Purpose Of A Music Video
The purpose of a music video is for it to be:
- Promotional
- Add an extension of income
- Extension of outlets (music channel, direct DVD, CD sales)
- Synergy
- Advertising
- Illustrates the song
- Appeals to a visual audience
- Expresses an individuals emotions
- Tells a story
- Markets an image
- Creates a brand
An example of the most successful video of all time is Michael Jackson's Thriller. In 2006, it was listed in the Guinness World Book Of Records as the greatest video ever made. In 2009, the video was inducted into the national film registry of the library of congress, the first music video ever to achieve this honour.
Another example would be David Bowie's Lazarus released at the beginning of 2016 a couple weeks before his death. The video holds a very intimate message that he obviously wanted to send out to his fans. No one knew of his terminal cancer, so by listening to the lyrics of this song and watching the powerful signs of death within the video, this was his poetic sound of a goodbye.
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
A Model Of The Media
Text->Audience->Institutions->Text a full circle
Text:Newspaper, magazine,music video, blog, social media Accounts, videos, TV programs, video games, films
Audience:- Consumers-How?, Why?, When?, What?, Who?, What happens?
Institutions:youtube, social media sites, google, disney, warner bros- Produce texts, Distribute texts, Exhibit texts, Market texts.
Audience to institutes: Monetary transactions.
The biggest issue nowadays is piracy of texts.
This means that producers will not be getting the money from consumers actively buying the texts so they must resort to lifting the price of those texts, for example go back thirty odd years and it cost next to nothing to see a live concert whereas now it can cost hundreds as those producers don't get the money they need/want for their products.
This means that producers will not be getting the money from consumers actively buying the texts so they must resort to lifting the price of those texts, for example go back thirty odd years and it cost next to nothing to see a live concert whereas now it can cost hundreds as those producers don't get the money they need/want for their products.
Friday, 4 September 2015
Case Study 3
Alex Southam
- Along with Emil Nava, he also freelances for OB Management.
- Trained as a lawyer but decided to go in a new direction and work in film.
- He began making music videos to learn "the trade".
- Has worked for Agile Films who describe him on their website as: "an exciting new talent, working in a dizzying variety of styles."
- To begin with, Southam undertook all the tasks on his videos; camera, lighting and editing. He now uses a Director of Photography.
- Southam likes the format of music videos as "you can try new techniques and can have real artistic freedom."
- He is less keen on commercials as they allow for "much less freedom".
- He uses Vimeo to showcase his videos - this is becoming an increasingly important platform as it is considered to have "higher status" than YouTube.
- His breakthrough came with the video Tesselate by Alt J.
- Along with Emil Nava, he also freelances for OB Management.- Trained as a lawyer but decided to go in a new direction and work in film.
- He began making music videos to learn "the trade".
- Has worked for Agile Films who describe him on their website as: "an exciting new talent, working in a dizzying variety of styles."
- To begin with, Southam undertook all the tasks on his videos; camera, lighting and editing. He now uses a Director of Photography.
- Southam likes the format of music videos as "you can try new techniques and can have real artistic freedom."
- He is less keen on commercials as they allow for "much less freedom".
- He uses Vimeo to showcase his videos - this is becoming an increasingly important platform as it is considered to have "higher status" than YouTube.
- His breakthrough came with the video Tesselate by Alt J.
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Case Study 2
Emil Nava
- He began as a runner for film production companies.
- Worked for Blink Productions.
- He now freelances for OB Management.
- After working as a runner, he graduated to Assistant Director where he would manage the video shoots.
- He signed to Academy - one of the biggest music video companies.
- He has made adverts which generally have a higher budget and production values.
- At his busiest, Emil has made 24 music videos in a year.
- When he began shooting videos for independent labels, the budget would be as low as £5,000 to £10,000.
- His most expensive videos to date has been Jessie J and the video was £160,000.
- Emil's first budget was for the band Kid British and the track "Our House". It had a budget of £20,000 and was shot in Manchester, local people starred in it, it only took 1 day of filming to be complete and 2/3 days of editing.
- OB Management works as agents for music video directors. Their aim is to nurture talent, work with production companies, work with record labels and match the right director with the right artist.
Popular videos Emil Nava has directed:
- He began as a runner for film production companies.
- Worked for Blink Productions.
- He now freelances for OB Management.
- After working as a runner, he graduated to Assistant Director where he would manage the video shoots.- He signed to Academy - one of the biggest music video companies.
- He has made adverts which generally have a higher budget and production values.
- At his busiest, Emil has made 24 music videos in a year.
- When he began shooting videos for independent labels, the budget would be as low as £5,000 to £10,000.
- His most expensive videos to date has been Jessie J and the video was £160,000.
- Emil's first budget was for the band Kid British and the track "Our House". It had a budget of £20,000 and was shot in Manchester, local people starred in it, it only took 1 day of filming to be complete and 2/3 days of editing.
- OB Management works as agents for music video directors. Their aim is to nurture talent, work with production companies, work with record labels and match the right director with the right artist.
Popular videos Emil Nava has directed:
Case Study 1
How Are Music Videos Made?
Case Study 1 - Jamie Thraves
- Made short films at university.
- Began shooting three very low budget music videos which cost about £5,000 each.
- Used an award winning short film as a "calling card" to get a "foot in the door" with the video production company Factory Films.
This is how the process of music video making works:
- A commission from a record label sends a track to 5-10 directors.
- The directors then each submit their treatment. At this stage, it is unpaid.
- The director who has submitted the "best" treatment is then committed to make the video.
- Only then is the director paid.
Radiohead - "Just"
This video was directed by Jamie Thraves and really kickstarted his career. It was shot in 3 days with a £100,000 budget. It is a disjunctive music video because the lyrics do not match the story told in the video.
The video shows Radiohead performing in some sort of apartment alongside a road where a man lies down and a crowd of people surround him asking him why he is lying down. Eventually he tells them why, but the audience to this day still do not know what he said.
Coldplay - "The Scientist"
This video directed by Jamie Thraves was also shot in 3 days, on a higher budget than "Just", it cost £200,000. Thraves looked over the lyrics of the song and the one line "go back to the start" really stood out to him and he decided to use that as the main narrative. He shot the whole video in the point of view of Chris Martin and whilst he's singing forwards, the video goes backwards.
Case Study 1 - Jamie Thraves
- Began shooting three very low budget music videos which cost about £5,000 each.
- Used an award winning short film as a "calling card" to get a "foot in the door" with the video production company Factory Films.
This is how the process of music video making works:
- A commission from a record label sends a track to 5-10 directors.
- The directors then each submit their treatment. At this stage, it is unpaid.
- The director who has submitted the "best" treatment is then committed to make the video.
- Only then is the director paid.
Radiohead - "Just"
This video was directed by Jamie Thraves and really kickstarted his career. It was shot in 3 days with a £100,000 budget. It is a disjunctive music video because the lyrics do not match the story told in the video.
The video shows Radiohead performing in some sort of apartment alongside a road where a man lies down and a crowd of people surround him asking him why he is lying down. Eventually he tells them why, but the audience to this day still do not know what he said.
Coldplay - "The Scientist"
This video directed by Jamie Thraves was also shot in 3 days, on a higher budget than "Just", it cost £200,000. Thraves looked over the lyrics of the song and the one line "go back to the start" really stood out to him and he decided to use that as the main narrative. He shot the whole video in the point of view of Chris Martin and whilst he's singing forwards, the video goes backwards.
Sexism in Pop Videos
Are Pop Videos Sexist?
In 2013, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus provoked controversy. Here, women are ultimately objectified as sexual objects, some without even knowing. Women were appalled by these videos as they promoted women as sexual objects who are always empowered by the male.
In 2013, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus provoked controversy. Here, women are ultimately objectified as sexual objects, some without even knowing. Women were appalled by these videos as they promoted women as sexual objects who are always empowered by the male.
Michael Jackson: King Of Pop
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was not only the King of Pop but was also the King of Pop Videos. His early videos were when he was in the Jackson 5 back in 1971 in his youth. The music video for Rockin' Robin was pretty basic, but promoted the song and showed the lip synching aspect.
Billie Jean (1982)
This was his first video that actually told a story and had a plot, it was a video that did a lot more than lip synching. The steps that light up within the video became one of his first trade marks which he interpreted on stage also.
Beat It (1982)
The music video for Beat It was Michael's first chance to show off his dancing ability to a great extent. It was themed differently to his other videos with an edgy-gang theme to it. His signature red jacket became a national trademark which audiences instantly interpreted him with - the red jacket may symbolize danger and or trouble. Like Billie Jean, this video also tells a story which begins with other people first showing in their face in it before Jackson even appears.
Thriller (1983)
Bad (1987)
After Thriller, Michael Jackson easily became the biggest pop star in the world, and his videos made the news. The video premiered on the BBC and was a huge event. People were desperate to see his new image and even more of his signature dance moves. This was the first taste of his new album Bad, in which he wore black and this video had reflections of the Beat It video back in 1983.
Black Or White (1991)
The pop video for Black Or White was very expensive and inventive. At this time, Michael Jackson had received allegations of being "strange" when he had been accused of sexual assault towards children. He used this video to almost resurrect his career after his fall. He had also been having some problems with his image - viewers said that he had been "bleaching his skin" when he was a sufferer of vitiligo. In order to get back on track, he knew he was going to have to send out a positive yet serious message to his fans about racism. It takes place in different locations and has dancers of different ethnicities and religions involved, to show that racism is a worldwide issue and that equality applies everywhere. Jackson wears white, which contrasts with his skin colour to bring in a metaphorical aspect for the message of the song.
Earth Song (1995)
Like Black Or White, the music video for Earth Song also portrayed a serious message. Michael Jackson stars in this video with a look that contrasts with the other looks portrayed in his serious videos. He isn't wearing dazzling clothes, and his general appearance comes across as messy and unkempt. He walks around the earth when it is in the process of being destroyed, showing viewers that climate change and world hunger are serious issues that we will always come across, and that it is important we take care of our world. Towards the end of the video when the song becomes more dramatic, Jackson is seen clinging onto two trees either side of him, portraying him as a Christ-like figure.
Michael Jackson was not only the King of Pop but was also the King of Pop Videos. His early videos were when he was in the Jackson 5 back in 1971 in his youth. The music video for Rockin' Robin was pretty basic, but promoted the song and showed the lip synching aspect.
Rock With You (1979)
This was one of Michael's first videos which promoted him as a solo artist. It contrasts a lot with the general time period and we first see his talent for dancing appearing slowly here. This was his leading single from the album Off The Wall where he became his own artist and left behind the Jackson 5.
Billie Jean (1982)
This was his first video that actually told a story and had a plot, it was a video that did a lot more than lip synching. The steps that light up within the video became one of his first trade marks which he interpreted on stage also.
Beat It (1982)
The music video for Beat It was Michael's first chance to show off his dancing ability to a great extent. It was themed differently to his other videos with an edgy-gang theme to it. His signature red jacket became a national trademark which audiences instantly interpreted him with - the red jacket may symbolize danger and or trouble. Like Billie Jean, this video also tells a story which begins with other people first showing in their face in it before Jackson even appears.
Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is ultimately the greatest music video of all time. The original full length video is almost 14 minutes long and was one of the first music videos to be introduced as a short film. When it was released it was considered to be very scary and was not shown in cinemas until after 9:00pm. The dance moves were often improvised by Jackson and the make up effects were a phenomenon as he danced with the dead. Michael's entire outfit displayed in this video became a very famous look and people have often interpreted the dance moves from the music video in more modern movies and in theatre productions. Costing about $500,000 to make, Jackson's record company had no intention to pay for it, since the album was on the downswing and they had already financed the videos for two of its songs. (Billie Jean, Beat It). According to the director John Landis, Michael really wanted to turn into a monster so he offered to pay for the clip himself. Landis eventually took it on because it fitted into the short film genre which he loved. The video won Best Performance Video, Best Choreography and Viewer's Choice at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.
Bad (1987)
After Thriller, Michael Jackson easily became the biggest pop star in the world, and his videos made the news. The video premiered on the BBC and was a huge event. People were desperate to see his new image and even more of his signature dance moves. This was the first taste of his new album Bad, in which he wore black and this video had reflections of the Beat It video back in 1983.
Black Or White (1991)
The pop video for Black Or White was very expensive and inventive. At this time, Michael Jackson had received allegations of being "strange" when he had been accused of sexual assault towards children. He used this video to almost resurrect his career after his fall. He had also been having some problems with his image - viewers said that he had been "bleaching his skin" when he was a sufferer of vitiligo. In order to get back on track, he knew he was going to have to send out a positive yet serious message to his fans about racism. It takes place in different locations and has dancers of different ethnicities and religions involved, to show that racism is a worldwide issue and that equality applies everywhere. Jackson wears white, which contrasts with his skin colour to bring in a metaphorical aspect for the message of the song. Earth Song (1995)
Like Black Or White, the music video for Earth Song also portrayed a serious message. Michael Jackson stars in this video with a look that contrasts with the other looks portrayed in his serious videos. He isn't wearing dazzling clothes, and his general appearance comes across as messy and unkempt. He walks around the earth when it is in the process of being destroyed, showing viewers that climate change and world hunger are serious issues that we will always come across, and that it is important we take care of our world. Towards the end of the video when the song becomes more dramatic, Jackson is seen clinging onto two trees either side of him, portraying him as a Christ-like figure.
Katy Perry & Her Pop Videos
Katy Perry
Firework (2010)
Katy Perry encourages her younger viewers to celebrate their inner difference and individuality within the Firework music video. When she sings about fireworks it is a metaphor for everyone's own uniqueness - in the video she is walking around in a beautiful long dress passing all different kinds of people who each have a "spark in them". This is another inspiring video for her younger fans who struggle with self-image, being an outcast and or just standing out from the crowd. She tells them not to dismiss that individuality, but to embrace it because it is something that nobody else has. The firework that comes out of Katy's chest also appears with all the other people.
Last Friday Night (2011)
A video with a distinct story line, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) involves Katy Perry appearing differently than she has done before - she is stereo typically "unattractive" here with glasses and braces, unpopular with the "in" crowd. The video shows her undergoing a make over to go from nerdy to sexy. The video is colourful and fun, showing young girls that it is okay to stand out from the crowd. For example, even when she undergoes her make over she doesn't look entirely perfect; we see this as soon as the camera pans up her body from the bottom of the stairs and her shoes are different colours - she looks prettier and more fitting but she doesn't look perfect, and her message here is that it is okay and completely acceptable not to be.
California Gurls (2011)
This music video displays Katy Perry in a new light. She appears within a sexy new image, there is a lot of nudity hints within the video and she sings alongside Snoop Dogg. At this stage in her life she was going off the rails within the sense that she was not appealing as much to her target audience. She failed to send out a positive message to young girls in her new music video - this was the time where she was dating Russell Brand and he was considered a bad influence. This video alone contrasts with her previous works.
Wide Awake (2012)
Katy Perry reconnects with her teenage fans in this music video to act as almost an apology. This video is very metaphorical as she shows her past experiences and mistakes with Russell Brand after he publicly shamed her when they broke up. "Wide Awake" starts up as the continuation from her "California Gurls" video; the video features a little girl who acts as her past self, and when she meets the "prince charming" character, she punches him at the very end. Katy Perry starts creating music like she had done before, with female empowerment and a role model to young girls.
Roar (2013)
The message in "Roar" is similar to the "Firework" music video, The high production values and special effects to make it look like Katy Perry was stranded in a jungle. The self empowering positive message promotes that women can be strong and independent without men. There are humorous elements in this video once again, and elements of being sexy but not to attract a man, rather for her self confidence instead.
Katy Perry's target audience is aimed at girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Her vibe is supposed to come off to young girls as an older sister or a friend. Her music is supposed to reflect on some of the anxieties some young girl have and become someone to admire and want to be, appearing sexy in a non-threatening way.
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, looking into the camera etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Katy Perry's videos appear as "Feminist" but she also appears "sexy" in parts. There is often inter textual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc - Wide Awake refers back to California Gurls and Firework.
Hot N' Cold (2008)
In one of her earlier videos, Katy Perry presents herself as a victim when she gets rejected at the aisle. However, she is not presented within the "runaway bride" stereotype or any sort of damsel in distress, instead the video is slightly comic as she chases after the groom - she is presented both funny and sexy; later on in the video she sings on stage wearing red with a band playing behind her.
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, looking into the camera etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Katy Perry's videos appear as "Feminist" but she also appears "sexy" in parts. There is often inter textual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc - Wide Awake refers back to California Gurls and Firework.
Hot N' Cold (2008)
In one of her earlier videos, Katy Perry presents herself as a victim when she gets rejected at the aisle. However, she is not presented within the "runaway bride" stereotype or any sort of damsel in distress, instead the video is slightly comic as she chases after the groom - she is presented both funny and sexy; later on in the video she sings on stage wearing red with a band playing behind her.
Firework (2010)
Katy Perry encourages her younger viewers to celebrate their inner difference and individuality within the Firework music video. When she sings about fireworks it is a metaphor for everyone's own uniqueness - in the video she is walking around in a beautiful long dress passing all different kinds of people who each have a "spark in them". This is another inspiring video for her younger fans who struggle with self-image, being an outcast and or just standing out from the crowd. She tells them not to dismiss that individuality, but to embrace it because it is something that nobody else has. The firework that comes out of Katy's chest also appears with all the other people.
Last Friday Night (2011)
A video with a distinct story line, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) involves Katy Perry appearing differently than she has done before - she is stereo typically "unattractive" here with glasses and braces, unpopular with the "in" crowd. The video shows her undergoing a make over to go from nerdy to sexy. The video is colourful and fun, showing young girls that it is okay to stand out from the crowd. For example, even when she undergoes her make over she doesn't look entirely perfect; we see this as soon as the camera pans up her body from the bottom of the stairs and her shoes are different colours - she looks prettier and more fitting but she doesn't look perfect, and her message here is that it is okay and completely acceptable not to be.
California Gurls (2011)
This music video displays Katy Perry in a new light. She appears within a sexy new image, there is a lot of nudity hints within the video and she sings alongside Snoop Dogg. At this stage in her life she was going off the rails within the sense that she was not appealing as much to her target audience. She failed to send out a positive message to young girls in her new music video - this was the time where she was dating Russell Brand and he was considered a bad influence. This video alone contrasts with her previous works.
Wide Awake (2012)
Katy Perry reconnects with her teenage fans in this music video to act as almost an apology. This video is very metaphorical as she shows her past experiences and mistakes with Russell Brand after he publicly shamed her when they broke up. "Wide Awake" starts up as the continuation from her "California Gurls" video; the video features a little girl who acts as her past self, and when she meets the "prince charming" character, she punches him at the very end. Katy Perry starts creating music like she had done before, with female empowerment and a role model to young girls.
Roar (2013)
The message in "Roar" is similar to the "Firework" music video, The high production values and special effects to make it look like Katy Perry was stranded in a jungle. The self empowering positive message promotes that women can be strong and independent without men. There are humorous elements in this video once again, and elements of being sexy but not to attract a man, rather for her self confidence instead.
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
Editing To The Beat
Editing To The Beat
Today we practiced editing to the beat. We were given a soundtrack and some clips of people dressed up in animal suits, then we were told to edit this clips and put them together in the video, so it was edited on the beat of the music. I used a few crossfading techniques whilst doing this and I also put a series of frames into the video at the same time towards the end. This was a good practice to use before we actually start filming our own music video.
Today we practiced editing to the beat. We were given a soundtrack and some clips of people dressed up in animal suits, then we were told to edit this clips and put them together in the video, so it was edited on the beat of the music. I used a few crossfading techniques whilst doing this and I also put a series of frames into the video at the same time towards the end. This was a good practice to use before we actually start filming our own music video.
Star Theory and Pop Videos
Star Theory & Pop Videos
Richard Dyer's theory explained how the three ways music videos promote songs.
Illustrate: When music videos have images that match the lyrics.
Amplify: There is no clear distinction, it portrays the narrative. Layers of meaning are added.
Disjunctive: The meaning of the lyrics in the song are completely ignored.
Richard Dyer believes artists are constructed through artificial images e.g. advertising, films, magazines and music videos. Dyer believes stars are manufactured to make money for their record label.
Gramsci is known for his theory; the belief that the ruling overview from the higher power is imposed.
Britney Spears
Her early music videos were surrounded by "girly iconography" - one of her first songs Baby One More Time has images of her with pigtails and displayed in a sweet and innocent light. The white blouse she is seen wearing as a sort of crop top in this video became a fashion trend for all of her fans who set out to copy this trend.
In opposition to her portrayed innocence is an underlining sexuality.
This video is colourful, which is typical for a pop music video. She is also singing about an innocent high school relationship, as well as wearing white which can symbolise her purity.
Later on in her career, her music and lyrics became more meaningful. An example of this is I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman where she sings about her life experiences starting from when she was younger. The video completely ignores the meaning of the song (it is disjunctive), but it is cleverly shots with all sorts of different angles and you can see the passion in her facial expression. However, she is dressed to appeal to the male gaze (Laura Mulvey's theory) much like in Baby One More Time she is once again wearing a crop top.
Britney Spears' music videos are a polysemic text (a text that has multiple meanings.)
Oops! I Did It Again (2000) displays Britney in a red latex suit with a fiery background. This opposes her innocence showed in previous videos and exposes her feistier, more sexual side.
Womanizer (2008) suggests a side of her which is both attracting to the male gaze and is also showing a dominating female side.
Richard Dyer's theory explained how the three ways music videos promote songs.
Illustrate: When music videos have images that match the lyrics.
Amplify: There is no clear distinction, it portrays the narrative. Layers of meaning are added.
Disjunctive: The meaning of the lyrics in the song are completely ignored.
Richard Dyer believes artists are constructed through artificial images e.g. advertising, films, magazines and music videos. Dyer believes stars are manufactured to make money for their record label.
Gramsci is known for his theory; the belief that the ruling overview from the higher power is imposed.
Britney Spears
Her early music videos were surrounded by "girly iconography" - one of her first songs Baby One More Time has images of her with pigtails and displayed in a sweet and innocent light. The white blouse she is seen wearing as a sort of crop top in this video became a fashion trend for all of her fans who set out to copy this trend.In opposition to her portrayed innocence is an underlining sexuality.
Later on in her career, her music and lyrics became more meaningful. An example of this is I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman where she sings about her life experiences starting from when she was younger. The video completely ignores the meaning of the song (it is disjunctive), but it is cleverly shots with all sorts of different angles and you can see the passion in her facial expression. However, she is dressed to appeal to the male gaze (Laura Mulvey's theory) much like in Baby One More Time she is once again wearing a crop top.
Britney Spears' music videos are a polysemic text (a text that has multiple meanings.)
Oops! I Did It Again (2000) displays Britney in a red latex suit with a fiery background. This opposes her innocence showed in previous videos and exposes her feistier, more sexual side.
Womanizer (2008) suggests a side of her which is both attracting to the male gaze and is also showing a dominating female side.
Branding The Spice Girls
Branding The Spice Girl
The Spice Girls were a British girl group formed in 1994 by Bob and Chris Herbert to be able to compete with dominant boy bands who were always on the chart. They are an excellent example of an image that helped create a brand.
After they were put together, they quickly begged for a showcase. They wrote "Wannabe" in 15 minutes which became one of their first and greatest singles ever.
Image
Each Spice Girl was different and individual. They appealed to their target audience which was young teenaged girls. By setting a good example to them about valuing friendship and starting a trend of "girl power" their branding became very successful.
Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) was portrayed as a sweet and innocent character with her hair in pigtails and a cute nature.
"Wannabe" 1994
The Spice Girls were a British girl group formed in 1994 by Bob and Chris Herbert to be able to compete with dominant boy bands who were always on the chart. They are an excellent example of an image that helped create a brand.After they were put together, they quickly begged for a showcase. They wrote "Wannabe" in 15 minutes which became one of their first and greatest singles ever.
Image
Each Spice Girl was different and individual. They appealed to their target audience which was young teenaged girls. By setting a good example to them about valuing friendship and starting a trend of "girl power" their branding became very successful.
Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) always wore slinky black dresses and was portrayed as being very smart and serious all the time.
Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) was portrayed as a sweet and innocent character with her hair in pigtails and a cute nature.
Melanie C (Sporty Spice) was the active and athletic member of the group - she always wore tracksuits or running shoes to portray her sporty character.
Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) was the only red-headed member of the group, so she was known as Ginger Spice. She often wore dresses with the Great Britain flag displayed on them.
Melanie B (Scary Spice) had a feisty and outgoing characteristic - she could always be found to be wearing leopard print and being "fierce".
"Wannabe" 1994
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Music Videos That Add Value
Music Videos That Add Value
A-ha: Take On Me
Originally, the song "Take On Me" by A-ha was released in 1984, but was not successful in the slightest. It didn't make it into the charts alone, so generally at this time it was a song that flopped. However, after the music video was released in 1985 it shot to number one, even today it is the 3rd greatest music video of all time. The thousands of drawings and shots put together for this video took at least 3 months to make, but in the mid 80s this was extremely original and new to audiences which is what made it so excellent. The song was given so much value after this music video boosted its reputation and made it an instant classic to watch over and over again mixing cartoon sketches with real life.
Sinead O'Connor: Nothing Compares 2U
This video did not attract audiences with fancy editing, but simply with the emotion behind the video. "Nothing Compares 2U" was not an original song by Sinead O'Connor, but was by Prince. However, her cover to this song contained so much emotion, especially in the music video. £40,000 was spent on the original footage in this video in Paris, but then when the director experimented with close ups of Sinead's face, he realised that her natural emotion and beauty was a whole lot better than the shots in Paris. The tears she cried in this video was all real because she happened to be very emotional at this time, which is what made it so successful and added so much value, because you can tell that she is really feeling the lyrics. Also, her expressions force the audience to "look into her eyes" as the director said.
A-ha: Take On Me
Originally, the song "Take On Me" by A-ha was released in 1984, but was not successful in the slightest. It didn't make it into the charts alone, so generally at this time it was a song that flopped. However, after the music video was released in 1985 it shot to number one, even today it is the 3rd greatest music video of all time. The thousands of drawings and shots put together for this video took at least 3 months to make, but in the mid 80s this was extremely original and new to audiences which is what made it so excellent. The song was given so much value after this music video boosted its reputation and made it an instant classic to watch over and over again mixing cartoon sketches with real life.
Sinead O'Connor: Nothing Compares 2U
This video did not attract audiences with fancy editing, but simply with the emotion behind the video. "Nothing Compares 2U" was not an original song by Sinead O'Connor, but was by Prince. However, her cover to this song contained so much emotion, especially in the music video. £40,000 was spent on the original footage in this video in Paris, but then when the director experimented with close ups of Sinead's face, he realised that her natural emotion and beauty was a whole lot better than the shots in Paris. The tears she cried in this video was all real because she happened to be very emotional at this time, which is what made it so successful and added so much value, because you can tell that she is really feeling the lyrics. Also, her expressions force the audience to "look into her eyes" as the director said.
Monday, 22 June 2015
Music Video Styles
Music Video Styles
In class we have recently been researching different styles of music videos. We watched a few examples as a group to get a good idea of what different styles of music videos there are.
Parody
"All The Small Things" by Blink-182
This is Blink-182's music video released in 2000. Although it was released almost sixteen years ago, it has some relevance today. The video shows Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge parodying every stereotypical boy group in the music industry. It is supposed to be amusing as they are making fun of common things typical boy groups do in music videos. Like most parodies, it is not supposed to be taken seriously.
Pastiche
"But It's Better If You Do" by Panic! At The Disco
This music video performed by Panic! At The Disco is pastiche because it isn't set in the present day. The props used, editing used, costumes worn and the general musical sound gives the audience the impression that this is set in the 1920s, perhaps early 1930s.
Narrative
"Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus
The timeless classic Teenage Dirtbag is a simple narrative music video, telling a typical love story of two kids in high school. Music videos with narrative concepts is just like storytelling, so they are interesting to watch and the lyrics are often vital to listen to if you want to understand the video properly.
Animation
"Right Back At It Again" by A Day To Remember
Right Back At It Again is a music video by A Day To Remember released in 2013. Personally I love this video because of how creative it is. Props and background images are animated in this, but the actual people in it remain the same. So it's almost like real life merged with cartoon sketches, which makes it such a imaginative animation video.
Performance Based
"Lost In Stereo" by All Time Low
All Time Low generally have a habit of creating music videos with shots of them performing live to audiences across the world. This is one of their most famous ones in their earlier years, Lost In Stereo was released in 2009. It includes shots of them on tour, meeting fans and mostly performing on stage. I think performance based music videos are a good way of using recorded videos and merging them together. Although their is practically no editing or special effects involved, it is fun to watch.
Cinematic
"Kings And Queens" by 30 Seconds To Mars
Cinematic videos are often like short movies. Kings And Queens is just an example of a 30 Seconds To Mars song which has been extended simply for music video reasons. Its intro even introduces the band and the director, which makes it seem so much more like a movie. Jared Leto sings most of this song in a sunset silhouette, which shows audiences that cinematic style videos require a lot of editing and special effects. My guess is that unlike a performance based music video, this was quite expensive to make.
In class we have recently been researching different styles of music videos. We watched a few examples as a group to get a good idea of what different styles of music videos there are.
Parody
"All The Small Things" by Blink-182
This is Blink-182's music video released in 2000. Although it was released almost sixteen years ago, it has some relevance today. The video shows Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge parodying every stereotypical boy group in the music industry. It is supposed to be amusing as they are making fun of common things typical boy groups do in music videos. Like most parodies, it is not supposed to be taken seriously.
Pastiche
"But It's Better If You Do" by Panic! At The Disco
This music video performed by Panic! At The Disco is pastiche because it isn't set in the present day. The props used, editing used, costumes worn and the general musical sound gives the audience the impression that this is set in the 1920s, perhaps early 1930s.
Narrative
"Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus
The timeless classic Teenage Dirtbag is a simple narrative music video, telling a typical love story of two kids in high school. Music videos with narrative concepts is just like storytelling, so they are interesting to watch and the lyrics are often vital to listen to if you want to understand the video properly.
Animation
"Right Back At It Again" by A Day To Remember
Right Back At It Again is a music video by A Day To Remember released in 2013. Personally I love this video because of how creative it is. Props and background images are animated in this, but the actual people in it remain the same. So it's almost like real life merged with cartoon sketches, which makes it such a imaginative animation video.
Performance Based
"Lost In Stereo" by All Time Low
All Time Low generally have a habit of creating music videos with shots of them performing live to audiences across the world. This is one of their most famous ones in their earlier years, Lost In Stereo was released in 2009. It includes shots of them on tour, meeting fans and mostly performing on stage. I think performance based music videos are a good way of using recorded videos and merging them together. Although their is practically no editing or special effects involved, it is fun to watch.
Cinematic
"Kings And Queens" by 30 Seconds To Mars
Cinematic videos are often like short movies. Kings And Queens is just an example of a 30 Seconds To Mars song which has been extended simply for music video reasons. Its intro even introduces the band and the director, which makes it seem so much more like a movie. Jared Leto sings most of this song in a sunset silhouette, which shows audiences that cinematic style videos require a lot of editing and special effects. My guess is that unlike a performance based music video, this was quite expensive to make.
Sunday, 21 June 2015
Music Video Analysis
Research
Daniel Powter - Bad Day
Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive
Rihanna's music video for Shut Up And Drive contained many female empowerment elements. The idea was for women to be doing a stereotypical man's job (e.g. fixing motor cars) and still being able to give off that "sexy" look whilst doing it. Lots of symbols in the video allowed us as an audience to be able to see what the video was all about. Rihanna walks in wearing leopard print heels which symbolises a certain "fierceness" about her, as well as the black leathered outfits she wears throughout.
In class we looked at a couple of music videos with elements that we should include within our own video. This includes things like fast-paced editing, a narrative, and everything in our video needing to have a specific purpose for it all to make sense.
Daniel Powter - Bad Day
This music video includes a lot of key elements that we are sure to include when we start filming our music video. We looked at how everything in this video has a sense of purpose and and overwhelming sense of symmetry. The artist is featured quite a lot in this video along with 2 people with different lives who the audience know are going to meet at the very end because they keep accidentally bumping into each other without realizing. I suld say that this particular video is a narrative; it tells a story and can easily refer to the phrase "you've had a bad day".
Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive
Rihanna's music video for Shut Up And Drive contained many female empowerment elements. The idea was for women to be doing a stereotypical man's job (e.g. fixing motor cars) and still being able to give off that "sexy" look whilst doing it. Lots of symbols in the video allowed us as an audience to be able to see what the video was all about. Rihanna walks in wearing leopard print heels which symbolises a certain "fierceness" about her, as well as the black leathered outfits she wears throughout.
Saturday, 20 June 2015
History of the Music Video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.[1] Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920's, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". -Wikipedia
One of the early examples of a music video would be St. Louis Blue's by Bessie Smith in 1929.
In 1940 Walt Disney released Fantasia, a cartoon based around classical music.This could be thought of as a music video as the cartoon was created around the music to fit it.
One of the earlier examples of a music video would be St. Louis Blue's by Bessie Smith in 1929.
One of the early examples of a music video would be St. Louis Blue's by Bessie Smith in 1929.
One of the earlier examples of a music video would be St. Louis Blue's by Bessie Smith in 1929.
Friday, 19 June 2015
Album Art Exercise
Digipak Exercise
Today we experimented with Photoshop in order to practice our skills for when we create our real digipak for our finished music video. We visited a website which gave us a name generator, an album generator and an image generator and then we edited and manipulated the image and text to make it look like original album art that we created. Here is what I came up with.
Thursday, 18 June 2015
Lip Syncing Test 2
Lip-Syncing Test 2
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
This is the second lip-syncing test we worked on as a group for A2. We used the song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Keke Dee. I filmed this music video and then Joshua edited it.
I feel that as a group we have improved since the lip syncing test we did before. The lip-syncing used here is quite accurately edited and we managed to make it look convincing. I feel that to improve we could ask our actors to actually sing out loud to make their vocal skills look more accurate. Sometimes the lip syncing is a bit off here mainly because we didn't know the lyrics very well and sometimes our actors said the wrong words or mixed them around. But I feel that there are a few shots here which I edited quickly and accurately.
To improve, we need to be able to edit faster and more efficiently, within the space of a few seconds as most videos are edited this way. I also need to make sure that the editing is more accurate so that the actors lip sync in time to the lyrics or the music. This is compulsory because we are most likely going to edit a music video in the future with a song that is harder than this, so this is good practice for us, and the more we experiment with easier songs, the better we can get for when we film our real music video project.
I feel that as a group we have improved since the lip syncing test we did before. The lip-syncing used here is quite accurately edited and we managed to make it look convincing. I feel that to improve we could ask our actors to actually sing out loud to make their vocal skills look more accurate. Sometimes the lip syncing is a bit off here mainly because we didn't know the lyrics very well and sometimes our actors said the wrong words or mixed them around. But I feel that there are a few shots here which I edited quickly and accurately.
To improve, we need to be able to edit faster and more efficiently, within the space of a few seconds as most videos are edited this way. I also need to make sure that the editing is more accurate so that the actors lip sync in time to the lyrics or the music. This is compulsory because we are most likely going to edit a music video in the future with a song that is harder than this, so this is good practice for us, and the more we experiment with easier songs, the better we can get for when we film our real music video project.
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Lip-Syncing Test
Lip-Syncing Test
This is the lip-syncing test we used at the start of our A2 Media course as a practice. We used the soundtrack "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher. There are a few mistakes that I have made whilst editing and filming, and these are areas in which I wish to improve when we try this task again in the near future.
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Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Production Team
Last year in Year 12, I worked with Joshua Collier, Michal Cendrowski and Samuel Hannigan. This year I will be working with Josh and Michal, as Sam has left the group. I am hoping that he will still be able to take part in any filming that we wish to do for Year 13.
I think it would be a great opportunity to use a song that isn't very famous for our music video in A2 - perhaps a song from an alternative music genre would be interesting to use also.
I think it would be a great opportunity to use a song that isn't very famous for our music video in A2 - perhaps a song from an alternative music genre would be interesting to use also.
Monday, 15 June 2015
Brief
The Brief
A promotional package for the release of an album to include a music promo video together with:
- A digipak for its release on DVD.
- A magazine advertisement for the DVD.
- All planning, research, construction and evaluation on a blog.
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