Potential Ideas

My initial idea was to do a music video featured on the streets, using a variety of locations.This idea was influenced by an existing viedo by The Saturdays, called 'higher', which is based on the streets on New York. I then came up with the idea of filming my video on an old looking street, like a Victorian street. Then I thought of the Streetlife Museum in Hull, that consists of old vehicles, and set up streets with shops and houses. I found a song by The Saturdays that hadnt already had a video produced (and so my video could not be compared) and called "Flasback". This makes it relevant to the street scene.
I emailed the Streetlife museum asking for permission and to see whether it would be possible to shoot my video in there. Here is the email I sent:

Hi, my name is Sarah McKinley and I am an A Level student at Wyke Sixth Form College in Hull. As part as my A2 Media Studies coursework I am shooting a music video as Media is something I would like to do in the future. My plan is to film it on a street scene, that connotes the Victorian era. I wondered whether it would be possible, to use the Streetlife museum to shoot my video, perhaps at a time when it's not so busy so that visitors are not distracted, or perhaps when it is closed, such as a Sunday morning before opening times. It would be an enormous help if this was to be possible and would be massively appreciated! Thankyou for any help you can possibly give me!
Please reply,
Sarah McKinley.

In case this idea is unsuccessful, I brainstormed some ideas to show what intentions I have by using this song.

Scan Brainstorm

Idea 2
Just incase my plan to shoot my video in the Streetlife museum in Hull doesn't pan out, I need a second idea as back up.
I figured that I would use a different song as my second idea. This is because my plan to use the song 'Flashback' was only relevant to my idea of shooting my video in the Streetlife museum.
I have analysed a Kesha video as part of my textual analysis, and have realised that the video is fun, and bubbly. I figured doing a video like this would make mine unique too as not many videos are like that, and so I thought my best bet would be to use another Kesha song, that doesn't yet have a video. I will produce the video for it.
Here is a brainstorm I produced to show my ideas for this video.

The Saturdays/ Ke$ha

REPRESENTATION OF ALBUM COVERS
The way that The Saturdays are presented in their albums are to be quite fun, this is because of the pop music conventions. This is acheaived by the use of the bright colours within the album cover. It is a common feature of this band for each member to be wearing a different colour, making it more colourful, and looking quite like a cartoon. The album 'Wordshaker' and their newest one 'Headlines', uses effects on their covers to make them seem even brighter and the different colours of the chairs on this cover contribute to making it even more colourful. The colours used are the same on each cover; green, pink, purple, yellow and blue. Each of these colours each have their own connotations for example green connotes the world, peace and nature. Pink connotes love, girls, soft and romance. Purple connotes royalty, and calm. Yellow connotes summer, fun, happy and cheerful. Blue connotes been calm, water and freedom. All of these connotations are positive, and so they make the band seem happy, which would help to appeal to an audience.

I am planning to do a song by the girl group The Saturdays. They already have a collection of music videos, but a wider variety of songs. Here is a list of songs from various albums:

Album: Chasing Lights
Track 01. If this is love - video exists
Track 02. Up - video exists
Track 03. Keep Her
Track 04. Issues - video exists
Track 05. Lies
Track 06. Work - video exists
Track 07. Chasing Lights
Track 08. Set Me Off
Track 09. Fall
Track 10. Vulnerable
Track 11. Why Me Why Now
Track 12. Just can't get enough (Radio Mix) - video exists
Track 13. Up (Wideboys remix edit)



Album: Wordshaker
Track 01. Forever Is Over - video exists
Track 02. Here Standing
Track 03. Ego - video exists
Track 04. No One
Track 05. One Shot
Track 06. Wordshaker
Track 07. Denial
Track 08. Open Up
Track 09. Lose Control
Track 10. Not Good Enough
Track 11. Deeper
Track 12. 2 am



Album: Headlines
Track 01. Missing You - video exists
Track 02. Ego - video exists
Track 03. Higher - video exists
Track 04. Forever Is Over (Radio edit)
Track 05. Died In Your Eyes
Track 06. Karma
Track 07. Puppet
Track 08. One Shot (Starsmith mix)
Track 09. Headlines PUSH Content (Weblink)



I was advised to use a song that has not had a video produced yet, to resist comparison.
I have marked the songs that already have a video.

Songs that have not yet been released:
1. Flashback <-- I WILL USE THIS SONG AS IT IS RELEVANT TO THE STREETLIFE MUSEUM. 2. I Can't Wait 3. Unofficial 4. Golden Rules 5. Beggin' 6. Crashing down 7. What Am I Gonna Do? I could use any of the above songs too as none of them have had a video made. Just in case I do not get permission from the Streetlife museum to shoot my video in there, I have produced a back up plan. If I can't use the museum I am going use a song by Kesha, as I have analysed a video by her already and I feel I can pick out some key elements from all her videos that make them recognisable.



Animal:
track 01. Your Love Is My Drug -has a video
track 02. Tik Tok -has a video (I have analysed)
track 03. Take It Off -has a video
track 04. Kiss N Tell
track 05. Stephen
track 06. Blah Blah Blah -has a video
track 07. Hungover
track 08. Party At A Rich Dude's House
track 09. Backstabber
track 10. Blind
track 11. Dinosaur
track 12. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
track 13. Boots & Boys -has a video
track 14. Animal

This leaves me with quite a variety of songs from Ke$ha's new album that I could use.

Again, I need to use a song that doesn't have a video to it, so that my work cannot be compared to any other. My work will be original. I have marked what song has a video which leaves me with the list of what is available to use.

SPIDER DIAGRAMS

Audience Research

The audience of a music video depends totally on the artist/group, song, and the genre.

If the music video was for a rock song, the audience would have to enjoy rock music firstly, and enjoy the artist. If the artist was a band, such as Kings of Leon, the majority of the audience would be male. This is because all band members are male, and a lot of the songs are from a male's point of view. Because of this a male audience can connect to the band easier, and are more likely to listen to their music. The age group would range from young teenagers, aged 14, to young adults, around aged 24. This is because of the content of the songs and what the band are about. The song "sex is on fire", is a prime example of why they may not appeal to an older generation. An older age group may not find it appealing and I don't think they would find it too appropriate. Therefore a music video of the rock genre would more than likely be targeting a male audience, aged 14 to 24.

If the music video was for a pop song, the audience would be totally different. Because of the conventions, such as being colourful, fun, uses a narrative, includes a dance routine, the audience are more likely to be females as this is what females stereotypically enjoy. If the music video was for Lady Gaga for example, this would attract a female audience. The reason for this is that she is female. A male audience would'nt be able to connect with her as much, and also because her songs are more upbeat, females would have fun singing along to it. Also, the audience would range from around 12 to 24. Again this is because the artist is young herself. Because the artist is Lady Gaga, I don't think an older generation would appreciate her music and videos. She wears extreme outfits that perhaps would put an older generation off, but would be the gossip of the targetted audience, for example students. This supports that a music video for a pop song would be aimed at young females, aged 12 to 24.

If the music video was for an indie song, then the audience would obviously be an indie music fan. I think this genre is for both genders, as it's conventions are aimed at neither just males or females. The videos for indie songs use effects such as black and white, set a calm atmosphere, often use a narrative, and sometimes involve performance. These are features that a mixtue of genders would enjoy. Also, there are a huge variety of both female and male artists that belong to an indie genre. For example, Scouting for Girls, is a male band, but appeals to all. For instance, I enjoy their music myself and also I feel I can relate to them. The song "Heartbeat" is used on one of my favourite films for example, called 'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging', a film targeted at females. The age range would be between age 10 to 20. I say this because I think a lot of indie songs feature teenage experiences, again like "Heartbeat"

If the video was for a dance song the audience would need to enjoy dance music. It would target an audience who are quite extreme and like to party, as the music of dance genre is usually played in clubs or at parties. Because a convention of the dance music vido is to have half naked females dancing in it, you would think that the main target audience would be males, but the majority of people that listen to dance music is females. Most dance artists are female, for example Cascada. As a female aritst it means that a female audience can connect with her, and because of the 'half-nakedness' in the videos, I think females can again relate to her. When females go to parties or clubs, this is the kind of thing they would wear, and so I think females would find an artist like this more appealing. The age group would be from around 15 to 25. My reason is that this is the age range of students, are the most likely social group to go out to a party or go clubbing. An older generation wouldn't do as they are working and have a family to look after, and a younger generation are simply not old enough.





BECAUSE I AM DOING A MUSIC VIDEO THAT FEATURES A POP SONG, I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT AN AUDIENCE WOULD EXPECT FROM A VIDEO LIKE THIS. I WILL ASK:

What is your age group?
- 10-16
- 17-24
- 25 or over

Are you
- male
-female

What kind of colour scheme would you expect to see in a pop music video?
- dull (black and white)
- bright
- mainly one colour (example red)

Who would you expect to see in a pop music video?
- female artist
- male artist
- pop group
- any of the above

Who is your favourite pop group at the moment?

Would you expect a narrative from a pop video?
- yes
- no

I will ask 10 poeople this questionnaire and record my results, applying them to my video.


What is your age group?
- 10-16
- 17-24
- 25 or over

Are you
- male
-female

What kind of colour scheme would you expect to see in a pop music video?
- dull (black and white)
- bright
- mainly one colour (example red)

Who would you expect to see in a pop music video?
- female artist
- male artist
- pop group
- any of the above

Who is your favourite pop group/artist at the moment?
Eliza Doolittle
The Saturdays
Train Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Pixie Lott
KT Tunstall
Katy Perry
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga

Would you expect a narrative from a pop video?
- yes
- no

WHAT DID I LEARN FROM MY QUESTIONNAIRE? By asking 10 people, both male and female, with a variety of ages, I learnt that it is essential to make my pop video bright and colourful. Everyone I asked voted that they would expect a pop video to be brightly coloured, not dull (black and white) or mainly one colour. This follows the conventions of a pop music video. Because it wasn't just one age group, or one gender that voted for bright colours, and it was everyone, it tells me I must make it bright in order to attract a range of audience. A variety of choices were picked in the next question. I asked who the audience would expect to see in a pop music video, some answered female artist, one person answered a pop group, but the majority of people answered any. This tells me that I can use any artist, and I don't have to base my video on one certain thing. I can use either a male artist, a female artist or pop group. I also figured that there are many artists in the public eye at the moment. I think using one of these artists would make my video more appealing, and my target audience can connect to it easily. It also helps because I can research into what videos the artists have done already to get influences and ideas on what the audience would find appealing to watch. A majority of people said they did not expect to see a narrative, only one person said they would expect to see one. From this I understand that music videos no longer need to have a narrative. Their purpose is to simply look good, and so I intend to do this with the video I am going to produce.

Textual Analysis- EXAMPLE3

MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
Within the first few shots we instantly think of the girl group as girly, attractive, in the male-public eye, glamorous. This is because we see one of the girls "Cheryl" walking, smiling, and then see two males in a car, smiling and eyeing her up. As the camera tilts, revealing the outfit of one of the girls, who is wearing a mini skirt, black heels and suspenders. The suspenders automatically give us an immediate impression that they're abit flirty, and 'tarty'. The rest of her outfit also gives the impression that she is quite girly and glamorous and likes to be with her friends; sociable. The other girls are wearing something similar, for example member Sara, is wearing a black dress with white hems, and her blonde hair all styled, like the other members.
The performance then starts and the girls are shown on the 'movie screen' wearing sparkly gold dresses, all the same. The dresses are all strapless, and curved around the chest. They are tucked in at the waste, and ankle length. These dresses make them look feminine and sophisticated, but glamorous at the same time because of the sparkle. Sparkle connotes party, and so it also makes the group members seem fun, and like to party and get dressed up. The members are all dressed exactly the same, and this use of representation shows them to be a group, and perhaps a close group of friends. The way in which the girls wink, tilt their heads and flutter their eye lashes shows them to be confident and again, flirty (towards the camera). In the gold sparkly dresses, the girls' hair is all styled so that they look glamorous and gorgeous, for example some have it pinned back, some have it down and straightened and some it curled. All of these styles help to make the girls look amazing and their makeup is done in a way that makes us think they have been pampered and groomed. Their eyes are highlighted by eye makeup, which gives the message that they, again, have been groomed and pampered.
When the camera flicks back to show the band, watching theirselves perform from the topless car (connoting wealth and glamour), they look up at the screen, mezmorized. This makes them come across as role models, people to look up to, artists that should always be in the spot light. This is because they are looking up at themselves as though they want to be like that. At this point, when they are not performing, the girls outfits change. One member is wearing a leopard print catsuit, that is fitted at the waste, chest and legs. Another is wearing a silk white top, with a mini skirt, and another group member is wearing gloves, that are designed to look good not to keep her warm in winter. All of these costumes connote the same thing; wealth and glamour. This is because of the materials like silk, and variety of patterns like leopard print, which these days is worn by many celebrities and fashion icons.

MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS

NARRATIVE
This music video uses performance as it's narrative. It has little parts that show close ups of the arists when not performing (they are watching the performance) but over all, it is performance; allowing the audience to see the girl group perform without having to watch them live. This is the overall purpose of the video. The majority of this music video is based on a performance that is in black and white, perhaps to represent an older era, and for a minority of the time we can see the audience (who is also the band). But, because most of the video is basically the band performing, with microphones, a jazz band and special lights; as though actually performing in a show. If this video was narrative, it would follow a deffinate plot or story, whether it featured the band members or not. Also, stopping it from being abstract is the fact that it isn't very random, it goes with the song, and we can see the band 'singing' the song (during their performance that is shown on the big screen within the video). All of these elements contribute to making the music video performance based.

GENRE
The genre of this music is Indie. I can see this because of the conventions used;
It is in black and white, although not all Indie videos are in black and white, some are very colourful, but the use of a black and white effect is a common convention of the indie genre. It is a performance narrative, allowing us to see the artists without having to go and see them live in concert, and it allows us to see them upclose and personal, this is another convention of an indie music video. The video creates quite a calm setting because of the pace of the song and because it isn't full of colours, making it easy on the eye. It uses black and white for the performance side of things, but then uses colours when flicking back to those in the car park. Even still these colours are not too bright, because it is dark outside in the video, it makes everything seem a little dimmer and so it isn't too colourful or bright. These features give the music video an indie genre, simply because they follow the conventions of an indie music video.

MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
The purpose of the intstitution is to sell 'Girl's Aloud' as a group, and to sell their record. Girls Aloud belong to two record labels; Polydor (from 2002 to present) and Fascination (from 2006 to present). Polydor is a German company. Fascination is a UK based company. This means that Girl's Aloud are known globally, and so because of the Universal publicity, Girl's Aloud's video will be seen in many different parts of the world. This has been done by the use of the performance narrative within the video and so the global audience can view them without having to watch them live on a stage.

MEDIA VALUES AND IDEOLOGY
This music video refers to the ideology of the 50's, when going to the drive in was the 'thing to do' in America. It has references to the film 'Grease', as in that film, the two main characters go to the drive in to watch a movie; as a date. The girls in this music video go all together in their cars, and the guys in the cars next to them are eyeing them up. Also the use of the black and white effect, and the microphones used in the performance all the connote 1950's America.

AUDIENCE
The music video for this track is aimed at Girls Aloud fans, and also fans of indie/pop music. The age range would be from 10 to 24, a wide age group because of the different elements within the music video. It is suitable for prime-time screening because of what it contains (not including anything unsuitable) and so it attracts a mass international audience.

Textual Analysis- EXAMPLE2

MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
The first shot we see of 'Kesha' is of her feet, with one shoe on, the other boot off, hanging over the side of a bath. We can see instantly that because she is lying in a bath with her shoes off, she has been on a night out or at a party. It is obvious that she has been drunk the previous night, which is also evident in the shot before as it shows an empty bottle, layed on it's side next to her missing boot. The boot is black and brown, and has a heel, which shows the artist to be quite rebelious. The colour black connotes darkness, and death. Because it connotes this it makes Kesha seem like quite a dark character. Also, the heel on them shows that she likes to party, supporting the point that she has been drinking the previous night. The next shot shows a close up of her hands on the edge of the bath, fingers full of rings and nails painted what looks to be dark red. The rings show a stereotypical 'chav' character, but because her nails are painted red, which connotes danger, blood, or warning, it shows her to be daring and quite truculent. As her head appears from inside the bath, we see a 'bed head' and very dark eye makeup- connoting that she is hungover. The makeup on her face makes her look quite rough and as though she is tired. This may show that she has been up all night. When girls go to parties etc. it is stereotypical of them to wear a lot of makeup, which also supports that she has been partying the night before. Because she is blonde, we expect her to be glamorous, as this is what we expect to see, but she is wearing black hot pants/shorts, with a red and white T-shirt, hair quite messy, heavy eye makeup, with black leather boots on. This outfit goes against what we expect of a 'blonde' and presents her as been quite rebelious, rather than a girly girl. Because she is wearing red and black, again it has connotations of danger and darkness, which are themes of rebelion and disobedience. When the second verse starts, and the lyrics say "Aint got a care in the world, but got plenty of beer", we can see Kesha's attitude, which goes with the song very well. She is presented as though she isn't bothered and has a typical 'teenage' attitude. This is because of elements such as her outfit, the mise-en-scene and what she is doing in the scene. This shows her to be rebelious and quite tempermental.
The representation changes when the artist leaves her house and goes out onto the street. She is riding a modern day 'chopper' bike, connoting the 1970's. This was a common bike used in that time era and so it has connotations of that period. Also her denim jacket and cowboy boots represent this era, simply because these wear fashion icons of that era. This tells us that the artist follows fashion as an individual and she is self confident, by mimicing trends from the 70s. She is smiling throughout the video which creates the mood for the music video. If Kesha was frowning, it wouldn't match the genre of the song as it is a fun, and upbeat song. Therefore because the artist is smiling and looking happy, it makes the audience feel comfortable and allows them to enjoy the music and video too.

MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS
Yellow is a prime colour within this music video, her toothbrush in the begining of the music video is yellow, in the family photograph the 'father figures' Tshirt is yellow, as she looks at her family eating breakfast, the 'motherly figures' dress is yellow, the table cloth is yellow and the cups are yellow also. She also 'sings' against a yellow wall, and there is a yellow balloon. A yellow car also pulls up next to the artist and a group of males come out of it. The use of the yellow in this video connotes fun, and summer. Because of this it is following the conventions of a pop video, by using bright and eye catching colours, and making it a fun video. Because it is filmed mostly on the street it makes it seem more modern and contemporary, and a place commonly known for youngsters to hang out. The video has an element of verisimilatude simply because it doesn't use too many locations, and so it doesn't make it look fake or too much for the audience to take in.

NARRATIVE
This music video follows a narrative, it constists of a story, ruling it out from being abstract or performance. The narrative it follows is her waking up in a bath tub, and she gets up and puts on her shoes, that had obviously been kicked off in the night. She goes downstairs, shocking the family who are having breakfast and are presented as sophisticated and sensible. The artist is presented to be the total opposite, and she makes her way out onto the street. The video then takes place in the street around other youths, as well as in an open top car. The artist performs in the narrative, making it seem like a documentary type video. If the music video was a performance type video, the artist would perform using props such as a microphone along with a band etc. Because it follows a story, a plot, it makes the video a narrative.

GENRE
The genre of this song is rock/pop. We can see this as it uses a mixture of dark colours, for example on her clothes and makeup which shows elements of rock, as these colours belong to the conventions of a rock music video. The bright colours however such as the yellow and red, show the pop genre, again following the conventions of a pop genre. The music video is mostly of a pop genre as the rest of the pop conventions are included. For example, the video is fun; shown with the use of balloons, a chopper bike, a boom box, an open top car and the use of bright colours like yellow. It is made to look light hearted again with the use of balloons, and the children that are in the street in the begining. The video is not controversial in the slightest and so it is light hearted. It also follows a narrative, similarly to other pop music videos.

MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
The purpose of the institution is to sell both Kesha, and her song. This is done by the artist been included in the narrative, and acting as the main 'character' throughout the video. By following the conventions of a pop genre, the institution is selling the song by making it light hearted and a fun video. The artist is also sold by the use of varied camera shots and angles, like close ups to show the artist's attitude, as well as long shots to reveal the style and fashion that the artist shows. Kesha belongs to RCA record label, a flagship label of Sony. RCA stands for Radio Corporation of America. This is quite a popular label within the USA and so the artist has become quite popular and contemporary.

MEDIA VALUES AND IDEOLOGY
The music video refers to the ideology of the 70's. I get this as in the begining we see a black and white tiled bathroom, and these colours were quite typically used in the 70's for both clothing and interior decorating. The artist also rides a modern day "chopper" bike, which again refers to the 70's as this is about the time these kind of bikes were released, and were a popular icon of the era. There is also a group of what looks to be teenagers, sat on the curb in the street, dressed in bright colours and listening to a big boom box. This again is an icon of the 1970's, as in the modern day they would be using ipods etc. Back in the 70's this was the done thing as portability had began to improve, and the boom box was big, meaning it wasn't so easy to just carry around. The youths at this time would have sat in streets etc. in order to listen to a boom box.

MEDIA AUDIENCES
This music video is aimed at pop music fans, and fans of the artist Kesha. Because Kesha is a pop artist, the video must appeal to those who enjoy fun and light hearted music. The age group would range from around 14, to 24 because of it's style; for example the bright colours within the video and the fashion she follows, as well as the intertextual references of the 70s. It is suitable for a mass international audience to view at prime-time screening too, as it doesn't include anything unsuitable or controversial.

Textual Analysis- EXAMPLE1

As part of my A2 media, I have decided to create a music video, and in order to do this I need to research into some existing videos, and find out what it takes to make a successful one. Here I am analysing Alexandra Burke's 'Broken Heels'.

MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
Instantly, in the fourth shot of the music video, we see Alexandra Burke's hand in a close up. She is painting her nails black, because she is painting them it shows her to be glamorous and girly, but because she is painting them black it kind of goes against that and presents her as quite powerful and dark. The next two shots show her getting into a rugby kit, which again goes against the fact that we think she may be glamorous and girly. The next close up shows her in a small mirror in the locker room, and allows us to see her face. She is obviously groomed, and is wearing make-up. Her hair has been done in a certain way to look sleek and again, glamorous. This gives us a mixture of what to think of the artist. It says "Burke" on the back of her rugby kit, which connotes what a rugby player would wear. It implies that she is quite a 'tomboy' because men are the more likely gender to address eachother by their last names. The rest of the girls in the video are shown putting on a pair of big, gorgeous heels. The way Burke struts through the locker room shows her attitude, perhaps towards men. She walks as though she has a very 'cocky' attitude, this is also portrayed by the way she flicks her hair.
The rest of the girls in the video, who are also in the changing rooms, wearing the same as Burke, are all presented to match the 'male fantasy'. They are all slim, long brunette/blonde hair, pretty, and wearing makeup. They all seem to be playing with their hair or makeup, or getting dressed. To me this goes against what they are supposed to be like, they are dressed and ready to play American football with their shoulder pads and numbers on the back of their shirts. But because they are all more bothered about their looks it gives the typical impression of a young female.
The males we see in the music video are what seem to be 'High School American Jocks'. They are muscley, have a 'mullet', paint on their cheekbone, shirt off revealing a athletic physique. This connotes that they are serious about playing the game, which is a total contrast to what we see with the girls in the opposite changing room. We also see the males when they're all dressed and about ready to go on to the football field. They all sit on the benches as a group and it looks as though they're going to have a 'pep talk'. This is typical of American football players and so they have a role that we would expect to see, where as the females don't. This use of representation perhaps shows the difference between both genders, on their interests, personalities and thoughts.

MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS
The colours used within this music video are mostly bright. In the begining, we see the green football field, followed by the artist painting her nails black, but against a bright red background. The main colours throughout are red (connoting danger, or warning) and gold, in the outfits worn by the artist and dancers. The use of the gold has connotations of royalty and wealth, and because of the focus of the song this fits very well. Because it is about been better than someone else, the gold helps to present this further.
The gold is also used as an icon because of this. It helps to show that the girls are better than the boys; which is what the song is about. It does this because of the connotations of the colour gold; wealth, money, and royalty.

NARRATIVE
The narrative structure to this video is abstract. The other options it could be are narrative and performance. If the music video was to be narrative, it would follow a story, a plot. The artist would probably perform in the story, making seem like almost a documentary. If the music video was performance, it would simply show the artist performing, but because it doesn't do this either, it makes it abstract. This is because it doesn't follow a story and the audience aren't really supposed to understand, it im simply there to sell the artist and look good.

GENRE
The genre of Alexandra Burke's music video is pop song, and so it follows the conventions of a pop music video, as stated in the post "Advanced Portfolio in Media Brief":
Pop Music Conventions:
The music video needs to be colourful. The main colours within this music video of Alexandra Burke's are a bright red, gold and black. The majority of these colours are bright, but they are all bold colours, that catch the eye and attract attention.
The music video needs to be fun in order to make it a pop genre. This music video has got elements of fun! For example when the girls are running out of the 'tunnel' onto the football field, it is in slow motion to emphasise the fun the girls are having. They are looking at eachother and giggling, which becomes obvious when we see them smiling. Also in the changing room, the girls are all playing with their hair, nails and outfits, which is seen to be what a girl enjoys doing. Therefore fun is represented in the video.
The video needs to be light hearted, which it is. Because they amile all the way through, it makes the audience feel comfortable and as though they can smile and laugh along too. Also making it light hearted is the fact that it has used a game as it's focus. Doing this means that we feel at ease because of the connotations of the word 'play'. It makes us think of not being too serious, and doing it for fun.
There is a dance routine performed by the girls on the football field. It goes with the rhythm of the music, which is upbeat, and so it is interesting to watch. The different camera angles show us different dance moves and the fact that the girls are simply having a good time.
It is obvious that the music video is aimed at a younger target audience because of the main feature of the video. It focuses on an American Football game, which is more often than not used in a teenage film. Therefore it is more likely to attract this kind of audience.
This music video follows a story and Alexandra Burke is part of this, as a character. It shows the routine that players go through before a game starts, such as preparing themselves and perhaps a warm up (shown in the dance routine). Also we see the contrast between the two teams and how one side is more tense than the other; shown through their behaviour and facial expressions. The females are all smiling and enjoying theirselves, and the males in the other changing room are serious, and focused.

MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
The purpose of the institution is to both sell the song, aswell as the artist. The institution for Alexandra Burke is the record label Syco, that is owned by Major record label 'Sony'. Because Sony is Syco's parent company it means that the money Syco makes is divided between both labels. Simon Cowell established this company in the year 2002, and it is based in the UK in London. The record label is split into three sections: Music, TV, Film. Alexandra Burke belongs to the Music aspect of it. The institution can make money from Burke's video along with Burke's official website, that uses synergy (selling merchandise. For example you can purchase a newsletter including updates on the artist), and also helps to promote Alexandra.

MEDIA VALUES AND IEOLOGY
This video references to the ideology of a typical, teenage american movie, that is usually about a High School, with social groups like the 'jocks', 'populars', 'band geeks' etc. It shows elements of 'American Football' who play the 'jocks' in the films, and we see the typical American locker rooms. The locker rooms consist of full length lockers, red, and benches to sit or get changed on. These are often featured in the films too. We see these kind of features in films like High School Musical, Not Another Teen Movie, and Scary Movie, all set in America. Using this reference helps to attract their intended audience.

MEDIA AUDIENCES
The music video would be aimed at Alexandra Burke fans, as well as X-factor fans. This is because Burke is an X-factor winner and so by watching the show they will easily identify the artist. X-factor's purpose is to create a 'pop star' who would appeal to people gloabally, including millions of people world wide, rather then just a few thousand. It is aimed at aged 12-20 year olds, which is made obvious by the narrative behind the video. This video is suitable for prime-time screening and so it becomes available to a mass international audience who can watch it on their televisions at home.
We can identify the target audience to be part of the younger generation as teenagers and young adults are those who watch American films. This music video uses the typical American reference as it's main feature and therefore appeals to ages 12-20.

History of music videos

A music video is a film or a video that accompanies a peice of music. Music videos these days are produced to help publicise the artist or band that stars in the video. Music videos use techniques and styles from actual film, and use animation, documentaries, non-narrative approaches, and abstract film. Some videos even use a mixture of the above, and most recently they are less literal then expected. They don't always create an image or picture to go with the actual lyrics.
In the 1920's, talkies (sound films) arrived. This meant that many musical short films were being produced. This then lead onto Vitaphone production, which were done by Warner Bros. The Vitaphone was a video, but the soundtrack was not printed onto the actual film. The soundtrack was played at the same time as the film was projected, on a 12 to 16 inch phonograph record. A famous peice called The Jazz Singer in 1927, used the Vitaphone process.
A famous animation artist called Max Fleischer produced a series of sing-a-long short cartoons, these were called Screen Songs. This encouraged an audience to sing a long and to watch short films.
In the early 1930s, cartoons began to feature famous musicians performing their songs in live-action, within parts of the cartoon. Walt Disney's early shorts such as Silly Symphonies are all based around music. Also the Warner Brothers' cartoons were based around music that were upcoming songs in musical films. This happens even these days.



Bessie Smith; a blues singer of this era, appeared in a short film called St. Louis Blues in 1929, that featured a performance of the hit song.
In 1940's, a musician called Louis Jordan began making short films for his songs, and according to Donald Clarke (a music historian) these films were the 'ancestors' of the music video.
Promotional clips were also produced in the 40s, these were short films of musical selections, showing a band on a bandstand; performing, especially made for playing. Most short films featuring music around this time were jazz based.

Musical films also contributed to the beginning of the music video. A lot of well known music videos today imitate these musical films, for example Madonna did a music video for her song 'Material Girl', (produced in 1985) which immitated the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. Also Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' uses a very famous dance routine, which actually originated from a musical film from the 50's called 'West Side Story'.

The first official music video was produced in 1957 when Tony Bennett was filmed walking in London as his recording of 'Stranger in Paradise' played, this was then distributed and played in the UK and the US on television. This was named a 'music video' (officially) in 1959 by J.P Richardson.

Short films were produced more reglarly in France towards the end of the 50s and beginning of the 1960s, accompany artist's songs. This triggered many other artists to do the same and in 1961 Manny Pittson began pre-recording the music, then taping the artist lip-syncing, then edited both the audio and video together.

In 1964, The Beatles starred in their first film; 'A Hard Day's Night'. It was shot in black and white, and was done as a mimic of a documentary.

"Premiering in 1974, the Australian TV show 'Countdown' played an important role in the development of the music video industry. Music video clips were used as a method of promoting acts that were to appear on the show. As the popularity of the video clips grew, the music industry began to realize the marketing potential of these music clips. One of the most notable video clips features was the AC/DC hit, "It's A Long Way to the Top." During the 1980s, 'Countdown' aired in 22 countries."-http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/what-is-the-history-behind-music-videos-1318869.html

1980
'Split Enz' (a Newzealand group) were the first band to create a music video and market them on video cassette.
'Video Concert Hall' was the first nationwide video music programme on television in America.

1981-83
The US video channel 'MTV' was launched in 1981 and began on 24-hour television. The video to "Video Killed The Radio Star" was the first on this channel. Mtv then became the source for music marketing throughout the rest of the 80's. Artists used videos at this time to help promote their image and music. What is now seen as the worlds most successful and influential music video in history; Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was released in 1983.

1985-87
MTV was aimed at a young audience mostly, and so they released a channel called VH1, that was for an older generation, featuring softer music that they would find appealing. In 87, MTV was introduced to Europe; "MTV Europe".

1988
Hip hop music was introduced to a wider audience in 1988 when 'Yo! MTV Raps' was introduced. Two of the most expensive videos were produced then, one of which was Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" costing $7 million to make. This is still the most expensive music video to be produced.

1990's
MTV expanded all over the world, and included channels like: MTV Latin American in 93, MTV India in 1996, MTV2 was also founded in 96, which was called M2 originally for an older generation. MTV Mandarin was produced in 1997.

"Music Videos have played an important role in the success of many artists and the music industry." - www.articlebase.com

conventions

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 narrativeThis 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

OF AN ALBUM COVER..

The front
-Artist name.. This needs to be big and bold in order to catch the attention of the audience. It needs to be made obvious who's the album is and also because there isn't a lot of detail on the front, it needs to be made interesting by a big, bright name. It is usually positioned at the top, in order for it to be one of the first things the audience will see.

-Name of Album- This isn't usually as big as the artist name, and it usually positioned at the bottom of the cover in the middle. It doesn't have to be the same colour as the artist name but should fit in with the colour scheme of the album cover. The font is normally a little simpler than the name of the artist because it isn't always as important.

-Main image representing artist- This is the most important on the front cover, simply because it creates the whole message about the artist.

The back
-List of tracks (numbered)

-Barcode

-Information on institution

-Mid shot of artist

The spine
-Artist name

-Name of artist

-Institution logo

On the front cover of an album, the most obvious feature is the image of the artist, usually a close up; helping to present who the artist is, their attitude, and genre of music. The image is also straight on, the artist is staring straight at the camera, helping to create a connection will the audience.
The actual CD itself usually uses a design that helps to represent the artist in a certain way. The colour scheme is quite similar to the front, and it can often use the same design as on the front. The CD cover should reflect the album title, or one of the songs on the album.On both of the album cover and CD cover, there needs to be a main image, album title, artist name, and institution details on the CD cover.

OF A WEBSITE..

A logo of institution: this should be placed at the top of page, usually in the top right or one of the bottom corners. This is because it is not one of the first things you would like your audience to see, but should still be noticable in case the audience need to know anything about the institution. It also helps to promote the institution if their logo is in good view.

Underlining: If a peice of text, or image etc, is being used as a link, then it needs to be underlined so that the audience can easily identify what is a link and what isn't.

Search box: A search box makes it easier for the audience to make their way around the website and find the information they need to know quickly. It also means that they can directly reach the page they want without having to browse through various pages before finding anything relevent.

Balance between text and images: Websites are not jam packed with one or the other, they are evenly padded out with a mixture of both images and text, with varied font colours, sizes and styles.

A home page should contain:
. a home page link
. name/email address/details
. informative title
. bookmarkers
. buttons
. logo/graphics
. navigation bar


CONVENTIONS ESSAY
A convention, is something that is expected from the audience, and it becomes recognisable of a certain genre or style of media text.
One convention of a general music video is the use of different camera shots. The variety of cinematography used makes the video interesting and keeps the audience engaged. Lots of close ups are used for example extreme close ups, medium close ups and close ups. These all allow the audience to see the artist up close rather then them having to go and see them live. A pop music video uses this technique,
Simply to help promote the artist, which is the overall purpose of the video. Also, this camera shot is used to help show emotion within the video. It means we can see the expression on the artist's face, which is usually smiling.
A long with the variety of camera shots, many camera movements are used throughout a music video. The use of panning, tilting and tracking all follow the artist, it prevents the video from being boring and looking static. Because they follow the movements of the artist it makes it seem more realistic, and makes the audience feel as though they are actually watching the artist live and following their every move.
Another convention followed by a music video is the editing. The footage is editing in time with the music; is the song is quick and upbeat, the editing with be quick and upbeat, if the song is slow, the editing pace will be slow too. This is to create an atmosphere for the video as well as set a mood for the song. Also with editing, the video cuts from one shot to another in time with the beats of the music. This is so that it looks smooth, and in some cases, used to make it look continuous.
The mise-en-scene is similar in many videos, which makes it a convention. Most music videos use artificial lighting, which way depends on the mood that is being created. If the artist is supposed to seem threatening and scary, the lighting would be from behind them, making them look intimidating and dark; their face would be shadowed. Props are often used in a music video, more often then not they are essential in the video. Instruments are the most conventional prop; used most often. Props can also be used as an icon for an artist, for example pop artist Lady Gaga uses a pair of glasses in every video, they differ every time to be uniform with the rest of the video. This is a style icon for Gaga. Music videos now more commonly 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 as well 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. The colours within the video help 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. Where as if bright and cheerful colours were used, such as yellow, it would turn the mood around and instantly make it happy and cheerful.
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. Using Gaga as another example, her recent video ‘Telephone’ uses this technique and so uses dialogue and sound effects as well as the sound track itself.

The conventions of a pop music video differ from any other, which is why it is a genre of it's own. As well as following many of the general conventions of a music video, a pop music video uses it’s own conventions.
The first one is that it uses bright colours. This is shown distinctly in videos produced by pop artists Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and Katy Perry. The colours used in their videos help to create an atmosphere, a mood for the song. Pop songs are usually happy, again thinking back to the previously stated artists, Ke$ha's song 'Tik Tok' uses yellow throughout, which connotes happiness, summer, and is cheerful. Because of these connotations it means that the video becomes happy and cheerful. All bright colours that are used have a similar effect and so are regularly used within the pop genre.
The themes used within the videos are fun and light hearted, this is another convention; obviously making the video fun. Using Ke$ha as a second example, her 'Tik Tok' video uses a young generation listening to a boom box, balloons and chopper bikes; all of these connote fun. Because children are used too, it makes it light hearted and the video becomes quite innocent. For the audience, it means there is nothing controversial, and they can enjoy the pop video.
A fourth convention is the use of a dance routine, that the artist performs in. This will feature in my video. This is used regularly as a feature, for example, used by Cheryl Cole, Alexandra Burke, Lady Gaga, a majority of pop artists. The artist stands at the front, and the other dancers perform in a group behind them. They usually wear something slightly different to the artist too so that the artist is more distinctive, and the attention of the audience is focused on the artist.
A pop music video often uses a narrative. Whether it is broken up or follows all the way through. This means that the words and the meaning of the song will basically be acted out in some way in the video. The narrative often used in a pop music video is fun, and doesn't create a sad or depressing story for the audience to follow.
All of these conventions link back to what pop music is actually about, fun.

Advanced Portfolio in Media Brief

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

RESEARCHING

I researched different areas and explored a number of the breifs given. This allowed me to see the conventions of each, and meant I could deeply analyse a short film, film trailer and a music video. After looking into all three breifs I was able to decided which breif I preferred and which fitted me best. I felt I could work with a music video the best as I gained many ideas just by watching existing videos. I will now research even further into the music video area; this research will be posted on my blog.

Conventions of short films

Conventions: what we would expect from the short film, these conventions can be broken, and more commonly in this day, they often are.

In a short film, the names of characters are not often revealed, although this depends on their role, but most of the time they are only revealed towards the end or not mentioned at all throughout. This is due to the fact that the stars of the film are not so well known, and film producers may not think that it would help to promote the film in any way. In films, if the star is a well known actress/actor, their name is always broadcasted, people often go to watch a film simply because of who stars in it. In a short film, these kind of hollywood stars do not play a part in them, therefore it is not always neccessary to include them.
There is only one protagonist in a short film. In longer films there tends to be more protagonist characters were as in a short film it tends to use just the one character throughout.
Another convention is that there is always a twist in the narrative of a short film. Because the short isn't very lengthy it means that without the twist it would simply be boring. For example in the short film I have annotated "The First Time It Hits", there is a small twist at the end, that includes humour. Basically it is a love story and at the end, the male character hits his "lover" in the head with a skateboard knocking her out of conciousness. He then runs away, panicing, and the female winks into the camera. This use of humour makes the short film much more interesting and so I need to include a small twist in order to get my film noticed.
Another point is that a voice over is very popular in short films. This is used in place of dialogue, which is often removed from shorts. This makes them stand out against the longer films and gives them a sense of being different.
A short film would usually last between one and five minutes, depending on the narrative.
It is obvious that short films only use a small budget, for example there are no expensive or eye catching fonts and titles used. The tradition with a short film, is to use white font on a plain black background.

Textual Analysis- EXAMPLE 3

"Teeth"
MEDIA REPRESENTATION
The first shot of the two characters, shows them sat in a small rowing boat, with fishing rods. We can immediately see they are male, and quite old because of their silhouettes, we can see there flat caps, and smart jackets. This gives them quite a "farmerish" look, which also connotes they are of an elderly age. As we are given a closer look at the two men in the boat, we also notice their grey hair.
The expression on one characters face makes him seem miserable, and grumpy, as he stares at "his friend" who is making noises and faces. This made me think that he was crying, and so I thought he was a sensitive, and vulnerable character. But because he sneezes it changed my opinion. The mood is lifted.
The character who seemed miserable right in the begining then has an enormous smile on his face, which gives us a totally different opinion on him to what we had in the start. He continues to laugh at his "friend" as he notices his "freind"s false teeth had fallen out and landed on the edge of the boat. We now think that this character is very light hearted and has a sense of humour. It is obvious that the two old men are good friends.
A shot reverse shot reveals the full outfit of the "friend". He is wearing cotton trousers, a shirt under a knitted jumper, that looks to be a dark green colour (it is hard to tell because the short film is in black and white) a jacket that matches his trousers and a flat cap. This presents him as been quite a traditional english man, and connotes that he was maybe a farmer.





MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS
The colours used in this short film are very limited, it is presented in black and white. This follows the conventions of a typical short film and sets quite a chilled atmosphere.
The music used is very slow, and high pitched. The use of high pitch music usually creates tension, but in this case it doesn't, it is relaxing and settling.
The symbolism in this clip is the teeth, that represents their friendship. In the begining the old men are friends, and once the teeth are gone, they are shown sitting back to back as though fallen out. The character plays a joke on his "friend" and then his teeth are lost aswell. The teeth are a symbol of their relationship.

NARRATIVE
Instantly we are shown an establishing shot, showing a river, surrounded by trees and forests, with a tiny boat floating in the middle. This sets the scene automatically. We are then introduced to the characters as a closer shot reveals the two old men who are fishing. This is the equilibrium.'Man1' is staring at 'Man2' who's chin is quivering and is making funny noises. He sneezes. This is the disruption as he looses his teeth and they land on the edge of the boat. 'Man1' laughs at his friend hysterically as 'Man2' reaches over to grab them; knocking them into the river. He continues to laugh and 'Man2' sits, unamused. The characters are then shown sitting back to back, and it looks at though they have fallen out. Because of the recognition of the disruption, this part is the quest.
Still amused at his friend, 'Man1' catches a fish, and struggles to reel it in. This connotes that he has caught a big fish. He looks back at his friend for help, who chooses to ignore him. He eventually nets the fish, and 'Man1' is very pleased with himself. He then decides to play a practical joke on 'Man2' who is still reluctant to communicate with 'Man1'. Taking out his own teeth (still smiling) 'Man1' puts them into the jaws of the fish he has caught. He laughs (again) and taps his friend on the back. He shows him the fish and yet again, bursts into laughter. This is the climax in the narrative. As usual, 'Man2' is not very amused and takes the teeth from the fish, shaking off the water. He puts them in his mouth, trying his best to make them fit, then realises that they are not his. Frustrated, he takes them out and throws them into the river.



GENRE
The genre of this short film is comedy, and this is made obvious. We can see th genre is comedy, because of

Textual Analysis EXAMPLE 2

"Geri's Game"
MEDIA REPRESENTATION
The first thing we see of the character in the short film "Jerry's Game" is their hands; old and wrinkled. We immediatly associate the character as old, and fragile. It then reveals the animated character to be wearing a suit, which makes him seem wealthy, and smart. The suit is just black, and he wears it with a white shirt and black tie, this also makes the old male look classy. The long shot, revealing the full character shows him to have a bald head, with little bits of white hair around the edges, and a big pointed nose. This has connotations of an elderly man. He also puts on a pair of plain, black framed glasses which again, has connotations of being old. He seems to be smiling slightly throughout the begining of the short film which presents him as been kind, and gentle. He is also made to look lonely, as an establishing shot reveals him in the middle of a park, all alone, surrounded by empty two seated tables. As he gets up and takes his glasses off, and re-places hiself in the chair opposite to the one he had previously sat on, we begin to think that maybe he is a little mad. This "other character" is the antagonist in the short fiml. The way he walks, holding his back and henched over, makes him seem a little frail. Jerry then acts as another character, who seems to have different characteristics to 'Jerry one'. He laughs, and jokes and seems to be a little more lively and fun. The overall character of Jerry, checks his pulse and feels his chest, or heart, and we then begin to feel a little sad for him, it becomes obvious that he doesnt really know what he is doing, but is trying to play his own little games.
The representation of this one character in the short film "Jerry's Game", shows an elderly man, quite fragile and kind.



MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS
The colours used within this clip are bright and quite neutral, with the use of light blues and greens. This helps to set a calm atmosphere for the intended audience, and creates the impression that it is a light hearted short.
The music used within the clip is quite classical, showing a little sophistication. It also seems french, but we are unable to tell as there is no dialogue within the short film. This connotes that the character is quite elderly, because of the sophisticated atmosphere.
The symbolism within this short is the chess game. This is because it is the main feature and perhaps suggests the things that happen at the coming of old age?



NARRATIVE
The short film starts by showing a close up on what looks to be a chess board, and then chess peices are thrown into view. We then see an old, wrinkled hand slam a box down that held the peices in, and that says "Pixar Shorts!" on the side of it; advertising Pixar's short films. The elderly character then sets the peices on the chess board one by one so that it is ready to be played. Once he has set the peices, sat down and put on his glasses, he looks at the peices infront of him and takes his go. Looking across the table, both him and the audience realise there is actually nobody there, and he is alone.
The character takes off his glasses and puts them down on the table top. Slowly he gets up, obviously struggling. He is crunched over, and holding his back, connoting his old age. He reaches the opposite side of the table and takes a seat, directly facing were he had just been sat. He picks up another chess peice (the opposite colour this time) and takes his turn, as though playing against the opposition. He then laughs to hiself, like he is playing a game and stands up again. This is the quest within the narrative. Repeating what he'd just done he makes his way over to his previous seat. Once sat down, he puts his glasses back on his face, and puts his finger to his chin as though he is thinking. After moving another chess peice he gets back up, taking off his glasses and sitting back down in the chair opposite.
This motion of getting up and walking to the other seaat then becomes an inferred/implied event. We do not see it, but accept that it has happened. The "two" charcters continue to take their turns, and then the character who does not wear the glasses knocks one of the character with glasses peices off the board. This acts as the quest in the narrative. Suprised, the character with glasses, takes off his glasses and stares at the board, confused. He looks across the table to see his rival laughing and folding his arms. Annoyed, he takes his turn. He looses again, and the other character continues to laugh. As the game goes on, the same thing keeps happening until the character with glasses has only two peices left on his side, compared to the twelve peices his opposition has. He struggles to take this turn, and feels pressured as the other character sits and laughs. His second to last peice is taken, and he left with just one peice. Where ever he goes to put his peice, the other character laughs or threatens. Under the pressure, the troubled character holds onto his chest, and struggles for breath, eventually fallen from his chair and leaving the other character confused. This is the climax in the narrative. This character checks his pulse, then looks under the table. As he does this, the character who had a "heart attack" pops his head from under the table and turns the chess board around so that he is now winning. Pretending, he struggles back onto his chair and re-assures the other character that he is ok. He is told to carry on with the game and take his turn, and because he is now the winning character, he takes his turn, looking smug. The character with no glasses is very confused and tries to figure out what has happened. He huffs, and flicks over his last chess peice so it falls over. The character with glasses, sits with his arms folded, hysterically laughing, then holds his hand out as if to say "hand it over". He hands the character a pair of false teeth (to our suprise) and the character puts them in. The short film finishes with a shot of the winning character smiling, with big white teeth. The narravtive then reaches a resolution.

GENRE
Animation/comedy. The humour is portrayed mostly towards the end of the clip, when one of the characters fake a heart attack, convincing the other character the he is dying. Because the other character beleives it and looks under the table, this charcater pops up and cheekily switches the board around. Dramatic irony is used here as we know what has happened were as the other character doesn't. He ends up winning the game and awarding himself with a pair of false teeth. This is humourous as it totally goes against what the audience would have expected. We expect money to be handed over, which would follow the conventions, but because it was false teeth instead, it gives it a funny ending.





MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
ASK TIM ^^^

MEDIA VALUES AND IDEOLOGY
The character of "Geri" is portrayed as two different people. One character is shy, and vulnerable, and the other is confident and intimidating. The second character is the stronger one, until the end when the other character comes into place and takes over; winning the game.
ASK TIM ^^

MEDIA AUDIENCES
This film is aimed at a wide range of audiences. A younger generation would find it appealing as they're the most likely people to be interested in cartoons. Also an elderly audience may be a fan as the film features and old man, and chess. The targetted age range would be between 5 and 60. This enormous age range is simply because of all the different features that would attract different groups of people.
It would be available to watch on a DVD disk, either at the end, or before a film.
Demographics: It would be aimed at E because it would be people in education or pensioners who would find it appealing.
Psychographics: a mixture between explorers, and succeeders.

Textual Analysis- EXAMPLE1

"The First Time It Hits"- short film
MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
The first shot within "The First Time It Hits" the first shot we see is of a skateboard, which instantly creates the impression that that character is a skater. The connotations of a skater are baggy clothing, chunky trainers, rebelious. They would listen to quite heavy music, which is presented with the soundtrack anyway. We are then introduced to a female character, we first of all see her eyes that are outlined in thick black liner. This shows her to be rebelious which fits in with what we imagined in the begining. We then see a close up of her red painted finger nails and a cigerette, held between two fingers. Again, this connotes that she is rebelious, and perhaps quite young. We then get to see the girl, who is sat in what looks to be an underground, that's walls have been graffitied on. She is sat leaning against the wall, emphasising her typical "teenage" attitude, and wearing black clothing. The next shot shows a close up of her blowing a bubble with her bubble gum and popping it, again this helps to show her rebelious image. The fact that she has a hand full of rings, a nose stood and is graffiting on the floor or wall in perminant marker also presents her as being defiant. He is presented as a typical "bad ass" because of what she wears and her behaviour.

The first shot of the male character immediatly makes him seem in control and powerful as a low angle shot has been used. He comes across intimidating because of the use of cinematography. He is wearing baggy clothing (as expected) with a big "skull and cross" on his shirt. This presents him as individualistic. He is also wearing a hat which contributes to his rebelious look. Because both characters are made to look like rebels, it makes the genre of the short film obvious; romantic/rock.



MEDIA LANGUAGE AND FORMS
The colours used within this short film are very dull until the characters fall in love. The male is then outlined in blue and female in pink. These are very typically used, which is effective as it shows a stereotypical "crush" between the characters.
The music used within the short film is upbeat, powerful and quite heavy. This connotes quite a hardcore image for the characters and it gives an insight on what kind of "short" it is.
The symbolism used in this short, is the use of the heart graphic. This is an obvious symbol of love. It is shown inside the character's eye to exaggerate him falling in love at first sight.

NARRATIVE
The narrative of the short film begins with a voyeuristic camera shot from a skateboard. It helps to show the mise-en-scene and gives an insight to wear the character lives. It takes us on a journey to wear the "skater" character hangs out, by the use of montage editing, we are shown the setting of the film, and we are able to see what kind of lifestyle they live. We are shown graffitied walls, drains, trolleys, burning cigerettes, badges with "porn star" and "pervert" written on them; this emphasises the character's attitude even more. The short film continues to introduce us to the two characters and then the story begins.
It starts with the male character roling in on a skate board to near wear the female character is sat, smoking. Acting clever, the "skater" flicks his skateboard up by stamping on one end and catching it, and we then get to know a little more about the character. The use of close ups reveal his dress sense and what he looks like. Adjusting his hat and looking smug, he stands (holding on to his skateboard) watching the female character as she doodles on the floor in permenant marker. He picks up his skateboard, tooks it under his arm, and wanders over to wear the girl is sat, still smoking. Tension is created as we see them staring at eachother in what is almost silence, just the sound of the female character chewing her gum, and the male character nervously swallowing. A close up on the male's eyes reveals a beating heart, creating the impression he has fallen in love. The atmosphere of the short film instantly changes.
The male character continues to show off; performing tricks and jumping over things on his skateboard. As she casually sits there, still smoking, the male character looks at the female as if to say "Watch this!" she watches, not so intrigued, and he takes a step back. He skates towards the female character, at a fast pace and as he attempts a trick he falls off the skateboard, sending the skateboard flying and hitting the girl in the head; knocking her unconscious. The male character runs to her rescue after getting himself off the floor and realises what he has done. He takes a quick look around, grabs his skateboard and makes a run for it. The camera focuses on the girl, and she pulls a cheeky smile at the audience.

GENRE
The genre of this short film is romance/comedy.
This genre is portrayed by showing the elements of love throughout. For example the animated heart in the middle, shows that the characters are falling in love; showing the romantic side to things. Also the fact that the male character goes out of his way to impress the girl shows that the film has an element of romance in it.
The comedy side comes in at the end, when the accident has happened and the girl looks into the camera and smiles. The audience would find this humorous because it is against what we would expect. It becomes obvious that she was playing him all along and was faking her unconsciousness.





MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
The purpose of the institution was to sell the short film and make money for it, a commercial purpose. ASK!!!

MEDIA VALUES AND IDEOLOGY
The male character is trying to impress the female. Female seems to be in control; revealed at the end when male runs away and she winks into camera. ASK!!!!

MEDIA AUDIENCES
Audience: people like the characters themselves; into rock music, into skateboarding. Age group: Teens to young adults; 14-24. Wouldn't normally be shown on the tele, audience would have to search for it on the internet. Can be purchased on DVD for the audience to buy.
Demographics: It is aimed at group E, as the main target audience would be students.
Psychographics: The label given to the type of people who the short film is aimed at is a mix between 'Aspirers' and 'Explorers'; giving a mixture of people who are materialistic, younger people, orientated to appearance and image, individualistic, values adventure, and students.