Planning For Music Video : Analysis of music video's that influenced final planning

Kanye West - Good Life :



Kayne west's video good life is one of the video's that influenced our planning , even though the video is from a genre contrasting ours and the budget of the video is high as well as the majority of the video being animated  there are bits that we would like to try and incorperate in our video . Placing lyrics on the video for our chorus is an  idea that we thought would suit our video and make it appealing to various audiences below is an example of how the text appears in the video one of my group members konrad has already attempted this using the original video for shark in the water  which can  been seen on our  blog or by viewing our pitch .
 



Example Kick Start :

http://youtu.be/T9yGcKlYAiw

The second video that has influenced us is example kick start. this is mainly because of the split screens and quick editing from different peoples faces  something we intend to incorporate in our video although we will only have one character in our video .The video also uses alot of close ups something else that we hope to use as close up show the emotion on the characters faces . The wide range of shots in the video also help to make the narrative clearer something we also hope to use .



VV Brown Shark in the water :



Apart from using the song the video has also slightly influenced us . In the video  there is mise - en scene that  seems to be a water association with the canal's used . We have changed this slightly but keeping to the water association has influenced our setting of the seas side where we intend to film our whole video.

Planning For Music Video : Examine Website For Original Artist

These are some screen Shots from VV Browns Website : http://www.vvbrown.com/

Above is a screen shot of the home page the central image is of VV  showing her importance. The colours used are very important as they represent the artist , the pink shows an element of femininity  but the central bold white text  and the  chosen style of font gives the page a serious tone as VV would want to be presented as a serious artist this image on all is repeated on her twitter , Facebook and Myspace pages . The home page is where users can access everything on her website from her videos videos to her blog , users are even given a chance to become apart of a VV Brown community . 

VV Browns Face Book

VV Browns Myspace

VV Browns twitter 

There  are links to  VV's Twitter , Facebook , Myspace  having links to these social networking sites show that the artist is one which has crossed over onto the digital platform to promote her self and her music and also gives the audience the opportunity to interact with her . The fourth link is to  VVVintage which is the artists Online Botique which will be launching in november 2011 this tie's in with VV's style as she is not a generic artist and her image is very retro and vintage  .Also at the very top of the homepage their is a link to itunes where users can purchase VV's latest single being a the top it is one of the first things that you will see as it is in a sense the most important feature to the website as it is any artists & music company primary goal to sell music.

 I clicked on to VV's video's and there is a collection of all her music videos to date as well as any videos uploaded to her you tube account VVBrownTV.At the bottom of the video their are  links twitter & Facebook where users can share a video they enjoyed this helps with artist promotion.

another category that i decided to click on was live this is an up to date page of all VV's tour dates as tours have recently become one of the main ways for artists to make a substantial profit , it also has the option for users to share on twitter and facebook once again promoting her.

Planning For Music Video : Analysis Of Original Video

Our Chosen song is VV Brown Shark In The Water .The music video holds a strong narrative that is said to be based on VV's personal experience.In The first 15 seconds of the video there is a a wide range of shots & Edits  from different angles which help the audience to see all the different aspects to  the Mise- en - scene . VV Brown plays both the narrator and the main character . When the video enters the new setting of what seems to be a coffee shop 3 new  characters who seem to be a band  are introduced  there really inst any communication or even eye contact between VV and the band members which give the impression that they are not connected at all and their sole purpose is  the motif of instruments for the chorus which is when they appear.
Also the is an example of illustration with the song lyrics and the " water Association " of the canals which frequently appear. In the video she appears to be stalking her cheating  boy friend this idea is evoked by the use of props such as a camera & photo's . By unlike typical music videos there is not many repeated shots and also  VV sings about heartbreak but her actions in the video do not represent the ususal stereotype of a frantic heartbroken female  if anything she seems more independent and empowered . which is reinforced by her constant eye contact with the camera.

How will our video be different ?:
Our Music video won't have as strong a narrative
We won't be having a band to represent instruments
Also we won't be using as many props .

Planning: Analysis of original video

Here is the original video to Shark in the Water by VV Brown:


Firstly, the narrative of this video is that the main singer finding out that her boyfriend is being unfaithful and she stalks him to to capture the proof on camera. The video is mainly set in the canal with several scenes in a café. The video uses disjuncture as the lyrics and visuals have no relation. The only concept we will use from the video is the costume; our costume will not be exactly the same but similar as it suits the genre.

However, our video will differ in many ways:

• No band included
• No clear narrative
• No props
• We will use elements of illustration, amplification and disjuncture
• More editing to suit the upbeat mood
• Entire video set in Brighton
• Uses more variety of editing (jump cuts, slow motion etc.)

Planning: Creating our animatic

For our animatic, Rebecca's Goddaughter allowed us to borrow her toy figurines for the photographs. This proved successful as they were easier to photograph than jelly-babies and easier than hand drawing each scene. However, Konrad and Max (including me, Natalie) were camera shy therefore they are not present in the pictures below:

Our chosen figurines :)

Our annotated lyrics

Working with images on Final Cut Pro

Working on Final Cut Pro with our figurine family :)

Working on the carousel shot

Working on the chorus shot

Planning: Final choice of location

Since meeting up last week to discuss our video in detail, we have decided to film in Brighton for a whole day. We will be doing so on Wednesday 19th October, however, if it will rain then filming will take place during half term. We are planning to film at:

Bus stop outside train station (Brighton)

Road to the beach (Brighton)

Brighton Pier

Funfair (Brighton Pier)

Brighton Beach

Planning: Our pitch

Planning: Final song choice

Although we have mentioned our song choice in our previous blogs, we haven't officially blogged about it. We have chosen this song because we all wanted a song within the Indie pop genre. We also believe that we can produce a great music video using this song. 

Here is the original video and the lyrics of our final song choice:

Shark in the Water by V V Brown





Sometimes I get my head in a dilly
Feeling so lost, ticking you off
Now boy, you know me well
Said, I’m that kinda feelling
That kind of soft, that kind of silly

But when I’m in doubt, I open my mouth
And words come out, words come out like

Baby, there’s a shark in the water
There’s something underneath my bed
Oh, please believe I said
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
I caught them barking at the moon
Better be soon

High in the sky, the song that I’m singing
A sweet little lie, I cry wolf, cry
Rabbit out the hat, so that’s why I’m bringing
Some tricks up my sleeve, for noticing me

I wouldn’t cause you any harm
I just want you in my arms
I can’t help, I can’t help myself

Baby, there’s a shark in the water
There’s something underneath my bed
Oh, please believe I said
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
I caught them barking at the moon
Better be soon
(Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do ,do)
(Better be soon)
(Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do x2)

Right is right, rules are rules
This is more like April fool
I’m just winding you up, oh
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Please don’t make too much of it
It ain’t that serious, oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Baby, there’s a shark in the water
There’s something underneath my bed
Oh, please believe I said
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
I caught them barking at the moon
You better get here soon
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
Baby, there’s a shark in the water
I caught them barking at the moon
Better be soon

Planning: Test shots of our main performer

Tony... as the fire marshal of C&I!

Nice one Tony! :-D

PS: No labels were placed on this post. 

Planning: Copyright clearance

In order to be able to use V V Brown - Shark In The Water for our music video, we have to obtain copyright clearance from the record label. After a (long) research session, we have managed to find the right email address.

This is a copy of the email we have sent on the 29th September:

Unfortunately, we haven't heard back from them just yet.
But we will update this post as soon as we get their reply!

RESEARCH: Lyrics

In our group we had an idea to show the lyrics of the song as the artist sings them. We thought of either using words written on cardboard or made digitally. I decided to try it out to see if I'm able to do that using Adobe After Effects. I added lyrics from the chorus to a clip of the official music video for our song. This is the effect:

I used simple Helvetica white font that appears as the words are heard and disappear in the same time but start fading away depending when they were said. They also follow the singer as she runs/moves. If we decide to use this effect we will stylize the font and animation to work with the genre.

Planning: Animatic

Planning - Possible locations for our music video

We were thinking about locations for our music video. We wanted to keep that "water" idea from the original video, therefore we were looking at different canals in London. We were also looking at bridges, in order to keep the same setting but also to try to be different from the original video.

Also, we were thinking of maybe film one of our base track on the street. This idea of having people around the performer was interesting and we could maybe involve them in the video! 


Below, are a few pictures of the locations we were thinking about (canals, bridges, streets):

Finally, we are also thinking of filming in Brighton. One member of the group has been there during the summer and showed us a few pictures of possible filming locations. The strong point of this location is that it will make out video really different from the original, which is what we are looking for.

The beach

Brighton Pier

Around the Train station

The Carousel (located on the beach)

Planning: Target audience

Profile of our target audience:

• Charlotte is 19 years old
• Lives in London
• Caucasian
• A University student
• Works part-time in a coffee shop
• Goes to Sainsbury's to buy groceries
• In her spare time, she likes to shop, party & meet with friends
• Reads the Metro & the Evening Standard
• Reads fashion magazines such as Look & Glamour
• Mainly takes the bus to work or University
• Uses a smartphone & iPod
• She is attracted to the Dre Beats and Apple brand
• She likes to shop at H&M, Topshop & Primark
• Her favourite drink is Coffee
• Likes to go to Ibiza, Spain & Thailand for holiday
• She likes Indie pop music because it represents her style

Planning: Mood Board

Teacher feedback

Hello group 1
The blog is looking great - well done.  There are a couple of posts missing (Konrad, Max......) but on the whole it's looking really good.  Some great use of ICT too - I really like the gif files.

One thing to note:  if you put up your copyright letters on the blog make sure that you either remove your address or cover it up with something - it's not good to publicise your home address on an open blog!

Keep up the good work.

RESEARCH: Skills audit

I think that my research skills improved compared to AS level. Music is a big part of my life which wasn't completely true for thriller movies, the research is more enjoyable and terefore more efficient. Before I used to research only thinks closely connected to what I'm looking for. So I researched movies from the same genre and often from the same country (USA).


Now I'm looking at videos and effects from a range of different genres. I compare the similarities and differences as well as things that make them unique to that genre and recognisable.


Also the difference between last year and this year is the fact that I know how to start and where to look, which decreases my research time.

RESEARCH: Music Industry

Music Industry

RESEARCH: Previous Student Music Video

Music video of Oh, No by Marina and the Diamonds
by

Zeynab Berouijel, Charlotte Moore, Kim Nguyen, Yasmmen Ismail 

is one of my favourites, not because of the best editing or shots but because of the attitude of the singer and how well she worked with the song. I like the use of locations and variety of shots. 
I like the use of shadows and the edits where she changes her outfit. 
The outfits and locations work quite well with the song which is what we would like to achieve in our video.

Also writing lyrics on a piece of paper or in the background was one of the ideas for our future video. 


However we will plan the vide more carefully because some of the shots don't work with the song or are not timed/planned well. For example there are far too many long shots and on the other hand some of the close ups hide what the performer does.
Also the singer doesn't sing the song from the beginning for every shot but only the bit that was planned ahead; this shows at 1:43 of the video.

Research: Skills audit

Looking back at my AS research, I think my skills have definitely improved. As music is a big part of my life, I feel that I will enjoy this topic more than I did when creating the thriller opening with my group in AS. Back then, I didn't know much about thrillers but I was always learning new things everyday. I feel that my research this year is more in-depth as I knew where to begin with my research from my music knowledge which I learnt in AS. When starting something new, it's hard to know to how or where to begin but on the second time round, I feel more determined to do better than I did the first time. When doing research for thrillers, it was hard to build up on an idea to make it suspenseful. However, once we've made our song choice, it was easy to build on several concepts. Music videos do not have a specific structure and do not have to make sense whereas thriller openings must not confuse viewers but still keep them guessing and wanting to watch the rest of the film. I think that I will do and enjoy this year more due to the experience. There is more work to come and I can't wait!

RESEARCH: Laura Mulvey's Theory

"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" 

- Laura Mulvey, 1992

In other words women in music videos are made to be looked at by men to make the video more attractive to male audience. There are many videos that prove that theory such as Snoop Dogg's - Sweat which objectifies women:

This theory applies more often with videos for Hip-Hop, Rap, Bubble Pop etc.

However some music videos challenge that such as Run The World by Beyonce:

Even though, women in this video don't wear that much they all have an eye contact with the camera at some point in the video. It creates a connection between the singer/dancers and the audience making the women active and not passive as in the previous video.

Research: Music Industry

In the music industry, there are Big Four major record labels that represent the majority of the music sold, making up as much as 75% of the music market or more depending on the year. They are:

• Universal Music Group
• Sony Music Entertainment
• Warner Music Group
• EMI Group

Each of the major labels (also conglomerates) above consist of off-shoots (smaller record labels) in order to bring together a variety of genres and for the record boss to earn more money.
Main labels of Universal Music Group include:

• Interscope Records
• Geffen Records
• A&M Records
• Island Records
• Mercury Records
• Def Jam Recordings
• Motown Records

Main labels of Sony Music Entertainment include:

• Columbia Records
• Epic Label Group
• RCA Music Group
• Sony Music Nashville
• Sony Masterworks
• Sony Music Latin
• Legacy Recordings
• Provident Label Group
• Syco Music
• RED Distribution

Main labels of Warner Music Group include:

• Atlantic Records Group
• Warner Bros. Records Group
• Rhino Entertainment
• Warner Music Nashville

Main labels of EMI Group include:

• Blue Note Label Group
• Capital Music Group
• Caroline Distrubution
• EMI Christian Music Group
• Virgin Music Group

The current state of the music industry:

Since the conversion of analogue to digital, the record sales have decreased dramatically due to illegal downloading. Music sales in the UK have fallen for the sixth consecutive year, according to the British record industry's trade association. Since the shutdown of Napster, music customers have turned to millions of other illegal downloading websites in search of free songs. The only successful legal music downloading site is iTunes which is in association with the UK music charts. However, the majority of the money from the sales go to iTunes. The lack of sales in records mean that the only way for artists to earn money is through live concert ticket sales. The British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) said combined digital and physical album sales fell 7% last year, from 128.9 million to 119.9 million. This problem decreases the chances of new acts emerging. Even music and books retailer HMV announced plans to close 60 UK stores in the next 12 months and all the stores in Germany were closed in 2003. This is an increasing problem artists can only find another route to earn money for their work: selling merchandise at a high price or creating an entertaining music video to increase the views. Music lovers who download music illegally tend to buy merchandise and tickets to concerts more than those who pay for their music. Therefore the music artists are aiming for that kind of audience as an alternative to earn money e.g. JLS sell their T-Shirts for around £15 each.

RESEARCH: Carol Vernalis's Theory

Carol Vernalis has observed that music videos use much more obvious editing. There are much more jump cuts and special effects are added to draw the attention of viewers.
A master shot (base track) is frequently used to give the video a structure and the camera often moves. All that is very often connected with the rhythm of the song.

An example of that is a video by Shakira for a song Rabiosa:

In this video the camera newer stops and at some points it moves with the rhythm of the songs. It has jump cuts every 0.5 - 1 second which go with the beat. It doesn't have any transitions between the shots which are rarely used in music videos.

Transitions such as wipes were used in music video of "Can't Stop Feeling" by Franz Ferdinand which had to be specifically planned to include them:

Research - The big four in the Music Industry

In the past 10 years, the music industry has changed a lot. Especially in the way they produce, distribute and exchange music.


Production
Before, the music would be recorded in a proper music studio. Real instruments were used. Nowadays, you can make music on your phone. The need to have a professional studio isn’t compulsory anymore, and neither is the use of real instruments.


Distribution
10 years ago, the CD format just started to become popular. The radio used to play a major part in the promotion of artists. In addition, word of mouth and burned CDs helped in the promotion of artists,.
Today, most people download songs in the MP3 file format, the word of mouth had evolved; people now promote their favourite artists on social networking sites. YouTube also plays a major part in the music distribution today, as it is very popular (especially amongst young people).

Exchange
Before, physical copies of the record would be purchased in music stores. Today, music is easy to obtain from the Internet. Although there are websites on which you can buy music, a major part of the music obtained for free, using P2P and illegal downloading sites for example. This is mainly due to the big shift the music industry did, from the analogue format to digital, and the progress in computer technology.


The music industry is facing a constant decrease in sales. As shown in the Monthly Market Analysis of July 2011, almost every indicator were showing a decrease in sales (Artist albums sales, for example, are  14% down!). The only figure that shows an increase is the singles sales, which are up by only 8.4%.

In 2004, the record labels Sony Music Entertainment and BMG Entertainment merged, as a result from the lack of sales. In 2010, both EMI Group and Warner Music Group went through financial restructuring.

The big four music labels in 2010 are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group and Warner Music Group. However, all of them owns a lot of smaller record labels. For example, Universal owns Island Def Jam Music Group. The reason why they are not all under the same name is that they want to make them look independent, in order to keep those niche audience. It also allows them to keep each label associated with a particular genre, which would not be possible if they were all under the same name. It also allows them to be stronger, financially as they are not putting the whole group at risk when they sign with a new artist, for example.

Research - Review of a student video

This is my favourite student video. The genre of this song (Marina & The Diamonds - Oh No!) is indie pop. They used a great deal of jump cuts and base tracks, which give a lot of energy to the video. Editing is used effectively and goes along Carol Vernallis' theory (obvious editing, jump cuts, base track, ...). The type of relation between the song and the video is illustration. The fact that the singer often looks directly at the camera and that the video is built around the song, shows that they followed Andrew Goodwin's recommendations about pop videos.

Another aspect of this video that I really liked is the cast. The singer looks really motivated, which is really good to see and contributes a lot to the dynamic of the video.

However, there are a few things in this video that didn't work out very well. For example, the lighting in the very first shot was not appropriate; it is too dark. Also, I feel that the use of the green screen was out of place.

Research: Favourite student video

In class, we looked at several music videos of past media students. On the same day, I looked at more student videos at hoe to gain more ideas for our own music video. While browsing, I came across a video by students from 2 years ago that I really liked. Here is the video to Everybody by VV Brown:


Adam, Lisa, Nasima & Sayvita from 283goswell on Vimeo.

I chose this video because unlike the other videos we looked at, it was different and not typical. This song is also under the genre that my group would like to work with. I also like the use of black and white against the red, it works very well with the song. 

The relation between the song and the video is disjuncture although there are some elements of illustration when main parts of the chorus have been written on paper for people to hold up; this may be an element we could use in our own video. Although there is no clear narrative, different angles of the singer and written lyrics is edited (jump cuts & wipes) in time of the beat but the camera rarely moves. No base tracks of the singer is used but written lyrics are always seen during the chorus but held up by different people. Due to the genre of music, costume, lyrics and body language, the female artist is not seen as a sexual object since she is not presented that way.

The video itself has many strengths, it fits perfectly with the song in terms of mise en scene and editing. As for weaknesses, in one handheld shot, the camera looked slightly unsteady and some of the editing was offbeat. Other than that, I think this is the perfect model video.  

Research - Laura Mulvey's Ideas on Representation

"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." Laura Mulvey - 1992

In a society driven by stereotypes, females and males have been split into their own representations. 

While the males are shown as "superior", the females are sexualised. The male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is represented consequently.

We can clearly see that in certain music genres, such as dance or R'N'B music for example. 

In this video, women are represented as sexual objects. This is clearly shown by the lack of clothing, the focus of the camera on certain body parts and the males admiring their figures. This video is in accordance with Laura Mulvey's theory.

Research - Vernallis' Theory

After she closely studied editing and the camera work in music videos, Carol Vernallis noted that the use of editing is a lot more frequent than in films. The pace of editing is often ruled by the rhythm of the song.

This is a list of her main observations:

• The conventions of continuous editing are broken in order to attract the attention of the viewer.
• Editing may be obvious in order to attract the attention of the viewer.  
• Frequent use of jump cuts.
• Base tracks are often used to give a structure to the video.
• The camera may move in time with the music.

To illustrate her ideas, I have embedded 3 videos:


Example - You Changed The Way You Kissed Me  I have chosen this video because of the frequent use of jump cuts, base track and also because the camera moves in time with the music.

Moby - Porcelain I have chosen this particular video, to show the use of obvious editing.

And finally, Goldfrapp - Ooh La La, which mainly features the use of base tracks and jump cuts.

Research: Laura Mulvey's theory

"In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasue 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". Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey

In the sexualised world we live in today, pleasure has been split into two seperate parts: the male gaze and the passive woman. Women in the media nowadays influence men and their fantases e.g. many young women are shown as sexual objects through music videos which are common in R&B genres.

I believe that Mulvey's theory has been around long before media and technology considering nude women were depicted in paintings. However, women in music videos may not be nude yet the way they dress or act still present them as the passive. This tends to happen because the artist wants to target a male audience. Girl groups/bands have a tendency to go for the sexualised image as they are more about the image than the voice. However, majority of their fans are female e.g. The Saturdays. Within music videos, the camera lingers on the curves of the female body and event which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events. This relegates women to the status of objects. Here is an example of Laura Mulvey's theory in Notorious by The Saturdays:

And Call on Me by Eric Prydz:

Despite the points mentioned above, some female artists still axchieve the sexualised female image yet take on the dominant role by being active e.g. Beyoncé. Here is an example contradicting Mulvey's in The Best Thing I Never Had by Beyoncé:

Research For Music Videos : Skills Audit

A

The research that had to be carried out for our As Thrillers wasn't  as in-depth as the research that had to be carried out for The A2 practical work. I think our research skills have developed in the following ways :

Last year we were told the Genre of what our practical work would be " Thriller " this year we were given allot more freedom which meant alot more research !! although it was narrowed down to having to be a British artist it still took a while searching the internet & using our groups limited musical knowledge  for an appropriate song .

We have also been introduced into the different ways which music videos are filmed to "thrillers " last year our  thrillers had to have a clear narrative and through the research of watching many music videos we have realized that the majority of music videos are the  opposite .

 Also Last year we didn't have to worry about any copyright laws or asking for permission from record labels  This was a fairly new concept to most of us which we grasped quite quickly .