Examiners’ Reports – June 2011
Planning
The best research and planning was evidenced through ongoing blogs, demonstrating the real processes undertaken by the candidate. Such blogs included embedded video, such as work they had analysed or of audience interviews, experimental footage, perhaps with an audio track explaining the process, or animatics. This was uploaded via providers such as You Tube (often using the annotation facility), Muzu or Vimeo. The best blogs also included audio such as podcasts, audio commentaries or audience interviews (which could be recorded on or uploaded from their phones via Soundcloud, for example). The most effective blogs had images of a wide range of things, including drafts of print materials, storyboards, mind maps, recce shots, make up tests, permission request letters for the music video brief, risk assessment forms. The best ones were thoroughly hyperlinked to the range of sites visited and referred to. Blogs also allowed teachers and classmates to be able to comment on the work in progress, giving invaluable feedback and suggestions for further exploration at every stage.
All the best research was focused, relevant and analytical, rather than descriptive, and looked closely at a range of similar products which then informed the candidate’s planning of all of their own products. It proved vital that candidates researched and planned all three of their products carefully, the main task and the two ancillaries.
Audience research was done well in those centres that did more than just questionnaires and graphs. Social networking sites were used to good effect by some candidates undertaking both audience research and audience feedback. Others used online survey sites. The most detailed audience research produced more effective productions, in terms of being genre products, and were more appropriate for their selected target audience.
Drafting is essential for all productions, not just because the assessment criteria says it needs to be there – but also because it produces the best constructions;, storyboards help identify potential problems before production starts. This can also help in more effective deployment of the Centre’s resources – less time will be needed re-filming, for example, if an animatic shows early on that there is a gap in a narrative that needs to be filled. Storyboards completed after filming have no use. All three tasks benefit from careful research and planning.
Stronger candidates also included shooting schedules and call sheets. Risk assessments were undertaken by a small proportion of centres. The best blogs were also well labelled, tagged and titled so that the moderator could easily identify each of the relevant entries.
Construction
Video was the most popular medium for Centres and the most successful work clearly resulted from careful training in the technical capabilities of the cameras, consideration of sound, lighting and the use of a tripod. Weaker work was marked by frequent unsteady panning and zooming.
In the Music Promotion brief this session, there was an increase in the proportion of lip-synched performance over a purely narrative approach. This development is to be encouraged, as the narrative videos look more like short films and tend to lose function as a promotional tool for the artist. Some of these responses, as in previous sessions, have shown real flair and imagination combined with technical control; more candidates seemed to show more of the visual aesthetic with some excellent shot choices and mise en scene. A greater number of candidates submitted the required number of panes to be a digipak (ie at least four) and had clearly been taught the technical skills to be able to manipulate their images and combine effectively with text, although a surprising number did not include basic institutional elements such as a barcode and copyright information.
Not all candidates evidenced the requirement to ask the rights holders of the music track for permission to use it in their video.
Evaluations
The best evaluations were clearly well planned in terms of using a variety of methods of
presentation and choosing the right method to explore each of the four set questions in an explicit and reflective manner.
The most successful Evaluations tended to be on blogs and were media rich, using the right medium for the right question. However, there were also some highly successful PowerPoints and these used embedded video and audio, hyperlinks and incorporation of other methods such as Prezi. Heavily text-based PowerPoint responses were rather too much like essays and missed the extensive opportunities to explore the questions and show their understanding and skills that a media-rich approach to PowerPoint or Prezi can take.
A proportion of filming in the Evaluation is good – but some candidates produced their
evaluations as one video and these tended to be overlong. Some of the most unsuccessful presentations were half an hour long with a whole group of unidentified candidates talking directly to the camera, answering the questions without cutting in any images, other footage, clips, captions etc to help evidence their words. This was a difficult format to moderate. In other cases presentation took precedence over content. Candidates used variety and skill in the presentation of the work but the responses to the questions were brief and lacking sufficient detail.
Many responses were detailed, reflective and informed. On the other hand, there were some very brief responses that could not reach the higher levels; Question 4 in particular elicited a number of list-like answers, illustrated with software logos, social network icons, photos of equipment etc, and this was rarely a high-level approach.
Thursday 6 October 2011
EVALUATION QUESTIONS
As INDIVIDUALS you will complete the 4 evaluation questions and a “summing up” of your answers as well at the end. ALL answers must include a variety of multimedia content, in particular screen shots of your video, clips of your video, images of your digipak and advert, photos from the filming, editing etc.. You will be marked on the following things:
· Your understanding of music video style and conventions
· Your understanding of how technologies have helped you with this unit
· Your understanding of how you have linked your music video with the digipak and advert
· Your understanding of the importance of audience feedback
· The structure and communication of your evaluation
· Your use of images, videos, and other embedded multimedia content in your evaluation
QUESTION 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
For this question you need to discuss the following
· What did you learn about what the conventions were of real music videos? And what music video conventions you have included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real music genre conventions and what genre conventions have you included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real Digipak conventions and what digipak conventions have you included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real Advert conventions and what advert conventions have you included / not included and why
· How your use of conventions might attract or appeal to an audience
· Have you adapted any conventions on any of your three products and if so, why?
Whilst answering this question you could include pictures / screen grabs of real products, along with pictures or screen grabs of your products to compare and contrast the similarities and differences.
QUESTION 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For this question you need to discuss the following:
· How have you created a “brand identity” across your music video, digipak and advert? Similar images, colours, wording, style etc?
· How do you think your digipak design will “sell” the song / album to the audience?
· How do you think your advert will “sell” the digipak to the audience?
· What elements of your advert and digipak communicate the genre of the music video and the style of the band?
Whilst answering this question you must use screen grabs / images from your products to show the clear links, and analyse how they will appeal to an audience. You could even complete a radial analysis of the digipak and advert to show the appeal in more detail.
QUESTION 3
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
For this question you need to discuss the following:
· What positive comments your peers, teachers, focus group had about your video
· What negative comments were made by your peers, teachers, focus groups
· How those comments might change the way you work in the future as a group or an individual
· What the comments taught you about the process of producing and editing a music video
Whilst answering this question you could use screen grabs and clips from your focus group, screen grabs of comments left on your blog by other students / teachers, quotes from your friends etc. If they comment on something specific they liked or disliked you should include an image or clip of this to demonstrate what they are talking about.
QUESTION 4
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
For this question you need to discuss the benefits, and difficulties of using the following technologies. How have they helped you as students to produce better work? Remember to focus on all 3 parts of the process from planning, to production and through to evaluation:
· Blogger
· Prezzi
· Wordle
· IPads / Mobile Phones
· Digital Cameras
· Digital editing like Final Cut
· Digital photo manipulation like Photoshop
· Digital Audio recorders for Director’s commentaries
· Web 2.0 sites such as You Tube, Facebook, etc
Whilst answering this question you need to include pictures of the technologies, images of you and your group using them, screen-grabs of the software in use, print screens of websites you have used etc
SUMMING UP
Using Prezzi, produce a presentation that sums up your answers to all 4 questions, with images included. This should be the last entry on your blog.
As INDIVIDUALS you will complete the 4 evaluation questions and a “summing up” of your answers as well at the end. ALL answers must include a variety of multimedia content, in particular screen shots of your video, clips of your video, images of your digipak and advert, photos from the filming, editing etc.. You will be marked on the following things:
· Your understanding of music video style and conventions
· Your understanding of how technologies have helped you with this unit
· Your understanding of how you have linked your music video with the digipak and advert
· Your understanding of the importance of audience feedback
· The structure and communication of your evaluation
· Your use of images, videos, and other embedded multimedia content in your evaluation
QUESTION 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
For this question you need to discuss the following
· What did you learn about what the conventions were of real music videos? And what music video conventions you have included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real music genre conventions and what genre conventions have you included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real Digipak conventions and what digipak conventions have you included / not included and why
· What did you learn about real Advert conventions and what advert conventions have you included / not included and why
· How your use of conventions might attract or appeal to an audience
· Have you adapted any conventions on any of your three products and if so, why?
Whilst answering this question you could include pictures / screen grabs of real products, along with pictures or screen grabs of your products to compare and contrast the similarities and differences.
QUESTION 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
For this question you need to discuss the following:
· How have you created a “brand identity” across your music video, digipak and advert? Similar images, colours, wording, style etc?
· How do you think your digipak design will “sell” the song / album to the audience?
· How do you think your advert will “sell” the digipak to the audience?
· What elements of your advert and digipak communicate the genre of the music video and the style of the band?
Whilst answering this question you must use screen grabs / images from your products to show the clear links, and analyse how they will appeal to an audience. You could even complete a radial analysis of the digipak and advert to show the appeal in more detail.
QUESTION 3
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
For this question you need to discuss the following:
· What positive comments your peers, teachers, focus group had about your video
· What negative comments were made by your peers, teachers, focus groups
· How those comments might change the way you work in the future as a group or an individual
· What the comments taught you about the process of producing and editing a music video
Whilst answering this question you could use screen grabs and clips from your focus group, screen grabs of comments left on your blog by other students / teachers, quotes from your friends etc. If they comment on something specific they liked or disliked you should include an image or clip of this to demonstrate what they are talking about.
QUESTION 4
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
For this question you need to discuss the benefits, and difficulties of using the following technologies. How have they helped you as students to produce better work? Remember to focus on all 3 parts of the process from planning, to production and through to evaluation:
· Blogger
· Prezzi
· Wordle
· IPads / Mobile Phones
· Digital Cameras
· Digital editing like Final Cut
· Digital photo manipulation like Photoshop
· Digital Audio recorders for Director’s commentaries
· Web 2.0 sites such as You Tube, Facebook, etc
Whilst answering this question you need to include pictures of the technologies, images of you and your group using them, screen-grabs of the software in use, print screens of websites you have used etc
SUMMING UP
Using Prezzi, produce a presentation that sums up your answers to all 4 questions, with images included. This should be the last entry on your blog.
FINAL FOCUS GROUP
As a GROUP, you need to carry out one final focus group to find out what your audience thought of your finished video. You will show the group of people your finished video, digipak and advert and then sit them down to discuss it on camera. You will have around 5 key questions prepared that are “open “ questions allowing for descriptive answers and then film the group discussing what their opinions are about these questions.
To do this you will need a camera and tripod, a quiet room, and 4-6 people willing to take part on camera (not people from your group).
Good questions to ask are things such as:
· What did you like about our video? (repeat for digipak / advert)
· What did you think could be improved in our video? (repeat for digipak / advert)
· What were your favourite parts and why?
· What sort of image do you think we have given the artist / band?
· Would you buy this album as a result and why?
And so on…
You need to make sure the camera is as close as possible to the group to pick up their audio clearly. This focus group video then needs to be uploaded into Final Cut (edited if you wish) and then exported as a video clip (see Jason for help). The video clip then needs to be embedded into your blog.
As INDIVIDUALS you then need to add a comment in afterwards summing up:
· What you have learned from your focus group about your video
· What you might do differently next time
To do this you will need a camera and tripod, a quiet room, and 4-6 people willing to take part on camera (not people from your group).
Good questions to ask are things such as:
· What did you like about our video? (repeat for digipak / advert)
· What did you think could be improved in our video? (repeat for digipak / advert)
· What were your favourite parts and why?
· What sort of image do you think we have given the artist / band?
· Would you buy this album as a result and why?
And so on…
You need to make sure the camera is as close as possible to the group to pick up their audio clearly. This focus group video then needs to be uploaded into Final Cut (edited if you wish) and then exported as a video clip (see Jason for help). The video clip then needs to be embedded into your blog.
As INDIVIDUALS you then need to add a comment in afterwards summing up:
· What you have learned from your focus group about your video
· What you might do differently next time
DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY
The next entry on your blog will be a version of your final music video that has an audio commentary track over the top where your GROUP comments on the reasons behind various creative choices made in the final video.
In order to do this you should watch the video several times and with your group write a script. Divide this script up between you, book a camera OR the digital audio recorder, and ask the technician Jason to help you. Record you and your group reading out the comments, clearly and accurately and then upload these to Final Cut and edit them over the top of the right clips of your video. Use the audio levels to ensure that the sound of the song is not too loud and that we can hear your comments properly. Export this clip and upload it to You Tube.
In order to do this you should watch the video several times and with your group write a script. Divide this script up between you, book a camera OR the digital audio recorder, and ask the technician Jason to help you. Record you and your group reading out the comments, clearly and accurately and then upload these to Final Cut and edit them over the top of the right clips of your video. Use the audio levels to ensure that the sound of the song is not too loud and that we can hear your comments properly. Export this clip and upload it to You Tube.
PRODUCTION OF YOUR DIGIPAK ADVERT
Many music companies product adverts for new albums which get placed in magazines prior to its release. It is normally A4 in size and is designed to promote the band’s new album so it will sell more copies. You will make one of these as a GROUP using Photoshop.
Conventions to think about including:
· An image of the band or artist
· An image of the digipak cover
· Release Date
· Review of the album / single by a newspaper or magazine
· Where the album or single can be bought or downloaded
· Website address for the band / artist
· Name of artist / band
· Name of single / album
· My Space or Facebook address for band / artist
It must have a recognisable link to the music video and digipak so you might think about using screen grabs from the music video, images of the artist / band in the same costumes as in the video, similar colours, effects etc..
Conventions to think about including:
· An image of the band or artist
· An image of the digipak cover
· Release Date
· Review of the album / single by a newspaper or magazine
· Where the album or single can be bought or downloaded
· Website address for the band / artist
· Name of artist / band
· Name of single / album
· My Space or Facebook address for band / artist
It must have a recognisable link to the music video and digipak so you might think about using screen grabs from the music video, images of the artist / band in the same costumes as in the video, similar colours, effects etc..
PRODUCTION OF YOUR DIGIPAK
A digipak is a card CD Case with folding parts. You will make one of these for your band as a GROUP. Your design can be laid out in several different ways depending on what you prefer. It should be created on Photoshop. Your final design needs a minimum of 4 squares. Some digipaks may have 6 squares.
Conventions to think about including:
· On the front pane, you might include the title of the band / artist, the name of the album or single, an image of the band or an image relating to the song, a mention of any bonus track or music video included in the digipak
· On the back pane, you might include a track listing, a bar code, institutional information such as a credit block or website etc
· On any of the inside panes you might include things such as the lyrics to the single, band information, images of the band / artist, a circular section where the disc would sit, etc
It must have a recognisable link to the music video so you might think about using screen grabs from the music video, images of the artist / band in the same costumes as in the video, similar colours, effects etc..
Conventions to think about including:
· On the front pane, you might include the title of the band / artist, the name of the album or single, an image of the band or an image relating to the song, a mention of any bonus track or music video included in the digipak
· On the back pane, you might include a track listing, a bar code, institutional information such as a credit block or website etc
· On any of the inside panes you might include things such as the lyrics to the single, band information, images of the band / artist, a circular section where the disc would sit, etc
It must have a recognisable link to the music video so you might think about using screen grabs from the music video, images of the artist / band in the same costumes as in the video, similar colours, effects etc..
PRODUCTION AND EDITING OF YOUR MUSIC VIDEO
You should be aiming to start filming your music video as soon as possible in the September, even if it is just test shots. At the latest you should be starting to film by the 3rd week in September otherwise you will not get your video finished by Christmas.
You will be marked on your ability to
· Frame and shoot appropriate shots
· Use a variety of shot sizes and angles
· Use a variety of camera movement
· Select appropriate mise-en-scene like colours, costumes, locations, props etc
· Use a variety of film and photo editing transitions and effects, matching the pace of the cuts to the pace of the song as appropriate
· Choose appropriate and original images to accompany lyrics
· Contribute to all aspects of production and editing
Hints and Tips
· Find interesting and unique locations (avoid using the school like the plague!)
· Use lots of close-up shots
· Cast someone as the lead singer who looks as though they could actually be the person singing! (eg right age, style etc)
· Cast someone who can really act or is really confident in front of the camera because they must behave like a star
· Find places with beautiful light, or get some lights to make a place beautiful
· Experiment with editing effects but don’t make it too cheesy!
· Make sure that there is a clear link between your video, the digipak, and the advert for the digipak. Give your band / artist some brand identity.
During the production and editing of your music video you should all write at least 10 further blog entries about the process and choices you make. These entries should include screen grabs of your Final Cut editing windows or screen grabs showing choices you’ve made. Things you could discuss in these entries are:
· Problems during filming or editing and how you solved them
· How you got the shots you wanted
· Experiments you did with editing techniques or effects
· What has been tricky / easy that week
· How your time management has been
· What people have thought of your video so far, suggestions they make etc
You will be marked on your ability to
· Frame and shoot appropriate shots
· Use a variety of shot sizes and angles
· Use a variety of camera movement
· Select appropriate mise-en-scene like colours, costumes, locations, props etc
· Use a variety of film and photo editing transitions and effects, matching the pace of the cuts to the pace of the song as appropriate
· Choose appropriate and original images to accompany lyrics
· Contribute to all aspects of production and editing
Hints and Tips
· Find interesting and unique locations (avoid using the school like the plague!)
· Use lots of close-up shots
· Cast someone as the lead singer who looks as though they could actually be the person singing! (eg right age, style etc)
· Cast someone who can really act or is really confident in front of the camera because they must behave like a star
· Find places with beautiful light, or get some lights to make a place beautiful
· Experiment with editing effects but don’t make it too cheesy!
· Make sure that there is a clear link between your video, the digipak, and the advert for the digipak. Give your band / artist some brand identity.
During the production and editing of your music video you should all write at least 10 further blog entries about the process and choices you make. These entries should include screen grabs of your Final Cut editing windows or screen grabs showing choices you’ve made. Things you could discuss in these entries are:
· Problems during filming or editing and how you solved them
· How you got the shots you wanted
· Experiments you did with editing techniques or effects
· What has been tricky / easy that week
· How your time management has been
· What people have thought of your video so far, suggestions they make etc
STORYBOARDS & LYRICS
As a GROUP you should complete a full storyboard for your music video to illustrate exactly what’s going to happen throughout the video. Your storyboards must be detailed and include shot descriptions, shot durations, lyrics where possible, editing transitions etc As the typical shot in a music video lasts only 1-3 seconds, you will need a LOT of shots. Previous students have had storyboards with up to 30 pages! The storyboards should be hand drawn on blank templates available from us, and then scanned in and uploaded as images to your blog.
MISE-EN-SCENE
For this entry you should discuss how you are planning on using mise-en-scene in your music video. Remember that mise-en-scene includes costume, props, lighting, colour, location, make-up etc. You could discuss how these elements will:
· Attract, appeal to or entertain your audience
· Represent your band / artist
· Communicate the genre of your song
· Communicate a narrative or message
· Create a mood / atmosphere
You should include include pictures to illustrate your ideas.
· Attract, appeal to or entertain your audience
· Represent your band / artist
· Communicate the genre of your song
· Communicate a narrative or message
· Create a mood / atmosphere
You should include include pictures to illustrate your ideas.
REPRESENTATION IN YOUR VIDEO
For this entry you need to discuss how you plan on representing people / social groups within your music video. Obviously only discuss the social groups that are relevant to your video. Social groups might include: men, women, teens, children, adults, ethnic groups, different classes etc. For this it might be helpful to remind yourself about how you discussed representation in TV Dramas at AS Level. This entry could be a filmed discussion with your group or other multimedia option.
Discus how you will use camera, mise-en-scene, editing and other elements to represent the following in your video:
· Conventional representations (stereotypes)
· Representations that challenge stereotypes
· Positive and negative representations
· How will these representations appeal to your audience or promote the artist?
Discus how you will use camera, mise-en-scene, editing and other elements to represent the following in your video:
· Conventional representations (stereotypes)
· Representations that challenge stereotypes
· Positive and negative representations
· How will these representations appeal to your audience or promote the artist?
LOCATIONS LIST
As a GROUP make a detailed list of the locations you are going to use including the following for each one:
· Pictures / Video clips of the locations from different angles
· Information about access difficulties, restrictions, rules for using each location (eg lack of power points, lots of members of the public, dangerous hazards etc
· Information about how you will overcome any of these problems or ensure against any danger / health & safety issues etc..
· Pictures / Video clips of the locations from different angles
· Information about access difficulties, restrictions, rules for using each location (eg lack of power points, lots of members of the public, dangerous hazards etc
· Information about how you will overcome any of these problems or ensure against any danger / health & safety issues etc..
SHOOTING SCHEDULE
As a GROUP, produce and upload a schedule of your filming which shows in detail what shots / you will be filming when. A shooting schedule cannot just say “filming park scenes”. It must be broken up into particular shots you know you want to get. It will normally include the day, time, shot description, location, people involved. You could organise this in a table and then upload it to your blog.
CREW LIST
As a GROUP write a detailed crew list explaining who will be involved with your filming and what jobs / tasks they will be responsible for throughout the process of production and editing
PROPS LIST
As a GROUP write and upload a detailed list of costumes / props that you will need for all of the scenes you are filming for the video. Don’t forget to think about all of the band members, all of the cast / extras, all the set decoration needed for all the locations, right down to fake microphones, instruments, jewellery etc..
ANALYSIS OF DIGIPAK ADVERTS
Digipaks (CD albums) are often advertised in music magazines prior to their release. An advert would normally be A4 in shape. You need to find at least two adverts for albums / singles in a similar genre to the video you are making and analyse them.
Your analyses could be done as a normal blog entry but you must have visual images of the “adverts” so the examiner can see what you are talking about.
When analysing them you should consider all of the following things:
· What conventions of an album advert does it include / leave out?
· Wording
· Font
· Choice of Images
· Design / Layout
Colour
How do these elements communicate the genre, or attract an audience?
Your analyses could be done as a normal blog entry but you must have visual images of the “adverts” so the examiner can see what you are talking about.
When analysing them you should consider all of the following things:
· What conventions of an album advert does it include / leave out?
· Wording
· Font
· Choice of Images
· Design / Layout
Colour
How do these elements communicate the genre, or attract an audience?
ANALYSIS OF 2 OR MORE DIGIPAKS
A digipak is a CD Case, normally made of card, that has several folding panes (squares) along with either one or two plastic holders for the disc/s inside.
For this task you need to find and analyse at least two digipaks. For each digipak you must analyse all the packaging (inside and out) rather than just the front cover. Your analyses could be done as a normal blog entry but you must have visual images of the “panes” so the examiner can see what you are talking about.
When analysing them you should consider all of the following things:
· What conventions of a CD Cover / Digipak does it include / leave out?
· How do these elements communicate the genre, or attract an audience?Colour
· Wording
· Font
· Choice of Images
· Design / Layout
For this task you need to find and analyse at least two digipaks. For each digipak you must analyse all the packaging (inside and out) rather than just the front cover. Your analyses could be done as a normal blog entry but you must have visual images of the “panes” so the examiner can see what you are talking about.When analysing them you should consider all of the following things:
· What conventions of a CD Cover / Digipak does it include / leave out?
· How do these elements communicate the genre, or attract an audience?Colour
· Wording
· Font
· Choice of Images
· Design / Layout
EQUIPMENT LIST
As a GROUP make an extensive list of technical equipment you will need for both the production, and post production part of the process.
CONVENTIONS
For this entry you should demonstrate your knowledge of conventions of music videos. Conventions are “common features”. You could do this as a Prezzi presentation, a collaged picture, or a word entry with images to illustrate your points. Ensure that for this you cover the following two points, using screen grabs to illustrate each point where possible.:
· Conventions of music videos in general (eg close ups, cutting to the beat of the music, etc)
· Conventions of music videos of your particular genre (eg rock, pop etc)
· Conventions of music videos in general (eg close ups, cutting to the beat of the music, etc)
· Conventions of music videos of your particular genre (eg rock, pop etc)
RESEARCH INTO THE MUSIC VIDEO INDUSTRY
For this entry you need to carry out some research into the video industry showing your knowledge and understanding of how the industry works etc. This entry should be completed as some sort of slide show either on Slideshare, Prezzi or Powerpoint and then uploaded to your blog. In your presentation you could cover some / all of the following points:
· How are music videos generally made? What is the production process?
· What is the purpose of a music video for the companies / artists that make them?
· Who are some famous music video directors and why are their videos so well known / successful?
· How much money is usually spent on the average music video? Have any been made very cheaply or are there any that have had huge budgets?
· How do audiences access music videos? Where can they be seen?
· How are music videos generally made? What is the production process?
· What is the purpose of a music video for the companies / artists that make them?
· Who are some famous music video directors and why are their videos so well known / successful?
· How much money is usually spent on the average music video? Have any been made very cheaply or are there any that have had huge budgets?
· How do audiences access music videos? Where can they be seen?
INTERTEXTUALITY IN MUSIC VIDEOS
Following on from Andrew Goodwin’s theory you need to explain “Intertextuality” in more detail. For this entry you could have a written blog entry with embedded video clips and images and / or a filmed video discussion with your group members. You need to:
· Explain what intertextuality is
· Give a variety of examples to demonstrate your understanding
· Explain why is it used and why it might appeal to an audience
· Explain if you are going to use any intertextual references in your music video
· Explain what intertextuality is
· Give a variety of examples to demonstrate your understanding
· Explain why is it used and why it might appeal to an audience
· Explain if you are going to use any intertextual references in your music video
CATEGORIES OF MUSIC VIDEOS
There are 3 main categories of music video which include
· Performance Based videos
· Narrative Based Videos
· Concept Based
Using the internet, you need to write in your own words, what these three categories mean, giving examples of videos that match each category by embedding clips into the blog entry. You might also like to comment on which category your music video will fall into or explain if it will be a hybrid of two or more categories.
· Performance Based videos
· Narrative Based Videos
· Concept Based
Using the internet, you need to write in your own words, what these three categories mean, giving examples of videos that match each category by embedding clips into the blog entry. You might also like to comment on which category your music video will fall into or explain if it will be a hybrid of two or more categories.
Applying Media Theory to Music Videos
In his book, Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992) Andrew Goodwin identified a number of key features which distinguish the music video as a media form:
- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating,amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating,amplifying or contradicting the music
- Genres are complex and diverse in terms of music video style and iconography
- Record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist
- Voyeurism is present in many music videos, especially in the treatment of females, butalso in terms of systems of looking. Some examples are screens within screens,cameras, mirrors, etc.
- There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films andTV texts, these provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans
Applying Goodwin’s Theory to Music Video Analysis
1. What genre characteristics does the video display?2. Is there a relationship between lyrics and visuals?3. Is there a relationship between music and visuals?4. How do the demands of the record label influence the video (the need to sell the star)?5. Is there any reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body?6. Is there any intertextual reference?
Laura Mulvey ‘Gaze theory’
In the essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Laura Mulvey introduced the concept of The Male Gaze as a feature of power inequality In film, the male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may linger on the curves of a woman's body, for instance. Feminists would argue that such instances are presented in the context closest relating to that of a male, hence its referral to being the Male Gaze. The theory suggests that male gaze relegates women to the status of objects; hence the woman viewer must experience the text's narrative secondarily, by identifying with a man's perspective.
“Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” expands on the theory, saying that sexism exist not only in the content of a text, but may also exist in how the text is presented; through its implications about its expected audience. Theorists note the degree to which people gaze at women in advertisements that "sexualizes" a woman's body even when the woman's body is unrelated to the advertised product "In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual anderotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness,".
Mulvey identifies three "looks" or perspectives that occur in film which serve to sexually objectify women.
1. The first is the perspective of the male character on screen and how he perceives the female character.
2. The second is the perspective of the spectator as they see the female character on screen.
3. The third "look" joins the first two looks together: it is the male audience member's perspective of the male character in the film. This third perspective allows the male audience to take the female character as his own personal sex object because he can relate himself, through looking, to the male character in the film.
- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating,amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating,amplifying or contradicting the music
- Genres are complex and diverse in terms of music video style and iconography
- Record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist
- Voyeurism is present in many music videos, especially in the treatment of females, butalso in terms of systems of looking. Some examples are screens within screens,cameras, mirrors, etc.
- There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films andTV texts, these provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans
Applying Goodwin’s Theory to Music Video Analysis
1. What genre characteristics does the video display?2. Is there a relationship between lyrics and visuals?3. Is there a relationship between music and visuals?4. How do the demands of the record label influence the video (the need to sell the star)?5. Is there any reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body?6. Is there any intertextual reference?
Laura Mulvey ‘Gaze theory’
In the essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Laura Mulvey introduced the concept of The Male Gaze as a feature of power inequality In film, the male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may linger on the curves of a woman's body, for instance. Feminists would argue that such instances are presented in the context closest relating to that of a male, hence its referral to being the Male Gaze. The theory suggests that male gaze relegates women to the status of objects; hence the woman viewer must experience the text's narrative secondarily, by identifying with a man's perspective.
“Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” expands on the theory, saying that sexism exist not only in the content of a text, but may also exist in how the text is presented; through its implications about its expected audience. Theorists note the degree to which people gaze at women in advertisements that "sexualizes" a woman's body even when the woman's body is unrelated to the advertised product "In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual anderotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness,".
Mulvey identifies three "looks" or perspectives that occur in film which serve to sexually objectify women.
1. The first is the perspective of the male character on screen and how he perceives the female character.
2. The second is the perspective of the spectator as they see the female character on screen.
3. The third "look" joins the first two looks together: it is the male audience member's perspective of the male character in the film. This third perspective allows the male audience to take the female character as his own personal sex object because he can relate himself, through looking, to the male character in the film.
ANDREW GOODWIN AND LAURA MULVEY MUSIC VIDEO THEORIES
For this section you need to show knowledge and understanding of these two theories. Use the internet to carry out research into the theories and then write IN YOUR OWN WORDS what these theories state about music videos, giving examples of real music videos that demonstrate each point.
The entry can be done as a written entry on the blog with video clips embedded into it, or a Powerpoint / Prezzi presentation with screen shots from music videos to demonstrate each point.
Andrew Goodwin – BRIEF overview. You need to expand on these points, explain what is meant by each one and provide your own examples.
Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
Laura Mulvey – BRIEF overview. You need to expand on this and explain each point, providing your own examples.
· One part of her male gaze theory suggests that the camera / audience always represents a heterosexual man’s perspective of the scene objectifying women.
· Another part of her male gaze theory suggests that women are only portrayed as one of two possibilities. Either a virginal innocent character or a sexy “whore” (her words, not mine)! This is called the virgin / whore dichotomy.
The entry can be done as a written entry on the blog with video clips embedded into it, or a Powerpoint / Prezzi presentation with screen shots from music videos to demonstrate each point.
Andrew Goodwin – BRIEF overview. You need to expand on these points, explain what is meant by each one and provide your own examples.
Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
Laura Mulvey – BRIEF overview. You need to expand on this and explain each point, providing your own examples.
· One part of her male gaze theory suggests that the camera / audience always represents a heterosexual man’s perspective of the scene objectifying women.
· Another part of her male gaze theory suggests that women are only portrayed as one of two possibilities. Either a virginal innocent character or a sexy “whore” (her words, not mine)! This is called the virgin / whore dichotomy.
FOCUS GROUPS AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
For this task as a GROUP you need to get a group of people together (preferably from your target audience profile) to have a filmed group discussion as research. You will have around 5 key questions prepared that are “open “ questions allowing for descriptive answers and then film the group discussing what their opinions are about these questions.
To do this you will need a camera and tripod, a quiet room, and 4-6 people willing to take part on camera (not people from your group).
Good questions to ask are things such as:
· Here is our idea (tell them), what do you think about it? What could be improved?
· What locations do you think would be good to film in for our song?
· What images / storyline do you imagine for our song choice?
· What are your favourite music videos and why?
· Is there anything you hate in particular music videos and why?
And so on…
You need to make sure the camera is as close as possible to the group to pick up their audio clearly.
This focus group video then needs to be uploaded into Final Cut (edited if you wish) and then exported as a video clip (see Jason for help). The video clip then needs to be embedded into your blog.
As INDIVIDUALS you then need to add a comment in afterwards summing up:
· What you have learned from your focus group
· How you will apply this to your music video production etc
To do this you will need a camera and tripod, a quiet room, and 4-6 people willing to take part on camera (not people from your group).
Good questions to ask are things such as:
· Here is our idea (tell them), what do you think about it? What could be improved?
· What locations do you think would be good to film in for our song?
· What images / storyline do you imagine for our song choice?
· What are your favourite music videos and why?
· Is there anything you hate in particular music videos and why?
And so on…
You need to make sure the camera is as close as possible to the group to pick up their audio clearly.
This focus group video then needs to be uploaded into Final Cut (edited if you wish) and then exported as a video clip (see Jason for help). The video clip then needs to be embedded into your blog.
As INDIVIDUALS you then need to add a comment in afterwards summing up:
· What you have learned from your focus group
· How you will apply this to your music video production etc
AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRES & ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
For this task you need to in GROUPS create a questionnaire to hand out to your target audience to help you decide on plans for your music video. Ideally your questions should fit on one side of A4 and have both multiple choice questions and spaces for more open answers to particular questions.
You should have 2-3 questions that allow you to find out who it is filling in your questionnaire (e.g. age, gender, hobbies & interests etc)
You should have 2-3 questions to find out what music videos they like and why
You should have 1-3 questions to find out what they might look for in a new music video
You should then have a sentence or two telling the audience about the song you are making a video for and what genre it falls into.
You should have 3-5 questions to find out what they think about your ideas for your music video. You might suggest some different locations and ask them their favourite. You might have pictures of several different possible main singers and ask them to choose their favourite. You might also ask them to give their own ideas for your magazine at the end.
Once printed you will ask at least 10 people to fill the questionnaire in. The people you ask should be people in your target audience profile. The filled in questionnaires need to be scanned in, and uploaded on to your blog.
Example of multiple choice question
Which of these locations would be good for a music video about lost love? (choose your favourite two)
Theme Park
Bar / Restaurant
School
Park
Beach
Example of an open question
Describe below what you think of my music video idea including suggestions about what I could improve.
Then INDIVIDUALLY you need to analyse the results of your questionnaire. You should do this in the following ways.
Create bar charts or pie charts to show some of your results
Write about what you have found out
Your charts could show the percentages of what answers were given. Charts will only be possible for the questions you asked that had multiple choice answers. You can also write about how the results will influence you in the making of your music video.
Example of Chart and Writing about results
Question: What is the main factor influencing your decision to buy a new magazine?
The results here show that the beach was by far and away the most popular choice for a location for filming so we intend on basing most of our filming on Brighton Beach. However we will also include smaller elements of the park as well as this was the next favourite.
15 people chose the beach
4 people chose a theme park
4 people chose a school
5 people chose the park
The results of your questionnaires can be written directly in to your blog with charts embedded as pictures, or it could be a word document printed out and scanned in.
You should have 2-3 questions that allow you to find out who it is filling in your questionnaire (e.g. age, gender, hobbies & interests etc)
You should have 2-3 questions to find out what music videos they like and why
You should have 1-3 questions to find out what they might look for in a new music video
You should then have a sentence or two telling the audience about the song you are making a video for and what genre it falls into.
You should have 3-5 questions to find out what they think about your ideas for your music video. You might suggest some different locations and ask them their favourite. You might have pictures of several different possible main singers and ask them to choose their favourite. You might also ask them to give their own ideas for your magazine at the end.
Once printed you will ask at least 10 people to fill the questionnaire in. The people you ask should be people in your target audience profile. The filled in questionnaires need to be scanned in, and uploaded on to your blog.
Example of multiple choice question
Which of these locations would be good for a music video about lost love? (choose your favourite two)
Theme Park
Bar / Restaurant
School
Park
Beach
Example of an open question
Describe below what you think of my music video idea including suggestions about what I could improve.
Then INDIVIDUALLY you need to analyse the results of your questionnaire. You should do this in the following ways.
Create bar charts or pie charts to show some of your results
Write about what you have found out
Your charts could show the percentages of what answers were given. Charts will only be possible for the questions you asked that had multiple choice answers. You can also write about how the results will influence you in the making of your music video.
Example of Chart and Writing about results
Question: What is the main factor influencing your decision to buy a new magazine?
The results here show that the beach was by far and away the most popular choice for a location for filming so we intend on basing most of our filming on Brighton Beach. However we will also include smaller elements of the park as well as this was the next favourite.
15 people chose the beach
4 people chose a theme park
4 people chose a school
5 people chose the park
The results of your questionnaires can be written directly in to your blog with charts embedded as pictures, or it could be a word document printed out and scanned in.
DESCRIPTION OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
For this section you must identify your target audience in as much detail as possible. This would ideally be done as a Prezzi Presentation embedded into your blog, or an audio file like a podcast, embedded into your blog, preferably with pictures embedded too. When describing your target audience for your music video you need to include:
· Age
· Gender
· Social Demographic (eg ABC1C2DE)
· Occupation
· Interests eg hobbies, fave films, fave tv etc
· Other favourite artists / music
· What Uses & Gratifications will your music video offer to your audience?
· What solutions will your music video offer to their problems (Utopian theory)
· Age
· Gender
· Social Demographic (eg ABC1C2DE)
· Occupation
· Interests eg hobbies, fave films, fave tv etc
· Other favourite artists / music
· What Uses & Gratifications will your music video offer to your audience?
· What solutions will your music video offer to their problems (Utopian theory)
ANALYSING MUSIC VIDEOS & ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
You should analyse at least 3 music videos on your blog. They should be from a similar genre of music to the one you intend on working in.
You should embed the video of each track into your blog along with a title of the song and artist to make it clear what you are analysing. For each video you need to make sure you don’t just describe what is happening in each video, but instead are making analytical comments about the following features using key media terminology
· Camera movement, shots, angles
· Editing transitions, special effects
· Mise-En-Scene (colour, costume, props, location, facial expression etc)
· Representation – how the artist / band / characters are represented through these technical elements above
· Dominant Ideologies – what ideologies are presented in the video, are they dominant ideologies or not?
· Genre of the music and how this is signified in the video (eg iconography, colour, people etc)
· Intertextuality – whether the video features any intertextual references, where, to what and why?
· Audience reception – how might an audience react to or view the video (Stuart Hall’s theory of preferred reading)
· Why might an audience watch / enjoy this video (Uses & Gratifications etc)
· Can Andrew Goodwin’s theory be applied to the video, if so, where?
· Can Laura Mulvey’s theory be applied to the video, if so, where?
· Are there any Binary Oppositions in the video (Levi Strauss theory), if so, where?
You should embed the video of each track into your blog along with a title of the song and artist to make it clear what you are analysing. For each video you need to make sure you don’t just describe what is happening in each video, but instead are making analytical comments about the following features using key media terminology
· Camera movement, shots, angles
· Editing transitions, special effects
· Mise-En-Scene (colour, costume, props, location, facial expression etc)
· Representation – how the artist / band / characters are represented through these technical elements above
· Dominant Ideologies – what ideologies are presented in the video, are they dominant ideologies or not?
· Genre of the music and how this is signified in the video (eg iconography, colour, people etc)
· Intertextuality – whether the video features any intertextual references, where, to what and why?
· Audience reception – how might an audience react to or view the video (Stuart Hall’s theory of preferred reading)
· Why might an audience watch / enjoy this video (Uses & Gratifications etc)
· Can Andrew Goodwin’s theory be applied to the video, if so, where?
· Can Laura Mulvey’s theory be applied to the video, if so, where?
· Are there any Binary Oppositions in the video (Levi Strauss theory), if so, where?
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