Whilst analysing this video, I was mainly interested in the structure and artist representation.
this
music video does have a clear structure as the lyrics link to the
visuals of the music video, the artist is presenting himself as an
independent character and he is showing
this by the use of inter sexual inferences he is making. the music video
contains different chips of the artist performing on stage. This links
to our music video because in our music video we will be suing
the dig-pack to make links to the artists life and
in Eminem's video, he uses key events to make references to his life
e.g. him performing on stage and getting ready for shows.
Artist representation:
The artist is represented as an strong individual and this is shown through
his lyrics, 'Sing it with me, just for today, maybe tomorrow the good Lord'll take you away...' This means that the artist is trying motivate
his fans.
Video: Action Bronson - Actin Crazy
Whilst analyzing this video, I was mainly interested in the content and visual style of the video.
Body language and facial expressions of characters and artist:
The artists body language show that he isn't as interested as he is eating while shooting for his music video
Setting and editing:
The settings that have been
used in this music video is very interesting because the director uses a
green screen to capture different shots.
Whilst planning a music video one of our tasks to create a copyright letter which I’d send to the record company of diplo music regarding the usage of one of his singles. this letter was purposely wrote to explain how this single will contribute towards our A Level grades. It was vital that we wrote this letter as it clarifies our intentions and stops the company from taking any legal actions such as getting sued.
We
are ‘esoteric records’ and I am writing to you from Oasis Academy
Hadley 6th Form in order to request for authorization of the single 'oh
well.' We ask for permission for this audio simply to create a music video
which is required in our A2 Media Advanced Portfolio coursework.
We are a group of students who are hoping for
your permission in order to produce a creative music video that reflects our
own creative ideas. Our coursework task involves creating a music video with a
song of our choice, and we have chosen G eazy’s single because of the
mainstream sounds it provides which can be very appealing to our target
audience. In addition the themes it portrays are suitable for our audience
category’s chosen
If we received your permission, this track
would ONLY be used for educational purposes only and for the OCR exam board
moderator. It would not be used for promotional reasons and we have no
intention to display this video for commercial use.
I and the rest of my group would be very
privileged if you take our request into consideration and give us the authority
to use the audio. The artist and your company would of course be recognized
throughout pre-production work, through the actual video production as well as
being credited if you please on our work blogs. A copyright notice with wording
supplied by you can be included in the records of the project if you would like
us to do so. If this is required, please send the full details.
After creating a copyright letter we then made an attempt to send it off to his manager's inquiry email account, stating that we would use the track strictly is for educational purposes, to prevent any illegal issues with the artist. A few weeks down the line and we have had no response from the account we sent the email to. As a result of this if we was to be convicted of copyright we could simply say we did ask for permission and they didn't respond.
For a task we were allocated within our group to analyse parts of the song in order to decide what visuals or edits will be used within our music video. In order to help us plan our artist as well we looked at the lyrics to discuss what kind of characteristics will be portrayed out of him. In addition we also discussed what parts of the song will be narrative, performance and concept based.
Applying the theories to our music video
· Goodwin
We will be using star image as the narrative revolves around the artists’ life in the music industry.
An intertextual reference is made to his life with the promotion of the digi-pack within the video.
Genre characteristics are not being precisely followed, though the setting of a recording studio may apply.
· Dyer
Most of the video will be performance-based. Some concept shots at the beginning during the meeting scene.
· Mulvey’s ‘Male Gave’
Our genre is known to sexualise women, however out video challenges this trait as there is no focus on women, nor sexual themes.
· Adorno
The artist is alluding to the ruling-class through encouraging morals of success and wealth
Outline of narrative
The video will begin with abstract shots outside the office, then followed by the extra characters in the office whilst we hear the start of the instrumental to 'oh well.' As video idea consists of one main scenario (with different locations) and is more of a concept song as it doesn't naturally relate to the lyrics. The visuals of the artist will begin as soon as the lyrics come in as part of his performance. It will have some sort of narrative however showing a young artist and his everyday life in the music industry which includes; meetings for his next album cover which will be shown in an office with his fellow colleagues, briefly recording music with a producer; shooting a music video within back up dancers etc and even photo shoots for top magazines. an example of when a narrative visuals will be shown is when. the idea of inputting the narrative concept idea will come in where he say lines such as "no shades of grey here my outfit is jet black." its essential that in this line we go with what the artist is saying therefore through editing we will have the characters apper to change clothes instantly from a smart attire to a more retro urban one. We decided the idea of these visuals would be a much better option for the audio rather than a typical of the artist partying or going to a club which is why we plan to show the artist as a hardworking individual to have a positive impact on the youth viewing this music video. Because it will be more concept based, there wouldn't be much of a story or a message behind the music video, it will simply consist of his everyday life instead. the idea of concept visuals will be utlised when the chorus comes in where we will show urban areas of london to represent the genre.
It is important, when creating a music video, that a specific target audience has been identified to aim the music video at as this will decide upon the type of micro elements you will use in order to appeal to them in hope to form a relationship. By knowing the exact target audience you’re aiming your product for, you can then manipulate they’re reactions/perspectives of things.
Audience categories
Age:16 - 30 - This age group is still young but as a teen you are growing up and start looking for real hard-core music that you can relate to. Experimental Hip hop is based at young teenagers living life or going through a lot, therefore this age is relevant for planning my video.
Gender:Unisex but mainly Males- All genders can listen to experimental Hip hop however for my groups video it is mainly based at young teenage girls because of our artists image. Race:All races but however predominantly the black race- As time goes on more and more races start to listen to hip hop but hip hop was originated by the black race and that's why so many black teens can identify with the genre. Audience categories:y audience will suit category E to C2 because hip hop come sometimes talk rap or sing about the lowest moments or even struggles they've gone through to proceed in life and this category out of all the others have probably lived those moments. Income:A little or no income- Most of my audience will be students so they may not even have jobs and the late 20s may also be students or just starting a low paid job. If I choose an audience that was really well paid they couldn't relate to hip hop because most songs are about the artists life and how little they had at a young age. Hobbies and interests:My audience are mainly teenagers so they would have wild and outrageous hobbies like American football, skateboarding, partying, taking drugs, dancing, listening to music and sex
In order to understand what the audience’s viewpoints and demands from a club/dance music video I carried out a questionnaire that consisted of 18 questions and then then put the feedback into graph form. The purpose of doing this was to make me understand clearly what makes a target audience enjoy and listen to the genre of my choice (experimental hip-hop). I would then be able to use this information and decide on what elements and techniques I should use and what I should not use when producing my music video product.
1.Name: ____________________________________
2.Age: 10-15 [ ] 16-21 [ ] 22-27 [ ]
3.Ethnicity:
White [ ] Black [ ] Oriental [ ] Pacific Islander [ ] Other [ ]
10/20 people were white, 5/20 were black, 2/20 oriental, 3/20 other and 0/20 pacific islander. The dominating white and black races in these results, already show that we have a potential Hip-Hop audience, as contemporary Hip-Hop has a mixture of white and black consumers.
4.How often do you listen to Hip-Hop?
Never [ ] Sometimes [ ] Always [ ]
12/20 people always listen to Hip-Hop, 7/20 people sometimes do and1/20 never. These results prove the prediction above, as the majority of people asked are consumers of Hip-Hop.
5.How often do you watch music videos?
Never [ ] Sometimes [ ] Always [ ]
10/20 people always watch music videos, 7/20 sometimes do and 3/20never. As well as being consumers of our genre choice, this audience generally enhance their consumption on the YouTube/Vevo media platform as most people watch music videos.
6.What do you expect a Hip-Hop video to generally look like?
9/20 people expect a Hip-Hop music video to be urban, 6/20 people expect futuristic elements, 3/20 people chose formal, 2/20 agree that it’s likely to be sexual and 0/20 people think that it would be innocent. Therefore, this audience generally prefer our location choice, which is urban.
7.What do you expect a Hip-Hop artist to sing about?
10/20 people think a Hip-Hop artist would sing about love, 6/20 people thought politics, 2/20 for recreation & love and 0/20 for loneliness. This shows that the Hip-Hop audience prefer slightly more positive themes within the music.
8.Do you like it when the artist of the song is the main focus in a music video?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
9.Should Hip-Hop artists be sexualised in music videos?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
10.Should music videos link to the lyrics of the song?
This question allowed us to identify what people are most likely to expect. The majority of people asked chose gangster. Unfortunately because most people chose the gangster attire, we have decided to go against their choice simply because we want it to be more mainstream also it would look better if we went with formal or casual because it would be unexpected.
12.What time should a Hip-Hop music video be shot?
Morning [ ] Afternoon [ ] Evening [ ] Night [ ]
From the results this shows that people are more interested to see a video at a time when it is dark however most of our video will be filmed indoors. As a result of this the time that we shoot it would not effect the audiences feeling of it being a hip hop music video. If we was to shoot outdoors however we would definitely consider filming in the afternoon or at night.
13.Which location appeals the most to you?
Restaurant [ ] Club [ ] Park [ ] Home [ ] Work [ ] Streets [ ]
The purpose of asking this was to define where people actually intend to visualise a hip hop video. The 3 most wanted options were a club, park and a house. we plan to alternate these top choices again to hit the audience with something unexpected. In addition, filming in a club would not be realistic.
14.How should Hip-Hop artists interact with other people in music videos?
Aggressively [ ] Sexually [ ] Distant [ ] There shouldn’t be other characters [ ]
Generally in a hip hop video you wouldn't see an isolated artist in a hip hop video, which is why we least expect the main character to be distant. it was also expected that most people would pick aggressive due to the raw urban sound hip hop provides.
15.What personality traits do you expect a Hip-Hop artist to have?
16.Do you think you have a connection with any Hip-Hop artists?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
This question was vital towards the utilisation of our star image. it was important we had a personality for our artist. The main option most people picked was passion mainly because most hip hop artists have had a hard upbringing which is why we want to show how hardworking our artist is within the music video.
Generally those who said yes referred to modern Hip-Hop artists, which shows that it is still a highly appreciated genre in a music industry, and consumers welcome new content.
After
analysing three of the initial music video ideas, me and the rest
of the group chose the most conventional music video that we thought would be most
effective and appealing towards the target audience. The song we chose to create a music video for is by a more urban artist which
belongs to the hip hop genre. I choose this as it was the best
choice in terms of performance and concept based and what we felt we could portray best as a group in terms of abilities and musical interests. Artist: G - Eazy Song Title: "oh well" Genre: Alternative hip hop
Video content: The video idea consists of one main scenario and is more of a concept song as it doesn't naturally relate to the lyrics. It will have some sort of narrative however showing a young artist and his everyday life
in the music industry which includes; meetings for his next album cover which will be shown in an office with his fellow colleagues, briefly recording music with a producer;
shooting a music video within back up dancers etc and even photo shoots for top magazines. We decided the idea of these visuals would be a much better option for the audio rather
than a typical of the artist partying or going to a club. Because it will be more concept based, there wouldn't
be much of a story or a message behind the music video. Video structure: This structure will be a conventional music video. We will
show performance of the artist as he performs the lyrics, then show some
narrative of him enjoying the lifestyle and working in the company. The concept ideas will
be shown through the setting such as an office and themes of comedy within the visuals of the one
single shot style will also so some concept ideas of
locations and the boys breaking out in dance routines.
Artist's image: Generally our artist will come across as unpredictable and controversial towards the audience. Due to the sound being experimental hip hop the traits he will posses will be unique and oblivious. Through the visuals also he will be presented as a characters who is funny and in his own world.
Star image:We will follow Dyer’s theory of ‘Star Image’ in order for our artist to appeal to a mainstream audience. star image is without question one of the most important elements within a
music video as they both help create a positive response from the
audience in hope to visual appeal and attract them to watch the music
video. There will many star image motifs used within the music video in
order to make the artist recognizable and easy to identify by the
audience, such as close ups, detailed costume for the artist etc. our star will come across the audience a cool but hardworking young male so that youths can aspire and look up to him. Mise en scene
Location: An office will be used at the start to show them going through a meeting about the album cover and other promotions and ways of marketing the artist. A follow up of him walking through corridors going into other rooms such a recording studios dance studios and making his way to photo shoots. Iconography: -clipboards, papers and other office appliances -lighting equipment for the photo shoot -recording mic Costume:Starts off formal then later switches to a jet black as its mentioned in the song, "no shades of grey here my outfit is jet black" Lighting: Natural
and high key lighting will be used throughout the music video as it
helps set and maintain the atmosphere of the scenes. In addition, this
decision was made with the audience’s expectations in mind as they’d
expect the typical hip hop genre to be very dark and niche. However, low key
lighting will be used at some points for the purpose of reminding the audience that we still keep some element of a gloomy look. Music video Influence This music video is a great inspiration to our final idea. This is
because it consists of one whole shot. Not only is it more effiecient and less hassle when shooting but it also will save us time when editing as we will only have to focus on filters, text and credits. However we wont fully utilise this idea but we are certain that we will have longer frame shots which will be carefully syncronised and choreographed.
The visuals in this is what caught ur eyes, the fact that the video is set in a green screen studio however this actually shows the present production of a music video/film with animation. we may not be able to create animation the same way he did but we will certainly looking into showing the actual production of a music video.The artist is presented in a way to enhance their ‘star image’ showing how they work in the industry and how all the other people helping have a bond also presenting him a nice welcoming person.
My final choices was decided from the positive and negative feedback
from my questionnaire. I found that most teens want a video they could
relate to and understand. We realised that the song we choose was so different we had to keep it within the mainstream area by changing the setting and surroundings. With the specific settings I believe that my video will appeal to the mainstream audience very well. This music video will be conventional to the hip hop genre because it represents hardworking struggle but fun at the same time of young males. Most hip hop artists rap about love, partying and drugs and those themes will not be incorporated in the visuals. This music video represents my artist because he is the main character in the middle of the screen showing him throughout most of the visuals.
Conclusion:
In conclusion I believe that with the right conventions and themes my
music video will be a great success. Because it will connect with the
audience more and allow them to feel the emotion of the Artist. i believe my group will be able to portray this best because even though we have different view on what is the best music genre and what appeals to the mainstream audience the most. we can still incorporate our ideas from different music videos we see everyday in one piece of work.
Target audience:
Age: 14 - 30
Gender: mainly male but females can also listen to it
Audience category: C2 - E
Narrative: more of a concept song showing a young artist and his everyday life in the music industry which includes; meetings, recording music; shooting a music video, handling paperwork and even photo shoots. Rather than a typical love story of a male and female. the concept ideas will be shown through the setting and themes within the visuals of the one single shot style. because its will be more concept based there wouldn't be much of a story or a message behind the music video.
Narrative structure: Concept and performance narrative
Representation of artist: Composed cheerful in order to promote their personality and values towards the audience as the artist will be more of a commodity. by representing my artist like this, it will allow the audience to feel more comfortable listening to his music in the future or even becoming a fan.
MES:
Cinematography: one shot
Setting: studios, offices
Lighting: high key
Costume: from smart bright formal clothing to dark clothing
Application of theory: Goodwin all his 8 characteristic of what a music video should include will be utilised. Dyer star image will be explored throughout the music video as i would want my audience to connect with the star. Possibly Mulvey as i wouldn't want to offend the female audience but at the same time attract a bit of a male audience.
Advantages:
easy to appeal to a specific audience
will be widely recognised for the one shot visuals
Disadvantages:
low marks on editing
lip syncing may be harder when editing
Lara's idea
Song: 'Rewind' by Kelela
Genre: Alternative R&B
Target Audience: males and females 18-25, dominantly black ethnicity/culture, social classes D-C1 (I have extended it to C1 because of the 'alternative' aspect to traditional R&B).
Narrative: I would like the video to have a club setting due to the house elements incorporated in the song. It's upbeat so deserving of an equally up-beat, fast-paced video. This is allow concept ideas as the purpose of a club is to be spontaneous and unpredictable. Though it would also allow for performance of the artist singing and dancing in the club, like Kylie Minogue in 'Spinning Around'. During the slow part of the song, I want the setting to transition outside, showing concept shots of street lights. Here a short narrative takes place, showing a shot of the artist in a different outfit sitting on the bench. Shot 2: showing the artist in her original outfit, looking out at where she was sitting in the past. Shot 3: showing her sitting on the bench looking to the right, toward the street light, as the lyrics 'turn my head to right, now I'm looking for you'. Shot 4: showing her again looking at herself in the past as the lyrics 'and I can't rewind' come. Shot 5: showing her sitting on the bench in her present outfit intended for the club. She gets up, and goes inside, and the song continues as if that narrative never happened.
Representation of artists/characters: The artist will be performing and dancing to her own song. I plan for other characters to not be actual people, but objects such as dolls. These dolls reflect that she is seeking for someone, but has nobody, and tries to convince herself through being in a club that she is not alone.
Mise En Scene: Mixture of high and low-key lighting to fit the club setting. Natural night-time lighting outside in order to include the shot with the street light. Artist dressed up to party - moderately short skirt, possibly a crop top. 'Trashy' club scene to show off how artificial it is.
Application of Theory:
Mulvey's Male Gaze; I want the artist to be showing SOME skin to highlight that she is alone and dressed up to attract attention that she is looking for. She is constantly portrayed as lonely.
Goodwin's Theory; genre characteristics are included such as low-key lighting for R&B, fast editing & club setting for house elements. Portrayals of isolation to link to the lyrics. And star image, everything is about the artist's isolation and she is the only one dancing which brings the focus onto her. Advantages:
every aspect of this idea is achievable
we won't have to find other characters
Disadvantages:
it may be hard to portray isolation with the dolls, it could come across as scary
solution: use more high-key lighting around those shots to reduce the potential theme of thriller
Gizem's idea
Song: How deep is your love by Calvin Harris and Disciples
Genre: House
Target audience: Both females and males, ages from 16 - 29
Narrative Structure: Performance and Narrative
Narrative: Female artist at home with her boyfriend and she is trying to believe her boyfriend that she loves him. As the beat drops, the scenes into a club setting.
Representation of the artist/ characters: The female artist will be dancing and singing to her own song, she will be presented as the leader of her relationship. Male artist will be presented as a passive character who is trying to understand what the female artist is saying.
Mise En Scene: A mixture of high/ low key lighting will be used, coloured filtered will be used when I start to capture the club scene.
Application of Theory:
Goodwin's theory; genre characteristics are included such as low key lighting and constantly cuts to the beat showing a sense of rhythm and pace.
Mulvey's theory; I want my female artist to show some skin as she is being playful but I do not want to present her as an sexual object.
Advantages:
Appeal to a wider audience
This music video is achievable to produce
Disadvantages:
Can be compared to original song as it is a new music video
