J Carolan's A2 Media Blog: Music

Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Saturday, 16 March 2013

Production - Music Video Final Cut

Below is the final cut of my A2 Music Video.

The changes made since the last cut are that I have added more animation where certain sections of animation were still and to me felt boring. The changes took a long time, as all my animation has, but I am now proud to say that my A2 Music Video is complete.

Be sure to leave a comment on what you think, now that I have added in more animation where I felt necessary. Enjoy.

Friday, 15 March 2013

Production - Music Video Rough Cut 2

This post is to show the second version of my music video rough cut. The changes since the last rough cut can be seen in my post about experimentation with effects, seen here: http://truegingera2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/production-experimenting-with-effects.html , where I made shots that were dark and grainy, and therefore hard to see, lighter whilst still retaining the colour in the shots.

My second version of my rough cut can be seen below:

I hope you all enjoy it :)

Be sure to tell me what you think of the changes to colour in the comments section below, as well as anything that you think still need improvement :)

Until next time everyone :)

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Post-Production - Music Video Rough Cut Feedback

Thank you everyone for commenting on my Music Video Rough Cut.

I have taken all your comments into account and will now look into the following areas:

Reducing the number of pauses in the animation sections of my video (by adding in more animation).
Look into effects and enhancements to see if any compliment my video.

Beside these there isn't any other things I would like to change. During the process of these tasks I may look at other transitions for the music video as well, although it is unlikely I will use any more as I am happy with that area of the music video as it currently is.

I will make a post of all the changes I have made soon.

Anyway, that's all for now everyone, see you all soon :D

Monday, 11 February 2013

Production - Music Video Rough Cut

I have now finished the rough cut of my music video, which can be seen below.

Keep in mind this is the first full version of my music video, and also keep in mind I will be sure to list any changes I've made to it when I post my final version of my music video.

I hope you all enjoy it. Be sure to leave plenty of comments on what you do and don't like :)

Until next time everyone :)

Friday, 7 December 2012

Music Video Directors

Behind every music video is the director, and in this post I would like to talk about a music video director who is very well-known as well as a director who has particularly affected me and why.

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The director I will be talking about who is particularly well known is:

Hype Williams

Hype Williams (previously known as "HYPE") is a music video director, born in 1970 in Queens, New York in the US.

It seems little is known about Williams' start in his career, but he has been active since 1991 and is still working today. Over the years Williams has worked with a large number of famous musical artists such as, "2pac", "Jay Z", Christina Aguilera, "Coldplay", "Ne-Yo" and more.

Throughout Williams's career some signature styled has emerged. He showed a tendency to use a "fisheye" lens when filming, seen in music videos for songs such as "Gimme Some More" by "Busta Rhymes" and "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly" by "Missy Elliott" but he dropped this in 2003 after experiencing his lowest production activity since the start of his career. However since 2003 another signature style has emerged; combining a center camera focus on the artist/actor's body from the torso upward and a solid colour background with a soft different-colour light being shown in the center of the background. This can be seen in music videos for songs such as "Gold Digger" by Kanye West, and "Digital Girl" (Remix) by Jamie Foxx. One other signature style is his use of postitioning shots in regular widescreen ratio, while a second shot is split and placed in the upper and lower bars, such as in music videos for "So Sick" by "Ne-Yo" and "Gomenasai" by "t.A.T.u.", William's also uses aerial and tracking shots which often move backwards or forwards, seen in "Rock the Boat" by Aaliyah and "Not Myself Tonight" by Christina Aguilera.

In terms work outside of his career as a director of music videos, Williams has worked on much less. Williams was a writer for couple of pieces as well as a producer for others. One piece he worked on was called "Belly" which he was both a writer and producer on. Williams also worked as an actor on the TV movie "Lil Jon Makes a video: Snap Yo Fingers". Despite Williams' other work he is still arguably known for his work as a music video director.

Some of the videos that Williams' has worked on can be seen below:

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And now, the director who has particularly affected me is:

Steven Barron

Steven Barron is a music video director, born in 1956 in Dublin, Ireland.

Barron made his debut in 1979, and went on to direct some of the 1980s most memorable music videos including "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Take On Me" by "A-Ha", and "Money For Nothing" by "Dire Straits". Because of these, and other music videos, Barron is also arguably well-known.

Barron not only directed music videos though, he also directed films such as the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles" movie and the film "Coneheads", as well as several award miniseries including "Merlin", "Dreamkeeper", and more.

The reason Steven Barron has affected me is because of his famous music video for "Take On Me" by "A-Ha". I saw this music video when I was much younger and it has always stuck with me because of the amazing animation the video uses. When I was thinking of ideas for my music video I was watching all of my favourite bookmarked music videos on 'YouTube'. When I came across "Take On Me" I was instantly inspired to use animation within my own music video. This is why this video has affected me, because without it I wouldn't have been inspired by animation when I was so young and been inspired to use it in my music video.

Some of Barron's most well known music videos can be seen below:

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That raps it up for this post everyone :)

Be sure to comment saying what directors have affected you and why.

Until next time everyone :)

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Pre-Production - Music Video Pitch Presentation

I presented a PowerPoint presentation to my A2 class recently. The topic of the presentation was a pitch for what my music video was about. The task was to cover:

My idea for my music video.
The codes and conventions of the type of music videos associated with the genre of my chosen song.
How my music video is similar to/contrasts the codes and conventions of the type of music videos associated with the genre of my chosen song.
My target audience.
How I will reach my target audience.
The media institution that may be interested in distributing my music video.
Technical difficulties that may arise during the creation of my music video.
How I will overcome any technical difficulties I may experience during the creation of my music video.

The PowerPoint presentation can be seen below, as I uploaded it to http://www.slideshare.net/ (a presentation, document and video sharing website) and have embedded it in my blog.

Music Video Pitch Presentation from mrmediacoursework

I hope you all enjoyed my music video pitch presentation :)

Until next time :)

Monday, 3 December 2012

The Music Industry and the Role of Music Videos

The music industry consists of a variety of companies and individuals who make money through the creation and sale of music. These include people such as the professionals who create and sell the music, such as the publishers, producers, record labels, etc., the professionals who assist musicians, such as talent managers, business managers, etc., those who broadcast music, such as television networks, online services, etc., and more.

In the music industry, a record label is a brand/trademark associated with the marketing of music and music videos, and often record labels also handle many other elements, including production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion and enforcement of copyright for music and music videos. They can also conduct talent scouting and development of new artists, and handle maintaining contracts between their artists and the artists' managers. This shows clearly that record labels can be quite basic as well as massively influencing and integrated into many processes of the music industry, demonstrating their power and capabilities.

Since 1929 there have been a number of major record labels. The differences between major and independent record labels are simply this; record labels may be small, very localised and independent (what we've termed "indie"), while others may be part of a larger international media group (which are the major).

The progression of the major labels can be seen across this time-line below:

In 1988, the major record labels were named the "Big Six", and since then the number of major labels has always been named the "Big .....". The reduction in the number of major labels has been due to a number of reasons:

Around 1998 - 2004, Universal Music Group acquired Polgram, reducing the "Big Six" to the "Big Five".
A joint venture between Sony Music and BMG Music, completed in 2004, resulted in Sony BMG, reducing the "Big Five" to the "Big Four".
Sony BMG became Sony Music Entertainement with BMG's 50% stake being aqcuired by Sony, not affecting the number of major labels, though was that Universal Music Group acquired EMI in 2012, and a consortium in led by Sony/ATV in 2012, led to the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing, making Sony/ATV the world's largest music publisher, and reducing the "Big Four" to the "Big Three".

Music videos offer artists the chance to show off not only their musical talent but their unique qualities to the public, through their music videos, and some artists have become famous thanks to the power that music videos possess. Music has always been able to be played via radio and on radio channels via television, but with music videos more channels are open to the promotion of the artist, such as MTV, ideally allowing for more revenue to be gained from the artists and a greater awareness of their music to be gained. The substance of music videos, i.e. the visuals, can be a very strong method of gaining new fans for artists as the most unique videos entice audiences and videos with touching and relateable visuals stick with the viewer, again allowing a wider fan base and thus more revenue for the record label behind the artist. Therfore, as you can see, the role of music videos within the music industry has and always will be for promotion.

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Discussing "How contrasting musical genres use media language to appeal to their target audience through music videos"

How contrasting musical genres use media language to appeal to their target audiences through music videos

Here I will be discussing the two contrasting musical genres, Pop and Rock.

Pop (even though it refers to “popular music”) in today’s world, usually sticks to music of a particular style. Pop plays heavily on the emphasis of the actual artist, which is shown in a variety of ways in music videos. Take for example the popular music video “As Long As You Love Me ft. Big Sean” by Justin Bieber. In terms of camera, they shots and angles for the majority of the video revolve very much around him, because as mentioned, pop puts particular emphasis on the artist, which is most likely because they are seen as desirable for a number of reasons, which is a base for pop music; an artist that you want to actually see as well as hear. Reasons for wanting to see the artist can range from the fact they are physically attractive, for example Justin Bieber, or the fact they have unique style, for example ‘Lady Gaga’, to many other reasons. The editing also helps compliment the artist, since the cuts in the video mostly just carry the focus on them from one shot at one particular angle to the next, again adhering to the genre of pop music, since there is such emphasis on the artist as a selling point for the music. In terms of sound Pop music videos more than often feature lyrics, and when they do music videos often synchronise the lyrics with the artist, which again make sure they have significance to the music video, such as in Justin Bieber’s music video where most of the lyrics are accompanied by visuals of Justin seemingly singing them. Finally, in terms of Mise-en-scene within Pop music videos, that which is within the frame can denote to anything, be it costume, makeup, prop, or anything else that can be viewed by the audience. This aspect of music videos can really help set up distinct styles to certain artists (since the focus is usually on them within the scene), an example is ‘Lady Gaga’, who through costume, makeup and props has given herself a very unique image, and one that works very well with the target audience, since they are always wondering what she will come up with next for her music videos. The target audience for Pop ranges vastly and is very dependent on the artist. For example, I would say Justin Bieber’s music is mostly aimed at a female audience around the ages of 12 – 18, whereas ‘Lady Gaga’ I would say aims at a male and female audience anywhere between the ages of 13 – 21+.

Rock music videos differ greatly to Pop music videos, this is because with Rock music, bands really enjoy playing the music that they create through their instruments, and as a result, if they do choose to create a music video the focus is usually on the music. Take “Through The Fire And Flames” by ‘Dragonforce’ for example; the camera shots and angles within the video are mostly centred around the instruments the band members are playing, and the level of skill at which they play. The editing helps enhance this, by adding a picture within picture effect within the music video, showing various parts of the song being played, and the speed at which the hands of the band member can coordinate the strings of their guitars. The sound within the music video is seemingly synchronous with the band actually playing their instruments, and in the case of lyrics this is the same; synchronous, again promoting the importance of the music over their personal image. Mise-en-scene usually always shows a casual demeanour in terms of those who play Rock music, because as stressed, the focus is the music. These people seem to not care what they look like as the focus isn’t on them, and honestly I would say they probably spend more time sprucing up their instruments for the music video than they do themselves. I think it is because of Rock’s emphasis on the importance of the instruments creating the song that band members don’t use themselves as promotion material. Rock fans appreciate a bend for their level of skill with an instrument, whereas Pop artists are appreciated for looks on a much larger scale.

Rock and Pop therefore, as you can see by these two paragraphs, are very varying genres. With Rock placing a much larger focus on skill in terms of the creation of music and promotion of the artists through their music, and Pop largely basing around looks and therefore the artist themselves, physically, as an icon for their music.

"As Long As You Love Me" Music Video (Justin Bieber)

"Through The Fire And Flames" Music Video ('Dragonforce')

Friday, 2 November 2012

Answering the question "How did the music video originate and what is its contemporary purpose?"

Some information seen below is information that can also be seen in my flowchart describing how music videos came about, since the information is the same.

How did the music video originate and what is its contemporary purpose?

The first music video is argued to be “Bohemian Rhapsody” by ‘Queen’, and while this may be true this was not the origin of music video. As before the creation of an actual music video similar productions involving sound and moving picture to accommodate it were used.

In 1894 Edward B. Marks and Joe Stem hired George Thomas and various other performers to promote sales of their song “The Little Lost Child” by using a ‘Magic Lantern’, an early type of image projector developed in the 17^th century, to project a series of still images to accompany live performances of their song. This became a popular form of entertainment known as ‘Illustrated Song’, showing even before actual music videos were born per se, that images were used to accompany music.

From this point on sound, including dialogue, was used to accompany film and live performances. Examples include the ‘phonoscène’, which combined chronophone sound with a chronograph film, show with actors lip-synching to the sound recording, and carrying on from this the official “Talkies” – sound films incorporating synchronised dialogue. Early 1930’s cartoons featuring musicians performing on-camera in live action segments, and in France during the late 1950’s, the invention of the ‘Scopitone’ – a visual jukebox leading to short films being produced to accompany songs (the idea spread to other countries, with similar machines being presented, such as the ‘Color-Sonic’ in the US, and the ‘Cinebox’ in Italy).

Only a few years later, in 1965, popular British band ‘The Beatles’ began creating promotional clips called “filmed inserts”. The purpose of these was so that the group could promote their record releases without having to make actual in-person appearances, allowing their new records to be known and promote the band itself. Soon after this promotional clips became much more important, and were created by well-known artists such as ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘The Who’.

Ten years on, and what is considered by many to be the first music video, was born. On the 31^st of October 1975, poplar band ‘Queen’ released a promotional video for their song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. This music video was created in order to promote the band and the song, much like how promotional clips did, only this was a full length video. It's argued that this is what started the entire music video genre, and so this is how music videos originated. But what is their contemporary purpose?

Just as was the focus of the first promotional clip – created by ‘Queen’, it is to promote the song and to promote the artist, often through sex appeal or unique image, take for example Cheryl Cole or Lady Gaga.

Television helped cater to this way of artists further promoting themselves, with the creation of ‘MTV’. ‘MTV’ stands for Music Television, and unlike today where most of what it does is try to get us, the audience, to watch TV-trash such as “16 and Pregnant”, it’s primary focus used to be showing music videos in order to help further promote artists and their music, and with an entire channel originally dedicated to showing music videos constantly, this wasn't hard to do.

Even with ‘MTV’ showing music videos less and less nowadays, it didn't stop other TV channels eventually showing music videos, as now more than ever are there channels dedicated to only playing music videos 24/7 an nothing else, providing constant air time for artists. Although still, the most popular music video platform isn't the television, it's the Internet.

Popular video site ‘YouTube’ plays host to thousands of music videos from multiple huge record labels, such as ‘Warner Music Group’ and ‘Sony BMG Music Entertainment’, as well as music videos from thousands of unknown artists hoping to get recognised for their talent and signed with record labels, such as the case of Justin Bieber. It allows anyone with an Internet connection to view any music video that is uploaded whenever they want, and allows people to share those videos with people, thus creating even more attention around them. Originally popular site ‘MySpace’ was home to artists hoping to get known and promote their music, although now it seems everything music related is uploaded straight to ‘YouTube’, since it offers such ease when finding the exact song or music video someone wants to see at that exact time. It is this that has fuelled the purpose of contemporary music videos; to promote the artist and song, thus increasing awareness and most likely generating profit for the record label.

So as said previously, contemporary music videos’ purpose is to promote the artist and the song, which in contemporary society, thanks to Web 2.0, is easier than ever.

The four images displayed above are a magic lantern (top left), a still from the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video (top right), the 'MTV' logo (bottom left) and the 'YouTube' logo (bottom right).

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Old And Contemporary Music Video Analysis

Here I will be analysing an old and contemporary music video using Goodwin's theory of music video analysis (hyperconsciousness, parody, pastiche, intertextuality and narcissism) and will then compare and contrast the two.

For my old music video I analysed the (1985 version) Pop music video for "Take On Me" by 'A-ha'

From analyzing this video I would say that the band is hyperconscious of their image and appearance. My reason for thinking this is their choice of clothing, by my guess, would have been seen as stylish when this video came out in 1985, and so the band is trying to keep up with fashion to appeal to audience members more. I would not say the band is parodying anything with their music video, although I would agree their is pastiche occurring here. Through the main character's outfit (the leather jacket, etc.), it seems almost like an homage to the popular character 'Fonzie' from popular American sitcom "Happy Days". The outfit may just be what is stylish at the time although to me it really looks like it is paying tribute to him with the outfit, due to how iconic the leather jacket look was thanks to 'Fonzie', also as "Happy Days" ran right up until 1984, a year before this video came out. There doesn't seem to be any specific intertextuality occurring within the video but it could be perhaps said they are referencing comic books/graphic novels in general through the use of what seems to be a comic book/graphic novel in the video and a heavy amount of edited scenes using pencil as though the girl had been dragged into this drawn world in the video. I would say the band is hyperconscious but not narcissistic, mainly because a moderate amount of the video pays attention to the girl, who isn't part of the band. Of course the video contains shots where it feature just the band, but the video makes the effort to tell as story of love between to people and an adventure, by which it sometimes must not focus directly on the band. The fact they have done this shows the band must not be so narcissistic they feel the camera must be on them at all times, even if they are the selling point, as through this story they have created and the way they created it (the drawing style using pencil), they have created a very iconic music video that is still well recognized in today's society, even by youths who were not around during it's creation, due to it's fame.

The contemporary music video I analysed was the K-Pop music video for "GANGNAM STYLE" by 'PSY'

My analysis of this music video revealed that PSY definitely seems hyperconscious. Throughout his video there is a constant flow of outfits worn by PSY that are quite iconic (brightly coloured suits for example) as well as an element of humor through all of the things he does in the video, for example, having a man thrust his hips over him in an elevator, appearing with his trousers down in a toilet while singing and more. This suggests to me he knows he is watched and therefore wants his appearance to be known as a humourous one, just through the visuals this can be seen, but also since the song is entirely based upon him light heartedly making a joke of a place in South Korea called Gangnam (which is a very wealthy area, although this is extra knowledge that couldn't so much be drawn from the video, especially since I do not speak Korean). PSY throughout the whole video is parodying Gangnam in Korea, however without actually knowing how to speak Korean, you wouldn't know this from face value of the music video. So with further research it does reveal he is parodying Gangnam lifestyle, but on face value there doesn't appear to be any parodies occurring. Though his outfits are unique, as are others throughout the video, the appearances don't seem to be a pastiche of anything. Again though with further research you could say that this was perhaps shot in Gangnam (which is therefore a visual parody, making it a pastiche) however this would require further research to know, unless someone knew where Gangnam was and what it looked like (however even with further research it is still unknown to me whether the video was actually shot in Gangnam, although it is likely, since it is the main focus of the song). This song, from watching it, doesn't seem to contain any intertextuality, although the fact I am English and don't speak Korean does put me at a disadvantage in that I can't actually understand most of the lyrics. But still, from my angle on the video it doesn't seem to contain any intertextual references. Finally the video does seem narcissistic, in that it focuses on PSY in nearly every shot throughout the music video, however my thinking behind this is the fact he knows he is the selling point for the music video, hence why he seems to put on such a humourous image through his character, since he is hyperconscious and knows people pay attention to him.

Comparing and contrasting these two videos I found these differences/similarities. Both "GANGNAM STYLE" and "Take On Me" seem hyperconscious. This can be seen through their use of outfit (which are used in different ways; one being stylish and the other being unique, which actually, due to its popularity has made the outfit stylish (although to some extent it could have been seen as stylish anyway), but this is again outside information that can't be drawn from from the video itself ). 'A-ha' don't seem to parody anything, while the main focus of 'PSY's song is to parody the Gangnam lifestyle, but as stated this is known dues to outside information, so from simply observing both music videos it would be said they both don't seem to parody something (of course this is dependent on whether or not you spoke Korean). "Take On Me" seems to be using pastiche, as the main male's outfit seems to be incredibly similar to that of 'Fonzie' from "Happy Days", and "GANGNAM STYLE" most likely uses pastiche through filming in Gangnam in Korea (although this is unknown), but from face value, unless someone knew Gangnam then they wouldn't be able to tell is was using pastiche (if it is that is). "Take On Me" does not seem to use intertextuality, however I did mention perhaps a broad reference to comic books/graphic novels due to the style in which the video was edited (the pencil style), although nothing definite was said, to avoid being incorrect. "GANGNAM STYLE" doesn't appear to use intertextuality, although as mentioned I do not speak Korean and the song may very well reference something in the lyrics. Finally "Take On Me" doesn't appear narcissistic, as mentioned, due to the number of shots where the band was not involved in any way, as the music videos appears to tell a story and is linear and contains continuity. "GANGNAM STYLE" however can be said to be much more narcissistic, but that is most likely because of the hyperconsciousness 'PSY' has, in that he knows the fans are watching him to see what he will do next, which is why he uses distinct outfits and humourous behavious, since he knows people are watching him and want to see what he does next. Overall these videos are both similar and different in different aspects of Goodwin's theory of music video analysis. "Take One Me" appears hyperconscious, to use pastiche and also perhaps intertextuality."GANGNAM STYLE" appears hyperconscious, to parody something (possibly also through pastiche), perhaps intertextual reference something (though this is unknown), and finally appears narcissistic for the reasons mentioned earlier. So these music videos match up, definitely on hyperconsciousness, and perhaps pastiche/ inertextual referencing, but differ on everything else (which I will include pastiche and intertextual referencing for, since I cannot speak Korean, do not know whether the shots are actually in Gangnam and am not definitely saying whether 'A-ha's video references comic books/graphic novels) meaning these videos are more different than similar as they only have one similarity between them, and four differences.

That's all for now everyone so I'll see you all next time :D OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!!!!!

The following piece of information is an edit, after my original post: I just found out that Gangnam is a district (the Gangnam district) in Seoul in South Korea. I also just found that someone has taken the time recently to translate the lyrics, and while the song "GANGNAM STYLE" does reference a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district of Seoul with the term "Gangnam style", the song actually sings about a man and a woman and not the Gangnam district of Seoul primarily in any way. I would also like to note these lyrics were not available at the time of my analysis, but I felt that this was useful and interesting information which I thought should be shared on my blog. The link below contains the translated version of the lyrics (I do not know how accurate these lyrics are however).

http://www.kpoplyrics.net/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-english-romanized.html

So again, that's all for now :D see everyone next time :D OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!!!!!

Music Video Still Analysis

Here i will be analyzing a still from a music video using Goodwin's theory of music video analysis, which involves, hyperconsciousness, parody, pastiche, intertextuality and narcissism.

The still I will be analyzing will be from Nikki Minaj's music video - 'Turn Me On'

As you can see from the still, Nikki Minaj is most likely hyperconscious. She seems aware of her appearance which is the most likely reason she has chosen such a strange and distinct outfit for her music video; it makes her stand out, especially through her brightly coloured hair against her dark outfit and environment. Also it could be said she knows she is watched by many as she is wearing an outfit, that from the still, does appear slightly sexual, through the exposure of her chest as a separate part of the outfit from the rest, thus showing her knowledge of a male audience that she may want to keep attracted to her as an artist, through her physical beauty. In this still she doesn't seem to be parodying anything, although she is using pastiche. Her outfit in itself could be said to be a pastiche of another famous female pop artist who is known for her incredibly strange and distinct clothing; Lady Gaga. From the still nothing comes to mind in the form of referencing other media, although there seems to be cultural intertextual referencing in a few ways. In terms of Mise-en-scene we can see the large iron gate behind Nikki Minaj, coupled with fog, which could be said to be very Gothic, giving it a setting similar to a horror film. Her outfit could also be seen to be a cultural reference, as it seems a cultural reference to early British Gothic style and perhaps even "Steampunk", which is what makes her outfit unique, much like, as mentioned, Lady Gaga, in that they both share a similarity in wearing unique and distinct costumes. Finally in terms of cultural-intertextual referencing is her hair within the still, as it could be said to be referencing a punk style due to its colour, also perhaps something along the lines of Carnival, and it seems that the way Nikki Minaj, through her costume here, perhaps challenges the notion that black women may be considered more "invisible" among cultures than other races, by making sure she stands out. Nikki Minaj does seem narcissistic, as the mid close-up here focuses on her. She may seem narcissistic because of the fact she is hyperconscious though. Since she knows she is being watched she perhaps makes the effort to make camera shots throughout her video tend to focus on her most of the time, since she is the selling point for her music. But in terms of this still she does seem narcissistic, since she is the focus, but nothing else can be said because it is only through viewing the rest of the video can I decide whether or not she is actually narcissistic or not, as this may very well be one of only a few shots of her in the entire video (although this is unlikely due to the distinction of her outfit and use of female physical form to entice certain audiences). In conclusion this still makes Nikki Minaj out to be both hyperconscious and narcissistic, shows she is using a pastiche of Lady Gaga, and that she can be said to be using cultural-intertextual referencing, although she is not parodying anything. The information drawn from the still is about Nikki Minaj solely because she is the main focus of it.

This concludes my use of Goodwin's theory to analyze a still from a music video.

Below I have embedded the music video from 'YouTube' for anyone who wishes to view the full video :)

Thats everything for this post everyone.

Until next time :)

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

'How music videos came about' Flow Diagram

Below you will see my flow diagram for how music videos came about, as well as some other interesting extra information I found while doing research.

Please click on the image of my flowchart to isolate it for easy viewing, since some of it may be blocked out by the post list and image of myself on the upper right-hand side of the page.

Also for your viewing pleasure, here are some images of things I've mentioned in my flowchart.

A still from 'Queen's' music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody"

An example of a 'Magic Lantern'

A still from Michael Jackson's music video for "Thriller"

An example of a 'Scopitone' machine

An ad for a 'Talkie' film, named "Blackmail"

I hope you all enjoyed my flowchart and extra images, that's all for now, see you all soon! :D

The Beginning of A2!!! (Music Video Analysis)

A2!!!!!

anyway...I will start this year off with some analysis of 3 music videos from 3 different genres.

First, Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me , (Pop)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4em3LKQCAQ

First, this video has a narrative, and thus tells a story to it's audience, whereas other music videos can just be a compilation of footage that doesn't actually create a plot (the narrative seems along the lines of a boy trying to be with a girl, and her father not approving of their relationship as he is trying to protect his daughter from the possibility of getting hurt emotionally).
Because of this video telling a story it contains around 2 minutes of footage that aren't actually coordinated with the music, they are just plot.
The direction of this video not only tells a story but also sets it out like a miniature-movie.
The video contains a great variety of camera shots and angles, from close-ups to crowd shots, and a good amount of tracking shots as well.
In terms of editing the video contains straight cuts and mostly short takes, the only time longer takes are really used are when it is telling the story behind the music video (at the start and end of the music video). Also there is the use of ellipsis, both when the story is being told without the music and when the music is playing to signal back to the story.
The sound is key within the music video and is mainly pop throughout, the only exception are the regular voices when the video is acting more like a film, setting out a plot, and where a guest appearance by 'Big Sean' occurs, where it switches more into rap (as it uses spoken word instead of singing).
The lighting and colour within the video is mostly very dark, and could be said to be close to low key lighting, although not entirely, as it appears even during some of the night scenes some filler lights are used.
In terms of Mise-en-scene, the costume and setting could be interpreted as modern day or some point a few years in the past. The use of some vintage cars as props makes it feel more like an aged movie, as does the costume and body language of the girl's father, who might be taken as some sort of gangster or at the very least someone who works in some darker business of sorts. This combined with the girl's props e.g. her suitcase could allow someone to justify why they think it isn't set in modern day.
Even though this video tells a story, it does actually incorporate compilation within it, it is not a solid time line as it shows events of the past as well as the present, thus allowing it to further tell a story as a result, as it provides us with background as to why the boy is trying to get the girl (they have clearly been in love for some time).
Whilst this music is going on the video focus is set almost constantly on Justin, as it is telling his story, with a few shots spared for the girl alone and also her father.
The audience this song is aimed at is likely to be mainly female between the ages of 9 - 16 , I say this because when Justin Bieber started out this was his main audience, as he was younger. Although because he has grown up so may have some of his fans, leading them to not like his music so much anymore, but then again allowing more new fans to become his fans. Even though this seems the main audience for this song, the video could actually be aimed at a more mature audience, due to its slight amount of violent content. This coupled with the fact that many people like different music means that while his main audience seems to be female, ages 9 - 16, he may well have 21 year old male fans, 19 year old female fans, or others, as it all depends on someone's personal taste in music.
The real selling point here is the fact that it is Justin Bieber, which is most likely why the camera focuses on him the majority of the time.
In terms of special effects the video actually doesn't contain any. This is most likely because special effects don't really fit in with the narrative of the song and video, although if special effects were wanted it doesn't mean that they couldn't fit in, depending on the effect e.g. explosions probably wouldn't work.
The only text in this video that appears and is aimed at the audience is the copyright at the very end (the 'VEVO' down the bottom right is actually part of the YouTube video not the music video itself).
EXTRA INFO: Justin Bieber is signed to 'The Island Def Jam Music Group'. Formed in 1999, it currently is comprised of Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Mercury Records. It's roster of other artists include Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Bon Jovi and more.
SUMMARY: Justin Bieber's video is clearly high budget, like many pop videos. Noticeable features that denote that it is high budget are, the use of the cars, as they are expensive models. A number of seemingly professional dancers, which would have added to the cost. Justin's clothing, which is very fashionable, meaning it likely cost quite a bit to buy, as well as all the clothing for the dancers, which by the look of it was probably made specifically for the music video (also not forgetting hair and makeup for everyone in the video, as well as pay for the actors who play the father and the girl, especially Michael Madsen (the father) since he is a professional actor who plays in many films, such as 'Kill Bill', and 'Reservoir Dogs').The appearance by Big Sean, which he would have most likely been payed to do. Finally in terms of why it is high budget; a broad range of locations using very high quality cameras, and the fact it is shot and directed very professionally, almost as though it is it's own miniature-film. Within the music video there are actually no occurrences of special effects, as well as no use of CGI or special graphics in any way. The shots are typical of a pop music video; short takes using a variety of angles, and here the fast pace is a lot like the beat of the song, giving it an ecstatic feeling while watching it. The dancing could perhaps said to be somewhat reminiscent of Michael Jackson's 'bad' (due to its range of movements and the fact during it the actors seem aware of the camera, showing its very performance based). Justin Bieber seems very hyperconscious, as he very clearly knows this is his video, and he is the major focus, as the selling point here is that it is Justin Bieber. Finally, there seems to be intertextualality going on, as the entire story seems to echo a Romeo & Juliet style story; that the boy and girl love each other and yet they cannot be together because it is forbidden for one reason or another (although it is not incredibly reminiscent of it, as we have no idea if the families behind the two lovers hate one another, as well as a number of other details, but still it could be said to echo it slightly).

Second, SKRILLEX - Bangarang (Dubstep)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJVmu6yttiw

After viewing this music video it is obvious it tells a story, the story being of how 3 boys went from petty thieves to serious criminals stealing large sums of cash.
The video contains literally a few seconds at the end without music, right from the offset the music begins playing and tells the story of these boys, making this music video shorter than some that tell a story, e.g. Justin Bieber's 'As Long As You Love Me' .
Whilst this video contains a great number of different types of camera shots and angles, it mainly focuses on one person in the shot at a time, since there are really 4 key characters, the 3 boys and the ice cream salesman.
The editing in this video contains straight cuts and short takes, with some short takes being slightly longer than others, but still considered short takes due to their length of time before changing.The video also contains a number of action matches e.g. the boy firing the small bomb at the ice cream van.
Dubstep focuses mainly on the mixing of the bass within it's range of songs although this video also incorporates lyrics. Though there aren't many lyrics to the song they are included in a good amount, and do seem to accompany the bass well. Another thing to notice is because of the very limited amount of time without the music playing, there is no diegetic dialogue between the characters.
The lighting within the video is very high-key, as it reflects, in accordance with the time of day, what the lighting would actually look like. In fact it is very likely natural lighting was used within the video, with the exclusion perhaps of the scene at night (as otherwise the cameras wouldn't be able to film) and the scene when the boys have escaped (as the child's shadow gets larger, although this may be editing after the music video was shot).
The Mise-en-scene reveals the video to likely be set in modern day, as no particular aspects seem to jump out that it is a particular period in time other than the present, although perhaps it could be said the part where the characters are boys is in the past slightly, though when they are men the use of high tech equipment is showing that now it is most likely modern day.
The audience seems as though for the music it would be male 12 - 21+ , as this style of music (Dubstep) is often quite liked by male audiences, although this doesn't mean that their isn't also a female audience. The video would most likely also be aimed at this age group (and the violence within it, the losing of the man's hand, is portrayed very restricted in the fact there is not tons of blood everywhere causing the video to be condemned by many for it's content). It also seems that the video, through it's use of the ice cream salesman, is slightly comic (which is probably why the hand concept was included; just as a joke, not to be taken seriously) and also through the whole theme of ice cream thieves becoming masterminds stealing cash from armoured vans.
The selling point here is mainly the music, since the video to go along with it is just an added touch as SKRILLEX does not actually feature in this video at any point.
Now this video unlike the other two analysed, does contain special effects. The effects used here include the explosions (both small, with the boys, and large, with the men), the electricity effect when the characters are boys and one of the boys is interacting with the rusted car part and the ice cream van/man and finally the guns firing during the robbery of the truck.
During the video there is no text that appears on screen aimed at the audience to let them know anything about the music video.
EXTRA INFO: Skrillex is signed to 'OWSLA' . Unfortunately not much is actually known about 'OWSLA', as even on their website, http://www.owsla.com/,barely any information is on the "ABOUT" page, simply that "We’re not here to spam you w promotions, we’re here collectively to share our passions for music and art.". It has been rumoured that Skrillex is the owner/one of the co-founders of the record label, but as I mentioned this is only a rumor and so it is by no means in any way definite.
SUMMARY: The rebellious nature of the narrative of this video seems to suit the genre of Dubstep well, as Dubstep is quite an outside and rebellious genre in itself. The video doesn't seem to be high-budget in any way, the only things that may have cost a relatively moderate amount would be the vehicles used in the video, the high-quality cameras the video was shot using, perhaps the props used by the adult versions of the boys, e.g. the weapons and night-vision goggles/high-tech binoculars, perhaps the special effects used in the video, the makeup worn by the actors and the actors fee themselves (as well as payment for trained animals, although they may have just been ordinary animals owned by those working on the video and not trained animals brought in especially, as they don't play a major part in the video and don't seem to exhibit any specially-taught behavior), and perhaps the style it was shot and directed, as it is cinematic to an extent, as it tells a story, although it doesn't use other incredibly high-budget features of cinematic direction such as aerial-shots, etc. as it doesn't require them to tell its story. Otherwise the props don't seem too costly, such as the clothing, number and style of locations, lighting (which seemed mostly natural, excluding the night scene) and lastly the camera shots and angles, as there don't seem to be any aerial-shots or crane-shots, and therefore the use of a crane or helicopter would not be needed, thus reducing the overall cost of production. This lack of high-cost within the music video may be due to Dubstep's nature, which is a focus on the music, and when using a music video to enhance this, it's through narrative, thus creating a lack of focus on vanity. In terms of special effects and CGI we see the explosions, the use of an electrical effect and the firing of guns. The ice cream van-driver's hand falling off may be an effect or it may just be the use of props. As mentioned previously the shooting and direction can be seen as quite cinematic to an extent, but without a sense of vanity and a real focus on the story associated with the song. Skrillex as an artist, like other Dubstep artists, isn't promoting himself through his videos, as he and other Dubstep artists make music for the music, not so that they can show themselves to the world. For the majority, they enjoy making music and thus do so, and when making music videos, such as Skrillex has here, maintain a focus on the music and not their own personal image, which is a major contrast when looking at pop music videos, such as Justin Bieber's 'As Long As You Love Me', as their main focus is on the image of the artist themselves, and almost seeminglt less so on the actual music, which is slightly ironic.

Thirdly, Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames (Rock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySdLh_B3HjA

This music video clearly does not tell it's story through it's visuals, as it contains purely footage of the band playing the song. Funnily enough though, the lyrics to the song actually tell a sort of story in themselves (see link below)

http://www.metrolyrics.com/through-the-fire-and-flames-lyrics-dragonforce.html

The video, like 'Bangarang' is nearly entirely entirely viewed with the music, but here the music is also synchronous with the visuals, as the visuals are the band playing the song.
The shots within this music video all stay quite close to the band, as it is likely being shot on a stage indoors in a small space (as it seems from the video). This means that a majority of shots include medium shots to medium long shots, the angles however vary a large amount, for example, very high angle shots, eye level shots, worm's eye view shots, etc.
The editing in this video, like the other videos, also uses straight cuts and short takes, the only time the take become long/longer is when the camera focuses on a specific instrument for a key part in the song. There is also within this video shot-within-shot, where the two guitarists are playing, which is also where longer takes occur. There is an instance at the end where various angles on the band members appear which is obviously the work of editing as well, which is just worth mentioning. In terms of action matches within the video, it could be said the video is practically one long action match or hundreds of small action matches, as many shots see a band member playing an instrument then in the shots straight after, the same band member continuing to play the instrument, so perhaps more suited to many short action matches.
The sound, as mentioned earlier, is synchronous in this video due to the content of the visuals. Although due to parts where we can't see the singer of the band the sound here could also said to be asynchronous.
The lighting used here distinguishes between the light and dark strongly, so it can be said to be very low key, also the light used within this is not white light, but orange, giving a warm feel in accordance with th lyrics perhaps, since it talks about "fire" and "flames".
The clothing, props and body language is very equipped to the content of the video. The band is playing their song and so are dressed in a way that they would dress, whilst using their instruments and showing their personality and passion for their music in their body language expressed between and whilst playing the music.
The audience for this Dragonforce's rock music if often mostly males between the ages of 12 - 21+ , although again they are not limited to a purely male audience, in fact they are more open to females than other certain genres (and bands who play the same genre) of music as Dragonforce's rock is admired by many. The content of the video is purely showing the band playing their song and therefore doesn't seem particularly aimed at any specific group. It merely shows the band's love for what they do best and the skill level at which they perform.
The selling point from this is the music whilst the video is just something extra for the fans, as it allows the fans to see the level of skill the band perform at and their capability with instruments.
Their aren't any occurrences of special effects in the video, as the focus really is the music, the video really is just an accompaniment.
Within the video there is no occurrence of text appearing on the screen to inform the audience of anything.
EXTRA INFO: Dragonforce is signed to 'Roadrunner Records'. Founded in Amsterdam in 1980, forged a name for itself early on by licensing US Rock repertoire for European release. The company’s early catalogue featured albums from some of the most important names in
the hard rock and metal genres, including Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Roadrunner Records also represented some seminal US Punk and Alternative labels including SST, Taang!, Triple X, Twin Tone and Relativity - home to artists as broad-ranging as Black Flag, Jane’s Addiction and Corrosion of Conformity. The diversity fostered in those early years lives on to this day, with successful artists in all the rock subgenres.
SUMMARY: In terms of budget, this video seems very low. The only costly items would seem to be the use of a high definition camera, the set in which they are performing the song and perhaps the slight editing effects of frame-within-frame when the band members are playing the guitars and when we see te band members from multiple angles at once towards the end. Besides these nothing seems to scream "high cost", the outfits seem to be casual clothing worn by the band members, meaning even if they don't belong to them (which they most likely do) they wouldn't cost much to buy. The instruments are obviously owned by the band already, so it's not as though new instruments had to be bought especially for the video. Due to the lighting it can't be told whether the band s actually wearing makeup, although it isn't likely, (due to the lighting not showing off their faces often and the focus being on the music not them so much) also they are not a band which routinely wears a vast amount of makeup as part of their image. The shots vary in pace and length with a number of different angles, which coupled with the rumble effect in some shots can really keep the viewer involved, really energizing them about that they are listening to and watching (also here no high cost shots are used, much like in Skrillex video i.e. no crane or aerial shots that require extra equipment). Within the video there are no special effects, CI or special graphics, there is a slight effect, as mentioned earlier, done through editing of frame-within-frame and a point towards the end of the video where band members are seen at various angles at the same time, but besides this there is nothing in terms of effects, adding to the sense of this being low budget, as these two effects don't seem to have cost much to produce, due to nothing have to be done whilst recording and the effect being created through editing (it is mentioned earlier perhaps this may have cost slightly as its unknown whether these effects can only be produced on at least mildly decent editing software. Although really this doesn't seem it would be an obstacle for professional editors, but still I included that it may have cost extra just in case, which is why I'm clarifying that here). The lighting in the video really caused a contrast between light and dark, meaning it was low key, the number of lights could also said to be costly but creation of the set as being costly was mentioned earlier, by which I meant light included. The lighting really puts and emphasis on those playing the music, as the stand out in the dark, although the video still remains greatly focused on the music, so this focus on the band doesn't seem filled with vanity. The video seems to be shot differently to Skrillex and Justin Bieber's video, as it isn't cinematic at all. It is far more performance based, but in a completely different style to the kind of performance Justin Bieber was doing through his dance routine, as here its giving a performance through the creation of music by the band members playing. A video like this is typical of the Rock genre; a very heavy focus on the music (much like Skrillex through his video for 'Bangarang', although his holds a story through the visuals whereas this does not) by showing a montage of footage of the band playing the song on a set. Especially in this video though, as the lighting and camera angles/shots really hide the band's faces at points with the main focus being on the instrument their playing itself, e.g. when the frame-within-frame occurs (as the frames completely focus on the instruments). This makes this video much like Skrillex's, as previously mentioned, and a lot less like Justin Bieber's, as there is no/very little focus on vanity (the only slight vanity may be that the band members themselves could be said to be showing off, but then again they have to appear in order to play their music, and the lack of a story in the video shows a real emphasis on the music). Funnily though, even though this video doesn't give a story visually through the lyrics their is a sort of story/journey being told, which doesn't drag us away from the focus on the music, but is actually part of it, as it is the lyrics to the song (which can be seen by clicking the link given above). There is perhaps some intertextual-referencing occurring here, as the music telling a story of a journey could be said to allude to minstrels, and how they, through song, would tell stories of journeys, distant places and imaginary or historical events. Although to play it safe, for now I will only consider this allusion.

To end I will compare and contrast all 3 music videos using Goodwin's Theory of music video analysis, which boiled down to key words, tackles;

Hyperconsciousness
Parody
Pastiche
Intertextuality
Narcissism

Within Justin Bieber's video, he is very hyperconscious. He as an artist, is aware of his popularity, and of the genre to which his is most associated; pop. Since pop means popular music, he often, as seen here, keeps very up-to-date on the latest fashions, and with what's considered cool today. Which is seen through his clothing and the cars involved within the music video, Dragonforce and Skrillex however, are not hyperconscious. While aware they are popular artists they do not choose to abide by this set of ideals that is keeping up to date with everything that's new and trendy. Dragonforce band members wear what they feel comfortable in within their music video, and Skrillex doesn't even appear in his, showing serious contrast between Dragonforce + Skrillex, and Justin Bieber, as said though this may be due to genre of music. Pop is what is popular therefore the artist may have to keep up this appearance of what's popular. Parody is an aspect that none of these videos seem to share, as none of them seem to be making a humourous, light-hearted joke towards something else. After watching the content of the videos I honestly cannot say I found anything that these videos may be parodying, which gives them a quality that they share. The same can be said for pastiche, since nothing used within the video (in terms of Mise-en-scene) can be seen to be a pastiche of something else, giving these videos two qualities that they share; a lack of parody and a lack of pastiche. Justin Bieber's video seems to use intertextuality in that it echoes a Romeo & Juliet style story, however Skrillex and Dragonforce don't seems to use intertextuality within their videos. It was previously mention that perhaps Dragonforce intertextually-referenced minstrels although I settled for saying they simply alluded to them, through their use of lyrics and song to tell as story. This again sets apart Justin Bieber's video from the other two artists. A final aspect that separates Justin Bieber's video from Skrillex and Dragonforce's is a sense of narcissism. Justin Bieber's video makes clear that he is the main focus, by paying the most attention to him in the amount of shots throughout the whole video. Whereas Skrillex does not actually appear in his video, putting the emphasis on the music, and in Dragonforce's video, although they appear, the focus on the shots is on the instruments themselves for the majority of the video, showing in this video, like in Skrillex's, and emphasis on the music. However this focus on Justin may not necessarily be his choice. For Justin's music he is the selling point, he holds physical appeal and talent, meaning he is a prime source for exploitation to the audience. The record label uses him to their fullest in order to gain the most profits. Whereas with Skrillex, her makes it clear that his music should be the focus of his videos, and the same goes for Dragonforce. In conclusion, Skrillex's music video for 'Bangarang', and Dragonforce's music video for 'Through the Fire and Flames' are much more alike than Justin Bieber's music video for 'As Long As You Love Me', as Justin Bieber's music video differs in hyperconsciousness and narcissism. Skrillex and Dragonforce's videos share similarity throughout all five aspects, Justin Bieber's only shares similarity through two; parody and pastiche, making his video the odd one out of these three.

Unrelated to the music video analysis, here are three links to music related websites I like using. They are here simply for anyone who's interested:

NME, for music related news (http://www.nme.com/)
Last.fm, which is great for finding new artists based on what you like (http://www.last.fm/)
iTunes, an obvious one but one I like all the same, for downloading music. This couple well with Last.fm as once I find new artists I often use iTunes to download their songs and find more of their music (http://www.apple.com/itunes/)

Anyway that's all for now :) see you all soon :D