Previous Cohort's Music Videos and Websites that I like

I absolutely love the animation introduction screen from a video a student created last year for their NEA. It’s very cute

I like the performance aspect of this video, and the vibe that the projector has created.

Theory I will be Applying to my Music Video

Richard Dyer: Star Theory

Dyer's work on stardom sets out a number of elements by which we can begin to deconstruct and decode our understanding of what a star is. Dyer states stardom can only be fully understood by considering :

• star as an image
• star as a commodity
• star as an ideology

A star's image is created through roles. the star will have something distinctive about them whether their look or voice. the distinctive element sets them apart from others and makes them recognisable to audiences.

Performers become familiar to audiences and associated with particular roles, they are a commodity used as marketing devices. they appear across promotional materials in other media (EG: magazines, TV)

Audiences identify with stars they are familiar with, relate to some aspect of their image and what it represents - their values and ideology (the star's persona might tie into certain values and beliefs that they hold or aspire to)  Surrounding publicity material reinforces these roles while also providing some insight into the 'real' person, therefore forming a strong relationship between star and audience.

Andrew Goodwin

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g stage performances in metal video, dance routine for girl/boy band)

2. There is a relationship between lyrics & visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)

3. There is a relationship between music & visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)

4. The demands of the record label will include need for lots of close up shots of the artist & the artist may develop motifs that recur across their work (a visual style)

5. Frequent reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes etc) and a particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. Often intertextual references (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc)

I will apply these theories to my music video, and use techniques including lots of close ups of the artist, which is a good marketing technique too. There will be a relationship between the music and the visuals, as I plan to edit on the beat, and I will illustrate the lyrics wherever possible. 

Industrial Context: The Brand - Universal Music Group

Universal
Owns and operates a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audio visual content in more than 60 countries. They identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music. They lead in developing new services, platforms and business models for the delivery of music and related content empowers innovators and allows new commercial and artistic opportunities to flourish. They are home to music’s greatest artists, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Universal has global music labels and brands, including:
Abbey Road Studios, Capitol music group, EMI, Motown, Island, Polydor, Virgin Music etc.

Their artists include:
Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Tame Impala, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and so many more big artists.

Audience Research: Defining a 16-25 year old Mass Market

Industrial Context: History of Music Videos

Timeline of Music Videos

1894 - Sheet music publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern projected a series of still images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. This would be known as the illustrated song, the first step toward music video. 

1926 - Arrival of "talkies" and many musical short films were produced. Vitaphone shorts (produced by Warner Bros) featured many bands, vocalists and dancers.

Early 1930s - cartoons featured popular musicians performing their hit songs on-camera in live-action segments during the cartoons

1940-7 - Soundies were musical films that often included short dance sequences, similar to later music videos

Mid 1940s - Musician Louis Jordan made short films for his songs, some of which were spliced together into a feature film, Lookout Sister

Musical films were also an important part of music videos, and several well-known music videos have imitated the style of classic Hollywood musicals from the 1930s to the 1950s. For example, Madonna's 1985 video for "Material Girl"

Late 1950s - Scopitone, a visual jukebox, was invented in France and short films were produced by many French artists

1964 - Beatles starred in their feature film, A Hard Day's Night, which was shot in black and white as a mockumentary

1965 - Beatles began making promotional clips for distribution and broadcast in different countries, so they could promote their record releases without having to make in-person appearances. 

1974 - Australian TV shows Countdown and Sounds, were significant in developing and popularising what would later become the music video genre in Australia and other countries

1975 - Queen promo video made to show their new single "Bohemian Rhapsody" on BBCs Top of the Pops. Song described as "widely credited as the first global hit single for which an accompanying video was central to the marketing strategy".

1979 - "Video killed the Radio Star" clip made which was the first music video played on MTV in 1981

1981 - MTV launched - 24 hour a day music on television

Innovations in the development of modern music video were the development of relatively inexpensive and easy to use video recording and editing equipment.

1983 - 14 minute long video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller", directed by John Landis. One of the most successful, influential and iconic music videos

1997 - iFilm launched, hosted short videos including music videos

Mid 2000s - MTV largely abandoned showing music videos in favour of reality Tv shows

2005 - YouTube launched, which made the viewing of online video much faster and easier, Google Videos, Yahoo! Video, Facebook and Myspace's video function used similar technology

At its launch, iTunes store provided a section of free music videos in high quality compression to be watched 

2009 - VEVO launched. The videos on VEVO are syndicated to YouTube, with Google and VEVO sharing the advertising revenue

2010 -  Lyric videos started being made and Vertical videos started being made that are tailored to mobile devices

Contemporary context - who are the major players in this industry (info graphic). How do companies finance, distribute and exchange their products. How do audiences access them? (consider recent developments in technology) 

The largest corporations are EMI records, Sony, Vivendi Universal, AOL time warner and BMG, and are collectively known as the big five. 

Audience Research: Focus Group

Belong to this demographic (primary audience) 

Els - 16

Top music genre - Pop

Favourite song - Lovely by Khalid and Billie Eilish

Favourite Artist - Khalid or Post Malone

Interests - Swimming, dancing, diving

Psychographic - Aspirer

Tasha - 17

Top music genre - Alternative rock

Favourite song - Money by Pink Floyd

Favourite Artist - Pink Floyd/Lil Peep

Interests - Fashion, music, electric guitar, skating, fitness and surfing

Psychographic - Explorer

Juliet - 17

Top music genre - Pop

Favourite song - Goodie Bag by Still Woozy

Favourite Artist - Frank Ocean/Tame Impala

Interests - Surfing, dancing, cooking, films

Psychographic - Explorer

Lydia - 22

Top music genre - Pop

Favourite song - Borderline by Tame Impala

Favourite Artist - Clairo

Interests - Fashion, design, art, music

Psychographic - Explorer/Mainstreamer

Alternative secondary audience members

Lizzie - 60

Top music genre - Pop/Rock

Favourite song - Break my Heart - Dua Lipa

Favourite Artist - The Doors

Interests - Cooking/Baking, Pilates, Zumba, Long Walks, Swimming

Psychographic - Explorer

Planning: Reflection on Moderator's Report

• Three assessment elements for Music Video
• Music video production
• Accompanying website
• Digital convergence element (synergy, clear branding, using a range of digital media)
• Statement of intent, document written beforehand
• Go through brief in depth in Statements of Intent
• Use a range of camera shots, appropriate narrative, suitable for YouTube
• Range of camera shots, editing appropriate for the genre, two settings, two characters
• Graphics introducing name of track and artist
• Webpages: A homepage and at least one linked page, minimum of two original images, that reinforces brand identity of artist (logos, typography, colour scheme), clear sense of branding
• Pay attention to costume, mise-en-scene of music video
• Website weighted with the same amount of marks as the production, therefore they are equally important

Brief 4: Music Video and Online