Planning: Final idea

Final Idea:

Introduction:

As a group we discussed our initial ideas and we decided to go with the first idea of the song Post Malone - Too Young. This is due to the song being a slow song with elements of hip hop and the director is able to visualise shots for the video. The official song has over 42 million views on Youtube which shows it is a popular song and can be enjoyed by many. The genre of the song is Trap which is a form of hip hop music, which is a popular genre and can be enjoyed by many. The lyrics can also be connected to a specific target audience which is also why we chose the song, although the lyrics can also be relatable to many people due to current issues with young people dying in lower class neighbourhoods in both the USA and UK. The artist is dressed very casually and this look is easily achievable even with our limited resources, there is nothing too over the top such as a lot of money, fast cars or a lot of people which would be difficult for us to attain. The themes of the music video follow youth culture, having fun, yet still touches on themes some young people face all the time such as death. We will also follow these themes to reflect the views of the artist and the meanings of the lyrics. Another convention in this music video is the performance of the artist to ensure they are heavily emphasised as the focal point in the music video, by focussing on one artist a video is able to established the importance of said artist as well as the lyrics because of this. To make our music video successful we will attempt to follow as many conventions as possible, to ensure we attract a mainstream hip hop audience, while also making it appeal to niche audiences due to the uniqueness of the song and the way it is filmed.

Video content and structure:

As we decided to follow genre characteristics of a hip hop music video, we decided on making the structure of the video a performance and concept video. The concept will have multiple shots of the neighbourhoods and the areas we shoot in, which will be predominantly lower/working class neighbourhoods. We believe as a performance type music video alone the audience could get bored, but the conceptual parts of it can keep an audience very engaged to keep watching and ultimately enjoy it more. The relationship between the music and the visuals will be apparent, especially due to the post production editing, there will be fast paced editing with quick cuts that match the music. The main theme we will follow is youth culture, this is because we will be able to show this with the visuals and the locations we have chosen.

Star image and mise en scene:

The main artist will be presented as a young male between the ages of 18-24 as this is a convention of hip hop genre and will be able to relate to the target audience which is both male and female but of similar age. Through the music video the artists star image will be presented as an ordinary young male by his costume and body language, this is so young people are able to relate to him on all levels even if they cannot directly relate to the lyrics.

The mise en scene will include:

Lighting - There will be a mix of low key and high key lighting as the low key lighting will reflect the themes of death in the music video while the high key lighting emphasising and contrasting this, as the artist is young and the lyrics are about being young.

Costume, hair and makeup - The artist will wear typical clothing young people wear from an inner city such as London. Tracksuits, puffer or parka coats, bent peak caps and joggers, all with trainers. This is to ensure young people can relate to the artist and as the hip hop genre originates from inner cities.

Facial expression and body language - The artist should show emotion in their eyes due to the topic in the lyrics being "dying too young". In terms of body language the artist will show a mixture of restraint but also confidence within certain portions of the music video, depending on the lyrics.

Setting - Skate park, recreational ground or field, 2 different streets with blocks of flats around and a drama room.

Theories associated with my idea:

Goodwin's theory:

Genre characteristics - It will not directly follow conventions of a hip hop genre music video as these include showing off a lot of wealth, hiring models to appear in the music video, showing off other materialistic items such as super cars and large houses. Other conventions our video will follow however are having a male artist as the focal point of the video.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals - There will be shots of a mostly working class area where there is usually a high crime rate, this emphasises on the main lyric in the hook of "dying too young".

Relationship between music and visuals - There will be fast paced editing as well as slow motion editing to match the tone of the song and there will be cuts which match the beat.

Star image motif - There will be close up shots of the artist as he performs as it is a mostly performance based video.

Notion of looking - There will be shots of the environment and from point of view of the artist.

Performance narrative or concept - The video will be a mixture of performance and concept.

Mulvey's male gaze:

We will take this theory heavily into account and not have any women dressed provocatively in the video, despite it being a convention of the hip hop genre. It will solely be focussed on the artist and the message he is trying to put across with his song.

Dyer's star theory: 

Our artist will come across as more of a performer in our music video, and will be more focussed on showing the audience the life they live and the kind of environment they had to grow up in, as opposed to using themselves for financial gain through the music video. The artist will also try and emphasise on their culture of a working class inner city young man and the issue he faces of fear of dying at an early age.

Hebdige's subcultures:

The music video should attract a mainstream hip hop subculture due to the genre it is and the way we aim at the target audience through things other than conventions. There will also be a niche subcultures as it does not directly follow conventions, essentially for those who want to enjoy hip hop music without the general conventions and features of a typical hip hop music video.

Discuss your final choices in relation to your audience feedback

After receiving our audience feedback, we finalised ideas such as what the artist would wear as well as what shots will be taken for the conceptual shots. Point of view shots were popular amongst the audience feedback, especially in combination with slow motion editing. Although a lot of the audience feedback was similar to the final idea itself, therefore there were no major differences. Our group did a lot of research into the hip hop genre and considered our resources to plan the best possible hip hop music video. The audience feedback helped finalise decisions to ensure us that the music video we are making will be successful.

Why and how is this music video conventional to mainstream music video making?

Our music video will follow conventional mainstream music video making due to the common conventions that are seen in mainstream music videos. These conventions include; an artist lip syncing to the song, editing to match the beat, different locations for different sections of the song, other special effects in post production. These conventions allow my music video to appeal to a similar target audience, if the music video is conventional to its genre and other mainstream music videos, it can ensure my video becomes successful as the audience are more likely to be able to relate to it. Not having common features of a music video such as going for a fully concept structured music video or aiming at a niche audience can be considered risky as it may not appeal to many people.

How is this music video conventional to your chosen genre?

As stated in applying theory to this video, under Goodwin's theory, this video will most likely not follow common conventions of the genre as this would be very difficult. Hip hop music videos generally have a very large budget and show super cars, large houses, parties and women that have minimal clothing on. Due to our resources and our application of Mulvey's male gaze we will not be following these conventions. Although we will follow conventions of a typical lower budget hip hop music video, such as filming in multiple locations and having editing that matches the beat of the song. As well as this we will film in a working class neighbourhood which is conventional in the sense that a lot of hip hop artists take pride in starting out with no or very little money but eventually "making it" as they become more successful.

Existing videos that have influenced our decision

Post Malone - Go Flex - This is another video by the same artist that we are using, as we will be shooting our video in the same style. There is editing to the beat which is conventional for a hip hop music video as well as slow motion editing in between without full lip syncing throughout. This is also a performance based video which will also be the structure of our video.

Travis Scott - Antidote - This music video does not follow a clear narrative but is also a mixture of performance and concept, with a lot of slow motion editing as well as lip syncing. Although it does contain conventions of hip hop music videos of women dressed in minimal clothing which we will not include.

How does your music video represent your artist?

My music video will represent my artist as a young male from an inner city, of a working/lower class background. His struggles in life will be represented through the links between the visuals and the lyrics as well as the culture he belongs to. The music video will not allow audiences to judge my artist as he is not trying to promote himself for people to sympathise with him, but rather to educate themselves on what he goes through on a day to day basis. My artist will be portrayed differently to conventional hip hop artists and we believe this will be a breath of fresh air for the hip hop genre as it is unique.