Research into the industry, form and genre:

- Who are Universal Music Group?

Universal Music Group is a global music corporation that is majority owned by the French
media conglomerate Vivendi. They identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and
they produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful
music to delight and entertain fans around the world. They have worked with Taylor Swift, Lady
Gaga, Lana Del Ray, Rihanna and many more.

- What is the purpose of a cross-media production?

Cross-media marketing is a form of cross-promotion in which promotional companies commit
to surpassing traditional advertisement techniques and decide to include extra appeals to the
products they offer. In this case, the music video we produce must promote the website and
vice versa. Different media platforms such as a website or social media account can be used to
promote and distribute a band or artist as an example of synergy and brand identity in music
marketing.
- Can romantic love songs be found in a variety of music genres? Are there any specific
conventions?

Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres and subgenres. Most love songs
are typically hybrids, as they both include a story (typically lamenting about past love or
idealising a potential lover) and performance, as they dance or lip-sync to the song (typically
seductively to the camera. Love songs can also be identified in music videos with fast editing
pace, emphasized costume and make-up, many close-ups of the artist and having a link
between the visuals in a video and the lyrics.
Music video analyses research:
- Olivia Rodrigo, drivers license.

The dim and neon purple and blue lighting emphasizes her feelings of loss and sadness after the
relationship falls apart. The close-up of the artist’s face reinforces her look of sorrow and despair as the
viewer empathizes with the way she feels. Her hair and make-up is subtle and natural and fits with the
scene’s mood. We have a side shot of her to imagine that we’re in the passenger's seat next to her in
the car, which is the running narrative of the video.
“You said forever” is printed around the room on a red wall in white, which is a lyric from the song. The
repetition of it shows how overwhelming and oppressive the relationship experiences must have been
to the artist. The high angle makes the artist seem small and confined which reflects on her feelings. The
red and white colors are associated with ‘valentines’ and love, but the artist looks lit up by a blue light
which shows how love has neglected her.

This close-up demonstrates how empty she is feeling because of the break-up, as we’re drawn into up
close and personal to make the viewer feel sorry for her misery and pain caused by her ex lover. The
grey, dull lighting reveals how saddened she has become due to the breakup. The red jumper is the only
pop of color to perhaps show the pain she feels as she longs for love. The two braids also connote
elements of youth, perhaps demonstrating how she was too young and naive to comprehend the
seriousness of a relationship and its effects when its over.

In this scene, the artist is hanging off the back of a car with her hair brushing the road as the car moves
fast. This is the climax of the video. The close-up shot makes us understand how much she misses her ex
but is finally freeing herself from the heartache of the breakup. The wind in her hair hints at freedom.
Her lipstick is a peachy red color which stands out to represent how she has taken control and is now
powerful and confident in herself.
The shot of a long road perhaps reveals the long process of getting over her ex. We can see that she is
walking right in front of a car with no care or warning that the car is behind her and could hit her. This
almost suggests that she isn’t aware of her surroundings and can only focus on the breakup. This links to
the title of the song ‘drivers license’. Getting your drivers license is meant to be a celebration of
independence, achievement and freedom but in the case of the artist it is a memory associated with
pain and sadness as she is not able to share her excitement with the one she loves.

- Taylor Swift, Love Story.

The majority of the music video is set in what looks like the 1500s with constant reference to
Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet, which is an example of intertextuality. The costumes are
all elaborate and medieval to fit in with the period theme of the video. The warm, neutral nudes and
beiges gives the mood of the video a calming and sophisticated look. The lighting looks very natural and
bright to emphasize the artists feelings of joy.

The color story is continued throughout the video. In this shot we only see the back of the artist to
allude to mystery of ‘who is the pretty woman in the pretty dress?”. This element is very common in
romances (movies) as the audience become just as intrigued as the man approaching her. The candle-
light also connotes love and gives the video the ambience of happiness and warmth.
This shot is looking down on the grand and magnificent ballroom, which has further intertextualities to a
period drama where the main characters dance together in the center of the shot. This classical,
timeless scene is very familiar to viewers so it can be acknowledged as love growing between the two
main characters. Again, the warm, atmospheric lighting suggests that the room is filled with affection
and benevolence. The editing pace is again very fast to show the rushing of new feelings between the
artist and her love interest.

This shot is at the climax of the song, as the artist and her love interest run towards the sunset to join
together. The sunset has connotations of romance and adoration and is the main source of lighting in
this shot. The whole intertextual reference to Romeo and Juliet, means that perhaps they can’t be seen
together, so when they do meet its more special and meaningful than ever.

The music video has a circular structure. The video begins on a school campus when the artist first sees
her love interest and finishes with him approaching her. This alludes to the fact that perhaps the video
was just a dream all in her head of what she wants her relationship to be. The setting of the school is
also very common in romantic movies and dramas and can be associated with finding love for the first
time. The stereotypical girl meets boy.

- Billie Eilish, Your Power.

The lighting is very natural and simplistic. The gold, brown and neutral tones set the mood to be very
calming and tranquil to fit with the opening soft acoustic guitar in the beginning of the song. The setting
of desert mountains is used to perhaps represent a very desolate and isolated place, where its quiet and
untouched. Mountains also connote ideas of strength and power, as they’re physically big and
overwhelming. The camera slowly zooms in from a shot of the beautiful landscape to closing in on the
artist who can’t be seen until very close.

We finally get to see the artist perched on the mountain with her arms folded. This mannerism suggests
that she may feel trapped and confined, with nowhere to go. Her clothes are very pale, plain and
mellow, suggesting that she feels lethargic and exhausted. The colors that the artist is wearing, as well
as her hair also hint that she is a gentle and harmless person.

Direct gaze straight into the camera lens could reveal that the artist is trying to intensify the meaning of
the song by explicitly personalizing the message to the viewer. The stare down the camera also forces
the viewer to engage more with the artist, which may embark fear or guilt. Her eye make-up is very dark
to perhaps show how drained and enervated she has become due to constantly having to put people in
their place. She is tired of having to keep calling out abusers who exploit underage girls, which is what
‘Your Power’ is about.
The snake is a significant symbol of victimizers and abusers. Snakes are known to kill its prey by
suffocation. Snakes wrap themselves around their prey and then squeeze. Every time the prey exhales,
the snake will squeeze a little more tightly. This symbol is so effective and appropriate when explaining
the artist's message. We see the snake as it wraps itself around the artist for the first time, but instead
of signs of panic, the artist remains still and motionless, almost as if it is too much effort to fight as the
predator has already begun to kill its prey. The artist is also suggesting how very difficult it is to escape
this type of abuse by not being physically able to fight this large monster.

The snake continues to wrap itself around the victim (artist) as it slowly starts to wind around her neck.
This could now symbolize how the artist is unable to say anything or ask for help, as its becoming harder
and harder the more the snake continues to wrap itself around. The lighting in the video at this point is
beginning to become darker and moodier to emphasize the artists' feeling of helplessness and
insignificance. Direct gaze is still occurring to truly encourage the meaning of the song.
The camera slowly pans across the sky as we see the sun, which could represent the last flicker of hope
for the prey. The sky is white rather than blue which echoes the gloominess and dullness the victim
begins to feel.

Finally, the shot of the snake fully entangled with its prey as its about to swallow the victim entirely. The
lighting is much darker than in the first shot which shows the transition and effect abuse has on its
victims. The camera starts to zoom out to where we started with a shot of the mountain setting, only
this time it's much tenebrous and dusky.

Audience research:
- Who are they?

A primarily 16-25 year old mass market audience that expects to be emotionally engaged.
- Why do they watch music videos?
To feel connected to the artist, as well as feeling connected to fellow fans. Music videos can
boost the artists' visibility and allow them to promote themselves by telling a story through
music. People may also watch the music videos to try to understand the deeper meaning of an
artist's music.
- What do they like to see in love song music videos?
Due to recent findings, people like to see complex storylines about two people falling in love or
being intimate with one another. Findings have also shown that viewers prefer the artist to be
the main feature of the video rather than as a ‘story-teller’.
- How do they access/view music videos?
Mainly social media platforms. People who follow artists on social media accounts usually
promote their video or post links to view their videos through YouTube.
Audience Profile:

Key Demographics:
- Age range: 16-25 year olds.
- Gender: both male and female.
- Students at college and university, as well as having full-time or part-time careers.

Key Psychographics:
- Knows how to used advanced technology such as social media with wide variety of
technological devices e.g. iPad, iPhone...
- Looks up to young celebrities and pop singers
- Values friendships, colleagues and their community
- Favorite certain music genres over others
Challenges:
- Finding music that is just as good as the video that the artist posts
- Can find some lyrics and artist approaches repetitive, nothing is ever unique and original

Preferred Channels:
- Follows favorite artists of social media platforms e.g. Instagram, Twitter
- Watches music videos and artist content on YouTube
- Can access biographies and interviews with artists to get to know what they’re like as a
person rather than just through their songs
- Can read about them in the news
Preferred Content Types:
- YouTube videos
- Social media posts
- Image-rich articles and websites.