Eminem - Not Afraid (Rap Video Analysis)

Video :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/notafraid.html

Analysis: 

• Uses direct adress to engage his audience via lyrics and video - "Come take my hand" whilst pointing to the camera. Also says "Holla if you feel like youve been down the same road", connecting to his fans/audience, unlike many other rappers who rap about their audiences ambitions/aspirations, eg. Cars, money, glamorous lifestyle.
• Acts as a superhero in part of the video to show connotations of strength, power and being unstoppable in relation to the songs topic. (overcoming drug addiction)
• Violence and aggression are shown just like stereotypical rap videos, although to represent the depth and meaning in the lyrics and the emotion he feels about his words.
• His body language also supports the passion for his lyrics, shows enthusiasm and the fact that he is not creating a persona solely for a video.
• There are no conventional props of a rap video featured in this (chains, cars, money, baggy clothes etc.) No rap signifiers worn during the video.
• The video for 'Not Afraid' is not a staged studio based video as he is using the video as a mode of address to get across the 'real' feeling he wants to portray. This also contradicts rap stereotypes.
• In the lyrics, Eminem refers to his old music as "ehhh", which supports the fact that there are no sexualised women featured in the video (as there was a lot of sexualisation featured in the videos from his old albums).
• The atmosphere in the video is very grungy/non saturated, which depicts the mood of the audience and also pinpoints the songs tone. The video later gets brighter to represent 'seeing light at the end of the tunnel' in terms of his recovery from drugs. 
• Running past mirrors in the video signifies that Eminem is running away from his subconcious/old self. Breaking through them also is a signifier to support the idea that he is breaking away from his old self and becoming a new person.
• Lyrics and video cleverly link by saying "facing my demons" and featuring Eminem running past mirrors which reflect him as a ghost/demon.
• The first 3 lines of the song suggest that 'haters' turned him to drugs and ruined his music/career.

AQA Comms and Culture A2 Link

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/communication-and-culture/a-level/communication-and-culture-2625

Fight the Power - Public Enemy Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnS53fNfpkE
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/publicenemy/fightthepower.html

Public enemy present themselves as typical rappers, in the same dress code as many would be seen in today. The reason for this may be that the video was so influential that from 1989 to present rap artists have modelled themselves on this song and rap band. The typical props that identify stereotypical rap artists are baggy clothing, large chains, snapback hats and chunky trainers, which seems to appear throughout the whole music video. Their body language suggests that they are driven for the cause they are fighting for and passionate about the protest for black rights as featured because they seem very aggressive at certain points in the video in relation to the lyrics, such as "Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant shit to me you see, Straight up racist that sucker was, Simple and plain" They also seem in touch with the crowd through their body language to give off a friendly tone and assure the crowd that they are not aggressive in their real selves. 
The lyrics "1989 the number another summer (get down), Sound of the funky drummer, Music hittin' your heart cause I know you got soul" suggest that the 1963 rally led by Martin Luther King wasnt enough to protest equality for blacks, so they were stepping up with something modernised (hence "the sound of the funky drummer"), which would appeal to the audience of 1989 and raise more awareness.

Dark Shadows Analysis A2

Dark Shadows Trailer - Vampire Movie

• Typical gothic castle as a setting as well as an eerie and dark beginning to the trailer. This gives the impression that the film will be very dark and traditional. 

• The colour scheme is gothic, reds, blacks and deep purples to support the originality of vampire films, although the film is a comedy twist of a vampire film.

• 70's music supports the era in which the film is set in, in order to modernise the film and break away from the tradition of vampire soundtracks and bring a new appeal. 

• As with all vampire films, it is a tradition to add a 'love scene' to the film, but Dark Shadows adds a comedy take on this tradition by making it exaggerated and not a kill scene as with most other films.

• Traditional sea side town - keeps elements of vampire tradition so the understanding of the film doesn't stray too far from its context.

• Eerie sound of old piano featured to add an element of tradition to the family home and keep in touch with the roots of the context.

• Villian or 'bad guy' in red to stick to tradition and support the connotation of danger attached to both the colour and the character. 

• No daylight scenes featured of the vampire characters which is complying with traditions related to the represenation of vampires. The only scene where the main character is in daylight, he is shown to be wearing a long black coat, an umbrella, gloves and sunglasses, so barely any of his skin is showing.

The twist on traditional vampire films is placed in order to attract a younger audience and keep interest in the vampire genre but changing it up a bit. The younger audience is catered for with humour (such as the TV scene), a modern soundtrack like 'Get it on' by T. Rex, as well as various scenes with more recent and less traditional features, such as the disco ball and bright colours from the 70's.

Untraditional aspects of the film trailer include the missing presence of props used in vampire movies, such as bats, capes, kill scenes and the ability to fly, although this is counteracted by the use of a long trenchcoat from victorian ages, the main character sleeping like a bat and a violent 'love' scene.

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AQA KEY TERMS

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-2625-W-TRB-OGASKT.PDF

Lily Allen: moderation week task

Lily Allen’s ‘Hard Out Here’ (For a bitch)

Hard Out Here is a single recently released by Lily Allen, a lyrical genius in terms of realism and making a point.

The video deals with the topic of Value, as it takes us on a journey through Lily’s’ pop comeback and she has to alter her appearance to be good enough for today’s media before appearing on the set of the music video, where then she has to learn to ‘twerk’ to be able to fit into the culture she’s spent so long away from. By showing this as part of the video, it gives the viewers an understanding of what today’s society value in their pop-culture. This point is also proven by when her manager states “How can somebody let themselves get like this? It’s terrifying” whilst in an operating room where Lily is having liposuction, showing that modern music is supported by attractive women and amazing slim figures, proving that this is what the people of today value in women and the music industry.

The video and lyrics also deal with the representation of women and how they are objectified. By Lily saying “I don’t need to shake my ass for you cause’ ive got a brain”, she is suggesting that women don’t need to be eye-candy in order to attract people to the music industry and that it is stupid for anyone to think that it is necessary, as most people do nowadays. Also by saying “You should probably lose some weight / because we can’t see your bones”, she projects a sarcastic message that states how many of the expectations for women today are based around being size 0 and having the ‘perfect skinny figure’.

She also raises the issue of power between genders. She says this through the lines “If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut/ When boys be talking about their bitches, no one's making a fuss/ There's a glass ceiling to break, uh-huh, there's money to make/ And now it's time to speed it up 'cause I can't move at this pace”. This verse signifies that there is a problem within gender equality and implies that women have less power, the function of the verse to inform us of this. She later goes on to say “Inequality promises that it's here to stay/ always trust the injustice 'cause it's not going away”, highlighting the point further.  Another lyric from the song is “You’ll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen”, which shows that she is not conforming to the myth and male dominant ideology that women are the lesser gender and belong as ‘housewives’. This is a controversial topic and as the lyrics are voiced over a sarcastic video, they can be blocked from their audience as the video may act as a barrier to the preferred reading.

The modelling theory suggests that young people aspire to be culturally similar to other individuals, and through the media celebrities are portrayed to be flawless, so this is how young people wish to be. Lily’s’ message to the young primary audience through this video is that you do not have to be a size 0 or be rich to amount to something in life. The code in which she communicates this message to her audience is in a sarcastic video, purposely to attract more attention to the matter, more debate and more speculation. She outlines the fact that the song is sarcasm to not cause any confusion and misleading interpretations by adding the line “If you can’t detect the sarcasm you’ve misunderstood.”

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0CazRHB0so&feature=kp
Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lilyallen/hardouthere.html