VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR AN INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC VIDEO

A2 INDUCTION 2013
13D Mr Ford

FOR YOUR A2 COURSEWORK YOU WILL PRODUCE:

A MEDIA PORTFOLIO , COMPROMISING A RESEARCH AND PLANNING 20 MARKS

MAIN AND TWO ANCILLARY TEXTS 60 MARKS

EVALUATION 20 MARKS
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MAIN TASK A PROMOTION PACKAGE FOR THE RELEASE OF AN ALBUM, TO INCLUDE :

A MUSIC PROMO VIDEO 40 MARKS

PLUS:
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 2013 EXAM ON YOUR COURSEWORK.

QUESTION A (25 MARKS) WILL FOCUS ON YOUR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FROM AS TO A 2. YOU HAVE ALREADY BEGUN PREPARATION 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

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] 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" (Wikipedia) TASK 1 WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF AN ALBUM MARKETING CAMPAIGN (THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH A B AND/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 T RAILER IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE VIEWED ON A LARGE SCREEN NOR IS ITS AUDIENCE CAPTIVE . WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU WATCH MUSIC VIDEOS?

TASK 2 IN THE SPACE BELOW LIST AS MANY FEATURES /CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC VIDEOS THAT YOU CAN THINK OF.

Analysing Music Videos :

1. Genre Categories:
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Illustration either a straightforward performance video or a simple narrative video (or mixture of the two) that illustrates the meaning of the lyrics and visualizes the music in a straightforward way. It could be called music video denotation. A good example of a classic mixed narrative/performance video is Pulps Babies.

Amplification the conventions demonstrated by the music video auteur or creative director. S/he may use both performance and narrative, however, rather than simply illustrate the lyrics or sounds this director will amplify both with creative interpretation, unusual ideas and surrealistic approaches. There is still a direct link to the song, whether it be the beat, sound or connotative link to part of the lyrics or song title. See Spike Jones video for Fat Boy Slims Praise You or Michel Gondrys video for Kylie Minogues Come Into My Life. Disjuncture also created by auteur directors these videos are completely abstract and have no obvious link to the music, lyrics, song title or artist. In this sense they are a point of disjuncture from the song. See Spike Jones video for Daft Punks Da Funk or any Radiohead video.

2. The Narrative Video Codes and the Performance Video Codes:

Narrative Video:

Narratives are rarely complex for two reasons:

1. They need to market or advertise the band/artist and song so must feature repeatability In other words the narrative code must be loose or simply suggestive rather than realistic or detailed. This is because music video audiences need to be able to watch videos repeatedly and a tight realist narrative would prove too boring after the first couple

of viewings. Musical Synaesthesia only requires the musical or lyrical mood to latch onto to develop a narrative concept.

2. Musical Synaesthesia the two elements of the song which determine the visual subject matter or overall concept
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a) Roland Barthes theory of the grain of voice whereby the vocal sounds can be understood as music in themselves eg Michael Jacksons yelp or Fantasias yeh, yeh, yeh.. or the tone of voice of the words which are th e song title themselves e.g Bjorks Its Oh So Quiet b) The dominant musical arrangement that dictates the overall mood. This could be a key guitar sound(the bassline in Sabotage The Beastie Boys) or a particular beat (Weapon of Choice Fatboy Slim) Once the director has identified what he/she thinks is the key vocal or musical element then this may be used to tap into the audiences sense of shared cultural history or intertextuality e.g.

The steel guitar=the American Deep South and desert plains

Performance Video:

1. Conventions of the band performance: a degree of authenticity of the performance is sought by the band and the director so we find lip-sync close-up, mimed playing of instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance repeatability, unusual camera shots and angles e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar, sweeping crane shots to film audience reaction to the band playing etc (see number 4) 2. Conventions of solo artist performance: many of the above plus choreographed dance routines to enhance repeatability, a first person mode of address directly engaging the viewer through the camera which involves many close up shots of eyes rolling and gesturing (see how these conventions have been adopted by Pop Idol contestants in a bid to appear professional and authentic)and if the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance and narrative then the solo artist or band lead

singer often becomes part of the narrative story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time (see Jarvis Cocker in Pulps video for Babies) 3. Star Image only 1 in 10 artists promoted by a major record company will actually make that company any substantial profit. This is why certain select profit making stars are manufactured, manipulated and marketed by the record labels artist and repertoire (A&R) division so aggressively. The star image of individuals such as Michael Jackson and Madonna through their videos is a vital component of this process. This is why we can identify the meta-narrative of stars through their videos whereby the record label manipulates and changes the artists image with each new video release to increase sales, consolidate target audiences and broaden appeal to new fan bases. The best case studies are Madonna and Michael Jackson. Trace their image manipulation through videos over the past 24 years.

A group of choral voices=places of religious significance e.g. a church, graveside etc A RnB beat or bassline=an urban landscape in a downtown American city

3. Audio-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 singers 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 OConnors Nothing Compare to You

Post-production digital effects: see i-movie for split screens (see Michel Gondrys video for Kylie Minogues Come Into My World for split screens seamlessly bled into each other) colourisation slow motion etc These are now conventional for music vid eos. 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.

Mise-en-scene: look for the overall artistic concept in a video. Is there a theme such as the historical period e.g. the sixties (Madonnas 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 videos mis e 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 exotic locations, beautiful cocktail bars and stunning beachside houses with infinity pools (see Rick Ross Here I Am).

TASK 3 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

Year:

FEATURES

OBSERVATIONS

EXAMPLES

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSE UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS ?

IS THERE REFERENCE
TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO
CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION ?

HOW MUCH OF EACH ?

TASK 3 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

Year: FEATURES
GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

OBSERVATIONS

EXAMPLES

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSE UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS ?

IS THERE REFERENCE
TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION? HOW MUCH OF EACH?

TASK 3 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

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Year:

FEATURES

OBSERVATIONS

EXAMPLES

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSE UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS ?

IS THERE REFERENCE
TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION? HOW MUCH OF EACH?

TASK 4 ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW THIS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF THING YOU LL NEED TO DO WHEN EVALUATING YOUR OWN COURSEWORK .

1. Why did you choose the text you are analysing? 2. In what context did you encounter it? 3. What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text? 4. Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text? 5. To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre? 6. Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre? 7. What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre/style of music)? 8. What sort of person does it assume you are? 9. What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity? 10. What interests does it assume you have? 11. What relevance does the text actually have for you? 12. What knowledge does it take for granted? 13. To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks to position you as? 14. Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)? 15. What responses does the video seem to expect from you? 16. How open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular ways)? 17. Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways? 18. To what extent do you find yourself 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre? 19. How typical do you think this video is of Music Videos?
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MARK: /25 GRADE BOUNDARIES 0-5 E/U 6-10 D 11-15 C 16-20 B 21-25 A