Music vid Pre production

Research/planning

Part 1 : Song choice

The song i have selected for my music video is "The ocean" by Tonight Alive

part 2 : Lyrical analysis

I feel heavy, I feel weighted

And I feel hungry, I feel wasted

Oh, I can't put my finger on my feelings

Put my ear to the ceiling, where is that coming from?

Where are you coming from?

I'm just waiting for the walls of my insides to come clean

I've been praying for the day that my spirit is finally free

Some days it feels like the ocean lies inside of me

Lies inside of me

And I feel paralysed, been cut down to size

I hardly have the strength, to open up my eyes

Coz I am swollen, and this has stolen my sanity

Well it's hard to see beyond this when it's fighting against me

Yeah!

I'm just waiting for the walls of my insides to come clean

I've been praying for the day that my spirit is finally free

Some days it feels like the ocean lies inside of me

Lies inside of me

The waves crash in, the tide rolls out

I stand before my weakness now

You took my faith and cut me down

The ocean it lies, it lies inside me now!

The ocean!

The ocean!

I'm just waiting for the walls of my insides to come clean

I've been praying for the day that my spirit

I'm just waiting for the walls of my insides to come clean

I've been praying for the day that my spirit is finally free

Some days it feels like the ocean lies inside of me

Lies inside of me

My interpretation: the first time I heard this song i believed the ocean to be referencing the person and maybe they missed them or something. I always thought the "open up my eyes, cos i am swollen" was about crying and talking about swollen eyes.

Artist explanation: The main singer actually spoke about the meaning of this song. This song is actually about the singer (Jenna Mcdougall) and her eczema that affected her so bad that she couldn't perform in some situations.

"I wrote the lyrics of ‘The Ocean’ so that they were open to interpretation but it was really through these emotional and physical trials and ultimately detoxing my body that the song was inspired."

Part 3:
The Ocean:

Clothing / costumes: the clothing in this music video is casual due to most shots being from shows and the band messing around backstage or during the festivals

Makeup:the makeup for this video is natural due to the performance and festivals

Locations: the different locations presented are the festivals they visit as well as perormances/ dressing rooms and shops from the looks of it.

Concepts / narratives: there is no narrative for this specific video due to it being a performance 

The Edge:

Clothing / costumes: the clothing for the band in this music video is dark colors looking quite cool in style. since this is related to the amazing spider man 2 some of the band members outfits remind me of electro the main villain.

Makeup:the makeup is quite natural on the band.

Locations: the location for this video is quite dark and dreary compared to the normal locations that they shoot. This location is selected due to the synergy they are going for because of course spiderman swings between buildings so their location being in between 2 buildings is fitting.
Concepts / narratives: the concept for this video is the synergistic marketing with amazing spiderman 2 and it links to the villain in some sections with electric effects surrounding the band. also combining footage from the film that seems to affect the band in their video.

Crack my heart:

Clothing / costumes: the clothing is of a dark nature with lots of black clothing which points to the album cover and its coloring.

Makeup: the makeup specifically on the main singer is black and yellow, this could possibly link to their new album cover because this song was made to tease the new album.

Locations: the location for this video is a small enclosed space covered in yellow neon lighting again referencing their new albums colors 

Concepts / narratives: there is no narrative for this specific video due to it being a performance 

Come Home:

Clothing / costumes: The clothing presented in this music video is a very casual look which makes the music video much more realistic to the viewer.

Makeup: the makeup is presented in a casual style just like the clothing.

Locations: the locations presented in the music video are the house as well as the moving van.

Concepts / narratives: the narrative presented in this video is loose but there still is one, The main singer seemingly gets dumped by her boyfriend and whilst the moving team are taking all of his possessions out they are performing and looking through the possessions.

Styles/Conventions/Techniques

Music video styles

Concert/ Live footage:

Concert/Live footage is a style that utilities footage from live shows that the band performs or a created set to show off how the band/artist performs. My example of concert/live footage Is Tonight alive's "The ocean" 

This example perfectly shows the concert/live footage style as Tonight alive has taken footage from some of their shows to create the music video showing such angles as The audience and each separate band members.

This technique is used to give a sense of how the band performs live or may be an experience for those that don't actually see the band live because the performance shows the way they look and the way they perform and move around the stage. As well as what their target audience is

The screen caps from the music video prove the point of a live music performance and the way it cuts between all the different sections of the performance, it has their audience and the whole band is set up as it's a proper performance Tonight Alive did.

Narrative and interpretive:
Narrative and interpretive music videos is a style where the video follows a plot line and has established characters who eventually reach a conclusion at the end of the video. the story can either relate to the lyrics or not. My example for this style of following lyrics to story is Kenny Loggins "I'm free (Heaven Helps The Man)"

 

This example shows the narrative style following lyrics incredibly well as the entire song is singing about freedom and the narrative we follow is about an inmate escaping a prison in order to escape the city with his girlfriend and upon meeting some lowlifes in the street they assist him in evading the police as they try to track him down.

The technique of narrative is used to give the music video more depth in the same way that we enjoy films of following a specific character and their journey as it pulls us in as we want to see where the main character(s) end up and whether they achieve their goals. 

The screen caps show all the important parts of the story line. The story mostly progresses around the chorus which continuously sings about the freedom of man.

Surrealist/Absurdist:

Surrealist/Absurdist style of music video are a bit bizarre and unconventional to the song/melody and lyrics that are being played. The example selected for this Was Panic! at the disco's "LA devotee" 

This example is perfect due to the song being upbeat and perky however the video shows many images that Suggest Cultist behavior and rather creepy things.

This technique is used to attract a more curious audience this usually includes age groups such as teenagers that are more likely to be curious, This is also why most bands that use them havethe target age of teenagers with genres such as rock/metal.

The screen caps from the music video have barely any relation to the lyrics which sings about the city of LA whilst the video shows a kid getting kidnapped and seemingly enslaved by cultist Behavior by Brendon Urie as it shows off many Bizarre looking symbols and people in long robes.



Impressionist:
Impressionist videos are music videos that utilize very soft colors and very soft focus shots throughout the video to give them a more "artistic feels. The example i selected for this is Adeles "Hello"

This example is good for impressionist music style as most of the shots presented as really soft in focus and the color use of the Sepia tone is prominent throughout the whole video as well as all the gentle serene music/lyrics.

This technique is used for a more serene feel in music videos which attracts an audience of more intellectual individuals who would find some sort of "Meaning" in the video. most genres that use this are usually slow in rhythm and soft in vocals.

These screen caps from the video showcase the coloring and the focus of some of the shots which remain like this through the whole video.

Intertextual Synergy:
Synergistic music videos are music videos that link to another piece of media and are usually why the music video is made. For this I selected Pentakill "Mortal Reminder"

This example is perfect because it synergises with the video game "League of legends". When this music video was released they released a set of skins for certain playable characters in the game linking the music video and game as well as the characters that exist in both this synergy between them may either encourage fans of the music to play the game or fans of the game to listen to the music this band produced.

Synergy is used to add a thicker layer of depth towards the music video and the thing it is linked to. A lot of video games and movies use intertextual synergy to create more involved pieces of music and contents for the media that the music was created for

Combining music videos and their respective media creates a much bigger target audience due to the links between the two which equals more profit for both media pieces

This screen caps from the video show off the characters that synergised this music video to it's video game as these characters were given the skins that are playable in the game which can be seen below.

Intertextual Parody:
A parody is when an artist or bands pokes fun at a specific subject that could maybe even be poking fun at their own band for this I selected Sum 41 "Still waiting"

In this music video Sum 41 pokes fun at bands having numbers in their name such as blink 182 and green day 75 as well as their own name Sum 41. The parody is presented in the video as when the band performs every instance of their band name just says "The Sums" as well as parodying cool names that band members have as their manager forces them to change their separate names

This is used to add a comedic layer to some music videos because we usually remember music videos if they're more funny/bizarre or cool rather than some more bland music videos.

These screen caps from the music video show off the parody in the name of the band in the background and instruments as well as the name changed by "Formerly as"

Animation:
Animation music videos are music videos are as the name suggests animated in either Digital/stop motion animation, Animation style is a very strong choice for a music video as music appeals to many people. For the 2D animation example I Selected Black tides "Warriors of time" and for my 3D animated example I selected League of legends (Feat Mako) "Varus: As we fall"

2D:

This Example works perfectly as it's music video is entirely animated in a 2D style. A common recurring theme is that metal songs usually utilize animation in their music videos.

Animation is used because the limits of imagination can be broken by creating anything that usually wouldn't be possible with normal film making which then creates a foundation for much more interesting music videos

These screen caps from the music video show off the animation presented in the video, The animation could be considered rather cool and fast paced as it reminds me of a comic book style due to the way its made and looks

3D:

This is the other form of animation that utilizes 3D models in a CG environment rather than drawn images of Black tides video.

These screen caps from the music video show off the pieces where 3D animation is best used. Each different sort of animation gives off a different style with 2D allowing for really close action and fast paced visuals whilst 3D can be used to create strong environments and characters.

Techniques

Lip-sync:
A performance video may require the band/artist to seem as if they are singing the words so they're synced to the track. Sometimes effects must be applied to the footage to make it seem as if they are synced up. for this example I selected Pumped up kicks - Foster the people cover (Late nite reading)

This example shows the lip sync well because it's presented as the band singing the song and mostly the chorus is the main singer singing along

These screen caps from the video show shots of the lip sync as it's the main singer singing to the song. most songs using live performance use this technique.

Editing:

some music videos are quite full in their editing whilst some don't really use much of it. Some videos challenge the conventions of typical film making. For this example I selected Papa Roach "Face Everything And Rise" for a edit heavy music video and for my example that doesn't use much editing I selected Sheppards "Edge of the night"

Heavy editing:

This example is very edit heavy because it follows different characters throughout the music video as well as showing a performance from the band so of course it has to cut quite frequently to explore all that's going on.

These screen caps from the music video show the different scenarios that occur in the music video since these all occur in different areas and time in the music video the editing and cutting between them is fast and erratic to speed the pace of the video.

Little Editing:

This example is perfect for little editing because it doesn't actually feature editing as it's all filmed in a singular take using only camera movements to obscure the view of the places here they band prepare to add extra things to the shot. this creates a fluid music video as it never suddenly jumps and feels smooth as it moves.

In the screen caps above it can be seen that all the entire video is shot in the exact same building but it's incredibly large allowing for people to exit off screen and re appear later on in the video without requiring any edits of any kind this allows the attention to be more averted towards the bands dancing.

Cutting to beat:
Cutting to the beat is a technique that establishes rhythm in music videos by editing in relation to the beats presented by the song. I selected Paramores "Misery business" for this example as it frequently cuts to the beat.

This example is good for cutting to the beat as most cuts occur when drum beats happen which makes the video very fast paced and the cuts are very quick

The examples shown above are shot next to each other and the drum beats cut between them as can be seen in the above example the edit flips and rotates the footage for a cool looking effect and the bottom one cuts to further the narrative

Post production effects:
Post production effects are effects that are added after the video is filmed and can usually create breathtaking effects. I selected Black Veil Brides "Fallen Angels" for this example

This video is good for post production effects because of the meteors flying through the air and landing as well as many fire effects.

these screen caps shows the post production effects  used on the video to create a hellish and fiery environment also to make meteors crash down to earth at the beginning. Using post production effects makes the music video more appealing to watch. 

Split screen:
Split screen is an effect in which the screen is split into sections and each section shows different images to make the music video more interesting. For this example I selected  Michael Jackson's "Billie jean"

 

This example is perfect for the split screen because it shows split screens when Michael is dancing and then it freezes him and halves the frame and he continues dancing in the other frame.

As can be seen from the screen caps he uses the split screen a lot during the dancing, it creates a much more interesting video because it pauses after the most impressive move.

Chroma key:

Chroma key is when the band/artist shoots footage in front of a green screen then uses the chroma key effect to insert anything they want into the background. the example is elected for this is Busted's "Year 3000"

They use chroma key to be able to create an animated world for them to move around and perform in which is supposed to be the future.

As can be seen in the screen caps the band chroma keyed themselves into an animated world, the animations and characters seen were of course created in post production then chroma keyed onto the green background. using this effect makes more impossible things possible and gives the music video more interest and depth.

Camera movements:

Using camera movements in music videos creates more excitement and tension, many camera movements are used in songs such as rock and metal songs. the song i selected for this example is Strung out's "Calling" 

This music video uses camera movement to create the hype and excited pace of their music style which is very quick and intense especially on the chorus.

As can be seen in the screen caps of two different shots and how the camera movement is used in them. These camera movements are a pan for the top one that creates pace as it pans around the man on the computer and the one on the bottom paces the story line by giving us a view of the character it follows.

Camera angles / shot type:
Different camera angles and shot types a film maker can make a music video have more meaning and tone and the shot variation can showcase different elements of the mis-en-scene. For this example i selected Marmozet's "Move,Shake,Hide"

This example is good for the use of camera angles because the majority of every angle is either long shots or close ups and nothing much else.

The screen caps above show the majority of shots the videos use. The long shots are quite normal and show off the band performing whilst the contrast with the close ups show the band with skull make up and their screaming.

Mise-en scene:
Mise-en scene in music videos can be very different depending on the music genre being presented by the artist. Most genres follow a series on stereotypes for the vids for example you wouldn't see a heavy metal band use really bright pinks or such. for this example I selected Avril lavigne's "Girlfriend"

This example is good for Mise-en-scene because it determines certain characters in the narrative by the color of their clothing as well as their style. Colorful pinks and a red haired woman are the goody goody girl whereas Avril uses dark clothing and punk rock style hair. the setting is reminiscent to school/college days and follows the drama of two students as they fight over a boy.

These screen caps from the music video show the mise en scene of the brightly dressed girl against the dark clothed emo girl and the areas and moments that many school students can relate to.

Purpose of Music videos

For a while music has been around but it wasn't until 1975 that the form of music videos began to take shape as the type of videos we see today. Entwined with all these music videos are several different concepts that go into it such as promotion, image, producers strategies, synergy and many more. I shall take these concepts and explore them in greater detail. The first true music video ever released was Queens "Bohemian Rhapsody" due to it's lip syncing and live performance of the band themselves rather than the music just being played alongside some meaningless imagery.

Artist promotion
Usually most artists/bands have a specific logo or recognizable icon in their music videos as a form of advertisement. For example in the music video for the song Bleach blonde baby by Poppy there are several shots of Poppy's specific logo. The logo behind of the P in a triangle is a signature logo for Poppy and has had many pieces of merchandise surrounding it as well as being a recognizable symbol for Poppy. As well as the song's title having a lot of merchandise created around it.

Director promotion
As well as artists sometimes directors can be promoted throughout their work by showing their specific style of such in the music video for Here with me by The Killers it was directed by Tim Burton and it is easily recognizable by the Gothic style with everyone wearing dark clothing and most of it being shot in dark areas. The black and white swirls of his glasses could possibly reference one of Burton's films, Beetle juice.

As can be seen with beetle juice on the right his outfit perfectly matches that of the glasses shown in the music video. Using black and white has always been a big choice of Tim Burton with films such as corpse bride, Frankenweenie and even the overall look of the character of Edward scissor hands. seen below at a glance you can see that many of Tim Burtons works have a darker visual tone than most other things. with the first 2 films having their main character looking black and white whilst the other 2 actually are visually presented as black and white.

Producer strategies and why artists are marketed differently
Most artists or bands have a different vibe to them which makes producers market them in different way to one another for example a band that uses primarily dark clothing and imagery such as Black Tide will be marketed completely differently to a band which is more bright and colorful such as Smash mouth. The image a band creates usually entices different audiences to their music. Black tide are marketed as being a very dark and particularly edgy band which reflects their metal style of music and music videos whereas on the other hand Smash mouth have a very child friendly image and have pop music that has been featured on soundtracks especially the dream works animated film Shrek this can also be seen in their colorful imagery in music videos.





















Extending artists/record label income
In the past it was a lot more linear to support the bands you loved by purchasing vinyls and going to their concerts now in the current day and age it has begun to turn very convoluted as now artists get payed through their royalties. Usually through radio plays and such, this method doesn't work very well for more unique bands and not very well known artists due to either their uniqueness being too much for normal radio listeners to be popular or them not being well known enough for people to recognize them on radio. By creating a music video for their music it adds an extra layer of the royalties the band/artist receives. For example every time you watch a music video for a band or artist they then earn a small bit of advertiser revenue form their video in the same way as if a band or artist was played on the radio. Most people these days aren't exposed to many independent artists because the radio won't show them and you have to put effort into finding independent artist and bands for music.

The extension of various media outlets
There are many Media outlets these days to allow artist and bands to express their music and show their music videos. one of the strongest outlets around is YouTube, several artists jump started their careers from making you tube videos and then creating music for example as mentioned before Poppy found her music career after uploading music videos to her slightly bizarre and strange artistic you tube channel. She then went on to release an album and even has her own tour now. as well as youtube many artists found their fame releasing videos onto social platforms such as Facebook these are artists such a Rebecca black and Justin Bieber.
additionally with apps being very popular such as Spotify and Apple Music a lot of band/artists can be noticed this way as well by releasing singles and such


Synergistic marketing

Synergistic marketing is when marketing is influenced by big brands or companies. For the video game "The Evil Within 2" the band Hit house created a song cover of Duran Durans Ordinary world, They used the games trailer as the music video and the song is also part of the video games soundtrack since it being an end credits song as well as the instrumental being used within the game thus being synergistic marketing between the game and the band and fans of the video game would be interested in the band and then people who are interested in the band would be interested in the game.

as well as the exposure given from synergistic marketing the profit that is made from this is also notable, linking to the example when the band created the song they get paid by the company to produce and then they will also take a share of how much the album makes.











Conclusion
In conclusion I believe that music videos really add more depth and layer to a band/artist or a band/artists music by letting them express their distinct style that they want rather than just expressing that through the words that they sing. In this day and age it's quite easy to create a music and music video and it's got to the point where you can have a cool music video and the music isn't really that important anymore.

History of Music Video

"Music videos" essentially began in 1941 by the creation of the panoram soundie which was a jukebox that played music accompanied by short videos however they didn't take the certain form as we see them today until 1975 with Queens bohemian rhapsody that was only the band playing instruments and had quite minimal editing but it was considered amazing at the time. as music videos started to develop David Bowie created the music video Ashes to Ashes which started to create more bizarre imagery in music videos it used very vibrant colors of pinks and yellows and had a very science fiction vibe to it. A few years forward to 1984 Laura Branigan attempts to release Self control and is declined by MTV because i believe deemed it too sexual. In the same year Michael Jackson released his short film Thriller which combined storytelling with a musical performance. In 1986 a groundbreaking video by Peter Gabriel was released titled "sledgehammer". in 1996 Smashing pumpkins releases a song titled "Tonight,Tonight" which had its music video recreate the events of the short film "A trip to the moon" by George Melies. in the year 2005 you tube is released which allowed people to upload any videos they want, a fair amount of music videos were released on this platform.in 2008 missy elliot releases ching-a-ling which is the first music video to utilize 3d effects. In 2010 lady gagas song reaches 1 billion views with "poker face" seeing 375 million on its own.