Interesting music videos:
I have made some research on the music videos to see which ones stand out to me and which may relate to the idea that I’m doing. Whilst doing this, I came across to many interesting music videos that I made more research about, one that really stood out to was: ‘Don’t think they know’ by Chris Brown which I found very interesting as it has a lot of background information about it.
Don’t think they know- Chris Brown:
This song features unreleased vocals from the late Aaliyah who has died which was used by many artists such as Jon B and which Chris Brown decided to support as well. At the start of the video, there are opening sentences:
‘Every two hours in America today a child dies of a gunshot wound’.
This technique is very powerful because music videos don’t usually start off with sentences, whereas in this video, the opening sentence gives true facts which are quite upsetting. This brings much more attention to the audience as they expect music videos to be much happier and concentrated on the artist rather than anything else. This brings sympathy and awareness to what is happening in America to show that life in America isn’t as perfect as everyone imagines it to be and sees in other music videos. Also, this sentence plays a very important role due to the fact that it was made in dedication to rapper Michael “Lil Frog” Reshard who was gunned down in front of a liquor store. The other upcoming sentence was:
‘Unity is what we are afraid of so fear is insanity, lets love each other’
-Not CB, just Christopher.
This second sentence that comes up, is very meaningful as well as it gives people a direct message by the use of ‘we’ and ‘lets’ these words make a very big impact as it brings the audience into the music video and makes them feel involved and it also makes them think about reuniting with people despite of our differences. These kind of music videos are created to make a change as they state facts and talk about ‘us’ getting involved to change the way we act which links to Michael Jackson’s style as he was always singing songs based on cruel facts and motivational songs about changing the world. The quote- ‘not CB, just Christopher’ is another powerful quote as everyone knows Chris Brown by his stage name, therefore when he introduces himself as Christopher, he wants to grab people’s attention on the real, true and natural things rather than the fake industry’s world and see the real side of life.
The first scene that comes on, is shown in all black and white whilst seeing a Chevy Impala turning round the corner in a bold red, shiny, fresh colour that stands out from the black and white colours, The next thing you see, is the roses which are also fresh, with red a red colour and look alive, this makes a good comparison with the car as it splits nature and realism with materialism and social media which distracts us from the natural and beautiful things which links to the idea of living as one or creating gangs and attacks. Later on, we can see that his friends have some of the red colours on them such as their hair, socks, shoes which could mean that they’re still soft, loving people due to the rose that we saw before, this shows that they are loving despite all the dark colours they show and the gangster ways. Also the first scene uses slow motion at most of the time, this gives the impression of not wanting something to come too quickly which could be the fact that they don’t want to live that way as they know they’re putting their lives in danger which could make the slow motion symbolise death and danger. The slow motion makes the audience think as if they’re weak, powerless and feel like they’re hallucinating which makes it seem as if it was a nightmare.
However, the most important thing in the first scene is when Chris jumps out of the car straight after saying ‘Yo man, stop the car’, this is a very relevant part to those who remember the 1991 movie Boyz n the Hood. This therefore suggests that the people in the car are Blood members and are seeking revenge on the people who were responsible for killing their friend when Chris finally realises the situation and no longer wants to carry on with their plan according to the film. The use of colours with black and white theme also relates to another film- Schindler’s list, the girl in Red. This film is about a girl in a red coat hiding from being taken away due to the war. As the theme is black and white, this makes the red colour stand out which represents violence and danger of the whole idea of being killed in the gas room due to the cultural views during the war.
There are many close-ups used later on throughout the video which allows the audience to connect with Chris as we can see his face very clearly allowing us to understand what he’s feeling through his facial expressions, this allows the audience to engage in the music video much more. Also, when the close-ups are used, Chris is looking directly at as, as if he is speaking to us- which makes us listen to the lyric more to understand what is trying to be said which makes a much bigger difference. There are also uses of medium shots to show Chris Brown as well as the whole gang that’s walking behind him to show that they’re singing along which means that they’re all feeling the same thing, this gives a bigger effect as it shows that Chris Brown isn’t the only one who wants to bring peace to the world. The medium shots also allow the audience to see the other’s facial expressions to see what they’re feeling. The medium shots also allow the audience to see Chris Brown holding the child in his arms to show the audience that these innocent children die due to gang attacks, the fact that there are younger children used in the video makes the audience feel much more sorry for them.
The mise en scene shows Chris and his friends walking on the on the streets locally suggesting that they’re all sharing the same street and walking together as one which means that everyone should have access to all places and feel safe and not being scared that the opposite gang will fight them for stepping in their area. There are also many shots of the group of people standing and sitting outside a house which means that this world is for everyone to feel safe in, to feel like it’s their home and not being scared or paranoid about any gang attacks. Another mise en scene is when Chris is in the dark room with a bright light behind him and Aaliyah’s video in the background suggesting that the video is dedicated to her as she was the one who wanted to make a change. The mise en scene symbolises that in the dark, there will always be a light which is a metaphor for the current situation which Chris is trying to tell us- that there are always good things that can arise in the bad situations.
The long shots used in the video show the ‘save us’ sign written on the walls on the streets in red which implies that people who are affected by this, want the violence to stop and I also believe that people who are the gang members also want this to stop but can’t as they have to protect themselves in case another gang attack on them happens, even though both of the gangs want this to stop, they won’t as they don’t trust one another. There is another quote next to the ‘save us’ text which says: ‘forgive us our trespasses’ which is a quote from a prayer, asking the Lord to forgive us our sins- this therefore suggests that we should all forget about all the bad things we have done, ask for forgiveness, believe in the Lord and become one unity to live in peace. The long shots also allow the audience to see what clothes they’re wearing, and later on in the video, the colours go from red to blue. The blue colours represent Crips which is an African-American gang that wears blue colours. There are also close-ups of the street names, where at first the street signs are in green which symbolises that they’re feeling safe as it’s their area, later on other street names are shown in blue which symbolises the other gang’s area that Chris will not feel safe in. There’s also close-up of a child looking upset with red hair bands, this shows that they’re in danger due to the violence and the attacks that take place.
Later on during the music video, the long shots show many people together wearing red and blue whilst they all sing and dance along to the song which shows that the two gangs have re-united to come together and live with each other in piece- it gives people a message that we can all live with each other in peace and happiness without violence and attacks (possible for us to exist in unison). There are also full-shots of Chris and others dancing showing that people should do what they love and aim for their goals, for example Chris dancing and singing implies that he’s doing what he loves which brings him happiness as he’s reaching for his goals. Later on, the long shots show many children sitting together but this time, they are all wearing different colours, not just red and blue, which symbolises rainbow which links to the feeling of freedom, security and happiness, there are also many close-ups of the children to approve these feelings as they are all dancing and laughing.
The camera also uses framing which makes it seem as if the camera wanted to introduce us to the current situation in the video. Also, when the camera is slowly moving towards Chris and his friends which makes it seem as if these people are welcoming us and congratulating that we have decided to re-unite with them and join them to build peace and happiness and show support.
There are also many uses of low camera angles which represents that nothing is stronger than a group of people who want to change the world and bring peace into it. It shows the audience that they are much stronger than the people who are still fighting and bringing violence to others. Shots such as full and medium shots, show Chris’s watch shine which could mean that people need to make the change as quick as possible before anyone else gets hurt, the shoes which are also shining suggest that everyone has been thought something in their lives which is why we should support and love one another.
When the video nearly finishes, Chris Brown is in the dark room with wings behind him which shows that we’re all good people despite of all the things we have done and that everyone can make a change when it’s dark and dull to see light and hope again. There are also close-ups of Chris wearing sun glasses before during the music video which shows that people are being blinded by the bad things and no longer see the positive things and later on in the video, there are close-ups of Chris’s eyes shining very bright which means that we should open our eyes to see what damage we’re causing ourselves and other people and to realise that we should make a change.
In the end of the video, the camera shows Chris deciding not getting out of the car whist the camera slowly moves up towards the sky representing heaven whilst a picture comes up of Lil Frogg with captioned: ‘RIP Lil Frogg 1987-2013’ which explains that this is what happens when people make the wrong decisions deciding to attack someone and explains that this is what will happen if people won’t make a change which links to the idea of Chris not getting out of the car.
Boyz n the hood:
John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honour. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.
This relates to the video- Don’t think they know, when Chris Brown tells his friends that he wants to get out of the car which relates to the scene from the film when Dough tells his friends to stop the car as he doesn’t want to continue the attack. The part when Chris says ‘Yo man, stop the car’ seems as if he wants to get out of the video, away from the cameras and away from the ‘gangster’ lifestyle, which most music videos represent these days and instead, stepping into the realism and the real world: where many people kill but is possible to live as one.
This is an example where the character dies after a gang attack. At the beginning, the car turns from round the corner which makes a perfect reference from Chris Brown's music video where Chirs Brown jumps out of the car. This music video is therefore related to this film as Chris Brown wanting to get out of the car was to prevent any danger from happening which also relates to the part where the main character, in the end decides not to fight anymore.
This is an example video of The Girl in Red - Schindler's List where Chris Brown's video references to this film by using black and white colours but making some of the things appeal red or blue.
Jemiini: Birthday Cake:
This is another interesting music video I came across to due to the fact that it’s a girl who is rapping who’s acting bad and tough when usually we expect men to be rapping like that and acting that way, this is why I found Jemiini and her video very interesting as it changes the stereotypical views on women.
The music video starts off with a storyline when they are talking about something that has once happened to her, which she remembers till this day which is what motivated her to start her career by saying ‘I can do this, just give me a chance’ which makes the video more powerful as we’re getting to know the artist a bit more. There are also police lights which implies that she’s a rebel- someone who always gets in trouble, does illegal things and isn’t scared to do them. Also, most of the time, the camera is shaking which suggests danger and represents Jemiini as being violent and scary to come near. The video is filmed during the night with a group of people (gang) showing that she’s dangerous and may make people be scared of her and respect her. Jemiini represents herself and comes out as gay which may be inspiring to others as she isn’t scared to come out and show the real her- she shows she’s confident about it, by the clothes she wears and by the way she acts which we can see this through the use of medium close ups and full shots.
The mise en scene shows a place that isn’t so welcoming- unknown and dull which could suggest that she’s doing some kind of illegal business with the people/gangs that are there. There are also many shots where they are behind the gate which makes the audience feel as if they are trapped by them which makes us feel powerless. We also feel powerless by the use of low camera angles. There are many swear words which means that Jemiini isn’t very delicate like most women are represented/expected to be in the media world- idea of being different.
SIYA- real MVP:
I thought that the idea of coming out and being able to say that you’re gay was very inspiring which I reliased from Jemiini and have found another interesting video.
This video shows the artist being in love with a girl which is in the video and raps about her. SIYA is very inspirational to some due to her confidence in being gay and being able to rap about it and show it in the music video- having her and the girl she fancies in the video which makes it very motivational and inspirational as she isn’t scared to show people her sexual preferences.
