Mock Magazine Advert

As part of research, we were asked to create a magazine advert for a specific genre. We did this by researching and looking into common themes and images used within that genre. The genre I was given was Reggae, with the artist name of Taz and Nate. When researching this genre, we saw the common theme of the Jamacian flag and the colours of that used widely. There were also a lot of images of marijuana and lions. These images were used instead of the artist, as a common theme was that the artist didn't feature much in the advert. A common element throughout was that the record label was credited on the advert, this was only a small image but was clear. The magazine adverts also included ratings and reviews of that album, including star ratings and quotes. Therefore, we took this intro consideration and made a magazine advert to fit the genre.

By creating a mock magazine advert, it meant we got an idea how to use basic tools on Photoshop, making it easier when it comes to make our own for the artist. It also gave us an idea of what the common themes are to include, not just in one genre, which we can use when we create our final edit.

Goodwins Theory

1.   Music videos demonstrate typical genre characteristics. (E.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, girls in bikinis round a pool and flash cars in rap videos).

a.       Example would be DJ Khaled ft Justin Bieber, ‘I’m the one’, as towards the end of the video, there are shown to be a group of females in bikinis dancing around a pool.

     

 2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (Either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting).

a.       Meaning that if a song was to state a word repeatedly, it would be represented and shown in the video.

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music. (Either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting).

a.       When a song repeatedly shows the same types of shots that best reflect the song.

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist 
a.       Mainly shown in females videos, for example Katy Perry- ‘Roar’

     

5. There is a frequency reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. (Screens within screens, mirrors, stages etc.)

a.       For example, Miley Cyrus- ‘Wrecking Ball’, she is shown to be using the sex appeal.

   

6. The artist may develop motifs or iconography which recur across their work.
         a. important the artist creates a distinct style that is recognisable.


7. There are often intertextual references. (To films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.)

a.       For example, Will Smith- ‘Men in Black’ had an intertextual reference to the film by using some of the scenes in the video.

This research will help me when developing my music video, as it will allow me to use the conventions music videos include. Making it professional and realistic.

The purpose of a music video

The purpose of a music video is to help the audience a better understanding of the story or narrative that is involved within the song. It helps them understand the lyrics and how it is all put together. Another purpose of a music video is to sell the song, and involve something, like the narrative, in which you remember the song. It will generate more interest for that specific song around the time of release. It also means they can release the video on multimedia platforms, to help with promotion.

Promotion plays a big part when releasing a music video, as it plays many different roles. Such as, the music video promotes the song and the song promotes the album. It also promotes the artist, as they want to sell as many singles or videos as possible, as this generates more money.

Musicians use music videos to promote their song, it’s a way of keeping its life cycle going. As the song will be released first and however long after the music video will be release, meaning people will then watch the video if they enjoyed the song. Leading to the song having more success and furthering their market. Due to musicians being creative, they may want to use music videos to experiment with new mediums and put their song out in a different way. It can generate a larger income of the song for the artist and record label, which means they can lead to market domination within the music industry. For example, Where are U now – Justin Bieber, song was released on February 17^th 2015 and was a hit in the charts. However, the video was released on Vevo on June 29^th 2015, this being 3 months after the song was released. Meaning that the song was then re-put out to the target audience to longer its market.

By researching into music videos, it allowed me to find out about how the artist gets the video out to their audience. As it depends on the genre and demographics of the audience, as to what the most effective way is. 

Music video target audience result analysis

From analysing the answers, it has allowed me to get a definite answer to what my audience will want to see and enjoy. I will use the most popular answers in my video, to satisfy the demands of the audience.

Other students music video

Music video-  G324 Amanda Rogers- This Beauty

Mise-en-scene:

The costumes used are neutral colours, the main dress being white and the second being nude. These colours reflect the title well as they are ‘beauty’ and natural colours, also linking to the scenery. It is set in mainly a forest or outside, so therefore connoting the idea of purity and being natural. This therefore works well and follows the conventions of a music video as Goodwin states ‘there is a relationship between music and visuals’.

Sound:

Other than the soundtrack, there are not many extra diegetic sounds included within the video. However, at the very start, there is a clip of the female walking through the leaves, giving off the diegetic sound of the crunching. This helps set the scene for the audience and gives an idea of what may be included throughout. Lip syncing is used throughout this video, they make sure that the lyrics match the movement of the performer. Making it look well edited, and professional.

Camera Angles:

Throughout the video, there are different types of shots used. This video follows the conventions of a music video as they show a lot of close ups and other varieties to help visualise the video. As the artist in this video is female, it is correctly represented as it interprets both Goodwin’s and the male gaze theory. The close ups also connote the song title as the female stereotypically is shown to be ‘beautiful’ and this is clear to the audience. The establishing shots throughout, set the scene and allow the audience to focus on where the video is trying to tell the story. This video is mainly hand held, which could connote the idea that it is in the perspective of the male lover.

                            

Narrative/ performance:

There is not much performance shown throughout this video, other than the artist lip syncing in certain frames of the video. This can be both conventional and non-conventional, as some videos are performance based and some aren’t. The narrative is quite clear, but it is quite hard to understand compared to the lyrics. The lyrics reflect the idea of a female being in love with a male, however, this isn’t shown very clearly in the video. However, it links to the camera idea of it being in his perspective, but this may be hard to distinguish primarily.

Editing:

This video follows conventions of a music video as they use mainly jump cut transitions from each frame. These work well as it is a simple way to change frame, and not overwhelm the audience. It also follows conventions well as there are many different shots, and editing in a fast pace, meaning the viewer will not get bored of watching the same thing. 


Overall, this video is quite effective, as it shows good generic conventions and elements that would be shown in a professional video. These would be things such as, the narrative and performance is clear to the audience. From this video, it has given me ideas on how I can make a realistic video. 

Music video target auidences

I have created a personal questionnaire to give to a range of people asking questions about their music video preferences. These questions are designed mainly for my target audience, as I will need to find out what is best to include to be successful.

From creating this questionnaire, I was able to ask a selection of people to get a range of different answers that I can apply when creating my own music video. This will help me make certain decisions when starting to plan, as to what the audience is going to enjoy.

Music Video History

In 1926, musical short films were produced, featuring bands and many artists. These artists would perform their hit songs live. Then in 1965 the Beatles started to make promotional clips for distribution and broadcast in other countries, mainly in the USA, so they could promote their record without having to go on tour, or perform live. In 1975, Queen made a promotional video to show their new single "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the BBC music series Top of the Pops. Therefore, they were becoming more popular and started to air on television. On August 1^st 1981, MTV launched the first ever music video on their TV channel. The first video ever played on the channel was the song, Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles. Further down the line in 2005 there was the launch of the website YouTube, which made the viewing of online video much faster and easier. These websites had a big effect on the viewing of music videos, as some artists began to see success because of videos seen mostly online. Reference- Wikipedia.

Bessie Smith was the first artist to bring out a music video. - in 1923 she was discovered by someone from Columbia Records, and offered her a contract she signed. She was then able to make her own songs and her most popular was "Downhearted Blues,". It sold an estimated 800,000 copies, due to having a very powerful voice and lead her to tour widely. 


Len Lye- born on 5th July 1901, was known for his experimental films and kinetic sculptures. In 1929, Lyes first experimental film was premiered at the London film society, 'Tusalava'. This film was constructed using approx 4400 different drawings, each of which was photographed; a process known as cel animation. Over the top of this video, was a piece of music, in which made this a version of a 'music video'. From this, he continued to make more of these and became popular.

The most expensive music video of all time is, Michael and Janet Jackson ‘Scream’ as it was made at $7 million. Its original air date was in May 1995, and would now cost $11 million. The second most expensive music video is Madonna ‘Die another day’, released in October 2002, in which costed $6.1 million. Madonna had mainly the most expensive videos, including the songs, Express yourself and Bedtime story. Those both costing $5 million.

Key conventions found in the genre:

·         Pop-

o   high key lighting and costuming, which is also usually fashionable because of the youth target audience.

o   Usually a love narrative, teenage romance

o   Normally a performance music video, dancing, focusing on the artist or band

o   Use of voyeurism, with topless men and young attractive girls, to fit their target audience. Use of close ups help this

·         Rock-

o   low key lighting, sometimes a use of strobe lighting or shadows

o   Setting normally a dark, abandoned place, almost like a nightmare

o   Usually features at least one of the main singers

o   Instruments such as electric guitar are almost always used

o   Deep narrative, and sometimes performance

·         Indie-

o   Lower budget

o   Main settings that are easily accessed, e.g. park

o   Unique and retro look, through costume and props, props such as guitar

o   Usually live performances, with narrative in between

o   Focused on the artists as well as they story, including close ups

Most watched music videos-

·         ‘See you again’ – Wiz and Charlie Puth with 2.9 billion views

·         ‘Gangnam style’ – Psy with 2.89 billion views

·         ‘Sorry’ – Justin Bieber with 2.6 billion views

·         ‘Uptown Funk’ – Bruno Mars with 2.55 billion views

·         ‘Despacito’- Luis Fonsi with 2.5 billion views

Most popular music videos for each decade and why-

·         1960s- The Beatles, as it was the first introduction of music videos/ promo clips. Therefore, people were new to the idea and all watched these first clips.

·         1970s- Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody, as this was the first clip to be played on the BBC, Top of the Pops. Which introduced it to the public, making them watch it many more times.

·         1980s- Michael Jackson- Thriller, as Thriller sealed MTV's reputation as a new cultural force; dissolved racial barriers. At that time, Thriller was also set to be very expensive, bring $900,000 so the production was the best. The music video is also 13 minutes long, longer than any before so people wanted to watch it.

·         1990s- Nirvana- Smells like teen spirit, as it is the most iconic song of all time. As it includes many different musical elements, such as keys, within the song that everybody enjoyed. It meant that they were going to watch the video without a doubt, pushing it up higher.

·         2000s- Eminem- Lose yourself, as it had a deeper meaning than many other rap songs, and this reflected within the video.

2010s- Justin Bieber- Sorry, as it was up there with the most views on YouTube. Justin didn’t feature in the video and solely used female dancers, such as Royal Family, who are a very popular dance group. Therefore, this may have been a key factor in the success of this video.


By doing this research, it has given me a better understanding of music videos, and what were the best of all time. Meaning I can take this information and analyse why they were so great, and take as many elements and put towards my music video.

Textual Analysis of A Music Video

Music video- Ariana Grande ‘Problem’

Mise-en-scene:

Throughout the video, there are mainly bold and colourful backdrops that make the artists stand out. For example, they are mostly striped and either black or white, or pink and purple. This creates a contrast in the outfits that the artists are wearing, which therefore makes them stand out. The colours pink and purple could create a stereotypical representation, as they are feminine colours and the artists are females. Meaning all the attention is focused on them, which could be the male gaze theory. This also links with the costumes that the artists are wearing, as they mostly coloured black and white. These colours could connote the two sides of the story, as the title is ‘Problem’, as the black could represent the power the females have over the ‘boy’. As the lyrics say, ‘one less problem without you’, this could connote that they have come out stronger. However, the white could represent and connote the purity they now feel, not have the ‘weight on my shoulders’.

Sound:

At the very start of the video, Ariana is heard to be laughing diegetically as well as Iggy introducing herself. The laughing could connote the happiness and freedom she now feels. There is no other extra diegetic sound or dialogue throughout the video, other than the song itself. Throughout the video, both artists are shown to be lip syncing. The lip syncing is shown to be professional, as it matches the audio correctly and isn’t delayed.

Camera Angles:

Throughout the clip, there are many different shots used. At the start of the video, there are two close ups on Ariana’s face, connoting the male gaze theory of her being looked at. This is evident throughout the whole of the video, as they are two female artists, therefore they will be the main focus of attention. Another close up is half way through the video of Ariana’s lower half of her body. Representing the idea that females are to be looked at from head to toe. This is also stated in Goodwin’s theory, as he says ‘The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist’. Other than close ups on the females faces, there are long shots of Ariana and the dancers. This shows the females are over powering the males, as they are lower down than them. Connoting the non-stereotypical idea of the females dominating the males, being more important.

Narrative/ performance:

The narrative of the video does fit with the lyrics, as the video shows that the females are stronger than the males. As they are higher and pushing the men around. The video starts with the shot of three females in the centre of the frame, connoting they take dominance which then switches to the men kneeling down. This shows the audience a clear representation and narrative that it is all about the overcoming of a breakup. This is then backed up throughout of the females always having the centre frame and close ups, therefore making it clear to the audience that they are better than the men. The performance of the video is represented through dancing, as Ariana has her back up dancers to make it more entertaining for the audience. They also highlight her position in the video.

 

Editing:

In this video, there are mainly quick cuts that transition each different frame, which is the most common within a music video. However, there are some slide transitions, which make the video more interesting and pleasing for the audience, so they don’t just see jump cuts, which can look quite harsh. These transitions range from sliding up, across and downwards, giving the audience something different. The video is also edited to show a range of different frames, from dancing to close ups of just singing. This gives the audience something interesting to watch and not watch the same thing for 4 minutes.

From this research, I have good idea of what a high production value video is like and will be able to take elements from this and apply them to my video. As this is a professional video, there will be some elements, such as the location and mise en scene, that wouldn’t be possible to use. Therefore when it comes to creating our own video, we will plan around the resources we have.

 

Real Media Texts – Music Video

This will help me when creating a music video as I have different genres I can look at. It gives me a good idea of what will capture the audience and the professional elements that I can include. Such as, a good number of shots and what fits well with narrative.

	Genre of music and audience	The narrative	Settings	Number of shots used in first minute	Re-occurring shot types used	Transitions used	Representations seen?	Theories used
Music video 1: Crying in the club- Camila Cabello	Genre of music is pop music. The target audience would be a younger female audience. Ages ranging between 16-24	The lyrics reflect an idea of heartbreak and pain. This is because the word tears are said many times, emphasising emotion. The first line also says ‘you think, that you’ll die without him’, giving the idea of a recent break up.	The video first starts off in an abandoned warehouse. This could connote that fact of feeling alone Another setting used is the artist in the bath. A location is also shown to be in a club, which is evident within the song title.	Within the first minute of the video, there are shown to be 10 different shots. Which are mostly close ups.	There are mainly close ups on the female artist, showing her many emotions throughout.	The transitions are almost shown to be jump cuts as they don’t flow smoothly from one to another.	The stereotypical representation of gender can be shown in this video as the female artist is shown to be crying and showing emotion.	The male gaze theory can be shown in this video, as there are many close ups on the female. Showing that she is to be looked at.
Music video 2: Smells like teen spirit- Nirvana	The genre of this music would be rock. The target audience would be young adult males. Aging between 21- 30	The video gives the idea that the song is about a teen and youth life. This is evident in the video as where it is set and what extras are in the video. (young ‘students’ and cheerleaders)	The setting looks like a small auditorium, as if it is in a school. This is shown because there are people sitting around watching the band. That is used throughout the whole of the video.	In the first minute of this music video, there are 22 different shots. Showing a range of different people.	There are a lot of close ups and long shots to feature the artist but show the setting throughout the video.	Throughout the transitions of the different shots, they are obvious jump cuts.	There could be a hint of representations of gender as there are close ups of females cheerleading. Also age could be used in the video, as its title is ‘teen’ and is set in a young environment.	The male gaze theory could be incorporated within this as the cheerleaders are standing in front of the artists, meaning they should be looked at and focused on.
Music video 3- Pompeii- Bastille	The genre of the song is indie. The target audience being 17-30 and a mix between both males and females.	The lyrics give the idea that song is about some form of destruction and pain. This is evident when in the video there are characters with black eyes, to show the pain and death.	There is no one set location that this video is filmed at, it is in a variety of places. These places are all abandoned and don’t have anybody about. These include, arcades, streets and warehouses, etc.	Within the first minute of the video, there are 17 shots. These are mainly establishing shots of the locations this video is set in. There is only 1 close up on the artist.	Throughout the video there are a lot of establishing shots. This shows the viewer an insight of where this may be set. There are also some close ups and long shots of extra characters in the video which back up the narrative.	The typical jump cuts are used throughout this video. These transition each frame.	There are no clear representations shown throughout this video, as there is only one main character throughout. The extra characters only stay in the frame for a small amount of time and don’t show any emotions. Therefore meaning it is hard to distinguish anything shown in the video.	Due to no representations being used, it is hard to decide whether there are any theories used. Also due to no main other characters are used in the video, it means they don’t play any extra roles. The only theory may be Goodwin’s theory as there is a slight relationship between music and visuals.

Specific Knowledge of Music Videos

Location depends on the genre:

·        Rock- dark, abandoned place, graffiti

·        Folk- countryside, farm, church

·        Pop music- street, open place, beach, food place. E.g. Miley Cyrus, Malibu 

·       
Reggae- small rooms, places with less people

·        Rap- streets, abandoned places. E.g. Bounce Back, Big Sean

Target audiences also depends on genre:

·        Rock- ‘gothic’ type, male and female, younger audience 16-25

·        Folk- older audience, mixed men and women, 28-60

·        Pop- mixed gender, younger teenage audience 14-26

·       

Reggae- ‘Rasta’ men, Jamaican typically

·        Rap- mainly male, younger audience 16-30

Images found in videos, such as props and mise en scene:

·        Rock- heavy metal props, electric guitar, dark setting

·        Folk- acoustic guitar, happy and brighter scenery

·        Pop- lots of props, mainstream trends in that current time

·        Reggae- use of marijuana, Jamaican flag and colours

·        Rap- caps, tracksuits, roaming streets

   

      By doing this piece of work, it allowed me to gain more specific knowledge within the different areas. Meaning I am able to consider these as they specify to the different genres.