The End Of My A2 Media Coursework

I have now finished all of my A2 coursework, and declare this A2 media blog finished!!

Good luck to everyone for their coursework and exams, and remember, keep calm and GANGNAM STYLE!!!

Analysis and Research of Digipacks

In this post you will see information and analysis of various digipacks:

A "Digipak" is a style of CD, DVD or or Blu-Ray disc packaging.

Digipaks typically consist of a gate-fold (book style) paperboard or card-stock outer binding with one or more plastic trays to house CDs, or DVDs inside.

Digipacks were among the first alternatives to jewel cases, used by major record labels. Digipak-style cases grew in popularity among record labels and recording artists in the early 2000s. Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles and special editions of CD albums. Manufacturers of digipak have sought to reduce environmental impact and also improve functionality through adding recycled components into the trays, one manufacturer has even has a 100% recycled tray made from recycled bottles, whilst another manufacturer takes this idea of recycling even further by forgetting the idea of the plastic try entirely, and replacing it with a paper tray made from sugarcane and egg carton.

Originally, "IMPAC Group, Inc." owned the Digipak trademark, however that company was acquired by "MeadWestvaco" ("MVC") in 2000 and folded into its AGI Media division. Following this acquisition, the Digipack name was licensed to manufacturers around the globe.

below is an image of a digipak (top) to allow for comparison with the image of a jewel case (bottom).

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The image above is the front cover of the "GORILLAZ" album "DEMON DAYS".

The cover art is very simplistic (the "band members" within four white windows in a grid pattern) but this simplistic quality is often quite attractive, as often viewers find "less is more".

The colour scheme each band member has is quite different to the others, I.e. each band member has their own colour scheme. This gives a sense that while the band members are displaying a similar attitude, they may all be very different in terms of character

The attitude the characters display seems to be that of boredom/ignorance, giving quite a mysterious/cool/aloofness to the characters. This alone may intrigue viewers, making them want to learn more about the band. The characters' attitudes' are also often seen by various artists who are considered to be quite "cool", as the "couldn't care less" attitude is viewed by some to be a very attractive quality (attractive in the sense that is is both desirable and an attractive personality trait)


The orange sticker towards the bottom-left tell audiences that the latest album contains the newest single by the "GORILLAZ". This adds to the quality of the CD if the song has been received well, which is likely the case as otherwise there wouldn't be a sticker informing the audience on the front cover of the digipak that the particular song is included in the album. This improved quality of the CD (in that it contains a well-received song) is a feature that really helps to sell the album, since the album contains a song fans do enjoy listening to and will therefore enjoy owning a copy of.

The image above is the inside of the "GORILLAZ" album "DEMON DAYS".

On the left you will see that the information displayed  lists all the songs on the album in order as well as additional information such as all those who worked on the songs besides the "GORILLAZ" themselves. This is primarily information for the audience on the songs on the CD, a thanks to those involved in the production of the album and songs, and also a way of promoting others, thus allowing them to become more popular and have other things they've worked on be purchased, making the left side of the inside of the digipak helpful for everyone (both audience and producer of the songs/album). This booklet however is also a art booklet, filled with drawings of the "GORILLAZ" by the artist behind the "GORILLAZ" characters, allowing his work to be promoted as well.

The right side simply houses the CD and contains nothing (since the CD usually sits there).

The inside has synergy with the colour scheme of the front cover; black background with white writing (and also a white CD with black silhouettes of the characters). This synergy simply adds to the style of this particular "GORILLAZ" digipak.

The image above is of the back cover of the "GORILLAZ" album "DEMON DAYS"

The colour scheme of the back cover inverts the general colour scheme of the rest of the digipak (instead of black with white text, it is white with black text. This inversion adds to the style of the digipak, making it visually appealing to audiences since they, in stores, are able to view both the front and back of the digipak.

The artwork also adds to the visual appeal and style, as the "GORILLAZ" characters are the strongest reference to the band (like how any artist is the strongest reference to his music), thus the drawing add both style and make the digipak recognisable, allowing audiences to easily know this is a "GORILLAZ" album. The expression of the character here though, unlike the front cover, shows different personalities (much like how the colour on the front cover may have represented this).

Finally the left side of the back cover simply lists the songs in the order they are arranged on the album, informing audiences of what they're going to get in the album. The information towards the bottom is simply legal information including the record label associated with the artists. This could allow fans to seek out other artists associated with the record label allowing greater promotion for those artists and the record label itself, although this isn't a very strong feature of the digipak, since the main reason it is there is for, as mentioned, legal purposes, not the promotion of the record label (although it still helps, even if it doesn't help much).

The images above are the inner spine (top image) and outer spine (bottom image) of the "GORILLAZ" album "DEMON DAYS".

Both inner and outer spine have synergy with the major colour scheme of the album (black with white text), adding to the style of the album thus making it visually appealing to the audience.

The inner spine simply has a notice that the CD is copy controlled along with the copy control logo, so that illegal copies cannot be made of the CD, in an attempt to ward off those who will try to make illegal copies for their own benefit and profit, allowing all those associated with the CD to retain as much of the profits as possible. The outer spine simply lets audiences know this digipak is the album "DEMON DAYS" by the "GORILLAZ", and that the music is from the record label "EMI", thus promoting the record label, and finally to the left of this information is simply a reference number for the album.

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The image above is the front cover of "NICKELBACK"'s album "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS".

The clear presentation of the band's name plus the name of the album allows audiences to immediately recognise that this is a "NICKELBACK" album. Therefore this minimalist text approach allows fans to easilt notice who's digipak this is.

The sticker on the front tells the audience that the album has been very well received in the US, adding to the quality of the album and making the audience convinced the content on the album is worth purchasing. The sticker also tells audiences about a number of songs featured in the album. The reason behind this is that these songs have been well received and therefore these songs being on the album adds to the quality of it, making fans more likely to purchase it since it contains very popular songs from the band.

The imagery is quite mysterious. it is the image of a car driving somewhere, and it's clear the images has been manipulated to give it a unique style, adding to the visual appeal of the album, thus intriguing viewers to want to know more about it and then possible purchase it, as while people shouldn't, often viewers do judge by the cover of  something, therefore visual appeal vouches for the CD increasing the likelihood that some viewers will purchase it.

The image above is the back cover of the "NICKELBACK" album "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS".

The image is key here as it contains the entire band. This for fans will instantly help them recognise, if they hadn't already, that this is a "NICKELBACK" album, thus drawing them in. The combination of casual attire, attitude of the band members and props shows the genre and personality of their music, thus allowing new audiences to get a sense that obviously this music style isn't necessarily the type of music to be played at raves and clubs, but instead it is easy listening music that has soul and substance to the lyrics.

The songs listed on the right simply allows viewers tot know all the songs that are on the album. While simple though, this is key in selling the album, as it allows viewers to judge whether or not they actually want to purchase the album, although, as stated by the sticker on the front cover and evident here, the album contains a number of very popular songs thus reinforcing the quality of the album. The credits below this are thanks to those involved besides the band, as well as promotion for those artists so that they may gain a larger audience and better awareness, leading to more work.

Finally on the bottom-right is the legal information i.e. bar-code, licensing information, etc. as well as the "ROADRUNNER RECORDS" logo and the official web address for the band and record label, allowing fans to be up to date on the band (bringing in more money since fans will be able to stay informed about tours, albums, etc.) as well as discover other artists associated with the record label, allowing promotion of the record label, other artists, and therefore the possibility of more money for both.

The images above are the inside of the "NICKELBACK" album "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS".

On the left is an image of the band members of "NICKELBACK". While older fans will already know the band members, this is helpful for newer fans as it reinforces the image of the band in their minds, thus allowing them to recognise the band on future occasions much more easily. Therefore it promotes the band and allows newer fans to spot the band's products in the future, allowing for greater chances of sales of the band's products. This image however is also a booklet containing the lyrics to every song on the album, as well as thanks to all those involved in the production. This booklet therefore adds to the content of the digipak and therefore makes it seem greater quality. It also promotes those involved in the production as a means of thanks, possibly leading to more work for those individuals.

The inner spine is the colour of the road, as is the right side of the inside. This therefore demonstrates synergy with the front cover of the album, adding tot he visual style of the album. The right side also contains road markings, again demonstrating synergy with the theme of the road, and again adding to the visual style of the album. There is also synergy in how the road markings are worn away and the style of font used across the album, including the CD (since it is also worn). The worn style to the CD is also synergistic with the album, and the gray colour matches the landscape around the road on the front cover, adding to the visual style of the album, making it appeal to audiences, and also making them aware the product is clearly of high visual physical, and that those involved clearly care that the digipak appeals to its audience.

The image above is the outer spine of the "NICKELBACK" album "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS".

The outer spine clearly lists the band's name as well as the name of the album, allowing audiences to easily spot the album as well as the artists, increasing the likelihood of fans finding the album in stores, and possibly increasing the likelihood of the album being purchased. There is synergy demonstrated again here with the style of font, as it is the worn style that is used across the album, adding tot he visual quality of the album.

Finally to the right of this is the "ROADRUNNER RECORDS" logo, and to the left a reference number for the album. The logo helps to promote the record label behind the artists and therefore gain greater awareness of the record label itself and the artists associated with it, thus possibly gaining more sales as fans may find they also like other artists associated with the same record label as "NICKLEBACK".

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The image above is the front cover of the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" album "GARAGE CLASSICS"

The front cover clearly states multiple times that the album contains 3 CDs and a total of 72 tracks. This will give a sence of value-for-money to the audience, making them more likely to consider purchasing the album. Th sticker also mentions a number of well known artists, reinforcing the quality of the music within the album and therefore making it more appealing since the artists are popular, thus increasing the chance of the audience considering purchasing the album.

The front cover clearly stated that the album is presented by the "MINISTRY OF SOUND"; a well known and well recieved series of music compilations, adding to the quality of the album and giving the audience a sense that the album will be the best of the artists it contains, thus appealing to the largest audience possible through the use of their most successful tracks.

The front cover states that it will be "the first in a series of definitive club collections" thus promoting future products, since now the audience knows to look out for more if they liked this album.

The "MINISTRY OF SOUND" logo helps to promote the series, thus allowing audiences to recognise other products from the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" if they liked this product. This allows them to have a greater chance of recognising products and therefore possibly purchasing them in stores, online, etc.

The colours used on the front cover give the digipack a shine, which may attract the viewers in stores, if the colours alone don't already. This simply helps to catch the veiwers' attention in stores and add to the visual style of the digipak.

Finally, the front cover makes it known to the audience that the album was mixed by "THE WIDEBOYS" who are well known mix artists. This therefore may attract more viewers into purchasing this product, as they may know the work of "THE WIDEBOYS" is very good, and it may also attract those who are fans of other work by the group. This also helps to promote "THE WIDEBOYS" and therefore increase the chances of their other work beeing purchased (if someone likes this album). Therefore this statement that the album has been ixed by this group helps both the group and the album in terms of promotion of quality products and sales of thier products.

The image above is of the back of the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" album "GARAGE CLASSICS".

The colour cheme here demonstrates synergy as it uses a darker background combined with gold and white text. This adds to the visual style of the album and therefore makes it possibly more appealing as well as easier to recognise, by sticking to one colour scheme, thuis increasing chances of audiences finding the album and possibly purchasing it.

The lists detail all the songs from each cd, in the correct order, along with the artist(s) and version of the track. This information does two things. First, it helps those thinking about purchasing the album as it allows them to view all the tracks, possibly making them more likely to purchase the album, and second, it helps promote the artists, possibly leading to more of their work being purchased.

Finally, the information on the left (i.e. the barcode and text) is simply for legal reasons.

The images above is of the insides of the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" album "GARAGE CLASSICS"

As you can see, the left side of the insides houses a booklet which lists information on all the artists on the album. This helps to promote the artists, thus allowing them and those associated with them to possibly gain more profit from audiences seeking out and purchasing their other work. It also gives a sense of high quality to the album itself, since this booklet wasn't necessary but was added for the audiences enjoyment.

The right side contains text that is a thank you to all those involved with the making of the album, thus allowing people involved to be promoted, therefore possibly gaining them future work since this album shows the standard to which they work.

The middle simply houses the 3 CDs, but it, like the left and right side, keeps with the colour scheme seen earlier, thus demonstrating synergy. This therefore adds to the visual style of the album, and makes it more recognisable for audiences. 

The image above is of the back of the right side of the insides, of the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" album "GARAGE CLASSICS".

The text and background here follows the colour scheme seen earlier, demonstrating synergy thus making this album more recognisable.

The text above is an intro to the album itself, and adds to the sense of high quality of the album as well as the amount of work put into it, in order to make it a worthwhile product for audiences and a respectful compilation of track for the genre of music. The reinforced sense of time and effort put into the album may make audiences feel less cautious about buying the album, as they may be convinced by this seemingly vast amount of hard work that the album is sure to be a very good piece of music and worth their time and money, thus making more sales for the album.

 The image above is of the outer spine of the "MINISTRY OF SOUND" album "GARAGE CLASSICS".

Th text here keeps with the colour scheme of the album, thus making it recognisable and allowing audiences to more easily find the album when searching in stores, therefore allowing for the possibility of more sales. The text here simply stated the name of the album along with who's presenting it, as well as a reference number. However the name and the name of who is presenting it are essential, as this allows audiences to recognise the album at first glance, since they can read the name, thus increasing the chances of audiences finding the album in stores, thus allowing for the possibility of more sales.

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I hope you all enjoyed my research and analysis of digipaks.

Be sure to leave a comment on the digipacks you analysed and be sure to watch my blog for all my digipak design which will be up soon :)

See you all next time :)

Analysis and Research of Magazine Adverts

This post will analyse some music magazine as well as explain about what advert magazines are.

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Magazine adverts are, plain and simple, adverts that are seen inside of magazine (the name is self-explanatory). They can come in many sizes taking up entire magazine pages or only small sections, and of course their dimensions will also differ depending on the dimensions of the magazine itself. The main objective of magazine adverts, like with other adverts, is to promote the awareness of something and (assuming it can be sold) sell it to the viewers. I will be creating a magazine advert that advertises my digipack.

Below you can see some examples of magazine adverts, plus my analysis of them:

The magazine advert above is from a Blues music magazine called "BLUES MATTERS!" which focuses on real blues music without all the glitz and glamour.

As you can see from the advert, it's very simplistic; a black background with the name of the album/dvd, name of the artist(s), name of the record company, a short description/review of the album/dvd and an image of the album/dvd.

This simplistic approach ties in with the feel of the magazine, trying to show real down-to-earth blues music to its audience. Because of this simplistic approach to advertisement, the advert doesn't give a sense it is pushing the products on the audience, but merely making suggestions based on what the viewer likes (through the descriptions of the products). The images help to promote and sell the products through giving a picture to the name, thus allowing potential buyers to seek out the product they want from the list much more easily in stores, online, etc. The extra information given down the bottom right allows viewers to stay informed about other things associated with blues music, which may increase revenue should a viewer buy something, enjoy it and then look into the website address, possibly leading them to buy more, assuming the website informs viewers about more blues music/dvd's they approve of.

Besides these things, there really isn't much to say about this advert, thanks to its simplistic presentation and seemingly subtle sale tactic of letting the audience know about the products they may be interested in without pushing it on them. This sale tactic (selling without overwhelming) can actually have very effective results, as in some cases the public can be turned off a product by trying to hard, therefore an advert merely giving the public options about music they're interested in, offers a change, and may lead to greater sales as audiences feel in control and not pushed into buying products simply because those products are whats new, and if they don't they risk becoming social outcasts. Of course, that factor is also heavily related to the kind of music itself being sold (i.e. Pop - that which is popular). This advert, through it subtlety, embodies the music it advertises - Blues.

The magazine advert above is from "UNCUT", and is an advert for a re-release of 'The Rolling Stones' tour "Some Girls" in the form of dvd, blu-ray, dvd/cd and bluray/cd.

The advert heavily utilises the original "Some Girls" tour image to advertise this re-release. The effect of this is that viewers who are fans of 'The Rolling Stones' and were around during the tour will instantly recognise the image, thus catching their attention immediately. The lips and tongue image at the bottom of the advert is also something that viewers will be drawn to, as the image is so iconic that fans, including new ones that weren't around for the concert, will instantly recongise that the advert is something in relation to 'The Rolling Stones'.  It is catching a viewers' attention that is important for all adverts, and even if the original poster's image, and the lips and tongue don't, the colour scheme itself stands out. With the bright yellow colour, when readers turn the page their eye is automatically drawn to it, allowing a much greater chance of audiences seeing this advert and thus gaining greater awareness and therefore most likely increased sales.

The information displayed on the advert is incredibly important as well. It lists information such as bonus features, tempting the audience with the thought of all the content they will get from the product (real value for money and strong appeal to die-hard fans). As well as these bonus features it makes sure viewers know there's a vast amount of main content as well, by listing a number of 'The Rolling Stones' well known songs. These are of course all things that benefit the viewer themselves, letting them know how much the product offers and caters to their interest in 'The Rolling Stones'.

Finally the two images of what the DVD and Blu-Ray look like towards the bottom of the advert simply give a greater awareness of what the interested fans need to look for, allowing for ease when seeking out the product online, in-store, etc.

The overall feel of this advert is very welcoming to its audience, through its vast amount of content as well as the revival of an old popular 'The Rolling Stones' tour, with classic music from the band, which are often agreed by the majority of fans to be the best. It is this welcoming, value-for-money feel that is the main aspect that really sells the product to its audience.

the magazine advert above is from the "Q" and is an advert for an Ed Sheeran album.

The main appeal and hook of this ad is Ed Sheeran himself. Through the use of his image as the main substance of the advert, it catches fans' eye to it, as they will instantly recognise that the image is Ed Sheeran and is therefore something related to him.

The image of Ed Sheeran gives a feeling that he's a happy person, through the smile/laugh. This can be appealing to viewers who like artists who aren't completely about keeping a cool, calm and aloof exterior, as it these traits often show a lack of emotion, making them seem less human, and therefore cannot be related to. An artist who shows emotion suited to his style of music can be key, and this "down to earth", real personality that Ed Sheeran embodies suits his style of music well, giving a warm welcoming feeling to the fans who's eyes are caught by the advert.

The use of a strong review helps reinforce the quality of the album being promoted, since respected magazines are seen to quite often have reliable opinions on matters they specialise in (so here, "Q" and music). With this reinforced quality, it strengthens the chances of viewers looking into and possibly purchasing the album, bringing in money for those associated with its production.

The use of colours (mainly brown with some white and red) gives quite a relaxed feel to the advert. This can be comforting as it avoids the explosive colours used by some adverts that push the products being advertised on the readers. These colours therefore give more of a sense of control to the viewer, allowing them to make the choice whether or not to seek out the album, which can lead them into wanting to look into it more, since they don't feel pushed into doing so, which can put them off the product.

Listing popular songs allows viewers to know the album being promoted has some of the artist's best work on it, making the album seem to have a sense of value-for-money and also good quality, as the best songs are those that are liked by the largest amount of people, and therefore including them in the album allows it to appeal to the largest amount of people possible.

The logos on the bottom-right of the advert simply allow viewers to know who is associated with the artist Ed Sheeran. This is helpful though, as it may cause viewers to look into those companies, leading to new interests in other artists, etc. therefore leading to more sales for the companies.

The use of the album towards the bottom of the advert simply gives viewers an image so that they may find the album in stores, online, etc. so they can purchase the album/look into it further, with ease. This allows greater chances of the album selling, since interested viewers know what they are looking for.

Finally, the website address and twitter account address at the very bottom-left of the advert allow the viewers to know where they can go to find out more about Ed Sheeran and all that he produces. This leads to more promotion of the artist and his products as well as making it more likely that more products will sell, since viewers now know where to go to find out more, which is bound to inform them of other products Ed Sheeran has to offer (not to mention details about tours, signings and other events, all bringing in money for those associated with Ed Sheeran, e.g. the record label, etc.).

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Anyway everyone, that raps it up for this post. I hope you all enjoyed my analysis of various magazine adverts, and I hope you found it helpful for when you analyse your magazine adverts too :)

Be sure to leave a comment on the adverts you analyses when you've done them and give me a link so I can see your analysis :)

Until next time everyone :D

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.

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