When an audience watches a music video, they want certain things from it. Usually this is what would attracts an audience to watch a music video.
Entertainment is usually a key reason that people watch a music video. Also it may interest them. Every music video will usually attract different audiences however based on what is in the music video.
Therefore when creating a music video it is important that you understand what target audience you are aiming your music video at, so that you can include key things that will attract this particular audience.
When we produce our music video we have to consider our demographic as well, by doing this it will ensure that we know what target audience we are aiming our music video at. This is very important as without doing this, we won't know our exact specific audience, resulting in a music video that isn't well targeted. This could mean a poorer uptake of our music video.
Music videos will often include things in them too that will entice an audience to watch the music video. This may be by including key features that entice an audience due to it being fresh in the media or because it was once in the media and caused a lot of attention. Other things that may entice an audience could be the use of cross media convergence, using things from other films or media texts that will all help to attract audiences and engage them. Another popular way is to include celebrities in a music video (celebrity endorsement) as this will be a big pulling factor in getting mass audiences to watch a music video.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Monday, 24 November 2014
Analysis of Digipack by Artist in my Genre- Bon Iver (Indie Pop Genre)
The digipack that I am analysing is the digipack from a Bon Iver CD called 'Blood Bank' which was released in 2009. The images below are the actual digipack that came with the CD.
As you can see from the first image, there is an image on the front cover. The image is a very simple shot of a car with snow on it. We can't make out the whole car, only a section showing the car door open, as well as the window. We can make out the back seats and that's about it. It doesn't tell the audience much and leaves it open to imagination of what you think it is supposed to be implying. The framing of the shot is quite specific, it is aimed towards the seats. By having the window open it means the audiences eyes are attracted to the open window, and we feel as though we are looking through the window and then as previously stated, leaves it open to the imagination what the rest of the photo is about.
There is lots of the colour white on the front cover. This stereotypically connotes purity and 'angel-like'. This could maybe be a hint and be suggestive of something later on when we hear the music from the CD.
The inside of the digipack consists of gold and white colour scheme. The white writing stands out against the gold background, making it very eye catching to the audience. Also on the furthest left image, we can see another image. This image is showing footprints in the snow. This is very clever as the footprints are the same colour as the background. When first looking at the image, it took me a while to work out and understand what it was showing, however that helps engage the audience and make them concentrate on the digipack. The writing is in very small text and is hard to read. However, when studied, the writing is from the artist and is him thanking many people who helped him produce the CD. Other than the points I've made above, there isn't much else to look at, as it is on the whole very simple. Therefore the simplicity of the album is what makes it effective and is what engages the audience in the digipack.
The back of the digipack in the majority is white. This is opposite to the inside of the digipack as we can see from the previous image. In the previous image the main colour was gold, now it is white with the text being gold. This is a complete reverse of previously and shows there is no consistent house style throughout. The back of the digipack has 6 words in gold. This could connote they are the important ones and the ones that the artist wants people to see most. This could be the names of the songs or just important words. Also found on the back is a bar code. This is important as allows it to be scanned in shops and therefore sold to the consumer, helping the audience make money. On the spine of the digipack we can also see the words 'Bon Iver Blood Bath'. The words 'Bon Iver' is in all capitals and gold, whereas the words 'Blood Bank' is in capitals but is in black writing, meaning it doesn't stand out quite as much. This could mean they are more interested in people knowing the name of there band rather than the album name.
The font used is very simple and easy to read. This is important as the audience won't expect to have to strain to read the text, else they won't read it, meaning the digipack wasn't worth producing. The font is the same throughout and doesn't change, although the size of the text does change. On the exterior of the digipack the text is a lot larger, however as we can see from images above, the interior text is a lot smaller font, this is because of two main reasons, the first is that it has to be smaller in order to fit all the writing in that they wanted without making the digipack any bigger. The second reason is because it isn't as important as the exterior text as by the time the user is reading the inside they have already bought the CD meaning the exterior writing and overall front and back cover did its job.
The visual imagery on this digipack and CD itself could help to attract an audience as both imaged are quite intriguing and can take a moment to look at in order to work out what they are. Therefore it attracts the audiences eye, meaning they will take interest in the CD and digipack, therefore this could be a good idea to take from this digipack, that adding an interesting and slightly ironic image can help attract people to look at the CD and potentially influence them to then buy the CD.
Overall from looking at this digipack I feel that there are many positives of it, and also many things that could be improved. However the main benefits that I am going to take from the product is:
- The use of visual imagery to attract audience to purchase the CD can be used to our advantage.
- The size of the text is important, it must be easy to read without being ridiculously large.
- Consider colour schemes, a common house style throughout can be good. Even extending out to other media products that are helping to sell the CD could be colour themed.
By analysing the positives and negatives of the digipack, it will allow me to take the good things and include them in my own digipack, whilst ensuring that the lesser ideas I don't include, meaning I shouldn't have to many problems or issues when creating my digipack. Also by looking at this digipack (and multiple other digipack's) I can start to see trends in the way digipack's include certain things and do certain things in order to catch the attention of the audience, which again is beneficial as I can include these trends and generic conventions in my own digipack.
 |
| This shows the front cover of the digipack. |
There is lots of the colour white on the front cover. This stereotypically connotes purity and 'angel-like'. This could maybe be a hint and be suggestive of something later on when we hear the music from the CD.
 |
| This is the inside of the digipack. |
 |
| This is the back of the digipack. |
 |
| This is the CD itself. |
The font used is very simple and easy to read. This is important as the audience won't expect to have to strain to read the text, else they won't read it, meaning the digipack wasn't worth producing. The font is the same throughout and doesn't change, although the size of the text does change. On the exterior of the digipack the text is a lot larger, however as we can see from images above, the interior text is a lot smaller font, this is because of two main reasons, the first is that it has to be smaller in order to fit all the writing in that they wanted without making the digipack any bigger. The second reason is because it isn't as important as the exterior text as by the time the user is reading the inside they have already bought the CD meaning the exterior writing and overall front and back cover did its job.
The visual imagery on this digipack and CD itself could help to attract an audience as both imaged are quite intriguing and can take a moment to look at in order to work out what they are. Therefore it attracts the audiences eye, meaning they will take interest in the CD and digipack, therefore this could be a good idea to take from this digipack, that adding an interesting and slightly ironic image can help attract people to look at the CD and potentially influence them to then buy the CD.
Overall from looking at this digipack I feel that there are many positives of it, and also many things that could be improved. However the main benefits that I am going to take from the product is:
- The use of visual imagery to attract audience to purchase the CD can be used to our advantage.
- The size of the text is important, it must be easy to read without being ridiculously large.
- Consider colour schemes, a common house style throughout can be good. Even extending out to other media products that are helping to sell the CD could be colour themed.
By analysing the positives and negatives of the digipack, it will allow me to take the good things and include them in my own digipack, whilst ensuring that the lesser ideas I don't include, meaning I shouldn't have to many problems or issues when creating my digipack. Also by looking at this digipack (and multiple other digipack's) I can start to see trends in the way digipack's include certain things and do certain things in order to catch the attention of the audience, which again is beneficial as I can include these trends and generic conventions in my own digipack.
Monday, 17 November 2014
Analysis of Digipack from a Different Genre: Ed Sheeran '+' Album
This is the front cover for Ed Sheeran's album +. Also there is an image of the CD as well. The first thing that I notice when about the digipack is its brightly coloured. This means it catches peoples eyes and helps grab there attention, in the hope that they will then buy it. It could also be a way of including light comedy; maybe referring to Sheeran's hair colour.
On the left hand side we can see that he has his name on the spine. This is clearly visible and means that people are instantly aware who's CD it is. Also the use of the image of himself on the front of the CD case means that it is another way of making the audience aware of who's CD it is. Also this is a USP of the album cover that could make people want to buy it. This image was actually a drawing by a person called 'Phillip Butah'. By having the image, it uses artist endorsement to help support the sales of his CD and also can be a marketing technique by attracting female audiences. Also the image is drawn to make it look like Ed is looking at the audience, or giving direct eye contact, making it seem like he is looking at you, which can help to grab the audiences attention.
The album name is in the bottom right hand corner. This is actually quite small and in an unusual place. Usually the album name is clearly visible and the main things on the cover, however in this instance it isn't. The simplicity of this album name reflect the type of music Sheeran produces and gives an expectation to what the audience can expect. Ed Sheeran has released his newest album which is called 'X' meaning maybe there is a link between the previous album and this one, meaning could expect a very simple album name for his next album.
In the bottom left we can see some well known single names that are on the album, this gives the audience an example of some of the songs included on the album and can make them want to buy the CD in anticipation of more good music like these songs. Also it informs the audience of bonus materials that they can look forward to by putting the CD into the computer, making them want to buy the album rather than using other sources to listen to the music, for example spotify, sound cloud or YouTube. The reason for this is that the artist makes more money from people buying the album than they would from people streaming there music on other platforms.
The CD itself is black. This is a contrast to the bright orange. Also it means that the album name that is in orange on the top of the CD stands out. This informs the user the album title instantly.
It also has writing on the edge of it, this tells the audience about the record label, publishers and warns the user that the CD is copyrighted and is not allowed to be illegally copied or broadcasted.
The back of the album cover has the track list on it, giving the audience information of all songs on the CD. It also includes record dealer information along with website. The back cover follows stereotypical conventions and is as we would expect it to be with numbers and track lists next to each other. It is very basic which makes it very easy to read and understand, therefore making it effective and ensures it does the job its supposed to do which is helping the audience know which song is where on the CD.
I will use this research along with the other digipack's that I have analysed to help me design my own digipack. This is ideal as it will allow me to ensure I use similar conventions on my digipack that will allow me to produce the best possible digipack. Also by looking at previous digipack's, I can use some of the other artists ideas and incorporate these, along with my own ideas into my digipack that I will produce.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Analysis of Past Student Music Video- Mac Miller: Frick Place Market
Positives:
This particular video is very good. Throughout there are a range of shots and shot types, helping to engage the audience as it keeps it different and interesting to watch. Also this helps show that it is well planned and very well thought out. This will also show off skills and talents to the examiner which will help to gain marks. Also from a professional aspect of things, it helps make it look realistic and like a proper music video. Some examples of the various shot angles are high angle shots, low angle shots, mid shots and fish eye shots. Also we have a range of shot types such as long shots and establishing shots.
There is a good use of lip sync throughout. This helps make it look good, and adds to the professionalism of the piece. This is because it is hard to edit in time to the music in order to make the lip synch look realistic therefore, this is a good thing about this music video.
Also there are lots of costume changes. This is a key convention of most music videos. Nowadays artists have a tendency to wear lots of different outfits in there music videos. By the students using lots of different costumes, it again helps the realism of the student music video and adds to the verisimilitude of the piece.
As well as lots of costume changes, there are also lots of different locations. This is a good thing because it means they have went out and planned different locations, helping it to be unique and interesting to watch. Also it shows they have considered location and the effects this would have on the audience. It also helps portray different lyrics as the scene sometimes matched the lyrics, helping the realism. It also shows the examiner that they have went out and filmed in lots of different places, which will help them get marks.
Negatives:
To improve on the music video it needs more narrative to it. This is because although there are lots of different scenes and lots of different locations, it is hard to pick out a common narrative or to understand what the actual story is. Therefore, to improve it, they need to make it more obvious to the audience what the actual narrative is. This will help to engage the audience and keep them engaged throughout.
Also, although very minor, at times there were some framing problems.
The music video that I am analysing is below.
This particular video is very good. Throughout there are a range of shots and shot types, helping to engage the audience as it keeps it different and interesting to watch. Also this helps show that it is well planned and very well thought out. This will also show off skills and talents to the examiner which will help to gain marks. Also from a professional aspect of things, it helps make it look realistic and like a proper music video. Some examples of the various shot angles are high angle shots, low angle shots, mid shots and fish eye shots. Also we have a range of shot types such as long shots and establishing shots.
There is a good use of lip sync throughout. This helps make it look good, and adds to the professionalism of the piece. This is because it is hard to edit in time to the music in order to make the lip synch look realistic therefore, this is a good thing about this music video.
Also there are lots of costume changes. This is a key convention of most music videos. Nowadays artists have a tendency to wear lots of different outfits in there music videos. By the students using lots of different costumes, it again helps the realism of the student music video and adds to the verisimilitude of the piece.
As well as lots of costume changes, there are also lots of different locations. This is a good thing because it means they have went out and planned different locations, helping it to be unique and interesting to watch. Also it shows they have considered location and the effects this would have on the audience. It also helps portray different lyrics as the scene sometimes matched the lyrics, helping the realism. It also shows the examiner that they have went out and filmed in lots of different places, which will help them get marks.
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| This location is on the streets somewhere, and the background shows some graffiti. |
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| This location is against a green screen. |
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| Another different location, in the car. |
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| Another location on a train track. In these 4 screenshots, the audience can see 4 different locations which makes it interesting to watch for the audience. |
To improve on the music video it needs more narrative to it. This is because although there are lots of different scenes and lots of different locations, it is hard to pick out a common narrative or to understand what the actual story is. Therefore, to improve it, they need to make it more obvious to the audience what the actual narrative is. This will help to engage the audience and keep them engaged throughout.
Also, although very minor, at times there were some framing problems.
The music video that I am analysing is below.
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
The Purpose of a Music Video
The main purpose of a music video is too
- To help the artist’s and band’s tracks be heard globally, on a mass scale.
- To help promote the band, providing a visual representation of the band.
- To ensure people remember the song and video ( A very good example of this would be the song 'Thriller ' by Michael Jackson. This is because everyone remembers the song and the dance.
- Music Videos are a platform for film makers – film makers associated with artist
- To invoke a reaction ( A prime example would be Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking Ball'. The video to this song has been in the media and lead to controversy regarding the singer.
- To provide the audience with an incentive to see the band live
- To lead to more sales
- They’re used for an extension of income, keeping the artist or band in the public eye, after the album release. Ideally increasing sales of their album.
- To link a song to a Film/TV series (An example of this would be the Friends theme tune, 'I'll Be There For You' which everyone now tends to put with the TV series 'Friends'.
- Entertainment purposes
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Music Video History
Music videos are used to help enhance a piece of music. The idea of them are to help sell the artists song. The reason for doing this post is to help understand the importance of music videos and how they have developed over time. I will include key music videos that changed the way we as an audience view music videos and how artists used music videos to better effect to help sell there music.
Most mainstream music videos are very expensive to produce. This is because they have the money to be able to produce good, high quality videos as they have the money and technology to be able to produce these. These sort of high budget music videos usually belong to well known, successful artists. Some may include each of the following or just one aspect:
- Performance Clips/Showcase Artists Talent
- Animation
- Images accompanying the Lyrics
Independent companies don't have as much capital in the business, and therefore can't produce as extravagant music videos or not at all. Therefore we can expect less from these sort of artists.
Before any music videos were released, the first machine that was able to record sound was made. This was called a phonograph.
Music then started to develop quickly after they were able to record sound. The music industry grew as technology improved.
There were 3 main era's is music video history. These were:
Pre-1981
1981-2005 which was the MTV Era
Post 2005 which is the Youtube Era
1930's- Len Lye produced a music video called 'Colour Box'. It was produced and funded by the Post Office and because of this, they actually used this music video as an advert for themselves to by including things within the video that connoted back to the post office. (e.g- parcel weights)
1940's- The ability to listen to music at home, opposed to just live performances. This meant a new industry was slowly created. Also video jukeboxes were produced, these were called 'Soundies'.
1950's- This was the birth of youth culture and teenager. This was the era of rock and roll and in particular artists like Elvis Presley. This sort of music originated form Blues. At the time, rock and roll was against the rules of society and was seen as people rebelling.
1960's- Mainly comprised of The Beatles. At the time, due to artists like The Beatles and Elvis Presley not being 'allowed' and due to this BBC did not broadcast this music, it lead to pirate radios being set up out at sea. At this stage, performance videos were first shot live.
1962- 'Scopitones' were released in France.
1969- The first music festival was held. It was known as 'Woodstock'.
1970's- Disco Music and Punk was the new 'in thing' for music. There was a music video breakthrough as Queen released 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which was a totally unique music video and changed how other artists produced music videos leading to more daring and unique music videos being released.
1981- MTV was first aired. It was designed to be a space filler on the station, however it led to a revolution. Initially, British music dominated MTV. This meant that British artists could thrive, as a result Madonna broke onto the scene. This then led to other woman copying her, and many woman still follow conventions that she set back in the 1980's.
The first music video was shown on MTV. Music Television was launched on August 1st 1981. It is an American owned channel. When MTV first started its main target market was young adults, however as the TV station developed they changed and marketed more towards teenagers and adolescents.
The first music video to be aired on MTV was The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. This was influential as it was the first video to be accompanied by moving images to be shown on TV. The song was then No.1 in 16 countries. Over time, this would be the start of an era that would continue to present day. The video below is the music video that was aired on MTV by The Buggles.
During MTV's early years, they were quite desriminitive towards black people. There were a select few who were shown, however the majority were rejected. The first non-white artist to be played on MTV was The Specials 'Rat Race' which had both black and white people in it. This was the 58th video to be played on the station.
1981- This was the year that the Walkman was released.
1982- The CD was invented and released.
The next major event occurred in 1983. This was when the king of pop, Michael Jackson first got airtime on MTV with his song 'Billie Jean'. Prior to 1983 Jackson struggled to get airtime due to his colour. However after feuds with CBS a music record label, MTV agreed to play black artists music on the channel. This was then known as the song that 'broke the colour barrier'. At the time, the main director for black artists was a man called Hype Williams.
MTV went on to start the MTV awards (Video Music Awards). The first one was in 1984 and was a benchmark for the music channel itself. The awards given are called 'Moonmen'. The first awards show was opened by Madonna performing her song 'Like a Virgin'.
The next benchmark for music videos was Dire Straits song 'Money for Nothing'. This was released and got its first airtime on MTV in 1985. This was the first music video of its type that included animation. This was therefore a breakthrough in music videos.
After this, music videos started to incorporate different aspects from different music videos and common themes were followed depending on the genre of the music video. This is now known as iconography, and is what as an audience we can expect from a music video in particular genres.
1992-2004 was the time in that MTV started to add credits to the end of songs. This included directors names and other information like this.
The most popular music video of the 1990's was 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys. This was nominated for 5 MTV awards, however was unsuccessful in actually winning any of these awards. In 2004, it was also rated in a Rolling Stones magazine as #480 out of 500 of best songs of all time. The music video has to date 20,282,370 views on YouTube.
2000's- This was the time of Ipods, reality TV shows such as X-Factor and the internet which allowed for the birth and growth of music platforms such as ITunes, YouTube and Spotify. This allowed for digital screening, digital viewing and also lead to issues such as piracy.
In 2005, YouTube was created. This was an online service that allowed people to upload videos onto it. Many artists now use this to present day as a way of showing off there music and music videos and a way of aiding there music.
An example of this is the song 'Gangman Style' by PSY. This video is the most viewed music video on YouTube. I personally think the reason for this music video being such a success and then in turn the song being a success is due to the very simple yet catchy dance routine that ended up going global. The video has had 2,083,625,879 views and was released in July 2012. The song was then followed up by the song 'Gentlemen'. This video also included a dance routine and helped it to become a success. The second most viewed music video on YouTube is Justin Bieber's 'Baby'. This shows that the music industry is very diverse, and there is not a specific way to be successful as these two video are very different as you can see below. PSY included catchy dance routines, whilst Justin Bieber instead used lots of shots of himself and included a narrative of him and a girl.
By researching about music video history, it has helped me see how music videos have changed over time, however the main principles and generic conventions have stuck. This therefore means that when producing my music videos, I should take inspiration from successful music videos that I've looked at above and see how and why they have become successful as this will help me to go on and produce a good quality music video myself.
Most mainstream music videos are very expensive to produce. This is because they have the money to be able to produce good, high quality videos as they have the money and technology to be able to produce these. These sort of high budget music videos usually belong to well known, successful artists. Some may include each of the following or just one aspect:
- Performance Clips/Showcase Artists Talent
- Animation
- Images accompanying the Lyrics
Independent companies don't have as much capital in the business, and therefore can't produce as extravagant music videos or not at all. Therefore we can expect less from these sort of artists.
Before any music videos were released, the first machine that was able to record sound was made. This was called a phonograph.
 |
| An example of a phonograph. |
There were 3 main era's is music video history. These were:
Pre-1981
1981-2005 which was the MTV Era
Post 2005 which is the Youtube Era
1930's- Len Lye produced a music video called 'Colour Box'. It was produced and funded by the Post Office and because of this, they actually used this music video as an advert for themselves to by including things within the video that connoted back to the post office. (e.g- parcel weights)
1940's- The ability to listen to music at home, opposed to just live performances. This meant a new industry was slowly created. Also video jukeboxes were produced, these were called 'Soundies'.
1950's- This was the birth of youth culture and teenager. This was the era of rock and roll and in particular artists like Elvis Presley. This sort of music originated form Blues. At the time, rock and roll was against the rules of society and was seen as people rebelling.
1960's- Mainly comprised of The Beatles. At the time, due to artists like The Beatles and Elvis Presley not being 'allowed' and due to this BBC did not broadcast this music, it lead to pirate radios being set up out at sea. At this stage, performance videos were first shot live.
1962- 'Scopitones' were released in France.
1969- The first music festival was held. It was known as 'Woodstock'.
1970's- Disco Music and Punk was the new 'in thing' for music. There was a music video breakthrough as Queen released 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which was a totally unique music video and changed how other artists produced music videos leading to more daring and unique music videos being released.
1981- MTV was first aired. It was designed to be a space filler on the station, however it led to a revolution. Initially, British music dominated MTV. This meant that British artists could thrive, as a result Madonna broke onto the scene. This then led to other woman copying her, and many woman still follow conventions that she set back in the 1980's.
The first music video was shown on MTV. Music Television was launched on August 1st 1981. It is an American owned channel. When MTV first started its main target market was young adults, however as the TV station developed they changed and marketed more towards teenagers and adolescents.
The first music video to be aired on MTV was The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. This was influential as it was the first video to be accompanied by moving images to be shown on TV. The song was then No.1 in 16 countries. Over time, this would be the start of an era that would continue to present day. The video below is the music video that was aired on MTV by The Buggles.
During MTV's early years, they were quite desriminitive towards black people. There were a select few who were shown, however the majority were rejected. The first non-white artist to be played on MTV was The Specials 'Rat Race' which had both black and white people in it. This was the 58th video to be played on the station.
1981- This was the year that the Walkman was released.
1982- The CD was invented and released.
The next major event occurred in 1983. This was when the king of pop, Michael Jackson first got airtime on MTV with his song 'Billie Jean'. Prior to 1983 Jackson struggled to get airtime due to his colour. However after feuds with CBS a music record label, MTV agreed to play black artists music on the channel. This was then known as the song that 'broke the colour barrier'. At the time, the main director for black artists was a man called Hype Williams.
MTV went on to start the MTV awards (Video Music Awards). The first one was in 1984 and was a benchmark for the music channel itself. The awards given are called 'Moonmen'. The first awards show was opened by Madonna performing her song 'Like a Virgin'.
The next benchmark for music videos was Dire Straits song 'Money for Nothing'. This was released and got its first airtime on MTV in 1985. This was the first music video of its type that included animation. This was therefore a breakthrough in music videos.
After this, music videos started to incorporate different aspects from different music videos and common themes were followed depending on the genre of the music video. This is now known as iconography, and is what as an audience we can expect from a music video in particular genres.
1992-2004 was the time in that MTV started to add credits to the end of songs. This included directors names and other information like this.
The most popular music video of the 1990's was 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys. This was nominated for 5 MTV awards, however was unsuccessful in actually winning any of these awards. In 2004, it was also rated in a Rolling Stones magazine as #480 out of 500 of best songs of all time. The music video has to date 20,282,370 views on YouTube.
2000's- This was the time of Ipods, reality TV shows such as X-Factor and the internet which allowed for the birth and growth of music platforms such as ITunes, YouTube and Spotify. This allowed for digital screening, digital viewing and also lead to issues such as piracy.
In 2005, YouTube was created. This was an online service that allowed people to upload videos onto it. Many artists now use this to present day as a way of showing off there music and music videos and a way of aiding there music.
An example of this is the song 'Gangman Style' by PSY. This video is the most viewed music video on YouTube. I personally think the reason for this music video being such a success and then in turn the song being a success is due to the very simple yet catchy dance routine that ended up going global. The video has had 2,083,625,879 views and was released in July 2012. The song was then followed up by the song 'Gentlemen'. This video also included a dance routine and helped it to become a success. The second most viewed music video on YouTube is Justin Bieber's 'Baby'. This shows that the music industry is very diverse, and there is not a specific way to be successful as these two video are very different as you can see below. PSY included catchy dance routines, whilst Justin Bieber instead used lots of shots of himself and included a narrative of him and a girl.
By researching about music video history, it has helped me see how music videos have changed over time, however the main principles and generic conventions have stuck. This therefore means that when producing my music videos, I should take inspiration from successful music videos that I've looked at above and see how and why they have become successful as this will help me to go on and produce a good quality music video myself.
Monday, 3 November 2014
Extra Research: Music Genres & Music Videos
Music videos nowadays have reduced budgets compared to previous times. The budget for music videos rocketed, after the production of one of the most prolific music videos, 'Thriller, Michael Jackson'.
At this time, the opportunity was a lot higher, as support from record labels was a lot more. During this era, there was a lot of money still in the music industry and record labels could therefore afford to spend lots of music videos. In comparison to nowadays, music videos budgets are now about a fifth of what they were ten (10) years ago. There are many reasons why music video budgets have dropped, the main being because of the online age coming around, this therefore meant homemade music videos can be produced a lot easier, meaning it can be done for cheaper. Also anyone can easily post music videos online, meaning there is less security and therefore music videos can be accessed easily for free, meaning there is no money coming back to the record companies. Also piracy is a big issue, as it means that people can stream music for free, this means that they can view the music video for free online, and also then stream the song itself for free without buying the track, as a result meaning the record labels again aren't making any money, reducing there total capital and therefore there budget for spending on the production of music videos.
R&B Music Videos- These sort of music videos tend to be the most expensive music videos to make. When we watch these sort of videos, generic conventions of the genre that us as an audience expect to see are expensive cars, large houses and alcohol. This means music videos for this genre tend to be very expensive to produce and therefore only large mainstream record labels can afford to still produce these sort of music videos.
Rock Music Videos- This music video tends to consist of simulated performances from the band, and/or lots of clips from the band performing in recent concerts that have been edited together to form a montage of clips. These music videos are usually cheaper to make, and will usually show off the band and there ability to play live music (often showing members of the band playing different musical instruments).
Country Music Videos- Tend to be set outdoors and will usually have the band or artists in the shots. Often very performance based. These are again cheaper to make and will often be produced by smaller, niche record labels.
Pop Music Videos- These music videos are usually performance based. Often we will see the band in similar clothing that makes them look like a band. Incorporated in the music video will often be a dance routine as well.
At this time, the opportunity was a lot higher, as support from record labels was a lot more. During this era, there was a lot of money still in the music industry and record labels could therefore afford to spend lots of music videos. In comparison to nowadays, music videos budgets are now about a fifth of what they were ten (10) years ago. There are many reasons why music video budgets have dropped, the main being because of the online age coming around, this therefore meant homemade music videos can be produced a lot easier, meaning it can be done for cheaper. Also anyone can easily post music videos online, meaning there is less security and therefore music videos can be accessed easily for free, meaning there is no money coming back to the record companies. Also piracy is a big issue, as it means that people can stream music for free, this means that they can view the music video for free online, and also then stream the song itself for free without buying the track, as a result meaning the record labels again aren't making any money, reducing there total capital and therefore there budget for spending on the production of music videos.
R&B Music Videos- These sort of music videos tend to be the most expensive music videos to make. When we watch these sort of videos, generic conventions of the genre that us as an audience expect to see are expensive cars, large houses and alcohol. This means music videos for this genre tend to be very expensive to produce and therefore only large mainstream record labels can afford to still produce these sort of music videos.
Rock Music Videos- This music video tends to consist of simulated performances from the band, and/or lots of clips from the band performing in recent concerts that have been edited together to form a montage of clips. These music videos are usually cheaper to make, and will usually show off the band and there ability to play live music (often showing members of the band playing different musical instruments).
Country Music Videos- Tend to be set outdoors and will usually have the band or artists in the shots. Often very performance based. These are again cheaper to make and will often be produced by smaller, niche record labels.
Pop Music Videos- These music videos are usually performance based. Often we will see the band in similar clothing that makes them look like a band. Incorporated in the music video will often be a dance routine as well.
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