Assessment: Identity for your artist

Discuss how you constructed an identity for your artist. Consider issues around gender and youth and discuss how you have challenged or subvert dominant ideology. This should be a dicussion of all aspects of mise en scene?

Through out the research process as individuals we had to research 6 CD covers and 6 print adverts. R&B CD covers and adverts always consisted of the artist/band being in the central of the frame and having a simple background it draws audiences attention to the artist. So we decided to conform to this convention, so when advertising these print products audiences will be able to relate and establish the artists my group has created to conform to the genre R&B genre.

For the print products we decided to use our group as the artists and when taking the photoshoot we used provocative and seductive. Having facial expressions can tell alot about the artists and also give an indication of what the album is about. On our print adverts we portrayed dominant powerful facial expressions this challenges female stereotypes as being weak and dependent on men. However having our artists in seductive positions reinforces female stereotypes as in the majority of the print products we analysed the females were dressed in sexual revealing clothing. For example low cut dresses this conforms to the idea of women being iconic sex objects. Having this convention on the print products will draw attention to our target audience as young females will be able to relate to the artist as many young women know today are familiar with dressing to impress. Because of the costume this possibly draw another audience into to buying the album, and that audience could be males, as males could be persuaded into buying the album just for the sake of the attractive cover.

This could raise issues that as this relates to females being objectified and referred to sex objects and not appreciated for their work and being dominant women.

We use medium close ups and close ups to connote female independence and power but get across the message of what the album is abou, this is portrayed through facial expressions, this is a common code and convention of R&B CD covers and adverts.

Teachers comments

Explanation

(4) Some understanding of the question but you must link it back to the question to provide relevance. This lacks detail.

Analysis

(5) Some examples offered but more detail needed

Argument

(2) Some terms used but it needs to be used accuratley

11/25

Assessment of deconstructing aritfacts

Look closely at your products, video and print artifacts, deconstruct them utilising theoretical concepts..

• You should consider: Narrative, representation, audience. post modernity

For our music video we will include a linear narrative structure as when analysing R&B music videos they conformed to this convention of having a clear beginning, middle and end. So as a group we decided to conform to this convention. To construct a linear narrative within our music video each member of the band will be characterised showing that each of them is in a bad relationship and by the end of the video it will be a case of realisation and them overcoming this bad experience by the women slamming the door on the boyfriends face. A clear indication that the song has ended.

Within the narrative we can apply Todorovs narrative theory as this was also another common code and convention within R&B music videos. This will apply to our music video as at the beginning the state of equilibrium will be when each individual band member is on their own thinking to themselves, the disruption of the equilibrium is when each band member has flash backs portraying their bad relationships which results into the realisation. The realisation will be the artists realising they can no longer stay in a poor relationship, which finishes with the new equilibrium of them ending their relationship this will be represented by having a shot of a door being slammed on the boys face, symbolising the end of an era.

The main story lines which are included through out R&B music videos are things such as cheating and relationship problems therefore the main sub genre of R&B is love. Because of this it is a clear that the Hypodermic Needle Model is used through out many R&B videos resulting into this theory being included within our music video as the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that an opinion of an individual is not relevant to the reception of a media text, in this case reception of music videos. With this music video we will be giving our target audience what they want, as all of the codes and conventions we are using are present in the majority of all R&B music videos.

In our music video we have represented our artists as being beautiful, strong and independent women. This is portrayed through costume. The costumes that will be used through out our music video are clothes such as revealing modern and casual clothing for example dresses, long tops, skirts and heels. By including this we are following our audience to relate to the band as they will be familiar with what they are wearing. The costume also challenges female stereotypes of the houswife image. We are also challenging stereotypes of women being dependent on men and challenging the idea that women are hopless without men, this will be portrayed through the break up at the endand also shown when the band members unite in the chorus indicating that they are united which reinforces the idea of girl power and also that women are just as capable as men by being able to cope on their own.

These representations are also included in our print products as in our print adverts we include the band members in the foreground standing next to one another in dresses and heels with bold font and confident facial and body expressions, connoting power and independence and again reinforcing the idea of girl power. They are positioned with their legs apart using a high angle shot. By positioning them this way and using this camera shot all attention is on them. In the adverts we analysed it shown that all the R&B female artists are dressed sexy with confident facial and body expressions.

With the album covers we followed the same codes and conventions of the R&B covers we analysed by having the artists dressed in revealing clothing, portraying confident facial expressions and having them stand in a united front. The camera shots we used for the album were medium close ups, this allows the band members to get more personal giving our target audience an indication of what the album is about and indicating what the artists personality are like.

Again by conforming to this convention we are using the Hypodermic Needle Theory.

Teachers comments

Analysis

(6) Some attempt made to apply theoretical concepts accuratley, with good application of narrative theory. Be careful your application of audience theory needs focus and needs to be accurate-good applicated feminist ideas.

Explanation

(6) You provide solid examples to highlight points and you deconstruct the text well. Make sure you discuss all artifacts in detail.

Argument

(3) Some good use of terminology nut try to use all terms accuratley.

15/25 C

Assessment: Our group ideas

How far do your group ideas for the music video conform to convention? You should include a discussion of the following codes and conventions :-

• Setting
• Characters
• Narrative structure
• Mis en scene
• Iconography

As a group we decided to base our music video on the genre of R&B song. Our group watched several music videos and we decided to conform to most of the conventions that we found.

When looking at the setting we found that most of the videos we watched and appear to be set in everyday settings for example in a video i analysed Chris Browns 'With You' he is walking in a public on the streets and then he gets on a bus which we all know a bus is a public transport this will able our target audience relate to the artist and be familiarised with the settings. Due to most R&B videos the settings are everyday and simple settings we have decided to conform to this convention because it will be easy to find familiar settings.

Characters in the music video tends to follow Propp's characters theory. There are eight characters that show up in any media and those characters are as follows...

• The hero
• The princess
• The helper
• The villain
• The donor
• The false hero
• The dispatcher
• The father

Propps character theory is represented in Rihannas 'Unfaithful' video. As it is shown in the video Rihanna is cheating with a man, so the man in which she is cheating on her boyfriend with is the villain. She is a princess as she needs help and rescue in making a decision on which man to be with. Her actual boyfriend is the hero. We will follow this convention depending on what song choice we pick and if that song is suitable to create propps characters theory.

Todorovs narrative theory can be applied through out the majority of the music videos that we have watched. There are five stages to a narrative. A state of equilibrium, a disruption, a realisation of the disruption, an attempt to repair the damage and the last stage the new equilibrium. Our group established that this is represented in Ne-Yo's music video 'Mad'. The equilibrium appears to be when the couple are arguing because it is normal for them two to argue, the disruption is when he gets run over and dies, the realisation of the disruption is the funeral when the woman is crying and grieving. The attempt to repair it is her grieving while the ghost of the male protagonist is watching her and the new equilibrium is when she walks away a symbol that she has let go and moved on which has enabled him to move on, this is presented when he disappears. We have agreed to use Todorovs narrative theory in order for it to appeal to our target audience as effectively as we can.

Female artists in R&B music videos always appear to be wearing modern clothing but at the same time revealing, this is symbolic as in R&B videos women always appear to be dressed seductive, this represents women as being sex symbols. If we use a female artist we will conform to this convention but we could face set backs as it will be difficult to find some one who will be willing to wear revealing clothes. However it differs from female to male as the males in music videos seem to be dressed in casual, street clothing for example Chris Browns video 'With You' he wears sneakers, T-shirt and a hoody, wearing the hood up reinforces stereotypes as young males wearing these types of clothing. My group has decided to find a male willing to wear similar costume as it will be similar to what they wear themselves.

High key lighting is used in all of the music videos that our group have watched, we believe this is used to create verisimilatude. We would like to conform to this convention but it may be difficult because we won't have the equipment to create high key lighting, so we will try our best but just use the best lighting we can create. The props that are used in the videos are everyday props such as public transport, cars and mobile phones. Mobile phones will be easy to gain access to as most of us will have them and also using mobile phones will relate to our target audience as they will familiarise with them.

Teachers comments

Explanation

(7) A solid response, showing good understanding of the task and you link ideas well to your creative ideas. Make sure you go into more detail. Good use of theory.

Analysis

(7) Good use of examples showing a really good understanding of the assessment objective providing evidence of good understanding.

Argument

(4) Excellent use of terms

18/25 B-

Final Adjustments

Audience feedback of music video and print products

On Monday 23rd November we showed our final music video and print products to the class, they all gave us positive feedback. Our teacher told us that she thought the opening was very conventional, we had a very good selection of costume and we had linked the narrative well. The class gave us similar feedback with a lot of people saying that they particularly liked the second chorus filmed in the road. The only thing that people said could be improved was the lighting in verse 3.

Everybody really liked the CD covers saying we used really strong images, had a good colour scheme and that the costumes were conventional of R'n'B. The only thing that people were unsure of was the name of the album and suggested that we put one onto the album.

Again everybody really liked our print advert. They really liked how we used the same costume and font as it made a connection and people especially like how we included the album cover and an iTunes logo in our advert. They gave us nothing they thought we could improve.

From this feedback we need to look at the lighting in verse 3 to make it look more consistent throughout the verse and name our album. We want to relate the album name to the band and are thinking of naming it 'Heartbeat', after a song on the album.

Final print advert

We decided to use this image because we realised from people's opinions they favoured this shot the best. We took several pictures in the school photography room against a black background to make it simplistic but effective. However to get this shot did involve taking several pictures because it was found a bit tricky to get the band to stand equally close to each other. In the end we had to edit Chelsea closer as she appeared to be further away from the other two. The picture of the album in the corner will allow our target audience relate to the band. The red font contrasts really well with the background giving an image of the band and their songs to be full of energy and life! Again the final print advert proved to be liked resulting it into a success!

CD cover front and back

After we gained feedback from our print mock ups we decided as a group the best formal decision to make was to have the image as a whole body shot of the band so audience can picture them whole as a united front and people can see what they are wearing. The font was difficult to find because we had to get a font that made it look pulsey and lively relating to the band name and album name itself.

On the front cover we had the artists face the front and on the back have them facing backwards.

We had a black background which overall i think worked really well as the black background and black dresses make the band stand out really well.

To make them look professional we included a barcode,record label and information about producers etc. The final outcome was successful :)!

Music Video

Shooting Schedule

Monday 9th November
Scene- Verse 1
Location- Rowheath Park
Cast- Alex Marks

Wednesday 11th November
Scene- Verse 2
Location- House
Cast- Vicky Greenway

Friday 13th November
Scene- Chorus 1
Location- Rowheath Park
Cast- Alex Marks, Vicky Greenway and Chelsea Smith

Scene- Verse 3
Location- House
Cast- Chelsea Smith, Adam Freezer

Scene- Flashback
Location- House
Cast- Vicky Greenway, Adam Freezer

Scene- "I'm Sorry"
Location- House
Cast- Adam Freezer

photographs for print products

Thursday 19th November
Scene- Introduction
Location- Photography Room
Cast- Alex Marks, Vicky Greenway and Chelsea Smith

Scene- Chorus 2
Location- Franklin Road/Selly Oak Road
Cast- Alex Marks, Vicky Greenway and Chelsea Smith

Friday 20th November
Scene- Flashback
Location- Rowheath Park
Cast- Alex Marks, Adam Freezer

Costume

This is a list of all the costumes that we are planning to use...

Introduction

• Black Dresses
• Heels
• Simple make up
• Simple Hair

Verse 1

• Jeans
• Jacket
• Scarf
• Heels
• Simple Hair
• Simple Make up

Chorus 1

• Skirt
• Jeggings
• Jeans
• Strap Tops
• Baggy Tops
• Cardigans
• Heels
• Simple Hair
• Simple Make up

Verse 2

• PJs- shorts and boyfriends T-Shirt
• Not alot of make up
• Simple Hair

Chorus 2

• Jumpers
• Jackets
• Cardigans
• Heels
• Jeans
• Jeggings
• Skirts
• Starp Tops
• Jewellry
• Simple Hair
• Simple Make up

Verse 3

• Baggy Top
• Leggings
• Dolly Shoes
• Jeans
• Hoody
• Trainers
• Simple Hair
• Simple Make up

Casting Ideas

We will need 4 people...

3 band members and one male protagonist.

3 band members are...Jessica Evans, Nadine Johnson and Vanessa Young.

They will be played by myself Vicky Greenway, Chelsea Smith and Alex Marks.

We have decided to use 3 of us from our group this means that we will be able to decide when we shall meet up with out fail.

Our male role will be played by Adam Freezer.

Mock up feed back

After finishing our first mock ups we received feedback from our teachers and they suggested a few things to improve on in order to make our print products look as professional as they can.

Here is a list of the things that were suggested:

• The font: Make it look more appealing, more pulsy and lively.
• The image: Edit the photo and be careful of red eye.
• The background: Don't use white background as it looks unprofessional and tacky.

From this feedback as a group we agreed on what we thought worked best and what would make our print products look professional and attractive.

CD Cover mockups

Here are our first 4 initial ideas for our CD covers...

CD Advert Mockups

Here are our first 4 initial idea for our print adverts....

Music Synopsis

The video for our song choice of ‘Let You Go’ follows the three female band members and their relationship woes. It consists of three verses, each delivered by a different member, containing their own personal troubles about letting go of love. The first 20 seconds of the video is an acoustic introduction laying down the foundations of the rhythm and beat of the track. During this time we will see each individual band member in the form of a close-up creating an instant bond with the audience. The group will then be shot as a unit with the name of the band, ‘Pulse,’ appearing over a moving image of them like in Keri Hilson’s, ‘Knock You Down.’ The first verse then kicks in and continues for a 30 second period. The video is based upon the lyrics of the song, which will create a strong narrative and evoke emotion. Each verse will contain flashbacks of each member with their other half of who they’re singing about. The first verse will start with the first member walking down the street singing, as a lot of R ‘n’ B videos use an outside setting to create realism. The lyrics then continue to ‘we’ve got issues,’ which will be accompanied by a flashback of the couple arguing to reinforce the problems they have. The outside setting continues throughout and a mobile phone is used as this is a common prop in the genre and reinforces a glamorous feel but is also emotional as it will show a photo of the couple in happier times.
The chorus of the song is only repeated twice and will incorporate the band as a whole, as well as the theme of flashbacks. It last for the duration of 35 seconds and contains four lines that are repeated twice. We will have the band singing as a whole for the first line, a flashback of one of the singers seeing her boyfriend with another girl for the second, and the band together for the third and fourth. As the lines are repetitive they will continue but in the second flashback a different member of the group will see her boyfriend with someone else. The final line of the chorus will see the band together followed by a fade out to mark the beginning of the second verse.
The second verse is again 30 seconds long and will tell the story of the second band member’s pain. It starts with the lyrics, ‘no more sleepless nights,’ to which we want an image of the singer walking away from her boyfriends bedroom singing the next line of the verse, This verse will be set inside of a house, another common setting of the R ‘n’ B genre that again reinforces realism and makes the story believable to the audience. The camera will follow the singer as she walks down the stairs of the house and sits at the bottom singing whilst looking upset and hurt. A flashback will then appear of her and her boyfriend sitting on the same stairs cuddling and looking happy. The end of the verse concludes with a speech between the singer and her boyfriend apologising to her. As the lyrics say, ‘apology not accepted,’ an image of the girl walking away from him and outside to join the other band members for the chorus will be seen.
The second chorus will be similar to the first to enable the video to flow and be easier for the audience to remember. It will contain images of the band, as well as flashbacks that relate to the first chorus but are in different settings, such as a car.
The final verse is the longest of the three as it is delivered first by one member but also collectively by the band. This verse will see the final member singing the lyrics to her boyfriend with a close up of herself to highlight her dominance within the frame and narrative. The other members then begin to sing and will join the final member in another group shot of them singing. It ends with a speech of ‘I’m sorry’ repeated twice, to which the girls see a text from their boyfriend echoing the lyrics and finally each of them slamming the door in the boys faces to show the theme of girl power and the need to let go.

Time Line

Let U Go (4 minutes)
Acoustic intro (20 seconds)
See band members one at a time and then as a group
Name of band and title

Verse 1 (30 seconds)
I’m so confused
Walking down the street seeing individual singing
I don’t know why I let you treat me like you do
We’ve got issues
Flashback to couple arguing
I let you walk in and out of my life, and that’s not right
Walking down the street seeing individual singing
So much hurt, so much pain, I never thought I could feel like this
Looking at photo of couple on her phone
But I do
Being in a relationship with you is like a roller coaster
Walking down the street seeing individual singing

Chorus (35 seconds)
Let the rain fall down on me
Band members singing together
I let you get away with everything
Flashback of singer seeing boyfriend holding a girls hand
I let you slide, my tears I hide
Band members walk away
To cover up my station made
Let the rain fall down on me
Band members singing
I let you get away with everything
Flashback of singer seeing boyfriend hugging a girl
I let you slide, my tears I hide
Close up of each band member’s face
To cover up my station made
Fade out of band standing together

Verse 2 (30 seconds)
No more sleepless nights
Walking out of the bedroom singing
Up waiting for you to unlock the door and come inside
I’ve got to get a hold of myself, ‘cos I have too much pride
Walking down the stairs singing
For you to think that you can do the things you do
Individual sitting at the bottom of the stairs singing
I know that you don’t love me like you say you do
Flashback to couple sitting at the bottom of the stairs cuddling
I have to tell myself to just let go of you
Individual sitting at the bottom of the stairs singing
"I’m sorry"
Boy apologises to girl
"Apology not accepted"
Girl walks away

Chorus (35 seconds)
Let the rain fall down on me
Band members singing together
I let you get away with everything
Flashback of Singer sees boyfriend in car with another girl
I let you slide, my tears I hide
Boyfriend and band member asleep in bed while girl is crying
To cover up my station made
Band members singing together
Let the rain fall down on me
Band together
I let you get away with everything
Close up of band member
I let you slide, my tears I hide
Close up of band member
To cover up my station made
Close up of band member

Verse 3 (1 minute)
Everything you did baby, I let you slide
Individual singing to her boyfriend
(Whoa)
Everything you did baby, I let you slide
Individual singing to her boyfriend
Whoa
Close up of individual band member’s face
I, I gotta let you go (repeated in the background until the end)
Never said anything to hurt you
Band singing together
Hey
Whoa
Yeah
Yeah
Whoa
Close up of each band member’s face singing
"I’m Sorry"
See a text from the boyfriend saying "I’m sorry"
"I’m Sorry"
Band members slam door on boyfriends’ faces

Let U Go Lyrics

Let U Go (4 minutes)

Acoustic intro (20 seconds)

Verse 1 (30 seconds)
I’m so confused
I don’t know why I let you treat me like you do
We’ve got issues
I let you walk in and out of my life, and that’s not right
So much hurt, so much pain, I never thought I could feel like this
But I do
Being in a relationship with you is like a roller coaster

Chorus (35 seconds)
Let the rain fall down on me
I let you get away with everything
I let you slide, my tears I hide
To cover up my station made
Let the rain fall down on me
I let you get away with everything
I let you slide, my tears I hide
To cover up my station made

Verse 2 (30 seconds)
No more sleepless nights
Up waiting for you to unlock the door and come inside
I’ve got to get a hold of myself, ‘cos I have too much pride
For you to think that you can do the things you do
I know that you don’t love me like you say you do
I have to tell myself to just let go of you
"I’m sorry"
"Apology not accepted"

Chorus (35 seconds)
Let the rain fall down on me
I let you get away with everything
I let you slide, my tears I hide
To cover up my station made
Let the rain fall down on me
I let you get away with everything
I let you slide, my tears I hide
To cover up my station made

Verse 3 (1 minute)
Everything you did baby, I let you slide
(Whoa)
Everything you did baby, I let you slide
Whoa
I, I gotta let you go (repeated in the background until the end)
Never said anything to hurt you
Hey
Whoa
Yeah
Yeah
Whoa
"I’m Sorry"
"I’m Sorry"

BAND PROFILE

Band Profile

Band members:

Jessica Evans - Vocalist
Vanessa Young- Vocalist
Nadine Johnson- Vocalist

About the band:

Three young talented ladies from London, England have arrived and igniting the music scene. Meet Jessica Evans, Vanessa Young and Nadine Johnson. Collectively they are Pulse. Armed with the complete package for success these three phenomenal ladies possess explosive vocals, sizzling songs and volatile dance moves.
The trio has redefined the ‘girl band’ concept with their own unique music style. Pulse’s seemingly effortless harmonies leave audiences memorized and yearning for more. Their formula for success…a touch of old school and a pinch of Dirty south blended with a dash of R&B flavour.
Because of the foundation Pulse has laid their craft has been developed into an exciting musical experience. Extremely talented yet not limited to only composing songs, they contribute to vocal arrangement and choreography. Though young in age, the members of Pulse are professionals and are now prepared to step into their spotlight.
Pulse-Vocals filled with power and soul
Pulse-Bodily curves that appeal to the eye
Pulse- Skin tough enough to endure in the entertainment industry!

Story boards

Introduction (Vicky Greenway)

Verse 1 (Alex Cockell)

Chorus 1 (Alex Marks)

Verse 2 (Vicky Greenway)

Chorus 2 (Chelsea Smith)

Verse 3 (Chelsea Smith)

Pitch presentation

We create a pitch presentation to persuade consumers into buying our unsigned artists album and a pitch convincing them how they will be a successful group.

Research Summary

Audience

From the questionnaires we gave out we found that

· Our target audience are females aged between 16 and 24

· The favourite music genre was R'n'B

· The majority of our target audience watched music videos on 4Music. This channel is targeted towards a young audience and features regular shows on the genre of R'n'B.

· Our target audience don’t read music magazines and they don’t buy music DVDs.

· Our target audience want to see a story in the music video.

From these results we know that the music genre we should choose is R'n'B. We should aim our music video at a teenage and young adult audience. We can also find out what kinds of things the audience like to see in music videos by watching 4Music.

Institutions
Record Label
We would sign our artist to Def Jam recordings because they are one of the biggest R'n'B record labels. Since 1984, when the label was started, they have been releasing new artists who have gone on to have very successful careers and in some cases gaining multi-platinum-selling records such as Public Enemy and LL Cool J. Jay-Z was announced president and CEO of the record label in 2004 and he has signed many successful R'n'B artists such as Rihanna and Ne-yo and from this we know that our artist would have the best chance of being successful.

Music Channel
From our research we found that commonly watched music videos amongst our target demographic were 4Music, MTV and Kiss. We decided upon promoting our artist through 4Music as it is a new channel that is geared towards 16-25 year olds, our target audience. The channel was launched in 2008 and shows a range of music videos the majority of which are R'n'B, dance and pop. 4music have become one of the most successful and popular music channels because it features celebrity presenters and slots for recognisable artists. The channel has shows dedicated to specific genres of music such as ‘The R'n'B Download Chart’. This would be the perfect place to show our video because our target audience would be watching. Although showcasing our video through television would be successful, we know that media and technology has changed and accessing music videos has become easier. Our target audience now views videos via the Internet, iPods, phones and social networking sites. YouTube is a hugely popular site that attracts millions of people everyday and shows music videos for free. MySpace has specific pages dedicated to new music but generally they are not of the R'n'B genre. On our adverts we are going to feature a ‘download on iTunes’ symbol to appeal to our target demographic and incorporate new forms of technology.

Magazine
R'n'B is a very diverse genre of music and is featured in many music magazines. However King Magazine is targeted towards young African-American, urban men and contains images of R'n'B artists on inside pages, as well as the front cover spread. The magazine is published by Harris Publications and was a spin off of successful magazine XXL. It became known as the Black Maxim, as it was known for its extravagant photo shoots of half naked woman, models, actresses and female rap artists. It championed curvaceous, black women and regularly featured artists Keyshia Cole and Christina Milian. This magazine would be ideal in promoting our artist in print form and appealing to a male audience through glamorous photo shoots.

Generic Codes and Conventions
CD Adverts
As a group we have analysed 24 CD adverts and found that the generic codes and conventions are…

· The male artist’s costumes are modern and quite smart. For example Ne-Yo’s advert for ‘Year of the gentleman’ shows him wearing a smart suit and a hat. These clothes indicate the artists’ power and status, reinforcing ideas of male stereotypes.

· The female artists’ costumes are also modern but appear to be dressed more glamorous for example Estelle’s advert for ‘Shine’ shows her wearing a smart coat but the audience can see that the clothes being worn underneath are quite low cut indicating that she is going out which challenges female stereotypes of women being house wives. However her costume also reinforces female stereotypes of women being seen as sex objects.

· The majority of the photographs the artists are centralised in the frame. This enables the audience to see the artists’ facial expressions and costume which helps them to relate to the artists and get a sense of what the album is about.

· In half of our adverts the backgrounds were plain either black or white which makes the text stand out more and makes it easier to read. Whereas the other half have the backgrounds of being set in everyday settings for example using Estelle’s album again it looks as if there is a car driving past lights at fast speed. This could indicate a bit about the artist’s life, personality and what kind of music there will be on the album.

· All of the adverts are either the album cover or include the album cover within the advert. For example the advert for ‘Year of the gentlemen’ is the actual album cover with bold, white text in the foreground telling the audience the album is available to buy. It also has a grey glow around the font to stop it blending in with the background enabling it to stand out. The advert for ‘Evolver’ by John Legend includes a small photograph of the album cover but has a bigger photo of the artist himself as the main feature; this enables the audience to associate the new album with the artist.

· Some of the adverts have a box with the apple logo and ‘available in iTunes’ written inside. This is because artists have to sell their music in different places today because new developments in technology enable audiences to listen to music in new ways such as an iPod or on mobile phones.

Music videos
From watching R&B music videos our group found that the generic codes and conventions are...
Narrative Structure

· The majority of the videos had a narrative structure. Todorov’s Narrative Theory is used in some of these videos. For example in Ne-Yo’s music video ‘Mad’, the equilibrium is when the couple is arguing; the disruption is when he dies; the recognition of the disruption is the woman grieving while his ghost watches and the new equilibrium is when she walks away and he disappears, showing that she is moving on.

· The artist always appears to be the main character in the videos, this helps the audience identify who the artist is.

· Propp’s theory is also featured within music videos, with the artist representing the hero/heroine character. This is especially common within female artists’ videos

Mise en Scene

· Costumes in the videos are always modern and mostly casual. For example Chris Brown’s video ‘With You’, he wears jeans, a T-shirt and a hoody with him wearing his hood up. These clothes show him to be an average person, which the audience can relate to. Wearing his hood up on the bus reinforces stereotypes of teenage boys. The artist also has a tattoo on his neck again reinforcing stereotypes of teenagers. We will be reinforcing stereotypes of teenagers in our video.

· Settings in the videos are every day settings. For example John Legends video ‘Save Room’ starts of in his apartment and moves throughout the city of New York. It will be easy for us to find everyday settings for our music video as we are surrounded by them for example, houses, schools and parks. We also live in a big city so have the option of filming in the city centre.

· Throughout the music videos every day props are used such as mobile phones, which creates verisimilitude. It will be easy for us to find some props such as mobile phones as we can use the ones we own, but it could be difficult to find other props such as emergency service vehicles, which a lot of R&B videos use for example Ne-Yo Mad.

· In the majority of videos lighting appears to be high key to create verisimilitude. The Ne-Yo video ‘Mad’ is filmed in black and white, which challenges conventions of R&B videos because they are mostly filmed in colour, making them modern.

Camera Shots/Edits

· Most of the edits are straight cuts, which creates realism and makes the audience feel part of what is going on. In some of the videos they use fade in and fade out edits at the beginning or end. For example Rihanna’s ‘Unfaithful’ video has a number of fade in and out edits to show the changing of partners and time.

· Camera shots used appeared to be medium shots and close ups so that the audience can relate to the artists’ expressions and understands their feelings.

CD covers

From our analysis we found that the generic codes and conventions of R&B CD covers are…

Mise en scene

· Image is a major part of the R&B industry and costume is important in portraying that. Females commonly dress provocatively and glamorous with a young edgy feel. For example on Rihannas ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ album cover she is wearing a tight dress that shows off her figure while posing seductively towards the camera. This connotes power and status which challenges female stereotypes in other media forms.

· Male costumes consisted of modern casual clothing such as leather jackets, loose fitting jeans and trainers. This is portrayed in John Legends album ‘Evolver’. The audience can relate to the artist as our target audience wears similar clothes.

· The backgrounds on the album covers are usually simple. They are either a coloured background that puts more focus on the artist or an every day backdrop to create verisimilitude, allowing the audience to relate to them.

· The artists’ name is a major focus of the cover as this is what is needed to sell the album. The fonts are simple and bold and are usually a different colour to the background enabling it to stand out even more. For example Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled album is metallic pink writing against a white background.

· The use of props is minimal but when used they are everyday items. For example in Usher’s album ‘Here I Stand’ he is positioned behind a car which also connotes power and wealth.

· High key lighting is the main lighting used through out R&B albums to create verisimilitude for example this is used in Ne-Yo’s album ‘Year of the Gentlemen’.

· The artists are positioned in the forefront of the frame at a medium close up range. This highlights gesture, costume and facial expressions creating an instant bond with the audience. This also connotes the artist’s power and reinforces that the album is all about them.

We are going to conform to these codes and conventions because we know that they are a successful way of selling the artist.

Research into institutions-King Magazine

There used to be music magazines that were proven to be popular but now due to the internet music magazines became less popular. The only music magazine which i came across when researching was King Magazine.

King Magazine was mostly targetted towards African American and Urban men. King was published by Hams Publications and was a spin off from XXL. The articles featured were about hip hop a d R&B but it also featured and covered sports and fashion. However on March 31st 2009 the magazine stopped being publicised this was because of failing advertisement sales.

The magazine was most recognised by its provocative and extravagant photo shoots which entailed women being half naked and it often included an interview with the featured model.

The women in the magazines ranged from professional models to actresses and singing artists. The covers often featured rappers but mainly consisted of female models and rappers such as Keyshia Cole or Lil Kim.

Another name which the magazine was reffered to was "The Black Maxim."

Source: http:/en/wikipedia.org/wiki/king_(magazine)