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Analysis Georgie Roberts
Genre The genre of this video is rap. It is a calibration between Kanye West and Jay Z . The purpose of this video is to promote their new album “Watch the Throne”( Which came out the same day this was released this is called synergy,which is when you release two different types of media for marketing purposes or too create a theme.) The song it self, Otis is very similar to the rest of the songs on the album which are all mainly rap, so this video is used to give the audience a small taste on what else is on the album. It is also a tribute to Otis Redding. An American Soul artist popular in 1960’s.
Genre Cont • We can tell that this a rap video, with out even listening to the song. The reason being is that the music video is very typically flashy. Both Artist’s are both renowned in the rap genre, also there are very good looking women in this video which is typical of the rap genre, although this video also ignores some simple conventions of the rap genre.
Codes and Conventions • This video follows a few simple conventions of the rap genre but also ignores some at the same time, e.g there is a very flashy car used in the video but the mis en scene is very simple and plain. Even the location isn’t flashy which is at odds with most of Kanye and Jay Z previous videos and in many other rap videos.
Cont • They strip bare a Mayback which is about $300.000. Which is of course very flashy to take apart a car worth that amount of money, but this is about as flashy as the video gets other than some lighting and spark effects . Flashy cars are almost always used in rap videos and most pop videos. The American flag is often used as well due to try and appeal to the mass audience. But it also has a deeper meaning with links to stripping back the car.
CONT I think the connotations with the car, is that JayZ and Kanye West mean to say that no matter how bad the economic climate is for America that these guys will always have money, I think the American flag can be shown to represent that these artists believe they are the face of American hip-hop scene, typically when they’re shown together in front of the flag its always at a low angle, so the audience is always looking up at Jayz and Kanye.
Cont • There is always typically beautiful women in hip hop music videos. They tend to be not wearing many clothes and dancing around proactively. But in this video its kept pretty toned down with the girls just in the back having a good time while the artists are driving. It could be said that Kanye and Jay Z are being shown to give the girls a good time, Which could have connotation to something more provocative
Conclousion • The music video is quite self explanatory these guys are just showing the audience how rich they are with a video to promote the realise of their new album. They keep the location and themes quite simple so it can create a mass appeal to the common mainstream /teen audience and generate more hype towards their album.
