About The Band

about the band by Lauren Chapman

People Involved In The Production

Representation

Day Of Filming (Performance)

set up of resources (lyric 
sheets, storyboard and music) 

16th November 2017

set up 1

set up 2

today we managed to film our performance section of the music video after having a one of our performers cancel on us last minute, we did eventually find someone else that fitted the part and was willing to do it rather than change all of our ideas. we met up in the photography studio at 2pm and them met the performers at 3pm when we was ready to go. the first set up we used was the white background which was first on our plan. we played he song multiple times using long shots, mid shots, close ups as well as some other shot. we also focused on the beat of the music and attempted to get the same on our instruments. then we focused on the lyrics of the song and filmed it multiple times to get it perfect. after this we let the boys take a little break whilst we set up the black background and then repeated everything again. overall the filming was successful and we managed to get all the shots we wanted to.

 

 

Day Of Filming (narrative)

23rd of October 2017

Today was the first day of filming which mainly consisted if filming the narrative clips for my music video. the weather was perfect all day as it was an average of 15 degrees all day with no showers but was clouded over which was the perfect weather. the plan was too meet up just before 12pm to film in Kirkby and then catch the train to Notts at 2pm where the rest of the filming would be done. the filming went very well and we stuck to the filming schedule very well too as well as coming up with new ideas along the way/ overall it was a very successful day.

Shooting Schedule, Call sheet and Risk assessment

Shooting schedule from lauren chapman

Planning of filming - Narrative

Narrative by Lauren Chapman

Planning planning - performance

Set up 1 by Lauren Chapman

Focus Group Video and Analysis

Focus Group Presentation

Animatic of story board

This is a animation of my storyboard that was made with the correct timings of the scenes. this is obviously not in a lot of detail but had all the shots and scenes that we want in the music video. it is also color coordinated as pink is the logo or text, blue is for the story line and yellow is for the performance parts. we have also color coordinated the narrative parts so purple is for one brother and orange is for the second brother. 

Storyboard

 This is a animation of my storyboard that was made with the correct timings of the scenes. this is obviously not in a lot of detail but had all the shots and scenes that we want in the music video. it is also color coordinated as pink is the logo or text, blue is for the story line and yellow is for the performance parts. we have also color coordinated the narrative parts so purple is for one brother and orange is for the second brother. 

Song Permission

To be able to use the song Amsterdam by imagine dragons we needed to ask the band for permission first. I used there contact page on there official website and sent them an email which is shown below.

Song Choice

The song we have chosen to create a music video for is the song Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons which is of our chosen genre pop/rock and is a song from there album Night Visions. the song in my opinion is about many themes but mostly about aiming to aspire and to follow your dreams. it talks about persevering but also about being selfish and leaving people behind if it benefits you. it is also about letting his family down and how his brother has made the same mistakes as himself and how they have both let the mother and lovers down.

I'm sorry, mother... I'm sorry, I let you down
Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie
I'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam
Just by my left brain, just by the side of the Tin man

I'm sorry, brother... I'm sorry, I let you down
Well, these days you're fine - No these days you tend to lie
You'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam
Just by your left brain, just by the side of the Tin man

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's hard, believe me... I've tried
But I keep coming up short

I'm sorry, lover... I'm sorry; I bring you down
Well, these days I try and these days I tend to lie
Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be
You said yourself fantastically, "Congratulations you were all alone"

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's hard, believe me... I've tried
Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's hard, believe me... I've tried

But the rain won't fall for the both of us
The sun won't shine on the both of us
Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way
Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's hard, believe me... I've tried
But I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down
And I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down
And I keep coming up short

Music Industry Research

Music Video Research by Lauren Chapman

Dyers Star Theory And Analysis Of Katy Perry Roar

Record Labels

Record Labels by Lauren Chapman

Music Video Questionnaire And Analysis Of Results

to get an idea of the type of things that audiences like in music videos we created a survey on survey monkey to get a brief idea. below is the questionnaire that we created to gain this information.
Create your survey with SurveyMonkey

we collected 24 responses overall and the answers and results from the questionnaire are shown in the presentation below.

Questionnaire Results And Conclusions by Lauren Chapman

Demographics for the Indie/Rock Genre

Mood Board

Indie Rock conventions

conventions of indie rock from lauren chapman

Types of music videos

all music videos fall under one or more of the three categories of music videos; narrative, performance or concept.

narrative
a video that is mainly of a storyline that will mostly relate to the lyrics in some way. this is good for engaging the audience and helping them understand then song better. one disadvantage of narrative videos is that they can cost a lot of money for the record label to produce . there are sub-categories  of narrative which are; illustration which  closely reflects the lyrics. amplification which may be slightly influenced and then disjuncture which have little relationship with the song.  an example of this is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' song Same love which is the narrative of a young gay couple and there story of being accepted.

performance
these videos feature a performance from the band or from the audience. this is mostly used by rock bands as there concerts usually have high energy and makes the music video more engaging. this method is used to sell themselves and to promote themselves. this will also temp viewers to buy tickets for there next shows so it is a way of bringing in more profit.  they are usually cheaper in cost and only need a suitable place to film but this can sometimes cause them to be boring and lack some creativity. an example of this is A sky full of stars by the band Coldplay which is a performance video of Chris martin walking around a city playing his instruments and also shows his connection with his audience.

concept
these videos are more unusual and usually do not  relate to the lyrics of the song in nay way. they usually concentrate on certain idea such as a certain editing technique or other meanings. these videos are usually more creative and are sometimes symbolic which builds up a meaning. one disadvantage of this is they can sometimes be son random then do not make sense at all to the audience. animation usually falls under this category too with videos such as Rihanna rude boy. an example of a concept video is OK GO the one moment which has no relation to the song lyrics at all but is more of the concept of time and create a piece in such a short time. as this music video was filmed in 4.2 seconds it was then edited and slowed down to create a 3 minute long video.

Intertextuality

The definition of intertextuality is the process of creating references to one kind of media via another type. this could me films, music, TV or games. the theory was created by Kristeva and is based on semiology which includes signs and symbols. it is the theory that media products are based on or influenced by other media products. there are 3 types of intertextuality;


1.pastiche

pastiche is work that imitates other work but in funny way that doesn't completely take the mic out of the original work but just adds a funny twist and with more respect for the original work. an example of that is the song 'Fancy' by Iggy Azalea. the music video is inspired and uses many similar parts from the film 'Clueless' as for this film is set in a high school and the main character is known for his bright clothing and is most known for he bright yellow suit in which Iggy where's something very similar in the video. As you can see in the photo to the left the music video is copying the outfits exactly even having the best friend in the film in the same outfit.

2.parody

parody is used to make fun of the original work in an amusing way to create a comical effect and is usually used to take the mic out of a piece of work. for example in Eminems music video 'Without me' he wear a robin costume from the film 1960's batman which is shown on the photo on the right. the costume is exactly the same but  with an E for Eminem rather than a R for robin. the video is also about trying to save the world which is taking the mic out of the batman films.

3.homage

homage is done professionally and is usually a tribute to a piece of work either out of respect or admiration. such as Chris browns music videos she aint you he dresses up in the same outfit as Michael Jackson and also uses some of his dance moves to show tribute to the singer.

Digipack analysis - Haim

The second digipak I am analysing is Haim's album Days Are Gone. This digipak caught my eye as I am a fan of the band but also how simplistic it is which indicates that laid back and smooth their music is.


The first side of the digipack is the front cover which has a long shot of the three band member sat in the centre of the cover which again like The Weeknd's album supports Andrew Goodwin's theory of the star image. having the three band member will promote the album as there faces are recognisable and will make their audience want to buy there album. as well as the three female member sat on deckchairs on a grassy field they look laidback and chilled which indicates how chill and laidback their music are. small basic white text is placed at the top right and left corner with band name and the name of their album which is good for audiences that do not recognise the faces of the band members


The back cover is a plain white background white has the song titles in a basic typewriter black font which shows the audicance what songs are on the album and which order they come in. it also has small font at the bottom which explains the productions etc. for the digipak and album.


The CD itself is just as plain and basic as the back cover which again is consistent through the whole digipak. the text on the CD is again very basic typewriter text like the text on the back cover which again shows the consistency of the album. the text tells us the name of the band, the name of the album and the track list which are already repeated on the front and back cover.


The inside of the digipack has two images which both link and look similar to the front cover. the first one is a mid shot of the three band members with the same grassy background as the front cover. The second image is a long shot of three empty deckchairs in the same location as the previous two images. also inside the digipak is a booklet which has a image of the three band members on the front. the mid shot image shows the girls with their arms around each other witch shows their relationship and how close they are. this will attract their target audience and fan base as they will be influenced by their relationship. inside the booklet is a little description of the band and also the lyrics to the songs which will give the audicance a better understanding of the songs they are listening to.


overall I think the digipack is again very simplistic, although I like how the colour scheme, locations an images continues through the whole digipak.

Jewel Case Analysis - The Weeknd

The Jewel case I am analysing is The Weeknd's album Beauty Behind The Madness. The Jewel case firstly caught my eye due to the bright yellow text that stands out against the black and white background and images which connotes a positive vibe.

the first side of the case is the front cover which has the Weeknd's face in the centre of it as the star which could relate to Andrew Goodwin's theory of the star image that will help promote the album. The front cover is made of a shreds of a photo which are then placed together to create a surreal and mix matched look. the cover doesn't really indicate or hint at what the album is about as it is completely greyscale and doesn't even have the title on the front. the only other thing on the front of the cover is the explicit content sign which indicate that there will be explicit language in the album.

The actual CD gives more of an insight to the album than the front cover as it has the album name which is 'beauty behind the madness' in basic yellow font which again connotes a positive vibe which stands out against the black background. the artists name is also printed in a black font on a small yellow area.

the same colour scheme follows onto the back of the cover where a track list is printed in the same simple yellow font. the consistency of the colour makes the Jewel case look professional. the back cover also has the same 'rips' like a tear in the paper or like a vintage camera as the quality is intentionally slightly bad.

the inset from the case is a booklet with all the lyrics of the songs from this album. each page in the booklet has the same colour scheme and the ripped up look that the front and back cover also have, this is carrying on the consistency through the whole digipak. each page in the booklet has a large title of the song in a large yellow font and also has the song number in a bright and bold yellow box. The lyrics are written in a smaller and more basic yellow font so the title stands out against the rest of the text. rips and tears are again spread across the booklet as well as other images such as a clip of a woman's face with a yellow showdown over it.

overall the case is quite simple and I think intentionally made to be of slight bad quality. the colour scheme throughout is consistent and makes it look more professional and appealing tot he audience

.

What Is the differnece between a digipak and a jewel case?

A digipak

A digipak is a CD case that is usually split into 6 sections of squares, these are usually  made of card which are made from recycled materials and makes them ecofriendly and then they are placed in a plastic holder. Digipaks are used to promote the Album and are used for the physical sales of them. the digipaks usually offer more than a typical CD as they offer posters, song lyrics and more information on the inside.

A Jewel case

A jewel CD case is a compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was first released in 1982. these are usually made out of plastic and are less ecofriendly than the digipak. they are usually just a 2 or maybe 4 sided inside and does is not as artistic as the digipaks can be. a jewel case is also used to promote the album and are used for the physical sales of them.

Narrative Theories

Narrative theory Todorov
Todorovs theory is that every narrative weather it be music video or film that each will follow this structure which will help the narrative flow.
1. The narrative starts with a normal situation (equilibrium)
2. An action or character disrupts the equilibrium (disequilibrium)
3. The characters realize the problem (realization)
4. the character try to fix the problem (action)
5. Resolution occurs and equilibrium is restored (equilibrium)

Props Seven Characters
1. The hero - the character the seeks something
2. The villain - the character that blocks the hero quest
3. The donor - the character that helps the hero for example with an object
4. The helper - the character that helps the hero with the quest
5. The princess or prize - the character or the prize that the hero wants and what the villain tries to stop him from getting 
6. The false hero - that character that tries to take credit for the hero actions and tries to get the prize
7. The Dispatcher - the character that sends the hero on his/her quest

The Foo Fighters learn to fly - To show examples of these theories I studied the music video Learn To Fly by The Foo Fighters. Todorov's narrative theory fits the music video pretty well as the beginning of the video starts off with too cleaners on the plane looking mischievous as the hide a package on the plane but the audience didn't have and idea what they were doing till the end of the video. after this point the music kicks in the background and the plane sets off on its journey which starts off as a equilibrium. the equilibrium is then disrupted but the air hostess serving up coffee which accidentally had the erotic sleeping powder in what the cleaner hid. this means that all the passengers on the plane apart from a few were given the drink with the powder in, making them crazy and erotic. this also meant that the pilots were unable to fly the plane causing a bigger disruption. this is when the 3 band members step in and find the book that showed them 'how to fly' which is when the resolution is restored and they safely land the plane restoring the equilibrium. the props seven character theory also partially fits this narrative as the villains are obviously the villains that are poisoning the passengers. the hero is the band member that saves and lands the plane once that pilots are unable to land it. the doner is the second band member that gives the first one the book that teaches 'how to fly' which then causes him to land the plane safely. the prize in my opinion is the passengers on the plane that need saving and are relying on the hero to help. the helper is again the second band member that gave him the manual and also helped him land the plane.


 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert Same Love -The second music video i have studied to prove these theories is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert's song Same Love. Todorovs theory fits the narrative of this music video as the video starts of with multiple clips of different children playing with friends and with family happily. this is the equilibrium that todorov says that happens in the beginning of a narrative based video. the disruption occurs when one of the young boys grows up to about age 16 and starts to realise about his sexuality and realises he is gay. this is through certain clips such as when playing spin the bottle, going out to a club and going out with friends. this is the disruption as his friends and family are not supportive of his choice to be gay which causes him to lash out and become unhappy. he disruption esculates as he gets in a relationship with a male which again leads his parents to disagree with his decision. The equilibrium is then restored as gay marriage laws are changed which allows the couple to get married. The equilibrium is restored as the boy is as happy as he was when he was younger and his parents and friends have now accepted him. Props 7 character types are also portrayed in this music video. The villain in my opinion is everyone that does not accept him as gay including his parents and friends. The hero would be the gay man who seeks aceptance from the villains. The helper would be the mans boyfriend that helps him through the tough times. The donor I would personally say is the government who changed the marriage laws and allowed the man to be happy even though they are not technically in the music video. The donor could also be the victor that allowed them to get married in the church. 

Music Video Analysis - Imagine Dragons Believer

Imagine Dragons is part of the pop rock genre and so is the song Believer which is part of the Evolve album. the song is very personal to the band and is about embracing pain and using it as a tool for personal growth and to learn life lessons. the artwork in the video is very 80's based and very techno looking. the music video starts of with fast paced shots with lots of colour like red blue and yellow which could relate back to his childhood where he experienced all the pain. the first shots include close ups of the vocalist, coloured lights, stripes, close up of eyes and body parts all with blue, red or yellow lighting. the title Believer is shown in bold text on a 80s themed back ground with coloured stripes. CGI is used frequently throughout the music video to create 3d moving models of heads, body parts and other things relating to medical objects. the lyrics kick in and lip syncing starts and fits perfectly with a zoom and close up leading to an extreme close up of the lips. multiple shot of the band members playing instruments such as guitar, drums and other musical instruments on a brightly lit stage. lights flood the screen on many shots with Chiaroscuro lighting throughout too. during the fight scenes in the middle of the video, several shots are used such as a birds eye and a worms eye view, panning shots, long shot, crane shot and close ups. the hits and punches also match up with the beats of the music which creates a god effect.

Music Video Analysis - Kendrick Lamar Humble

Kendrick Lamar is part of the rap/ hip-hop genre and so is his song Humble which is part of his DAMN album. The song is basically Kendrick Lamar taking the mic and making fun of other rappers such as meek mill. during the music video he dresses up as Jesus which obviously has religious meaning as well as Kendrick taking the mic out of them thinking there 'god'. this video has he typical conventions of the rap genre such as money, drugs, girls and alcohol, which are used as objects to take the mic out of the other rapper that are bragging about these objects. the edits throughout the song change on the beat most of the time which makes the music video and story line follow through a lot better. Kendrick is the main star in his videos as is centre screen the majority of the time and has the most screen time being in 80% of the shots, this makes the audience focus on him mainly. he wears multiple costumes during the video such as he more royal costume when taking the mic out of the other rappers that think they are higher up. other outfits that he wear are very basic like plain black joggers and sweatshirts and also joggers and sweatshirts in camouflage , white, and grey which are very basic and casual showing that Kendrick himself is still humble to himself. the girls in the video are mostly nude and have little clothing on which is stereotypical how women are portrayed in this genre of music. this relates to Laura Mulveys theory of the male gaze as the audience for this music is usually more males. locations throughout such as the streets, the church and the bedroom where he was being shot all relate to the lyrics of the song explaining how Kendrick himself grew up.

Music Video Analysis - The Neighbourhood Sweater Weather

The Neighbourhood are part of the pop rock genre and the song I have decided to analyse is the song sweater weather from the album I Love You. in my opinion i think that the song is about a woman that the man wants but cannot have. i think that she knows he likes her and has a mutual attraction but nothing can happen between them as it could be just a summer love as the band are British and mention being on a Californian beach. some of the shots during the music video hint at this as well such as the clip of a man and a women that seem to have a one night stand, and several other shots that hint that they have to leave each other.. the first part of the music video is a blank white screen with THE NDHD written in black bold font which is the name of the band. the white screen then wipes to a pan shot with a group of lads in the penthouse. the music then kicks in with fast paced beats as cuts to a car driving down a beach road. then on every fast paced cut the screen cuts back to the penthouse location, then too the road again, then to a cut of vinyl's, then back to the penthouse and follows this pattern of cuts with other images of girls, boys playing outside, water, the beach and palm trees. when the lyrics kick text is printed on the screen in thin white font saying 'sweater weather which is the name of the song. the is a selection of shots used during the music video such as panning shot, long shot, close ups and extreme close up ups which creates a variety during the video. other techniques that I liked and stood out during the music video was the use of bokeh with light, the use of pull focus and the use of a projector. during the chorus where the speed of the song, the  beats and the lyrics all sloe down which results in the shots slowing down too. the shot is of the band members in the car which is slowed down purposely to match the speed of the music and in my opinion it fits in perfectly. the is lip syncing through 20% of the song which I think matches perfectly to the song lyrics. to end the music video the screen flips and fades to palm trees, cars , the beach which is projected on top of the boys. the boys then fade away and a white house symbol comes onto the screen as the song finishes.

Practise Camera Shots

this is a video montage of a selection of camera shots and techniques I would like to try and use on my music video. their is a range of shots from tight frames, pull focus and using methods like a dolly shot. we also practised using rule of thirds and leading lines to improve out composition.

Introduction

The focus for my A2 media blog is about music videos which involves me creating a music video as well as the promotional materials like a digipack and posters. we will get to choose our own genre which I have chosen is rock/pop rock. I have chosen this because I wanted something with good beats and something quite upbeat but not too aggressive. I have also chosen this genre as it is a genre that a lot of people enjoy and listen to. I want a song the is upbeat but also has some slow parts so I can show of my range of techniques and also something with a good narrative which will make it easy for us to film and make it more enjoyable. I have three songs in mind which are all from quite popular artists. the three songs I have narrowed my choice down to is;

• Imagine Dragons Amsterdam - which is about a breakup and getting away from his partner, this also has a good range of beats throughout.

• One Republic Dream - which is about wanting to be successful and to try and get where you want to be in life.

• Neighbourhood Sweater Weather - which is about another break up song which has more slower beats.