Response- Music Video Questionnaire

To decide what theme we should do for our project we created a questionnaire to ask people their individual opinions. I therefore asked 20 people and below is one of the actual answers that was gained from a student- George James as well as the responses from the 20 people.

1. What genre of music do you prefer?

Pop

Rap/ Hip-Hop

RNB

Dance

Grunge

Rock

Country

Other (Please State)

6 people- Pop

8 people- Grunge

3 people- Rap/ Hip-Hop

2 people- Dance

1 person- country

2. What are your three favourite music videos of the genre you have chosen?

Drake- HYFR

Frank Ocean- Swim good

Eminem- Spacebound

3. What do you associate with the genre you have chosen?

"The music tends to be very intimidating and sometimes includes gangs of people"

Pop- happy, cities, bright colours

Grunge- streets, black clothes, abandoned homes

Rap/Hip-hop- streets, cars, houses

Dance- city, dance studio, clubs, dressed up

Country- farmers, blonde girl, animals, countryside, happy

4. What colour schemes do you expect to see in the text of the genre chosen?

Monochrome- sometimes pop of colour

Pop- Bright colours; reds, yellows, white- all colours

Grunge- Black

Rap/Hip-hop- black, white, grey or could be bright colours as well

Dance- All colours

Country- Browns and pastel colours 

5. What attracts you to a music video of the genre you have chosen?

Singer, song, meaning of the video

Grunge- Singer, song

Rap/Hip-hop- Singer, song

Dance- The advertising

Country- The meaning of the song

6. What type of music video do you like and why?

Performance

Narrative

Animated

George likes a video which is sang by the artist but has some narrative in it to understand the song.

16 people said both

3 people said narrative

1 person said animated

7. Where would you watch a music video?

TV or the internet on music websites such as Youtube

 All 20 people said they would watch mv online as well as on television.

8. How many people should be in a music video?

"I woul prefer five the max as main, can have as many extras as want"

8 people said 1-2 

7 people said 1-5

3 people said 1 person

2 people said +5

9. Which of these songs would you like to see a music video for and why?

Frank Ocean- We all try

Birdy- Skinny Love

Beyonce- Ave Maria

The Pretty Reckless- You

The Weekend- The Fall

I like this artist's music.
3 people said Frank Ocean
3 people said Birdy
6 people said Beyonce
8 people said The Pretty Reckless
0 people siad The Weeknd


10. Other notes

N/A
N/A


Author: Kiran Paul

Music Video Questionnaire

1. What genre of music do you prefer?

Pop

Rap/ Hip-Hop

RNB

Dance

Grunge

Rock

Country

Other (Please State)

2. What are your three favourite music videos of the genre you have chosen?

___________________________________________________

3. What do you associate with the genre you have chosen?

____________________________________________________

4. What colour schemes do you expect to see in the text of the genre chosen?

____________________________________________________

5. What attracts you to a music video of the genre you have chosen?

____________________________________________________

6. What type of music video do you like and why?

Performance

Narrative

Animated

____________________________________________________

7. Where would you watch a music video?

____________________________________________________

8.What props are linked with the music video of the genre you have chosen?

____________________________________________________

9. How many people should be in a music video?

____________________________________________________

10. Which of these songs would you like to see a music video for and why?

Frank Ocean- We all try

Birdy- Skinny Love

Beyonce- Ave Maria

The Pretty Reckless- You

The Weekend- The Fall

____________________________________________________

Author: Kiran Paul

Response- Documentary Questionnaire

To decide what theme we should do for our project we created a questionnaire to ask people their individual opinions. I therefore asked 20 people and below is one of the actual answers that was gained from a student- Charlotte Evans.

1.What genre of documentaries do you prefer?

Reality

15 people chose Reality

3 people chose Criminal

2 people chose Social

2. What is your favourite documentary of this genre?

Keeping up with the Kardashians or TOWIE

The most popular was TOWIE.

3. What do you associate with this genre you have chosen?

Funny, entertaining and drama!

Majority of the 20 people said humour and drama.

4. What colour schemes do you expect to see in the text of the genre chosen?

Reds, pinks, whites and oranges- they are girly programmes.

10 people said  girly colours like reds and pinks

7 people said whites, blacks with a bright colour

2 people said blues

1 person said grey

5. What music do you expect to hear in the documentary in the genre chosen?

Pop

All 20 people said Pop

6. What attracts you to a documentary?

Advertising and people involved

17 people said adversting

2 people said actors

1 person said storyline

7. Who do you tend to see in a documentary? (of genre chosen)

For a reality documentary you would see celebs or people who are interesting

All 20 people said celebrities

8. Where would see you a documentary?

On tv- Channel 4 the most

16 people said channel 4

3 people said bbc

1 person said online

9. What props are linked with the genre you have chosen?

Everyday stuff- tends to be in real places

 All 20 people said anything that is in the location. Real life places.

10. Other notes/ views

N/A

11. Which of these topics would you like to see a documentary on?

Binge drinking in Tamworth

Teenage pregnancy in Tamworth

Obesity in Tamworth

Crime in Tamworth

13 people said Binge drinking

2 people said teenage pregnancy

3 people said obesity 

2 people said crime

Author: Kiran Paul

Documentary Questionnaire

1.What genre of documentaries do you prefer?

Reality

Criminal

Social

Other (Please State)

2. What is your favourite documentary of this genre?

____________________________________________________

3. What do you associate with this genre you have chosen?

____________________________________________________

4. What colour schemes do you expect to see in the text of the genre chosen?

_____________________________________________________

5. What music do you expect to hear in the documentary in the genre chosen?

_____________________________________________________

6. What attracts you to a documentary?

______________________________________________________

7. Who do you tend to see in a documentary?

______________________________________________________

8. Where would you a documentary?

______________________________________________________

9. What props are linked with the genre you have chosen?

______________________________________________________

10. Other notes/ views

______________________________________________________

11. Which of these topics would you like to see a documentary on?

Binge drinking in Tamworth

Teenage pregnancy in Tamworth

Obesity in Tamworth

Crime in Tamworth

Author: Kiran Paul

Music Video Ideas

I have chose five ideas of music videos that I could do once I have chosen my partner, they are all of different genres so that we could do something to both of our music tastes. Below is the five ideas with a brief initial description.

Idea 1- We all Try- Frank Ocean

• Starts with signer walking through forest


• Flash of slow dancers (ballet)


• Walking down street and flat

Idea 2- Skinny Love- Birdy

• Dancers like ballet


• Girl walking in cold weather


• Plays piano

Idea 3- Ave Maria- Beyonce

• One ballet dancer


• Sings as if on stage


• Simple

Idea 4- The Pretty Reckless- You

• Single girl
• Reminicises about ex-boyfriend
• Flasbacks/ Reflections

Idea 5- The Fall- The Weeknd

• Animation so not people, technical


• Dancers like ballet


• Main person- boy

Author: Kiran Paul

Documentaries Ideas

Idea 1- Tamworth Pregnancy

• Opening fact to get interested
• Interview with pregnant teenagers, hospital and schools
• Questions such as why and what can be done

Idea 2- Crime Rates in Tamworth

• Looks like quiet and small but has very high crime rate
• Interview with victims family and gangs
• Interview with council to see what can be solved

Idea 3- Obesity in Tamworth

• All fast food shops shown and introduction
• Facts
• Interview with hospital and council to see what we can do.

Idea 4- Binge Drinking in Tamworth

• Outside clubs and parks
• Age
• Why they do it
• Council- how to solve the problem

Author: Kiran Paul

Game Adverts- Mass Effect 3

-Length: 37 seconds long

-Country Origin: Britain

The game trailer starts with a medium close up of a young animated girl who seems frightened. It then changes to a head on shot and it emphasises her stereotypical red riding, goldilocks look. She is a Caucasian,

blonde hair and blue eyed girl who comes across as innocent and honest through her looks such as the plaited pigtails.

The text of the 'not game footage' declares that is not from the actual game otherwise it is false advertising. If it is from the actual footage no text will be shown. The dark background and dull lighting adds to the eerie atmosphere.

An extreme close up framing is used to show the reflection in the girls eye to show the claw which adds to the suspense of something is going to happen. This shows something evil and sinister is going to happen.

A diegetic mechanical sound is heard by the girl and this sounds attracts attention.

A point of view shot of the claw is then show from the young girls' perspective. This shot implies something has arrived on earth and she turns to find it behind her. The game follows the codes and conventions of a standard film making as there is a range of shots and they flow continuously.

The sunflower trees around the claw is blacked out

which imply that the eclipse is covering the sun.

A fade to black then occurs. This tends to suggest a shift in time, transition or distance.

Rapid cuts of significant landmarks are being destroyed by the aliens taking over such as the Big Ben. There is a battle between human and alien species which is a classic sci-fy theme. The aliens are all in silver metal and there is a clear

difference between both groups.

A black screen appears with bold white writing of a gaming specialist rating the game. Eurogamier.net rates the film as 10/10 and says it is "breathtaking", this is additional marketing. IGN also rates the game as 9.5/10 and comments "absolutely amazing". Having ratings in a trailer is similar to a film advert therefore it follows the similar conventions. Xbox 360 say "the action is fantastic" giving a score of 10/10.

A match on action edit is used, showing the slow motion sky battle.

An background image of the earth shattered and dark is shown with the titles of "Take Earth Back". This tells the audience that the aliens are on Earth and you need to help the humans get it back and save the world. This taps into the stereotypical male fantasy. An action hero, the alpha male who is popular and the nerdy game geek can play this game and be that person, it is a fantasy.

A voice over is then used to say the film title and "out now". This voice is a male with a deep voice the normal convention.

It is a Xbox 360 promo so may be the reason why the score was high.

The age classification of 15 is shown in the bottom right corner; a BBFC logo.

Author: Kiran Paul

Short Film- This is the Life

Camera Angles:

• Extreme long shot; when the boy gets into the car with his father
• Close up; dad and son; dad crying showing emotion, relationship bond
• Over the Shoulder; when driving shows the emotion and reaction
• Shot reverse shot; when son and mom talking about dad leaving room. Mom talks to son, he does not say anything, keeps feelings hidden.

Editing:

• Seamless editing

M.E.S:

• Location; run down home, shows normal family. Implicit hint.
• Costume/ props; trolly, casual look, boy; school clothing. Trolly sound is lound, then quiet then loud when music gets quieter.
• Lighting; natural which is dark and miserable. When everything gets happy weather gets better. Dean not interested; mood and atmosphere.

Sound:

• Music; When trolling being pushed and when family bowling; happiness, no care and free.
• Tv Noise; ambient, diegetic; normal family life, homely atmosphere

Characters:

Dean

• Seems to be very quiet when his dad is around
• Does not show his emotions that well
• Distances himself from everyone in the family

Dad

• Tries to make a better relationship with his son
• Very sad, must have been gone from home a long time
• Was in prison; pleads guilty but is innocent, just wants life back

Mum

• Mom and dad argue later on
• She is not in last scene
• Not affectionate to her children

Daughter

• Teenager
• Gets on with brother
• She seems closer to her dad compared to brother
• Mother role

What Happens:

Beginning

• School day
• Dad is coming home
• After school dad is home, son does not give affection maybe because he has not seen him in a long time
• Dad makes effort

Middle

• Argument between mother and father, son and daughter comfort each other
• Issue solved but we don't see
• Go bowling all family there and happy

End

• Talking to police offer
• Pleads guilty because wants life back
• Does not show what happens however it ends with the two children and father playing boxing so hints that he must get freedom.

Overall Critical View and Personal Opinion

The short film was very good in many ways both technical and narrative. A range of camera angles and shots were used to show the characters different expressions

and emotions, the music was appropriate and it was not overused, the location suited both the characters and the storyline. Moreover the characters were of different ages and were all very good at acting, which added quality to the video. However one critical opinion I could give is the music used when bowling could have been a bit more joyful.

Author: Kiran Paul

Analysing Music Videos

To gain a more broader knowledge on music videos we were given a task to analyse 3 music videos in two genres. I decided to choose the genre I listen to and then another to get different results on the video. I have analysed the videos which consist of if the video is a narrative, what performance style is it, the casting/ characters, mise-en-scene, animation/ technology, editing in images and sound and camera work.

Drake- Over

This music video is not a narrative, it is a performance clip. In the video there is one main singer, one female dancer and one female actress who is seen in snippets. The music video is filmed in a bedroom and in a room where there is just lighting. These two places seem as if it is a studio due to the artificial lighting, and the background of the room as it is just a black background. The lighting is dull and there is only lamps on. The people involved in the filming are wearing casual clothing and the main person changes a various times, at one point he is wearing all white, another with just a red jacket and another couple of shots with a zip up on, he changes to make it more interesting and to emphasise the shots are different.

Camera angles and effects used in the filming include:

• Body silhouette which have images inside
• Moving images on the wall
• Lyrics on the black screen
• Montage of images
• Dissolves
• Focus pull
• Reflection

A range of framework is used such as close ups and medium long shots. Different camera angles are also used to make the video more interesting and not the same throughout, this is done through the use of side shots, establishing shots and forward tracking.

Frank Ocean- Swim Good
This music video is also a performance clip however it is a narrative clip unlike the video above. There is only two people in this video; the singer and short clips of female; who is a lover. The video is set in real life as it is outdoors by an ocean and there is so much detail that it would be too hard to fake as well as the outdoors the singer is driving and then there are shots of a room with a girl. The lighting seems real and artificial because firstly it is outdoors and then it has an off peak colour which seems fake. The singer in the video is wearing a dark orange cloak and holds a samurai sword as a prop. There is titles on the screen which are used to state the title of the song, the artist and the record label.
Camera angles and effects used in the filming include:

• Car blowing up
• Slow motion water
• Montage of snippets
• Blackouts
• Cutaways
• Close ups
• Vertical tracking
• Zoom in
• Point of view
• Forward tracking
• Establishing shots
• Side shots
• Long shots
• High angles.

These range of camera views make the video more advanced and makes the audience want to watch the video as it is different and more interesting. As well as a variety of camera angles, different framing was used such as the extreme close up and zooms in.

Kid Cudi- Pursuit of Happiness
This music video is narrative in some way but is also a performance clip. There is a main singer and friend whom sings a little as well as people drinking and dancing. This video is different to the two above as they have one- three people whereas this video has many more. The video could be set in a real life club as there is no point doing it in a studio as the detail is too vivid and it would make it look more realistic. The lighting is natural however as a club tends to be dark artificial lighting was used to see the action clearly. Props include alcohol and celebratery items and the actors are dressed up mainly in black as if they were on a night out. Many effects were used such as the sparks in the background, the blurred shots implying drunkness, the slow motion which emphasises the action taking place. The range of camera angles and effects are the codes and conventions of a music video as they have to fit the song and make it more appealing to watch.
Camera angles and effects used in the filming include:

• Cutaways to another shot
• Montage
• Focus pulls
• Pans
• Close ups
• Establishing shot
• Vertical tracking
• Horizontal track
• Zoom ins

Lady Gaga- Edge of Glory
This video is not a narrative but it is a performance clip. There is only one person in the video which the camera is on most of the time however there are some people sitting around on the streets; putting all the attention on the singer. The location of the video is an uptown New York city however the streets could either by real life or studio as the the buildings are not in full detail. The lighting is very dark and artificial with street lights on however these are very dull too. The costume the femal singer is wearing is a black, short courset which shows her fierecness and doesnt care what others think; showing dominance. The effect of pink smoke is used which is artifical.

Camera angles used in the filming include:

• Establishing shot
• Close up
• Forward tracking
• Pans
• Horizontal tracking
• Low angle
• Zoom in

Adele- Someone Like You

This music video is not a narrative, it is a live performance at the Brit Awards 2012. There is only the singer and pianist on stage but then the whole audience. The lighting is all natural due to being a live performance. She is wearing a black sophisiticated dress which fits in the theme of an awards ceremony. The clapping of the audience at the end of the video also makes the filming very realistic.

Camera angles and effects used in the filming include:

• Pans
• E.L.S
• Focus pull
• Side shot
• Zoom in
• Vertical tracking
• Reverse tracking
• Close up
• Aerial/ high pans

One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful
This music video is a narrative as well as a performance. This is done by acting and signing into the camera standing in one area. The song is sung by a boy band and they are the main people in the video but girls appear later on in the video. The song is located on a beach, where it is very sunny and relaxed. The lighting is natural throughout however it may be artifical later on when it gets darker. The costume and props is very simplistic by the five boys just wearing casual beach clothes.

Camera angles and effects used in the filming include:

• Black fade in
• Colour change when music starts
• Montage
• Fades
• Horizontal tracking
• Pans
• Side shot
• Establishing shot
• 360 turn
• Low angle

In conclusion, after researching in depth about Sven E Carsson's theory of 'Mythical Embodiment' and exploring the analysis of these music videos I have identified a pattern within most of these videos. Most of the videos include 'Commericial Exhibitionist', many of the singers apply to the mainstream of clothing and behavior and are stereotypical about it, with some videos such as Lady Gaga; Edge of Glory wearing clothing that may not be suitable for the mainstream of society.

Author: Kiran Paul

Codes and Conventions of Music Videos

Performance Based

• Artist/ band singing into a camera as if it is a liv performance
• U2, ACDC, Food Fighters do this nearly all the time- typical for rock bands to do

Narrative Based

• Where the storyline is evident
• Coldplay, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran are examples of this. Many current artisits perform this way.

Abstract/ Artisitc

• Creative, artisitc music videos

Example of a Performance Music Video- Linkin Park, What i've done

• Nature images as incidental music plays at start
• Wars
• Poverty whereas the Americans stuffing faces with burgers
• Images reflect lyrics
• Landmarks
• "Hands"- images of different hands in the air meaning mercy
• Slow motion
• Klu Klux Kan; burning crosses, regressive
• Going back in time; human errors
• Humans are dangerous because of the poisionous scorpion
• Aerial shot of explosions- conflict
• Dictators- Hitler, historical evil
• Some good deeds but more evil
• Child holding gun; destruction
• Civil rights with black people
• Environmental issues
• Bookend- Starts and ends the same but is rewinded

Example of a Narrative Music Video- Beyonce, Irreplaceable

• Starts like a movie
• Hair flicks showing doesn't care
• "To the left" physical hand movement to left
• Sitting on car and hand movement of car whilst saying "rolling in the car I brought you"
• Taxi relevance
• Sings and dances to camera whilst acting
• Claps in sync
• Minutes- Looks at wrist; watch

Example of a Abstract/ Artisitc Music Video- Massive Attack, Teardrop

• Baby in womb sings
• Lyrics are veryn meaningful as talks about the life within the body and either the baby. dies or is aborted as see light but in a bad way.
• The music fades and the baby slowly falls with eyes closed and hands not moving.

Research Into Music Videos

Sven E Carlsson Theory

Facts about music videos:

• Music videos communicate through TV screens and TV speakers.
• They are the form of low brow popular culture. (Michael Shore)
• The reception depends on what the audience perceives the video as for example beautiful or ugly.
• To analyse music videos the most common method used is black and white boxes as the videos are perceived as opposites but the main two groups are performance and conceptual clips.

Music Video Artist As A "Modern Mythic Embodiment

Method of analysis.

Three types of performances:

Commercial exhibitionist means the monger of their own body image selling everything to be in a spotlight; selling the voice, face, lifestyle, records and so on. Wants success herefore tries to evoke their sexuality and stardom. (Carlsson Report)

A telivised bard is a singing storyteller who uses acutual on screen images instead of inner, personal images. The greatest telivision bards create audio-visual poetry. They transform the banal story of the lyrics employing on screen images to create a story about life and death. (Carlsson Report)

Electronic Shaman. This is when the artist is invisible and only their voice and rhythm anchor the visuals. The artist shifts between multiple shapes as well as sometimes has multiple egos. This performance also promises there is a hidden meaning. (Carlsson Report)

Analysing Cher's Video Believe

This video uses the method of modern mythical embodiment an can be seen as an electronic shaman performance. It is this video type because of the electronic use of visual effects. Cher's eyes glow in the dark whilst being in a close up then fog arises as people walk in a slow motion and dreamy way. The video which suggests it is like a spiritual journey finishes with a mystical green which surrounds her as some kind of exchange is passed between her and the younger female. A vocoder on her voice is also used at this point to inform the audience about her pain and the younger girl who is implied as her younger soul sister. Cher's voice and the synthesized dance rhythms suggest a dreamy journey. Cher is seen as a telivison bard because she is singing her story of there is life after love and how she is watching her ex boyfriend around happy people. She also relates to normal teenage girls as a commerical commodity as well as she is seen as a commercial exhibitionist by the way she promotes healthy bodies. Below is a video of Cher's Believe music video.

Audiovisual Analysis of Music Video

Uses the crude model which help identifies how three areas of the audio visual flow that are music, image and text. This is to interact with producing meaning for the audio viewers of music videos. Below is the diagram of the 'Crude Map' that identified three aspects of the audio visual flow; the music, image and text interact.

The Music

The director of the music video creates moving pictures to be shown for an already existing song. A video which does not have a narrative purpose that is based on the visual images instead uses aspects that is not a typical convention of music. The moving images are bound together by musical features such as a beat. To some lyrics a synchronized movement is used for example if they use the word shoes the movement or action would have relevance to this such as a point to the feet. Melodic phrases can also be displayed by having the camera titling vertically to match up to the term up and down travel on the scales. In the music video Believe by Cher, a synthesized cymbal rattle sound was used. This is when a sound is synchronized with effects of lighting and sometimes presents body movements.

The Lyrics

Many music videos have a new meaning that is added to the lyrics through a metaphorical language with a twist that is entertaining. If this is done well the lyrics and text creates a poetic experience. The bigger the gap between the lyrics and imagery in the metaphorical joining the more difficult it is for the audience to understand and interpret the context. The opposite of the metaphorical joining of lyrics and images happens when the lyrics are the illustrated. When the visual story is missing the story is still continuing by music and lyrics and not by an independant visual story.

In Cher's video believe the first verse reads, "I can't break through" and "so sad", a viusal echo isn made by special effects. This is known as a text image metaphor, this is a type of cliche which again presents the image and lyrics as one or has a type of link. For example in the video Cher has military trousers on and sings repeatedly "I don't need you anymore" this shows force and power in a way.

The Image

Colour, motive setting, story footage, clothing etc are manipulated so that the director can create ideas which would be repeated and varied.

Perceiving Music Videos

There are different levels of perception when viewing a music video. Interacting layers of perception may be instinctive, intersubjective and individual which then activates social aspects. When the layers interact with personal memories the video becomes complicated. Variables occur on a regular basis and tend to be content. Music video pictures can be constructed by the three traditional of moving images; visual story telling, non narration of modern art and singing performance.

Since 1927, The Jazz Singer; Oh Mama, concert performances were born. This type of performance has continued in musicals, documentaries of concerts and promotion pictures. The concept of this performance type is to take the well known singer performing and place in the setting that either literally suggested by the song's lyrics or in one that the mirror escapists pleasantries common to movie musicals.

In music video clips the paraphrases, collages, animated abstract art computer graphics and unexpected combinations of pictures may appear. The chock aesthetics in videos can be interpreted as a combination of provocative modern art tradition and cultural interpretation of the rebellion teenage. (Swen. E. Carlsson)

Visual Music Video Styles

Standard Clip:

Contains more or less than three traditional visuals; a singer is filmed with images mixed and is presented in an artistic influence by the experimental film tradition.

The clip has many variations and is dynamic. The singer may participate in the narrative as well as standing outside the video offering diversity and flexibility, this can be done through alter egos, clothes changes, time change and change in shape.

Performance Clip:

This type of performance video is when the singer is one or more settings, the most common places where the artist performs is the recording studio and rehearsal room however it can be done anywhere. The performance clip can be separated into three; song, dance and instrumental performance.

Narrative Clip:

This is when the clip is understood as a short silent movie to a musical background, it contains a visual story that is easy to follow and understand. A complete narrative clip involves no lip syncing.

Art Clip:

If the video contains no lip syncing or visual narrative then it is a pure clip of art. The difference between these videos is the music type. Dance videos tend to be art clips due to it being difficult to express the meanings whereas rock videos usually include standard clips and shots from concerts and the narrative story line. The videos are usually grouped into theme and variations, this applied to music which is a melody or motif.

What is a music video?

Andrew Goodwin states that music videos do not follow the cinematic conventions that Swen claims, he refers to it as having their individual conventions. As well as he says that narrative relations are complicated and this means it can be made from the viewers taste to intertexuality that uses multi-discursive phenomena of the western culture. An example of this is George Micheal's video; Killer/ Papa Was A Rolling Stone, this illustrates the lyrics as logotypes but also with real logos of products. The music video also used concert audio for the music however it does not contain any concert clips only shots of close ups and lip syncing. Art clips are used instead. Goodwin hopes to this would get its own theory and not the old such as 'amputated' to fit the music videos.


Author: Kiran Paul