THE APPEAL OF MUSIC VIDEOS TO AUDIENCES

Analysing the R&B and Hip-Hop Genre

By Reanne Brown

PUSSYCAT DOLLS FEAT SNOOP DOG - BUTTONS

FORMS AND CONVENTIONS GENRE: POP, R&B, HIP HOP VIDEO DIRECTOR: FRANCIS LAWRENCE DATE OF RELEASE: 2006 TYPE OF VIDEO: PERFORMANCE BASED ADHERENCE TO AN HIP-HOP AND R&B MUSIC VIDEO CONVENTIONS: STARTS WITH FAMOUS HIP-HOP RAPPER SNOOP DOG RAPPING. RAPPING BY SNOOP DOG SUGGESTS THE HIP-HOP IN THE VIDEO. USE OF CLOSE- UPS OF ARTISTS FACIAL. VARIETY OF CAMERA TECHNIQUES E.G. LOW ANGLE SHOT, CLOSE-UP, MEDIUM SHOT (TO ALLOW ALL THE GROUP MEMBERS TO BE IN THE SHOT), LONG SHOT, ZOOM OUTS. VARIETY OF EDITING TECHNIQUES E.G. JUMP CUTS, SHOT REVERSE SHOT, CGI. SEXY/ MINIMAL CLOTHING FOR THE FEMALES. SEXY/ STRIPPER DANCING, USING BAR/RAIL TO CONVEY THEY SEXY LOOK. (NO SPECIFIC DANCE ROUTINE) USE OF PROPS E.G. CHAIRS, DANCING RAIL.

REPRESENTATION; THE DOLLS, DRESSED IN SUGGESTIVE BLACK OUTFITS, PROGRESS THROUGH THE VIDEO PERFORMING A STRIPTEASE, WHICH IS FOR THE MALE GAZE. SNOOP DOG’S CLOTHING IN THE VIDEO IS A CONVENTION OF A HIP HOP AND R&B MUSIC VIDEO, HE WEARING A CUSTOMISED HOODY AND A CAP, WHICH IS TRADITIONAL IN THE HIP HOP CULTURE TO HAVE YOUR NAME ON EVERY ACCESSORY, WHETHER IT BEING A CAR, CLOTHING BLINGED OUT JEWELRY. SCHERZINGER, IN ONE DANCE SEQUENCE IN THE SECOND VERSE, USES A CHAIR AS A PROP. ON THE CHORUS, FIVE ADDITIONAL CHAIRS APPEAR IN THE SCENE, AND FIVE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP APPEAR, AND THE DANCE CONTINUES…

INSTITUTIONS; THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS ARE SIGNED ON THE RECORD LABELS POLYDOR, A&M, INTERSCOPE, WHICH ARE THE SUBSIDIARIES OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP. THE MUSIC CHANNEL THAT PLAYS THIS VIDEO WOULD BE MTV, MTV BASE, KISS. THIS WOULD BE BECAUSE THESE ARE THE CHANNELS THAT ARE KNOWN WORLD- WIDE AND IS MOST VIEWED THAN ANY OTHER MUSIC CHANNEL AND ALSO THESE CHANNELS ARE MOST SUITED FOR THE GENRE OF MUSIC. THE VIDEO IS SOMEWHAT ADMIRED BY A LOT OF THE AUDIENCE, THIS IS BECAUSE ALREADY THE GROUP IS FAMOUS AND WELL-KNOWN BUT THEN THEY HAVE THE VIDEO FEATURING SNOOP DOG, WHICH WILL ALLOW HIS FANS TO WATCH THE VIDEO ALSO. ON YOUTUBE THE MUSIC VIDEO HAS BEEN VIEWED 23,537,197 TIMES AND STILL GROWING DAY BY DAY. THE VIDEO IS SOMEWHAT ADMIRED BY A LOT OF THE AUDIENCE, THIS IS BECAUSE ALREADY THE GROUP IS FAMOUS AND WELL-KNOWN BUT THEN THEY HAVE THE VIDEO FEATURING SNOOP DOG, WHICH WILL ALLOW HIS FANS TO WATCH THE VIDEO ALSO. ON YOUTUBE THE MUSIC VIDEO HAS BEEN VIEWED 23,537,197 TIMES AND STILL GROWING DAY BY DAY.

AUDIENCES; THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THIS MUSIC VIDEO IS MORE FOR THE MALE. AS THE ARTISTS IN THE VIDEO ARE NOT WEARING MUCH CLOTHING, WHICH ATTRACTS THE MALE GAZE THAT LINKS TO THE THEORY OF LAURA MULVEY AND HOW THIS REDUCES A WOMAN’S STATUS TO A “SEX OBJECT”. HOWEVER, IF WE LOOK AT A MORE WIDER TARGETED AUDIENCE THEN IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ENJOY THE GENRE OF MUSIC THAT VIDEO IS WOULD ENJOY WATCHING THIS VIDEO, AND ALSO THE PEOPLE THAT LIKE THE ARTISTS THAT ARE FEATURED IN THE VIDEO, IN THIS CASE THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS AND SNOOP DOG.