Music Video Research - The Bad and The Good

These videos were definitely not as good as the others and the main reason for this is because of the planning and the preparation which went in to them. It was quite clear that these videos had not had the same amount of management as the other 'good' videos because the the songs weren't as good, the filming wasn't as good, it was quite clear that less time was spent on them and also there wasn't as many changes to the mise en scene in both. This has a massive impact because as there wasn't much change the song felt the same where as the music video is supposed to capture every tale of the song in a unique way and this wasn't done because it wasn't planned to be like that. These videos just generally need more maintenance and time so that they can represent the mood of the songs better and engage the audiences a bit more.  

Here are two videos that A2 students have produced which I think are good music videos. Through doing the research and looking into all the different aspects of their videos I have learnt a lot about what I could potentially use in my own video and what works well with certain genres of music. The reason why I think both of these videos are good is because of the editing and the camera angles. The editing in both videos made them flow fast and they made sure that the editing linked in with the lyrics and beat to the song so everything was in sync with each other. The camera angles used also linked in with the songs and they used appropriate angles for each scene. Some scenes were hand held camera shots, some were low angle and some were tracking/panning. There were a lot more types of angles used between the two videos but these ones were the ones which stood out for me and the ones that gave the video something extra when watching it.  

OVERALL

Overall I think that the best genre to do music videos for is the indie style like Jamie T because if it gets too rocky and starts edging into the screamo, gothic genre then that will be hard to make a music video for as the codes and conventions would be totally different. The indie genre allows the versatility because there can be instruments in it, it can be a narrative video, (such as the Black Keys - Tighten Up) or it can not have any characters or people in it and it can be a more collage, artistic based lyric video. As there is that versatility it means that a lot of different techniques will be suited to the video and as this is the case indie music is the best genre to do a music video. 

Barry YMCA

These are some of the photo's from our trip to Barry YMCA Media Centre in which we produced, filmed, edited and casted for our music video. Throughout the day we undertook various stages in which are used to make a music video.

Story Boarding/Planning 
We used this technique to plan out what would happen in the scenes of the music video so that when we shot the scenes we knew who was in it and the actions of the people. Through doing this we got an insight into what it would be like when storyboarding a huge production like a professional music video or even film/TV program. We had to make sure the timings were right and in sync with the music so that it made sense and looked good as well. Also through doing this we were able to make decisions on who to have in the scenes and what they would be doing. Through doing this we were all getting an idea what it would be like to direct a scene as well because we all had to manage a certain section of the music video.

Filming
When filming we learnt a lot as we had to consider the lighting, sound, camera angles and positioning of the people in the scene. We used the green screen and the green and blue screen cameras so that we could film our scenes. We also had to make sure that the people were positioned well enough so that the lighting didn't effect the shot and the people in the shot. We had an issue with this which led to a person in one of the sections of our video having blue light on them because they were too close to the camera.

iMovie Screenshots and the Editing Tools We Used

Here is iMovie. This is the program we used to edit our music video, do the lip synchronisation and modify the green screen background. It was one of the main reasons why we went to Barry YMCA so we could learn more about it and what we can use iMovie to do.   

This tool is called Inspector. We used this so we could edit very specifically how we wanted the audio to sound, the video to look and the lengths of the clips to be. We used this so we could get an idea as to what it would be like editing a huge production. It also enabled us to understand and overcome problems we had with the clip, video and audio.

These are the audio waves from the green screen footage we took. We altered and changed this using the Inspector. 

In order to edit our iMovie using the green screen we had to tick the 'Show Advanced Tools' box. This way were able to use more advanced techniques such as the green and blue screen.  

This is the tab that allowed us to pick which advanced tool we wanted to use. We used 'Green Screen' and 'Blue Screen' the most because that is what we filmed with. 

A Short Clip Using the Green Screen

Original Song

Digipak Adverts

This digipak advert is extremely simple however is different because the background consists of around 200 pictures of the same person, however the facial expressions are all different but are all a close up camera angle. Once again the name of the band is the highest and largest typography on the page so that people know that they have a new album coming out. There are also other codes and conventions of a digipak advert and they are the reviews about the album from the major music magazines related to that genre. This again is a great way to promote and attract people to buy their new digipak.

This digipak advert is very simple as their is minimal text and the typography is very simple which makes the audience concentrate on the imagine a bit more. Even though this is the case the name of the artist 'Rihanna' is at the top and the logo she possesses is also at the top. There is then the second largest piece of text below that which tells the audience when the album and digipak will be out and it also gave the audience and fans the option to 'Pre-order' the album as well. This is because it is an online digipak advert and this represents the proliferation of hardware as people are now using online websites more often.

This has a clear and simple layout to it with the name of the band in the middle which everyone can clearly see and also the main piece of information is clearly displayed at the bottom also. This layout makes a lot of sense because the main detail is the release date, however Kasabian want to make a statement so their name is the most emphasised feature on the page. There is also the reviews on the advert which is always a good promotional and advertising technique because the big magazines have commented on it. This helps with the selling of the album and digipak because consumers will see the ratings and review on the advert and be attracted by that. 

WHAT I HAVE LEARNT

Through doing this research into digipak adverts I have learnt and noticed various different codes and conventions of them which I would try and emulate when making mine. One of them is the logo on the front of the digipak. This is a very attractive and unique part of the digipak and it is a graphological piece which divides each digipak from each other. As well as this I will have some sort of artwork on their as well. This being a picture of some sort or a pattern of colours. What ever I choose to put on there it will be relevant to the genre of the music and also it will link in with the logo as well. There needs to be something graphological on the digipak so it looks attractive and stands out. Also it doesn't have to be colourful or multi coloured, as long as it is different and stands out then that is the important thing. 

History of Music Videos

Through doing this research I have learnt that music videos have changed hugely throughout the years and also I have learnt that they developed extremely quickly as well. I have also learnt that as the years went on, artists started developing the tecnhiques used in the videos as well which was very important by the time it got to the year MTV was launched. As well as the techniques being used and developed it was also the style of the videos being developed, for example how it went from just promotional videos to narrative videos with a beginning, middle and end. Due to these developments directors and artists could start being more creative and wacky with the techniques they used. Overall I learnt about how they developed from just recording someone walking down the street to the present day of narrative promotional videos.     

Digipak Analysis

Digipaks are a registered trademark of AGI-Shorewood, an Atlas Holdings LLC company. They hold one or more plastic trays to house CD's being purchased along with any other bonus materials relating to the artist which could include an information booklet with lyrics, personal information, tour dates and also pictures of the artist. This is one reason why digipaks are more expensive than conventional CD casing. The reason why digipaks are used is because pictures or text can be put onto every panel which is beneficial as this is the way they can make it feel as if it is a special edition case. The whole point of a digipak is to engage the customer and give them a different design to look at. Digipaks allow this because of their panels and layout. The whole point of including the information booklet and bonus material is to increase the sales of CD's instead of people going to pirating websites to download the songs, lyrics or even pictures illegally.  

Digipaks are the music industries response to current consumer habits of illegally downloading songs and albums through piracy. This is constantly increasing which is bad because there has been a substantial plummet in CD and DVD sales. Digipaks are especially popular in the music industry and when they were first introduced they began to be used by more and more manufacturers. They are mainly popular for CD albums as well as multiple CD disc sets. CD digipaks give a product an expensive professional look and feel because of the artwork and also the cardboard material instead of plastic casing. 

There is also another form of the digipak which is a book form and was created by MeadWestvaco. Their product called Digi-pak is trademarked.    

Example of Branding- Jay-Z

Jay-Z Example

Through looking at this shortened video clip of Jay-Z's new song 'Holy Grail' from his new album, you can quite clearly see through his body language, lyrics and the general mise en scene of the song that he is trying to portray a more 'gangster' and threatening look and representation. This is his brand and the type of message he wants to give people because his music is his main section of his brand. His music is what he is mostly known for. This is generally a more negatively portrayed look for people to see but as this is his brand that is what Jay-Z would be expecting. Also, it is what he wants so the look he is going for has been successful.  

Through looking at one individual artist I have learnt that branding is a major part in the success of the artist as well as the promotion. Due to Jay-Z having a clothing line as well as his music, this has meant he has increased his popularity and people are going to be walking around wearing clothing which was inspired by him. This could be alongside people listening to his music at the same time. This is a clear example of a brand because he is influencing people through different means of media and fashion. As well as these two things, he also has his website called 'lifeandtimes' as well as his Twitter and Facebook pages and his YouTube channel called Jay-Z life and times. He is constantly branding and re-branding through appearing on adverts as well as his own clothes and others clothes- just like the Topman t-shirt above. Overall Jay-Z is a fantastic example of a music artist who has made a brand and has been successful with it.


LOGO BRANDING

Through doing this research on logo's of bands and artists I realised that the logo is one of the main things and identities of the artist. This is because it is unique and no other band or artist could copy it. Also, it is the name of a band, just with a unique design/font to it. This is also another way of marketing and promoting themselves for the fans and consumers because a bands logo can be put on clothing and other retail products like birthday cards, guitar pics, guitar and drum stickers as well as things like playing cards which are on the poster above. The logo is a massive part of a bands look and can also determine the style or genre of music which they play. 

FASHION BRANDING

The Branding of fashion has taught me a lot because I learnt that the music artists produce is extremely personal and carrying it on through a different mean is extremely important to artists. This is why music artists create fashion brands and clothing lines because they want to carry on their persona and feel for their music into clothing that people can wear and relate to. For example 'Makaveli Branded' was founded seven years after Tupac died and because him and his music was so iconic they wanted to carry on his 'legacy' so people can remember him and his music. 

Analysis of Music Websites

http://alexmoore14.wix.com/analysis-of-websites

What have I learnt?

Through this research I have looked at all the different codes and conventions of a music website and have found out which parts are the most important and are needed the most. I also learnt that the social networking side of the websites is a major factor in having a good website. This is because of the contact the fans gain with the artists which is important because they end up having a good relationship with them and then promotion is made a lot easier. The colours are also a main convention of the website because they link in with the genre and style of the band which is important because they need their own identity.