My first edit

So when you watch the first edit of my music video, it's obvious I have not followed what I planned on my storyboard and screen script. This is because I believe certain things worked better than my original plan but also some bits I didn't get time to film which is why I am Happy that I have finished my first edit this early.

I still need to film certain shots for my music video but also whilst watching it you can tell that a few things need re-shooting because they are out of focus. I showed many people the first edit of my music video and they said it was a good video but not a great video. Getting my audience feedback informed me that I need something else added to make my video more interesting. So my plan is to film other parts I need, especially the bit with the projector, get differtent types of camera movement and look more into effects I can use. Apart from the little things I need to redo/add, I am very happy with how my music video is going.

First edit of my music video (Original and Effect)

I added some effects to my video. Those effects been certain clips speeded up, a 'ghosting' effect and I changed the contrast on my video to make it much darker than the original video as you can see in the videos above because the black curtains in the theatre where I filmed can no longer be seen.

Test Shots

Here is my first test shot where I practiced movement, walking around with the camera on my shoulder trying to keep it as still as possible. I also had to make sure the lighting was correct.

Here is my test shot on my guitarist Oli. I practiced more movement and started zooming in and out to make sure certain details where captured. I did some mid shots of the guitarist playing and also did a pan shot going up. I also had to make sure the lighting was correct.

Here is a test shot of my lead performer Tom. I practiced movement again and did more zooms to capture certain details and also got close ups of him playing the guitar. I also did a pan shot up. I also had to make sure the lighting was correct.

Here is a test shot of my drummer Daryl. Here I have practiced more movement and have also practiced doing some angle shots. I also had to make sure the lighting was correct.



Here is a test shot of the full band. I have done a wide shot and am looking at the positioning of where my band is placed to see if they should be moved slightly. I also had to make sure the lighting was correct.

Shooting Friday 18th

Everything for my shooting on Friday 18th in now sorted. I have booked the theatre, my camera and informed the music teacher Adam that I intend to use the drum kit. Finger crossed that all goes to plan.

Shooting

So I am planning to start filming my music video Friday 18th November. I have my cast sorted, what i'm doing and what i want the cast to wear. I am going to book the HD camera monday morning along with booking the theatre to use on Friday. I have messaged Andy Feetom asking if he will help out with showing how to set up the lights and the music system so I can play my track whilst recording so i can get all the timing correct. Also I have been to the music department to ask if i can borrow their drum kit, they have confimed this I just have to let them know when I plan to use it.

Health And Safety Considerations

Step 1 Look For The Hazards

Whilst filming my video I have to constantly look out for hazards in order to keep myself and safe. Each location I shoot in will have different hazards.

Theatre - The theatre has many hazards a main one been the lights and if ever they dropped. In the theatre I will also be using wires as a prop and these can easily cause people to trip and there is also the hazard of tripping and pulling the theatre curtains down.

My House - Tripping over objects on my floor in my room could be a hazard and also there could be a hazard of falling down the stairs and slipping on spilt water in the bathroom.

Track in Withernsea - I will have to be aware of farm vehicles as it is surrounded by fields and my performer needs to be careful about falling in ditches. 

Step 2  Who May Be Harmed?

Theatre - Myself, Tom, Oliver and Daryl.

My House - Me and Tom.

Track in Withernsea - Me and Tom.

Step 3 Evaluate The Risk

For each risk I need to look and consider the severity of harm it could cause. I have to try and avoid any risks as much as possible and if the risk cannot be avoided I need to attempt to reduce it.

Step 4 Record The Significant Findings

I need to keep record of the following hazards and make sure whoever is involved in making my video is informed of all these possible risks. It is a legal requirement to clarify these risks if 5 or more people are involved in this production.

Step 5 Review And Revise The Risk Assessment

I need to constantly check the risks I have already identified and I need to keep my eyes open to new risks that could be created if anything is changed suddenly.

Check List

Cast

Tom Baines - Front man

Oliver Smithson - Guitar

Daryl Collinson - Drums

It took me a while to get my cast sorted because everybody had plans on different days but everything is sorted now and there is set days for shooting. I chose these people because they are all reliable people for turning up for filming and they all play their set instruments already and mainly they all fit into my chosen genre and have the right image.

Props

Two guitars

Drum kit

Mic

Mic stand

Amps

Red tape

Fake drugs

I have to make sure I inform the music department when I'm using their drum kit to allow me to get a key to get it out the music room.

Costume

Smart casual

Smart t-shirts

Checked shirt

Smart jeans

I need to make sure that when I film on different days, my cast wear the same clothing so that the continuity is kept through out my video. I have chosen this type of costume because I have researched alternative rock bands and these are the types of clothing what regually appeared.

For Narrative Shots - Hoodie, Jeans, Rigger Boots, Boxer Shorts, T-Shirt.

 

Locations
College theatre
Withernsea
My house
When wanting to use the theatre I have to remember to book the space. I have chosen these locations because they are easy to access on a regular basis which is what i will need for if i'm wanting to re shoot. The places also suit for what I want, a performance video with slight narrative.

Animatic

Screenplay/Script

Storyboard

Analysis Of Music Video Lyrics

My Idea

So for my music video I am using the song 'Uprising' by the alternative rock band Muse. I plan for my video to be a performance video with a band performing with a slight narrative of people standing up for themselves and being rebelious. I plan for my music video to be filmed in the college theatre as it is a very spacious room for my video to be filmed in and big enough for all the wide shots I will be wanting to use. I have analysed three music videos, all of them been different genres but all have something what I want to be in my video, that been attiutude. The band Paramore is the same genre as Muse so I aim for my video to be quite dark and the cast to be strong performers. Jessie J's video do it like a dude also contains the dark element I want to include in my music video even though it is an r&b song. These videos have some of the conventions I want to follow from the alternative rock genre. I enjoyed the Rihanna video and analysed that because certain parts of the video I want to include in my own even if the genres are different. In her video we see her stood in a room with footage been projected in her, I want to use this in my song in the chorus and want to project certain newspaper images onto my band. My music video is going to be and instrumental performance video so the conventions I will follow is to have a band and instruments. Most of the shots in the video are going to be of the band performing however there will be the occasional shot that has a narrative to it of people stamding up for themselves and being rebelious. I aim my video to attract an audience of people aged 16 +, so i will make sure the cast I use is within that age group. My band will follow the same style as Muse, so that will be smart casual they will probably be wearing smart jeans and a nice shirt/t-shirt. Muse are also energetic performers so I need my models to be too. My video will help promote Muse so i have to make sure the models represent the band well. The genre of my video is alternative rock so i will need to follow the conventions in my genre conventions post.

Audience Research

For my audience research I have created polls on my blogger. I posted my blogger onto my facebook and asked people to vote on my polls. I needed to find out if people liked the song I have chosen, what gender my song is likely to attract, the age of the people answering my polls and what type of music video they would prefer to see.

Do you like the song Uprising by Muse?

-Yes

-No

What type of music video do you prefer?

-Performance

-Narrative

-Abstract

-Animated

What gender do you think would prefer this song?

-Male

-Female

-Both

How old are you?

-Under 16

-16 to 25

-25+

Doing my polls I have found out that most people like my chosen song, people think that I should make a performance video, my song appeals to both genders and the audience that answered my poll is people ages 16 to 25. The people who have voted on my poll will be fans of the Alternative rock genre.

Genre Conventions

The song I am making a music video for is ‘Uprising’ by the band Muse. This song is a part of the Alternative Rock genre but can also be classed as Indie rock because these genres are quite similar as they are both sub genres of a wider rock genre.

As my chosen song falls into the Alternative Rock genre one of the main conventions of this would be that my music has to have a mix of narrative and many performance shots of the band with their instruments but mainly focusing on the performance of the music video as seen in ‘Lover Boy’ by You Me At Six, a popular Alternative Rock band. We then have the music video ‘Misery Business’ by another popular Alternative Rock band called Paramore which has slight narrative and is a performance video. In the performance clips we see in most Alternative Rock videos we see performance clips of the whole band which is shown in a wide shot but the lead singer is always the centre of the focus and always on the screen this would usually be a close up. A shot what seems to be used a lot at the moment within the genre is a shot of the lead singer but been able to see the other members in the background performing as seen in ‘Weightless’ by the band All Time Low and many other modern music videos, it is used as an attempt to stop everything been just about the lead singer.

Conventional colours and lighting used in videos depend on how upbeat the song it. A song which is more upbeat tends to have a brighter colour scheme for example the music video for the song ‘Brianstorm’ by the Arctic Monkeys a well-known Indie rock band, the song is very upbeat and we see shots of dancers with bright coloured flashing lights. When a song isn’t very upbeat and is quite slow it tends to used dark colours, they are usually very dull and sometimes are even shot in black and white for example ‘A-team’ by new comer ED Sheeran. Also the amount of cuts used in the music video will depend on how upbeat the song is used for the music video. If the song is slow there will be less cuts as the shots will be slow/gentle and will join together nicely whereas is the song for the music video is upbeat the shots will be a lot quicker and sharper. The setting within the Alternative Rock genre is conventionally dark; most settings used in music videos of this genre reflect the lead singer’s background, it also creates a certain type of mystery to the music video which is a convention of Rock & Roll. The genre rock is stereotypically known to have middle/lower class audience and this can sometimes be represented in the music videos produced for example ‘Sun Goes Down’ by the Arctic Monkeys. The band in the video also has to represent their audience by what they wear. So the band would usually wear something that goes with the mood of the song which goes back to talking about the speed. The speed of the song gives an understanding on the mood the song is, so most things have to be based on the mood.

The look given to the band is highly important. However the main focus is on the image the lead singer sets as the audience will decide if they like them depending on how they present themselves it is sometimes said to be more important than the song. If the audience like the music and the look the singer represents the audience will project themselves onto them and will imagine being in their shoes and the life style they have. This is why it is important for the lead singer to establish themselves in their music videos and this is much easier done in a narrative or performance video rather than a conceptual one, however some bands do go out of their way to not stick to the typical conventions for example ‘All the small things’ by the band Blink 182 where they present themselves as a boy band. They fit into the pop punk genre which is nothing like the Alternative/Indie Rock genre so we would never see an Alternative Rock band doing anything like that.

These conventions are used in Alternative/Indie Rock videos as opposed to an R&B video which would involve lots of bling and half naked girls dancing around and artist which is performing and usually involves having lots of money and not having a care. The difference between the conventions with these genres is the setting. A hip hop video would usually be set in a big bright mansion, showing off lots of luxuries whereas an Alternative/Indie rock video would be set somewhere dark and somewhere quite plain.

Muse

Muse on Prezi

The actual music video for my chosen song

Here is the actual music video to my chosen song 'Uprising' by the three piece band Muse. The fact that Muse already have a music video to this song is going to make my job extreamely hard, as I have to make my music video completely different. I researched what this song was about and it happens to be about polotics, but you would not be able to tell this from the music video as it is pretty abstract, it is also a performance video. When I listen to this song i think about people being rebelious and breaking free and standing up for them selves so an idea I have is to base my music video on that but another idea is that I will also include shots of things that are mentioned in the lyrics, another idea is including shots of a band so this would be performance. Although the original video also contains shots of the band I will make my video nothing like this one, I do not intend to use the animation/effects what has being used in this video.

Music Video Codes & Conventions

Codes and Conventions are a firm set of rules that help us determine what genre certain texts fit in to and they also help the audience become familiar with a certain genre. Music videos need to be filled with a variety of shots and this all depends on the style of the music video. If the music in the video is slow it would be expected to have calm long shots, whereas if the video has quite a beat to it you would expect more shots and jump cuts that go in time with the music. Typical shots you would see in a music video would be crane shots with the camera hovering above the artist, low angle shots of the artists to indicate power, tracking shots and pans and tilts to move from performer to another. Mis en scene for a music video all depends on the genre, for example you would not see a performance video for a heavy metal band filmed in a bright coloured place filled with flowers, it would be a dark gloomy place. Props are essential for example you would not be able to do a band performance video without instruments and the facial expressions are a good way to set the genre straight for example heavy metal is quite anger filled so you would expect a lot of anger in facial expressions and people being aggressive.

Music Video Analysis of Rihanna - We Found Love

Here is Rihanna and her song with Calvin Harris. This is her video 'We Found Love' and it has just recently been released. She is a Barbadian R&B recording artist and is currently signed with Def Jam Recordings. I have chosen  to look at this music video because there are some shots which use a technique I would not mind using in my music video. I also like this song a lot so wanted to look into it in more detail.

The first shot we see is an establishing shot of some flats, which then changes to a shot of Rihanna being stood on the balcony of her flat. We then see a shot reverse shot of her and her partner fully clothed sat in a bath, Rihanna looks to be in a bit of a state here. We then see the couple sat smoking and at a guess they're probably smoking weed from what we see later on in the video. Along with many shots at the beginning there is non diagetic sound which is a voice over. We here a woman talking about love and what it feels like. When the music starts we see the couple and they look really happy and having a laugh like a usual couple should. The lyrics currently with these shots are Rihanna singing about how she feels. We then begin to hear the main lyrics what are throughout the song 'We found love in a hopeless place' and the song starts to get more up beat and we begin to see shots of drugs and the sexual nature and we begin to see what the video is about. Two people found love in a 'hopeless' place, basically wasting life, messing around, partying and doing drugs. We then see things start to change and Rihanna no longer looks happy, we see the couple arguing and we see a shot of Rihanna where she looks as if she has over done the usage of Alcohol and Drugs and is looking as if she has no control over her actions. We also see a close up shot of a police siren flashing looking as if they are going to get the couple and showing that they're not safe any more. The music then begins to start getting more upbeat again and we see a close-up of a cigarette and it is multi coloured which goes with the whole drug theme and hallucination which could go with the fact Rihanna has being imagining a perfect relationship. At the end of the video we see Rihanna storm into what seems to be the couples flat and she begins to throw her clothes from her draws into a bag so she's packing and leaving, meanwhile we see Rihanna's partner passed out on the floor making what is an effortless attempt at stopping her from leaving and she hits him with her bag and leaves slamming the door. So Rihanna must have realised how she was wasting her life. However the last shot we see is her looking upset sat in a corner which goes with the voice over at the beginning saying how when it's over you wish you could have all the bad stuff back, so you can have the good.

The most dominant camera angle in this music video is a wide shot. Wide shots are used so the audience can observe the most action in the shot, for example at the beginning when we see the couple sat in the bath together, a wide shot will have been needed to show them both. Along with the wide shot we see many close-ups which are used to show expression, which in this video we see expression of love and anger.

The prime colour in this music video is the colour Red. It isn't the first colour we see in the video but it is used alot as lighting, clothing and used for some of the drug colouring. The first time we see the colour red is on the lights in the couples bedroom and on the flag in their room also. We then see a shot with lots of smoke and that happens to be lit with red lights. We also see Rihanna stood on the back of a bicycle with what looks to be some sort of smoke grenade and the smoke been released from this is red. We then see the colour red in clothing Rihanna and others are wearing when they are all dancing around in the muddy area. The colour red is known as a sign of danger which goes with the usage of drugs and drinking in the video.

There is a narrative in this video, it's about a relationship. There is alot of meaning to the storyline of the relationship, it's basically saying how her and her partner found love in the wrong place, and it would be expected for it to end badly. But it could also be classed as a performance video because we do see Rihanna mimeing to her song when she is stood in the corner of a room with projections of images/clips been put on her.

The genre of this music video is R&B/Dance. Because of the artist Rihanna we already know it will be R&B aswell as knowing it is also dance because of Calvin Harris. The costume in this video also gives away the genre. Rihanna is dressed in away that makes her look like she is making a statement which is classed as having attitude, which is apart of the R&B genre.

The target audience for this music video would probably be anybody aged 16 and above because of the content of drugs and the sexual nature, it isn't suitable for prime t.v at all however it has been edited so it is aproved for been shown on T.V for everybody to see.

Music Video Analysis of Jessie J - Do it like a dude

Here is Jessica Ellen Cornish, known as Jessie J. This is her music video 'Do It Like A Dude' which was released in November 2010. She is now an English recording artist signed with Island Records, she used to do song writing for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. I chose to look at this video because I like the lighting in this video and I wouldn't mind a dark lighting like this in my own video. Even though it is a completely different genre to the song I intend to do I really like the energy in the performance of this video.

In the first few shots we see women doing actions that are very manly, playing card games, smoking and getting a tattoo which are all stereo typical of a bad man. We see Jessie J with black diamonds stuck to her lips which makes her look tough like a man cause usually womans lips look quite soft and gentle. Throughout the video we see Jessie J and other women doing very manly gestures/dances which goes with the lyrics to the song 'I can do it like a brother, do it like a dude, grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you' which is Jessie J standing up for women saying that they're just as good and can do what they do too. There is also violence shown in the video when two of the women begin to start standing up to each other about to fight. They are dressed quite manly because they are impersonating men and their actions. We see the women wearing gangster caps, and gold chains around their necks, hooded jackets and baggy trousers which are all stereotypical gangster men's clothing but we see Jessie J wearing heels which goes with the lyrics 'I can do it like a brother, do it like a dude' because she isnt a dude she's saying she can act like one. Through out the video we see Jessie J pulling faces that make her look tough and asif she has an attitude which is what are stereotyped to be like. The video seems to be filmed in what seems to be an old abandoned church from the stain glass window you can see when she is dancing. There isn't much light in the vidieo at all, the lighting has been done so that it is quite dark which could be made like that to go with the attitude of men. The video has some weird, disturbing shots which could be to say mens actions can be weird and disturbing which links back to violence, along with the manly looking female. The costume in the video is also very manly and not really feminine at all. We see women wearing gangster caps, and gold chains around theor necks, hooded jackets and baggy trousers which are all stereotypical gangster men's clothing but we see Jessie J wearing heels which goes with the lyric 'I can do it like a brother, do it like a dude' because she isnt a dude she's saying she can act like one.

The most dominant camera angle in this music video is a close up. A close up is used so the audience see something what is important, for example when we se the manly shots of women at the beginning they are needed to go with the music videos song, and without a close up they would not be easily noticed. The close up shot is also used as a shot to show emotion on the face for example in this music video we see many close ups of Jessie J's face pulling faces that have alot of attitude and anger. There is lots of camera movement in this video including pans and zooms.

The prime colour in this music video is black. It is the first colour which we notice most in the first few shots and we constanly see it throughout the video. The first time we see Jessie J she has really thick black make up around her eyes and has black diamonds on her lips she also has black hair. We see it in many of the dancers clothing too. The colour black will be worn because it is dark, but we also see the colour blue alot in the denim clothing, the hats and we also see whit vests which when men wear them are classed as 'woman beater vests' another stereotype.

There is no exact narrative to this music video. It is a performance video, I know this because of the way Jessie J is performing to the camera and there is also dancing involved in the video. However there is alot of meaning to the video and that obviously been about men and there ways and thinking they're the best.

The genre of this music video is R'n'B. I can tell this because of the stereotypical conventions used such as the style of dancing and the costume chosen. The attitude in the video goes with the specific genre. The dark colours in the video also go with the genre because darkness links with attitude.

The typical audience for this music would be fans of Jessie J and fans of the R'n'B genre. It would possibly be mainly girls for this music video too because the song is about men. Many women would aspire to be like Jessie J. I would say the age for the audience of this music video would be girls 16 and above because the song includes taboo language but it has been edited to suit prime time TV.

Music Video Analysis of Paramore - Monster

For part of my A2 media I have decided to create a music video. To do this I need to research existing music videos and find out the codes and conventions to create a successful music video. To start of I am Analysing Paramore's video for their song Monster.

Here is the band Paramore with lead singer Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and bass player Jeremy. They formed in 2004 and are signed with independent record label Fueled By Ramen. I chose to look at this video because it is the same genre as the song I intend to make a video for, so many of the conventions will be the same.

 In the first few shots we see the band laid floating in water, which later goes with lyrics in the first verse which are 'You where my consciecnce so solid now you're like water' which could be lead singer Hayley Williams referring to her past relationship with Josh Farro who used to be the lead guitarist for paramore but in december of 2011 him and his brother Zac Farro (drummer) decided to leave the band because they believed the band was all about Williams and none of the others where important to the fans or record labels. Also the lyric 'We started drowning, not like we'd sink any further' which again relates to the relationship or Williams and Josh Farro saying that there relationship was going down hill and it couldn't really get any worse. However even though the lyrics talk about sinking, they're not sinking, they're floating, so you could say that them floating is showing strength. The shots in which the band are in the water you see they are all wearing the same colour which is black. Also the water they are laying in happens to be really dark too. The dark colours in these shots could be to do with the unpleasant experiences the band has gone through with the loss of two of their members and the rumours. In some of the other shots we see the band members once again all wearing the the same colour but this time the colour is 'nude' which gives off the impession of being naked. During these scenes it's quite angry and we see the band hitting and kicking walls bearing in mind the 'nude' colour, this could be a sign of the band breaking out and just being them selves and not giving a care about what's thrown at them but also with the lyrics 'i'll stop the whole world, from turning into a monster, eating us alive' they have to look strong and fierce like they're not scared. The video is filmed in an old vintage hospital, usually a hospital is a place of safety but in the video there is explosions and shaking which the band is running away from, this could be the band running away from the past with the Farro brothers and all the rumours made. We also see Williams sat on a hospital bed in which it is surrounded by dead flowers with a note saying 'This is not the end' so with the flowers being dead it's like saying the old band is dead and they're getting a new start with the three of them. At the end of the video we see all three band members come together in a room in which their instruments are located so they have being brought together to continue and be successful and forget about the past. The last shot in the video is of the water without the band in it, this could mean that the band is no longer 'drowning' from the loss.

The most dominant camera shot throughout the music video is a close up. Throughout the video we see each of the band members with a close up of their faces, this type of shot is usually used to show expression, which in this video the band will show upset and anger. Many other shots used throughout the video is long shots and wide shots. There is lots of camera movement throughout the video such as tracking shot and pan shots. There is also lots of jump cuts in the video which are done to go in time with the music, it also goes with the anger and is used to prevent the music video from been peaceful.

There is two prime colours in this video, Black and Nude. It's mainly the clothing, but also the colours of the walls in the hospital are a nude colour. There is also bits of blue on the walls which goes with the odd pieces of clothing which are blue/denim. All in all the whole surroundings are quite dull and dark when it comes to the water scenes in which black is the prime colour. Orange is also a colour which is included quite alot, William's hair is orange and then in the hospital room when we see her sat on the bed, we see an orange T.V and orange flowers. The video is quite dull because it will reflect on what has happened in the past. It has an element of verisimilartude because the location in the video doesnt change much and isn't too much for the audience to take in.

The narrative of this music video is pretty abstract. If you didn't research the band and their past you probably wouldn't have a clue. But basically it's about putting up a fight and not losing and being in control and not letting anyone stop you. Through the video we just see the band in an old vintage hospital which looks asif it is being attacked and then we just see them in the water which is what's holding them back so much (aimed at Josh Farro 'so solid now you're like water'). The narrative of the video is performance because we see the band performing without having to go see them but it is also slightly abstract when we see the band in the water.

The genre of this music video is Alternative Rock. I can see this from the conventions used; there is the stereotypical instruments that you would see in a music video and the video is very angry and outgoing like the Rock genre. The dark colours used also gives away the genre. The narrative of the video is performance because we see the band performing without having to go see them but it is also slightly abstract when we see the band in the water.

This music video is aimed at Paramore fans and fans of the Alternative Rock genre which are stereotypically know as people who wear skinny jeans and dark colours and also known to have bright colours in there hair like lead singer Hayley Williams, she inspires many of her fans. The band members represent their fans and many of their fans will go for the same sort of look and copy their style. I would say the age for this video is 12 and above. People don't usually tend to listen to this sort of music until that age. The video is suitable for prime-time screening because it contains nothing inappropriate.

My Chosen Song

So I have chosen to create a video for the song Uprising by the band Muse. I have been planning what I have been wanting to do threw the summer and I really like this song , it makes me think of people being rebellious and taking control, breaking free and standing up for yourself. I Would appreciate it if you could answer my Polls about this song and polls on how you would like my Music Video to look.

History Of My Chosen Medium

Music Videos are produced as a way to promote an artist and their music what they release into the charts. Music videos started off as promotional films which you would buy or where shown in the cinema. The films showed the artists acting and also performing many of their songs, artist’s songs were also played in cartoons in the 1930’s.

Animation was a start and many cartoons in the early 1930’s featured popular musicians performing their songs. Early animated films by Walt Disney contained famous classical pieces for example ‘Fantasia’ and ‘Silly Symphonies’. Warner Brothers still to this day use artist’s songs in ‘Looney Tunes’ and ‘Merrie Melodies’. The WB cartoons where usually based on songs from upcoming WB films.

In 1965 Bob Dylan released his promotional film ‘Don’t Look Back’ directed by D.A. Pennebaker and was filmed in black and white and includes a clip which was all done in one shot using cards with the main words of the song which is been played. This was one of the first promotional films produced and was a great success. From here more music promos were made.

The Beatles also released their first promotional film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ in 1965 which was directed by Richard Lester. This film was also a great success and is also shot in black and white and contains dialogue and musical sequences. Also in 1965 The Beatles released their second film ‘Help!’ which was a big improvement from the first film as this was shot in colour. The Beatles began to make promotional clips in which they would be distributed and broadcast in other countries so they could promote themselves and their music without showing their faces. In November 1965 The Beatles videotaped 10 black and white promo films which were filmed by the British production company Intertel.

Michael Jackson’s ‘THRILLER’ took music videos to a whole new level, lasting fourteen minutes and costing $500,000, been quoted as the most influential music video of all time. Jackson’s promotional film helped more black American artists gain more airtime on MTV. It was influenced by dance sequences from Hollywood musicals. Madonna’s video ‘Material Girl’ from 1985 is one of the best know videos to be based on a Hollywood musical which is said to be based on Jack Coles ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ from the film ‘Gentlemen prefer blondes’ from 1953 starring Marilyn Monroe.

Promotional films were also filmed at gigs. Top of the pops was a UK show that started showing music videos in the late 1970’s but where restricted on their use of music videos but in ways this was good because good videos increased sales because people could not wait to see them again, for example David Bowie who got his first UK number one in 1980 for the very popular ‘Ashes to Ashes’ which was a great promo produced by David Mallet. Also in the 1980s it was MTV that showed how important music videos where. Buggles ‘Video killed the radio star’ was filmed in 1981. It was the first music video to be played on MTV. In 1985 MTV created VH1 which featured much calmer music, then in 1986 Channel 4 started broadcasting ‘The Chart Show’ which showed none stop music videos. In 1992 MTV started naming the directors of music videos to get them more recognised. Many directors had an individual, recognisable style and worked in high production values these where usually called Auteurs. An example of this is Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’ which was directed by Jonathon Glazer in 1996 and shot in Black and White. Most Auteurs usually ended up working in film or advertising.

In the mid-2000s MTV had many sister channels that showed reality TV shows and began to focused more on genre of chart/pop music. Convergence became very important. In 2005 the internet became video friendly and the famous website ‘YouTube’ was created. YouTube was so successful that it began to affect production values of music videos and the ways that they were marketed. In 2009 30 seconds to mars’s video ‘Kings and Queens’ was released and uploaded on YouTube and all in the same day gained over one hundred million views, forty million on MySpace and was featured video of the week on I-Tunes and was one of the most downloaded videos to be shown earning it to have four nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. This made them the most nominated rock artist in VMA history in one year.  Lady Gaga’s music video was the most viewed on YouTube in 2010 gaining over 350 million votes by 2011 But  it was then later beaten in early 2011 by Justin Bieber’s video ‘Baby’ which gained 500 million views. The internet is the main income growth for record company produced music to this present time.

Brief

My task is to produce a music video and also choose to create two of the following.
- A website homepage for a band
- A cover release as part of a Digipak (CD/DVD package)
- A magazine advertisement for the Digipak (CD/DVD package)

I have chosen to do the magazine advertisement and the cover release as part of a Digipak. Also in the task we are required to give our performer/artist their own identity. For example if I chose to use a Paramore song, I would be able to use the song but would have to come up with a different band name.