My Target Audience

My Target Audience (The perfect Viewer)

Fredrick Williams
Age: 21
Occupation: University Student
Job: Part-time restaurant waiter
Enjoys: Performing arts, Social media & pop music

About him: Fredrick enjoys his Uni life, and pursues him ambition to become a performer on the West End. Some may categorise Fredrick as a 'typical teenager', sharing his life on social media, going out with friends and a freunt listener to alternative pop music. Fredrick however pays less attention to music charts such as the UK top 40, and actively seeks to discover sound of the indie pop genre. He often shares his musical interests via his instagram account, where he interacts with others around the world with similar music tastes, and follows the bands he has an interest in.

Fredrick is the perfect example of the audience I am targeting with my media text. Specifically, my target audience lie within the 15-25 year old age range. I am targeting younger people with an interest in indie music and broadening their range or musical interests. My DigiPak, magazine advert and music video will all be centred around appealing to these people and encouraging them to engage in the media texts I have created.

Second Filming Shoot Plan

Filming Details

Date: Saturday 12th December 2014

Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm

Location: Bentley Priory, Stanmore

Weather: 

Clear skies with almost no chance of rain.

Props I will need:

• DSLR Camera
• Two Camera Lenses
• Spare Camera Battery
• Tripod 
• Steadicam
• Spare SD Card

Actors Required:

• Lead Singer
• Female Role
• Possible Back-Up Actors

Ways I Will Prepare:

• Charge all camera batteries
• Contact everyone involved to make sure they can come
• Wipe data off all SD cards I intend to use
• Practice use with steadicam
• Get all props, ready by the door the night before the shoot

My Filming Shoot Plan

Filming Details

Date: Sunday 30th November 2014

Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm

Location: Bentley Priory, Stanmore

Weather: 

Cloudy with little chance of rain (thank goodness!)

Props I will need:

• 8-Piece Drum Kit
• Keyboard with Stand
• Bass Guitar
• Microphone Stand
• Microphone
• Gazebo (+Possibly Umbrellas too!)
• DSLR Camera (x2?)
• Two Camera Lenses
• Spare Camera Battery
• Tripod (x2?)
• Steadicam
• Spare SD Card
• A Couple of Old Blankets

Actors Required:

• Lead Singer
• Bass Guitar Player
• Keyboard Player
• Drummer
• Female Role
• Possible Back-Up Actors
• Helpers to Set Up!!

Ways I Will Prepare:

• Charge all camera batteries
• Practice setting up drum kit
• Contact everyone involved to make sure they can come
• Wipe data off all SD cards I intend to use
• Practice use with steadicam
• Borrow any extra equipment needed from school
• Get all props, ready by the door the night before the shoot

Uses of Media Text

A look into how audiences use and engage with media text, including a look at uses and gratification, and the media effects theory.

My Music Video Shot List

Here is my shot list for my upcoming music video. It lists the shots I aim to acheive in my filming shoot.

 

Very Rough Draft of My Digipak

Here is a first draft of my ideas for my Digipak and what I hope it might look like.

Sketch:

Digital Draft:

Music Video Animatic

Below is my storyboard animatic of my upcoming music video. This will give you a vague insight as to what my video will look like. Enjoy!

Storyboard

Here is an image of my completed storyboard of my upcoming music video. This is a rough idea of the shots I would like to achieve and what I would like my music video to look like.

Feedback from My Music Video Pitch

Here is the feedback I got from my colleagues immediately after I had presented my music video pitch. From this feedback I was encouraged to revise my initial story idea and focus less on some form of story line. This feedback was valuable to me and gave me an opportunity to alter my storyboard as a result.

My Music Video Pitch

My music video pitch, gathering my thoughts and ideas for my upcoming music video.

Digipak Conventions

What Goes on a Digipak?

Front Panel
Artist Name (Bigger)
Album Title
Artists Face
Captures the genre
Appeals to target audience

Back Panel
Song names
Barcode
Production company and copyright info
Website
Record company logo

Spines
Artist Name
Album Name
Record company logo

Inside Panels
Related images
Thank you message
Images spread over multiple panels
Lyrics (or possibly in a booklet)

CD Tray
Image

Digipak Template

Music Video Treatment

Music Video Director - David Fincher

Fact File
Name: David Andrew Leo Fincher
Age: 52 (2014)
Born in: Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Date of Birth: August 28th 1962
Height: 6'0"
Occupation: Film Producer, Film and Music Video Director

His Career
In early life, David Fincher moved to ashland in Oregon, where he started making short movies with his 8mm camera at the age of just 8, inspired by the works of 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Fincher was later employed by Korty films, then Industrial Light & Magic, where he worked on a number of films like Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the temple of doom. His big break came when he created a commercial for the American Cancer society, featuring a smoking fetus, which soon caught the eye producers in Los Angeles who gave David Fincher the opportunity to direct The beat of the Live Drum in 1985. From this point onward he went to make commercials for the likes of Pepsi, Levi's, Nike, and also went on to explore the world of directing music videos. Fincher is a critically acclaimed music video director, picking up two grammy awards for best music video and three MTV awards for best music video director. Now recognised as an established and highly regarded music video director, he has worked with internationally popular artists such as Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson. Amongst the vast collection of popular films he has directed, David Fincher has joined the likes of Spike Jonze to become one of the most awarded music video directors of all time.

His Work
David Fincher has worked with a variety of renowned artists. Below is a shortlist of some of songs he has directed music videos to.

• "The Way That You Love Me"  -  Paula Abdul   (1988)
• "Straight Up"  -  Paula Abdul   (1989)
• "Forever Your Girl"  -  Paula Abdul   (1989)
• "Cold Hearted"  -  Paula Abdul   (1989)   
• "Express Yourself"  -  Madonna   (1989)
• "Oh Father"  -  Madonna   (1989)
• "Vogue"  -  Madonna   (1990)
• "Bad Girl"  -  Madonna   (1993)
• "Janie's Got a Gun"  -  Aerosmith   (1989)
• "Freedom '90"  -  George Michael   (1990)
• "Who Is It?"  -  Michael Jackson   (1992)
• "Love Is Strong"  -  The Rolling Stones   (1994)
• "Suit & Tie"  -  Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z   (2013)

His Style

Despite focussing on David Fincher's filming styles in direxting movies, tge following video lists some of his most iconic directing styles that are very relevant and visible in his music videos too.

 

His Influence on the industry
David Fincher has made a huge impact on both the film and music video industry with his crittically acclaimed award winning directing. Winning 55 awards and 53 nominations including 2 oscars. This is just a small sample of the level of impact he has and still is making on the music video scene. Iconic music videoas like Maddonas Vogue has set the standard for music videos and music video directing, which has been set extrodinarily high by David Fincher. I can take plenty of inspiration from his variety of his expertly crafted work being one of the worlds best directors.

Lyric Annotations

Below is an annotated version of my lyric sheet, of the song Laughter Lines by Bastille. The annotations outline my initial ideas for my music video and hilight key lyrics which would allow me to include various shots in relation to certain words.

Music Video Conventions

Preliminary Task - Animal Character Music Video Evaluation

My second preliminary task, the animal character music video, was more centered around the editing side of creating music videos, as audio and visuals were already provided for me. The task was to create an interesting music video to a song using the resources provided, which were a variety of different clips of animal characters singing and a soundtrack to go with it. Completing this task further enhanced my music video creating skills and gave me a better feel for what I need to do to create a visually interesting aid that goes with a soundtrack.

The interesting little project was fun, but taught me some valuable lessons to do with editing. The task helped me understand and get to grips with the fast paced editing of music videos, as the clips provided were often no longer that 2-3 seconds each. This surprised me, as editing this video was unlike any other I have had to do in the past. Last year for example, editing was far slower as it was a thriller opening and I was trying to clearly portray a story. Creating a music video I now know is far different, as longer clips can make the video a bit boring and lack that edge.

Another reoccurring lesson that I learnt from both preliminary tasks was the art of editing to the beat. This technique I included a lot in this particular video, as I found it made it more interesting and fluent opposed to having transitions and cuts randomly assorted.

I found this task valuable in discovering very important lessons that will help me in my own work in the near future, as I now know what needs to be done in order for my music video to be a success.

Vernallis Analysis - (Arcade Fire - The Suburbs)

My Vernallis Analysis chart of Suburbs by Arcade Fire.

Watch Arcade Fire's, Suburbs below:

My Chosen Song - (Bastille - Laughter Lines)

Below is the information, soundtrack and lyrics for the song I have chosen to make a music video for.

Name: Laughter Lines

Artist: Bastille

Release Date: 4th March 2013

Genre: Pop

Lyrics

You took me to your favorite place on Earth
to see the tree they cut down ten years from your birth.
Our fingers traced in circles round its history,
we brushed our hands right back in time through centuries.

As you held me down, you said:

"I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines."

Changes on our hands and on our faces, oh, oh
memories are mapped out by the lines we'll trace.

As you held me down, you said:

"I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines."

Ashen faces in cold breeze,
ashen faces in cold breeze,
all the stories you will leave,
all the stories you will leave.

I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines.

I'll see you in the future when we're old.
I'll see you in the future when we're old.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin's music video theory is based on the universal elements that make a music video and comes in the form of 5 key points:

• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
• There is a relationship between music and visuals
• Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
• There is often intertextual reference to other works
• Frequent references to notion of looking (Particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body)
• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist to create a 'Star Image'

Here are some examples of Andrew Goodwin's theory in practice within both the song 'Rude' by canadian band, MAGIC! and R&B Classic Low by Flo Rida.

1. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

The song is about the artist asking his girlfriends father to have his daughters hand in marriage, only to be constantly rejected. The music video portrays this story, showing the artist asking the father wether he can marry his daughter, only to be rejected and have the door shut on him during the chorus. This is a great example of the relationship between lyrics and visuals, as they are both telling the same story, following Goodwin's second point of his music video theory.

2. There is a relationship between music and visuals

The relationship between music and visuals is also clear in this particular in this video, particularly as we see lead singer Nasri's eccentric dancing to the beat of the music. Goodwin's second point isn't hard to find within the performance aspect of this piece, as we see the band playing the song on their instruments and their subtle gestures like the nodding of the head and tapping of the foot complimenting the soundtrack.

3. The music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

Flo Rida's video demonstrates an array of genre conventions for R&B music, and is the perfect example for goodwins third point. First of all we see it is set in a nightclub, a typical scene for music videos within the genre. The most noticable convetion it clearly portray however is the use of women, particularly surrounding the artist. This is a very typical shot for the R&B genre with rappers in particular, as women are used as eye candy with their suggestive dance moves and clothing... or rather lack of it. This video proves many stereotypes surrounding R&B music, not to mention the Lamborghini sports car, and plays to almost every genre characteristic there is going.

4. There is often intertextual reference to other works

The video and soundtrack for Flo Rida's was in fact made for the film Step Up 2, which was released in 2008. For this reason, the music video shows various clips from the movie, and shared the whole club vibe as Step Up 2. Due to this, the video contains multiple intertextual references to other works, in this example the music video relating to the Step Up franchise.

5. Frequent references to notion of looking

The music video also gives a good account for another of Andrew Goodwin's points, this time of the frequent notions of looking, here shown by the artist looking down at his mobile phone. It is only one example of many that are found throughout, another being where the lead singer is looking at the father at his front door whilst in conversation. Despite often being unnoticed, the notion of looking is very common in any genre of music video and usually related to voyeourism or usually partnered with a close-up of the person looking like the example shown in the first point above.

6. References to voyeourism (Particularly to Women)

As previously meantioned, Flo Rida's music video has more than its fair share of intreguingly dressed women, with their very suggestive dance moves. The song and video seem to revolve around the female body, and we certainly get a sense that we are meant to be lavishing in the womens sexual behaviour. We are invited to watch on as these women show off their toned bodies and their boderline raunchy dance moves in order to capture the straight male's interest.

7. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist to create a 'Star Image'

MAGIC!'s Rude is riddled with close ups of the lead singers face, and its clear to see that the record label wants you to remember the face. The band is not currently very well known, and this is likely to be a ploy to get them recognised. Nevertheless it plays to Goodwin's 7th point that is the presence of many close ups of the artist(s) to create the 'Star Image'.

These are all of Andrew Goodwin's points within his music video theory. As we can see, these are applicable for various genres of music whether it be old or quite recent. It is important to note these theories and conventions both to analyse existing videos, and to develop my understanding in producing a music video, gathering ideas of what to include in my own. 

Vernallis Analysis - (Dizzee Rascal ft. Teddy Sky - Love This Town)

My Vernallis Analysis chart of the hit single, Love This Town by Dizzee Rascal.

Watch Dizzee Rascals, Love This Town below:

Music Video Analysis - (The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition)

The Temper Trap are an Australian indie band formed in 2005. Amongst various other catchy songs, this number (Sweet Disposition) has been their most successful, making its way into the top 20 single charts across the globe including the UK. Released on the 16^th September 2008, it’s the centrepeice to the bands award winning album ‘Conditions’.

The song is about the highs and lows that come with being in a youthful relationship, and how we must endure the bad times to recognize the good. Through this we must not give in or in the words of lead singer Dougy Mandagi, ‘Don’t stop to surrender’. Although the music video only loosely represents the lyrics, I decided to analyze this particular song due to how the video has been edited to reflect the beat of the song and the use of slow motion.

The video begins by briefly showing us the various scenes in which we see in the video, introducing the contraptions that have been set up in an effort to destroy objects such as a mirror, drumsticks and what looks to be a kind of stool. Alongside these short clips is a close up of the leads singers face as he pronounces the first two lines of the song ‘Sweet Disposition’, the title of this particular number. While doing so, there is a very aesthetically pleasing pan-like shot, where the singer is the point of focus and moves very little, whereas the background is in motion. A simple but eye-catching shot, one of which I may try to replicate in my own work.

 

We instantly recognize that the lead singer Is the main focal point of this video, as shown by multiple close ups of the man singing the first verse opposed to the occasional clips of his fellow band members. It has been made clear that he is the centre of attention via the intimate camera angles and strategic editing, as the cameras seem to revolve around him. The fact that this is one of the first things I picked up from the video shows that the producers have done a very good job in making him the centre of attention simply via the frequent close ups of him singing. I too am likely to be putting emphasis on the lead singer in my future music video, and I believe this piece is a great example of how to do just that.

In the next few seconds, we continue to follow a number of events we can only call as acts of destruction. We see the build up to impact throughout the first verse, but with the use of slow motion and manipulation of the speed of these clips, we do not actually see any action until the beginning of the chorus in which a mirror is smashed to pieces by a guitar. This is a great example of how we can change the speed of clips to suit the beat of the song. The way that this has been done within this video is something I admire, as the slow motion shots are actually serving a specific purpose, in order to build up to the songs chorus. With the help of some clever editing and a camera with a high frame rate, I hope to also include slow motion elements in my own work in order to portray the music, similar to what has been achieved in this video.

As the beat to signal the beginning of the chorus hits, we see an extreme close up on the mirror as it smashes into thousands of pieces, triggering various other scenes of destruction. I particularly like the mirror shot however as it Is broken into tiny fragments, and we can see it being broken in a way that would have never have been possible without the help of slow motion shots. Much like the beat of the music, the editing also picks up pace to accommodate this change.  This again emphasizes how important the length of each clip is in adapting to changes in pace to the music when trying to create a visually interesting video that compliments the soundtrack

The second chorus features a similar master class in changing pace through editing alone, as we see yet another slow motion shot which shows drumsticks hitting a symbol perfectly in time to the music. However one of, if not my favorite scene of the music video is where the man is playing on the drums whilst one by one they start disappearing of an edge. Despite this he keeps going and plays with what drums he has available to him. I believe this is a reference to the repeated lyrics ‘Don’t stop til its over’, as he perseveres and continues to play no matter what the circumstances. Although potentially having no relation at all, for me this reinforces the message that the song puts across in that in a relationship there will be ups and down but you must keep your love alive through it all. This music video concludes as we see the drummer’s final drum fall down the edge, concluding the beat as he has nothing left to play on.

I really enjoy this music video not only for the interesting use of slow motion, but also for the messages that are portrayed through the visuals. It also provides a great example of how to use changing the speed of clips to your advantage and how it can ultimately compliment the song its with.

Here is the official Music video for The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition of which this analysis is based upon:

Taking Inspiration from the Previous Year

As apart of my research and analysis leading up to the production of my own music video, I watched a collection of the last years work to see what they came up with. Overall I was greatly impressed at the standard of music video they produced, and I can only envy there efforts in creating a professional, unique and creative video to an existing song. Here is a look at my thoughts and first impressions of the previous year work.

I will start by looking at a music video which achieved full marks. This is an astonishing achievement and upon watching the piece there is now under as to why it was awarded the entire amount of marks. Due to this, it serves as a great example of what it takes and the quality of work that needs to be produced in order for it to be successful. I believe that this particular video shares many qualities with that of professional music productions. The video is given a very sinister feel right from the outset, with its lack of colour, sense of entrapment and signs of insanity. The fact that red is the only colour we ever see really contributes to these sinister themes, as the colour often represents danger or even associated with blood. I especially like a collection of very brief shots within the video, much like the girl whipping her hair back, as it was played in reverse. Again I believe that this shot really added to the themes being portrayed, as it is evidently unnatural and almost paranormal. The shot reminds me of Loreen's Euphoria music video, which also took advantage of reversed shots to create a sense of a her being superhuman. I may use this technique in my own music video depending on what themes I am trying to create. Finally it is a prime example of quick shots and fast editing required in creating a visually interesting music video. All shots within the video were no longer a couple of seconds long before moving onto the next. In conclusion, I can take plenty of inspiration from this work in how it has generated its sinister feel and created a visually captivating sequence of shots. The only criticism I could possibly make is that some shots were so brief that at points in the video it felt like looking at a strobe light. Despite this, I admire the effort and attention to detail that has gone into creating the video and evidently so does the moderator.

The second music video I looked at was very hit and miss. Although I do not know the final grade of this piece, it will almost certainly be less than the previous video. Although it is evident that it is not as impressive as the previous video, this does not mean I cannot learn something from the production. What initially struck me was how much slower the editing was and how much longer some of the shots lasted. I found that the longer a shot lasted, the more it took away from the appeal of the music video. In contrast from the previous video, it was not as fast paced nor visually interesting. Ultimately I was surprised at how much the pace of each shot can add to or depreciate the viewing experience and feel to the end product. Despite its faults, I did enjoy the role of the little girl with the red balloon. The way that she was used to connect all of the characters toward the end of the song I found was an intriguing end to the video, acting almost as a symbol of innocence and happiness in a world of gloom. Overall, I don't think I will be taking much from this particular video apart from the effect that the pace of editing has on a music video.

The final music video was of Lady Gaga's Applause. The video demonstrates a good pace, visual effects and even the use of a wind machine! The work experiments with various effects, one of which involves blending two or three shots into one. This adds a new element to each shot, as their is no longer one point of interest in each frame, yet multiple shots overlaid on top of each other. This is definitely an effect that I intend to include in my own music video, as I believe it makes for a much more interesting result opposed to consistent unedited footage. Despite being a good display of multiple video effects and filters, I sense that it lacks in variety of camera angles, as I found myself noticing the same shots constantly repeating themselves due to the lack of filming locations. I also didn't like the fact that the camera was almost always focussed on the singer, and we saw little else rather than her face. This made the video at some points somewhat uninteresting. I enjoyed this music video regardless, and found that the editing complimented the song well.

With the help of these three examples and many other previous work I have analysed, I can gather some ideas and inspiration to take with me into planning my own music video.