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.

initial ideas

My initial ideas for the song to use would be in the rock/punk genre, as they are the genre of songs I am most familiar with and know more about this genre. The artist I am hoping to use is the local punk/rock band TFI as they are unsigned and have no existing music videos of their songs. 

Inpsiration from music videos

INSPIRATION FROM MUSIC VIDEOS

One of my favourite music videos is the song “Stray Heart” by Green Day. It is a single taken from the album Dos and was recorded in 2012.

The video depicts a man flicking through records in a music shop and buying some Green Day records. He presents them to his girlfriend but she is horrified to see a hole in his body where his heart should be. He walks down the street and sees a trail of blood. He follows the trail and catches up with his heart outside the girl’s apartment.

I love this track as it shows the traditional punk rock style of Green Day blended with a garage rock style.

I would like to use this video as inspiration for my own work as I really like the narrative style and the way it interprets the lyrics of the song.

Kasbian Fire

IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF KASABIAN “FIRE”

Genre characteristics

The genre of the song is an Indie / rock song. This is shown by the bank robbery as this is seen as a very aggressive act. This is stereotypical of the rock genre as the music videos typically centre on these acts.

The lead singer has long dark hair, which is stereotypical of the rock genre.

As they wave and show off their guitars, although representing guns, are still following the rock generic conventions as rock bands are traditionally playing guitars and waving them as they play them at their concerts. 

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

The video is set in the West of America in the late 19^th, early 20^th century, as is shown by their cowboy style costumes with cowboy hats and neckchiefs. The whole of the video has a golden brown tint which makes us think it is old and a story from the past.
The video opens with a non-diegetic speech from the lead singer of the band. He is staring at his reflection, and we believe that he is reflecting on a plan that he is about to try and carry out.

The red nail varnish on the lady’s hand connotes a sense of danger as she presses the alarm button. This is a foresight on the chaos and the death that is about to ensue.

When the band escape from the bank they use a fire escape which links to the title of the song – “Fire”. This also creates a sense of irony as the escape is to avoid the fire but in the video it very much becomes apart of it.

When the money spills from the sacks it is shown to be not money but music manuscripts. This could be seen as a message from the band as they are showing that music doesn’t need to be paid for it can be free to everyone. As they are stealing music this very much relates to modern day piracy which is stealing music from artists and giving it away for free. It could also be seen as Kasabian stealing back music which could relate to them returning to the music scene after a long absence. It shows us music is their real passion.

Relationship between music and visuals

The video tells a very clear and strong story, however there is no direct link between the visuals and the lyrics of the video.

We are shown a young teen in a car with a note of music tattooed on their upper cheekbone. The streets are deserted and there is an ominous feel of danger.

As the chorus begins, the pace of the music greatly increases. We are shown a CCTV image with the numbers counting in the corner. It shows a bank robbery being held out by the band. They are using their guitars as guns, and in fact the guitar actually becomes a gun as it fires bullets at one of the bank workers. There is a connection between the band and the gang shown by the use of the guitars.

There are lots of slow action shots which allow the viewer to focus on the bank robbery. There is a diegetic sound of gunfire. This is not stereotypical of music videos which usually just feature the track from the song and do not want anything to detract from that.

The video’s editing is in time with the beat of the music and does change pace with the pace of the music.

Demands of the record label require lots of close up shots of the artist

The lead singer is prominent in the opening shots of the video, defining him as the leader of the band. He is seen in close up although with subdued sepia colouring. When the music starts, he sings in time with the music.  

During the chorus, action shots of the robbery are shown, but then the scene switches back to the lead singer singing again, focusing the attention on the lead singer which is a generic convention of this style of music. The record company would want his face to become familiar so his records would sell well.

Reference to the notion of looking

There is no direct notion of looking, but the way the band is portrayed in the video would appeal to its rock fans.

Intertextual references

There are no direct references to any films or other music videos, however the video does pay homage to all western films.

Titling

There are no titles used throughout the video.

Analysis of magazine advert of artist in chosen genre

ANALYSIS OF A MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Green Day was formed in 1987 and is made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool. They are an American punk rock band.

This magazine article shows a clear picture of the three members of the band sitting and staring up at the camera. They have the moody stare that we would associate with artists of this genre. Their clothes are also the traditional cloth of punk rock artists – dark suits and shirts and heavy, wide soled boots. Their hair is spiky and slightly unkempt and there are signs of tattoos and pierced ears. They are smart but with a rebellious appearance which is traditional for this genre. The demands of the record company would be satisfied by this poster as the band themselves are the subject of the image. They would be brought to the forefront of the audience’s attention and would be instantly recognisable. This would help to sell the albums.

The heading at the top of the page in white on a green background states this is a “big interview”. This shows the group’s star status and emphasises their popularity. The text at the bottom is in clear black font which stands out clearly against the grey background. The writing in the bottom right corner describes the band as “hard workers”. This would promote a positive image and the audience would realise how seriously they take their music and how hard they work.

The camera angle used in the article makes it appear as if the band are almost sitting in mid-air and looking up at the camera. This is an interesting angle and gives a sense of mystery to the band.