A2 G324: THE PURPOSE & CONVENTIONS

THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC VIDEOS:

This is a mind map to show the different reasons why musicians create music videos.

Music videos are also used as Synergy. One big example of this is when music videos feature scenes from a Hollywood movie. Usually the song will feature in the trailer or credits of the film therefore, the music is promoted both ways. 

KEY WORD - Synergy
the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations

Ellie Gouldings 'Love me like you do' and Adele's 'Skyfall' were the most popular songs featured in the mainstream hollywood movies, 'James Bond Skyfall' and 'Fift Shades of Grey'.

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION 'IN THE MAKING':

I edited a video of me on Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 browsing through the internet trying to understand more about the fundamentals of a music video. I look at the various stages required for the production, and what makes a good final video. 

GOODWINS THEORY:

Goodwin's theory states that there are 5 key aspects to a music video -

• Thought through beat (what they lyrics mean to you).
• Relationship between the visuals and songs. 
• Narrative and performance of the song. 
• Technical aspect of the music video.
• Star image, the use of camera shots and angles to make the individual centre of attention.

THOUGHT THROUGH BEAT - 

The first step is to take a look into the music itself. The structure of the song must be taken into account for example, the chorus or verse. The second step is to recognise the voice of the song as it is very distinct and unique. Roland Barthes theory of the Grain of voice can be related to this, as he sees the voice as an 'expressive instrument' and therefore, able to make associations of its own. Thirdly, Goodwin also points out the artists mode of address, as songs can be seen as stories. Therefore, the artist is the story teller and the audience are listening. 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VISUALS AND SONGS - 

These are the three ways a visuals is used to promote a song.

NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SONG -

Goodwin thought it was important for the artist to be involved in the music acting out as the main character or singer. This helps connect the audience with the artist and makes the song look more realistic. A good example is Katy Perry's song 'ROAR' because she is acting and singing thus, engaging the viewers. 

TECHNICAL ASPECT OF THE MUSIC VIDEO - 

Technical aspects hold the music video together through the use of camera work, movement, angle, mise en scene, editing and sound effects. Lighting and colour help set the mood for the music video and emphasise key movement for a dramatic effect. Mise en scene is a very important part as it can help the work look more professional. 

STAR IMAGE - 

Goodwin referred to the star image as a vital aspect of the music video. The star image is always presented very uniquely by the use of costume, makeup and moves. This helps to promote the artist in public and also helps to create a strong reputation for the musician.

DIGIPAKS & MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS
WHAT ARE DIGIPAKS?

Digipaks are a type of CD and DVD holder made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs. Digipaks consist of a gatefold paperboard or card stock outer binding, the common digipaks are usually 4 panels (opens like a book), however, 6 panel CD digipaks are also very popular, which allows more room for the artwork and text information.

There are many different finishes to digipaks including a matte lamination, spot UV or embossing, each offering a professional and clean finish. These CD holders are most popular in the music industry and have been around for many years however, are less utilised in the current day. The artwork of digipaks ranges between each artist as they tend to make it unique to their genre.

  
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:
As environmental concerns have become an issue for consumer, businesses and governments, sustainable materials such as recycled card stock could be put into consideration. A paper foam tray for the digipak can also be offered to replace the internal plastic holder with a 100% biodegradable tray made completely out of natural resources. 

This is a 4 panel digipak template and full preview

This is a 6 panel digipak template and full preview

These are different types of CD holders, that are primarily used to keep the disc safe from scratches. This style holder doesn't promote the artists artwork as clearly. 

MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS:
Magazines advertising isn't as popular as it used to be a few years ago, rates are dropped from $23.7 billion to $19.5 billion from 2009 - 2010 yet it is still a crucial way for artists to promote their work. The benefits of magazine advertisements are that magazines have a 'longer life' than newspapers, people may pass magazines onto their friends and relatives therefore, connecting a larger audience and lastly specific magazine title target a certain audience which would help the artist become more recognised. The disadvantages of magazine advertising, are that colour artwork can be very expensive and the distribution can be a lengthy process. 

REFERENCES:
https://www.slideshare.net/FortuneRioba/andrew-goodwin-music-video
https://prezi.com/bi8xcbsm9wwh/what-are-digipaks/
http://www.discfactory.co.uk/packaging/cd-digipaks/
https://www.slideshare.net/lauraraxten/types-of-music-video-10579155
https://www.slideshare.net/09Utasci/purpose-of-music-videos-53322122

A2 G324: TRANSITION RECREATION

This is the transition recreation final attempt

THE FILIMING PROCESS:

Our class was given a practical task that involved recreating a transition from the music video ‘Everyone’s Waiting’ by ‘Missy Higgins’. The video has over 25,000 views and follows an emotional storyline which is clearly well presented in the music video. Firstly, after watching the production it was evident that we could not film by the sea therefore, our group had to figure out where around our school would be best to capture a light soft background.

Our first challenge turned out to be a success as we decided to position the camera so that a large tree was in shot which moved swiftly with the wind. Once we set up the Canon 500D DSLR camera, we started filming and shots. To help the actress accomplish the lip syncing a group member used their IPhone to access YouTube to play the music.

The shots/angles and compositions that we primarily used included pans (right to left), close ups and shallow depth of field. As for equipment/props, we used a tripod, a DSLR camera and a chair for the actress to sit on.

WHAT WENT WELL:

During the filming process, our group clearly understood the concept which made it easier to work together and share ideas. This helped us position the camera quickly and meet our time deadline which allowed us to get a head start when editing.

During post production, I learnt a lot about cropping a video on top of another and what commands you need in order to do that. Therefore, this section went really well which is shown clearly in the final production.

WHAT WENT WRONG:

The shallow depth of field didn’t work out as planned because it was evident that the pan should have been more focused and detailed. There should have also been a transition during the pan however, that did not occur.

The lip syncing was relatively difficult to sync with the original song when editing because we had to keep using the ‘Razor tool’ to cut the footage in half so we could place it in the correct place. This worked out well in the end however, the details could have been more focused on.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT:

Throughout the transition recreation task, my group and I learnt a lot about details and how much time you need to put into the small aspects of the production. This is because in a music video, each transition, lip sync and depth of field work together to produce a clean shot which showcases professionalism. Therefore, when it comes to filming and editing my final production I will pay most attention to detail so that my group and I can represent our skills and techniques.

A2 G324: OVERVIEW OF COURSEWORK

During the A2 course I will be involved in creating a main product, two ancillary products and documenting and evaluating my progress in this blog.

Briefly, I have been introduced into the music video task where individuals are required to develop and present their skills through the production. There will be a large inclusion of digital technology to present my ideas and analysis as well, as learning much more about the editing software throughout the course.

In our first few lessons we were free to choose our groups or partners for the task so we could start looking for music and sharing inspiration and ideas. I have decided to work solo as I prefer creating my own ideas and executing them in a production.

Initially, I wanted to choose a genre that would be fast paced such as an indie, pop, house or electronic. However, during the brainstorming I decided to go for a genre that is more slow and lyrical which lead me to R&B and Soul.

This is a screenshot of the digital mind map I made to showcase our initial ideas:

This screenshot from the website mindeister shows the few genres I looked into before choosing which one I was particularly interested in.

In the next few lessons I will be researching more into our chosen genre and browsing on YouTube for music videos that fall into the R&B and Soul genre.