Production Diary

This week I have been watching and analysing some music videos, more specifically I analysed videos made by students who have already finished their video and seeing them gave me an idea of what is able to be created, both good and bad.

From watching these videos there are some things which I like a lot and would like to incorporate into my music video such as the use of lighting and contrast - also desaturating the colours of the video and using time lapses. Some things that I didn't enjoy that people had in their music videos was not having the subject in focus sometimes which made the video look very unprofessional as the camera wasn't focused on anything, the shot was just blurry. Another thing I will be avoiding is having bad lip syncing as it doesn't do the videos any justice.

Student Music Video Analysis

This is a video made by past media students which I enjoyed and have taken inspiration from. Aspects of this video that I particularly enjoyed were the time lapses of the sky with the clouds rapidly moving across the sky and the sun setting, I also liked the time lapse which they did showing the shadow of the tree moving and would like to incorporate similar techniques into my music video if possible.

Another thing that looked good was the fire burning with the sunset in the background, this fit well with the theme of the video and the composition of the shot was well done, with the colours of the sunset contrasting with the fire and then the actor standing by the fire to make the shot more dramatic and interesting.

The lens flares which can be seen throughout the video along with the desaturated colours in most of the shots make the video look professional and the lighting of the video is exceptionally well done, it is a huge part of what makes this video look so good. Another aspect which made this video look good was the skill of the actors, keeping a serious attitude throughout the video and not breaking character, which is something that happens in a lot of the other music videos made by students.

Production Diary

During this week everyone had to make a lyric video for a song that they chose, I chose to do Animals by Maroon 5 and created the lyric video using Premier Pro. This gave me an idea of what editing the music video would be like and I think I'm prepared to do that.

Animals Updated Video

I edited the colours a bit and fixed a few timing issues that there were in the previous video that I posted on my blog.

Lyric Video - Animals

We had to choose a song and create a lyric video to go along with it, this is what I created.

Production Diary

This week we have been creating a questionnaire to ask people who are in our sixth form, the purpose on this was to gain an insight into what conventions people would expect to see in a music video from a song of our chosen genre, this also gave us some ideas as to a narrative concepts we could use and concepts that we should stay away from.

I also did a lot of editing this week, editing both our lyric video of Counting Stars done with the words written on paper and I also edited the audience research interviews so they were easier to watch, by dividing the different answers into sections instead of the viewer having to watch all of the videos individually.

Lyric Video for Counting Stars by OneRepublic

We were tasked with creating a lyric video for OneRepublic's song, Counting Stars. Emma and I filmed this video and I edited it.

Audience Research Interviews

We interviewed people from our sixth form, asking for their opinions on different aspects of the song we've chosen to do for our music video. The questions asked are displayed in the video and listed in the post below.

Questionnaire Questions

These are the questions that we will be asking people regarding our music video and the song we've chosen, Beautiful Goodbye by Maroon 5.

1. What conventions would you expect to see in a pop rock video?
2. Since hearing the lyrics of the song what comes to mind?
3. What emotions do you feel when listening to the song?
4. Because Adam Levine is the front man of Maroon 5, who do you think we should choose to play him in our music video?
5. What style do you expect for a front man to have?
6. How would you expect them to act or behave?
7. What type of scenes would you expect to be shown in a love song?
8. Have you watched any Maroon 5 music videos, which ones do you like best & why?
9. What do you dislike about any of Maroon 5's music videos?
10. Where do you hear about music videos to watch?

We are going to go to the study area in our school and get students to answer these questions, giving their opinions on the various questions being asked.

Post by Dean

Production Diary

In media this week, me and Emma created a video which introduced ourselves and what we were going to be doing together this year.

We also studied the competition that Maroon 5 has such as bands that are similar and looked at the conventions of Maroon 5.

We created a list of Disney songs in preparation for the lip sync video we will be doing next week, our final choice was Let it Go from the film Frozen.

Lip Sync Battle

Genre Conventions

Conventions:

• Tattoos
• Fit
• Stylish
• Tight clothing
• Pretty boy
• Confident with himself
• In style
• Modern
• Sleek haircuts
• Put together (made up)
• Musical, talented (plays guitar & sings)

Maroon 5's Competition

These are some artists similar to maroon 5 that were either around at the same time and competing with them or have similarities to the band.

By looking at these videos we were able to draw more inspiration and ideas for our music video and came up with some concepts for the narrative of the video.

Muse

'Madness' has very similar characteristics to Maroon 5's style. This song is based around the front man who is mostly the main focus of this music video much like Adam Levine is in his music videos. The typical narrative of this music video is about anarchy shown through action and vibrant colours which connotes some form of pop element to the song which is very similar to Maroon 5's music videos. Also in Maroon 5's music video, there is always some element of love or lust with women who are featured in the video; In this music video there are actors who portray love and emotion even the dangerous situation that is happening around them. In addition, they show scenes of the band playing to convey that they are all part of this song and that they are real instrumental players.

The Script

'Superheroes' is very much based around the band singing our the the crown of poor people to give them hope and inspiration. This song is about making a change in this society considering that they have been 'fighting all their lives' for change to happen. The Script's songs are inspirational towards people with different needs in every day society however Maroon 5's songs speak about how to fix broken love or how to work with love in relationships. I feel that The Script sing about hope whereas Maroon 5 sings about love and romance. Therefore, they both have something that inspires them to create beautiful songs that are shared out to the masses which is something they have in common.

OneRepublic

The Fray

'How to save a life' is very much like Maroon 5's songs. This song talks about saving someone who you love or once did. This song have many shots of people who are crying and looking sad to emphasis the songs meaning. This is very similar to Maroon 5's music video because they include many facial shots of Adam Levine to portray emotion. Also they include many visuals shots of the band performing to show that they are 'real' talented musicians very much like Maroon 5.

Beautiful Goodbye Music Video Narrative Ideas

Me and my group partner, Emma, were discussing possible ideas for the narrative of our music video, these are what we came up with.

Idea 1: The opening would have our lead singer (male) sitting in a chair who is looking out a window. We can have the camera rotate around him then have him start to sing the lyrics when his face appears on camera.

 Idea 2: We could have our lead singer leaning against a wall to the right to emphasise that he is lonely considering he is the only one in the shot with all this empty space.

Idea 3: When the lyrics 'Beautiful Goodbye, Bye Bye.' is being sung, we could have him looking into the camera to emphasise emotion.

Idea 4: We could have the camera facing side was a he leans up against a wall, tree etc. and have him sing away from the camera to show that it's difficult to hide is emotions even when he isn't looking at the camera (the audience).

Idea 5: We could have him looking through pictures of him and his partner remembering when they were together and having flash backs to what was happening in the photographs.

Maroon 5's Most Popular Music Videos

Throughout Maroon 5's videos there is a constant theme of love and romance, usually revolving around Adam Levine. Visually they use a mixture of high and low saturation shots which sometimes can portray different moods, this is something I'd like to include in our music video of Beautiful Goodbyes, using low saturation shots to portray a sad or bleak mood.

Movie Trailer

Using the tutorials in the post below and with some help from my teachers I was able to make a trailer using Premier Pro and multiple clips from other already existing movie trailers and combining them together with music. It was difficult at first but as I put more clips together I got used to doing it and it became easier, the most difficult part of this task was ensuring that there was still a sense of narrative portrayed within the trailer, since mostly I was using random clips from various trailers. Choosing the music for the movie trailer and fitting it to the visuals was the easiest part of this task as there were a lot of songs that matched the video.

Production Diary

Maroon 5 - Beautiful Goobye Lyric Analysis

I count the ways I let you down

On my fingers and toes but I'm runnin out

Clever words cant help me now

I grip you tight but you're slipping out

And I remember your eyes were so bright, when I first met you. So in love that night

And now I'm kissin your tears goodnight, and I can't take it

You're even perfect when you cry

Beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Your beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye whoa)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Oh yeah

When did the rain become a storm, when did the clouds begin to form

Yeah we got knocked off course by a natural force and

we'll, we'll be swimmin when its gone

And I remember your eyes were so bright, when I first met you. So in love that night

And now I'm kissin your tears goodnight, and I cant take it

You're even perfect when you cry

Beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Your beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Oh yeah

All the pain you try to hide shows through your mascara lines as they stream down from your eyes

Let em go, let em fly, holding back wont turn back time, believe me I've tried

And your eyes were so bright, I remember your eyes were so bright

I remember your eyes were so bright

When I first met you how in love were we that night

And now I'm kissin your tears goodnight, and I cant take it

You're even perfect when you cry

Beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Your beautiful goodbye (bye bye, bye bye whoa)

Its drippin from your eyes (bye bye, bye bye)

Yeah, yeah, yea

---------------------------------

The lyrics of this song are about a break up, outlining his regret for letting her down and suggesting that he's trying to get her to stay but she's made up her mind and is leaving him. He reminisces back to when they first met, how in love he was with her and how he is now in pain because they're not together anymore.

Premier Pro

Production Diary

I Lived by One Republic - Music Video Analysis

Bryan Warnecke

This is a video follows the story of a teenage fan, Bryan Warnecke, who is living with cystic fibrosis. Initially he briefly explains the condition which he continues to describe aspects of it throughout the video. As the music starts it shows Bryan cycling, skateboarding and playing hocket. It also switches through videos of his youth as he explains living with the disease.

 

The main thing in this video is the clips of Bryan in his youth and showing him doing sports, however the camera is constantly switching to Ryan Tedder's face, this is where Richard Dyer's star theory can be applied as the video is subtly focusing on Ryan.

Simon Firth's theory can also be applied to this video where we see Ryan Tedder performing the song live in concert, it also shows clips of Bryan being in the crowd watching him performing and singing along/having fun. The purpose of this is to try and show that One Republic are good at performing live and that people should buy tickets to their concerts.

Bryan

"There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals" - Andrew Goodwin. This theory is another one that can be applied to the video since whilst they are singing about "I did it all" and "I owned every second that this world would give", while there are videos of Bryan doing skateboarding or having fun, showing that despite his disease and to some extent because of his disease he wants to spend every second of his life enjoying it and being as happy as he can be while he still can.

Production Diary *

This week in media, I did a video analysis, looked at 5 videos that I can recreate and a case study of the Auteur, Hype Williams.

Artist Analysis - Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is an American pop-rock band that started in Los Angeles, California. The group was first formed in 1994 (whilst the group were in high school) and was called "Kara's Flowers." The band split up in 1997 after the album they released, The Fourth World, was unsuccessful and the band members returned to college. In 2001 the band regrouped and added a guitarist, naming themselves Maroon 5. This time, the album they released was successful and helped by the fact that the first single received heavy airplay which boosted the sales of the album getting it into the Billboard top 200 chart. Since then the band has had a lot of success and continues to make music to this day.

Final Song Choice

We have decided to choose Beautiful Goobye by Maroon 5 as our final song choice and it is what we will be creating a music video of. We chose this song as we wanted to have a song somewhere between pop and another genre, while this song isn't exactly another genre it still isn't a stereotypical pop song and due to that we won't have to include the conventions of pop music videos in our video, such as the stereotypical scene where the artist bursts into a dance routine.

With this song we will be able to creative a video which has a strong narrative and due to Adam Levine's voice sounding young we should be able to find actors for the video easily. Another reason that we picked this song is it was one of the few that both of us enjoyed and could picture us making a music video for.

Auteur Theory - Hype Williams

Auteur Theory suggests that a director can use the commercial apparatus of film-making in the same way that a writer uses a pen or a painter uses paint and a paintbrush.

It is a medium for the personal artistic expression of the direction. The film theoretician, André Bazin, explained that auteur theory was a way of choosing the personal factor in artistic creation as a standard of reference and then assuming that it continues and even progresses from one film to the next.

It is possible for music video directors to be auteurs. The platform can allow for more creative and artistic expression than film making, Auteurs may use this medium (music videos) to showcase a distinct style, repetition of themes, iconography (symbolic codes), technical codes and contributing music artists in their work. You should be able to draw clear connections between their work, similar to how you can with film directors such as Tim Burton.

Hype Williams

An example of a music video director who is an auteur is Hype Williams. Better known as "Hype", he was born during 1970 in Queens, New York, he's an African-American video and film director who has directed many music videos and worked with a number of top R&B artists such as Notorious B.I.G, LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj & many more.



Along with directing music videos he has directed multiple short films and also has directed one feature length film.

These are some music videos directed by Hype Williams:

 Within Hype Williams' work he focuses on using a lot of bright colours and this can be seen throughout his work, even from back when he started directing music videos to the videos he currently directs.

One of Hype Williams' signature styles is the fish eye lens effect where one person or section of the shot is in focus and everything around it, you can see this being used within Brandy's video. It was something a lot more prominent in his earlier work than it is in his more recent work. Another thing that he was known for in his earlier work is using a wide screen ratio whilst a second shot is split and placed where usually there would be black bars above and below the video, as seen in 'Check on It' and a lot of his other work. Another signature of his work which he continues to use into his recent work is the scene rapidly switching between shots so you're able to see both at once.

Final 5 Song Choices

Emma and I have been searching through possible songs which we could choose for our music video and have narrowed it down to these songs, some we just liked the sound of and some had other reasons such as us having ideas for a narrative or concept for the video we could possible create for it, below I'm listing my opinions on the songs.

Let It Die by Three Days Grace

Let It Die was a song which I liked the sound of and could see us making a video for, however the music is very much based around the guitars and other instruments which would be difficult for us to include within the video. It's also very fast paced and features a singer with a mature voice, for us to have an aspect of performance within the video (the artist lip-syncing to the song) we would need someone who could fit the vocalist's voice which isn't something I think we would be able to do.

Let It Die by Foo Fighters

Let It Die (again) was another song which I enjoyed listening to and could see us making a video for, this song is initially quite slow and simple but as the song progresses it speeds up and ends up being fast paced and instrumentally heavy. This could make for some interesting concepts for the video with things initially being simple and ending up being more intricate, however it runs into a similar issue as the song by Three Days Grace that the vocalist's voice is mature (also towards the end the vocalist is screaming) and we may not be able to find an actor capable of fitting the voice and style of the band. There are also some parts of this song where it is just instruments playing where we would perhaps need to feature someone playing the instrument (guitar) which again would not be easy to find.

Home by Foo Fighters

Again by the Foo Fighters, but this time a lot more of a simpler song as it is just a piano and strings with vocals singing along. This song would be a stronger pick in my opinion to the other two that have been mentioned as I think we could find an actor capable of fitting the artist's voice as despite the fact that it is the same vocalist as the last song (Let It Die) he is singing a lot more quietly and not screaming.

Beautiful Goodbye by Maroon 5

Beautiful Goodbye is a song which both me and Emma liked the sound of as soon as we listened to it and straight away had ideas for what we could do within the video. It features a simple instrumental with equally simple lyrics and vocals which would mean for a balance between the focus being on the song and the video (if a lot is going on within the song the viewer may be more focused on the song than they are the video.) Adam Levine (the vocalist in this song) has a voice which sounds young and we already have some ideas of who we can use as an actor for the video, so we should be able to easily find an actor who could believably lip-sync his singing as we have quite a few options.

Happy Ending by Mika

Happy Ending by Mika is another simple song which we are considering to make a music video. There would be some complications with making this video such as the fact that there are both female and male vocals within the song, we would need to find actors for both of those. Although there were a few ideas I had for this song there weren't any strong narratives that I could imagine us doing for this song and for that reason I'm not sure it's one that will end up being our final choice.

Production Diary

Possible Song Choices for Our Music Video

Here are the top 10 songs which I am considering using for my music video, I tried to get a mix of different genres in my choices although I did try to stay away from rap as that wasn't something I wanted to have to deal with in my music video.

1. Maroon 5 - Beautiful Goodbye
2. Justin Timberlake - Right for Me
3. James Blunt - Tears and Rain
4. James Morrison - 6 Weeks
5. Owl City - Hello Seattle
6. One Republic - Goodbye Apathy
7. Timbaland - The Way I Are
8. Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire
9. Kelly Clarkson - You Found Me
10. Adele - Rumor Has It
11. Akon - Breakdown
12. Stone Sour - Wicked Game

Me and my team partner, Emma, are currently discussing which song we are going to choose to actually do for our music video and I will make a post once we have come up with our final options.

Team Introduction

Weekly Production Diary

This week I looked at the record industry, videos that I could possibly recreate and also I analysed Taylor Swift's music video of shake it off.

Shake It Off - Video Analysis

In this video she is trying to show that she doesn't care about what the haters have to say and she just wants to do her own thing, throughout the video she is making a joke of other artists music videos such as Lady Gaga when she is dressed up in the gold clothes. Throughout this song Taylor is laughing about herself and not caring about any negativity that is being thrown at her, there is a line of the song where she says "I'm dancing on my own, I make the moves up as I go" which is why during the video she is purposely dancing terribly. She's making a joke on herself saying that no matter what happens whether it be shade, negativity or something else she will just "shake it off".

Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze applies to this music video as throughout the video the camera is focused on showing off the bodies of the females within the video which attracts the attention of males to watch the video. Taylor is using the male gaze to parody other music videos as throughout the video that is what she is impersonating, such as daft punk, R&B and pop videos.

Richard Dyer's theory states that pop stars are constructed and manufactured by their record labels in order to make money. To make money they usually have USPs (Unique selling points) which allow the labels to advertise the artist to a certain audience or group, it also means that people can relate certain events or styles to certain artists, for instance Taylor Swift's iconography is that she has been known for having a bad experience with her relationships and is constantly switching partners, this is something a lot of teenage girls also go through (despite the fact that Taylor is 24) and that is why they can relate to her so much. In the video Taylor sings "I go on too many dates, but I can't make them stay, at least that's what people say" by saying that she is suggesting that although people say that is what she does it may not be.

Simon Firth's theory is that "Music videos may be characterised by three broad typolgies: performance, narrative and conceptual." (1988), I believe this video to be a conceptual video as there isn't a narrative within the video, but there are also aspects of performance as she is singing into the camera directly addressing the audience.

5 Videos that I Could Recreate

I have chosen these videos because they are simple and don't contain any intricate dance routines or anything like that, these videos or their style are something that I feel I could recreate.

The Record Business

These are the 4 major companies which dominate the record industry and own the most market share. Together they make up 81.87% of the record industry, independent labels (ones which are not bound by the contracts of the major ones) make up the remaining 18.13% of the industries market share.

The independent labels are ones where everything is done by itself, they don't rely on other factors to produce their content and they usually specialise in certain genres of music which have a niche audience. Artists may choose to go with an independent label rather than a major label since major label's main interest is to make money, whereas musicians interests are with making music. These incentives can sometimes conflict and result in difficulties between the two parties.

Convergence is something that happens within the industry and means that music can be promoted across multiple platforms, such as film, TV, magazines, games, etc. This can beneficial for both the music artist and the platform which it's being promoted on as both of them gain promotion from the convergence.

Weekly Production Diary

Most Expensive Music Videos

Michael Jackson - Black or White ($6.9 Million)

Madonna - Bedtime Story ($7.7 Million)

Madonna - Die Another Day ($7.9 Million)

Madonna - Express Yourself ($9.4 Million)

Michael Jackson - Scream ($10.7 Million)

History of the Music Industry Timeline

Phonograph (1870s)

The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison, in 1878 the first music was ut on record but the phonographs were too bulky and expensive so they weren't used very much.

Vinyl Record (1920s)

This was the time when music started to be created more for the purpose of monetary gain rather than just for entertainment. In order to be able to sell songs the vinyl record was invented as an easier way to transport music which at the time they were being used to transport music to the troops during WW2. Jazz was the main genre of music which lifted the spirits of people during the war.

Jukebox (1920s)

Jukeboxes became very popular as they were a way to listen to music without having to buy vinyl records which at the time could be expensive, jukeboxes were found within most bars and fairgrounds and allowed people to listen to the music of their choice for a small fee (usually coins).

Elvis Presley (1950s)

Elvis Presley was idolized by teens and seen by the parents as rebellious as a lot of his music was anti-authority and sexual. This was also the time when denim jeans became a fashion statement for teens.

The Beatles (1960s)

The Beatles released their first single 'Love Me Do' which became an instant hit. This was also near to the time when audio cassettes were released which benefitted their career. During this time the BBC was the dominant radio station and they refused to play any rock n roll music as it didn't appeal to the older audiences.

Casette Tape (1960s)

The casette tape was created as a more convenient way to purchase music which also allowed you to play it in your car as most cars started to include features to play casette tapes.

Radio Caroline (1960s)

Radio Caroline was one of the many pirate radio stations started at this time, they would have ships which they would broadcast from and play music which other stations would refuse to do such as rock n roll. This was a problem for the music industry as people would record the music from the radio stations onto their own casette tapes and obtain the music without paying for it, however in 1967 the government closed a loophole in the law which allowed for these pirate radio stations to function and shut them down.

Woodstock (1970s)

Woodstock came soon, 2 years after, the first ever music festival and it was hosted in New York. The event sparked a movie, two soundtrack albums and has since been seen as the stuff of legend as it showcased some of the most influential and famous artists of the time, such as Jimi Hendrix and The Who.

The Sex Pistols (1970s)

After the 1960's, the 1970's was the decade of happy and optimistic disco music, coming from bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin, there were also the other extreme, rebellious, angry punk movements with bands like the ramones, the clash and the sex pistols.

The Sex Pistols were discribed by the BBC as being a 'difinitive English punk rock band'. The anger they had at the world was obvious in their lyrics and they went against the government and establishment, singing about anarchy amongst other things.

Michael Jackson (1980s)

Michael Jackson lead the way as the top male solo artist of the decade. He used music videos as a way to increase his popularity and he released 'Thriller' which was a 14 minute long video to accompany the song. This video and song became a global phenomenon, sales of his album had declined before the video was released and when the video was released the album went straight to number 1 on the MTV charts.

MTV (1980s)

In 1981 MTV was launched as the first ever non-stop music video channel and started a new era in the promotion, consumption and power of pop music. Young people grew up at this time expecting their favourite songs to have music videos to go with them and due to the popularity of music videos record companies had to increase their budgets in order to ensure that music videos are been released along with the songs.

CD (1980s)

The CD was released as a way to easily distribute and sell music, they were initially described as being indestructible as well as producing crystal clear sound, people weren't sure about this technology at first but as CD players became more affordable they became more popular and overtook vinyl and cassettes in popularity.

Live Aid (1990s)

Live Aid was a festival put together in order to raise money for Ethiopian famine. The event was help simultaneously in London, England, United Kingdom and in Philadelphia, Pennylvania, United States and was attended by around 200,000 people in total. It was also broadcasted on television and the estimated global audience was 1.9 billion people across 150 nations. It's estimated that around £150 million was raised.

iPod (2000s)

In 2001 Apple introduced iTunes and that changed the music world forever, they also released the iPod during 2001. Originally it was only intended for Mac computers but in 2003 they released a PC version of the iTunes store and PC users were able to access music downloads. CD sales plummeted and illegal downloads meant that people who may have previously purchased the music on CD were able to get it for free due to the wide number of illegal download websites.

MySpace (2000s)

MySpace was introduced as a way for new music artists to promote themselves when they otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

Anaconda Music Video Analysis

Bang Bang Music Video Analysis

This song features three artists, Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj who are all featured in the music video. Initially the video starts out with the three artists names and then cuts to short scenes with Ariana doing her make up and Nicki getting into a helicopter to introduce them into the video. It then shows Jessie pulling up in a car and everyone in the street looks towards her, this is showing that all attention is on her and she is going to have a big part in the video. Then during the chorus it cuts between Ariana and Jessie as they're both singing. The video then focuses on Ariana during her part and again cuts back to Jessie whilst they're singing to show both of them are singing. A helicopter is then seen flying over the city and as it lands Nicki gets out to start her part, all three artists then join together and are dancing together.

Throughout the video the focus is on Jessie despite the other artists being featured in the video, people are also constantly staring at her and dancing with or around her keeping the attention focused on her. This song and it's music video were used to promote Jessie's career in the US and get people to like her, the song got a lot of attention as it features two big artists in the US and her.

Laura Mulvey's theory is very relevant to this video, as throughout there are women who dressed in exposing clothing which fits the theory of the male gaze being used. However the female gaze is also used in this video as it is directed at both genders, showing topless men.

Of The Night Music Video Analysis

 

Again, this video was made by past media students. There are some things I liked in this video such as the toned down colours and also the text which is overlaid on the video, especially when it writes out the lyrics such as "this is the rhythm". I like the concept of the video where he's missing his girlfriend, however sometimes the video doesn't seem very fluid and when the girl just disappears, if he stayed in place when she disappeared then it would look a lot better but as she disappears he moves as well. Also while the video is quite good I don't think it quite matches up with the song, the song is about having fun at night and there isn't even a scene at night time it's all during the day. I feel like if they used a different song perhaps one that's more mellow and sad then it would have matched up a lot better.

 

 

Rolling in the Deep Music Video Analysis

This is a music video of the song Rolling in the Deep, made by past media students for their A2 work. I like the style of this video. The black and white effect works well with the smoke machine and their clothing also fits with the colours.

 

However while I think the style of this video is quite good with the black and white throughout the video, there are some things I would like to avoid within my video, for a start the lip syncing is out of sync at some points throughout the video, also some of the actions that the male actor is doing look very awkward and as if he's not comfortable. When it starts raining within the video it looks very fake which doesn't help the look of the video.

Previous Student's Music Videos

I looked up music videos made by previous media students on YouTube and was able to find some videos, these have given me some ideas as to what I want to do with my music video and some of the editing techniques and camera angles I could use. The videos at the top of the list were all quite good so I scrolled down more to find some that weren't as good and work out what was bad about them.

James Arthur Video Analysis

This video was made to improve James Arthur's public image, previously he'd been having a lot of bad publicity especially from the LGBT community as his lyrics had contained offensive slurs which they didn’t appreciate. This also caused other people to dislike and resulted in him handing over his social networking accounts to his management.

James Arthur uses this video to show that it's possible for a wide variety of people to enjoy his music, initially he walks up to a stage outside of a pub and is performing on the stage with no one listening. The musicians behind him are of different ethnic origins than he is, showing they can be involved with and enjoy his music too. Throughout the video it cuts to clips showing people of different ethnic origins and age groups. Towards the end of the video all of these people surround the stage and start dancing along with him whilst he's performing, it shows all of them having a great time and continues to focus on the different social groups enjoy the music & interacting with one another, which is something that wouldn't usually happen if they weren't there relating since they're both enjoying the music.

Music Video

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Conventions of a Pop Video

Katy Perry - This Is How We Do

This fits the conventions of a stereotypical pop music video, there are a lot of bright colours & people clothed stylishly, all the people in the video are happy and smiling. There are also choreographed dance scenes throughout the video which is very common for pop videos to do.

Conventions of a Rap Video

2Chainz - Fork

This video fits the convention of a stereotypical rap video as the video focuses on the rapper constantly throughout the video, a lot of the people in the video are wearing gold chains which is stereotypical for this genre of music.

Conventions of a Pop Rock Video

Nickelback - How You Remind Me

This video is similar to the other rock video, however this is a pop rock video, it still has the toned down, dim colours however it is in a more normal setting as it's in a city. Another thing it has in common with a normal rock video is throughout the video it skips to scenes of the band performing the song whilst in the music video, however they're wearing casual clothes.

Conventions of a Rock Video

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody 

This video is set in a city environment and features the band constantly performing the song both within the video and showing live performance. The video uses black and white but also shows scenes where there is colour but it is desaturated and there aren't any bright or vibrant colours. The band performing live is very stereotypical for a rock music video and it can be seen within this one a lot.

Conventions of an RnB Video

Beyoncé - Crazy in Love

This video fits with the stereotypical conventions of an RnB video. Throughout the video the focus is on Beyoncé dancing and uses a lot of the male gaze (Theorized by Laura Mulvey) towards the end of the video when Jay Z starts rapping, the camera focuses on him however Beyoncé is still beside him and it occasionally cuts to her, the fact she is beside him whilst the focus is on him suggests that he is dominant over her.

Steve Archer

Steve Archer said the relationship between the narrative and performance in music videos should be strong and coherent. Normally they'll cut between the narrative and the performance of the song.

The majority of times, the actual singer is part of the narrative acting as the lead.

 

 

Sometimes a well choreographed dance may be a part of the performance or an extra aspect of the video specifically designed to help the visualisation.

 

Female Gaze

The male gaze comes with it's opposite, the female gaze. This is the way that women objectify men in music videos, showing them only for pleasure.

 

 

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey says that because of males dominating the film industry, females are seen in videos only for aesthetic purposes and are controlled by males, they can be seen as a trophy. She says that they are subject to the "Male Gaze" which is the theory that females are only seen by males as objects for pleasure.

 A video that shows this theory is Whistle by Flo Rida, where the woman in the video is objectified.

Another video which shows this theory is love in this club by Akon, all the girls are dancing in bikinis while Akon and the other males are there fully clothed watching and dancing with them.

Inspiring Videos

Sam Smith - Stay With Me

The style of this video inspires me as it switches between him walking through the street and him being inside the house, which is very simple yet effective for the song and still makes for a good music video.

Sia - Chandelier

Mainly the lighting but also the way this video is shot inspires me as it only features one person and they're dancing throughout the video. The lighting is dim and there are no bright or vibrant colours in the video yet the focus is always on the girl despite her not necessarily standing out.

Calvin Harris - Summer

This video is fast paced and constantly switching camera angles & scenes.

Adele - Rolling in the Deep
This video doesn't include much editing or choreography but uses simple things along with techniques such as slowing down the footage to make it look interesting, such as the scene with the sand and the person dancing or where there are lots of glasses of water.

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Lip Sync

Video Diary

Weekly Production Diary

2010s Timeline - Pharrell Williams

2000s Timeline - Justin Timberlake

1990s Timeline - Oasis

1980s Timeline - Madonna

Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer is an English Academic, specialising in cinema. He says that the terms 'pop performer' and 'pop star' have become interchangeable. The difference between them is the pop performers are known for performing pop music, whereas pop stars are known for having an identity or persona which is not just restricted to their musical talent.

Dyer's theory stated that pop stars are constructed and manufactured by their record labels in order to make money. They have their own USP (unique selling points) which help us, the audience, hold onto their attention. For instance, for Kanye West, he wore a specific type of glasses which became iconic to him.

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Simon Firth

Simon Firth's theory is that "Music videos may be characterised by three broad typolgies: performance, narrative and conceptual." (1988).

Performance (Studio):
Studio performance videos show the artists performing in the studio, usually using a lot of direct address to make it seem as if they're singing directly to you. They're used to remind the viewer that the particular song they're singing is important.

Performance (Live):
Live performance videos are used to exhibit live performances and will focus on how well the artist is performing and how much the fans are enjoying it. They're done usually to boost ticket sales.

Narrative:
Narrative videos follow a story in linear cause-effect sequencing. The most common narratives are love stories.

Conceptual:
Conceptual videos are based on a single idea which is usually obscure. This can be used to generate hype about the video which results in more people viewing it.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin is a music video theorist. He states that "There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals." and that "Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography."

The videos represent the stereotype and conventions of that genre. E.g. girl bands will break into dance during the chorus, boy bands will consistently be using direct address and looking into the camera as if they're looking at, and singing to, the viewer.

Goodwin's theory can be applied to Price Tag by Jessie J, where he says there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, as during the chorus she sings "money, money, money" whilst standing next to a tree which money is falling from.

His theory can also be applied to Little Mix - Word Up, he states that videos represent the conventions of that genre, as Little Mix is a girl band they stereotypically would all burst out into dance during the chorus of the song, which is what they do in this video.

Brief