Research techniques for music video - music video analysis

Music and visuals

Goodwin, claimed was that there is a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals on screen, which includes illustrating, amplifying, contradicting and cutting visuals in time to the music.

 Wrecking Ball is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus for her 4th studio album Bangerz (2013). Released by RCA Records, the song was written by MoZella, Stephan Moccio, Sacha Skarbek, Lukasz Gottwald and Henry Russell Walter, the pop ballad lyrically discusses the deterioration of a relationship. The song generally recieved favorable reviews from music critics who appreciated the lyrical content and overall production, but Cyrus' emotional delivery was questioned due to her increasingly sexual image. It debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 50 and later became Cyrus' 1st number 1 single in the United States, after the controversial music video release. Wrecking Ball has sold 3 million copies in the United States, and many more worldwide.

The lyrics are matched literally with the music video, with Cyrus riding a wrecking ball. Close-up shots convey emotion and meaning e.g. for the lyric "all I wanted was to break your walls" she literally knocks down a concrete wall.

Pop genre - codes and conventions:
- The artists are clothed in fashionable, stylish and mainstream outfits.
- Pop music videos often contain bright colours, which connote happiness and a positive vibe.
- The artists are portrayed as happy, enjoying and content with life.
- They express the unity associated with teenagers, the main target audience.
- The lyrics are normally based around love or relationships.
- Often very dance orientated with catchy beats and lyrics.

Genre

The next key feature of a music video which Goodwin discovered was that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, not just the genre of the music but the genre of video itself. Genres include stadium performance, studio performance, location, narrative and conceptual/experimental.

 All My Life is the 2002 song by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released as the 1st single from their 4th album, One by One. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and peaking at #3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was also a top 5 hit on the UK Singles Chart. The band typically conforms to the genre as the band are performing on stage, in their natural music environment.
The location is one best associated with bands and uses experimental camera and editing techniques, which fit in well with the lyrics. At the end we are shown that the band have been performing to no audience which tells us that for them its about the music, popularity, or the legions of fans. They will still play regardless of fan base numbers, and the emotion seen in Dave Grohl when singing allows the audience to identify with certain lyrics.

Alternative rock genre - codes and conventions:
- Clothes associated with rock e.g. skinny casual t-shirts, skinny jeans, tattoos, converse and boots.
- Often live performance type shots, with a heavy showing of the artists playing their insruments.
- High key lighting gives the band a flawless and glamorous appearance. Prominent silhouettes of the band members are important for star image.
- Close-ups of the instruments.
- Slow motion can be used in performance based music videos for lip syncing. This is also common on fast played instruments e.g. drums.
- The use of props such as dust and smoke make the shots more interesting and prominent.

Artist close-up

Goodwin expressed that a key feature of music videos is several close-ups of the artist. This is due to the record companies requirement that the artist is strongly featured within the music video. Some artists will often develop motifs that reoccur across multiple videos. These include artist branding, celebrity culture, artistic portrayal and implications on looking good.

Reptilia is a song by indie rock band The Strokes. The 2003 song is the 2nd single from their 2nd album Room on Fire. In Octover 2011, NME placed it at number 129 on its list, 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years. Although it is not one of the bands highest charting singles since the song peaked at #19 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, it is still one of the bands most popular singles.
The vast majority of the shots are close-ups of the different members within the band playing along to the song. This focuses attention on each individual member and the instruments, implicating that for them it is more about the music than the theatrics that most pop stars favour, however there are shots of their popular fashion styles e.g. converse and trendy haircuts to attract an audience.

Indie rock genre - codes and conventions:
- A retro look is created through the outfits and stylish clothes.
-  Fairly low budget music videos are created from the indie rock genre. Easily accessable locations such as studios, cities and parks are quite often used. These settings are kept simple. Live performance shots are also featured often.
- The shots focus on the actual talents of the band members, and features many close-ups of the instruments. Although in recent years it has become popular to include narrative as it helps the audience to follow the lyrics of the song.
- The editing cuts either fast or slow to reflect the pace and beat, and to make the viewer feel that they are in the video, which matches Andrew Goodwin's theory. Black and white filters are also common of the genre.

Star iconography

Mainstream bands achieve popularity from selling their appearance and therefore a brand. This is usually through branding, style and unique selling points.

Featuring Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, this live performance of Kiss on Live On Letteman performing the 1976 hit track Detroit Rock City, immediately identifies the bands brand identity and image. Donning the face paints and stage outfits since 1973, the band now has legions of loyal fans, taking advantage of their appearance by selling a large range or merchandise. Classic rock bands have been using this technique for many years such as AC/DC's Angus Young and David Bowie.

Hard rock genre - codes and conventions:
- The bands appearance is heavily centered about the performance, instruments and wild outfits/hair.
- Often performance locations and live concert shots, making the audience feel like they are there.
- Wide angles to show the full band in action, and mid shots/close-ups of specific instrument playing.
- Props such as smoke machines and lasers give the performance dramatic effect, and give the audience a taste of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

Looking and voyeurism

Goodwin also identified that within music videos there is voyeurism. Voyeurism is theoried by Laura Mulvey, stating that the audience seeing something that they would or should not usually see. This could be in the form of nudity/near nudity/revealing clothes, exhibitionism, an intimate location e.g. bedroom and a frame within a frame

The male gaze (by Laura Mulvey) is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze focuses on presenting things that appeal to men, which often means a voyeuristic view and objectification of women. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera, helping the audience to connect with the artist. I have previously conducted some research about Mulvey's gaze theory which can be found on my blog (http://sarahdavismediahnc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/laura-mulveys-visual-pleasure-theory.html).

The music video for Rihanna's 2012 track Stay ft. Mikky Ekko, depicts Rihanna naked in a bathtub filled with cloufy water. Critics likened the vulnerability and raw emotion in the video to the song itself. Directed by Sophie Muller, the song charted multiple charts worldwide. It peaked number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Rihanna's 24th top ten on the chart, surpassing Whitney Houston. The worldwide single has sold over 10 million copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time. The intimate nature of the video attract an audience, as the fans feel like they can attain a personal connection with her.

R&B - codes and conventions:

- The men are often pictured with minimal clothing on, showing their toned physiques to attract their target audience of teenage females. Jeans hung low showing underwear, designer trainers, tattoos and gold jewellery are also common fashions for R&B music videos.

- Women also dress scantily clad for this genre of music videos, because to their male fans, they want to be seen as an object of desire. Hair and make-up are often bold, defined and flawless. High heels elongate the womens legs, which also plays into the male gaze theory by Laura Mulvey.

- Low angles are used to show dominance, authority and power, appearing attractive to the audience.

- The beat usually cuts to the lyrics and has a catchy tune, to remain in the audiences memory.

Intertextuality

Goodwin noticed when studying music videos there are often intertextual references to other music videos, films and TV programmes. This can be homage, pastiche or even some kind of brand synergy.

Fancy is a three minute electro-hop number, which was written by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX. The 2014 track from Island Records plays homage to the 1995 hit comedy film Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling. The music video for Fancy was directed by Director X, with Azalea playing Beverly Hills sociality Cher Horowitz and XCX as Tai Frasier. The Clueless inspired number was nominated for four awards at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, and has since been covered by artists such as Anna Kendrick, Da Brat and Lil' Kim.

Azalea has used inspiration from other films for her music videos to give them narrative. Her 2014 music video for Black Widow ft Rita Ora is heavily influenced by Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film Kill Bill. As an audience, we can identify this through almost every aspect, including the identical scene recreations, narrative, costumes and props.

Hip hop genre - codes and conventions:
- Mens clothing often features sporting attire such as basketball shirts, to signify strenght and sporting prowess.
- Women are usually scantily clad to show their bodies to the usual male audience. This links with Laura Mulvey's theories of the male gaze and voyeurism.

- Men are shown in large numbers to signify power and strength in numbers e.g. he is part of a group, popular and not a social outcast.

- Female hip hop artists such as Nicki Minaj show their fierceness and power by using their sexuality to their advantage.
- Money, cars and jewellery are also used heavily in the mise-en-scene, to show wealth, power and ultimately status.

- Usual reference to parties, drinking, drugs and sex to appear 'cool' to the young urban audience.

- Many close-up shots and low angles, to show the artists authority and power as they 'look over' their audience.

Unit 32 promotional video - evaluation and video

Throughout this project I have realised how different working with a client can be, working towards a client brief whilst communicating ideas together. Promotional video making is very different from any videos that I have made before, as previously they have been for me and not for anybody else, so there were more expectations to meet. I have learnt many new skills and improved others during this unit, however I believe that my lack of experience in working with a client has been noticeable throughout the project. Overall it has lead me through new techniques and learning curves, and I now feel much more comfortable in working with clients.

In the initial planning stages I began by analysing 4 promotional videos, focusing on product launch/marketing, promoting key messages and values, internet coverage and event coverage. I then researched local companies and found a local wildlife and retail park. I contacted them and whilst waiting for a response did some minor research on the genre. I received an e-mail from the site, who explained that they already had an existing promotional video and did not want to participate in another one. I found this frustrating as I had already begun to research the genre and techniques I wanted to use.
This then led me to research local independent businesses, where I found Mr B's sweet shop, a local family run business. I contacted my client, Ben Bennett, and sent him some suggestions of what the finished video could look like, but when I received a response the client made no specific requests, which gave me unlimited creative control. Although this was a great opportunity to make the video my own and use my own visions, I felt that I had little direction from my client, and was made to research and plan on my own accord which involved further research of the catering promotional video genre, to gather an insight of what the most appropriate style would be to film in.
During this process I created blog posts of analysis of existing catering promotional videos, editing techniques, filming techniques, editing techniques, colour palette and themes, location scouting and health and safety.
The preparation for my 1st shoot was well planned due to my initial research. I arranged a day for filming at the shop, however I was unable to hire out the equipment that I had planned to use, so rearranged the shoot, as I did not want to compromise the films quality and techniques. This was due to my lateness in hiring out the equipment, which has encouraged me to be more organised and ensure that I am confident in attaining the necessary equipment for when I have planned. I rearranged to shoot on 3/3/2015. I went to the shop with all of the correct equipment and filmed the interior of the shop, as the weather outside was overcast and wouldn't have enabled for good footage. I did not complete a shoot log beforehand, which in hindsight would have been useful when shooting, however I already knew what type of shots that I wanted to capture. In future projects I will aim to do this, as I feel that it could give me more structure, and make the editing process easier, as I edited freely without a specific plan or sequence in mind, giving it a lack of structure, which led to re-editing certain shots, which wasted time although I managed to work round the issue, and am very happy with my final outcome.
After completing filming, I then reviewed my footage and began to think of storyboards. I was content with my footage and could envisage the finished piece. I felt that the lighting and camera movements turned out well, which I was skeptical of before reviewing my footage back on a computer. I varied my shooting style using a wide aperture to capture focus on specific products and different camera movements e.g. handheld and tripod pans. Although I used different techniques I feel that I could have filmed more varied shots, to ensure the final product didn't look to alike. I wanted the products to be the main focus of the video as they are the key selling point, so mainly used a wide aperture as I felt this technique would achieve an attractive focus. Before filming I researched other videos based around the catering genre e.g. sweet shops and coffee shops, which gave me ideas of techniques to use and personalise where I noticed that the main theme was the overuse of shallow depth of field. I found this research very helpful when filming and it proved to be very effective.
When setting up the equipment I had a general idea of how I wanted to frame the products within the shop. The shop floor was smaller than anticipated and I found that the tripod legs when spread out were a slight inconvenience, as I retracted them when a a couple of customers were in the shop. Filming behind the counter also required some careful manoeuvres. I followed my health and safety risk assessment, which was helpful and would have been useful in the event of an accident.
I made my own legal documents (hard copies available). I took these along to the shoot where they were signed by the business owner and people who were included in the video, which allows me to release the footage.
Lighting was my main concern before shooting as I was unsure how strong the lighting inside was, due to lack of natural lighting. Upon arriving at the shop the lighting was dark, therefore I was forced to use a higher ISO than initially intended. Luckily once reviewing the footage on a computer there was no noise and grain, which I was very pleased about. Shooting the exterior of the shop was not an issue with lighting, as I returned and shot on a fairly bright day. On my 1st shoot the weather was overcast and dark, I then checked the weather forecast and went back 2 days later when the weather was better.

As I began to edit my footage together I realised I probably should have shot more in hindsight, to prevent my shots becoming too repetitive. I initially wanted a short and snappy video which I feel that I have achieved. I have increased in confidence with my editing skills, which means the post-production process is now much faster than when first starting the course. I already had a feel for what I wanted the video to look like from analysing other videos of the genre, which sped up the editing, as I knew what I wanted visually. The whole editing process took a little less than 1 week (including other written work). I filmed with enough time to reach the deadline, and did not have to worry about finishing on time, which I have had previously. I had little outside guidance with the editing, but did some brief online research on techniques to use. I watched a YouTube tutorial to find out how do add text transitions and backgrounds from Illustrator to Premiere Pro. This was useful in showing me new techniques to use, which I can also use for future projects/videos.
For the sound of my promotional video, I used an orchestral version of Pure Imagination by Kelly Hall-Tompkins. This is an original song from the film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This song is instantly recognisable from the film, and immediately associated with confectionary. This proved effective and kept in keeping with the theme, however threw up some legal issues. If the sweet shop were to publish this video publicly (e.g. Facebook or their website), permission would be required from the artist(s). I had recorded sound via the camera whilst shooting from the internal mic to give the video an authentic natural feel, however when reviewing my footage the sound wasn't clear and appeared unprofessional. In hindsight I am glad I did not use any diegetic sound as the final product works well combined with non-diegetic instrumental.

Overall, I am very pleased with my final outcome and I feel that the research process was well conducted and planned with my biggest downfall being my lack of footage. I feel that my lack of direction from my client was a major issue to overcome, and I had to plan on my own accord not knowing what my client wanted the final product to look like, therefore finding it difficult to structure. If I were to conduct the project again then I would ensure that I filmed more footage with a wider variety of technical aspects. However, with a few minor set backs which weren't originally anticipated, I feel that I got around these issues and created a successful promotional video.

Client feedback

I asked my client to give me feedback on the promotional video. This was helpful as it gave me points to improve on in future projects in addition to highlighting positive aspects which I feel have improved since starting the course.

I asked my client to answer the following questions on a scale of 1-5 (scale below). Underneath is my client feedback.
1 - very poor
2 - poor
3 - average
4 - good
5 - very good

Feedback and client notes:

1. How would you rate the pre-production work? 3
2. How would you rate the footage filmed? 4
3. What did you think of the final outcome? 4
4. In your opinion, was the correct health and safety precautions carried out when filming? 4
5. How was the communication during the process? 4

I found working with Sarah easy, as she had good communication and worked effectively whilst in the shop. I am very pleased with the outcome and would work with her again.

Forms for promotional video (not finished)

I created planning forms and legal documents for the unit. This helped me in planning, shooting and post-production e.g. legal documents such as release forms.

I created the following forms:

• Equipment list (planning)
• Risk assessment (planning)
• Location release (legal)
• Personal release (legal)
• Camera shot list (planning)
• Edit log (planning)

Here are copies of the release forms that I created for the unit: (to follow)

Unit 31 film technique essay - evaluation and video essay

For this project we were tasked with creating a video essay explaining and demonstrating film editing techniques to show to a younger audience of students, to help them understand these techniques in greater depth. I worked through this project with Megan, and we first began by researching the different editing techniques given to us.

We began by researching the following editing techniques:

• Shot reverse shot.
• 180° rule.
• 30° rule.
• Cross-cutting.
• Match on action.
• Temporal overlap.
• Kuleshov effect.
• Eisenstein montage.

Steps of recording and editing:

• After researching examples and collecting clips from mainstream films, we then analysed them and became familiar with the techniques, each creating a blog post describing the techniques. We conversed with each other despite making our blog posts and used the same examples which I found via YouTube.
• I converted the movie clips to MP4, using an online conversion website. I then imported the clips to Premiere Pro.
• This then led us to record a voiceover with the help of Luke, another student in the class.
• We then filmed our own examples of the techniques to show the students that they are simple, easy and effective to use, not just for use in bug budget films and can be used in amateur productions.
• Finally we edited all of our information and footage into an 6-8 minute video essay which we edited together using Premiere Pro. We are familiar with this software, which sped up the editing process.

I feel that if we were to do this mini project again, then we would work to a timeframe better as during the project we had another ongoing project to complete, and I feel that I spent more time focusing on the promotional video unit, making that my priority, as I feel that I spent longer creating this video than I should have allowed for. Although I would change certain time aspects, I do believe that we have created a very informative video which gives very good information about film editing techniques. Myself and Megan worked well and effectively as a team, which included allocating ourselves different roles and communicating well, even outside of college. Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome and am happy to produce it to younger students, to help them understand numerous editing techniques.

Here is our finished video essay, explaining and demonstrating the editing techniques as listed above:

Editing - unit 32

Creating the introduction via Adobe Illustrator CS6

I made the introduction background via Adobe Illustrator CS6. This was a second attempt, as I created a previous introduction background via Photoshop, but found it was too pixelated and unprofessional once added to my video with text. Using Adobe Illustrator CS6 has solved this problem, and allowed me to create a professional looking background, using the shops colour scheme and a similar pattern to the actual logo.

1. I began by selecting a colour scheme, using the actual colours from the shop front, adding them to a new layer which I could then delete.
2. I made a rectangle via shapes, added onto a new layer and coloured it via the eyedropper tool (cream).
3. Then I made another layer making a vertical rectangle and then put (mint green) colour to it. I copied and pasted the first rectangle, continuing to do this and placing them the same amount of squares apart from each other (using the grid and snap guides) until the finished product (shown above).
4. Once again, I created a new layer and added a horizontal rectangle, coloured in (brown) from the swatches (shown above).
5. I exported this to a PNG and then imported it into Premiere Pro CS6, selecting the clip, effect controls, video effects, motion and then altering the scale to eliminate the black border.

Re-naming the clips

 I re-named the clips so I can easily distinguish which ones are which and whether I can use them in my final promotional video, also allowing me to tell how many clips I have of each shot. This can be done by double clicking the name of the video, and typing a new name.

Rendering the video

Rendering the video (Enter button). This shows you exactly how your final footage will look like in the preview and also plays back any footage in real time at a full frame rate. This is helpful to do whilst editing as it can give you a closer feel as to what the end result will be.

Labelling clips as 'good'

I labelled clips as 'good', so I can easily extract good visual clips. This is useful when editing as it saves trawling through clips numerous times, allowing me to eliminate the bad clips and highlight the effective clips that I plan to use.

Adding a video transition

I also added a video transition to the video titled 'dip to black', to ensure a smooth transition from clip to clip rather than a harsh straight cut. This slows the narrative and gives it a smooth and calm tone. Other transitions can be used (shown above), in addition to audio transitions.

Health and safety - promotional video

Before filming I researched health and safety to ensure that certain measures are met, especially as during this unit I will be working professionally with a client, outside of the college. As the director of the project, I will be in charge of everything especially health and safety. I will be responsible for making sure that everybody in the vicinity is safe, and I must prevent any potential accidents. In order to do this, I must identify all of the hazards and evaluate the risks, identifying measures to control these risks.

Firstly, I need to ensure that everybody in the shop knows where the fire exits are and that they are kept clear at all times. The shop workers will obviously know the fire and accident procedure, therefore when I begin to film I will need to familiarise myself with this. When setting up equipment I will need to be extra careful, especially when setting up the tripod due to the large amount of glass sweet jars around the shop at different heights. The shop is also rather small so I will need to be careful of entering and exiting customers, so I don't obstruct them. The shop also faces a busy road, which I will have to be cautious about when filming my exterior shots.

Here is a copy of a risk assessment, that I tailored especially for filming at the sweet shop:

Screenshots of client contact

E-mails

Text messages