I have selected 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 advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).
To begin with I created a blog which would take the form of an online work folder which would allow me to store, update and edit my work throughout the process of planning and producing my product.I conducted basic research into narrative and genre as narrative is a highly recognisable convention of music videos. Genre is also important and links directly to narrative as specific genre’s are usually linked to stereotypical narratives. To begin with I researched the definition of both genre and narrative to gain a basic understanding of what each of them covers. I then conducted further research by watching a variation of different music videos from as early as The Beetles. This also allowed me to develop an understanding of how music videos have developed over a significant period of time and also to recognise those features that have existed from the very beginning.
I then began to consider technical lexis such as ‘liiar’. This is an abbreviation term which stand for language, institution, ideology, audience and representation. This is almost a checklist which reminds me of the things I needed to consider throughout planning and producing my products.
The soundtrack I chose for my music video was ‘Roxy Hart’ a song taken from a well known musical ‘Chicago’. I knew that this specific genre had highly stereotypical qualities. I analysed the lyrics of the song by picking up on the semantic field of glamour within the song as it includes words such as ‘celebrity’ ‘autographs’ and ‘star’. I felt that the lyrics created strong connotations of lust, sins and glamour.
The genre of my music video is musicals. In each genre within music videos there is a strict set of rules and conventions that should be followed to make a music video successful. When considering codes and conventions there are three important elements which are technical codes, written codes and symbolic codes. Even the simplest elements may be iconic to that specific genre.
Before I could begin recording my music video I needed to plan it thoroughly. I began by creating a cast and prop list. This helped me allocate parts to people that I felt would fulfil the role. By planning the props I would need in advance it meant not only could I find the best possible props available but I could also plan how they would be used. When planning my music video I wanted the purpose of the video to be based upon the artist and wanted to create a voyeuristic please for the audience.
I then began to plan further by creating story boards in which I planned each individual shot. I planned this by planning the specific type of shot, the amount of time in seconds this shot would last and what would be happening in this shot. By planning it in detail it meant when I came to recording my music video I would know exactly what to do. I also created a script to accompany the story boards. This was a written version of the story board. I included the information in a table so I had two plans for my music video. On my script I went into further detail by writing down the shot accompanied by the line of the song. I took the script with me during recording as it was an easy way to access the information I needed as it was set out formally and was well organised. This also acted as a checklist as I made sure I had each shot I needed.
I created an animatic which was a visual version of my storyboard. I scanned my storyboards onto the computer and cropped them on Photoshop. I then created the video on Movie maker by importing the images into movie maker and then dragging them onto the timeline in order. I then imported the soundtrack and dragged this onto the timeline. I began to edit the timeline according to the amount of time each image appeared on the video. By doing this task it allowed me gather a basic idea of what my music video would look like and how fast/slow I had planned to edit the video. Having analysed other music videos I had gathered that most shots only last a few seconds. I took this on board in my planning and most shots would only last a few seconds. This meant my planning was thorough and realistic.
In my research I analysed three music videos. These consisted of: Britney Spears -Circus, Moulin Rouge and Hurt by Christina Aguilera it is clear that there is a distinguishable set of codes and conventions involved with this genre of music. Bright lighting is always contrasted with dark lighting this creates a theatrical look to the set. The artist is always the main focus of attention and often has other characters surrounding her to highlight her importance for example makeup artists and back up dancers. Jewellery is often highlighted in some way for example in Britney Spears circus diamonds are repeatedly highlighted as she gets ready in her dressing room, in Moulin rouge servants bring over jewels. Red is a common colour used in set design and makeup. This is because the colour connotes lust and also theatrical success for example the red carpet and is an intertextual reference to Marilyn Monroe as she was very much a show girl. Top hats are repeatedly used on females to symbolise their power on stage and also represent elements of magic.
In this musical genre there is always a stage were the artists perform. This gives the audience voyeuristic pleasure to see the artist perform. Candles and fire are often used to dramatic effect. Having looked at various music videos the same props occur in each video for example the artist usually wears gloves, their clothing consists of sequins, knee high socks and top hats. All of these items of clothing are iconic and recognisable to this particular genre.
As for the set there are always stage curtains, this is iconic and often used to represent the beginning and end of the music video just like it does in a theatre production. Chairs are often used as a prop in a dance routine, although this is commonly done it always works and looks effective and again connotes this show girl/dance image. Clothing material is also extremely important in Hurt the clothing was of chiffon material which looks expensive and connotes wealth, in the other music videos the sequins and dimontys represent glamour and also the power to stand out. Animals are commonly used this represents circus shows and magic just like the top hats, although the context is not the same it works well because it is the same genre.
Having looked closely at the common shots used I noticed that silhouettes were repeatedly used in Britney Spears circus. This is something commonly used in the music industry as it looks effective and sophisticated. In this genre it can represent intimacy between the audience and the performer and draws the attention of the audience in. Low angle shots are used to make the artist look more powerful; the artist will often look down into the camera and sing.
There is usually more than one location used. You often see the artist get ready, perform and flashbacks are sometimes featured. In doing this it creates a narrative of the artists story. There is always a strong beginning and end which is clearly recognisable.
Whenever the artist is accompanied by other characters shallow depth of field is used to ensure they are the main focal point. On average shots should not last any more than 3 seconds, having watched various videos I noticed shots only last split seconds at times this is important because the audience want to see something visually new all the time otherwise they lose interest.
The dominant shot throughout is usually close ups on the artist this is because it gives the audience voyeuristic pleasure to see the artist perform. Establishing shots are always used to introduce a new location. Long shots are used often when the artist is dancing. Audience members are often featured and this makes the viewer feel part of the audience as though the music video is a show they are watching which as a viewer is effective. Wide shots are often used when there is a lot of action taking place for example if there is more than once dancer and the dancing is at a fast pace. The artist is at some point lifted into the air by backing dancers again this looks theatrical and by using different levels this can represent the artists power and status. Shots usually cut quickly from one to the other which makes it look like continuity editing and creates realism for the audience. The pace at the end either picks up pace or slows down this signals to the audience that the video is about to end.
White is often used to contradict the innocent pure connotation it has just like top hats are worn by females instead of males. By breaking these stereotypical connotations it creates a rebellious image and creates attitude within the performer’s image.
To begin with I recorded in the dressing rooms of a local theatre company – Hull Truck Theatre. This meant that I could use an established and professional space which would look realistic in my music video. In Britney Spear Circus and Christina Aguilera Hurt I noticed that the use of lights around dressing room mirrors was commonly used. This is something I wanted to include in my music video and this location was perfect for that. Using a digital camera and tripod I recorded low angle shots, high angle shots, close ups, extreme close-ups, wide shots and used panning. I wanted to gather a wide range of different shots so that I would not be limited when it came to editing. I also took shots which did not exist in my storyboards again because this was only an initial plan and I needed to use this opportunity to gain as much footage as possible. This also involved taking shots for long periods of time to ensure that I had enough material to edit. The lights around the mirror allowed a soft glow on the artists face which looked professional as this same effect was used in the music videos I have analysed. I knew that these shots would be featured at the beginning of my music video as this followed my narrative. The main aim of these shots would be to form a montage of clips which would only last brief seconds in order to engage the audience in the first ten seconds. I wanted to place emphasis on the artists body parts as the opening of the song has a semantic field of the body such as ‘eyes’, ‘hair’, ‘boobs’ and ‘teeth’. I therefore chose to take close up shots of the artists face. I also wanted the lighting in this location to be bright to contrast the rest of the video which is dark. This idea also connotes the idea of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that there is a good side and a bad side which is highlighted by the use of lighting.
I recorded silhouette shots in the green room by using a light positioned towards a wall, the light then reflected off the wall onto the artist to create a silhouette. This silhouette shot is highly recognisable from the musical Wicked as the promotional campaign for this musical was also a silhouette shot with a green background; the audience are intended to pick up on this. This shot is also intended to highlight the artist’s dark side and also to suspend the audience from seeing the transformation of good girl to show girl. I specifically placed this shot between the clips with bright lighting and clips with dark lighting to highlight this. This shot also supports the fact that I want the artist’s facial features to be emphasised as the silhouette shot allows the viewer to see the profile of the artists face.
I also recorded in a bar and a garage. These shots are to highlight the contrast between the normal lifestyle of the artist and the glamorous lifestyle of a show girl. This is an important feature of the narrative as the audience need to see both sides of the artist. Later in the narrative the idea that the artist murders her husband is suggested. Again this related to the theory of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as the audience have seen the working class female contrasted with the sinful character she portrays as a ruthless show girl.
I also filmed in a theatre space using theatre lighting. I experimented with using coloured lighting however white lighting looked the most effective as the footage was much clearer in white. The first shots which I filmed in the theatre were out of focus as the lighting was extremely dark so the camera continuously came out of focus. Although the shots were out of focus I could still gather from watching the video clips what lighting colours worked and what shots looked the most effective. This as a result meant that I knew specifically what shots I needed when I re-filmed which reduced the amount of time taken to film.
I originally planned to use coloured lighting to symbolise the different moods. For example the red lighting could suggest lust as the male character dances with the female artist. The blue lighting was to represent the artists isolation and coldness. These are all ideas which theoretically worked well but did not practically look effective.
I wanted the props in my music video to symbolise different ideas to the audience. For example the artist wrapped red ribbon around her and around her ‘victim’. This was to connote death and blood and also to connote the adrenalin blood rush the artist feels when she performs. The use of hats which are stereotypically worn by men is used to connote the artists power and dominance. The use of gloves is to symbolise magic and also have connotations of crime as in the narrative the artist shoots her husband. Criminals often were gloves so that they can not be caught.
When I had finished filming I uploaded all of my footage onto an editing suit. I then imported all of the video shots onto Adobe Premier Pro. When I found clips which I wanted to use I would drag them onto the timeline. I would edit the shots by cutting them down. I did this by selecting the clip and either expanding or reducing the clip size.
I experimented with video transitions such as fading transitions however, I felt that my music video looked much more effective with quick cuts to the beat of the song. Through my research into existing music videos I also noticed videos of my selected genre also used quick cuts. This is effective as it allows me to create montages as short clips with quick edits engages the viewer as they are continuously seeing something visually new.
In places I did however need to slow down the pace of clips so that the artist moved slower which would compliment the lyrics or the beat of the song. This also allowed me to create a more dramatic effect as my video clips usually last only brief seconds and edits quick so the contrast in the shots engages the viewer and breaks up a repetitious style of editing which can become tedious to the viewer watching. An example of where I used this effect was when I used panning on the artists body from her feet to her head. The panning was extremely quick so I increased the time of the shot to make it last longer. This is an example of how new media technologies have effected my music video. By using this tool it meant that I did not have to film the footage again which would have been time consuming.
When it came to editing I no longer found my story boards useful as new ideas arose and through trial and error I found more effective ways of editing the clips together. However my narrative remained the same. I decided to repeat only a few shots for example the silhouette shot as this is a dominant effective shot and the main visual image the viewer should remember after watching the music video.
These are example of over the shoulder shots which are intended to make the audience feel as though they are there looking into the action. The lighting from the mirrors reflects back on the artists face which creates a glow effect, the lighting is also complimentary on the artists fase.
These are examples of close up shots on the artists face. These shots are vital as the main focus of the video needs to be on the artist to promote her to the audience. It also give the viewer a voyeuristic pleasure to see the artist sing. These shots are also important as the lyrcis have a semantic field of her features such as 'eyes' 'hair' and 'teeth' so it is important to highlight these features this is also done in the performance the artist gives.
This is an example of how I have used elements of continuity editing as I have shown shots which follow on from one another. The edits between these shots have to be quick in order to create a feeling of continuity. By including continuity editing I am creating a believable and easy to follow narrative.
The use of silhoette shots is repeatedly used in my video. This is to symbolise the dark sinful side of the character. It also highlights the profile of the artist as the song lyrcis focus on the artists body parts. This is also an example of how bright lighting is contrasted with dark lighting which was a feature I highlighted in my analysis of existing music videos.
Here I have recorded an establishing shot of a bar. This is to introcude a new location into the narrative. The purpose of this shot is vital in the narrative as this shot is included to contrast the showgirl lifestyle we have seen portrayed by the character so far in the music video. This shot contrasts the glamour shots as the artist is a working class bar maid.
When I analysed existing music videos I noticed that the artist would often be lifted by backing dancers to highlight her power and status. I also used this ideas at this media close up shot shows two male dancers carrying the artist on their shoulders.
On these two close up shots I have increased the length of the shot on Adobe Premier Pro for dramatic effect and so that the the shots arein time with the beats. As the rest of my music video is edited so quickly these clips stand out.
I have conducted audience feedback by creating a questionnaire including eleven questions. I gave the questionnaire out to a group of 15 A level students. 14 of these students are females, this is good as my target audience is females however I do only have the opinions of one male. If I were to do the questionnaire again I could have asked an equal amount of females in ratio with males which would have given the chance to find out whether I chose the correct target audience. Everyone asked answered correctly when asked what genre my music video is. This highlights that my music video has followed the correct codes and conventions. When asked if they would watch the music video again everyone answered yes. This suggests that my key aim which was to entertain and engage the audience was fulfilled.
When I asked the audience what aspects convince them that my music video is of a musical genre some of the answers stated that it was the user of: dancing, costume, mirror with lights, dressing room, spot light, theatre, setting and the actors characterisation. Most of these features are ones which I commented on when watching established music videos of this genre. This suggests that I picked up on the correct codes and conventions such as costume, staging, set design and lighting.
When I asked the audience whether they think that the ancillary texts and music video work well together as a promotional campaign almost all of the audience said yes with only one exception. This highlights that overall my ancillary texts and video have worked well for a real live audience which is proven from my feedback.
The key aim of my music video is to entertain and engage the audience and to promote the artist. I asked my audience whether they found the music video entertain and received 100% positive feedback as they all answered yes. This highlights that I have fulfilled a key aim of my genre.
What genre would you classify my music video as? - Results
How well do you think the use of costume and props effects the overall representation of the video on a scale of 1-10? - Results
What Gender are you & what is your age group? - Results
I also carried out research into existing and established websites of artists. As I had analysed a music video or Britney Spears and a music video of Christina Aguilera I also analysed their websites to see if there is a clear promotional image of the artist which runs throughout. I also analysed Beyonce’s website as she is a successful female artist in the industry today and like Christina Aguilera she has been in a musical (dream girls). Each of the websites have an image displayed at the top of the website as this is what the user first sees. This gives the users a voyeuristic pleasure to see the promotional image of the artist. This image is usually fairly big and dominant. Each of the websites stick to no more than three colours for their colour scheme this allows them to create a highly recognisable image to it’s users who will then associated these combinations of colour with the website. Each of the websites include lots of images and videos of the artist this is to promote the artist to it’s audience. Each of the websites almost take the form of a blog with new features ‘posted’ on the website. This is a style I also chose to go for as it looks professional and if the user sees that the website is constantly updated they may be more obliged to go on the website regularly which increases the websites hits. There is usually the main information displayed in a box towards the left hand side of the page. Down the right hand side of the page is features split up into separate boxes with multimedia features such as videos. By separating these features into separate boxes it makes them stand out more. On Beyonce’s and Britney’s website the scroll bar is extremely long. This can be off putting to users who do not want to be faced with masses of information. Christina Aguilera’s website however does not have a scroll bar which means that all of the information on the page is displayed to the user at once. I have considered this factor and have included a scroll bar on my website but only a short one so that the user is not faced with too much information. The main text is usually fairly small and the titles are larger and are in bold this is a feature I have also included on my website so that the titles draw in the attention of the user. At the bottom of each homepage I noticed that the terms and conditions are always printed in extremely small writing. I also included this on my website home page to make it look professional and established. Some of the features included on both websites are tour dates, album release dates & images and the chance to post comments and feedback. I took all of this on board and included these features on my website as this is the type of information the user will be looking for.
I also analysed three album advertisements for Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and beyonce as these are the artists I picked when analysing artists websites. I wanted to see if there were any consistencies between the two. The album advertisement for Britney spears has the same location, colours and use of light as the music video. The image is a low angle shot which places the artist in a position of power. Fire surrounds the artist which connotes danger. The main focus point of the advertisement is the artist . There is always a image of the artist which is the main focus point of the advertisement. There is always the name of the album in the largest letters on the page. The artists name does not appear on the album advertisements this suggests that the artists are so well known they do not need their name on their advertisements. I however, did include the artists name on my album advertisement as it is also the name of the song. If however, the name of the song was different I would have only displayed the song/album name and not the artists name to suggest that the audience is so powerful and well known that they do not need to state their name.
Overall I think that I have organised my time well and have thoroughly planned each of the tasks set in the selected brief. I have also carried out thorough research to ensure that I was well aware of the codes and conventions of each product and it's genre. If i were to do the tasks again i would have gained more audience feedback throughout the process or producing my texts this would mean that the overall image would have more influence from it's audience. I learnt through trial and error as my first recordings in the theatre were not of a good quality. I have learnt to use programmes which I have not used before such as Adobe Premier Pro and used existing i.c.t techniques I already knew such as operating windows movie maker and using photoshop - something I learnt through media studies in AS.
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