We have decided to contact the band themselves so that they are aware we are using their song lyrics, which we found from a unsigned artist website, for our music video. This therefore avoids copy right issues as we have received permission from the band.
We have decided to use dark black eye shadow and eyeliner on our artist to give a edgy rocker look, as well as using red lipstick to show her confident, independent character.
As well as this we have used extensions to give her hair more volume and style, which will also make 'head banging' look more effective in the end product.
When people post videos or vlogs on YouTube, the industry has many strategies to help promote things such as music videos. For example Vevo (the main music channel industry on YouTube) has adverts attached to videos that relate to their business and have their logo in the bottom corner of all music videos produced by them! These strategies help the business as they make them well-known to the public audience, spreading the business name.
Other music related YouTubers who have specific strategies to gain the interest of their target audience is:
- Todrick Hall:
- A former American Idol contestant, Hall has starred in the popular music videos directed by people like Hollywood's Jon M. Chu.
- Todrick has strategically publicized himself as a music artist by joining the MTV staff with his own segment called #TodrickMTV!
- By successfully announcing himself as part of the MTV team on YouTube, Hall is able to instantly attract an audience (via fans of MTV)!
- Kurt Hugo Schneider:
- who takes advantage of the profile picture and cover photo (for advertisement of him as an artist).
- he also advertises himself via covers; where he performs over popular songs (so the audience relates him with being a popular artist)!
- but the most important way he strategically advertises himself as an artist (is by collaborating with other music related individuals to further his audience by gaining the interest of theirs.
- these strategies have obviously been successful for Schneider, as he has had millions of hits with over 6,000,000 subscribers and has made an appearance on The Oprah Show. But most successfully is the fact that he has been able to film music videos with Jason Berulo, Victoria Justice and Keke Palmer!
To make our music video well known, we can learn from these YouTube strategies and apply them to our music video. For example we could include an MTV jumper or t-shirt for one of the individual's costume within the video to advertise the industry (gaining an audience full of MTV fans).....
From these images I found on Google Images after searching 'music magazine advertisements', I found that each one has a unique message and the imagery they have opted for is a lrage help when trying to help portray this message. As well as this each cover is very eye-catching with unique poses. I therefore believe that in order to make our own magazine advertisement truly intriguing we must include some bold imagery that shouts out to grab the attention of listeners.
YouTube uses two types of monetised ads on videos:
1) The 30 second pre-roll which is very intrusive but high earning.
2) The five second skippable banner advert.
You earn money from allowing pre-video adverts in YouTube. However videos with adverts are statistically less likely to ‘go viral’. Artists and fans hate adverts and, as sharing is often the most important metric for a video.
Infectious Music doesn’t run ads for the first two weeks of a new artist’s campaign as it consider adverts to be off-putting to fans of new acts.
VEVO
Pros -
To be successful in the media industry, getting a music video onto YouTube can have massive benefits for the artist. VEVO is the biggest global network dedicated to music visuals, in which they will do special promotion projects with the right partners. They like independent artists, as there are many ways for independent artists to get onto VEVO, e.g via The Orchard. They improved recommendation to viewers, who then stay longer and watch more and get higher earnings for partners.
Cons -
The person has to upload a new master file, therefore it splits views across YouTube and VEVO. Additionally the viewer is effected by ads that pop up before the music video plays. VEVO also works better for some kinds of artists than others.
These 3 songs are all under the same rock genre as our chosen song Area 52: What do you want.
I have simply analysed the 3 and chosen specific aspects that are similar to want we want our own music video to be like.
(My favourite aspect from this music video is the speedy editing and how effective it is to the lyrics and beat of the song.)
(My favourite aspect about this music video is the location use and the recurring shots to the boy lip-syncing, as they tell the narrative well.)
(My favourite aspect of this music video is the costume and make up as I feel the red is a really good theme choice since it connotes the story of love behind the lyrics well.)
(My favourite aspect of this music video is interesting tunnel setting which I feel catches the audience's interest significantly well!)
(My favourite aspect of this music video is the lighting created by an edited filter, as it makes the video more fascinating to look at.)
(My favourite aspect of this music video is the cartoon-like illustrated filter placed on some of the clips, as it represents the narrative well - since illustrations are associated with storylines.)
What Have I Learnt From These:
Having looked at these music videos made in previous years by other media studies students, I have been able to appreciate good editing skills and how the more techniques (filters and transitions) you can co-operate into a music video the better it can become! I have also identified the importance of accurate Mise-en-scene such as clothing and props. Therefore it is imperative that in my own music video I must remember what makes sense in terms of MES! The most important factor I have been able to take from these music videos, is the significance of multiple camera shots and how interesting cinematography captures the audience's eye even better. To create a successful music video, I hope I can include these aspects within my own video so it is just as enjoyable to watch.
MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing:
1984 - Rockit by Herbie Hancock
(I like the quirky robots/dolls that match the beat of the music via editing skills.)
1985 - Close (to the Edit) by Art of Noise
(I like the movement of the artists created by editing.)
1986 - The sun always Shines on T.V. by a-ha
(I like the graphics of this music video which overlap certain scenes.)
1987 - Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel
(I like the quirky movement created via multiple individual stills placed together very cleverly during editing and the use of green screening.)
1988 - Need You Tonight/Mediate by INXS
(I like the overlapping of all the different shots at once.)
1989 - Straight Up by Paula Abdul
(I like the silhouetting of the performers and the blurred motion to emphasis their movement.)
1990 - Vogue by Madonna
(I like the transitioning form scene to scene.)
1991 - Losing My Religion by R.E.M
(I like the order of shots in this video and how it makes the camerawork that much more interesting to the audience.)
1992 - Right Now by Van Halen
(I like the titles of this video and how they vary in style, size and effect.)
1993 - Steam by Peter Gabriel
(I like the animation of this music video.)
1994 - Everybody Hurts by R.E.M
(I like the pace of this music video, as it reflects the beat of the music well.)
1995 - Buddy Holly by Weezer
(I like the old vintage filter which creates a fuzzy appearance with black dots and lines.)
1996 - Ironic by Alanis Morissette
(I like the duplicates of the artist for each up and down of the beat.)
1997 - Devils Haircut by Beck
(I like the transition from location to location, as the video stops and turns to a still, then continues.)
1998 - Ray of Light by Madonna
(I like the time lapse used within this music video.)
1999 - Freak on a Leash by Korn
(I like the graphic animation used in this video.)
2000 - Save Me by Aimee Mann
(I like the order of shots and how it keeps the artist the main focus.)
2001 - Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim
(I like the swift and unnoticeable transition from shot to shot.)
2002 - Fell in Love with a Girl by The White Stripes
(I like the Lego animation of this video.)
2003 - Seven Nation Army by The White Strips
(I like the sizing used to display the performers and the lighting effect.)
2004 - 99 Problems by Jay-Z
(I like the speed and shakiness of the shots in this video.)
2005 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
(I like the sketchy vintage filter used to create the black crackles.)
2006 - Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
(I like the inked and mirrored effects used to produce this music video.)
2007 - Smiley Faces by Gnarls Barkley
(I like the desaturation of the actual performance music footage.)
2008 - I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie
(I like the blue lighting introduced over the performance.)
Having looked at these music videos and their spectacular editing, I have been able to brainstorm many ideas to perhaps incorporate into my own music video. For instance the colours in Rap God by Eminem. But overall I have picked up on the speed of editing which makes the videos really fascinating to watch! I therefore would like to include editing this fast within my video.
I like this video because of the link between visuals and beat of the music. For instance when Eminem starts rapping his movement is quite fast paced and the location which overlooks the city emphasises the sudden change in beat!
The best thing about this music video is its editing for example the illustrations which are added over the top and the multiple screens displayed on each of the individual TV 's.
The thing I most envy from the production of this music video is the use of Mise-en-scene, such as the polaroid's which help recreate the narrative to the story.
I analysed Justin Bieber's music video 'Where are you now?' as it has creative editing techniques throughout the whole video and excellent use of green screening.
I would like to incorporate this into our own music video, showing the artist in low key lighting acting as a spot light, in the foreground of a plain black background. In doing this the audience's attention is focused on the lyrics and the artist alone as there is nothing else in the shot to catch the consumers eye. Additionally it would fit to our song with "Here we go again" as we would like our artist to appear alone and innocent at this point, with the lighting reflecting their mood.
Additionally from this, i would like to use a time laps within our music video, preferably in a busy location (London). This would be effective in showing our artist stood still in amongst a time laps of a busy street with lots of people, making the attention on her stood still and her feeling alone and not part of the crowd.
Within this music video green screen is incorporated excellently with paint and drawings flashing across the screen and on the artist's body. This then has been edited so that it appears when the music gets upbeat and is cut to the base of the beat.
In looking at other students music videos, i have decided to re create some of the editing techniques seen within this A2 music video. In doing so i have focused on the black and red colours they have used to edit still photos. As well as this they have used overlaps of photos over videos, to create a gothic feel to the song, merging different black and white colours together.
I found this music video interesting as it had a narrative genre with a comic strip theme to it. In creating a twist to the genre, it makes the audience engage in it more.
Additionally there was always a variety of camera angles that were controlled and moved smoothly through to follow on from one another. As well as this mise-en-scene was carefully thought out with the actors wearing stereotypical robber outfits and a black mask, commonly seen in comic strips rather than modern day.
This music video is not as good as the one above, however it does contain different camera angles that are well thought out. The costumes are suitable for the style of the song, for example the leather jacket, jeans and converse shoes that the original artists, The Arctic Monkeys, are known for. The video also is a narrative/rock genre, with the editing slow to fit with the pace of the lyrics being sung. However the location was set up badly, with the artist singing in to a micro phone, as you can see that they have filmed this in a house as the sofa is visible, which isn't effective.
For our music video i would like to try and include some of the ideas from the first music video, such as the comic style look. I believe that this engages the audience more than a normal narrative genre and would look interesting in ours.
Having looked at the first 50 seconds of Imogen Heap's music video 'Aha' for Media Studies, I have used some of the same aspects to create this short movie with some stills.
For example:
- some of the shots are in black and white as are most of theirs
- I have overlapped two stills in the beginning to create a similar feel to the speedy editing
- I have used a few transitions like a diagonal iris to match some of the many transitions in their A2 music video
- I have rotated one of the stills multiple times as in their music video they rotate the jewellery box.
We want to use the Drama Studio as we feel the black curtain will be a good background as its simple (so the attention will still be drawn to the rubix cube) and will reflect lighting well.
We want to use the theme of puzzles, as it seems interesting and unique unlike themes such as love which are common for a music video!
To emphasis the theme of puzzles we have included a rubix cube as our prop. As this is a stereotypically hard puzzle to crack.
We have also opted for a simple black and white effect for the video, as we feel this will draw more attention to the rubix cube and its colours!
The main factors we wish to take from our mindmap is the idea of creating split screen in the shape of a rubix cube and the use of flashing lights to emphasis the difficulty in the puzzle. However we are unsure how we could technically do this, therefore we are going to have to research the use of split screening in this way and using black and white besides the rubix cube itself. Although we are unsure of these techniques we don't want to shy away as we feel they would be excellent for the video itself!
Progress:
Having thought thoroughly about our discussion we have opted to change our prop and concept, as we feel they are more suitable for the song choice (Area 52 - What Do You Want). We have therefore chosen the concept Love, as our song is about a girl wanting to know how she can better herself to her boyfriend's taste in women. And our chosen prop is a rose, as it is a stereotypical symbol of love. For example it is the chosen flower for Valentine's day! One idea we have for the rose is that our actor playing the boyfriend could pass a fully bloomed rose to the artist (his girlfriend) at which point it could die. This would show her anger and upset she is trying to portray in the lyrics!
However we still feel that the location and filter we had originally opted for still fit in with our chosen song. For instance we still feel the Drama Studio would be suitable as its simplistic background with a plain black curtain will not draw too much attention away from our artist's performance (as we want that to be the main focus) and we could add some fascinating graphics without too much attention being drawn away.
Having created this mood board I can see the main theme is black and red for the colour palette with lots of guitars as the main instrument and heavy make-up. When creating a music video for Area 52 - What Do You Want, I can look at this for inspiration and draw my storyboard and planning from it!
We have decided to create a Facebook page so that we can reach a wider audience, as peoples access to the internet is growing. Additionally we are more likely to gain an interest from our target audience which are girls 17-22, as that age range are more likely to have Facebook than any other.
These are a few ideas we have had before planning our storyboard, we have thought about our location in more detail and have decided some of our music video should be set in a urban area with graffiti on the walls. In deciding this we are planning to go to an area such as London and to start our music video in a skate park to give an establishing shot of the type of genre we are doing. Additionally we are planning to shoot some of our video on the Embankment, this is because it will be busy and when the artist appears on her own, it will make her appear more vulnerable and alone.
Furthermore we have planned who will be in our band to enable us to have a clearer view in directing our music video, to make us more efficient.
We have also planned what presentation sites we will use in showing our progress, this is so we can express ourselves using different medias.
We looked at this song and believed that it was too slow to use multiple technical skills to connote the narrative of the lyrics, which we think is about a 'desperate' girl. We also want to avoid narrative as the audience is less likely to view the music video more than once, because they will understand the concept the first time.
Secondly this music video had a strong beat which would be suitable for effective editing, however we believed this would again be a narrative genre which we want to avoid. After going on to unsigned internet sights we later found out that this artist has been signed and therefore we couldn't use the song.
Furthermore we liked the beat and the narrative of this song, as the audience can relate to the lyrics. However we later found that this artist was signed and therefore couldn't use the video.
This song is an upbeat track with a heavy metal/ rock feel to the lyrics and beat of the music especially (as the use of drums and guitars create an intense atmosphere often found within this heavy metal/ rock). In the music video for this unsigned band, you can see it is a simple performance video with the band simply performing from what could be a garage type setting. They have also portrayed a performance styled video, with the use of costume which is casual (for example the lead performers plain vans t-shirt) and props such as the microphone and instruments they perform with like the guitars.
At this moment in time some of our initial ideas have changed and have been modified to attract more audiences. Our plan to have a 'spectacle' genre music video has now changed to a performance and concept music video. We have done this as we would like to focus more on a performance, with our music video based around a band, i would like to include some aspects of spectacle still. This is because it can attract a wider audience, as they are more likely to view our music video numerous of times to decode the storyline better.
We have planned to try and steer away from doing a narrative music video, this is because audiences are less likely to view the video more than once because they will follow the storyline first time and therefore will not need to view it again to gain understanding.
Mis-en-Scene wise our main prop will be a electric guitar in which the main artist will be seen with throughout our music video, as well as additional music instruments such as drums and base guitars for the band to use. In using these we will give emphasis on the importance of the music and create a performance setting. Moreover our main artist will be dressed in rock-style clothing such as a black top, checkered shirt, black ripped jeans and converse trainers, to give her a edgy look. To compliment this we will have a big hair style and may also add a colourful highlight to the artists hair to show a out going character and as seen in rock artists music videos like Avril Lavigne.
For our locations our ideas are now centred around a rebel looking girl walking out of her house followed by a smart nerdy looking girl, showing Binary opposites within the first scene. As they walk out there will be a pan upwards, starting with the contrast of shoes slowly following with the contrast between characters clothing. We plan to as this shot pans up, have flash backs overlapping the split screen so that the rebel character is shown with flashbacks of her and a boy arguing and a adult which could be a parent or work boss. In addition the smart looking character will have nice scenes flashing back of her getting praised, showing lifestyle binary opposites also as they head out the house for another day. In which they both state "Here we go again". We initially thought that the characters could be entering the school gates and the rebel character would be kicked out of school, rebelling against it by creating a band. However we want to avoid using a school location as it limits our target audiences to a specific age range (teenage), so want to use a more universal location such as a work job at the moment.
Levi Strauss's theory of Binary Opposites is the theory our music video will focus most on. This is goof because it has a meaning and more people will want to listen and watch the video because it's interesting. We have decided not to use Todorov's three stages of narrative theory, including the Equilibrium, Disruption and Resolution. We decided this method did not suit our lyrics of the music after practise storyboarding as they have angry connotations from the start and therefore we could not use the first stage as an equilibrium, especially when we would like our music video to be fasted paced from the offset.
Main words:
1) Realise
2) Needs
3) Sick All in which convey angry emotions.
4) Want
5) Stupid
Having looked at this wordle we want to focus on the larger sized lyrics in our music video, by using Mise-en-scene to connote them. All of the words convey angry emotions which we would like to portray through the use of fast editing and cinematography, such as close ups of the artists face to show their facial expressions.
From this mood board it is clear that our props for our music video will mainly be musical instruments, to give a emphasis on the importance of lyrics in rock genre videos. Additionally the artists costume will mainly be dark colours such as black jeans, leather jacket and a checkered shirt.
This is shot shows one of our locations we are going to film our rock music video. We have picked the theatre because it gives a stage feel, with an audience, lighting and black curtains. This would be an ideal location for our performance part of the song, especially to make it look realistic where we would have a band and musical instruments.
A tilt of the screen to show the artists costume and position, additionally showing the musical instruments and band setting behind.
This upwards tilt would allow the camera to directly look at the music instrument close up and the artist playing it, showing that the music and sound is the main importance for the video.
Close ups of the artists face to show their character and facial expression. Additionally to show their make up, so in our case dark eye make up for rock genre, but not to sexualise them in anyway.
We have decided to use dark black eye shadow and eyeliner on our artist to give a edgy rocker look, as well as using red lipstick to show her confident, independent character.
From these images I found on Google Images after searching 'music magazine advertisements', I found that each one has a unique message and the imagery they have opted for is a lrage help when trying to help portray this message. As well as this each cover is very eye-catching with unique poses. I therefore believe that in order to make our own magazine advertisement truly intriguing we must include some bold imagery that shouts out to grab the attention of listeners.
VEVO
Within this music video green screen is incorporated excellently with paint and drawings flashing across the screen and on the artist's body. This then has been edited so that it appears when the music gets upbeat and is cut to the base of the beat.
I found this music video interesting as it had a narrative genre with a comic strip theme to it. In creating a twist to the genre, it makes the audience engage in it more.
At this moment in time some of our initial ideas have changed and have been modified to attract more audiences. Our plan to have a 'spectacle' genre music video has now changed to a performance and concept music video. We have done this as we would like to focus more on a performance, with our music video based around a band, i would like to include some aspects of spectacle still. This is because it can attract a wider audience, as they are more likely to view our music video numerous of times to decode the storyline better. 
Mis-en-Scene wise our main prop will be a electric guitar in which the main artist will be seen with throughout our music video, as well as additional music instruments such as drums and base guitars for the band to use. In using these we will give emphasis on the importance of the music and create a performance setting. Moreover our main artist will be dressed in rock-style clothing such as a black top, checkered shirt, black ripped jeans and converse trainers, to give her a edgy look. To compliment this we will have a big hair style and may also add a colourful highlight to the artists hair to show a out going character and as seen in rock artists music videos like Avril Lavigne.
A tilt of the screen to show the artists costume and position, additionally showing the musical instruments and band setting behind.
