Richard Tubman:
Video 1: Keep Movin On – Vinnie Paz ft. Shara Worden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXlPd0H1MU
I have selected this video to analyze because it is in the hip hop genre that I would love to make a video for. And again further into the underground hip hop scene. This is type of video which is a strong narrative base and also has the right mood for an effective video to be created. First of all I will start with the performance elements of the song. All of the performance is done on a black screen in the back ground at around the medium/close up shot range. The camera is active constantly zooming in and out of his face not to make the shots static and uninteresting. He is not wearing the typical costume you’d expect a rapper to wear. And that’s a strong point in this song is that it is not a typical mainstream rap/hip hop song. It is something deeper and different to that product. The costume he wears could also convey that he is serious in this song as apposed to other songs by the artist which contains him wearing street clothes. He is rapping for a purpose and this is conveyed through his suit jacket and hat, showing that he is not just rapping about the streets and the generic rap product. There are also close up female performances which add effect to the song. They also use a filter on the video; they add a sepia tone onto the video and increase the brightness on the performers. This adds good effect as the light on them is showing the good side of them and the good that they stand for while rapping this song. There is a variety of shots in the narrative parts of the song. A lot of them are long shots and close ups however. The whole narrative part except from the flashbacks of his earlier life tend to nearly all is in slow motion, which adds effect to the actions of the narrative. How he loses his job and house, the emotion is given greater effect when it is slowed, and it is the opposite of the usual hip hop editing given to videos but in this instance it works. The target audience for this video would be people who have been following the underground hip hop scene, especially Jedi Mind Tricks; this is the type of audience not bothered by the mainstream rap scene and look for something different and meaningful. But the audience for this song is greater than this as well however as this is the first video of his debut solo album so it will be released to a greater spectrum of people allowing other rap followers to get into the underground scene.
Video 2: Ill Bill – Society is brainwashed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjNmGsQ16Vg
This video again comes from the underground hip hop scene. The mood in this video is darker and more sinister than the previous one due to the subject matter. This is a performance video as it has no real narrative video to support the performance, just different clips of random political and religious clips which society is supposedly getting brainwashed with. The performance shots in this video are very dark. The lighting is very yellowish on his face and body and around him it is hard to see anything. He is always sitting in the same place also; there is no variation in the backgrounds or locations like in the last video where it was just against one backdrop. Nearly all the shots that are taken are medium shots and the angles change regularly to keep the shots looking active and interesting. Again this is a change from the mainstream rap scene as it is a song which is talking about something deeper than what the subject in the mainstream rap talk about. These are deep political issues being thrown at you in a dark song to make you understand better. The TV screens which are around him while he is performing adds effect because it shows in an exaggerated manner the things that people get brainwashed by, and he shows that he is not bothered by these things, its more showing you what you are being brainwashed with and telling you why. The target audience once again is the followers of underground hip hop but also the mainstream is targeted with this video as well as he is appealing to the general society and explaining why people are being brainwashed. These people would pay attention to this song and be interested, wanting to listen to more of his songs to understand why he’d make a song like that.
Video 3: Wu-tang clan – Protect your neck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCZrz8siv4Q
This video is a more traditional rap song/video. The genre is no longer underground hip hop and has moved onto west-coast hip hop. Which is more mainstream as the Wu-tang clan are more famous than the previous two artists I have looked at. This video is entirely performance but it does deliver great effect because it is filmed in their hood of New York, the camera quality is gritty, the camera is always moving even though most of the angles are mid shots. The rappers are very active when they rap with hand actions and moving about. They also have angry/intimidating facial expressions which could convey threat they are trying to send a message to the music scene to say we are here as this song introduces the Wu-tang clan, with their own lyrical introductions and the text introductions. A lot of the performance is filmed in black in white as well to add to the effect of the location they are in. Showing that they come from a rough area which has been exaggerated by excluding all colour from the scenes. They are also surrounded by a lot of other people, which would be perceived as being in their posse. There is a substantial amount of people around them which shows that they have a big posse and are a powerful group not to be messed with. The target audience for this video would be mainly at the time fellow people in their area and scene where they are trying to make a statement. But also they are aiming for the mainstream audience; to set this song out a long side other popular rap songs at the time would be a something different. While the mainstream rap at that time was east-coast gangster rap, this bring a new element of faster lyrical skill along side the gangster rap and contrasts with it and makes thw Wu-tang clan stand out.
DVD cover 1: Wu-tang clan – Legend of the Wu-tang, the videos
This is the first DVD I have looked at and it is of the Wu-Tang clan, it is not so much an album realised by them in their active stage but a greatest hits type album. The prominent thing on the cover is the logo which takes over just over half the cover. The logo is an important part of the Wu-tang clan as it shows the element of their shaolin style which they imply into their instrumentals and lyrics. Their logo has the essence of a Chinese emblem while also making a W. The text on the cover is simplistic and the font is not anything out of the ordinary. It is simply easy to read. There are no pictures of any of the rappers on the cover either. This maybe because it might become convoluted as there are 9 rappers in the Wu-Tang or that they are just trying to keep the cover simplistic. Either way this cover is effective and gritty due to the stone type background which the cover has, with the logo bevelled out from the rest of the background to stand out.
DVD cover 2: Dr dre – Up in smoke tour
This is the next DVD cover I looked at which is of Dr. dre’s up in smoke tour. This is different to the last cover because it is a live gig compared to a album cover so the cover is a lot more active. With various shots of the performance dotted on the cover. There are pictures of the rappers this time around and they all look intimidating on the cover. The fonts are also more adventurous than the last cover, using grittier fonts which fit with the title of the tour. The text changes colour from white to green to fit the title of the tour also and it also fits from dr dres previous album cover which has green text on it also. There is a small description on the back which introduces the DVD and then there is a large track list, followed by the bonuses and the disclaimers. All of the usual DVD logos are on the back excluding the parental advisory logo, which needs to be on the front to warn people before they even pick up the DVD that this will contain explicit language.DVD 3: Eminem – Live in New York City
This DVD cover incorporates a different style to the others I have seen. It is no longer dark and gritty but this one is bright and full of colour. It appears that there is an eruption coming from eminem and this could be suggesting the energy that he gives off during his concerts. This cover is dissimilar to the to dr dre’s live cover as there are little pictures on the cover, and the back is full of text, probably more than is needed for the back of a live performance cover. This cover looks like it has been manufactured for more than just a rap audience; the first reason for this is the lack of a parental advisory logo. This suggests that eminems songs will be censored. Making the songs appeal then to a younger audience because there is no fear of profanities throughout the DVD. Another reason for this is because of the bright colours. It is unusual for rap to be advertised with bright colours, this is done to catch more people attention to the DVD and give it more of a pop type feel to it, even though it is keeping a heavy rap theme on the cover. This is a cover I am less likely to take inspiration off for one of my own.
Advert 1: Wu-tang clan - Wu Tang Forever
This is a poster for one of the Wu-Tang clan albums, Wu tang forever. It is different from the previous Wu-tang items that I have looked at because it was released later than the others, so this design looks more modern than the rest of them. The text is less gritty. This could be to appeal to a wider audience. As people already know what they are about so they can make their campaign more appealing to the eye and allow other people to get into it as well. The logo is once again a prominent feature on the advert. The motif of the globe behind it is a good implication of how big they intend to be and what there aims are. The main title font is similar to the ones on the DVD cover. Another thing to note is that this time they have included the pictures of the rappers in it. It works well and they are in dark lighting conditions which is a common rap trait which I have noted, which gives them the intimidating, street effect.
Advert 2: Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
This advert is dissimilar to the eminem DVD cover that I have analysed. This style of advert is a lot more street than the DVD cover. The picture is the main feature on the advert with eminem taking the centre. He is dressed in baggy trousers and a large coat with a hat stereotypical of a rapper and gangster rappers. Behind him further exaggerates the gangster rapper side by including a low rider, which is a typical vehicle in the west coast hoods. The font that is used for eminem is the same font which he has always used for that title, keeping consistency throughout. The font underneath is quite sketchy and cartoon-ish, this fits with eminems lyrical style, as he has jokes in his songs and doesn’t always release the most serious songs.
Advert 3: 2pac - Trapped
This is an advert for 2pacs debut album. This is sticking with the west coast gangster rap genre. The feature that stuck out to me the most the 2pac logo, the black background on the logo takes the shape of a gun which is a typical weapon used in the west coast ghettos. The main picture is very gritty and shows how children who live in these areas can not have freedom from the life which they live. This mood is brought on even more because the poster is in black and white, making the poster darker. The font on trapped works well and so does the font on the logo. There is a small chunk of information in the corner unlike the other two adverts which I find useful because people have more information about the album as the other two may leave people confused.
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