Conventions of a

house music videoHouse music is extremely popular in night clubs and over the years has becomeessentially a hallmark to nightlife and culture. Starting in the 1980’s house musicstarted off originally in Chicago, gradually moving over into the UK in the late80’s, it became well known for its electronic sound and up beat tempo. As timehas gone on, House music has grown and developed into various sub genres suchas progressive house, acid house, and electric house. With this, house music hasbecome increasingly ,mainstream and began to hold a constant place in thecharts as well as major singers incorporating it into their own tracks. In additionto this, due to house music popularity within the club scene, the vast majority ofmusic videos within the genre typically include the following…• Dancing (conventionally women dressed in revealing outfits),• Drinking alcohol,• Flashing lights,• And bright colours.

Analysis of a house music

video

Steve aoki

ft waka floka flame

Rage the night away

analysisThe opening shot of the video is of a birdseye angle over a futuristic, Sci-Fi style city.This not only automatically tells theaudience when and where the video is set,but also fits in with the electronic soundswithin the song. In addition the directorsuse of the bright neon colours, gives thevideo an up beat feel, which imitates thebeats in the song as well as, fitting inperfectly with the club atmosphere thatthe song is played in. In addition to thissetting, the audience are shown a group ofgirls dancing in front of a screen, whichchanges colour with a flashing strobe lightset behind, this again fits in with the nightclub culture that house is so popular in,thus attracting the target audience. Finally,audience is also shown the singer, WakaFlocka Flame, standing in front of a greenbackdrop with CGI shapes moving about.This gives a lot more movement to thescene making it seem lively and energetic,mimicking the song.

analysisSteve Aoki, the Dj, appearsmultiple times throughout thevideo in a space age style, whitearmour suit (Pictured below). Thishas connotations of him beingpowerful, due to the armourappearance and due to the factthat he is one of the highestgrossing and well known Dj’scurrently therefore it highlights hisposition in the industry as well as,aptly fitting in with the futuristicsetting and electric beats withinthe song. Likewise, the rapper inthe song wears a brown leatherjacket and grills on his teeth,which fits in with the conventionsof a modern rapper and thusmaking him identifiable to theaudience.

analysisDancers are typically a major feature in house music videos and this one is no exception. Rage the Night Away, features a total of three main dancers as well as four back up dancers, which only feature in a number of scenes. The main dancers however, are shown to be wearing very revealing crop tops and skirts with slits in the side or high waisted hot pants. These have been specifically chosen as they give connotations of the nightclub scene but also allows the director to open up the viewing audience as it will attract men. In addition, the dancers have very over the top make up, as this again connotes the night club scene but also has the futuristic feel that is being put across in the video due to the outlandishness of the weathers and bright colours.

analysis

Rage the Night Away, features a lot of short takes and jump cuts. This has been done by the director as it gives the video an edgy and lively feel, which mirrors the songs energetic beats. This in turn links with the conventions of house music as it mimics the dancing and wildness of the nightclub scene. When the bass drops in the song the speed of the clips increases dramatically, thus once again portraying this connotation. Likewise, the video’s storyline consists of a woman going to see the Dj about a particular device which transports you into a dream realm where she is surrounded by bright colourful screens and two dancers, therefore by incorporating these jump cuts and short takes the director is mimicking the storyline as well as the song itself.