FINAL IDEA!

So we've FINALLY got our track, after days of searching and all of us can't be more happier with the track idea!

Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna - If I never see your face again

Now as the summer fades
I let you slip away
You say I'm not your type
But I can make you sway

It makes me burn to learn
You're not the only one
I'd let you be if you
Put down your blazing gun

[Chorus:]
Now you've gone somewhere else
Far away
I don't know if I will find you (find you, find you)
But you feel my breath
On your neck
Can't believe I'm right behind you (right behind you)
'Cause you keep me coming back for more
And I feel a little better than I did before
And if I never see your face again
I don't mind
'Cause we gone much further than I thought we'd get tonight

Sometimes you move so well
It's hard not to give in
I'm lost, I can't tell
Where you end and I begin

It makes you burn to learn
I'm with another man
I wonder if he's half
The lover that I am

[Chorus]

Baby, baby
Please believe me
Find it in your heart to reach me
Promise not to leave me behind
(Promise not to leave me behind)

Take me down, but take it easy
Make me think but don't deceive me
Torture me by taking your time
(Talk to me, talk to me)

[x2]
'Cause you keep me coming back for more
And I feel a little better than I did before
And if I never see your face again
I don't mind
'Cause we gone much further than I thought we'd get tonight

MY TREATMENT
This video would be based around the division of genre, gender and style. (using walk this way - Run DMC feat. Aerosmith as a reference)
The music video open with the band in the middle of the stage with the lead singer in the front. As soon as the female voice takes over the girls come in and take over the stage. Throughout the music video these two groups would be competing and challenging each other.

It is a performance based video which would also involve the effects of the ipod advert. On one side of the screen would be the male singer singing into his microphone or playing the guitar, and on the other side of the screen the female dancer.
At the end the main female and male swap characters. The female wears indie clothing and the male wears more slick and hip-hop. clothing. This portrays the fusion of the two divides. The last shot would be of the whole dance floor. The two main singers in the centre of a crowd of people facing each other, singing into their microphone stands and the lights go out.

MY FINAL TWO

Akon feat Keri Hison - Change Me

I think this song could work really well for us, especially because there is both a male singer and female singer and this would make the video as a whole more interesting.

MY TREATMENT: The song is based around two good friends. They both love each other but aren't aware of it. The girl constantly sees him 'check out' other girls and decides to release her frustration and sorrow at home through smashing valuable objects in her house. (see below for referencing) She then tries to change herself and become someone she isn't just to make him like her back. She changed from being a plain and simple girl into a plastic, girly girl.



I love this video (Enrique Iglesias feat Ciara - Taking back My Love) and think we can use 0.57seconds -1.09 seconds for inspiration. The other scenes are also very well shot and directed but i think it would be out of our budget to splash paint over a car or smash a glass table!

Runner Runner - She Will be loved

MY TREATMENT: A girl sees her boyfriend in bed with another girl..she is distraught and runs away. The whole setting of this music video will be black dominated as it is a depressing narrative. The boy does everything he can to win her heart back. He sends her flowers, waits for hours on end outside her house in the pouring rain, calls her numerous times etc. In my opinion this music video would work really well in black and white to emphasise on the vulnerability and sorrow. There would also be constant montages throughout the music video of the good times they had spent together. These shots however, would be in colour.

second group meeting

SHORTLIST:

Rise against - The Dirt Whispered



She will be loved - Runner Runner


Impression that I get - Mighty Mights Bosstones


Arctic Monkeys - Still take you home

Some useful tips for our music video:

Today we had Jasmine Blackborrow, who has experienced working in the real media world come talk to us and give us tips about our music video. Here are a few of the most important, useful tips she gave us:

- Firstly, you should always have more than one idea. Whether it is for the treatment, location or even actors. Something may come up such as the someone not liking your idea or one of the actors may not be able to be make it. If you have a back up you would not waste any time or panick about what to do.
- Referencing from other music videos. Try watching as many music videos as you can and take into account ideas that you especially like and can use in your own music video.
- Make a storyboard - This is crucial as it allows other members of the group to visualise your idea exactly how you want it to be.
- Write out shots you want for every verse and plan ahead. Or the day will come, and you will have no idea what to shoot on particular lines.

GENRE

RnB and HipHop


Above is a music video by one of my favourite RnB singers - Akon.
RnB music tends to be based around relationships, love life or fighting for life/escaping. In contrast to other genres, RnB music is more slick and classy. Classic outfits are: Black suits, Hoodies, Trainers, Bling, Flat caps etc. RnB music involves a lot of street dance and tends to have a more voyeuristic view of women than other genres.
Typically, the rhythm section consists of a drum kit, bass (electric or acoustic), piano (sometimes organ instead of or in addition to piano), and guitar, while the horn section features saxophones, trumpets, and occasionally trombones. The emphasis on the horn section in most styles of R&B has been one of the ways in which the music has historically been differentiated from white rock music, which has tended to be guitar dominated.

80's pop

Madonna - Lucky Star

An obvious feature of 80's music is the outfits worn. Classic outfits include: Crop-tops, Leggings, Big bows, Nets etc

In this music video Madonna wears red lipstick, black frilly clothing and has BIG HAIR. - A classic 80's style! The dance routine itself is very pop, and the continuous beauty shots throughout the music video is most common in pop videos, however most genres do this as it helps sell the singer.

Track ideas

Casely - Emotional.

I think this song is a great song to do because there are a lot of various ways we could narrate the lyrics.
This song should have 3 main locations. One beauty shot - of the singer singing. Second, the setting would be in a club - The camera would be switching form the main actor to his ex girlfriend with another guy. Finally, the last shot would be flashes of memories he had with her.

Something more dance related ..Pretty Young Thing - Michael Jackson remix feat Will.i.am

Party All The Time - Black Eyed Peas

GROUP MEETING

Today was our first group meeting. The group consists of four people: Loren, Jack, Shaun and myself. Today we discussed the song ideas we had and then cut it down to the best three.

I Want It That Way - Dynamite Boy

Sunny Days - Kid British

Rock Your Body - Black Eyed Peas

Until the next group meeting, we have all agreed on picking a song we want to base our project on and create a treatment for it. It's all starting off!

Music Industry Marketing

After lask week's introduction to the money-fuelled world that is music marketing, we got set some work to do on the 4P's of music marketing. These are: Products, Place, Price andPromotion.
1. Summarising in your own words what the 4Ps of music marketing are. Use the following categories:
a) What band/artist related products can audiences buy?
They can buy CD singles, albums, merchandise e.g. t-shirts, key rings,freebies etc

b) Where can audiences buy/listen to music/merchandise/hardware?
Place; TV, Music channels, bus-stop/bill boards, posters, radio, internet Music festivals, gigs, youtube, band, pop-ups

Price; Freebies, Discount coupons, vouchers, offers (shops are more expensive than then internet), illegal downloading is free. For example: www.limewire.com)

Product:

Internet stores, the band website, myspace.com, music downloading sites, record stores, radios, television on specialized music channels, gigs and concerts, music festivals, adverts for the band

c) Give 2 or 3 examples of paid-for/subscription based and free products.
Examples of free products are free music downloads, free episodes to watch online, free tickets to a gig when you pre order a CD.
Examples of paid for/subscription products are CD'S or albums bought from music stores or online, music magazines which you can subscribe to, merchandise such as clothing.

d) List between 5 and 10 examples of creative music marketing strategies (including at least 3 internet based examples).

• Adidas are using the famous artists and sports stars to promote their product to specific audience by showing adverts on television which has a large audience, getting more coverage of both the product and the stars. Yes, on TV between the correct shows to reach the correct audiences.

• Lily Allen’s single The Fear is being promoted via a viral music game. The instant gratification of this type of game makes it inherently viral. They are potentially reaching a new audience who are not listening to the radio or reading the music press.

• Samsung: Bebo and Samsung are teaming up to promote their new Beat phone over the internet in a online series. It will be interactive and allow the audience to interact through blogs, upload track reviews, share music news and win chances to appear in episodes. They will also be trying to find a co-presenter for the show and are also offering live performances from White Lies and The Maccabees to promote the series

• Jamie Cullum launched ‘The Advent Cullumdar’ on 1st December which houses £20,000 worth of Christmas gifts behind its virtual windows, including AC/DC tickets, John Legend concert tickets, 10 CDs from Universal and a Nokia Comes With Music phone.

• Lenka's song The Show was the iTunes free download of the week in September 2008, which promoted her whole self-titled album, pushing up sales

e) Who is frukt uk and what is their mission statement/company ethos?

They are a specialist music marketing agency. They develop and create ideas that use music as a way to market products. Their ideas are creatively bold and distinct and created with a collaboration of their team and other agencies. They deal with music alone and use both on and offline ways to market products.

Music videos and lyrics over time

The way you make me feel - Michael Jackson 1987



Pretty Ricky - Grind on me 2006

After listening to a variety of music from the 80's (such as 'John Lennon - Stand by me' and 'Michael Jackson - The way you make me feel'), i noticed how song lyrics have changed significantly over time. In the late 90's women had more respect and were treated as 'goddesses or stars' through lyrics. They talk about how a girl is so special and how they need a girl to just 'stand by them'

Standing in stark contrast are the lyrics of more modern songs such as 'I want to fuck you - Akon' and 'Gring on me - Pretty Ricky.' The lyrics are extremely derogative and present a voyeuristic view of women - They tend to represents women as a sex object.

Lady Gaga - Case Studies

1. Summarise the changing image of the band/artist as it has developed over time. It might also be useful to summarise the music genre also.

• Mainly influenced by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Quenn, pop artists such as Madonna and Michael , artist Andy Warhol, poet Rainer Maria Rilke and fashion icon Grace Jones.
• Her music structure is very similar to 1980's pop and 1990's Europop.
• Music that is a mixture of both dance and rock.
• Said to be extremely into fashion and inspired by her mother.
• She has her own creative team called Haus of Gaga who put together all her costumes, stage props and hair dos.
• Said to have drawn inspiration from Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Madonna.
• Considers her muse as Donatella Versace.
• She is seen as the rising gay icon and a lot of her success is down to the gay community.
• Markets herself a lot to the gay community as some of her first performances were to the gay community. One of her early performances was singing 'Just Dance' at the San Francisco Pride event and a later on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, two hugely rated events by the gay community therefore setting herself up as a gay icon.
• Early in her career she decided to focus on pop music to differenciate herself from the underground rockers of New York and took part in burlesque shows where a lot of her fashion inspiration still comes from.
• Was nicknamed 'Lady Gaga' early in her career after the Queen song 'Radio Ga Ga' due to her vocal style similar to Freddie Mercury and is still compared to Queen now.
• Begun performing with fellow burlesque dancer Lady Starlight and their show was known as 'The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow'. People still say her music has a rock n roll edge and compare her style to burlesque dancers showing she has not changed for the public very much.
• Used her history to help to market her nowadays and make her stand out from the crowd.

2. Who are the fans? Do you have any sense of how the music companies have segmented the audiences? To what extent has the branding of a band been linked to target audience?

• The gay community are make up the majority of Lady Gaga's fans.
• Performed two of her debut concerts to target the gay community specifically, one at San Francisco Pride event and one on The Ellen DeGeneres crowd.
• Outrageous clothing, makeup and hair which appeals to the gay community.
• Her lyrics have underlying bisexual meaning which the marketing companies draw on in the videos and therefore appeals to the gay community.
• Her revealing and provocative clothing appeal to the male audience.
• The dancing and pop theme throughout her songs appeal to the younger generation.
• The influences from older bands appeal to the older generation.
• The use of male models in her videos appeals to both the female audience and gay audience.
• She markets herself in a feminist way which appeals to women

3) What marketing strategies can you identify? What kinds of stategies can you list?(above/below-the line? unexpected promo stunts? etc). List any examples of the use of synergy with other industries to promote other media/products in connection with a band/artist

Lady Gaga has achieved her prestige through a variety of different marketing strategies. She has her own official website, the look of the website is very trendy and bold - mirroring her personality. An image of the official website is shown below. Here is the link http://www.ladygaga.com/events. She also as her own myspace page www.myspace.com/ladygaga which automatically starts playing music as soon as you log onto her page. This promotes her music straight away and allows her fans to become aware of her latest tracks which they may or may not be aware of yet. Furthermore she has her official fan club on http://www.facebook.com/ where she currently has 105,527 fans. Furthermore she works in synergy with 'Heartbeats' to promote 'high resolution in-ear headphones' -http://www.ladygaga.com/

Having a deeper looker into music videos

This song is called 'Everytime I see her (Another Chance) - sound of Eden.' For our media project, I think this i an excellent video to look at for inspiration because every shot, setting, characters and costume would fit in to our budget. This is a narrative music video and the lyrics illustrate the image. Howerver, they only illustrate oen characters point of view (the geeky boy with golden curly hair).
Below are the lyrics of the song.

Here's another chance for you to dance for me (4x)

I never thought I could feel this way
about someone like you
And yes she is responsible for everything I do
She's not too easy
She can afford to be a teast
She stands out from the rest, that girl has qualities I've never seen

Every time i see her
Every time i see the girl
Every time i see her
Every time i see the girl

She leaves me breathless
No one could take the place of you
You can look but you can't touch
'cause what I feel for her is true
I might sound possessive but if you see her you'd know why
She looks good everywhere she goes
She could turn your head as she goes by, that's why

Every time i see her
Every time i see the girl
Every time i see her
Every time i see the girl


The openeing shot is of the girl running somewhere in her school uniform. From here we know that she is a young school girl (in year 11 or younger) and therefore we can automatically asume that this music video will be light-hearted. We, as the audience, are then taken into a long shot to see her running into a school. This is then followed by a poster which reads 'School Dance' from there we know what the music video will be based on. From the first few shots in the classroom, the audience are already aware of the love triange. The way in which these shots are editied specify that the main girl is 'in love' with the cool boy with blonde hair.

The close ups and POV shots allow the audience to really empathise with her feelings towards him. At the same time, the shots between these two characters are split with a shot of another boy at the back of the class. His gesture and face expressions shows that he is 'in love' with that girl. The camera tends to focus mostly on the main girl and the cool boy (this mirrors the significance of them two in comparison to the geeky boy)

The cool boy decides to play along and tells the girl he will meet her at the school dance. The audience however, know that this is all a big joke. The long shot of the geeky boy in the playground also makes him look isolated and lonely.

The long shot of the girl walking to the school dance is paired with the lyrics 'She leaves me breathless.' Again, this is in view of the geeky boy who fancies her. The lyrics throughout this song contradict what the cool boy thinks about her.
At the school dance the camera switches between P.OV of the girl and a close up of the geeky boy watching her every movement on the other side of the dance floor. As soona as the girl sees her 'dance partner' and another girl kissing the camera contrast turns poor quality and the sharpness is reduced. This allows the audience to empathise with her depression and confusion; almost as if she can't believe what she is seeing - its like a dream.
As she runs off the dance floor and down the stairs a hand held shot follows her. This creates anxiety. The unstableness of the camera mirrors her unstable self: how insecure she is feeling.

Questions from Carol Vernallis

3.8) CV says the camera in MV seems to mimic the way we view sonic space. Do you agree? Do you think we are conditioned by MV to read sonic space in particular ways?


Yes do agree with what she suggests. During a film it is much easier as the shots are much longer. Contrastingly in a music video the shots are much quicker paced therefore there is less time for the audience to focus on anything but what is being shown during the music video. The bright colours and entertainment keeps the audience engaged throughout the whole music video. It is also much easier to realise earlier on in a film whether or not you are enjoying it, than it is on a music video.

3.10) She suggests that the jumping camera focus is like the camera in place of our eyes, doing what we do when we listen. However, this is predefined for us by the Director - we have even less choice to look away/outside of the Director's choice when we do in film - do you agree?

Yes i do agree. In a music video the sharp, quick cuts keeps the viewer engaged throughout, keeping hold of their attention. The quick editing gives the viewer no time to lose focus as something new is always being shown on the screen, therefore we, the audience, will only focus on what the director wants us to focus on.

3.23) She says MV experience is more like listening than viewing - do you agree?

This depends on what kind of music video it is. In my opinion a narrative based music video is more likely to be viewed just as much as people like listening to it. Music videos are made to be watched as well as listened to.

3.33) "We compensate imaginatively for what we do not see in the frame" p.41 Agreed?

Yes I strongly agree to this. The human mind automatically links different shots and imagines what we should or would expect to see in the frame although it is not shown.

4.6)The constant motion in a MV and the variances it shows means that a strong CU is a stable point. The MV 'brings us towards these peaks, holds us against them, and then releases us' p43, do you agree?

Yes I agree. The close up, otherwise known as the beauty shot allows the singer to create prestige within its audience. This shot is used to really sell the singer and their forthcoming track.

4.12) Is the viewer 'sutured (stitched) into the diesgests of the film world through the editing?

Yes, entirely. The way in which a shot is edited can completely differ the way in which viewers interpret it. A narrative can easily be changed if the shots were put in another order. Furthermore, editing techniques (short snappy shots or long shots) can change the mood the audience is experiencing. I.e Snappy shots tend to create tension and confusion.

4.14) MV is freer in terms of viewer indentification and perspective - agreed?

I half agree with this statement. Although music videos don't tend to have a strong story line and therefore the viewer can imagine beyond the shots, music videos are very short that the audience won't have time to think of it from a different perspective.

Stan - Eminem

For class researched we were asked to analyse Eminem - Stan. Stan is the third single from the Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. This music video is about a fan who is obsessed with Eminem but doesnt ever receive a reply to a single letter. He then gives up on all hope, ties his girlfriend up and puts her in the trunk of the car - and then drove off a bridge and died. This is a narrative video in which the image illustrates the lyrics.

The overall look of the video is very depressing. The stormy weather mirrors Stans temper as he starts to get annoyed when Eminem doesn't reply to his mails. When Stan says "I got a room full of your posters and your pictures, man" the viewer is taken into his room where it's full of posters and photos of Eminem. This simply anchors the lyrics. Overall, the editing is much slower as the video is telling a story as oppose to a performance

Towards the end of the video the editing cuts quicken; creating tension and anxiety. There are many close ups - this makes the viewer unaware of the surroundings and feel chlastrophobic and uncomfortable as they have no idea whats going to happy next. It creates enigma.

The extreme long shot emphasises the height of the fall from the bridge. It is then followed by a birds eye view to signify the vulnerability of Stan and his pregnant girlfriend.

camera work/movements

Camera shots and movements are one of the most crucial things for a successful music video. I am going to use Practice what you preach - Barry White to illustrate different types of shots and what they can signify.

Framing - creates voyeurism. In Barry Whites' video the female is framed within the arched pillars this perhaps portays how she is like a showpiece/trophee girl for the male.
Scopophilic camera work - The camera focuses on erogenous parts of the human body. This especially attracts the male audience and perhaps bisexual people. This is done repetitively throughout the music video.
Music videos are either performance, narrative or abstract. This video is a performance based video with the concept of 'relationships'

Aerosmith feat Run DMC - walk this way

This music video is one of the most interesting yet stereotypical videos I've researched. The wall divinding the screen throughout most of the video sets a clear division between Aerosmith and Run DMC. Aerosmith as a whole are more confident, indie white people who wear leather bare chest and dance with microphone stands whereas Run DMC is stereotyping black, RnB music. The lack of instruments, big decks and speakers asswell as the dress code: Slick suits, gold bling and trainers steretype the agressional rappers.

Key features of a music video

3 codes a music video works around - MUSIC, LYRICS, ICONOGRAPHY.

A music video should provide pleasure and keep the viewer engaged throughout, it should also encourage repeat viewings.

Here are a few ways which makes a music video engaging:

Hidden meanings - every time the viewer watched the video they find out something else that they may not have noticed when watching it the first time.

Aspirational dance routines

social pleasure/sexual representations - A Boy band music video, e.g JLS - Beat it (2009) would attract a female audience and perhaps gay people. A female singer e.g Lady Gaga - Paparazzi would attract males by the little clothes the female wears but could also perhaps attract lesbians.

Nostalgic pleasure - E.g Madonna's debut single - Lucky Star provides nostalgic pleasure as it takes the audience into 80's pop. Another great example is Christina Aguilera - Candy man. Costumes, hairstyles, make up are all very 60's.

A few analysis notes:

Madonnas music video of Like a Virgin (1984) tends to amplify lyrics as oppose to illustrate or disjuncture it. The music video overall is very pure and natural - especially with the water and animals. The white sheets simply anchor the purity in the song. The lyrics are possibly about a man who has this touch which makes Madonna feel like a virgin; young and innocent. The Lion in the music video perhaps represents the power/king-like personality of the male.

The camera always returns to Madonna every few second. These beauty shots are used to really sell the singer. The video can also be anticipated as being very sexual through hidden meanings. I.e the long boat going through the tunnel and the panting lion causes the audience to see the video in a sexual way. The female audience see Madonna in a narcissistical way as oppose to the male audience who see her in a sexual way.

lip synch video

As we are doing a music video, we thought practicing lip synching and then editing it to make it look realistic would be great preparation for the forthcoming project. Loren and I decided to do our lip-synch to a song which we were both familiar with;
Justin Timberlake feat T.I - My Love.
Although it is a male voice, the overall lip synch was realistic throughout most of the video. There were however many scenes where we either didn't know the lyrics or got them in the wrong order. To over come this we should've filmed the song through out at least thrice and therefore we would've had a wider variety of shots to choose from. We also learnt that singing out loud made the lip-synch look far more realistic as oppose to miming the lyrics. When we sang our face expressions changed and as a whole it was far more engaging for the audience whereas when we were miming the lyrics our gestures and faces looked boring and out of life.
Not only was it a great experience and preparation for the real project, we also had great fun filming it and watching it back!
It has definitely made me even more excited for the real project!

CAMERA MOVEMENT
Most importantly camera movement was essential in order to keep the audience engaged throughout the music video. We tried swapping the shot from Loren to I as often as possible. We had a range shot types - close ups, long shots, birds eye view, worms eye view. I especially liked the shots which circled round the singer, focusing on nothing but her.

BLK feedback

Excellent research posts so far Nisha, a great start to your background work for this project. Some really good analysis work. You are a bit behind though, on some of last term's classwork, see targets below. It would be great if you could catch up fast, as it will be so busy when we get back to school.

We also need to get you using/applying advanced theory more explicitly when you analyse music videos, think Vernallis for now, although you will also need to get to grips with Goodwin in the new term.

For now, your short term targets are:
1. Link your lip synch and workshop video to your blog
2. Post your lip sync evaluation
3. Post the work you have done for Miss T on Vernallis (see her post on the main music video blog for specific details)
4. Post your track research/ideas – we need to see what tracks you have in mind for your own video
5. Put some inspirational/useful weblinks up
6. Sort out your blog navigation – you need to link to the main music video blog for example

All instructions are on the main blog if you are not sure what you should have done. There will be a lot happening when term starts so the sooner this outstanding work is completed, the better.

Great effort so far, keep up the good work and see you soon!