UNIT 29: Music Video Production - Styles, Conventions,Techniques and Pictograph

Styles

Genres

Conventions Of a Rock Video

We will be analyzing a classic music video with a rock genre andf a music video with a Pop Genre

I Love Rock & Roll by Joan Jett

• Dark location
• Heavy Make up and hair styling
• Repetitive colours i.e Red and black
• Aggressive facial expressions and physique
• shots of the band playing the instruments i.e eectric guitar, jukebox
• some heavy metal vocals/ sometimes screaming
• backstage footage
• Men are the main focus, women are idolising the main people
• different shots of movement
• close ups - specifically during the chorus
• shots of the band together
• Not always a main story line - sometimes just the band playing their music to an audience

Pop

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift

• Links between the lyrics and the visuals of the music video - they match up 
• Bright and inviting lighting.
• Props/ costumes that makes the main star stand out from the rest
• Segments of the story appearing in a sequence to do with the storylie of the music.
• Subject matter appeals to the Target Audience for Pop which is teenagers)
• The costume that the man artist is wearing is trendy and the style is in fashion at the moment and not outdated
• Generally young actors in the video, round the same age of the artist as it is likely they will be a love interest, or in this case any age as the message of the video is to lot let anything get you done - which applies to all ages. in other videos that send out messages, there is usually variety of actors appearing that all differ in age and gender
• Narrative of the story line in the lyrics/ visuals
• Songs are likely to be about love as that appeals to the target audience
• Referenced to the artists name or label in the music video
• Performance by the artist such as playing instruments/ singing into the mike, choreographed dancing
• Synchronized dancing number , mainly with females rather than male. If the the artist id by themselves, they usually have a accomplice or background dancers
• Close ups of the artist/ group shots of the band
• item of clothing that is symbolic to them i.e hat or scarf for symbolism
• Sometimes voyeurism if it a story about love so could feature kissing, explicit scenes or female/ male looking like an object if sex

Narrative

This is the way that the story is told via the lyrics and the visuals

We will be looking at Take On Me by A-ha

there are 5 stages to a Narrative in a Music video:

1) Equilibrium - Where everything is normal and as it should be - in this music video, the female is in reality and is reading a comic while the male is inside the comic book and drags her in, they start to have fun and fall in love.

2) disequilibrium - where the story starts to unfold and the peacefulness is disrupted by an event - the comic police realise that something is wrong and the character shouldn't be in there and start to chase the couple.

3)Recognition - the characters understand that there is a disturbance - the couple run away from the police until they are shoved into a blank page.

4)Reparation - The characters are attempting to repair the damage caused to them from the event - the male pushes the female through a vortex back to the real world and leaves himself behind

5) New equilibrium - Everything returns to normal or there is a new restoration from the previous storyline - the female returns to her human form, the male makes it into the real world and they live happily.

Impressionist

This is an artist own taking an original style and making it their own.

The video below is We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

It gives the viewers an impression of culture from 1949 - 1989 as it is a timeline.

• Lyric interperation as well as between the visuals
• Extension of the song's meaning that could eb explained in the video
• Reference's
• Link's to other artists in the visuals or in the lyrics themselves
• Shots that cut to the tempo of the visual
• Effects that will be used in the narrative
• Some miming and lip syncing

Surrelaist

Abstract music videos that aren't ever going to happen in real life but are extremely creative and completely fictional

The video below is ET by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Pastiche

This is usually a video that delivers a message, in an ironic way, similar to parody but not usually taking the mickey out of  a certain subject, but usually respectful

Here is an example

Lady Gaga's Born This Way is a Pastiche to Madonna's Express Yourself

Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Express Yourself by Madonna

Parody

This is when there is a music video made to take the absolute Micky out of the original video and the artist. Just for fun.

What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

What Makes You Beautiful by Key Of Awesome

• similarities between the two videos
• same tune but the lyrics have changed - usually rude and explicit
• In the lyrics it would be mention of the original video - but the awkward parts that looked off (in his one it was the awkward standstill between the girl and Harry Styles)
• Mick taken out of the band
• similar setting such as the beach and the clothes and hairstyles are quite similar
• Exaggeration.

Homage/ Referencing

This is when artists pay respect on their music video to another text or person that has influenced them or just because they like that particular persons style.

this is when the music video references cultural or historical events that could be to dith the somg that has been released.

Izzy Azalea and Charli XCX is a Homage to the movie,  Clueless (1995)

  

500 miles by The Proclaimers is In reference to the film, Benny &Joon

In concert and "as live" footage

This is when included in the music video for a particular band, some previous footage from their band playing live , as in a gig is included.

The example for this is Red by Taylor Swift.

Animation

This is a music video that is fully or partially cartoon,

Lollipop by Mika

Interpretive

This is a music video where the audience get to decide what they think the music video is about.

There isn't  really a story or a meaning but the viewers decide what they believe is the meaning.

Elastic Heart by Sia ft. Shia LeBeuf

Influence of Commercials

This is when the music video changes is influenced by advertisements and commercialism, this could be for parody purposes or literally to sell the product. such as cars, money, woman and everything that has been commercialised

In this example, the commercialism focuses on the aspects of the music video that include the rap artist, Flo Rida

Troublemaker by Olly Murs

Conventions

Lyric Interpretation is when the video is based around the song, if the directors opinion and therefore it may be different than what you may see it as.

Henrietta by The Fratellis

The director may see this isng as a positive song abiut an unhappy woman who leaves her boring husband to have a fun life with group. An interpretation of the lyrics could be for me, that the boys are popular and the same woman called Henrietta keeps annoying them, following the group around. So the adm hatch plan to take money from her because they know she's rich but scarcastically they are inviting her to join the road with then.

Consolodating/ Extending a Song's Meaning

This is when there is an indirect message within the somg that isn't so obvious, whereas the viewers have to work out the message of the music video by themsleves.

Black And White by Michael Jackson

This end sequence to everyone being equal, rather than just the difference between the colours of people skin, this also includes ethnicity, religion, gender age etc.

Allusion

This is when a person, event, history, piece existing of text or culture topic is referenced in the music video. this could be blatantly obvious or really subtle. This one refers to the story between Romeo and Juliet, which was writtern by Shakespear

Love Story by Taylor Swift

Link To Other Artists

This is when other artists are involved in the lyrics or the visuals of the music video.

Queenie Eye by Paul McCartney - Features a cast of different Actors and Singers throughtout singing na ddancing to Queenie Eye.

Techniques

Cutting to the beat

This is when, during the editing process of the music video, the cutting to the shots and them matching them to the rythym of the music video

She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds Of Summer

Effects

This is self explanatory, this is when visual/ special effects are added to the music video.

Bad Blood by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar

Miming and Lip - Syncing

This is when the artist lip syncs the word to the song in a music video.

Rockstar by Nickleback

Playback and Lip Sync.

This is when the artists voice is pre recorded then edited in conjunction with the music video, either slowing down the speed or bringing it up. The artist then lip syncs in the video.

Burn by Ellie Goulding

Multi - Image

Where there is more than one image/ video on screen at one time for the duration of the music video.

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

Camera Movements.

This is when the camera moves througjhout the music video.

Beauty and the Beat by Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj

Shows the camera is handheld most of the time.

Camera Angles

The way that the camera is angled in order to give perception from different shots.

Shine by Take That

Chroma Key

When the footage that is being used is done in front of a green or blue screen.

Kiss You by One Direction

UNIT 29: Music Video Production - Notes - Assignment 1&2

Assignment 1: Purpose of Music Videos

• promotional
• extension of income
• extension of outlets (music channels, DVD and CD sales, website, download
• synergy
• producers strategies

Promotional Tools

• Sell the song
• Get a reaction from the audience that watch the music video
• give the audience a better understanding of the song itself
•  to entertain and show off the artists talent
• To sell more DVD's and CD's, by downloading and creating memorable visuals
• marketing for the purposes of exposure and expansion of the artist's profile

Selling an Image:

• artists will set a certain mood in their video by attaching the song to certain experiences
• e.g. Duran Duran song "Girls on film" had erotic imageryin order to get the audience more involved and therefore make the music video more interesting, memorable.

Extension Of Income

• Music videos help promote a band/ artist long after the actual song or album has been released
• some artists that are still remembered years later, just because of the music video that accompanied the song.

Extension Of Outlets

• in previous years, music videos would be aired on TV on channels such as MTV. ( now not even a music channel)
• labels would work together with MTV to make sure that the videos were playing, therefore increasing the views and revenue of the artist.

Active audience

• Audiences can now easily watch most videos online on YouTube.
• Word of mouth spreads the popularity of music videos easily, especially on social media
• Controversial ides create a buzz and therefore, the music videos would be able to get more views online. i.e Gingham Style Dance
• The controversy could be reported then in a wider mainstream media leading to further exposure of the artist

Synergy

• different areas of media working together
• this is can be when a music star releases a  music video which features scene from a hollywood movie. i.e A thousand years for Twilight by Christina Perry
• This helps to promote the film, but also the artists as their song, will feature in the film and probably the trailer which a wider number of people will see
• Product placement, is also a way for the record compony and the artist to generate income
• major labels artists will have product placement in their videos i.e Lady Gag's Telephone have lots of product placement i.e Virgin Mobile, Diet Coke

Major Label Strategies

• Vevo is in partnership with Sony Music. the host music videos on YouTube and use adverts at the start of each video to produce revenue. This allows music companies as it  allows them to regulate the online distribution of their m music videos and makes money from it
• Vevo alsop has applications on many devices. e.eg. iPad This allows many more people to access the content

Impact of YouTube Views 

• December 2012, record labels were stripped of 2 billion video views
• YouTube wants to combat these viewing techniques that amplifies the news and makes it more popular than it actually is. because, it is unfair and not accurate

Independent artist

• Artists who have no record label or are signed to small ones don't have the big budget to make the music videos
• Only to increase their own interest in music, no synergy or product placements
• MTV only endorses the big labels and therefore makes those ones stars
• therefore, small music video rarely appear on TV and could end up becoming a Bad investment if they don't get their name out there enough.
• It is easier to make music videos! because you could use cheap hardware and have easy access to social media in order to promote it.

Assignment 2: Styles and Conventions of a Music Video

Andrew Goodwin's theory of music video. states that all music videos contain either some or all of these elements

8 different elements:

1. Have a link between visuals & lyrics (compliment, contradict and amplify)
2. have a link between visuals &  music (compliment, contradict or amplify)
3. have certain genre characteristics
4. have in textual references
5. contain notions of looking
6. show voyeurism (sexual pleasure from watching others)
7. Include demands in the record label
8. whether the video is performance, narrative or concept based

Analysis of The One That Got Away By Katy Perry

1)  Link Between Visuals and Lyrics

When she says "The one that got away" after the chorus, it jumps to a montage of photographs that she had take of him, referencing to rte. fact that he is still alive in the photographs and she remembers him.

On the second chorus, it says " in another life, i would make you stay" at that point the boyfriend gets up and leaves Katy Sleeping, this could be referencing to the fact that this was their l;last happy memory before he is ultimately killed at the end of the  video. And she is saying, if she could go back in time. He would make sure he stays not leaves at this point.

2) Link between visuals and music:

When the music changes after the third chorus and becomes more fast paced and darker in sense, that's when things start to go wrong in the video. Such as the point where katy and the boyfriend have the big fight.

There is also more shots of young Katy alone, in the old katy's  closet wearing the boyfrinds ripped clothes.  when the music intensifies. the picture becomes, darker and more depressing than what we saw earlier in the video. 

3) Have certain genre characteristics

This video has two characteristics one is light hearted whether the other is dark. Because the video starts off happy and finishes in a sad tone. However, while all of this, there is shots of Katy Perry aged makeup and you can see she is thinking about the young part of her with memeories.

Picture of Katy Perry dancing and happy, there is bright lighting and inviting colours such as Pink and blue which give off a happier vibe

Older KP talking to Younger KP, this is later in the video where the happiness of the story line has declined. The colours are darker and the light is cold. Black, grey and white are very apparent to represent depression.

4) In Text References

There is one In text reference in this video,

One verse is: I was June and you were my Johnny Cash

Never one without the other, we made a pact

Sometimes when I miss you, I put those records on, whoa

Then later as a tribute to her boyfriend at the end of the video who died, Johnny Cashes song "You are my sunshine" is playing in the background referencing to the verse that you heard before.

5) There is no Notion Of looking in this video as the relationship is based around the two of them rather than the one person.