inner city L.N.D Still

Its where I’m from..yeah its where I’m from

YOU KNOW ITS WHERE I'M FROM!!

Sexual objectification and the 'Male Gaze' - Laura Mulvey

States that the presence of women in videos solely for presentation purposes to appeal to male nature rather than being used for narrative function.

Female on display is passive and objectified for a 'male gaze' regardless of the viewers gender.

Voyeuristic treatment of the female body in 'male' videos, and the use of dancers as adornments to the male ego.

The inclusion of women for display is a staple element in music videos across all genres.

Women connote 'to-be-looked-at-ness' and are merely objects of the 'male gaze'

Feminism/Post Feminism

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Modernism/Post Modernism

Modenism-

is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes both a set of cultural tendencies and an array of associated cultural movement, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The term encompasses the activities and output of those who felt the "traditional" forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization and daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social and political conditions of an emerging fully industrialized world.

Postmodernism- is a tendency in contemporary culture characterized by the rejection of objective truth and global cultural narrative. It emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations; in particular it attacks the use of sharp classifications such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial. Postmodernism has influenced many cultural fields, including literary criticisms, sociology, linguistics, architecture, visual arts, and music.

A postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from modernist approaches that had previously been dominant.

Equipment List

Presentation2

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Images of potential cast

Narrative Theories

A narrative is a story that is created in a constructive format that describes a sequence of fictional or non-fictional events.

There are three main theories on narratives by Tzvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp and Claude Levi-Strauss

Tzvetan Todorov theory of equilibrium:

All stories begin at equilibrium however it is then disrupted, which is set in a motion of events There is then a resolution which results in the creation of a new or different equilibrium.

The chain of events is as follows:

Equilibrium>Disturbance>Resolution>Re-Equilibrium

This is a narrative structure found in most Hollywood films.

Vladimir Propp

• Essentially interested in the narrative of folk tales and identified a theory about folk tales being similar in many ways.
• They were about the same struggle and had the same 'Stock Characters'
• He identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions; they provide a structure for the text.

His list of 'Stock Characters' consisted of:

1. The villain — struggles against the hero.
2. The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
3. The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
4. The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. the hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
5. her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
6. The dispatcher — character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
8. False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

Claude Levi-Strauss: Binary oppositions

Meanings, including narrative, depends on binary oppositions- he explores these in terms of underlying typical themes rather than events.

Conflict helps to drive the narrative.

Man vs Woman

Old vs Young

Hero vs Villain

West vs East

Good vs Bad

Props list

Prop list

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Picture of the storyboard in development

Another shot of storyboard

Picture of plan for video

Picture of Vox Pox construction

Pictures of our research and planning

Pepstar screen grab

Where I'm From video plan

Where I’m From Video Plan

Performers:
The story line of the video is based on a guy rapping about where he is from and his council estate where he lives and what he has seen and what he still sees when growing up and he just wants to give people an insight into his life.
Storyline:
Walking through his estate and rapping about what happens within his estate. Walking through the estate he sees drug dealers and people doing scams in order to make money to survive within the estate itself. Flashback of his girlfriend setting him up and him getting robbed and he goes back for revenge. Trying to get away from the lifestyle estates bring and turns to music.
Scenes
- Walking through council estate
- Viewing people who are doing things to survive by any means necessary
- Sells drugs & gets arrested
- Flashback of being set up by his girlfriend
- Going back for revenge
- Studio shots (performance Shots )
Male:
Walking through the estate looking street like sort of a rough and ready approach to the role (to portray that he is this way due to the estate making him like this way)
Female:
Small role (just sets up the male actor in order to get him robbed pretends to be in love with the male).
Costumes:
Males:
Dark clothing (to add a more serious note to the video to portray the stereotypical view of someone from a council estate so e.g. Black hoodies)
Female:
Bright clothing (nothing to specific) however it is in order to make you stand out during the flashback as it will be in black and white

Print screen of video plan

Analysis of target audience with results

Target audience with results displayed and analysed

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Research into artist (Pepstar) we are producing the track for.

Research into artist (Pepstar) that we are producing the track for.

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Textual Analysis- Rihanna- Rudeboy

Song- Rihanna- Rudeboy

Released- February 19, 2010
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Melina Matsoukas

The genre of this video is R&B. It is a concept based video where Rihanna speaks of her desire to meet a 'rudeboy' who can please her in the ways in which she pleases. This video does not conform to the conventions of videos of this genre.

The use of technical codes to help with the construction of the representations in this video is effective. The camera work in this video for example invites the audience to identify Rihanna as the most dominant and her significance to the video is highlighted by her appearance in the foreground and centre of every frame. In contrast to typical videos of this genre it is the men that are being objectified as Rihanna uses them to appeal to her and please her. This is signified through their presentation in the background of frames and the use of high angle shots. The Mise-en-scene also allows us to construct some representations as Rihanna, like other females in videos like this seems to be dressed provocatively and is performing dances of a provocative nature. However it seems as though she is doing this for her own entertainment purposes and not to appeal to the 'male gaze'. The use of red lipstick also connotes her sexual provocativeness. Rihanna is dressed in revealing clothing and this is an indication of the post feminist beliefs where women assert their right to dress in this nature.

The representation of females in this video contrasts to their stereotypical representation. Because Rihanna is the sole female character in this video the representation is based on her and the audience sees her dominance in the video and this is emphasised through the lyrics as she is looking for a man to use and this is different to the usual objectification of women. The male representation also doesn't conform to the stereotype as men are usually dominant and don't seem to be in this video.

Rihanna is signed to Def Jam records which is a major record label which usually signs artists of this genre. This video featured on MTV, MTV Base, Kiss, Smash Hits, Flava and Channel AKA. This video was requested many times.

The target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. It may be watched by these people for purposes of diversion where they watch it for entertainment and an escape from everyday life. Personal relationship purposes can also be applied as they could watch this video as a basis for conversations. The post feminist values can be applied to this video as Rihanna is shown as a dominant character and she is asserting her right to dress and act provocatively. It however opposes Laura Mulvey's theory that women are objectified in videos as in this video it is the male characters that are being represented in this way. Overall this video does not conform to these stereotypes but the go against these stereotypes which is what makes it unique and suggests its success on the music channels.

Textual Analysis- Kanye West - Gold Digger ft. Jamie Foxx

Song- Kanye West - Gold Digger ft. Jamie Foxx
Released- August 2, 2005
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Hype Williams

The genre of this video is Hip Hop/R&B. It is a concept based video where the lyrics have a strong narrative with Kanye West speaking of 'gold diggers' and how they only get with rich men for their money and have no interest in anything else. This video adheres to the conventions of music videos of this genre.

The technical codes in this concept based video aid the construction of the representation of the characters in this video. The use of Mise-en-scene does this as both artists are wearing appropriate costumes and the use of props that are generic conventions of Hip Hop/R&B videos. Kanye West is wearing a slick shirt and jeans which is a typical costume worn by these artists and Jamie Foxx is wearing an expensive looking white suit which is an indication of his wealth and lifestyle. The females in this video are dressed in sexy outfits and again highlights their objectification as sex objects for the 'male gaze'. They appear half dressed and are wearing skin tight outfits. The camerawork is also effective as it gives an idea of who is dominant and is more important in the video. It is obvious that in this video the two artists are dominant and their superiority is exemplified through the framing as they are always presented in the foreground and centre of every frame. It is also shown through the continuous use of low angle shots to show this. The use of camera again gives an idea of the representation of females as they are always placed in the background when in the same frame as the artists. Also the camera seems to focus on their bodily assets rather that focusing on their face for example.

The representation of the characters in this video does adhere to the stereotypical representations in videos of this genre. There is clear distinction between the importance of male and female characters as the male characters superiority and higher status in the hierarchy is emphasised. The representation of the female characters is again mostly shown through the camerawork as the camera does not seem to be interested in the female characters' facial features but rather their sexual assets as there is more focus on those parts of her body.

Both artists are signed to respectable record labels. Kanye West is associated with GOOD Music which was set up by him, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Records. Jamie Foxx is signed to Def Jam records. This video was played on channels such as Box, MTV Base, Kiss and Channel AKA. Which again are channels that specialise in the Hip Hop/R&B genre.

The target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. Some audiences may watch this video for diversion as an escape from everyday life. They may also watch it for personal relations as a basis of conversation with friends. The Feminism theories can be applied to this website as the women are not being respected but are rather solely for the entertainment of the male audiences. Also Laura Mulvey's theory that females are being used as sex objects for the pleasure of the 'male gaze'. Overall the representations in this video relies on stereotypes and this is what makes it conventional of other videos from this genre.

textual analysis: Keri Hilson - Knock You Down ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo

Song- Keri Hilson - Knock You Down ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo
Released- March 24, 2009
Video type- Concept
Directed by- Chris Robinson

The genre of this song is Hip Hop/R&B. It is a concept based video with the Keri Hilson, Kanye West and Ne-Yo rap/sing about being in deep in love with someone. This video adheres to stereotypes of videos of this genre, however it also goes against some of these stereotypes.

This concept based video uses technical codes to construct the representation of the characters in the video. The use of Mise-en-scene constructs some of these representations as the characters are dressed appropriately for a video of this genre. Keri Hilson is dressed in an appealing nature and the fact that she is lying in a bed and the male character is drawing a portrait of her indicates their equality in terms of hierarchy which does not conform to the stereotypes of videos from this genre. Ne-Yo is dressed smartly and is wearing a top hat which is a convention of R&B singers as they dress in this way. Kanye West is also dressed smartly and do not seem to behave in a similar way to other rappers as he speaks about being in love whereas typically rappers speak about living a good life and having many 'chicks'. The framing also aids the construction of these representations as at each artists' verse they are shown in a M2S with the character they are in love with and the fact that they are positioned so close to each other indicates their affection towards each other. And they seem to be proud of each other as you in one scene where it is a party setting Ne-Yo is there and sees all the pretty females but seems to only be interested in Keri Hilson which again doesn't conform to these stereotypes. The effective use of editing is indicated by the scene where Kanye West is reminiscing on his 'high school sweetheart' in this scene the frame is split into two one with Kanye rapping and the other of a black and white shot of Keri Hilson in a cheerleader outfit. This shot is effective as the use of costume connotes a high school atmosphere and the use of black and white indicates that he reminiscing and it is something that is supposed to have happened beforehand. The fact that both the male and female characters are both presented in the foreground further highlights their equality in importance.

The representation of these characters does not rely as much on stereotypes as most videos. As the female artist and male artists seem to be on the same level of importance indicated by the framing. The use of low angle shots with all the artists shows their dominance and importance. The representation of the male artists is typical to that of R&B artists. In this video women are not being objectified although Keri Hilson seems to be provocatively dressed. The use of many M2S's again represents the affection of the characters and the use of the Keri Hilson lying in bed thinking about the man she is in love with is a stereotype for females as they seem to behave in this way. The fact that both the male and female artists are positioned in the centre of the frame which again signifies their equality in importance to the video.

The artists in this video are signed to mainstream record labels. Keri Hilson is signed to Zone 4, Mosley Music, Interscope. Interscope is a subsidiary owned by Universal Music Group. Ne-Yo is signed to Def Jam Records and Kanye West is associated with GOOD Music which was set up by him, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam Records. This video was played on MTV Base, Kiss, Smash Hits and Channel AKA.

target audience for this video is teenagers and young adults. These audiences may watch this video for entertainment value. But could also watch it for personal identity where they believe that the artists that are presented in the video reflect themselves in some way. They could also watch it for diversion purposes as an escape from everyday life and for surveillance purposes to discover what is going on in the life of their favourite artists. Post-Feminist theories could be applied to this video as Keri Hilson is dressed similarly to the women that you may describe as sex objects in other videos however she is challenging these stereotypes as she is not being objectified but instead is aiming to surpass the male artists instead of being on the same level as them in terms of patriarchal hierarchy. She also seems to represent their idea of the 'female gaze' where women actively desire men and she asserts her rights to be sexually attractive. Overall, although this video does not completely adhere to the stereotypes of music videos of this genre. Nonetheless there are still aspects that fit the typical conventions of videos of this genre.

Textual Analysis: Birdman - Money To Blow ft. Lil Wayne, Drake

Song- Birdman - Money To Blow ft. Lil Wayne, Drake
Released- September 25, 2009
Video type- Performance
Directed by- Gil Green

The genre of this song is Hip Hop. This is a concept based video where the rappers are talking about having money to blow. There are also female characters in this video and yet again the females are used as eye-candy in this video. The lyrics in this song is based on living a luxurious lifestyle as the rappers have multiple cars and jewellery and tattoos which is a convention of song from this genre.

The video is concept based where Birdman, Drake and Lil Wayne rap about living the 'high life' where they have money in excess that they can afford to 'blow'. The Mise-en-scene in this video is effective as the female characters are dressed provocatively wearing lingerie and skin tight leather outfits. There is also use of many expensive looking cars and jewellery worn by the artists which is an indication of the lifestyle they live and the money that the artists are throwing around throughout the video and the expensive outfits and champagne that they are spilling. The use of camera is also essential in the construction of representation as the male characters are presented in the foreground where the female characters are presented in the background. The use of low angle shots of the three artists highlight their dominance and importance to the video. And the fact that the female characters are presented in the background and are mostly framed with MCU's and a focus on their appealing assets.

The representation of the characters in this video relies heavily on stereotypes as the three rappers are represented as dominant and superior in this video as they are perceived to be living a luxurious lifestyle this is shown through the Mise-en-scene with their cars and jewellery. Birdman is covered in tattoos and stands next to all white Lamborghini's and Bentley's this indicates that he is very wealthy as these cars are very expensive he also gives the audience an insight into his jewellery where there is a CU which zooms to a BCU of his jewellery and all the diamonds in it which again reinforces his wealth. Drake is represented in a similar way and is perceived to be a ladies man as in one scene he is rapping with two provocatively dressed ladies on either side of him the fact that he positioned in the centre in the foreground and they are in the background again underlines his superiority and dominance in comparison to the female characters. The representation of Lil Wayne is similar to that of the other two rappers. The representation of the female characters contrasts to this as they are represented as sexual objects used only to appeal to the 'male gaze' which comes from the theory produced by Laura Mulvey. The use of women as objects for the pleasure of men is further emphasised by their positioning in some of the frames as they are positioned next to the other objects that appeal to the male nature such as the expensive cars which shows that they are not appreciated on the same level as the male characters but as objects. Furthermore the use of POV shots also invites the male audience to join in.

All of the artists in this video are signed to respectable record labels. They are all signed to Cash Money Records which is the label set up by Birdman and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. This video was mostly played on MTV Base, Kiss and Flava as they are three mainstream channels that specialise in videos of this genre.

The target audience for this video is also young people aged 16-25. They may watch this video for escapism and diversion purposes where they would watch this for aesthetic appreciation and they may envy the lifestyle of these rappers and attempt to emulate it by aiming to dress similarly and behave in the same manner that they do. Moreover audiences may also watch this video for personal relationship purposes which gives a basis of conversation and social interaction. Yet again the feminist theories could be applied to this video as the female characters are being objectified and remain below the ranking of men in the patriarchal hierarchy.

Textual Analysis: Akon- I wanna love you ft Snoop Dogg

Song- Akon- I wanna love you ft Snoop Dogg
Released- September 14th 2010
Video type- Performance
Produced by- Akon

The music video I will be analysing is Akon- Iwanna love you ft Snoop Dogg produced by Akon. The genre of the song is Hip Hop/R&B. It was released September 14th. This is a performance video where Akon makes use of some seductive female dancers in this video. The females seem to be doing provocative dance moves which matches the lyrics as Akon and Snoop Dogg refer to their interest in the females and their dance moves and this is highlighted by their desire to make love to them.

This video is a performance style video where Akon and Snoop Dogg are rapping/singing while the girls perform their dances. The use of Mise-en-scene in this video is effective. The female characters are dressed provocatively and are dancing with the use of chairs, the use of these props reinforces the idea of the objectification of women. This video is heavily stereotypically based mainly through the use of women as eye candy to appeal to the 'male gaze'. The use of camera in this video is another effective way of portraying the representation of the characters in this video. The two male artists are always presented in the centre of the frame and in the foreground of all the frames to highlight their importance and dominance over the female characters in this video. There is always use of MS and MLS of Snoop Dogg and Akon to show their full outfit and chains to reinforce the typical representation of male characters in Rap videos. There is also many low angle shots of the male characters to further reinforce the idea that they are superior to the female characters in this video. The framing used with the female characters alo gives an indication of their representation as they are mostly positioned in the foreground and the use of CU's on their appealing assets to male audiences is also another convention of music videos from this genre. Also they are presented in the background whenever they are in the same frame as the male characters which again shows that they are inferior to the male characters. All of the technical codes in this video adhere to the typical conventions of a rap video.

The representation of the artists in this video is very stereotypical. These representations are constructed by the use of technical codes. For example the Mise-en-scene the clothing of the male characters is very stereotypical of what you would expect to see a male character in a video of this genre wearing. In some of the scenes Snoop Dogg is wearing a fur coat which looks very expensive which highlights the luxurious lifestyle he lives, Akon is also wearing jewellery which is again another convention of rap videos. The costumes worn by the female characters also contributes to the construction of their representation as they are all provocatively dressed some wearing lingerie which would appeal again to the 'male gaze'. The camerawork also adds to the construction of the representation as the artists are mostly framed in the foreground and are framed using low angle shots to show their supremacy over the female characters. As typically in rap videos the male artist likes to present himself as powerful and 'larger than life'. In contrast to this the female characters are shown as inferior and it is obvious to see that they are only used in this video as eye candy which goes against the beliefs of the feminists as the females are being objectified in this video. Also reinforces the ideas of Laura Mulvey where she says women connote 'to-be-looked-at-ness' and are in the video solely for the purpose of display and have no effect on the narrative. The use of POV shots also invites the male audience to join in. There is also an aerial shot where the females are used solely to create patterns and poses that appeal to the male viewer.

Both artists are signed to respectable record labels. Akon is signed to Universal although he has his own record label 'Konvict Muzik' and Snoop Dogg is signed to Death Row Records. This video came on several music channels, MTV Base, MTV, Kiss and Channel AKA were the main channels to play the video this is because these channels mostly play videos of this genre.

The target audience for this video is young people aged between 16-28. I believe that these people would watch this for entertainment and diversion purposes where they appreciate the aesthetic side to the video, also as a way of filling time. Some audiences may also watch this video for personal relationships as a way of finding a basis for conversation and social interaction to keep up with latest trends set by the characters in this video. The feminist theory can also be applied to this video as the females are being used as sex objects and there is clear distinction between the male and female characters in the video in terms of their positions in the patriarchal hierarchy as the male characters are much more dominant in the video. All of these representations fit into the feminism ideas of the 1960/70's.