A2 G324: LYRIC DECONSTRUCTION

LYRIC DECONSTRUCTION:

H.E.R 'Say it Again':

A2 G324: SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA:

I wanted to look into the statistics for different social media platforms, to see how popular each one is. This will help me when it comes to marketing and advertising my final product since I will now which platform is the most popular.

FACEBOOK:



SNAPCHAT:


INSTAGRAM:



TWITTER:

A2 G324: ANALYSIS OF CHOSEN ARTIST & GENRE

ARTIST:

Gabi Wilson aka H.E.R. (acronym for “Having Everything Revealed”), is a 20 year old, American Singer-Songwriter from Vallejo, California. She was born on June 27th, 1997. Her birth sign is Cancer. Her father, Kenny Wilson, was a member of a local band called, “Urban Bushmen”. Her mother Agnes Wilson is a native Filipina. Gabi is an American by nationality and belongs to Filipino-American ethinicity

Before fame, she started singing at an early age and her parents supported her love of performing. Alicia Keys was her idol while growing up. Gabi became popular with her song, “Something to Prove”, which was released in 2014. After that, she released another single song called, “Prove” in 2014. Her 2015 song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” made her more popular on the media and fans. 

It was after this performance that she developed a relationship with her idol and mentor Alicia Keys. 

Alicia even tweeted this:

She was signed to RCA Records and has released two extended plays under the label, H.E.R. Gabi Wilson was founded by Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean and Bryson Tiller. She did really well with the first album entitled, “H.E.R., Vol 1 which achieved a number 1 slot on the iTunes R & B Chart which then kicked off her success.

GENRE:

H.E.R's music consists mainly of contemporary R&B and she often talks about heartbreak and love. Gabi does not make music videos to accompany her talent purely because she prefers to keep her face hidden. However, I will be one of the first to create a music video for her song 'Say it Again'.

CONVENTIONS of the R&B GENRE:

• Fashion – Minimalistic clothing as the singers’ target is older teenage girls/boys. 

• Jeans – If the male artist is pictured topless, they are usually wearing jeans; slightly hanging low so you can get a glimpse of their boxers. They will also have a designer belt on which a few closeup shots will be done on as a form of advertising for that particular item. 

• Tattoos – A lot of male R & B artists have tatoos, a majority of the time they are on their chest, if not, it will be on their arms. They will also have multiple tatoos. 

• Jewellery – R & B stars are subtle with their jewellery in their videos like a watch, chain and earrings. 

• Iconography – Videos are usually very sexual and the topless men in the R & B videos connotes that sense of sexuality. A majority of R & B videos these days are filmed in greyscale/sepia tone which adds a sensual tone to imagery in the videos.

• Target Audience – A majority of R & B fans are teenagers/young adults roughly between the ages of 13-25.

Music videos consist of the following details: 

• Bright colours. 
• Flashy cars. 
• Jewellery. 
• Props used, i.e. sunglasses, alcohol.

A2 G324: TINASHE - DECONSTRUCTION 2

DIGIPAK DECONSTRUCTION:

The projection of the white smoke effect on top of the background is very effective and reflects the oceans waves. The contrast in light and dark aspects are perfectly positioned to ensure the artist is illuminated. Blue is a masculine colour therefore, would appeal to both females and males. 

The back of the album has a very different mood to the front cover, which suggests that her songs are both positive and negative. I like this contrast in colours because it may represent the ocean as being light and blue at the top, but at the bottom it is very dark and mysterious. 

MAGAZINE DECONSTRUCTION:

Tinashe does not have a magazine advertisment for the album 'Aquarius' therefore, I looked at a magazine cover which may give me inspiration when designing my poster.

FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK: 

A2 G324: TINASHE - DECONSTRUCTION

DECONSTRUCTION:

Tinashe - Flame
In this deconstruction I will be covering:

• Synopsis
• About the Artist
• Timeline
• Lyric Analysis
• Record Label
• Digipak Deconstruction
• Magazine Deconstruction
• Focus Group Feedback

I am interested in deconstructing Tinashe's Flame music video because she is a very strong and dominant individual who puts much effort into her videos and style. She is an amazing dancer which results in her videos being mainly performance based which appeals to the younger generation. In this section I will be looking at the artists artwork, video, magazine covers and background, to really understand her way of promoting her music.

SYNOPSIS:

The actress is remembering the good time she had with her boyfriend. However, their relalationshhp has ended and she wanted to get revenge therefore, she burnt their house and lit it up in 'flames'.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Tinashe Kachingwe in an American R&B artist. Her 2014 single ' 2 on' featuring Schoolboy Q peaked at #21 on the US R&B chart.

She is a songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer and former model. Her horoscope is Aquarius which is the name of on of her albums. 

TIMELINE:

00:00 - 00:04 - The ocean water is shown close up moving with the wind. The water is very dark suggesting it is night.

00:04 - 00:16 - The scene quickly cuts to Tinashe and her lover lying in a white bed. The camera slowly moves to the left to reveal Tinashe awake turning her head to the left to see whether the man is awake. Her look is very natural since she has supposedly woken up. The scene then cuts to flames burning polaroid pictures. The flame is slow to match the pace of the music. A cut transition then shows Tinashe in the same position as before. Handheld shots are used here. 

00:16 - 00:22 - Tinashe is lip syncing underwater wearing a tight black strap top. Her hair is open floating in the water. The water is very dark around her however, there is a white glow around her figure. These contrasting colours illuminate the artist and draws the audience attention to her. A wide shot shows her getting out of the water, and close up shots of the mans tattoos and face are shown. This is to represent the man as someone any girl would want. This is common in female artist R&B music videos because they like to show their audience that they can get any good looking guy by their side. 

00:22 - 00:44 - The couple are shown to be laughing and having fun through an over the shoulder shot. Tina she is lip syncing the song seductivly by looking through her eyelashes, running her fingers through her hair and touching her face softly. The man does not move in some shots, this may represent how he is not that important in the video and all the attention should be on Tinashe. Quick cuts are used to create a faster pace. 

00:44 - 01:04 - The couple are brushing their teeth together showing that they are ‘one’ and have a really strong connection. Both of the characters are wearing white, and the background colours are very light as well. White connotes to completion and wholeness, which may represent their bond. 

1:04 - 01:20 - An extreme close up shot of the actresses face is shown. She is wearing natural, light makeup therefore, is not too overpowering. Her hair is big and curly to suggest dominance and power. This may explain why the man is under represented in this video. The colour in this video is very warm toned to reflect the colour of a ‘flame’. The scene then cuts to a front tracking shot of Tinashe dressed up wearing a small top and jewellery. 

01:20 - 02:08 - Wide shots, long shots, close ups and zooms are utilised to show the actress/artist in a dominant way. She is wearing minimal clothing and knee high boots to elongate her legs and show of her body in a provocative way. The setting is dark however, the colour of the flame lights up the scene and bronzes the artists skin tone to make her look goddess like. 

02:08 - 03:20 - Tinashe lights the house on fire with a sparkler and alcohol because it appears that her relationship has ended. High angle shots are used to show her dangerous and powerful side since she just lit the house on fire. A low angle shot of her standing in front of the burning house is incorporated to portray how fierce and large the fire is compared to her. 


LYRIC ANALYSIS:

RECORD LABEL:

RCA is an American record label owned by Sony Music, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. 

• Epic/Song Records

A2 G324: SZA - DECONSTRUCTION 2

DIGIPAK DECONSTRUCTION:

The album cover is very feminine and pretty. SZA is said to be a very spiritual person and loves nature and the world around her. This may explain her use of leafs and fruits, it creates a visual border to the album cover. SZA has gotten inspiration for this artwork from lager barrel labels which may explain the style and animal.

If I were to see this album cover in a store I would definitely be interested in it. I think the colour combination and style is very unique and pleasing to the eye. Much effort has gone into the design to ensure all aspects look high quality.

An image of the CD's disc is not available online, and her album is not sold in stores around this area, therefore, I will not be able to analyse the disc.

MAGAZINE DECONSTRUCTION:

SZA does not have a magazine advertisement that promotes her music, therefore, I will look at Rihanna's magazine advert as she is more mainstream.

FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK:

A2 G324: SZA - DECONSTRUCTION

DECONSTRUCTION:

SZA - Ice Moon
In this deconstruction I will be covering:

• Synopsis
• About the Artist
• Popularity
• Timeline
• Mise en Scene, Narrative, Editing & Cinematography
• Lyric Analysis
• Record Label
• Magazine Deconstruction
• Digipak Deconstruction
• Focus Group Feedback

I am particularly interested in SZA's music as I find it very real and positive, her music videos always tell a story and are very aesthetically pleasing. 'Ice Moon' takes a different path to the R&B genre, as it is very fantasy like with no artificial coloured lighting. In this section I will be looking at the artists artwork, video, magazine covers and background, to really understand her way of promoting her music.

SYNOPSIS:

The narrative of this music video is mainly performance based, it shows the artist as being care free wondering through the woods in excitement and happiness. She is the only character in this video therefore, the attention stays on her.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Solána Imani Rowe (SZA) is an American R&B singer. In October 2012, Rowe self - released her debut mixtape titled See.SZA.Run, which she then followed up with her second mixtape, titled S, in April 2013. 

Her music includes elements of Soul and Hip Hop. SZA was also nominated for this years MTV Video Music Awards as Best New Artist. 

POPULARITY:

I looked at SZA's Ice Moon music video on YouTube to see how popular her music videos are.

I wanted to also look at the comments she receives by her fans, to see what they thought of the video and how each individual may have felt after watching and hearing the song come to life. 

It is clear that many of her fans adore how real and comfortable she is to be herself and not live up to the conventions of the R&B genre. The majority of the population nowadays think talented artists are hard to find, as the media is portraying music in a different way. Therefore, this video seems to reinforce the beauty of real musical talent. 

The rawness of her music is reiterated in these comments. The video shows her in a natural state not talking about negative stuff or money, which is recognised as talent to the majority of people. Her music helps a lot of people, as it is very light and has a positive vibe. 

I look at SZA's instagram to see how many followers she has. SZA has 2.1 million followers which is a large audience considering she is not that mainstream. 

Lastly, I look at her Twitter and Facebook page to see her fanbase on these social media platforms.

TIMELINE:

00:00 - 00:05

The scene slowly fades in showing the actresses hand sweep across a tree branch. Her nails are manicured suggesting she looks after her appearance. The opening shot instantly tells the audience that the setting of the video is outdoors. The camera gently tilts upwards. 

00:05 - 00:10

‘Ice Moon’ gradually fades into shot in a white bold font much like Jhene Aiko’s Wading. The typography is very detailed and unique representing this video being light and happier rather than dark and mysterious. The scene behind the text is very full of colour with natural lighting, creating a magical atmosphere. the scene crossfades to the next and the two o’s in moon, transition to a tree suggesting that the video will be set in a forest. Two vibrant flowers are presented in the background  in high quality which looks very aesthetically pleasing. 

00:10 - 00:20

The scene crossfades to a picnic blanket with unfinished food and patterned materials. The music here is very light and fantasy like which adds to the atmosphere created by forest. The camera gently moves towards the artists feet as she walks forward. A shot of greenery and flowers is appeared adding a vibrant colour to the scene, while the actress  stand face back tp the camera wearing a long t-shirt dress. 

00:20 - 00:35

A shallow depth of field close up shot of tree bark is shown with engraving saying ‘TDE + SZA’ therefore indicating a past relationship of friendship. The artists hand gently grabs the tree to help get her balance. A wide shot of the actress walking through the forest, the audience can only see the back of her. The artist begins to sing and the camera quickly cuts to her face lip syncing while standing innocently with nature behind her. Handheld shots are used here. 

00:56 - 01:11

The nature and scenery is emphasised in the video through the repeat use of slow pans through trees and wide/long shots of the artist wondering through the forest. The video has a childlike fantasy idea to it, specifically how the artist is prancing around in a forest. More specifically, it feels very disney, with the nature, a single female singing surrounded by birds and earth. 

01:11 - 01:35

The reflection of the artist in the water is presented through an upward tilt. Next follows a close up of the artist singing and walking forward through the forest. Minimal effects are used in this video possibly suggesting it had a low budget. However, the atmosphere and feeling the audience may feel, is very special. 

01:35 - 02:05

The scene crossfades to the actress sitting in a high tree singing to the camera, again reinforcing the idea that she is living in a ‘fantasy’ world. She continues to wonder through the forest looking at the nature full of excitement. The colours and lighting stay natural to emphasise the videos verisimilitude. 

02:05 - 02:22

White and purple balloons fill the scene. Therefore, supporting the idea that the artist is living like a child. Children love balloons because they find it fascinated that air cannot be caught or seen yet a balloon can be seen and touched. A balloon is very light and flies away with the breeze and children find this captivating. Side way tilt is used to show the artist through a long shot sitting in the tree.

The scene has a high saturation and contrast therefore, the colours look very vibrant and bright creating a disney like shot. The scene reminds me of ‘Snow White’ when she she is walking through the woods that looks enchanted. There is a repeated showing of pink flowers which connote to love, gratitude, appreciation and elegance. There are minimal dark colours in this video therefore the overall mood is ‘delightful’. the fantasy like scene ends with a close up tracking shot of her sneakers walking across a fallen tree.

02:45 - 03:11

The colour changes to a lilac. Lilac is a flower which expresses confidence and symbolises innocence. The scenes overlap as a crossfade is used as a transition. The video ends with a high angle shot of the artist looking down, her body appears as a silhouette.


MISE EN SCENE, CINEMATOGRAPHY, NARRATIVE & EDITING

When deconstructing the music video, I found that the shots and colours looked very similar to some disney movies. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan, have a very similar visual to 'Ice Moon', this is due to the vibrant nature and high saturation. SZA is trying to describe her happy place, and maybe that is living like a child and being a 'princess'.

LYRIC ANALYSIS:

RECORD LABEL:

Top Dawg Entertainment is an American Independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony 'Top Dawg' Tiffith.

• RCA Records

A2 G324: JHENÉ AIKO - DECONSTRUCTION 2

DIGIPAK DECONSTRUCTION:

The album cover is very eye catching and unique which may attract a larger audience. The visuals were at first confusing to understand and relate to 'love' because that is what she sings about. However, interestingly I found that in one of her songs 'Lyin King' she sings about 'turquoise sees and ocean breezes'. In this song she also repeats the word 'wanderer' which means to travel, this may be why Jhené is standing in front of beautiful imagery.  

The back of the album is very magical and peaceful.  Intriguingly, the album's name is 'Souled Out' which sounds very much like 'Sold Out' which is a very clever play on words to suggest that the album is very popular. The music on the album is very light but powerful in meaning, which may represent the cover as being attractive on the outside but expressive on the inside. 

The over representation of the colour gold in the digipak suggests success, achievement and triumph. This colour is associated with abundance, luxury, quality, sophistication and elegance. The colour is linked to masculine energy and power of the sun, compared to silver which is associated with feminine energy and the sensitivity of the moon. 

MAGAZINE DECONSTRUCTION:

Jhené does not have a magazine advertisement for the Souled Out album however, she has been involved in many magazine shoots to advertise her music therefore, I will look into this a bit more. 

FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK: