After all the research I did, I finally made my mind up about what to produce. I have decided to make a music video following the breif:
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:
. A website homepage for the band;
. A cover for it's release as part of a digipack (CD/DVD package);
. A magazine advertisement for the digipack (CD/DVD package).
I will produce the music video for a song, and a cover for its release as part of a digipack, along with a website homepage for the artist.
I have decided to do this because I found I can play to my strengths more with this brief and also I think it would be more excited to make. Making a short film (my previous brief) meant that I couldn't play to my strengths as well and I figured that I should do this as much as possible so I can reach my true potential.
As my main task, I will create a music video for a song. Once this is produced, I will create two ancillary tasks.
I have applied 'LIIAR' to music videos in order to develop my ideas.
LIIAR
Language: The language of the moving image. The language takes into consideration everything about the music video, from the camera shots, to camera angles, mise-en-scene, costume, lighting, sound and editing. There are an enormous amount of shots that can be used, for example long shots, close ups, extreme close ups, medium close ups, mid shot, establishing shot, high angle shot, low angle shot, point of view shot, profile shot, two shot, frame with in a frame, over the shoulder shot, shot reverse shot. A music video uses a mixture of all these camera shots as part of cinematography.
The mise-en-scene within a music video is very important as it helps to establish the genre and mood of the video. The mise-en-scene includes costume, make-up, setting and lighting. For a music video, a convention of the mise-en-scene is use a plain background for example white, which puts the full focus of the audience on to the artist. The costume is very important as it creates an image for the music artist. Create the right one is the challenge. In my video I want to portray that the artist is both fun, yet serious about her music. I will do this by putting her in a fun outfit, using sequins and glitter, but using sophisticated colours like black and white. The lighting will highlight the artist, create the mood for the video and improve shot quality immensely.
Editing within a music video is again important. A convention for a music video is to cut in time with the music, to edit it at fast pace if the song is up tempo, and at a slow pace if the song is slow. Another editing feature is called double exposure. This is when one clip is super imposed on top of another to create the illusion of there been two of the same clip at the same time.
Music videos use a variety of editing techniques to create lots of interesting and different effects.
The sound used in a music video is the song, diegetically. The artist often mimes the song but it isn't essential that they do this. Also, non-diegetic sound can be used, if the video uses a narrative. The narrative can be broken so that there is a story in the beginning, middle and end, breaking the song up. This can use dialogue and sound effects to help to create the story.
Institution: In the real world, a music video would be produced by a big institution for example Syco Film. This would create a music video for an artist using an budget of around $10,000, compared to my budget of £0. This means I have to compete against an institution, as an indiviual video director, and create a music video with great limtations. Having thousands of pounds means these institutions can use big venues, and expensive equipment, where as I am limited to one camera, and local venues.
Also, a music video uses a big cast, including those who star in the video and those who are backstage, in charge of setting, lighting etc. All of this is my responsibility.
I have a cast of around 10 people, one camera, £o in budget, and limited time. Compared to how a big institution would produce a music video, my limitations mean that I cannot produce a video that can compare to one of those.
Ideology:The ideology behind a music video, is to help promote an artist or group of artists, it also helps to gain more fans and widen the audience. They do this by following the conventions, and usually target their chosen audience by exposing them to things they think they will fing appealing. Sometimes on a music video, they fragment it so that it has elements of film in it too. This also contributes to attracting the intended audience.
Audience: The audience most likely to enjoy my choice of music (pop music/RnB)and the artist I have chosen; Alesha Dixon, is an age range of 13 to 24, with a majority of females, a minority of males. Other music videos differ, and use various techniques to attract their audiences. Because of the age range I have chosen, most of them will still be in education, I should take this into account.
Representaion: The genre of my music video is pop music, and so it is important that I present my 'actress' as a pop singer in todays' charts. My 'actress' will be a young adult, female, so that she fits the part perfectly and can relate to the audience. She will be presented as popular, fashionable, likes to party. I will present her in this way using a variety of camera shots, for example using low angle shots would make the audience seem more powerful where as a high angle shot would make the audience feel uncomfortable and intimitaded. Using a mixture of these shots would be effective. I will make her seem like a 'party girl' by the way I tell her to dress; in sequins, glitter, heels, and bright colours.
CODES & CONVENTIONS OF A MUSIC VIDEO:
What are conventions? What we expect to see and happen
What are codes? A sign that creates meaning
What are they for? They allow the audience to be familiar with certain genres because the audience would be used to seeing different features of different genres. They also ensure that certain media texts work well with certain genres.
CONVENTIONS & GENRES:
There are different conventions for various styles of music videos, here are examples of some styles:
Performance (where the video features an artist or band playing/performing)
Narrative (where the video follows a story line)
Mixture (uses both performance and a little narrative)
Cameo (where the artist or band do not perform but feature in the narrative)
Camera shots: There is a variety of camera shots used in every music video, to help make it interesting. Long shots, close ups and extreme close ups are used more often. The reason for the close ups is to help promote the artist/s and to show them miming the song. Also a mixture of camera movements are used in order to give different impressions.
Camera movements: Pans, tracking and tilts. These are all used to follow the artist's movements.
Editing: The footage is usually edited so that it matches the music, or follows the beats within a song. Jump cut is the most commonly used form of editing. This is because the camera cuts from one location to another showing different scenes within the music video. Also, again very commonly used, the video is edited so that it cuts at certain points in the music, to create different effects. It cuts to the rhythm of the song.
Mise en scene: How the scene is set totally depends on the genre of the music video and what the song is about. It also depends what message is been put across and how the artist is been represented.
5 things that contribute towards the mise en scene are:
1. Lighting.. most music videos use artificial lighting, this also depends what message is been put across. For example if the intended representation is to be scary and threatening, then the lighting would be from behind the artist, leaving a bright outline around the artist and making them seem dark and shadowed to the audience.
2. Props.. props are essential in music videos. Again it depends what genre the music is, but they are used in every music video. Instruments is the most conventional. In slow songs for example, artist Delta Goodrem uses a piano in a lot of her videos. In a video featuring someone like Lady Gaga, the props used are different. A main prop, that is used in every Gaga video is a pair of sunglasses. This is an icon of the artist and makes her recognisable.
3. Costume.. music videos more commonly now use strange costumes/outfits that put them in the public eye. Again, using Lady Gaga for example, she as an artist is famously known for her choice of clothing in both music videos and famous events. For example, her most recent and talked about outfit is the one were she dressed herself in raw meat, wearing it all over her body aswell as in her hair. Although, costume does depend on the genre of the song (again) and so this effects what the artist would wear, making it relevant to the music.
4. Colour.. colours set the mood of the song, for example dull and dark colours usually connote a sad/slow/melancholy song. In the video "how to save a life" by The Fray dark, dull colours are used to present the mood of the song.
5. Sound.. the sound used in a music video is the non-diegetic music and vocals, often a broken narrative is used so that dialogue is involved, which is becoming more popular in todays' music industry.
EXAMPLES
Rock Music:
- dark deep colours
- performance
- not usually a narrative
- awquard camera movements
- handheld shots
Pop Music:
- colourful
- fun
- light hearted
- dance routines
- younger target audience
- has a narrative
This is what my video should feature ^^
Indie Music:
- black and white/colourful
- fun
- some effects
- can sometimes have a narrative
- calm setting
- performance
Dance Music:
- dance routine
- located at club or party
- bright colours
- half naked female dancers
- can have a narrative
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