AD - Technical Analysis 1

I analysed the music video Only by Nine Inch Nails. I found that many of the shots used were close ups and mid shots. The majority of close ups were used when showing the lead singer singing even if it was in the form of a pin toy thing. This is probably used to show a concept and artistic form in their video. There were plenty of close ups, this is probably because of the small items and so that they could show detail that was needed in the video.


They seemed to have used plenty of steady cam or mounted shots but these shots seemed to move continually. They were slightly shaky but this was not very noticeable. A lot of the shots seemed to be from worm eye angles. This was so that the small objects in the shot appeared larger and more imposing than they would normally, but also the high angle shots show that the it is still in fact someone’s laptop and speakers. A lot of tracking shots were used following in the video. This keeps the camera moving and keeps the audience interested as the video is of one thing for four and half minutes.

AD Trip to Brighton Video

Here are some labelled shots, edited together, that we collected on our trip to Brighton.

JL Audience Research

For our audience research we have decided that we are going to use a questionnaire. We chose not use a focus group because we want to get a broader range of answers. When using focus groups we will have 5 of our friends together discussing ideas about the video but it could be difficult getting all of our friends at the same place at the same time outside of school hours. Using 5 friends would also skew the results. Our friends have similar interests so using a questionnaire and distributing it over the internet will overcome this problems and we will have a broader range of answers. A disadvantage of using a questionnaire online would be that people who do not like this genre of music may answer the questionnaire with more bias towards the genre of music they prefer. People may not be able to give full detail and elaborate on what they think which is a disadvantage of using a questionnaire.



On the other hand, by posting on powerpop forums we are able to get to our target audience quickly from around the world and get a fairly large response.



Our questionnaire will ask our audience what they expect to see in the music video. We will include a link to the track and ask what colours and themes they visualise from first listening. We will ask questions about what location they think we should use and the type of clothing the band /actors should be wearing. We will also ask questions about what season they visualise this song in, e.g if they think the track fits in with the theme of summer or winter.

JL - Location Reccie

Together we have discussed various locations we can use for our music video

Brighton- We have already been here on a school trip so we have a fairly good idea on what our shots will look like. We have practised our shots in this location and know various locations which we could use.

From Brighton

From Brighton

From Brighton

Camber- Camber has a long and sandy beach which we could use. On a sunny day, it would be perfect for our video.

From Group 4 Music Video

From Group 4 Music Video

From Group 4 Music Video

The wind breaker will add colour to our shots

Beachyhead- Beachyhead has big green fields and white cliffs which would suit some shots for our video. We have not had a chance to visit this location yet.

Hastings

From Group 4 Music Video

From Group 4 Music Video

From Group 4 Music Video

JB - Technical Analysis Evaluation

I analysed the music video The Middle by Jimmy Eat World. I found that many of the shots used were close ups and mid shots. The majority of close ups were used when showing the lead singer singing and the guitarist and other band members performing. This is probably used to show realism in their video. There were plenty of mid shots, this is probably because of the small location and so that they couls show everything that was needed in the video.


They seemed to have used plenty of handicam shots but these shots seemed to be very controlled. They were slightly shakey but this was not very noticeable. A lot of the shots seemed to be from side on angles. This was so that the performers could be shot, but also the crowd can be shown in the shots having a good time in the background. A lot of tracking shots were used following characters throughout the video. This adds a sense of realism to the video because it shows the characters moving and looks like someone is following them.

JL - Technical Analysis 1

The Feeling - Fill my Little World

Shot list in folder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RosBMT41Zs

(embedding disabled by request)

This song has a fairly similar tempo to our song so I found this task quite useful as I know what type of shots and cutting rates to use. The majority of the video was a performance based but in a conceptual location (The band were playing in a snake box).


At first when watching the music video, it looked fairly straight forward but when you analyse it carefully there are hundreds of short shots. I found that there were plenty of close ups to the lead singers face and when shots of the band members are shown they are usually seen on the particular instrument (for e.g. the pianist may have close ups on his fingers) and not so much on the face. Also, when band shots are shown the lead singer is usually at the front.


For this particular video, at the start of each verse we see a few seconds of the lead singer singing and then it cuts to various shots of the band and then cuts back to the singer. this repeats often until it gets to the chorus. At the start of the chorus we have a mid close up of the drummer for around 2 seconds and see him play in tune to the music and then it cuts to the lead singer singing the chorus. This tells me that we need to focus on instruments when they play a predominant role in the song. In the music video we are making, there are drums solos throughout the song so we will need to focus on the drummer.


I also didn't realise that the majority of the shots are less than a second long. The fast cutting rate is in time with the song and reinforces the tempo of the song. We will need a fast cutting rate in our video as it is a very fast tempoed song.

AD - Moodboard

JB - Moodboard

From Group 4 Music Video

JL - Moodboard

JB Our chosen track

The song we have chosen is called When we first met by Hellogoodbye.

JL - Trip to Brighton Evaluation

On 22nd September 2009, 25 young males and females took an excursion down to the notorious city of Brighton. Along with cameras and tripods, the young students brought their immense creativity and skill with the big bad camera. The trip would test their endurance and livelihood.

On our trip to Brighton we were able to explore the area and get ideas for potential shots for our music video. Our idea for the music video is to film by the beach so the trip showed us some key locations which we may possibly use in our video. This was very useful because we were able to explore the camera techniques and see how we will look in a similar location so we can have a general idea on the theme and image in our video. It was a very sunny day so this suited the theme and mood for our shots but as we are filming later on in the year, this may be difficult to achieve. While exploring various different shots and techniques, we were able to learn new things. Last year we filmed an opening to a movie which did not involve us to use many practical props that we handle. But in our music video we will be required to do some performance based acts so we will need to handle instruments. Using the tripod as various different instruments we were able to test what shots were more effective and give us an idea on what to expect when using real instruments.

After a year of not using the camera, this oppurtunity gave us a chance to familiarise ourselves with the camera and equipment. We were able to assess out skills with the camera as a group and see who was more confident with the filming and who was more confident on screen.

Overall, it was a fantastic day out. We thoroughly enjoyed it and have found some interesting places that we could use for our music video filming. We have also learnt a lot and taken some good knowledge of the cameras.




Written by Jason & Justin. Alex was editing.

JB - Institutional Context 2

What role does the digipak play in constructing brand/promoting artist? - Justin Bishop

The digipak plays a very important role in the bands representation and the brand that the band put out. The look of the digipak, for example can put off some consumers or interest others. If the digipak is very dark and covered in skulls or lightening bolts then it may impress someone who is into metal music. This promotes the artist to that genre thus giving the band a name in that style of music. The digipak may have certain features that are traits of the artist. There may be some symbols that are well known by fans that connote the band. The digipak may be designed in a special way which could also be traits of what the artist do. These could be known as trademarks of this band. This will help to construct a brand around the artist and using these trademarks can promote them more to their fans. A digipak may be able to promote the artist as quite environmentally friendly to an extent because using a lot of plastic to make the CD cases can be seen as non environmentally friendly. So using the cardboard, which comes from goods that are recycle (Manufacturers have sought to reduce environmental impact and improve functionality by introducing recycled components into its trays - Wikipedia), can give a good name to the artist and promote them to environmentalists.

JL - Institutional Context 1

Institutional context

The procedure for making a music video

Most music videos will usually follow the same stages to make a music video.

The record label, band / artist and management agree what to release as a single. The record company employs a video commissioner who develops a brief for the video perhaps for a particular director in mind. Budget, deadlines and other information is included. It is then sent to possible directors or the record label that will choose a director.

The possible directors listen to the track, study the lyrics and any other material such as previous videos or album covers and submit there treatments to the video commissioner. Budget is usually not set yet.

If the commissioner/record label likes the idea the director is contacted and a meeting is held possibly with the band/artist.

The producer draws up a budget which is then submitted to the client who may wish to negotiate or to modify the idea.

Director develops the idea with location pictures and storyboards.

Art director (in charge of the sets and overall image), wardrobe people (make up artists and stylists) and director of photography (in charge of lights and cameras) are enlisted, locations are booked and sets designed

Sets are built

All personnel are on site for shoot which usually lasts 1-2 full days. The directors job is to make it look as good as possible for the amount of money supplied, but shooting costs can be extremely high.

The film is when transferred onto take for editing

In about 3 days the editor produces a rough cut

Label, artists/band and managers view and comment on the rough cut

Changes, if any, are agreed and made before visual effects are added

Finished video is passed to record label for distribution to TV stations and airplay in advance of single release. There are now far more spaces for music videos to be shown, partly because of the increase number of TV channels but also because of collectable DVDs and VCDs.

AD - Print Analysis

Print analysis
Friendly Fires – Kiss Of Life (Single)

The title of this CD is called Kiss of Life. The background image and the main image are of the band on holiday, and with the title could represent a romantic situation on holiday in a holiday location. The background picture seems to be a tropical beach which is location of paradise and tranquillity. The band are dressed in typical Indie clothes, for example checked and denim shirts and rolled up shorts, with leather shoes and ray ban style sunglasses. They also resemble tourists or holiday makers with the cocktails and beach towels. Holidays are known as romantic get aways which is topical with the title of the track

In the advert the band are seen with laidback faces and they are all sitting close together. This shows a lot about their type of music because this bands music is quite laidback. Also it shows a togetherness of the band which connotes that they act as one and that they all contribute to the music. The words ‘Friendly Fires’ and ‘Kiss Of Life’ are all in capital letters. This is to make the audience know that this band is Friendly fires because some people may not know what the band looks like just from the image and this makes them the iconic part of the cover. On the CD the writing is in capitals and the band name is in white around the edge of the CD to further emphasize the name of the band, thus enforcing the consumer’s view of the bands image. There seem to be no non representative graphic sign, it is simply a painting for the background with a photo of the band in the foreground with the bands name and single title. Any non representative would be added e for the aesthetic value.

On the poster the lead singer is positioned in the middle of the image and looking more towards the audience. This would be done because he is the front man of the band and he may be the person that the audience knows or likes most. The CD cover is used as the image of the band on the poster. This is so that they audience can see the new CD and see the front cover so that they know what to buy. There is no information about the bands website, but the record company’s logo is in the bottom right corner. This is smaller because it does not really have much importance but it gives the consumer an awareness of the record company as a small way of promoting the record company as they produce the records. On the CD cover there is a painting of a remote tropical beach. This is to anchor the image to the idea of romantic get aways and holidays, and also makes the album cover aesthetically pleasing for the audience.

In the poster the band are sitting there quite casually with a tranquil look on their faces. This could reinforce the social myth of younger men because they are laid back and casual about their life, but are serious about what they do and the music they produce. They are wearing summer clothing as they are on a beach. This enforces the Observers quote ‘The Band Of the Summer’ and helps to promote the singles release in the summer months.

People who were to consume this CD may be into the indie genre of music or up and coming new bands, the clothes that they are wearing are representative of the genre, the places the advert are found for example NME, all the these factors point towards that target market.

JB - Print Analysis

Print analysis
The Audition – Champion

The title of this CD is called champion. The background image and the main image of a man all fit in with this theme of being a champion. For example the background picture seems to be the Colosseum which is where the people fought to become champions. Also the man on the front seems to be dressed in a quite royal outfit and has the look of a king or a champion of some sort. He also slightly resembles a matador which could also fit in with the theme of being a champion. Matadors are knows to be able to dominate a bull and sometimes kill it, showing them as quite strong and dominant.

In the poster the artists are seen with very serious faces and they are all sitting close together. This shows a lot about their type of music because this bands music is quite serious. Also it shows a togetherness of the band which connotes that they act as one and that they all contribute to the music. The words ‘THE AUDITION’ and ‘CHAMPION’ are all in capital letters. This is to make the audience know that this band is The Audition because some people may not know what the band look like just from the image. On the CD the writing is in capitals and the band name is in a bright colour in the left hand corner because the image on the cover of the CD has not got anything to do with the band, thus confusing a consumer who may only know the bands image. Some non representative graphic signs would be the moon like blue and red circles and the stripes of different colours. These may be in here for the aesthetic value.

On the poster the lead singer is positioned at the front of the image and much closer to the audience. This would be done because he is the front man of the band and he may be the person that the audience knows or likes most. The CD cover is behind the image of the band on the poster. This is so that they audience can see the new CD and see the front cover so that they know what to buy. The information about the bands website and the record companies webpage is on the bottom in smaller writing. This is smaller because it does not really have much importance but it gives the consumer an idea of where to buy the CD and where they can listen to the band if they are first time listeners. On the CD cover there is a big picture in the middle of some sort of champion. This is to anchor the image to the title and also makes the album cover aesthetically pleasing for the audience.

In the poster the band are sitting there quite casually with a serious look on their face. This could reinforce the social myth of younger men because they are laid back and casual about their life, but are serious about what they do and the music they produce. Most of them are wearing blue clothing. This could suggests a pact between them all and can show togetherness. Rebellion may be shown in this image of the band because some have long hair or ‘crazy’ looking hair. This goes against the social myth of men looking smart nowadays and reinforces the myth of rebellion in younger men.

People who were to buy this CD may be seen as rebels to an extent because the band has been represented so that they look slightly rebellious to todays society. It may show that one is quite serious and interested int heir music because the album cover isn’t anything to do with the band, nor is it anything very creative, it is just plain and gives off a seriousness about it.

JL - Print Analysis

Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather


(Click to enlarge)

Fountains of Wayne latest album is traffic and weather. The bands music usually consistsof strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements and prominent guitar riffs. This makes their songs fairly upbeat and it sounds joyful, this is shown in there music videos as well as there digipak and promotional poster. The art cover is full of bright colours and sharp edges which represents the genre.

On the digipak it displays the bands name and the album name but does not contain anymore words. The bands name is all displayed in lower case, this is also the same in the promotional poster which shows it is part of the design of there name. This could connote that they are not trying to be special and are just there for the music. The majority of the album art is Non representational graphic signs. It does not have any pictures of the band, this is the same in all of the other albums that Fountains of Wayne have released, examples include Utopia Parkway, Welcome interstate managers and Fountains of Wayne (album name). The lack of image could show that the image of the band are not important and that it is all about the music. Instead, the album art cover is a representation of the album name, Traffic and Weather. It shows a montage of 'cartoon' images with very few actual photographs. There is a photo of a bridge dominating the album art and a picture of the car. This represents the traffic. The rest of the album art is all graphics added in by a computer. They are strong in colours which could represent the upbeat tempo of their songs. Clouds, rains and stars are also seen which represents the weather part of the album name. All of this anchors the album name and gives meaning to the images.

The poster on the other hand is a picture of the band and there instruments. We can tell that this poster is a subsidiary to the album as it has a similar theme to it. The band is holding their instruments but only 2 of them are looking into the camera. It is difficult to distinguish to who is the leader of the band as there are 2 people looking into the camera but they are not in the centre of the image, just behind them there is a man in the centre of the image but is not looking at the camera. I would say that the man in the middle is the leader as he is at the centre of the picture and is individual compared to the 2 front men who are seen as 'the same'. He is also the only member of the band that can see his full body.

The fact that only 2 of the band members are looking into the camera says to me that they are not bothered about their public image of looking good for the camera and are more serious about the music. The band are smartly dressed and wearing shirts, waist coat and a blazer. This would represent the indie type of music genre which is fairly similar to power pop.

On the album cover and the poster, the name of the band stands out predominantly. On the album cover the name is right in the centre of the image and is white which stands out on the black background. There is also a big star next to the name. The album name is less important so is in a thinner and smaller font and is slightly yellow which doesn't draw as much attention on black. This can also be seen on the promotional poster. The name is projected across the top of the poster in white on a black background and there are bright yellow stars surrounding it which draws your attention to it like asterisk do on writing. (*fountains of wayne*)

The layout and juxtaposition are quite similar in both cases. Because of the lack of image on the album art, it is very important to let consumers know what the album is as it is not immediately obvious. The surrounding of the album cover anchors the title of the album and the name of band is easily seen on the black background. The poster on the other hand has to focus on the band members. This is done by putting graphics around the band, this results in a frame which draws attention to the centre of image, the band.

If I see someone buying this product I would think that they are indie type people who are into a slightly niche music but bordering on mainstream. They listen to up and coming artists and go to music festivals and enjoy the music because they are passionate about it. When we see the picture of the band, we know that they are makers of there own music and not written by other people as they look fairly serious and have the instruments in there hands.

AD - Video analysis 1

Music Video Deconstruction - Hellogoodbye - Bonnie Taylor Shakedown

Genre and Narrative

Hellogoodbye are a power pop band, power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical features such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesizers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres. The songs tend to be upbeat, and so a video for the song must be happy, lively and upbeat. For example at the weather is sunny, there is dancing, skipping and general playful behavior. The instruments are not shown in this particular video, the nature is more that of a boy bands video, this is done perhaps in jest as other hellogoodbye videos are heavily performance based . There are relationships between the lyrics and the visuals. This can be seen when he says ‘when you know that I am yours and you are mine’ he points to himself and then the camera in relation to the lyrics and to grap the attention of the viewer and it then cuts to close up of him looking at the camera. This is done many times throughout the video and with other lines in the song. He begins to click in time with the music and this shows a simplistic part of performance for the track. The chorus is more upbeat and lively than the rest of the song, and is shown in the video as more people are in the shots, they are dancing jumping around, and having a good time. There are many shots of the whole band, to show them as a band rather than individuals; it also plays along with the joke of the boy band idea of the video. The idea of impersonating boy band videos with the band walking alongside each other towards the camera could be considered post modern and relating to the many boy bands of the 90s, that the band would have been fully aware of in their teenage life.

Media Language

There are a lot of close ups and meat shots shown of the band in this video. The main reason for these would be to show off the bands appearance and to allow the fans to become familiar with their image. There are close ups on the lead singer and of vest and head band and different attire. This shows hes being energetic, and could also be to represent the joggers stereotypically found along California’s beaches. The majority of the video is filler shots of the band, with the lead singer singing to the camera. Most of these shots are mid shot and the occasionally pan of the band is added when they are standing on the pier. is a zoom from mid shot to close up on the girls that he likes face. This is to show how she has an attractive body and then to show how attractive her face is. There are long shots of Forrest looking at the girl in a loving manner. Later the song becomes more upbeat, there are more people in the shots, there are wider shots, of the people dancing on the pier, more pans, and the camera moves continually there are also close ups of the girls doing a dance routine and shots of the man dressed as a beer bottle, particularly when he does the worm across the floor.

Representation

The band are represented as fun and lively in this video. This is shown in their appearance, and the little things the rest of the band do when following the lead singer around, such as ‘what up gurl’ on their hand, hand gestures and peculiar walks. Also the man dressed as a beer bottle, and the man dressed in a brightly colored poncho, shows their outgoing and party like behavior. This should help sell the song and the band to a younger audience because it shows that they are a fun band and quite outgoing like most teenagers seem to be these days. In this video the band are represented as teenagers. teenagers are represented as rebellious and also fun loving, the talk of love and romance is also a top topic in many teenage pop songs..

Institution and Audience

This video would be consumed by an ambient audience. The reason for this would be because it has no narrative that you dont have to see it from the start of the video and people flicking through channels would be able to pick up from anywhere in the song or may find the video interesting. Also this video would be good for fans because fans love to interact and get to know what the band look like and the characteristics of the members. This would be viewed on a mainstream channel because Hellogoodbye have quite a large fan base. The band would have a minimal role in the creation and promotion of this the record label would have done most of the production this text is one of the bands first hits from their older album. The record label would want to promote the band and do so by producing a fun loving video that is entertaining and relevant to the band and song.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZSKXjnyqv4#movie_player

JL - Video analysis 1

Hellogoodbye - Here (In your arms)



Genre and Narrative

The genre of most Hellogoodbye songs including this one is power pop. The conventions of this genre usually includes strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies and prominent guitar riffs. The song is quite upbeat and lively and I would picture it being bright and colourful and generally a 'happy' feel to the video. This is evident in the video. We see a bunch of teenage boys and girls in a summer camp in America. As the video starts the song is slowed tempoed and not much is happening but as the tempo increases and more instruments are played, the video comes to life with many people dancing and joking around. It suits the feeling of the song of lively and fun.

Power pop has links with the pop rock genre. Pop rock videos usuaully shows a more rebellious side and has a lot of performance in the videos showing the band playing the instruments. The rebellious side is shown in the video. The summer camp is seen to have strong rules against boys and girls together (1:10) but the these rules are ignored as they eventually kiss. The camp team leader who was seen as strict before eventually joins in with the fun at the end. The performance is shown after halfway through the video which will follow rock video conventions but most of the video is narrative based with the performance within the narrative.

The song is about a boy singing about a girl that he loves. The video is amplified without the track as there is a creative side towards it. They are in summer camp and it is the last day of camp and there is going to be a party; this is the narrative which is not mentioned in the lyrics but the song then goes on to sing about a girl and this is clearly shown in the video. "Our lips, can't touch." Is also shown in the video when they kiss which is a direct illustration of the lyrics.

As with all music videos there are a lot of close ups of the main artist. There are also a lot of other people in the music video so they distinguish the band by having them wear glasses / sunglasses. This is now known as their style and are known to be wearing the glasses / sunglasses in public appearances. When the band are playing there are a lot of close up meat shots of the band and the main singer. During the performance the band are wearing suits and generally very smart. This is also seen in their public image as seen in the picture. The glasses in the video are also see on two of the band members

Media Language

In the music video there are many meat shots and close ups to the band and the main singer. This is to show us who the singers are so we can remember their faces, style and image so we will recognise them in the future. When the band are performing there are a lot of shots from the audiences point of view as we see them jumping around and enjoying themselves dancing to the music. This is done to show us what it is like to watch the band live. The audience are full of energy and seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. The editing is also to the tempo of the track. At the start when it is relatively slow the cuts are longer than when the song is at it's chorus where cuts are far more often. At 2.51 there are 3 cuts in less than 1 second which goes in time with the drums in the music.

There are few intertextual references to popular culture in this video most of them with reference to be a nerd. It also has the conventions of typical teenage romantic comedies where a boy is trying to get a girl out of his league and eventually gets her. At the start of the video there are a couple kissing in there bedroom and there is a boy sitting near them which references to a nerd as he is afraid to look and has a nervous appearance. At 1:06 we see the boy trying to get with some girls. As he approaches them they walk away. This references in American Pie when a person struggles to get a girl at a party, but eventually at the end (2:15) he kisses the girl of his dreams which is seen in many american teen movies. The whole concept of a summer camp is also from an American Pie movie.

The introductional of the girl is also very 'typical'. there is a light behind her head and as she turns around to face the camera, in slow motion, we see her gleaming and shining and there is also wind blowing in her hair like they do in magazines.

Representation

The band are seen as quite nerdy the start of the video but as the video progresses they are seen as 'cool' because he takes his nerdy glasses off and puts on cool looking sunglasses as he gets his girl. Nearer to the end they are wearing fairly smart clothes and singing their song enthusiastically. They are making the party enjoyable for most of the people. This may help sell there songs to people who enjoys party's as they will associate this song as a track to dance to and the band will be seen as people who live life to the max and life would seem more enjoyable around them.

The main social groups in this video are the nerds. There are also the 'cool' people who are seen to get the girls and more confident with the girls. This is seen at 1:30 when someone just kisses a girl out of the blue and she is seen to be enjoying it. This contrasts the attempt by the nerd just a few seconds before when the girls just walk away. The nerd is seen to be nervous before he approaches the girl as he slaps himself over the face, takes a deep breath and people from behind are supporting him. As soon as he changes the sunglasses he is classified as 'cool' and becomes a whole lot more confident.

Institution and audience

This video is more likely to be consumed by a more focused viewer. This is because the majority of the video is narrative based so when someone watches the video halfway through they may not understand it straight away. But if someone does watch the video nearer to the end, it is mainly performance based so they would not be left out from people who have seen it from the start. Power pop, like rock pop is a fairly mainstream music genre. There are regularly number singles under this genre so this video would be suitable for mainstream music videos such as MTV and VH1. The record label will be incharge to get the video onto the channel which may be quite difficult as the mainstream channels are really expensive and difficult to get onto. The record label would need quite a lot of money to promote the band as they are still growing so maximum publicity will get them noticed by consumers.

JB - Video analysis 1

Music Video Deconstruction - Baby, It's Fact by Hellogoodbye - Justin Bishop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7pXE-KwoUo


Genre and Narrative
The genre of this song is Power pop. This genre normally consists of electric instruments, usually a piano or electric piano is involved, strong melodies and crisp vocal harmonies. Videos of this genre will usually be upbeat and quite lively. This is evident in this video. For example at the end there are a lot of people running around after the football players are chasing around the high school band. The electric instruments and piano are all shown clearly at the end of the video but are also shown throughout the video at random places. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This can be seen when he says 'its true, the part about my love for you' and it cuts to him looking at her in a loving way. This is done may times throughout the video. During the voting scene he says 'The word black is black and blue is just blue' and the colours in the background are black and blue. There is a very strong relationship between the music and the visuals. Though most of this video is double narrative it is also heavily performance based. You can see Forrest singing a lot of the time in this video. Also there is a performance part at the first chorus, and at the end where you can see the band playing their instruments. There are a lot of close ups of the lead singers, Forrests, face throughout the video. There are also some close ups of the other band members. This would be just to show the fans that they are there and to also show the realism of them playing their instruments. There is a little bit of notion of looking in this video. One example would be when they are promoting Forrest to be president and one person licks a picture showing the singer. This video is mostly narrative based because it clearly shows a love story narrative and a narrative about him running for class president. It is heavily performance based though because at the end the band can be seen performing. This video would be amplification because it has a link between the lyrics and the actual video, but it does also have some creativity and run away with an idea that has nothing to do with the lyrics. I do not think that this video would be considered art because I feel that this video is made for commercial reasons. It fits in with the bands normal music video conventions of doing videos based on not a lot. This could be considered art though because it is like a mini movie and is well made.

Media Language
There are a lot of close ups and meat shots shown in this video. The main reason for these would be to show off the stars appearance and to also show some reality in him singing as well as realism with the band playing their instruments. There are close ups on the main character showing his nerdy shows and his short shorts and different attire. This is supposed to show that he is a nerdy character who that attractive girls would not really go for. There is a zoom from mid shot to close up on the girls that he likes face. This is to show how she has an attractive body and then to show how attractive her face is. There are long shots of Forrest looking at the girl in a loving manner. This is to show that he has a definite attraction towards her. There is a close up around three quarters of the way through of Forrests face in an angry manner after showing a midshot of Blake being crude towards the girl he likes. This close up is used to show that he has love for her and that he needs to do something about it. When Forrest is waiting at the girls locker for her it shows a midshot of his head and then people walking very fast past him, obviously sped up. This is to show that he would have been waiting for her for a while and furthens his lust for her. After Forrest finds her book and is waiting outside to give it to her when she is talking to her friends, it shows a close up of her looking at the camera and then cuts to a close up of him appearing to give her back the book and talk to her. Later you find that they are a fair distance apart and that he hasn't quite worked up the courage to talk to her. This video is set in a high school showing typical high school love. When in detention it shows the band playing instruments though their are no amplifiers or a drum kit. Also it shows Forrest playing a picture of a guitar in a book. There are special effects shown at the end when they are performing. There is some fireworks behind the band playing. This is used to liven up the performance and make it seem more happy and upbeat. There is a reference to popular culture in this video, which is a reference to the typical high school love where a nerd falls in love with a pretty girl and gets her in the end. This is like a lot of high school love movies and could in some way be a parody of one.

Representation
The band are represented as quite fun and lively in this video. This is shown in their appearance. For example on of the band members is wearing a cowboy hat throughout the video which could be seen as eccentric seeing as he doesn't live in Texas and isn't a cowboy. Also when Forrest is shown promoting his running for presidency he is seen wearing ridiculous and outgoing jewelry and the band member next to his is shown eating a piece of paper. Also one of the other band members is shown messing around with the ballot people whilst voting. This should help sell the song and the band to a younger audience because it shows that they are a fun band and quite outgoing like most teenagers seem to be these days. In this video Forrest is seen as a geek. Geeks are represented as the worst people in the school in this video because he is seen as losing the class president election even though his friend put a lot of votes in for him. Blake is put across as quite mean because he is seen taunting Forrest. The football players are put across as being quite mean too because they are seen chasing the school band around the football Field and beating them up too.

Institution and Audience
This video would be consumed by more of a focused audience. The reason for this would be because it has a narrative that you may have to see from the start of the video and people flicking through channels may not be able to understand or may find the video uninteresting. Also this video would be for fans because people watching this video who don't know about the band from previous may think the video is stupid. This would be viewed on a mainstream channel such as Kerrang because Hellogoodbye have quite a large fanbase. The record label would have a big role in the creation and promotion of this text because this is one of the bands hits from their newest album. The record label would want to capitalize on the bands recent success by pushing money into a video for their latest song so that their fanbase can grow and current fans would be left happy.

GW - Responding to a track

Link to track

Hellogoodbye - When we first met


Track Genre

The track is a power pop track, the majority of music from Hellogoodbye are also power pop. We can tell that this is a power pop track because it contains strong melodies and crisp vocal harmonies. The track also has sections of forceful drums beats. These are all typical conventions of power pop songs.

High or Lo Fi video

Our song is a quite upbeat song which sounds bright and colourful, it's quite a summer song so our video needs to include a lot of colour and sunlight. Usually these videos are quite high fi as it usually involves going to exotic sunny locations such as Miami or Bahamas and hiring models to perform. A lot of Hellogoodbye videos are set on the beach as the band are from California.

Comparable Videos

Hellogoodbye - Shimmy Shimmy Quarter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMK6omUtBnY

Hellogoodbye - Bonnie Taylor Shakedown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZSKXjnyqv4

Video Budgets


Usually summer brightly coloured based on the beach are seen as high fi videos. Hellogoodbye videos may seem rather exotic and expensive as they are at the beach but to them they are just using local venues as they live in the state of California. The two exampled videos are from when they were less popular so the production budget of these videos would be lower than they're newer videos.

Treatment

A teenage boy and girl are at a beach on a wonderful summers day. They meet

Locations

We are going to use a beach in our video as this is where we can get a lot of colour and light. It will also give us the summer feel we are looking for which would suit the video. We will explore several beaches to see which will be more suitable. Brighton, Hastings, Beachy head and Camber are some of the locations we are thinking of.

Grain of voice

The grain of voice is quite high pitched and soft which enhances the 'summer feel' of the track

Special Effects

Most special effects we will be using will be done post filming. If the day we are filming is darker than we are expecting we may need to put filters on and play around with the brightness and contrast to may it look brighter.

Who to employ

Jamie Shield, Emily Peal, Alex, Justin (?), Jonny Wilkinson, Luke Jones

AD - Auteur Music Videos

Certain music videos are notable for their cutting-edge techniques and artistic innovations, and some of their directors have achieved auteur status; video directors include Chris Milk, Spike Jones, Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry. Auteur music videos are different to main stream videos as there artistic form can be interpriteted in more ways than one.

One of my favourites from these directors is Da Funk by Daft punk. The track's music video was directed by Spike Jonze and entitled Big City Nights. It focuses on the character Charles, an anthropomorphic dog in a leg cast with a crutch wearing urban clothing. Charles, who has lived in New York City for only one month, is shown walking around with a boombox blasting "Da Funk" at a high volume. His hobbled walk is made fun of by a pair of children. He is turned down when he attempts to participate in a public survey. His boombox annoys a bookseller on the sidewalk from whom Charles buys a paperback novel entitled Big City Nights. Charles meets a woman named Beatrice, who was once his neighbor. They agree to have dinner together at her home, traveling by way of a city bus. Beatrice boards the bus, but Charles is startled by a sign stating "NO RADIOS". He continues to stand outside as the bus drives off with Beatrice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmi60Bd4jSs

JB - Auteur Music Video

An Auteur is a filmmaker or director who has complete control over a project and because of this the film has a unique stamp on it. In a music video sense and auteur would be a director who produces and directs the music video in his own personal style. Some examples of auteurs in the music video world would be Spike Jonze, Michael Gondry and Chris Milk. Auteurs are often considered postmodern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI9Rdn2-ETA

I have chosen the music video Keeps Gettin' Better by Christina Aguilera. It is directed by Peter Berg. I feel that this video is auteuristic because it takes the main idea of the song, which seems to be about superheroes and villains, and expands on that throughout the whole video. It is a concept based video, because there is very little storyline, but is also heavily performance based too which can be seen throughout due to her singing. He uses a lot of intertextual references such as Christina dressed as cat woman which goes along with the superhero theme. He also uses a special effect on her so her face is seen like a Lichtenstein painting. The scenes change throughout to different and more eccentric things which could go along with the line 'Keeps Gettin' Better'.

JL - Auteur Music Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9MszVE7aR4
(embedding disabled by request)

An auteur music video director is someone who is trying to achieve his or her artistic vision of the music video. It is usually quite different to mainstream music videos as it usually has a deeper meaning which can be interpreted in different ways depending on how you watch it. Successful auteur music video directors include Chris Milk, Spike Jones, Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry.

One of my favourites from these directors is Daft Punk – Around the world which was directed by Michel Gondry. I liked this particular video because each act of the music video shows a different part of the song. They are all dancing around in a circle which could refer to the title of the song that they are dancing ‘around the world’. Each set of dancers are to represent different instruments. The Androids represent the singing robot voice, the athletes represent the bass guitar, the swimmers represent the high pitched keyboard, the mummies represent the drums and the skeletons represent the guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9MszVE7aR4

JB How do audiences consume music videos?

Audiences can consume music videos in two ways. These two ways are described as passive and active but these are also known as ambient and focused. An active audience will be more committed to what they are watching and will normally watch something specifically for the purpose of enjoying their favourite artist, whereas a passive audience will normally watch the television just because there is nothing else on or maybe in a social environment. Active audiences can be seen as committed whereas a passive audience may seem quite casual about what they are watching e.g. they may skip to the music channel when the adverts are on between their normal television show whereas an active audience will watch it to see their favourite artist. Focused viewing can be seen as primary consumption because it is the main reason why they are wanting to watch the television but an ambient viewer may use the television as a secondary consumption when at a bar or at work. Some examples of when an active audience would be watching music television would be when they want to see their favourite artist or a most recent music video.

GW - Audience questions

In what way can music videos be considered postmodern?

Music videos can be seen as postmodern because of the way they are consumed. They are seen as social currency for conversations between family and friends. They also influence peoples dress sense and lifestyle. Many postmodern videos inspire people to follow the latest trends. Consumption of the media builds our individuality, in modern day we are not judged by what job we have or where we live. We are judged by what clothes we wear, how we look and what music we listen to.

Intertextuality is used in many postmodern films and music videos. People can relate to these intertextual references e.g. In Eminems Just Lose It you see Michael Jackson dancing in a back alley and the pave stones light up in reference to the Billie Jean video. The video is also a bricolage to many other famous celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Dr. Dre, MC Hammer, etc.

How do audiences consume music videos?
answer as separate post
What Considerations has this research raised in terms of planning your production?


The EMAP audience research has raised various factors we need to consider when making our music video. We know that mostly 16 - 24 year olds watch the music and they watch it mainly because there is nothing else on television that they are interested in or they are just flicking through because there are adverts on another channel. This is the passive audience who are not fully paying attention. Our goal is to capture the attention of the audience so that they will continue viewing the music video. This means that we will need a narrative based video for those who are focused viewing and partly performance based so the passive audience will not be left out.