Medium-Music Videos
Secondary Research
What is a music video?
A music video is very similar to a short film. It can have a story, it can deliver message, they both have a script but a music video uses lyrics to express feelings or explain a narrative, which is then followed by a music video. A music video is a simple way of showing the artist's true feelings or mood of the song. It's also a way of promoting a song, as people will remember the video and that's when a song becomes 'catchy'. Though a music video is not only used to promote a song but also an artist (to make them become well known so they can be popular) but artist are able to advertise brands but it never used to be about that.
A music video is very similar to a short film. It can have a story, it can deliver message, they both have a script but a music video uses lyrics to express feelings or explain a narrative, which is then followed by a music video. A music video is a simple way of showing the artist's true feelings or mood of the song. It's also a way of promoting a song, as people will remember the video and that's when a song becomes 'catchy'. Though a music video is not only used to promote a song but also an artist (to make them become well known so they can be popular) but artist are able to advertise brands but it never used to be about that.
Top of the Pops
The 'Tops of the Pops' was a popular TV show that began in 1964 on New Years Day and ended in 2006. It was a way for famous and popular singers/bands to broadcast their songs for all their fans. Back then there wasn't really any music videos, they weren't as big and important as they're now, so the only way to allow singers/bands to show their music was to go on the show. It was also the longest running pop show ever, it was first shown on Wednesday evening, sometime after dinner, so the younger audience were still able to tune in on their biggest pop idols. It also didn't matter where the singers/bands were, if they wanted to perform on Top of the Pops, they had to be the studio that week so it then could be broadcasted the next day or so. It had lots of famous idols, like Duran Duran, Queen, David Bowie and even The Beatles. Dusty Springfield being the first artist to ever perform.
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MTV started in 1981, where The Buggles were their first act to been shown. They also first showed their Video Music Awards in 1984, to bring famous artist together and celebrated for their music and videos. Pre-MTV was way before MTV had started, bands like The Beatles wanted to 'give their fans the fullest audiovisual experience, recording promotional clips that could be shown abroad', meaning they wanted to go on tour but also allow their fans to see them without having to wait for tour, this is also the same place Queen were in, as they couldn't perform on Top of the Pops, so they recorded a music video for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 1975, instead of being on the show was they were on tour. When MTV started it consisted of just basic music videos, not until record industries started to notice that it's a good way of promoting artist and their songs, so they started to invest more money into it, which it then started to promote huge artist like Madonna, Prince, Duran Duran, etc.
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Just like Top of the Pops, MTV would slowly get replaced by a better platform to promote music and videos. In 2005, Youtube was made, with Vevo was a way for the record companies to make money, as people would stream the music video, they could also add small adverts before or during the videos and have links for people to then download the actual song. Youtube is now more the main platform, I personally like to go onto to Youtube to watch new music videos, rather than going on to TV and watching the top charts. 'A report from 2015 found that millennials spend most time online watching videos' it's understandable that back in the 80s MTV was so popular because it was a TV channel that would only show music videos, as it wasn't as much of a popular thing as it is now but now times have change, Youtube is known to be the main platform and in the future another platform will take Youtube's place and be the next big thing for promoting music videos.
Grammy Winning
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'Girls on film' by Duran Duran is a 1983 Grammy Winning music video and 'This is America' by Childish Gambino is a 2018 Grammy Winning music video. Music videos have changed throughout the years, but I felt that there was a big difference between people's preference and style of music video when voting for music videos in 1983 and then 2018.
'Girls on film' has a lot of narrative, involving other characters, the main 'attraction' of the music video is women and they each have a different scenarios but in the same location, this does make the video more exciting as each character is doing something different and distracts you away from the same location used throughout. You do see the artist but they're not the main focus of the music video, as it's about 'girls on film'.
'This is America' has lots going on, which is filmed in a huge empty storage building, It's a boring location and doesn't have any features related to the message of the music video, it's the action behind the artist that is interesting and the artist's acting that really makes the music video. It goes from a softly sung song by a choir but quickly changes when it becomes more violent when the artist of the song brings out a gun and shots the people, which it then changes to a different tone. It's sending a message out about the violences against black people throughout America, and how it's a 'casual' everyday thing to happen, involving guns, police and destruction (with smoke and fire). Childish Gambino has an unusual dance throughout, where he moves his body and creates faces, as everything else is happening behind him, it gets the audience's attention to focus on either him or the violence behind him.
'Girls on film' has a lot of narrative, involving other characters, the main 'attraction' of the music video is women and they each have a different scenarios but in the same location, this does make the video more exciting as each character is doing something different and distracts you away from the same location used throughout. You do see the artist but they're not the main focus of the music video, as it's about 'girls on film'.
'This is America' has lots going on, which is filmed in a huge empty storage building, It's a boring location and doesn't have any features related to the message of the music video, it's the action behind the artist that is interesting and the artist's acting that really makes the music video. It goes from a softly sung song by a choir but quickly changes when it becomes more violent when the artist of the song brings out a gun and shots the people, which it then changes to a different tone. It's sending a message out about the violences against black people throughout America, and how it's a 'casual' everyday thing to happen, involving guns, police and destruction (with smoke and fire). Childish Gambino has an unusual dance throughout, where he moves his body and creates faces, as everything else is happening behind him, it gets the audience's attention to focus on either him or the violence behind him.
Primary Research
Survey
I decided to release a survey to get an understanding of how others would define music videos. In my first question I asked, 'How would you define a music video?', the feedback I got was 'A video that is entertaining and goes well with the lyrics of a song', 'a video that connects well with the music and lyrics.'Something that expresses the style of music and the lyrics. Which expresses a story or message.' these three comments all have 'lyrics' in common, these people think that whatever the music video is it should always go along with the lyrics, and that the creators should take the lyrics into account. Someone mentioned having 'choreographic dancing', which personally as well I do enjoy watching music videos that involve lots of dancing as it can make the video more exciting and grabs the viewer's attention, if the location is as good as the dancing but for my production, because it's a very 'chilled' song I rather focus on the narrative than having heavily choreographic dancing. A few people said it's about showing a message or the mood, 'a video that enhances the message or mood of a music piece', 'A series of recordings which relate to/tell the story of the song. To put forward a message/idea.' , as a music video either involves a narrative or a performance (or both) a message can been shown through both, for example it could be about loneliness and the narrative about the video could be all about the artist who is playing the character.
The second question I asked is 'What makes a good music video?' that comments that really stood out to me were 'visual, colours, props' having a music video (especially pop) that involves having lots of visuals and colours makes it a lot more exciting and is very eye-catching but having a prop can also be really important to a narrative as a prop can tell a story too. 'A video that complements the tone or aesthetic of the song' having a video that creates an atmosphere and shows an obvious genre is entraining for an audience as it then makes sense but is also interesting to watch. 'Something lively and draws your attention, like an either light or dark theme that goes with the genre of the song' when thinking about a dark theme I would personally represent that as either being sad, angry or jealous, as they are moods and feelings that would go well with dark colours and themes, while having a light theme would be represented as being happy, in love, strength. 'The artist actually in it' and 'a story being told true to the lyrics, with the artist' these two comments both agree that a good music video needs to contain the artist to be in it, I can understand that people only watch music videos for the artist and are hopeful to see the artist when watching then but personally I don't think the artist needs to be in the video, depending if there is a strong narrative where you can watch the characters without needed to actually artist.
Question number three was 'How long should a music video be?', around 12 people filled out my survey. 11 people all agreed that a music video should be around 3-4 minutes long, which is the normal amount of time a music video would normally last but only one person said 5+ minutes, I think depending on the song, having a music video that is over 5 minutes can become a little bit boring to some viewers but if there is a good narrative or performance (or both) then I think it could easily be 5+ minutes. I would rather stick to 3-4 minutes as that is also the majority vote.
Then my final question was 'Can you suggest any good music videos?' I think the majority were pop songs but I felt that if I asked this questions it would also help me understand what kind of music my target audience listened to (as the people I sent it too varied from the ages 16-19). I would then also have a look at the music videos and see if there is anything inspiring that I could use in my FMP.
BTS were quite popular on my final question, their music videos always include narrative and performance. Back in question three where one person voted on 5+ minutes, I can understand that music videos like this are over 5 minutes, as each video tells a story but also has the element of performance. Personally I find their music videos very entertaining but the atmosphere they're going for is much darker than what I want to do with my music video. Though it still fits within the pop genre, the narrative and performance in the videos are very different.
Within both videos there are a range of colours used, within scenes where the rest of the location is dark but the costumes the artists wear are colourful. There are lots of close-ups, so you're able to see their emotions and wide shots to get a clearer view of the location and the rest of the members. The narratives are always interesting and different, while the performance is fast and 'satisfying'. I want to add these elements into my music video, by making it very colourful and entertaining to watch, also to add lots of close-ups and wide shots. |
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'Video Games' by Lana Del Ray, was another song that was suggested by someone from my survey. Her songs are quite slow and quite dark but this video doesn't seem as dark themed as the actual song.
This kind of video, with the home-made look (the shaky camera, quite blurry) is the look I want to use in my music video, it feels more 'personal'. But I also want to add the use of colours and filters, to mix the dark theme with the pop genre. This video once again involves lots of close-ups, wide shots and even mid-shots. |
Infographic
Genre
Codes and Conventions of Music Video
Performance: This typical can be an artist dancing to the music, singing in a studio or set (for example). Sometimes a music video can be heavily just performance based, there can be a lot of locations but there's no storyline and the artist is performing the song. 'Hard Times' by Paramore is a great example of a performance based music video, it only involves the artist, who lip syncs throughout, they stay in a studio but have different props around and is edited with lots of colour, making it look very interesting and exciting, just how a pop music video typically looks like, it helps avoid the point that it's just a performance video.
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Narrative: Is a music video that is a storyline, it doesn't always have to involve the actual artist. Having a narrative can make it possible to make the music be about whatever they want, it gets the audience to watch the music video for longer as it can have a deep meaning to it. While sometimes a music video can have a deep meaning to them, other times it can just be a simple storyline, having a narrative can also help the audience understand the narrative as it should set the mood/atmosphere. The music video 'This Girl' by Kungs vs Cookin' on 3 Burners is an example of just a narrative based music video, none of the artist are present and is all about a young couple (obviously on holiday) who are in love and just party together all day and night.
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Both: Some music videos have a mixture of narrative and performance, this is where a storyline is also part of the performance. A lot of music videos with a mixture of both, have parts where an artist performs as well as being part of a narrative, like 'Left to Right' by Marteen, he lip syncs and dances in the video but also is part of the narrative, where he has a crush on a girl at a roller ring, it's a romance and in the end is happy (as he gets the girl), overall the music video has a happy and lovable atmosphere of young love.
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Book Research
I went to the library to look for books that could help me with lighting, location, colour and camera angles within films. The book I read was 'Vision: colour and composition for film' by Hans P Bacher.
Colour:
When picking a colour for a scene, it depends on the emotion that you want to reflect. Within the book the question asked are, 'Do they lean towards a particular mood?' 'Can this somehow be used to contribute to your shot?' picking a colour scheme will really help the audience understand the mood of the film/music video before they start to notice the narrative. 'Intuition may make a better decision than your skill.' the meaning behind this is, for example, when I personally think of romance I think of reds and pinks which is my intuition but if I really think about it, red could also represent blood and violence, linking to a more of a horror genre.
The weather can also play an important role on when deciding on colours, as it has quantity and quality of light as well as the light within the actual location. If I wanted to film music video that is happy and upbeat, I am not going to choose a location that has cold lighting and a day when it's going to be cold and wet, I will pick a time of day and location where it's bright and colourful, to create that mood. A sunny day can create an upbeat, energetic mood whilst an overacted day creates a gloomy atmosphere. 'Having a weather-heavy scene can also add greatly to the visual appeal of your frame.' choosing a day to film can really add effect to the mood you want your audience to feel. 'The quality, colour and strength of light is constantly changing throughout day and night.' this means that when thinking about filters, a certain colour can be used to match the time of day it is, for example having a tint of yellow can create a sunny day old and having it a little softer can be a sunny day with a few clouds, whilst the afternoon would have a hasher tone and could have a whiter colour.
Having a genre-based colour is good when you find an opportunity to use this, either within the script, location or a key moment within the story.
Lighting:
Sunlight, moonlight, candlelight, neon lights, spotlights, street lights, nightlight, etc, these can all be used within different parts of a story to create not only the visual of the scene but also get the emotion, for example having a scene where it's pouring down with rain, it's also quite dark and the only source of light is a street lamp, this can create a spooky atmosphere.
Colour:
When picking a colour for a scene, it depends on the emotion that you want to reflect. Within the book the question asked are, 'Do they lean towards a particular mood?' 'Can this somehow be used to contribute to your shot?' picking a colour scheme will really help the audience understand the mood of the film/music video before they start to notice the narrative. 'Intuition may make a better decision than your skill.' the meaning behind this is, for example, when I personally think of romance I think of reds and pinks which is my intuition but if I really think about it, red could also represent blood and violence, linking to a more of a horror genre.
The weather can also play an important role on when deciding on colours, as it has quantity and quality of light as well as the light within the actual location. If I wanted to film music video that is happy and upbeat, I am not going to choose a location that has cold lighting and a day when it's going to be cold and wet, I will pick a time of day and location where it's bright and colourful, to create that mood. A sunny day can create an upbeat, energetic mood whilst an overacted day creates a gloomy atmosphere. 'Having a weather-heavy scene can also add greatly to the visual appeal of your frame.' choosing a day to film can really add effect to the mood you want your audience to feel. 'The quality, colour and strength of light is constantly changing throughout day and night.' this means that when thinking about filters, a certain colour can be used to match the time of day it is, for example having a tint of yellow can create a sunny day old and having it a little softer can be a sunny day with a few clouds, whilst the afternoon would have a hasher tone and could have a whiter colour.
Having a genre-based colour is good when you find an opportunity to use this, either within the script, location or a key moment within the story.
Lighting:
Sunlight, moonlight, candlelight, neon lights, spotlights, street lights, nightlight, etc, these can all be used within different parts of a story to create not only the visual of the scene but also get the emotion, for example having a scene where it's pouring down with rain, it's also quite dark and the only source of light is a street lamp, this can create a spooky atmosphere.
The first picture is of lighting from the side, this sort of layout, where the light only brightens part of the object (in this case it's the house) it can create a dramatic effect and also adds tension.
The second photo is a side light but much softer, could be used for a sunset shot or early morning, it can make a scene look visually 'beautiful'. This photo makes the surrounding area light but the object very dark, it create an ominous mood and also make the audience know that it's not the main focus of the scene. This photo is of a diffused light which then makes the rest of the scene have a much softer lights, it can create a quiet atmosphere but the problem with using a lighting is it can make a scene look very dull, so I think you can use it if you're setting a scene at a certain time of day. Another side light (more high key) can be part of an upbeat scene, would work well if the production was comedic as the main focus is on the object but also some of the surrounding area and only causes a slight shadow. And lastly the back lighting where a small light is the only focus, this shot is better in a scene at night, it can also create mystery as everywhere is dark apart from this one tiny part which is showing light. |
Camera angles:
Wide shot: Opening shot for new locations, it shows the environment and character's position within the scene, it helps keep track on where the character is.
Extreme long shot: a further shot of the character, to show how they relate to the location they're in. It is also a good shot when filming a character walking or running, as they can go from a further distance and then proceed to another type of shot.
Long shot: It still focuses on the location but now it is leaning more towards the focus of the character, but still reminding the audience of the environment around.
Medium long shot: Now the focus is shifting more and more onto the character, while the location is only just in the background.
Medium shot: This shot can be good to use when you're shooting two characters in one scene, as it shows their body language, position, composition and costume, so now the audience can get more of an understanding of the character by how they act within the medium shot.
Medium close up: One again it draws more attention to the character but now its their face and then you can tell they're a focus point.
Close up: Is quite a popular camera angle to use when shooting a music video,, as its attention is all on the character's face. It show's their emotion and can get the audience to understand what could be going on the character's mind.
Extreme close-up: It's very much the same as a normal close up but this angle is very useful to use when a character is in a dramatic situation as you can get the 'fear in their eyes' .
Eye level shot: This is just a normal level, the visual and emotions are neutral. This shot can be quite dull if in an action production but could be useful if filming a normal conversation between to characters.
Wide shot: Opening shot for new locations, it shows the environment and character's position within the scene, it helps keep track on where the character is.
Extreme long shot: a further shot of the character, to show how they relate to the location they're in. It is also a good shot when filming a character walking or running, as they can go from a further distance and then proceed to another type of shot.
Long shot: It still focuses on the location but now it is leaning more towards the focus of the character, but still reminding the audience of the environment around.
Medium long shot: Now the focus is shifting more and more onto the character, while the location is only just in the background.
Medium shot: This shot can be good to use when you're shooting two characters in one scene, as it shows their body language, position, composition and costume, so now the audience can get more of an understanding of the character by how they act within the medium shot.
Medium close up: One again it draws more attention to the character but now its their face and then you can tell they're a focus point.
Close up: Is quite a popular camera angle to use when shooting a music video,, as its attention is all on the character's face. It show's their emotion and can get the audience to understand what could be going on the character's mind.
Extreme close-up: It's very much the same as a normal close up but this angle is very useful to use when a character is in a dramatic situation as you can get the 'fear in their eyes' .
Eye level shot: This is just a normal level, the visual and emotions are neutral. This shot can be quite dull if in an action production but could be useful if filming a normal conversation between to characters.
Video Analyse
'Love like waves' by Friendly Fires, it has both performance and narrative. The artist is kind of part of the narrative but it's mainly based around a group of people on holiday where these two people become interested in each other throughout, which then leads the main focus on them. The video is set in another country, where it's hot and everyday is relaxing and involves partying. It's a very energetic song, the lyrics are quite repetitive but are all about love, which then links to the narrative. The video is more narrative than performance, as the characters's scenes are more frequent than the artist's scenes, as a narrative can be more interesting and keeps the audience watching for longer.
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At the start they use an establishing shot. The shot of the sea not only tells the viewers the location but also connects with the title of the music video. It's obvious the location is hot and sunny because of how clear the water is and how bright it is, this also allows the viewer to notice that it could be in another country. The song is called 'Love like waves', personally I think the waves represent the love, as sometimes when things get 'rocky' the waves a large and when the waves are small the relationship is calm. It can also be a 'cut-in' where a scene s quickly placed as it relates to the lyrics of the song, 'Love like Waves'.
The next scene is of the main male character, he is in throughout the music video. The shot used goes from a wide shot to a mid shot, a wide shot is used to show not only the one subject but the area around, while a mid shot is used to show part of his body and some of the surrounding area. This also gives the viewer an indication that the video will be about this character and will be set in another country. They also play the same scene twice, where the main characters are looking at each other at the party, at 0:08-0:11 you can understand what the video will then be about as they catch each others attention but this same scene is then repeated 2:31-2:23 as a reminder of the beginning, only a viewer who has watched the whole video would know this but when it is later repeated there is more to the scene as you know more about the narrative. I like the idea of repeating a scene that was shown at the beginning and then putting it near the end, so you can see what will happen in the future of the narrative and also get an idea of what the video will be about, in this case it's about a holiday romance. |
There are lots of scenes of locations, as it's important to remember where they are. Though the colours aren't very exciting, as the scenery behind is green, brown and blue but having props like the red motorbike, or the blue pool and sea, and also the white car, really stands out in the scenes, making the bland colours unnoticeable and gets the audience to look at the main focus of the scene.
The scenes are wide shots (where it shows the whole location) but also are filmed at high-angles, though when filming from an high-angle it tends to mean something is 'powerless' but I don't think it's the same in this video, it's sort of a birds-eye view as the camera then pans closer and goes to a lower height. This is done to move the focus onto something else, the more important prop/character/narrative within the scene. |
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Even though the music video is about two characters who throughout like each other, the narrative is all together about a group of friends going on holiday together, you see some of these characters a lot (top picture, male in the middle) who play a part in being close with the main characters.
Scenes like these are quite natural and the fact that the characters are looking directly at the the camera makes it seem more personal, like there isn't a whole camera crew but someone they may know (within the narrative) who could be filming them. They also all wear brightly coloured clothes, or summery outfits (such as swimming costumes) this helps give the audience an understanding about maybe their personality or where the location is. Having costumes can be important in a music video, as it can help the audience understand more towards the narrative, it could tell you a lot more about someone's personality or the location they're in. |
This shot is an over-the-shoulder, it makes it feel more realistic as the camera is following the same direction as the character, but you're also able to see where he is going and the surrounding the location but it has been blurred a bit so you can really focus on the actor. This is done as part of the narrative, he is walking up to the actress who plays the love interest, as the main focus should be on the characters and not on any of the extras seen around.
I could use this type of camera angle in my FMP, as I want the couple to also be the main focus. |
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In this scene, which is near the end of the narrative where everyone is partying, there a multiple shots of wide and close-ups. Both these camera angles are used frequently in pop music videos. The first picture is all the wide/over-the-shoulder shots within the party scene right at the end of the video. Having wide shots not only enables you to see everyone, including the characters and the artist but also gives a clear view of the location, which is filmed at night but lots of yellow, red and blue lights are used to brighten the place but also give the party mood. It's shot in different angles of the same location, to get a different perspective (most likely to show the artist more).
In the second photo is all the close-ups within the party scene, typical the close-ups are of people's faces, which it does include an over-the-shoulder shot of a girl amongst all everyone. There is also a close-up of people's feet as they dance around, using a close-up in different angles and objects/people can just add to the atmosphere, as we know everyone is having fun dancing at the party by looking at the movement of their feet. |
The artist is shown throughout the video but he stays in the same location, as the rest of the scenes before the party are 'flashbacks', at first you're not sure if he's part of the same narrative as the other characters but when the characters make their way to the party scene near the end, that's when it's obvious. The artist then becomes a part of the narrative, dancing with everyone. This was a good idea, as it helps the audience know who sings the song but he's not a key role in the narrative. I also like the idea of putting footage from later scenes nearer to the beginning, so the audience will be able to recognise it when the later scenes are shown, I may interpret that idea into my own production.
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'Starlight' by Kuwada is both narrative and performance. The two singers and guitarist are in throughout, preforming and acting. They also include a young woman as part of the narrative but she isn't part of the performance. The location is set in the desert, from daylight to night, where three friends are travelling together in their car when they notice a young woman's car has broken down, offering her a lift, which she then later on (in the morning) robs them off their car. Nate Brown is the singer to the far left, not only have they added elements to their music video that fit into the pop genre but they have also included another singer to grab fans of his to watch the video (it helps him promote his singing too).
At the beginning of the song, we are introduced to a young woman sitting in her car, once she lifts up the hood of her car where smoke appears, you can tell that her car has broken down. The camera then pans down towards the radio inside the car, where the song begins playing. I like this idea of playing the song as soon as the radio is shown, as if it's actually being played on there or because they both relate to music.
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There a few close ups within the music video, as they're one of the most popular camera angles to use in a pop music video. It shows the emotion of the characters which helps you understand the mood of the narrative, both screenshots I have taken are happy and show a lot of features of people's faces but there is a part when the girl travels up to the front seat of their car and Nate Brown's character obviously annoyed that he has to move to the back (1:20-1:23) and saying a short hi to the girl who you can't see but can imagine she's waiting to get into the car, I got this idea all from seeing a three second clip within the video, which means a close up works every well, as you can tell someones emotion not only by their actions but their expressions.
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When the sun begins to set, they use a fire and bright red lights to brighten the surrounding. It's a very effective way to do it, as the fire is part of the narrative (as they're out in a desert and will be sleeping the night) but the red lights also create the pop mood and is really eye-catching, making the scene look more interesting as they dance and play, as you could also only see their body outlines. I like this idea of using the red lights to brighten the scene because it creates a 'cool' setting.
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The artists of the song play key parts within the narrative, as three guys are out on a road trip, when they come across a girl who's car has broken down, the same girl that you see right at the beginning of the song. Theres an obvious romance between the main singer and the young women, as they become closer throughout the video. It's a simple yet effective idea, as the only location is in a desert and all they need is props (the cars, the costumes, the lighting and guitar). Because the song is a gives off a summery mood, having the video filmed in a hot desert just adds to the atmosphere and shows the heat they're in.
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The main singer does a little dance in front of the camera, at times he breaks away from the narrative and looks directly at the camera. They use his dancing as a transition from one scene to another, linking all the scenes together. I like this idea as it makes the different locations relate much more to each other but also adds the comedic and fun side as he's having a good time listening to the song they're singing.
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These shots are all wide/extreme long, it's a way of showing the whole scene but also making sure that there's a relative amount of focus on the car or characters. When having a wide shot it helps the audience know the setting, this could be the location or the time a day. The first image shows the car driving on a long road, there's sand around and the area looks quite dry so this indicates that's it's filmed in a desert.
While the second photo has the characters/artist placed on one side, to not only show them on/near the car but to also show the sun setting, it adds an artistic mood as the sky is beginning to turn a different colour, could also be classed as quite romantic adding to the narrative of summer and joy. The last photo is of the singer (Nate Brown) who is leaning on the car, with the mountains in the background and the sunsetting. This kind of shot is very pop and showing him singing along with the song, can create a joyful and calm atmosphere. I like wide shots as they're good to set the scene and help the audience know where the characters are and could also help them understand what they'll be doing. |
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There is a twist at the end of the narrative, as the song is meant to be positive and three helpful guys help a girl who's car breaks down (like the hero of the narrative) a comedic twist is added at the end when the guys wake up from their sleep to notice they've been tied together (by a piece of rope) and she's left with their car. This can grab the audience's attention by giving an ending that isn't typical, I like this idea of having a surprise twist as it not only makes it funny but changes your perspective of the situation.
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The artist play key roles in the narrative, there is only one other person who isn't an artist but to create the narrative they need her. At times the artists don't look at the camera, which helps the audience know when they're acting in the narrative and when they're performing breaking the wall between acting and performing. They also use a lot of lip syncing, which at times can be difficult to do but creates the element of them actually 'performing' the song in the location they're in (it includes singing and the guitar). I wouldn't be able to use the artist in my production but I do want add lip syncing, especially at the beginning so the characters can relate to the music.
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Contents
Young Love is a fun and exciting thing for teens, it's a new way of showing your feelings to someone you really want to be with. It is said that teens spend way too much time obsessing over young love, like they need to have a boyfriend/girlfriend so they can be just like everyone else or that a very close friend to them can develop into something else.
'Short Lived Phenomenon', a lot of the time young love doesn't always last, it's more of living in the moment than a long-term relationship as everything is new and neither have experienced a real relationship. It being short lived would mean that it's a relationship that won't last as the couple grows up, it's a way for both to learn, though sometimes people do tend to stay with their first love, it doesn't always happen.
First/Young love always hold a lot of memories, it's exciting but awkward, sweet yet annoying. Going on a first date isn't always fun and is extremely awkward but as a teenager you think you're old enough to be an adult but you still don't have enough responsibilities to be one, so having a boyfriend/girlfriend can be quite grown up. Being in a young relationship, it can be cheesy and you would need to be careful about being overly passionate (cuddly, clingy, overly worried) , as you don't know what you're doing as its all new but you also don't want to put too much pressure on your love.
Everything else seems less important when being in the 'Puppy love' stage, there's no worry of school, work, family life when the young love overtakes everything else and is the only focus. That also means young couples like to spend as much time together as possible.
Trying new things, this means by going out together a lot more and going on lots of dates to try things that grown up couples 'would do', this is why I want my music video to be based on young love and how awkward and sometimes uncomfortable it can be but also how exciting and joyful it is. I like the idea of getting my actors to go on multiple dates, to show they're trying new things but to also show how in love they're and how they want to do everything together.
Originally I just wanted my couple to go to the beach and spend the day together but when researching about young love, I realised that young couples try and do as much as possible, they go everywhere and anywhere to spend time together. So now I want to look at more locations to film in, not only to grab the audiences attention by making it look more interesting but to really interpret young love.
'Short Lived Phenomenon', a lot of the time young love doesn't always last, it's more of living in the moment than a long-term relationship as everything is new and neither have experienced a real relationship. It being short lived would mean that it's a relationship that won't last as the couple grows up, it's a way for both to learn, though sometimes people do tend to stay with their first love, it doesn't always happen.
First/Young love always hold a lot of memories, it's exciting but awkward, sweet yet annoying. Going on a first date isn't always fun and is extremely awkward but as a teenager you think you're old enough to be an adult but you still don't have enough responsibilities to be one, so having a boyfriend/girlfriend can be quite grown up. Being in a young relationship, it can be cheesy and you would need to be careful about being overly passionate (cuddly, clingy, overly worried) , as you don't know what you're doing as its all new but you also don't want to put too much pressure on your love.
Everything else seems less important when being in the 'Puppy love' stage, there's no worry of school, work, family life when the young love overtakes everything else and is the only focus. That also means young couples like to spend as much time together as possible.
Trying new things, this means by going out together a lot more and going on lots of dates to try things that grown up couples 'would do', this is why I want my music video to be based on young love and how awkward and sometimes uncomfortable it can be but also how exciting and joyful it is. I like the idea of getting my actors to go on multiple dates, to show they're trying new things but to also show how in love they're and how they want to do everything together.
Originally I just wanted my couple to go to the beach and spend the day together but when researching about young love, I realised that young couples try and do as much as possible, they go everywhere and anywhere to spend time together. So now I want to look at more locations to film in, not only to grab the audiences attention by making it look more interesting but to really interpret young love.
I want my actors to be cuddly, to hold hands and look as if they're in love. Both actors should be teenagers, so I can also get that natural awkwardness. I won't be adding any 'kissing' scenes as I don't find it professional enough for my music video and I think a young love involves holding hands and beginning awkward rather than acting a little too grown up.
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Practical Tasks
I decided to look at VHS camera look because I want to use that 'homemade' look in my music video, I think it makes it look aesthetically pleasing. It's a really simple and easy video to follow.
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I chose to look a this colour grading video because just in case if the weather or location is a bit dull, I am able to brighten everything to give off the real pop genre atmosphere and to have an overall happy mood. This video was also quite easy to follow, though there seems to be a lot more to remember then any other previous video I've watched but I found this video was the best at explaining.
I chose to look at the Super 8 editing technique because I still wanted that old fashioned/homemade look, the guide was easy to follow but I do have to download a background so I can place over another video.
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I had chosen three different editing techniques that I want to put into my final major production, I then decided to put all my techniques into one short edit, where I also used clips from the internet. The first technique (0:00-0:05) is the VHS camera look (video is above) I'm thinking about using this technique a lot in my production, I want to give it that 'homemade' look, I am debating on either using it throughout my production or only using it in parts of my narrative. The second technique (0:05-0:09) is the Super8, this style is to make the footage look like it's been filmed on an older camera and it also makes the scene look darker, which would be perfect for a sunset scene, I'm still not sure I want to use this technique as I really like the VHS camera look as it fits well in my 'summery' mood I am going for. And finally the last technique (0:09-0:14) this was colour grading, because I am filming in the UK, the weather might not always be the best, so by learning how to colour grade to make the scene brighter, it will make a dull coloured location fit more into 'summer'. I enjoyed editing these three techniques, and I am now stepping out a bit of my comfort zone and trying something new, personally I find them quite easy to do as the videos above were very easy to follow. I also added music to the background, so it can give people an understanding of how I imagine my music video to look like.
Artists
Susan Johnson is the director of the movie 'To all the boys I've loved before', the movie is about young love and the struggles of a teenage girl. I love this movie as it's very relatable as a young teenage girl perspective and I liked how she was able to capture it into a film. The movie is very aesthetically pleasing and involves lots of colours, which just makes it even more enjoyable to watch, as not only do I like the love story but also love watching, seeing the props and costumes. A few of her other films (for example Beneath the Blue) are about love, with unexpected twist. 'To all the boys I've loved before' has got that awkward but sweet young love, which is exactly what I want in my music video.
Susan Johnson studied at the University of Southern California, American Film Institute. She is the director and producer of 'To all the boys I've loved before' and is working on the second movie.
I chose Susan Johnson because
Susan Johnson studied at the University of Southern California, American Film Institute. She is the director and producer of 'To all the boys I've loved before' and is working on the second movie.
I chose Susan Johnson because
Her 2016 film, Carrie Pilby was a nominee for Best American Independent Feature Film (2017) and Panavision Spirit Award Independent Cinema (2017), though she did win an award for Carrie Pilby for Audience Award (2017) and also won Bronze Award (2001) fro Destiny Stalled andJohn Cassavates Award for Mean Creek of which she all produced.
I think 'To all the boys I've loved before' would have won really good awards if only it wasn't a Netflix original. |
Tony Ung is the director of the music video 'Alive' by the singer Yeek. He is an LA based filmmaker and created his own Vimeo page so he can publish his work, he's not a very big filmmaker but he is making his way. I came across his page from the music video 'Alive' by Yeek (as I am a fan of his songs). The 'Alive' music video is simple yet artistic, I like Tony's editing style and I think he captures and relates his videos very well. In the music video, Tony is extremely good with effects, like the beginning of the song when he creates a moving image or around the end when Yeek's heart is pulled out, making it look like a real heart with blood everywhere, creating the dull colours into something interesting with the simple story line, flashbacks and props. Overall Tony's creativity makes me want to add as much props as possible and to have a storyline that really grabs the viewers attention.
Unfortunately Tony doesn't have any social media sites (and if so they're private) and he only has his vimeo website (vimeo.com/tonyung) where even then he doesn't post as much, but I sill find his work inspiring and extremely eye catching.
Unfortunately Tony doesn't have any social media sites (and if so they're private) and he only has his vimeo website (vimeo.com/tonyung) where even then he doesn't post as much, but I sill find his work inspiring and extremely eye catching.
Target Audience
Spending habits of Young adults (16-25): Millennials spend lots of money on their social life (as this graph shows) if they want to go out for one day of the week then they'll be spending a huge amount. This graph is an estimation but could be potentially close to what the amount is spent on one night out which is £3,016. The second is takeaways, I've personally noticed an increase in food delivery companies (Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber eats) from the graph on average £1,320 is spent annually on takeaways, eating in is far popular for people of that age as if they have to go out then it's the effort to look good and always be 'picture perfect' as that is a huge worry for Millennials. I am a Millennial and I do spend a lot of money on takeaways, going out, grabbing a drink, going on a mini holiday and many more, I also personally spend lots of money on music, I always want the latest songs from my favourite artist and spend a lot of money monthly on new music.
Hobbies for Young adults: As a young adults there are a vary of things we could do when bored or to relax or even to be a little be creative. We are all about finding something new, music can be to help someone relax (especially in stressful times), it can create musical talent as people can express themselves by playing an instrument. Sports is another hobby that is quite popular with Young adults, going to the gym, doing yoga or dance. Skiing, sailing, skateboarding, football, cricket, hockey, running, going for walks, I personally like to go on walks and listen to music to help reduce stress and I think many young adults like to do the same. Arts is another (Creative art, drawing, painting, scrap-booking, cooking, baking) even reading, I do know that some Young adults enjoy doing those types of activities but I feel blogging, video gaming and using social media is far more popular than any other hobbies because people even have careers in blogging, video gaming and social media, and Young adults spend most of their time on their phone looking at social media.
Survey
I sent my small survey out, I chose a vary of ages to ask to fill it out. The first question I asked was everyone's age, from the responses everyone was around the age of 16-17 years old but I did have two 24-25 year old answer too. Originally my target audience was from the age of 16-20 but now I have input from a 24-25 year old, it may change to have an older target audience. But overall I will stick to the ages of 16-17 because the majority are of that age.
My second question was about genres, I wanted to see what people's favourite genre were, as I had already set on having a Pop music video, I was wondering if that was a popular vote too. I found out that 60% said Pop was their favourite genre but the same amount of people liked the Indie genre, even though both genres have a lot of differences I think that the Indie and Pop genre are quite similar personally, as they both can use the same codes and conventions, they can also have the same atmosphere in their music videos. I do think the song I have chosen is more Pop but also quite Indie as it's quite alternate.
My third question was about where people preferred to watch music videos, I knew Youtube would be popular because it's the most famous one out of the three and personally I prefer watching music videos on Youtube because of how easy it is to locate videos, it's also where most artist publish their music videos, so that's why I can understand why the majority voted for Youtube. Though I did add an option for people to add any other platform that I haven't mentioned, only one person chose 'Other' a said Spotify, which I don't personally have but you can listen to music/watch music video without paying, though ads do pop up after a certain amount of time, Spotify is popular, though Youtube is easier for me to upload my video, I have my own channel already and anyone can watch it.
My fourth question was about people's favourite social media platforms, within the survey I allowed people to choose multiple answers, though Instagram was a far winner, with Snapchat and Twitter following closely behind. I personally use Instagram more than any other social media platform, so when thinking about maybe promoting my music video, going on instagram may help me out more. I wanted to know people's favourite social medias because it gave me more of an understanding on what people tend to look at more and where they spend ore time watching videos.
For this question I wanted to know how much time people averagely spend on social media a day just to get an idea for how long people are willing to sit and watch a video, on average people spend 80 minutes per day on their social media platforms. Which lets me know that people could be doing various things on their accounts, which could include watching music videos. I also find that people who spend lots of time on their social media are more up to date won what is happening, meaning they will see things quicker and could also spread the word quite.
I thought I should ask this question again, as in a past survey I asked something similar to people's preferences on music videos. 'What do you like about music videos?' of course people what a music video that is engaging and interesting to watch, they want to be able to get into the narrative and have lots of colour (depending the genre), they want to be 'wowed' with bright colours, costumes, locations, etc. Someone did say 'uncommon design' this cold mean anything in my opinion but I also like to think they want to see something you don't usually see in a music video, I wonder if that's possible with the song I have chosen because of how relaxed it is but I will try to interpret that in a way that grabs my target audience's attention.
My last question was quite personal, I wanted to know what people did in their free time as they're my target audience and I wondered if I could add something they enjoyed into my music video. Three people mentioned listening to music, which made me happy as I want my target audience to be interested in music so they will love watching and listening to my music video. A few others mentioned going on walks or spending time with family and friends, I think spending time with either family and friends is important, I want to add this element of having fun with maybe friends in an outdoor location on a nice summers day to create happy scenes and to give something for my target audience to relate too. Others liked watching TV (includes Netflix) which brings me back to how long people spend on social media as they're always wanting something new and interesting to watch. Someone said 'I also like to take pictures and visiting cool places' I can add this element into my music video as people want to see visuals, they want to be excited by the various locations, somewhere that's very aesthetic.
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Platforms
Most used Social Media Platforms: Facebook is said to be the most used social media, with 2.23 billion active users, a lot of people use it as a way of contacting family members, talking to friends (old or new) and a lot of businesses use it as a way of promoting themselves. Youtube is second with 1.9 billion active users, it is also said that it's 'Known as the second largest search engine' which isn't surprising as I think Young adults spend a lot of time searching on Youtube as it's so easy to get a result, there is also a lot of content out there that interest people, it's also a good place for when artist want to upload their brand new music videos. WhatsApp has 1.5 billion active users and is 'used by people in over 180 countries' it's only a form of conversation and doesn't involve any posting and 'likes'. Messenger has 1.3 billion active users, which is understandable as it's linked by Facebook and is just another way of communicating to others.
I am surprised that Instagram only has 1 billion active users as I know a lot of people who have the app and my survey for target audience also suggest Instagram is quite popular to Young adults (16-25). Twitter also only has 325 million active users, as that is also another social media platform that I thought would be quite popular and lastly Snapchat with only 2.5 million once again I am surprised by the lack of people who have the app but overall Facebook still seems to be the most used social media platform.
I am surprised that Instagram only has 1 billion active users as I know a lot of people who have the app and my survey for target audience also suggest Instagram is quite popular to Young adults (16-25). Twitter also only has 325 million active users, as that is also another social media platform that I thought would be quite popular and lastly Snapchat with only 2.5 million once again I am surprised by the lack of people who have the app but overall Facebook still seems to be the most used social media platform.
I decided to many focus on Youtube as a platform that has many visitors daily and the evolution of the platform. Youtube everyday gets over 30 million visitors per day, I watch a Youtube video everyday either to watch a music video or a Youtuber. In my survey people also mentioned that Youtube was their favourite social media platform to use and view music videos.'6 out of 10 people prefer online video platforms to live TV' I have also noticed this too, on how much people now spend watching videos on platforms like Youtube instead of using their TVs, and it's so easy to view programs on a smartphone than finding the nearest TV. 'The very first Youtube was uploaded on the 23rd of April 2005' even though the app was launched on the 14th February 2005, it shows that not all platforms become big within a day and that it does take time for them to become popular.
Focus Group
I asked three questions for my focus group to get an understanding of how long people spend on their phones and what their favourite platforms are. The first question I asked was 'What social media platform is your favourite?' mostly everyone said Youtube as they can watch whatever they want and you get a vary of content, Instagram was also a high favourite as Lexi even mentioned that Instagram is like what Facebook used to be, as it 'used to popular' but obviously when looking at primary research I found out that Facebook is still one of the most popular media platforms and I'm glad that others were as clueless about it as I was and that I am still quite surprised by that. The next question I asked was 'Do you prefer a music video on TV or on the internet?' I thought that I should ask a question relating on what kind of content I am going to produce, overall everyone said the internet as you can watch and pause a video whenever you want and also come back whenever you want, whilst with TV you have to tune in at a certain time to watch the video. Though Sam and Jermaine (both on the right) mentioned that watching MTV was always exciting as a child, as you would get to watch loads of music videos though the problem would you have to watch for ages to find the one music video you actually liked. And the last question was 'On average how long do you spend on social media?' the answers varied when I asked this, it was 10 minutes, 4 hours and 2 hours, obviously some people like to spend hours on social media, meaning they get through a lot of content and see new things throughout the day.
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Actors
I created a group chat to confirm with everyone if they were able to be part of my music video, I have set a date and time, also choosing the place to meet. Because we all live so locally everyone had a clear understanding on where I want them to meet me. I just got everyone to say either yes or no, so I could sort out the roles and what everyone would be doing in my script.
Auditions
I didn't ask the whole group questions because there were so many of them and that they will only play very small roles within the music video. Instead I had decide to get everyone to state their name and the number of who they are so I knew how many actors I had for the friends role.
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Elizabeth Botting auditioned for the role of the girlfriend (the main character) I found Elizabeth very confident, she seemed to be a good candidate for the role and had a clear understanding of young love. Though because Elizabeth was confident, I didn't think she'd fit that role of an awkward young girl in love and that I decided that I would rather have her as the back-up main character but I still want her to be part of my music video because I think she was good in front of the camera.
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Tia Manka also auditioned for the Girlfriend role, Tia wasn't as confident and had this shyness about her, which I thought fitted the character very well. I want a girl who can be quite shy and awkward but also have that confident side to her.
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(Unfortunately due to technical difficulties I was unable to recover the beginning of Ben's audition) I thought Ben was quite relaxed, I did ask him questions on his opinion of young love, he was very straight to the point. He overall came across quite confident. I think he'd be perfect for the role of the boyfriend.
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I asked Tia and Ben to act out mini couple scenes, that I want to interpret into my production. When seeing them together, they seemed very much like a real couple and I was very happy of how natural they acted around each other. I have decided to choose Tia and Ben as my main characters, as I think they fit the roles of young couple in love, as it can be awkward but also incredibly sweet. Within the video I asked them to do usually couple things to show love, which involves holding hands, hugging each other and just to act very close, even though at the start it was quite awkward and uncomfortable for them, I could tell that they slowly grew into each other, making them the perfect couple to play in my music video.