Shooting Schedule For December

In the image above is our shooting schedule for our music video. We are starting of on the 9/12/12 by getting some location/practise shots so we know what to expect when it coms to shooting. We will then go on to upload these shots on the 11/12/12 aswell as updating our blog and discussing any problems that might occur. If there are no problems we will get all the shots done for the 'woods' on the 13/12/12 otherwise we will begin to shoot on the 18/12/12 instead. We will get this footage uploaded on the 20/12/12 and edited just before the christmas break.

06/12/12

In todays lesson we were updating our blogs and making sure everything necessary was on there. Whilst doing this me and Maddie began to discuss if there was any problems so far that was occurring. We looked back our feedback and decided if the feedback we had was took on board to make our music video much better. We agreed we were happy with our progress as we have still managed to keep our band unique whilst also including slight references to our idols such as Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club and Blur.

Blog Feedback

Here is my blog feedback from one of my media teachers. I feel the feedback was a very positive and constructive as i was obviously slacking on regular blog posts. The feedback made me realise how crucial it is to have every piece of work put on to my blog as i will have to show my full knowledge of music videos and all of the planning that will be going into my own to get the best final piece possible. I have now completed most posts which was not completed before and i will now go on to to post about the digipaks and album covers as this was something i completely forgot about and will now have to do my own research to find out more.

Animatic

Here is our final animatic which we feel was very successful. After screening the animatic for the first time, we received feedback that suggested our shots were too long and not in sync with the beat of the music. We then went away and edited some of the shots by making them smaller but due to the songs duration and lack of shots we had to storyboard some more. We now realise how crucial it is for the animatic to be perfect as it is almost the exact final piece in terms of duration and the change of shots. We feel our animatic is exactly how we want our video to look and understand everything that it includes.

Storyboard Sheets

6/11/12 - 16/11/12

Within this time period me and Maddie continued with our story boarding and completed our animatic. At first we made a mistake within our storyboard as we thought we had finished but had no where near enough shots as we made shots for the lyrics and forgot about the music. We then decided to use this storyboard as a template for our final one and was pleased with the outcome. Our shots are very specific to how we actually want them and our animatic makes complete sense and is very understandable although we wasn't very good drawers. Our storyboard shots do follow Goodwins theory as there is a lot of breaking the fourth wall. We made most visuals and lyrics match which also brings out a sense of humour within the video once again potraying the bands personalitis but it also engages the audience.

25/10/12

In todays lesson me and Maddie decided to look at the lyrics for our song and annotate it with how we want them to match the visuals and what will happen when they are said. We found doing this was extremely helpful as it gave us an idea of exactly what we want in the shot and how we could follow Goodwins theory. This created a basic idea for us and managed to help us begin our storyboarding and expand on what we want to include to reach our pure potential.

Lyrics And Visual Ideas

Annotating the lyrics gave me and Maddie a much clearer understanding of how we would like our music video to look. We broke down each part and discussed the camera angles, actions and performance. We had a rough idea of our plans before we done this but whilst doing it we began to apply Goodwins theory such a close up's of band members and matching the lyrics and visuals.

Presentation Feedback

Here is the feedback we received after presenting our pitch to the class. We felt the feedback was very positive although it mentioned how our target audience was not specific enough and maybe appealed to the wrong kind of people. It mentioned how we haven't fully thought about intertextuality within the piece so this is something we are going to have to think about in order for our video to feature some kind of meaning and to meet the codes and conventions. This is still early stages in planning so we have plenty of time to develop and expand our ideas in order for us to reach our potential. 

Presentation Video

Island Records

Within the group, Maddie and I decided that Island Records was definitely the record label we wanted to sign our band. This is because they have signed other similar bands to us that have been very successful in different time periods such as Pulp  and Bombay Bicycle Club; this shows how they have maintained very high standards. Island records have signed quite a collective mix of artists considering they have also signes artists such as Tulisa and the band Mcfly. This is positive thing for our band, considering that we have quite a hybrid genre of music as we include all different types. It's good to have a record label that are very open to all different idea's within different genres - which could work with the image of our band and the freedom they will have to make the image their own and we would like to keep them original. Our band being able to create their own image is an important factor, we don't want the band to seem like a 'sell out' band, so having an open minded label is very important to the development of the band. 

18/10/12

In todays lesson we were given an hour to complete our pitch and me and my other group member decided on our record label in whom will be 'Island Records'. We decided on island records as they have signed other artists and bands similar to ours such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Pulp and many more that have an independent style of music and fashion which have been very successful within the industry and were sold mainly on their music not on their look or like ability.

We then went on to presenting our pitch as a 'Prezi' to the class. I found this a great experience as me and Maddie were able to present all our ideas and get an opinion/feedback from an outsider of the group. As we read it out loud it also made me realise some of the difficulties and errors we had within our idea such as not being very specific with the target audience and the main theme. We agreed with our feedback on the good and bad notes and our presentation was recorded, therefore i will be posting the video and feedback sheets soon.

12/10/12

In todays lesson as a group we got all our research and planning up to date. We finished our audience profile and was happy with the final outcome as we created a specific target audience that our band will appeal too. We discussed our progress so far and both agreed that we are going the way we both planned and the view of the video is meeting our expectations.

Feedback

After this feedback i felt proud to know that my research and planning was meeting the teachers expectations. After having a comment about starting regular production posts i will be sure to expand and create more journal posts after every lesson to show the changes and discussions that take place within the group. The comment about changing the way I could present how I analyse previous music videos has inspired me to not change what I have already done but analyse more videos in order to show the progress of how that i am trying different things and to be able to really communicate my thoughts and feelings. I will begin to experiment with different blog tools and i do agree it is not very varied at the moment and I would like my blog to be as presentable and interesting as possible.

Demographic And Psychographic Audience Profile

Music Video Pitch

In todays lesson we began to create a pitch of what the band and video is going to be about. Within my group we began to specify a particular primary target audience and how our video is going to appeal to them. We discussed what sort of things we wanted to portray through the video and managed to come up with a final decisions of what we would like to include and how we would portray it such as the bands personality and also their determination to become successful within the industry. 

Commodification

When a product is made with the aim of selling it at a particular price, it becomes a “commodity.” In order to expand it, capitalism forced all goods to be converted into commodities.  The professionally popular media that was produced emerged in the nineteenth century and had a double relation to the commodity system . All products were commodities in their own right as they are sold for a price, but some, most notably the popular press and, later, commercial broadcasting, also provided the major spaces where other kinds of commodities were advertised and promoted. 

In the music industry if the public carry on illegally downloading tracks and albums the music industry will eventually die! The artists and music labels will not be earning hardly any money except from live performances. Shops such as HMV will shut down and this will then lead the music industry to permanently sell albums and singles on sites such as iTunes and Amazon. This will end the collection for true music fans who like to actually buy albums and singles instead of having them saved as a format. This is making society a lot lazier and if the audience have to buy music online anyway, it would be the same process to illegally download for free.   

Digipack Analysis

This is a digipack for 'R' by R Kelly in which he wrote and produced all of the songs featured. 

The Outside Of The Pack (The Top) 

On the far left features a big bold, solid 'R'. The 'R' dominates the cover and is clearly the album name. The colour consists of red & black symbolising the love but also mystery behind his music. 

The middle cover shows the artist in his element doing what he loves. He poses by looking up as if he is thanking god for his success and the golden light adds to this as it gives it a heavenly ambiance. R Kelly stands alone on the stage with no fancy lighting, props or musicians and this shows he is a pure and original artist. 

To the far right is a silhouette of R Kelly with the letter 'R' This welcomes his audience into his lifestyle and almost allows them to talk to him as a friend; it also shows how he don't have to write out his whole name for people to know who he is. 

The Inside Of The Pack (The Bottom)

On the cover to the left shows the track names and a image of of R Kelly standing topless and showing of his muscles representing masculinity. He holds what looks like a towel or shirt on his shoulder showing he gives it all in his performance such as blood and sweat. The Colour in the background is gold and looks like clouds, this once again relates to the heaven feeling. 

The middle cover again shows a big 'R' within a circle. The circle is a way of representing a Cd/Music and the R is placed in the centre dominating the circle showing that R Kelly is in charge of his music. 

The cover to the right is another silhouette of R kelly but is a picture from one of his previous albums. This shows his staying loyal to his music and true fans that have been there from the start. it shows he hasn't changed and is still the same person even though the music industry is constantly changing. 

Tour Of Mood Board

Originally as a group we came up with an idea for our music video in which we was going to have a group of people dancing in a certain location entrapping someone in that location with them as he tries to escape until he realises he has to join in and enjoy himself. We felt this idea never had much potential due to not being able to get enough people, learning a dance routine and finding a location that would actually be useful. We also thought the idea as a bit too vague but was a good start and managed to make us realise that we do want the theme of teen life and fun to run throughout our new idea.

We then went on to discuss a new idea in which we thought it would be more appealing to the audience and allowed us to get the highest possible achievement from it possible. We decided to carry forward the theme of teen life and fun but this time make the band look more sophisticated but carefree and young. We wanted to feature a lot of colour and be able to relate to the audience not only our thoughts but also our costuming, likes and dislikes and personalities.
(Please view the above presentation to get a tour around out final mood board).

The Music Industry

In the above presentation i have researched what independent and major record labels are and which is the difference between them. I found a few examples of the companies and then focused on one specific independent record label that manages to get finance due to it being a subsidiary company of one of the big 3 '20th century fox'.

Independant Work

Blur - Parklife - Analysis:

• The video opens with a shot of a front door and a man being greeted with a window sales msn, this brings humour to the video and straight away shows the audience it is story like.
• The fish eye shot brings a sense of surrealism to the video although it also has reality tied within it.
• The lyrics and visuals match as the man says 'oi' as he directly looks into the camera.
• The running man and the kids loitering on the car also brings a theme of chilhood and fun to the piece.
• The car breaks down and smokes rises from the bonnit, this represents him as a lower class citizen,this is in contrast to his costume and therefore represents him as a kind of fake/liar.
• 'You should cut down on your pork pies mate get some exercise' represents as being funny man but also a kind of rude one.
• opens packed lunch in the car and snatches sandwich of the other man, makes him look un classy. 
• The lyric 'Parklife' is used and the camera focuses on a sign on the wall. 
• The video features typical british icons such as telephone box and a ice cream van.
• The video is made to look fun and colourful with the multicoloured umbrella routine.
• The band break the fourth wall throughout the video. 

Final Music Video Brief

You have been asked to devise and make a promotional music video for the new act detailed below. As a new act, the record label is keen that this first release appeals to a wide audience and establish an image that is both recognisably unique and appealing to their target audience. With this in mind, their first release will be a cover version and will be used as a platform for future, original releases. The record label is happy for this release to be any of the three songs listed below and would like you to choose which ever one you can make a dynamic promo for, as a key thing is to get them exposed.

Band Name: Young Mistakes

Billy (21) Adam (19) James (21) are 3 young middle class boys that came together at their hometown in surrey when they were in the middle of their secondary school years. They are a fun, carefree band that do not take themselves too seriously, which combined with their talent and really managed to appeal to a teenage audience. After performing a few gigs in London, they reached out to a London record label and were successful because of their young, unique style.

Sound: ‘funky pop with a indie undertone’

Music ideology: ‘it’s not about the fame, it's about doing what you love’

Influences: Blur, Pulp, Queen, Supergrass.

Likes: gigging, girls, chilling, music festivals, laughing, eating and partying hard.

Dislikes: people that don't know how to have a laugh, spots, Lady Gaga.

Chosen Song: Supergrass - Alright

Adorno & Horkeimer's Theory

The Culture Industry
The culture industry is the way Adorno and Horkheimer ' argue which items are produced and how they can be compared to other industries manufactured vast quantities of consumer goods. This means that  the culture industry is always made up of the same things and a pattern can be seen between how some items are produced compared to other items within the culture industry. Adorno and Horkheimer also argued that the culture industry showed an 'assembly-line character' which could be observed in the synthetic, planned method of turning out its product. Adorno and Horkheimer's are trying to say that the the industry don't promote artist's because of their talent, but they promote the artists which they can make most money out of even if they haven't got as good as a voice as another person. 

The X-Factor Machine 
Adorno and Horkeimer linked the 'culture industry' theory to a type of 'mass culture' in which cultural production had become a routine and made the audience expect nothing more but pop artists as it is what they became used to. This makes it a lot easier to meet an audiences expectations and therefore sells more records and the artist to its full extent. Standardisation is a repetitive operation that produced undemanding cultural commodities which in turn resulted in a type of consumption that was also standardised, distracted and passive. 

The X-Factor
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the 'culture industry' operated in the same way as other producing industries. All the work and publicity had become formalised and products were made according to rationalised organisational procedures that were established for the sole purpose of making money.Adorno and Horkheimer is arguing that everything is extended and dragged out to having a duration as long as possible in order to gain a lot more money from the audience as it remains in the public eye for a longer time. An example of this is X factor as their series consists of many stages such as auditions, boot camp, judges houses, live shows, semi final, celebrity duets and then the final.

Standardisation
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that all products produced by the culture industry exhibited standardised features. The argument here is that there is nothing special or different about the process of cultural production. It has become a recognisable operation that can be carried out in an office by the application of specific formulae. Adorno noted that songs which became successful over time were often referred to as 'standards', a category that clearly drew attention to their formulaic character. From the 'plan' to the details, songs were based around repetitive sequences and frequently recurring refrains. This strategy has been done for the sole purpose that the song would imprint itself on the mind of the listener and then provoke a purchase. For Adorno, the production of bit songs had become a mechanical and manipulative operation motivated purely by commercial gain. Think about the popular songs that you might hear throughout an average day (radio, shopping, television, club or bar). Are songs becoming too predictable? are they becoming standardised. This is stating that we have to look for different/alternative songs as the only songs played buy the media and advertised are the the typical ones and doesn't sound like a different song that you've already heard.

Pseudo Individuality (false Individuality)
Adorno and Horkheimer were also critical of what they referred to as pseudo individuality. By this they meant the way that the culture industry assembled products that made claims to 'originality' but which when examined more critically exhibited little more than superficial differences. Adorno and Horkheimer evoked the image of the lock and key, an item that is mass produced in millions, whose uniqueness lies in only very minor modifications. What Adorno and Horkheimer are trying to state is that the X factor winners are all the same and have very minimal differences or any unique style.

Conclusion
Adorno and Horkheimer believe that the culture industry allows people to become 'masses' and be easily manipulated by capitalist corporations and authoritarian governments. Adorno and Horkheimer thus present us with a powerful arguement about what happens to culture when it is subect to the structural control and organisation of industrial capitalist production, it becomes merely a standardised, formulaic and repetitive element of 'mass culture'. It has no aesthetic value whatsoever and leads to a very specific type of consumption that is passive, obedient and easily manipulated for the purpose propaganda or advertising.

Music Video Brief Options



Here is the brief i decided to stick to for my music video. The song i have decided on is Alright (Supergrass) and this is because i feel it has most potential and made me think of a few ideas that can be featured that could match goodwins theory. I feel it would be easy to shoot this video as the song could be related to teenagers and therefore i could get aload of pupils to feature in it. I found this brief very appealing and the best one out of them all. I will now go on to create my own brief and think of a band name, logo, etc.



Music Video Director

Taylor Swift - We are never getting back together 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64

Independant Work

Maroon 5 Ft. Wiz Khalifa - Payphone - Analysis:

• As the video starts Adam Levine the lead signer of Maroon 5 stands in front of a car on fire and a city that has been destructed. The mise en scene signify s a form of disruption to the city and his clothes have been destroyed by dirt and smoke showing he was part of it. He is wearing a vest top with his arms out to appeal to the female audience and represents a stereotypical boy getting into no good and creating chaos. 
• He goes to a payphone and when a girl answers the lyrics start by saying ''I'm at a payphone trying to go home all of my change I spent on you'' This shows there is a relationship between the visuals and lyrics. 
• Flashbacks are used of him working in a bank and showing an interest to a specific women letting the audience know it was her that answered the phone.
• A robbery within the bank occurs and everyone panics, The cuts become slower and Adam Levine remains calm and begins to help the women making him look like a form of 'Hero' which most young girls fantasies other and therefore makes him more appealing to that specific audience. Adam is the only person that begins to fight back in the bank and therefore once again symbolises him as a hero, He grabs the girl and runs showing he will not go on without her and makes the music video seem like a short film. 
• The lyrics ''I wish to be holding you like this'' are used whilst the couple begin to run away holding hands, this once again shows a relationship between the song and the visuals. A slow motion effect is used to make the runaway seem more dramatic. 
• The couple are chased by police even though they are the innocent ones, Adam then uses someone's car as a getaway whilst leaving the women behind showing he will do anything to protect her and make sure she's safe and reassures her.
• The car getaway is made more effective by using fast cuts which once again refers to a action film. Adam is made to look fearless which can be effective to again drawing in the female audience. 
• A notion of looking is used when Wiz Khalifa has a solo in a song, it isn't for long and he looks directly at the camera but with glasses on. 
• Towards the end Adam manages to escape a police chase which involved cars and helicopters. As soon as he exits the car it explodes causing panic throughout the audience and relief. He heads straight to the payphone and takes us back to the beginning of the video showing he done all of that for her. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Independant Work

Coldplay - The Scientist - Analysis:

                    

• As the video begins, a close up is used of the man face and the camera slowly starts to zoom out. The notion of looking is used as he looks directly into the camera enabling the audience to feel part of the song. The man speaks the lyrics to the audience and therefore shows a relationship. 
• The man is wearing black trousers and a white top connoting dullness buy using very plain colours and therefore this combines with the lyrics as it is a emotional song.
• The video begins to go backwards and therefore shows there is some kind of narrative. The lyrics 'take me back to the start' is used and therefore matches the visual of the man going backwards in time.
• He carries on to sing about going back to somewhere and the audience are shown many different locations he has had to pass to get to where the video started, this shows the audience he has travelled along way from happiness. As the video gets closer to the end more natural and beautiful things are shown such as fields, the woods and high key lighting, this connotes the close he gets the happier he is. 
• A wide shot is used to show the man still walking back whilst a woman lays still on the ground, because of the use of the rewind/time lapse it shows the woman is dead and this is the moment he wanted to go back to maybe to prevent it.
• He goes all the way back to before a car crash and when him and the woman were together showing that was when he was at his happiness point. It shows he has finally got back to start and therefore the visuals and lyrics match. 

Lesson 2 - 14/09/12

In todays lesson as it was a short one we decided to just analyse one music video. I found analysing the music video was very informal and helpful as it helped to to carry on developing my analysis skills. It showed me how different music genres hold different codes and conventions within their video as they all appeal to separate audiences. It also showed me an example of how all videos don't completely match up to Goodwin's theory. 

Coldplay - Paradise - Analysis.

• Holds up words on cardboard in sync with lyrics.
• Shows a live performance - Genre characteristics.
• Located in London and symbolises some form of poverty and hows he escapes it.
• Notion of looking as the man in the elephant costume looks directly at the audience.
• Shows the difference between fantasy and reality and how their joint (Paradise).
• Made to look like a short film
• Maybe referencing 'Madagascar'.
• Animalisation.
• Mentions a girl but the visions don't match.

Lesson 1 - 13/09/12

What is the point of a music video? 

• To create a recognisable image that will appeal to a target audience.
• Marketing tool for the Artist/Band. 
• To increase airplay of the song,
• It creates more interest within the album.
• Sells Singles/Albums and the Artist.

Media Theorist:

• Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin was a media theorist in who wrote about music videos and suggested that basically all of them follow certain rules/ codes and conventions.

The Codes and Conventions:

1. The record company's demand for exposure of the artist will mean a lot of close-up shots of the singer/band.
2. There will be a relationship between the music and the video
3. There will be a relationship between the lyrics and vision. 
4. Genre characteristics will be shown for example rock music videos show live perormances, hip hop videos show images of wealth and a 'gangster' lifestyle and boy bands will feature dance routines.
5. There will be references to the notion of looking, for example - TV screens, mirrors and people looking at the audience. (Voyeurism)
6. The video will include some form of a inter-textual reference.

Ways to analyse a music video: 

• Performance
• Narrative and other visual elements
• Genre characteristics
• Cinematography
• Mise en scene
• Editing
• Notion of looking
• Intertextual referencing 

A lot of the above will overlap, it will be easier to analyse the video chronologically.

Jay Z- 99 Problems - Analysis

• Scopophillia is not used that frequently therefore the visuals are portraying a relationship to the song. 
• Shows a typical 'thug life' through the use of narrative and genre characteristics - Hip Hop.
• Close ups of street signs to create awareness of the location.
• Relationship between visuals and lyrics ''I got 99 problems but a bitch aint one'' zooms into a woman.
• Jay Z always features a notion of looking as he looks directly at the audience.
• Relationship between lyrics and visuals 'Talks to the lord'' Zooms into Jesus.
• Hip Hop genre shows typical characteristics; graffiti, police, criminality, style, chains around neck, baseball caps, big jacket, baggy jeans, derogatory treatment towards women 'Bitch' -focusing on a dog and then cuts to a woman, women in bikinis, illegal dog fighting, prison fences, set in Brooklyn, run down, basketball courts, balaclavas, gun shoots, murder, street dancing. 
• The black and white effect represents a ghetto style and maybe contradicting old American films that make everything seem perfect - The American Dream. It also creates a more dull and run-down effect.