Music Artist Website Research (Same Genre As My Artist)

The three artists i have selected to analyse in terms of website design and content are The Beatles and Florence and the Machine.

http://www.thebeatles.com/#/

in the genre Baroque Pop the colours are bright and varied and the artist is of course the centre of attention but dressed in a very smart way ( i.e. no jeans ) this is similar to my artist as he wanted very bright colours for his album cover and video and he is also dressed professionally both online and in my version of the video. content includes all of their songs with lyrics, memorabilia and a store for exisiting fans to buy their merchandise, but apart from this, the website is not that interactive    

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

the above also applies to florence welch as you can see by the above picture.   I have noticed that in this case that due to the directness of the relationship between the artist and audience is apparent as she direvtly addresses them and so she is able to attract new audiences.

Original Concept And it's Feedack And Changes

My Concept: The song I chose is called ' Show you the light'. Therefore I decided to have literal
 representations of light after darkness, but also signs of care and love throughout the video. The setting would be in parks, tunnels and possibly schools because the lyrics talk of the past.
It will be a reference to relationships, but will not be sexualised because of the title 'show you the light'. It is a direct representation of metaphors that come from showing someone the light and showing the never ending love for a girl he knew at school.
My music video first idea is going to be simple, not much to look at so to give the main focus on the lyrics as they are important as this is a convention of 'Baroque pop'. Also the Artist Dan values the musical background more as opposed to the video.


Feedback:
1) I was asked what kind of 'literal' representations would I use.
maybe change the 'park' setting and keep it to places that are dark constantly.
Dark locations such as tunnels, the underground, a dark room, a nightclub to show the clear contrasts between light and dark which will strengthen your motif. a dark place with a hint of light to fit into the concept of 'showing light'.

2) you could symbolise the light and darkness with a particular emotion whether that is love, care, upset etc. This would make it easier for the audience to see and feel particular emotions when they are shown.
may choose other locations.

3)The light is the feature of the video so I think that you should find a way in which you can make it your main focus. You should still include the darkness but do not let it overshadow the dark.

4) I don't think it should have dark settings at all, I think the lyrics should show the darkness, like the rhythm or beat to it. slow-emotional. and the video haveing a person who is caring and loving should be shown e.g. helping an old lady across the road.

I decided to use the second idea from feedback and not use the others because I am confident in everything else in terms of the video.

I initially wanted to use video clips for the direct representations of the video throughout, but due to technical difficulties this was not possible so I decided that creating hand drawn pictures was the next best option, and this is what i used for the whole video.

Final Pre-Digital Digipak Design

 

Below are the final sketches of my digipak design: 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial Digipak Design and it's Feedback

Below are pictures of my initial digipak design:

the front of my digipak recieved quite a few comments. in that they liked the mirrored effect, for which i must give all the credit to Dan Wilkie, as this was his idea and he specified this alongside the colour scheme (colourful). He also wanted the album name to 'blend in but stand out' so i was going to do this by using a yellowey/green colour, and my classmate said that i should outline it in black. which i shall do. Another person suggested to put in sketches of a melody box to reinforce the album name. which i have done, again in a mirrored image. also another improvement was to move the album name into the empty cloud on top and have them written in a cloudy bubble writing style and move the melody boxes to the opening are instead of the edge




intially, i wanted the back panels and the inside panels the same, but i thought that this wasn't a good idea, so i continued with the theme of nature instead, and used of clouds throughout the digipak as well as greenery, the only minor improvements are the style of text again and linking the track name clouds

above is the image of the back panels and feedback was positive, as they liked rhe theme of nature throughout and the constant refrence to the album name (MelodyBox) and again the cloud writing effect will be incorporated

Inspirations for Dan Wilkie's album cover.

In class we've been looking at different album arts for different genres and found out that all album art should include :

• a colour scheme that reflects the genre/ values and beliefs of the artist
• Sometimes leaflets/ extras with album cover
• a background which reflect the mood and atmosphere of the music
• all album art should have an original and/or shocking value to it so it grabs the audiences attention

An example is Django Django:

The picture above contains all the credits, following the 'S' shape, this is very original reardless of the aguably 'typical' colour scheme

The colour scheme here reflects a desert, across 3 panels

the image above is some very original archtecture on stands, with an unusual colour scheme.

Here is some of Django Django's music below:

Django Django - Wor

Main Task - Stage 3 - Who would like this artist?

Based on the things I have learnt about Dan Wilkie, I think that his music would be apreciated by those who understand the importance of melody and the art of it's creation and manages to balance it all out with laid back and meaningful humorous inco-orporations. The genres of his music are pop and dance, although he refers to it as 'Baroque Pop'

So what other album covers can be classified to be portraying the genres? Why?  As the cover below shows, it needs to be colourful, fun and the imge portrays a powerful, motivated person, just like when you dance as a form of exercise, and in the case of Madonna, there is a much more obvious link to the dance genre as it is typically associated with shine/glitter.

Some 'Baroque Pop' artists are How To Dress Well and Alt J.... And what i understand from this genre is that the overall genre values melody over lyrics. The album art below reflects this as there is no immediate associations with lyrics and hidden manigs/values of the music.

Here are their music:

Alt J - Something Good

How To Dress Well - Cold Nites

Main Task - Stage 2 - Finding an Artist

Via the internet I found different websites to find un-signed artists. The best website to use was unsigned.com. From this website I specified what genre I wanted my artist to be, and coincidently the first artist I clicked on (Dan Wilkie) was the one I liked the most out of the 4 artists I emailed, as i enjoyed his laid back, meaningful tone an upbeat music and thankfully he eventually emailed me back so I could use his music without breaking copy right laws.

 His initial reaction was 'yes, that is fine with me!' and then he said ' You can use it however you want' with some initial questions about which song I will be using. I then suggested collaboration so the products will not end up as something he doesn't like, which he agreed to.

I then asked him how he would like to be portrayed as an artist, both his image and his personal beliefs, what he believes his music would be classified as and some background information about his music. Unexpectedly, I was astonished how much detail he went into for me so I could visualize what he wants.

 Within a short time of our communication I have learnt that Dan Wilkie  has been writing music for 6 years, according to him it was quite  heavy music-   ‘’ I sounded more like a Nirvana/Foo Fighters tribute band’’  while his biggest inspiration came when he  started listening to The Beatles and The Kinks. Here Dan says –

 ‘’I'd known their songs from when I was a kid and it was their music that inspired me to write the kind of melodic music I do now’’.

 He believes that melody has been rather overlooked over the past decade  and people seem to have forgotten the importance of it, in effect , it's why the "classics" are remembered and still loved just as much today, because they had incredibly creative melodies and colourful hooks, and it's also why a lot of today's music will most likely be forgotten in 10 years time.  

According to Dan, most songs nowadays revolve around 2 or 3 notes, whereas a song like Penny Lane by The Beatles shows just how sophisticated the  melodies used to be in the 60's/70's, not to mention the inventive and classical-tinged arrangements which influenced him just as much in his own personal music.

He also says ‘’Paul McCartney in particular is my biggest influence, even down to the way he plays the bass, with just as much melody as the vocals! But I also like artists such as Frank Sinatra, Mozart and surprisingly, Nirvana and Billy Talent’’

 The songs that I’ve listened to (Show You The Light" etc...) are actually songs that he  wrote intended for other people to record, as they're much more modern in sound and aren't really the style he'd use for his own music, says Dan.  He was inspired to write after he spent a while looking for a publishing deal so he could write songs for other artists to earn a bit of money, he had a fair amount of interest from producers but unfortunately a deal never quite surfaced so now he has decided to go back and start all over again, writing and recording his own songs again: ‘’ which are much more experimental and fun, if I were to put a genre to them, I'd call them something like "Baroque Pop"!’’

 When I asked him to explain what kind of  artist he is, Dan answered:

‘‘ As an artist, I’m very casual and laid-back, I like songs that don't take themselves too seriously and I prefer things to have a good dollop of humour, warmth, colour and fun to them. I basically like anything creative’’. I currently plan to start recording my own music again + a LOT of covers of 60's/70's songs which I'll put on Youtube around Christmas time onwards, I'll also be trying to earn some money writing music for adverts too. My own music will be on Stereofame, Myspace, Unsigned.com and possibly Reverbnation, all in due time’’

Main Task - Stage 1 - General Audience Feedback on CD's

Who buys CD's?
Why do they buy them?

Audience feedback shows that those with disposable income for example- teenagers, are the main audience to buy cd's and the main reason they buy cd's is because they would like a solid copy of the music they like and also this would be useful in portable devives on the go, for example a walkman or a cd player in a car.

Another type of audience who buy cd's are of course collectors who tend to buy all the albums of the artist, and cross-media synergy related products come into play a big role for the artist in terms of popularity as the audience would be able to share the music.

music videos that support/ challenge Mulvey's theories

A video that supports Mulvey's theory of women being voyueristically objectified is:

Eric Prydz - Call On Me

This is because all the women are exercising and they do not know they are being objectified as the only man in the class is able to watch multiple women exercing at once and enjoy it while he does the moves too. Also, there is a lot of 'zoning' into the pelvic area in this video. This dehumanises the women. 

and a video that that supports her theory that men can narcissistically identify with the artist is:

Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You

This is because men can identify with the artist and tend to aspire to have the wealth (through clothes, cars, style)  that the artist has, and may believe wealth is the key to successful sexual relationships.

A video that challenges Mulvey's theory of women being voyueristically objectified is:

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

This is because although she wears feminine clothing, it does not exploit her. She is a victim of grief rather than male desire.

and a video that that challenges her theory that men can narcissistically identify with the artist is:

Will Young - Who Am I

This is because events are usually considered to be  feminine roles/ behaviour of society, (for example cooking, knitting, painting and caring for animals), and therefore most men can't identify with the artist.

Berger's and Mulvey's theories on sex and gender

John Berger

Berger's theory: 'Ways of Seeing'

Historical Context

17^th/18^th century - rise of the middle classes – merchants, bankers, land-owners who had made money themselves (as opposed to aristocracy who inherit money)

Very rich men wanted to show off what they owned. They held lavish dinner parties to show off their wealth. This would often be paintings of their houses, horses and estates.

Men and Women in 17^th-19^th century

Women had a very low social status at this time, even in middle class culture. Often after social dinner events, women would retire to a female-only room to gossip and do needle-craft. Men, on the other hand, would retire to the ‘drawing room’ to smoke, drink and talk about ‘serious’ topics like business, politics and wars.

Women as property

Often the drawing rooms would contain the paintings that showed off the owner’s wealth and women were often portrayed as just another object to be owned.

Ownership is thought to create sexual excitement: even in the language of romance we still use today… “She surrendered to him”, “He took her in his arms”, “We belong to each other”. Power for the owner is erotic.

Paintings and Pornography

Often the paintings would depict the woman as helpless, exposed and vulnerable, and typical poses would be laid back, arms aloft, distracted by something.  They were portrayed as passive.  Seeing gives the illusion of ownership and power. This excites both the spectator’s Libido (gives them the power to take sexually) and Thanatos (the power to destroy)

That’s supposedly why teenagers put pictures of their favourite stars on their bedroom walls. Being able to gaze at the object of their desire, whenever they want to, creates a feeling of power over the objects. Pornographic images offer the same audience a pleasure, the object of desire is naked, and usually spread-eagled so every part of them can be seen. Berger said this itself is sexually exciting, the act of gazing.

Feminist art critics view this kind of art as a misrepresentation of women, portraying women as not thinking, feeling individual human beings, instead they are dehumanised and objectified – treated as an object that belongs to someone.

Therefore, the danger of sexist art show that it is very disempowering for women to see themselves this way and it encourages girls to be passive and to present themselves as sex objects. It has a negative effect on men too - it encourages them to disrespect and objectify women in real life, and this is why many women object to pornography or eroticised images of women.

Mulvey's theory:

Laura Mulvey analysed the way mainstream films ‘construct an ideal viewer’, i.e. she analysed the way men and women were represented in films, and speculated about how this would appeal to a spectator. She mixed psychoanalytic film theory (the ideas of Freud and Lacan) for a ‘politically feminist’ end. She said that ‘spectatorship’ and the act of looking itself provided a form of sexual gratification.

Mulvey added to Freud's theory of Scopophilia, where the viwer feels guilt for experiencing sexual pleasure from looking at other people. Mulvey also suggested that cinema was the ideal place to get ‘scopophilic’ pleasure because

a.) the people in the film aren’t aware the spectator is watching (so can’t be made to feel guilty)

b.) no-one else can see the spectator getting pleasure because the theatre is in darkness, plus everyone else is watching the screen, too

Mulvey said the cinema provides voyeuristic pleasure: pleasure achieved through watching others who don’t know they’re being observed.

Mulvey’s Conclusions include:

That most mainstream films are made by male filmmakers for male spectators: so there are active male characters (they are the protagonists i.e. a subject whose actions push the narrative forward; so the audience are encouraged to identify with them), Female characters are usually passive (they are often seen as a ‘prize’, an object of desire that men fight over; don’t act or think for themselves)

Mulvey said that mainstream films appeal to the ‘Male Gaze’, women are presented as ‘spectacle’ – something pleasurable for the male spectator to look at, in her own words, popular films “are obsessively subordinated to the neurotic needs of the male ego”.

Narcissistic Identification

Narcissism = loving your own image

Narcissistic identification = male spectator sees male hero on screen and gets pleasure by both feeling similar to the hero (he’s a man, too, so the screen is like a mirror) and admiring/loving the idealised image of masculinity, for example James Bond – personification of what men wish they were; get pleasure from admiring him and identifying with him, because they aren’t like him in real life.

Voyeuristic objectification

When the male spectator gets pleasure by desiring the female character, and feeling he owns her because she is passive (like an object) and because he can look at her with out guilt (because she doesn’t know she is being watched)

The only issue with Mulvey's theory is that she only based on a psychoanalytic approach and didn't carry out any audience research, questioning the credibility of the theory above.



comparison of contemporary and pre 2007 music videos and the representation of sex and gender

Music videos have changed drastically in regards to sexual content:

Britney Spears - Oops! I Did It Again (1999)

And now we have:

Nicki Minaj - Superbass

So what's the difference?

Well, back in the 90's, they thought that crop tops and  short skirts so whole legs were seenand laying on the floor dacing were being sexual, alongside jumpsuits and minute intimacy beteen a man and a woman the male giving the female a gift.

Now?

Nicki Minaj has taken these ideas to a completely different level, where the clothes are even more revealing and make the artist appear and act like dolls, they're dehumanised. Artists appear to be more materialistic and express wealth too, ( champagne, cars, explicitly show 'stacks of cash') There is more explicit sexual dancing between couples.

changes of gender roles in society

How have perceptions of sex and gender changed over past 100 years?

 

 

Pre -1940: The first wave of feminism had won the landmark right to vote for women (for over 21's). This was significant because it meant that for the first time women's opinions and experiences mattered.

 

World War 11: Start of the first 'Women's culture': As the majority of the men had been sent away to fight, Women were encouraged to take up the job roles they had left behind; during the war years, women in factoriesd, on farms, in the dockyards, and in the offices kept the economy running. For some young women, their first experience of adulthood meant taking on responsibility in a job and earning enough money to live independant lives. When the men returned at the end of the war many women didn't want to give up the independence they had grown used to.

 

50s-60s: Second wave or 'radical' feminism: During the social upheavel that that followed in the wake of WW11, the feminist cause was inextricably tied-up in the birth of the Counter- culture. closely allied to Civil Rights, and anti-Vietnam demonstrations, feminists began to question the role of wome, and the (male) power structures that define them.

In 1960, the birth control pill was introduced in Britain and America, for the first time giving women real control over their own reproduction, and seperating sexual pleasure from procreation.

 

Late 70s: Feminism moves out of the academy and into popular culture: The stereotype of the 'man-hating' feminist arose in this period. Men, in real interviews - and in sitcoms, soaps and movies- confessed to feeling under attack: patriarchal society was accused being responsible for every injustice against women, yet individual men had often done little to oppress anyone deliberately. The priviledged positions in society that they had taken for granted were suddenly being criticised, and men felt caught between tradition and the new expectations placed on them.

It seemed- certainly in the pages of Cosmopolitan and modern girl's magazines- that women were empowering themselves with a new set of expectations of men: men who would be sensitive, who would take equal role in domestic responsibilities, who could provide satisfying sex and encourage his partner to pursue a successful career.

 

The 80s- Thatcherism and Economic Change: The Eighties' obsession with material sucess led to traditional masculine values- while still being dismantled by feminism- being championed by women themselves. The 'power-dresing' business woman that we can see in Dynasty, revealed in her masculine traits and her equal status, even dominance over, men. This was personified in Margaret Thatcher: morally conservative ( encouraging traditional 'family values' in the face of a soaring divorce rate), while economically liberal- encouraging everyone to work, to be as successful as they could be.

It was also during this period that the Tory government began to dismantle the traditional industries (the male domain) and shift jobs to offices and IT. widespread unemployment meant that many men were denied the role of 'breadwinner', and began to question their role in society. (The Full Monty would provide a good example of this).  

 

Conclusion: Overall the changes between Gender roles indicate that men and women are now expected to also fulfil the opposite genders role as well as theirs and more equality has taken place since the 1940's.   

 



issues of the contemporary music industry

The changing role of radio

 

 

Legal downloading and streaming

 

- Consumer able to buy favourite music online

- i-tunes

- Amazon

- mp3

 

- Able to access music folder

- don't have to buy full album

 

i-tunes allows audiences to have preview of the song before you buy

- allows you to buy specific songs rather than the whole CD

- artists have their own website where you can buy the song

 

Streaming

- multi media file ;to download

- music can be played back

- differs from previous video downloading

- allows sending/receiving media across the world web

- accessible if you have wi-fi

- music on i-pod - on your phone

 

Social networking

- connect with friends and family

 

Distribution of music through social network

 

- free membership

- unlimited access

- more for your money

 

Disadvantages

- no profit made

- more people buying for free

- quality may be poor

- digital music doesn't have the base

 

Disadvantages for artists

- preview you may like the song.  If preview wasn't there you'd buy the whole track

- songs can't be appreciated in one listen

- the song needs to grow on the person

- don't feel the full hype about the song

- preview only a few seconds

- the full song is 7 - 8 minutes long - don't get the full feel about the whole song in a few seconds by listening to the trailers

- banning

 

Copyright and online piracy

 

- the exclusive legal right given to an originator to print, publish, perform, film or record

- protects music, photography, film, recording , artwork etc.

- noone can copy without owners permission 

- determines who may adapt

- if you  make money from copying you are breeeching the copyright law 

 - IPO provides the right type of  protection

- IP may be a brand, invention, design or song

 

Right to authorise

- reproduce or broadcast

 

Protection

- copyright prevents your work being stolen or misused

 

Income

- mamagement invest a lot of money to make the song.  The full benefit needs to go to the company who made the video/record

- inability to share work

 

Piracy

- illegal and inauthorised patented material

- artists and record company lose a lot of money because of piracy

- people lose their jobs because of piracy.  The producer and distributor lose out

- industry loses 4.2.billion pounds a year

- artists lose

- songwriters lose

- record companies lose 85% of their income becauseit doesn't generate enogh revenue costs

- prices of albums increase to cover costs

- consumer loses - illegally downloaded music drives up the cost of legitimate product for everyone

 

The RIAA  Trade Organisation - (Recording Industry Association of America)

 

- fight for rights of artists

- copyright and piracy are caused by the internet

- piracy has been around before internet was invented

- copy and record and tape from radio

- music piracy has been around for ages but the internet has made things much easier

- file sharing and downloading - disadvantages are people are not paying for it

- people are sharing your music for free, it's good for the artist in the long run.  The artist is becoming popular through free downloaded music.  This then enables the audience to buy clothing or to go and see that artist live  

Radical and Post Feminist Views on Sex in Music Videos and its Concerns

Representations of men and women in music videos hugely differ, and perceptions either follow radical or post-feminist beliefs, alongside the reception theory of Stuart Hall and theories of the effect on the audience such as Copycat, Cultivation and the Hypodermic Model.

Radical feminism - belief that men dominate society. A militant approach. All the videos are for the benefit of men. All the sexual dancing and revealing clothes on the woman.

Post feminism: belief that feminists have won and acheived equality. They believe that it is in fact men who are exposed by the woman.

Stuart Hall - "encode vs decode" Reception theory.
This theory indicates that it is up to the audience as to how they interpret information from the video. The producer may want to potray a certain belief, but audiences could possibly not understand the producers point of view and interpret as something else.

Copycat Theory - people (especially younger or vulnerable) imitating what they see in the media.

Hypodermic model - media "injects" attitudes or beliefs into the minds of the audience.

Cultivation Theory - people are influenced by "opinion leaders." Anyone they admire or aspire to be. Media is one of the many influences.

Generally in music videos, women are presented as 'disposable' and potrayed as slaves and seem to be fragmented or dehumanised. Men on the other hand, are portrayed as powerful as they are being served by women, they are the centre of attention and are fully clothed as opposed to women.

Government concerns include social problems (teenager pregnancy, eating disorders, rape, domestic abuse). That is to say that teenagers are imitating behaviour shown in music videos, for example it may encourage men to treat women as objects. not human beings and this may result in disrespect, anger, frustration when women do not behave this way and it may lead to sexual violence.

However, statistics show that there has been quite a large drop in teenage pregnancies regardless of the fact that music videos are increasing sexual content.

Audience Feedback on Genre Swap Video

Tackling Challenges of the Genre Swap Video

Many challenges arose when completing the production of the genre swap video, these included:

• finding, selecting and arranging to meet with appropriate actors all at once
• how to recreate the use of fire in the video
• finding appropriate locations to film
• ensuring all mise-en-scene were in order
• pacing the new video to the music/ lyrics

Most of the challenges were tackled by communicating with others, for example all actors meeting up for filming and calling to film in possible locations, this was granted.

As for recreationg the use of fire, we decided to use minature candles and rearrange them into a heart shape.

Conventions of R'N'B Music Videos

The song i have been given to create a R'N'B video for is 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele, and so as part of my research for this preliminary task, i have analysed various R'N'B music videos in order to idenitify the conventions of the genre. These conventions are listed below.

• Narrative - typically this would be based on a relationship break-up, and the woman eventually moves on, believing she deserves better anyway. Audiences like this narrative as they can identify with this situation and may aspire to the artist for their courage to stop and move on from a harsh relationship. Naarrative is 'down to earth'

Rihanna - Take a Bow

• Costume - when the singer is a woman, most of them wear sparkling, slightly revealling dresses, shiny high heels and lots of jewelery, though if top brands are used, these are very subtle. Audiences like this convention as they aspire to be like the artist, affordable brands indicate that they can be like the artist.

Beyonce - If I were a Boy

• Props - these usually reinforce the artist's wealth, for example expensive cars, audiences like this convention as their expectations of wealth is fulfilled (as thorist Deborah Knight believes)

Jennifer Lopez - On the Floor

• Location - due to the common narrative of relationships and break-ups, the location can vary from the bedroom,m the street and a club, sometimes all 3 feature. Audiences like this convention as it adds to the 'realistic' and 'down to earth' nature of the genre

Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry

Music Video Conventions

Media theorist Sven Carlson has come up with more complex conventions of music videos, these are: Voyeurism, Commercial Exhibitionist, Televised Bard and Electronic Shaman.

Voyeurism: You get pleasure from looking at other people in a state of undress, and the person you are looking at doesn't know your watching or looking at them. For example in Maroon 5's video for their song This Love, there is a sex scene that the viewer enjoys watching.

Commercial Exhibitionist: Artists 'selling themselves' (i.e. sexually) to viewers/other characters in exchange for fame (attention) or material wealth. For example in Lady Gaga's video for her song Bad Romance, even the backup dancers want to be in her presence.

Televised Bard: Musical storyteller, artist is established as 'author' of narrative. Story told visually, but repeatedly cuts back to artist telling story. For example in Kelly Clarkson's video for her song Dark Side, it repeatedly cuts between her and a story about relationships.

 Electronic Shaman: Artist takes role of 'magician' with either supernatural powers or takes us into a magical world. For example in Katy Perry's video for her song California Girls, she takes us to a world full of candy.

Conventions of Music Videos - Media Theorists ( Andrew Goodwin )

The 6 important references that should occur, according to Goodwin's theory are listed and summarised by Lucy Nottingham below:
http://prezi.com/jz5s02mb5a5s/music-video-theory-andrew-goodwin/

1 - there must be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Audiences like this convention as it reinforces the meaning of the lyrics and it will enable audiences to visualise what the artist is trying to convey and it will create a story within the song which some people may relate to.

EXAMPLE: "Jessie J- Price Tag". When the song has certain lines there is a literal image in the video to represent that, for example when the line "its not about the money, money, money" we see a tree with leaves made from money.

2 - there must be a relationship between the music and the visuals. The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song matching cuts or effects to specific drum beats or notes. The audience likes this convention as it reinforces the genre of the song, it creates more of a mood and atmosphere than a visual which has no relevance to the song.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ

3 - Music videos have genre characteristics. Certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example a girl bands/artists are expected to have dancers and close ups of the singers. The audience would prefer a sense of both similarities and orignality, it creates a basic expectation that most music videos use to target their target audience.
EXAMPLE:

4 - Often due to the demands of the record label, artists videos will include many close ups of the artist and will often develop motifs that recur across multiple videos. This allows the record label to promote a set image for the band, which will help target audiences empathise with the band.

5 - Emphasis on 'looking', for example the 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This often means an objectification of women. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.

6 - Intertexual references. Music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film, but can also be television and other music videos. The audience likes this convention as it creates a sense of familiarity and creates reference points for social interaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KII1ruAfvsg


 How to analyse music videos;

Andrew Goodwin identifies 5 key aspects of music videos that we, the audience, should look out for;
- Thought beats – Where you ‘see’ in the sound
- Narrative and Performance
- The Star Image
- Relation of visuals to song
- Technical aspects of a music video

Preliminary Task - Audience Feedback on Music Video Remake

Q. What was good about the production?
A. The positive feedback included: movements matched the video, excellent use of mise-en-scene and the audience liked the syncronised dancing.

Q. What could be improved?
A. The audience believed that there was nothing that could be improved.

Q. What skills did you use well?
A. As a group we agreed that we all felt that we were resilient, reflective, responsible and resourceful.

Q. What skills do you need to improve?
A. I think that my reasoning needs to improve as it seemed like at times other group members were not as driven as me, so i needed to step up, and do extra work.

Preliminary Task - Production of Music Video Remake

below are some images of the group assembling and positionong somef the props

initially we were going to tape the dolls in one line to make them dance together. This failed to work so we had to come up with another idea. 

we decided that the dolls should be taped to a stick, which we couldn't find at first, but it wasn't until we asked staff that we found an old school flagpole to use, instead of a science metre stick.

above are imges of filming the dolls dancing

below is the final video

http://youtu.be/0v6VUhGaIOw