1101B Paige H

Annotated Bibliography

The transformation of Miley Cyrus from ‘Hannah Montana’ is provoking skepticism in the hip hop culture. Miley Cyrus an American singer, songwriter and actress has changed her career with the performance she made at the VMA awards with “Wrecking ball” from her other singles such as “When I look at you” and the teen actor that played the role as “Hannah Montana”. She was known to be a role model for teenagers and since this event Miley has been the talk of a lot of controversy because she wasn’t provoking the same persona characterized on tv. Her actions include many sexual performances half naked twerking with chains and pigtails which has given her attention. Miley has transformed from a sweet teen character on television to a sexy porn star that is now a sex icon with her twerking. Journalist and academics have criticized Miley for the way she expresses her body via appropriating black culture however she doesn’t care what people think of her. This research of Miley primarily expresses a young, pretty, white girl mobilizing and mimicking ratchet black culture. Miley shows her hip hop in an imitating way which falls in a long history of white artists using black culture for fame and money, without understanding its history and roots.

Work Cited

"Miley Cyrus Has Gone Hip-hop. What's the Problem?" The Guardian. Boya Dee, 5 July 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

This article is asking you what the problem is with Miley Cyrus going hip hop? The article is showing the relationship Miley Cyrus has with Hip Hop because of artists such as Snoop Dogg and Juicy J who she has worked with and how the “Wrecking ball” performance should not have been such a surprise to viewers. Miley has never shown so much sexually explicit events in her career and people are feeling uncomfortable towards her performances because it portrays the impression that Miley may be trying to be or imitate something that she's not.  “Miley is imitating what's popular in hip-hop”. This quote shows how Miley is deliberately mocking the hip hop culture to gain attention. Real Hip hop and music to me is not about color and is a form of expression that anyone can relate to as long as they respect the culture.

    "On Miley Cyrus, Ratchet Culture and Accessorizing With Black People." Jezebel. Dodai Stewart, 20 June 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

This article focuses in on the appearance of Miley Cyrus. It explains that if you want to be “cool” and “tough” in Hip hop culture to imitate the way black people dress like gold grills, extensions and long fingernails. Miley is dressing up like she lives in the hood and is using the style dirty/crunk hip-hop which is associated with strip clubs, pimps and drug dealers to show her black side. Miley seems to enjoy dancing much like strippers do such as Twerking, bending at the waist to do a “slut drop” and shaking her ass all over the show. She uses this as a way of imitating hip hop culture to gain fame from being a white girl.

"Miley Cyrus- We Can’t Stop " YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

What better reference than a visual depiction of a piece of music?  Here Miley Cyrus displays herself in the center of the frame with three black girls around her. Miley is dressed in white to be in the spotlight and act as the star of the video. The black women are treated as props to provide as a background for her to shine in front of. They seem like they are friends but the powerful message here is showing that Miley is in charge and they are acting as if they are serving for her. They are putting the black culture under discrimination by using them as accessories.

"We Can't Stop - Miley Cyrus Lyrics." YouTube. YouTube, 3 June 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. Lyrics of the song “We can’t stop”.

 The lyrics point out that Miley is still a teenager. She is saying that “We can’t stop” with partying and they are going to keep going until we see the sunlight. She's doing what teenagers are supposed to do. They’re supposed to do stupid things as well as try new things and see where they fit in with them. It's not that everything she's done is appropriate nor is it excusable but at the same time it's understandable.

"Miley Cyrus' Booty-shaking VMA Performance Gets Quite the Reaction." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Nicki Minaj is a known as phenomena for her rapping and also her big bum. Dr sextons quote of the “Anaconda” cover has brought up the controversy of how women’s bodies are being exploited and become symbols of power and desire for men. It shows how female bodies are figures of being powerful and vulnerable and expressing too much cleavage or nudity in mainly black culture you are considered a ‘slut’. Minaj has brought up a lot of discussion from the out coming of “Anaconda” between the beauty culture in white and blacks and how male’s successes “apparently” deserve a reward in female sexuality. I feel she is reclaiming her body and is refusing to follow by the rules of the norm. It makes you aware of the outcry you can cause if you display too much skin. Sextons quote also questions the physical assets of what it takes to be a successful female artist. It makes you wonder if you are not willing to display your body are you going to be famous in the music industry?

  Minaj in “Anaconda” steers us through a series of stereotypical sexual fantasies, which makes us to look at and want her bum and then laughs at us when we do. She provides a setting with a jungle full of twerking females. A scene where she is dressed in a skimpy maid’s outfit in the kitchen and uses a banana as a symbol of a penis and whipped cream to act sexy and a lap dance performed on Drake. These conventions in the music video all provide you with evidence of her dominance. She acts like she is being all sexy but exaggerates all the scenes to make it more of a tease. The cutting of the banana after she was about to bite it and also when Drake attempts to touch her bum after her lap dance and she hits his hand away reinforces her power and attitude of telling everyone it is her own body and she can do whatever the f*** she wants with it. She embraces the power and vulnerability of the female body and makes it her own. “Anaconda” is a way of expressing the refusal to play by the rules and Minaj displays her body publicly to show everyone she refuses to let it be an object of mockery and reward for male power.             

1

10 seconds

Left of screen, close up, Beyonce trotting in on a black horse. The background setting is in a desert which is dark with some light coming from the sunset in the distance. Beyonce’s hair is long and wavy bouncing of her back in time with the trot of the horse. She is wearing a white top with tassles on the sound that also bounce. On the second look the setting changes to show the rubbish on the ground with the sun and the light coming through the centre. Then a third look of a closer shot of the junk; brown sand showing a satellite dish, burnt tree, tyre in the background with a fire burning in the middle of the screen. The fourth look of a long shot of beyonce on the horse in the middle of the screen, lighting dusk and the junk surrounding her. Also an addition of a tree on the right of the screen.

Deep focus shot of the back of Beyonce riding on the horse. Desert background of dark back light in bottom of screen and sunset light in the top of the screen. Camera moving with her.

Focus shot of background setting then moving back to Beyonce on the horse in the setting they just showed

Four different edits, coming from the moving camera in and out from beyonce on the horse to the junk and desert on the background.

(Throughout scene, non-diegetic sound is used. This involves loud, upbeat music to match the action, danger, rivalry between guys and girls in the scene.)

Sounds starts off slow and a constant whoosh while beyonce is slowly riding horse and then turns upbeat, dangerous when turned to the fire and junk in desert. (Propelling beat, two different sounds)

2

1 second

Middle of screen, lady kneeling on an old rustic car. Is dressed in all black leather and has highlight blonde hair to emphasize the “ war” going on. Lighting is brighter then previous scene having the sun shining over the left and right part of the screen. Has clouds, smoky air moving on the sunlight. Light blue sky in the middle of the screen. Car stays dark and the windows have no glass so the sunlight shines through.

Deep focus shot on the girl kneeling on the car. No camera movement, stays focused on her in the middle of the screen

Hard cut?

Sound still non-digetic, two beat drums happen while the girl is kneeling on the car cutting between the previous sound and changing into start of people singing. (ahhhhhhh)

3

3 seconds

People running in lines in opposite direction all over the screen with their hands in the air. Three bright lights (looks as if flashlights from a car) shining on them. Light is dark at the front of screen so can only see body images running. Shows girl in centre of screen with her arms spread apart mouthing the words ( ahh ). Lighting is dull, sky is cloudy. Back to people running in front of lights.

Camera movement is still the whole time in these shots. Camera angle is at waist height so looks like camera is in the crowd of people running back and forth and then a deep focus shot of the girl in the centre of the screen with her arms apart, then goes back to close shot of people running and then a zoomed out shot as if they camera was watching over the crowd dancing above.

Four different edits. Back and forth sequence of the people running/ dancing with the girl mouthing the words of the ( ahh )

Sound becomes more loud and violent to the ears. Makes ( ahhh ) sounds that penetrates the movements being done on screen. Sounds help to give the feeling that people are being chaotic and running to get ready for the war

4

3 seconds

Centre of screen side shot of beyonce on the horse, the sunset light in background. Sun is in middle of screen behind the horse with the light reflecting off. Beyonce pulls the reins and the horse rears its front legs up. Setting still in the desert and had the hills in the background. 45 angle

Camera movement is still the whole time. Camera angle is as if its lying on the ground and pointing up at the horse to make it seem bigger than it actually is.

Hard cut

Same as the sound in shot 3

5

8 seconds

Side shot of an old rusty grey car with bright red graphiti writing on the side. Then shows  second look of a black bull in the middle of the screen with smoke all around ( as if he was getting rarked up ) underneath a motorway/ bridge. Has the same headlights as shown in shot 3 flashing on the cow but the sun has come up and the lighting is bright all over the screen. A third look is in inside of an old car with no windows having men/ army dressed in their gear carrying guns and wearing armour running over the car. Fourth look of the girl standing on top of the car now front on in middle of screen with arms in the air. Smoke and dusty with one flash light in the right hand corner on her. Fifth look of a car arriving and men getting out and running to the scene underneath the motorway.

Camera angle starts off towards the ground and then positions itself into a side shot of the car. Second shot is a deep focus shot of the black bull in the centre of the screen. Then moves to the old car where it is positioned as if the person was sitting in the passenger seat and is catching the guys running across the car, then shows a zoomed in shot of just their legs and feet as they run over the car. Zoomed out show of the girl standing on the car, then camera is placed in front and to the right of the car as I drives in on a side angle.

There is 8 edits and different camera angles in the moving of this shot as a whole. Camera is moving on the first shot and last shot. No camera movement on the rest of shots. Hard cut

Sound is the same as shot 3 and 4 but as you see the men running over the car it starts with a different girl singing.

(makes the build up interesting and entertaining to see what happens next )

6

2 seconds

Setting back in the desert with the screen all bright apart from the sky was cloudy and grey. To the right of the screen shows a bamboo box/ cage with a girl locked inside and then shows the  girl in a black bikini and fur coat inside bending her knees and her upper body out,  if she was one of those bad girls dancing in a cage.

No camera movement. The bamboo cage is to the right of the screen and camera angle is facing slightly towards it.

Two fast quick shots. One of the girls inside and then her dancing and bending her knees on the next.

Same as shot 5

7

4 seconds

Shot goes back to the men who arrived in car. Men are on the right of screen with the trees and desert background on the left.  The shot then goes on to show different actions going on around the scene of one girl lying on a cross shaped wood tyre piece in the middle of the desert. Dressed in black and has blonde highlight hair. In the far back left of screen shows same tree as in first shot.  The third look goes back to the men jumping over cars with their shields ready for action. Then goes back again to the girl in the 2nd shot on the car in the middle of the screen moving her arms to the music.

Camera is moving with the men as they are turning and watching the action we cant see in the screen. Then stay’s still and is a focus shot on the girl lying on the wood. Camera then is still for the last two shots while the men walk past to the left of camera and then straight on focus shot of the girl kneeling on car.

Four sequences of edits are used in this shot. Showing the girls and guys getting ready to join together and the setting and previous shots from video are all being quickly viewed back on camera.

Same as shot 5 and 6

8

3 seconds

Centre of screen a lady dressed in a red gold dress and black high boots to her knees with a lion to the right of her sitting on the ground, with all her back up girls surrounding her. Setting is underneath the motorway, first time we see people dressed in colour in the video. Three of the girls are holding red flags, one on the left, middle and right and they are waving with the wind. Faces are all straight preparing to show the boys what they have. Makes the shot stand out and impact the video because girls are dressed in colour and men in black to be a powering symbol

No camera movement. Shot is focused on the whole group. Camera angle in front of them so it looks as if they are been watched by the men

Hard cut

Same as 5,6 and 7

9

5 seconds

Beyonce is slightly to the right of the camera. Close up shot on her face as she slowly brings it from downwards position to up right. Her eyes are bold and set on one spot as if she is staring you down. Has gold crown and hair piece on her forehead and hanging down her face, a read vail and the back of her head. To show she is the queen and the girl who ‘ runs the world ‘.

Camera is a deep focus straight on shot of beyonces face. Camera moves in very slow motion with beyonce while her head is moving up. In the shot the wind was waving through the flag and their hair and the dust on the ground was moving to show they were in ‘power’

Hard cut

Sound of upbeat music stops and the gold pieces on her face start jingling as she moves her head up. Definitely non-digetic because that was placed there, the gold pieces didn’t actually make that noise. The sound when it shows beyonces face changes which gives away the intro has finished and she is about to sing.

10

6 seconds

Beyonce in middle of screen holding a red flag. Has the old rusty car behind her and all her girls are surrounding her. They are all dressed in the same outfits and wearing black leather hats and jackets to look ‘fierce’.  Second look is of a close up to the right shot of beyonces upper body as she was standing there. Setting underneath the motorway

Camera angle is from straight on to a slight side view of beyonce. As the shot shows the close up she moves her head to the left to look at the camera then looks straight ahead and starts walking rolling her shoulders towards the men on the other side and the camera follows her on the side angle.

Two edits.