Making a music video

Finance
. The potential sources of finance : such as advertising, sponsership, supscribiton fees, over price, sales and rental charges
. The expenditure: Covering such elements such as equipment, materials, transport costs, crew, personal facility hire

Time



Personnel
. Sourcing the right personnel for a media production is another important aspect of the pre-production process and you will need to ensure that your production team is the right size and each member is reliable

Facilities
. Any creative media production will involve the use of production equipment and facilities to capture, record, edit and manipulate the raw material to the finished product.

Materials
. All media products require raw materials for the actual content and you can plan to gather and generate this raw material in various ways. Some will be original material that you are planning to produce yourself.
. Undertaking a series of test shoots or recordings can help you further develop your ideas during the pre productive stage, help you to decide what original material you will be able to use.

Location
. It is important to check out appropriate locations during the pre production phase. This can save lots of time and money during the production stage. Having crew, talent and equipment out on location can very expensive and so you need to maximise the amount of material that you can produce in the shortest possible time

Copyright
. You may want to use some existing archive material, such as photographs or film footage, material from a sound or photogenic library or sourced from the internet, or some existing music or graphics
. Website (www.ipo.gov.uk)

Codes of Practice and Regulation
. One of the reasons that media companies undertake pre-production work is to make sure that what they are planning to produce adheres to the relevant codes of practice, laws and regulations that govern and control their industry

Public liability 
This is another legal requirement for companies and organisations who are involved in creative media production, particularly when they are recording on location where members of the group
(www.filmlondon.org.uk)  

Styles, Conventions and Techniques

Styles, Conventions and Techniques

a) Definitions:
. Lyric Interpretation - When using lyric interpretation in music videos it helps further the meaning an artist might want to portray. The lyrics in the song will directly link with what is going on in the video. It is mainly used when an artist simply wants the video to represent the song meaning itself. It helps the audience follow the song as well.

. Extending or consolidating song's meaning - When an artist uses this method they often want the audience to search for a deeper meaning of the song. By the video not automatically linking to the lyrics this helps audiences look at different messages the song could be sending or it could even be used to help explain how the song is a metaphor for something else.

. Focus on performer - This is simply when a music video makes the artist the number one point of concentration. The video will revolve around the artist and show off their singing, dancing or even acting capabilities. This helps the audience engage with the artists themselves.

.Lighting for mood - This is when the chosen lighting in a music video is used to match the tone of the song. Therefore if it is a dark/mysterious song darker lighting might be used whereas an uplifting song would have significantly lighter tone. By doing this it helps the audience understand the direction in which the artist is trying to go.

Allusion - Allusion is where there are aspects of the video that refers to a person/people, a place, an event or even a text. It could be fairly obvious or extremely discrete. This means that it can gage discussion between viewers who may or may not have seen it.

b)
. Special effects - Kanye West - Bound 2

Chroma key or green screen is used in this video by Kanye West throughout. Kanye can be seen riding a motorbike with wife, Kim Kardashian infront of mountainous settings that are clearly the work of green screen.

.Multi-mage - A$AP Rocky - Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2

A$AP Rocky uses multi-mage in this video for Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 on various occasions. One instance of when he uses it is when multiple shots of him rapping appear simultaneously next to each other making it look like there is more than one Rocky. Another use of it in the video is when the whole of A$AP Mob are dancing together and above them appears an image of A$AP Yams the founder of the mob who had unfortunately passed away.

. Cutting to a beat - AJ Tracey - Buster Cannon

This song is a fast paced grime song from London artist AJ Tracey. The video matches the speed of the beat and the song. The video switches between various settings and cuts between them often on the end of a line or when the beat drops.

. An artist miming and lip-syncing to a playback track - Yelawolf ft Joshua Hedley - Shadows

In this video Yelawolf is seen in this video in the setting off an abandoned house and he is also seen walking through a forest. During the video he is seen clearly miming as there are parts when he stops to smoke a cigarette their is no break in the song.

. Animation - Earl Sweatshirt - Off Top

For this short 1:47 freestyle Earl Sweatshirt accompanied it with a short animated video. The whole thing is in animation and even an animated version of Earl himself appears in the video.


. Reference to or includes another artist - Snoop Dogg ft Pharrell Williams - Beautiful

This Snoop Dogg song is produced by Pharrell who also features on the song as he sings the hook. They both appear in the video which is set in Brazil





c)
. Illustrative - is a music video that simply matches the song. The lyrics and the video will have a strong correlation meaning whatever is being said in the lyrics is often being acted out in the video.

Example - Desiigner - Zombie Walk - in this video a zombie apocalypse is happening which learl matches the song as its called zombie walk

. Interpretative - This is when the meaning of the video is not always clear and encourages the viewer to think of a deeper meaning to the video. It is up to the viewers interpretation.

Example - Vince Staples - Senorita - in this video a lot of unclear symbolism is used such as a white skinhead walking through a neighbourhood followed by people from various cultures who drop dead one by one.

. Surrealist - This are videos that often are very unique and appear to be sort of out of this world which includes strange and often magical imagery.

Example - Joey Bada$$ - Christ Conscious - In this video Joey is seen walking around New York and then suddenly ascending into space in a Christ like figure who then gets sucked into a new dimension.


. As-live - This is simply a video that is taken from a live concert that the performer has hosted. It allows to show instant crowd reaction and the emotions of performing the song live.

Example - Kanye West and Jay Z - Ni**as in Paris - In this video Jay Z and Kanye West use live footage of a show done in Paris. It allowed them to show of their extravagant production and their adoring fans.


. Parody - A parody is a video that intentionally mocks something else such as another artist, celebrity or genre in a comedic manner.

Example - Eminem - Just lose it - In this video Eminem uses his humour to mock other famous artists such as Michael Jackson and MC Hammer, it allows Eminem to get across his humourous side and it also creates controversial talking points about the video.


. Animation - A video that uses animation is simply one that uses technology to present their video in a cartoon like manner.

Example - Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. - This video shows the animated band in various different sceanarios only made possible by animation, such as a floating lighthouse.

Artist Presentation - Kid Cudi

29.1 - Understanding the purposes of music videos

Assignment title : Understanding the purposes of music videos



. Promotion of a new artist or promotion of an artist's change in musical direction or image:
Yelawolf - Devil In My Veins

Yelawolf is a famous American rapper from Alabama who is signed to Eminem's record label, Shady Records. He was an underground street rapper who had previously worked with other rappers such as Gucci Mane, Eminem and ASAP Rocky however when bringing out his second studio album Yelawolf changed his image from a street rapper to a more country/rock/rap direction. The song Devil In My Veins itself is a big change and is the first song he has only just sung on and not rapped. The video also works to help promote this change through different aspects. Firstly the setting; previously Yelawolf's music videos had been what you could say are typical hip-hop videos, in the club with lots of alcohol and women, in this video he is in the desert in the deep south of america. Secondly he can be seen in the video riding through the desert on a Harley Davidson motorbike instead of his old mode of transport a Chevrolet low-rider. Furthermore his own image has changed in the video, from Nike Jordan's to cowboy boots, from basketball jerseys to leather jackets and from snapbacks to a cowboy hat. There is also close up shots of acoustic guitars which also add to showing his new direction to music.

. Increasing the income for the record company:
P Diddy ft Black Rob & Mark Curry - Bad Boy For Life

P Diddy formed record label Bad Boy Records in 1993 as a result of him being fired from his role at Motown Records. Bad Boy has been continuously one of the most prominent record labels for hip-hop and R&B music in the United States which has had artists such as the Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans and French Montana signed to it. In 2001 the song Bad Boy For life was released as a single off P Diddy's album The Saga Continues.... A video was produced to go with the song which helps promote P Diddy's record label Bad Boy Records. The song title itself promotes the label as it includes its name 'Bad Boy'. In addition two artists who were signed to the label, Black Rob and Mark Curry are featured on the song and video which exposes them to a broader audience which in turn will help boost revenue for Bad Boy. Furthermore in the video there are many famous cameos such as Mike Tyson, Ben Stiller, Travis Barker, Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O'Neal and Ice Cube. By big name celebrities being in the video it also helps promote Bad Boy as a brand as it will make more people eager to view the video. Additionally to help promote the record label in the video its logo pops up discretely in the video on different occasions such as on a golf ball. The video ended up being nominated for various prestigious awards such as best rap video at the 2002 MTV music video awards.

. Promotion of and synergy with another media product (film, television programme etc.):
Aerosmith - I don't want to miss a thing

I don't want to miss a thing is a classic rock ballad from the band Aerosmith. It was released in 1998 to accompany the film Armageddon. The song was a hit across the world and sold over a million copies whilst also reaching number 1 in various different countries. The video itself features the band performing the song in a space station setting, which coincides with the film's theme, they are also being projected through to mission control via monitors. Also in the video the scenes of Aerosmith performing intertwine with scenes from the film. Actress Liz Tyler who is actually the daughter of the lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, and Bruce Willis both appear in the video as they play the two main characters in the film. Furthermore during the video when the more intense parts of the song are happening close up shots of Steven Tyler are used to show the emotion he is portraying which in turn matches the emotional lyrics he is singing. Furthermore in the video behind the band you can see a fictional space shuttle called 'freedom' and also a full orchestra, when a powerful part of the song happens smoke surrounds the band and the orchestra from the taking off of the space shuttle which also links with the space theme of the film Armageddon. 

. Increasing the range of media artist is active in:

Kanye West - Runaway
In 2010 Kanye West released his highly anticipated album My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy, after a year full of controversy for Kanye (which involved him snatching the mic of Taylor Swift at the VMA's) he was keen to make a big impact with this release. To help him achieve this alongside the album he directed his own short film called 'Runaway' to accompany the album. The video is a compilation of all the songs on the album and he cited his inspirations for the film as Michael Jackson's Thriller, Purple Rain and artists such as Picasso and Henri Matisse. The plot of the short film is when Kanye's character finds love with a half women half phoenix who has crashed down to earth. With this video Kanye is trying to show the world he is more than just a rapper and a producer and is trying to show off that he can also act and direct as well as be a leading visionary in the world today. Kanye shows of his acting skills in multiple scenes but one that stands out the most is when he and the phoenix attend a dinner party and are subject to disgusted guests who say negative comments towards the couple and give them disgusted looks. This then leads to an emotional Griffin (Kanye) leaving the table and going to a piano to perform an emotional rendition of the song Runaway which is accompanied by an interpretive dance sequence by a group of ballerinas around him. The short film was highly acclaimed by critics and got showings at the VMA awards and the BAFTAS as well as being nominated for Video of the year and Kanye himself being nominated for director of the year thus showing how is attempt to increase the range of the media he is active in worked.




. Promotion of an artist's album:
The Weeknd ft Daft Punk - Starboy

Canadian singer The Weeknd released the single and the video for the first single of his upcoming album Starboy which is also the same name of the single. The song features dance duo Daft Punk and therefore leads the song to a more electro sound, something different from The Weeknd's older stuff. At the start of the video a man in a mask is seen killing The Weeknd by suffocating him, when walking away the man takes of the mask and reveals that it is actually The Weeknd himself but with a new haircut (previously his trademark). As the video progresses he walks through a house which has all of his platinum album and single plaques hung up on a wall as well as his awards in a cabinet. The Weeknd then proceeds to destroying all these plaques and awards with a red cross. This signifies how he wants people to forget about what he was and what he has previously done and instead focus on his new sound and new album. The video is also very dark and gloomy which matches the lyrics and sound of the song which could be setting the tone for the album ahead. The song also having the same name as the upcoming album will also help to build up hype and anticipation for it.



. Promotion of a particular song:
Pharrell Williams - Happy

A music video that specifically promotes a particular song is that off Happy by Pharrell. The song was a lead single of Pharrell's second solo album called Girls. It was the most successful song of 2014 selling 13.9 million worldwide, breaking multiple chart records in the process. There was two videos released for the song, one being 24 hours long and one 4 minute one (the one i will be focusing on). As of September 2016 the video has had 880 million views, it features multiple scenes of Pharrell, other famous celebrities and average day to day people dancing and just genuinley appearing happy in the streets of Los Angeles. The video serves the purposes of promoting the song by not necessarily focusing on the artist all the time but instead focusing on the mood which corresponds with the lyrics. For example there are scenes of famous rap group Odd Future looking cheerful and spinning around in dance and even Jamie Foxx with holding hands with his family skipping down the street as well as scenes of Pharrell with an upbeat choir. A lot of the people who are in the video are wearing bright clothes and are often filmed on a bright sunny day which also helps contribute to the happy mood of the video. The video ended up winning Best Male Video and Video of the Year at the MTV VMA's as well as the Grammy for video of the year.

   

Music Video Production - Purpose, Promotion & Controversy

Purposes:
. Revenue generation
. Promoting artist or the single or the album?
. Is the video a sellable product?
. Controversy may help promote the video

Controversy:
. A disagreement in public for example something that causes conflict between different people in society

Controversial Videos:
1. Kanye West - Jesus Walks
Kanye west released the video for Jesus Walks in 2004 in anticipation for his debut album The College Dropout. Before 2004 Kanye was a producer and was relatively unknown to the world. Therefore he used this video which contains multiple religious and controversial images to generate a buzz about him and his debut album. Some of the controversial images in this video are latino's being presented as drug dealers, blacks as slaves whilst police were their owners, a member of the KKK and even a burning cross falling down a hill. Whilst that was already controversial enough some people thought the video was blasphemous as some people interpreted it as Kanye showing himself as Jesus as he is dressed in all white and the camera angles and special effects show him as a powerful character.

2. Nas ft Puff Daddy - Hate Me Now
Another controversial video is the video Nas and Puff Daddy created for Nas' leading single of his third album I Am… . Nas had been away from music a while and needed to make a big impact upon his return and this video done so. In the video it depicts Nas as Jesus and even shows him being cruxified it also switches between that and another scene of him in a club drinking alcohol whilst portraying women sexually. It was so controversial it was banned intially and after Puff Daddy spoke to his church the scene of him on the cross was not used.

Homework

Homework




Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode  - (1950s) - Live performance from the artist, no storyline or theme.

The Mama's and the Papa's - California Dreaming - (1960s) - Also a live performance but in colour, background setting to match the song, collection of different images

The Doors - L.A Women - (1970s) - Multiple different scenes, different settings, switches between live performances and different shots

The Police - Every breath you take - (1980s) - A dark song so the video matches the theme, close ups to show the emotion, dark setting

Nas ft Puff Daddy - Hate Me Now - (1990s) - Religious imagery, highly controversial, switches between a party like setting to a crucifixion, very expensive, uses of fire and fireworks

Lil Wayne - A Milli - (2000s) - A music video of Lil Wayne making a music video, Very innovative, camera follows him walking

Kanye West ft Vic Mensa & Sia - Wolves - (2010s) - The video is a campaign for high-fashion company Balmain, dark setting for a dark song, close ups to show emotions on their faces, different camera angles to show the clothes

Lesson 2 - Music Videos - 15/8/16

Music Videos

. Video 1 (1925) - Black and White, No storyline/concept, Just a video of the music being played
. Video 2 (1929) - Close ups, Extras involved mot just musicians, Bar/restaurant setting, The singer is the main focus
. Video 3 (1957) - Prison setting, Theme, Dance routine, Humour involved
. Video 4 (1960s) - Cue cards, humour, lyrics involved, abstract
. Video 5 (1966) - In color, varied camera angles, lots of different scenes, Uses of different lighting
. Video 6 (1970s) - Different unique scenes, different outfits, varied camera angles, intense close ups to show emotion, special effects, different tone depending on part of the song
. Video 7 (1970s) - Humor, abstract scenes to match the music
. Video 8 (1980s) - A lot of special effects, Different costumes, abstract scenes and characters
. Video 9 (1990s) - Storyline, a lot of dancing, camera moves through video

Lesson 1 - Music Videos - 14/8/16

Lesson 1 - Music Videos

Purpose? Message?

Video 1 - Promotion of a particular song, Promotion of the artist's album, Promotion of a particular artist
Video 2 - Promotion of the artist's album, Increase income for the record company, Increasing the range of media an artist is active in
Video 3 - Promotion of a particular artist, Increase income for the record company, Promotion of the artist's album