30 second breakdown - Bowling For Soup

I chose this video to analyse as it had a lot of cuts in the first 30 seconds which made me think about how many shots actually go into a music video. There are 31 shots in 30 seconds. 

Lip Syncing Practice

                

For this we had to practice our lip syncing to the song we were given to make sure we could all do it in time. This also helped us to chose who would be Britney as to who got on with this task better. 

Storyboard

Today our group created the storyboard to show the shot by shot detail we needed to add to our music video and to show the order in which the shots of Britney and the back-up dancers come on-screen. This also helped us to recreate the correct framing and to identify the duration of the shot. 

Lyrics - Hit Me Baby One More Time

Below are the lyrics for Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time that my group will use in order to recreate the first minute of the music video. 

However, because we are only filming the first minute we only need a small section of the lyrics:

Location Recce Shots

For the settings of our music video, we need a corridor and a class room, within a school environment. As we are only filming the first minute our locations were easy to find and use as they are on school grounds. We will use these locations below to shoot our recreation of the music video.  

Prop List

For our prop list, we watched the music video to see what props we would need in order to re-create the first 1 minute of the music video. Here are some of the props we came up with:

• Pink Hair bands & pink ribbon
• Shirt, Tie, Long socks, grey cardigan, black shoes (heeled shoes for Britney)
• Silver hooped earrings 
• School bell & Clock
• Books, folders, pens & school bags
• Boys costumes need to be a white shirt, tie and a blazer, some need a hat
• Girls costumes need to be a grey or white knee-high socks, white blouse, grey cardigan, black skirt (back up dancers don't need a grey cardigan)

Intro to Preliminary Task - Hit Me Baby One More Time

For our preliminary task we were given Britney Spears' 'Hit Me Baby One More Time'. For this task we must recreate the first minute of the music video, including planning, filming and editing the shots together to recreate the sequence. 

Firstly, I thought this was going to be a challenging task as they were a lot of shots which cross over and I thought this would be difficult to film and edit together. Once we'd split this up it looked much simpler. I think this will be fun to film and recreate.

Dry The River - No Rest

Today we looked at the music video 'No Rest' by Dry The River and analysed the music video they created. Firstly we just listened to the song to see if we could create a similar music video to the original. We tried to pick out the genre and group size as well as the target audience and the lyrics that would fit in with the music video. We also came up with a potential narrative, setting, costume, camera shots and the visuals to match the lyrics. Here are some of the notes I made:



Genre: We thought the genre came under Rock/ Pop as it was quite quirky but not mainstream enough to be just pop

Grouping: On hearing the song without the music video we immediately thought there was a band with a lead singer as one voice sounded more prevalent 

Target Audience: This band we thought aimed their song at a target audience of teen - 20 year old girls

Lyrics: We thought the lyrics portray a potential love story being chased or a reminiscence of a previous relationship. 'I loved you in the best way possible' 

Pace: At the beginning of the song the pace starts of really slow and then speeds up a little but remains at a slow pace throughout. In certain places it speeds up and the pace quickens to build tension and it is quicker in the choruses compared to the verse.

Narrative: I thought the potential narrative could have been portrayed as something to do with anger or love as the lyrics suggested. At first we interpreted the song to have more performance than narrative. 

Setting: To fit with the performance aspect we assumed the video would be set at a concert/gig location. 

Costume: We thought the band would be dressed in casual 'jeans and t-shirt' clothes which also fits with the setting and narrative. However we thought they would be wearing mainly darker items of clothing. 

Camera Shots: As you hear the lead singers voice above the other band members we thought there would be a lot of close ups which would help create star image but also to highlight his importance. We also thought there would be wide shots to establish the setting, as well as tilted angled shots looking up at them from a crowds perspective as if they were on stage. 

Visuals to match lyrics: We imagined there would be some Greek gods as visuals which link to the lyrics 'like Solomon or Rehoboam' as these reminded us of the god of love who may be featured in the video.

We then shared our ideas as a class and other groups came up with some other ideas:

• Set in a medieval castle with a king and queen - the lead singer being the king
• Relationship cycle - love chase with rejection involved
• Black and white filters to be used 
• Birds, in particular doves, as they thought the main theme was love and the lyrics mentioned birds flying around

After this discussion, we watched the video to discover, the video was totally different to all of our ideas. From this I learnt that a song and its lyrics can create many different interpretations without the video to support them. It made me think of all the possibilities you could create with just one line of lyrics. I will take this into consideration when making my music video. 

Radiohead - Street Spirit

Today we looked at the song 'Street Spirit' by Radiohead and analysed the music video they created. We looked at the transitions, order of narrative, pace, special effects, framing, camera angles , movement  and Mise En Scene with the music video. Here are some of the notes I made:


Transitions 
Slow 
Very few transitions 
Fade/ Dissolves 
Straight cuts 

Order of Narrative 
Isn't a narrative
Random
No Link 

Pace 
Fairly slow 
Sometimes fast
Focuses on one shot for a long time

Special Effects 
Slow motion 
Black and White 
Shadows 

Framing 
Close ups
Prevalence
Lead singer was always central
Lead singer was in the foreground/ other band members are mostly in the background 

Camera Angles  
Close ups 
High Angles 
Long Shots 
Wide Shots 

Movement 
Slow 
Sometimes even slower in slow motion 
Still

Mise En Scene 
Black Clothing
Caravans
Chairs 
Low key lighting 

What music means to me

For this task we had to decide upon 3 songs which were important to us or had a certain memory/ reason behind/attached to them. 
I created a prezi to present these songs:

Lady Antebellum 'Need You Now' Goodwin & Vernallis Analysis

The third video I chose to analyse is Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now' music video as it also conforms to 4 of Goodwin's conventions. 

The first being the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals whereby the lyrics are amplified and partially illustrated through the use of two people being separated and looking lonely but also seeking someone for comfort as they both sing 'I need you now'. As they sing 'I'm all alone' these lyrics are illustrated by them both being in a big room by themselves which also amplifies the lyrics at the same time. 

Secondly, thought beats are included in the video as the piano is one of the main instruments used throughout the video and in parts the video cuts to the actual pianist as you hear the piano in the music. A few of the cuts/ transitions also move in-time to the beat of the music creating more thought beats throughout this video. 

Multiple close-ups are used during the video to create the star image of the women who appears to be the lead singer. The close-ups are used to specifically make her look more important compared to the other band members and this helps to make her stand out compared to them. 

The last of Goodwin's conventions used in this music video is genre relations and iconography. The partial narrative used portrays a love story and so tied into the music video were 'romantic props' such as roses, bottles/glasses of champagne and rose petals scattered. The genre was obviously romance and this was particularly portrayed through the use of props. 

The music video also conforms to all 4 of Carol Vernallis' theories as it has narrative though it is not chronologically shown but the editing fits, so does the camera work and diegesis is also used. 

The narrative is strong throughout the music video but is not in any logical order so at times it becomes a little confusing, it sometimes appears disjointed. Although the narrative does fit the genre and the theme of the video and the music.

The editing matches the musical phrase and beat of the music and the video does cut generally in time with the beats in the music. 

Camera work is very important and used very heavily throughout this music video to help with the narrative and performance of the music video. Wide shots as well as close ups are most commonly used within the video which familiarise the audience with the face of the lead or individual artist. 

The diegesis is revealed quite slowly in the music video as well as repetition of the lyrics and some shots, in particular when they sing about needing someone. At times it appears there are gaps in our understanding in relation to time and space, and narrative and performance. 

Carol Vernallis Analysis

She believes there are 4 important stages to creating a successful music video

1. Narrative 

• The video is a visual response to the music 
• The video suits the style and genre of the music and the look of the artist. It also cuts in time and rhythm with the soundtrack 
• There is not necessarily always a balance between narrative and performance 
• The narrative is not always complete - it may be a partial, fragmented narrative
• The structure of the video may appear disjointed - this is typical to the pop genre as it relies heavily on the artists performance rather than a story line. The different scenes are incomplete/disjointed and do not really tell a story, conforming to the 'quirky' indie pop genre
• Something drives he video forward, but often it is not the narrative. It could be the music, the performance, a mixture or some other element. 

2. Editing 

• May match the musical phrases or beat
• The video in general cuts to the beat of the music or in time with the lines in the song to run fluently alongside the music. Every movement, action or cut in the visuals fits with the rhythm of the soundtrack. 
• The video may disrupt/ break many of the 'rules' of continuity editing - this is a clear convention of music video editing
• Editing may become 'foregrounded' - the edits may be really obvious, to draw attention to themselves as opposed to invisible, continuity editing 

3. Camera Work 

• Extreme shot types are very common 
• Mid shots and close-ups are more common, familiarising the audience with the face or the artist
• The style of framing and movement may run through the video and be distinctive to that video 
• The camera may move in time with the music 
• The camera may move on the lyrics 

4. Diegesis

• May be revealed quite slowly 
• Actions are not necessarily completed 
• Character or object movements may move to the music 
• There may be gaps in the audience's understanding of the diegesis - in time and space, music, performance and narrative
• Some frames may be more important than others 
• There may be any repetitions e.g Musical phrases, the beat, other musical elements, themes, lyrics, performance, colours, images, camera positions

Rihanna 'Stay' ft. Mikky Ekko - Goodwin & Vernallis Analysis

The second music video I chose to analyse is Rihanna's 'Stay' ft. Mikky Ekko. The video conforms to 4 of Goodwin's theories. 

The first being the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as they are amplified by the music video as they state they're both wanting someone to stay but the video shows them individually alone and their facial expression portray them as looking lonely and upset. The lyrics are amplified by this video as Rihanna is made to look as though she is drowning her sorrows in the bath because she is going through a relationship breakup. 

Multiple close-ups are used very often throughout this video mostly to capture her facial expressions but also this creates a star image as she is prevalent compared to Mikky Ekko. From this we know that she is the main character/ lead singer and is therefore the most important. 

In the music video thought beats are partially used but are not very often as on several occasions she closes her eyes on the note that the piano key plays. Also some of the transitions change on the beat of the music too which creates an effective thought beat. 

Voyeurism is also used within this video but is not as obvious and not used as often and that would contradict the theme and issues being portrayed. At the beginning of the music video, the camera sections Rihanna's body up as she gets undressed. This is part of the 'male gaze' and is supposed to make us look at Rihanna in the same way that males would.   

This music video conforms to 3 of Carol Vernallis as there is a strong narrative with editing that fits to the song and the camera work.

The narrative is very strong throughout the video and stays in a chronological order. Its a visual response to the lyrics and the music which is portrayed through the video. It also cuts in time and rhythm with the soundtrack. 

The editing matched the musical phrases and beat for the majority of the video and the video in general cuts to the beat of the music and sometimes in time to the lyrics and lines of the song. 

The camera work conformed to Vernallis' theory as close-ups and mid shots were more commonly used throughout the entire video, this enables us to familiarise the audience with the face or the artist. The framing was unique as she was usually to the side of the frame rather than central although at points the camera did move in time/speed of the music.

Katy Perry 'Last Friday Night' - Goodwin & Vernallis Analysis

The first video I chose to analysis is Katy Perry's 'Last Friday Night'. This song only conforms to 4 of Goodwin's conventions. 

The relationship between lyrics and visuals are illustrated in the video as she sings about 'last Friday night' and the video shows several flashbacks from the previous night she's singing about. She sings about getting up to things she doesn't remember ending up online - 'pictures of last night ended up online'. The video to match this shows her sitting on her bed with her laptop looking at the pictures that seem to have been posted on social media sites. 

There are multiple close up shots of her dressed before she went to the party and then also as she comes down the stairs after being made over. We get the sense that she is the main character/ lead and this creates a star image as she is the only one who is featured in close ups making her seem the most important.

Genre-related props and iconography is also conformed to in this video as it's more a pop song and fits in with the traditional girly themed videos. Also their costumes are pink so this also fits in with a more girly theme. 

Voyeurism is used in this music video but it isn't as prevalent as in some music videos. At certain points, for example, when she walks up the stairs, the camera shot shows her legs being sectioned off from the rest of the body so that we see her from the 'male gaze'. Several times the camera shot is only focused on her legs or her bum which is another example of voyeuristic angles. 

The music video also conforms to all 4 of Vernallis' theories as the camera work, Diegesis, editing and narrative. 

The video does have a narrative however it appears very disjointed and confused as it doesn't follow a chronological order.  Although, the video is a clear visual response to the music/ lyrics and in turn illustrate the lyrics. 

The video/editing in general cuts to the beat of the music or in time with the lines in the song to run fluently alongside the music. Every movement, action or cut in the visuals mostly fit with the rhythm of the soundtrack.  

There are a variety of shots used including some close-ups, medium shots and some tracking shots. The camera also moves in time with the music and beats. 

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements.

Conventions 
1. Relationships between lyrics and visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradicts the lyrics 
Jess Glynne - Hold my Hand "standing in a crowded room"

2. Thought beats: seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradicts the music) - chorus, verse & instruments 
Nick Jonas - Jealous 

3. Genre-related style and iconography present 
Meghan Trainor - Dear future husband 

4. Multiple Close-ups of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognizable brand image 
Beyonce - If I were a boy 

5. Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females - male audience is enticed 
Lady Gaga - Telephone ft. Beyonce 

6. Inter-textual references to other media texts may be present especially in humorous videos - taking things from other texts to use in your own. 
Flashlight by Jessie J 

Key Aspects 

Goodwin stated in his theory behind music videos that there are 5 key aspects that are used to combine a successful music video.

1. Thought Beats: When you 'see' the sound

• Goodwin categorized this aspects in 3 steps:

1. Interpret the music by looking at verses and choruses
2. Goodwin says this is the 'voice within the song' - this is when the artists voice is extremely unique and can be recognized for this quality.  
3. Goodwin states this step's where the artist is telling a story within their songs as therefore generates their reputation as a 'storyteller'. Music video is created to emphasize.

2. Narrative and Performance

• Goodwin stated that music videos should avoid the common narrative as their role is more to advertise than become a story. Lip Syncing and other actions featured in the video increase its verisimilitude  and therefore prevents the audience from disbelieving the narrative.

3. The Star Image 

• Goodwin identified that the star image is another key aspect within music videos. He believes that an iconic star image can increase the audience awareness of the artist and can show development of a star over time. 

4. Relation of Visuals to the song 

• Illustrate/ Amplify/ Disjuncture

5. Technical Aspects of a Music Video

• Camera (angle, frame), Sound (pitch, pace), Mise-en-Scene (lighting, props, costume, setting), Editing (cuts, special effects, pace of film clip)
• This key aspect identifies the different considerations when creating a music video to ensure its visual success.

Reflection 1

Today we had our first media lesson of the A2 course whereby, we create, edit, and perform in our assigned music videos. I decided to look at some music videos from the pop genre, which I prefer the most, to gain some understanding as to whether narrative or performance is more important as I don't usually watch music videos. 

I looked at Jason Derulo's 'Want you to want me' video where the narrative outweighed the performance however there was still an element of performance throughout. It also made me realise how many cuts and shot there are in a music video, especially in the first 30 seconds. 

I also looked at Ariana Grande's 'One more time' video where there is barely any performance however, the narrative doesn't match the lyrics, therefore there is no relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, making them totally contradict each other. 

I'm interested in looking at more music videos and broadening my musical taste to genre's I wouldn't usually listen to. 

Music Video Features

Features of a music video can include: 

• Thought beats - the transitions happen in time with the music 
• The music video sometimes tells the story (narrative) behind the song 
• Style of video and the genre of the song fit with the music video 
• Iconography (props)
• Lots of shots, cuts, transitions - long shots/short shots
• Fast pace editing 
• Looks professional 
• Variety of settings/locations
• Filters - Colour editing/good editing
• Lip syncing and overlapping of the video 
• See the artist performing 
• Practical video, no lip syncing - dancing/instruments