Music Video

Objective:

To investigate the technical codes and conventions of the music video using Goodwin’s theory.

Music Video

Since cinema was invented it created the ability to bring songs and music to life.

Advances in technology have transformed the music video into what it is today.

The early years

Surprisingly, music videos have been around since the 1920s

Many Jazz musicians of the time, such as Bessie Smith, made short films to accompany popular songs

Bessie Smith

Pop Music TV Shows

1970: The record industry discovers TV-Shows as a great opportunity to promote their artists

This developed into a focus on producing short "Promos", early music videos which started to replace the live performance of the artist on the TV-stage in the 1980s

1981 = The birth of MTV

Bohemian Rhapsody

1975: Bohemian Rhapsody a groundbreaking video released by Queen marked the beginning of the video era and set the language for the modern music video. The video is considered one of the first to use advanced visual effects

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2734287104054737756&q=bohemian+rhapsody

Goodwin’s Music Video Analysis

Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in rock video, dance routine.

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals

Goodwin’s Music Video Analysis

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

Intertextuality and Cinema

It is perhaps not surprising that so many music videos draw upon cinema as a starting point, since their directors are often film school graduates looking to move on eventually to the film industry itself.

Directors Who Started With Music Video Include:

David Fincher: Madonna Vogue and

(Se7en) Express Yourself.

Spike Jonze: Fatboy Slim Praise You(Where the wild things were)

Michael Gondry: Bjork, Foo Fighters(Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless mind)

Intertextuality

It is perhaps not surprising that so many music videos draw upon cinema as a starting point, since their directors are often film school graduates looking to move on eventually to the film industry itself.

Intertextuality Examples

Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ (Mary Lambert 1985, drawing on ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’)

Material Girl Video

Intertextuality

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Madonna Material Girl (1985)

Madonna Material Girl

The intertextual image is not necessarily of Monroe, but of the Hollywood archetype of the sexy blonde who uses her looks to get what she wants.

Intertextuality and Film

There are many examples of cinematic references which dominate music video.

2Pac and Dr Dre’s ‘California Love’ (Hype Williams 1996) is similar to the Cowboy / Sci fi action adventure film ‘Mad Max’

California Love music video

Intertextuality and Television

Television is often a point of reference too:

The Beastie Boys’ spoof cop show titles sequence for Sabotage (Spike Jonze 1994)

Sabotage by The Beatie BoysREMs recent news show parody ‘Bad

Day’ (Tim Hope 2003).

REM Bad Day

Intertextuality in Video Games

The influence of video games will predominate for the younger audience with the more plasticised look of characters emerging:

Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Love be your Energy’ dir. Olly Reed 2001

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Californication’dir.Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris 2000)

Also.. The Gorillaz Clint Eastwood

Intertextuality

Robbie Williams Let Love Be Your Energy ( 2001)

Linkin Park Breaking The Habit (2003)

Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication 1999

Intertextuality in Fashion and Photography

Visual reference in music video come from a range of sources, though the three most frequent are perhaps cinema, fashion and art photography.

Fashion sometimes takes the form of specific catwalk references and sometimes even the use of supermodels, as by George Michael in both ‘Father Figure’(Morahan/Michael 1988) and ‘Freedom’ (Fincher 1990).

Intertextuality

Robert Palmer Addicted To Love (1986)

Shania Twain Man I Feel Like A Woman ( 1999)

Intertextuality in Fashion and PhotographyProbably the most memorable example of

reference to fashion photography is Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to Love’ (Donovan 1986), parodied many times for its use of mannequin style females in the band fronted by a besuited Palmer.

Addicted to loveI Feel Like a Woman

Shania Twain copied it for her ‘Man I feel like a woman’ (Paul Boyd 1999) and Tamra Davis directed a $350 parody of it for Tone Loc’s ‘Wild Thing’ (1988).

Intertextuality

John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating, raiding and reconstructing” is essentially the essence of intertextuality.

Using something with which the audience may be familiar to generate both potentially nostalgic associations and new meanings. It is perhaps more explicitly evident in the music video than in any other media form, with the possible exception of advertising.

The notion of looking

Andrew Godwin has suggested in every muisc video there is some reference to ‘looking.’

This can include for example:- Screens within screens- Telescopes - Looking glass- Eyes - Indirect /direct address- Mirrors - voyeurism

PINK Who KnewMiley Cyrus Can't Be Tamed

Star Image Motifs

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

YellowIn My PlaceFix YouThe scientistThe Scientist2

Star Image Motifs

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

Without meMy Name IsPurple Hills

The Online Revolution

How has the new revolution of music downloads affected how bands/artists promote their material?

2 bands/artists

- One who used the internet to promote their music- One who did not use the internet to promote their

music – instead used art work, flyers, merchandise (perhaps use your unsigned band?)

How has the internet changed the promotion of music?

Technical Codes

Camerawork

Camera movement, angle and shot distance all need to be analysed.

As with any moving image text, how the camera is used and how images are sequenced will have a significant impact upon meaning.

Camera movement may accompany movement of performers (walking, dancing, etc) but it may also be used to create a more dynamic feel to stage performance, by for instance constantly circling the band as they perform on stage.

Technical Codes

CameraworkThe close up does predominate, as in most TV,

partly because of the size of the screen and partly because of the desire to create a sense of intimacy for the viewer. It also emphasises half of the commodity on sale (not just the song, but the artist, and particularly the voice)

Technical Codes

EditingThough the most common form of editing associated

with the music promo is fast cut montage, rendering many of the images impossible to grasp on first viewing thus ensuring multiple viewing, there are videos which use slow pace and gentler transitions to establish mood.

This is particularly apparent for the work of many female solo artists with a broad audience appeal, such as Dido.

Technical Codes

EditingOften enhancing the editing are digital effects

which play with the original images to offer different kinds of pleasure for the audience. This might take the form of split screens, colourisation and of course blockbuster film style CGI.

Camerawork and Editing

Watch The Following Video, What Do You Notice About It In Terms Of Camerawork and Editing ?

Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories - Stay (I Missed You)

Investigate Editing and Camerawork

Count how many cuts in 30 seconds of a typical music video:

http://www.youtube.com/

So… take more footage than you need

Perhaps use 2 cameras placed at different angles

Student’s Music videos

Music Videos

Previous student’s work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RxyFXKd7v8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eFTV_rCRy0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--iAOu9WvEo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_qs0m-NhDQ&feature=related

Development Of Technical Codes

Most common form of editing associated with the music promo is fast cut montage

Many images impossible to grasp on first viewing ensuring multiple viewing

Split screens, colourisation are also commonly used effects

Non-representational techniques, in which the musical artist is never shown, become more common

Lack of edits, Long take/steadicam also a common experimentation

Homework

Take still images of your location for filming to test the lighting of each setting.

Post on your blog

(a)The photos

(b)What you have found out – any problems? lighting issues? reasons for using this setting?

Storyboarding and Shooting Schedule

Blog post on storyboarding

Tasks:

1.Add your detailed write up (as in example shown) to your first draft storyboard ready to post onto your blog.

2.Create your shooting schedule (use sheets given)

3.Book out a camera ready for filming

Homework

Take still images of your location for filming to test the lighting of each setting.

Post on your blog

(a)The photos

(b)What you have found out – any problems? lighting issues? reasons for using this setting?

Music Video Pitches

Next lesson you will be pitching your idea to the rest of the class.

You will need to bring in for the pitch:

(a) your song to be played during the pitch

(b) your lyrics

(c) your storyboard

(d) be ready to show your blog!

Analysis of camerawork

http://www.youtube.com/elizadoolittlemusic

Investigate the use camerawork in video by listing the shots used in the first 1 minute.

To post on your blog 1. Location shots and explanation around them of why you chose that setting/

lighting problems? Plan B? 2. Notes on your camerawork and editing ideas for your video from lessons

(technical codes: close-up predominating/fast-cut montage/digital effects/colourisation/ Goodwin’s principals

3. Lyrics annotated with notes on how they make use of Goodwin’s principals. 4. Draft storyboard annotated in detail. 5. Details of your chosen artist – Who? Genre? Contact made? Why chosen? 6. Detailed feedback from the class from your film pitch with the video footage

uploaded. 7. Details the target audience you are targeting. Age? Gender? Occupation?

Lifestyle? Socio-economic group? 8. Shot Lists can be drawn up detailing which shot will appear and when. 9. Detailed shooting schedule showing dates/times/frames that will be shot and

when. 10. Final Storyboards to complete in neat. ALL frames must be storyboarded in

detail, with explanations of transitions, effects, shot timings, drawings of mise-en-scene.

Successful Blogs

http://evening-angels.blogspot.com/http://musicvideocm3emma.blogspot.com/http://fahminaali.blogspot.com/http://www.bhsmediaa2b11.blogspot.com/http://www.slaa2mediagwpahs.blogspot.com/http://alevelgroup1a.blogspot.com/

Learning Objectives

1. To go through dates and deadlines

2. Understand how your music video will be marked – assess previous students work

3. To begin making the first of two ancillary tasks by considering how to create a

‘brand identity’

Deadlines

All Filming to be completed by Friday 22nd October / half term (2 weeks)

All Editing to be completed by: Wednesday 1st December (4 weeks after half term)

 

Filming must be done outside lesson time.

Lesson time from Mon 11th October will be spent making 2 ancillary tasks and/or editing.

Apply the mark scheme to the following videos.

Add notes on the back of your mark scheme for your own project.

Latymer School Videos

13D Go to the Cyber Café for period 2

Ancillary Tasks

Coursework Brief:

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

options:

 

1. a website homepage for the band;

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

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

How to create a Brand Identity within your ‘promotional package’

Typeface?Star Image Motifs / Logos?

House Colours?Style Features – icons?

Selling the music through the artist’s own image?

What will feature in your music video?

Television Advert

Task

Find 2 artists of the SAME GENRE AND STYLE as your chosen artist

Post on your blog images of:

(a)Their website

(b)An album cover

(c)A magazine advertisement for the album

Explain how they have created a brand identity across all these promotional products.

Explain how YOU intend to create a brand identity in your music video and two ancillary products

Target Audience

Visit the website Last.Fm and look at both the listeners tab and similar artists.

- Go to the listeners tab

- Find out age groups and gender of listeners of 2 artists similar to yours.

Post the results of the audience feedback from your pitch. Qualitative (comments) and quantitative results (percentages)