The function of a music video is to promote the artist. The single (song) of the music video needs a video so that its’ promoted. The role of the music video is to build a connection with the viewer and the artist. This relationship in theory is meant to lead to the viewer having an interest in the artist and maybe even purchasing the album.
It has become a mainstream theme that singles are released from an artist’s album in audio form first. When its first released only fans of the artists will hear the music because they search for the audio. However, following the audio released, a music video will be released as the final part of marketing for that song. The music video is highly essential as it engages with both existing fans of the artist and also allows other viewers to get to know the artist. Therefore, the music video can help expand an atists fan base.
For example, new artist Hip Hop artist J. Cole used a music video to promote himself and broaden his fan base. ‘Who Dat’ a single from his debut album was released on the Internet in audio form. However as he was a new artist he used a music video to promote himself. The video was premiered on BET’s 106 & Park, a popular music channel for Hip Hop fans. Therefore it broadened his fan base.
Additionally Justin Bieber used YouTube to promote himself when an unsigned artist through music video.
State of the music industry 2011
A major change in the music industry is that many retail stores are closing because people are choosing to download online rather than buy physical CD copies. For example HMV has announced that 40 stores would be closing because of poor sales. This affects the music industry as it means artists aren’t selling the same amount of CD’s as before, therefore, meaning other ways of making money such as tours have become more important. The internet can be used to explain the changes in CD sales. Firstly, an increase in leaks has meant albums spread globally quickly; leading to an increase of illegally downloads. Additionally online stores like iTunes have caused to problems: One is that people have the ability to choose selected songs from albums rather than purchase the whole album physically. Secondly, iTunes allows people to purchase downloadable albums therefore diminishing the purpose of the physical CD.
Example of this change: Jay-Z & Kanye West released a joint album (Watch the Throne) on the 8th of August 2011 exclusively online to iTunes and then later released the physical copy on the 12th of August. The idea behind this was to prevent leaks. And the album went on to sell 290,000 digitally breaking a world record.
However older artists such as ‘Take That’ have remained successful in terms of album sales. A reason for this is that their older audience prefer to buy physical copies rather than doing things digitally.
Music Environment:
Music videos have become more important to artists and fans. Artists use music videos to promote themselves now everyone uses them to
YouTube has meant fans can access music videos and songs far more easily than before. This promotes artists and makes them more known as anyone across the world can access their videos. Additionally social networks have allowed fans to get into closer contact with artists. For example, Twitter has allowed artists to communicate directly with millions of fans bringing the artist and fan relationship closer.
In early 2000s artists would use big record label studios to make music. However, many artists now have equipment that enables them to make music from Home. Anyone can create music. Examples of artists who started recording much of their music from home studios include Drake, Justin Bieber & J. Cole.
Andrew Goodwin
Andrew Goodwin believes traditional narrative doesn’t apply to Pop videos. Pop videos approach narrative differently to novels and films. Pop videos are based around songs which don’t usually hold traditional narrative structures. Furthermore the singer is used as narrator and character. As the objective of a music is to promote the artist, the singer looks directly into the camera with many close ups, this is considered an extension of a music hall performance.
Goodwin says pop videos rely on repetition. For example the video may repeat images the way the song repeats choruses and lines. Pop videos have a form of closure and ending, the song builds to a climax or constant repetition then fades away.
Additionally Goodwin has identified some key features that distinguish the music video form.
·There is a connection between the lyrics and visuals. The visuals illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics.
· Record Companies demand there are several close ups of the main artist, as its their music video being promoted.
·Every music video has some codes and conventions we expect to see.
·Intertextual references to other music videos or TV texts & Film texts.
Illustration – this occurs when the lyrics of the song are shown through a story. (Dance can also reflect the mood of a song)
Jay-Z ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’: The video illustrates the lyrics of the song. The chorus says ‘I love girls girls girls.. .’ and in the video Jay- Z is surrounded by women. Furthermore every line is illustrated in the video, for example he says ‘I got this young chick/she so immature/she like why you don’t buy me Reeboks no more?/Like to show out in public/ throw tantrums on the floor/ got to toss a couple dollars....’ This is reflected in the video as his in a shoe store with a woman who’s throwing a tantrum and he gives her some dollars.
Beyonce –‘If I Were a Boy’ is also an example of illustration.
Amplification – This occurs when the video introduces new meanings that don’t contradict the lyrics of the song.
Lil’ Wayne ‘How to Love’ - The songs meaning is explaining a woman’s life who couldn’t figure out ‘How to Love’. However the video introduces a new meaning, as it tells a story of why the woman could figure out ‘how to Love’, the story is that she came from a dysfunction background. Later in life she gets tested positive Aids but then the video outlines how things change depending on you upbringing. As instead of being tested for aids the graduate is tested positive in a pregnancy test.
Eminem – ‘Love the Way You Lie’ is also an example of amplification.
Disjuncture – This occurs when there is little connection between the video and the lyrics, and when the visuals contradict the lyrics.
Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror – Song about self- realisation but the video contains clips of radical world events.
Researching other music video's and potential ideas that could make our music video, has been challenging yet fun. Usually I would just go to Google or ask Rebecca, however I did a lot of independent research and planning, and equally a lot of group planning such as looking for locations, and creating a brand image for our artists. The main skills I have learn't are how to prefect lip syncing, and making base tracks
In the last 10 years the music industry has had a big change. The process of making, distributing and exchanging music have all been hugely effected due to the change.
10 years ago the production of music required big studios and lots of equipment in order for music to be made and recorded to a sufficient standard. Now due to the development in digital software not only does it mean anyone can produce music easily but cheaper also.
10 years ago underground/independent music got to people via pirate radio stations, or posters. Now underground artist have more forms of distribution; Internet social networking sites mixtapes and more. Artists like
This is my favourite student video as I like the way the artists image is cleary established throughout the video, through her clothes and the location. I like the way the clips move to the beat. Also its really entertaining.
'In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure which is styled accordingly'
Women are used as objects by dressing them seductively and in little clothing in order to allure men to promote a music video or a song. Mulvey's theory is very prominent in a lot of today's music videos especially in the Hip-Hop genre.
This video is a clear example of women being used as sexual objects, the camera focuses more on their 'outfits' and assets. There is a bigger proportion of women to men which represents some what of a fantasy and makes the males seem more powerful.
Not only do male artists showcase women as sexual objects in their video, but women use men in the same way
This video is the opposite to MVP - Rock Your Body, as there is now more men in proportion to women. The artist Kelly Rowland is dressed seductively, but she shows she in control.
Some female artist use themselves to allure not only men but females as some girls look at their artists like they want to be them
Carole Vernalis has 5 main points when it comes to camerawork and editing in music videos.
1. The usual rules of continuity are broken in order to draw attention to what is on the screen.
2. Edits are really obvious in order to draw attention to themselves.
3. A base track is used to give the video a structure.
4. The camera may move in time with the artist/band’s music.
5. Lastly jump cuts are often used.
This is an example of continuity being broken unlike a classic broadcast fiction like eastenders or hollyoaks, the scenes are chopped up so that its not one long clip.
B.o.B’s video 'Nothin’ On You' shows how edits are made to be really obvious.
This video gives an example of a base track being used.
Goodwin believes that a majority of music videos all have three things in common
Illustration, amplification and Disjuncture.
Illustration is when the video tells the story of the lyrics.
Amplification is when the video introduces new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics but add layers of meaning.
Disjuncture is when the video contradicts the lyrics
Video examples for illustration, Amplification and Disjuncture
Illustration
Wayne Marshall – My heart ft Mavado. The genre is reggae, the lyrics of the song talk about Marshall meeting a woman he thought was the woman of his dreams then he finds out she cheats. When marshall sings ‘I gave you everything the house and the range’ The video shows a house then many cars, also when he says ‘Then you transformed and everything changed’ when he says ‘Transformed’ he sounds like a transformer.
Amplification
Disjuncture
FrankOcean – Thinking About You. The genre is R&B, and the actual song is about a couple that have broken up, but the singer (Ocean) is still thinking about his ex, and asks the question ‘Do you think about me still?’ The video completely differs as it represents a little girls dream within a story involving a dying woman and Native Americans.
• Live type: Special effect fonts, themes and backgrounds, title sequence.
• Sound: Soundtrack Pro (editing sound, creating sound, cutting parts of the background sound in order to fit with the thriller opening), digetic (part of the action), non-digetic (not part of the action), narrated (through voice over)
• Camera: 180 degree rule, different camera angles and shots (close ups, medium shots, long shots, establishing shots, pan shots, low angle, high angle, BCU, POV, crane shot, dutch angle, tilt, following shot, eye level shot, dolly shot, hand held, crabbed shot, master shot and track) Use of the tripod to keep it steady, how the camera angle/shot allows the audience to perceive the protagonist in a different light. Use of lighting in dark scenes because when you edit the shots tend to go four shades darker.
• General media skills we learned: use of mise en scene for example the use of costumes for representation and how different props may resemble status/authority.
• Final cut pro: slow motion, speed ups, match and jump cuts)
One important thing we learned was that it is better to make the singer sing rather than mime the words as it has a more realistic effect when doing the lip syncing. We also learned that it is important to shoot from four different angles, so then we have a variety of clips to choose from so its easier to jump cut and also so that the audience is engaged as the camera is not static. When we used final cut pro, we learned how to mark the song on a specific word we chose to fit the clips in perfectly.
Here is an example of what it looked like on final cut pro.
Back in AS as well as learning how to make a Digipak, we also learnt the basis of a music video which was how to lip sync the music correctly with the video footage.
We used Final Cut Pro for the lip sync tutorial. We had to listen to the song and lay the Base track for the song then bring down the various shots of the music video once that was done we had to match the singers mouth and the band playing their instruments to the audio.
To make it easier we picked 1 word from the lyrics, then watched and listened to the video to get that same 1 word and line it up with the Base track. After the easy part, the actual audio was used as a lead to match other shots from the band to the audio, in order to do this we had to follow the beat of the song by making a mark (typing the letter M on the shots). This just meant there would be more than one type of shot of the band singer, which is what makes a better music video. After the marking bit we deleted the shots we thought weren't needed and left the ones that best complimented the music, for example if there was a guitar solo, the camera would show the guitarist playing his guitar instead of the singer.
After all of this we were left with lip sync and base track skills and a finished semi professional video.
This is just an example of what it looked like on Final Cut Pro
During AS media whilst filming our thrillers we learnt a number of skills...
- How to use a video camera (and appropriate shots needed) Extreme close up Big close up Close up Medium shot Long shot Wide shot Extreme long shot - How to use a tripod - How to edit using Final Cut Pro Cross Cut Match Cut Jump Cut Transitions Slow/Fast motion - How to use Livetype - How to use Sound pro - How to convert the video using Handbrake
How it was made Whilst filming our music video in AS, my group and I took pictures to use for the Digipak. After taking pictures I imported the picture I thought was most suited for a CD cover to Photoshop pse. Once imported I chose a font for the group name 'Vesistyle' the writing on the score and the back of the CD. After the font was chosen I added an effect to the picture, and then colour to the back. Lastly I found a picture of a barcode on Google Images and pasted it to the back.
Strengths My digipak includes all the relevant information a regular CD cover would; Title, Title on the score, Track-list, Barcode, Fine print which includes all the legal information and a picture.
Weaknesses The photo on my digipak isn't clear, and I wouldn't say its an attractive CD cover.
Overall I think my digipak has everything needed for a CD cover, but its very simple as not a lot of thought was put into the design, which doesn't make it very appealing or eye catching. But this has taught me what to add to my A2 Digipak and how to make it stronger
