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Will Edwards

Music Video Production

Case Study
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Unit 29 - Music Video
Production
We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives,
this template is for you to write up your notes and to
complete your case study.
The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with
separate questions to answer.
Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and
the strategies employed by labels and artists
Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and
conventions of music video production
Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three
music videos where you can unpack and discuss the videos
considering everything you have looked at in Task 1 and 2
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Learning outcomes, this case study is concerned with
the first two learning outcomes of the unit:

1. Understand the purpose of music videos

2. Understand the styles, conventions, and techniques

of music videos

3. Be able to originate and plan a music video

production for a specific music track

4. Be able to work to complete production of a music

video.
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria addressed by this case study,
further details are in your project brief:
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Notes on completing the case
study
Itis often easier to show something you are discussing
than to take time describing it. With this in mind, feel
free to add lots of illustrative images from your chosen
video examples. Links to YouTube/Vevo/etc are also
encouraged.

Remember, when you make a point or define

something, you should follow this with an example, an
explanation of this and then link to further texts/videos
where possible.

Ifyou dont think there is enough room to add your full

response to a question, dont just reset the font size to
really small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.
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Task 1 - Purposes
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a

short explanation for each:

Sales: Music video are created for many different reason one of these is
that the people producing the video are doing it for financial benefit as
well as the potential advertising which can be used on video streaming
websites e.g. YouTube because of using video streaming sites this can
increase the likelihood of people purchasing the track, which is the main
goal for most artists.

Entertainment: Music videos are also created for the main purpose of
enjoyment and this is important in letting the viewer experience the
video in which could potential enhance the viewing experience for them.

Branding/Advertising: Branding and advertising is important as in

many music videos the brand needs to be displayed in the video in
order to portray the image across more vividly as well as this the
branding also has financial benefits as it could mean that the artist
could be associated with a genre, also they could then be purposely
targeting a specific audience.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q2 What are some of the broader purposes of music videos?

Think about some of the strategies employed by artists in their
videos and how they represent themselves, you could consider
where the artist is on a major label, independent label of
unsigned, is there a difference between them?

When creating a video it is important for the artist to understand the

audience they are trying to reach, this is less important when the artist
is signed to major label as often themselves are the commodity in which
the fans want, so when producing a music video this will often contain
many clips of the them unlike something which is a lot more niche. The
artists that are more niche often have a more artistic agenda towards
the video and this is important in understanding what is happing as the
constrains of independent artist are non existent, the use of a more
artistic style to a video can create a more challenging experience for the
people watching, this is strategy used by artist in order to appeal to its
audience as well as a potentially new audience. The major difference
between the artist with a major label and one with out is that the main
asset within the music video is the artist themselves, and when
comparing this to a artist who isnt signed to a major label the primary
focus is the music itself as for many this is why and how their audience
was formed.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q3 Describe what is synergy is and how it has been used in

music videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and convergance]

Synergy is used in music video in order to establish the connection

between the artist and a brand this is important for both parties as it
can help the artist develop and the further their brand by the use of
somebody else's product, as well as this the product will be making use
of using the artist on the product in order to help promotion of that
product as the product will be associated with that artist. Synergy has
been used for many different artists, one of these being Dr. dre who
began as a rapper and now most commonly known for the range of
headphones. Convergence is often used throughout the media industry
and example of this would be In the film Skyfall, the song used in the
film was sung by Adele, and because of this the film is now heavily
associated with the artist Adele. The final example is the the
association between the Harry Potter and the link with the universal
studies and this is important in allowing the studios to gage an audience
which could potentially allow them to develop the a new audience as
well as this the branding of the studio benefits, this can help the film in
helping developing new audience.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q4 Branding; select an artist you like and look at how

they present themselves in their music videos. Explain
what their brand is, who is appeals to and why they
might have done this.

Branding is important in order to developing your audience. An example

of an artist whose image is very important is someone like the Red Hot
Chilli Peppers as their look is very alternative and have a rock and punk
look and this is important in meeting the audiences expectations from the
songs that they are producing and creating. This is also important as the
the band mainly did this because they understand who their audience was
and how the development of the music could change the audience
opinions. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers audience is primarily older and this
is important as the band themselves are ageing with the majority of their
fans, this means that the trends between the audiences and the band,
which ultimately can help meeting the needs of the audience more easily.
The way that the brand presents themselves is very out their as from
videos you can easily see that they are heavily in the production music
and they treat music as their sole purpose in life.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q5 Compare One Direction and Animal Collective

music videos [find them on YouTube!], what can you
discern about each act from their videos? What is the
main aim? Explain why.

There is a major difference between One Direction and Animal

Collective is that in a One Direction video the main asset financially is
the members of the boy band themselves as because of this there is
always one of the members visible in the video. In comparison the Animal
Collective video are a lot more abstract and because of this the main aim
that is pushed throughout the video is the artistic style which is gives the
track itself more context which ultimately means that person can become
immersed in the music. One Direction main audience is young girls this is
why the strategy used is effective as many young girls dont understand
the artistic integrated that comes with many other songs. The song and
the artistic way the music is displayed is the main aspect of a music video
for artists which are more niche.
 Task 2 Styles,
+Techniques and
Conventions
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q1 Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music
videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to
illustrate this
Camerawork is an major aspect within a music video and the use of variety
of camera shots is important in creating a entertaining video in order to
make the video interesting. In the music video, for American Badass by Kid
Rock they use a large amount of low angle shot this is important in
portraying the artist in a more assertive, aggressive and powerful view, this
is important to the song as the video try to match the agenda of the song.
In more mainstream music videos there tends to be more close up shots
and this is important as this makes it clear that the main attraction and
commodity of the video is the artist themselves and example of this would
be in One Directions music videos. Camerawork can also contain
movement this is effect used in many music videos as this gives the video
a more dynamic feel and this effect is also used in many video which are
live performances, in order to make the viewer of the video feel more
immersed an example of this would be Bruce Springsteens Dancing in the
Dark as the artist is followed with many different angles in the video. In
recent years there has been a rise in technology used in videos and
because of this there have been many more experimental video which use
unconventional effects and example of this would be OK GO music video in
which they incorporated a drone in order to capture camera shots from a
more birds eye view. A method that many music video have used is where
everything is filmed in one take and this means that little editing is
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music
videos, i.e. the way in which shots are sequenced,
considering the rhythm of the edit and combinations
of shots and post-production techniques
Editing is major aspect of the video as this can make the captured video
match and help establish the connection between the video and the song.
First, an effect used in songs which are fast paced is where there will be
lots of cuts of a montage of often the artist and this is important as the
clips can become hard to understand and establish what is happing
therefore this can lead to multiple viewing on the video, this is different to
a video which is has a slower pace as those video have less harsh
transition in order to portray and create a mood to the viewer.
Enchantment of video with digital effects is used in order to create more
obscure emotions and this could take the form of colourisation and this is
when the image is digital edited in order to have a specific colour as well
as this CGI is used in order to create digitalized background this effect is
often used with television and film in order to create the illusion of
location of a character, this can be created using a green or blue screen
and this is done because of the contrasting colours.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical
developments in music videos, i.e. in terms of how the
music videos are filmed, edited/produced and viewed
When creating a music video there have been many different technological
advancements and because of this it has allowed many artists to create music
video in a more cost effective way as well as this music video can be produced
much more quicker than using high cost film. The use of video editing has also
become more advanced, and an example of this would be the use of chroma-
key as this allows the artist to placed in background which are not physical
possible, and this is done by using a contrasting colour background. Fast cut
montage is the most common type of editing in todays music industry and this
is often used to more fast paced song in order to complement the song nicely,
as well as this many videos have become harder to understand and
interpreted and because of this it means that the video requires a second or
even multiple viewing and this is important to the artist in order to increase the
promotional effect wanted by the production company. The complete opposite
to fast cut montage is when the music video will be made using little cutting
and many cases will just be taken in one shot, an example of this would be the
music video for the song: () by the band OK Go. Music videos have also become
a lot more abstract and because of this it often means the video is non-
representational of the song, in which the artist is never shown and example of
this would be: Is Tropical by The Greeks and in the video the band doesn'tt
feature in the video. The internet is the most important advancement in the
music video industry as this allows the artists to display their music on the
internet and then this video can be accessed by billions of people and this is
important in expanding your audience. Many music video are produced using
an in-concert style this gives the viewer the idea that the artist is performing
live, and this was used in many earlier music video as the technology wasnt as
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q4 Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to
genre conventions within their visual style and
production techniques. Select a recognisable genre
and use illustrations to explain what their genre
conventions are
Many bands often use genre conventions in order to be marketable to their
audience in which can help meet a specific target audience. In the Rock genre
artists visual appearance is crucial and because of this many artists wear very
similar clothes these tend to be more dark colours as well as this the bands
tend to have longer hair and when comparing this to a pop artist there is a
distinct difference and because of this it differentiates them from other genres
of music. When producing the video there is often many camera shots of the
band playing the instruments as well as this there is often many close ups on
the vocalist and this is important in understanding what genre of music they
are playing. Many rock music videos are of filmed using the in-concert effect
in order to make the artist to feel more authentic. In the music video for
Bohemian Rhapsody there are many effects used but the ones that are most
prominent in the video are strobes
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q5 - John Stuarts description of the music video
incorporating, raiding and reconstructing is
essentially the essence of intertextuality [something
asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can you explain what
intertextuality is and find some examples of it in music
videos?

Intertextuality is a visual reference of another medium of the media in

which is portrayed in the music video and the most popular of these
references are cinema fashion and art photography. Intertextuality has
been in many music videos and example of this would be in music video
and in the music video for Man I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain, the
music video has been heavily influenced by the video for Addicted to Love
by Robert Palmer, and this is done in order to give the viewer a sense of
nostalgia in the music video. Other Videos which have used intertextuality
is The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, californication although the intertextuality is
based around the use of video games which are the way that the video is
portrayed this is done in order to create a more unique viewing
experience.
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Task 3 Case Study
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Task 3 Case Study

For
your individual case study you are required to
prepare material on a minimum of three music
videos.

Thisshould provide discussion on the usage of the

following:
Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and
the intention behind the video, remember the core
purposes and break this down into the other purposes we
discussed]
Style[s] used
Techniques employed
Intertextuality
Camerawork/editing
Genre conventions
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Task 3 Case Study

You should include a video link for the video

You can include as many illustrative stills as you like

Becreative in your approach, it is suggested you use

the heading on the previous slide a guide on how to
structure your response to get you started

Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the

chosen video as an example, explain yourself and then
link to another video where possible
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Case Study

Music Video 1. (Alien Ant Farm- Smooth Criminal)

The Music video starts with the band being placed inside a boxing ring with
an audience of teenagers, surrounding the ring from all angles as well the
ring is placed in a garden this give the viewer the impression that the video
is taking place at a college/student party. As the song is a cover there is a lot
of intertextuality between the original by Michael Jackson, one of these is
the dancing used in the video are copies of Michael Jackson original and very
famous moves, the dance moves in the video are often being displayed on a
child, although their is a break in the song where the lead singer stands on
top of a car a copies one of Michael Jackson moves. In the video their is
some techniques in which arnet oftenly used one of these is the uses of a
led-floor mat in which when the singer and guitarists step on the mat it
lights up this is also a major aspect of the video as it draws more attention
to the band and the song in which they are playing. There is a mass amount
of close ups on the singer this is used in order to isolate the singer and
therefore make the audience focus and identify more with the singer. The
Genre comventions in this video arent very prominent within the band
although near the end of the video there is a man with body modification as
well as digitalised eyes in which make the man feel more in-touch with the
rock genre.
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Case Study

Music Video 2 ( OK GO-Here It Goes Again)

in the video they band are dancing on treadmills and this is the key aspects
of the video and the way the video is presented to the audience, first the
use of treadmills gives the video a uniqueness about as no other video has
incorporated that within their video , as well as this the video is filmed in
one take this gives the video a more fluid viewing experience as there is no
cuts. OK Go are famous for the initvate filmmaking and because of this the
video matches the quirky style in which the band are aiming for. This video
is more famous than the song in which they performed because of this it
means that the video in the reason in which the song has become known,
this is important in the initial promotion of the song. In some parts of the
video the members of the band can be seen walking out of shot this is
important in the video also, as it allows the to create a slight amount of
suspense as the viewer is unsure where they will appear and more
importantly how. The band OK-Go do not really follow any genre
conventions due the initiative content in which they produce as well as this
the band are famous in creating original ideas therefore their competition
in the music video industry is non-existence. Intertextuality is prominent as
the use of treadmill as it gives the song a connection between exercise and
the video itself.
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Case Study

Music Video 3- (Declan McKenna- The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home)
The music video is portrayed as well as the told in the perception of a
teenager this is important in creating the intertextuality between the video
and the track as well as this in the video there also is use of older video this
is used to allow the viewer to directly compare todays social society with
the a more orthodox and strict society, this is used to allow the viewer to
get a more creative as well influenced understanding of the music video.
The video ultimately portrays the message of creativity as well as rebellion
the video tries to outline the how important the younger generation are to
society as well as how they can affect the world around this is important as
the video therefore empowers young people. The use of racial stimulated
videos is important as it shows how far as a society we have grown, when
comparing with todays society, as well as this the use of war and violent
scenes are important in making the viewer question today's society how it
might possibly develop and grow. The use of embedded videos are
important as this shows the true opinions on the matter of subject
previously as well as this it allows the viewer to gage a better
understanding in how a teenager might process political and ethical issues
within the world.