Digipak Advert Analysis- by Canisha

Digipak analysis- by Ella

Conventions of music videos

Conventions of music videos in general By Canisha

The codes and conventions are rules and techniques used in music videos to create meaning. They can be divided into two types: Technical and symbolic. 

Technical techniques: This is how meaning is created using the technical areas like camera, pace and style of editing, mise on scene etc. 

Symbolic techniques: This is the way of showing meaning further than what can be seen e.g. facial expressions, body language, movement, gestures and mise en scene. 

Using codes and conventions can help an audience get familiar with a certain genre and attribute features they see in music videos to that music video 

Intertextuality also commonly takes place in music videos with artists playing fictional or non-fictional characters like Beyonce ft Jay Z music video 'Bonnie and Clyde' or Katy Perry 'Roar'. This can make it more interesting for the audience as they can be familiar with certain story line's and it also takes the attention away from the artists. 

Below, is an image of common codes and conventions of music videos.

Conventions of music videos of your particular genre by Ella

Our music video is in the Indie genre as we are doing "If you ever want to be in love” by James Bay. Indie bands tend to use performance based music videos such as Imagine Dragons with “Radioactive.” This way the main focus is on them as performers doing what they love to do. It also keeps the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have. We have decided to do a narrative video following Andre Goodwin’s theory of relationships between lyrics and visuals. A narrative video is used to tell a story throughout the video by using a sequence of images and videos that relate to the song. This is done in a way that makes sense to the audience so they can follow and understand the relationship with the lyrics.

Mise en scene is very important for the conventions of a music video. For an Indie music video you need to have a distinct style. For example: costume is important to establish who the artist is. For example Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus wear very outgoing outfits to show how wild their character is. So an Indie singer may wear a casual laid back outfit to show that’s what his personality is. Make-up is also used to portray a character. Someone in an Indie rock band may wear dark eye make up to show their genre. It all down to how you want to be seen as an artist. Props are also an important convention for a music video. An example of props being used is in the music video “Pretty Girls” by Britney Spears she uses a nail file while singing to show the audience she is very girly. In an Indie music video a guitar may be used to show he’s musical, or a photo frame may be shown to show he is heartbroken over a girl.

Camera shots are used in Indie music videos, close ups are commonly used to show artist emotions and feelings. Full length shots should also be used to show the setting of the video and also give the audience a clear view of the artists and their outfits. This is important in an Indie music video as a lot of artists are seen as style icons. This is also good to show body positioning so the audience know how the artist feels in the video.

Laura Mulvey Theory by Canisha

https://www.emaze.com/@AIOZIOWQ/male-gaze-theory

Andrew Goodwin Theory by Ella

https://prezi.com/ltybub9k4fwe/andrew-goodwins-theory/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Categorising Music videos By Canisha

The link below will take you to a page that examines and describes the different categories of music videos.

http://prezi.com/ysgwrtipe-bj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy



Maroon 5 "This Summer Is Gonna To Hurt Like A Motherf****r"

This music video is a performance based video because it adopts several of the conventions associated with this style of video. Firstly, the main artist is seen getting dressed and walking around backstage of a concert which turns out to be his bands performance. The camera follows the artist all the way to the stage where he's seen greeting his band members before singing to a crowd of fans. This style of video is an effective way to promote the bands concert as well as show the passion of the band to the audience as they are seen doing what they enjoy the most. Maroon 5 are considered in the 'pop rock' genre so therefore the music video style fits well as it shows them playing instruments like guitars and drums. Although, performance based videos are not solely based on the artists singing, they can also be dance based where the dance is loosely based on the lyrics. The style of performance can also be determined by the genre of the artists/band and what image they wish to present themselves as. Even though Maroon 5 are well known artists, using performance based video saves them money as there is less video hours required as well as the editing is considered simple with the same shot used throughout. Additionally, there is a loose connection between the lyrics of the song and the video which makes this video borderline being a concept video. This shows the flexibility of the group as they are able to bend the norms and conventions for music videos. Finally, this video is effective since the audience are able to watch the artist prepare for the show and then perform, there is a sense of intimacy between the artist and the audience. As a result, the audience leave that video feeling like they are connected more with the band and will then want to come to a performance or buy the music. 

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis "Same Love"

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis music video is a narrative as it tells a story about love, homosexuality, heterosexuality, marriage equality and religion which are the main themes played out by several characters who transition from childhood into adulthood before the audiences eyes. As a narrative it follows the structure of a story with a beginning, middle and end. This allows the audience to follow and understand the music video as the lyrics are being either directly or indirectly played out on the screen and will make them keen to watch it as they feel the need to complete it. Additionally, the message of the video is about marriage equality so, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis used a narrative to draw the attention away from them as artists and place it on the characters in the video and the themes they wish to highlight. Due to the video being a narrative, there would have been a larger budget in order to cover the costs like cast, equipment, recording and editing time unlike a performance based video. 

Sia "Elastic Heart"

The concept behind Sia's video is a part of her album trilogy which tell a larger story. Although the main idea that runs through this video is the symbolic meaning of the two actors as I interpret them representing a younger Sia and an older one as they wrestle to have control of the current Sia and where she is in life. The video is mainly shot in a over sized cage that only the young character can escape. The lyrics are loosely connected with the video as certain lyrics of the music video connect with the visuals taking place. As the video strongly relies on the dance choreography, it is very easy for the audience to misinterpret the visuals and make assumptions that do not relate to the video. This video is an example of concept based video and how interpretive the videos can be for the audience. Similarly to the conventions of concept, the artist is not shown throughout the video which takes the audiences attention away from them and a larger focus is placed on the characters. In addition, the video is largely dependent on the camera angles and movement to add a dramatic effect and show the movement of the choreography. The mise-en-scene in terms of the costumes is very minimalistic which keeps the audiences attention on the characters and the dance routine. 

Research and planning personal evaluation on the music magazine

Research and planning has helped me in many ways when creating my music magazine last year. The stage before production allowed me to determine what genre I wanted for my magazine and the different conventions as well as features I needed to have to make my magazine fit into the genre. It also allowed me to see and compare what competitors were already doing and how effective the features they applied to their magazine worked for them. This helped ensure I used features that were going to work well with my target audience and make my magazine successful without having any weaknesses. 

The research into target audiences allowed me to create an appealing magazine that incorporated appropriate themes for the age range as well as be inclusive for potential audiences. This is something that I need to make sure I look out for when I carry out my research for the magazine as different features work well for certain age ranges. Additionally, the research helped to steer my magazine throughout the production process in the right direction as I was able to constantly refer to the research and planning I carried out earlier. There was also a level of confidence I gained from the planning process as I felt that I included all the necessary things into my magazine and had a clear style and image in mind.     

Audience feedback played a crucial role into influencing my production process as I took ideas and suggestions into consideration and carried out the necessary changes. It also helped improve my magazine as I was able to keep what the audience wanted in mind during the construction process  and therefore cater directly to their needs. This is something that I will keep in mind when producing the music video, as the feedback I will receive can be taken on board and the necessary changes will happen. The effect of these changes will improve the quality of the music video and fit better into my chosen genre. Moreover, I found that the data I collected from questionnaires from the audience improved my product greatly and provided me with more ideas as I was familiar with what my audience wanted from the magazine. 

From the first production research I learnt how crucial time allocation was for the project especially in the planning and research stage as it determined the pace at which my project would be carried out. As there were several stages within the planning and research area, I fell the one thing that I could change the most was spreading out the time allocation to ensure all the stages were in the best quality and had attention to detail. This is a major detail I will pay attention to in the music video project as it can have an impact on the outcome of the project. 

Analysing music videos part 4 - By Ella

Music video analysis- Imagine Dragons "Radioactive"

By Ella Croft 

Analysing music video- part 3

Music video analysis- The 1975 "Girls" 

by Canisha Chakadya

Analysing Music Video Part 2 - By Ella

Music video analysis- Taylor Swift "Love story" 

by Ella Croft 

Intertextuality in music videos by Ella Croft

In Andrew Goodwin's theory we came across the word of "intertextuality”. A lot of artist have made sure they include intertextuality into their music videos to make specific references to significant events, people or pictures.  The term Intertextuality refers to the process of creating references to any kind of media text via another media text. In other words Intertextuality for a type of media (film, television, music etc.) to pay respect to another media text.

Examples:

Taylor Swift- ‘Love story’: the lyrics of this song talk about Romeo and Juliette. This video is made to look like a modernised version of the story, relating more to the lyrics of the song.

Robbie Williams- ‘You know me’: This video features the artist being taken to an ‘Alice in wonderland’ style setting with Robbie Williams dressed up as the rabbit from the film. This creates intertextuality between the film and his music video.

One of the most well-known examples of intertextuality is Madonna "Material Girl". In her music video she includes clear reference to Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds are forever" in the way that she is portrayed in the background maybe by the way she is dressed. People who saw this video were able to know where the reference and inspiration is from because it was such a ground breaking Marilyn Monroe moment. In the end this gained more viewers for Madonna as she related to a Marilyn Monroe who is a role model to many people.

The song "Decode" by a popular band called Paramore uses intertextuality in their music video to make it more interesting for the viewer. In this particular music video references from the film Twilight are used. This video uses clips from the film in the music video where it fits with what’s being sung or what type of image they are trying to get across. 

       

I believe intertextuality is used to attract an audience. Intertextuality would appeal to the audience as they can relate to what is going on. This is especially popular when music videos make intertextual links to films such as “Love Story”, “You know me” and “Decode.” Since films build up such a big fan base. Intertextuality can be an incredibly effective to deepen the themes and ideas in your music video, or to show characters in a subtle way.  It’s all about your personal preference and the style of the work you are trying to show in your video.

I don’t think we will use intertextuality in my music video as it does not suit the song I would like to do. If we do use intertextuality in our music video it most likely won't be something that is extremely well known because recreations of popular references wont suit our music video of “If you ever want to be in love” by James Bay. We have decided not to do so because if we didn’t pull it of correctly it would look tacky and people wouldn’t understand why it was included.

Analysing Music video part 1

Tom Odell - Another Love music video

By Canisha Chakadya 

Research into the music industry

How are music videos generally made? 
What is the production process?

http://prezi.com/eouta2bwwt3v/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

What is the purpose of a music video for the companies/artists that make them?

A music video has several purposes for companies and artists when they are created. First and foremost their purpose is to serve as a marketing tool with the intention of promotion as well as increase the sales of records. They also aim to leave a lasting impression on the audience through several features like imagery or the edit. Another use of a music video is to provide the listener a greater understanding of the song especially if it is a narrative style. They also help to provide exposure and expansion for an artist profile through creating something of an entertainment value. 

Who are some famous music video directors and why are their videos so well known/successful?

DAVID FINCHER

   

David Fincher has built up a portfolio that expands decades from directing Hollywood blockbusters to multi-selling platinum music videos he is well known with his work on "Express yourself", Madonna (1989); "Vogue", Madonna (1990). The compelling cinematography that can range in mood from darker appearance to bubbly pop makes him versatile in his style of directing. It also makes him capable to adapt his skills to fit a wide range of artists who identify themselves within different genres. 

SPIKE JONZE

Jonze's artist portfolio on who he's worked with touches a range of genres from indie to hip-hop stars which shows to versatility as well as creative ability to work with different genres that each have their own criteria's for music videos. He's known from steering away from conventional videos that MTV stream and creates his own style which makes him an influential figure. The individuality of Spike's music videos contributes to his success as a music video director and is responsible for videos like "Flashing lights", Kanye West (2008); "The Suburbs", Arcade Fire (2010); "Otis", Jay Z & Kanye West (2011). 

F. GARY GRAY

Gray has been heavily involved with shooting hip-hop videos that are well known and influential. Some of Gray's contributions include "Waterfalls", TLC (1995); "Show me what you got", Jay Z (2006); "It was a good day", Ice cube (1992). Working alongside Ice Cube for the "It was a good day" single, Gray continuously expresses his talent through his ability to provide visual aid alongside the strong narrative.   

These music video directors share in common their ability to add visual compliments to songs that will appeal to an audience of viewers. They are able to entertain the audience as well as sell artist brand and image in a memorable manner decades on. 


How much money is usually spent on the average music video? Have any been made very cheaply or are there any that have had huge budgets?

The amount of money spent of music videos varies for many reasons and very often they can be based on whether the money comes from the artists pocket or a major record label. A music video is often considered a part of the promotional package so therefore the money spent on the video can contribute greatly to the success of the single. Most notably David Bowie spent as little as $12.99 on his 2013 video for "Love is lost" which just goes to show that money is not always necessary.  The most expensive music video recorded was  by director Mark Romanek for Michael and Janet Jackson "Scream" for $10,546,626. This just goes to show that price can alternate for music videos and can depend on who's funding the promotional tool. The large expenses can cover a range of features of the music video like production equipment, cast and crew, props, food, editing and post production. 

How do audiences access music videos? Where can they be seen?

http://prezi.com/xjcbvhnkvpvy/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

question 5

5. What have you learnt from completeting this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completeting your advanced portfolio, do you think? 

Since completing this task, I have learnt the importance of research and planning to ensure that I understand what I am trying to create and how I am going to go about doing it. I have also learnt the detail needed within the research and planning to ensure every possible difficulty that may arise during the production has a solution. 

In addition, I have also learnt and developed an understanding of how to use certain features on Final Cut pro and this will be useful when it comes to craeating the music video as i will be able to create something of quality through effective editing. Also from this preliminary task I have learnt the importance of time management throughout the construction process, so I can avoid spending too much time on recording but spread it out over all the stages. This will ensure that my music video will be completed by the time of the deadline.

Question 4

4. How successful was your music video? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

The research and planning as well as the video shoot were our most successful  aspects of the music video task. This was because everybody understood the task at hand because of research and planning which made doing the task easier and doing it more effectively. On the other hand when it came to completing the task we struggled with some scenes due to the numbers. In order to over come this we created a larger group. From this difficulty I have learnt about better selection of who to work with which I will keep in mind on the final coursework.

In the end our music video was not complete due to poor timing towards the end of the task for editing. Additionally, because our group included two classes coordinating an editing schedual was not properly done which left our video incomplete. I have learnt from this task to ensure that there is enough time for editing. In the future I will create a timetable which I will stick to.