Guns N’Roses – Sweet child of mine

1. What are the men/women doing?

The first shot of the band is of one of the members playing guitar, so we immediately can tell that the music is very important to them and so that’s what they want to draw attention to.

2. How are the men/women dressed?

The video is in black and white, but you can tell that they are wearing all dark clothes, the first man we see has long dark curly hair which virtually covers the whole of his face with a tall black hat on top. His clothes are a black top with what looks like a leather jacket with a denim jacket on top but the sleeves have been ripped off. The rest of the members are all dressed in very similar dark, leather, jewellery and long messy hair. This style is rock/punk a way people used to dress to express themselves in extreme ways. It isn’t a style where lots of skin is revealed, it’s more about being covered in dark colours and jewellery, the skin you can see is full of tattoos.

3. Are there more, fewer, or the same number of men as women?

The band is all boys but the scene is them being filmed rehearsing in a ballroom, all the band members current girlfriends are shown in the video so their is a fairly even number.

4. Describe the body language of the men/women: are they sitting, standing or gyrating?

The body language of the band are very together with their instruments, the musicians look very ‘in the zone’ while they are playing either dancing around or doing very classic rock movement s with their instruments. The other shots of them are acting chilled out, sitting around or having a cigarette. As the song gets further in mainly the leader singer gets more and wilder with the music.

5. Do the men/women have power? How do you know?

The band members are the only really important people in the video as it revolves around them and they have the most of the screen time, the leaders singer has the most of them, so they must have the power as all the other people around are their for them weather there to film, work for them or just to support.

6. What’s the message of the song?

The message of the song is all about a girl and love, a very common theme of song as women are often used as muses.

7. What type of music is the song?

The genre of music is hard rock, which is similar to the rest of their songs which can also fit into the heavy metal genre.

analysis of top 40 songs

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Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso return with an all new vocal version of their 2011 smash, “Calling.” Originally premiered during Swedish House Mafia’s takeover of Pete Tong’s Radio One show in February, the track, now titled “Calling (Lose My Mind),”  features vocals from OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso - Calling (Lose My Mind) (feat. Ryan Tedder)

 

•Genres: Dance, Music, Electronic

•Released: 25 May 2012

•℗ 2012 Refune Records, Under exclusive license to Universal Music AB

•Sebastian Ingrosso is head of A&R for his own record label, Refune, which has pioneered many artists in recent years including AN21, Max Vangeli, Style of Eye and Alesso.

Whistle - Flo Rider

 

•ReleasedApril 24, 2012)

•Format:Digital download

•GenrePop rap, alternative hip hop, pop rock

•Length:3.45

•Label: Poe Boy: Atlantic Records Group(In the US)WEA International Inc.(Outside the US) , Atlantic:Atlantic Records Group(In the US)Warner Music International(Outside of the US)

•Writer(s):Tramar Dillard, David Glass, Marcus Killian, Justin Franks, Breyan Isaac, Antonio Mobley

•Producer:DJ Frank E, David Glass

 

David Guetta Titanium (feat. Sia)

 

•Released: December 9, 2011(2011-12-09)

•Format: Digital download

•Genre: Pop, house, urban-dance

•Length: 4:05

•Label: Virgin: Virgin Music Group (in the U.S.), EMI

•Writer(s): Sia Furler, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Nick Van De Wall

•Producer: David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Afrojack

Negus

l“What I’m looking for is the working act.  The real act.  The act that can get up on stage and do it.  That act will give you a career.  I signed Black Sabbath umpteen years ago; they are still making records.  These are acts that are career acts…Two years ago I started a dance label…Now that’s not a career orientated label.  I mean those records are one-off situations and every now and again maybe you’ll get an artist come out of it.”

Record company executive, quoted in Negus (1989)

 

lWhen I first started it was more about going out and finding bands.  That method is becoming more and more redundant.  More and more these days I find it’s as much about: I sit here and think ‘there’s really a gap in the market for this kind of project…’. I don’t go out to gigs.  That’s not how I find my stuff.  It comes through various writers and producers.  So if a writer comes in he may have some great songs and maybe is looking for a front person.  Or maybe I have the front person who I want to launch into the market but I haven’t got the songs.  So you put the two together”

Record company executive, quoted in Negus (1989)

 

The Organic Ideology of Creativity 1

A ‘naturalistic’ approach to artists:
The seeds of success are within the artists, who have to be ‘nurtured’ by the record company. The image of the artist is ‘enhanced’ by the record company. The artist is given time to evolve and progress through their career.

The Organic Ideology of Creativity 2 Emphasis is given to album sales and the construction of a successful back catalogue. Often aimed at older or more sophisticated consumers. Profits generated by this kind of act tend to be part of a long term strategy by the record company.

The Synthetic Ideology of Creativity 1

A combinatorial approach to artists and material. Executives attempt to construct successful acts out of the artists and the songs at their disposal. The image of the artist is often constructed by the record company. The artist will be given a short time to prove their success before other combinations will be tried out.

The Synthetic Ideology of Creativity 2

Emphasis is given to single sales and to promoting first albums. Often aimed at younger, less sophisticated audiences. Profits generated by this kind of artist tend to be part of an immediate, short term strategy by the record company.

So Negus sees acts as either manufactured or organic. I have looked at  XL Recordings to compare the theory with an actually label.

Looking at their artist line up, they have some very good artist but their acts are all very organic. Just pulling out a few names like Adele, Radiohead and the XX, they are acts that perform the style they want. so this label doesn't feel the need to have manufactured acts and uses the raw talents from the organic acts.

An example that goes against the ideas for manufactured artists is The Spice Girls.

In February 1994 Heart Management put out the advertisement in "The Stage" trade magazine because of the saturation of boy bands at the time, asking "WANTED: R.U. 18–23 with the ability to sing/dance? R.U. streetwise, outgoing, ambitious, and dedicated? Heart Management Ltd. are a widely successful music industry management consortium currently forming a choreographed, singing/dancing, all-female pop act for a recording deal. Open audition. Danceworks, 16 Balderton Street. Friday 4 March. 11 am-5:30 pm."

The Spice Girls went against how manufactured artist were only suppose to last a few years and sold more than 75 million records world wide in 2010, they have a total of nine number 1 singles in the UK which is equal to ABBA. They show that if a group works well together and they are marketed at the right audience they don't need to be just short term acts, so this also contradicts Negus' theory.

Balancing the TwoIn practise, the success of synthetic acts will fund the development and investment in organic acts. Most big record labels will look to balance their roster with a combination of successful synthetic and organic acts to ensure that there are funds available for the day-to-day running of the company as well as long term profit making potential.

Promoting Organic and Synthetic Acts

There are clear distinctions between the ways in which different types of artist are represented to ensure short term or long term success. Organic acts are often sold on their ‘authenticity’, both musically and socially. The image of the artist appears ‘unconstructed’ (although, of course, this is in itself a carefully constructed look). Synthetic acts are often sold on their ‘look’ or personalities. The image of the artist is carefully and unashamedly constructed.  

Dyer's theroies

Richard Dyer was born in 1945, and in 2006 he became a professor of film studies at Kings College London.

He wrote a book called Stars in 1979, in it he developed the idea that the viewers' perception of a film is heavily influenced by the perception of its stars, and that publicity materials and reviews determine the way that audiences experience the film. Dyer analysed critics' writing, magazines, and advertising and the films themselves using specific examples like Betty Davis, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne.

In Dyer's second book 'Only Entertainment', he complains that "Time and again, we are not told why Westerns are exciting, why horror films horrify, why weepies make us cry, but instead are told that, while they are exciting, horrifying and tear-jerking, the films also deal with history, society, psychology, gender roles, indeed the meaning of life."

He believes:

lA star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (eg advertising, magazines etc as well as films [music])

Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings.

The star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and 'open'.

the common values of music stardom created by the record company:

• youthfulness -for this example you get such actors like selena Gomez, thtat act for kids programs so they are represented in a clean young way
• rebellion - Amy Winehouse is a good example as she was well known for having lots of tatoos, drinking and taking drugs (so she also represents sex, drugs and alcohol)
• sexual magnetism - there are many easy examples of woman magnets and men, i think its more common for ladies to be used as magnets as it quickly attracts men, they are commonly used in music videos
• originality
• 

  creativity/talent - this and talentis when the artist talent (music) is their focus, so they dont do all this stuff to create a new image and link the person to a way of life, Adele is a good example because she hasnt allowed herself to be changed shes just stuck to how she is and creates music
• aggressive/anger
• sex, drugs, alcohol
• success against the odds

Paradox 1

the star must be both ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer.

they need to represented as normal so that the audience feel they are able relate to them, with the use of clothes, they can see the artists in high street outfits so the public can think they don't need to buy hugely expensive designer clothing to look like them. Their extraordinary eliment leaves the audience to admire and aspire to the artists, as they are famous on magazines, nominated for awads and performing all over the world.

 Paradox 2

the star must be both present and absent for the consumer.

  present:

• live performances
• close up shots in music videos, interviews
• photos - posters,album covers
• knowing about their privet lives - magazines, papers, social networks
• direct address via media

  absent:

• no personal contact - one on one chat, no response
• relationship completely medicated
• no inside connection

The promise of presence and closeness is never completely for filled, the audience strives to close the gab between the reality and the promise of closeness by continuing to consume their products.

Establishing shot enabling the viewer to get an idea of the setting of the video and gain an understanding of the theme/idea behind the short clip.

The shot then moves on into the school itself where the viewer instantly understands the gist of what the story line of this video is. We can see the contrast between the main character (young Jessie) being in black and quite dark, to a cut to the pink group of girls. This colour itself is very girlie and the addition of the particular stance/body language connotes the power and shock of seeing the girl wearing such different, almost masculine clothing. The girls have been dressed in glamorous children’s clothing, they think their ‘the stars’ of the school.

In this shot we can visually see the immediate difference of all the characters through their appearance and dress. In addition to this the lyrics mimic the sarcky and mean jokes that they pull on her and, for example ‘Oh Jessie, you’re so funny, you’ve got teeth just like Bugs Bunny’.

Once she leaves this scene we get a understanding of her feelings and the power that she has been keeping inside of her. We understand this clearly through the adding of ‘Slow motion’ and the close-up up shot of her angry facial expression. This wide shot clearly shows the kid angry from being teased at school, which is a very normal thing for some people to happen to them. This show the gap from when she was a normal kid to her now being a famous star, and how she as a person relates to the ‘normal’ public.

The above shot is one of the main, ending scenes showing them all as a whole and a group, which implies that in the end we are all equal and that we all live as one. Nobody is in-perfect and this message of power and persistence is portrayed throughout not only the actions but mainly through the passionate and powerful lyrics of Jessie J’s young life.

Through talking about this personal experience it helps the listener and viewer to understand Jessie further and what she has been through to get where she is now; therefore making the artist/audience relation much stronger

Artist research