Task One
Research
What is the purpose of a music video?
A music videos predominant purpose would be to market the singer and visually support a song. The video would include a message or meaning that the artist wants to portray and will include the singer, actors or the video could be animated. Music videos come in three main forms that include concept, narrative and performance but some videos and incorporate all three!
The concept involves the idea behind the making of the video. Before the videos even been created the singer will have an idea of what the video will be like, either it needs to relate to their song or they will want to portray an message. Every music video will have a concept.
A narrative music video is a video where a story is presented over every thing else. The story could support the song and therefore make the audience understand the lyrics more. Having a storyline for the music video can make the audience engage more as people will naturally want to follow to see how the story ends. For an example Eminem usually produces narrative based music videos.
A performance video is where the singer actually performs and will be shown singing throughout. Many music videos will have short intervals where the artists will be singing but independent artists for example, rather solely base their videos on just performance. They want to portray themselves as being real and focused only on the music. Many indie rock bands will dominate their videos with performance.
First music video: (1965)
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan was arguably one of the first ever music videos to be created.
We can evidently see due to year it was created in that the video was constructed with very basic principles. He was filmed in one spot the whole time with no range of shots or cuts. It was also filmed in black and white.
Equipment and technology was limited back then so there was a strain on the ease of actually making a video. An artist would have a concept or an idea but to portray the message in a way to make it more intruiging and interesting for the audience was hard. Thats exactly what is evident in this music video, an idea was created and was displayed in a way that was unique and different back then but in comparison to todays music videos, it lacks skill. Since then theres been a major shift in technology and that takes us to the next decade of music video...
1983:
Billie Jean
Throughout the 1980s many of Michael jacksons videos were being released which lead to a whole new perspective when it came to viewing music videos. It was evolutionary as the detail and skill put in was like no other and influenced many other artists work to become better.
You can evidently see the substantial improvements to technology and editing software as Michael includes a range of special effects, shot types, freeze frames and transitions to make his video appear more professional. Additionally, the video is in colour! He used a variety of quick cuts which is a concept that is used in practically every music video as of today. So it is clear Michael made a big impact on how music videos were produced.
He also combined a concept music video with a performance one making his videos even more interesting to watch. We get to view the artist engage with the audience as he sings to the screen and dances for us. In comparison to the first ever music video, this decades begins to have a more complex way of creating music videos by introducing concept, performance and a slight story line to it.
1990:
Vogue
Madonnas music video for Vogue entails actors dressed in a vouge like fashion being lead by Madonna as the main focus. There were alot of choreographed dancing included.
Many things that feature in Madonnas videos are also included in many videos as of today. The use of lighting to create meaning was introduced. It was used to emphasise the main character and make her the main focus and seem more appealing as she stood out. It was also used to draw the audiences attention to other aspects. In current days music videos light is used alot to create meaning and tell the audience things without actually stating.
The video was also edited in black and white to create meaning which is intelligent and music videos as of today also incorporate that. She wanted to portray the theme of vogue as much as she could and by putting it in black and white she achieved this as it looked more professional and glamorous just like vogue.
2000:
Stan
In Stan, Eminem focuses more solely on the narrative styled music video and tells a story through the lyrics and the video. His video also supports what Andrew goodwin says about lyrics and video having some sort of relationship.
This style of music video is more complex and requires a lot of thought to portray the songs inner meaning. It also allows the audience to understand the lyrics better as we get an insight to what it would be like. We can connect with the artist as we feel the core emotions ourselves due to facial expressions in many of the close ups used. This is also similar to music videos in this current time, we can clearly see factors that shape the way music videos are made now days.
We definitely did not see many narrative based music videos in the previous decades, they instead based predominately on performance based videos.
He also uses the weather to amplify the raw emotions felt in the atmosphere of the video. As the actors elicit pain and frustration, the stormy weather emphasises the mood as the nature of the video will now be gloomy and depressing. Many videos in the previous decades didn't merely capture emotions like the music videos do in the higher decades. We can slowly see the evolution of music videos.
2010s:
California Gurls
In Katy Perrys music video for California Gurls we embark on a journey with Katy and Snoopdog as they play a magical board game full of mystery and surprise. This type of story line for a music video is gripping as we want to see where the end of the game takes them, we want to see all the obstacles Katy faces as she makes her way around the board. These more thought out videos where the artist wants to captivate their audience as much as possible are apparent in music videos in the higher decades in comparison to the lower.
The special effects used in Katys video are of a very realistic quality. The technology and editing software in this current time is so advance that in previous years it would be impossible to achieve such life like creatures and set up like Katy has in her video. She is surrounded in an animated world that looks as real as her and that is one of the most amazing things about the evolution of music videos. We all now have amazing opportunities to create amazing videos like Katy has due to the accessibility of software. Even in the sense of film making, guerrilla film makers have access to editing software and cameras as good as many big organisations have. Which gives everyone a chance to produce amazing music videos and films. This makes music video directors compete, therefore forever improving the standard of videos.
Task Two
What I have learnt:
This task taught me a lot about how to structure my video to ensure it looks just as professional as a real music video. By learning about some typical conventions I now have a great understanding and can now incorporate them into my own music video. I especially want to include cuts as the beat changes as the precision emphasises this idea of skill.
Task Three
What I have learnt?:
By investigating some music videos that famous and successful directors have produced, I am now aware of some elements to include that could potentially help to boost my music video. If a director includes some things and they are sucessful then surely if i included them to then i could appear more professional as well. This task allowed me to see the importance of including things such as a narrative like Stan- Eminem instead of a purely performance based music video. It could essentially make my video more appealing and make my audience engage more as they want to watch till the end to understand the story line.
Task Four
Arctic Monkeys- R U Mine?
Arctic Monkeys- R U Mine?
The 1975- Chocolate.
Task Five
What have i learnt?:
The in depth investigation into music videos allowed me to pick up on tiny details that i may not of noticed before. For instance, i noticed how as the song begins it starts off slow and the transition between each cut replicates the speed also. As the song picks up the speed of the cuts also speeds up too and change some times even more than once a second!
I additionally noticed how in The 1975s video that the use of arc movement was used a lot. In the video the group were on a journey so the arc movement helped to reinforce this idea as it the scenes were always constantly moving. By including the idea of a journey combined with the arc movements it allows the audience to embark on the journey to and naturally makes us want to watch till the end to see how the journey ends. Additionally, as the group were in the car it tilts up and back down again to symbolise a bump in the road. More importantly it symbolises an obstacle they face in their relationship. This task has really help me focus on the finer details like camera movements to help portray meaning.
What have i learnt?:
This task taught me a lot about how to portray your bands image to be authentic to the genre.
When analysing the website it gave me an insight on how to potentially style my own. Before my blog looked unprofessional and unfinished, now my blog is a representation of me just like how Arctic Monkeys is a clear representation of them.
As i continued to analyse a few of their music videos and album covers i began to realise everything they do is a reflection of the band as people. Now i have a great understanding of indie rock artists as people i can now also make my own music video reflect their personalities; essentially making my video more authentic.
Task Six
Costume Choice Plan:
The look I aspire to recreate in my music video would be one of a vintage\ indie rock and roll appeal. I want to achieve this look as the genre i find most intriguing is indie\alternative rock. Previous indie rock artists such as arctic monkeys, 1975 and red hot chili peppers all dress in a similar manor consisting of leather jackets and dark colours. I want to maintain this look as it is typical of the genre and I would like my music video to be authentic as possible.
I additionally want to incorporate indie rock fashion in my music video as leather jackets, braces, bomber jackets and black jeans connote to a feeling of a rebellious, laid back, spontaneous and courageous nature. These are all attributes that people find attractive and would love to ignite in themselves if they could posses it. By intertwining this style of fashion i hope that my audience will engage and relate more as they see my character as a desirable one. Especially, if i fuse my look with a modern twist such as including joggers so my modern, young audience will relate to a higher extent. This will be because they wear clothes similar to that. If my audience can see themselves relating to the heroic, spontaneous character that i aspire to conger up then they will be more interested in watching my music video.
A music artist with a controversial look would be Lady Gaga. Although a unique look stands out and attracts an audience with its unfamiliarity, it also encourages an audience to be different. You dont always have to conform to trends and most importantly, controversial looks projects a message that people should accept their unique quirks and being different to everyone else is a positive thing, people should have confidence in being themselves.
Although that message is one i would love to potray, i feel that wacky fashion would detract away from the seriousness that my music video needs to seem more realistic, that's why i will probably just stick to the typical indie rock look.
What have i learnt?:
This task was so essential as it taught me loads about what clothes my characters will have to wear. Before i was clueless but now I have an undeniable understanding that indie rock artists typically wear dark colours, leather jackets, white shirts and other simplistic clothes. Now i know this i can apply my understanding to my own music video. This task has allowed me to be authentic to the genre, therefore making my video more realistic.
Task Seven
Task Eight
Andrew Goodwin
Goodwins theory predominantly states that "music videos are simply an extension of the lyrics". By stating "extension" we come to understand that his theory means there is a relationship between the lyrics and video. The music video is used to amplify and make the audience understand the lyrics more by visually explaining the words just like the music video Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus. She quite literally comes in on a wrecking ball as her lyrics state that.
A music video is also used to illustrate the meaning of lyrics by displaying the underlying message of the song without actually acting out the literal words. A good example of illustrating the lyrics would be If I Were A Boy by Beyonce. We come to understand what shes singing about by visually showing us a narrative shes created to support her song.
Lastly, he acknowledges that not every music video applies to his statement and he says these music videos are disjunctured. Disjuctured music videos are videos that completely ignore the lyrics and doesn't support the song in anyway. Praise you by Fat Boy Slim is an ideal example as there is no relation. Arguably, Goodwins theory still applies to disjuctured videos as they still support the lyrics by cutting to a beat.
Carol Vernallis
Vernallis' theory, similar to Goodwins but it consists of four main factors, narrative, diegesis, camera shots\framing and editing! These four components help to form the basic conventions of every music video.
Narrative: She explains that a video will be based upon the lyrics. Either it be performance, narrative or both but for example, if song is an angry one you'd expect to see angry facial expressions, movements and dark lighting. The artist will also dominate the video.
Diegesis: Diegisis is how the idea behind the video is made clear to us by the use of acting, so we can understand the narrative better. There could be gaps in time or skip between locations so an audience can be confused of the meaning behind the video, but it will always make sense or be explained at the end. She also states how there will also be a repitition of themes, ideas, shots or locations so that the audience can have a clearer understanding of the diegesis.
Camera shots\framing: Vernallis states that the predominant shots used in music video are on the extreme ends of the spectrum. They tend to not focus on mid-shots or close ups but instead only include extreme close ups, establishing shots and long shots as they are more aesthetically pleasing.
Editing: She implies that editing doesnt grasp the continuity or fluidity that a film does. Instead a music video will consist of obvious cuts as music videos tend to switch between narrative and performance. Most of the time in a music video theres a jump in time or place, so by having obvious cuts it signifies this to the audience and makes them follow the story better.
What have you learnt?:
Without this task it would've been virtually impossible trying to create a music video that is considered to be a high standard. Andrew Goodwin influenced me the most as before i had no idea how essential it was to make my video a reflection of the lyrics. I have come to realise that a music video should definitely share a relationship as Goodwin says, as it really does help the audience to understand the artists true meaning behind a song. As i investigated the different ways in which a video can relate to the lyrics i have came to the decision that acting out each lyric exactly as the artist sings is not the best approach. Instead i want to create my own interpretation of a songs lyrics in a real artistic and unique way which i couldn't do if i acted out the lyrics exactly. This will definitely surprise and captivate my audience more as they wont be expecting it.
Task Nine
What have I learnt?:
Before this task i was struggling to come to a decision on how the actual music video will look like. By having some inspiration now from this task i have a much clearer understanding on some elements i am going to include.
I analysed videos out of my genre to hopefully interject some diversity and quirks from the usual indie rock bands. By doing this i now know that by having a narrative that has a deep meaning will captivate my audience more and appear more professional as ive taken a lot of time and consideration into making up a story line. By ananlysing Arabella as well i now that it is important to alternate between performance as well as indie rock bands do this also. Furthermore, I love how in the Lumineers video the ending begins at the start as it makes the audience want to watch more to understand how they got there. I want to incorporate this idea as well and without this task i probably wouldn't of thought of that.
Task Ten
What have i learnt?:
Considering i am limited to editing software that caters for only the basics it will be hard for me to make my video look professional like a real artists would. This task allowed me to see some intellegent ways of filming and editing my own video with the basic software, to give the impression i have used high tech equipment.
As these previous students work would of been edited with similar cameras, equipment and editing software i have an insight to the potential of my own. I can also see what works well and what doesn't to not make the same mistake. As ive analysed what does work well i could potentially intertwine these elemnts in my own work.
Task Eleven
Audience Profile:
Age: 18
Interests:
-Spontaneous adventures
-Museums\ art galleries
-Listening to music
-Socialising\ smoking with friends
-Gigs
-Playing instruments with friends in a band
-Reckless parties
-Tumblr
-Romance
- Tattoos\ piercings
Gender: Male
Dislikes:
- Chart music
- Mainstream trends
- Conforming
- Colourful clothes
- Materialistic people
Lifestyle:
-Lives at home\ Uni accommodation with friends.
-Goes University\ college
-Studies music production and art
-Part time job
-Very practical
-Completes tasks quickly and carelessly
Media Preferences:
- Doesnt indulge in social media but goes on twitter to watch funny videos.
- Reads news on various platforms
- Loves music platforms such as youtube as they get to listen and watch their favourite artists videos.
-Goes on soundcloud as they like to upload their own music to it.
Socio-economic group:
-Category E
-Low income, earns under 10k a year
-Minimal out goings
What have i learnt?:
As this task taught me what type of audience my video will appeal to it has helped me decide how to portray it correctly.
Now i know that i shouldn't include things such as bright colours and themes such as girls going shopping as my audience wouldn't appreciate it and it would definitely not be authentic to the genre. If my target audience doesn't appriciate my video then hardly anyone will want to watch it and i wont be successful. This task also gave me ideas on how to potentially appeal to a wider audience out of my predominant one. For instance, i could include a narrative with a mature nature so that an older audience will want to watch as well as including artistic and unusual effects to appeal to my younger audience.
Task Twelve
Task Thirteen
Task Fourteen
What i have learnt?:
By analysing digipaks its helped build my knowldge on how to portray the correct band image. By seeing how indie rock artists like to portray themselve, it makes it easier when it comes to creating my own characters in the video. I now know how to make them act, what typical facial expressions to use, what to make them wear and how to present them to the audience. If i were to create a digipak for indie rock i'd know what to now include.
Task Fifteenth
We have all formed the impression that the Arctic Mokeys is a established band that truly understands themselves. Virtually every music video, their website, the way they dress and adverts all consist of a simplistic black and white theme. The constant repetition of the theme therefore advertises the group more as every time we see a similar design to this we automatically associate it with the Arctic Monkeys.
The bold white writing against the contrasting black background allows the band to stand out more without even trying. That has a big reference to the artists in general as they tend to stand out above the rest without any triumphant effort to. The band don't even focus on advertising their image or portray any remote message about themselves in this advert. That could essentially promote themselves better and gain more appeal but they simply don't care to. They instead display such a lack of consideration but still are successful, implying that they purposely do this to appear more dominate and powerful. It is another way of mocking other artists as this group doesn't even try yet is more successful.
The simplisity suggest alot about their character. They emphasise the essetials such as their name and new album but nothing else. It is obvious that indie rock artists are laid back from this advert.
The black and white theme is again apparent in Catfishes advert. The bands name is in white and additionally so is the sperm indicating that sperm represents them. The background is black and so are the other sperm, suggesting that is a reference to the other opposing indie rock bands as they are all dark and mysterious characters. This advert is clever as it implies to the audience that Catfish are portraying that they are the only real winners that will succeed the race of best indie band. They refer to the other indie bands as losers as they didnt win.
The sperm is also inside a moon. As the moon is high up, way out of anyones reach Catfish implies nothing is ever to hard for them, they will always reach their aspirations no matter how hard they may be. This additionally signifies how Catfish only ever strive for the highest and always aim to produce the best songs.
Brendon Urie the main artist in the band Panic! at the Disco is featured on this advert smoking. Many indie rock artists try to emphasise smoking as it connotes to a laid back, chilled and rebellious person. Panic also does this but essentially tries to promote smoking to a higher extent. Smoking is highly dangerous and the fact that the smoke is in colour but he is in black and white indicates that the cigarette is literally sucking the life out of him yet he does it so openly without a care. Every ounce of colour in his face has been drained from him just like someone that has died. When someone dies they become pale. Brendon tries to give the impression that he is not afraid of death in any way shape of form, giving indie rock artists this scary emotionless persona that they all obtain.
Panic! at the disco also desperately try to portray a diversity and distinguish that they are different to all the other indie rock bands. The majority of indie rock bands are all quite similar and promote themselves in similar ways. Panic want to let everyone know that they are weird and individual giving people more reason to remember them and want to listen.
The split nature of indie rock artists personalities is evident in this advert. The binary opposites of black and white, live and die also colour and not in colour is a big indication that many indie rock artists have two sides to them. One side portraying their mysterious, dark humored and insensitive selves and the other symbolising their purity and happiness considering they produce upbeat music to make their fans happy.
This advert for Muse suggests themes of power and dominance. The hand on the stick appears to be a form of a control pad. The screen in front displays black figures, potentially referring to opposing indie rock artists as their personalities link to the colour black. Muse is trying to state to the audience that they obtain authority as the hand is theirs controlling all the other indie rock bands. By controlling them it means that Muse heavily influences other indie rock bands as they consider themselves to be the best and everyone essentially copies their style. By being in control you are considered to be the leaders, leaders tend to guide others that aren't as established or good as them. Muse portrays that the other indie rock bands follow them as they aren't as good.
The animated people of screen are walking away from Muse, in essence meaning that the other indie rock artists back down to Muse allowing them to dominate as the best band as they know they cant compete. Therefore allowing Muse to have an overwhelming amount of power as they so desperately crave.
To reinforce my point of Muse being above the rest and having a sense of hierarchy, the advert is hung by pins meaning they are up high. Being high up allows everyone to notice you and also emphasises Muses power again as they are looking down at everyone else from this advert in an intimidating nature.
What have i learnt?:
In this task it has allowed me to see some key aspirations and aims of indie rock artists. They like to all portray they are laid back and obtain power with no real effort. By knowing this it helps me again reinforce my knowledge on band image, therefore making my music video more authentic.