Music is a big part of our lives, it’s in everything whether it be dance, film, ads and much more. But music isn’t just sound, most famous artists produce films for their music to show the artists interpretation of the lyrics and/or music and this is called a music video. These music videos can range from animation to dance to short films and can have a very big budget.
Most modern song are made to play between 3 to 5 minutes but this can be exaggerated. Most song tell a story but some can have a message or bring forth an emotion. Most of the music and/or music videos that are produced, often have sexual and/ or surreal scenes and lyrics in them. These films are filmed on sets, location and/or green screens (which involves animation and video
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editing). In media texts, codes and conventions assistance to build meaning both clear and on a deeper level. There are two categories: technical codes and symbolic codes. Technical: - How technology and equipment are used to create meaning. - Camera – different angles, shots… - Editing – pace, style… - Sound – Diegetic / Non-diegetic, genre... Symbolic: - Meaning shaped beyond what is obvious to see. - For example, specific facial expressions. - Mise-en-scene. Every music video is unlike each other in most way than not, but all can be characterized into definite styles. These styles include performance, narrative, cameo and animation Performance is where the band or artist is shown performing the song as it plays in perfect sync. Can be either a concert performance, with the music being added in to fit in sync, or a unique set, made specifically for the music video. Narrative – Some music videos choose to have a storyline of some sort that relates to the lyrics of the song in some way. Mixture – A combination of a performance video and a narrative based video. Usually features a story line, and then cuts back occasionally to the band. Cameo – Whereby the band / artist features in the story but doesn’t actually perform. This is common with Foo Fighter’s music videos. Animation – Some music videos do not have real-time footage, but instead use animation. This could incorporate performance, narrative and cameo styles but in a surrealistic way. The forms of animation could either be on a digital platform, such as flash, or a stop-frame video where still images are compiled together to make a form of motion image. Depending on the style of music video, the camera can be used in varying ways. Close-up’s are used mainly to show the performer singing / playing to show their talent. Sometimes, Extreme-close-ups are used to focus on perhaps the singer’s lips as they sing, of the strings of a guitar as it’s being played. Crane shots are used for example to show the entire stage as the band or artist performs. Creates a concert type feel and makes you feel as if your in the audience. Low angle shots are used frequently to create the sense that the performers are powerful – famous. Makes them appear glamourous. Long shots and Extreme long shots are normally used to show the location, especially in the more extravagant music videos. Exotic locations helps to give the audience a glimpse into the lifestyle of the band / artist. Pans and tilts are used to show different members of the band performing, allows the whole band to be shown. Some music videos require the band / artist to be tracked whilst they are doing something – on the way to a gig for example. There are many different editing techniques commonly used in music videos. The most common editing technique in terms of cutting from one shot to another is ‘jump’ cutting. This is where the camera appears to be jumping from location to performer to instrument, and so on, without having to adhere to conventional continuity. The footage in usually edited in such a way that it matches the music’s pace, beat and style. For example, many music videos will change shot on a certain beat, with the length of shot depending on the pace of the music. A very slow song will have much longer shots and will cut less, whereas a fast paced drum and bass music video will have many different shots changing constantly. The effect of this is that it holds the audiences focus much more and allows their mood to adjust to the music visually as well as via the sound. Additionally, the footage must also match the music in terms of syncing the performance with the music. Split-screening is a term that refers to when the screen is divided into two or more sections, all showing a different piece of footage. This allows many things to be shown at once which is useful if there is a lot of things happening. CGI can also be used and enables the band to feature surrealistic elements in their videos. Diegetic sound – some music videos feature diegetic sound as well as the non-diegetic music track. This is where the narrative may need sound to reinforce meaning. Sometimes the level of sound changes depending on the location. For example, the sound is amplified when the footage shows an outside location, but then is reduced when the footage shows an inside location. Depending on the genre of music and video style, the mise-en-scene can vary greatly. The common props used in music videos are of course musical instruments / performance equipment. This is because it creates a strong sense of verisimilitude to see the band or artist actually performing in sync along with the song.Some bands may also wish to feature their own merhcandise for promotional purposes. The costume also changes a lot depending on the genre. Rock bands feature a much more aggressive and generally dirty look to represent their style of music, whereas a Hip-Hop artist may wear be featured wearing baggy clothes and a lot of jewelry. Sometimes, a band or performer will have their own specific costumes / look. The band Kiss for example. The locations featured in music videos relate strongly to the style of video and the song. If it’s performance based, then the location will be of some form of stage setting, perhaps in a concert hall. Whereas a narrative based video can be set almost anywhere. Varies depending on the musical style of the band and the style of the video. Rock bands tend to act more aggressively and show more ‘attitude. Pop starts tend to be more happy and positive. The genre of music that my essay will be depicting and describing is Drag queen music but just remember not all drag queens can sing.
Some can be dancers, comedians, events hosts, models, DJs and so much more but I’m just here to talk about drag queen singers. This essay will talk about the production of a drag queen music video and what has to be done to change the appearance of the artist and also depict the meaning of two music videos.
Drag queen music is becoming really big and popular because of the original drag queen performances in clubs all around the world and with the growing trends, governments, laws and societies are changing the way to make the community of LGBTQAI more accepted in our world today. They bring a lot of money and they’re a sight to see alongside male and or female dancer.
Some of the disgusting features of a drag music videos are makeup, costumes, acting and the interpretation of the artist which all work together and if done wrong it can make an okay or worst drag performance but if done right it could make for a really great and even an amazing performance. The makeup has to be expertly finished, wigs have to be on point, costumes have to be fashionable and suit to the build of the person and the acting of a female has to be so good that you can fool a person with your voice and body
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language. The two music videos that I will be analysing are “Hello, I love you” by Daniel Noriega (A.K.A. Adore Delano) produced in 2014 and “Sissy that walk” by RuPaul produced in 2015 Makeup for drag queen is very complex and planned. It usually consist of many layers which includes contouring and highlighting to portray a feminine look and uses tips and tricks to hide male features. For example lips are usually made bigger by adding extra lip product (lipstick, gloss, tars etc.) to the top and/or bottom of the lips to make a bigger and over exaggerated female’s lips. Eyes make up is extended up and out would to make the male face look more petite. Contouring and highlighting also helps with making the features of the man’s face appear lady like. The clothing of a drag queen can be just normal women’s clothing or it can be creative and handmade clothing that will wow and another part of costume that is also important is wigs.
Wigs can be simple or complex as well. The wigs used in “Hello, I love you” are simple in style but give a punch with the vibrant blue and the pastel pink. Where as in “Sissy that walk” the wigs were just consisting of natural colours but shaped and styled in unique and exuberant ways. Drag queens also require body accessories to give the illusion of a woman’s figure like fake boobs and hip and butt pads. Also to help the appearance of a female, the sexual organs of the male have to be tucked between the legs and secured to prevent falling
out. The drag queens in these music videos are acting in a feminine way to confuse the viewer of the gender of the artist. Drag queens also over exaggerate the way a real female acts in order to show people the features and mannerisms of females. “Hello, I love you” I believe is based on a girl/drag queen that is obsessed and stalking “Tom Dairy” (A model) and talks about what he did at distinct times and how she continues ringing his number and saying “Hello, I love you”. She also talks about how when they meet, they’ll kiss and talk about what to name their kids. This amplifies the obsession and creepiness of the song’s lyrics and the acting of Adore shows of a girl that wants everything to do with Tom Dairy “Sissy that walk” I interpreted that this is based on a woman/drag queen that has had enough of people’s hateful comments and that those comments don’t matter anymore because I’m better than those that hate on me. It also depicts to me that she is going to ignore the comments and that the haters should get out of her way. Most of the music and/or music videos that are produced, often have sexual and/ or surreal scenes and lyrics in them. These type of music videos are usually film on green screens, sets, locations or clubs. For example hello I love you was filmed on a set and had many props used during the filming. Whereas Sissy that walk was filmed on a green screen and photoshoot drop and effects like the background and multiple shots of different drag queens were added in after by editing on special effects programs.
Queen Latifah grew up in a middle class of East Orange, New Jersey. Initially working with Ladies Fresh as a human beatbox she released her first solo single ' Wraith of My Madness' (Tommy Boy Records) in 1988. In 1989 she released her debut album All Hail the Queen. The album was only a minor success, but was described by Rolling Stone as having a profound impact on hip hop culture - partly due to the single 'Ladies First' in which she tried to counter the misogynistic lyric content of her
In my opinion, this music video would offend a lot of feminists but what I appreciate about music in the 80s and 90s is the fact that women could dress like strippers and not get judged for it. For example, in this Girls, girls, girls music video most of the video models wore high waist underwear and leather clothing. It was proper to sing or rap about women in a dirty way but at the same time still, respect women. Visually and textually it shows that they are men, they love women and their bodies. For me, there weren’t any curse words or women being sex symbols in this music video, the band simply wanted to show that they’re masculine and they valued what most men loved in the 80s and 90s era which was girls and motorcycles/cars.
Music is has a big impact on animated movies. Without it, the movies would be very bland and wouldn’t have as much emotion. Music
It is hard to imagine drag not consisting of a type of stage activity and of being a part of a theatrical performance. Contreras also points in Ester Newton’s book, Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America. In framing drag’s importance to queer theory, it is also important to consider drag practice also a particular expression of racial identify (Contreras, 2005). In this book, Contreras explains that drag´s relationship to sexual and racial identities are discussed in a context in which relatively is visible academic work about drag, such as Marjorie Garber’s books Vested Interest: Cross Dressing and Cultural Anxiety where she elides these
Bell, Jaclyn. "Music Makes Movies." Center for Digital Education. N.p., 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. .
As a female artist, Queen Latifah is a popular american singer , rapper , song writer , and even a talk show host. She has given many albums such as All Hail The queen , Nature of a Sista etc.
In society today, media such as movies and music share huge roles in the dynamics of culture especially concerning communication. In Dream Worlds 3: Desire, Sex, and Power in Music Video we see how famous singers and producers in the making of their music videos have the power of illustrating our language and beliefs. From the music we listen to and things we watch, we are constantly gaining new knowledge by the message that is being presented to us. The main focus of this specific documentary was how women in the music or media industry all together are treated. From this documentary and lectures in class we see that media objectifies, stereotypes, and degrades women and their bodies as advertisements and money makers. Themes in the film discussed
The dance was to embarrass the man, and she was successful. This act shows how the roles are flipped in a drag show. Outside of the drag show, homosexuality is thought of embarrassing and different. However, homosexuality in a drag show is welcomed. Heterosexuality is not necessarily unwelcomed, but heterosexual looking men are picked on, because Taryn wanted to reverse the role. From reading the stories that Weston collected, it seems like many of the people would want a world where homosexuality is normal, so that they do not have to come out. Drag show tries to create this environment. It becomes a place where being different is welcomed and encouraged. I think this is the reason why many people, especially people of the gay community, would want to go to a drag
Funnily drag did not n’t start out as a form of expression but as a necessity. In Ancient Greece, women could not n’t perform in plays because it was considered deemed “too dangerous”(Conger). In the middle ages, Europe’s Christian church continued the ban
Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.
Music can decipher a narrative event by indicating a perspective. To unify a set of diverse images and provide rhythmic and formal continuity and momentum, a film’s structure is more often than not, directly articulated by a musical structure. Music can assist the dialogue and visuals of film and often is inaudible (e.g. music is meant to be heard unconsciously, not consciously). Music has been used by directors to reinforce or strengthen certain weak scenes in film and then on the other hand when music is not needed to reinforce a scene
Kathleen Casey’s The Prettiest Girl on Stage is a Man: Race and Gender Benders in American Vaudeville kind of brings this essay full circle with its exploration of the adoption of gender and racial performances in American vaudeville, a popular form of entertainment during the early twentieth century. Vaudeville performances are characterized by physical humor, masquerade, and metamorphosis. This particular type of performance is not much different than “camp” explored in Newton’s Mother Camp, which emphasizes gay humor and theatrics. While camp is performed by drag queens, the vaudeville performers explored in Casey’s work perform gender in different ways. One of the four case studies in the book is that of Eva Tanguay who embodies female
The reigning queens of pop are all over the place. These music celebrities have a very powerful influence over people that listen to their music. Today, we recognize the divas of music as the women that talented and very demanding in their ways. In fact, a lot of the women are actually admired for their diva ways. Two reigning divas include Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez. On the surface they seem different. However, they have much in common.
Almost everyone living in this planet formed a strong affinity to watching movies. We all have been consumed inside the seats of a cinema, reveling on the greatness of the actors gilded on the silver screen, savoring the well-thought of story and relate to whichever movie character we can. Aside from absorbing all of the cheesy lines, the impressive technologies used and the different perspectives thrown in between the scenes, we are also suckers for the movie’s official theme song. Whilst many regard theme songs as nothing but avenues to reap more money (in the end of movie and song producers that is), we must not discount the fact that it would not have an official award to be given at the Oscar’s or the Grammy’s just for nothing. Despite the fact that you might have forgotten all the
Movies have been an expressive way to showcase history, society, and art for many years. There are many different important aspects that go into creating a movie. These elements work together to create an entertaining piece of work that can connect to an audience. An important element of movies that help shape the meaning of a film is the soundtrack. The soundtrack is a selection of recorded music that can be synchronized to the film. There are five main types of soundtrack recording which include Musical film, Film scores, Pop albums, videogame sounds, and albums with dialogue and music. All of these types of sound creates the environment of specific scene. There are three movies that interests me with its stimulating storyline and soundtrack