Producer/Director Research

In this post I will be researching a range of media practitioners linked to music videos, paying particular attention to the style and use of conventions in the type of media products they produce. I will also be making reference to some of their existing products, this will give me a ideas on how I can gain inspiration from their techniques and for my own productions of both the main task and the website. I think by understanding the practitioners linked to music video, it will enable me to produce a media text that follows and reflects their style more effectively.

Producers:

Dr. Dre

• Dr. Dre is an American Hip Hop record producer and recording artist 
• Dr.Dre produced hit songs such as 'Express Yourself' by N.W.A , 'My name is' by Eminem and 'How we do' by The Game
• He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and was previously co-owner of Death Row Records
• Music style - addressing serious topics such as police brutality and mental illness in some of his songs
• He generally portrays the black community in a thuggish narrative such as being a gangster or running away from the police or going through the struggles of their regular lives. 
• He depending on the artist the music video portrays relatable emotion and has a more realistic approach to music videos.
• e.g. in 'Express Yourself' it shows a group of young black men walking do a street together

Jay-Z

• Jay - Z is an American rapper, songwriter, record executive, businessman and record producer
• Regarded as the most influential hip hop artist in history and often as on of the greatest rappers of all time
• Founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 -Jay-Z is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 50 million albums and 75 million singles sold worldwide.
• He has won a total of 22 Grammy Awards, the most by a rapper, and holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, with 14.
• He has been ranked by Billboard and fellow music publication Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
• In 2017, he became the first rapper to be honored into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2018, received the commemorative "Salute to Industry Icons" award at the 60th Grammy Awards.
• In June 2019, Jay-Z officially became the first hip hop billionaire, making him the fifth-wealthiest African American and the wealthiest American musician.

Spike Jonze

• American filmmaker, photographer, musician, and actor, whose work includes film, television, music videos, and commercials.
• Jonze's filmmaking style made him an in-demand director of music videos for much of the 1990s, resulting in collaborations with Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Weezer, Björk, Kanye West and Arcade Fire.
• Many of his music videos are short films set to music
• One of the most renowned directors for music videos, he has received numerous awards and recognition from MTV for his outstanding work in the medium.

I will use inspiration from Spike Jonze and tell a story with my music video. Dr.Dre's music videos are like protest songs and give me a general idea on how I want to portray the protagonist of my music video.