History of Medium

Genre Conventions

There are key elements that usually define the genre of pop music which include very electric sound and an upbeat track. They also have elements of urban, dance and rock styles borrowed and included. The same format is conventionally used throughout majority of pop songs with the idea of a catchy chorus repeated as a hook for their target audience – which is typically youths. The idea of pop music stems from it being an abbreviation of the term ‘popular’ and therefore this type of music is aimed at a mass audience. This increases the importance of popularity within this genre/music industry and how important it is to sell the artist.

Within music videos there is conventionally a strong link between the lyrics of the song and the visuals in order to create a strong narrative to follow and help to sell the song and the artist. Videos are used to sell the artist by giving off an ideology the represents the artist and their beliefs and to build their fan base. This is the reason the artists/band feature in the video themselves to allow the audience to connect with them, as it is essential to sell the music and make money.

A great example of the link between lyrics and narrative is the music video by one Direction – Night Changes, which also is an example of how they sell themselves as a band to their audience.   

This particular music video involves their audience massively through the use of cinematography and editing, with the point of view shots which allows the audience to place themselves into the as if they were actually with the artists. This was obviously an intentional production choice to further include the target audience into the boys life and get to know and understand their personalities better, selling them as a band.

   

Visual Mood Board of Lyrics

Lyrical Analysis

          

         

Lyric Timings

Chosen Song

 

Research on Past students

My Video Ideas

From researching a variety of music videos I have liked the idea of up-beat dance music. From watching video from this genre I have seen a few that have inspired me for my own music video. 

Katy Perry's 'This is how we do' Music video uses green screen through really well and it is something that i would like to incorporate into my video. 

Therefore, I am going to book out the green room in order to take test shots so i know what types of thing i can include in my own. This way i can also make sure that  i know how to use it without chopping part out of my work and that I use the lighting properly and dont have a green tinge to my shots. 

Analysis of 5 Existing Music Videos

Rihanna -  Diamonds

Positives; 

• variety of edits - opens with a close up of the artist in slow-motion 
• Props link to the song lyrics; diamonds used creatively and bright lights at lyrics "shine bright like a diamond."
• Edits fit the song pace - every beat the edit changes 
• lip sink in time - narrative then switches to artist singing 
• slow motion edits fit with feel of the song 
• simple but effective e.g. "shine bright like a diamond" = bright light shone 
• close ups of Rihanna out of the narrative with lip sink
• variety of props and outfit changes
• flames used with slow motion edits which look effective 
• her in the water scene, zoom out, slow motion spin edit looks effective
• differs in location but keeps going back to same familiar ones 
• finishes on a long edit 

Negatives; 

• similar types of locations - can get boring and lose interest 
• very dark and slow (but does match the song)

 Positives; 

• starts with slow motion edit
• lots going on with exaggerated/unusual costumes and props 
• fades and dark lighting when song is slower 
• fast edits/ lights matching the beat 
• lots of fast motion edit/ speed up 
• close up of Beyonce lip sinking 
• variety of costumes keeps you interested 
• bright lights and background- very eye catching 
• pans and still shots of bright lights saying lyrics in the song 
• illuminous costumes whilst dancing
•  abstract so it doesn't match the lyrics to the song which is intriguing 
• switches scenes constantly - confusing in a good way 
• lots of different angles used - upside down/ high angles 

Negatives; 

• song doesn't quite match the song 
• similar settings throughout 
• bright lights constantly flashing 
• lots of dance scenes so would be difficult to film 

Positives; 

• starts with lyrics written 
• story line starts
• variety of scenes and locations captures your attention 
• lip sink from main stars story line 
• fast edits match the fast beat 
• variety of angles (low, high)
• slow motion edits 
• good use of lighting throughout 

Negatives; 

• story line doesn't seem to match the song 
• too many different story lines which confuses you and makes you lose interest by the middle of the video 
• can get boring as you aren't aware of whats happening 
• every location looks similar- not much excitement  

positives; 

• Clear story line start - grabs your attention straight away 
• movements match the song beats 
• long camera edit but with a lot going on - still interesting
• variety of locations 
• very unusual costume and prop choices - intriguing
• lyrics match the video e.g "play hard" - lot of partying and dance scenes 
• dance matches the speed and beat of the song 
• lot of dancers/ actors keep you interest all the way through 
• bright lights and sparklers used as props 
• sticks to story line and everyone comes together at the end 
• both music artist are in the video at the end 

Negatives; 

• A lot going on so can be confusing 
• can lose interest simply because the story line is not that clear and all the different things going on can make you lose track of whats happening 
• main artist are not feature in the video fully

positives; 

• long introduction with artist in the shot - zoom in 
• actions/location/props specifically match the lyrics 
• abstract 
• variety of dark and light settings 
• illuminous costumes are eye catching and interesting 
• large variety of costume changes 
• different camera angles 
• lyrics on the screen in weird patterns/objects e.g. pizza made from words 
• good transitions from each edit - fades, swipes  
• close-ups, mid-shots, long shots etc
•  good use of zoom in and out 
• green screen used frequently 
• 3 things/scene happening all in one edit 
• animations of word and props 
• never boring 
• extreme slow motion of people floating 
• never lose interest as there is always things going on

Negatives; 

• edits are sometimes a bit too long on one still shot 
• lots of animations could be hard to do
• random things in the video are quite confusing 

Initial Ideas

After researching and thinking about what type of genre of music video I would like to create, I have looked into what type of song would be good for my ideas.

I need a song that can be upbeat and can mean that I can do quick edits that are interesting and conventional in the pop/R&B genre.

'I Will Never Let You Down' by Rita Ora is the song I am thinking of using for my music video as it has a got beat so I can include lots of edits. 

Although another song that caught my attention in the charts was 'Bang Bang' by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. This song also has a really good beat and this could also help when it comes to me including a lot of editing in to make my video interesting and stand out. 

The idea I had for this song was to include a lot of zooms as I thought they went really well with the beat and that it would look really good. However the problem I have is that I would need 3 girls that could perform each of the singers part to a good standard, and since Nicki Minaj's part is a rap it would be difficult to find someone willing to do it who can actually pull it off without it looking unprofessional.  

What makes a good music video

Mind Map of Ideas

Brief for beginning of A2

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

•a website homepage for the band;

•a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);

•a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package). 

The exam board require you to create your own “identity” for your artist or performer.

You can use the title of the track but you must produce a new original branding for the artist or band. This must be constructed to reflect the genre and appeal of the performer.