JT - Key Influences

After looking at several music videos, both me and Gina have found that there aren't any that are exactly like our idea. Although we have found some videos which represent different bits and some story lines. 

Both One Directions video's 'What Makes You Beautiful' and 'It's Gotta Be You' and the X Factor 2011 charity single'Wishing On A Star' used layering and editing techniques we would like to incorporate into ours. 







These 3 video's use different clips fading into one another but still having them places on the screen, also keeping different layers on top of each other such as the group and fire. We want to use these editing techniques because the song we have chosen (Robbie Williams - She's The One) is a 'nice' song and the usual code and convention of music video is fast pace editing, this will not look right with the type of theme we are going for so we need slower editing to fit in. The video of Gotta Be You by One Direction also has a cold effect that we want to use for ours such as woolly clothing and a cold atmosphere, the lighting helps with this, another example of the cold effect is The Saturdays video of 'My Heart Take's Over', this also has the type of style we want to use for Robbie When he is on the Cow and Calf rocks.




Olly Murs also has a range of songs that are about love. His videos don't link into our idea as much but 'Busy' shows his love (even though the girl isn't real) this is something we definately want to incorporate into ours.




Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away' is another example of loving someone. This video shows two different ages (similar to ours except were using three), one being a young couple and then the other being the woman of the couple grown up. The director has made the younger couples mise-en-scene to look older in time period, this is something we need to think about and incorporate into ours. It's a love story which ends in a tragic way when the young boy dies after they have an argument in a car crash. One of the opening scenes that they use is of them painting portraits of each other, we are using this idea too. They also dance together which we are having in our, the basic idea is of them being very close and in love.



Another video that is similar to the love story is the Breaking Dawn Soundtrack single - Bruno Mars 'It Will Rain'. This shows both performance and a love story between him and the girl. It shows there rocky relationship but love is still keeping them together. It links in with ours because it again shows the love and how they are with each other.




Another influence on our idea is the John Lewis advert. This is a perfect example of a young girl growing up with the same man as she met when she was younger. It shows aspects that we want to use in ours. Also it uses a messy baking scene which is another one of our ideas.

GM - The Big 4

The 'Big 4' describes the four major corporate labels that dominate the recorded music industry. They include:

1. Universal Music Group
2. Sony Music Entertainment
3. Warner Music Group
4. EMI group

Each of these labels consist of many smaller companies and labels which serve different regions and markets around the world.

The 'Big 4' was originally the 'Big 5' until Sony acquired BMG in 2004.
The 'Big 4' is now the 'Big 3' as EMI was bought out by Universal in 2011.

ALL - Wk4: SampleFootage Podcast

ALL - Sample footage

ALL - Wk3: AncillaryResearch Podcast

ALL - Digipak research

This was research conducted outside of our individual groups so also in the group was Ellie Fry who added to sections of this write up.

Definition of a Digipak

Digipaks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or other heavy paper/cardboard material. Digipaks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the centre. 


Codes and Conventions of a Digipak 
As a group we researched and looked at examples of digipaks. When looking at some of the example ( Ignacio Fernandez - Buscare) we discovered the typical codes and conventions of digipak which include:

• Front and back cover
• Back cover includes a track list with timings 
• Artist and the album names are placed on the front cover
• Some may have a track list with the names of the composers underneath in small print.
• Also on the back cover there is the record company name and sometimes their label. 
• At the bottom of the back cover there sometimes may be the artists website address. 
• There is a bar code/Qr code
• Where the CD has been made.
• Panels - different parts to the panels and different colours sometimes. 
• Sometimes there is a lyrics sheet you can pull out of part of the digipak.
• Sometimes it can be special edition or a collective and could include a DVD. 

Advantages of a digipak rather  than a standard Dual Case

• You can recycle the material used to make the digipak  as it is cardboard not plastic
• A digipak is cheaper to produce, making the distribution cost cheaper.
• A digipak is a more up to date version of an LP which is basically a 12'' square cardboard, showing a resemblance to a digipak. 
• They cannot crack like Dual cases can, however they could rip or eventually over time fall apart.

Digipak design layout 

Four Panel Digipak 

6 Panal Digipak 

GM - Initial Magazine Ad research

Features of Greenday, 21st Century Breakdown digipak magazine advert

• Says the format it is available in - CD and download
• Bold writing
• Text is very clear agains the darker background - white on black/brown/red
• Includes basic information such as band name, album title, release date, web address
• Band name is in the largest font so it stands out
• Band name is recognisable of their image/brand (logo?)
• Frames the image - graffiti style - same as the album cover
• Colours compliment each other
• Introductory sentence to grab the audience's attention 'the wait is finally over...'

Other conventions we found as a group

• Album artwork is included in the advert (all)
• Says 'new album' on the ad (3/6)
• Tour dates (2/6)
• Release date (all)
• Social media links - twitter/ facebook (no longer myspace for newer releases)
• Tickets website (2/6)
• Artist website (all)
• Artist name positioned top, central on the page (5/6)
• Tour sponsor advert and website (1/6)
• Phone number for ticket (1/6)
• Name of hit single included in the album (2/6)
• Image of the band (3/6)
• Thumbnails of the album (1/6)

Other ideas

• Label it as limited addition to increase sales
• image of digipak spread out

ALL - Wk2: Genre&Planning Podcast

ALL - Location Scouting

This is a vodcast to show where we are potentially going to shoot when it comes to filming:

ALL - Costume and Props

The majority of our scenes will only require everyday clothes, warm for the outdoor parts. However we will need 3 similar fancy dress outfits (we are flexible to this as long as they get more revealing as the couples age), a long black coat for the male posing as Robbie, candles and cake, cardboard box for the toy car, tv, paint and flour. These will all be easily accessible.

• Everyday Clothes
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Wii and Mario Game
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fancy Dress
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Warm Wooly clothes
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Long black coat
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Beard?
• Condensed window
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Pen and paper
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Car
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Candles and Cake
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Card board box
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• TV
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Paint
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Flour
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

ALL - Casting

The person playing Robbie will ideally be in their late 20's early 30 however this may change if that is not available to us. For our youngest children we may have problems with getting permission of parents to feature in our film so we are lenient to the age of them, as long as they are under 7 years old it will work. We have asked and got permission from Mrs Morgan to could use one of her sons however we still need to find a young girl. We asked about perhaps a girl friend from his play group but we haven’t a final answer on this yet. The second couple will be about 14 and these actors will be hopefully some of Gina’s brothers friends in his year. Finally will be two 18 year olds for which we will use people in our year for. The ages of the younger children may vary depending on parental consent and availability during the time of filming. Permission slips will have to be signed by parents in the case of the younger children.

We have possible ideas on different cast members but we are yet to ask them and decide who we want

• Joel and Livi
 
• Katie and Nathan

 

 

• Miss Morgans children (boy) and some friends who have a little girl (John and Sophie)

 
• Chris

 

• Josh and Zoe

 

• George Scaife or Jack Hanson for Robbie

GM - Audience

Our primary target audience will be youths aged 15-24year olds because our research shows that that is what is common for those videos gathered in the Pop genre. The music video will also have aspects that they will be able to relate to. Our secondary audiences will be tweens (8-13year olds) who will aspire to be like the performers and actors in the music videos, and adults (24-35year olds) who may be watching the video because they enjoyed Robbie’s previous material.

ALL - Location

We have decided to locate at Gina’s house for the majority of the scenes because since it was her idea, that was were she was imagining it all taking place. Her house is very open so it is suitable for filming there and being able to gather a variety of footage. We will use Gina’s kitchen for the baking and blowing out candles sections, the dining room for painting and the living room for watching tv. Jess has scouted the perfect location for holding hands or the first kiss which is on a path alongside Burley River. Jess’s car will be used for one of the scenes as well as Ilkley Park and a field near one of our houses. For the performance scenes we may use the school stage in B hall.

• Gina's kitchen, dining room and living room
• Burley River
• My Car
• Park

The Format of Music Video

Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug (1997) (Budget: £1m) (Directed by Mark Romanek)

• range of age of audiences - tweens (8-13), youths (15-24), adults (25-34)
• may be direct links of intertextuality to existing film/tv - in this case it is David Lynch's 'Lost Highway'
• could be inspired by existing texts - in this case it is the painting by Gustaf Kilmet called The Kiss
• Not only one of Goodwins 3 types - here it is both performance and concept based as some lines in the song are represented in the video

Prodigy - Firestarter (1996) (Directed by Walter Stern) (Dance/Big Beat)

• May attract controversy due to some of the content in the video. In this case it was a fairly scary video which would not be suitable for some of the ages actually viewing it (see above). It should be shown after watershed. Views change as time goes on for example that would have been the view of many people when the video was originally released however now violence and horror is a lot more acceptable due to more gory video games etc.
• Fast paced editing
• Use of strobe lights

Martin Solveig - Hello (Dance)

• Concept video which doesn't really link to the lyrics
• Upbeat
• The Pop and dance genres can emphasise glamour, focusing on the performers body and looks
• Titles at the begining (NOT A COMMON CONVENTION)
• Post Modern - presented in the style of a film opening using a mix of formats and influences
• Diagetic intro/enterludes/outro
• continuity editing
• Some sections the format is expected to reflect the beat eg repeating certain shots as the beat increases
• skimpy clothing, young slim, blonde, revealing clothes - gender representation, stereotypes
• editing being cut to the beat
• shot variation

Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife (Hard Rock Metal)

• Heavily performance based - close up of the vocalist, low angles, CU of instruments/being played
• Dark setting, clothing and colour of the instruments
• More use of shadow and low key lighting
• More simple locations than those in other genres
• Medium budget
• Simple - Black and white
• sense of energy  - given by the moving camera
• Narrative enigma - no anchorage - can be open so suitable for repeat viewings

Muse - Knights of Cydonia (Directed by Joseph Khan)

• Special effects
• Intertextuality to other formats eg film
• male/female gaze
• performance footage
• high budget - crane shots
• use of multiple layering

Yonkers - Tyler the Creator

• performance
• low budget
• Black and white
• lip syncing
• one long take - lack of variation (NOT A COMMON CONVENTION)

Snow Patrol - Take Back the City

• single shots, not a video (UNUSUAL)
• performance based
• focus on lead singer
• lipsyncing
• club scenes
• no homosexuality represented

Beyonce - Single Ladies

• video doesnt represent lyrics but certain buts do eg ring - points to finger
• one continuous shot broken up with few CU
• usually long shots
• black and white
• male gaze
• post feminism - strong independant female, expressing sexuality
• uses of gratification theory
• Normative to have hetrosexuality

 

I also looked at Andy Rehfeidt who is known for making death metal music edits of popular, current songs such as Friday by Rebecca Black and some of Britney Spears' tracks.

GM - My Consumption of Music Videos

I very rarely watch the music videos to the song as I listen to music on my iPod which is unable to process mp4 format however when I do watch them it would either be from a search on Youtube or on the music channels on Sky, in particular MTV. On these channels I enjoy watching the top 40 chart updates and best singles of the year e.g. 2011. I tend to listen to things that are in the Top 40 so there is a slight range of genres here however the majority of them are Pop and Dance. In addition to this I also like listening to some areas of rock music but they are slightly less hardcore. I have never bought a DVD of music videos or a CD with a bonus video or behind the scenes etc as I can easily access them for free with new digital media.

I have found accessing music videos for this process reasonably easy because there is free access to them on the internet and on the tv channels. This is simple for me because I have access to a laptop with constant internet connection and a tv with a sky box at home. I have encountered issues with Youtube videos in school though because Youtube is blocked on all monitors.

GM - Censorship

Censorship of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. It is controlling the communication which could be considered harmful, objectionable, sensitive or inconvenient to a large number of people. It can range from a government-enforced legal implementaion of the musical work, to private, volentary removal of inappropriate material. An example of this is radio edit. The guidelines are determined by a government, a media outlet or perhaps an other controlling body.



There are 5 different types of information that could be censored and the rationale varies for each other these:


Moral censorship is the removal of materials that are obscene or otherwise considered morally questionable. Pornography, for example, is often censored under this rationale, especially child pornography, which is illegal and censored in most jurisdictions in the world.

Military censorship is the process of keeping military intelligence and tactics confidential and away from the enemy. This is used to counter espionage, which is the process of gleaning military information.
Political censorship occurs when governments hold back information from their citizens. This is often done to exert control over the populace and prevent free expression that might foment rebellion.
Religious censorship is the means by which any material considered objectionable by a certain faith is removed. This often involves a dominant religion forcing limitations on less prevalent ones. Alternatively, one religion may shun the works of another when they believe the content is not appropriate for their faith. (e.g Lady Gaga - Judas)

Corporate censorship is the process by which editors in corporate media outlets intervene to disrupt the publishing of information that portrays their business or business partners in a negative light, or intervene to prevent alternate offers from reaching public exposure.
WIKIPEDIA

Artists want their songs to be played wherever possible so it is common practice to censor particular words, in particular profanities. Some music labels/artist produce these versions themselves in order to fit in with the rules set by various radio and television programs. Some stations may decide to censor them themselves using some of the methods below:

Blanking; when the volume is muted for all or part of the word.
Bleeping; playing a noise, usually a "beep", over all or part of the word.
Resampling; using a like-sounding portion of vocals and music to override the offending word.
Resinging; Replacing a word with a more appropriate word.
Backmasking; taking the offending word and reversing the audio, sometimes the whole audio is reversed (often because it is a home-made job), but more usually only the vocal track is reversed.
Repeating; repeating the word just said before the explicit word was used.
Skipping; deleting the word from the song without a time delay.

Echo; instead of saying a word, it echoes the last word(s) said in the line.
Disc scratching; in hip hop, scratching on the word, making it sound like another word, or make the word said faster or slower.
RoboVoicing; making the word totally non-understandable by overpowering a robovoice effect (usually used as a last resort for home-made jobs).
Distorting; Usually in Hip-Hop, less offensive words such as "sh*t" or else is distorted. It is usually done by shifting down the pitch.

A recent artist that has had her video band from television and Youtube is Rihanna with her song S&M. It was removed due to extensive sexual references and some 'offensive' scenes.

However she is not the first. Below are number of musicians that have had their work censored or edited in some way. (info from wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship )

Robbie Williams only has one censored video, this being Rock DJ.


Robbie Williams - Rock DJ. from Rokkit on Vimeo.


The video showed Williams in an attempt to get noticed by a group of females, first stripping and then tearing chunks of skin and muscle from his body, and caused controversy in the United Kingdom and many other countries. The video was edited by Top of the Pops for its graphic content and many other channels followed suit.

• Fela Kuti, Nigeria - Imprisoned and harassed by Nigerian authorities
• Ferhat Tunc, Turkey - Censored and imprisoned by Turkish authorities
• Gorki Águila, Cuba - Censored by the Cuban Government. Imprisoned August 2003
• Judge Dread, England - The Guinness Book of World Records credits Judge Dread for having the most banned songs of all time on the BBC Radio.
• Madonna, USA - Several videos banned and attempted boycott (usually by religious groups) of several of her concerts (such as her visits in 1990 and 2006 to Rome, her visit in 2006 to Russia, her visits in 2009 to Poland and Bulgaria, etc.). When American television network NBC aired a concert from the artist's Confessions Tour, the part of the show where Madonna stages a crucifixion was censored and replaced with images of orphaned African children (images that were part of the live performance involving the crucifixion, but which were displayed on the on-stage screens behind the singer).
• Marilyn Manson, USA- His release of "(s)AINT" is banned in many countries due to its content including BDSM, cunnilingus and drug use along with masturbation.
• Miguel Angel Estrella, Argentina - Banned, imprisoned and tortured by the Argentine military junta
• Matoub Lounès, Algeria - Assassinated in 1998
• Parissa, Iran - In the Islamic Republic of Iran, female singers often face severe restrictions
• Pink Floyd's album The Wall was banned in South Africa in 1980 after the song was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting racial inequities in education
• Rolling Stones When they were to perform the song "Let's Spend the Night Together", Ed Sullivan famously challenged the Rolling Stones to change the line to "let's spend some time together."
• Thomas Mapfumo, Zimbabwe - Several songs banned by Zimbabwean authorities

JT - Pop Genre

Pop music (a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular") is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music


Hatch and Millward define pop music as "a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz and folk musics". Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music.


Hatch and Millward


Usually the pop genre is mainstream and in the charts and the main target audience is youth. This is the link for different types of sub-genres of pop.

Its cultural origins started in the 1950's in America and Britian. "The term "pop song" is first recorded as being used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal".[5] Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music.[6]" (Wikipedia 2011). It was aimed at the 50's youth 'Rock and Roll' culture. ABBA, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were among many to develop the term 'pop music' after the 60's, this then started sub-genres and explored different types of pop music. Pop in the 60's was commerical and still is today.
"Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from most other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on the sentimental ballad for its form, gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country, and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip-hop music, and has recently appropriated spoken passages from rap.[4].It has also made use of technological innovation. In the 1940s improved microphone design allowed a more intimate singing style[13] and ten or twenty years later inexpensive and more durable 45 r.p.m. records for singles "revolutionized the manner in which pop has been disseminated" and helped to move pop music to ‘a record/radio/film star system’.[13] Another technological change was the widespread availability of television in the 1950s; with televised performances, "pop stars had to have a visual presence".[13] In the 1960s, the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers could listen to music outside of the home.[13] Multi-track recording (from the 1960s); and digital sampling (from the 1980s) have also been utilized as methods for the creation and elaboration of pop music.[4] By the early 1980s, the promotion of pop music had been greatly affected by the rise of Music Television channels like MTV, which "favoured those artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal".[13]" (Wikipedia 2011)


Not only did it change the musical culture, it made more advanced technology and allowed viewers to watch it where they want instead of having to pay to see them in concert.

"Musicologists often identify the following characteristics as typical of the pop music genre:
-an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology

-an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities

-an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, over live performance

-a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments

-much pop music is intended to encourage dancing, or it uses dance-oriented beats or rhythms"

Music today has so many different genres, sub-genres for all kinds of people, partly because of the development in the pop genre. People like The Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley are the ledgends of the musical culture, but now there vast variety of pop stars is ever increasing. In my opinion the biggest stars today are:
Jessie J

Rihanna

Katy Perry

Justin Beiber

Usher

Will.i.am

Bruno Mars Etc the list could go on

The target audience back in the 1900's for pop was mainly youths, females but it's hard to define a specific audience because when pop music was first 'invented' everybody wanted to listen and enjoyed it. But today music is everywhere you turn, society is in a sense ruled by media this including music. The main target audience today for pop music is still the same, it is for youth/teenagers but also adults because now people are re-launching there careers a few years later, for example Take That. Pop music does set role models for the audience, something to aspire to, but it can also teach them the bad ways, for example, Amy Winehouse was always in the media been portrayed to be taking drugs and when she died the world went crazy and started buying all her music again in signs of respect, so her young audience might think this is the right way to live.

Music Genre Research Pop

JT - Robbie Williams' Record Label

Chrysalis Records is the record company that Robbie was with at the time of the release of She's The One. After numerous legal battles Robbie was finally successful in getting released from his contract with BMG and 27th June '96 he formally announced that he had signed with Chrysalis Records. At this stage the parent company of Chrysalis Records was EMI. It folded into flagship label EMI Records in 2005.

Brief History:

Chrysalis made history in 1979 by creating the first "music video album", a videocassette featuring a corresponding music video for each song on Blondie's Eat to the Beat album (released at the same time as the LP).

In 1979 Chrysalis bought and distributed the U.S. folk label Takoma Records, naming manager/producer Denny Bruce as president, who signed The Fabulous Thunderbirds and T-Bone Burnett.

Chrysalis was formed through a licensing deal with Chris Blackwell's Island Records based on the success of bands like Jethro Tull, Cat Stevens, Robin Trower andProcol Harum, which were promoted by the label. Jethro Tull signed with Reprise Records in the United States, which led Chrysalis to an American distribution deal with Reprise's parent company, Warner Bros. Records. This lasted from 1972 until U.S. Chrysalis switched to independent distribution in 1976. PolyGram handled international distribution and Festival Records covered Australia and New Zealand. Towards the end of the 1970s, the Chrysalis offshoot 2 Tone Records brought in bands such as The Specials and The Selecter.