Evidence of work in class

This class work we had done on the 11th September. We made a spider diagram of our weakness's and strengths as a group.

Our strengths are that as a person I don't get overly stressed or overwhelmed in hard situations hopefully this will benefit us throughout the course, Sarah is good at writing and has excellent grammar skills this will help us when analysing and researching. Another strength we have is that we live close to each other so we can take alot of time outside of school to work together. I am more of a creative person than academic and I have a good imagination this could help us when planning our video and the concept behind it. Also Sarah is organised which will help us to keep on track. We also know many willing participants which will help when filming. Our weakness's are that we can be easily distracted and aren't good with time keeping but we will be focused on our project and will not let our friendship distract us from our work.

We also did a page of sticky note ideas for our video these included that we want the video to be relateable to couples and young adults, the genre we're looking at is indie/acoustic, we will share the camera work, our target audience is 17-21, artist that are inspiring us are Ben Howard, Mumford & Sons, Tom Odell and Lewis Watson and locations we're looking at are a Ford in Swaffham, Hunstanton beach, Sandringham and Medowgate forest in Wisbech,

Music Video Analysis (Indie Genre)

Music Video Analysis

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Indie/Rock/Acoustic

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that came from the UK and United States in around the 1980’s. It is a very diverse genre that is popular among a younger generation which strives to be different to pop and mainstream music. It is usually supported by independent labels that allow more musical freedom. Some of the inspiration for indie rock bands comes from bands such as the Beatles and Radio head. It is a mix of many genres such as alternative rock, folk music and pop. Acoustic music is raw sound without any computer editing, usually just a voice and guitar or piano, acoustic music is usually original and written by the artists themselves, artist associated with indie/rock/acoustic tend not be interested in celebrity status or selling themselves but more about getting their music out their the way they want it.

Erick Baker

Erick Baker is our chosen artist for our media project (music video promo). He was born 12th December 1978 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a self-taught guitarist and  singer-songwriter who has performed with national acts including James Blunt. The music genre he Belongs to is Indie/Rock/Acoustic, this is a very diverse genre and his sound is very similar to artists such as Ben Howard.

He has performed with world renowned artists such as the band Goo Goo Dolls and R&B artist John Legend. He has also headlined six sold out shows at Knoxville's Bijou Theatre  He has also headlined six sold-out performances at Knoxvilles Bijou Theatre. Mountain Xpress said he has a 'raw and powerful' voice and that he has an 'ability to whip an early crow into a respectable frenzy".

I found this artist on http://www.unsigned.com/, out of all the artist he stood out to me, I think this is because his sound is to my taste and his voice is very rough and unique and I really liked that, with a song that I can relate to I can try to make the video to reflect this song and for the song and video to connect and also connect to the audience.

Media discussion similarities and diffrences

This is our discussion in class on the similarities and differences of the music videos we looked at.

Tim Berg - Seek Bromance ( Pop/Progressive house analysis)

      These are a few notes I took in class.

      

      The video and music combine because the song is feel good and the video reflects that, the shots change with the changes in the tempo of the song. When the guy is kick out the house the song goes on about relating to each other and the three of them all to in similar places and can relate to each other, then when they start to hang out together she says ‘you’ll never be alone’ showing a strong bond with the trio “I will give you the love you seek". Also the speed change after they take drugs relates with the music. There is a drop in the music and video changes to their car breaking down this is a low point but its later resolved.When they go to Vegas it symbolises the big world that they want to experience together. 

      The music video reflects the genre well, club/electronic music usually always has a positive narrative or is to make people feel good, this is reflected in the video, the video starts with a road trip further on in the video sex, drugs, partying and alcohol are introduced, this links directly with the audience and what they want to experience.

Ellie Goulding - Burn (Club/Snythopop analysis)

This was a few notes I have done in lesson when we were watching this video.

Personally I really like Ellie Gouldings ‘Burn’ video, the opening scene of the landscape and the time of day it as shot at makes it feel very warm. I think the setting works perfectly for this song, usually a song of this genre would be in a club or somewhere very stereotypical, I think the fact it is shot in a woodland area and is very in touch with nature adds a different feel to the video, it makes it more relatable and something that the target audience of young adults would want to experience. The young adults jumping gates and fences to get somewhere adds anticipation and infers that they are escaping and getting freedom and just enjoying themselves again I think this engages with the audience well. This is a ‘feel good’ song and the video reflects this effortlessly.

The video has a very calm and tranquil feel at the start of the video, this is due to setting and the time of day it has been shot in, it has a very warm feel.  The video moves from day to night and then in the night this is when light is focused on throughout, coming from the darkness into the light. The entire video emits joy and happiness.

Ellie Golding is one of the main focuses in the video, the video is not selling the song but her as an artist and at the end all the lights that had been built up by the characters featured show her logo, which is promoting her as an artist. The music reflects the genre (pop/synthpop) well because it is a feel good song and the video focuses on light, being with friends and living in the moment which tends to be the focus in the videos of this genre.

Tinie Tempah - Trampoline (R&B analysis)

This was a few notes I took when we were analysing this video in lesson.

My first reaction to the video is that it was very interesting, the colours, patterns and the missing concept made me want to keep watching but I am put off by the scarcely dressed dancing women, it is very typical for a song of this genre but all the other features of the video are attention grabbing and are entertaining.

The music and the video combine throughout, the colours and shots change with beat at certain points in the video, because of the pace of the song it makes the video very chaotic. At 0:13 seconds the artist is clicking his fingers and the lights are changing with it, this represents the power he has over the atmosphere that he is in. Also parts of the lyrics link with the video, at one point he mentions Nike trainers, this is product placement, he would get more money for advertising because HIS target the an audience of teens/young adults aspire for his life style and would want Nike trainers because successful artists like Tinie Tempah wear them.

The music and the video reflect the genre, many R&B artist have women, money, alcohol and drugs features throughout and so does this video. By showing all the women the video is trying to show that women admire him and that he controls them, the video is aimed at the target audience who aspire for his lifestyle. Another feature that reflects the genre is that the main focus of the video is on the artist, he is selling himself and he is showing that he has money and women. At one point he is shown sitting up on a horse, putting him above everyone else shows his authority. Also the artist 2 Chainz is in the video, he is seen with his hood up and wearing a lot of expensive jewellery, he is also selling himself and this also reflects the urban background of the music and who it is aimed at.

Kenderick Lamar - Swimming Pools (R&B Genre Analysis)

This was the quick rough evaluation of this video that I did in lesson.

My initial reaction to this video is that it is very fascinating; I like the tempo and how the video stays with it, even in the club when there is allot going on it is all in slow motion and gives a very relaxed and tranquil feel. I like the house setting I think it makes what he is saying very personal, I think the addition of women is unnecessary, it is very stereotypical for music of this genre and it pulls attention from the music.

The video and music combine throughout; there are a lot of cuts throughout the video, especially on the beats and major drops in the music. The cuts change with the tempo, when the music is slower it usually goes back to the opening falling scene and when the tempo speed is up the video is more chaotic. The opening scene reflects the name ‘swimming pools’, Kendrick Lamar seems to be falling or drowning but in air, this is an interesting effect. At the begging he is rapping about his life and family and the shot reflects this, he is sitting in an empty room on a chair to himself, this shows that this is something that is important to him and doesn't need allot of gimmicks and there is alcohol featured throughout at this point it seems that the alcohol is used as an aid to upset. The chorus after this switches to a club scene where alcohol is used in a different way which is for fun and connects people; the shot is black and red and creates the sense of lust and chaos.

There are women dancing in the video, this is something that is often seen in the R&B/Rap genre industry this because within this genre people with money and women have respect from others of the genre. The lighting is dark, especially in the club scene, it has a euphoric atmosphere, this targets the audience as it something they want to experience and they want this lifestyle of money, women, alcohol which are also featured in this video. Throughout the video Kendrick Lamar is the focus, not only is he selling the song he is also selling himself and showing what he owns.

Music Video Theorys

Andrew Goodwins Theory

Genre Characteristics:

This is Shakira - Can't Remember to Forget You ft. Rihanna, this follows typical Pop/Chart genre characteristics heavily which also links with Laura Mulveys 'Male Gaze' theory where the women in the video are scarcely dressed and dancing provocatively selling themselves as 'Sexy Women' instead of artists, this video is to gain male or female sexual attention. Songs of this genre tend not to rely on the music to sell itself but for the artists to be desirable. This also applies for Miley Cyrus - Adore You music video, the video is extremely provocative and 'sex' is inferred, this is also in the Pop/Chart genre, where woman tend to sell themselves as sex symbols in the music videos, artists such as Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have had constant backlash from the media and from viewers for be too sexually provocative in their videos but this is a common recurrence in this genre.

Relationship Between Lyrics & Visuals:


This is the original video for The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather, their are moments where the lyrics link to the visuals on the screen, this links the video to the song and makes it more clear, the video is a couples relationship and this type of video links the visuals and the lyrics perfectly, their is no lip singing so I think this substitutes.



This is Wilkinson - After Glow, this video is a perfect example of the relationship between Lyrics & Visuals. The entirety of this song is the story of a couple which is show in images or short clips with every image there is text on the screen. The song itself is about being young and living in the moment and I think this music video represents that well, it is very comical and realistic and a very interesting music video to watch.

Relationship Between Music & Visuals



This is Rihanna - Disturbia, this video is in rihannas more 'dark' period of music and this video and the visuals represent this, the song is very repetitive and 'zombie like' with screams, groans an a constant thumping in the background, the song takes many different sounds to make up this song, the video is also dark featuring Rihanna in a state of confusion and appearing to be mentally ill, the video itself represents the title name 'disturbia' because it is disturbing, a younger person watching this could be frightened which would've been the artist intention to make this video unsettling.


This is the video for Ben Pearce - What I Might Do, this song is very chilled dance music, I think the video reflects the song, it is feel goo and has a variety of people dancing which would've been the artists intention, being the kind of music you would find in a club but what the artist is trying to show is that his music can be enjoyed by anyone and you can dance along even if you look silly.

Record Label Demands:



Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I, Pharrell shows a heavy presence of Record Label demands such as hitting target audience by having scarcely dressed attractive thin models, alcohol, advertisement, using hash-tags to stay updated with young social media networks, the entire video is an advertisement and the artists selling themselves more than selling the music, this would be a focus of the record label because they are creating an image for the artists and gaining money from advertising products and advertising the song heavily.

Categories Of Music Videos

Performance Based Videos tend to show the band or artists mostly performing there song, possibly at a gig or in a studio setting. Two videos that use this kind of video are Bring Me The Horizon "Shadow Moses" and Mumford & Sons "Babel"

Shadow Moses - Bring Me The Horizon


This video is filmed outside and it starts with a haunting shot of the ocean hitting rocks with the music in the background this gives a very 'eery' feel and then to the lead singer Oli Sykes holding what seems to be a firework and there is a pink filter used, then it cuts to him singing the lines "Can you tell from the look in our eyes, We're going nowhere, We live our lives and we're ready to die, We're going nowhere". Throughout this video it is filmed in what seems to be 3D but what they have done is used an effect to rapidly morph between the left and right cameras, they would've used two cameras positioned side by side instead of a traditional 3D camera. The location reflects the songs mood, it is foggy and covered in snow and this gives a feel of confusion and distance, throughout the band performing there are also shots of a girl walking through the snow to the ocean but the video is mostly performance. I think the jittery effect reflects the song very well, it moves with the beat and makes the video look the chaotic. Cuts of the sea are shown throughout aswell, I think this could reperesent emptiness and feeling alone, also the sea being very choppy reflects the lose of control feel in the video, there's waves crashing, feathers in the air in some shots, haze and smog there is alot going on but I think it works perfectly with the song. There are also scenes where band members mostly Oli Sykes are holding what seems to be fireworks these shots ad alot of colour and vibrance to what would be a very simple in terms of colour music video. The band has managed to work in the album title into the song, with Oli Sykes screaming "This is sempiternal" which means "eternal" and "everlasting" this combined with the lyrics "going nowhere" the song has a very negative feel.

This is one of my favourite music videos, I think the chaos in the video and the song work together very well, the jolting effect and the beat are perfectly in time and I just think it portrays the power of the song, it is an extremely aggressive song and a very brutal subject matter so the video represented this. Our song for our music video isn't in the same genre and based on love and emotions, so this kind of concept wouldnt work for our music video but I think at points a performance would connect the video an the lyrics.

Babel - Mumford & Sons


This video is completely performance based it is all filmed in black and white and it pans around the room of an old building where they are all playing their instruments, it gives the illusion of alot of people playing in the band but it is just the same four men at different depths an in different positions in the room. The camera moves around the room at the same pace throughout but at the rise in tempo in the song the band are more aggressive and free with their instruments whereas when it slows down on "Cause I'll know my weakness, know my voice and I'll believe in grace and choice and I know perhaps my heart is farce, but I'll be born without a mask" their is a more relaxed atmosphere then on the beat it becomes more energetic again. Some can be confused by Mumford & Sons songs because of the vagueness of their lyrics so it is hard for them to represent what the meaning of the song is in a music video, their videos tend to always be performance based aswell because that's all it is about for them, just the four men and their instruments, it has a very back to basic feel which works well with this indie folk genre.

I am a fan of Mumford & Sons as a band, their music is full of emotion and has a live energetic sound but their music videos as a whole don't always show this. Mumford & Sons music videos arent ones that I would choose to watch, they don't entertain or hold my attention but I do think it still works for them because they give the impression they're just there to make music and show off their talent as a band, their instruments and lyrics not selling themselves as a product or showing their wealth. I could use some features of this video for my music video such as using acoustic instruments and the panning effect.

Narrative Based Videos have a storyline, and tend to follow that storyline throughout the whole of the video. Two Videos that use this kind of video are Rudimental "Waiting all night" and Ed Sheeran "Give Me Love"

Rudimental - Waiting All Night



This is a narrative based music video, the story is of a BMX biker who gets hit by a van early in the video, you then view the ups and down and his recovery from the perspective of a close friend with a hand held camera. After the accident at 0.31 the music starts and hats when the story begins. The drops in the music reflect the negative scenes and the upbeat chorus reflects the positive scenes. The video is very emotional and it has been edited so the tone of the music shows you how you should feel at that moment in time, as the music does in films. It is shot for a amateur camera so the shots can be out of focus but this adds to the natural feel of the video, because the video is realistic it adds to the emotion.

This is one of my favourite music video, It is extremely emotional due to the story line and the effect the music has on the shits. I think Rudimental defined conventions by not ding a music video that maybe would be expected of the genre such as club scenes and scenes of sex, alcohol n drug abuse. This video is very refreshing and I think is a very good idea for a music video because people want to watch the whole video hence them listening to the whole song.

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

This is also a narrative musics video, the song is Give me Love by Ed Sheeran. The opening scene is of a girl laying on a bed with an arrow through her neck, she looks innocent an angelic, there are also sirens and police men approaching. This is a view of the end of the music video, when the song starts the video starts from the begging and shows the young woman watch on as people fall in love, she looks extremely unhappy and discontent with life. The next scene is of her scratching at her back an then she comes to find a feather and pulls it out and then she goes on to walk around with angel wings, that are real. Ed Sheeran is show briefly but only as an extra. The story then moves on to show her sharpening her arrow and that we get the idea that she is cupid. She shoots people with her arrow so they fall in love, she watches on in ore. As the song becomes faster and has more depth she enters a club scene it all very euphoric an then she emotionally begins stabbing people with her arrow, within the beats of the song. Then it moves to opening shot we saw of her dead in the bead, the point of this scene is that she wanted to experience love so she shot herself in the neck with arrow hoping to find love, we are under the influence that she is dead but when the police arrives the arrow disappears an the first thing she see's is his face.

This video is incredibly interesting and I think all the factors in it the model used, the lightening, the depth in music make you become very drawn into the video. It is very emotional and reflects the song perfectly. I think having the narrative but only showing the artist briefly and as an extra is a very interesting concept.

Concept Based Videos tend to have no storyline, they are usually a random concept and sometimes tends to not tie in with the band or theme of the song at all. A Videos that use this kind of video is OK GO's "Here It Goes Again"

OK GO's - Here It Goes Again

This Music Video is concept based. The entirety of the video just shows the four men doing a routine on treadmills all filmed on a basic camera on a tripod. Even though this video seems simple the routine has been very well planned and could be dangerous if not done correctly. I think this video shows that the artists are very creative and aren't really worried about their image as celebrities just wanted to find a fun and creative way of promoting there video.

I really like this video I think it is very interesting an is good for a music video because it makes people want to watch.

Indie and R&B/Pop DigiPak Comparison

Comparing both of the Digipaks from two very artists, Mumford & Sons being indie/folk and Rihanna pop/R&B there are very noticeable differences.

Mumford & Sons are a very humble band, not the centre of media attention, very back to basics in terms of mostly using just there instruments and voices, there digipak shows this it is a simplistic design, shot in an area that could be in a small town, or people could relate similar buildings where they live, they are sat casually, looking relaxed and comfortable with their surroundings and each other. I like this album cover because it reflects the genre of music I like it is simplistic and not dramatic but it could be easily lost in a crowd of other music albums.

On the other hand, the Rihanna album Loud is very bold and could easily be spotted,; it shows her as the centre of attention, as she also is in the media. She is shown as an icon, someone who people want to be and look like and she isn't afraid to cross boundaries, the music in the album reflects this. It looks like it is professionally shot, in a studio, this could show her status, whereas the Mumford & Sons albums looks lie its shot just in a small town. I do like the Rihannas album it reflects her well and is good for marketing as it can be easily recognised.

Ideas I have gained through analysing these two Digipaks is definitely to focus on what the target audience would want but not too lose the reason for the Digipak, the music. Digipaks need to represent he artist well and I think the more personal the better because the people that would buy Digipaks are usually people that are big fans of the artist so they would appreciate the personal touch. The Digipak is best not too be too busy or complicated, I am looking at using an artist from the indie genre so Mumford & Sons, Ben Howard, Tom Odell those kinds of artist would be who I would take inspiration from but using elements of Rihanna's album to help with marketing better. I also would want to focus on having persuasive elements to my Digipak to help sell such as personal touches, extras and even font, colour and other features would factor into this.

R&B/Pop Artist DigiPak Analysis

The theme of colour in this digpak is red, which can represent lust or love. Rihanna as public figure is seen as a very attractive women so the front cover conveys this well. Her facial expression shows confidence, even though she isn’t showing her eyes which are usually the main features on a woman’s face but she still looks beautiful and draws attention. Her expression shows deep emotion.

The CD cover is very the opposite, it is still in the colour theme but a baby pink and the image is a rose, this represents purity and innocence , which isn’t what Rihanna is known for but this could be showing that there is another side to her that is pure and innocent.

The inside of the digipak is Rihanna laying across red roses, once again there is a colour theme of red, red roses are shown as a sign of love or lust and the music in the album represents this. The audience either love this album or think it is a step too far but her target audience of young people warm to this album because it has relationships, sex and partying which are a focal point at this age.

This was one of her most controversial albums but the album cover shows her as very dignified, sophisticated and seductive. There is not much text used but where it is it’s not the main focal point, the album name is large but isn’t in bold and neither is her name this is because she is the main focus, she is not only selling her music but herself as an icon.

Indie Artist DigiPak Analysis

This is Mumford & Sons Digipak album Sigh No More. The colours of this Digipak are calm and neutral colours; this reflects the band’s music style of being relaxed, folk and non-commercial music.

The cover is of the band standing in a shop window, they are dressed and standing casually this reflects their laid back style and the presence of instruments show that this is mostly how their music is made, just their voices and instruments, they’re not computerised. The font is traditional and simple but with flair, which again reflects their style of music.

The back cover is a picture of a window, this would be the back of the shop window, this works well because of front of the shop being on the cover. The layout of the back cover is very simplistic; they give the impression that they are a very independent, pure, small town band.

The picture inside is them sitting in a window of the same small shop/unused building. They are all very relaxed and laid back, they are all shown as the same size, so no band member is more focused or important than the other, they are an equal band but also it can show that they are still all individuals with their own talents and contributions to the band.

The left side of the inside of the Digipak features a symbol with a white background. I don’t think this is seen as wasted space but they don’t have to overfill there Digipak, that the songs will sell themselves.

The CD itself is plain and only has a small amount of text and a small symbol, the music sells itself, the band doesn't need to rely on al lot of colour or in your face patterns because they want the focus to be on the music.

Nothing about the design is design is very loud, the band rely on their own talent and what the audience would look for in them, just something simple yet beautiful that reflects their style as a band.

G324 A2 Level Advanced Production: DigiPak

DigiPak

A2 Course Analysis

This is my response to the course this year.

AS Media Critical Analysis

AS Media Critical Analysis

The AS media course lasted 10 months with two units: Creating a college and a music magazine we also had an exam on representation shown in a short clip and contemporary media technologies. 

What still holds my current interest is analysing films as watching films is something I thoroughly enjoy because of the attention to detail, story lines and graphics.I also like using a camera and looking at camera shots, this is something I find very interesting even if it isn't something that I would pursue as a career, this is due to the art side of photography and the thought that goes into each shot. 

As a whole I wasn't dissatisfied with the course, it was interesting and informative we also got to be creative which I really enjoyed, going out and taking our own pictures and testing shots instead of just simply learning in a classroom but what could've improved the course would be more information on how to get a higher grade on both the blog and in the exam, this could've helped me tailor my revision to the areas I needed to work on to get a higher grade.

Even though my ability to use Photoshop isn't advanced I think the things I learnt can be carried through into A2 and I can begin to learn more also the exam gave me a chance to see what the examiners look for and how I can improve for A2.

This subject could be a good stepping stone into the future because it opens many doors in careers such as journalism, film marketing etc. I'm aiming to have more knowledge into the world of film and the ability to use Photoshop and other programmes confidentially. Hopefully with this course I can accumulate enough UCAS points to help me towards my chosen career path, media is a much more creative subject giving me personally more opportunity to achieve a high grade. 

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I think my strengths throughout this course were that I took information in well because this is something that I find very fascinating. My weaknesses would've been that I'm not very good at relaying the information that I have learnt and being organised with my work. I will try to improve on this by working on my grammar and the way I construct sentences and paragraphs, I will do this by using sites such as BBC Bite size and other revision tools and also I will try to be more organised by doing work and homework the day it’s given and making deadlines for myself.

AS Media Blog

http://alysiaasmedia.wordpress.com/