Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Task 1 - Purpose of Music Videos
Music videos are split into many different genres all specific to different types of people. When making a music video, one of the first things you have to do is designate a target audience.
For example if you were making a hip-hop video you would need to follow certain codes and conventions, for example to make a traditional hip-hop video there would be a lot of; dancing, women, champagne/crystal, designer clothes and a show of wealth etc. This kind of show usually relates to the lyrics of the song and is possibly what most people who listen to this kind of music aspire to be like; wealthy, popular individuals. Another example is of rock videos; these also have to follow certain rules but are completely different to a hip-hop video. In a rock music video you would expect to see the entire band on show instead of just the lead singer, also more often than not a rock video will follow some kind of storyline; however not necessarily has anything to do with the lyrics.
Music videos have a wide history, the first music video is claimed to be Tony Bennett’s ‘stranger in paradise’, where it is a film of him walking along Hyde Park in London. In 1961 Ozzie Nelson filmed a video of his son, Ricky, singing and showing various parts of the world, this was believed to be the first ever rock video. From here music videos moved on to what we now know, the first evidence of this was in 1962 where the Beatles major motion picture ‘A hard days night’ contained many musical segments. These segments are what most videos now are taken from. 1966 is when Bob Dylan made the first real music video, ‘homesick blues’ which has been imitated in other music videos, films, and parodies. The Beatles then went to new lengths to make their videos for ‘strawberry fields’ and ‘penny lane’, then in 1975 Queen released their music video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which is considered a landmark in music video history.
Music videos are designed to promote the artist and their music. A good music video will appeal to its target audience, and make them remember the music video whether they liked it or not. Music videos promote the artist and track by showing what the artist is about and how they want their music to be portrayed. Sum 41 for example usually have quite silly music videos which involve a lot of people jumping around and having a good time, or just them doing something relating to the lyrics. Their videos are usually memorable due to their foolish nature and their ability to make you laugh. Dance music artists, such as scooter, will primarily have people dancing in the video, showing that this is what their music is designed to make you want to do. But these effects will only adhere to you if you are the target audience.
You can usually tell if a music video is successful by judging the sales of the album and DVDs of the artist, you can also tell by how many views the video gets on sites like YouTube. Some people will usually buy an album or single to remind them of a particularly memorable music video; but the majority of people would watch their favourite music videos on You Tube or the bands website.
Bibliography
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Music_video_-_History_of_music_videos/id/1784952 November 16th 10am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video November 15th 4pm
For example if you were making a hip-hop video you would need to follow certain codes and conventions, for example to make a traditional hip-hop video there would be a lot of; dancing, women, champagne/crystal, designer clothes and a show of wealth etc. This kind of show usually relates to the lyrics of the song and is possibly what most people who listen to this kind of music aspire to be like; wealthy, popular individuals. Another example is of rock videos; these also have to follow certain rules but are completely different to a hip-hop video. In a rock music video you would expect to see the entire band on show instead of just the lead singer, also more often than not a rock video will follow some kind of storyline; however not necessarily has anything to do with the lyrics.
Music videos have a wide history, the first music video is claimed to be Tony Bennett’s ‘stranger in paradise’, where it is a film of him walking along Hyde Park in London. In 1961 Ozzie Nelson filmed a video of his son, Ricky, singing and showing various parts of the world, this was believed to be the first ever rock video. From here music videos moved on to what we now know, the first evidence of this was in 1962 where the Beatles major motion picture ‘A hard days night’ contained many musical segments. These segments are what most videos now are taken from. 1966 is when Bob Dylan made the first real music video, ‘homesick blues’ which has been imitated in other music videos, films, and parodies. The Beatles then went to new lengths to make their videos for ‘strawberry fields’ and ‘penny lane’, then in 1975 Queen released their music video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which is considered a landmark in music video history.
Music videos are designed to promote the artist and their music. A good music video will appeal to its target audience, and make them remember the music video whether they liked it or not. Music videos promote the artist and track by showing what the artist is about and how they want their music to be portrayed. Sum 41 for example usually have quite silly music videos which involve a lot of people jumping around and having a good time, or just them doing something relating to the lyrics. Their videos are usually memorable due to their foolish nature and their ability to make you laugh. Dance music artists, such as scooter, will primarily have people dancing in the video, showing that this is what their music is designed to make you want to do. But these effects will only adhere to you if you are the target audience.
You can usually tell if a music video is successful by judging the sales of the album and DVDs of the artist, you can also tell by how many views the video gets on sites like YouTube. Some people will usually buy an album or single to remind them of a particularly memorable music video; but the majority of people would watch their favourite music videos on You Tube or the bands website.
Bibliography
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Music_video_-_History_of_music_videos/id/1784952 November 16th 10am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video November 15th 4pm
Task 2 - Contemporary Music Video Research
Fatboy Slim - Weapon of choice
Weapon of choice by Fatboy slim was shot in 2000 in a Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles. The video took 2 days to shoot, and was finally released for the first time on March 12th 2001. The music video was directed by Spike Jonze, and choreographed by Michael Rooney, Christopher Walken and Spike Jonze.
The video stars Christopher Walken dancing throughout the hotel to the song and eventually ending up back where he started. He starts off seated and starts dancing to the beat of the song, dancing on tables and on an escalator at one point. 2.25 into the video Walken dances through a corridor filled with mirrors. This gives off the effect there are a lot of him dancing in one place and is very good looking visually. Also at 1.16 he starts dancing on an escalator to the beat of the song then runs down after he gets about halfway up. Finally at 1.50 he jumps onto a table and kicks off a pile of magazines showing a streak of rebellion which is then carried on later into the video when he is flying in the hotel lobby. Towards the end of the video at 2.53 Walken jumps off the first floor balcony and starts to fly around the Lobby, freely going from wall to wall, and eventually swooping down to a landing near the chair where he first started. This carries on his streak of rebelliousness through the video by defying the laws of gravity. This is a very good editing effect as it looks like he is actually flying by himself. This makes the video very memorable and would get people thinking about it often.
The music and visuals go together well because the music is very lively and upbeat, however has a minor dark tone to it. This works well with Christopher Walken because he is best known as being a villain. The music also goes well with the dancing because they are quick steps and go well with the general beat of the song. This keeps the viewer interested and would get them in the mood to dance about when they hear the song. The lyrics go well with the visuals as well because Walken dances in time with the lyrics and does actions pertaining to them. At 2.05 the lyrics are “you walk without rhythm, and it won’t attract the worm” and he walks in a slick kind of way with his hands in his pockets. At 1.35 the lyrics repeat “you can blow with this, you can blow with that” and he does a different dance move to each one. This works with the beat as well and doesn’t look like he is just doing random dance moves.The video is mainly narrative and performance based. The entire video shows the story of Walken dancing through the hotel to the music. From when he is sitting in his seat, then dancing all the way through the hotel. This involves him; dancing through the lobby, on tables, on an escalator, through corridors, in an elevator, then finally flying over the hotel lobby after jumping off the balcony. However it is also performance based seeing as he is dancing through all of these locations except for when he is flying.
This promo promotes the image of the band well as it is very lively and upbeat with the music and dancing, however also showing a slightly darker side to it with Christopher Walken and the sub tone to the music. It also shows them having some good connections in the industry seeing as they managed to get a famous actor to star in their video. I feel that this promo is intended for audiences between 20-30 year olds because Walken is a slightly older actor and not many young people would recognise him. Also the tone of music seems to be something that would be enjoyed, as it is not too heavy but is still upbeat and will put a smile on your face.
Oasis - Morning glory
Morning Glory by Oasis was directed by Jake Scott, and was first aired in October 1995. A morning glory is a kind of flower. Its blossoms open early in the morning and close by noon, and its seeds can also be used as a hallucinogen. Morning Glory also refers to a waking up with an erection in the morning, the joke being he's asking his penis, "What's the story?"
The video is of the band playing the song in their apartment, while people are walking past getting annoyed with the loud music and the band won’t open their door to anyone. When the camera is in the apartment the shots are very quick going from person to person and different angles of the lead singer, following him through the 2 rooms of the apartment. This gives the video a bit of a scatty feeling to it. The light in the apartment is also quite dark even though the windows are open, and light should be shining through. I think this shows that what they are doing is a dark thing and they need to “wake up” from what they are doing and see the light. In contrast when the camera is looking out to the corridor from the apartment through the keyhole it uses a fisheye lens giving this part a bit of a surreal feeling. Compared to inside the apartment it is very light and the people are of sane mind. This means that they are knocking furiously on the door wanting them to stop playing such loud music. During the opening shot of the clouds and building outside it is in sepia tone making everything seem red and not like it belongs in the real world.
The lyrics and visuals have a strong relationship as the lyrics are singing about the drug ‘morning glory’ and how it can affect your life. In the video the band is acting as if they are under the influence of this drug and are shut in their own little world where they can’t hear anyone else. The lyrics “wake up” show they need to realise that they are ruining their lives by using this drug, and haven’t got a stable future if they carry on. The opening line of the song is a reference to cocaine, “when you’re chained to the mirror and the razorblade”, refers to when you are cutting up cocaine for snorting. This is another drug reference enhancing their point that it isn’t the path best travelled. "Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon" is saying when people are addicted to cocaine, usually they live day to day by just keeping the drug in their system and constantly using it leading them into an eventual downfall which they can’t get out of. The music and the visuals work well together because the music is loud and not to the majority of peoples tastes, so when the people walk past and are knocking on the door it shows that they are not happy about it and want it to stop. About halfway through the song a mob boss kind of character walks through the halls with his two big bodyguards, this could be an example of intertextuality in the music video.
During the guitar solo the band are kicking a football around the apartment while under the influence of drugs of alcohol, which is seen a lot in the British indie culture. It just shows them having fun and not giving into anything anyone else is saying. When the angry neighbours are yelling at them to turn the music down they ignore them because they just want to do their own thing. The video mainly follows a narrative because the band is playing very loud music out of a small apartment, this leads to a lot of different people (few who enjoy it) to turn up at their door. By the end of the video everyone in the building ends up going to their door and banging on it trying to knock it down to get them all to shut up. This again shows the fact that they are all doing what they want and won’t take notice of anyone but themselves.
The promo promotes the band very well, for it is showing them as what they are; a group of lads who want nothing more than to have fun without being disturbed. The message about drugs is more subliminal than anything else as by listening to the song first time you wouldn’t know. I feel the intended audience for this video is people in their late teens, or young adults. This is because the drug scene and the being a rebel would appeal to them, also the fact they are playing football would also appeal. Another audience is people who just like the indie style of music, this is because that is the general genre of this song and band.
Bibliography
Fatboy Slim
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1543 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=10474 November 12th 3pm
Oasis
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4027 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=20772 November 12th 3pm
Weapon of choice by Fatboy slim was shot in 2000 in a Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles. The video took 2 days to shoot, and was finally released for the first time on March 12th 2001. The music video was directed by Spike Jonze, and choreographed by Michael Rooney, Christopher Walken and Spike Jonze.
The video stars Christopher Walken dancing throughout the hotel to the song and eventually ending up back where he started. He starts off seated and starts dancing to the beat of the song, dancing on tables and on an escalator at one point. 2.25 into the video Walken dances through a corridor filled with mirrors. This gives off the effect there are a lot of him dancing in one place and is very good looking visually. Also at 1.16 he starts dancing on an escalator to the beat of the song then runs down after he gets about halfway up. Finally at 1.50 he jumps onto a table and kicks off a pile of magazines showing a streak of rebellion which is then carried on later into the video when he is flying in the hotel lobby. Towards the end of the video at 2.53 Walken jumps off the first floor balcony and starts to fly around the Lobby, freely going from wall to wall, and eventually swooping down to a landing near the chair where he first started. This carries on his streak of rebelliousness through the video by defying the laws of gravity. This is a very good editing effect as it looks like he is actually flying by himself. This makes the video very memorable and would get people thinking about it often.
The music and visuals go together well because the music is very lively and upbeat, however has a minor dark tone to it. This works well with Christopher Walken because he is best known as being a villain. The music also goes well with the dancing because they are quick steps and go well with the general beat of the song. This keeps the viewer interested and would get them in the mood to dance about when they hear the song. The lyrics go well with the visuals as well because Walken dances in time with the lyrics and does actions pertaining to them. At 2.05 the lyrics are “you walk without rhythm, and it won’t attract the worm” and he walks in a slick kind of way with his hands in his pockets. At 1.35 the lyrics repeat “you can blow with this, you can blow with that” and he does a different dance move to each one. This works with the beat as well and doesn’t look like he is just doing random dance moves.The video is mainly narrative and performance based. The entire video shows the story of Walken dancing through the hotel to the music. From when he is sitting in his seat, then dancing all the way through the hotel. This involves him; dancing through the lobby, on tables, on an escalator, through corridors, in an elevator, then finally flying over the hotel lobby after jumping off the balcony. However it is also performance based seeing as he is dancing through all of these locations except for when he is flying.
This promo promotes the image of the band well as it is very lively and upbeat with the music and dancing, however also showing a slightly darker side to it with Christopher Walken and the sub tone to the music. It also shows them having some good connections in the industry seeing as they managed to get a famous actor to star in their video. I feel that this promo is intended for audiences between 20-30 year olds because Walken is a slightly older actor and not many young people would recognise him. Also the tone of music seems to be something that would be enjoyed, as it is not too heavy but is still upbeat and will put a smile on your face.
Oasis - Morning glory
Morning Glory by Oasis was directed by Jake Scott, and was first aired in October 1995. A morning glory is a kind of flower. Its blossoms open early in the morning and close by noon, and its seeds can also be used as a hallucinogen. Morning Glory also refers to a waking up with an erection in the morning, the joke being he's asking his penis, "What's the story?"
The video is of the band playing the song in their apartment, while people are walking past getting annoyed with the loud music and the band won’t open their door to anyone. When the camera is in the apartment the shots are very quick going from person to person and different angles of the lead singer, following him through the 2 rooms of the apartment. This gives the video a bit of a scatty feeling to it. The light in the apartment is also quite dark even though the windows are open, and light should be shining through. I think this shows that what they are doing is a dark thing and they need to “wake up” from what they are doing and see the light. In contrast when the camera is looking out to the corridor from the apartment through the keyhole it uses a fisheye lens giving this part a bit of a surreal feeling. Compared to inside the apartment it is very light and the people are of sane mind. This means that they are knocking furiously on the door wanting them to stop playing such loud music. During the opening shot of the clouds and building outside it is in sepia tone making everything seem red and not like it belongs in the real world.
The lyrics and visuals have a strong relationship as the lyrics are singing about the drug ‘morning glory’ and how it can affect your life. In the video the band is acting as if they are under the influence of this drug and are shut in their own little world where they can’t hear anyone else. The lyrics “wake up” show they need to realise that they are ruining their lives by using this drug, and haven’t got a stable future if they carry on. The opening line of the song is a reference to cocaine, “when you’re chained to the mirror and the razorblade”, refers to when you are cutting up cocaine for snorting. This is another drug reference enhancing their point that it isn’t the path best travelled. "Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon" is saying when people are addicted to cocaine, usually they live day to day by just keeping the drug in their system and constantly using it leading them into an eventual downfall which they can’t get out of. The music and the visuals work well together because the music is loud and not to the majority of peoples tastes, so when the people walk past and are knocking on the door it shows that they are not happy about it and want it to stop. About halfway through the song a mob boss kind of character walks through the halls with his two big bodyguards, this could be an example of intertextuality in the music video.
During the guitar solo the band are kicking a football around the apartment while under the influence of drugs of alcohol, which is seen a lot in the British indie culture. It just shows them having fun and not giving into anything anyone else is saying. When the angry neighbours are yelling at them to turn the music down they ignore them because they just want to do their own thing. The video mainly follows a narrative because the band is playing very loud music out of a small apartment, this leads to a lot of different people (few who enjoy it) to turn up at their door. By the end of the video everyone in the building ends up going to their door and banging on it trying to knock it down to get them all to shut up. This again shows the fact that they are all doing what they want and won’t take notice of anyone but themselves.
The promo promotes the band very well, for it is showing them as what they are; a group of lads who want nothing more than to have fun without being disturbed. The message about drugs is more subliminal than anything else as by listening to the song first time you wouldn’t know. I feel the intended audience for this video is people in their late teens, or young adults. This is because the drug scene and the being a rebel would appeal to them, also the fact they are playing football would also appeal. Another audience is people who just like the indie style of music, this is because that is the general genre of this song and band.
Bibliography
Fatboy Slim
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1543 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=10474 November 12th 3pm
Oasis
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4027 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=20772 November 12th 3pm
Task 3 - Music Video Director Research
Director - Nigel Dick
Nigel Andrew Robertson Dick was born on 21st of March 1953 in Catterick, North Yorkshire. He has a degree in architecture from the University of Bath and then went on to pursue a career in the record business. Nigel Dick started out his career at ‘Stiff Records’ where he worked with the likes of; Madness, Ian Dury, and the Plasmatics for 5 years. He then moved onto Phonogram records in the early 80’s and got the job of directing the original ‘Band Aid’ video which got him contacts like Bono, Bowie, Boy George, Phil Collins, and Sting. These were influential people in his rise to being a great music director. Since then he has filmed over 300 music videos for various artists, such as Nickleback, Staind, and Brittney Spears.
I think his intended target audiences for his music videos are teenagers and young adults. I think this because the majority of videos he has directed are either pop and rock videos. His video for Nickleback -Photograph is a light happy video for a song with quite sad lyrics. It corresponds to the lyrics though, as although they may be sad they have a happy reminiscing undertone. The video contains the band performing and showing shots that correspond to the lyrics of the song. During the verses the shots are slow and show what the lyrics are about, this gives a calm impression which will relax you with the lyrics of the song. However when the song picks up in the chorus and gets louder the shots get much shorter and just keep changing from members of the band and their instruments. During the second verse the camera is mildly shaky as if being filmed by someone with a handheld camera, this works well with the shot as it is of a lot of older teenagers having fun and chasing each other around their cars.
Another video by Nigel Dick is Outside, by Staind. This is completely different than the Nickleback video as it seems to be directed at an older audience. The video was shot at the 1999 family values tour in Mississippi, with backing vocals by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. The song is vey downtrodden and sad, Nigel portrays this very well as there are a lot of shots which just fade in and out and give you a kind of concentrated feel. The song is more about the lyrics than the music so instead of the usual rock persona of a really heavy video where everyone is having fun, it shows a different side to these kinds of bands which people aren’t familiar with. Quite a few shots are of the band just as they are, having a peaceful cigarette, or signing things for fans. This video was filmed live, except for some parts which are of fans walking into the stadium, or of the band relaxing and joking around with each other.
The audience responds well to these videos, Outside got comments like “AMAZIN” and this shows that Nigel has done what he was meant to do, create a music video that is respected by the target audience and that they like. Photograph’s video gives people a different feeling, it gives people a feeling of reminiscing of when they were young and lived in a small town like the one in the video “I grew up in a small town but the fact is that we all grow up and move on”. It even makes young people realise that even though they live in a small town and it may be boring, that they will miss it when they grow up and eventually move away “I want teenage years just to go slowly because I will miss everything in my little town, even my family”.
Bibliography
http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Dick&first=Nigel November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=41252 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=26453 November 12th 3pm
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5075 November 12th 3pm
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1511 November 12th 3pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Dick November 16th 10am
http://www.nigeldick.com/ November 16th 10am
Nigel Andrew Robertson Dick was born on 21st of March 1953 in Catterick, North Yorkshire. He has a degree in architecture from the University of Bath and then went on to pursue a career in the record business. Nigel Dick started out his career at ‘Stiff Records’ where he worked with the likes of; Madness, Ian Dury, and the Plasmatics for 5 years. He then moved onto Phonogram records in the early 80’s and got the job of directing the original ‘Band Aid’ video which got him contacts like Bono, Bowie, Boy George, Phil Collins, and Sting. These were influential people in his rise to being a great music director. Since then he has filmed over 300 music videos for various artists, such as Nickleback, Staind, and Brittney Spears.
I think his intended target audiences for his music videos are teenagers and young adults. I think this because the majority of videos he has directed are either pop and rock videos. His video for Nickleback -Photograph is a light happy video for a song with quite sad lyrics. It corresponds to the lyrics though, as although they may be sad they have a happy reminiscing undertone. The video contains the band performing and showing shots that correspond to the lyrics of the song. During the verses the shots are slow and show what the lyrics are about, this gives a calm impression which will relax you with the lyrics of the song. However when the song picks up in the chorus and gets louder the shots get much shorter and just keep changing from members of the band and their instruments. During the second verse the camera is mildly shaky as if being filmed by someone with a handheld camera, this works well with the shot as it is of a lot of older teenagers having fun and chasing each other around their cars.
Another video by Nigel Dick is Outside, by Staind. This is completely different than the Nickleback video as it seems to be directed at an older audience. The video was shot at the 1999 family values tour in Mississippi, with backing vocals by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. The song is vey downtrodden and sad, Nigel portrays this very well as there are a lot of shots which just fade in and out and give you a kind of concentrated feel. The song is more about the lyrics than the music so instead of the usual rock persona of a really heavy video where everyone is having fun, it shows a different side to these kinds of bands which people aren’t familiar with. Quite a few shots are of the band just as they are, having a peaceful cigarette, or signing things for fans. This video was filmed live, except for some parts which are of fans walking into the stadium, or of the band relaxing and joking around with each other.
The audience responds well to these videos, Outside got comments like “AMAZIN” and this shows that Nigel has done what he was meant to do, create a music video that is respected by the target audience and that they like. Photograph’s video gives people a different feeling, it gives people a feeling of reminiscing of when they were young and lived in a small town like the one in the video “I grew up in a small town but the fact is that we all grow up and move on”. It even makes young people realise that even though they live in a small town and it may be boring, that they will miss it when they grow up and eventually move away “I want teenage years just to go slowly because I will miss everything in my little town, even my family”.
Bibliography
http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Dick&first=Nigel November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=41252 November 12th 3pm
http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=26453 November 12th 3pm
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5075 November 12th 3pm
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1511 November 12th 3pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Dick November 16th 10am
http://www.nigeldick.com/ November 16th 10am
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