Snippet of Music Video

Poster Analysis

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Here is the poster created to advertise Coldplays brand new recent album. The poster doesn't include an image of the band as I think that they are widely known and very popular already that just by recognising this image and the name, you should instantly associate with the band Coldplay. The cover uses the theme from the albums front cover. The image which is used shows a lot of colour and artistic collage of images and grafitti. The image could express that the band want to have fun with this album and trying to go for a different style however, still keeping their own random lyrics and tunes. The album also include their logo from the album which is also used for most of the text on the poster to keep the theme constant.The posters main purpose is the sell the album, whereas some posters are used to sell the artists. However as Coldplay are a very  popular band in a many countries, they have no need to sell themselves as they would of when they first started becoming well known.  

Digipak analysis: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

Front Cover

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros is folk/indie band from America. The front cover expresses the conventions of music genre. The photo gives a light, warm, summery feel to the album, whilst also keeping the image simplistic with a touch of artistic style. They have included an image of the band, who consist of 9 members, and the sun is positioned behind the band to give them a backlight which makes them the focus of the image.

 Back Cover

The back cover shows another simplistic photo of the band which allows all band members to be in the centre of the image however the main singer 'Edward Sharpe' to be in the forefront. 
They have used a monochrome effect to give it a vintage look and have used a italic font to go with the image and give it a unique style. The mise-en-scene of this image is similar to the front which makes the digipak consistant with the theme. The band look to be in a deserted area with the sun blazing. The visuals often represent their band image and fits with their genre of music.

 

Insert

The insert is rather different than the front and back cover. It has gone from simplistic to a more abstract look. They have used a similar style to artists such as John Lennon with the use of cartoon drawings. They have kept the colours simple and to two bold colours with keeping the drawings black and white.

Animatic

Here is my animatic for my Music video.

Props

The props that I am including in my music video includes:

Make up brush
Wall Lights
Scarf
Necklaces
Jewellry hand

Filming completed

Today I filmed my music video with success. The weather was cold, but sunny, so I was able to use the beach as I planned to. However, I was unable to film during sunset on the beach but I was able to compromise and filmed all the scenes in the whole day and now just need to get on with my editing!

Codes and Conventions of a digipak

Digipaks for artists all have a similar style and layout. To create a professional looking digipak there are codes and conventions I need to include to make a successful digipak.
There are usually 2 or 3 compartments. If the album has 2 discs, which is usually for a compilation cd or a limited edition album with a dvd, then there will be 3 compartments, for which 2 will be for the discs and the other for the booklet. (Like image above). For a 1 disc digipak there will be a compartment for the cd and and the other for the booklet and front image.
All digipaks include:

• A visual image
• The band name and album name
• Track Listing
• Basic background information about the band/artist
• Sometimes, some digipaks include reviews from critics
• Bar code and the name and logo of the music label

The conventions of a digipak are found in similar places on each digipak.

Front Cover - The front cover includes a main image of either the band/artist or a piece of artwork which relates to the album title or the band name. This is the main attraction of the cover and is designed to catch the audiences eye. Also, included is the artist name and album title. The writing is usually big and bold to make it clear whose album we are looking at.

Here is an example of Biffy Clyro's album 'Puzzle'. It is clear what the picture is based on as the image is of a guy made to look like a Jigsaw to relate to the album name. Although the text at the top isn't very big and bold the background is quite simple which, after noticing the image, makes it clear for us to see.

Inside booklet - In most (if not every) digipak, you get a mini booklet with the cd. The booklet inside usually include either lyrics to the songs or images of band/related to album songs, a page from the band itself saying their thanks to the people who helped them produce the album, inspirations and general thanks. Also included at the back in the credits of producers, directors, music labels, and writers. Included in the booklet where the songs are listed, the names of who wrote the song, who produced it, who sung it and other credits to involvment in the song.

Disc and Inside - When you open the digipak you will see the disc and the back of the booklet. The cd usually include a printed photo or words, which most digipaks just use the same image which is on the front of the album cover. Behind the cd sometimes the theme of the album cover is usually carried onto the inside of the cd.

Here you can see The Killers digipak. Behind the cd you can see there is an image which is similar to the one which is on the disc. Most cd digipaks have a similar theme rather than keeping the background plain and to make it look more interesting.

Back of album - On the back of the album, the main thing is the track listing. There is usually a list or organised way the songs which are found on the album on the back. There is the barcode which is allocated at the back, usually at the bottom of the case, as most products do. Also found in small writing on the back is the credits, which are similar to what we see in the back of the booklet. Naming the record label, who produced the album, the musical directors etc.

Here is an example from The Beatles album ' Abbey Road'. Some albums also include another image at the back which associates with the album or artist. The image is usually similar to that on the front cover.

More location images

Garden Location Images

Blackpool Beach

Blackpool Beach is the main location that I will be using for the majority of my music video. I decided to use Blackpool Beach as I live close to the area and it's the only beach I could think of which created the right setting for my music video.

Here, I have added some images of the sunset at Blackpool beach. These show the sort of setting which I am aiming to use in my video, however it may be a little bit lighter or have to be during the day for the fact the lighting may clash with the cameras resolution.

Here is the part of the beach I will be using to shoot parts of my video. I will be using this part so that I can get the Blackpool tower in the back and the lights from the amusements.

Storyboard

Here is my storyboard so far. These are my completed sheets which cover most of the song. I only have 2 more verses left to plan.

The first two sheets are both for the introduction. The first one is of the sun setting. As I will be filming during sunset, I will not have time to film the sun setting aswell. So for my first edit I have decided to use another introduction plan and if I have time maybe come back to my initial idea after my first edit.

Statistics for Radioactive

Unfortunatly, there were no available statistics for 'Radioactive' so I searched on google and came across this on last.fm. It is not as detailed as the youtube statistics as in it doesn't show what the gender of the listeners are or the age. However it does show how popular the video and song are from the middle of August. It shows that the song was most popular before the video came out officialy on 3rd October 2011. The ratings then go down until the video is officially released. The ratings then drop slowly however not completley. Over this period of time there have been a total of 5,509 listeners. Maybe more on other videos which have been created for the video.

Shooting Schedule

As I am close to finishing my storyboard and planning, I will be starting to film my video this weekend from the 18th Novemeber - 20th November.
I will be at my dads that weekend where I can use my actress and also use my designated location in Blackpool.
I have already arranged with my dad and lizzie the times and schedule of filming for this weekend.
Plan:
I will be heading down to Blackpool around 2.30ish as the sun is due to set around 4.30. This will give me enough time to set up and go through any final ideas.
However, there is a problem, as the other scenes which do no require the beach need to be filmed around the same time to get the same effect. Saturday is the only day which I will be available to film at this time and Blackpool is my first priority as the weather temperatures may drop and it may become impossible to film on the beach.
So, I have decided that I will try to film both in the dark once I get back from the beach and during the day the scenes which require me to film in the garden and I will then use the editing suite to change the effects to see whether it is possible to create the same effect without the right light and which looks best.

Analysis of my music lyrics

More analysis on the sheets still to come!

Analysis of Digipak - Mumford and Sons

Mumford And Sons - Sigh No More

Location/Effects

The location of the album is quite simple, set in a town with the image of different coloured buildings which look quite like town shops. The lighting contrast is dim which gives a vintage, alternative look so just by the cover we can guess what the genre may be. There are four men stood in the building window which we suggest are the band members. However, at first glance it seems asif they are just mannequins as the building is the dominant image. The writing is presented as a swirly but simple font which goes with the image and the genre of the band. Usually the band are the main focus on the album cover which they are however they are mainly in the dark shades of the album and the light areas are around them.

Costume/Props

The band are dressed in outfits which shows their Britishness. It also gives them a folk/indie look which establishes their genre. We realise that it is the band we are seeing as they are stood against their instruments in the window.


Back of Digipak
The back of the digipak for Mumford and Sons is quite simple. They use a simple medium shot of the window and the white wall which makes the text stand out. It's asif we are looking at the back of the building we have just seen on the front of the album. They have used a white colour which makes the window and the song list the main attraction. It is set out to look realisitc.

Storyboard

"I am close to finishing my storyboard, I have one more page to do then I need to scan them onto the computer to attach on here."

I had almost finished my storyboard, however I changed my song at the last minute. I didn't have much to change on my planning however, my storyboard had changed. I am in the process of completing it.

Analysis of Album Cover

Rizzle Kicks - Stereo Typical


The front cover is quite basic. The image is of the two artists in the duo. I think the image is suppose to just show the artists as who they are instead of trying to show a specific image or character. They are showing both their alternative and hip hop side by their costume. They are wearing white t-shirts and grey hoodies which are quite casual but adding a reversed cap on one of their heads and one with hands in his pockets. It looks asif they are representing both their genres and characters. One alternative, one hip hop.
The lighting is very bright which gives off a warm and relaxed feeling. This works quite well with the music as it is described as 'Relaxed hip hop'. There is nothing else in the picture but the two guys which attracts all the focus on the artists. Even though the artwork may not look as appealing as other albums with it being so simplistic, it also makes it more interesting. The image used is a medium shot which shows both artists casually sitting down which could connote a relaxed sense to the teenage target audience.

Codes and conventions of my genre

Music Video Genre – Indie Pop/New Wave

The Genre of the song, which I am using to create my own music video, is a combination Indie pop/New wave. It has a mix of both new wave and indie pop conventions in the music video.

New wave emerged in the mid to late 1970's. It is described as an eccentric and quirky but also catchy and pop at heart. It is a mix of Punk rock, art rock, garage rock, glam rock, pub rock, ska, funk, electronic music, bubble-gum and disco. Such popular new wave bands include Blondie, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Killers. The genre of a music video is shown through its conventions. Common characteristics in new wave include the usage of synthesizers and electronic productions. The typical instruments of a new wave band include Electric Guitar, bass guitar, drums, synthesisers, and sometimes auto tune on the vocals. Such sounds can be heard in a lot of 80's pop music such as Pet Shop Boys and The Eurhythmics. Another convention identified for new wave is the video effects. In many music videos, the songs which were new wave used many brightly coloured and eccentric effects similar to that in Rihanna's music video 'Rudeboy'. In her video she uses a lot of neon bright effects which gives off a club effect. For the setting, a lot of new wave music videos are set in a studio because of the huge usage of effects. If the artist needed a scene behind them they could add this on through using a green screen, if not actually shooting outside.

Looking at Duran Duran’s music video for ‘Rio’, I am aware of the new wave conventions already at the beginning of the song. There is a use of bright colours throughout the video and special effect which were highly popular in the 80’s. I can hear the use of synthesisers at the beginning of the song.

Indie pop has a variety of definitions. The most obvious would be that it is a genre of music for bands who are on individual labels but yet are very popular, however maybe not so popular in the same way as mainstream pop artists (“The mainstream of underground media.”) such as Arcade Fire, Paramore, Bat For Lashes, City and Colour and Ellie Goulding. They are the artists which are widely popular but are not always landing a strong place on the main UK top 40 charts unlike as Tinie Tempah and Adele. Another definition is that indie pop is a sub-genre of alternative/indie rock music, which includes music that is lighter and less depressing than most indie rock. It is usually the music which the commercial radio people will end up buying after hearing it a few times, because of its first-listen appeal.

The conventions of an indie-pop music video are shown through the lighting and effects. In most indie pop videos the effects used are mainly monochrome and sepia to create a vintage type of effect. If not there are no specific effects to the video just a little more brightness to make it seem less realistic and more dream looking. Some videos use a montage of shots from scenes which together suggest a collection of memories. In the videos they use a lot of long and close up shots of the artists and use many pan shots to show the setting. The use of close up shots creates focus on the artist and to attract the attention of the audience. From looking at examples, I have seen a big use of tracking shots as in a lot of indie pop music videos, there is a story used and the artist is moving around a lot. Costume colours are a big convention for indie pop as the colours are usual neutral and white rather than bright colours. 

Audience research analysis

Looking at the poll's I created to find out what the preferences were for a music video and what the target audience would be, I have recieved quite a big amount of responses.

'What type of music video do you prefer?'

Narrative - 27%
Animation - 27%
Abstract - 9%
Performance - 36%

The majority of people said they prefer a performance based music video. This is a good result as it puts more attentions on the performer. Narrative and Animation recieved the same results.

'What is your age?'

10 - 15 = 20%
16-19 = 40%
20- 30 = 10%
31+ = 30%

The results show the mode age which have answered are between 16-19. This is good because they are the age group which artists target their music at as they are more likely to purchase it. Also they are able to create variety of music videos which apply to the audience.

'What is your favourite genre of music?'

RnB - 0%
Pop - 40%
Rock - 30%
Alternative - 30%
Indie - 0%
Old rock - 0%

These results show me that the genre which is most popular are those which would be found in the charts. There are no results for rnb, indie or old rock. This shows they are not as popular as the other three which i need to consider when creating my music video.

'What gender are you?'

Male - 20%
Female - 80%

The majority of people who answered were female. This tells me that more females are interested about what goes into the music video rather that males. My artist is female which is benefits as the majority of people who answered were female. My music video will appeal to my audience.

More planning and Ideas.

Lights
I was researching a few music videos to get ideas to adapt for my video to show radioactive.
Here is an image from Florence and the machine video 'Cosmic Love'. She is seen in a mirrored boxed room with lights surrounding her. I really liked the idea of using lights in my music video. My ideas are for lizzie to be either Lizzie could be laid on lights, wrapped with lights or surrounded by lights.

Storyboard

I am currently working on my storyboard and finalising my ideas for my music video. I started by timing the lines and verse's of the song in order to time the length of each shot. On my storyboard, I am writing down the different types of shots, drawing the mise-en-scene and writing the actions.

Cast + Location

The person who will be casting in my music video, is my step-sister Lizzie Simpson. I chose Lizzie as she is my step-sister which mean she is reliable and is willing to take part, and also she lives with me at the weekends and during holidays which means she is readily available if I need any last minute ideas to shoot or any problems. Lizzie also has experience with acting so I believe she will do a great job in acting as the singer in my music video.
As Lizzie lives with me in Blackburn, I decided I wanted to use Blackpool's beach for my video. By using Lizzie, this means I can easily go to the beach to film with her at any time. I have easy access to the beach as it is a short drive down the road.

Diana Vickers - My Wicked Heart - Textual Analysis

Diana Vickers - My Wicked Heart

This song as co-written and co-prouced by British singer/songwriter Diana Vickers.

Diana Vickers is a Indie pop artist similar to the artist which I am using for my music video. Diana is known for winning the UK show The X Factor. This song is about becoming infatuated with someone for months and months, and wanting something you can't have – either because they're in a relationship or you're in a relationship.

The video starts off with dark silhouettes of Diana stood on a podium surrounded by 4 drummers similar to marching band drummers. As Diana starts to sing, the camera uses a close up of her face where we see her mouth lit by a spotlight only brightening her lips. The camera then changes back to a slowly zoomed in shot of the silhouettes. Then we get a dimmed lit shot of the singers face moving her finger to her lips whilst she says 'Hush Hush'.

The lack of light at the beginning could suggest quietness and as she repeats 'Hush Hush secret' the darkness can suggest secrecy by not giving the audience full view.

In one of Diana's scenes she is seen in a cage dressed as a tiger. We see some intertextual references of some of the moves and the whole cage scenario which is similar to that in Shakira's 'She Wolf' music video. Th cage scene could suggest that she is be stopped from being free. She cannot have a relationship with the person she likes because he is out of bounds.

The theme for this music video is based around circus. The song was said to be about wanting someone you cannot have. The circus theme could be a way of showing you want to be in control and get your own way but can't so the show must go on.

The outfit seen here on Diana is similar to Liza Minelli in 'Cabaret'.In Cabaret, Liza's character is portrayed as a bit of a big flirt and works in the entertainment business and comes across as not a care in the world but is really looking for her perfect rich man but never seems to find him. This is similar to Diana's song by wanting someone but having little chance of getting what you want.

Textual Analysis - Lady Gaga

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is an American recording artist and the song ‘Bad Romance’ was released in 2009, the first single on her album ‘The Fame Monster’. The album is said to have a etymology throughout the song about the different monsters such as ‘Bad Romance’ is the fear of love monster, and the song ‘Speechless’ is the fear of death monster. The music video was directed by Francis Lawrence, a film director.

The music video for bad romance is primarily concept based as there is a hidden message behind all of Lady Gaga’s performances. There is a plot surrounding the Russian Mafia, drugs, health and a brothel. However, when you watch the video, it is hard to recognise the codes and conventions which explain the plot without having to look it up. Also, the synopsis of the song is close to the dark side of the music industry which is hard to recognise in the video. The music video is mainly performance based with Lady Gaga dancing, singing and acting as a victim. 
The relationship in this song is mainly between the visuals and the synopsis. Without knowing the synopsis it would be hard to relate the song with the visuals. However, there are some references in the video which shows a direct link. Such as at the beginning when Lady Gaga sings “I want your drama, the touch of your hand, it shows a close up shot of her stroking her leg. Also, when she sings “I want your psycho, your vertigo stick”, she mimics a stick in her hands in her dance routine. 

Camera and Editing

The video takes place in a fluorescent white bath house. The video begins with lady gaga sitting on a white throne in a brightly lit room. Throughout the video, Gaga puts on a sexual display through the use of confrontational dancing, minimal clothing and scenes on partial nudity. The use of minimal clothing links directly the synopsis of the video. This is shown for the part of the song about a brothel. This music video can be seen as a piece of exhibitionism as Gaga is an artist who is not bothered about being exploited and putting across her opinion in her own ways. When Gaga begins to sing, we see a mid-shot and over the shoulder shot of Gaga looking into a mirror. This introduces the artist to the audience. This uses a low angle shot which doesn't show us the supermodels faces as they are standing up however Gaga is seen sat down. This could imply that she is more superior than the others. 
Then we see a high angle shot of Lady Gaga looking helpless and weak. She has a minimal amount of make up on as to her usual look, which represents that she is lifeless and the audience should feel sorry for her. When the chanting starts, there is a use of high angle shots of Lady Gaga surrounded by dancers. This represents that she is surrounded by evil as the low shots show the audience the dancers towering over her. We then see an over the shoulder shot of Lady Gaga from the Russian Mafia's view. It then cuts to an extreme close up of a vodka bottle which shows the importance of it in the video.
It then cuts to another scene of Gaga surrounded by the Mafia, however this time it doesn't look as if she is surrounded by evil. The camera uses a low angle shot panning around her as if to show she is powerful and in control. The camera cuts back and forth from Gaga to the Mafia men and her dancing. The quick jump shots show the fast pace of the song. The song then finished with a high angle shot of Gaga lying down on the burned bed as the camera zooms out.

Lighting
There is a high usage of lighting in this video. The cameras emphasise on the lighting which focuses on Lady Gaga to make her the centre of attention in the video. In the beginning of the video, there is a shot of a bright light which looks like the sun. This represents a new beginning of something in the video. The light then shines through to show the pods and the setting. The spotlights pan around the room to show the peculiar objects used in the video. It looks as if a door has been opened to reveal the light.
The lighting varies throughout the video but seems to get brighter towards the end of the video. As Gaga is in the bath, the lighting is high but when we see her in the mirror the lighting is low. The lighting tends to be brighter when Gaga is seen as being more dominant and powerful. 

Colour
There is a huge use of white throughout the video. This is used to make lady gaga, the people and objects in the room the centre of attention. As the lighting gets brighter the colours get bolder which emphasises the importance of Lady Gaga. There is also a lot of use of silver and diamonds which represents wealth and sophistication.

Analysis of my song's origional music video

Marina and The Diamonds - Radioactive

Marina and the Diamonds (or Marina Diamandis) is a Welsh singer/songwriter. Her main music labels are Neon Gold, 679 and Chop Shop. 679 is a Warner group owned label, Chop Shop is an Atlantic (also owned by Warner) owned label and Neon Gold is an New York/London based independant label. Marina's music genre has been described as New Wave/Indie Pop. However, this new single has moved over slightly to the Dance/Club beat genre but still keeping her original signature voice.

  

This song is based on the theme of Love. The song describes her love being 'Radioactive' which means that

The video starts off with a medium close up of Marina walking through a desert setting. We see the back of Marina and a long shot of the scene which is of a desert, mountains and sky. It then changes to a shot of Marina, using a pan only moving around a little and then closes into her. The next shot shows us a high angle of Marina sat on a bed and the same camera movement is used from the previous shot. We then see a low angle shot of Marina spinning around with the sun in the background. The camera style used throughout the video is a unsteady camera. This could be used to give the effect of it being a self filmed video of what the song is about.

The beginning of the song shows Marina as herself, then the rest of the video shows her characters who she names 'Electra Heart'. By creating her own character/alter-ego allows her to create a narrative in her videos. Her previous single 'Fear and Loathing' is meant to be the beginning of her character and 'Radioactive' is the sequel.

In the description, the video is known as 'Electra Heart: the beginning'

I think the target audience for this music video is for people who listen to mainstream music. She has tried to add the mainstream style into her songs to attract a wider audience. Mainstream audiences ages range from 13-25.

It is quite easy to notice the codes and conventions of the genre in this music video. Marina, known for her wild style, has used a variety of bright and couregous outfits.

Beyonce - Countdown - Textual Analysis

Beyonce - Countdown

This new song 'Countdown' is sung and co written by Beyonce Knowles. Beyonce, known for the start of her career in the trio 'Destiny's Child', is and American RnB artist, actress and fashion designer. Her record label is Columbia, owned by one of the biggest record labels, Sony Music Entertainment. 'Countdown' is the 3rd released single from her album '4'.
The video opens with a close shot of Beyonce's face, where we see the first intertextual reference with her similar make-up to, the English model, Twiggy. The video then uses medium shots of Beyonce moving her arms like a clock and wearing a black jumpsuit. Here shows a second intertextual reference to 1957 film Funny Face which stars Audrey Hepburn. This follows with Beyonce dressed similar to Audrey Hepburn's character. Beyonce also uses similar dances poses/moves to those in the movie. Those shots are cut by a variety of brightly coloured bathing suits and a black-and-white hat similar to Vogue photoshoots, set against a constantly changing background of colours. The clip cuts quickly from the bathing suit sequence to shots of Beyonce in an audition space similar to the 1980 film Fame.The sequence features moves by Beyonce and her backing dancers, who snap their fingers with the beat, which is a textual reference to 1961 musical West Side Story. In another part of the video, Beyonce re-enacts her own character, from 'Dreamgirls' as well as the real person herself, she is dressed similar to Diana Ross in a short bob haircut and a gold sequin dress.

Beyonce is dressed up in dance gear and a haircut similar to Irene Cara in the movie 'Fame'.

The song features a snippet from an original Boyz II Men song 'Uhh Ahh'. When the shots of Beyonce counting down like a clock, the backing music where you hear the countdown is from the Boyz II Men Song.

Throughout the song, Beyonce sings with a sassy attitude which is used to create a futuristic tone. She seems to be represented as a female protagonist delivering her message of ten years of her life, which are still as strong as at the beginning, to her love. Beyonce re-enacts a series of iconic pop images in the video but the video and song is mainly reflecting on the new phase in her life and all her happiness she is feeling. Beyonce recently struck the news that she is pregnant and in the video we see shots of her rubbing her baby bump and her showing off her bump. The song is about her 'love' which would apply to Jay-Z and Beyonce makes it very clear in her lyrics what she is saying and who to. 


"My baby is at ten / We dressing to the nine / He pick me up at eight / Make me feel so lucky seven / He kiss me in his six / We be making love in five / Still the one I do this for / I'm trying to make a three / From that two / He still the one"

my baby is a 10 = perfect 10 in looks
We dressin through the nines  (old expression) = means you dress really well
Pick me up we 8 = they went out and ate
Makes me feel so lucky 7 = 7 is a lucky number
He kiss me in his 6= (Jay-Z always rapps about mercedes benz in his songs) a type of car
We be makin love in 5 = we will make love in 5 minutes
Still the one i do this 4 = still in love and do anything for
I'm tryinna make us 3 = trying to create a family/baby
from that 2 = from her and Jay-Z

He still the 1= Jay-Z is still her number 1 guy. Showing her love to him.

Image Inspiration

This image is of Demi Lovato from her new music video 'Skyscraper'. This image is part of my inspiration for my music video with her costume. She is wearing something similar to what I want to dress my artist up in. It is white and flowing which has an easy going, free look about it.

Here is a image of Selena Gomez in her video 'Who Says'. She is also walking by a beach during sunset. I didn't find this image until after I thought of my ideas and I thought it was a great help for my image for my own video.

Video Ideas

For the planning of my music video, I have been researching other videos and images to get inspiration and ideas to use for the setting, props, themes and other mis-en-scene for my own video. The track I am using is quite an easy going, dance track with big beats. The song is basically a love song about how someone's love interests effects them in both good ways and bad ways. I had a listen to the song over and over to see what ideas came into my head, and from other videos I had seen, in which I could possibly use for my video. The first idea which came to mind was, as it was quite a easy listening song, to use a beach setting. My artist could be dancing along the beach, during the sunset (if possible) and express that she is feeling very content and free.

I thought of the idea of using a beach during sunset would fit with the name and genre of the song 'Radioactive', and the colours which the sunset creates are bright such as the colours in the image.

Another idea is to dress my performer in draped dress/clothing to fit with the beach theme. Using a costume such as this will give the light, relaxed and easy feeling in the video, as well as looking quite summery.

Radioactive - Marina and the DIamonds

Lying on a fake beach,
You'll never get a tan.
Baby, I'm gonna leave you drowning,
Until you reach for my hand.

In the night your heart is full
And by the morning empty.
But baby, I'm the one who left you,
You're not the one who left me.

When you're around me I'm radioactive.
My blood is burning, radioactive.
I'm turning radioactive.
My blood is radioactive.

My heart is nuclear.
Love is all that I fear.
I'm turning radioactive.
My blood is radioactive.

Waiting for the nightfall,
For my heart to light up.
Oh baby, I want you to die for,
For you to die for my love.

In the night your heart is full
And by the morning empty.
But baby, I'm the one who left you,
You're not the one who left me.

When you're around me I'm radioactive.
My blood is burning, radioactive.
I'm turning radioactive.
My blood is radioactive.

My heart is nuclear.
Love is all that I fear.
Ready to be let down.
And now I'm heading for a meltdown.

Tonight I feel like neon gold.
I take one look at you and I grow cold.
And I grow cold.
And I grow cold.

When you're around me I'm radioactive.
My blood is burning, radioactive.
I'm turning radioactive.
My blood is radioactive.

[X2]
My heart is nuclear.
Love is all that I fear.
Ready to be let down.
And now I'm heading for a meltdown.

History Of Music Videos

Music videos are created with the general focus on the artist, rather than the song, in order to promote the artist. Music videos have given artists the chance to impress and attract their audience, not just with their vocal talent but with their performance. The first introduction to music videos was produced by George Thomas in 1894. It was created by using a magic lantern to project a series of still images onto a screen simultaneous to live performances. This was known as the 'Illustrated Song'. 

In 1926, many short musical films were produced called Vitaphone Shorts. These were first created by Warner Brothers. They featured many bands, vocalists and dancers. Shorts were typically 6 minutes in duration and featured animations and backgrounds combined with film of the performer singing.

In the late 50's/early 60's many artists began to promote themselves using the medium of film. Using the soundtrack from their new album in a motion picture film such as a Hollywood musicals. A well known example of this is Elvis Presley. Elvis starred in films such as Jailhouse Rock and Loving You in which a large portion of the film had him singing his own hit songs. Although Elvis was not known for his acting ability, he was able to please the audience with his singing and thus promote his rock star image, which in turn sold more records. Other big artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan started creating such movies to promote their music and create a higher status for themselves. The Beatles hit films were A Hard Day's Night, Help and The Magical Mystery Tour.

In 'Help', The Beatles portrayed themselves in the movie, but still having a script to keep to. This film took them a step forward from their previous film 'Hard Days Night' because it was their first film in colour. In the film the director uses a lot of close ups of the band to show that they are the main focus of the film and to make the audience feel active and part of the action.

In 1964, TV introduced Top Of The Pops which allowed artists to perform their songs to a live audience. It was created by BBC producer Johnnie Stewart. He created the rule that the show should always end with a number 1 hit. Top of the Pops was known for the artists to be miming a lot of their songs, but the aim of the show was to promote the artist and sell their song rather than have them always singing live. In the later years of the show, more and more music videos were shown instead of live performances.

Bob Dylan also created a music video for his song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' , directed by D.A Pennebaker, which features at the beginning of his movie 'Don't Look Back' which was a documentary of his tour. The video uses a fixed camera shot of him standing in front of an alley way with scaffolding in the background whilst he holds up cards with the lyrics of the song written on them. As the words are being sung, he holds the card towards the camera and then throws it away as the next line approaches. The lyrics of this song sends a message of rebelling against society and changing the rules of the previous generation by challenging the values and systems of parents.

All music videos have a genre, codes and conventions. A code is an individual action or sign which we understand to represent something e.g., at the end of the news the presenters shuffle their papers which we recognise as code for the end of the show even though this might not be their intention. We recognise the codes by what is being presented to us in the music video. For example, in the video Radio Ga Ga by Queen, the lyrics are talking about how good radio is and how we would miss it now that video has taken over the airwaves. To show this in the video, the band have recreated a World War 2 feel to the video. They have used film images from world war 2 and recreated scenes with a 1930/40's family. This then tells the viewer that the video is set in the past. If the viewer already has knowledge of WW2, they will instantly realise what the video is showing rather than being told. This is a code in this the music video. Another example would be in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' music video. In the video, we see zombies, werewolves and graveyards. These automatically tell us that it is a horror video.

While animated images to music have been made all through film history, the animated music video did not enter until the mid 1980s with big hits like Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel and Take on Me by A-ha and Leave Me Alone - Michael Jackson. Take on me uses comic book animation in the video. It's a love story between and ordinary working class girl and her successful dream to be the lead singer Morten Harket's lover. Its a traditional narrative music video and the combination of live action and animation shows the contrast between the reality of the video and the dream. The realistic animated pencil drawing were amazing visuals which audiences had rarely seen before.

Peter Gabriel uses stop motion animation in his hit music video Sledgehammer. This animation technique is to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on it's own. The object is moved slightly between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the frames are put together and played as a continuous sequence. Peter Gabriel's video for Sledgehammer to 6 months to create as it uses so much stop motion animation. The video also uses Pixilation which is another stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame by frame subject in a video. They use a pose for one or other frames then change it slightly for the next frame to create a movement similar to a living puppet. This video was directed by Stephen R. Johnson, Adam Whittaker and at some points by the director of Wallace and Gromit, Nick park.

Taking a huge leap from animated videos, in the 1998 a new band was formed called 'Gorillaz' . Not only are the music video animated but the band characters are animated. The band are made up of 4 animated members 2D, Noodle, Russell and Murdoc. The band try to include their animated selves in everything rather than their human selves. Their fictional universe is explored through the band's website and music videos, as well as a number of other media, such as short cartoons. 
MTV was one of the first creators to take advantage of the power of music videos. Since 1981, MTV started broadcasting in  the USA. 'Video Killed The Radio Star' by The Buggles was the first music video aired on MTV. From then on, MTV became one of the most highly controversial shows. Some saw it as a new era in the music industry, however, some saw it as the end to true musical talent. Music video aims to deliver the song or give meaning to the song. It helps listeners relate to the song and feel that the song was written for them. However, over the past few years several music videos have caused huge controversy for showing offensive or graphic content. Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' video was apparently banned by MTV because of the explicit content featured in the video. Other music video such as 'S&M' by Rihanna, Robbie William - 'Rock DJ' and 'Like A Prayer' by Madonna have also been banned in several places for it offensive content.

In the present day, the music video has become as important as the song itself .Collections of music videos are being sold on DVDs. Some people even buy them to just watch the video and not listen to the song.
In conclusion, although viewers see music videos to be a form of entertainment, the music video is still only just a work of business used in order to sell the song. However, music videos have become an important part of the music industry. Creating these videos gives the artist an option to promote their song on TV as well as radio.

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album to include a music promo video, together with a magazine advertisement and a cover of a digipak.


-To assess your ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.
-Toassess your application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meanings and responses for an audience are created.
- To assess your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research.


I will be creating a music video for the song of my choice using my own material and ideas, without copying any of the origional footage.