VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR – AN

INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC VIDEO

A2 INDUCTION WORK

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

FOR YOUR A2 COURSEWORK YOU WILL PRODUCE:

 A MEDIA PORTFOLIO, COMPROMISING A MAIN AND TWO ANCILLARY TEXTS 60 MARKS

 A BLOG DETAILING ALL RESEARCH AND PLANNING 20 MARKS
 AN ELECTRONIC BLOG 20 MARKS

MAIN TASK

A PROMOTION PACKAGE FOR THE RELEASE OF AN ALBUM, TO INCLUDE:

A MUSIC PROMO VIDEO – 40 MARKS

PLUS TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE OPTIONS:

 A WEBSITE HOMEPAGE FOR THE BAND ; 10 MARKS

 A COVER FOR ITS RELEASE AS PART OF A DIGIPAK (CD/DVD PACKAGE); 10

MARKS

 A MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE DIGIPAK (CD/DVD PACKAGE). 10 MARKS

YOU WILL THEN BE REQUIRED TO ANSWER TO QUESTIONS IN YOUR 2011 EXAM ON YOUR COURSEWORK .

QUESTION A (25 MARKS ) WILL FOCUS ON YOUR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FROM AS TO A2. YOU HAVE ALREADY
BEGUN PREPERATION FOR THIS DURING YOUR A2 INDUCTION LESSONS

QUESTION B (25 MARKS ) WILL ASK YOU TO ANALYSE ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS IN RELATION TO ONE OF THE
FOLLOWING KEY CONCEPTS

NARRATIVE

AUDIENCE

GENRE

REPRESENTATION

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos
THE PURPOSE OF A MUSIC VIDEO

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern
music videos are primarily made and used as a [marketing/promotional device] device intended to
promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further,
they came into their own in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium, and later
with the launch of VH1. The term "music video" first came into popular usage in the early 1980s.
Prior to that time, these works were described by various terms including "filmed insert",
"promotional (promo) film", "promotional (promo) clip" or "film clip".
TASK 1

What do you think are the major elements of an Album marketing campaign (the different ways in
which a Band/Artists identity is mediated to an audience)?

Where have you encountered these elements in your daily life?

What factors make you ‘like’ a band and therefore download their music, buy their albums or
attend their concerts? How do you decide which band is ‘cool’ and which is not?

WHAT MAKES THE MUSIC VIDEO UNIQUE ?

The music video is designed for multiple viewings; it has to be instantly memorable yet interesting
enough to warrant watching again and again. Unlike the Film Trailer it is not designed to be viewed
on a large screen nor is its audience captive.

Where and when do you watch Music Videos?

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

TASK 2

In the space below list as many features/conventions of Music Videos that you can think of.

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

A UDIO VISUAL TECHNICAL CODES NEEDED FOR ANALYZING A MUSIC VIDEO :

SPEED IS THE ESSENCE:

CAMERA SHOTS: jumping directly between LONG SHOTS , CLOSE UPS AND EXTREME CLOSE UPS . Primarily
the close up on the singer’s face is the main generic convention for music videos. Also the extreme
close up on the lips for LIP SYNCHING .

CAMERA MOVEMENT: WHIP PANS, FAST DOLLY TRACK SHOTS and FAST OVERHEAD CRANE SHOTS to follow the
running, walking or dancing of performers. Also fast VERTICAL TILTS and HORIZONTAL PANS .

EDITING : various terms: jump cutting, MTV style editing or MONTAGE EDITING . Creating the visually de-
centred experience of ‘jumping’ from location to person to instrument without any normal narrative
continuity. Instead it is often the BEAT or the RHYTHM of the track which provides the organising
principle for editing movement. The editing moves so fast it creates the need for viewing
‘repeatedly’. There are exceptions though. Some ‘continuity editing’ used such as atmospheric
‘dissolve shots’ such as in Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compare to You’

POSTPRODUCTION DIGITAL EFFECTS : see ‘imovie’ for ‘split screens’ (see Michel Gondry’s video for Kylie
Minogue’s ‘Come Into My World’ for split screens seamlessly ‘bled’ into each other) ‘colourisation’
‘slow motion’ etc These are now conventional for music videos. Please look out for other innovative
effects.

LIGHTING : Expressive lighting a key feature of music videos. Extreme artificial light to create the
‘bleaching’ effect on pop stars faces (making them seem ageless). Also the use of switching from
colour to black & white or sepia to indicate a shift from chorus to verse. Also lighting effects such as
strobes or flashing needs to be identified. This obviously links into the use of CGI in dance music
videos to enhance the atmosphere.

MISENSCENE: look for the overall artistic concept in a video. Is there a theme such as the historical
period e.g. the sixties (Madonna’s ‘Beautiful Stranger’ with its intertextual link to the Austin Powers
film) or the seventies (The Beastie Boys ‘Sabotage’ video which parodies the ‘Starsky & Hutch’ 70s TV
Cop genre...also an intertextual link). Does the video’s mise en scene follow the need for authenticity
in performance videos by using the concert hall or rehearsal studio setting. Or is there an intentional
‘parodic’ setting to exaggerate star image as in many rap and r&b videos with a focus on glamorous
icons such as expensive locations, beautiful cocktail bars, luxury cars, beautiful women and stunning
houses with infinity pools (see Rick Ross’ Here I Am).

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

 TASK 3

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS

NAME OF TRACK: CALIFORNIA GURLS

ARTIST: KATY PERRY FT SNOOP DOGG

F EATURES O BSERVATIONS E XAMPLES

G ENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS
AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC AND
VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSE -

UPS OF THE ARTIST
AND STAR IMAGE
MOTIFS ?

I S THEREREFERENCE
TO THE NOTION OF
LOOKING ?

ARE THERE ALICE IN WONDERLAND,

INTERTEXTUAL CHARLIE AND THE
REFERENCES ? CHOCOLATE F ACTORY

I S THE
VIDEO
PERFORMANCE ,
NARRATIVE OR
CONCEPT BASED ?
H OW MUCH OF
EACH?

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

 TASK 4 S ELECT YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO AND COMPLETE THE GRID BELOW

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS

NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

F EATURES O BSERVATIONS E XAMPLES

G ENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS
AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC AND
VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSE -

UPS OF THE ARTIST
AND STAR IMAGE
MOTIFS ?

I S THEREREFERENCE
TO THE NOTION OF
LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL
REFERENCES ?

I S THE
VIDEO
PERFORMANCE ,
NARRATIVE OR
CONCEPT BASED ?
H OW MUCH OF
EACH?

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

TASK 5 – ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW – THIS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF THING YOU’LL NEED TO DO
WHEN EVALUATING YOUR OWN COURSEWORK .

Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

In what context did you encounter it?
What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?
Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?
To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?
What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this of the
genre/style of music)?
What sort of person does it assume you are?
What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?
What interests does it assume you have?
What relevance does the text actually have for you?
What knowledge does it take for granted?
To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks to position you as?
Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)?
What responses does the video seem to expect from you?
How open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or coerced to respond in
particular ways)?
Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways?
To what extent do you find yourself 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre?
How typical do you think this video is of Music Videos

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos

Mark /25

GRADE BOUNDARIES 0-5 E/U 6-10 D 11-15 C 16-20 B 21-25 A

Mr Smith A2 Induction Music Videos