Analysis of CD covers

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Pre Production - Animatic

Pre Production - Location

Pre Production: Location (by Jacob Osman)

Pre Production - Kizoa Video Maker

Alleyway, Archer Close - As located at the end of a cal-der-sack, the location is never really busy - apart from the occasional dog walker, meaning that we could film there any time of day as long as there was sufficient lighting.

Bench & Common - The bench is located very close to three of the areas schools, this means that at before 9am, at lunchtime & at the end of a school day would be difficult times to film as the common would be full of students making their way out at lunch or going home. As we are filming in a particularly cold and wet time of year, we must be prepared for the muddy and slippery conditions in which we most likely would come across.

Langley Hill - These photos of Langley Hill were taken from outside my house, meaning it is a convenient place to film as it's where my house is. Langley Hill is the main road used by Rudolf Steiner School and Kings Langley School's buses, therefore it would be too busy and full of traffic to film at the start or at the end of the school day.

My House, Langley Hill - My group have chosen my house to film a large majority of our pop promo at because it offers spacious rooms which have sufficient lighting and how it is within walking distance from school and all our other filming locations.

Kings Langley High Street - The high street has very wide pavements on one side of the road, which is very good for filming Jeremy running through as of the space needed, it also contains various cafe's and coffee shops which we might need to use to film a scene outside. The high street is King's Langley's main road which connects Watford to Hemel Hempstead, so is always going to be fairly busy, so at rush hour and the end of school time would be the worse time to film at. It's in a practical location as it joins onto Langley Hill where most of our filming takes place and is only a 10 minute walk from school. If filming outside a shop or business we would need to ask the owners permission first to avoid any unhappy confrontation.

Pre Production - Prop And Costume List

Cotsume and Props List

Lighting and Camera workshop

During the production of making posters for my music video, I took part in a workshop dedicated to teaching me about lighting and camera. This was important  as it showed me the difference between different types lighting, and how they would change the mood/tone of the video. As a result of this I am now aware of the different types of lighting that we have to use in our music video, in order to generate the desirable feeling for the audience.

I was also taught about camera work, and show how important it is to ensure you have the focus and location for the shot being filmed. We were shown how long shots can affect the feelings from the audience, and how tilting and manoeuvring the camera in different ways can produce different notions to the audience, such as a pan shot or zoom. From, this I now know what I'm going to make sure we include in our video, in order to portray the desired message we want from the video.

The workshop consisted of our group using the cameras and lighting background to take multiple photos for our bands poster and digipak, which will the be used as part of my ancillary task. There were a range of different positions and lighting that we experimented with, which gave us a lot of shots to use when it came to making the ancillary tasks.

Pre Production - Equipment List

Equipment List

 

The equipment that we will need when filming our music video are:

• Cannon 700D

This camera will be used because of its ability to film in HD improving the quality of the final video, we have also used this camera before and therefore will not waste time figuring out how to operate it, this means that we will be able to complete our filming tasks quicker.

• Tripod

We will be using a tripod so that when we shot our scenes the camera will be as steady as possible, this means that the shots we produce will be clearer and easier to watch. By doing this we hope to give our work a more professional appearance.

• External mic

From previous experiences we have discovered that the internal mic that comes with the camera does not pick up a high quality sound, which resulted in us rerecording the speech and adding it as Foley. Therefore we have decided that for the beginning of our video where we will have a short piece of dialogue we will use an external mic in order to gain a decent sound quality while filming so we can avoid having to spend a lot of time lip syncing the separately recorded dialogue.

• Editing Software

The editing software that we will be using is Adobe After Effects this is a video editing system that we have used before. This will make the editing of our shots an easier task as we are familiar with the user functions.

• Reflector / lastor light

This is a reflective piece of material that we will be using when filming close ups in order to ensure there is enough light on the subject of the shot, this will result in the shots we film being easier to see and understand.

Pre Production - Shot List

Pre Production - Schedule

Pre Production Scedule Media by Fateh Khaled

Pre Production - Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment Jacob Osman

Pre Porduction- Summary Of Star

Lip Sync Activity

The reason why the video is not in sync is because of a YouTube issue. When I edited the clips together with the music on the editing software, it was all perfectly in sync with nothing out of place. However when I watched it back once uploading it onto YouTube I noticed that the also two verses and choruses were slightly out of sync. This was clearly an issue in the settings of which I chose to upload the video with, and will learn from this for the final project.

Editing Exercise

This is the clip that I created when completing the editing exercise. To edit the clips together I had to teach myself how to use Adobe Premier Pro, a new software to me as I used Adobe After Effects to edit my opening title sequence for my AS level coursework. As a result I now have the ability to use two different editing software, which will put me in a good position to edit my final music video. I also learnt how to use markers effectively during the piece which is key to get right as it will effect lip sync, which has a major influence on the mark that I will receive for the video.







http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/markers-in-premiere-pro/

This link shows how to use markers in Adobe Premier Pro. I included this link in this post as I found it useful when conducting my editing exercise which involved cutting clips at the exact right time, on the beat. I used markers to highlight when the beats occurred and edited the video clips at the same time of the beats, to keep in continuity with music video cuts. The link also shows a step by step guide of how to apply markers, which made it easier to understand when I followed the guide, allowing me to get the most our of using markers on Premier Pro.

Music Piracy

Top of the Pops

According to Musicmetric, the highest levels of piracy based on downloads per person in the UK are:

1. Manchester
2. Nottingham
3. Southampton
4. Liverpool
5. Sheffield
6. Leicester
7. Stoke-on-Trent
8. Glasgow
9. Cardiff
10. Leeds
11. Bristol
12. Edinburgh
13. Wolverhampton
14. Derby
15. Reading
16. Bradford
17. Kingston Upon Hull
18. Birmingham
19. Coventry
20. London

Music Video Commissioners

Carrol Vernalis

Carol Vernallis Analysis Chart

Audience Theorists

The David Guantlett theory relates to my music video as I am producing and making the music video, which is what his theory suggests. i am able to do this through the use of cameras, and editing software available online and on the computer desktop. My video also fulfills this theory as it may influence other music videos from A level classes, which is also suggested by Guantlett.I may also be accepted for my individuality in the music video, as I do not have to stick to the general guidelines of a music video, and still be accepted as being acceptable by everyone.

My muaic video relates to the theory by Blumler and Katz as the audience has grown in popularity of this genre of music, leading to me producing a music video of this genre (indie). The music video contains what they audience wants to see, a romantic break up, which resolves its self. This relates to the theory as the videos concept is based around what the audience wants, not the producers.

Textual analysis of a music video - Counting Stars

The video that I will be analyzing is Counting Stars by One Republic, and is directed by James Lees. The music is of the pop genre, but with strong elements of folk mixed into it. The characteristics of the video are that involves some narrative, it is not all performance based, and the lead singer, is placed as the 'star' of the group. The video is set in two locations, the floor where the band is located, and a meeting room, where the narrative takes place. There is also an element of surprise among the video as there is a alligator that appears near the beginning of the video, which is not expected. At the end of the video, a hole emerges between the meeting room and the room below where the artist is placed, allowing for some narrative to take place for the artist.

When the alligator appears, this enhances the fact that the lyrics suggest that 'anything that kills me, makes me feel alive'. This means top say that dangerous creatures, like alligators, keep people alive, as they make people constantly stay on guard for the creatures. However, the lyrics themselves, contradict each other, as anything that kills you, usually does, and not 'keeps you alive'. There is then another seen that occurs in the meeting, which is being hosted by a man, who has come up with some ideas. this emphasizes that fact that he has been 'losing sleep', coming up with ideas. therefore the video emphasizes this lyric in the video. Furthermore, there is a lyric that says 'no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars'. at this same point on the video, it shows the people in the meeting celebrate, and a woman praying, that she has done well, and will be rich. The lyrics also mention about living dreams. This is another contradiction in the video, as it shows that band in a very low quality room with cracked walls, poor electricity supplies (a single light bulb in some areas), and it overall does not look well maintained.

The visuals do relate to the music as when the the singer claps, the lights turn on, as if by magic.The video is also cuts to the beats, either after 4 beats (standard) or 8 beats in a slow motion part f the clip. The artists all star swinging their arms, when mentioning 'swinging vines', which is a link between the lyrics and the video. The biggest relationship is the water running up the wall, when the lyrics say that they 'are doing the wrong thing'. This is a clear established link which relates the music to the visuals.

The record company is looking to sell this track, by concentrating on the artist for the majority of the video. They have done this because the band is attractive, and has a strong following, so thereby anyone who likes the band will listen to the song in order to see them, and buy the song. The record label has also added advertisements to the video earning, extra revenue. They have also ensured the lyrics can be listened to by everyone, therefore not eliminating any potential sales, by including swear words, and unpopular genre of music.

The image of the band being offered is one of then dressed in casual clothing, in a run down floor of a building. This image has been chosen throughout the video as it shows that the band is just like everyone else, and is not different form the public, in terms of relating with the song, which suggests the ultimate dream of counting stars. This video is different form ones that they have done in the past, such as Secrets. The older video, is much more narrative based, and is filmed in more locations, in an attempt to reach out to more people, as they did not have as great a following as they do today. The older video (Secrets) also features the artist being involved heavily in the narrative of the video, which is far different form their Counting Stars video. There are many motifs in the video, which have been carried through from other videos, such as they feature the artist playing their song at some stage. However, the levels of narrative and the dress code that the band wear are motifs that change throughout the bands history, from suits and ties, to casual tee shirts and jeans.

Throughout the video there are no signs that any characters or the band are presented in a sexual way, or put on display in a sexual manor. The camerawork, costume and dance to not present that video in a sexual way either as the song is not about presenting people in a sexual way. There are also no shots of people looking at others, as there is nothing revealing to look at throughout the video, as it is all about dreams and ambitions, not women, acting in a sexual manor.

This video relates to many other music videos, but of a different genre. Many rap music videos, feature an environment suach as trhe one used in Countng Stars, as they are lower budget. However, Sean Kingston also uses similar settings to the ones used here as he produces some party songs such as Fire Burning

Analysis of George Michael's 'Outside' video

Analysing an Eminem music video

My Audience

Teenagers are particularly prolific users of this technology and the main consumers of music videos.

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Nationality: British

Hobbies: Listening to music, surfing the internet (especially social networking), watching tv, playing video games

Music taste: Pop/rock, indie      

Overal, our target audience would be aged 14-21, inclined towards males. This is because the band is male  with a strong sense of emotion and power in their debut single. The band may also target females as the members of the band are attractive, and displays this in the video. The core (primary) audience's nationality would be British as the band is British, and are signed to a British label. The songs are also sung in English, so secondary audiences would be english speaking countries, for example America and Canada, who would also be intrigued by the band. Furthermore, the current music in the US and Canadian charts is similar to that produced by the star, leading to increased popularity and sales for the band.

Our target audience would be avid listeners of music, ones who always look for the news music around; either from watching music channels such as MTV or finding out on the internet Youtube. The core audience would prefer genres such as pop/rock and indie as this is the type of genre that the song Pompeii would suit, and may also be fans of a few similar singles already. They would also be keen users of the internet and social networking, meaning that the label and band can directly contact them and inform them on everything they need to know, for example single release dates or tour dates.

Finally, the perfect audience member would also buy music legally, whether that be by buying a physical copy or downloading through sites like ITunes, so that the band and label can become successful and make large profits.

Audience

Audience by Harrydenn

Star Marketing

http://uk.pinterest.com/denn0802/star-marketing/

Representation and Star Image

Representation of Women

Laura Mulvey (Theroist) on Representation

Developing My Treatment

 

This is the treatment for my groups  music video. The song that we have chosen to use is Pompeii by Bastille. I incorporated the groups ideas, and put them all together form the treatment. The video will be narrative, and will symbolise relationships, by the music being played through some ear phones which the characters are listening to.

Narrative Terminology

 

 

Genre Theorists

In summary, the genre theorists suggested that the following: •John Fiske – genre as ‘convenience’ for producers and audiences •Henry Jenkins – genre constantly ‘breaks rules’ e.g. evolving hybridization •John Hartley – genre is interpreted culturally •Daniel Chandler – genre is too restricting •Steve Neale – genre as repetition and difference •David Buckingham – genre in constant process of negotiation and change •Jason Mittell – industry uses genre commercially •Barry Keith Grant - on sub genres •Rick Altman – genre offers audiences a ‘set of pleasures’

Director as Auteur

Auteur Theory

Auteur Theory - Video Maker

The creative role of the director

Task: Read the information below and add some of these quotes to your own posts. Which music video directors do you admire and why? Do you intend that their style should influence your own idea and if so how? Embed some of their videos to your post. 

John Stewart of the music production company Oil Factory, suggests that increasingly music videos reflect the desire of a director to demonstrate their power. The work of Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham are perhaps the most obvious examples of authorial voice and demonstrates the potential of the medium ability director to reach a mass audience with unusual experimental work.

I  like the CGI used in the music promo for Bjork's song, All is full of love. This makes the robots look real, and have human characteristics  which is an impressive use of CGI. I may use CGI in my video, however, I do not think that the use of robots for CGI is necessary in my music video.

I like the Lover Letters video by Chris Cunningham for the way that it is one long clip, with very few cuts throughout the video. i like this because it makes the video flow really well, and the speed at which the camera travels is also at the right speed, to match the tempo of the music. However, I do not think that I will be using this approach in my music video as I would make the video look less aesthetically pleasing if we did not cut the clips of the man walking around town.

The famous music director Jonas Akerland commented that “Music videos aren’t meant to be more than eye candy, not supposed to live long, only supposed to be lifting up the music and make the artist look good. Not supposed to be an art piece lasting for years.”

Telephone by Lady Gaga, was clearly designed by Jonas Akerland with the male gaze in mid, and sticks very closely with his idea, of being eye candy, and only making the artist look good. I do not think this idea could work in my music video as it has a very even number of males and female viewers, so by introducing things that reflect the male gaze would not be appropriate for the female viewers.

Jonathan Glazer the director for Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit’ video (1996) said “Your images may be the thing that defines the sound… it’s a really strange 3 minute period where you have to hook the audience visually.”

Spike Jonze said in 2000 “I look at short videos as short films, I always make sure they have a beginning, middle and end”.

David Fincher who directed features such as Seven and Fight Club after his success in making music videos commented that “Video is truly abstract, you have complete carte blanche in terms of what it can show”.

Shame, by The Motels, was directed in such a fashion by David Fincher to show someone looking out to themselves throughout the video. Personally, I do not like these kind of videos, so therefore this approach will not be used in my own music video.

Therefore it is clear that the directors have very different views and approaches to making promos. Some think that the promo should have a beginning, middle and end, others think that it should be about eye candy, and others believe that you have to grab the audience visually.

Analysis of promos according to Goodwin

This is my analysis of music promos according to Goodwin. The original promo that I chose to analyse was Superheroes by The Script. I chose this song as it was similar to the one that we are going to use as music to our own music promo, and it may contain features, that I wish to implement into our own music promo.

The Different Elements of Music Videos

Forms and Conventions of Music Videos

These are the seven forms and conventions of music videos according to Goodwin:

1. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with the visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics)
2. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (with the visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music)
3. Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography (such as live stage performance for the heavy rock music genre)
4. There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close up shots of the main artist/vocalist.
5. The artist may develop their own star iconography in and out of their videos, which overtime, becomes part of their star image.
6. There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screen within screens, binoculars, cameras etc)
7. There are likely to be inter textual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV.

The Theories Of Goodwin

Genre Of Music

Genre means classifying a text according to its content and style as well as its structure and way of production. From all various media, pop music most depends on genre. It also includes the most varied genres of texts. People always invent, cross and revisit genres, and categorisation important for the fans and producers.

Generally, most music can be divided into these categories:

• Pop
• Classical
• Dance/Techno
• R&B
• Hip-Hop/Rap
• Rock
• Metal
• Country
• Jazz
• Blues
• Reggae

Each of them contains a variety of sub-genres, as well as hybrids and mash-ups. However, each of them has specific characteristics (instruments used for melody, rhythm, lyrics and vocals), and can be connected with other things, such as fashion, hair and lifestyle. Each genre has specific ways of demonstration  including performance venues (e.g. nightclubs), radio stations, record shops, festivals and magazines.

Image is crucial for music genre, and an artist's look categorises them before they start performing. For an artist or band to truly fulfil a genre category, they must be represented visually, on records, photos and music videos.

Looks can be as generic as sound: it is hard to differentiate between many hip hop videos, all showing baggily dressed homeboys sitting on porches or outside houses in a generic 'hood, swinging their arms and grinning at the booty passing by. Or maybe driving slowly in big old open-topped cars around a generic 'hood, swinging their arms and waving at the booty they pass by. Similarly, all girl or all boy groups go for videos in a warehouse, or other similar setting, showing them dancing in formation. If the look works, wear it.

Adele, whose music is inspired by classic pop styles of the 1960s and 1970s, is often photographed wearing classic or retro clothing that connects her with her role models Aretha Franklin or Dusty Springfield and makes her seem a serious, soulful artiste in old school mode. Lady Sovereign, on the other hand, identifies with her genre of music through an outsize baseball cap, weird sunglasses and neon colours.

As well as publishing overall sales figures, the Billboard chart is divided into more than 43 different music genre categories.

• Billboard Magazine Music Chart

Genre has always been a cornerstone of music business because customers often dedicate themselves to a certain style of music (eg hiphop, R'n'B) and are not interested in buying outside of it. Go into your local HMV and look at how it is organised along genre. Although many artists resent being categorised into a particular genre in this way, there is no doubt that retailers and customers rely genre to make their choices. Online music streaming services (like Pandora or Spotify) take into account your past genre choices in order to keep playing you new music that you may be interested in buying.

Genre and Sub Genre

This is all the genres of music that are available.

 

These are all the sub genres of each genre of music.

What Music Means To Me

Rockstar by Nickleback is a song that was released in 2005 and was becoming popular during the period when I was in primary school. The song is about focusing on one dream, in this case a rockstar. At this point during school, i also had a clear focus to be a racing driver, in particular in f1, and I was determined to do anything I could to achieve this. This song was close to being number 1 on the UK chart, and was socially recognised throughout the UK and most of the world, earning the band a large revenue. I bought this song on a CD, but I listerned to it frequently on the radio, and on MTV.
Bright Lights Bigger City is a song by Cee Lo Green, and was released in 2011 and reached 13th in the Uk charts. It has a upbeat tempo, and always makes you feel calm, concentrated yet relaxed when the song has ended. This was reflected  by me at this time in secondary school, when I was in year 9. Throughout the year I worked extremely hard to over achieve in some of my subjects, while still inviting friends around to my house to play sports and watch TV. The song is about a going out to the city at the weekend and having fun. I related to this because I was always looking forward to the weekend, as i worked hard during the week. I constantly listerned to this song on the radio, and bougth the album which features this song, 'The Lady Killer'. As well as this, i watched the video online on Youtube, Vevo and MTV.
Maps by Maroon 5 is a song about using a map to find the object/desire that you want, by using a map. This song was released in 2014, and relates to me during this time, as I am deciding on which direction I am going to take my career. I am also deciding on what my primary goal is, and therefore choosing the right path on the map to reach my goal. When this song was released, I first herd it on Youtube and MTV. I then downloaded it onto my playlist from I-tunes, and reached the top 10 in the UK chart so far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How Has Digital Technology Opened Up the Oppurtinity for more people to make their own music promo?

Digital technology has opened up the opportunity for more people to make their own music videos because of the features that are now available on pieces of equipment that can be bought by the public, in the form of cameras and new video cameras. Both these products come with the ability to record whats in front of them at any time in any place, making it much easier for people to film their own music video. The equipment is also very cheap in comparison to the cameras used to film a professional video for a top artist. as a result, they are of a higher quality. However, technology is improving all the time, which means that within a few years, more people will be able to film a top quality music video.

Effects

Improved editing software has also contributed to allowing more people to make their own music video. This is down to software like Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro and Avidemux along with countless others, which are almost as good as the professional equipment that are used for official videos. As a result peoples music videos look very impressive and to a high quality, thanks to improved editing software that is now available to people, even for free in some cases, giving people great access to great software to edit their video on, alowing them to make a great music promo.

Relavence Of Promo Directors - What Makes Their Promos Good?

A music video director is responsible for the drama and art that are present in a music video, in the form of a dance or conversation between two characters before the song actually starts. The directors are also used to instruct the models, dancers and technical crews, which all play a vital role in the way in which a music videos quality and the way it is run.

A music video director can ensure that any ideas that do not portray the artists message are not put into the video, which can allow the artist to make a more meaningful message, and potentially make more sales, due to more views on video websites like YouTube and MTV.

Without a music director involved in the music video, it would not be able to portray the artists message in the video as effectively as if the director was involved. Also, a director can ensure that the video looks professional, so therefore without one, the video could deter people from buying the single, as they are not impressed with the video that they watched.

Why Use Promo's?

Genre

Music Video Styles

There are four different syles of music videos, narrative, cameo, notion of looking and performance. Each of the four show music videos in a different way, and it depends on the song as to what style of video is used.

MTV vs Viral

MTV (Music Television), launched on 1st August 1981,  is a TV channel that specializes in showing music videos from the past and brand new songs that have only been released from a range of artists all over the world. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys,". In its early years, MTV's main target demographic were young adults, but today, MTV's programming is primarily targeted at adolescent and teenagers in addition to young adults.

Meanwhile viral is used to describe a music video or any video that becomes popular often through internet sharing, social media and email, along with word of mouth. This allows the artist and director of the video to become more recognized, and successful as a result of their video becoming viral, leaving the fans wanting more. Websites like Youtube and social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter are key ti making a video become viral, however TV shows that promote music videos also contribute to a video becoming viral.

Adavntages Of Promos For Sales

The main benefit of a music video to the artist and record company is of promoting their music. When a video accompanies a song, the exposure of the single will automatically double. This is because while the song can only be played on the radio and audio only Internet services, such as iTunes, having an accompanying video means the song will also be played on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo, as well as music television channels like 4music, The Box, Viva and MTV. Also, companies are aware that many consumers are more likely to share a video than an audio file, to talk about a video, and spread the song’s influence by word of mouth. For an artist this could mean more recognition, as a visual medium widens the possible scope of their creative ‘vision’, allowing them to get their message or self image across with more power. This benefits the sales of the song, as more people will be aware of the record through websites like Youtube and on TV, which will make them want to buy the song generating more sales and money. For a record company, the music video gives them the opportunity to include product placements and earn more revenue in the form of sponsorship through company's paying to have their product in a video with a popular artist.

Analysis Of Music Videos

I would grade this music video a very high grade because it has been edited to a high level. This is clear from the speed of the cuts, which vary in pace in order to match the speed of the music. For example, at the beginning the pace of the cuts were very slow, to match the slow start to the song, but by 3:21, the length of each clip was around half a second. This is a very difficult thing to implement into a music video, and the fact that they did this so well, further enhances the high grade that I would give this video. There are also a range of editing transitions throughout the video, such as fades, hard cuts and dissolve effects, which prove to be effective, in making the video flow and not look jaggered, which would make the video stand out from the music, which defies the point of a music video.

The video is also shot in black and white, which makes the video look really clear, and puts emphasis on the characters in the video. This is crucial to this type of video as it aims to tell a story through the characters, and if the audience can not relate to the characters, then the music video does not really work. However, I feel that the main reason that the video has be filmed in black and white is because it sets the emotions that are felt through the song, which are sad and depressing. These emotions are portrayed through the use of black and white as it represents that there is no happiness (colour) left in the world, which makes it the ideal way of filming the video.

The video is also filmed in a range of locations such as a forest, town center and several rooms of a house. This is enough locations to stop the audience getting bored of the same location, but also not too many, that the audience does not get overwhelmed, with the amount of locations used that it becomes confusing. this therefore makes the video of a high quality, as most people can be tempted to film in either too many or too few locations, which can ruin the video.

The lip synch is also very good throughout the video, which is key to ensuring that the video looks believable that she is singing the song. If the lip synch was bad, then the video would not look that appealing, and it will make the audience feel that the video is not related to the song.

Grading Of A Music Video

I would grade this music video a very high grade because it has been edited to a high level. This is clear from the speed of the cuts, which vary in pace in order to match the speed of the music. For example, at the beginning the pace of the cuts were very slow, to match the slow start to the song, but by 3:21, the length of each clip was around half a second. This is a very difficult thing to implement into a music video, and the fact that they did this so well, further enhances the high grade that I would give this video.

Defintion Of A Music Video

A Music Video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back even further, they came into their own in the 1980s, when MTV’s format was based solely around them

Must Do's For Music Videos

This is what I need to do in order to make a music promo as good as possible.

Copy of letter to artist or record label must be on blog with their response to it.

Lipsync – you are graded on accurate lip sync

Know your lyrics and sing along

Performance – believable

Vowels – mouth movement

Play the song so it can be heard on camera (recorded) as well as by ARTIST

x1 ‘BASE TRACK’ is an absolute must ie sing through whole track at least once

Editing to markers is a MUST/alignment of tracks – research how to do this

Different shot angles

Keep locations straight forward – 4 maximum

Keep x2 weekends free to get promos shot

No sound tracks with DRUGS or SWEARING.

No more than 3minutes long

Editing to the beat of the music – this is what editing markers are for.

Use a genre that is clearly identifiable

Faster paced music will require more shots/slower paced music less – keep your idea simple – the simpler the better.

Must Do's For Music Videos - Copyright

•Examiner's report, I definitely need to get artist's permission:

For music videos, permission should be sought from the artist for use of the audio track. Where this was breached, centres either didn’t comment on the use of a found song, or acknowledged its use but did not reflect it in the marks allocated.

 In these cases significant adjustments were made to construction marks which potentially puts in danger the order of merit, thereby affecting the outcomes for those candidates who had followed the requirements of the Specification; such a situation may also result in all work being returned to the centre for remarking.


This is an example of a copyright letter that I will send to the people who hold the rights to the music.

History Of Pop Music

History of Music Videos

Requirements for A2 media studies

Post Production

The post production was crucial to the success of my opening title sequence. The post production -process consisted of editing the sequence, gaining opinions from our target audience about the sequence, and making adjustments to the sequence based on the feedback.

We spent a lot of time editing the sequence and came up with multiple drafts of the final version. This was done so that I could spot any mistakes that were left in the sequence, and see if the sequence could achieve the SMART targets that I set out to achieve. Therefore, I kept making draft versions of the sequence, until I felt that they sequence was able to appeal to my target audience. The editing that I carried out consisted of putting clips together in the correct order, adding editing techniques like fades, shot reverse shots and jump cuts, adding in music and foley, credits, company idents and screen effects. I spent a lot of time implementing each part of these features into the sequence, as they all had to be of a high quality to look appealing to the target audience, and gain me more marks. The music was particularly important because it had to create a sense  of tension in the atmosphere, while varying in the volume throughout the sequence, so that it did not cover up the speech made by the characters. The editing software that I used to edit the sequence together was Adobe After Effects. I chose this software because it enabled me adjust the clips and sound in a detailed way, allowing for more precision editing, to generate a high quality piece of work.

I also gained feedback from a range of different audiences during the post production of my opening title sequence. I did this by posting questions, attached with questions of social websites like Facebook and Twitter, which allowed the audience to respond in a quick manor and in detail, telling me exactly what they liked and disliked about the sequence. I felt that it was crucial to gain opinions from a range of audiences of different demographics because it gave me a clearer indication into whether the sequence would appeal more towards my target audience or to another demographic audience, and thereby make changes if this was the case. Overall I would say that the feedback that I got from my target audience was very useful and detailed, as it told me how I could improve my sequence to suit them better. for example, my target audience did not like the original music that I put into the sequence, so therefore, I changed it to appeal to my target audience.

It is clear that the post production work that I carried out was crucial to the quality of the opening title sequence which had a direct impact on the grade that I got. It was important that I edited the sequence together in a way that made it look professional, but yet still appealing to my target audience. This was done by having a protagonist, accompanied with an assistant, and a protagonist holding a dangerous weapon in the form a sniper rifle. As a result, it attracted my target audience as it consisted of mystery and danger. The feedback that I received from my target audience was also very useful in the post production stage of the sequence. This is because it gave me clear guidelines on how I should edit the sequence, in order for it to suit them, and become a success.