First Edit

This is the first edit of my music video. I have posted it so that I can keep track of my progress throughout the process of creating my music video. I am content with the beginning of my music video as the beginning of my music video cuts quickly with the beat of the music and grabs the attention of the viewer. The beginning of a music video is extremely important as it sets the tone for the rest of the music video. I am aware that I need to grab the attention of the viewer within the first 10 seconds. As this is the first edit of my music video there are some elements which could and will be improved. For example in places the lip sync is not in time with the music this ruins the verisimiliatude for the audience who want to beleive in what they are watching. I also feel that some shots could be cut shorter as they become to tedious in places. This however, is not a problem as I have lots of other shots which I have not yet applied to my music video. I knew when filming that I would need a variation of shots filmed from different directions. I am happy with the performance given by my actress as I think she fits in with the conventional artists I have watched in west end musicals and film adaptations of musicals. There are also some shots which I wish to repeat more often, for example the silhoette shot which is a great contrast from the rest of the video and could be used to effect on intervels which occur often within the soundtrack.

Analysis Of Album Advertisement: Burlesque - Christina Aguilera

On the album advertisement the contrast of black and white have been used to make the artists features stand out such as their lips, eyes and cheak bones. The names of the artist are not displayed this is because the artists are well known and popular to a mass audience so the producer of this advertisement felt that this was not needed. Christina Aguilera wears a hat in this advertisement which is a common theme I have picked up on in this particular genre as it gives the artist power and connotes this show girl image. The use of the link lipstick however does contradict common stereotypes of it's genre as this would be expected to be red. However, it fits in with the colour scheme as the title is also pink. This draws attention to the artists lips and the title as it is placed upon a black and white backgroun. The only information included is the name of the album and the record company. Although this information is limited the user is expected to know of this album so well that it is not needed.

Analysis Of Album Advertisement: Britney Spears

Analysis Of Album Advertisement: Jessie.J

The reason I have picked these two images to discuss is because they both show a contrast in bright colours and dark colours which is something I plan on doing in my music video and anciliary texts. By contrasting bright colours with dark colours it creates a postmodern theme and also allows you to highlight specific elements. I think that colour is particuarly important in media as although many consumers of media may not be aware of it the colours used in media texts signify and connote different ideas to it's audience.

Codes And Conventions Of Album Advertisements

Album Advertisement usually have a image of the artist as the dominating image, the text (of the artists name) usually overlaps ontop of the image. Bright colours are often used to catch the attention of the audience and make a statement. The release date is usually present and the forms in which it can be bought such as download, purchasing online or on the high street. The record label is usually stated also. The mise en scene and colours of the image are usually an important aspect of setting the genre of the album and artist. The costume worn by the artist should also be highly recognisable and should follow the style of the album and the already established image the artist should have created. Overall the advertisments are usually fairly minimalistic and to the point. The image should say it all!

Christina Aguilera Official Website Home Page

When you first open the website you are presented with the spry menu (which navigates the user around the website) and below this is a series of advertisements of the artist which occasionally scroll from one to the other. This advertises the artists perfume, jewellery collection and DVDS. This is all merchandise that the artist has produced under her label. By advertising this on the website they can target their main audience which is her fans. Below the advertisements the heading 'latest news' is just viewable however the user has to scroll down to find out more information. This is a technique used to persuade and engage the user to scroll down. The font is fairly small but bold which emphasises it. The font is white placed on a black background; these are good contrasting colours as they stand out well from one another. Pink is also used which also stands out wel against the black bakcground. This colour scheme also follows the colour scheme for the artists album and advertisement. The website homepage has a large scroll bar, this is a useful feature as users can often be put off websites if the scroll bar is extremely long as this suggests that they are going to be presented with masses of information which can be off putting. The user can therefore only scroll down the website once. When the user does scroll down they are presented with links which navigate them to the 'latest news' this is a way of reducing the amount of space on the homepage. The user is also presented with hotspot images which are advertisments. Hotspots mean that the images act as a link and when the user clicks on them they will navigate them to a relivent page; again reducing the amount of space used on the homepage.

Pixie Lott Home Page

Before you can enter the Pixie lot website you are presented with a welcome screen which displays an image of the artist which is the main focal point of the page. This gives the audience a voyeuristic pleasure to see the artist. This 'enter' page acts almost as an album advertisement for the artist as it provides the user with ways of directly purchasing the alum. The image of the artist is in black and white which is complimented by a greay background which allows the pink font to stand out against it all. The website homepage uses the colour scheme of black white and pink this is because these are good contrasting colours and stand out against each other. When the user first opens the homepage they are presented with the name of the artist along side an image of the artist, this is essential to introduce the user to the website below this the user can see the spry menu (which is essential as it navigates the user through the website). The user can then only see half of an image which persuades them to scroll down to see more. Throughout the homepage the user is provided with videos which advertise the artists music videos and the option to buy the artists album directly from itunes. The user is also provided with the option to view images of the artist, to read the latest information which takes the form of a blog. This 'blog' is updates continuously which means that the user is more likely to go onto this website reguarly to see the latest updates. By creating a blog format it also reduces the size of the scroll bar (which if too long can be offputting to users) as the older information is not viewable unless the artist clicks on the option to view older posts.

Lady GaGa Homepage

This is the website homepage for Lady Gaga. This homepage is fairly simple and straight forward. The colour scheme of the website is: red, black and white which are good contrasting colours as they stand out from one another. The main focus of the page is the image of the artist which is placed behind the information and takes up the full page. The image of the artists is black and white which works well with the colour scheme of black and white. The artists name is placed at the top of the website which is important as it tells the user who the artist is and makes the website appear as though it is personally hers and is personally updates by her. The page takes the form of a blog which reduces the length of the scroll bar which can be off putting to users if it is extremely long. Below the artists name at the top of the page is the spry menu; this is essential as it navigates the user around the website and is commonly placed at the top of website pages. The main font is white and fairly small, however, the blog post titles appear larger and in bold to stand out against the rest of the text and are there to engage the reader. The user is presented with the option to post their own comments on the website which makes them feel involved.

Codes And Conventions Of Home Pages On Artist's Websites

Hand drawn deisngs of website homepage and advert

Animatic

Script

list of what needs to be done

History of music videos
Analyse 3 music videos
Audience research
Analyse lyrics
Put genre essay on
Analyse test shots
Story board
Animatic
Script
3 analysis of website

Audience

The target audience of my music video will be dominantly females or those who are interested in musical theatre. The purpose of my music video is to entertain my audience and give them a voyeuristic pleasure of seeing my artist perform.

Cast List, Location List, Prop List

Cast list

• Main Artist - Roxie Hart played by Hollie Wadsworth
• Male Dancer 1 - Michael Mann
• Male Dancer 2 - Played by Harry Tindall
• Mechanic - Played by Harry Tindall
  
  Prop List
  Main Artist (Hollie) –
• Shoes with dimonte detail
• Red lipstick
• Rollers
• Gun
• Red ribbon
• White top with silver sequins
• Sequin hat
  
  Male artists
• Black trousers
• White shirt
• Black shoes
• Black hat
  
  Location list
• Hull Truck Theatre – Dressing room
• Garage
• Bar

Over view:

All of the music videos I annalysed were picked for a reason: I wanted to dicover the specific codes and conventions of this genre. Through my research I have established some clear conventional styles:

• The use of the colour red - To connote lust, danger, power
• The contrast of bright lighting against a dark background - To place the artist in a position of power
• The use of sequins on costumes- Connotes a theatrical theme of glamour and wealth
• The use of black hats worn by female artists- connotes power
• The use of chairs- this is a common prop because it is simple but looks effective
• Red lipstick- To connote lust

Moulin Rouge

The video begins on a stage with a presenter. Again this video holds elements of performance. Just like Britney Spears circus and Christina Aguilara Hurt this video uses lights to connote a theatrical performance. This music video also uses the idea of silhouettes just like in Britney Spears Circus and also feathers just like in the previous music videos. Other elements that are similar to Circus are the costume used at times for example o ne of the artists dances on/around a chair and wears a tophat. On each music video they use stage effects for example falling glitter they also do this on this music video as they have falling confetti.

Christina Aguilera Hurt

The video begins in black and white which suggests it is set years ago. This music video has similar elements to Britney Spears circus. We are introduced to the artist in the same way as they are both sat at their dressing table. There is the same element of suits and hats but this time it is the males who dress in this way. The dress also suggests that the music video is set in the past. There is an intertextual reference to marilyn monroe as Christina Aguilara dresses in a white halter neck floaty dress, has short blonde curls and red lipstick. The artist wears a father on her hat just like Britney Spears does in Circus this connotes the show girl image they are trying to create. There are elements of performance too as we see circus acts and the artist her self take part in this. Again the video can compare to Britney Spears circus because both use animals as props. There is a telegram used i nstead of a letter which also highlights it is set in a different time era.

Britney Spears Circus

The reason I decided to analyse this particular music video is because the music video and lyrcis are the same genre as my chosen song. The music video begins like a perfume advert with a close up on two bottles of perfume. The perfume bottle are recognisable as the artists own perfume range. At the begining there is a theme of diomands as the artist wears a diomand necklace and earings. Diamonds connote wealth and glamour, this is also an intertextual reference to the song 'diomands are a girls best friend'. There is a close up on the jewelery box with the pair of diomand earing placed in it, the box has the name of a designer on this is also an advertising technique which makes it like an advert.Then the scene changes comletely, the lighting goes to almost black and we see a silhouette f Britney. Britney is holding a hat which is often asociated with show business. We then see a stage and a hat places on a chair. Three white doves fly out of the hat this sybolises show business too and also magic. There is a point were britney is stood against a red theatre curtain and has a spotlight from infront rather than above this looks effective because the rest of the set is almost black so you her blondehair, white sequin dress and black hat stands out and looks theatrical. There is a low angle shot of Britney in her dressing room she is putting on a suit jacket. The fact it is a low angle shot makes her look powerful and the fact she is putting on a suit jacket means she has authority. All of her backing dancers wear different clothing this suggests individuality and uniqueness. The video experiments with the contrast of light using white lights minimalstically so that the background is almost always in complete darkness.

The History Of Music Videos

In 1981 the American music channel MTV was introduced playing 'video killed the radio star' and aired 24/7. High-quality colour videotape recorders and portable video cameras meant that artists could create music videos rapidly and at a low cost. A few years later directors and artists began creating music videos with more technique creating narratives and combining film and video. It was unlikely that the music video would not feauture the artist because they were usually the main focus however music videos such as Bruce Springstreens 'Atlantic City' and Queens 'Under pressure'. In 1983 Michael Jackson released 'Thriller' this was a unique video a nd lasted 14 minutes the music video cost $500, 000

Analysis of lyrics Renee Zellweger - Roxie Hart

The name on everybody's lips is gonna be... Roxie - (close up on lips with red lipstick to connote lust.)
The lady raking in the chips is gonna be... Roxie. - (money and wealth)
I'm gonna be a celebrity,That means somebody everyone knows -(celebritiy culture and attention)
They're gonna recognise my eyes,My hair, my teeth, my boobs, my nose.(semantic field of body parts and beauty)
From just some dumb mechanic's wife I'm gonna be... Roxie -(working class)

Who says that murder's not an art. (crime & sinns)
And who in case she doesn't hang,Can say she started with a bang.
Roxie Hart.
Boys... -(flirtacious & man eater)
They're gonna wait outside in lines to get to see...Roxie -(power, celebrity culture)
Think of those autographs I'll sign, "Good luck to ya!"Roxie -(celebrity culture)
And I'll appear in a lavaleir that goes all the way down to my waist, -(wealth & glamour)
Here a ring, there a ring every where a ring a ling
But always in the best of taste.
Mmmm, I'm a star...And the audience loves me, -(power & celebrity culture)
And I love them.And they love me for lovin' them
And I love them for lovin' me
And we love each otherAnd thats 'cause none of us got enough love in our childhoods -(motives)
And that's showbiz...Kid -(scandal)
She's givin' up her humdrum life -(working class)
I'm gonna be, sing it! (demanding)
Roxie
She made a scandal and a start -(crime & fame)
And Sophie Tucker'll shit I knowTo see her name get billed below -(jelousy)
Roxie HartRoxie x6

Codes And Conventions

There is usually a narrative this is usually influenced by the lyrcis of the song. There is usually a protagonist and sometimes an antagonist which often creates a dispute this is usually followed by a climax and then a resolution of some kind.

Close-ups of the artist should be the dominant shot throughout. This is because they are the main focus, they are the reason that the audience are watching which gives the audience voyeuristic pleasure to see them perform.

L I I A R

Language- The language is everything from images to graphics to written text. It is everything that goes into the appearance and also all of the linguistic terminology. It is almost like a code that is followed. It applies to camera terminology such as camera angles, lighting, mise-en-scene, diegetic/non-diegetic sound.


Institution- The established artist and record label that produce the music video. They focus on making profits. They design and create the music video.


Ideology- The aim of the product. It's the reason that the music video has been produced taking into account the subject, genre, audience, and purpose for example the purpose can be to inform, persuade, advise or advertise.


Audience- There are different types of audiences in correlation to age, gender, social class and stereo typing. So the audience has to be considered carefully and what is produced has to be an outcome which will relate and influence this specific audience and make them buy it.


Representtion-How the product is representative of a certain image or idea. For example symbolism of colours, shapes, images. It's how the product looks and why all the elements are there. For example for a rock video dark colours and lighting maybe used to connote the rebellious stereotype it carries.

Narrative and Genre

Narrative is the organising structure and has it's own features and conventions. Narrative is the media term of story telling. You can use song lyrics to form a narrative. Narrative is the way in which elements of a story are organised. You can create your own diegesis which is the filmic world. Usually the setting is equilibrium (unbalanced). Narrative is a series of actions in a course and effect relationship occuring in time and space. A narrative needs a protagonist and sometimes an antagonist, they have a conflict of desires. A narrative disruption usually happens causing a conflict. There is always a climax were the distruption is revolved, it is then balanced and becomes a re-equilibrium. This is a course and effect chain which changes things.

The brief

I have chosen the brief to create a promotion package for the release of an album. This is to include a music promo video, a website homepage for the band and a magazine advertisment for the digipak (CD/DVD package).