Research - Music Video Analysis Using Goodwin's Conventions

Stormzy – Know Me From

The genre of this music video is quite obviously rap from the very start. When using micro analysis, I can see that there are no white people in any of it which agrees with the stereotype of most rappers being of another race or ethnicity. It is being filmed in a rough are with lots of accommodation, this is saying to me that Stormzy must relate to the area if he is filming a song about if people know who he is, which then also ties in with the stereotype of more black people living in poorer areas in what I am guessing to be London.

All of the costumes of the extras and the rapper are very similar, there are no bright colours on their clothes only blacks and greys which are tracksuits or quite plain casual outfits showing they did not dress up even though its a music video. This is once again proving the stereotype of black people being involved in gangs with hoodies, relating to the area, this is what everyone around there would be wearing so for them it is quite normal.

Throughout the whole video, the main rapper, Stormzy, is always in the centre of the shot therefore being the main sense of attention for all of it, his black clothes contrast against the light background making him stand out the most. We see him in mainly a sequence of mid to long shots, having these types of shots makes it easier for us to see the setting around him and for us to the relate the stereotypes together. The lyrics and visuals relate in the beginning of the video as he hold up pieces of cardboard of an iphone when he says 'iphone' and the whats app logo when he says it, this is telling us the opposite to your typical black stereotype as usually they would not have enough money but the song is telling us that we don't know him so we shouldn't judge him.