Music Video - Wikipedia

Hi everyone, so with currently filming our music video for A2 Media I decided to research a bit into music videos. I found some interesting information on Wikipedia which I thought I would share with you all. Hope you find it as interesting as I did!! :)

• A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.
• Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. 
• There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys or marketing campaigns for food and other products. 
• The origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s.
•  Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". 
• Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. YouTube has now been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans.
• Music videos use a wide range of styles of contemporary video making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. 
• Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation, music, and live action. 
•  Many music videos interpret images and scenes from the song's lyrics, while others take a more thematic approach. 
• Music videos have also become a place where product placement is evident in almost every mainstream video. They are always present and it usually takes place because the artist is sponsoring a product or brand. An example of product placement is the Beats Pill being featured in numerous hip hop videos. The strong emphasis on product placement is something that has evolved because of the global scale music videos can reach because of websites such as YouTube.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video


Have a good day :)

Ideas

Creative editing

Mood Board

This is a picture of a rough mood board for our music video. We will add a better and more detailed one soon.

The mood board includes, alcohol, sunglasses, gloves, boots, hair band and fascinator, black material and pictures of, a black hat, an old working man's club, the 'Specials' band, a black blazer and Brighton Pier. I chose these for the mood board as the majority of our clothes will be black or white, we will have gloves, hats and alcohol as props throughout the music video and the characters will be seen in black blazers, trousers and black shoes/boots. Head bands/accessories were popular at the time of SKA music, therefore we may incorporate them into our outfits.

The bottle of champagne links to the conventions of alcohol often seen in Ska music videos. This allows the audience to see features of the music video. The boot, head band and fascinator are all black which is also a convention of the Ska genre. All of our band members will be dressed in black and white suits which is seen in the picture of the Specials as that it what we want them to look like. The glove, sunglasses and hat represents the type of fashion within the Ska genre. We will use these conventions in our music video and it can often be decoded by the audience as meaning something in particular, even if the text producer encoded it as something different.

Ideas

Hey everyone,
These are a few ideas we have come up with so far for our Ska music video. Let us know if you think there's anything we could add.
We will be uploading a more detailed plan and storyboard soon.
Thank you for visiting our blog :)

Vlog Research

Vlogs can be used to promote music. They allow audience members to find music critics with similar genre interests. They then watch there videos and are exposed to music they might have not been before. These critics obviously give both negative and positive reviews. Whether positive, negative, intentional or unintentional they are promoting a range music in most cases for free.
Music vloggers discus a range of genres and music types, for the image of THENEEDLEDROP YouTube page is an example of one of these vloggers. He reviews almost every genre of music. However most vloggers review on specific genre like the example above of DEADENDHIPHOP. Not many vloggers review scar as it is no longer a mainstream genres.

Music vlogs have both advantages and disadvantages. For example they promote music which is great for artists and producers as they give underground music a large audience. They also benefit the audience themselves as they get exposed to music they might otherwise wouldnt. A problem is that music has such a personal preference that it is often hard to find two people who like exactly the same music, therefore music vloggers give a biased preference, simply because it is theirs alone. This could result in people not listening to music themselves and simply taking another persons word for the truth. You shouldn't really need someones opinion to like music. It is unlikely that a music vlogger would review our video as ska is no longer a mainstream genre.

Pitch Plan

Codes and Conventions

Levi Strauss and Todorov's Theories

We have looked at Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposites and we thought that we might be able to use this in our music video to show night and day which are key parts of the song.

We also looked at Todorov's Three Stage Theory. We do not think we will use this theory in our music video. This is because we want the music video to feel confusing and disorientating. This theory makes the narrative more linear and simple making it easier to follow.

 

Chart Research

Radio 1 Charts - Top 20

MTV Awards - Best Music Videos

1) Adele - Hello

2) Beyoncè - Formation

3) Drake - Hotline Bling 

4) Justin Bieber - Sorry

5) Kanye West - Famous

All of the above offer engaging and exciting music videos. Often with narratives behind which encourage their audiences/fans to re-watch their music videos to find out whether there are any hidden meanings. The majority of the music videos are popular for significant reasons, for example, Kanye West's song 'Famous' caused arguments between himself and Taylor Swift due to some of the lyrics, in comparison with Drake's 'Hotline Bling' which showed off Drake's 'famous' dance moves which swept the nation through different comedic videos and memes. 

How popular is your music genre?

Compared with the official charts and the MTV Awards our genre is not popular at all. Ska music is often unrecognized by many people and there are no music videos within this genre in the official charts or in the top music videos for the MTV/VMA Awards. This infers that our music genre may once been popular and acquired a wider audience, however new music genres have taken over and become more popular. 

What does this mean for your Music Video?

This concludes that our music video may only interest a certain, smaller audience that are familiar with the Ska music genre. Older generations may be more aware of the genre and may be more likely to engage with the themes represented in the video and the lyrics. However, we hope that we can engage with a younger audience as well and interest them in a new music genre which they may not have heard before. The Ska music genre is unlikely to be on the official charts due to people being so unfamiliar with it, however people may actually enjoy the different type of music and lyrics. 

Why is this research about what audiences listen to/enjoy/buy relevant to your music promo and products? 

This research is relevant to our music promo and products as it shows that there isn't a wide audience interested in Ska music. It also infers that audiences enjoy popular music, most often within the pop genre. Most of the songs in the charts are by artists that have record labels, therefore expressing the importance of our record labels. Audiences usually buy the albums of artists that they like, however if an album is marketed correctly and attracts audiences then they will be likely to listen to it. Ways of marketing it may be by giving away a single from the album for free or letting them hear half of one song (preview) for free so that they want to listen to more.

Iconic directors of music video

I have chosen three music videos which have been directed by Jake Nava. Jake Nava's music videos have different characteristics to their style because he focuses on the artist's image and the pace of the song. For example:

 

'Single Ladies' is sung by Beyonce which Jake Nava directed. The main characteristics shown in this music video are...

•  Desaturation throughout the whole music video is used, making Beyonce's costumes stand out and her heavy make up. 
  
• Editing by adding in flashing lights when there is a change of pace in the song. 
• Using cinematography for the camera to zoom in and out from Beyonce so that we can then see lip synching and then the provaitive choreography being in sync. 
• Changing the lighting from high key to low key which intrigues the audience to watch.  
  

'She Wolf' is a song by Shakira. In this music video, Jake Nava's characteristics are:

• The use of close ups and extreme close ups so we can see Shakira's costume and her make up.
  
• Shallow focus on Shakira whilst all the background dancers are blurry, therefore, it shows the main focus on Shakira dancing. 
• Tracking is used to follow Shakira's movements, for example her dancing. 
• Her provocative costume (wearing little clothing) makes her appear sexualised. Likewise with Beyonce. 
  

Another, very different, music video that Jake Nava has directed is 'Run' by Leona Lewis. Characteristics which are shown include...

• Layering of two different shots to make a transition.
  
• Again the using tracking to follow Leona walking whilst making eye contact with the camera.
• Ariel shot shows us the location of Leona, isolated which connects to the title of the song 'Run'
• A long dress as a costume showing her image as elegant and stylish. 

Overall, Jake Nava does use similar cinematography in his music videos and uses mies-en-scene to establish the artists image. 

Pitch

This is our pitch for the music video we are planning to make in the form of a vlog. This video also includes audience expectations in interview form.

Lip Syncing

One part of lip syncing that went well was that Louie knew the lyrics to the song, therefore he was able to lip sync without having to take numerous videos.

Something that didn't go well with lip syncing was the expression. It wasn't very exciting and sometimes it's obvious that he is lip syncing as his mouth isn't making the right movements.

I have learnt that in order to create a successful video we need to ensure that all lyrics are learnt, that the locations fit the lyrics and that we put on a performance an spectacle using expressions, props and much more. We need to try and make the video as creative as possible.

Lip Syncing

I know the lyrics which is an advantage. However this section of lip syncing did not go particularly well, this is due to my poor facial movements. From this i have learn i must pronounce the words clearly when lip syncing so the viewer can distinguish i am actually singing the song.

Lip Syncing Practice

The main character now knows the lyrics of the song that we are doing so that makes it easier to lip syncing. What didn't go so well was the pronunciation, it is unclear what words he is saying in the video which makes it harder to lip sync. We need to work on this to make the actual music video we make successful.

Active Audience Theory

If our audience were going to consume our product for entertainment then we would use different techniques that we know the target audience of the song find interesting. We would need to find things that fans of Ska music typically like and we can include these things in the video. This would mean that if the audience is coming our product for entertainment, they would enjoy it.

If our audience were going to consume our product for personal identity then we would produce an extremely genre specific video. Every element would be considered to target the specify audience. Therefore they can relate to the content and feel like they are a part of the music. For example costume, settings and behaviour must be stereotypical towards the audience, so they can watch the video and think "this song describes me".

If our audience were going to consume our product for escapism it would be difficult for them to consume it as such. This is because we are going to portray our settings in a realistic environment and use costumes, props which are realistic to the audience.

If our audience was seeking information we would link all of the lyrics to the settings, locations and props which we use. In order to do this we will carefully pick out specific parts of the lyrics and choose the best locations and props etc in order to enable them to decode the lyrics.

Choosing a song

When looking for unsigned bands/artists I came across a song called 'Pay my dues' by Jackie Boyz. I really liked this song and found it catchy myself. This song was played to my peers and this was there feedback:

1. Positive

• Memorable
• Catchy
• Fun
• Easy to lip synch
• Enjoyed the lyrics
• Different
• Can do a performance or narrative music video genre

2. Negative

• Repetitive music beat - may get boring
• Find it hard to get the correct locations
• Might find it hard to reach a wide target audience, not a mass market
• Voices might not match appearances

How do directors use media language to produce creative music video?

This is a video of how I think the directors of the songs 'Millionaire' (Sesan Ogunro) and 'Poker Face' (Ray Kay and aided by Anthony Mandler) have used cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene to produce a creative music video.

Record Labels

XL Recordings

XL recordings is a record label which specialises in all genres. They have artists such as Adele and Radiohead. It was founded in 1989 by Richard Russel and Tom  Palmer. It is located in both England and New York. It is an independent UK label and only releases around 6 albums a year but is still a hit , especially with working with well know artists such as Dizzie Rascal. 

 

Atlantic Records 

Another record label which specialises with jazz, R&B and soul record labels is Atlantic records. This label has worked with people such as Sean Paul and Bruno Mars - which have different music styles. It was founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. It has an important reputation of being one of the most famous American record labels. 

Polydor Records

This last record label is Polydor which specialises in all genres but has more pop artists. Well-known artists which use this record label are Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus. Polydor is a British record label that operates in America as part of the Universal group.  It was founded in 1913 and is located in London.

 

 

I think that Polydor Records is the best record label we could use for our music video because it has the most artists signed which cover all genres. Therefore, the label would have more experience working with ska music.

 

Lyrics

When looking through the lyrics to are chosen song 'nite klub',  we noticed that the title of the song was repeated several times. This allows us to think that we will locate our music video in a dark setting with flashing lights. 

Also, when analaysing the lyrics I saw the binary opposites of day and night. This demonstrating that during the day they sleep and at night they go out in a busy environment. 

Green Screen Practise

Here is my green screen practise of spectacle. I have used four different backgrounds with the same dancing in front of them.



What was easy about green screening? 

In my opinion I found it easy that you can use any piece of photography on your work. For example, when I got the graffiti piece off of google images. Also, that you can do any movement in front of the green screen. 

What are the difficulties? 

I found difficult trying to get the correct spacing in front of the green screening to then make sense with what I put on the background.

How could green screening be used in music videos? 

It could be used by creating an expensive and big location. For example, in a castle. It's a lot easier to green screen then go and film in a real castle. It would allow the person in the frame seem as if they are really there. 

What music video genres could use green screens? 

A spectacle could use green screening. This is because they can use the green screen to make the person seem as if they are something else. For example, Lady Gaga's 'applause' music video shows her head with a swan’s body. 

Also, it could be used in image by creating a location of where the artist would likely to be seen. For example, a writing might want to come across innocent so could be put into a beach or watching the sunset. 

How could you use it for your music video? 

I could use it in my music video by putting fireworks in the background, making it seem loud and busy. This is perfect for a ska music video. 

Directors use of media language to produce creative videos

Hello everyone, attached is a a short video with a voice over of me explaining how i think directors use media language to produce creative videos. I have used the two music videos, 'That's my girl' by Fifth Harmony and 'Closer' by Chainsmokers.

I hope you enjoy and feel free to check out the rest of our blog!!

Jade :) xx

Case studies of iconic directors of music videos

Jonas Åkerlund

Jonas Åkerlund (Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund) is a Swedish director and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films. He has worked with a variety of high-profile artists such as, Britney Spears, Metallica, Christina Aguilera, U2, Blink-182, Pink, Rammstein, Lady Gaga and Madonna (multiple times) - With her song "Ray of Light" he won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form and a record seven awards at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.

Jonas got his first 'break' when he was the main director for Roxette, a Swedish Duo Band. Recently, he has even worked with the 'current' top artists, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. The director and drummer creates very engaging and exciting music videos, often within the image genre, with hints of performance as well.


Beyonce - Superpower

The shallow focus on Beyonce as she is walking through the centre of the frame represents that she is the key figure within the music video. The background is effective as it contrasts with the colours of her outfit; which is very reveiling and portrays Beyonce as a sexualised woman. Throughout the video the key focus is on Beyonce representing that it is within the image genre.


Madonna - Ray of Light

This music video consisted of a time lapse throughout the entire song, with occasional scenes of Madonna singing, overlaid onto a background of clouds. The time lapse of daily life occurences was effective as the frame was very fast and didn't get boring. The time lapse and frames of Madonna represent the music video as being in the image genre.



U2 - Beautiful Day

This music video used lots of transitional fading between the clips. The close up of the main singer transitions into a medium shot of him walking. This represents the image genre but also the performance genre as they are part of a band.