Music Video Deconstruction 1: Down with the trumpets - Rizzle kicks

Down with the trumpets released 2011.
Genre: Alternative hiphop.
Good example of use of mise-en-scene, location is constantly being changed throughout the video to keep the audience interested. Director is unknown.

1. Opening shot, narrative close up of  someone putting a tape into a tape player, camera follws the tape.
2. straight cut from the tape to a medium shot of the radio/casette player which we now see has a screen on it.
3. Camera follows the tilted radio and then straight cut or zoom in of it, radio is then picked up camera follows it, panning.
4. Mid angle and mid-shot, we see some of what is behind the radio, introduction of two band members, background also shows some of the mise-en-scene lots of posters on the wall carrying connotations of a boys bedroom (5 seconds)
5. Same kind of shot although the location has changed to a beach kind of festival location.
6. Radio is then put down and band members turn around and the camera follws them before another change in location this time to an estate to appeal to the youth/teen audience.
7. Low angle shot pans up from the ground to the boys, showing the radio is not actually plugged and them wearing trainers.
8. Slight elements of performance passers by dancing, makes the video quite funny and not boring for the audience to watch if the song becomes more popular.
9. Mid long shot of passers by kids on scooters, rewinding of the shots to go with the beat of the music, sounds dj like.
10. Band members dressed in youth atire such as baseball caps trainers and hoodies alkthough they challenge this by dealing trumpets not drugs.
11. Joke around sucj the trumpet and falls back onto the grass like he would if you were drunk,smoking or high which is what people generalise all teens ans interested in doing.
12. Repeats previous shots to go with the screeching of the record player

Music video conventions

After looking at a variety different kinds of music videos such a performance, narrative and concept. The general conventions all seem apparent

• Performance clips and band shots

• Fast-pace of editing takes are usually no longer than 5 

  seconds.

• Mainly straight cuts to show mise en scene

• Bright lighting

• High angle/low angle depending on the tracks genre

• Bright colours against black and white background to 

make an object or solo artist stand out

• Panning

• Editing to reflect pace of music

• Special lighting effects eg colour

• High lighting

• Equal division of shots for bands' members unless there is 

a main singer

• Whole band shots show togetherness always in boy bands 

particularly

• No real sound effects

• Colour effects – often monochrome (various tones in only 

one colour)

• Dubbed sound (re-recording sound and putting it over the 

top ie. lip syncing

• Zooming out to show mise-en-scene

• Shadows

• Mise-en-scène reflects atmosphere

Challenges with creating a female music video

There are obvious conventions of female solo artists videos, with mainly trying to appeal to the audience of teenagers and younger (tweenagers) but the nudity and sexuality to also attract male audiences using the 'male gaze theory' this is a problem if our class or a group in the class decided to do a female solo artist video as theres a level you can go to with some of these conventions that have to be appropriate as the video will be associated with our school. Some of these artists include Nicki Minaj  Rihanna  Beyonce  Lady Gaga and many others. Similar conventions are present in Girl bands with examples such as Girls Aloud, Destinys child, The Spice Girls etc.
In female artists videos that feature male (often rapping/r&b) artists the extent of sexism is shown to be still there although the artists play up to this which shows us they are trying to appear to the male audience to increase sales. These solo artists videos tend to be performance videos that include lots of visual so they can be repeatedly played for youtube hits and success
Men often appear as 'players' and act superior to women in the videos with the women accepting this and acting as a toy of theres simply used for entertainment. A good example of this is California Gurls video by Katie Perry feauturing Snoop Dog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F57P9C4SAW4&ob=av3e) 
or again in Love sex magic with Justin Timberlake and Ciara when at the beginning (0:05) she is featured in chains.
Bizarre videos are used by female artists such as lady gaga because if a video is talked about in a good or bad way it could become viral, people have more awareness of the video it will get more hits females are especially good at doing this eg Lady Gaga aswell as boyband and rockbands having a narrative video instead of performance onces for example The doors.