Below are shots of the call sheet me and my group created, which allowed us to organise when to film, where to film and what props (if any) we needed etc. We based our location and availability of both band and actors around this plan to ensure we got everything filmed and edited on time.
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Music Video analysis 1.2
In order for my music video to be effective, I needed to know what makes current music videos effective and therefore popular; so I have analysed three different music videos from three different artists, in the hope of finding key characteristics which I can use in my video. The three music videos that I am analysing are: “Cheryl Cole – Fight for this love”, “David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy Chick” and finally “Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition”.
In general, music videos can be identified into three categories; these are 'Performance', 'Narrative' and 'Artistic'.
In general, music videos can be identified into three categories; these are 'Performance', 'Narrative' and 'Artistic'.
Video #1: Cheryl Cole – Fight for this love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMiy_UsrPDs
I have identified this video as being a combination of Performance/Artistic. This is because we as an audience can clearly see Cheryl Cole performing the song, but at the same time there is no real story taking place, instead, the director has focused on the 'Art' side of performance and littered the screen with different graphics and moving backgrounds with the focus on just three colours; black, white and red. I think this is purposely done as all three colours are bold and stand out, giving the impression that we are to take notice of the video and therefore song. This relates to the artist in particular as it is her first single as a solo artist, so she is wanting to show the audience she doesn't necessarily need her 'Girls Aloud' band-mates.
I feel the genre of this music is R'n'B/Pop and is aimed at predominantly younger/teen audience. I get this impression because of the style of dancing that occurs in the video, throughout we see sharp, choreographed sequences associated with 'break/street' dance, a common trend amongst R'n'B music. As well as the dancing, the out fits of both Cheryl and the dancers also suggest this genre. The dancers are dressed in matching black costumes against a pale background, making them stand out, and Cheryl is dressed in a tight, white top with cargo style trousers. This incidentally is also a binary opposite between Cheryl and her dancers. As well as her costume, Cheryl's make-up has a slight edge to it showing that she has a more harder, almost more modern style, moving away from her 'girly' pop band image., this is almost her telling us, the audience, that she has grown up and n ow means business.
During this video, there are lots of different camera work taking place, including; close-ups, Big close ups (BCU), quick shots, long shots (LS), side shots and in general lots of quick transitions. The close-ups and BCU's are used to attract the male gaze and therefore a male audience. Cheryl is advertised as being 'a sex symbol' and the camera's focus on the eyes and lips conform to this view that 'girls want to be her' and 'boys just simply want her'. The vast amount of quick shots and transitions relate to the beat of the music and is used a tool for building up the tempo of the song and appealing to the audience. This is also helps establish the mood of the song, and helps emphasise how catchy and repetitive the lyrics are. The LS that are used is to show the dancing sequences and Cheryl's figure again to attract the male gaze.
Finally, the overall feel and meaning of the song. As I have previously said, the lyrics of the song, especially the chorus, are catchy and stay in the audiences mind. Obviously this is to persuade people to buy the record as they want to keep listening to it.
In terms of a meaning to the lyrics, I think it's a sort of message saying “Don't give up on a relationship or love” possibly relating to her marriage to Ashley Cole and the controversy of it when it was found he had been cheating. Or it could just simply be a catchy song who's purpose is just to sell records because everyone will know it.
In terms of a meaning to the lyrics, I think it's a sort of message saying “Don't give up on a relationship or love” possibly relating to her marriage to Ashley Cole and the controversy of it when it was found he had been cheating. Or it could just simply be a catchy song who's purpose is just to sell records because everyone will know it.
Video #2: David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy Chick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hazmsUxrM
This video, I have classified as a narrative/performance because we can see the artist performing the song, but at the same time, there is a story running along side it. The story depicts a house party that is taking place aimed for women, but run by the the two male artists, before artists later go and perform their song in a club, where some of the girls work.
The genre of this music is Dance/R'n'B and aimed at a teenage / young adult audience. I know this, because of previous knowledge on each artist, as well as the beat that occurs throughout the song, this back beat gives the feel of a 'rave' style tune and acts almost like a heartbeat hyped up on adrenaline.
Throughout the video, we see lots of close-ups of girls faces and bodies for two reasons. The first, because it is related to the lyrics of the song, and the second, to attract the male gaze, and thus getting a bigger audience for the music. As well as this, we also see several more camera shots, including; Birds eye view, LS, BCU, Mid-shots (MS) and also a camera in the pool. Another interesting aspect about the camera work in this video, is that a lot of the time, it is looking up at the characters and artists, almost as if we as the audience shouldn't be there and we are hiding under a cover looking up. I have also noticed that the BCU's are mostly of the women and the MS's are mostly of the men, again I think this is related to trying build the 'sex' image of the video up, with most men liking the video and therefore the music, whereas women tend to like the music anyway. The camera in the pool is effective as we can see the artists performing underwater, it also gives a different dimension to the screen, allowing for more interesting viewing. As well as the different camera shots, we see lots of quick transitions and cuts, using lots of different cameras and angles, matching the feel of the music and the 'dance' genre.
During the video, we see a scene change where they move from the pool party to the club. This helps set a scale of time and refocuses the audience on the fact that there is a sort of story going on. It proves quite effective and I would consider putting scene changes in my video if we went down the narrative route.
Once in the club, and Akon and David Guetta are performing, we see artificial lighting effects including neon and strobe lighting. This reiterates the 'party' atmosphere and also conforms to the dance genre. There is also SFX used during the video with writing appearing on screen and images in the club.
Once in the club, and Akon and David Guetta are performing, we see artificial lighting effects including neon and strobe lighting. This reiterates the 'party' atmosphere and also conforms to the dance genre. There is also SFX used during the video with writing appearing on screen and images in the club.
In general terms, there is no real meaning to the lyrics of the song and it's main purpose is to just to entertain an audience and enjoy the music. It comes across as a relaxed party environment that would appear in any modern club and proves popular among many social groups.
Video #3: Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DpjXv_TJIc
This final video, I have classed as an Art/Performance video. We, the audience, can see the band performing the song at times, but there is no story taking place, and instead we see lots of SFX and different graphics and backgrounds.
I have identified this as being part of the Indie/Pop genre, with the band giving the impression that this is them and it's all about the music, hence why there is no story or plot going on throughout the song. The general 'feel' of the song is that it's quite relaxing, allowing the listener to reflect on things, and allows them to mellow out. This is sometimes a common trend amongst the Indie genre. I would say the audience for this video, is anyone under the age of about thirty.
Compared to the other videos, I have analysed, there aren't many close-ups apparent during this performance, instead being replaced by mid shots of the band performing at either side of the screen as the background moves. The camera itself, is also more front on, so that we are looking directly at the band, allowing for more personal viewing. As the video commences, I have also noticed that the camera seems to stay relatively still, and that the sense of movement comes from 'vanishing point' style moving background. There are not many fast cut montages or transitions, which again indicates the band simply want to display their music without any gimmicks.
As I have introduced earlier, this video has several special effects on view, including; the moving background. This background is effective because it draws the audience into the screen as the picture appears to move forward, enticing us. As well as this, there is also the faded appearances of the band over the top of the background, and the use of graphics that appear on screen, this making the video feel and appear quite abstract.
The colours used in the video, are quite neutral and dull, but there is streaks of golden light in the most energetic parts of the video, just before it builds up to the big finish. Another point about the Mise-en-scene is, that we don't see any dancing and the only figure that moves more than normal, is the skater through the middle of the song.
The colours used in the video, are quite neutral and dull, but there is streaks of golden light in the most energetic parts of the video, just before it builds up to the big finish. Another point about the Mise-en-scene is, that we don't see any dancing and the only figure that moves more than normal, is the skater through the middle of the song.
In terms of meanings of the song and relationship between lyrics and image, I cant identify anything in particular, other than the fact that the images portrays us going on a journey and the music sounds like we mapping plans out in our minds. Almost as if the song was created to free people of the stress of everyday life.
Overall, I think this video is mainly focused on the Art performance, and for our music video, would probably stick to more a narrative style, as it is easier to create and connect with the audience.
Overall, I think this video is mainly focused on the Art performance, and for our music video, would probably stick to more a narrative style, as it is easier to create and connect with the audience.
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History of the Music Video 1.1
It has become a common trend, in modern times that whenever an artist or group releases a new song or piece of music, that it be accompanied by a supporting video displaying the new song. However, the term 'music video' is a fairly recent title for these motion pictures, and in this essay I shall talk about the the original name for these videos, the first commercially recognised music video, and finally the importance and impact that MTV has had on the entertainment industry. Music videos themselves, can be divided into three subcategories; A 'Performance clip', a 'Narrative clip' and finally an 'Art clip'. A performance clip is made up of a dance performance, a performance and an instrumental performance, and example of this is a band in a studio.
A narrative clip is a visual story where the artists can either be the storytellers or even the characters in the video, these can often have hidden messages.
Finally, an art clip is music video that has no visual story and is usually associated with the dance/electro genre.
A narrative clip is a visual story where the artists can either be the storytellers or even the characters in the video, these can often have hidden messages.
Finally, an art clip is music video that has no visual story and is usually associated with the dance/electro genre.
Initially, music videos were described as various terms including 'Filmed Insert', 'Promotional Film', 'Promotional Clip' or simply 'Film Clip'. [1] And it wasn't until the introduction of MTV in the early 1980's that they were rid of these names. Many people believe the first commercially recognised video was “Video killed the radio star” by 'The Bugles'[2] because it was the first music video played by MTV in 1981 to the general public. However, the first official music video actually filmed on video was Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1975. It is thought, that this was also the first music video, to incorporate the uses of silhouette, light and shade and early computer technology [3] to advertise their music.
Incidently, the purpose of creating the video was because Queen were suppose to perform the song live in England, but were delayed in Germany, so they filmed themselves on camera and sent the video across instead.
Incidently, the purpose of creating the video was because Queen were suppose to perform the song live in England, but were delayed in Germany, so they filmed themselves on camera and sent the video across instead.
As I have touched on, MTV has been a major influence on the music industry, and without it, we wouldn't see the amount of music videos we do today. Before MTV, the only way artists could be seen on TV was by performing on entertainment shows once a week, which made it harder for the artists to try and sell themselves, because if the public missed their one and only performance, they had to rely on radio plays to have their music heard. With the introduction of MTV, their songs could be constantly playing for 24 hours a day, thus increasing their potential sales.
Initially, MTV only played music by white artists, but this was later challenged by the introduction of the most popular music video of all time; “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. At first MTV refused to play the video, saying it was too long, but Michael threatened to cause a strike of the channel by using his label 'Epic Records'. [4] After this, MTV's popularity soared over the next 15 years, and in 1996 was the first music channel to launch its own website. With it's growing name, in 1997 MTV also launched 'MTV UK' and 'MTV Ireland' and is now known as the brand; MTV Networks.[4] After MTV's programming shifted towards heavy metal and rap music, MTV Networks launched a second network, Video Hits 1, now known as VH1, in 1985 and this featured the more popular music as opposed to MTV. [5]
Initially, MTV only played music by white artists, but this was later challenged by the introduction of the most popular music video of all time; “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. At first MTV refused to play the video, saying it was too long, but Michael threatened to cause a strike of the channel by using his label 'Epic Records'. [4] After this, MTV's popularity soared over the next 15 years, and in 1996 was the first music channel to launch its own website. With it's growing name, in 1997 MTV also launched 'MTV UK' and 'MTV Ireland' and is now known as the brand; MTV Networks.[4] After MTV's programming shifted towards heavy metal and rap music, MTV Networks launched a second network, Video Hits 1, now known as VH1, in 1985 and this featured the more popular music as opposed to MTV. [5]
As technology and television has developed, MTV has now branched out into other programmes, including MTV2, MTV Base, MTV Dance and many more. This was to give audiences a choice of what genre of music they wanted to listen to and has proved very popular, especially amongst the younger generation. In more recent times, MTV itself has moved slightly away from primarily showing music videos and now also does reality style shows and dramas to boost it's ratings, after music was available from downloads.
It's not just MTV however that has been a major influence on the music industry in regards to television. One of the most successful entertainment shows of all time was TOTP (Top of the Pops) which used to air on a Friday night on BBC1, in 'prime time'. Starting in 1964 and ending in 2006, this much loved show use to feature live performances from various artists in the chart at the start of its long life,but later went on to be mimed by its guests, as well as informing viewers of the latest album and singles chart positions. It was seen as a free advertisement for the public who would not normally be able to see their favourite artists on stage.
In 2006, the show finally lost it's charm and as ratings plummeted, BBC producers finally pulled the plug on what was once the nation's favourite, and thus brought an end to TV's favourite pop show.
It's not just MTV however that has been a major influence on the music industry in regards to television. One of the most successful entertainment shows of all time was TOTP (Top of the Pops) which used to air on a Friday night on BBC1, in 'prime time'. Starting in 1964 and ending in 2006, this much loved show use to feature live performances from various artists in the chart at the start of its long life,but later went on to be mimed by its guests, as well as informing viewers of the latest album and singles chart positions. It was seen as a free advertisement for the public who would not normally be able to see their favourite artists on stage.
In 2006, the show finally lost it's charm and as ratings plummeted, BBC producers finally pulled the plug on what was once the nation's favourite, and thus brought an end to TV's favourite pop show.
Since TOTP ended, the web has become a major source for watching, downloading and experience music videos, with the biggest contribution made by entertainment giants 'You Tube' and 'I-Tunes'. You Tube prides itself on the fact that you can watch any video for free, so that's exactly what the public do; type in their desired music video and sit back and watch. The way You Tube makes money is by getting the producers of the music and other companies to advertise themselves on the site. I-Tunes however, is slightly different, this is a site, that lets artists put their music on the web, available to download for a small charge with a percentage going to the site's creators and the rest to that particular artist.
This has been beneficial to the music video, as people can pay to have the music videos as well as the song, for slightly more money.
This has been beneficial to the music video, as people can pay to have the music videos as well as the song, for slightly more money.
In conclusion, the music video has become a major entertainment apparatus over the years, and it looks set to continue with music producers spending more and more money on making their videos better every time, and as long as the public are still in demand for the these types of motion pictures, there is always a profitable market available.
APPENDIX:
References
[1]http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video#1974.E2.80.931980_.E2.80.93_Beginnings_of_music_television
[2]http://ezinearticles.com/?Some-History-Facts-on-Music-Videos&id=85854
[3]http://everything2.com/title/bohemian+rhapsody
[4]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1456093.stm
[5]http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/mtv/history.html
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