Album Covers

Using Mixbook, I have illustrated my analysis of three different album covers that vary in genre.

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Evaluation of A2 Students Digipak

Using Prezi, I have illustrated my evaluations of four students digipaks.



I have also shown my favourite student digipak, which I believe will inspire me in the creation of my digipak.

What is a Digipak ?

This is a presentation to illustrate my understanding of what a digipak is and its conventions. I have also shown examples of different digipaks which vary according to genre and style. Lastly, I have noted down what I aim to include in my digipak and the benefits of making it.

Explanation & Analysis of a Digipak from LarelleShay

Filming Pictures

Throughout the production of our music video, we took pictures of us on set which I have shown in the PowerPoint below.

 

Lip Syncing

Here is a video of Shannon lip syncing to our chosen song 'Always On My Mind'. This was done in order to test and practice syncing lyrics, audio and footage all together.

Artist Logo

Below is a number of logo's that has been designed to represent our music artist 'Big Quan'.

Contingency Plans

Contingency Plan from LarelleShay

Crew Requiremtns

This is the crew requirements for our music video:

Crew Requirements on Prezi

Below is a listing of roles and responsibilities for our music video production team.

Casting

Below is the casting for our music video whereby we auditioned a number of people for the female and male roles.

Budget

In our group we listed a number of things that would be required for our music video as well as the prices. Below is our Budget List and our total we intend to spend.

Budget

Equipment List

Props List

This is a brainstorm of the props we intend to have in our music video.

Costume List

Below are all the costumes we plan to have each of our characters wearing throughout the music video.

All Female Costumes All Male Costumes

Production Schedule

Below is the schedule that we have planned for our filming production.

Filming Production Schedule

Floor Plans

This is the Floor Plan in which my group and I intend our music video to look like.

Risk Assessment

Media Risk Assessment from LarelleShay

Location Reece & Contracts

Below is the locations in which we plan to set our music video in:

Location 1 - Restaurant  Location 2 - Bedroom

Animatic

Below is the animatic of our music video which consists of all the shots from our final storyboard incorporated into a video.

From our first animatic it was easy to tell that we needed to include more shots in our story line as many of the shots were very long and so it didn't flow properly.

Final Storyboard

Below is our final storyboard for the music video:

Below is location and description of each part of the storyboard which will be additional and helpful information to us when we are actually filming our music video.

Storyboard Details

Draft Storyboard

Below is the draft storyboard that has been created to show what are video we look like in each scene.

Draft Storyboard

Shooting Script

Below is the shooting script to show the various shots that will be in our music video as well as the audio and dialogue that will be at heard when these shots are shown.

Shooting Script 1

Moodboard

Below is our moodboard, to showcase the mood we intend to create for our music video. It also reflects the lifestyle and style of the characters that will be used in our video.

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Lyric Analysis

Below is the analysis of our lyrics as well as the meaning behind the lyrics.

Lyric analysis big quan always on my mind from LarelleShay

Target Audience Profile

Below is a brainstorm illustrating what our target audience will be like, their interests, like, dislikes and so forth. 

Idea Treatment

Below is the Idea Treatment which basically gives my group and I, an overview of what the video is going to be about as well as what will be involved in it.

PreProduction

In the following posts, you will see all my Pre-production work that will help towards the construction of my music video as well as other tasks involved in this project. Due to the large number of tasks, my group and I have split up the tasks according. Before completing each of the tasks, we will be consulting one another about what should be put in, what needs to be in and developing ideas.

I will be taking on the following tasks:

• Idea Treatment
• Moodboard
• Risk Assessment
• Casting
• Crew Requirements
• Contingency Plan
• Artist Logo

Chloe will be completing the following tasks:

• Target Audience Profile
• Shooting Script
• Draft Storyboard
• Final Storyboard
• Animatic
• Equipment List
• Production Schedule

Shannon will be completing the following tasks:

• Lyric Analysis
• Location Recce & Contracts
• Floor Plan
• Costume List
• Props List
• Budget
• Lip Synching

Green Screen Analysis of Inspirational Video

During our media course, we had to find a music videot hat inspired us the most. Due to being brought up in an era whereby Destiny's Child was the most popular girl group, I chose Destiny's Child - Bills Bills Bills. After researching and analysing the video, my group and I filmed our analysis in front of green screen. We found this very hard as we had a lot to talk about and had not learnt everything off by heart. Nonetheless, we presented very well and got a clear message across. We edited our work using Final Cut Express which was very beneficial as we learnt some additional skills.

Genre Shopping List

This is a brainstorm of what i think is involved in a music video of the genres R'n'B and Hip-Hop. 

Song Selection

Using Music Valley, I researched different types of songs of my genre. Below, I have chosen three songs which I believed were interesting songs to make a music video out of as well as listed the positives and negatives of the songs. Lastly, I have shown my final chosen track that my group and I picked to use for our music video.

Song Selection from LarelleShay

A2 Students Music Video Analysis

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – Vampire Weekend 



 I chose to evaluate Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa because as soon as I watched it I was drawn into the creativity and how different it was compared to other videos. I think it is very good because firstly the style of video is a hybrid between performance and abstract. I have come to this conclusion because the band is shown performing throughout to the audience however, the video is unrelated to the song. Throughout the video, the band is shown to be performing a song. They have used the generic conventions of a ‘rock/heavy metal’ music video whereby there is a lead vocalist, a bassist, a drummer and rhythm guitarist (typical band line up). However, rather than wearing black and having a black back drop behind them, they have chosen to be clothed in casual clothing such as jeans, bright tops and trainers, in which the audience can relate to. It also makes clear the groups target audience which is teenagers who are likely to be in college or university. By using a white back drop, it creates a happy, fun atmosphere which is emphasised by their use of colours in their clothing choice. The female in the video seems to play quite a dominant role within the music video because the camera moves between shots of the band performing and shots of her. She is also clothed in casual clothing for example a floral top and jeans suggesting that she is a teenager as well. Throughout the video, she is shown painting on canvas as well as on some of the boy’s bodies that may suggest that she is a creative artist. The use of props consist of: musical instruments, mikes, paints, paintbrush, pots, an easel, canvas board and frames. These props create realism as students who are likely to be interested in art or music will have used these in particular. By creating an unclear video whereby the audience is not fully aware of what is going on, it enables the audience to become more engaged with the music video.  The editing varies at some parts of the video by being fast paced to create a type of energy within the video and other parts being slower paced so that the audience can analyse everything that is going on in detail. There is a wide range of shots in this video such as close up shots, extreme close ups, wide shots and groups shots which is used the most. By using a lot of group shots the audience has the ability to recognise the significant band members. Special effects have been used effectively to show the band members singing in frames on the wall. They appear in unnatural colours such as pink and green which relates back to the different colours used in the video and creates an unrealistic feel. As the bands faces are shown singing on the walls (as well as their lips) there is a sense of connection between the audience and the band members as they are at eye level with the camera. This makes it seem as if they are actually singing to you.   Overall, I would say that this video is very creative and was well thought about. I especially like it for the use of techniques that they have used. A key element that I would use from this video, in my own, is the use of colour of in the costumes that contrasts well with the white background.  


 Justin Timberlake - What you got (oh no) 

 

My next A2 music video analysis was 'What you got (oh no) by Justin Timberlake and Timberland. I chose to analyse this music video because I liked the song choice and was therefore able to familiarise myself with what the song was about and relate it to the actual music video. From eat I analysed in this video, it is clear that the video was well thought about and planned. The group also took into consideration the generic conventions of hip-hop music videos which were displayed clearly within the video. This consists of good looking girls, dancers, expensive clothing, women dancing in a sexual way and intimacy between the artist and a person of the opposite sex. The video begins with dialogue between two guys who are talking about a girl and background talking to make it seem as if there in a loud and crowded location such as a restaurant or  bar. The mid shot used here allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the main artist who will essentially be the main focus throughout the video. At the beginning of the video, one of the boys mentions 'Ay T look at that girl, check her out' which draws the focus on to the main girl within the video through the used of a mid-shot and a close up shot. This is typical of the Hip-Hop genre as there is always one particular girl who the artist sings about, likes or wants to get to know. After the introduction the artists are shown singing however, the camera focuses is off which allows their movement to appear enhanced rather than how it appears normally. It begins with a wide shot showing the artists at a distance and slowly zooms in. All the way through there is a wide range of other camera angles used such as close up shots, wide shots, long shots, extreme close ups and more to engage the viewer. The use of editing is very effective also because it is fast paced so the audiences are instantly made to focus on everything that is going on as well as consume the message that the video and song is illustrating. In some parts of the video, the camera zooms in and out which is in sync with some parts of the music in order to make the video look more interesting. It also contains a lot of movement from one person to another to create an upbeat atmosphere that matches the beat and rhythm of the song. Other techniques that the music video uses is creative transitions that makes cuts appear smoother and shots were the most dominant person is in the foreground of the camera frame and others are in the background. An example of this is a close up of the artists face and three female dancers dancing in the background. By using this technique the viewer is given two focuses rather than one making the video appear different compared to other videos. The mise-en-scene used in this video such as the black and white clothing worn by everyone in the video, was well thought about as it contrasts well with the black background. This idea of a black and white setting relates to Andrew Goodwin's theory whereby music videos contain some type of intertextual reference. In this video, the intertextual reference to Snoop Dogg's music video for 'Drop It Like Its Hot' (a Hip-Hop song) whereby the same colours are used. Rather than having a plain background, they chose to include grey and white patterns that appear throughout the video. Lastly, the artist performance portrays a lot of intimacy between the artist and the girl he is shown to like which is another key element of a Hip-Hop music video. Overall, I think this video is really good as it was well thought about and illustrates the lyrics throughout. For example, 'Is that your hands, grabbing on me' is shown by an extreme close up of the girl’s hands moving up and down the boy’s body implying a sexual reference. Elements of this video that I may use, is the black background as it comes across more professional. However, I do think there could be an improvement within this video which is the music simply because it sounds distorted and varies in volume.   

Andrew Goodwin Music Video Analysis

In the following PowerPoint I have shown my findings on Andrew Goodwin's theory. I've also applied his theory to Hip-Hop music video 'Golddigger' by Kanye West.



 I found his 6 key features on music videos rather interesting because it was really true. As a result, I have demonstrated it in depth below:

Dyer's Star Theory Essay

Below is an essay on Richard Dyer's Star Theory which allowed me to gain knowledge on pop stars, how they portray themselves and their influence on their audiences, to name a few.

Auteur Theory: Director Case Study - Spike Jonze

Below is a presentation of the research I done on auteur theorist Spike Jonze. This was another research task because I came aware of the term 'auteur theorist' and what it meant. I also analysed the types of videos that Spike Jonze analysed in order to get a better understanding of an auteur theorist. I feel that this task will be highly beneficial because it highlighted the 'consistency' directors use in their work which in turn, will make me do the same.

Spike Jonze - Auteur Theory from LarelleShay

Genre Conventions

After gaining a good explanation of codes and conventions, I researched the generic conventions of five different genres which consists of : Heavy Metal, Ballad, Alternative Rock, Pop and Hip-Hop. I really enjoyed researching these generic conventions because it was interesting to analyse music videos such as alternative rock and heavy metal in which I have no interest in.

Music Genre Conventions on Prezi

The 5 Styles of Music Video

In my media lesson, I learnt that music video's can be categorised in terms of style, according to the generic conventions within the video. The five styles consist of:

• Performance
• Abstract
• Narrative
• Thematic
• Cameo

Performance

Performance videos are when the band or artist are shown playing or performing to the viewer through a dance or  using instruments. Usually there is never a narrative as the main focus is on the artist throughout which is the reason as to why there is a variety of camera angles used.

Common genres that use performance style videos are rock and pop artists. An example of a performance style video is the Foo Fighters - Best of You. The band perform to the audience using instruments to show off their skills. They also use close ups which focuses on the main vocalist and camera movement that goes from one member of the group/band to another.

Abstract

An abstract video is where the video is completely unrelated to the song. The mise-en-scen tends to be very creative and camera angles/shots vary. Genres that use this style of video are rock and indie. An example of a abstract style video is Tool - Sober who are an alernative rock band. Tool however, dont like to be seen which is why the video contains a lot of props and people dressed up in costumes.

Narrative

A narrative style video, is a video that tells a story within the video. This particular style of video is common amongst a few genres such as hip hop, r'n'b and heavy metal. The videos have a lot of meaning and the lyrics is often acted out. An example of a narrative style video is the All American Rejects - Gives You Hell. The video portrays Levi Strauss's theory of binary opposites as two neighbours are at each other necks throughout. However, the two eventually accept change.

Thematic

Thematic style videos are videos that take the theme of a song and make a video out of it. Examples of this could be a break up or going out. An example of a thematic style video is Coldplay - Fix You.

Cameo

A cameo style video is when the band/artist features in the narrative however, doesn't perform. In this video, Ed Sheeran features at the end however is acted out through Rupert grint (from Harry Potter) who is an obsessed fan of Ed Sheeran.









 

Lastly, there are music videos that are a hybrid which is a video that contains more than one style. An example of this is:

Nicki Minaj Analysis

Another part of my research task, was to analyse a music video of my genre. For this task, I chose Nicki Minaj - Superbass which has a fun, colourful and detailed video.

Nicki Minaj Analysis from LarelleShay

Codes and Conventions Definition

In class I learnt about codes and conventions which I found very useful and informative. Below is some brief information about it which will be able to help me throughout the duration of this project.

Codes

Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. These may include both technical codes or symbolic codes. An example of a code that creates meaning is gold chains and baggy pants in a Hip-Hop music video.

-  Technical Codes - This is all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text (e.g. - camera work or editing).

-  Symbolic Codes - This shows what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a characters action can show you how they are feeling and their emotions.


Conventions

Conventions are the widely recognised way of doing something which is to do with content, form and style. There are two types of conventions which consists of:

- Technical Conventions - A convention in a technical area. These conventions, apply to the majority of music videos for e.g. the video being the same length as the song and fast cuts

- Genre Conventions - this is where conventions are associated with a particular genre. An example of this would be Pop videos, that ba e dance routines and bands performing songs with instruments.

Conventions of a music video:

-  The video is the same Length as the song (somewhere around 4 minutes)
- They present the band/artist, who look as though they are singing
- They have lots of fast editing

These conventions dont however, apply to all music videos.


Difference between Codes and Conventions

The difference between codes and conventions, is that codes might be individual to the media text you are analysing for example, a music video may use a tracjing shot that is significant however completely irrelevant in another video. Whereas, conventions are something they all share within a genre.

Music Director Facts

Below is a presentation of a music video director that I researched into. I chose to research Hype Williams in order to broaden my imagination on music videos of my genre R'n'B and Hip Hop - which is the genre of videos that he makes.



Below are a few of the videos that Hype Williams has directed so that you can get a better understanding of what I have displayed in the above presentation:

Video 1: Busta Rhymes - Gimme Some More: Uses Signature Style 1 - Fisheye Lens

Video 2: Beyonce - Check On It: Uses Signature Style 2 - Splitting Shots

Video 3: Aaliyah - Rock the boat: Uses Signature Style 3 - Developing tracking and aerial shots

Video 4: Jamie Foxx - Digital Girl (Remix): Uses Signature Style 4 - Creates an illusion

Narrative Theory Comparison Table

Below is a comparison table of all four narrative theories that I have applied to music videos of different genre. By completing this research task, I found that these narrative theories are very iconic and apply to a number of videos.

Narrative Theorists

Narrative Theories 

Narrative, is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional media texts. In media, there are four main theorists who each have a different perception of the word, narrative. These theorists consist of: Tsvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp, Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes.

Tsvetan Todorov 

Bulgarian Literary Theorist

Todorov came up with his theories after making a study of Russian folk tales. He said that all narratives follow a three part structure which is the Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and new Equilibrium. Most narratives start with equilibrium whereby life is balanced, normal and happy. The Disequilibrium is however, when the state of normality is disrupted by something. Once the disruption has been resolved and fought against, equilibrium is restored or a new equilibrium is introduced. As a result, we are back to the state of equilibrium.  

Vladimir Propp 

Russian Critic and Literary Theorist

Muck like Todorov, Propp analysed a large number of Russian fairy tales during the 1920. From what he acquired, he proposed the idea that in a narrative, it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions. In all, he constructed 31 functions which could happen but not necessarily at the same time as well as 8 character types that arise in all stories. While most recent films and stories, don’t fit Propp’s theory, films such as Star Wars does.

Propp’s Character Roles 

• The Hero (Protagonist – Leads the Narrative. Seeks something or trying to solve something such as a mystery) 
• The villain (Antagonist - opposes the hero)
• The donor (helps the hero by providing a clue, magic object or special power to help them on their quest and to complete it) 
• The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way)
• The false hero (falsely assuming the role of hero) 
• The helper (gives support to the hero and often acts as a sidekick)
• The princess (the reward for the hero, but also needs protection from the villain)
• The father 

Claude Levi Strauss 

Social Anthropologist 

He studied the myths of tribal cultures. Strauss suggested that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a chain of opposing forces. He called his theory Binary opposition which is used to describe how each main force in a narrative, has its equal and opposite. Whilst analysing a narrative, you can identify these opposing forces and understand how the conflict between them will drive the narrative forward until there is some type of balance or a resolution is achieved. 

Examples of Binary Opposites:

• Good/Bad 
• Weak/Strong 
• Youth/Aged 
• Poverty/Wealth
• Inside/Outside 

Roland Barthes

French Literary Theorist

According to Barthes, the way we come to understand a story comes from our interpretation. So despite there being a basic narrative in any form of media, it depends on who we are our experience and age, to name a few because these influence our perception. He suggested that narrative works with five different codes which stimulate the reader to make sense of it. 

These codes are as followed:

• Action – a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. a shoot-out. 
• Enigma – a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. This works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably. 
• Symbolic – (connotation) 
• Semic – (denotation) 
• Cultural – a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. a “made man” in a gangster film is part of the mafia culture.

History of Music Video

In order to get a good perception on the background of music videos and how it all began, we was set a research task to explore this. Whilst researching into music videos from the 19th century until now, I discovered many things and was rather intrigued as a whole. In the following power point I have shown my findings.

History of music videos from LarelleShay

Music Video Analysis

Below is the analysis of music video 'Co-Sign' by RnB Female Group SWV.

Music Video Analysis from LarelleShay

Below is the official music video:

My Favourite Music Video

Through the media technology Prezi, I have written about my favourite music video 'Work It' by Missy Elliot and explained my reasons for liking it also.

My Favourite Music Video on Prezi

Brief

In today’s lesson, I was given the brief for my A2 project, which is the promotional package for the release of an album, which will consist of us creating a music promo video. It will also require us to make a website homepage for the band and a cd cover for its release as part of a digipak (cd/dvd package). Immediately, I warmed to this task as I believed it would be interesting to make a music video, it would allow me to learn a range of new skills and use the skills I was taught in the first part of my media course (AS). However, in order to be successful in this task I would have to produce a lot of work, which was made clear when I viewed other people’s websites that was of A and B grades. We were introduced to ‘Wix’ once given our new brief to produce a music video. Wix is a free website builder that enables people to make their own website. It is very complex, compared to blogger however, will be beneficial in the end. It was easy to sign up to Wix and there was a range of templates that we could choose from in order to make the layout of our website look good. Here is a link to the website that I began creating in order to see what it was like: http://lbenjaminf.wix.com/a2-media