Fact Sheet

The purpose of music video

      The prime purpose is to sell the song on the video

      It also sells

-          The album the song is from

-          The film if the song is a soundtrack for a film

-          The tour of the artist

-          Official merchandise

When a music video is shown, the audience is seeing and hearing the actual product which is different to other advertising where they would be shown a picture of the product but would then go out and buy the real thing.

Before the new media was developed music was available to the public

·         On television shows like Top of the Pops

·         On radio shows

New technology meant you could download the music to YouTube and watch it anywhere on a mobile device. This meant you could listen to the music at any time for free.

To start with record companies tried to stop this. But it was very expensive and difficult to stop.

Now music companies allow the music videos to be shown online and have a link to iTunes so you can pay and download the music legally and the companies still get their money.

Record companies, artists and television shows all have their own channels so you can download the music.

Vevo

      Vevo is a site specifically for music videos

      Launched by major record companies in America

Conventions of Music Videos

There are conventions that are common to all genres of music

            1.Movement

       Usually linked to rhythm of song
       Can be created by:

·         moving the camera

·         People in video moving or dancing

·         Speed of editing

·         Flashing lights

·         Special effects

           2. Narrative

·         The Narrative of the video can sometimes link to the song’s lyrics.

·         It can also be independent to the lyrics

          3. Band or artist

      Most music videos feature the band/artist which advertises them as a product to be sold.

      They are either seen to be lip synching or performing on stage (this is the case for a band)

      The artist can also be seen to act in the video rather than perform

      The band or the artist can sometimes be represented in a different way e.g. animation or actors playing the role of the artist.

         4. Intertextuality

Intertextuality is where the music video references another genre or music video

These can sometimes be very obvious but they can sometimes be a bit more obscure, which gives the viewer some pleasure when they recognize the references.

Analysis of Owl City When Can I See You Again

Mise-en scene

The lead singer is dressed in a hoodie and jeans which is contrasted by the bright coloured costumes of the background dancers. These brightly coloured clothes with bright wigs relate to the retro arcade characters in the story. It also helps to make the artist stand out and shows that he is the player playing an arcade game. The bright colours also help to establish a link between the music video and the game by making them similar to some of the characters found in the film.

The set is made up of bright colours and cardboard sets where they look similar to their virtual counterpart. This helps to create the sense that he is actually inside the video and not just playing it.

The sets change from the arcade room to the virtual world which establishes that this may just be a game he is playing but it feels like he is a key part to the story.

Movement

This music video is full of movement which is achieved in several ways.

It opens with a shot of a games machine and there is a moment of stillness before a coin is put in to start the game. This contrasts to the fast pace of the rest of the video.

The camera shots move quickly from one scene to the next. There are close ups of the singer and then quick jumps to the action of the arcade game. This quick jump from shot to shot fits the fast rhythm of the song.

There is a lot of dancing in the video which gives a sense of movement and rhythm. The four girls dance in a robotic manner fitting to the beat of the music. This associates the dancers to the pixelated characters from the arcade game with their simplistic and jumpy movements.

Close up shots of the singer show him moving to the rhythm of the music.

Sound

When can I see you again is the lead song for the film Wreck It Ralph. This song contains lyrics which are related to the movie. This helps to associate the song to the film. Throughout the video the artist is seen to be lip-synching and looking at the camera. This then uses direct address where the artist singing directly to the camera makes the audience member feel he is singing to them directly.

Narrative

Once the game starts on the machine the audience is sucked in and becomes a participant in the game. The scene changes as we move from one level to the next showing different stages in the arcade game.

The song tells of eternal friendship and talks of people it hurts to say goodbye to. The theme of friendship relates to the movie Wreck It Ralph, and this song is used as a soundtrack for that film. It encourages us to live life to the full.

Artist

There are lots of close up shots of the singer shown on the screen of the video machine.

He is shown as being a part of the story of the arcade game.

In addition to close up shots which would be required by the record company to promote the artist, he is shown in the action of the game. For example there is a shot of him in the cockpit of the aeroplane flying through the scenery of the game.

He is dressed in very plain dark clothes which makes him stand out against the bright multi coloured background of the arcade game.

In some shots he is wearing sunglasses which makes him stand out as the star of the video.

He is shown in close ups lip-syncing to the song whilst looking directly at the camera. This is using direct address. His expressions portray the storyline of the song showing genuine emotion.

Intertextuality

Throughout the video there are strong connections with the Disney Pixar movie Wreck It Ralph. This is shown by the frequent use of clips from the actual film, which helps to link the narrative of the lyrics to the film.

The set of the video is made using pixels. This helps to establish the theme of video games where the artist is in an arcade and becomes a part of the game.

The purpose of the video would be to advertise the film and to encourage people to buy the soundtrack. The soundtrack is taken from an album so the video is also a means of promoting the album. It also acts as an advert for Owl City and would bring this artist to the attention of a wide audience and encourage people to buy his music.

Titling

There are some titles used throughout the video which are made using pixels to represent the arcade game theme. This also helps to link the video the film Wreck It Ralph.

Music Video and Genre

Each genre of music has specific codes and conventions which are used in music videos.

Hip-hop Videos

Feature

•     Low rider cars
•     Casual baggy clothing such as hoodies and sports gear
•     Basketball courts
•     Settings in downtown areas of America
•     Voyeurism
•     Rich accessories and extravagant lifestyle
•     Often feature neighbourhood in which the rapper grew up
•     Large groups of friends
•     Suggestions of gang culture

Musical genre	Clothing	Behaviours	Video Settings
Hip/Hop	Baggy clothing with jewellery Often sportswear Hoodies	Drug dealing/underground activities Gangs Voyeurism – beautiful women	Live areas with some shots of the artist walking around neighbourhoods Urban cities Run down areas
Metal/Rock	Dark clothing/leather jackets Often tight fitting tops showing a lot of chest	Breaking things/illegal actions/fighting Partying women	Real life areas with some live performances Clubs Open spaces
Punk	Skinny/black jeans	Skate boarding	Dark alleyways/graffiti areas/gangland

The majority of this information was taken from a sheet supplied by the school. To supplement these notes I researched these topics using various websites.

http://www.vevo.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/alevelmedia/music-video-research-and-intertextuality
http://quillanmediastudies.tumblr.com/post/3179422795/music-video-generic-conventions
http://www.slideshare.net/pluto106/what-is-the-main-purpose-of-a-music 

Using the information I have obtained from watching and analysing music videos gives me insight into the generic conventions used to create a successful music video that will meet these codes. It will also help me to see the style of music videos that are available and the ones that are the most popular. When composing my music video I need to think about the purpose of the video, the target audience and the themes and styles that will be used, and whether there will be a deeper more meaningful message in the lyrics.