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.