Kanye West - All of the lights

Name of Track: All of the lights
Artist: Kanye West 
Album: My beautiful dark twisted fantasy
Intertextual References: There isn't any.
Category: Illustration because there it shows the lyrics through the visuals. It is also a little bit of amplification but mostly illustration.
Genre Characteristics: You can tell that it is a Hip hop/R&B genre by the garments that the artists are wearing and by the way that they are perceived as. Kid kudi is in a red jacket where we can tell the ganre he is. We can also tell by the lyrics of what genre it is and the beat. We can also tell by the trainers and jewellery that Kanye West is wearing. E.g his shoes.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals: The lyrics are shown on the screen at the start and the end of the video with different coloured lights. In the first verse some of the lyrics are lip synced by Kanye West whereas the others show clips of whats happening or just show Kanye West. We then see Rihanna lip syncing the chorus with Kanye West. We also see Drake who comes into the song and starts lip syncing with his lyrics. 

Relationship between music and visuals: In the lyrics it is talking about 'all of the lights' and in the video it starts of black and white and as the music is playing in the black and white part of the video, just as we are about to here the first 'all of the lights' the black an white image flashing several colours. It then shows names of the artists in bright colours and texts and shows the lyrics on the screen with bright lights which match with the lyrics, where it shows lots of different lights. Also we see Kanye west in black and white and the background has lots of different coloured lights. In the video for most of the lyrics we see the action happening e.g. 'heading up the stairs' we see the camera going up the stairs with all of the lights flashing on them. It finishes on lots of flashing colours and then fades out. 

Are there close ups of the artist and star image motifs: There are a lot of close ups of Kanye West in the video, mainly in his verses and where he is lip syncing. e.g. When all the lights are flashing on Kanye West there is a close up of him. There are also close ups of Rihanna and Drake, mostly when they are singing their parts.

1. Why did you choose the text you are analysing?
I chose this text because I really like the video and how the video really relates to the lyrics. I also really like how it doesn't have lip syncing for the whole video which makes it less boring than videos which have it for the whole thing. I also really like how it starts in black and white and how it makes the lights stand out once they start to be filmed. I also like how the beat is translated into the visuals. I also like how the video shows exactly whats happening in the lyrics which makes it really interesting.


2. In what context did you encounter it?
I always see this video on the music channel and I really like it so I thought I would analyse it.


3. What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text? I knew what to expect from the video because it has bold lyrics but others may not.


4. Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text? Fast movement and a lot of close ups, also nice trainers and cars etc.


5. To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of the genre? It uses lots of artists which are of different genres.


6. Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre? It departs when other artists sing which aren't of that genre.


7. What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre/ style of the music): I think that the video was aimed at more of the hip hop, R&B, pop and Rap genre because of the artists in the video. It is aimed at quite a big audience as there are a lot of different type of artists including Kanye West, John legend, The dream, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Kid Kudi, Elton John and Rihanna. People who know of these artists would listen to this song, so it has a big audience range. 


8. What sort of person does it assume you are: It assumes that you are a fan of Kanye Wests work and also the other people who are featured in the song. I think that it suggests that you are a fan of R&B and Hip hop and Pop music because it features these type of artists. 


9. What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity: I think that it is for both genders as the artists are of both genders. The age that would listen to this song would be mostly Teenagers and young adults because of the rhythm and the lyrics. It doesn't have a specific ethnicity, as most ethnic groups listen to this type of music. I think that the class that would listen to this would be the middle and working class because of the artists that are in the video and the lifestyle of them. 


10. What interests does it assume you have: It assumes that you are an R&B lover and a fan of Kanye Wests work. It also assumes that you like the artists in the song. It assumes that you are a fan of Kanye West album 'my beautiful dark twisted fantasy'. 


11. What relevence does the text actually have for you? It is the type of genre of song that I like.


12. What knowlege does it take for granted? It takes for granted that you are a fan of that type of music.


13. To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks to position you as? I don't think there is an ideal reader because there is a massive amount of artists so it relates to a lot of people.


14. Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)? There are shifts from one artist to the next.


15. What responces does the video seem to expect from you? It expects you to be entertained from it.


16. How open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular ways)? I think that I am instructed to respond in a way as it make you feel upbeat and happy when watching the video.


17. Is there any penalty for not resonding in the expected ways? No


18. To what extent do you find yourself 'reading  against the grain' of the text and the genre? It fits the genre so none.


19. How typical do you think this video is for a music video?
I don't think it is very typical of a music video because it is quite absract and has lots of elements in it which other music videos don't have in them e.g. the use of special effects. It is also good because of the face that it has birght colours which make it bold.