Inspiration for music video

One of the big influences on my inspiration to do the theme of domestic violence for my music video was an ad campaign based on domestic violence which occurs in relationships between young people. I thought it would be a good theme to choose as it is a topic which is rarely touched upon in music videos, so it makes my video unconventional and unique, and for this reason there is likely to be space for it in the market. The couple in my video are also a young couple as I was inspired by the ad campaign, as domestic violence has only recently been recognised as something which occurs in younger couples too.

My video will also follow conventions of the pop rock genre as the artist will be seen as looking back on her past experiences in this abusive relationship, as it is a convention of this genre for the artist to be looking back on unfortunate past experiences they have had in their videos, and it is also a convention for them to be singing about an issue which means a lot to them. For example in Kelly Clarkson's video for "Because of you" she is looking back on how her parent's divorce affected her as a young child, which is an event that really occured in the artist's life. The example of this is shown here:

Prop list

1. Full length mirror
2. Photoframe
3.Bottle of alcohol
4.Glass
5. Chest of drawers
6. Poster/Magazine with the helpline on it
7.Mobile phone

Location list

I have decided to set my video in the domestic setting of a house, as the theme of my video is domestic violence. At the moment I am planning for most of the filming which is in the domestic setting to be done in a bedroom, as after observing other domestic violence scenes this is where I have noticed domestic violence scenes are regularly set.
I also plan to film the singer performing against a blank wall, as I want my video to be part performance part narrative, which is conventionally done.

Story board



These are my initial ideas for shots for the first part of my music video, however there is more to come. I have decided to base the theme of my music video on domestic violence as my chosen song is about a woman who feels like she is always expected to be perfect, so the narrative of my video is going to be about how the man always expects the protagonist (woman) to be perfect, and feels that she isn't therefore resorts to domestic
 violence.

Lyrics of my chosen song

Music video ideas

Idea 1- I am considering doing a theme of domestic violence as the song I am doing is called 'Perfect', so I may centre the ideology on the female singer's boyfriend expecting her to be perfect. I would use a domestic setting as the theme would be domestic violence, and also have various shots of the female artist performing against a blank wall. I am thinking about this idea because it is a convention of the pop rock genre for the artist to be singing about something which has deeply affected them, and domestic violence is a sensitive issue.

Idea 2- The second idea I have is that the music video could be centred around the idea that she is under social pressure to look and behave in a certain way. For this I would have one to the settings be a domestic one, where she would be looking at images in magazines which put her under pressure to look a certain way. I would have another setting of college where I could perhaps show her being bullied for the way she looks and behaves, which is also putting her under pressure to be perfect.

Textual analysis 3

 

Pink-Family Portrait

The video shows the artist pink being represented as a young girl, as it follows her reactions as a child to her parent's divorce. This narrative is conventional for the artist as Pink is typically known for writing and singing songs based around issues or experiences in her life, and isn't afraid to voice her opinion.

The establishing shot is a tilt down from the window to the artist in her bed, which indicates to the audience that the video will follow her through her daily routine. She is shown to be changing positions frequently in bed, which shows she is restless due to stress of thinking about her parent's divorce. The glass breaking is symbolic of her parents splitting up as it shows something has broken. The setting is domestic which is appropriate for the narrative of this video as it is about divorce which is a domestic issue.I also noticed that the setting is very dull and bland, which indicates a negative atmospehere where something bad has happened. Another aspect of the mise en scene I noticed which relates to the narrative is the box of cereal used when both the artist and the version of her younger self are in the kitchen. It relates to the narrative as the name of the cereal is "pretty happy", which is also part of the lyrics when she is singing about how her family look pretty happy in their family portrait, and how they should pretend and act like their happiness comes naturally. This scene is also the opposite of how an advert for cereal would appear, as it just features the artist trying to ignore and push away the version of her younger self. Whereas in a typical advert for cereal the conventional nuclear family is portrayed as being close knit and happy. I also noticed that they are both wearing the same outfit which tells the audience the young girl is a younger version of the artist, and they are also both wearing tracksuit bottoms which is associated with being rough, indicating that her life may have gone off the rails a bit since her parents split.

One aspect of the cinematography I noticed was the use of the shot reverse shot pattern, which is used in the kitchen scene when the younger version of Pink is trying to get her attention and Pink is just shurgging her off. The shot reverse shot pattern is used to show that she is trying to grab her attention, and also to show the spped at which she is doing this. The artist is shrugging her younger self off because she does not want to be confronted with her past, therefore in a way her younger self is representing a ghost of her past which is haunting her. Her younger self is also pushing the cereal box called "pretty happy" towards her then pink pushes it away, which shows her younger self wants the life of a happy family but Pink is still trying to block it out. The editing here is also fast paced  which is to show the frustration  her younger self is feeling. The use of medium close ups when they are sat on the sofa eating the cereal is done to show the frustrated and hurt emotions on both of their faces, particularly as at this moment they are watching the advert on tv for the cereal "pretty happy". The advert they are watching is bright and colourful in contrast to the dark and depressing room they are sat in, and it is portraying a typical nuclear family who are very happy, which is conventional for adverts for cereal.

The next shot is a medium shot which shows Pink answering the door to a lawyer in the background, whilst the younger version of her is directly facing the camera and performing the song. The fact that her younger self is performing the song perhaps means that the lyrics portray what Pink really feels inside but doesn't want to admit. The younger version of Pink also appears to be seperate in this particular shot, as if she is not visible to the lawyer and can only be seen by Pink. When the girl is stood against the wall it goes from a medium shot to a close up which is done to create meaning by showing her emotions. A medium shot is used showing the younger version of Pink trying to distract the artist, and the artist is shown trying to block her out as she becomes disruptive.  An eyeline match is used when the younger version of Pink is throwing books off the balcony, and Pink appears to be the only one that can see her doing this. This is because the younger version of Pink is just a version of her inner self and is representing the anger that Pink feels deep down.

The medium shot of them both sat on the stairs together shows Pink hugging her younger self, which shows that she is perhaps ready to confront her past.

The next shot is an establishing shot which shows the young girl facing the camera from a distance. It appears in this shot that it has been purposely shown that they are actually just on a set, as the walls just appear to be inside a warehouse. This has been done as the song is about how Pink just wished her parents to fake being happy, therefore the setting is shown as being fake to coincide with this. It also represents that the whole sequence is a figment of Pink's imagination with the set being shown as fake. The costume of combat trousers is done to show that Pink is quite tough a tomboyish, therefore doesn't want to confront her emotions. I have noticed that Pink is now also performing the song, which perhaps shows that she has become more ready to face her past and emotions. The medium shots of them both begging shows that although Pink has this tough image, she is weak when it comes to the issues of her past and her parent's divorce. When Pink is performing the camera zooms from a medium shot into a medium close up, then cuts back to a medium shot then a close up of her face. The zoom has been done to make the audience focus on her, and the close up has been done to convey the emotion she feels as she is singing the song. It then cuts to a medium shot of the younger version of Pink looking happier as she waves her arms in the air, this is perhaps showing that this is how Pink wants to feel deep down. I noticed that after this it cuts back to the close up of Pink's face, which has been done to contrast the two different types of emotion.

It then cuts to a medium shot of Pink and her younger self playing on the sofa and having fun. This shows that Pink has become able to face her past, with her younger self being a representation of her past. It then cuts back to the cereal advert on tv in a shot reverse shot pattern, and the mother in the advert reaches out her hand to the younger version of Pink, who takes it and climbs into the advert. This is showing that the sort of family that is on the tv is the sort of family Pink wanted. It then cuts to a medium shot of Pink who remains on the Sofa, showing her looking dissappointed at the realistation that she never will have the perfect family that is portrayed on the tv.

The target audience of Pink and this video is mainstream, and most likely mainly female. The reason for this is lots of people can relate to issues such as their parents divorcing, as this is a common issue. Many people can also relate to issues portrayed in Pink's other songs such as the issue of drugs too. The audience is likely to be mainly female as Pink is female therefore they can relate to her better, and also women tend to be more open about their emotions, meaning men may not like meaningful videos and songs like this one. The audience is more likely to be teens and young people as they generally have less conservative values, and this video and Pink's other songs are likely to be considered 'taboo' by the older generation.

Textual analysis 2



Bruno Mars- Grenade

The first thing I noticed about this video was the medium close up of the rain at the beginning. The rain symbolises that something bad is going to happen, and is iconic of the romance genre. The artist is also wearing a red t shirt which symbolises both romance and danger. He also appears to be in a dark room with a shadow over his face which indicates he is shutting himself away after having his heart broken. The medium close up of him sat on the bed with the rain in the background shows he is dominant but lets the audience know the rain is still present. The medium close up his hands holding a picture of him and his romantic interest is also iconic of the romance genre, particularly when the character has had their heart broken. When the glass on the photoframe smashes it gives the audience an indication of the narrative as it shows he has had his heart broken. From this the audience already know that the narrative of the video is going to revolve around him getting his heart broken.

The close up shots of his hands pulling a piano along with a rope indicates that he is going through great lengths for the women he loves, which is conventional for the romance genre.  This also links to the lyrics of the song as it is about the things he would sacrifice for the woman he loves.It appears to the audience that he is pulling the piano along a busy tunnel, which shows he is representing how a man would be portrayed in the romance genre as it is seen as typically the man's job to woo the girl.  He is also dressed formally  in a suit which is iconographic of the romance genre as a man is usually dressed like this when he is about to take a girl out in romance films. The medium shot of the beggar is symbolic as it symbolises that he would do anything for the girl he loves, as a beggar would do anything for money or food.  The next scene shows him coming into a rough area and about to face confrontation with a gang, but the audience can see that he is not fased by this, which shows that he is determined to get to the women he loves and things like that won't stop him. A gang member knocks the photo of the woman he loves out of his hand, which indicates that he is about to lose her.

The target audience of this media text is young women as most young women dream about having a man that will go through great lengths for her like the artist in the video, therefore the audience is mainstream. The artist Bruno Mars is also often portrayed as being a ladie's man who is good at wooing girls, and a lot of his other songs are from the romance genre. Therefore it has become obvious that the institution has puposely given him this image in order to appeal to the target audience which is young women.

The narrative concludes when the audience sees the shot tilted upwards towards a window where the woman he loves is kissing another man. The major theme of the narrative is heart break as the audience knows from the start that that is what the conclusion will be, as the smashed photograph suggests. It portrays the typical ideology that the man should be the one who goes through great lengths to impress the woman, and also that the woman posesses the power within the relationship as she has him wrapped around her finger. The audience also see him pushing the piano back the way he came, which indicates even though she has hurt him he would still put himself through pain for her. The video is shown to interpret the lyrics as when he sings about how he would die for her the audience sees a medium shot of a priest, which is associated with death. This also shows an indication over whats going to happen next, when there is a medium close up of the lights at a railway crossing the audience are immediately led to believe he is going to put himself in danger.

Overall, this video portrays the ideology that a man should be willing to go through great lengths and risk his life for a woman, and also that the woman is the more powerful one in the relationship as she has the man under her thumb. It is also possible that the main character is just imagining the events that unfold in the video, and in reality is hiding away in the room we first see him in in the beginning, as the shadow over his face would symbolise. This may be because in reality he is too scared to go through all these great lengths for this woman, and is being portrayed as being weak rather than confident as the audience would first assume. This is a convention of the romance genre as it is often the case that the man is initially too scared to face the woman, and only plucks up the courage later on. He is being portrayed as the protagonist as he is shown as the one who is trying to do good, however he is unconventional as the protagonist is normally portrayed as the one possessing all the power. The woman is the antagonist as she is portrayed as being deviant as she goes off with another man, however she still possesses all the power as she still manages to make him feel heartbroken.

Textual Analysis 1

I have decided to analyse Kelly Clarkson's Behind these hazel eyes.
The first thing I noticed at the start of this video is that there are two completely different streams. The first is a gothic setting which is set in the middle of the woods. The main character is also dressed procatively and in dark clothing which represents rebellion. The other stream is representing the character in a completley innocent way as it shows he getting ready to get married. The room is completley light, and the white dress is iconic of virginity which represents innocence, completley contrasting with the dark revealing clothing she is wearing in the other stream. I noticed that two contrasting streams such as these two is iconic of the horror genre as horror films often start out in a bright and postive setting and then turn scary and dark. The shot of the church in the first part is also iconic of horror films as they associate with the dead, however the second stream also links to the church as we can see she is getting ready to get married.It is also interesting to note that exactly the same shot is used when she is being laced up in her wedding dress to the shot used to show the audience how she is dressed provocatively. Her being laced up in the wedding dress is showing that she is being trapped into a life she doesn't want, and the shot of her dressed provactively in the woods show how she has been rebellious and broken free from that life. This is linked to the narrative of the video as it is about how she is preparing to marry someone who she knows is having an affair, however breaks free before she marries them by becoming a runaway bride. It is also interesting to note that there is a medium close up shot of the red roses she is holding as her bouquet, as the colour red and the roses indicate romance, however the colour red also incates danger, which is perhaps showing that it could be a danger in a sense for her to enter this marriage.

The narrative is shown to unfold over time as cuts back and forth from her wedding scene to the scene in the woods. However when she is preparing to get married there is a medium close up shot of her holding a photograph of the other woman as a bride along with her husband to be as a groom which she is imagining, however it has now become apparent to the audience that there is a problem with the marriage she is about to enter, although the narrative has not completly unfolded yet. The storm that forms outside represents that her marriage is doomed.
The next shot is of her walking down the aisle to find that her husband to be is being wed to the woman he is having an affair with. It becomes apparent to the audience that they cannot see her as they do not notice her, and that she is imaginging this sequence. It shows her lifting the veil of the other woman which shows the other woman has taken her place.  The next shot is a close up of the other woman's eyes directly looking at the protagonist in the way people would look at someone if they were guilty, this is showing that perhaps she feels guilty and therefore isn't as heartless as initially implied. The shot of the protagonist coming out the church doors is iconographic of the horror genre as there is mist surrounding her and a branch infront of the camera, this is implying that the protagonist is going through one of their worst nightmares in real life. We then see a shot of her back in the woodland area wearing a black dress. Black is iconographic of funerals therefore symbolises death, so this scene is symbolising that a part of her has died inside due to her husband to be having an affair. The shot of her in the woods in her wedding dress where her hair is wet due to the storm is iconographic of the typical runaway bride.

The narrative finally pieces together is the scene where she is stood at the alter about to wed her husband to be and she throws the ring back at him and runs out as he glances at the other woman. The lighting inside the church is dark, gloomy and lit with candles, which is also iconographic of the horror genre as this is the way churches and old buildings are typically set out in horror films. Another interesting aspect of the setting to note is that inside the church there are falling petals which symbolise romance, however when she is in the woods there are falling leaves which symbolise winter which is associated with darkness, which is in turn associated with the horror genre.

The editing for this media text starts off slow at the beginning with the use of cuts, particularly when she is getting ready for her wedding. This is because the major drama in the text has not started yet and the narrative has not become apparent, therefore all is still well in the plot. However the editing speeds up when the storm starts, as the storm indiacates something bad is about to happen.

The target audience of this media text is young people, as this is the age group that are most likely to watch horror films and listen to pop rock music, which is the genre of the song. The text implies that the audience are the type of people that seek drama and excitement, as the plot is dramatic as it involves an affair, and it becomes exciting building up to the dramatic climax. This text also creates empathy for the audience as when she is kneeling down in the mud in her wedding dress crying, it gives the impression that she is begging.

The representation behind this text is interesting as she is being represented as a typical runaway bride. When she is in the woodland area she is represented as being quite rebellious as she is dressed in dark clothing, and is represented in the style of a female rockstar with the presence of the band. However in the scenes where she is preparing for her wedding she appears innocent as she is in a white dress, in a light setting. However it becomes apparent to the audience that she feels trapped and is about to enter a life she doesn't really want. When she runs out of the church she is represented as being rebellious as the wedding guests are shocked and frown upon her,which is representing the fact that runaway brides are typically frowned upon in our society.

Health and safety

Before I start filming, there are some health and safety issues which need to be addressed.

1. Hazards- it is important that I consider hazards before I start filming. Hazards include things like stuff that can be tripped over, such as wires on the floor or props that are going to be in the way. Another hazard may be the type of location i use, for example I shouldn't use somewhere that is derelict and dangerous.

2. People who may be harmed include myself and my actors. The actors are particularly at risk as part of their performance involves one of them pretending to hit the other, so I need to prevent that person from getting hit by accident.

3.  One thing I could do to avoid the risk completely is to completely clear the area before I start filming, in order to avoid trips and falls. Another risk is the location, however if I make sure that my environment is safe to film in, by perhaps choosing somewhere indoors which can be checked over easily. I will also make sure my actors stay within a certain area whilst I am filming, to prevent them from trips and falls and accidently getting hit.

4. I will make sure that i do a full risk assesment, by evaluating each risk and informinag both of my actors of the risk, and how high the risk is.

5.I will also ensure to revise me risk assessment and keep referring back to it.

The history of music videos

The History Of Music Videos

The purpose of the text of a music video is to promote the artist and album. The idea of using video to promote artists and songs was first initiated in the late 1950s, when a type of visual juke box was invented. The next stage of development in the early 1960s was the use of short films about the artist in which the songs were incorporated into,  for example Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t look back’. The use of words used in this challenged society and the values of the previous generation, as the 1960’s was a time of change and younger generations were starting to rebel against traditional values. One of the most significant films made by an artist during this period was ‘A hard days night’ by The Beatles. This film incorporated the conventions we have for music videos today into the scenes with the songs as it shows the band performing, and creates a consistent image of the artist. The scenes with the songs are also anti-realist, show no continuity and are made up of montage editing which is conventional for music videos.  A later film made by The Beatles called ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ shows that the use of video has become more surreal, and the song scenes in the film had begun to interpret the lyrics of the song with the use of setting, props and performance which is conventional for music videos. It also again criticizes traditional values and challenges beliefs in society.

In 1972 David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ was one of the first music videos to be made which was not part of a film. The video is futuristic, which perhaps represents the fact this type of music video is a breakthrough for the music industry and music videos are going to continue to develop in the future.  It also uses conventional cinematography such as lots of zooms and close ups of the artist’s face which is conventional for music videos. In 1975, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was another big breakthrough for the music video as it was the first that used advanced special effects, therefore was similar to the music videos we see today, and about £35,000 was spent on producing it.  The video for The Beautiful South’s song ‘Song for whoever’, shows the artist actually writing the song in the video, therefore it is self reflective. This shows a new development in music videos as early music videos did not do this, and self-reflectiveness has since become a convention for music videos.

‘Losing my religion’ by REM in the early 90’s shows how beliefs in society have changed as the lyrics explain how people in society have become less religious over the years, and the video interprets the lyrics as it shows characters from the bible and other religions, and illustrates that the belief system for religion is falling apart. It also interprets the lyrics in a visual form as it shows the building of the wings. This particular music video uses conventions as it is conventional for music videos to fit in with the beliefs of society.  Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ uses the idea of voyeurism which is conventional for music videos, and is also inter textual as it references a list of big stars, and she is deliberately made to look like Marilyn Monroe in the video.  The video also shows narcissism as it fits in with the lyrics of the song, and the audience becomes the star of the video.

Wham!’s ‘Club Tropicana’ is another video which shows beliefs in society at that time as it is set in an exotic location, which is conventional as the 1980’s when the video was made was a glamorous period, where people were vain, and the video interprets the lyrics of the song. ‘Buddy Holly’ by Weezer is inter textual  as it references the singer Buddy Holly, and it uses the format of ‘Happy days’, a sitcom set in the 1950s, just as change was occurring and young people were starting to rebel.

One of the most influential videos in the history of music videos is Micheal Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. The video is in the format of a short film, just like when music videos first started. It also shows the conventions of the horror genre, for example it shows the innocent girl, graveyard, isolated house, it is set at night and has eerie music. Vincent Price’s voice also features in it, which is an iconic voice of horror films. ‘The importance of being idle’ by Oasis is in black and white as it is set in the 1960s, and it is inter textual as it shows resemblance to ‘Saturday night/ Sunday morning’ which was a film made in the 1960s about working class life. It also illustrates the point of British Social Realism, which meant a change from British cinema being only focused on middle and upper classes, to working class life starting to be represented. Blink 182’s ‘All the small things’ in the early 2000s parodies all of the conventions of music videos and shows references to other artists. Another video which interprets the lyrics well is Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ as it shows images referencing the lyrics of the song. This video also represents change with the technology used to make music videos as it is one of the first to use stop motion.  Fatboy Slim’s ‘Right here right now’ shows change in society as it shows evolution into a person but then shows the person become overweight, which is a current issue in society. Radiohead’s ‘ Street Spirit’ also shows how music videos have changed as it is abstract and arty, and the video has no real relation to the lyrics of the song.

In conclusion to this essay, it is evident that as society evolves and changes it effects how music videos are produced, as music videos appear to always fit in with the beliefs of society at the time they are set or at the time they are produced. For example the two short films made by The Beatles show how the 1960s was a period of change and young people were starting to rebel against the conservative beliefs of the older generation. Another good example of this is REM’s ‘Losing my religion’, as religion is seen as being quite conservative, and the young people of today tend not to believe in religion, whereas they would have a hundred years ago.

Production brief

For my Media Studies Advanced Portfolio I have decided to create a promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

- A website homepage for the band

-A cover for its release as part of a digipack

-A magazine advertisement for the digipack