GENRE STUDY

CHIPMUNK FEAT. ESMEE DENTERS - UNTIL YOU WERE GONE

'Until You Were Gone' is a EP single released by UK rapper Chipmunk featuring Esmee Denters. The single was released 16th April 2010 by a subsidiary of major label Sony Music, Jive. It is the genre of pop music and Chipmunk is a pop music artist. The music video conforms to the genre of pop music videos and I will explore how 'Until You Were Gone' does this.

The music video begins with a high angle above the artist himself. He is composed directly in the center. There is camera movement during this shot, the camera is spinning above him as is moves closer towards him. This makes him look inferior. The background is white connoting purity. It is simplistic. His costume denotes him wearing grey which stands out amongst the white background.

This mid shot is in the same shot as before of Chipmunk. After the camera reveals him, a whip pan over to Esmee reveals her and then the audience are taken back to Chipmunk. This camera movement immediately makes it clear to the audience that Chipmunk is the main artist and Esmee is the feature.

This text is Chipmunk's visual motif which reoccurs in his music videos. It is how the audience are able to identify him. This typography is the same on all his singles/albums. It is bold, capitals and eye catching. It uses two opposite colours which brings the other one out more.

Here are some other examples which show Chipmunk's branding logo.

 The white background is reoccuring and therefore is acting as a visual motif. Chip is still dressed in the same costume. This is a mid shot at a canted angle. Mid shots are conventional in music videos of the pop genre however canted angles are unconventional.

There is a lot of camera movement within this music video. This extreme close up displays Chipmunk holding a photograph of a long shot of Esmee. The camera is filming this at a canted angle. The camera zooms into the photograph where it comes alive and the audience are only seeing Esmee. A black background is in place this time, opposing the white background.

This is a close up/beauty shot of the featured artist Esmee Denters. This appears when the chorus appears in the song. This visual and sound synchronisation allows the audience to identify her as the feature artist. Close ups are conventional in pop music videos and therefore 'Until You Were Gone' conforms to the genre of a pop music video.

This is a close up/beauty shot of the main artist Chipmunk. He is too against the black background signifying a link between the two artists. Chipmunk is wearing a red long sleeve top. Red has connotations of love and the song is about love. The tone of his costume is a bright red. Pop music videos tend to have costume of bright colours and therefore this music video is conforming to that. Also, Chipmunk is composed in the rule of thirds which reinforces his importance as the main artist. His sunglasses are a trademark of his star persona. He always tends to wear sunglasses in his music videos which makes the prop a visual motif for the audience to identify with.

Editing shows that during the chorus, the music video is cutting to and forth between the two artist. Lighting is high key however the artists are being spot lit which is why there is a shadow across Esmee's face. High key lighting is conventional in pop music videos. Her hair is simple. She is known for her long straight brunette hair and front fringe. This is a part of her star persona.

Chipmunk is composed in the rule of thirds in this mid shot. His performance shows him performing to the camera. As most pop music videos are of the performance genre, performing to the camera is conventional. Chipmunk is also miming the song lyrics. This conforms to the pop music video genre and performance music video genre.

In this long shot, there is camera movement of the camera slowly spinning making Esmee appear distorted as she sings "gone, gone, gone." The movement of the camera reflects the song lyrics. This long shot denotes Esmee also wearing red costume. This illustrates to the audience that her and Chipmunk are connected.

In this close up, Esmee is holding a photograph frame to which the camera does the same technique as before and zooms in to reveal Chipmunk. This music video is very fun and experimental like most pop music videos. Esmee is dressed in a leather jacket which is considered sexy for the male gaze. Leather is a conventional costume within pop music videos. The editing in this music video is always cutting to the beat and therefore creates fast paced editing as the pop genre tends to contain upbeat beats.

In this close up, Chipmunk is wearing a plain white shirt. He looks formal. The background is in shallow focus which highlights his importance. A red light is shining on him. Red is a colour theme throughout this music video. Chipmunk is composed in the center connoting him as superior.

This high angle looks voyeuristic. Because of the canted angle, it has a CCTV image feel to it. The screen looks as if it is split in half separating the two artist. They are both framed in the rule of thirds however symmetrically to one another. Chipmunk is in the foreground whereas Esmee is in the background. Chip is represented as dominant. The lighting is low key however the artists are spot lit which is common in pop music videos. The red light is again shining on them. The background looks like wallpaper which is elegant and classy. Esmee is dressed in a gold sparkly top. This extravagant top is conventional in pop music videos as she is a female. Females tend to be represented as glamorous for the male gaze. Males on the other hand are represented as more formal or casual. Chipmunk has been represented as both of these looks in this music video. Costume change is also conventional in pop music videos.

This mid shot displays Esmee composed in the rule of thirds. She is being lit at such an angle that it is casting a shadow on the left side of the screen making it look distorted. At this point she is being objectified as she is singing just the last couple words of Chipmunk's verse.

This is an interesting shot of Chipmunk. Unconventionally, given that he is a male and the main artist of this song, he is being objectified in this shot. It is as if he is on a canvas on the wall. The wallpaper gives the shot a "homely" look and the canvas adds to this. However, he is framed in the rule of thirds which makes him superior.

In this mid shot, Chipmunk is performing to the camera. He is dressed casually in this which adds to the "homely" look. The colour grey connotes his mood as this song is about love and how he misses the girl since she is gone. He is composed in the center which reinforces his importance as the main artist in the song.

This close up denotes Chipmunk's trademark C. The C stands for Chipmunk and he always poses like this. This is a visual motif for the audience to identify with.




Here are some pictures of Chipmunk doing his trademark pose.

In this mid shot, the two artist are performing to each other. Esmee's performance shows her as angry at Chipmunk whereas he seems sad and cant look at her. They are separated as a split screen. The two colours, black and white really contrast with one another and reinforce the idea of the split screen.

In this birds eye view shot of Chipmunk, his costume displays him as wearing purple. Purple has connotations for independence. This song is a break up song about how he misses the girl. The costume being purple symbolises that he is getting over her. Purple is made by mixing blue and red. Red is a common colour theme throughout the music video. Chipmunk is wearing a chain which reflects his star persona as he is always wearing chains.

This is the split screen shot again. However, this time there is camera movement involved and it spins. This connotes the distortion of the break up.

This mid shot displays both Esmee and Chipmunk. Chipmunk is composed in the rule of thirds whereas Esmee is slightly off frame in the rule of thirds. Esmee's costume is all black which connotes sexiness. Chipmunk is wearing a brown leather jacket. Brown connotes calmness and in this shot, they are facing each other with no aggression. The background is black with sparkles connoting stars. The sparkly stars is funky and glamorous which is a convention of pop music videos. Chipmunk is wearing his sunglasses in this shot and a chain. He also had his hood up and is being represented as him.

This is a low angle which makes both artist appears as superior. Esmee is wearing red costume again. Chipmunk is dressed in casual clothes. The starry background makes them seem isolated from every body else. There is a lot of space around them reinforcing the idea of isolation. This connotes how Chipmunk is feeling. He is lonely without the girl and misses her.

This mid shot displays Chipmunk composed in the center reinforcing that he is the main artist and Esmee composed beside him reinforcing that she is the featuring artist. This shot then whip pans upwards letting the last shot the audience see is just of the stars. It ends with the audience seeing a shooting star which is a symbol of a wish. This then fades to black connoting the end of the music video. Pop music videos tend to fade to black and this then conforms to it.