Summary of Vernalis's Theory

Carol Vernallis is a pivotal figure as she writes extensively about music videos and what she belives should be included and how they should be formed.

• Narrative in music videos is not always complete.
• No balance between Narrative and Performance.
• They don't always come to a resolution, like a traditional story.
• Questions are often posed within the narrative, that are not always answered in the video.

Rihanna's "We Found Love" is a key example of Vernallis' theory, as it is about two young people who seem to be in love, however it displays moments of doubt and arguments, as well as them having the time of their lives. In the begging of the video there is a voice narrating over images of them both, which introduces what is going on in the video. However, the video ends with a base track of Rihanna on the floor in darkness, which may imply there is no resolution and their relationship maybe like a routine and repetitive. 

Research - Synergy, Creating a Brand and Cross Media Products

Synergy, Creating a Brand and Cross Media Products

Synergy presentation

Research - Independent Reseach

Synergy Product - Independent Research

An artist that uses well the synergy product techniques I learned about is Avicii. His new album 'True' has a symbol that is seen in other promotional material and in music videos for songs in his album.

The album cover is black with the word 'True', which is the name of the album, written in big letters at the front. Behind the letters we see a dark silhouette of Avicii. Under the album title, we see a logo which could be the promotional logo Avicii is using for his materials. Under the logo we can see the artist's name in a smaller font. All the writing is in white, which makes it stand out from the dark coloured background. 

When it comes to the teasers of the albums and the trailers, Avicii has not really created a promotional video for the album. However, he has given his fans promotional materials such as 1 minute teasers on Youtube and he has also created some art work covers for some of the singles in the album. In these, we can see the same logo used in the album cover as well as the letters in the cover and the white colour used for the font. The way in which the artist is always behind the front is also similar. Also, the font and colour of the artist name is always the same. 

Avicii has also created a lyrics video for one if his upcoming tracks of his album. This promotes the song as well as the anticipation to see the real music video. It could perhaps work as another type of trailer for the album. Giving away the lyrics makes the viewers remember the song. In the lyrics video, we can see Avicii. It doesn't really have any similar features like the ones used in the other promotional material and album cover. 

This is the official video for the song 'Wake me up', which is one of the track in his last album. In the video, we come across with the same logo as the album cover many times as they are displayed as a tattoo in the girl's arm. It acts as a reference to the album as well as promoting it throughout. The girl then meets a group of people who also have the logo tattooed. Also, at the end we see Avicii playing his set with the logo in the background. lastly at the end of the whole video we see the name of the song, the director and then we come across the logo again in a black background. This makes a reference to the album. 

To summarise, key characteristics such as the logo, dark background and white font are features that make a reference of the album and promotes it as we see a visual image that help use to remember who the artist is and the album. It creates an identity for the brand across all the products. 

Research - Individual analysis of costume, props, location and setting

Analysis of costume, props, location and setting in a music video

Information: The scenes I spoke about in here are repeated a lot of time throughout the video as well as many costumes changes and props used. I have tried to explain the principal characteristics whilst analysing this video. The order of the timeline goes from the bottom dot the top one. Click on each dot. Below you can see the direct link to the timeline where you can see it either text or timeline view, whichever is easier.

Direct link to timeline:
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/analysing-afrojack-ft-steve-aoki-no-beef

Video analysed:
Afrojack ft Steve Aoki - No beef

Research - Review of previous student video

Review of Previous Student Video

Looking at different previous student music videos, I came across a video that was entertaining. However, I was looking for a different one that I saw previously but I could not find it online; I would not mind working with an indie song. I like this video because it meets the typical characteristics for a indie music video. The main thing I noticed is the use of instruments throughout the entire video. Also, in regards to costume, they had 3 different outfits. They were all casual, but they often changed at the same time as the location. For most of the shots used, the camera was still and showing a medium shot. Also, the lead singer tends to be shown more. On beat transition made the video follow the rhythm of the song.

The video does not necessarily have a narrative; it is mainly the band playing their guitar. We could say that the video supports Andrew Goodwin's idea of the video not having to have a narrative whatsoever. However, a good use of base tracking and lip sync is used throughout the video.

Only criticism I would have is that perhaps the character with short hair should not have attempted to pretend to play the guitar as it is clearly visible that he didn't know how to play it. This makes the video look very 'studenty'. Other than that, for an indie music video it is not a bad idea and I now have an idea of what to do and what not to do for my own music video.

 Here we can see the type of casual clothing they wore and the different locations, as well as a close up of an instrument used.

Mulvey's Theory

Unlike Goodwin Laura Mulvey has a theory about the 'male gaze' and how this is used in music videos, where the men would play the voyeurist. The lethal 'male gaze' gives women an unfair representation within society, simply creating the idea that women were created for male pleasure and satisfaction.




Dizzee Rascal's 'Holiday' is a prime example in showing how the portrayl of women is extremely undermining. The use of dismembering shots, which means that the frame of the camera cuts the womens body up, highlighting her assets which is traditionally the bum or the breasts.

Another example of Mulvey's prominant 'male gaze' can be recognised in Nicki Minaj's 'Superbass', featuring her as the protagonist and can clearly be seen as the main focus within the video.

Within this video lots of topless men (as vaguely seen in the background) play the role of voyeurs or observers as Nicki the performer flaunts around in a skimpy swimsuit where her breats and bum are in the centre of the frame. This representation as Mulvey says, is responsible for the fascination and fantasys men may have about women.

"In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure which is styled accordingly."  Laura Mulvey 1992

This quote cited by Mulvey can be recognised in Dizee Rascal's video, where he is dressed in a white 'pimpish' suit, not exposing his torso atall, which shows how women are styled specifically for men to gain their pleasure. 

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin has a theory which he uses in reference to how music videos are made, as well as how the audience may percieve them.



Goodwin also feels that Pop videos do not need to confrom to a traditional narrative, therefore his main thesis has these aspects within it:

• ILLUSTRATION:

This aspect meaning that the video is built around the lyrics of the song, as opposed to traditional narrative structures (that often require a resolution), however Illustration normally uses Dance to express feelings and moods within the song. Therefore, it is solely a visual demonstraion of lyrics.



Owl City's 'Fireflies' is a  music video that demonstrates Goodwin's idea of Illustration in Music Videos, due to the literal meaning of the lyrics being displayed on screen, using props.

AMPLIFICATION: 

This applies when videos introduce new meanings that add layers of meaning, without contradicting the lyrics. Therefore, basetracks or repeated images would be vital in allowing the video to be understood, having these images drummed into our vision.

Beyonce's 'If I Were a Boy' is a clear example of Amplification as it does not correspond to the lyrics, however the dialogue within the video can add an extra layer of meaning within the Video, as it explains the role reversal that goes on in the video, as well as Beyonce participating in the Video herself and narrating her experiences and feelings.

DISJUNCTURE:

This is when a music video has a minor connection to the lyrics or where the video may be non-conformist to the lyrics. For example, Paradise by Coldplay features a man in an elephant costume on a journey to find 'Paradise' which is where the rest of his heard of friends are; also showing his journey to get there.

 



Overall Goodwin's theory can be recognised in many Music Videos, they also appeal to a wider audience without stereotyping or causing turmoil, they simply either convey strong emotion visually or have a completely different, or unexpected outlook on what the lyrics mean.







Reflection of the AS year

The skills at I had learnt last year, especially the technical skills will be valid for shooting our Music Video this year, however some aspects of these skills will be enhanced and developed:

• For our Thrillers we used the Camera on a Tripod so it was static, as opposed to this year we will have to use a fig-rig as no music videos are ever static as this will not allow the video to feature any sense of rhythmn.
• In our AS year we also played about with representations and the conventions that society use to demonstrate a particular type of person. This will still be valid for A2 as we will be representing our brand and the genre of music that we have chosen through the use of miss en scene. 

Here is mine and my groups Thriller from last year:

24. Minh Ngan, Molly Clift, Doan Luu Nguyen, Augusto Pitsilides from 283goswell on Vimeo.
(Password:Student)

Overall, I feel that we had a variation of strong ideas:

• Our title sequence was original; using social media icons to illustrate our names.
• We didn't give too much information away, we set out our storyline of an online predator and an innocent school girl, although we did not expose any rich information.
• Moreover, our soundtrack choices and camera angles were vital in expressing status and vulnerability within the characters.

This year I feel that I can improve my work and dedicate my time to ensure that my groups music video match the criteria set out and in the hope we will achieve a high grade.

Research- The Function of a Music Video

The Function  of a Music Video 

Music videos vary generally depending on the genre, artist and type of song. The overall function of a music video is to give the audience some visual entertainment aswell as something interesting to listen to. Usually by accompanying a song with a video will appeal to many more people which results into selling more copies. However music videos have only been out for around 30 years which makes it still  relatively recent.

In present day music videos are fairly expensive and record companies hope to win back a profit by making it appealing and interesting, they also include such things as product placement in which a company will pay to have their products featured within the  video. For example Miley Cyrus new single 'we cant stop' features the new dr dre beats speakers. They hope that fans will see Miley is using this and then go and by one for themselves.

Usually when a single is released in most cases it is to also promote other aspects of the artist themselves such as their album about to be released or when it already has been released. Record companies will usually  release the song in which they believe would be most popular to attract more people to buy the whole album.

Although some music videos can feature little to nothing about the single a good classical music video i believe is the cha cha slide.

The Cha Cha Slide lyrics literally correspond to the movements within the video. The beat stays very similar all the way through and includes no dramatic instrument/beat changes. Throughout the video i counted 8 basetracks, they all include the same dance its just being performed by different people in different locations. The main feature of this video is the fact that it makes the viewer want to be apart of the dancing and the video is very encouraging to do so, the singer/rapper Mr C is breaking the fourth wall by directly looking into the camera as if he is telling us the moves and to join in.

As Year Reflection

Reflecting back on the AS year

Before entering my AS year i had taken media for GCSE, it was my favorite subject therefore i knew i wanted to take it up as one of my A levels, although i knew it was going to be a big jump from GCSE i didn't realise how much more skills and knowledge i was going to learn throughout the AS year.

• Firstly each group had to create their own blog dedicated to their work which was filled information and images, this was my very first time of using a blog and learnt how to include various different pieces of technology such as including a GIF, how to blog a you tube video and post programs such as prezi. 
• After we filmed our prelim which taught us the basics on how to use a camera and to set up a tripod, we used these skills to film our thriller opening. 
• This lead on to us being taught how to use final cut pro which is a program which includes things such as editing footage -for example shortening a piece, or adding things such as transitions and titles. 
• Throughout the year we learnt how to use many other programs such as Quark, Camtasia and the equivalent to final cut pro but with sound which was soundtrack pro. 
• Not forgetting all the essentials such as being shown how to use a Camera (specific shots and angles for to convey different meanings) and finally how to upload videos. 

After completing all AS work for the last three weeks we teamed up with new people to film the first 30 seconds of a music video, this allowed us to get a feel for what practical we would be doing during A2 and simple techniques used when filming a music video such as no use of a tripod (having no static camera movements). 

Our group decided to film the first 30 seconds of Briney Spears -Hit me baby one more time, in which i was Britney. 

It can be seen here: 

The cover for our music video was planned and produced after we had filmed and edited the video itself, therefore the images i used had to be taken specifically from the footage which isnt ideal and ensures that when i create the cover for our A2 media video i will plan and take images while filming.

Research - Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Research - Laura Mulvey

Laura  Mulvey's theory

Laura Mulvey wrote about representation in the media. She says that mainstream narrative cinema manipulates visual pleasure, especially male, by exposing woman in a way that they are sexually exposed. According to her, many music videos are shot with the male audience as a target. Female fans also watch these videos but they are more aimed at the male gaze. The term ‘Scopophilia’, the pleasure of looking, has been introduced into her theory, as figural looking is apparently the most pleasurable way of looking at the human race and form. However, this is mainly for the male gaze, which is why women are seen mainly as sexual objects in the media today.

Observing music videos in relation to Mulvey’s theory, they often have women showing more flesh than men, perhaps to make them appear as sex symbols. Women are mostly shown on their underwear. Parts of their body are revealed by the use of close ups on women’s body parts. These are often used more than shots of their face. On the other hand, men are shot as the more dominant figure compared to women. 

I looked at two videos that depict Mulvey's ideas:

Tinie Tempah - Trampoline

These are some screenshots of scenes that make women the subject of the male gaze. Compared to Tinie, women are displayed on their underwear whereas he is fully clothed, seen as the dominant character.

David Guetta - Sexy Chick

This video clearly proves Mulvey's point when it comes to women. The level of clothing between both sexes is not the same. Again, this video is more focused for the male gaze.

Research - Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis Theory

Theorist Carol Vernallis stated a theory based around four key topics that relate to the way a music video is manufacture. These are: Narrative, editing, camera movement and framing. She mentions that the narrative in a music video doesn’t necessarily have to make sense or have any sort of story, but it doesn’t give a visual response to the lyrics of the song. The narrative may sometimes be divided in parts or may appear in fragments. However, if the video ends uncompleted, it can leave us unsure about what happens next. Music videos are not always balanced between narrative and performance.

Vernallis says that in a music video, the video may be disrupt or break the conventions of continuity editing. It is more likely to see jump cuts, changes in pace, graphic matches and different cuttings in a music video rather than a regular video. Also, she mentions that the editing may be visible and not hidden like continuity style.

Regarding Camera movements, Vernallis states that establishing shots are one of the key features of a music video and are used frequently as well as close up shots. Also, the camera is rarely still and it may move in time with the lyrics. 

These are some example that illustrate her ideas:

The imagery of the videos does not exactly relate to the song. Dancers and slightly exaggerated costumes are not relevant to the lyrics. 

Again, what we see in the video is not really relevant to the lyrics. However, it is something we would visualise in relation to the song when listening to it. There are various jump cuts and close ups, as well as base tracking 

Research - What is the function of a music video

Function of a Music Video

A music video is a visual recording that is accompanied by a popular song. Depending on the song, the video could interpret a storyline that relates to the message of the song or it could be a more uplifting video that includes a dance routine or many other forms of entertainment. Music videos have changed from how they were before. Today, music videos are much more stylised, from camera angles and editing techniques, to controversial storylines. Music videos are now part of an artist’s success within the music industry because it gives them a chance to promote their singles and album releases. Some people are more interested on how the music video would look like rather than the actual song itself.

The main purpose of a music video is to promote the artist and the music. The visuals of a music video makes consumers remember a specific visual image in their head that accompanies the song whenever they listen to it. The song will become easier to remember. An example of this could be Psy’s Gangnam Style. The music video shows a dance that became a viral success. Everyone has seen it and remembers it whenever they hear the song. The storyline of the video allows the viewers to engage both visually and audibly to the song.

However, for the consumers, one of the main reasons we look at music videos is for entertainment. Viewers get entertained by watching the music videos that highlight the artist’s talent and creativity. Music videos are a marketing tool to help sell the artist, the music, and products.