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.