Special Effects In Music Videos

Music Video Research: Blonde - I Loved You (feat. Melissa Steel)

The concept of this music video is about the friendship between two girls who live as if their bond is unbreakable, and before you know it life gets in the way and rips that bond apart. While the concept may not have a direct link with the genre of Dance/Deep House the mise en scene does. For instance the location that this music video is set in promotes a very 'urban', 'gritty' atmosphere. This is done through the use of graffiti and run-down buildings. The clothes worn in this music video are conventional of this genre of music.

The main pieces of clothing worn throughout the video are either denim or leather, this is significant as it is the type of clothing that people wear when they go clubbing or dancing and this creates links to the song being a 'dance' song. There is evidence of sexual interaction and alcohol use in this video, and this is linked to the idea of stereotypical behaviours seen at clubs, and the music video draws on it to confirm it's relationship with dance music.

 

The lighting used in the video is quite bleak, it's not very bright but it's also not too dark. This is done to emphasise the gritty scenery. The mise en scene also signifies a run down neighbourhood, which exaggerates the 'urban' feel to the music video as that particular image has become a trademark for urban video, which is further amplified by the graffiti.

 

Music Video Research:Sigma ft. Paloma Faith - Changing

The music video for 'Changing' features elements you would expect to see in a video of the dance genre. An example of this is the use of urban locations, which promotes a 'gritty' feel to the video; the use of graffiti also helps to build on this theme. As an artist Paloma has a very dominant 'Star Image' which is utilised extensively in this video. She has this loud, fun and energetic persona that is fit for the dance genre. The idea of movement (travelling) is the concept used in this video, as we see Paloma travelling around in a 1950s Cadillac which is a further signifier of the dance genre. 

The video also includes a lot of different locations and has a vibrant use of neon colours which signifies the stereotypical club scene and thus links in with the genre of the song. Furthermore, the bright colours seen throughout the video further develops its relationship with the genre as the colours used in the clothing and found in the background can connote strobe lighting used at clubs. The dancing, the colours and the main star all combined create this fun, free and youthful atmosphere, that is representative of the core ideals of dance music.

Audience Research Findings

After conducting the audience research I found that:

• People expected music videos to stick to their typical conventions. For example, if their favourite genre of music was pop they'd expect to see a lot of dancing and a wide use of colours in pop music videos. 
• In a dance music video they would expect to see a lot of dancing. Either a contemporary dance, a dance that tells a story, a coordinated dance or just people dancing and having fun. 
• They all liked our idea for the music video. They liked the use of different locations and how we've incorporated dance and urban ideas into one video e.g. through the use of graffiti and the Leake Street tunnel.
• They agreed it would make the video fun and exciting to watch. They also liked our ideas for special effects such as a 'rewind' It's unique and would make the video more interesting to watch. 
• The group thought it would appeal to our target audience of 15-25 year olds so long as we got the tone of the video right. This would be achieved through the use of costumes, colours and our star's persona. 
• The use of locations such as the stake park would appeal to an audience of that age as it is perceived as a young person's activity the audience would be able to identify with the video.
• It also pointed out how we should use the idea of the 'male gaze' to attract a male audience.
• Ideas that were suggested to improve our music video is to use a mixture of boys and girls so that the video can appeal to both sexes. 
• Another suggestion was to include something other than just singing; such as a narrative. And if we were to use skaters, we should use real skaters and get them doing tricks as it would look better.

Audience Research

Before we started the filming of our music video we decided it would be beneficial to pitch the idea for our music video to people who fall under our target audience. We asked them a few simple questions on their music listening habits and then asked for their opinion on our ideas.

These are the questions we asked them:

Music Video Research:Wilkinson - Afterglow

The video for Afterglow is by far one of my favourites because of the ingenuity and originality of the visuals. The concept of the video revolves around a couple, and describes all their time together using objects or metaphors. An example of this is how they used clocks to illustrate the minutes they spent together. 

This music video didn't stick to the typical conventions of a dance track. There is no apparent 'star' to attract viewers; but it is compensated by the engaging narrative. The video gains its appeal and likeability through its comedic value, as well as through the audiences being able to identify with the couple. The music video draws on the idea of a sexual relationship, this is done through the use of sexual equipment and metaphors/innuendos. This is an example of how the video does incorporate elements which are typical of the dance genre. The typical target audience for this music video is 15-26 year old's, who are part of a mainstream culture. 

Target Audience

In order for a product to be successful it must be aimed at a specific audience, know as the target audience. This specific group of people are responsible for generating profit; and the success of a product is based on how it attracts these audiences.

The target audience for my music video is 15-25 year olds. The sexual nature of the song makes it inappropriate for younger audiences and immature for people over 25. Besides the fact the song is incredibly sexual; at its core it is still a dance song which makes it very appealing for this age group, as the ages 15-25 are considered as the time have fun and dance and be free; which is the message given from any dance anthem. This song will also be appropriate for people in their late teens as they'll most likely be at university and dancing and clubbing will very much become a huge part of their lives. 

Furthermore, while this song may be sexual I aim to approach it from a different angle. Because there is a chance that we may appeal to a younger audience, the video will not promote drugs or alcohol like other dance music videos do. The visuals will be toned down so that they are not over sexual and any innuendos or suggestions will be presented in a way that only older audiences will be able to pick up on.

While my chosen song 'Gecko' is of the Deep House genre which has a specific audience; it's popularity in the mainstream chart suggests that our target audience is from a more younger but slightly sophisticated demography. The psychographic of our audience will be explorers, because they want to have fun and seek discovery. But the explicit nature of dance songs in general suggest that the psychographic of our typical audience will be struggler's who seek escape but find it in drugs and alcohol.

Below is an image which illustrates what our target audience may look like.

Deep House

The song we choose for our music video is Gecko (Overdrive) and it comes under the deep house genre. Deep house is a subgenre of house music; it originated in the 1980s and it has heavy influences from Chicago house and jazz funk. Deep house is known for its use of complex melodies and soul, ambient vocals (if there is any).

Examples of deep house songs are:

Gorgon City - Ready For Your Love ft. MNEK

Route 94 - My Love ft. Jess Glynne

Tove Lo - Habits (Stay High)



Shift K3Y- Touch

Genre Research

Goodwin's Theory of Music Videos

Intertextuality

Intertextuality refers to the idea of drawing upon existing texts in order to spark recognition in the audience. Pleasure is derived by those who understand the reference and somehow feel flattered by this.

There are many examples of intertextuality in the video for 'The Monster' by Eminem ft. Rihanna. This video tells the story of Eminem's music career, it uses clips from his most iconic and popular songs to create a montage, describing his struggle with drugs and alcohol and all the commotion that entered his life when his career took off. His music is known for being controversial, gleefully violent and hilarious, this leaves him with the task to create music videos to match just that. There are visual references to 'My Name Is', 'Lose Yourself', 'The Way I Am' and possibly the most iconic moment of his career when he performed 'Stan' with Elton John at the Grammy Awards in 2001.



This image is from the video for 'My Name Is'.

Original Song

The Monster

This image is from the video for 'Lose Yourself'.

Original Song

The Monster

This is the video for 'The Way I Am'.



Original Song

The Monster

Photoshop Practice - Adding Text

Original Image 

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Lightening A Picture

Original Image 

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Moving An Object

Original Image 

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Removing An Object

Original Image

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Changing The Background

Original Image

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Adding A Filter

Original Image

Edited Image

Photoshop Practice - Removing Blemishes

Original Image

Edited Image 

Voyeurism - The Female Gaze

Voyeurism is the idea of viewing in order to gain sexual gratification through observing nude bodies or through sexual acts. Voyeurism is most commonly found in music videos , and largely consists of women being objectified in order to attract the male gaze. This is done through the use of low angles, close ups, fragmented body shots, editing and costumes.

We as consumers are very used to seeing the typical images of women being objectified, so it is very uncommon to see males being objectified for the sexual gain of women. A good example of the female gaze and voyeurism is; Jennifer Lopez I Luh Ya Papi ft French Montana.

 The video begins with J-Lo sitting in a room surrounded by half-naked men. The camera slowly pans over one of the men, and immediately it is clear this video is meant for female viewing as it objectifies men.

In this next picture you see her putting on a lot of big gold chains, and then dancing around a lot of very expensive cars. This is the sort of behaviour you would expect to see from a male in a music video. She has completely inverted the image of conventional gender roles in the music video.

Throughout the course of the video we see a lot of shots of men's bodys, including close ups on abs and crotch shots. It also tends to be in slow motion to add greater emphasis on the physique but also for the purpose of having the image linger in the mind of the viewer for longer.

The shot where Jennifer is standing at the front of the pool and the men are all lined up against the side of the pool, gives the impression she is in control and the men are nothing but mere decoration.

Jennifer continues to toy with the men further on in the video. In this shot she and her friends are seen slapping a mans bum and pouring stuff down his pants. His face is not shown just his body. He is made to look more like an object and less like a person. This reflects the action seen in other videos where men are seen slapping women's buts.





Album Art Research - Unapologetic by Rihanna

Everything about this album is designed to draw attention from a specific auidence.

Front cover:

The front cover has a prominent image of Rihanna; she is positioned in the centre of the cover and against a white background, this is done so that she is the main point of focus and so attention isn't diverted from her.

Rihanna is pictured naked but writing is used to cover up most of her body, this is done to make the cover less explicit. But it also creates emphasis; the words that are used to cover her body are representative of her; words such as 'victory', 'love' and 'faith' these are all aspirational words that she aims to achieve. Furthermore, the name of the record label that she is signed to 'Roc Nation', is written on her chest where her heart would be. This shows that it is a part of her life that she love. Rihanna also manages to incorporate her fans into the album cover by including '#Navy', this is the name given to her fan base. This creates a deeper connection between her and her fans, and makes the feel appreciated. It is also a clever way to incorporate social media; anyone who didn't already know about her fan base, after one look of the album they would. Essentially, this album cover is Rihanna declaring her love and her appreciation for the things she cares about; the things that define her.

The album title 'Unapologetic' is very significant for Rihanna. She went from being a modest pop artist to suddenly becoming the 'bad girl', who flaunts her body and promotes herself and her music through her sex appeal and raunchy behaviour. And this album is her saying she isn't sorry for being the way she is. And this message is amplified by the nude image of her on the album cover; she's going to pose naked is she wants and there is nothing anyone can say that can stop her.

The text is in white; this is done to create a contrast against her rich skin colour. The text is written in different fonts and in different sizes. For example the word 'Love' is written in a font that's very fluid and delicate as it resembles someone's handwriting, this is done to echo the idea that love is delicate; it could also connote the idea of a 'love letter'. The only but of black writing is found on her right arm and it says 'Side effects'; a connotation if this is, the side effect of being a famous musician is that you change. This could symbolise that she is unsure of the person she is. Furthermore, the fact that Rihanna's name isn't visible on the front cover suggests that this is not her first album; she is so iconic and so recognisable she doesn't need to follow the typical conventions of an album e.g. having a close up of the star on the front cover.

Back cover:

There is another prominent image on Rihanna on the back cover; she is nude but wearing an oversized leather studded jacket, this is done to reinforce her 'bad girl' image. The colours used on the back cover are very monotonous; they consist of blacks, whites and greys. In terms of colour is it a very simplistic; this shows that she is moving away from the 'bubblegum pop' image that we know her for and she's now maturing and finding who she is as an artist; she has reinvented her entire star image through this one album. Institutional information such as Rihanna's record label is visible on the back cover; this allows the audience to identify the genre of Rihanna's music if they don't already know.

Voyeurism - The Male Gaze

Album Art Research

Album covers just like most other media products have typical codes and conventions which have to be met for it to be effective. Below I have detailed the specific items which must appear on an album.

Front

• Main image (usually close ups)
• Title of album
• Name of artist 
• A recognisable logo or font that is associated with the artist 

What I have noticed about album covers is they tend to have a central image the artist on the front panel, this is especially true of Pop albums. Solo artists are more likely to have their image at the front as they are trying to promote their music by promoting their appearance. This is done to make the buyer feel like they are close to the artist and allows them to form a deeper connection. The star is made to be the most prominent image with little distractions in background; this is done to emphasise the dominance of the artist and create a stronger star image. This is especially true of female artists who use their sexuality as a selling point to attract male audiences.

Groups and bands are presented slightly differently; while one close up is used of a solo artist the same cannot be done for a group album. Instead they model the group in a variety of heights and poses to create individual images for each member. Some may be standing/sitting/jumping etc. and they will most likely be wearing different items of clothing; this is done to expresses their individuality and allows the audience to identity with one member. While there may be a theme amongst the album e.g. the black clothing on the JLS album or the boom boxes in The Saturdays album, they each have an individual personality that is expressed through their clothing and staging.

However, not all album covers follow the typical conventions. Some artists reject the idea of having their image on the album cover. This could be done for a few reasons; they feel the attention for their album should come from their music and not their appearance. Or it could be they would like their music to be represented by a symbol. These albums tend to be targeted at older audiences of 17-25 as they should be at the level of maturity to not to attracted to something based on its look.

The Arctic Monkeys album cover image is of sound-waves; this follows the genre of their music which is supposed to be alternative/indie; it demonstrates they're not going to be mainstream and use an image of their faces, instead they choose to be represented by that one symbol. Lorde's album cover features her name and album name on a black background. It is a very simple album cover but it has a strong meaning. This is Lorde proclaiming she is only in it for the music, you don't need to like my face or approve of the way I dress, but listen to me sing.

Back

• Track list 
• Special Features 
• Another predominant image

The back of an album usually features a lot of graphics and possibly another predominant image of the artist. The typography usually signifies the genre of the album; special fonts and colours will be used to identify the genre. 

Institutional Information 

• Price 
• Barcode
• Record Label 
• Year of publishing 
• Copyright 
• Individual track writers, composers, engineers, producers 
• A reference number
• Band members
• Guest performers 

Spine

• Name of artist 
• Title of album 
• Record Label 
• Reference number 

Inserts 

• Further institutional information for each individual track 
• Song lyrics 
• Photographs of artist 
• Thankyous 

Purpose of an Album Cover

• To protect the album
• To advertise the contents 
• Using the artistic design to reflect the creative intentions of artists
• To reflect the principles, attitudes etc of Record Label
• To stand out, to be interesting, to be eye-catching 
• To boost sales, enhance profit 
• Attracts on retail shelves 
• Enables product to be resold through different modes
• Art becomes the icon