History of Music Videos

Ways in which people can consume music videos:

• Album
• Single
• Music channels e.g MTV
• Radio channels
• Concerts
• Internet e.g Youtube, iTunes
• Apps e.g Spotify, iMusic 
• iPods
• Mobile phones
• Casette tapes 

The music industry has changed drastically from what is once was, in the way music is presented to an audience. The most obvious reason being the development of high-tech technology, as well as the increased budget that is put towards the production of a music video. The ways in which an individual can consume a music video have increased, allowing an increased population to view an artist work. Viewing artists songs enable an audience to have a greater understanding of the artist genre and what underlying messages and meanings there are. Being able to visually watch a music video clarifies if it is a concept, narrative or performance based song which holds a great importance when following specific genres and so on. The use of current technology reduces the cost of having to buy the typical CD, record or album in a shop, and instead download it on to a phone or iPod through the YouTube converter, or alternatively buy them individually on iTunes. A wide range of music videos from a variety of artists are frequently played throughout the day on music channels such as MTV, and can also be viewed on YouTube with no expense. All these individual features promote the artist and can be viewed with ease. An audience is able to have all their favourite songs on a device, instead of buying a whole album with the occasional good song, which in fact makes it easier for an audience to consume music videos, due to being so accessible.

The availability to view music videos have changed throughout the decades and I feel that the use of internet is one of the main factors. People used to rely on TV and Top of the Pop's to view music videos as it was the only access they had, however until the internet was created in late 1980's. The internet only properly came in to use in the 2000's, with YouTube created in 2005 and Google having ownership in 2006. YouTube displayed a wide variety of user-generated video content, such as video clips, tv clips, video blogging, music videos and so on. You were able to access YouTube whether you were registered or unregistered viewers, with registered individuals being able to upload their own content. In this current time YouTube is regularly used for individuals to promote themselves as a commodity, which can in fact lead to fame; an example being Justin Bieber after uploading a home video of him singing. Throughout the years, YouTube has become more of a music channel, promoting artists music videos; the cheapest and most easy way of viewing an artists video, calculating how many views it gets, giving an option to select whether you like or dislike it. To this day, with the development of smartphones and them being a necessity, with such easy access to the internet means that an audience can keep up to date with the latest trends, making it easier to consume music videos. Gangnam Style is a prime example of a worldwide trend, now being the most viewed music video on YouTube with 1.8 billion views; his route to fame and becoming internationally known.

An example of the way the music industry has developed throughout the years is through iTunes, released in 1999 and renamed to iTunes after being purchased my Apple in 2000. iTunes is a media player and media library application used to download, play and organise digital audio and videos; all of which is available to download on computers, the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. iTunes has almost become a fashion statement in the way it was the dominant place to purchase and download music, music videos and so on at a small expense. This expense meant that artists were being paid during the time that it takes to produce a CD, therefore making money, as well as saving money through not having to produce and ship as many CD's; instead selling individual songs on iTunes, which is obviously no personal expense to the artist and their record label. iTunes is an easy and accessible way to have all your personal favourites all together, making it easier for an audience to consume music videos and be more profitable for a record label.

With TV already being available during the time of the Internet being developed, it was the only access people had to artists and their music. The MTV satellite television channel was launched in 1981, with the original purpose to play music videos guided by video jockeys to young adults. It was a way for young adults to not only listen to the song, but to also view their music video. As a result of this, it gave an audience a greater understanding of the songs meaning. MTV then additionally targeted adolescents alongside young adults, broadening their audience. The first music video released on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles. Comparing music videos and the money that is now put into them has changed dramatically, due to music now having having such a massive influence in today's time. However, there is one exception for still holding the record since 1995; Scream by Michael Jackson still currently has the highest budgeted music video, spending $7,000,000 in production costs. With music having such a big influence on people in today's time, the accessibility and the ways in which it can be viewed makes it so easy for an audience to consume music videos; for example through YouTube, iTunes, smartphones, iPads and so on.

With technologies developing everyday, it has become increasingly easier to film music videos, therefore reducing production costs. One way in which costs are reduced are as a result of technologies such as green screen. Green screen enables the production company to film in a lower budget area and edit in the location, whereas many years ago they would have to go to the location itself. Editing has become a lot easier with programs such as Photoshop and Final Cut that give an editor total control of what they do, creating exactly what they like. Obviously with the development of technologies such as a phone, computer, the internet and so on has made it easy to access videos wherever they are in the world, which keeps an audience up to date and aware of particular trends on websites such as YouTube. The music industry has also developed in the way that sub genres have been created, due to artists breaking their stereotypical genre conventions, examples being dance, indie, punk and so on. By subdividing genres makes it easier for an audience to consume their favourite music through technology such as smart phones and iPads, instead of having to go to the shops and purchase a CD with the occasional good song.

This research will assist me with mine and my groups planning to create a music video, in the way that we will have a greater understanding of the technology and special effects that are commonly used, as well as the programmes in which we could potentially put our music video on, in order to make it more accessible for an audience to consume; an example being YoutTube and iTunes.

Magazine Advert Reflection

The purpose of a magazine advert or tour poster is to advertise a commodity and it is done by conveying an artist in a particular way, depending on the genre they lie in, in order to appeal to a large audience and raise knowledge. This produces revenue for their signed record label, allowing them to venture and grow as an artist. When conducting secondary research into magazine adverts, it gave me an a greater understanding of what is to be included, the conventions to follow, where the commodity is placed and so on. By analysing Nina Nesbitt's magazine advert I was able to look at how she, being an indie artist represented herself, what location she used, as well as the size and type of font she used for the her name and tour dates. I learnt about certain conventions within my chosen genre and that it has to be thoroughly thought about and planned. Through analysing Nina's, ideas came to mind about possible design ideas for myself, which lead to me carrying out a paper design. When looking at an individual poster of Nina's, I was fascinated by the editing techniques used, however still remaining simplistic and informative, I found it extremely effective in the way it instantly caught my attention and was so straight forward to a T. Looking at the poster, instantly an audience can see the type of artist she is, by the casual, laid-back clothing, natural long blonde messy hair; something any teenager or above could relate to which really creates a connection.

My ideas and inspirations behind my paper design were very simple and straight forward, I wanted to have as much focus as I could on the commodity, being Georgia with little of anything else that could detract any attention. At first I didn't have many ideas of what I wanted on my magazine advert, but this was the design I began with this (shown on the right). Obviously the first thing I thought was fundamental to include was Georgia, the commodity we wish to promote. I drew Georgia with big blue eyes, the commonly worn eyeliner by most indie artists, bright lips and with voluminous blonde hair. I felt that this look suited the style we aimed to portray within the music video, however obviously not doing her much justice in terms of my drawing. Another vital element was adding her name, the thing that people are going to know her by. I wrote it in large, curly writing to try and meet typical indie conventions; something that would stand out, however not being very clear in this image due to lighting. The elements in which I would have liked to still include were the album name, logo and a release date which is something that I have not on my paper version, but wish to when creating it on Photoshop to make conventional even more so to the indie genre.

When creating my paper version I wanted to have the characters face focused on, in order to make a connection with our audience as she shows off her artist image. I feel that in many ways despite my paper version being extremely plain it is conventional to the indie genre; the curly writing to almost give the effect of it being signature like, the blonde hair; giving the audience the impression of her purity, the dark lips and eye makeup to highlight her facial features and so on. There is no dominant colour used within my paper version to suggest that its targeted at a particular sex, making it clear to our audience it's for both men and women. A colour scheme is very important, and making it unisex attracts a greater audience which will result in Georgia becoming a greater success within the industry.

By creating a design on paper, and then experimenting on Adobe Photoshop CS6, I was able to visually have an idea of what I would like it to look like. I created a magazine advert promoting Georgia as a commodity and created awareness to her audience of the album and when its out. Her name stands out in bold white writing and the picture clearly portrays her indie style (denim shirt with a tartan shirt wrapped around her waist making it conventional to our chosen indie genre. Georgia's facial expression conveys her bubbly personality and that shes taken on the natural and pure look, which in fact reflects her songs in the way she sings from the heart. We chose to take these observational photos during filming as the clothing seem ideal, her makeup was toned down and Georgia look particularly natural, portraying normality; someone that can be relatable to our target audience wearing high street fashion.

At first, I did find the challenge of creating a magazine advert on Adobe Photoshop CS6 hard, as I have only used the software on a very rare occasion, however by doing so I was able to develop my skills and broaden my knowledge in developing from a consumer into a producer.

I made the text clear and bold to stand out against the image and inserted a spray-painted brick wall in the background and an image of Georgia in the foreground. In order for the two to blend I used the blur tool in order to soften the rough edges from where I cut the original background and then played around with the contrast and saturation. I came across a little issue along the way when I realised  the spray-painted brick wall background would not cover all of the empty space, therefore I copied and pasted the image again and used the opacity tool to blend the two together creating a dynamic effect. I chose this background as I felt it would attract others visually with all the bright colours involved, and that through spray paint a piece of art has been created. It also has that grunge effect which makes it a little different but unique in comparison to other indie artists. With Georgia's clothing in this mid shot differing from any colours involved in the background, she as a result stands out as the focal object. 

Obviously within my design i aimed to promote Georgia as a commodity and as a result gives the opportunity to promote herself to our target audience. It allows the audience to see snippets of her personality shine through. The more we portray to the audience, the higher the success rates. In my opinion, I feel that it is simplistic yet effective through being conventional to our indie genre, however if I were to improve on this I would aim to use more editing effects to show further development and practise with a variety of images to see which suited best.

Photoshoot

It is extremely important to carry out a photoshoot when creating a digipak and magazine advert because promoting a artist through image is crucial, in order to sell they as a product/commodity.

As a group, before we carried out our photoshoot we all sat down together and discussed the where to shot and what shots to use whilst considering typical indie conventions. We hoped to make it relevant to our genre and song in order to use them in our digipak and magazine advert. At first we felt it may come as a challenge as there was pressure to fulfill and communicate to an audience of our chosen genre through cinematography, editing and mise en scene, therefore being able to gain fans. Therefore, this is the importance of carrying out a photoshoot; in terms of taking the artists image into consideration, making sure it follows the genres conventions and promoting them as a commodity, as well as promoting them as an artist that has musical talent.

The image on the right portrays Georgia sitting upon a wooden fence within a forest. We chose to use this location for the photoshoot as well as the performance as we felt that it really connotes her as an artist, and shows off indie characteristics. The fact that the colour black is included within the shots gives off that edgy vibe, something we wished to give off to our audience, making her that little bit little different in comparison to typical indie artists, therefore rebelling against the codes and conventions. The positioning was chosen to portray that she is just a down to earth individual with a passion for music, which is backed up through the use of iconography, being a guitar. The guitar is typically very indie and promotes her musical talent of being able to sing, as well as playing a musical instrument. Very often, when a guitar is used it gives off the impression to an audience that they've written their own song, like artists such as Ed Sheeran which in fact attracts a larger audience. The way she portrayed, with the background being a forest gives off a natural vibe, shots that are not overly manufactured, which again gives the impression of Georgia being natural with a talent of music, that this is the way in which we will sell her as a commodity.

Below will be some exemplar pictures that were also taken on the photoshoot:

The pictures will be used in both my digipak and magazine advert. 6 of the photos will be used on the individual slides of my digipak and one on my final magazine advert. For my original magazine advert a screen shot from our filming was used and is shown on the right. I felt that the photos taken on the photoshoot were a lot clearer and were of better quality. The photographs are well suited to what we as a group wished to portray to our chosen audience; and edgy indie artist.

Images that are typically conventional to the indie genre are very simplistic and are taken within naturalistic locations to appeal to that niche audience. It avoids taking any attention away from the commodity itself, as we wish for the artist to be the main focus. The music is personal and meaningful, which draws attention to the raw talent of the musician. This contrasts in comparison to pop, rap genres in the way they have a heavy focus on editing and making the artist seem very materialistic and rich. Within our photoshoot, we as a group wanted the photos and music video to reflect well together, creating a flow as we understood the importance of following certain indie codes and conventions in which an audience would typically expect. This understanding came from conducting relevant research into our chosen artist, Nina Nesbitt. The fact that we have included iconography, being the guitar educates our audience in having a better understanding about Georgia and her music; being very medolic and meaningful. The guitar is also very recognised within the indie genre, to the extend it is almost expected to appear, which promotes the genre instantly.

Within our photoshoot the group and I wanted to adopt similar conventions to the genre in the way Nina Nesbitt does, but also make Georgia a little more unique and eye catching in the way that we added an edge to her style, through behavior and clothing. Aside from that we didnt want to lose the typical indie conventions that in fact make them so successful, therefore choosing to carefully juggle the two. We brought Georgia back from her edgy self to also portraying her down to earth self that has a passion for music, that wishes to speak her true emotions. The song itself is very relatable to an audience, which therefore creates a strong, meaningful connection. This as a result creates an appeal for the current and a new audience, therefore succeeding in a competitive industry and genre.

The images taken portray our artist, Georgia to be a true and honest artist that sings with her heart. She is a relatable figure that has an edge, someone that people look up to and aspire to be. Georgia is seen to be in one outfit throughout as it connotes both sides of her, as well as following indie codes and conventions. Her outfit includes black elements of clothing to connote her rebellious side, a denim jacket with a tartan scarf to portray her sensitive indie side. The colouring of the scarf, red lipstick and dark eye makeup and of course the lyrics comes together swiftly to give the impression there are issues within the relationship and that her passion remains in her music and guitar. This outfit as a whole and her Dr.Martins come together as an outfit that typical teens wear to this day, therefore creating a relationship in the way that they can then relate to; as an individual, as well as an artist.

Below in an example of how our photoshoot photos, which are then used by myself and the group in photoshop can create a conventional product:

BEFORE

AFTER

Digipak Analysis

A digipak is a patented style of CD packaging with a registered trademark, there to encourage consumers to buy into a product associated with a certain artist. The purpose of a digipak is to promote an album. It's a way of pursuing the artists theme and corporate identity, as well as listing the content of the album; all the songs and how long they last. The use of images within help to connote the type of artist they are and the message they wish to portray through individual songs. The digipak is also a way of hide other promotional material, for example tour dates and locations. They are eye catching to attract a wider audience, not only their target audience in order to gain a greater number of fans.

The difference between a digipak and a CD album is that a CD promotes nothing but the songs itself, whereas a digipak has 3 extra slides to promote the artist and their image,  through additional images and including a welcome note from the artist; introducing themselves and their songs, creating clarity of the underlying meanings, as generally digipaks are more personal to the artist themselves. The digipak may also include a lyric booklet, providing even more photos of help with the overall understanding of what they wish to connote. Overall, all the different elements of a digipak allow the audience to feel more connected with the artists they're interested in and enjoy their music at the same time.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a 6 slide digipak by an Indie artist, but was able to find one with 4. Obviously as a group when we come to creating our own we will mimic the traditional 6 slides; consisting of a welcome note slide, front and back cover leaving 3 spare slides for pictures of the artist. As a group we wish to capture the audience visually, alongside the successful audio.  

When looking at Florence and the Machine's digipak, we are presented with a picture of herself in almost cartoon form, with a set of lungs across her chest with half displayed under a stringy top. The fact that she has chosen to have lungs shown on the outside of the body portrays to the audience the relation to the album name 'Lungs'. She is seen to be located in the typical rural area being a forest, surrounded my spring flowers and coloured birds to connote her image as being very calm and indie-like. An audience will expect the digipak slides to portray clear examples of conventions, relating the the indie genre within to form clarity. The image of herself takes up the majority of the slide, with 'Florence and the Machine' written in bold, curly text. The album title is also written on the front cover being 'Lungs', which is in fact placed on top of actual lungs in capital, bold letters. The album title also has horizontal lines above and below to contrast against the vertical lines of her stringy top, ensuring that the title doesn't fade into the image itself. The majority of this slide includes the colour green; consisting of her clothes and tree background, however her pale skin tone, the warm red displayed on the lungs and her ginger hair create a contrast against the different shades of green. This ensures that she is not lost within her clothing and background, but in fact stands out against it. Conducting research on the indie genre, as well as the typically conventional digipaks has given me a greater understanding of the types of location they use, being various rural locations, the types of clothing worn and where to put text and in what font and size. This particular layout and design suggests that Florence and the Machine wish to follow the typical codes and conventions of the indie genre. The fact that the location is obvious and that Florence herself covers the majority of the cover, suggests that she wishes to sell not only the indie genre, but herself as a commodity. Selling herself as a commodity means that in order to so, the cover needs to be eye catching and stand out against a background. Florence has done so with the contrasting colours used against the different shades of green, being her hair the lungs. The fact that she stands out encourages an audience the buy the digipak, to not only listen to her music, but learn more about her as an artist.

Colours that are used within Florence and the Machine's digipak are all very mixed, which doesn't make it conventional to the typical indie genre as a whole. This in fact contrasts in comparison to and indie artist such as The Kooks, where the same colours feature in every slide. Three of the slides within the digipak include lungs in different prospectuses, which all in fact link to her album title 'Lungs', however the colours change drastically between each slide. The front cover is all very conventional to the indie genre, however changes when it comes to the disk image, being a pair of pale skinned hands holding on to a pair of lungs, with the album name imprinted on top in the opposing colour white. The third slide is a picture of Florence under a sepia effect. Again Florence wishes to sell herself as a commodity, creating clarity for an audience of what she's like as an artist. 

Florence and the Machine's digipak in which I have researched into has given me a greater understanding oh herself and the music she produces, however the digipak itself contrasts in comparison to typical indie genre digipak. It promotes Florence herself as a commodity and the theme that runs through her album, however doesn't include her band as they are not as well known within the media. Natural like pictures represent the indie genre, as most indie artists produce their music around realistic events and life experiences that have occurred.

Magazine Advert Analysis

Magazine advertising is a powerful marketing tool. The purpose of a magazine advert is to promote the artist to a large target audience to improve their sales (eg. album, merchandise, concerts and so on) and present their current image. It allows the record label to promote themselves, the artist and feature artists. As a result they all become well known, which increases their target audience.

This magazine advert shown on the left portrays and promotes Nina Nesbitt's tour dates. To an audience she is a new and upcoming indie artist that needs to be publicised to create awareness to an audience. Currently she comes across as a niche artist that hasn't reached the 'viral' stage of her career, however gained more of a mainstream audience with her songs Stay Out when it joined BBC Radio 1's playlist.

When looking at the advert, the text and image shown are very much of a similar importance, it shows no particular dominant element as they take up an equal amount of space. This portrays to the audience that her image isn't dominant yet within the music industry, but she is working towards her goal of becoming well known. All of the tour dates displayed on the right are at typically small venues, connoting that she is still a niche artist that is not yet mainstream. However, the two websites displayed at the very bottom of the advert; Live Nation and Ticket Master are extremely well known and are used by millions. Due to Nina's performances typically being in small venues, she is able to really make an emotional connection with her audience, whereas at a pop  or

rap concert held in a arena where is it overpopulated there is less of a connection, but more of a performance due to a high budget provided. The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen and London KOKO are typically small but vibrant and buzzing venues that are used for particularly alternative and indie artists, giving off a quirky atmosphere and entertainment scene. These small venues would attract a large young target audience, as ticket prices are affordable to enjoy an intimate performance.

The writing portrayed on the advert, aside from her name is informative; consisting of the tour dates and when the performances are and where they will be located. The informative style of language enables the audience to have an understanding of Nina Nesbitt as an artist, and where they can see her. The advert also informs the audience where they are able to purchase tickets, which is vital to get sales and which companies support her tour.

This advertisement promotes Nina Nesbitt as a quirky and fun character which represents her Indie style songs, connecting with her teenage target audience. Aside from promoting the venues and tour dates, it also promotes her image and personality purely through her makeup and style of clothing. Her style makes it easy to build a relationship with her chosen teenage target audience as she comes

across as average looking. She gives off a street image with her with her long, blonde back-combed hair which comes across as scruffy, but in fact suits her image matching the female indie artist style, for example Ellie Goulding's. Lightly blemished skin, winged eyeliner and mascara is used to cover up any common teenage blemishes, with the additional red lipstick and dark penciled eyebrows to add edge and become more eye catching to an audience. Nina is seen to be wearing an over-sized aqua and emmeralde green jumper with short denim shorts, an outfit that looks as if it's been bought from a common high-street boutique shop; something simple and affordable. I feel that her clothing will come across to audience members as being comfortable and laid-back, in relation to pop artists wearing extravagantly expensive materialistic clothing and items. Her clothing almost exposes that she's a simple artist with raw talent; she doesn't need to disguise her identity to prove herself, her songs shine through. Nina's image she promotes enables her audience and fans to mimic her  style if they wished to, which builds a greater relationship.

I chose to to look at another indie artist to get an even greater understanding of the genre itself. Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, typically know as Lana Del Ray is an American singer songwriter that was signed for the first time by 5 Points Records at the age of 22. With her album 'Born to Die' released in January 2012, selling over 5 million copies and being the 5th best selling album conveys exactly how popular she is within the music industry. Although Lana Del Ray in an indie pop/ trip hop artist she appeals to a much larger scale audience than the typical individual niche size audience for these  genres. Whereas due to Nina Nesbitt being not being as well known and as developed as an artist, her audience is on a much smaller scale.