Conventions are the aspects which are expected to appear within a media text, therefore there are different conventions for different genres. Music videos reflect the song and hence the songs genre, this is represented through the use of editing, mise en scene, cinematography and sound.
B boy baby by Mutya Buena fits within the realms of the Rhythm and Blues (RnB) and Soul genres, meaning each convention of the music video should correspond with these genres to create the correct image for the artist.
RnB stereotypically entails aspects which imply money and wealth, ranging from flash cars to expensive clothing and jewelry, these props are used to reflect the lifestyle which the RnB artist is portraying and the power which the wealth brings to them, these representations are generally seen more in male RnB videos so that they appeal to the target audience, they also include promiscuous women in their videos as a way of adding extra appeal and also giving the male artists a higher status because they are shown to attract female attention. The lyrics within the songs also adhered to the image the artist is depicting by focusing on topics such as women and money. However conventions of RnB videos can be very different when considering a woman artists approach, showing that although it is the same genre, the outcomes can be nothing alike. This may be due to the fact that in male RnB videos, womens bodies can be used in a derogative manner which imply that women are objects, therefore giving women RnB artist an opportunity to express their opinions whether it copying this image or going against it. Topics such as men, love, heartbreak and sex can be related to this genre.
The soul genre combines a mixture of both gospel and RnB music, the term "soul" is describe gospel style music with secular lyrics. Soul music originated within the black culture of America around the 1940's and was displayed in places such as churches therefore this explains the tendency of soul music being based upon love, family and belief.
Cinematography in music videos is the variation of camera shots and angles, making them more interesting and aesthetically pleasing to view, different types of shots and angles can be used to suggest different meanings such as a low angle looking upwards to the artist would represent power and dominance.Close ups are used to capture the feelings and emotions of the artists and lets the audience relate themselves to them. B Boy Baby uses a number of different camera shots, these include close ups; to show the emotion on Mutyas face, tracking shots; to follow her whilst she walks which gives involves the audience by giving the impression they are walking along side her. Long shots are also a common shot to include in music videos as it allows the audience to see the full scene and the mise en scene within it which will help create the ideology.
The editing of a good music video always ensures to change scene in time with the beat; this is to create a continuous flow through the video and reflect the genre by editing the shots to the tempo of the song. therefore when comparing RnB based music videos to that of Soul, the major difference is the speed at which the scenes change, RnB is generally faster editing than Soul because it sets a quicker tempo and longer scenes are used in Soul to capture the emotion within the words.
In B Boy Baby the editing style is quite fast, cutting from scenes of the artist Mutya Buena to the break dancers competing against each other every 2-3 seconds or so, this may be done to reflect the fast movements of the break dancers.
Mise en scene consists of a number of elements such as lighting, props, settings, costume and body language, all these aspects help imply the correct ideology for the artist and can add extra meaning to the music videos via their connotations. RnB music videos involve props such as expensive cars and money where as the props included in Soul videos are much more meaningful and personal to the song. The clothing also varies when comparing these genres as male RnB artist tend to wear quite baggy clothing with a lot of expensive jewelery and the women generally dress quite minimalistic in order to attract attention from their target audience. On the other hand, women artists in Soul music videos seem to wear a more sophisticated and classy attire showing less skin and it is more common for men to wear suits rather than casual baggy clothing.
Within the B Boy Baby music video, both casual and classy clothing are shown through the break dancers and the artist. This clearly shows the genre is a mixture of both RnB and Soul music as the break dancing men are more representative of the RnB genre due to their clothing being baggy and how they choose to wear them, for example they are wearing hoodies with the hoods up, giving it a more "street" vibe. In addition to this the female artist takes more of a Soul appearance as she is wearing more formal clothing; a dress and long coat, both are black and a connotation of this is elegance therefore this is how she is being portrayed. Black can also be considered to imply loneliness which stays consistent with the song lyrics as she is asking someone to be her lover, showing she is in need of their affection. The artist is also wearing heels and earrings to add emphasis to her classy look.
Likewise, the body language displayed mirrors the genres, the men are break dancing which signifies RnB music as this style of dancing is connected to the lifestyles of the artists and audience of this genre, the fact that they are "battling" against each other shows confidence which is also a common characteristic for RnB artists to have. Mutya Buenas body language is much more subtle, her main action in the music video is walking, this insinuates the representation of the Soul genre as she is acting in a more proper and sensible manner when compared to the break dancers. Her facial expressions range from smiling; showing that the person she is singing about makes her happy, to serious; showing that she is passionate about her feelings for the man.
The setting of a music video is very important because it helps establish what type of genre it is instantly, in B Boy Baby the setting is outside on what appears to be an empty street, this complements all of the other elements in the music video as break dancing often occurs on streets, hence conveying the RnB genre. It also links into the song lyrics as the song includes the words "It was winter time", and it is evident in the video that it is around this season due to the clothing, the time of day and the use of water on the floor which implies that it has been raining.
Lighting is a good way of conveying a specific mood, music videos filled with lots of colour and that are brightly lit would imply a positive, fun and light hearted vibe whereas a dark, colourless video would emphasise a much more serious and sad mood.
The sound within the music video is one of the main features as this is the reason the video has been created; to narrate the song lyrics. The song B Boy Baby is seen as diegetic sound because the artist is performing to the words in the video, she appears to be singing to the lyrics which suggests she can hear the song in the video making the sound diegetic.
