After knowing my chosen song, I then researched other music within this genre that share similar sounds and that had a music video to see typical conventions of this particular genre.
Rihanna - If It's Lovin' That You Want shot in California, released in 2005 from Rihanna's first album Music Of The Sun.
The establishing shot is of an ocean wave automatically giving the audience an idea of where this video is set leading to a close up of her face, this shows off her beauty and her well done make-up. We see her in the water riding a jet-ski with other people and then her dancing on the beach. The whole video is set on the beach using a variety of shots from close-ups, to mid-shots, to long/wide shots. The close-ups emphasise her facial expressions whilst seeing her sing along to the lyrics with a slight smile whilst doing so, this sets the mood of the song and creates an impression on the audience. There is intertextuality in this video where there is a long shot of Rihanna dancing with the four women dancers who are in white shorts, this dance routine is also seen in Aaliyah's Rock The Boat music video from 2001, with the female dancers wearing white shorts doing similar dance moves. Towards the end of the video where Rihanna is dancing on the beach at night time, the sand sculptures in the mise-en-scene are in fact a sculpture of the Barbados flag, this shows that Rihanna is showing her Bajan roots in the video.
Rihanna - Rude Boy, released in 2010 from the album 'Rated R'. The whole video is filmed with a greenscreen and the costumes reflecting her Caribbean roots as the costumes are Jamaican dance-hall type. The use of bright colours throughout the whole video also highlights the Caribbean roots of the music and the artist whilst doing some typical Caribbean dance moves. The editing follows the regular beats of the music and the tempo.There are more long shots to show Rihanna's body and showing off her costumes. The close-ups show her make-up, unique hairstyles and her lips singing along to the lyrics. In this video Rihanna does typical Caribbean dance moves such as the bogle and dutty wine.
Alison Hinds - Roll It Gal, released in 2005 in Barbados and 2007 in England from the album Soca Queen. There are various locations in this video such as beaches, streets and with a lot of people dancing around and towards the end a dance scene with a lot of people in like a club, showing the Caribbean culture of partying and having fun along with the music. A lot of bright colours are used in the mise-en-scene in terms of background and costumes representing the Caribbean culture being bright and vibrant. A range of shots with quick movements of the camera reflecting the music and energy.
Sean Kingston Ft. Nicki Minaj - Letting Go (Dutty Love) released in 2010. The video takes place in a dance-hall Jamaica. The lighting is dim with a few lights around to give it the authentic Jamaican club look as well as it looking very hot as people are wearing shorts and dresses. Throughout the video there are people dancing in the middle of the floor, this is a typical convention in a Caribbean music video. A lot of fast movements with the camera are shown and hand-held shots, this gives the impression of the camera being one of the people in the crowd dancing highlighting how people are having fun and enjoying the music. There are various shots of men cutting coconuts, which is very common in the Caribbean islands, this signifies the Caribbean roots. In the mise-en-scene the colours show a lot of green and yellow and black, this represents the Jamaican culture as these are the colours of the Jamaican flag.
This is Cover Drive's most recent music video featuring Dappy, filmed in East London.
The concept of this video is the band competing in a battle of the bands with Dappy being one of the judges. The main mise-en-scene is representing a small Caribbean party, which is shown through the props for example the Bajan flag on the wall that we see. The beginning of the video starts with a band in the club just finishing and showing the judges face expressions showing that they did not enjoy this performance, this is when Cover Drive enter. The crowd start to liven up as well as the judges automatically showing that they like this band, making them look better than the previous band who had just performed before them. The lighting is quite dim, however when they are performing the chorus, more lights on stage flash - green and orange, these colours portray the Caribbean feel to the video and mise-en-scene. Amanda is only wearing one costume in this video and wearing a fashionable top and regular jeans with boots. This music video is pretty much about enjoying the music. The editing is reflected by the musical beats as the tempo is fast paced making the video flow easily. There are a lot of long/wide shots to highlight the mise-en-scene and to see the band performing as well as close ups, especially of Amanda to show her costume.
The chorus is then repeated, this reinforces the idea behind the song of having fun and doing it 'Bajan style' meaning that Bajan people enjoy their life to the fullest therefore encouraging people who aren't Bajan to follow this. The main idea of the song is explained through the lyrics, a simple message of just listening to the music and enjoying it through the Bajan culture.
After analyising the lyrics, I have decided that for one scene in my video I will have people having fun, dancing and enjoying the music to represent the song and also because it is about people doing it Bajan style in maybe like a club/party. I feel that showing that it's not filmed in Barbados will highlight that idea of no matter who you are or where you are, you can still do it Bajan style and enjoy life, its all about showing and teaching the Bajan culture to the rest of the world.
However since I am focusing on the lead singer and using her as a solo artist for my music video, here are pictures of her and her styles.
As you can see by these pictures of Amanda Reifer, the lead singer of the band, she tends to wear either high heels or doc Marten shoes, bright trousers either plane or patterned and sometimes patterned leggings, red lipstick and tight tops to show off her figure with big hair either let down or tied up with hoop earrings as well as one or two rings. The bright clothes can emphasise her Caribbean influence, which also reflects the music that she performs this is important as it automatically shows what genre the music is making the audience aware of what to hear and see in the sense of the style of the artist, video and the music. Amanda recently said in an MTV interview that her fashion style was more 'tom-boyish' and she'd prefer to wear trousers than dresses on stage as she likes to move around a lot. This is very useful for me as I know certainly what my costumes should be for the music video to play the role of Amanda. Amanda wears different things for when she performs and when she is in her music videos. For example wearing the comfortable clothing when performing:
In comparison to when she is in music videos, she will wear more stylish clothes such as dresses and high heels like in Lick Ya Down and Twilight.
Twilight
Lick Ya Down
Similar artists to Amanda Reifer would be singers such as Shontelle and Rihanna, whom are also Bajans.
Images of Shontelle:
Images of Rihanna:
I feel that the earlier years of Rihanna are more similar to Amanda Reifer in terms of clothing and style and also similar to Shontelle as the make-up is clean and looks very natural, earrings and limited jewellery, fashionable clothing and loose hair or tied up. These 3 females will be my main inspirations for playing the role of Amanda in the music video.
The song by Cover Drive that I will be using is called Bajan Style. I feel this song is the type of the song where everyone from all ages can enjoy as it is just about having fun and letting loose and that can be aimed at all ages, but particularly younger people to young adults from ages 15-25. I feel the song is very different and new to the British audience as it is a genre we do not hear often in the charts. I feel that as this song is a Caribbean song, I wanted to challenge conventions as the song is about 'doing it Bajan Style' I would have to shoot it in England but i feel that the lyrics aren't necessarily about being in the Caribbean but to spread the Caribbean culture to the whole world, so by shooting it in England, it shows that the Bajan culture is being reached to all parts of the world and it shouldn't matter where in the world it should be shot as it is about doing it Bajan Style no matter who you are or where you are.
Here are the lyrics to the song:
Me and my boys got the crowd on lock. Got the people jumping no they just won't stop, Why you gotta stand there with your arms crossed tight, You need to loosen up and do it Bajan Style, Oh! Don't you know we chill like that. Oh! Let the music wind you back, Oh! Keep talking see my eyes roll back, Don't you go and give yourself a heart attack, Nothing can stand in your way, If music flows in your veins, Dance all your troubles away, Lay back cause that's how we play, You need to do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it, Yo, yo tell dem how we do it, a yo! A yo! Me and my boys gatta appetite for life We know what we want and we do what we like, Why don't you let go of all the things on your mind, Try to loosen up and do it Bajan Style, Oh! Don't you know we chill like that. Oh! Let the music wined you back, Oh! Keep talking see my eyes roll back, Don't you go and give yourself a heart attack, Nothing can stand in your way, If music flows in your veins, Dance all your troubles away, Lay back cause that's how we play, You need to do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it! You gotta learn to sit pon de riddim sway with the music, Oh yeahh, oh yeahh De music got to sink into your system you cannot refuse it. Oh yeahh, oh yeahh Oh oh oh Ohhh! Nothing can stand in your way, If music flows in your vains, Oh oh oh ohhh! Dance all your troubles away, Lay back cause that's how we play, You need to do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it Bajan Style, You need to do it Bajan Style, That's How we do it!
Here is a live version of the song. As I will be playing the role of Amanda, I am observing how she moves when she sings as I can then imitate these actions and moves for the video.
Far East Movement Ft. Cover Drive - Turn Up The Love.
In this video, Amanda has two costumes, one dressed in simple jeans and white top and then the other costume wearing trousers, a small top and a jacket with her hair done and also wearing bright red lipstick. Everyone in the video are all dressed looking unique in bright clothing, this reflects the style and genre of the song as it is a loud, fast song. The effects used such as the transitions are often and the same throughout the video as it highlights the music and the beat. The people in the mise-en-scene are all having fun, jumping and dancing around with bright lights illustrating that this a feel good, dance song.
Here are three videos from Cover Drive that have already been released:
This is Cover Drive's first music video released in August 2011, Lick Ya Down (Bajan term to knock someone over). The costumes used in this video on Amanda is a white, tight tank top with tight patterned leggings, purple and orange, orange high heels, big curly hair and natural looking make-up. By wearing these clothes it reflects the genre of music, the Caribbean steel drums with the Bajan phrases in the lyrics. The video starts with the band arriving at a party and its night time, a lot of close ups and mid-shots are used at this point. As Amanda starts singing, the camera has close ups of her singing so we can see her singing along to the words and mid-shots to see her costume. The lighting used is dark with only a few spotlights on them with a orange tint, which again highlights the Caribbean style to it. There are some parts of the video where Amanda is standing and the mise-en-scene is just a patterned wall with the spotlight on her, the lighting here is also dark with a blue tinted spotlight with close-ups of her face showing her singing along with the lyrics. Amanda is then a dark room with other people in the mise-en-scene and there are low angle shots of her singing to the camera, fast paced movement to match the tempo of the music showing that they are in some sort of party, again highlighting the style of music. She seems to have quite an aggressive attitude whilst singing along the words, expressing the meaning behind the lyrics. Whilst the chorus is playing, the band appear in a room performing the song to a crowd, with the lyrics appearing on screen. Second verse starts and the lighting is slightly different here as there are different colours being used, in this scene there is a green, blue, orange and white lights, again reflecting the colourful Caribbean party scene. Throughout the video, the lyrics appear on screen, which are mainly the Bajan phrases such as the title 'lick ya down', 'mek you sweat' and 'cha dread', these emphasises the Caribbean genre to it. The last scene is the band by a pool and the people seen in the mise-en-scene are having fun, having a good time and jumping into the pool, which displays the music as the music is like a party anthem, fast paced and upbeat, making the audience want to join in. The video does not necessarily portray the lyrics in the narrative as we do not see a guy cheating on Amanda but it is shown through her use of body language and attitude whilst singing along the song, as well as the use of dark lighting and mise-en-scenes.
This is Cover Drive's second single, Twilight released in January 2012 reaching no.1 on the charts. In this video, Amanda is wearing a white, tight tank top and black tight trousers, very simple.
The establishing shot starts with a bright mise-en-scene with the sun in the background and close ups and mid shots of each band member, introducing each member to the audience. The band are together appearing in front of a patterned background (similar to Lick Ya Down) with low angle shots singing to the camera. Throughout the video, it shows each band member in a different area doing their own thing, for example the drummer T-Ray is at the barber shop, guitarist Barry is in the car, Amanda picking up food and Jamar playing dominos with elderly men and then they all come together. The cuts occur when the beats are heard, reflecting the music. Each shot that is being shown are all bright, with natural lighting from the sun as well as artificial lighting used by spotlights. There are various shots of young people dancing along to the music or standing still, this can show the audience the different ages of people who enjoy the song as there are shots of young children and then some of elderly people. When the chorus is playing, and the word 'Twilight' is heard, the camera tilts upwards towards the sky to show a twilight sky, portraying the title of the song. This video was shot in Miami, therefore the signs being shown are to show the area of Miami for example "Sopa de Gallina $5.00". Long/wide shots are used when there is a colourful image in the mise-en-scene of a stereo player, showing the art behind them and the bright blue sky, giving a feel-good vibe from this. Throughout the video there are people dancing of all ages, showing that this song is a dance style of song where everyone can enjoy. Towards the end of the video, there are many long shots of the band performing in a field with the sky in a twilight, again reflecting the title of the song. The video does not necessarily illustrate the lyrics in the narrative but the main title is shown through the sky itself being a twilight, the song overall is meant to give the audience a feel good experience and make them want to dance and have fun. This video has different conventions used in comparison to the first video, Lick Ya Down such as the tone of the song, this is more happy, which is shown clearly through the mise-en-scene with the sunny skies and people dancing throughout the video. Also by the fact that this video gives less of a Caribbean feel to it as the music is more pop than the Caribbean Soca music genre. However there are similarities between the videos such as the low angle shots of the band singing to the camera and the band performing the song.
This is Cover Drive's third single 'Sparks' released towards the end of April 2012. This video was filmed in their homeland of Barbados. In this video, Amanda is wearing a light brown dress, matching her skin tone when she is on her own singing to the camera, jeans and a tight small black top with her hair tied back in a fashionable way. Additionally, a long black dress and silver pants with a black top when performing.
The establishing shot starts with a fade-in transition starting with a close-up of Amanda singing along to the lyrics. Once T-Ray's part starts, the mise-en-scene changes to a bar and we see the band sitting together and then other men come along to sit with Amanda, showing Amanda is the centre of attention at this point. There are cuts that are following the beat of the music and we mainly see Amanda on her own and T-Ray on his own as they have the lead vocals in the song. The mise-en-scene changes from the dark bar, to the band standing outside in the sunshine of Barbados and they are all having a good time together, playing music. The sunshine is the main source of lighting here, highlighting the sunny island of Barbados. The clips of where they are altogether are slow paced to emphasise their time together and their happiness reflecting the message of the lyrics. The mise-en-scene changes again to the band performing with three girls on the side. This mise-en-scene is very different to the previous videos as it looks very homely to them and comfortable. Another change of location, the band driving in a car down the streets of Barbados with the beach in view in the mise-en-scene as well as them walking down the streets, showing the infrastructure like the buildings as these type of buildings are not seen in places like the UK and showing their culture. Towards the end, the band are performing on stage to an audience and T-Ray and Amanda are singing their duets together, which portray the lyrics. The Caribbean feel to this song is shown through the location of where the video is shot, which is in Barbados, in comparison to the previous two videos where the Caribbean feel in Twilight was mostly illustrated in the music, but more shown in the music and lyrics in Lick Ya Down.
They are now working on their 4th music video 'Explode'
In class we were put into groups to work on a creative task where we are given a song (Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd) and we have to record a music video for it within 2 weeks.
During our research we were looking at other music videos that had a similar message behind the song about rebelling and school. We did this to try and get an idea of what we could portray in our video. We looked at videos from other bands such as Busted, My Chemical Romance, Linkin' Park and videos from Britney Spears. We tried to find as many videos possible that were set in a school so we could get inspiration on the locations and shots.
As we had a short amount of time to complete this task, we resulted in using one of our group members to be in the video and mess around to signify the rebellious theme in the song. We also didn't want a storyline narrative, we wanted it to be all over the place to reflect the song for example highlighting the pressures of school.
This is our final piece
I felt I have learnt from this task, as for my main task for my music video I will make sure I give myself enough time to film and edit as well as plan what I want to film and I have reminded myself how to use Final Cut Pro and the different tools.
Here are some pictures of the band highlighting their style:
As seen on these pictures, the members of the band all seem close with each other and have a strong bond. By the way they are dressed, stylish and fashionable it is clear that they are a modern, pop genre band. Also, all their outfits seem to compliment each others as they are all similar colour schemes, this reflects their strong bond they have with each other, however if someone was to look at these pictures for the first time, people would not get the impression that they are from Barbados, some may think either American or British.
