Monday, 30 September 2013

Research into chosen Music Genre


The music genre myself and the group have chosen is indie and alternative pop/rock. I feel as a group we would work well with a song that gives off a calm feeling, however having an upbeat tempo. Generally the Indie rock genre is described as the small and relatively low-budget labels, however distributing deals are often incorporated with major corporate companies which often target a mainstream audience. I was inspired to follow this genre within our music video, as we hope to make it original and different in comparison to the original Apple Tree music video by Nina Nesbitt. Myself and my team wanted to make it narrative based, with a hint of performance. I felt that it's a challenge but attainable, however I would have felt uncomfortable following a mainstream genre, due to the high budget productions, it would be difficult to live up to in terms of a good performance.



The music video I wish to analyse is ‘Shake it Out’ by Florence and the Machine. I feel that this is a good choice of artist, as she also follows the indie/alternative pop codes and conventions within most of her music. Predominantly indie pop bands are male with one main singer supported by instrumental players that are often not seen within music videos, as it is seen as a distraction to the music itself. A common factor in which most indie pop music videos have is a mix between narrative and performance; showing the audience the story behind the lyrics which often incorporate a relationship or a different form of love. The mise en scene holds a particular significance in order to portray the setting of the video which is commonly abstract and in natural lighting to highlight the narrative itself. The camera shots used show a lot of heavy focus upon the artist and their performance, rather than on the narrative which often they are not included in so that no significance and credit to the artist is lost within the music video. This camera work is often used in the genre alternative rock, often with some artists featuring in the narrative as well as the performance, if they feel the song has too much personal significance and meaning that actors would not be able to play the role justice. The target audience within this genre enjoy watching the performer play a form of instrument to connote the idea of the genre being so independent. Indie and alternative pop/rock is an extremely hard audience to target as it all began with the artists being male dominant, making the audience female dominant. However since the 1980’s the genre had developed vastly.





When analysing ‘Shake it Out’ I first looked at the mise en scene within the music video. Welch is seen wearing a gold sophisticated dress whilst walking down the stairs whilst surrounded by orange walls. The choice of clothing promotes the event and the type of people that attend; the appearance connotes that they are a part of upper class with individual wealth. The colour gold evokes the feeling of prestige and symbolises high quality. The colour orange however represents fascination, attraction and success which are known to stimulate mental
activity, as it attracts attention, exposing and highlighting someone’s most important features. The fact that she is surrounded by a mixture of a low and high key orange wall which in fact matches the colour of her hair suggests to an audience that she plays a strong role within the video. In the following shot Welch is then seen in a close up shot from a low angle in high key natural lighting, which connects to common codes and conventions of this genre. This again highlights the importance of her role, making sure that the audience’s attention is not swayed by any other characters, as well as making it clear that the close ups are for her individual performance which link with common codes and conventions of pop and alternative pop/rock. The fact that her hair is so bright the audience are more likely to be draw to the colour, as it is so often seen as attractive to the eye which results in attracting the opposite sex, therefore broadening her target audience. Next I studied the positioning of characters. The
shot I looked at portrays Welch lightly sitting at a high level table, with two men either side on lower level chairs, clearly portraying the narrative giving the audience a better understanding of the lyrics meaning. The way in which she is seen at a higher level connotes to an audience that she holds higher authority within this love circle. Welch is seen as the decider of the predicament she has been put in on which man she chooses, as the two men seem to both be in love with her by the way they both look up to Welch, almost as if they’d fall at her feet. The setting of the video being in an art-deco mansion again promotes the authority of people that attended and the theme that followed being a masquerade ball. The dress code itself
being sophisticated and elegant for the women in long quality dresses and men looking smart in bow tucks, but all together creating the mysterious atmosphere with the use of masks which hide their individual identity, and the surroundings within individual rooms, such as antiques and high quality furnishing promotes their wealth and the willingness to make it a good party.


Following from mise en scene, I then analysed camera shots. One of the shots I looked at was a close up on Welch’s face under high key natural lighting. This almost exposes her with the effect of a spotlight; however no fault is to be seen even besides her natural appearance of limited makeup. Close up shots and the fact she is the focus follows the typical indie codes and conventions, due to heavy focus on the artist and the performance and not detracting this by including her instrumental band members. This enables her to tell a personal story portraying true meaning which an audience can then emotionally connect to, as she continues to perform with such passion. Another camera shot I looked at was a long focus shot positioned at a low angle of Welch coming gracefully down the stairs, with a mysterious man waiting at the
bottom looking up. This creates confusion for the audience as
      they are unsure of whom the mystery man is as he awaits in a mask. This shot also relates to the codes and conventions as the audience have an understanding of the love triangle that Welch sits in which is a common narrative for this genre. It keeps the audience anxious as they wish to find out if she had made a choice, therefore maintaining viewers as they continue to watch.




When analysing editing styles in ‘Shake it Out’ I particularly         noticed the vast amount of jump cuts. The jump cuts involve Welch having a good time with guests, traveling person to
      person, to then switching to the common shot where she is alone in between two men either dancing or sitting down. This 
      connotes to the 
      audience that she almost wants to escape the predicament of choosing between the two men and just enjoying herself, however she is constantly being drawn back to what’s in her mind; the choice.

      This holds significance due to it being part of the love triangle, a common narrative within the 
      codes and conventions of the indie genre. Another editing style used within the subject of the love triangle is slow editing. Slow editing is shown when she looks from right to left between each of the men. The slow editing is interpreted by the audience that Welch is struggling to choose as she has feeling for both. As a result the audience begin to sympathise for the tough decision that is needed to be made.




     The video itself starts calm and slow, with a relaxing atmosphere and as the song develops it
      changes to more of an up-tempo tune, following the narrative and creating the party atmosphere that occurs. The upbeat music connects to how Welch may be feeling which I would describe as ‘crazy’ from the enjoyment of the party, as well as the difficulty of choosing between the two men which is clearly shown as a difficult situation. This relates to the
love story narrative and the typical codes and conventions within the Indie genre; love is never simple. Towards the end it becomes very performance based which highlights Welch’s talent as she maintains a high key note, and not at any point is the focus taken away from her due to her instrumental band members not be a
      part of the video.


Welch is represented as a pure and honest woman that through the narrative is portrayed as someone worth fighting for. She is an artist that is naturally beautiful and stands out within a crowd
      from the colour of her hair. She herself is dominant within the video which at times can become confusing on whether she is performing or playing the role in the narrative, however clothing
      change and camera shots help to differentiate the two. When relating it to Goodwin’s theory the lyrics match the performance metaphorically, for example when she sings ‘” I can never leave the past behind, I can see no way, I can see no way, I’m always dragging that horse around, our love is pastured, such a mournful sound, Tonight I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground”’. Within this section it is interpreted as one of the men plays the role of the ‘horse’ which is clearly a past relationship, however she moves on to a new man but cannot let go of her past, therefore they both fight for her. This makes her seem like an indecisive, but loving character that doesn’t like to let go of her past as it holds memories.


Researching into my chosen music genre enabled me to have a greater understanding of the typical codes and conventions in terms of camera shots, mise en scene and editing styles. This information will assist me when I come to produce my own music video with my group, as I now have guidelines to follow, reducing the risk of me going on a tangent and not producing an indie or alternative pop/rock music video. The main codes and conventions I wish to take and use within my video is basing the narrative on a love story, and having the same percentage of narrative to performance as Florence and the Machine has used within 'Stand it Out'. The use to camera shots like close ups to differentiate the performance and narrative I think will be vital, something that a lot of thought on my groups behalf will have to go into. With my group understanding more about the genre as well as me, we are able to mix view points and possibly find out more information than we did individually which gives us an even further understanding.




Friday, 27 September 2013

Copyright

Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator or an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time. Generally, it is “the right to copy”, but also gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work, to determine who may adapt the work to other forms, who may perform the work, who may financially benefit from it, and other related rights [Wikipedia, 2013].


Originally copyright was a way for the government to restrict other people from re-branding someone else’s work without their consent, enabling them to also receive monetary rewards/payments for the sale of the end product. This policy keeps artist’s reassured that their work will continue to make money and profit without any hassle. The typical duration of a copyright agreement is the whole of the creator’s life +50. If someone is to break the copyright law that is put in place, it is known as infringement. We had to apply for copyright in order to create our music video on ‘Apple Tree’, otherwise my group run the risk of our video being removed from YouTube with legal action taken against us and leaving the examiner to think no video has been produced, therefore breaking copyright guidelines. To do so it consisted of sending an email requesting the artists record label for permission, which for our particular song was ‘Universal’.




Wednesday, 25 September 2013

Initial Planning Ideas

Group members:
  1. Jenna Van Bergen
  2. Rhianna Macleay
  3. Drew wyllie
  4. Georgia Crandon
Within my group discussion we talked about what style song we would like to do; something with a good storyline, a little upbeat but not too mainstream. Our intial ideas was to use an artist like Nina Nesbitt, Ellie Golding or The XX. We began looking at 'Stay Out' by Nina Nesbitt, 'Angels' by The XX and 'Burn' by Ellie Golding for possible song choices. As a group we wanted to look at mainstream music videos to get some initial ideas for our music video, something with an edgy story line which would catch an audiences attention. One of the videos we particularly liked was the concept in 'We Found Love' by Rihanna. We thought the video was very effective and linked to a relationship which is something we would like in our music video. We came to a conclusion of choosing 'Apple Tree' by Nina Nesbitt; an acoustic song with an alternative style music video. My group and I spoke about what made it a good song to choose and decided it was perfect in the way that it does really have a professional music video; something simple but indicates what the song is about. We felt that if we went for a mainstream artist with a high budget music video we wouldn't do our video justice, as it would instantly be compared to the original. By doing 'Apple Tree' we avoid this situation and make the video our own, doing it justice and being successful.

The group discussion also consisted of us coming up with ideas such as;
  • Artist representation; portraying an extra ordinary talent
  • Editing; a mixture of fast and slow editing with ages effects to portray past memories
  • Style of music video; alternative style
  • Codes an conventions; following the typical relationship break up involving a boy and girl
  • Target audience; between 14-24
  • Music video theory; we wish to follow Goodwin's theory, linking lyrics to visuals
  • Music video inspirations; we particularly were drawn by 'We found love' by Rihanna
  • Annotation of lyrics; being a relationship break up




Monday, 23 September 2013

Analysis of Music Genres


Music videos appeal to an audience as a story is created which gives a clear understanding to the song for an audience. The use of camera shots, editing techniques and mise en scene creates the effect the artist wants to convey, which are the technical elements I will be comparing. Within the analysis of music genres I will be looking at a variety of music video's, analysing their individual genres. In class we analysed 2 music videos being 'Over' by Drake and 'Club can't handle me' by Flo Rider. We compared each element and explained the effect it has on an audience and how they match generic conventions.


'Over' by Drake


'Over' by Drake comes under the genre of rap. In class we began analysing camera shots, the first one being a low angle shot of drake in his bedroom surrounded by plain white walls. This shot is then followed by a mid shot and then a high angle angle shot of him in the same place however this time projected lights are reflected on himself and the walls behind. This enables the audience to notice the projected lights more so, as the video began without them. The fact that it develops onto a low angle shot it makes Drake seem bigger and powerful, therefore not loosing his significance within the shot against the lighting. The shots represent Drake as a new rap artist with the shadow representing his image. This 3 shot transition also gives off the impression his growth in the current industry and that he's now beginning to be noticed by the media. All of this relates to the rap genre itself as the video defines his emotions and experience in life in which he's gone through, therefore making the audience more interested as they wish to find out more about him. The second camera shot I analysed was a mid shot. The mid shot focused his reflect which gives off the impression he wants to portray two different side of his personality, or on the other hand looking back in time as his bad choices in life in which he regrets. This is a common factor in new artists once they grow as an artist, some forget normality and get caught up in the lifestyle, forgetting what's most important to them. The fact that the shot is taken from a high angle makes him seem insignificant while an explosion through lighting occurs behind him, connecting to Goodwin's theory of visuals matching lyrics whilst representing how life doesn't always go to plan. Overall this shot relates to the genre as it connects with his life story; the ups and downs he's been through.

The use of editing styles used within a video are vital in order to portray the artists story in the correct way. The editing style I analysed first was a colour filter used in his bedroom projected on himself and the blank walls surrounding him. The colours red, orange, yellow and white are bright and fast moving, representing how fast moving his life is within his modern lifestyle. This relates to the rap genre, as when rap artists enter the music industry and are noticed they soon become extremely successful due to being a very popular genre; their life instantly changes from being an ordinary person to a highly successful music artist with an extremely high income. Another editing style used is the relation between lyrics and visuals following Goodwin's theory. The lyric '"I know way too many people"' connects with the  thousands of people that are reflected behind  him through the use of lighting. The audience then interpret that Drake wishes to show people how far he's come; going from nothing to this high class lifestyle. This connects to the genre as rap artist lyrics all relate to themselves and their personal life story that they wish to share.

Within my analysis, as a class we then looked at mise en scene and how it features in 'Over'. To begin with we looked at lighting. A lamp is shown to be flashing on and off symbolising his lifestyle; that he can't keep up with how fast moving it is, relating to the saying 'light flashes before my eyes'. The fact that it goes from high to low key makes the audience feel an on edge vibe. This is typical for a rap artist as he explains his story. Drake is seen to be wearing a red jacket when his lyrics begin to show his emotions; the emotion being angre. His body language and the fact that he is seen frowning portrays this. The choice of colour was cleverly chosen, which in fact helps the audience to understand his emotions as red is the colour of passion. In many rap artists alot of their music is based around regret; regret about loosing normality withim themselves, making bad choices and so on, which links Drake and his song 'Over' to the typical rap genre. Conveying the correct positioning of characters is important when the audience are trying to understand the significance within each of the charcters. A mid shot of drake is shown with a dancer dressed in minimal provocative clothing in shallow focus behind him. However this camera shot is followed by a full focus close up of Rita Ora dressed in classy clothing. Both shots suggest that theres some form of love triangle between the three, however it is clear to the audience when his love really lies through the contrasting difference of clarity. This relates to his new, modern lifestyle; having girls constantly chasing him, losing normality and what really matters to him.



'Club Can't Handle Me' by Flo Rider



The second video we looked at was 'Club Can't Handle Me' by Flo Rider. The video itself is very stereotypical to the dance genre codes and conventions. The dance genre is extremely popular within the industry and is considered as mainstream. To begin with, again we looked at camera shots. The first camera shot I analysed was a long shot of lamborghini's as within the dance genre, it's all about the performance and how much an artist can show off to impress his or her audience. The lamborghini's portray wealth and the type of lifestyle he lives in and how he himself has grown as an artist and become so successful. The audience feel to idolise the materialistic objects in which Flo Rider and some of the surrounding people have, which also relates back to the lyrics in the club not being able to handle them. The second shot I looked at was an establishing shot, which portrayed thousands of people partying with him, as the impression is given off that the party is in celebration of himself. The fact that there are so many people connotes his popularity to the audience as he stands out in the crowd and portrayed as the centre of attention. There is a common trend within the camera shots that are used when focusing on the pace of the song. Often when the music is at a slow pace, generally cross dissolves are used between each shot, however when the pace is fast straight cuts are used.



When analysing the editing styles that have been used within the video, the first style I looked at was a split screen. Half the screen portrays to the audience that the atmosphere on the left screen is crowed and lively, however quiet with a dead atmosphere on the screen to the right. There is a clear link between lyrics and visuals in relation to the well know theory made by Goodwin, when Flo Rider sings ‘”The club can’t handle me right now”’ which links to the left screen. The visuals also connect with the music in the way that when the pace slows, so does the music and the activity of the characters involved, like shown when the split screen occurs. The right screen and the vast amount of straight cuts used, switching from the noisy, wild atmosphere to quiet businesses with little amounts people in them, such as a laundrette and corner shop almost forebodes what is yet to come, so that when the pace picks up the quiet businesses and empty street are going to be used as part of the party, due to the hectic amount of people that have turned up for Flo Rider. This is very conventional as dark, abandoned areas and clubs are used typically to promote the artists crazy dance atmosphere, that an audience then use it as a form of escapism when listening.



Again the mise en scene is very stereotypical to the dance genre. I began analysing the iconography that is used within the video, consisting of women is tight clothing walking around Flo Rider holding up Bottles of champagne, with sparklers sitting on top. This portrays to the audience that the opposite sex are typically attracted and bring champagne in celebration of being around Flo Rider himself. The fact that they’ve chosen champagne, a typically expensive alcohol choice connotes his extraordinary lifestyle, not having to worry about expense. The positioning of characters of when Flo Rider is seen standing on top of a podium, with the camera shot being at a low angle clearly portrays his authority and importance, in comparison to the thousands surrounding him. This is stereotypical as it is his performance based on his personal lifestyle, living life as a party with little responsibilities to think about. Low key lighting in the club with high key strobe lights, connotes the wild dance/ party atmosphere and that the surrounding people are having a good time. High key strobe and flashing lights are stereotypical to represent a good party. The clothing worn by Flo Rider is fashionable and relevant for a party, however that fact that his leather jacket is red suggests he wishes to shine, as in comparison to everyone else the clothing colours are quite dull and bland.

Friday, 20 September 2013

Ideas and inspirations for my music video

'What If' by Jason Derulo
  • I particularly like the video when it begins to play in reverse, with the concept of regret and wanting to go back in time; linking lyrics to visuals.
 'Dirty Talk' by Jason Derulo
  • I would like to include silhouettes within my video as it has an effective appearance

Why do we Have Music Videos?


Music videos are vital to the music industry as they are a marketing tool to promote and artist/ song. They are a short narrative or representation of and artist and attract particular target audiences. It allows and audience to buy into the artist lifestyle and build a form of relationship. The video gives an audience a further understanding of the song from purely listening to for example, the radio, this as a results makes an audience remember the song with ease. The style of a music video can be categorized into 3 categories;

·        Performance (singing/ dancing)

·        Narrative (Telling the audience a story)

·        Concept (Selling the audience an idea, theme or ideology)

The 3 categories are a way of categorizing the type of genre the song falls into.

Every video has to follow codes and conventions, but are all dependent on the music genre, as they all are different due to having different target audiences.




I have chosen to analyse 'Man Down' by Rihanna, which comes under the genre RnB. When this video was first released it received many positive reviews from music critics, although due to in-depth violent nature seen when Rihanna shoots a man after being attacked which she later comes to regret, the Parent Television Council criticised her work and attempted to ban the video but were unsuccessful. They felt it was inappropriate to view to an audience, due to it being extremely revealing, based around such an emotional, touchy narrative.


Due to the narrative of the story being based around the theme of rape, I feel that the song appeals more to females, as it’s a sensitive topic that attracts emotions due to it being seen to be a violation to a woman’s innocence, especially those of a young age. Rape is sexual assault that can be experienced by both male and females against ones will. The post experience causes the victim to become severely traumatised which may develop into post traumatic stress disorder. It personally touches people as it’s an unfortunate life experience that happens every day, the way it effects the victim mentally it seen as truly unfortunate. 



The video gives an audience a greater understanding of the lyrics that are sung meeting all 3 categories; performance which is shown during the video when Rhianna is seen singing the lyrics, it also offers narrative in between; a story about herself, giving an insight to her home life, knowing everyone in the town giving a sense of safety as everyone has each other’s backs, although slightly contrasting when entering the club, as well as concept; that everyone makes mistakes and regrets the choices they make, showing that events in life cause destruction within a human being, as a result taking actions and behaving in certain ways contrasting from their norm.

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Research and Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory


The points that you have included above shows some understanding of how your chosen artist has changed and developed over the years. However, the points that you have included on each music video is too basic and does not show any knowledge and understanding of Goodwin's theory, target audience or style. You need to make this adjustments to your post to develop your understanding further. 

Finally you also need to embed Dyer's star theory within this post


 Research and Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory

 

I will be analysing the artist Miley Cyrus and the way she's changed over the years. The reason I have chosen Miley is because as a child I watched Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, where she was seen as a teen idol to all viewers due to her sweet and inncocent characteristics; such as having a genuine personality, she wore no makeup, she wasn’t materialistic in terms of what she had portraying a normal teenage girl, something that other teenagers could relate to, but in Miley’s case fortunate enough to get lucky with her fame, however within the show kept the two lives separate to keep normality within her life.

In the year of 2007 is where her singing career started by signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records. However in 2006 she recorded her first song 'The Best of Both Worlds' which became the theme song of the series Hannah Montana. The genre of the song comes under bubblegum pop which is aimed to appeal to the pre-teen and teenage audience. The song’s lyrics clearly state the story line of Hannah Montana of a teenage girl Miley Steward living a double life '"You go the movie premiers, (Is that Orlando Bloom?), Hear your songs on the radio, Livin' two lives is a little weird, But school's cool cuz nobody knows"'. Within the video Hannah Montana is dressed in unfashionable child-like clothes consisting of light blue jeans, a sequin top with a cropped jean jacket buttoned up on top and cowboy boots, all of which linked to her fictional place of birth being Crowley Corners in Tennessee. The type of clothing reveals no flesh and minimal amounts of makeup are worn giving her a plain and normal teenager look, which in fact made her the role model she was to the tween market. The dance moves used on stage within the video are kept very simple and straight forward which did in fact link in with the ability of the typical tween audience.

Miley Cyrus Cant Be Tamed 01The second video of Miley’s I will be analysing is ‘Can’t be Tamed’ released in 2010, her last song before changing to RCA Records in 2013. The genre of the song comes under dance-pop/pop which is generally associated with up-tempo music. The song lyrics begin to explain that she intends to break free of expectations and constraints that have developed within her fame, however wishing she is not to be changed by the lifestyle she lives and the media that follow. Instantly the audience are aware of her growth from the well-known Miley Stewart seen in Hannah Montana to a young woman. This is shown through the change is style; Miley’s hair in backcombed, the amount of makeup worn, for example fake eyelashes, heavy eye shadow and so on in comparison to the amount in ‘The best of Both Worlds’ has increased, she is dressed in a skin-tight leotard with knee length boots all of which are black. The colour black suggests darkness and rebellious behaviour, which links to the lyrics and not wanting to follow the media’s orders of being a particular way. The way in which she conveys herself to the audience within the video, consisting of promiscuous dance moves, mentioning men and how they all chase her ‘”Every guy, everywhere just gives me mad attention, Like I’m under inspection, I always get a Ten, ‘cause I’m build like that”’ shows how much she has matured since being the ‘teen idol’. In my opinion this song is a way of Miley showing the media how she has truly grown as an artist, which suggests she wants to break free (shown literally through the metaphor of being a bird in a cage) from the ‘Disney’ label of the amateur Hannah Montana that she’s been placed with within the industry, that in fact she wishes to branch off into more developed and professional routes.
 

The second most recent music video released in 2013 by Miley Cyrus is ‘We Can’t Stop’. This song portrays to the audience a drastic change within her image, her hair being the most obvious; going from long brown hair to a short, boy-like hairstyle dyed bleach blonde. In the opening shot Miley is seen cutting off her probation tag that is currently wrapped around her ankle with enlarged scissors which instantly suggests rebellious behaviour. Her performance contrasts to her previous videos, for example in ‘Best of Both Worlds’ being innocent and child-like to provocative and seductive in ‘We Can’t Stop’; this includes the well-known ‘twerking’ dance move being repeatedly acted out, actions such as kissing a Barbie doll in the pool, a figure that are usually associated with children, playing around in the pool in a see-through swimming costume with other women, to then play fighting on the floor; both of which suggests she may be bisexual which is seen attractive an even larger target audience. These actions promote her current behaviour change within the industry which makes her stand out from the rest. Miley’s clothing consisting of skin-tight leggings and a crop top/ skin-tight leotards also creates a major contrast in the way that most of it is predominately white, the colour of innocence. However the colour whites meaning does not match Miley’s behaviour shown within the video and the fact that it is incredibly revealing. This video and Miley’s new performance strategies has in fact created a large amount of controversy within the industry in the last few weeks, particularly following the performance at VMA’s; performing ‘We Can’t Stop’ to then being a contribution act to Robin Thick.

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Research into Music Channels and Target Audiences

MTV

1.     Who is the target audience and why?

MTV’s target audience mainly consists of the young adult demographic 12-24 year olds, due to offering reality TV shows that feature wealthy teens and young adults, in which the audience are then able to relate to their lifestyle with ease.

2.     What type of music does the channel play and why?

The music MTV plays is mainly chart music, for example consisting of the top 40 within a certain time period. This is in order to appeal to their general mass audience of 12-24 year olds.

3.     Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

·      Rihanna
·      The Script
·      Chris Brown
·      Will.i.am
·      Jessie J

4.     How is the channel used as a form of branding?

The ultimate significance of the MTV logo is to help their audience identify the brand. MTV has numerous international sister channels that include VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons. Through being affiliated with many other channels, to MTV it is free advertising, due to the amount of brand coverage they get, therefore the company are able to gain a larger target audience as brand awareness increases.

5.     How does the logo appeal to the target audience?

The MTV logo appeals to an audience; its clear, bold and the colours being black and white contrast


Vh1 

1.     Who is the target audience and why?

The target audience for Vh1 attracts viewers between the ages of 25-44 providing a mixture of music. 

2.     What type of music does the channel play and why?

The music channel plays a combination of 80’s music, contemporary and nostalgic feel-good playlists which embrace celebrity culture within reality shows. This is to appeal to the target age range’s era.


3.     Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

·      Madonna
·      Whitney Houston
·      R.E.M
·      Tina Turner
·      Michael Jackson


4.     How is the channel used as a form of branding?

The colors used for the Vh1 logo conotate for the 80’s style with the use of mainly pink, yellow, green and blue and the channel adopts advertising specifically for the target audience age range.

5.     How does the logo appeal to the target audience?

The logo appeals by the use of coloring being eye catching and memorable to the audience, and also being representative of the style of music and the year. 



BOX Television

1.     Who is the target audience and why?

The Box targets young audiences between the ages of 18-25

2.     What type of music does the channel play and why?

The box plays new and upcoming music in various genres including pop, hip-hop, R’n’B, Urban and House. This is to target a larger audience with the large variety of music style. By hosting music chart shows which incorporate all these genres, audiences are more attracted to viewing. 

3.     Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

·      Rihanna
·      Calvin Harris
·      Rudimental
·      Jay Z
·      Justin Timberlake

4.     How is the channel used as a form of branding?

The Box is used as a form of branding for contemporary music by marketing a wide range of artists, events and fashion. The consistency of colors used throughout the advertising and branding of the music channel go alongside the music style and make it appealing to the wide target audience.

5.     How does the logo appeal to the target audience?
The logo appeals to the target audience by its visual elements representing the word ‘BOX’, by the boxy style of font. The use of black is bold and eye catching so the audience remembers the logo. 




Scuzz

1.     Who is the target audience and why?

Scuzz targets viewers aged between 18-30 that enjoy heavy rock and metal music

2.     What type of music does the channel play and why?

The channel plays a broad range of rock including pop-funk and metal to target audiences that enjoy the subgenres that aren’t played on many radio stations. 

3.     Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

·      Slipknot
·      Enter Shikari
·      You And Me At Six
·      Deaf Havana
·      Ozzy Osbourne


4.     How is the channel used as a form of branding?

5.     How does the logo appeal to the target audience?















Kiss

1.     Who is the target audience and why?

Kiss targets young listeners aged between 15-24

2.     What type of music does the channel play and why?

Kiss employs genres such as Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, R’n’B, Grime, Dance, Garage, Deep House and Dubstep. As Kiss is an iconic youth brand, these genres cover a large audience bass and give variety to the station to entice more listeners and viewers. 

3.     Identify 3-5 examples of artists that feature on a regular basis

·      Duke Demont
·      Calvin Harris
·      Chase and Status
·      Rihanna
·      Tinie Tempah

4.     How is the channel used as a form of branding?

Kiss is used as a form of branding for the latest music, as well as to unite the old music which are seen as true classics that are forgotten about.  It markets a massive range of artists and music events

5.     How does the logo appeal to the target audience?

The logo is seen as youthful with the colour giving a calm, fresh feeling relating to the vast range of music played, mixing between the old and the new. The shape besides the clear and well sized font gives the idea of an open mouth about to eat away the letters which in my interpretation humors an audience and brings it a little life. 









Goodwin's Music Video Analysis

Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992) 

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics 
(e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).
‘Till I’m Gone’ by Tinie Tempah ft. Wiz Khalifa demonstrates genre characteristics coming under the genre of RnB/ rap, both demonstration the typical artists lifestyle. The characteristics of RnB and rap consisting of Tinies black Aston Martin DB9, tortoise shell Ray Bans, Jordans and so on. Everything about him promotes his lifestyle and living the high life, having no monetary restrictions which shows off his wealth and what he likes to spend his money on. The promotion of money aspires an audience to be successful in life, enabling them to follow his pathway in having materialistic items and attention from the opposite sex.
 
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals 
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 
 
Within this video there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals. This is evident during the lyrics of ‘In Amsterdam, haha, Ammerland, Just came from Aussie tour, You've never seen this Singapore’ they've visually edited in recognizable hotspots that make a country, making it clear to the audience that the lyrics connect.
 
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals 
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 
 
The video also has a relationship between the music and visuals in terms of the beat. This is portrayed when at the end of a large majority of the beats the camera angle or location changes to another. This as a result makes the video flow and engages the audience.
 
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). 
 
There are reoccurring camera shots such as close ups, mid and long shots focusing particularly on Wiz Khalifa and Tinie Tempah to clearly portray their wealth, fashion and lifestyle while they sing about their life in the industry, which again links visuals and lyrics following Goodwin’s theory.
 
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. 
 
The female body is viewed in a stereotypical way; in the beginning of the video a women is seen dressed in short shorts which then attracts camera focus as she exits Tinie’s car. The way Tinie lets her get out of the car and drives off suggests she isn’t that important, which gives the impression that he’s very aware of his success and feels he can get any girl and doesn’t seen it as a loss to him.
 
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
 
Intertextual references are made throughout ‘Till I’m Gone’; the first one mentioning Aloe Blacc, a successful American soul singer in relation to ‘dollar’, something all singers wish to get more of as they develop as an artist. The second reference states ‘I be cutting off these bitches like an episode of Nip Tuck’ which is an American drama series about a controversial plastic surgery practise. The fact that this reference has been made connecting to cutting, in such as easy context of getting rid of, in fact backs up that due to his career success, he knows women will fall at his feet, therefore it’s never seen as a loss to him if one is lost. He then compares himself to two fictional characters being Mario; linking it specifically to the game and having to collect mushrooms, however creating a contrast in context. He also relates himself to Popeye, the character that’s seen as strong and invincible, which clearly links to his success within the industry.
 
It is also worth considering:
7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each is used in it.
 
In my opinion the video is predominantly performance and narrative based he sung about how he’s developed within the industry, so much so that’s he’s incredibly rich from it. The wealth clearly highlights that morals are forgotten about, especially in terms of the way he treats women, as he knows there will always be another one. The performance also conveys the narrative through the camera shots of the sports car he drives, the accessories he wears, all of which are well known designer brands that cost a fortune. In some ways it promotes a concept; working hard, being persistant and pursuing your dream will lead to success.

Do you Think Music Videos Should be Censored?

Censorship of music is put in place to restrict free access to music videos. It is in charge for the removal of content when a music video appears in a particular context that may be seen as offensive in any way.  A prime example of censorship is a radio edit; cropping out profanities and replacing it with a beat, therefore allowing the song to be player whenever and whenever. Some record labels often make two versions of a song, replacing profanities for other, more suitable words in order to prevent the song losing original meaning, as well as complying with set rules put in place by various radio and television programmes.
Ofcom is a communications regulator that manages TV and radio sectors as well as many others. They make sure that people are satisfied in the UK with communications services, including being protected from scam artists, their privacy being invaded, as well as being treated unfairly in tv/ radio programmes. Ofcom operates under the laws of the Communication Act 2003 being a detailed act of parliament, which set in more technical aspects of regulation in order to follow the laws. These rules and regulations are set and have to be followed, specifically in order to look after the interests of their mass target audience.



Within the topic of censorship my class and I discovered there was a lot of controversy in whether music videos should be censored or not. In order to have a greater understanding of personal thoughts and opinions my class held a debate; each student playing an individual role, consisting of the artist, fans, record labels and parents.
The debate was held around the artist Eminem, the type of music he produces and how he performs his stories to an audience. As a result of carrying out this debate, it will allow me to see both for and against opinions that my class has. The feedback and overall feelings played by students consisted of:

  • Artist: 
“I believe my music videos should not be censored as it informs people of my life experiences through entertainment, portraying my mistakes through life, something that everyone can relate to; for example about the emotional roller-coaster an addiction can take you on, such as alcohol or drugs.”
  • Fans:
“Eminem’s music videos should not be censored as it represents life situations and educates; warning his audience to not go down the same path that he drifted into in life, for example using domestic violence as a way of releasing anger shown in ‘Love the Way you Lie’. His songs are also a way of Eminem conveying that he’s understood in the public eye and in videos such as ‘Like Toy Soldiers’ he explains that he means no harm on anyone.”
  • Record label:
“The fact that Eminem has become so successful through selling millions of albums E.G. 10 million sold on the album Marshal Mathas, as well as winning countless awards proves that even though the language may be strong and violent at times, people relate to his lyrics as they are so meaningful.”
  • Parents for:
“Ultimately as a parent, I feel that it is up to us parents to educate our children, teaching them right from wrong, no blame should be directed to artists themselves for a child’s actions. Children should be taught that the actions shown in for example ‘Space Bound’ are wrong and are not to be repeated which is backed up by the fact that the video then rewinds, going back in time and erasing Eminem’s poor decisions.”
  • Parents against:
“The explicit language used in for example ‘The Real Slim Shady’ can offend many people. As a parent I feel that my child can easily adopt his attitude, affects their choices in life due to his heavy influence.”
  • Kiss 100:
“As a company we are limited as we are currently unable to play uncensored songs before 9, we follow this regulation as we wish not to offend any of our target audience, which may result in damaging our reputation, something that we are unwilling to risk. However sometimes the music is overly censored which may damage the original meaning of a song.”
  • MTV:
“We support censorship as we have the same intensions as Kiss 100, we preferably don’t want to risk the loss of any of our mass target audience, or to put any strain on our reputation, as a result reducing the amount of complaints needing to be dealt with.”
  • AKA:
“We however disagree with censorship, as a company we prefer to truly represent the artist without cutting bits out of their story, it takes away meaning and we feel it can potentially ruin a song.”



In my opinion, although I am very aware of the large proportion of the song including strong and violent language, I myself have grown up listening to Eminem. I feel that people exaggerate when directing blame to artists of their child for example committing crime and adopting his language, however most of the people I know and myself personally have never taken on either which really proves its up to the parents to teach them morals in life, any human being makes their own decisions in life and it is up to surrounding friends and family to stop it if it occurs. I think in many ways Eminem is inspirational and a lot of his songs emotionally touch me, as they are made personal and I feel can really teach people many life lessons on what to avoid in life and to learn from mistakes.
A prime example of an artist’s music video that has been censored and critized for their exquisite and what was described as an aggressive music video was “Born Free” recorded by the M.I.A. It was commended for the lyrics, however the video involved murdering red haired people. The particular themes the 9 minute video included and the way in which it was shot including the military force, brutality and violence caused worldwide controversy which lead to a ban on YouTube in the UK and US, however in 2011 made the ‘100 Top Greatest Music Videos Ever Made’ at number 13 and became number 2 on TIME’s list of the ‘Top 10 Controversial Music Videos’. Due to the controversy Ofcom became involved as the video was seen as offensive, therefore taking away the free access of the video itself from potential viewers.


Katy Perry’s music video ‘Firework’ is another example where censorship came into action. The clip consists of many features that by a common audience would find strange and provocative, for example 2 men kissing publically, fireworks coming out of Katy Perry’s chest. Due to this an edit of the promo has been released pixilating out scenes after being censored for British television; however the official clip can still be viewed, but under private viewing only, therefore taking away the free access to most viewers. Ofcom deal with the reaction to when videos are first released and if needed to be dealt with due to unhappy viewers then they will do so to correct the issue.



An artist like Rhianna however is constantly having her music videos censored, due to minimal clothing and some of her lyrics being inappropriate, especially for younger viewers. ‘S&M’ provoked censorship to the point where the promo was banned in 11 countries and was removed from the UK’s BBC Daytime radio playlist, due to suggestive lyrics E.G. being covered in latex as well as sucking a banana which then implicated that it had to have an age restriction on YouTube. The song was not to be played at any time before 7pm. ‘We Found Love’ was another that has been banned in certain countries; this is as a result of depictions of sex, drugs and violence which is a clear violation of the laws of the Communication Act 2003 that Ofcom follow, resulting in changes having to be made.


In terms on whether I agree with censorship or not, my views remain mixed, however I do feel I have more to say against censorship in comparison to for it. I feel that children of today are brighter and tend to be more street smart; they are surrounded by strong, violent and inappropriate language from a very young age through the school environment in particular, so I feel that some censorship to artists music videos are unnecessary and can be avoided, however I feel there has to be a line drawn to excessiveness in these areas.