Music Video Tips

Our teacher gave us some useful tips on how to make a successful music video:

• The essential idea of what we are doing is manufacturing a band for a song, and this will be that bands first release, and it is our job to make the video successful. 
• We will start with the image of the band, ensuring that their style is fit for the style of the song and that they know how to play the instruments required so they can realistically mime the track. Then we can create a concept for the video that will blend well with the music. 
• The band we are creating obviously has no fanbase, so it is up to us to get them out there via various marketing techniques and digipacks. 
• The best type of music video contains three different narrative strands, a performance element which the label think is vital as it acts as a fail save. A lip sync element, just simply singing in a situation with very few props. Lastly, a narrative element, the story, which will be led by genre and style. The music video will then consist of constant cutting between these narrative strands. This keeps the video exciting and interesting. 
• We were advised to make a 'Mood Film' or prezi which involves a set of images or a simple video to create a short film to demonstrate the ideas for the final product. This helps clarify the idea, and helps identify potential problems. 

Star image - Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer is a theorist at Warwick University who wrote a book called 'Stars' in 1978. In his book he discusses the way in which audiences engage with different well known stars. He stated that stars are a myth and are constructed in order to sell an image to an audience - in effect they are a commodity that are bought and sold on the strength of their meanings.

What he means by this is that we know a lot about a celebrity through their engagement in the media, however we know very little about their private life behind closed doors. He describes this as stars being present in our life but simultaneously absent, or in other words we think we know lots about them but we actually know very little as we are buying into an image that is either being constructed by the agencies that manage them or by the artists themselves.

Within the music industry, the following features can generally be applied to an artists image:
1) Using their sexuality to sell themselves
e.g. Kylie Minogue

2) Rebelliousness

e.g. Tupac 

3) Disregard for social norms e.g. drug taking, getting into trouble with police

e.g. Justin Bieber

4) Creativity

e.g. Lorde

5) Anti-authoritarian attitude

e.g. Sex Pistols 

6) Attractiveness to the audience

e.g. One Direction 

7) Originality

e.g. Ed Sheeran 

8) Being aspirational to the audience

e.g. Beyonce

The codes and conventions of music videos

The Promotional Brief

• A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video
• A website homepage for the band
• A cover and 4 sides including the spine for it's release as part of a digital (CD/ DVD package) 

What am I looking forward to in creating my music video and the benefits to creating it, as well as any problems I may face?

I am looking forward to creating and producing our final music video as well as promoting our music video. However, I think that we will encounter several minor issues during the promotional process such as coming up with a strong idea to use for our music video. There are also several positives about creating our music video, such as developing my filming and editing skills as well as working in a group. One of the benefits of creating our music video is that we all live in London which is a huge tourist destination full of diversity and culture, meaning we would be able to promote and sell our music video easily. However, a negative to this process would be having to create 4 minutes worth of footage, as it could become repetitive and therefore we would have to make sure that we continuously use new footage with different elements. 

Analysis of Lip Syncing task

In order for us to practise for our music video task in September, we took part in a lip syncing task where the aim was to choose a song and create a music video showing us lip syncing to the lyrics. This task would enable us to have an insight into the decisions and tasks that we will need to undertake in September such as choosing the right song, cutting to the beat, lip syncing and creating transitions between different shots. We filmed our music video by using the app 'VideoStar' on an iPhone 7. 

1) Why did we choose that particular song?

We decided to chose 'Touch' by Little Mix as it is a popular song that everyone knows the words to, which made it easier for us to lip sync. The song is also fun and energetic which is the type of feel that we were aiming for. We also wanted to choose a song from a girlband as there are 4 girls in our video so therefore it would be easier to replicate the narrative of the song. 

2) What was difficult about the lip syncing?

One thing which we found difficult about the lip syncing was keeping in time with the music. In order to do this we had to rehearse the lyrics before we filmed it to make sure that we knew our cues and what the next words to the song were. We also found it difficult to film in the time we were given as we only had 45 minutes in order to film our music video, which is considerably shorter than the time we will be given in September. 

3) How easy was it to cut to the beat?

We found it easy to cut to the beat of the song as we knew the song really well and therefore we knew the points in the song where different verses ended and new verses began. In order to cut to the beat we used different angles and filmed in different locations in order to make our shots more creative and flow better. In most music videos, the demands for record labels will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist in order to create a star image. However in our music video there is no star artist yet close ups have been used to demonstrate lip syncing. 

4) What effects did we put in the video and why?

We used a variety of different effects in our video in order to make it seem eye catching, fun and creative, as well as to explore possible effects which we could use in September. We used a range of colourful effects that we were able to apply to our music video from the VideoStar app. The use of colourful effects reflects the energetic and youthful vibe that we were aiming for in our video. 

5) What would we change/ do better if we did it again?

If we were to be able film our music video again, we would change the types of shots that we took by filming more close ups, as many of our shots are wide shots. The aim of using a close up shot is to sell the artists star image, which we feel that we could have done better if we had included more of these shots. 

6) What has it taught me about planning for the real music video in September?

This lip syncing task has taught me that when planning for our music video in September we will have to make sure that the artist knows the words to the song before filming to avoid wasting time learning the lyrics before each shot is taken. In addition, when planning our music video we should make sure that the visuals in our music video are relevant to the lyrics and narrative of the song in order to create a more intriguing music video that would captivate the audience and make them want to watch it again. This task has also taught me that we should allow ourselves plenty of time for planning as it will take time in order to come up with an exciting concept for our music video. 

Narrative Theories

Tzvetan Todorov
Proposed that all narratives have 5 stages and this occurs in films, TV, literature as well as other media texts.

• Equilibrium - Normality at the beginning - when everything appears as it should.
• Disruption - When something happens to upset the normality. 
• Acknowledgement - When the main protagonist realises something has happened and decides to act upon this. 
• Attempt to restore - The attempt to get things back to normality. 
• New equilibrium - Everything is back to the new version of normality. 

Band of Horses- Dilly

• Equilibrium - Bikers ride into town oblivious to the fact that the local people will be against them and take offence to their presence. 
• Disruption - In the bar when it is clear that both groups of people have a mutual dislike of one another and the bikers react by shooting their fingers at people. 
• Acknowledgement - This occurs when the policeman picks up the phone to call for back-up to help deal with the threat from the bikers. 
• Attempt to restore - The bikers are stopped from leaving town and there is a shoot-out to determine who wins. 
• New equilibrium - Bikers depart after the shoot-out and they go on the run from the law whilst the townspeople struggle to recover from the devastation of the attack. 

Enrique Inglesias - Hero 

• Equilibrium - They are on the run with the money and are riding off into the sunset. 
• Disruption - Occurs when we see who the villain is and that rather than riding off into the sunset they are riding towards the villain. 
• Acknowledgement - When Enrique realises that he can't run anymore and that he has to fight to survive. 
• Attempt to restore - Enrique fights for his woman and the money. 
• New equilibrium - Enrique loses the fight and dies, the villain get arrested and the girl survives and runs off with the money. 

Katy Perry - Roar

• Equilibrium - Plane crashes and she is stranded in a jungle with a man. 
• Disruption - Tiger comes and attacks the man and she runs aways,  ending up alone and scared in the jungle. 
• Acknowledgement - She accepts her surrounding and comes to terms with her situation.
• Attempt to restore - She learns to live alongside the wild animals and enjoys being around them.
• New equilibrium - She becomes queen of the jungle. 

Ed Sheeran 'Galway Girl' Analysis

The shot of Ed Sheeran on stage sells him as a worldwide artist who plays his music to thousands of fans. The shot also shows him holding an Irish flag which represents how he cares about his Irish heritage, whilst also indicating how his song has an Irish feel to it, thus targeting his song at an Irish audience.

At the beginning of the Galway Girl music video, the high angle point of view shot introduces the music video. The point of view shot shows the image from Ed Sheeran's point of view so that the audience can relate to the artist. The words 'welcome to Galway' also sets the scene of the video as it indicates that the video is being set in a pub in the Irish town of Galway, which represents the narrative of the song and also sells Ed Sheeran as a regular guy playing in an Irish bar.

The shot on the left shows the bright and lively atmosphere in Irish pubs which represents the Irish culture that is being portrayed in the video. The vibrant lights are used to create the fun and exciting atmosphere in the pub. Furthermore the fast pace zoom around the pub cuts in time with the music demonstrating the rhythmic editing used in the video.

The point of view shot of the dart board highlights the pub setting of the music video. It also relates to the lyrics of the song as the lyrics are "you know she beat me at darts and then she beat me at pool", which demonstrates the relationship between the visuals and the lyrics.


The tracking shot on the left shows the streets of the town of Galway, demonstrating the energetic atmosphere in the streets and the narrative of the song. The rhythmic montage of the streets of Galway highlight the Irish culture of the town as well as showing how exciting it is. From the shot on the left we can see Ed Sheeran's arm stretched out to hold the girls hand. This makes us as a viewer feel that we are on the same journey as Ed, as we are seeing the town from his perspective.

The shot showing the Irish dancers outside the bar demonstrates the Irish culture that is being presented in the song. The dancing also cuts to the beat of the song, showing how the Irish tune of the song can be used in a traditional Irish dance routine.

The close up shot of Ed Sheeran signing one of the Irish dancer's photos of him sells him as a worldwide artist as he is seen on the front cover of a magazine. The fact that Ed also stops to take time to sign the cover demonstrates how he values his fans and likes to make them happy through his music.

The low angle shot at the end of the Galway Girl music video shows a crowd of people in the bar gathered round looking down at the floor, directly into the camera lens. This is used to create the impression that they are looking at Ed, who has fallen over after drinking too much. This connotes the narrative of the song and highlights the atmosphere in an Irish bar.

Recreating Powder Finger CD Cover

The image on the right is the original CD cover for 'Powder Finger'. Our task was to recreate the CD cover by using the programme 'Adobe Photoshop'. The first thing we had to do was to choose an image that was similar to the original image on the poster. The image that I decided to use was of Angelina Jolie which can be seen below.
Once I had dragged the image into photoshop, I cropped it so that only Angelina's head could be visible. I then clicked on adjustments to make the image black and white, just like the original CD cover. Next I used the posterize tool in order to decrease the contrast in the image. I then inserted a new layer of an image of dripping blood and then rasterized the image to enable me to edit it. Once I had done this I used the magic wand tool in order to take the white background out of the image so that all I was left with was the dripping blood.

Whilst using the colour balance option in adjustments, I was then able to change the colour of the dripping image to blue so that it would resemble tears rather than blood. I did this by applying the colours cyan and blue 8 times in order to create the correct shade of blue that I wanted on my CD cover. I then placed the dripping image underneath her eye and used the eraser tool in order to shape it so that it curved under her eye. I then used the text tool and chose a light blue colour in order to write the title of the album 'Powderfinger' in bold letters across the top of the image, replicating the original CD poster. Lastly, I added 10 small circles in the colour Magenta whilst using the ellipse tool. I then changed the opacity to 70% to make the circles seem more translucent. Furthermore, I duplicated the circles 10 times and  scattered them around the image to replicate the original CD cover.

The image above is my final CD poster. I feel that I was successful in recreating the Powder Finger CD cover as I included all the necessary elements in order to replicate the original CD cover.

Organic and Synthetic Artists

Organic Artist - Lana Del Rey

• The title of the album is 'Born To Die' which is smaller than the artists name at the top of the album cover. This signifies how the title of the album is insignificant compared to her name, which shows how she is trying to sell her name as it is her debut album. 

• Pastel colours are used which signifies how innocent the artist is which highlights the style of music that she produces.
• The font of the title is plain and bold, which highlights how she is trying to sell her name rather than her image. 
• The lighting of the album is pure and retro which shows how she is trying to differentiate herself from other organic artists to make her stand out. 
• Lana's clothing represents her innocence and modesty as she has her blouse buttoned up to the top so that she doesn't reveal any flesh. 
• The high angle shot connotes an eery and mysterious feel to signify how she has power and control over her music which is what makes her original. 
• The serious facial expression along side her clothing demonstrates that she considers herself to be a more serious musician than Little Mix. 
• Overall we can see that there are elements in this CD cover which demonstrate the organic nature of the artist. 

Synthetic Artist - Little Mix

• The colours which are used are bright and vibrant which connotes the happy, upbeat genre of music that the band produce. 
• Their facial expressions are over the top and very expressive, which shows how their album is fun and exciting rather than dull and serious. The fact that they all have different facial expressions shows their individually and how they want their personalities to come across to their fans to make them more relatable. 
• The font used on the cover of the album is messy and rough which symbolises how their image is quite edgy and individual. Furthermore, the artists stand out more than the font used which shows how they are selling their popstar image rather than their name. 
• The lighting used on the cover is bright and colourful which shows how they have a fun and exciting feel about them. 
• Their clothing is very floral and feminine which highlights their girly image which they portray to their fans.
• The fact that all 4 of the girls are equally visible in the image indicates how none of them are more superior than the others, showing equality in the band.
• Overall we can see that there are elements in this CD cover which demonstrate the synthetic nature of the band. 

Ideologies of the music industry

Keith Negus - In his 1989 book producing pop proposing that there are 2 types of music artists;

• Organic
• Synthetic

He proposed that the music industry works in two distinct ways to promote itself. The first is to promote long-term success and the second method relies on short-term hits. 

Organic Artists:

• Develop a career initially independently of the music industry
• Tend to write and play most of the instruments on their songs
• Develop through playing live venues before signing with a record label 
• Have more freedom initially to chose their image and songs for release
• May start their career independently 

Examples:

• Ed Sheeran
• Taylor Swift
• Arctic Monkeys
• The Beatles
• Kasabian
• Queen
• Kings of Leon
• Oasis
• The Killers
• Coldplay
• Lana Del Rey 

Synthetic Artists:

• Manufactured by the record labels and TV demands
• Generally have an image that is directed towards a tailor made audience e.g. boy band dress to impress young girls
• Begin their careers recording songs either written for them or chosen by record company
• Limited freedom of choice

Examples:

• One Direction
• JLS
• Girls Aloud 
• Destiny's Child
• Louisa Johnson
• Cher Lloyd
• Union J
• Little Mix
• James Arthur
• Black Eyes Peas
• Ariana Grande

The Organic Ideology of Creativity:

•  A 'naturalistic' approach to artists
• The seeds of success are within the artists, who have to be 'nurtured' by the record company
• The image of the artist is 'enhanced' by the record company
• The artist is given time to evolve and progress through their career
• Whereas a synthetic artist is given limited time to build a fanbase and career and if success is not immediately forthcoming they are 'dropped' by the label 

Lady Gaga 'Telephone' Analysis

• Quick cuts and rhythmic editing when Lady Gaga picks up the phone and starts singing 
• When she says pick up the telephone, we see images of her on the phone
• There are numerous examples of jump cuts used to signify the break in the song and are used to provide a visual representation of the dances routines. Colour is bright and vibrant and matches the upbeat nature of the song. 
• Close ups are predominantly used during the lip syncing whereas wide shots are used for dance routines. Close ups are used to express the emotions on the artists face and sell their star image. 
• The notions of voyeurism are displayed through the use of CCTV cameras, which enables us to watch what is going on through a third eye. 
• The way the camera is held and positioned gives the audience the sense that they are watching without the characters being aware. We are absent from the room and are being voyeurs. 
• The narrative is set in a prison and her release.
• The performance is part of the narrative, with the exception of the dance routines.
• There are intertextual references (when one media text pays reference to or looks like another media text) as they make reference to the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill as well as the murder sequence in the diner from Natural Born Killers. There is also reference to Thelma and Louise when they hold hands at the end and drove off the cliff together. 

Music Video Analysis

Music Video

• A visual equivalent to music
• Encourages repeated consumption 
• Encourages identification or desire for the artist 
• Provides an open, polysemic experience for the viewer 
• Often contains a number of different elements:

- Performance

-Narrative

-Thematic

-Symbolic

• Visually stylish - 'artistic' mise-en-scene
• 'Rhythmic' montage, fragmented style 
• Intercutting
• Experimental use of camera/editing 
• Fast pace
• Conspicuous lighting and cinematography
• Often break the rules of continuity editing 

Andrew Goodwin - Media Theorist

Conventions of the music video:

• Cut to the beat
• Relationship between the visuals and music
• Relationship between the lyrics and visuals
• Close ups of the artist/band - lip syncing and playing instruments
• References to the notion of looking (scopophilia)
• Some form of narrative and performance element
• Intertextual references

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