Final Music Video

My Final Website Design

http://www.wix.com/heera9/lifethruiris

I thoroughly enjoyed making my webpage as I knew the basic outline of what I wanted to create. Also as I had done the website research from before, it meant I had a guideline as to what I wanted to create; The Script's website was a source of inspiration for my webpage as they were an acoustic pop rock band whose music and values & beliefs were extremely similar to that of Life Thru Iris. Furthermore, when I designed my draft homepage on paper I knew that the colours I wanted to incorporate in my webpage were going to be earthy colours like browns and faded textures and The Script's website also had a similar colour scheme which I thought was very effective in creating authenticity and a sense of natural and calmness.

I ended up using wix.com as oppose to Dreamweaver as I felt that Dreamweaver was a lot harder to work with. More specifically, I know that I am never satisfied with my first attempt at something and so working with Dreamweaver was quite extremely time consuming for me as making changes was a far longer process than to simply move or alter an image box as with Wix.

In my draft sketch I had allocated the far right of the page to displaying an array of photography of the band, however instead of just placing the photos in a pattern, I thought it would be more interesting to use the polaroid template that I had used in my digipak. In doing this I had created a more homely atmosphere to the webpage and also had added an element of authenticity to the webpage. Moreover I had now created a direct link between my digipak and webpage which provided an element of consistency between my ancillary tasks which are being used to promote my unsigned band.

My Homepage Draft

Website, Homepage Sketch

I deliberately drew this draft in a sketched way so that it would correspond to the 'home-made' and casual conventions of my digipak design and the bands music style. For me, the colours were also an important aspect of the website as I had decided beforehand that the colours were going to be natural earthy tones and brown to add to the natural and earthy feel of both the digipak and the band's music. I wanted images of the band to be on of the focal points of the homepage as it is an underground and therefore unknown band, so images would enhance their chances of appealing to a wider audience. I also decided that it was important to include the song that we had chosen as a group to undertake and work with as both of the artists websites who i had researched, provided a platform on their website were fans could listen to their music and as this is an unsigned band that I am promoting, I felt that there was a higher need for the audience to hear their song as majority of the audience will probably have not heard the band's music at all.

Website Research #2

The Script

http://www.thescriptmusic.com/gb/home/

Genre:
The Script is an acoustic pop rock band and their website is exemplary of this through its colours and images. More specifically the fact that faded stone and brown are the main colour scheme can fulfill the idea of acoustic bands being associated with nature and earthy tones of colour. Moreover we know that the band is a pop rock band as they have a lot of their website dedicated to their fans and informing their fans of what they have been doing in their concerts/everyday life/new music as these features are also evident in other pop/rock band websites such as Paramore. Also, the imagery used in the homepage conform to typical conventions of a pop/rock/acoustic band as they are commonly photographed while in a fairly derelict or unknown background such as deep in a forest or a desert.

Values and Beliefs:
For The Script their values and beliefs are very much unlike that of a rap star like Missy Elliot and would be based around the importance of their music rather than their physical appearance. They may not wear labelled clothing or expensive jewellery as a form of displaying the wealth but instead, they will wear casual clothes where they themselves are not solely the focus of the image and the audience must enjoy seeing the entire image of the band and what in their background or what they are doing. Furthermore the fact that majority of the photography in their gallery is based around The Script's concerts and other gigs  rather than an array of images of themselves, can again reinforce the importance of their music rather than their image and how they look.

Attracting new listeners:
As an acoustic pop rock band, The Script have a lot to offer potential fans such as a forum page where potential listeners can communicate with other existing fans to learn bout and get to know the band from other fans. There is also a 'Media' section on the homepage where all of the bands official music videos are available to watch a listen to by anybody who can access the website. This can therefore give the potential audience an understanding of what the music of the band is like over a range of songs rather than just one and also allows them to exchange conversations about the band with other existing fans so they have the opportunity to become part of a 'fan community'.


Building and maintaining audience relationships:
The Script have a 'Blog' page where they regularly post event and adventures that they undertake for their fans to see and read which provides existing fans with a platform where they may feel closer to the band and they as posting things upon th website specifically for the bands fans. Furthermore being a member of the Scripts website fan club has become a community of fans as there are so many who can now communicate with eachother via the forum page and the members signup opportunity provides a chance for potential fans to become part of this community where they may collectively feel closer to the band through various opportunities and exclusives that the band make available specifically to their 'members'.

Website Research #1

Missy Elliot
http://www.missy-elliott.com/

Genre:
Missy Elliot's homepage conforms to traditional depictions of a rap or hip hop artist through mainly the image of herself on the right above. She wears a gold and white Adidas jacket which typically connotes hip hop and rap music as they are known to wear expensive tracksuits in brands such as Adidas and Nike etc. Furthermore, rap artists are notoriously known for their extravagant method of displaying their wealth in the form of big jewellery that sparkles. In Missy Elliot's case, her big hoop earrings, her large stud at the top of her right ear and of course her long gold chain are evident of her wealth as with other rap artists such as 50 Cent and Nas.

Values and Beliefs:
The colour gold, is one that stands out to me in this website, and can be symbolic of a persons wealth and status. In this case the colour gold is the eye-catching colour in Missy Elliot's entire appearance and as the colour is present in her possessions - i.e. her clothes and jewellery - this may suggest that Missy Elliot is displaying her wealth and possessions as a focal aspect of her overall image. This may further reinforce the ideology of rap/hip-hop artists taking great pride in their physical appearance to their audience and enjoy showing off the possessions that they have worked for to obtain.

Attracting new listeners:
On her homepage, there is an opportunity for potential fans and new listeners to get a taste of what Missy Elliot's music is like. More specifically, she has put her most recent song up for the audience to listen to for free which gives the audience a sense of her more recent and current music.


Interactivity & building and maintaining audience relationships:
Aside from the opportunity to sign-up to Missy Elliot's 'mailing list', there is no other form of interactive opportunities for her fans and potential fans. However the fact that Missy Elliot has made her new song readily available to her website viewers can be a way of both attracting new fans and also providing a reward for existing fans as they have a first hand opportunity to listen to her new song before its official release date.

Post-Production

What challenges did I face while editing my footage?
When we had finished shooting the first blocked plan/schedule, we thought it would be almost enough footage for the entire song as we had 30 minutes worth of footage to edit. However when I got into the editing room and began to cut down the shots, I realised that there was not enough footage at all, which is why we decided to expand our concept and filming. Furthermore the editing that I wanted to initially do in my first concept plan was another difficulty so as a group we decided to film more footage that would create a better narrative rather than attempting to acquire exceptional editing skills in such a short span of time.

What affects did I use and why?
During the editing process I tried to experiment with the effects I could possibly make use of in my music video such as changing the overall image colour to effects such as 'desaturation', 'sepia' and 'negative'. However when i played the clip through I thought that the change in colour had no real implication and may actually confuse the audience; using the 'desaturation' effect caused the image to become black and white which may confuse the audience into believing that the narrative that the music video was conveying may have occurred in the past, and this wasn't something i wanted to pursue. When I had finished cutting and placing all the shots in order, I decided to use a tool that reverses a clip. I used the technique to end the music video with a reversed clip of roses being dropped on the floor, so the roses were disappearing and the music video finishes with a shot of an empty carpet floor. I wanted the video to end with this image as it was a way of conveying emptiness and the absence of love in the characters lives causing emptiness. As this element of emptiness is present throughout the song and in its words, I thought it was important to include subtle hints of emptiness such as the bare carpet without the roses. Furthermore I thought it was important to show the floor becoming empty (without the roses) as the roses are symbolic of Dan and the roses on the floor as a representation of Dan in Dilara's life. However the reversal of the shot and the roses disappearing suggest that Dan is the cause of the emptiness in Dilara's life. So as opposed to there just being a plain shot of a bare floor, the audience can see the transition and the disappearing of the roses (and Dan) in the characters life.

How have I developed my concept further during post-production?
The editing process was the deciding factor for my music video because after sorting and editing all of my shots in my sequence I decided that instead of having a happy ending as I had initially planned in my concepts, I was going to end on an unconventionally sad thought. As opposed to ending with the make-up of Dan and Dilara as a conventionally happy couple who have arguments but eventually live happily ever after, I decided at the very last minute that it may be more interesting if the narrative were to be left on somewhat of a cliffhanger or a more truthful depiction of 'love', where we cannot tell what the couple's destiny is.

Development of My Concept

How my concept has altered from the initial concept

When I drafted my first concept I wanted the music video to be based around one character and take on the same principle that is used in Paramore's 'The Only Exception' i.e. I wanted to incorporate the idea of doorways leading to a completely different location to the previous one. However after shooting the first blocked plan I realised this would be a lot of hard work and the outcome may not be the best. Therefore I decided to include a my female character more, to provide a more empathetic narrative. 

Furthermore, the idea of various gaps and doorways leading out onto different settings/locations would've been very hard for the audience to actually understand the concept unless it was done at a professional standard. Instead it would just seem as though the character is randomly walking in and out of odd places that don't piece together. The fact that there is a narrative running alongside this complex concept would make the overall music video seem very cluttered and disorganised, almost as though a bunch of ideas have just been thrown together without any thought.

So I decided to use both characters to show two parallel perspectives on the same situation that reflect the words and meaning of the song. My final music video can be an interpretation of the songs meaning through a male and female view and response to a certain situation when in a relationship and supposedly 'in love'.


Maroon 5 - 'Goodnight Goodnight'

Maroon 5's song 'Goodnight Goodnight' became an inspirational music video in developing my concept and altering areas of the initial one in the sense that I decided to almost disregard the idea taken from Paramore's 'The Only Exception' and incorporate this new idea of displaying parallel lives. In Maroon 5's video, the main concept is to depict the difference between Adam Levine's life with a girlfriend and what it has become now he is without her. As opposed to using exactly the same concept of a split screen showing the same person's actions just in a different time period, I thought it would be interesting to Give Dilara's character a role that was equally as important as that of Dan's. The link to 'Goodnight Goodnight' is the way that Dilara's and Dan's journey through the day parallels to show how different each character is in their thoughts and actions although they as supposedly both in love with each other.

Blocked Plan #3

Shooting Schedule #3

Saturday 2^nd April 2011 – Filming of Dilara (female actor)

Props:

Dilara’s maxi dress

Satchel bag

Photo’s of Dan at Party

Dilara’s Blackberry

Pyjamas

Make-up box with make-up

Purple cardigan

Same shoes as shooting schedule #2

Blocked Plan:

1. Medium shot of Dilara in bed sleeping
2. Medium shot of Dilara getting up and sitting on edge of bed
3. Long shot of Dilara looking out of bedroom window
4. Panning camera movement of Dilara walking away from window and past camera
5. Close-up shot of Dilara holding Blackberry
6. Extreme close-up of Dilara sending Dan text message ‘where are you?’
7. Long shot of Dilara walking into living room and sitting on left of big sofa
8. Long shot of Dialra sitting on right of big sofa
9. Long shot of Dilara lying on big sofa
10. Medium shot of Dilara sitting and then slouching on armchair sofa
11. Medium shot of Dilara checking Blackberry and then throwing it on floor
12. panning mode of Dilara walking and sitting on at computer
13. medium shot of Dilara searching Facebook and sees photos of Dan
14. Close-up shot of Dilara putting head in hands
15. Medium panning shot following Dilara out onto balcony
16. Medium shot of Dilara walking into kitchen
17. Medium shot of Dilara walking out of kitchen and into bathroom
18. Long shot of Dilara pulling dress out of wash basket and walking out of bathroom
19. Panning mode following Dilara into bedroom
20. Close-up shot of floor as Dialra throws pyjamas on floor
21. Close-up shot of Dilara tying up dress
22. Long-shot of Dialra putting on make-up in bathroom
23. Extreme close-up of Dilara unlocking and opening flat door
24. Long shot of Dialra walking down stair and out of flat
25. Long panning shot of Dilara walking along grass pane
26. Dilara takes cardigan off and leaves it on a tree branch
27. Medium shot of Dilara walking into a bush
28. Close-up shot of Dilara typing and posting 'where are you?' on Dan's Facebook wall
29. Point-of-view shot of Dilara dropping a vase of dried roses onto the floor

In including Dilara's character to the extent and detail that I have, Dilara has now become a main character so any barriers differentiating the importance of one character to there other has now been eliminated. So now, both the characters of Dilara and Dan are of equal importance and the music video is more of a narrative rather than a day in the life of Dan.  

Blocked Plan #2

Shooting Schedule #2

Wednesday 30^th March 2011 – Filming of both actors, Dilara and Dan

Props:

Smiley necklace

Dilara’s maxi dress

Dan’s shirt

Dan’s bow tie

Printed photo’s of Dan at party

Dan’s jeans (from previous shooting)

Dan’s red t-shirt (from previous shooting)

Satchel bag for Dilara

Purple cardigan for Dilara

Dan’s turquoise plimsolls

Dilara’s Blackberry

Blocked Plan

Dilara

1. Panning establishing shot of Dilara walking along grassy pane
2. Medium shot of Dilara showing that she has given up
3. Long shot of Dilara sitting on grass
4. Close-up, over-the-shoulder shot of Dilara looking at photo’s
5. Extreme close-up shot of Dilara pulling out grass

Dan

1.      Long shot of Dan walking out of forest bush

2.      Medium shot of Dan finding and picking up shirt off bush

3.      Medium shot of Dan putting on shirt

4.      Medium shot of Dan finding bow tie

5.      Medium shot of Dan finding Dilara’s cardigan on branch

6.      Close-up shot of Dan’s face when he sees Dilara

7.      Panning shot of Dan rushing to Dilara

Group Shots

1. Group shot of Dilara snatching cardigan from Dan and pushing him away
2. Dan reacts with confusion and Dialra pulls out photos
3. Dan takes photo’s and tries to explain
4. Medium shot of Dan grabbing Dilara and getting down on one knee
5. Group shot Dan presents smiley necklace to Dilara
6. Medium shot of Dan and Dilara hugging
7. Long shot of Dan and Dilara holding hands and walking away out of camera view
8. Establishing shot of drama studio with black curtains drawn. Dan and Dilara come out from behind curtains
9. Long shot of Dan pulling Dilara into middle of room
10. Dan twirls Dilara into his arms
11. Medium shot of Dilara in Dan’s arms, both tilt faces in eachothers direction
12. Lights go off, Black Out

After shooting this blocked plan and the first blocked plan, I realised that although there was enough footage in relation to time to create a 3-minute-long music video, there was not enough footage to provide the audience with a visually enhancing narrative. Due to this then, I decided to film some more footage and expand on the filming/narrative that had already been made to give our music video a better narrative that was more visually stimulating and interesting. The decision was then made to use Dilara more heavily and almost to convey her story which would ultimately be portrayed as a parallel to Dan's journey. In doing this, the audience can gain a better understanding of the two characters and therefore have the opportunity to empathise with them. Therefore this will allow the audience to potentially be emotionally stimulated as well as visually interested.

Blocked Plan #1

Shooting Schedule #1

Saturday 26^th March 2011 – Filming of Dan (male actor)

Props:

Dan’s t-shirt

Dan’s shorts

Dan’s jeans

Smiley necklace

Vodka bottle

Dan’s turquoise plimsolls

Blocked Plan

1. Long shot of Dan asleep in alley way, on the floor, with Vodka bottle in hand
2. Medium shot of Dan waking up with what seems like a hangover
3. Long shot of Dan stretching and beginning to walk out of alley way
4. Long panning shot of Dan walking out of alley way
5. Close-up shot of Dan looking at picture of girlfriend on phone
6. Medium-long shot of Dan walking along street to begin his journey and retrace his steps
7. Medium shot of Dan putting vodka bottle down
8. Close-up shot of bottle being knocked over
9. Medium shot of Dan finding his shoes and picking them up
10. Long shot of Dan putting shoes on
11. Long shot of Dan walking down street and finding his jean
12. Medium/Close-up shot of Dan putting on jeans
13. Long shot of Dan walking down bridge and fiddling with smiley face necklace
14. Panning shot of Dan coming up escalator in exchange
15. Long shot of Dan walking to bench in exchange and sitting down
16. Close-up shot of Dan looking at and fiddling with necklace again

7 – 10 shots of Dan walking in and out of random areas of location such as

Walking down a flight of stairs,

Walking into dustbin area,

Walking out from behind exit/entrance signs,

Walking in or out of bushes,

Walking out from behind a car,

Walking behind a wooden fence as if climbing into something,

Walking out of a gap through a wooden fence.

My Initial Concept

Draft Concept
The idea behind this activity was to gain potential ideas from fellow peers in order to make our videos and concepts more visually enhanced and stimulating. My initial idea is written in the middle box and
four different peers each filled in one of the surrounding boxes with their own contribution and ideas of how i can make better my concept.

An idea that I chose to incorporate in my concept was that the actor  finds certain objects along his journey such as vital pieces of clothing, objects with sentimental value like a leaflet promoting the band. This would enhance the textual meaning of the music video and also give a sense of resolution at the end of the videos when all the found objects add up to create one final image.

Paramore - 'The Only Exception'

The video to this songs has played a big part in our visual aspect of our music video. More specifically, the idea of Hayley walking through doors that her into a totally different setting. So from a speed dating restaurant atmosphere, she walks through the door into a church wedding setting.

In the same way we wanted to incorporate a similar idea to this but we would edit our shots to make it seem as though they were walking in or out of strange things like an exit sign or a bush.

Sex, Violence and Music Videos

OFCOM Investigation/Report (2005)


 The OFCOM report on sexual imagery in music video broadcasting revealed a number of valuable propositions outlined by both professionals and average members of the public. The general ideas that are discussed are based around the issues of language, lifestyle, but more importantly, the incorporation of violent/extreme images and sexualized imagery.

Most of these issues are regulated to an 'acceptable' standard (like language being regulated on the radio and before the watershed hour), however the issues of sexual imagery and violence have only become more intense. The main problem that the report explained, was the fact that music videos are 'thought to have a potentially powerful effect on children and young adults' as they are the audience who are most attracted to music videos. If this is the case, then these young people of society will be heavily influenced by the music videos they expose themselves to and idolize certain artists. These artists will then set aspirations for their fans and these fans will imitate and act like their role models.

In the case of rap music, violence and crime is a key element of an artists portrayal. A member of the public had expressed their view that the issue becomes apparent when 'children strut in and think they're Eminem or 50 Cent and use their same words'. This immediately creates an issue with the language that young people are using nowadays as they are being heavily influenced by artists like 50 Cent and Eminem who use a LOT of negative and bad language in their songs which could in turn have a negative effect on their fans.

In terms of sex, there were many concerns that parents had for their children as many 'innocent' artists such as Britney Spears have now changed from being young and fun girls into sex idols. Singer's like Britney Spears initially had strong fan bases amongst pre-teens and parents 'do not think it is appropriate for this type of sexual imagery to be used in videos aimed at such young age groups'. Although Britney may have expanded her fan base, she has now changed her image along with her morals and behaviours which therefore influence her fans as she is a role model for them. A parent of a young child had said that they found it disturbing that 'she is on a bed and touching herself' and also that 'it is worse with Britney Spears because she was like a good little angel', so the transition is even greater and more noticeable for not only her fans but also other members of the public. Parents do not wish for their children to be so heavily influenced by music videos and then go on to imitate and reproduce the behaviours that musical role models such as Britney Spears portray in videos such as 'My Perogative' and 'Gimme More'. From songs like 'Sometimes' to 'Toxic', the changes in Britney Spears are visibly extreme and blatant.

'Sometimes' - Britney Spears                                                  





'Gimme More' - Britney Spears

Innovative Music Marketing

The Hoosiers and S.E.O
SEO or search engine optimisation is the process of making certain websites more visible and noticeable when key words that are linked to the websites are typed in a search engine. The Hoosiers used this method of controlling and putting an end to illegal downloads of their latest song 'Choices'.

They regulated search engines such as Google so that illegal downloader's were shown blog posts when they first typed in 'free download the Hoosiers - choices', or similar key words. When these blog sites were clicked on, they displayed a direct link to The Hoosiers website where the user could download a free remix of the song by the band themselves. All that was required in return was that the user had to post some sort of status update on Facebook or Twitter promoting The Hoosiers and the release of 'Choices'.

So what was the outcome?

1. In using social networking sites to promote them, The Hoosiers song 'Choices' became a viral hit. 
2. Furthermore, not only did the band reduce illegal downloads but they replaced it with social value through things like tweets, Facebook 'likes' & statuses and e-mail addresses.
3. Ultimately, both the band and the fans were satisfied and successful in the end.

Information was taken from the following links:

http://www.themusiciansguide.co.uk/blog/14/best-of-2010-most-innovative-and-interesting-online-music-marketing-strategies/

http://www.themusiciansguide.co.uk/blog/19/the-hoosiers-know-how-to-market-a-new-song-release/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

FINAL DIGIPAK

My Final CD Front Cover

Evidently, my final front cover is extremely different in comparison to the original draft, however all changes were made with good reason. For instance, the song I chose as the focal song for the album and overall band promotion was much more subtle and slow and the original images I incorporated in the initial draft, implied a more loud and obvious sound. This was due to the bold and bright patterns and colours used like the green, black and white stripes and the accentuated checkered squares.
As opposed to these extravagant designs and cluttered images, I chose to focus solely on the band and their music and what better way to promote an underground band than a well-taken photograph on stage at a gig. However the image looked slightly unprofessional in its original form, so I decided to use a blending tool in Photoshop to add depth to the image to make it look like an actual potential CD cover. Furthermore I changed the colours to black and white to emphasise the subtlety of the band. The band's music is simple and acoustic using traditional instruments such as guitars and their own voices - as opposed to the technological effects and instruments we now have available - can further reinforce the idea of using black and white as a way of conveying the way that the band value tradition and simplicity in their music.
Another change was the name of the band itself. We originally named them 'The Kennedies' because Alan Kennedy is the main vocalist in the band and they themselves had not chosen a particular name at the time. Roughly a month ago, the main vocalist told us that they would prefer the band to be named 'Life Thu Iris' which caused me to re-design my title as I did not feel that newspaper cuttings of the word's 'life thru iris' were the best way of conveying the music or values that the band portray. Instead I used a normal, handwriting font to emphasise the idea of simplicity. Furthermore I coloured the writing in yellow to contrast with the black and white background but still maintaining a natural element of colour as opposed to a bright red.
Overall, I am quite happy with my final front cover as it conveys most of the things that the initial draft cover did not. For instance, being and underground and relatively unknown band, it is important to see the band on the front cover so that potential audiences have the opportunity to see the band member and gain an impression of their music and identity which they may then be able to identify with as a fan.
Moreover I found that by using an on-stage photograph of the band, I did not have to create and stick-in a random image of a guitar and other instruments to portray the importance of music to the band. In fact this is better than the previous idea as the band is actually playing the instrument and are presented 'in their element' so the importance and value of music to the band is self explanatory through the image itself.

Feminism and Post-Feminism

To fully understand the difference between feminism and post-feminism, I thought that putting it into context alongside a music video would be the best way of grasping the two - quite different - approaches to aspects of the media.

Jessie J - 'Do it Like a Dude'

Feminist Response:

• Although the singer claims that she can 'do it like a dude' and be equal to men by dancing spread-legged and holding what is supposedly her 'crotch', she wears translucent tights and a very high-cut leotard exposing her the entirety of her legs. She also wear heels whilst dancing in this male-like manner and is heavily made-up in layers of make-up which, from a feminist point of view, is actually objectifying herself as a woman through everything that she wears. This greatly contradicts her words as she is actually sexualizing her image to appeal to the 'male gaze', who would find this image sexually stimulating.
•  The way in which the artist gives herself 'male power' with typically male traits, can actually conform to the idea of 'fetishization' which explains how due to the male sex feeling powerless against a woman like Jessie J's character, they may objectify her and use her male traits to provide them with sexual pleasure and turning this fear into a fetish - again, sexually objectifying women.

Post-Feminist Response:

• Through sexualizing herself, Jessie J is in actual fact exploiting men through their sexual desires whilst setting her overall standards the same as men through the entire concept of the lyrics 'do it like a dude'. The artist/actress is embracing her sexuality as a female and in doing so, sexually empowers females.
• By visually stimulating the idea of woman-power, Jessie J can provide other women with 'narcissistic identification' as they may look at her and see how empowered she is as a woman and identify or aspire to portray and adopt those same values.

So ultimately, feminism and post-feminism are very different in their proposals of the representations of women in the media, and more specifically music videos. feminism is strictly against any form of male dominance. therefore women may actually have to restrict themselves from doing certain typically female activities as they may fear that this will present them as a conformist to the male dominating society. However post-feminist's realized that woman - for instance - don't need to repress their sexual desires and needs, and in satisfying their sexual needs and other desires, they are using men as opposed to being used by men. Therefore women aren't being objectified, but rather the men are being objectified to please and satisfy the need and requirements of females instead.

Other Music Video Theorists contd.

Andrew Goodwin
Goodwin stated that there were 5 key aspects that music videos can be broken down into:
1) Though beats (seeing the sound)
2) Narrative & performance
3) Star image
4) Relations to the visuals of the video
5) Technical aspects of the video

Akon and Eminem's 'Smack That' is a music video that conveys most, if not all of these elements to an extent: from telling a narrative which somewhat corresponds to the visual stimulations, to the importance of the star's image.

Other Music Video Theorists

Sven Carlsson
Main ideas:
       -Binary oppositions drive the narration of the video forward. This could be opposition between males  
        and females, black and white, naturalism and surrealism etc.
       -All music video's fall into two sub-categories: Performance and conceptual

Performance videos: Where the audience can see the artist dancing and singing in the actual video. This can be further divided into 3 factors:

          - Song performance

          - Dance performance

          - Instrumental performance

1) Carlsson states that the musical artist becomes the performer and is commonly manipulated to appear as a (materialistic) 'commercial exhibitionist'. So the performer is presented as almost a product, setting high aspirations and standards for the fans of the artist.
2) Another form of portraying music videos is what Calrsson named 'television bard', where the singer tells a story using on screen images rather than images that are personal to the artist.
3) 'Electronic Shaman' - Here, the artist's voice is the only form of identification for the band/artist as they themselves will not physically be involved in the music video.

Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' would be a modern example of a performance video as she fulfills both ideas of the artist singing and dancing in their video. More specifically she fulfills the 'commercial exhibitionist' convention as the video is consumed with visually stimulating images. The entire video consists of Rihanna dancing and singing, just in different settings and costumes which further sets materialistic aspirations for her fans.
      






Conceptual videos: When the audience are shown a music video where the focal point is something other than the artist themselves throughout the video

Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop' is a prime example of a conceptual video; the constant theme of confectionery sweets - and more obviously, lollipop's - is a focal point throughout the entire 'Lollipop' video

Deborah Holdstein

Music Video Theorist: Deborah Holdstein

Deborah Holdstein

View more presentations from habigail.

Draft CD Cover: Audience Feedback

Research on Draft CD Cover
To enable me to design and create a CD cover that would truly promote my artists values and beliefs as well as successfully targeting an audience, I asked a group of students some questions that allowed me to gain some constructive criticisms to make better my front cover and also what I did correctly for the initial cover.

The initial responses to my draft front cover was that it looked more like a miniature piece of art rather than an actual CD front cover for promoting a band. Although the aesthetics were pleasing to look at, there was nothing that particularly promoted an unsigned band. Instead of having a range of patterns, there could be something more to promote the image of the band and that represent their values and beliefs. This, for instance, could be an image of the band themselves, that would show the audience who this new and upcoming band are. This could also allow potential fans to identify with the image of the band members which could draw more listeners into their music.

Another thing that was pointed out by a student, was that there is a lot going on in one single image which makes the image seem chaotic and unnecessarily cluttered. This led me on to think that although the final image looked cluttered, each individual pattern was distinct and unique and interesting, just as I wanted my band to be perceived, making them memorable. I decided that I didn't have to completely exclude these images but I could use them in other areas of the digipak that must be created as part of promoting the band. That way I can ensure that there will be more promotional features for the band on the front cover and can still keep the distinctive images without confining them all to one front cover.

I plan to include some sort of photograph of the band themselves in action, maybe whilst playing at a gig to gain enhanced realism and place the image on the initial green striped background there was. I have also decided to take the black and white checkered patterns out as they cause quite a lot of the clutter; there is a clash between the green stripes and the black and white checks.

Taking the time out to understand what other people thought about my creative ideas was extremely beneficial as it encouraged me to change certain things that may or may not have worked in promoting a brand new artist. Obtaining a different perspective on my ideas was very refreshing and it helped me understand what i really needed to do in order to efficiently promote and sell my band's music.

Moodboard for Draft Front Cover

The visual stimuli that aided the draft of my initial front cover design

Moodboard for Draft Front Cover

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Youth Subcultures: RAVER'S

Ravers

• Derived from aspects of the MOD's culture: white, working class citizens, suffering from the lack of job opportunities.
• Main goal was: to have fun whilst rebelling against authoritative institutions like the government.
• The raving subculture was first instigated in the late 1950's where singer Buddy Holly's 'Rave On' became a hit single in 1958.
• From the mid to late 80's, their music became more associated with electronic bands.
• At this time, acid house parties had re-branded the term 'rave ups'. 
• Many people in society including the government were strongly against the raver subculture as they were commonly associated with acid drug usage (LSD/hallucinogenics) .
• Rave parties had become likened to football matches by society. They were working class people of which the majority were devoted football fans whose values from football (hooliganism) were reflected through the rave parties. 
• Ravers wanted the ultimate desire for the feeling of being in a frenzy to be never-ending.

Youth Subcultures: The PUNK's

Punks

• Aim was to NOT look pretty. Instead they wanted to shock and rebel against mainstream expectations to be their 'own', individual identity
• Punks were white people from predominantly white countries.
• Unlike the MOD's who were 'part-time' rebels - that had normal jobs during the week - Punks were rebellious 24/7, the decision in becoming a Punk is a full-time commitment.
• Punks typically have piercings and tattoos with wild and vibrant hairstyles
• They greatly valued their music, which expressed all of their rebellious values and beliefs through the music lyrics.
• Punks also rejected religion and morality and embraced Nihilism, believing that life did not have any objective meaning
•  The Sex Pistols are a prime example of Punks through their music and more obviously; their band name. The mixture of sex and violence through weapons (guns) are extremely rebellious.

The Sex Pistols 'God Save the Queen'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUH2YSFlVU

Youth Subcultures: The HIPPIES

Hippies

• Were typically middle class, white citizens from predominantly white countries
• They initially promoted peace and 'love-making'.
• Believed in the idea of 'free love' which meant that anyone could have sex with anyone and they also encouraged orgy's.
• Hippies are known for their meditation and neo-paganism where they take aspects of most religions and combine them to form one ultimate religion.
• They were known for consuming drugs like marijuana and LSD's, which they used to explore alternative states of consciousness.
• A traditional Hippy image would consist of denim and tie-dye clothing, beaded tops and long hair which they explained as being 'Ethnic' and clearly defy what was conventional at the time.
• Artists that were commonly associated with Hippies were The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix
• Hippies were always enthusiastic to questions society however not to the extreme attacks that the Punks later  displayed 

Jimi Hendrix - 'Voodoo Child'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW8u5Af0c6s

Youth Subcultures: The MOD's

 MOD's

• MOD's is the abbreviated version for the word 'Modernist's'.
• They originated in London and the South East of England. 
• MOD's were the working class British youth of the mid 1960's.
• The males typically wore neat suits with narrow trousers and pointed shoes.
• Female MOD's had darkened eyes and wore 'boyish'  clothes with short hair, to be deliberately androgynous.

• MOD's were normal working class people during the week but would go for weekends away to beaches where they could cause riots against others who weren't part of their in-group.
• Typical connotations of MOD men: Leather jackets and scooters.
• Typical connotations of MOD women: Miniskirts and 'boy-cut' hairstyles.
• There form of rebellion was against Rock, so they showed interest in Jazz, Soul and Dancehall music which were traditionally known as 'Black music'.

Musical Subcultures & Controversies

The Seventies and The Noughties

The music industry & audiences

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Pop Musical Subcultures Timeline

Questionnaire Conclusions

What I Found and Learnt From My Research


Big Question #1: Why Do We Enjoy Music

• When asked the question: 'why do you listen to music?', most, if not all participants gave responses which led me to believe that the main reason for listening to music, was escapism. Answers included things like blocking out certain thoughts and people, relaxing and forgetting certain things and occasionally to avoid boredom. All of these reasons suggest that people listen to music so that they can get away from something that is currently their in their lives and imagine being somewhere other than their current place. 
• We can also draw the conclusion that no matter what type of music a person prefers to listen to, the reasons are all very similar. I asked the question 'What type of music would you typically listen to?' and my results revealed that collectively an extensively wide range of music was listened to and enjoyed, from classical and gospel music, to Rock and Grime. So even though there are lots of different people, listening to lots of different types of music, all these musical genres are enjoyed for similar reasons. They provide a form of relaxation and escapism for each listener through different types of sounds.

Big Question #2: Does The Visual Image Supporting and Promoting an Artist, Influence its Audience?

• All of the participants within the questionnaire said that the visual image of an artist definitely has a great lot of input in the selling and promoting of an artist. This can be shown through the fact that every single person who took part in the questionnaire responded with a 'yes' when asked if an artist's image 'aids in the decision of buying into an artists music or not'. Therefore suggesting that the visual image an artists uses to portrays themselves is a big influence in promoting the music.
• I also found that about 50% of the participants felt that the image an artist they listen to conveys, strongly reflects their values and beliefs and in-turn influences the way the audience would like to be seen as for their values and beliefs. However this was much more common in teenagers and more specifically in young males. 

This research has helped me in planning my final digipak design, as I now understand that the main reason people enjoy music is due to the escapism factor and the type of escapism an artist's music has to offer. If my artist is a rapper, then I might convey this idea of a fantasy life of the rich and the famous that my audience may dream to obtain. However if my artist is a pop/rock band, I may choose to promote a type of escapism that promotes changes for the better of society. 

Furthermore I also now know that the physical appearance of an artist or their promotional image is a key element in selling an artist and their music. Without an attention-grabbing image that supports the values and beliefs of my artist, my artist may not be as successful in its feasibility as it would not be targeting its true target audience.   

The Enjoyment of Music and The Effect of a Visual Image

In order to understand first-hand, what consumers of music feel about aspects of the music industry, I conducted a survey of questionnaires. I gave the questionnaire to a range of people from different age groups to enable me to obtain widely generalisable results and accurate conclusions.
My questionnaire aims to focus on two main things: 1) Why, as consumers of music, we enjoy music and what uses and gratifications it fulfils, and 2) What effect the visual appearance of an artist has on their audience.

Music questionnaire

1. Are you:

Male

Female

2. Would you consider music as a fundamental or important aspect of your everyday life?

a) Yes

b) No

3. What music genre would you typically listen to?

………………………………………………………………………………..

4. Why do you listen to this type of music?

………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Do your friends have any influence on the music you listen to?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Somewhat

6. Do you feel that the image of the artists’ you listen to is reflected in your own appearance?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Some of the music does

7. Does this music ever have an influence on your emotions?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Sometimes

8. Do you listen to music for: (tick as many boxes as you wish)

a) The sound

b) The lyrics

c) Because you like the artist

d) Other (please specify)………………………………………………………………

9. If you had to choose, who would your favourite artist/band be?

……………………………………

10. Do you, in any way feel as though you identify with this artist/band and share their values and beliefs promoted in their music?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Somewhat

11. Does this influence the way you would prefer to be seen physically? (Clothing, Make-up, Accessories?)

a) Yes

b) No

c) Somewhat

How?

………………………………………………………………………………………......

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. Do you think that this artist’s/band’s values and beliefs are conveyed in through their visual image?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Sometimes

13. Do you think an artist’s overall image, aid’s the decision you make in liking a particular artist and buying into their music?

a) Definitely

b) Never

c) Mostly

d) Somewhat, but not much

How an Artist's Visual Image Can Change Over Time

The Changing Faces of Madonna

The Changing Faces Of Madonna

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Analysing CD Covers

Nicki Minaj 'Pink Friday'

In relation to Nicki Minaj's CD cover, a range of things are being conveyed, from her musical talents to her personality and image portrayal.

This overall idea, is a take on 'Alice in Wonderland' and the entire image is dominated by the colour pink. These are obvious contributions to the artist's personal preferences as she takes interest in the concept of 'Alice in Wonderland' and her magnificent adventures but manipulates the idea to fit in with her love for the colour pink; hence the subtle tribute within her album title: 'Pink Friday'!

Her facial expression conveys a weariness or a curious interest in something distance that we cannot see, just as the character of Alice would. Moreover, her baby pink, doll dress, silver bow and flawless face suggests that she is attempting to seem as innocent and perfect as fairytale characters are. However her fingerless gloves, her tattoo on her arm and the 'parental advisory' label suggests that as opposed to her visual representation, her music it not very innocent and fairytale-like as these assets convey a sense of rebellion and contradiction when placed in the same region as the fairytale-like scene. Nicki Minaj's tattoo can reflect where she is from or her upbringing which alongside her fingerless gloves, could suggest that she is in fact a real person in a fantasy land; Wonderland.

Overall, I think this CD cover in particular conveys a combination of both her music and the way she wishes to be portrayed alongside the music. She is a talented yet somewhat explicit rap artist, who has a pretty face and presents herself through a lady-like image, almost to contradict typical connotations of rap artists as trainer-wearing and tough-looking gangsters by appearing as this delicate and angelic young woman.

Analysing CD Covers

Jane's Addiction 'Nothing's Shocking'

In this case; first impressions are lasting ones. 'Nothing's Changed' is an extremely eye-grabbing front cover even though the image itself is in black and white. Our immediate response is shock, dismay and pure curiosity as to what this front cover could possibly mean.

The effect of the black and white image strongly emphasises the content of the front cover as opposed to vibrant and aesthetically pleasing colours. Furthermore as the artist's name is written in colour, it could enhance the importance of the artist's name and suggest that the meaning behind the name is of great importance. Like the fact that the 'A' in 'Addiction' is shaped very similar to a pentagram, which is commonly associated with witchcraft and other supernatural concepts, could portray the band's musical values and beliefs through their name.

The picture itself consists of two naked women joint at the shoulder and hip, sitting on a hovering rocking chair whilst their heads are on fire. The background is plain and bare, accentuating these naked women who look almost inanimate and as though they are blankly staring at something above the audiences view. The fact that their heads are on fire and the rocking chair is levitating, reinforces my earlier mentioned idea that there are supernatural and unnatural elements within their music. Furthermore, the fact that the album is called 'Nothing's Shocking' is quite satirical as everything the image conveys is shocking to the average person, which again allows us to understand the band's musical interest and general ideologies; to them, this image is relatively normal and possibly an everyday aspect of their lives. However to the audience, it is extremely outrageous and does not comprehend any logical sense. Therefore implying that their music within this album is similarly extreme and strange to an audience who doesn't know what their music is about, yet to those who share the values and beliefs of 'Jane's Addiction', this will be 'nothing shocking' and just another extract of musical entertainment for the band's loyal fans.

Jane's Addictions' song 'The Mountain Song', was band from being played on certain radio stations and television channels due to explicit exposure of indecent body images. However i managed to find a link to make a judgment for myself as to how extreme this video really was:

http://vodpod.com/watch/4458524-janes-addiction-mountain-song

Analysing CD Cover

Nirvana 'Nevermind'



At first glance, this front cover seems fairly calm and natural, through the shades of blue in the undisturbed water and what seems like a cute and innocent baby. Then after a second look we gain an entirely opposite perspective of the front cover; the image now radiates a vivid impression of the naked baby chasing after a Dollar note, that seems to be hanging off a fishing line.


After gazing at this image I now understand that it is not so calm and the baby is not innocent at all. In fact the entire front cover is very effective in conveying the corruption of the world. The baby is meant to symbolize nature and all things pure and innocent within the world. The money, on the other hand, is symbolic of the corruption of the world which corresponds to a famous Biblical quote: 'The love of money is the root of all evil'. The naked baby is looking at, and appears to be swimming towards the money which can signify the corruption of innocence within the world. The fact that the money is dangling from a fishing rod can further suggest that this money corruption is man-made and is a temptation to the world as someone must be at the other end of the fishing line. Just as bait hanging off a fishing line is tempting for a shark even though it may lead to their death, the money has now become a temptation for the innocent baby almost murdering his purity.


In relation to the band, Nirvana's values and beliefs are strongly reflected through this front cover as they were a band who expressed their hatred for society and their belief in how society has become corrupted through their music. Many of their songs, like 'The Man Who Sold the World' and 'In Bloom' reflect this idea of the world becoming a bad place that has altered this idea of innocence and nature into greed and lust.


Nirvana - 'The Man Who Sold The World'

The Music Industry Today

Music, Money and Independent Women Hip-Hop Honeys

This BBC THREE documentary revealed the 'behind-the-scenes' footage of Hip-Hop music videos and the female dancers that seem to make the video a real success. It shows just how much some women want this 'Hip Hop Honey' lifestyle and the extents to which they are willing to go to, in order to achieve this aspiration. I also gained a detailed understanding as to why these women wish to become 'Hip Hop Honeys' and managed to obtain a male perspective on these women.


One of the key reasons as to why most of the interviewed women chose their lifestyle as a 'Hip Hop Honey' was because they felt that by using their sexuality, they were exploiting males through their sexual desires, and in turn, empowering themselves as women by making money. This post-feminist (and arguably, manipulated) perspective, is reinforced by one of the interviewed 'Hip Hop Honey' wannabe's; twenty-three year old, single mum Shereece, whose interview greatly reflected these beliefs. Shereece explained that her desperate aim to break into the Hip Hop industry as a videogirl was her way of gaining confidence and liberation as a woman. She truly felt that in becoming a videogirl, she would be exploiting men through their weaknesses of sexual desire as she would've been making money from them. Shereece said that only on the surface would it seem as though women were being exploited and in reality the case was vice versa. For Shereece, obtaining a lifestyle like this would be a dream as she would be 'making money through exploiting men' and also would feel confident as a woman in being the object of sexual desire and pleasure for many males. However, is this really exemplary of the exploitation of men, or has this ideology been manipulated to fit the lifestyles of those who are being sexually exploited (women)? Is the only way for a woman to feel confident and liberated through the male libido and physical male attention?


As opposed to this, the documentary also proposed a conflicting argument suggesting that women are sexually objectified and expoilted through Hip Hop music videos. When twenty year old videogirl Tashie J attends a video shooting for a So Solid Crew song, the behind-the-scenes footage exposes us to a brutal truth, expressed by a member of the band: He bluntly explains that 'sexy girls can brainwash a male audience into liking even the most rubbish of songs'. This openly expressed opinion reinforces the idea of women being exploited through their sexuality as the music is only enjoyed for the exposure of a women's sexual assets. The documentary also reveals a harsh fact; very few video dancers get paid or even expect to get paid. So really, most of these women are making it seem okay for them to be exploited as they have no expectations of being paid for their service even though they are being sexualy exposed through music videos.


This leads nicely onto the view of  this sexual exploitation of women, negatively influencing young men in their attitudes and behaviours towards other women in society. The documentary presenter, takes the audience to the outside of a popular night club, where she asks some of the club-goers questions regarding male perpectives on women today, in relation to clubbing and their role in Hip Hop music videos. One male in particular said that women themselves 'immitate videogirls' in their dancing and overall behaviours, causing them to act as though they have little respect for themselves. This in turn causes the men to feel as though the women have little dignity and treat them with little respect and as 'slags', in the same ways that videogirls are. This again suggests that the female gender is being exploited rather than males, but also suggests that women are quite happy to be exploited in this sexual manner as many are reproducing the video girl image in clubs.


Ultimately, this documentary enlightened me in understanding both a male and female view of the representation of women in Hip Hop music videos. The male view of women in music videos as being nothing more than women with little respect for themselves, is an ideology that I can comprehend. However whether males are the ones being exploited for their libido as opposed to women is what I think is a negotiated understanding of the truth: Some women just won't admit to their own exploitation.

This documentary can benefit me when it comes to making decisions about my final project. More specifically, it can encourage me to think carefully about everything that I decide to involve in my music video for my promotional artist. It causes me to feel that their is a strong need for thought when creating a music video which later will be broadcasted on televsion, as a vast majority of the audience may create negotiated meanings of my music video in the same way that representations of videogirls have been negotiated and manipulated by through the perspective of both men and women. If I want little negotiated meaning beings interpreted, then I must ensure the messages conveyed are vivid and strong to any audience.

Akon's song 'I Wanna Love You' is a prime example of what could be interpreted in conveying both contradicting views. You be the judge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzF7H2e3Tw