This is my print advert. Iv'e used a sihouette as I wanted the digipak, album cover and music video to all be very simular, hence why I have also kept the print advert to the same colour scheme as that of the digipak. The text in the shape of the heart gives a girly edge to the print advert which shows that the song and video itself is more likly to appeal to a female audience. I didn't orginally plan to have so much text on the advery but now it is shaped into the heart I really like it as it keeps the text orgainised and keeps the advert looking simple.
This is my digipak. I have used a
conventional layout for it as it suits the genre of music. I am pleased with
how it turned out as I think the front cover especially looks quite professional,
which is what I wanted to achieve. Taking the pictures for this was my first
experience of using the silhouettes I want to use in music video and I think
that they have given the desired effect. As it adds mystery due to the fact
that you can’t see the face of the women, only an outline, she could be anyone.
The pink in the text gives the piece a more girly feel which makes the video
more suitable to its target audience and this play around with colour is
something I will defiantly consider when shooting my video. I also wanted my
digipak and music video to have a similar look to instil a possible artist
iconography and this is something I will still defiantly do. I think I should
have done more preparation before doing the shoot for this video as the model didn’t
have appropriate clothing on and it made her look a strange shape when created
as a silhouette and it involved a lot of photo shopping, this is something I would
have done differently if given the chance.
This is my youth subcultures tree. It doesnt apply to my final music video because I had done it on metal fans as that was my orignal idea. I had a band lined up but they let me down, resulting in me having to change my whole idea.
This is my green screen practise. It was really hard to get the balance of the background against the tshirt of person in the video as he was wearing a rather difficult colour. However, this is something I know to consider if i choose to do this in my own music video. I doubt I will use this for my whole video although I might for parts to try and create and ilusion of some sorts, this is something I will have to research in more depth before deciding whether to do it in my own music video.
This is my abc song. This helped me fit music to a literal picture and it has also helped with cutting to time. There are a few letters missing from the song but I think it worked quite well and I have learnt a lot of how to use the relevent programmes in which to fit a music video together.
This is my Cutting to time Video. I really enjoyed filming this as we all got really creative with the things we could do in the video. It was also really fun to put together as certain parts of film really went well with the music. An example of this is the part when the yellow sign is clapped together as it fits with the music perfectly. This is obviously something I will have to do within my own video as I am making a music video and they nearly always cut to time to make it almost seem that the video is a part of the music.
This was my key frame practise. I really enjoyed this and this it is something I could work with when doing my own video. I really liked linking the lyrics to the pictures which gave it a slightly more humorous feel. However, I can imagine it being extremely time consuming as this little video took me a lot of time. I also feel that this is something that could easily go wrong and look ineffective.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
National Anthem
The first music video I decided
to analyse is National Anthem by indie pop/sadcore artist Lana Del Rey, It is directed
by popular director Anthony Mandler, who is also responsible for many of
Rihanna’s videos and Nicki Minaj’s starship video.
The video starts with the artist
singing happy birthday to the president, which sets the scene for the rest of
the video. This scene is in black and white which helps add to the vintage feel
that is maintained throughout the whole video, this vintage style video adds to
Lana Del Rey’s own iconography as all her videos have this as a running theme,
this agrees with Andrew Goodwin’s theory that artists may develop their own
star iconography within music videos. In the beginning and throughout most of
the video there are many close ups of the artist which is rather common in
videos, which maintains the theory that record companies demand lots of close
ups of their artists. However, in this case the Close ups also show the
emotions of each character which is very important as it wouldn’t have the
impact it does without them.
After this scene, the rest of the
music video is then in colour. There are a few montages used of images related
to the American flag and of people running and screaming, the first time this
is used is just before the song begins. The images we see following this are of
a family, featuring Lana Del Rey as the mother. With a large house in the
background, nice clothes and lots of toys it is apparent that the family in
question is extremely wealthy, they also all seem very happy and the sun is
shining throughout creating this ‘perfect’ life idea. It describes a very flash
lifestyle full of expensive cars, nice houses and diamonds. This is a case of
the video reflecting the lyrics, for example it is clearly set in the Hamptons
coinciding with the line “take me to the Hamptons” and Lana Del Rey sings “will
you buy me diamonds” while being laced in diamonds herself. Voyeurism is also
present within the video as there is a constant feel as though they are being
watched, especially before the shooting, again backing up Andrew Goodwin’s
theory involving voyeurism.
The characters within the video
are portrayed quite similarly, as they are all happy and wealthy. However, the
president is portrayed as a more important and powerful man whereas Lana Del
Rey takes much more of a back seat and is really seen as more of a trophy wife.
When studying the video closely, there is a part of the song “he said to be
cool” responded with “but I don’t know how yet” which is later repeated but the
response is changed to “I’m already coolest” which backs up my thoughts that
she is with this strong powerful man and has been sucked into to all the fame
and fortune and learns to live with it and begins to have her life sucked into
it, she has become this money orientated women and yet she loves it. Their
lavish lifestyle and greed has resulted in their own downfall.
I think Lana Del Rey’s video to
National Anthem would appeal more to women as they tend to be much more
materialistic and her fan base is already more female heavy. However, I do
think the video could attract a different audience due to its reference to
political history. The video its self is based on the JFK assignation, which is
where the president of the USA was being driven, with his beautiful, fashion
icon wife Jackie Kennedy at his side, before being assonated. His wife then
climbing over the trunk shortly after realising what had happened, which is
exactly what Lana does in her music video.
With regards to editing, the
video is made up of relatively quick straight cuts and also feature a vintage
effect over the images creating an old film-like look. Within a music video
sound is obviously very important, this one however does not just include the track
but to make more of a story the singing to the president is included at the
beginning and the screams of people during the montages after the shooting
brings the video to life. Alongside this there is also the noise of fireworks,
showing the party life style, the gun shots and a voice over at the end which
is not only emotional but it finished off the video perfectly. In relation to
Diane Railton and Paul Watson’s theories I feel this video fits best in the
narrative group as it tells a story through what appears like home footage
still including Lana Del Rey lip-synching directly to the camera. However, the
video also fits into Joe Gow’s group of the enhanced performance.
Overall, this is one of the best
music videos I have ever seen, I found it captivating as all the elements come
together to make a video which enhances the lyrics from an almost shallow money
oriented ‘Perfect life’ to a is this really what our society has become? And is
it really worth it?
Rude Boy
My next video is taken from the
RnB genre, Rude Boy by Rihanna, directed by Melina Matsoukas. The video
features Rihanna in very little clothing, which has become part of her
iconography within her videos alongside, dancing very seductively. As her music
videos tend to be very raunchy, complementing her explicit lyrics. For example,
when she sings “are you big enough?” she reaches down to a male dancer and
looks down his trousers, which is being extremely suggestive. This is just one
of many of Andrew Goodwin’s conventions featured in this particular video.
Other Conventions include having
lots of close ups of the artists. They are slightly unusual close ups as they
have been laced heavily with special effects, but none the less there are
frequent close-ups of Rihanna’s face, and other parts of her body. In addition
to this, Rihanna’s lack of clothing and seductive dancing backs up Andrew
Goodwin’s theory that there is likely to be reference to voyeurism within music
videos. This video shows a strong female artist who is taking a stance against
the stereo-typical man who can get whatever girl he likes and use them, by
showing that women can do it too. This ensures that young females would find
this video appealing however due to its sexual nature so would young males, but
I believe there would be too much going on for it to be aimed at an older
generation.
Joe Gow would certainly fit this
in to his special effects extravaganza group as the main focus is the special
effects. Flashing words, clashing colours and random images are thrust upon the
screen; also making it a rather busy video with a lot to take in. And if that wasn’t
enough some of the images have been reflected on to the other side of the
screen to create a mirror image. All the different images are cut in time with
the music, making the video almost seem as though it is part of the music
itself. When placing the video in to different
groups it is clear that with reference to Diane Railton and Paul Watson’s book,
it would fit into the art video category perfectly due to all the bright
colours and it can’t really be described as much else other than art.
Compared to other music videos of
this genre is it unique as normally there are more of a song and dance full of
strict choreography set in a simple studio, although this is also set in a
studio, special effects have taken centre stage rather than choreography.
Overall, I like this video because it is different to most of it genre and it
tends to push the boundaries of what music videos belonging to this genre
should look like.
Sweet Child O’mine
Finally, this video performed by
Guns n roses and directed by Nigel Dick, is the final one I analysed. The performance
is based around a rehearsal in Huntington ballroom and is in black and white. It
starts with an image of the bands logo followed with lots of footage of the
band playing, chatting to each other and talking to girls, the stereo-typical
life of a rock band. As the music begins the video is quite slow as if they are
just setting up, and then the more it goes on and they being to sing then the
video is paced a lot quicker. There is obviously a big focus on music as well
as the lyrics as the song features many guitar solos where the camera is solely
focused on Slash. This is apparent with many rock music videos as the guitar is
almost considered the most important aspect of a rock band.
With regards to categorizing this
video, Joe Gow would place this in the performance documentary group as it is
filmed much like a documentary and features footage of the band doing living
their daily lives. Similarly, these reasons would place it in Diane Railton and
Paul Watson’s group of the Pseudo-documentary music video. It does not feel
like a staged performance as there is not direct eye contact with any of the
cameras and there are quite often objects or people, crossing in front of the camera.
This adds a feel of voyeurism; it is as though the band is being watched.
This leads on the Andrew Goodwin’s
conventions. He believed that most videos will have reference to voyeurism. Also,
his conventions state that an record companies demand close ups of the artist,
which this video would also comply with as there features many close ups of not
only Axl Rose but of the other band members as well, it even features one part
when Slash is being filmed as if his guitar is actually singing. This is very
common with guitarists in rock bands and adds to the iconography of a rock
music video. The video is aimed at fans of the band as they show the logo and
it presents the artists as typical rock stars, they are dressed similarly as
well as acting like other rock bands would.
I like this video as it is very natural,
all the movement flows and it feels as though you are actually sat there
watching them practise. Without a doubt this is a performance documentary video
as the lyrics are completely unrelated to what happens in the video and it
allows the audience a sneak peek into the lives of some notorious rock stars. I
find it interesting to watch them sing this song as they sing it with such
passion and it comes so naturally. It’s much nicer to watch a video like this
instead of watching some structured choreographed, almost passionless pop
video.
I like this video as it has quite a scary feel to it for a
chart video. It shows a new species of human being created mechanically, the
end product being a doll-like being. However it also looks fairly realistic,
especially at the beginning when Nicki Minaj is “being made”. The video is
actually not really related much to the lyrics of the song or even the genre of
the music, but the uniqueness and scare factor made me really enjoy it.
The main thing I love about this video is the dancing; it is
amazing and fits with the video perfectly, helping to create an even more
dramatic feel. This drama is also emphasised by the smashing of the guitar and
the passion each singer shows when singing or dancing. It is also very futuristic
as it is set in space, I think this adds to the message the artists are trying
to convey as well, as in space they are free without all the pressure from the
world and the media. I also think that the special effects used such as bouncing
off walls and the fact it is in black and white gives it a very surreal feel.
This video is based on a conflict between two different genres
of artists, which actually work perfectly resulting in an amazing song being
created. A split screen is used to demonstrate this perfectly, showing a juxtaposition
between the two sides. The audience can be heard throughout most of the song
which creates a live feeling and which also makes it a lot of fun. It is as if
the guitars are playing to excite the crowd further. This is a very watchable
and fun video.
This is a very emotional video and doesn’t need fancy
effects to convey a message or to be captivating. The first time I watched this
video I found it unbelievingly moving. It is a live set that is extremely simple,
just a singer, a piano and a spot light, but it works amazingly. It is simply a
display of raw emotion as Adele belts out her song to a silent audience who are
just as mesmerised as I was when first watching it before erupting in to applause.
The best live video I have ever seen.
I like the fact that this video is set in ancient Egypt as
not only is it rare but it also adds to mysterious and magic feeling of the
video. There are many close-up’s within the video to portray each characters
emotions as it is a very story-like video. The dancing is amazing and authentic
to the rest of the video, adding a little unique spin, the costumes also help
to emphasis this. Remember the time is a timeless video with a film like story
that makes it extremely easy watching.
There is just something about this video that captivates me
every time I watch it. I love the vintage effects and its montage nature, full
of clips of a loving happy family. However it is a little more sinister that it
seems as the whole song is about money and when taking a closer look in the
video it is all about nice cars, parties and expensive jewellery. The first listen may seem as though the song
is a little shallow but I feel it is quite deep and is maybe questioning the
value of money and whether it really is that important. It also paints this
picture of everything beautiful and everything perfect, which as an audience
makes an obvious irony that this is the picture of the ‘perfect’ life but is it
really what we want? Then there is a dramatic twist whether Lana Del Rey’s
husband is shot showing that even the ‘Perfect’ life has its moments. The voice
over that ends the song makes it a very emotional ending especially after
seeing all the happiness during the video.
