Research and Planning- Specific Analysis of Mise-en-Scene

Lily Allen and P!nk were two artists that our target audience told us that we should take a look at. This is because of the similarities they share with the artist of our chosen song, Tove Lo, who fall into the 'Dirty Pop' sub-genre. This sub-genre includes pop artists that are commonly shown to be bending the rules, doing what they want/having fun or otherwise acting anarchistically. We have looked at some of the mise-en-scene features in particular as inspiration and some 'food-for-thought' as to what should be expected in a video in this category.

Lily Allen: (Smile)
Clothing/Makeup:
Lily wears relatively revealing clothing such as dresses and low cropped tops showing off her legs and chest. Although not considered "slutty", we see the artist attract the male gaze from the audience. She instantly becomes the protagonist,  despite being shown in the narrative as a disruptive and sadistic character, causing her ex-boyfriend trouble for no good reason other than pleasure. The artist wears lots of jewellery including necklaces, earrings, rings and bangles emphasising the exhibitionism theory and the powerful status of the independent women- she is free to wear what she wants as well as look her best. Bright makeup further supports this. Lily wears trainers during the video which is appropriate as she is in an urban environment. If she was in a muddy field, she would be wearing a pair of wellington boots. This shows that even the most insignificant part of a costume can make the artist in place or out of place.
Lighting:
The video is almost always consisting of natural, high key lighting either directly from the sky or through curtains subsequently illuminating the bedroom. The only low key lighting seen in this video is when evening sets in or when the boyfriend is in the club, where the lighting is deliberately dark.
Screen enactment/Behaviour:
The artist seems rather passive in the video and does not take out actions against her ex herself, apart from the laxative part. Instead, she gets other people to do the horrible things but has an equally satisfying experience tormenting him from a distance. Lily Allen is shown to be a cunning puppeteer of mischief.


P!nk: (So What)
Clothing/Makeup:
P!nk wears similar revealing clothing to Lily Allen showing off her legs and chest. As well as attracting the male gaze, P!nk appeals to the punk/rock genre too as with her short straightened hair and tattoos. Parts of her costumes in this video such as the flared trousers is an intertextual reference to the rock eras of the 1960-70s. She wears wristbands, rings and piercings throughout the video which conforms more with the rock genre but also emphasises the attitude she is trying to represent.
Lighting:
The lighting is mainly high key lighting again but also has low key lighting and shadows when representing the nightlife. This seems to feature in many pop videos where we see the artist during the daytime and evening. There is artificial lighting when she is framed with her "boyfriend" in the studio however, the majority of it is natural.
Screen enactment/Behaviour:
The artist is very violent, shows lots of attitude and strong emotion.

Research and Planning- Specific Analysis of Editing II

As a group, we have decided that we could like to produce an introduction for our music video. This introduction will tell the very first part of the narrative and will only contain diegetic sound before the music starts to play. As part of this introduction, we have been thinking about putting opening acknowledgements, often seen before films. Accreditations such as the production company, artist and the title of the song may be featured and I have been looking into music videos that also have this. The following videos are used to contrast the different effects the credits have in an intro to a song.

Last Friday Night- Katy Perry

This opening contains font that represents the genre of the song well. It is bright, large and has a cartoon-like look to it. This hints that the video will also be like this. The positioning on the text is central but is also displayed in one long tracking shot in the background. 

G.U.Y- Lady Gaga

This opening contains iconic plain, bold and extremely large text. The font is completely white having connotations with holiness, purity and innocence which are themes often reflected in the artist's videos. The backgrounds of these credits are either plain to emphasise the text or do not focus on anything in particular unlike Last Friday Night. I believe these credits are less of an introduction to the video and more of a branding on the product for the artist. EG: It is common to see the "Haus of Gaga" phrase in the artist's videos.

Research and Planning- Specific Analysis of Editing

Another aspect of editing that I have noticed and liked was the idea of flashbacks to give a music video a reason to cross cut between two events. This was done well in Last Friday Night by Katy Perry.
In this video, Katy or "Kathy" wakes up after a wild party and recalls what happened the night before.
Physically on screen, a wavy transition is used to do this as if the present scene is melting away to display something more prominent and important to the storyline such as the party madness itself. In this video, this transition is only completed a few times and is not repeated every time the scene changes. This is because the movement of the artist and the mise-en-scene deliberately shows the differences. In the present scenes, where she is performing, she is calm, stays relatively still and is as her nerdy persona. In the scenes from the night before where the narrative is seen, she is energetic, always moving and is her reformed persona. The cross-cuts make these differences very obvious.

For our music video, we could do the same and only use a flashback effect once so the audience can tell a flashback has occurred. When consulting our target audience, we were told not to constantly use these transitions as it would get confusing and over the top. When questioning what effects we could use for this transition (other than the wavy one used by Katy Perry), the following animations were suggested:

1. White Flashes
2. Fades
3. Blurring
4. Dissolving
5. Filtering

Research and Planning- Specific Analysis of Camerawork

To try to develop a shotlist for my own music video, I wanted to have a look at some existing music videos to see what kind of camerawork is used and to what effect.


CLOSE UP SHOTS (Royals- Lorde) 

I liked the close up shots of the artist used in this video. These shots are particularly effective due to the direct address of the artist into the camera. She is looking face on into it whilst singing/performing which connects her with the audience as it seems like she is singing directly at us.

We could replicate this to some degree by posing the camera as a mirror in the scene. The character would perform a variety of tasks using the mirror (eg. doing her hair, putting makeup on, singing etc.) to produce the same effect. 

MIRROR SHOTS (Bad Romance- Lady Gaga) 

From my previous analysis of the video, I knew that this song contained several mirror shots. I think this would be a good idea to try and replicate as it shows her looking at herself/reflecting upon something in her life. So far, we know we want to tell a story that involves going back and looking at memories so this could be a useful prop to obtain. The shots from this video are mid-long shots of the artist. This could be due to the difficulties filming with reflections- filming yourself in the background accidentally is likely to happen especially if you are close to it.  

SHOTS IN BAR ENVIRONMENT (Blinded by the Lights- The Streets)

In our case, the original video for our chosen song is filmed in a bar/club location so I wanted to look at a video that does the same. I wanted to see what kind of shots are used to show off the venue, express the character's emotions or emphasise specific components of the mise-en-scene. Some shots are long-mid shots which show the character and his surroundings, concurrently, other people in the bar or the open plan nature the area. However, most shots are close ups used the highlight his facial expressions or particular actions such as taking a drink, smoking a cigarette or swinging a fist. The over-the-shoulder shot is also used heavily which I assume is used to mimic the effect of being there with the character and being in the bar.

Digipak Analysis- Habits/Stay High (Tove Lo)

Digipak Analysis- It’s Not Me It’s You (Lily Allen)

I decided to look at and analyse Lily Allen's inlay booklet from her album "It’s Not Me It’s You". This is so I have a good idea as to what to produce when it comes to making my very own.

The front cover of the album (also the back cover for the booklet) features the artist Lily Allen lying in sit-up positing in the concave shape of the letter L. The letter L stands for the artist's name Lily and she seems to fit in to this shape with ease. This is ironic as the album name is It’s Not Me It’s You when the letter symbolising her takes up the majority of the cover because it is all about her. This promotes a self centered and obnoxious appearance for the artist. The front cover and the album title imply that she is perfect and issues lie with other people as opposed to her. Using this information, one could assume that the pink wedding dress implies there has been an issue concerning marriage/relationships. The fact that the dress is pink has connotations of feminism, tranquility and love which is contrasted by everything else that this image emits. The cover of the inlay booklet (the left hand side) is information about extra/bonus features that are accessible to users that have purchased the album. This information is in pink lettering also to match with the imagery used on the cover.

This is one double page spread from the booklet. It features production and copyright information underneath each song title. The other half is a close up shot of the artist. This shows Lily looking vulnerable which is emphasised by her reserved/held back posture. The red lipstick, eye liner and messy black hair imply that she is trying to physically attract people. 

This is the last two pages of the inlay booklet. It shows Lily in the same outfit as the other images used within the digipak. This has re-inforced the idea of having a photoshoot for my own digipak giving the product a recurring theme. The last page shows additional accreditation, special thanks and links to the artists webpages.

Digipak Analysis- Funhouse (P!nk)

The cover of the digipak includes a mid-long shot of the artist P!nk riding a fairground horse from the carousel. This visually relates to the title of the album "Funhouse"- a possible metaphor for the artist's emotions and feelings but also relating to a location where people are entertained (ie. a carnival/fairground). The artist is wearing a very revealing outfit establishing her as an artist that uses exhibitionism. This costume is pink relating to her stage name and bearing connotations of love, tranquility and feminism which is ironic due to her erotic pose and image she gives off. Her bare leg is raised pointing up into the air in front of her. This could relate to the sexual "fun" or pleasure she may experience but could also be interpreted as inviting a sexualised male gaze upon her. It isn't safe to be riding the horse in that position showing some disregard for her own safety however this fits in with her hedonistic persona. Her short hair and tattoos suggest she is a rebellious figure not considered clean or pure to those who believe females in particular should emit such an image. The background image is simple in colours (just pink and gold) and design featuring her stage name in a font that is recognisable and relatable to the carnival. This is the same font used for the words "Funhouse" and P!nk" which are a white colour to stand out against the already light background. Despite this, this works well as it doesn't retract from the main foreground image.

The image used on the back cover is of P!nk sitting down in a corset like costume in a long shot. While the cover depicts Pink facing sideways, the back image shows her turning around and looking at the camera- a mode of direct address. This could metaphorically represent the artist as having a fun, rebellious and tough facade but a softer, more emotional interior. P!nk doesn't feature in the middle as there needs to be space to have the track names- this is a common convention on many albums as artists want more than just track names to be visible on the back. The black track names have different sizes and font which contrast with the yellow/golden background. One would suspect that the more popular songs are in a larger, thicker font as they will be more recognisable to the target audience. The gramophone is also visible potentially holding the contextual time period within the late 19th century. To some extent, this could imply that P!nk thinks her music is classic or "old school".  The use of the sepia/worn filter over the top of the photo reinforces this idea. The artists labels and brands, as well as her social media and internet page names can be seen in the bottom left of the rear cover.

The disc shows P!nk on the same horse in a wider frame. Balloons have been included in this image to represent the fun/party/carnival themes which consume this digipak. A stagecoach/coach wagon can just about be seen further emphasising the idea that the artist is the new and bright object compared to the older things seen. Small print in white is wrapped around the circumference of the disc and brands and labels are seen at the bottom.
The spine of the album remains plain so members of the audience can read it clearly presumably amongst a collection of compact discs.

Digipak Analysis- Rated R (Rihanna)

The album cover of “Rated R” by Rihanna depicts the artist herself with her hand over one of her eyes. The album is not colourful at all. In fact, an effect has been used such as greyscale which has taken out the colours of the picture for effect. This effect is strange in black and white and at first could connote to the old days of black and white film. We see Rihanna wearing what appears to be a leather costume and lots of rings on her hand. Her heavy use of lipstick and eyeliner as well as her short, gelled up hair can also be noticed which challenges the stereotypical convention of a female. This to some extent represents her as a rebellious and eccentric personality who doesn’t conform to the status quo. 

The title of the album refers to the film rating “Rated R for Restricted” which is brandished to a film for violent, drug related or sexual content. It means that the product cannot be viewed by people less than 17 years of age and may only be admitted if accompanied by a parent or guardian. This meaning has been altered by the artist to mean “Rated R for Rihanna”. This in effect aims this album and her content for more mature teenagers and adults instead of younger listeners. The large R in the top right hand side of the album is Rihanna’s logo and this is a good way to brand her products. The title of the album is barely seen at the bottom in very small writing almost as if its significance is much less than the R.
 On the back the first thing we notice is the image of Rihanna in a very revealing and seductive costume. She is wearing a garter belt and stockings showing off her bottom and legs and holding a cigarette. In addition to this, the image shows her gelled up hair and a fur coat draped over her shoulder. This implies that she is financially well off as these are rare and expensive. This image goes well with the title of the album as it presents her as a rebellious and controversial character that does what she wants and looks sexy doing it. The name of the tracklist also further emphasises this idea- “Mad House”, “Wait Your Turn”, “Rockstar 101”, “Rude Boy”. The font on the back cover is fairly simple with the names of the songs in bold wide lettering in capitals with less important information in smaller brackets adjacent to this. About half way down the list, the font colour changes from white to yellow. There isn’t an obvious reason why this has been done but it can be assumed that the designer didn’t want the album to look too boring and over-do the black and white effect. Again the barcode and record labels are seen at the bottom.  

Digipak Analysis- Random Access Memories (Daft Punk)

The album cover of “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk features two types of helmets split in half and put together to form one as well as the album title on a plain black background. Straight away we are attracted to this album cover due to its weird but exciting image- we don’t know what these helmets are used for and by whom but the colours and the style they have been presented to us entices us to look further.  

The helmets don’t look like hardhats or motorbike helmets but instead give off a futuristic, sci-fi or otherwise space-related feel. The title of the album looks as if it has been signed by the artist on top of the image. This is the font used for all of the text on the album apart from the small text at the bottom by the record labels. The name of the album, “Random Access Memories” refers to the memory unit inside a computer. This is a direct link to track 10 on the album entitled “Motherboard”- another key component inside a computer system. While the title and songs relate, the front cover image is still odd and doesn't really fit in with the theme. We assume this is more of a branding image than one that related to anything specifically on the album.

Digipak Analysis- The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)

The album cover of “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd depicts a ray of light refracting through a prism into the spectrum of colours. Behind this is a plain black background. This album cover is catching to the eye due to its colourful nature and simplistic design. The cover of the album is very simple but reflects (no pun intended) the title of the album "The Dark Side of the Moon" well. The cover visually displays this metaphor whereby the left hand side of the prism is "The Dark Side”. On the reverse side, we see the track list on the album. Track number 8. “Any Colour You Like” is directly related to the cover design of the album and this is a common convention in the music industry (ie. The design of the front cover of the album usually visually depicts a particular song on it- Some even share the same name.) The font used on the back is simple and plain with the song names in capital letters and the length of the track also. The text is white which highly contrasts the black background which wraps around the product. I believe this has been done largely done so the information on the back can be easily read. Other information is provided in the brackets below in lowercase letters. These are the names of the people in the band Pink Floyd who featured in that certain track. Features such as the barcode and record labels can be seen which have their own place at the bottom underneath the tracks. On spines of the CD, the name of the artist and album feature in capital letters which are also in white to match the scheme of the design. This is featured as users can identify the album in a collection without having to take it out and look on the cover or back.

Target Audience Research- Survey

In order to identify (and in the future subsequently appeal to effectively) our target audience, we created a small survey which can be completed quickly at the same time as giving us responses from a large group of people.
We encouraged people to answer the survey with the supplication of a link on our twitter page as well as handing out hard copies.

The results of this survey will be posted in due course.

Here is a link to the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DFKNWY

Target Audience Research- The NSSEC Model

When analysing target audiences for music videos, artists, and genres, I will be using the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification model to identify who the exactly the target audience is. This will help me to pin-point what social class a person belongs within or what social class is being targeted by using their occupation as a reference. The standard three stage social class model (Upper, Middle and Lower class) is basic and does not necessarily take into account their occupation as it relies on wealth to determine the difference between each stage. For example, a person may be socially considered as an upper class citizen but economically considered a middle class citizen. 

*THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN REFERENCED FROM THIS PAGE:*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Statistics_Socio-economic_Classification

"The full version of NSSEC model has 17 main categories and is collapsible down to three categories. Only the three-category version is intended to represent any form of hierarchy. The version intended for most users (the analytic version) has eight categories:

1.         Higher managerial and professional occupations

2.         Lower managerial and professional occupations

3.         Intermediate occupations (clerical, sales, service)

4.         Small employers and own account workers

5.         Lower supervisory and technical occupations

6.         Semi-routine occupations

7.         Routine occupations

8.         Never worked and long-term unemployed

The three-category version is reduced to following categories:

1.         Higher occupations

2.         Intermediate occupations

3.         Low occupations"

Target Audience Theories - Levi Strauss’ Theory

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist who lived in the early 1900's. He believed that the way we understand certain words depends not so much on any meaning they themselves directly contain, but much more by our understanding of the difference between the word and its 'opposite' or, as he called it 'binary opposites'.

Binary Opposition refers to a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

In relation to the production of music videos, binary opposition can found everywhere.

BINARY OPPOSITION IN CAMERAWORK:

EG. of a birds eye view shot 

• Low angle shot - High angle shot
• Worms eye view - Birds eye view
• Close up shot- Long shot
• Shallow focus - Deep focus
• Zoom in - Zoom out

BINARY OPPOSITION IN EDITING:

• Short take - Long take
• Slow cutting rate - Fast cutting rate 
• Slow motion - Fast forward 
• Fade in - Fade out 
• Flashback - Flash forward

BINARY OPPOSITION IN MISE-EN-SCENE:

• High key lighting - Low key lighting
• Light - Dark
• Urban - Rural
• Fat - Thin 
• Masculinity - Femininity 

BINARY OPPOSITION IN SOUND:

• Low pitch - High pitch 
• Slow tempo - Fast tempo
• Diegetic - Now diegetic
• Soft - Hard
• Quiet - Loud 

COMMON BINARY OPPOSITION THEMES FOUND IN MUSIC PRODUCTS:

LOVE - HATE 

Blank Space by Taylor Swift 

This music video describes the roller coaster emotions felt when in love and after a breakup. 

GEEK - JOCK/ POPULARITY - UNPOPULARITY 

Last Friday Night by Katy Perry

This music video contrasts the stereotypical American Jock vs the unpopularity of a geek. 

OBEDIENCE - REBELLION

So What by P!nk

This music video juxtaposes the rebellious attitude of the artist against what is normally expected. 

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:

The theory of binary opposition will definately have a role when it comes to replicating my chosen song, Stay High (Habits) by Tove Lo. Whether it is using lighting to contrast particular moods and atmospheres in scenes to selecting different coloured filters to add effect on the digipak or using adjacent shots to compare expressed emotions- Binary Opposition is a powerful tool. 

Target Audience Theories - Horton and Wohl’s Theory

The theory of "Parasocial Interactions" relates to the music industry when describing relationships between artists and their target audiences.

In order for viewers to accept the parasocial relationship, the celebrity or performer must build his or her performance and interactions response to that performer. The celebrity needs to relate to the viewer so that the parasocial relationship compliments normal, everyday social life. Most characteristic is the attempt of the persona to duplicate the gestures and conversational style of an informal face-to-face gathering. Horton and Wohl argue that the best practice is for celebrities to make their private lives somewhat public as they interest the viewer, but the image portrayed should be carefully chosen and monitored just as their public and performing life should be. The fascination with celebrity private lives could be based on a variety of factors. The viewer or audience member may relate to the performer, live vicariously through performers, and idolize them and their success stories. They may simply be interested because it makes the parasocial relationship that much stronger when the viewer feels as if they know the celebrity on a much more personal level.

EXAMPLES OF PARASOCIAL INTERACTIONS:

Modes of direct address with the audience:

• Live performances.
• Social media websites- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram pages.
• Autograph signing events.
• Eye contact in close ups on album covers/in music videos.
• Starring audience members within official music videos.

The inclusion of real audience members starring in Ed Sheeran's hit single- Lego House.

Adopting a name for a particular section of the audience: 

• Justin Bieber's "Beliebers".
• Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters".
• One Direction's "Directioners".

Justin Bieber personally thanking his fans or "Beliebers" for support.

Appearances on TV Shows/ films:

• TALENT SHOWS- Nicki Minaj judging on American Idol, Nicole Scherzinger on the X-Factor and the entire panel on The Voice- Jessie J, Tom Jones, Will.I.Am and Danny O'Donoghue.
• REALITY TV SHOWS-50 Cent appearing on MTV's Cribs.
• DOCUMENTARIES-N-Dubz group featuring in Being...N-Dubz.
• REALITY BASED FILMS- Eminem in 8 Mile and Notorious B.I.G. in Notorious.

The judging panel on UK singing talent show- The Voice

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:

Applying Horton and Wohl's 'Parasocial Interaction' theory, I believe I could develop a parasocial relationship with my selected target audience. Although it would be unrealistic to feature my artist on television or in a film, I could easily develop modes of direct address and adopt a name for the audience to make a similar connection. Social media pages are easy to create and I can do so to communicate quickly and efficiently to the target audience. As part of this process, social media pages would allow my group to mould and create an artist and a music video around what our particular audience desires. This would give the audience a special connection to the artist as they will feel they have helped to create and promote this star. Making the artist look into the camera when creating digipak images and the video advert as well as including fans in the video would brandish the same result. 

Target Audience Theories - Richard Dyer’s Theory

Richard Dyer's music video theory is as follows:

"A star is an image constructed from a range of materials"

This "range of materials" can be defined as any of these:

• The songs and their lyrical themes
• The album covers and how they represent the artist
• Media coverage ranging from interviews to tabloid gossip
• Live performances and the image shown on stage
• The music videos

A star's image is not how an artist actually looks, believes and behaves but instead a fictitious star perceived by the audience and the characteristics that represent them. Music promotion (eg: Music videos, music magazine adverts, album covers etc.) often contribute to the largest proportion of a star's images. Within these media texts, an artist can establish their own iconography such as costumes, hair and makeup styles and settings. These are what will essentially define them. Here are some examples:

Nicki Minaj and the colour pink:

Slipknot and their masks:

Lady Gaga and her crazy blonde hair:

Katy Perry and her association with confectionery due to her hit single, California Girls:

Miley Cyrus and her on-stage twerking: 

Obviously iconography can and will vary artist to artist depending on their opinions, influences, power, target audience and genre. Stars will often represent shared cultural values and attitudes and will promote certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality', and it is through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions outside music that performers help create their star persona.

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:
I will be creating a solo female artist. She will be part of the pop genre but will also appeal to audiences associated with dirty pop, hip-hop and dance. This means that she will share the values and beliefs that artists across those genres do but also perform and appear similarly too. In my music video, the artist will have a distinct appearance to stand out from the other artists in the genres. However, conventions used in pop, hip hop and dance music videos will be used, developed and challenged in my own.

Target Audience Theories - Steve Archer’s Theory

STEVE ARCHER'S MUSIC VIDEO THEORY (2004):

"Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the artist. Additionally, a carefully choreographed dance might be a part of the artist's performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the 'repeatability' factor. Sometimes, the artist (especially the singer) will be part of the story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. But it is the lip-sync close-up and the miming of playing instruments that remains at the heart of video, as if to assure us that the artist really can play the music".

PERFORMANCE:

Performance based music videos often contain shots of the artist performing, dancing or singing (or all three) in a scene that is not included within the narrative.  A common convention is that the performance scenes take place after the narrative ones showing the artist reflecting back upon/remembering a certain event or memory. Performances (especially in the pop genre) can usually be seen in a studio with an artificial background where there is space for large instruments such as drums and other performers such as background dancers. In some cases, performance scenes have been taken from real, live events such as a gig or festival. This part of the music video almost always includes miming and lip-syncing.

EXAMPLE: Slipknot- Duality

This is a good example of a performance based video. Often bands in the rock/punk/metal genre only produce performance based videos because the audience are less interested in following a story. In addition to this, most audience members thrive in the heat-of-the-moment atmosphere at a gig or event. Getting fans involved can be a powerful way to energise and give meaning to a performance.

NARRATIVE:

Narrative based music videos will often contain a long sequence of shots which follows a story or event. Characters in this story may be played by the artist/band who perform the song or may even play a version of themselves. A narrative based music video will not contain any lip syncing but the lyrics may reflect on what is being seen during this. [Please click here for the Andrew Goodwin post demonstrating different types of narratives] These types of videos may be edited to look like a mini film often containing a beginning, middle and end, some even having opening titles and credits. A clear genre can be obtained from the narrative due to the careful selection of mise-en-scene and the use of editing. Intertextuality, binary opposition and other film theories may be present in narrative based videos.

EXAMPLE: Aha- Take On Me

This is a good example of a narrative based video. Despite there being a small portion of performance, the music video mainly follows a very vivid and visual storyline. It is easy to grasp that the concept of the video is a love story where two people fall for each other. Not only is this entertaining to watch, but is also relatable to the target audience.

HYBRIDS:

Performance-Narrative hybrids are by far the most common type of music video. But why? The performance side of the music video will promote the artist/band, the song and the genre of a song. The narrative side of the music video will promote the deeper meaning of the song, the views and opinions of the artist/band as well as providing entertainment to the audience. Often artists will want to not only promote themselves and their product (the song), but also offer an idea or concept to the audience to interpret hence the popularity of this type of music video.

EXAMPLE: Carly Rae Jepson- Call Me Maybe

This is a good example of a hybrid performance and narrative music video. At the same time as lip syncing and performing the song, the artist tells a story at the same time.

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:

I will be creating a hybrid music video using Steve Archers theory to help me use, develop and challenge the conventions seen in performance and narrative based music videos. As our artist is small artist within the 'dirty pop' genre, I want to promote her as an artist but also give the audience a visual story to follow. I like the rebellious/anarchist character I have created for her in our song and I think this will reflect her personality as an artist well. 

Target Audience Theories - Andrew Goodwin’s Theory

According to Andrew Goodwins 1992 music video theory, there are four types of narrative in a music video:

1. Illustrative

This type of music video narrative portrays a story in combination with the lyrics that can be visually seen. 

For example, in the video "Fit But You Know It" by The Streets, we can see a man queuing to get some chips and a drink. This is at the same time as the lyrics announce this action. 

2. Amplification

This type of music video narrative often portrays parts of a song metaphorically in conjunction with the lyrics and the repetition of illustrative video during the chorus. This is the most common music video narrative. 

For example, Firework by Katy Perry (below) metaphorically and visually describes how particular minorites in society break the status quo and express who they are. During the chorus however, we see the artist singing the most important lyrics. 

3. Contradiction

This type of music video narrative is where the images and visuals seen in the video contrasts the lyrics and meaning of the song at that moment for effect.

4. Disjunction

This type of music video narrative is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored and not reference within the video.

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:

For my music video, I will definitely be using the Illustrative and Amplification music video narratives. I will use illustrative visuals to particular emphasise certain lyrics of the song and amplification to create metaphorical meaning to song through mise-en-scene.

Target Audience Theories - Sigmund Freud and Laura Mulvey's Theories

Sigmund Freud's theory of Exhibitionism is the idea that the more powerful independent female artists of recent years have added to the complexity of the politics of looking at gender/cultural debates, by being sexually provocative and apparently in control of, and inviting, a sexualised gaze. This is a subverted version of 'voyeurism' which is often without the subject knowing or inviting a sexualised watch upon them.
Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory also incorporates the same conventions of exhibitionism and voyeurism- the only difference is that the artist is actively encouraging the audience to feel this way and is aware of it happening. In fact, music videos can be made around this theory knowing that it will be particularly popular with the male gender in the audience.

Some good examples of this include:


Baby One More Time- Britney Spears (1998)
Said to be pioneer for introducing the idea of a powerful but more importantly sexualised solo female artist, Britney Spears exhibits herself with the song Baby One More Time. Re-inventing the look of schoolgirl, she struts down the corridors and dances erotically. Spears' videos continued like this and voyeurism can be seen further encouraged in later videos such as "Toxic".


Anaconda- Nicki Minaj (2014)
This music video has been ridiculed in the media, especially on the internet, for its explicit use of exhibitionism provoking the audience to gaze upon the artist's breasts, body and buttocks. The use of phallic imagery, seductive dance moves and lack of clothing leave nothing to the imagination. Not only this, there is an actual lap-dance scene at the end of the video where a male hip-hop artist, Drake, is enjoying the company of his seducer. This brings in the idea of voyeurism as we (the audience) intrude on this rather intimate moment between two lovers. This artist has been known to exhibit her body before but not in this fashion.

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:
There is more of a sense of voyeurism that exhibitionism in my chosen song Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo. This character is in a very vulnerable state in the narrative as she has lost somebody very close to her (either in a relationship or by death) and feels that the only way to deal with this is by partying and taking drugs to cope. The camera in most of the video acts as a mirror which the character uses especially when applying makeup or getting dressed. It is unclear whether the character is aware of this until she finishes using the mirror and raises her eyebrows at us. This particular mode of direct address suggests that she knows people are watching her and judging her. This action is almost a form of understanding/accepting this and saying "So what?"
The voyeurism aspect of the video is stressed even further during the clubbing scenes. Here we see the character making love to both male and female counterparts in extreme close ups, which is rather uncomfortable to watch.
When replicating this song with our own treatment, I think it would be good to incorporate aspects of exhibitionism and voyeurism in. We should be careful when applying this target audience theory depending what kind of artist we create for the song. For example, if we wanted to create an indie-pop genre of artist we wouldn't want her being shown off in expensive outfits or skimping around in lingerie as it would be inappropriate for that genre.

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Target Audience Theories - John Stewart's Theory

"Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing" is essentially the essence of intertextuality, using something with which the audience may be familiar to generate both potentially nostalgic associations and new meanings. It is perhaps more explicitly evident in the music video than in any other media form, with the possible exception of advertising.
In other words, Intertexuality is where media texts (such as music videos) reference other media texts, especially films, video games, fashion and photography. This is John Stewart's idea that music videos in particular uses many conventions seen in other media texts to generate a new interest in something that already exists. It can also be where a media text has taken an older one and re-invented it. This is a good way to create more interest around the product as the audience will recognise the reference and can relate to it. It may also link two different audiences together creating one larger one.

There are several examples of Intertextuality in the music industry today. Here are a few:

Beats merch in 'BR' by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj- Beats
Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj have Dr. Dre's Beats product line of electronics featuring in their videos as they have partnerships with him. He also frequently features in some of their songs and subsequently his product line has a firm place in more than one artist audience.



Madonna- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Madonna's Material girl.

Madonna's Material Girl video plays on a reference from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the character Marilyn Monroe plays. There is an archetype of famous and successful Blondes who are very materialistic and will use their attractiveness to attain what they desire. In this case, the song in the film is named "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend".


Eminem- Robin from DC's Batman comics

Eminem as "Rap Boy"

Eminem and dancers in the song "Without Me" dress up as various superheroes from the DC universe of comics and films. The whole video is stylised as if it was a comic with features from comics such as black boxes, vibrant colours and large speech bubbles/action boxes.

APPLICATION TO MY PRODUCT:
The only Intertexuality in my chosen song, Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo is the line which says "Binge on all my Twinkies". Despite being a Swedish singer/songwriter, Twinkies are an Amercian brand of sponge cake, about the size of a small chocolate bar. It isn't a particularly healthy snack and emphasises the characters bad habits/unhealthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, by placing this reference in her song, she automatically appeals or at least makes a nod to her American audience. This will be taken into account when replicating the video for myself.

Target Audience Research- Our Chosen Genre

When deciding what genre to do our music in, I discussed with my group what sort of music we all listen to.

Me: Listens to a variety of genres but especially enjoys pop punk and chip-tune. HATES classical.
Jakarta: Listens to indie, pop punk and pop.
Kyle: Listens to rock music and bands.
Sam: Listens to dance and electronica music.

We thought as we all listen to and know the pop genre well, it would be good to do create our own pop music video. Although pop punk was another common music genre some of us listened to, we chose pop over it as some members didn't enjoy that type of music. Other factors such as getting a band to perform/available on call for us could be tricky in the future and made the judgement that pop would be more appropriate.
We have already started to think about who would star in the video. Jakarta was the main character in the Preliminary Task and she was enthusiastic about playing another solo character. We will start to look at solo female pop artists so we can develop our understanding of what to expect from them and who specifically the target audience are.