The Development of Music Videos

The dates below show some how music videos have changed over time in order to adapt to the music style of their time frame including very successful artists.

1929 Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blue's

1940 Disney - Fantasia

1956 Tony Bennett - Stranger In Paris

1964 Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

1975 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

1980s  Michael  Jackson - Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean

1990 MC Hammer- Can't Touch This  

Still Image

The still image I have decided to look at is from the music video Beyoncé - Countdown. I chose to select this point of the music video as I thought it was an interesting visual image. The first thing which my eyes are drawn to is Beyoncé. There are several clips of her dancing cut into the same point of the music video the camera is zoomed out to allow our eyes to notice this and pan across watching all the different dance moves taking place at once. The difference in shoe colours highlight to the audience that these are separate clips in one frame shot as they are quite bright and vibrant colours. The fact that there are several images of Beyoncé dancing in this still image emphasises the energy and life which she has and is suited to the upbeat song. It shows off her figure and the fact that she appears well on screen. Shape and designalso plays a key part in this still image, aside from the different dance moves Beyonce is doing there are several other factors which we can see. The windows are rectangular and have several different pane colours, they appear to be rugged and hide the building outside reflecting a inner city dance studio. The floor is market with grey and white stripes which contrasts with Beyoncé's shoes and catching your eye. This slightly draws some attention away from Beyoncé as your eyes are lifted up, nonetheless she does remain to be a strong focal point.

COMPARING MY THREE MUSIC VIDEOS

Birdy Skinny - Love

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Benny Benassi - House Music

When writing three texual analysis' for these music videos I noticed a few similarities and differences. The pace of the edits and camera shots in the music videos was  suited to the genre of music. Birdy's music video represented the genre of folk the screen shots and the pace of the music was generally quite slow without large variations throughout the music video however this is in contrast to Vanilla Ice and Benny Benassi who followed the rhythm and beat of their genres which as it is house and dance music makes the pace quite fast.. The muisc videos largely used the same shots such as close-ups, mid shots, high and low angles and also hand-held cameras. The artists all appeared in their music videos which is a popular theme of music videos and the music videos supported the ideas of the lyrics.  All three music videos break the idea of the 'fourth wall' at some point during the music videos the artist looks directly into the camera directly at the audience when presenting their music videos. This is typical in a majority of music videos today where the key performing directly to the audience. Other music videos which are narrative tend to keep all ideas within the world of the music video therefore don't make any eye contact with the audience, it is as if the actors or themes displayed appeared to be alone absorbed in the music video, therefore the video consists of intra-diegetic gazes. 

Looking at these music videos I have been able to see that there are generally differences between the way in which music videos are presented because of their music genres but there are also a lots of similar features which can be seen across all three. Birdy's video has a greater focus on expressing the storyline and the meaning of the lyrics in the soundtrack. The colours and mise en scene used in all music videos are directly in relation to the mood of the song. Birdie's music video uses plain and basic colours such as black and white to relate to the mellow mood of the music whereas the other music videos are full of bright contrasting colours this also applies to the clothing of the artists in the music videos of Birdie and Vanilla Ice. Unlike his music video Benny Benassi wears plain clothing, in my opinion this is to show he is relatively normal and simple personality which contrasts to the upbeat and lively music he produces. This contributes to his artist image which does not reflect a flashy extravagant celeb.

Benny Benassi - House Music

Benny Benassi – House Music

The third music video I have looked at for my textual analysis is by the artist Benny Benassi called House Music released on 27^th December 2010. This video is unique in my opinion as it’s main focus is how music has shaped the lifestyle and career of Benny Benassi. Rather than being solely a promotion material for the song it looks at the artist’s point of view on his own music, his fans and how it affects his life. The first thing heard on the sound track is a siren, the audience can see the night life of the town taking place. The edits to support these visuals are quite quick reflecting how busy and alive the town is at night similar to the nature of the sound track. As the sound track begins the edits of the music video are in sync with the beat of the song. The video uses several inter-titles the record company 'ULTRA MUSIC' and their logo appears on the screen at the beginning of the music video. The title of the sound track 'House Music' and the only lyrics to the song appear on the screen several times when used in the lyrics. This encourages the audience to sing and dance along to the music video as their are only two words used and the beat is very lively. The inter-titles of the music appear at a fast pace to match the energy and enthusiasm of the club.

The music video uses a wide screen shot to display the streets of the town at night which creates a cinematic view to the music video and implies that the music video is narrative therefore will tell a story. However this contradicts the music video as it is performance based as Benny Benassi presents his life to the audience through the sound track. A hand held camera is used as Benny Benassi walks through the dark streets into the bulding and onto the DJ set in the club, this shows us how unbalanced his lifestyle is as begings work at night. We also see that Benny Benassi is being escorted in the club and filmed by others using hand-held cameras and over the shoulder shots which stresses his importance in the music industry. High angle shots are used frequently when filming Benny Benassi which show that his superiority. His DJ Booth is high above the congested crowds whic look up to him and his performance. High level shots are used in the club which mean that the viewers of the music video can only see a close-up of hands up in the air as the crowds dance and enjoy Benny Benassi's music. Benny Benassi's enjoyment of the soundtrack is presented to the audience using panning shots and close-ups to show his facial expressions and dance movements. The lighting in the club is generally quite dark, this combined with the sound track creates an intriguing atmosphere. There is reguarly use of bright lighting and flashing lights which support the energy and excitement of the club. The lighting is also used to create suspense for moments on the soundtrack where there is a crescendo and the audience excitement increases yet again. Benny Benassi music video and sound track appears to contrast with his own appearance which seems to be calm and collected, he is dressed casually wearing a plain jumper carrying a bag over his shoulder with his equipment. This does not fit the apparent fame which his music has given him. The music video shows that the genre of house music is very dependent on technology, Benny Benassi has a MAC laptop, headphones, and speakers with him during his performance. 

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby

I have also looked at a popular song called Ice Ice Baby by a hip hop artist Vanilla Ice released on 2^nd July 1990. It also includes some elements of the Jack Swing genre. Vanilla Ice uses some music from the sound track Under Pressure by Queen and Bowie. The music video is performance-based as it focuses on Vanilla Ice performing a song about himself. The fun nature of the song implies that it will not only be focused at hip hop audiences, but also party atmospheres and people of all ages as shown in the video. Throughout the music video there are several visual images which reflect the lyrics of the soundtrack. The graffiti design saying ‘Ice Ice Baby’ is matched in time with the lyrics, certain dance moves appear each time the lyrics designed to match them are stated in the soundtrack. The sound track also matches the visuals of the music video for example at the start of the music video when the spray can is being used on the wall the sound of a spray can is also heard. The pace of editing in the music video operates at a fast pace so that it is suited to the beat of the music this also permits some parallel editing to take place between the dance moves and the singing of lyrics on the sound track. There are a few special effects used, Vanilla Ice’s appears cropped into the foreground of a few scenes in the music video which gives him the main focus in the video. This is done in the studio and over the back drop of the city buildings. Vanilla Ice and his dancers appear against the back drop of the city sky scrapers and their lights which emphasises the youth and liveliness Vanilla Ice portrays in the city and also of the sound track. Special Effects are also used to completely change the colour and appear of the scenes, the audience see two gold silhouettes a male and a female dancing and enjoying themselves to the soundtrack against a calm blue background, the video and the colours used show vibrancy and energy. The dancing is displayed using 360 shots, panning shots, tracking and close-ups. The dancers are also seen using an overhead shot which presents the dance routines in a creative manner.  The dance moves often appear using high angles which make the audience feel that the dance moves are quite complex and very energetic. It creates an urge for the audience to join in an dance to gain this happy feeling. The lyrics of the chorus also are repetitive so encourage audience participation and enjoyment.  Vanilla Ice’s youth is also evident in the video as he drives around in a convertible car aiming to get female attention. Vanilla Ice and the other males attraction to the other sex is made clear in the video, the first shot of the female which the audience see are heels, the camera then moves up across her body showing her clothing which is tight and revealing; she is also wearing make-up. This video like many others portrays females as an object or prize. High-lighting and focused lighting appears on Vanilla Ice to keep the focus on him in the music video. 

Birdy - Skinny Love

Birdy – Skinny Love

The music video which I have analysed is from the genre of folk music which implies that it targets a niche market. The music video is created by the artist Birdy and is called Skinny Love however this is a cover of an original by Bon Iver. Birdy released her own cover January 2011. Stereotypically the target audience would be assumed to be people listen to folk music due to their culture or interest in the genre with a lower percentage of viewers being young people. However Birdy’s cover is able to appeal to a wider audience as she combines folk music with her youth. The music video combines narrative and a performance based music video using parallel editing. In my opinion the key focus in the music video is the music as it is folk music it is likely to be low budget therefore the video tends to be quite simplistic and simply acts as a visual to support the music. The music video frequently uses close-ups on specific objects or props such as broken glass, the boots which Birdy are wearing, a small white statue and also Birdy’s hand when she’s playing the piano. These objects are used to describe the nature of the set where the music video takes place and allow the audience to pay attention to small details. In the music video mid-long shots are used to show to the audience Birdy as she plays the piano and the objects in the room. This allows the audience to see that the piano is rusty and the furniture is quite old fashioned and dated, which is well suited to the eery and mysterious feel from the soundtrack. The piano appears to be the most important prop in the music video and is seen several times using panning shots, 360 shots and zoom.

The music video often uses hand-held cameras which creates a feeling of unease for example when Birdy is walking around the ‘home’ used in the video, this puts the level of emotion behind the song she is singing into visual display for the audience. There is an unusual P.O.V shot of Birdy looking out of the window at a dead spider which creates a feeling of uncomfort and emphasises how strange yet inquisitive the narrative in the video is. The video caught my attention as its start and finish was very similar, the scene begins with a fade in from darkness to light where a small light bulb can be seen however it doesn’t appear to be working, the final thing seen in the music video is the light bulb on a wooden surface with a fade out into darkness. This start and finish is not very clear for the audience, it keeps them guessing and interested in the video. Lighting plays a key part in the music video as it uses black and white.  Therefore natural lighting enhanced by false lighting sets the scene and atmosphere for the music and Birdy wears only black and white dresses throughout the video. This simplicity keeps the attention on the soundtrack. The soundtrack itself is also quite simple consisting of a piano and Birdy’s voice which are typical components of folk music. The continuous changes in lighting from darkness to brightness reflect the changes in the emotion and tempo of the song.

Below are three examples of websites that consumers use to find out about new music and new music videos on the web 2.0:

• www.nme.com/newmusic
• www.apple.com/itunes/charts/music-videos
• www.mtv.co.uk/music

Action Plan

Pre-Production

·         Create blog and state reasons for the use of your blog

·         Research music videos and the history of music videos

·         Textual Analysis of 3 music videos

·         Research artist and contact artist

·         Audience Research

·         Questionnaire

·         Target Audience

·         Ideas for music video/ mood board

·         Treatment sheet

·         Risk assessment sheet

·         Cast / Pictures of location (Recky’s)

·         Story boards / shooting schedule / beat sheet

·         Lyrics

·         Views on  other music videos (narrative and performance)

·         Representation

Production

·         Photos of filming

·         Equipment and props

·         Editing screen shots

·         Drafts of music video

Post-Production

·         Research ancillary Task

·         Prepare ideas for Digi Pack

·         Gather audience feedback on music video

·         Potential changes to editing of video or re-filming footage

·         Shoot images for Digi pack and advert

·         Produce front and back cover of Digi pack

·         Finish advert

·         Final editing of products

·         Get audience feedback on all products

·         Organise blog posts

DEADLINE: 22nd March



Hi I'm back on blogger!!

This blog will be updated with all the content of my A2 Media Coursework. My aim is to create a music video. Hope you enjoy it:)