Monday, 1 October 2012
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Music Video Questionaire
Music Video
Questionnaire
1. Are you
male or female?
Male [ ] Female
[ ]
2. How old
are you?
12 – 15 [
] 16 – 19 [
] 20 – 23 [
] 24 or above
[ ]
3. What is
your preferred genre of music?
Hip Hop
[ ] R&B
[ ] Indie
[ ] Rock
[ ]
Pop [ ] Dance [ ] Heavy
Rock [ ]
Other
[ ] [please state] ……………………………………………………………………..
4. How
often do you watch music videos?
Not Very
Often [ ] Once a week [
] Twice a week
[ ] Everyday [ ]
5. On
average, how long do you send watching music videos?
(Answer in minutes)
10 – 15 [
] 16 – 30 [ ] 31
- 1 Hour [ ] More than an hour [
]
6. Through
which medium do you watch music videos?
YouTube
[ ] Vevo
[ ]
MTV [ ] TV
Channels [ ] Social Networking [ ] Other [ ] [please state] ……………………………………………………..
7. How do
you find out about new releases of music videos?
Word of
Mouth [ ] Social Networking [
] Artist fan websites
[ ] Online Subscriptions [ ] Blogs
[ ] Official
Artist websites [ ]
8. Does the
genre of the song determine whether you watch the music video?
Yes [ ] No
[ ]
9. Do you
prefer to watch music videos or listen to the song?
Watch music
video [ ] Listen to music [ ]
10. Why
does your genre appeal to you the most when watching music videos?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11. What
type of music video generally appeals to you?
One that
tells a story [ ] One in which the artist performs [ ] One that is
centred around a theme or idea [ ]
Song and Artist Profile (Peer Feedback)
Artist: Tom Tripp
Age:17
Song: Dreamsville
Genre: Underground/Hip Hop
Lyrical Content: Aspiration of a better life for himself, concept of enjoying life and the things in it
Date: 10th April 2012
As part of the media production I am required to produce or create a video of an unsigned artist. The group brought together a track of their choice choosing the one that was most video compatible and sound and concept wise that would be possible to portray in a video.
The lyrical content of the song is all about the artist's aspiration and current life meaning that the general theme of the song is happiness meaning that the video must in-turn illustrate, colours, feeling, objects, people etc. associated with happiness.
The artist Tom Tripp is seventeen so from this small piece of background knowledge it will be easy to create an image of this you person with these motivational dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zAE4CcVlY
Peer Feedback
Areas of Strength for the track and artist:
- Good Song, roots about happiness, optimism.
- Lends well to narrative and performance based video
- Allows use of animation
- Use as a potential for suggesting a posistive message/representation of a black male and the stereotypes that come with it
- The male artist MUST be confident, it is key for the performance
- Possible use of additonal performers
- The music video MUST be fun, light-hearted
- Not alot of negative or depressing themes in the video
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
J Cole - Lost Ones Music Video Analysis
Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-vQ_VsTkn0&ob=av2e
Music Video Analysis: Lost Ones – J Cole
Artist: J Cole
Song Title: Lost Ones
Director: Bergman & Bohichik (BBGUN)
Release Date: 27th September 2011
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Roc Nation
This video was released on YouTube 25th October
2011. It was also available on the artist Facebook page the artist website and
viemo.com. The music channels that played this video were the, Big Top 40 Show,
Channel AKA, MTV and MTV Base.
The music video is a hybrid of both a performance and
narrative in the sense it tells this story through the lyrics of a couple
talking after the woman has found out she is pregnant and addressed the
controversial topic of abortion. At the same time the artist is performing on
between the narrative sections making this video a hybrid. It therefore
subverts from the genre of stereotypical Hip Hop. I addition there are arguably
slight undertones that suggest this video could be a post-feminist music video
in the sense that it addresses versatile subject while treating women equally.
The camera and editing techniques vary in this music video. Firstly
the editing techniques there are cuts when transitioning between the
performance and narrative. There is also split screen techniques to emphasis
the emotion in the narrative and slow motion to make parts of the music video
stand out e.g. the father leaving the child. Next is the camera techniques
there are lot of close ups again to show the emotion the artist and performer
show combined with a varied amount of medium and some long shots.
Mise en scene is used efficiently to adhere to some of the
stereotypes of a hip hop artist he is dressed urban but expensive and does not
connote the typical “bling” culture which subverts. Furthermore the woman is
represented equally however in context of a feminist theory some would say she
is made to play the “housewife” in the video. Furthermore the use of this theme
for a hip hop music video not only conveys feelings of sadness but allows the
track to portray hope which promotes a positive message further subverting from
the stereotypical representation of the genre. As stated there is no dominance
from either male or female in the music video they are both made to look strong
within the narrative from the lyrics they mine and the message they try to get
across to the audience.
The target audience would be quite a large one as this song
and artist is widely mainstream combined with the fact the subject is
controversial means that not only general fans of hip hop and the artist but
also a modern audience looking into the topic. The Uses and Gratification
Theory offers some reasons for why audiences would watch these videos such as;
to relax, escaping from problems, filling time, finding a basis for
conversation and social interaction, satisfying curiosity and general interest,
getting intrinsic, cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with society and
emotional release. This music video focuses on the social factors such as basis
for conversation or connection with society however does not take away from aesthetic
enjoyment as it is still enjoyable to watch
Disclosure - Latch Music Video Analysis
Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo
Music Video Analysis: Latch - Disclosure ft. Sam Smith
Artist: Disclosure
Song Title: Latch
Director: Ross McDowell & Ben Murray
Release Date: 8th October 2012
Genre: Dance
Label: PMR
The video was released on YouTube on the 9th October
2012. The artist is not well known however the genre is not niche so it would’ve
received quite a lot of recognition. It was also shown on the homepage of
Soundcloud.com and the Official Chart Update where the track would’ve gained a
lot of popularity.
The mainstream channels that would have distributed this
track are those such as MTV MUSIC, MTV Dance, The Box, 4Music and KISS.
The music video is a concept based video around the theme of
liking or loving someone and the embrace between them. It does not tell a story
specifically however we as an audience see 3 different scenarios played out
within the concept based video. The theme of the music video is all about the
embrace which works well in the music video due to the successful use of editing
and camera techniques in the music video. Firstly the editing techniques there
are a lot of cuts to the different scenario have probably to portray the many
of embracing someone in different situations. The transition effect allows for
quick movement while keeping the viewer engaged. There is also a lot of slow
motion used to suggest the feeling of the embrace to the audience. Then there
is the camera work. There are a lot of close ups, extreme close ups and medium
shots on parts of the body that that
embrace e.g. holding hands, kissing, hugging etc. this allows the theme of the
music video to play portrayed well.
The mise en scene of the music video adheres to the genre. Dance
music is for everyone in the sense that it’s catchy up beat and uplifting; it
is obvious that the directors have tried to capture this in the music video by
getting people from all walks of life in the scenarios. The audience is shown what
seems to be a married couple, young lovers and homosexual lovers all in the
music video. They are each dressed for their environment increasing the verisimilitude
of the music video for the audience. Furthermore the use of actors fits into
the theory of the male gaze but also the counter theory of the emerging idea of
the female gaze. This is because all of the actors are physically attractive so
will appeal to the audience.
The target audience for this music video as the casual
listeners of the genre and the artist, however because of the type of genre the
song is it is fair to say that the target audience is quite large rather than
limited. The Uses and Gratification Theory offers some reasons for why
audiences would watch these videos such as; to relax, escaping from problems,
filling time, finding a basis for conversation and social interaction,
satisfying curiosity and general interest, getting intrinsic, cultural or
aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with society and emotional release. The main
reason mostly social interaction as this video was widely popular and an
emotional release as the theme of the song is all about emotional embrace.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Beyonce - Single Ladies Music Video Analysis
Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY
Music Video Analysis: Single Ladies – Beyoncé
Artist: Beyoncé
Song Title: Single Ladies
Director: Jake Nava
Release Date: 12th October 2008
Genre: Dance-Pop
Label: Columbia Records
The music video was released on YouTube on the 2nd
October 2009 almost a year after the track was released. It would’ve also been
available on the record labels website and the artist Facebook page.
Almost all of the mainstream music channels would’ve played
this music video as it was seen worldwide. The larger recognisable distributors
of this music video being MTV Base/Hits/Dance, Kiss, and Big Top 40 show etc.
The video is a performance based video essentially. It is
about women and their independence so arguably begins to fall in the debate of
post-feminist and feminist music video. The main idea is that women should
celebrate their independence because they can do fine by themselves. As it is
performance based it does not tell a story or convey an idea but gives visual
aid to the audience watching and listening to the music video.
The camera and editing techniques present are in the few
however it is because of this they are so effectively used. The camera tends to
generally stick to a long shot so you can see all of the dancers and the artist
herself, however the use of the camera panning, movement and some angle change keeps the
audience engaged as they feel as though nothing is hidden from them possibly
making it more interpersonal as well as pleasing. The whole video is in black
and white. While this may be visually unappealing it means that the audience
then focuses on the actual performance by both artist and back up dancers
instead of just the main artist. It is important to note that because he artist
is female this would closely link into the theory of the male gaze. By making
it black and white all the women in the music video are equal as you cannot
tell any immediate differences between them.
The mise en scene of the artist is pretty simple. She wears
a black one piece outfit almost similar to the one the back-up dancers wear. This
subverts from the idea in the video of women and their independence however
stereotypically adheres to that of a pop video. They are made to look highly
sexualised. The last item is a metal gauntlet the main artist wears with a “Ring
on It”. This is placed not only to give the artist individuality but ties in
with the theme of the music video and title.
The target audience for the music video would be fans of the
artist, which is a large mainstream fan base. Also as a result of the choreography
there would be an even larger target audience. As usual fans of both the pop
and dance genre would be part of the target audience. As the
song was at the top of the charts this suggests that the song is more
mainstream therefore the target audience for this video is a lot wider. Audiences would watch this video mainly
because they like the track and artist in addition the simplicity of the music
video works well with the audio making it a successful music video. The Uses
and Gratification Theory offers some reasons for why audiences would watch
these videos such as; to relax, escaping from problems, filling time, finding a
basis for conversation and social interaction, satisfying curiosity and general
interest, getting intrinsic, cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with
society and emotional release. The main reason mostly social interaction as
this video was widely popular and aesthetic enjoyment which again links to the theory
of the male gaze.
Marvell - Wembley Music Video Analysis
Music Video Analysis: Wembley – Marvell
Artists: Marvell
Song Title: Wembley
Director: Vertex
Release Date: 8th April 2012
Genre: Rap, Grime
Label: Risky Roadz
The video would've been viewed on YouTube as the artists aren't well known. It would've also been available on sites like grimedaily.com, Channel
AKA and the groups fan page. It wouldn't have been shown on mainstream channels
like MTV and Kiss.
The music video is a hybrid of being concept and performance
based. It is about the group’s recent success in there endeavours to get this
far in the industry. The concept comes from the beginning of the video where it
is perceived to be just a dream however afterwards we see that they have made their
dreams into reality which is exemplified by the chorus “Look how long I waited”,
suggesting it took time but they have made it. In this sense it adheres from
typical Rap and Grime music. They have put a positive message into their lyrics
truly acknowledging their struggle to make it, which is a common message in
grime, rap music.
The camera and editing techniques consist of a varying amount
of shots including medium shots and close-ups; when they individually perform,
long shots a few establishing shots; to possibly represent unity of the group,
and medium long shots; again when they individual perform. The camera movement
is almost jaunty with lots of movement with the artist possibly to constantly
keep focus on the artist and make the video more visually appealing. There are
also a lot of cuts to different places with the artist performing like on a field
to a house to the group together.
The mise en scene of the artist clothing and presentation in
many ways subverts from the stereotypical look for the genre. They are dressed
smart in cardigans, shirts and jumpers. This is probably to illustrate the
lifestyle they now lead. In addition they shoot a lot of the video in what
seems to be a large open field. This could possibly allow the artist to be
represented positive further as they aren't surrounded by the busy lifestyle
and influence of the city. They are also in a plane yard with many private
jets. This immediately suggests the flashy “better” lifestyle so to speak and by
associating themselves with that they are definitely trying to subvert from the
stereotypical grime, rap genre.
The target audience for this music video would be listeners
of the group as it is not niche however, not yet mainstream, meaning it uses a
big target audience not as big as a mainstream group or artist. The target audience
also includes anyone generally enjoys the grime, rap genre making this quite a
successful music video. The Uses and Gratification Theory offers some reasons
for why audiences would watch these videos such as; to relax, escaping from
problems, filling time, finding a basis for conversation and social
interaction, satisfying curiosity and general interest, getting intrinsic,
cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with society and emotional release.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Wretch 32 - Don't Go Music Video Analysis
( Music
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj1BMpUnzT8&feature=relmfu )
Music Video Analysis: Don’t Go – Wretch 32 ft Josh Kumra
Artist: Wretch 32 ft Josh Kumra
Song Title: Don’t Go
Director: Ben Newman
Release Date: 11th July 2011
Genre: HIP HOP & R ‘N’ B
Music Label: Ministry of Sound
The video was first released on the video streaming website
YouTube on 11th July 2011; it was also available on www.grimedaily.com,
www.iheartmusicvideos.com, and via the artist’s Facebook page.
The music channels that played this video were the, Big Top
40 Show, Channel AKA, MTV and MTV Base.
The music video is an abstract video to feature to the
musical track. The theme of the track is about the artist love for music and
how it has affected his life and led to his overall success. The video does not
tell the story but conveys representations sorrowful thoughts and perceptions
of people’s selves and the public. It therefore subverts from the stereotypical
conventions of a hip hop genre music video; instead introducing the unified
concept of reflection of one’s self, change and strength.
The mise-en-scene, editing and camera techniques in the video consist of Close ups of artist, panning, zooming in and out slowly, high angle shot, low angle shot, camera tilt, pull focus, medium close ups, wide angle shots, some fast paced editing, slow motion, crowd are all dressed in similar colours, location filming, painted walls with actors interacting with them, main artist sits on steps, main artist stands in a construction site type area.
In the video the main artist (Wretch 32) is represented
positively through the mise-en-scene as he is smartly dressed in a shirt and smart
jacket and he isn’t clean shaven but his facial hair, and his haircut are neat.
The shots of the main artist are nearly all medium shots as you can only see
his head and shoulders and this gives the representation of the artist not
necessarily being a man of power but more a normal person as low angle shots
can often be used in the rap genre of music to demonstrate power and authority.
There are some establishing shots that see the main artist walking against a
crowd which could be representative of him being on his own, and this shot
demonstrates this representation as the establishing shot lets the viewer see
the whole picture and how the artist is singled out from the other people in
the video. This is also seen through the mise-en-scene as his clothes are black
and white which subverts to the normal attire of artists in this genre as
'bling culture’ is often represented through the mise-en-scene in these videos
with showy clothing and lots of jewellery whereas in this video it is not. The
artist’s clothing being black and white is also representative of the artist’s
album that the track is featured on which is titles ‘Black & White’.
The target audience for this video are people who like the
genre of the track which is Hip Hop and R&B; it is also for people who like
to watch arty/abstract videos. As the song was at the top of the charts this
suggests that the song is more mainstream therefore the target audience for
this video is a lot wider. Audiences
would watch this video mainly because they like the track and the video
accompanies it well, which is a key factor for a successful music video. The
Uses and Gratification Theory offers some reasons for why audiences would watch
these videos such as; to relax, escaping from problems, filling time, finding a
basis for conversation and social interaction, satisfying curiosity and general
interest, getting intrinsic, cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, to connect with
society and emotional release. This also ties in with the theme of the music
video.
Audiences can receive pleasure from watching this music video as it can be construed as an abstract music video as it does not tell a story as such and there are deliberate focuses on text on a wall that holds the messages ‘Life is...?’, ‘Don’t go’ and ‘Life is…Black & White’ and other close ups of people interacting with paintings on a wall. They could also receive pleasure from watching this music video if they previously liked the director of the music video and his style of videos and therefore enjoyed the video for its technical quality.
Music Video Analysis: Music Video Types
Music videos
typically can be classed into 3 different types of music videos, narrative,
performance and concept. In some cases however the music video can be a hybrid;
a mixture of two or more genres
Narrative:
Narrative lends
itself to almost all genre types of music when making a music video. Usually derived
straight from the lyrics of the song it tells a story in broken or significant
sections of the song. An Example of this type could be Ashanti-Lost Without You
The general techniques when editing are fades and cuts between the scenes,
while the camera practices commonly vary between close-ups of the artists face
and establishing shots of an area during the story.
Performance:
A
performance based music video is exactly as the title states. It is a
performance, the artists or group performing together in a location, studio and
in some cases on stage. Again much like the narrative can lend itself to almost
all genres however some are an exception. A prime example is Beyoncé - Single
Ladies The editing techniques are generally cuts and are also limited. The camera
shots also are limited between close-ups and longshots for individual artists
and longshots and in some cases establishing shots for groups or bands.
Concept:
Concept is
an idea that is conveyed throughout the entire running length of the music
video. They are less commonly used for music videos as the song genre generally
tends to be dance, electronica, drum and base Daft Punk – Around the World for
example. The songs and tracks that generally have not many lyrics thus the
concepts generally comes from few words yet in all cases there can be
exceptions. As it is a concept/idea the camera and editing techniques unlike
the other two types are limited only by the idea it is based upon leaving it
open for a varying types.
Hybrid:
Hybrid
videos are becoming more and more common as a video type. It is a mixture of
two or more genres and video types thus can be used to illustrate that exactly.
More commonly hybrids tend to be performance and narrative based with both
elements of switching between the narrative and performance or integrating it together
much like in J Cole – The Lost Ones. When using the hybrid the camera and
editing techniques of both thus lend themselves to the music video allow more
possibilities with the music video.
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Friday, 20 July 2012
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)