Kanye West- 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone'

The video is filmed in black and white. I think this is done because the song is addressing world problems. The black and white shows the diamond industry as being bad, which is bias, however it is very effective.

The image of children is powerful because they are associated with innocence, however they are being shown as parishioners in the industry and this is used to make the audience think because it is a shocking image.

There is an statue of angels in the middle of square in what looks like a country in Europe. Angel's are symbols of love, innocence and guardians. The angel image relates to the children's innocence being taken and 'frozen' as the angels are, because of the work on the diamond mines.






The artist and one of the children make a praying symbol with their hands which shows they are pleading. This shows that they feel trapped and want the problem to end.

I believe the video is about wanting to get out of the environment you are in and identifying the unfair treatment of others. I like this idea because this problem is evident within my music genre because young black people are constantly under scrutiny for negative behaviour they are accused of, and
wanting to escape this environment isn't identified enough.

Kano- 'Signs In Life'

The video is filmed at night on an estate in a flat. There are youths on bikes riding through past dim street lights. This shows it is an eerie area and it shows suspense that something is going to happen.

The image of a group of young people together symbolises unity. This seems attractive because the idea of a gang represents a brotherhood and not being isolated.

There are lots of still images of areas around the estate, other parts of London and other images such as headlines, money being exchanged, boys with hoods and prisons. These give depth to the video and show that the music is relating to images in society and exposes the culture these people are living.

I like the idea of the still images of things such as headlines because it gives the video another dimension and makes the target audience think about the issues behind what they are seeing within the video.

The England 10- 'She Likes To'

1I have chosen to look at this video because of the popular artists that are featured. They each have their own style of MCing and I was keen to see how each one was portrayed with being in the same environment.

The video starts off by showing each artist which is featured. This establishes who will be in the video, and the fast transitions sets a face pace. This keeps the audience interested.

The video is shot in a club and this is shown through the artists dancing, drinking alcohol and being surrounded by women. However when the third artist is featured, the camera shows him jumping over barriers and dodging bouncers. This could insinuate that he is under the age of 18, therefore unable to be inside a club. This is a cheeky sequence because it shows he is breaking the rules/ boundaries to get where he wants to.

The last part shows all the artists together socialising and MCing together. This shows that even thought they have had their solo parts, they are all there for the same reason and it shows they are united.

Location ideas for London

I have chosen some locations and ideas which i want my music video to conclude. It will be filmed in London, because of the video 'Feel Free' by Kano. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w07s5iMMOZ4 believe that this video works well because it has an element of mystery to it, because the streets are very quiet in some parts, which creates an eerie atmosphere.

The video will be filmed on an estate in London. This is because they are recognisable to my target audience. They are usually the poorest and most deprived areas of a city, and have heavy influence from gangs and youth groups.




The actor will be the only person featured in the video. This is because I want
him to be alone, which exposes his vulnerability and despair at the events that
had previously occured.

Kano- 'Feel Free'

At the beginning of the video, the camera dives into a book called 'London Town', (this is the title of the album which the song is from). This gives the video a fantasy like theme, because it looks as if the audience are delving into a story.

It is also filmed in black and white, which i feel is effective because it's letting the music come through and fill in the colour, therefore there is no need for colour in the video. This makes the music the central focus, instead of the video accompanying it.

The setting of the first part of the video, ( in an alley way) is dirty and dingy. This gives the video a dark and mysterious feel, because Kano is alone and it looks like it is very late at night. It also fits in with the music genre because it contains themes of anger and uncertainty. Kano is on his own for part of the video. This shows that he is reflecting on things and this shows him to be independent.

As the video progresses, an image of a piano is shown. It is being played, but no one is there. This is a mystery because it surely is impossible?

The image of the children's choir is very strong. Children symbolise innocence and happiness, but in the video they have no expression when they are singing, almost live less. This use of juxtaposition makes the audience question what they are seeing.

Kano is seen in the back of a black cab, an historical part of London's history. This establishes that the video has been filmed in London, an iconic city for business, crime and music. This statement shows that he has something to say about the capital. This is also present when the camera shows the London Eye.

The final part of the video is filmed in a church, where the children are singing. I believe the black and white is key to the themes which are brought up in the video. The song is about making a change and being free to do what you want to. The children symbolise something innocent which gets influenced by surroundings, and the church symbolises religion and how it influences many people in different ways.

Music video notes- Kano- 'P's & Q's'

I have chosen to analyse music videos from my chosen genre that I feel convey a message and are successful in doing this.




The first shot is of high rise buildings in which looks like a city/urban location. This establishes straight away that this is the location of the video. The streets look like a ghost town apart from then the artists passes a group of boys on the street. This shows that he is isolated and alone, which links to the song title 'P's & Q's', which is about not causing trouble or drawing attention to yourself
when you are on your own. An effect is used to make the camera look like it is speeding past its surroundings. This gives the video a faster pace and keeps the audience engaged. It also shows that the artist is trying to get to where he needs to be as fast as possible and not stopping. There are dirty pavements, old barriers and dim street lights in the background throughout the video. This shows that the artist is in an uneasy location, which is not bright or surrounded with other people. This makes the artist look like he is more aware and on edge.

Album covers continued

Plan B- 'Who Needs Actions When You Got Words'
* The artist is alone in a room which is old, tarnish and cluttered.
This could symbolise his work ethic and theory process. This gives a
possible insight for the audience into who the artist really is. The room
looks lived in which could suggest that the artist is original and not clean cut.

* The album title is a rhetorical question which leaves a lasting thought in
the audience's head, long after they first looked at the cover. This is a clever
advertising technique, which is effective. The title is painted on the wall which
suggest that it is intended not to be rubbed off. This makes it more of a bold statement.


Tinchy Stryder- 'Catch 22'
* The background is very bright and vibrant which draws in the audiences eye.
It also looks like it has had effects performed onto it, which makes it seem unreal.
This links in with the artist style of commercial music, which is very influenced with
effects e.g. echos and auto tune.

* Tinchy looks as if he is on a surf board. This is unrealistic because he is not
on a real background, but it gives the cover an element of light heartedness and fun.

* The title 'Catch 22' indicates a predicament or problem which sets ground for the album.



Roll Deep- 'Rules And Regulations'
* The cover has a wild west, cowboy look to it. This is because of the dark,
lived in brown of the background, and the groups name which is on a poster
background.

* The album title goes with the western theme because during those times,
people had to abide by the rules of authoritative figures e.g. Sheriff's, because
they face harsh consequences e.g. jail.

* 'Roll Deep' is in a modern font which looks like graffiti, and this contrasts the
historical western theme of the background.



Kanye West- '808's And Heartbreak' (Hip/Hop)
* This cover is very plain and has a heart being ripped by two hands as
its featured image. This could suggest the album has an emotional input by
the artist. Secondly that the album has been computer generated because the
image isn't real or of a person.



Gym Class Heroes- 'The Paper cut Chronicles' (Rock/Hip/Hop)
* The cover has the front man's silhouette as its image. He has his back to
the camera and he is holding his arms out. There is also tower blocks in the
background. This suggests that he is communicating some kind of image to
the city in front of him.

* The cover is very imaginative because of the colours and patterns. The green
background looks fresh and clean and this contrasts the dark colours of the
silhouette and band name


I have decided to research album covers out of my music genre because i want to draw
from other inspirations and styles. This will show that i can be imaginative and do not just /
stick to what other Grime covers looks like. This will enable my products to have unique elements.

Notes on the 'Adulthood' soundtrack cover

Actors
* They are mostly sitting/ standing in what looks like an order/structure.
This shows that there is depth behind the cover

* The body language of some of the actors is stand-offish and domineering,
which shows what their character is like, others are sitting in positions where
they look vulnerable and this shows their characters to be naive.

* They all look like they have some kind of connections because they are
standing/sitting quiet close together.


Background
*They are surrounded by harsh, grey shapes (buildings, street lights etc). This
indicates the setting of the film in which the music has come from. The setting is
also recognisable to the target audience, because it has been shot in around an
estate.

* There is a sunset in the background, which dominates most of the cover. This soft
and warm image contrasts the harshness of the grey buildings. This enforces the
idea that there is an underlying message coming through the music and film.


Text
* Some is black and some is white. These are two opposites, so they contrast
each other. This shows the film and music to have two contrasts in the plot/story.

* 'Adulthood' is all capital letters apart from the 'd'. This could show that even through
these characters are adults, there is still immaturity, or things that have happened whilst
they were growing up is still with them, hence the lower case letter.


Other images
* There is a logo advising parental supervision/guidance on the corner of the cover.
This indicates that there is explicit language/themes within the album. This shows the
target audience to be teenagers/ young adults.

* The baseball bat on the floor shows that this is a key image/ issue within the story.
It is not clear because a baseball bat could be associated with sports, or aggression
and violence, as it could be used as a weapon.

Research of album covers

I researched Grime album covers and annotated them. From these I have
chosen some ideas which I feel work well. I also identified key themes which
i found. I then went on to make notes of the 'Adulthood' soundtrack album cover.



P-Money- 'Money Over Everyone'
* Graffiti surrounding him- harsh, thoughtful and messy. This resembles his
personality.

* The artist is showing gang sign/ peace symbols/ This shows his loyalties
and it could hold a hidden mesaage.

* The copy has what looks like blood stains running down below it. This could
hint an issue of knife/gun crime and gang culture.



Wiley- 'Grime Wave'
* The black and white background makes the album title the first thing
they eye is drawn to, because it is colour.

* The name of the artist is in a sticker format which gives the cover
another dimension.



Ironik- 'No Point In Wasting Tears'
* The artist is surrounded by a harsh background (metal)

* He is wearing bright clothes to contrast the background, which is grey.

* The title is plain White with a simple font. I believe this is effective because
is it bold, but not overcomplicated but still gets the essential information across.

Ghetto- 'Freedom Of Speech'
* Ghetto is holding a megaphone- this converys a message that he wants/needs
to be heard.
* The cover has a green themem with Ghetto's balacava and megaphone.
This is also a lot of black (the background and his clothes). These colours represent
money and darkness.




Maniac- 'New Age Grime'
* The font stands out because it is condense and looks more like a logo
and text. It doesnt catch the audience's eye straight away.

* The artist has had effects completed so his face looks like shades of purple
and green have been reflected onto him. This gives him an artifical image.

*The cover is simple, but it is still effective because it conveys the intended
message.

Findings
The 'Freedom Of Speech' and 'Money Over Everyone' album covers convery
interest in political issues/messages. This theme is shown through the megaphone
symbol used in the 'Freedom Of Speech' cover and the gang signs and writing on
the wall on the 'Money Over Everyone' cover. Harsh materials and environments
are present in the 'Money Over Everyone', 'Grime Wave' and 'No Point In Wasting
Tears' covers. These locations are recognisable to the target audience because
of the city/estate images.

There are repeated themes of black with colour. This colour scheme is used in t
he 'Grime Wave', 'New Age Grime', 'No Point In Wasting Tears' and 'Freedom Of
Speech' covers. Black is a good base colour because it is harsh and masculine,
gives the artist a harsh and untouchable image. The addition of colour gives the
covers more depth and it symbolises the smart lyrics and ideas that the artists are more.

Brief and initial research

The Brief

To create a promotion package for the realse of an album to include;

• A music promo video, a cover of its realease as part of a digipak
• A magazine advertisement for the digipak

Grime music

Grime is a genre or urban music which first emerged in Bow, East London in the early 2000's, primarily a development of UK Garage, dancehall and Hip-Hop.



Grime is a popular with youths, particularly in London. It is made up of mostly young black males, who MC about issues and events in youth culture, for example violence, partying and relationships. It represents underground London, but gets negative press commenting on how the industry contributes to gang culture and crime.



Generated popularity for grime is generated on sites such as MySpace, where amateur and professional MC's can upload music for other people to listen to.