Lip Synching- What is it? Why is it important?

Lip syncing is a technical term for matching lip movements with music. The idea is that it looks as though you are singing the lyrics in a song. It is otherwise known as miming.

Lip synching first came around during the 1980's, when MTV first started playing music videos. The idea is that then artists could just use a pre-recorded version of the song and then just edit the music video to fit in time with the accompanying images and with the lip synching.

Also it is sometimes used when artists have live performances that are based around heavy dance routines. This allows for the artist to be able to focus on the dancing. Other than this, sometimes a pre-recorded version of the song will be in the background at live shows, and then they will sing certain parts of the song over the top, whilst some may still be mimed.

This has both positives and negatives:

Positives:

- It means the artists can concentrate solely on the music video rather than having to sing at the same time.

- It can allow the artist to have full on, extreme dance routines in music videos.

- It allows for the song to always sound how it should- regardless of whether its a live performance or music video.

Negatives:

- If editing is poor quality, it can stand out and look very obvious to the audience that they are pretending and in fact have lip synched.

- At live shows, it means audiences may not get a live performance.

This is an example of where lip synching has gone wrong, it was in 2009 during Britney Spears live show. Fans were walking out on the performance before the end of the concert and therefore meant that she has left fans unsatisfied.



This is another example, this time using a previous students media work. They tried to reproduce a One Direction song and attempted to lip synch over it. However, due to poor editing it is very obvious and meant the end result was it looking poor quality and not very professional.



Therefore it is important, if lip synching that it is done with great care and ensure that it actually looks realistic. Otherwise, it can make a music video look very poor quality and lose the validity and verisimilitude of a piece.

Analysis of Music Video using Goodwin’s Theory: Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball

This music video is from the pop genre. It was released in August 2013 and was the second single from the album 'Bangerz' to be released.

This music video initially led to a lot of controversy, as the media compared Mileys new video to Sinead O'Connor's music video 'Nothing Compares2U'. Cyrus said that this reference of intertextuality was inspired by O'Connor's video which led to O'Connor's sending Cyrus an open letter regarding how she thinks Cyrus has been 'pimped' and exploited by the music industry.



This is Miley Cyrus's music video for Wrecking Ball, which starts very similarly too Sinead O'Connor's scene at around 15 seconds in.



As you can see, there is an obvious comparison to O'Connor's music video close ups as there is to Cyrus's close ups at the beginning of her song.

As I found out from a previous blog, Goodwin's theory suggests that there are certain things that can be found in music videos that are used in order to sell a song or music video. Nowadays, record labels purposefully use this in order to sell an artists song or music video as they know its been tried, tested and has been successful and therefore there is no reason to go against the generic conventions, not to say some music videos don't go against this.

Goodwin’s Theory suggests that in music videos, lyrics will match the visuals that we as an audience can see. This is visible in this music video. The music video is a performance piece in a variety of locations. It has a simple narrative to it, although this isn’t consistent throughout. The visuals often match the lyrics of the piece and this therefore allows the audience to be able to understand the music video better. By doing this it means it is very simple to follow and makes the audience link the lyrics with the images they can see, helping engage the audience better. An example of this in the music video is where we see Miley swinging on a ‘wrecking ball’ and at this time we hear her sing the lines ‘I came in like a wrecking ball’. This therefore shows an obvious link between visuals and lyrics and makes it obvious to the audience what it is she is singing about.

This is Miley Cyrus on the Wrecking Ball, at this time we also see her lip synch the lyrics 'I came in like a wrecking ball' which is an example of when her lyrics match the visuals.

Also we can see lots of cuts throughout this music video that match the pace of the video. This helps the music video flow, and gives it a mellifluous feel.  

In order to sell the artist as a star, the record label uses lots of close ups on Miley. In order to do this, the record company include slots of shots of Mile partially dressed, or doing provocative poses. By showing off her body, Goodwin’s theory would suggest that this is voyeurism as the female body is on display. This is for the benefit of the male viewers, and therefore links with the male Gaze Theory by Laura Mulvey.

A prime example of the Male Gaze Theory. This suggests that the camera is the males eyes, and suggests that men objectify woman to be sex objects.

Intertextuality is the final point in Goodwin's theory, it suggests that music videos may have intertextual references that link them to other media products. As mentioned previously in this post, in Mileys video she has intertextual references to O'Connor's music video. This helps the audience link one media product to another, and should help promote a music video. Another good example of intertextual references in music videos is  Robbie Williams' 'Millennium' music video. We see Williams dressed like James Bond, which is an intertextual reference to the Bond films, also an example of cross media convergence.

Close up Shot from Mileys music video.

Close up Shot from O'Connor's music video, showing very similar shots and to an audience, this shows how Miley has used intertextuality in her music video to link it to O'Connor's.

This post has helped me to understand how music videos are all very similar, in terms of things that they actually have within them. It has helped me see that most music videos are very similar in terms of the process of producing them and ensuring that key generic conventions are within the video, however the narratives or storylines are all very different.

Research Into Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin was the creator of 'Goodwin's Theory'; which was named after himself. He said that music and music videos always include 6 main areas/stages. When creating my music videos I can use Goodwin's theory to help ensure that my music video fits and is in line with what Goodwin's theory suggest makes a good music video. The stages of Goodwin's theory can be seen below: 

1.            Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop). This is also known as iconography

This video shows the band AC/DC performing there song, demonstrating genre characteristics. In different genres we will be able to see different generic conventions as this is what makes a music video able to get categorised to a certain genre. 

 2.            There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.

3.      There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.

In this music video by Ed Sheeran to his song 'Give Me Love', the lyrics are very reflective of the images that we can see. This helps the audience to understand and feel the emption that is being portrayed in the music video. Also it helps connotes Sheeran's thoughts and feelings behind the song, maybe helping others relate, potentially also linking in with the Uses and Gratifications Theory which suggests people watch things for 4 reasons, however in this case it could be for Entertainment, which has links with emotional release, which could be reached here with this music video.



4.      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).

 The main reason for this is because the record labels not only want to sell the music, they also need the artist to be sold as a 'star'.

5.      There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

In this video, we see the camera using very long distinctive close up shots of Miley Cyrus. This linking in with Goodwin's theory of the camera focusing on the female body. This is known as voyeurism. As the music video progresses, at around 34 seconds we see a long shot of Mileys legs, before cutting and going to a shot of her leaning against a wall with a mallet in her hand. As the music video continues, we see long shots of Miley wearing very little clothing, before seeing her swinging on a wrecking ball, wearing nothing, and then seeing her licking a mallet. All of this linking to the idea that Goodwin suggested, that the camera frequently shows off the female body, also linking in with the Male Gaze theory by Laura Mulvey.


6.      There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc)

As Goodwin suggested, in some music videos they may make references to other media products. In this music video by Robbie Williams we can see this. We see Robbie Williams in a rabbit costume, having intertextual references to 'Alice in Wonderland'. This is a good thing to do in music videos, as it can link two different media products together, helping either both have increased sales, or just involving/branching out to a new market that before hand may not have watched the music videos. It can increase your target audience.

 

This post is beneficial as it allowed me to understand Andrew Goodwin's theory, which I can then use to analyse music videos. The general idea of his theory is that there are different stages to every music video (as listed above). 

Music Video Factsheet Notes

The Purpose of Music Videos

The main purpose of music videos in the digital age is to sell products, the most obvious product being the song features in the video itself. In a music video, other products are marketed too. An example would be the album the song is featured on. This being said, by people hearing one song from an album, it may influence them and make them want to hear more from the artist and in turn buy the artists album. Another example of a product that the music video can sell is a film that the song may feature in. This is also a type of cross media convergence. This is effective as it enhances sales for both the film and the song. Am example of this would be the song 'Let it go' which featured in the film frozen. This song also went on to become number 1 in the UK top 40. This shows hiw cross media convergence can help enhance sales for different media products.

Music videos have a very unique type of marketing, this is because when the music video is played, the audience can hear the song that the video is for and therefore can consume the product. This is very unique as if we consider other types of marketing such as an advert for Costa Coffee, they may suggest that there product is desirable, but the audience doesn't actually get to taste the coffee and make that decision for themselves. Therefore, music videos are very important and must be top quality in order for a song to be successful. 

Prior to the digital age, allowing audiences full access to the product was much harder than it is currently. In order to do so, record companies would have to approve media platforms where it could be shown such as shows like 'Top of the Pops'. However now, since e development of technology, it is easier for audiences to access music as they can stream it online on sites like Youtube and Spotify. 

The problem for record labels now is that there artists music came streamed very easily online for free. As a result meaning they don't benefit. To begin with record labels tried to stop there artists music from being put onto these sites, and would try to prosecute those who uploaded videos to Youtube etc. However, this was deemed to expensive and time consuming and meant that record labels have stopped this. To try and counteract this, record labels now allow music videos to be put onto these sites but under stricter conditions. An example of this is Sony BMG who have a Youtube channel which hosts there artists videos and they offer links to sites like iTunes where songs canbe downloaded legally and is beneficial to both the artists and record label. 

Due to the issue of uploading music videos to Youtube, before I chose a song that I wish to use for my music video, it is vital I ask for permission from the record label. This is so that they know what I plan on doing, and to ensure that they don't try and claim copyright against the piece.

Conventions of Music Videos

The aim of music videos is to encourage viewers to purchase a copy of the song features and other products associated with the artist. In order to do this most videos follow similar conventions that work effectively to attract audiences. Although music videos are all very unique and different to one another, they will all follow similar generic conventions (based on genre). 

Movement is essential to music videos and usually complements the rhythm of the song (the movement is often in time to the beat of the song). There are 3 main types of movement:

- The physical movement of the camera

- The movement of people or items within the video 

- Through the speed of editing 

An example of a good music video that relies heavily on the movement to create a sense of excitement to the audience is Justin Timberlake's 'Rock Your Body'. The rapid editing complements the variety of shots that the audience can see, many being less than one second long. 

Another example is Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' music video that uses special effects behind Rihanna when dancing and playing the drums which creates movement that matches the beat of the song. 

Many music videos will have narratives to them. The storyline may relate to the songs lyrics and illustrate what is being said or be independent from the song and tell a different story. Both can help engage the audience with the music video and help keep the audiences interest. 

Most music videos will feature the band or artist in it as they are also a product to be sold. The artist may feature performing their music, either lip syncing or playing instruments in the case of a band. Sometimes the artist may act rather than perform, or the video may feature both. An example would be Plan B's 'She Said' music video. It features a narrative linked to the songs lyrics that the artist acting out as well as performing the song.

Initial Ideas on My Music Video

Before getting our final idea for our music video I had some initial ideas, they are listed below:

1) An idea I had was to film the entire music video in a recording studio. By doing this it would allow us to use the lighting equipment that the studio has, this would then mean that the music video would look professional and bring a sense of realism to it. The main shots would all be quite dark, as this reflects the lyrics and helps match the moving images that the audience will be able to see with the lyrics, relating to Goodwin's theory. Once we had recorded it in the studio, that would be the basis of our music video, but then we would go and film in various other locations, all of which would have connotations of being dark and scary (for example in woods, fields, quiet roadsides). Once we have footage from these locations, I was then thinking we could have cuts from the main shots in the studio to these other locations, showing an array of locations, while also having a narrative, of the man thinking about past experiences, again linking to the lyrics and title of the song 'trials of the past'. By doing this it would make the music video seem spooky and strange, while having a strong narrative to it of which the audience can follow and understand.

The ideal field location, closely situated near is the dark woods, which means we could easily move from one location to another during filming.

The dark wood location would look similar to this.

 

2) Another idea I had was to have the music video very surreal and unusual. By doing this it would make the audience interested and intrigued by the music video as it is unique and therefore would get there attention. In order to achieve this, my idea was that we could film in a field, with a large tree in the background. The tree would need to be an old looking tree (such as an old willow). The character would be sitting on the floor, looking messy, with a camp fire and broken, old looking sleeping bag next to him. My idea would be filming it at dusk, then some shots during the night followed by shots at early morning when the sun rises, with the man asleep in his sleeping bag. The background would consist of mist rising off the filed with the sunrise in the background. The narrative would be that the man is homeless and thinking about past memories regarding how he got homeless, and in contrast we could now see the sad life he lives out in the cold everyday.

Overall, the majority of my initial ideas are all very reflective of the song. This is because I feel it is the only way to portray the lyrics and emotion of these to the audience. To make this evident, I think all the locations would have to be dark and mysterious. This will help connote the idea to the audience. This is why the ideas above are all set in dark locations, as I personally think this will set the scene and make the music video very obvious to the audience in regards to what we are trying to portray and connote to the audience.

As the music video is a group task, it is important that everyone has an equal say in the sort of thing they want to include. This means that I can put forward my ideas and hopefully incorporate them, along with the other group members ideas which should allow us to have plenty of ideas and produce a good quality music video.

By thinking about my initial ideas, it means that I can think creatively and consider a various range of ideas, all of which could be used at a later date in the music video. Short term this task is good because it will mean that it will get me considering different ideas and ways of portraying ideas to the audience, however long term will be beneficial as I can use some of these initial ideas in the actual music video we create. Therefore, overall this task is beneficial in many different ways and will be of good use and a good post to look at when planning and storyboarding our actual music video.

Audience

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.

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.



This shows the front cover of the digipack.

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.




This is the inside of the digipack.

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.


This is the back of 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.


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.