Meet The Band

Name: Tayszea Lai
Nationality: Chinese/British
Favourite Colour: Blue
Favourite Food: Sushi
Favourite Artist: Halsey
Interesting Fact: She can't settle down without her stuffed teddy "Toothless"
Bio: Tayszea is an incredible vocalist who began her dream of being on stage performing at the age of five when she starred as Dorothy in her stage schools production of "The Wizard of Oz". Now she is an international superstar and the front singer of the band "Irreverence" She met Ben on a three week long summer camp and they shared their love of music together. Ben then introduced her to best friend Eddie.

Name; Ben Cifelli
Nationality: Italian/English
Favourite Colour: Purple
Favourite Food: Pizza
Favourite Artist: Paramore
Interesting Fact: His favourite breed of dog is a Husky
Bio: Ben grew up listening to music, from The 60's to the 00's,he enjoys various different artists and genres. He has no preference in music and appreciates all performances. His dream of being a music producer and music video director began with his breakthrough performance working with "Paramore" and now he has partnered with Vocalist Tayszea whom he met at a summer camp, and DJ Eddie, his best friend since the beginning of secondary school to form the mega hit band "Irreverence" Their single "Overdrive" was Ben's first major success for his band and he doesn't plan on stopping their. Ben quotes that "Irreverence" will become legendary.

Name: Julian "Eddie" Hodge
Nationality: Irish/Jamaican
Favourite Colour: Maroon
Favourite Food: Barbecue Wings
Favourite Artist: Kanye West
Interesting Fact: He is an amazing beatboxer
Bio: Eddie is an extremely talented DJ and music creator, from a very young age Eddie learned to play several instruments. He took a liking to the drums and the piano. Currently, Eddie is able to play six different instruments. He, Ben and Tay found their synergy and created "Irreverence"

Band Logo: Development

After researching different artist's logos within the house genre I found that they usually stick to being black and white, have very simple sans serif fonts and sometimes include a small image that represents their image as an artist and their music. After designing an initial idea, I developed it into three different designs.

The design here is the band name in a simple font, that is blocky and sans serif. I decided to add a symbol to the logo that represents our image as a band. I have created a peace symbol in place of 'V' in the word 'Irreverence'. This is because the peace symbol represents equality, which is what we try to promote in our band. It was also used by hippies and indie rockers as a symbol to fight against standards and power, as they believed in freedom of the speech and soul. Our band imitates those attitudes as we want to challenge stereotypes and create our own vision and path.

Band name

The Band name we have chosen to use is 'Irreverence'. This is because we liked the word as it represented the kind of attitude we wanted to portray through our image and our music video. The word 'Irreverence' means to go against societal norms and generally having a lack of respect for things that would usually be taken seriously. This can definitely be shown in our music video as we have several different ways we subvert normal ideals in music videos. For example our front lead singer is not as girly as the house and pop genre create their lead singers to be. She is much less sexualised and therefore does not conform to the typical female role in music videos. Our music video in a way promotes drug use and shows the crazy, wild side to taking drugs, without the counterbalance of side effects. This is seen as 'Irreverent' because drug use is a serious problem in today's society, but in our music video, it is taken light-heartedly.

Logo Research

One of my favourite artists 'Oliver Heldens' who is the main creator of the future house genre and the artist who we have picked in our music video has a very simple logo. It has no colours and no images. It is just his name in big bold letters.


Here is another example of a house artists logo, Tiesto has a bit more of a design to it than Oliver Heldens. He has a logo which seems to represent a bird flying, with a circle around it.

Both of these artists are very influential in the house genre and both have different styles to there logos. Although both do not use any colour in their logos and choose to keep it black and white. Both also use simple fonts that are quite thin.

Music Video Questionnaire

This questionnaire is geared towards an audience for the House music genre. The goal of it is to discover how the audience consumes the product and what they enjoy about the genre.

What age are you?

 11 – 14 □          15 – 18 □          19 – 22 □          23 – 26 □          27 – 30 □          30+ □

What gender do you identify as?

Male □          Female □          Other □          Prefer not to say □

What is your occupation?

_________________________________________________________________________________

How do you consume music?

ITunes □          YouTube □          Spotify □          Sound cloud □          Apple Music □           Other □

Do you listen to House music regularly?

Yes □          No □

Out of these, what is your favourite part about music?

The beat □          The lyrics □          The music video □          The artist □

Who is your favourite House music artist?

_________________________________________________________________________________

What is your favourite thing about the artist?

How important do you think narrative is in a house music video?

(Not important) 1          2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10 (really important)

Do you prefer to see sexually explicit imagery used in a music video?

Yes □          No □          No preference □

Would you buy an album because of its album art?

Yes □          No □

                                                                                     

Do you enjoy music videos with visual effects and SFX?

Yes □          No □        

Do you like choreographed dances in a music video?

Yes □          No □         

Goodwin's Theory: Last All Night

We can apply Goodwin's theory to the genre of music videos that I will be researching for my coursework. The first video I am going to look at is Oliver Heldens - Last All Night. This is a perfect example of how Goodwin's theory can relate to any music video.

Do the lyrics match the visuals?
In this music video it is safe to say that the visuals match the lyrics that are being sung. But the music video takes the lyrics and creates a piece that is very out of the ordinary whilst still sticking to the overall message of the song. This allows the artist to create an interesting piece that is engaging and entertaining, gaining fans.

In this scene we see two scientists who are creating a serum, using the science apparatus. While this shot is on screen the performer sings the line "the lights are low." here we can clearly see that the laboratory is dimly lit, creating a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. This is also the first lyric of the song so it sets the tone for the rest of the music video.



The lyric that is sung over this scene is "when you look into my eyes" this is definitely a visual representation of the lyric as the actor is holding the camera in is staring straight into camera. Although this is not the artist Oliver Heldens himself it still evokes a sense of Intimacy as its like he is personally handling our view point on the narrative.


Does the music match the visuals?
This song fits in with the music style of House, a common genre of Oliver Heldens music. The music has a slow build up which is visually presented through the build up of the two scientists trying to figure out the correct formula for the serum. Once the main scientist has figured it out and has gained some sort of power the music goes into the chorus and the bass kicks in. This is then visually presented through the scientist, who is clearly quite old, performing tasks that a normal elderly person would not be able to do such as break dance, weight lift and run extremely fast on a treadmill.

Are there any elements of Voyeurism?
we can argue that one of the scenes in the music video shows elements of sexuality and voyeurism as there are several women lined up outside of a room. It is assumed that they are lined up to have intercourse with the scientist as they come out of the room one by one looking rough and messed up.

We can see elements of voyeurism as the women in the scene have some revealing clothes. The women are placed there to be 'sex objects' in a way. This could be seen as voyeuristic as they are the only women in the music video, portrayed as objects to be played with.

Other than this there are no other elements of voyeurism in the music video.


Are there any intertextual references?
In this music video there does not seem to be any intertextual references to other media texts, but we can see a common trope in sci-fi where the 'weaker' character goes through a science related accident and gains super human abilities and powers.

Are there any noticeable elements of the genre in the music video?
 Typically, in alot of house music videos you will see movement and performance. There are alot of dance sequences as the track is upbeat and made for clubs and parties. This music video is no exception as it includes some dance moves from the older scientist.

Here we can see that the older scientist is now dancing in an open hall with a boombox on the floor playing what we assume is the song we are listening to 'Last All Night' these types of dance scenes are definitely an element of house music as they keep the viewers entertained and give them some ideas for what moves to use at the club. A lot of artists will actually make up a dance for their music video to gain more popularity and keep the song and video on everyone's lips.

Album Art Analysis

ARIANA GRANDE - MY EVERYTHING

This album art for Ariana Grande's - My Everything is very effective as it conveys several emotions without giving it away through word. The concept of the album art to me seems like we are getting a personal insight into her diary. The title 'My Everything' is written in a font that looks handwritten. Like it would be seen in a personal journal. This reflects Ariana as she wants to bare her all to her fans so they are able to see the real her. The background of the album is a solid grey colour. This symbolizes sadness and pain. This is supported by her body also being in monochrome. This shows that the album is very personal to her and includes songs that may be very personal to her life. Including songs that may be depressing or are about depressing topics. The position she is sat in on the stool has her facing away from the camera, with her eyes closed, looking down to the floor. This creates a sense of mystery as we can't tell what she is thinking. This enigmatic pose also adds to the intimacy of the album as she seems to be vulnerable and innocent.

Goodwin's Theory: Latch

We can apply Goodwin's theory to the genre of music videos that I will be researching for my coursework. The first video I am going to look at is Disclosures - Latch. This is a perfect example of how Goodwin's theory can relate to any music video.

Do the lyrics match the visuals?
In Disclosure's - Latch, there are several examples of the visuals from the music video matching the lyrics of the song. The lyrics of the song are about couples, embracing eachother, in a state of love and affection. This is then reflected in the music video.

This high angle shot showing a man looking up at what is assumed to be his girlfriend shows up when Sam Smith sings the line "I think we're close enough" This is represented visually as the woman is on top of the man embracing him. Showing how close they are physically and romantically.


This next scene that follows of a close up of two women leaning in for a kiss appears when Sam Smith sings the line "I wanna lock in your love" This shot represents this line visually as the two women have their eyes locked in on each others eyes, embracing one another, showing a great amount of love and passion between the two.


Does the music match the visuals?
The music to that accompanies the lyrics to 'Latch' definitely matches the visuals of the music video. Before the chorus the music builds up with the verse. This shows a building emotion or tension that is going to lead to an explosion of passion. The music video illustrates this by having the actors slowly move towards their partner. As the chorus hits the couples begin to kiss, the beat of the song kicks up showing how the tension has been released and the emotion is now over flowing. As the chorus finishes, the music slows back down to a regular pace. The couples then stop kissing showing that they are moving back into a position of embrace rather than being connected with one another. The editing used in the video also parallels the song well as each shot is cut onto the beat of the song. Keeping at a regular pace that is easy to follow and is engaging.

Are there any elements of voyeurism?
The entire concept for the music video 'Latch' is based on the notions of looking and the idea of couples embracing one another no matter shape, size, colour or gender. The music video plays with sexuality in a way that is not distasteful. Close up's are used on the actors face and body parts to show a sense of intimacy. It also focuses on the fact that the actors are specifically looking at their boyfriend or girlfriend, emphasizing the notion of looking.

Are there any inter textual references?
There does not seem to be any intertextuality within the music video. This could be because the artist's, Disclosure, have a tendency to keep their videos unique, fitting of their own style.

Are there any noticeable elements of the genre in the music video?
The genre of the song is Deep House, which is the genre i will be doing for my coursework. I have researched typical elements of House music and found that many of the videos show regular people typically having fun and enjoying themselves. The setting is usually a club, or a place where the song would most likely be played, e.g - a bar or house party.

This is one of the first locations given to us in the music video. We can clearly see that it is set in some sort of bar or club. We can tell this by the party clothes and the bottle of alcohol. The colour of the shot is quite saturated and warm. This could have been used to demonstrate that love is in the air at the club. The small fairy lights in the background also add pops of vibrant colours to represent fun and excitement.

I have also discovered that quite a lot of house music videos include female actors shown in an innocent or sexualised manner. 'Latch' is no exception as this female actor takes her shirt off we get a wide shot showing off the back, behind and legs. The man in the shot is also staring at her body showing notions of looking and voyeurism.

Album Art Analysis #2

Album Art Analysis: Gorrilaz - Demon Days

This album art from the Gorrilaz is much different to Ariana's album that I had previously looked at. This one does not have any pictures of the actual artists but instead cartoon representations of them. This is quite enigmatic as they make no intimate connection with the audience but we do with the made up characters that represent each band member. The album is separated into four sections with each character taking up a quarter. The white text and backgrounds contrast the overall dark blue to make them stand out on the cover. The cartoon characters also have separate colour pallet that makes them unique. These colours are quite dull and faded, this could be significant as it fits the rock genre of the album or "dark pop" as it is known by the band.

Voyeurism: Satisfaction

A classic example of voyeurism in an electronic dance genre music video is in Benny Benassi's - Satisfaction. In this video, several women are shown with little clothing, carrying out DIY tasks. The music video is also supposed to look like an advert or infomercial for power tools, using the power of the female body to sell to a male audience.

Here, we can clearly see that this shot focuses on the sex appeal of the women in the music video. The shot cuts from a long shot showing of the entire female, to a close up of her behind. This would be to gain the attention of the male viewers. This close up is repeated several times throughout the music video but on different women to show off or promote them to the audience. We can also argue that the tasks that they are doing also appeal to a male audience as these women are doing DIY which would stereo typically be classed as a 'mans' job. But in this music video they seem to subvert gender roles, whilst also playing with them at the same time, by keeping her looking feminine and sexual. The music video is played out like a commercial for power tools, items associated with men, but using women to promote them, which is generally not seen in real adverts for power tools.

 In these two close ups we see some facial expression on the woman here. The use of the close up on the face in the first image is to show a sense of intimacy. We get to see the actors facial expressions, this makes the audience feel a small personal connection with the actress. Yet again drawing in the male gaze. The second image is an extreme close up of the woman's mouth, moving her tongue across her lips. This is a sexual manner which is supposed to seduce the audience. We can identify these kinds of mannerisms and voyeurism in many dance music videos since they typically include sexualised women that the DJ enjoy. Due to the DJ's nearly always being male. This common trope of women being included in dance music videos could be due to the fact that many woman go out to clubs and like to dance. As do clubs like to attract female audiences which then attract a male audience. So sexualised women in music videos mirror the club scene.

Meeting #1

During meeting number one, we started to discuss concepts and ideas for our House music video for Oliver Helden's - (Gecko) Overdrive. During this time we used our lyrics analysis that we had created for the song to generate ideas. We came up with the thought that the song is about 'anything that gives you a rush.' We starting to think about things that give people a rush, legal or illegal. We thought that drugs or taking drugs would be a great catalyst for a music video. Our actor for the music video could have taken some sort of drug which takes her on a bad trip. This would allow us to think outside the box with our ideas and go a little abstract to make the video fun and engaging.

What is Goodwin's Theory?

Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin's theory is based on 5 main principles that should be found in every music video of any genre. These are...

• Links between Lyrics and Visuals

This is the process of presenting the lyrics and meaning of the song visually within the music video using several techniques like camera, editing, mise-en-scene, lighting, costume and performance

• Links between Music and Visuals

This is similar to the point that lyrics and the visuals match but instead here, Goodwin states that the visuals should also match the music that accompanies. This is typically done through editing as we can edit to the beat of the music. This could also be done through performance and mise-en-scene since a song that has a sombre tone will not typically not have a happy music video.

• Genre Characteristics

The music video must be fitting of the genre. Like films, music genres have certain tropes and similarities that crop up in the music videos. For example many rap music videos will include elements of voyeurism, showing women in a sexual light. Or many EDM music videos will use montages to make it dynamic.

• Intertextual reference

Goodwin states that many music videos will include some kind of reference to another piece of media text. This acts as a sort of inside joke for the audience so that the artist can broaden their fan base and show that they have a knowledge of the media industry,

• Voyeurism/notions of looking 

One aspect of this theory is that there is a certain level of observation within the music video. For example many female artists play with sexuality to obtain the male viewer gaze. Another example for looking would be observing the performance through a camera or TV.

• Close ups

Nearly all music video record labels have certain demands that need to be met. This is done through self promotion of the artist using close ups on the face to evoke a sense of intimacy with the audience. Something that you cant get at a live concert.

What would you expect to see in a house music video?

From doing personal research I understand that there are a lot of different elements that go into a house music video. This would generally be made up of components like, costume, performance, narrative, mise-en-scene, lighting, camera and editing. I have narrowed down within those components, what makes a music video specifically house.

Costume

In many house music videos the artist who is singing the song does not appear. It is instead an actor or several actors who play a part in the narrative. There is a great variation in costume depending on the narrative of the music video, but typically the clothing worn would be regular, pedestrian clothing. In some cases costume can be way out there as it fits with the party vibe of the house genre. For example in Oliver Helden's - Shades of Grey he makes an appearance in several animal costumes. Another example would be in Swedish House Mafia's Greyhound, where the people are wearing very futuristic clothing.

This is a visual example of an out of the normal costume from Oliver Helden's - Shades of Grey. This shows that the costumes can be fun and different because typically house music doesn't convey any serious messages. The songs do not try to be didactic so the artist is able to have fun with the music video and make it as visually entertaining as possible. There are many music videos for house tracks that have actors wearing a normal styled outfit rather than something unusual. These music videos tend to have a more realistic narrative to them as it reflects the lives of someone in the music video.

Performance

As I mentioned earlier the typical performance within house music videos is much more upbeat, fun and light-hearted as the lyrics tend to stray away from any topics controversial or serious. The songs usually are based on good emotions and events. So performance wise most of the music videos are made to entertain and to get the audience excited. Rather than some pop songs where the music is slow and saddening, house music is faster, and repetitive. This is because the genre was made for clubs and bars, making people want to dance and have a good time. This is what I feel we need to reflect in our music video.

Narrative
The narrative for most house music videos is quite similar. The story generally seems to show a fragmented version of a persons life. This can range from a tame, realistic story like in Disclosures - You and Me, where we are viewing a couple on their journey through a new town. Or something completely out of the box like Oliver Heldens - Overdrive, where we see an old couple mess around
on their anniversary, as we find out that the woman is actually some sort of alien creature.

I also noticed that a lot of house music videos will reflect the lyrics of the song within the music video, but do it in a way that is clever and creative.For example in Route 94's - My Love. We see the typical club scene that is quite common in house and dance music videos, but is done using a thermal effect. This could be reflecting the repeated lyric "up above, made with the warmth of my" The warmth here is being shown by the thermal camera, This also links in to editing and special effects as many house artists use special effects to enhance the video.

Mise-en-scene
Many house music videos are promoted through the DJ that created the track. Typically, in the music video the DJ will include some sort of trade mark that identifies the song with the artist. For example the artist Disclosure will have drawn figures, usually faces over certain singers or actors. This is to trade mark the video and make it unique. As I have mentioned before most house music videos will take place in real life, showing one or more characters leading a normal narrative. This is generally because house music artists do not need grand and audacious music videos because fans of the genre listen for the music and the sound of the song. Not the stunning visuals that follow along.

Lighting
Lighting plays an important part in music videos. Without lighting we would be able to create mood changing effects that convey a message without the use of any words or sound. For example placing a light to the side of the face to create one side lit and the other blacked out evokes a sense of duality and split personality. Or a balance between good and evil. Lighting is used a lot in house music video to add mood to the song and video.

Disclosure's - White Noise utilises lighting really well to create a mood too the song. In this part of the music video, the main actor is searching a dark tunnel with only a flashlight for vision. This creates an eerie atmosphere for the music video until he begins to dance when then chorus hits. The suspense created is good for the music video as it is engaging and keeps viewers watching. We also are not given any other information through song lyrics or symbols, only lighting is used to evoke emotion.

Camera 
The camera angles tend to follow the standard techniques used in filming music videos. Many have close ups of either the artist or actor in the music video. This is to show a sense of intimacy and give the audience a closer look. House music videos are always dynamic, there is rarely any static camera shots because a fast paced movement style fits better with the song. Accompanying the dynamic camera style is a fast paced fragmented narrative. This is usually portrayed through several wide shots to cover as much of the action that occurs in the video as possible. Due to the artists or singers generally being absent in the music video, The close ups and mid shots are pointed mainly at a female actor. This can be described as they 'male gaze' since it attracts male viewers, observing the female figure.

An example of an effective use of camera would be in Calvin Harris's - How Deep is Your Love. Here the actress is placed under dark lighting with a red tint. Using a close up on her face, this could be a sign or symbol of danger, or an incoming event that could be in some way dangerous. We aren't directly told this in the fragmented narrative or the song lyrics but coupled with the lighting, and the camera showing us the expression on her face, the artist is able to convey emotion visually.

Editing
Many house music videos have a similar editing technique. Because the genre of music is dynamic and fast paced the editing needs to match. Montages are mainly used to create a speedy and engaging scene filled with several pieces of a narrative. Typically within house music videos special effects or after effects are placed onto the video to give it depth. Colour correction is applied to create bright, fun colours such as reds and blues, colours which we wouldn't be able to achieve with just a camera. This allows artists to create emotion and symbolism, like a red tone for danger or a blue ton for tranquility. This would have mainly been done by adding a colour correction, using the editing software.

In this screenshot from MK's - Always, we can see that his shot of a man in a hallway has been colour corrected to make the shot darker than it originally would have been. The weak lighting paired with a darkened brightness and saturation helps to create an almost eerie atmosphere. This in turn creates tension and builds up the narrative for the music video. This shot is then followed by a cut where the man walks through the door and moves from one location to the other. This kind of editing can be found in many house music videos because of the dynamic effect it gives.

Intertextuality in Music Videos: Break Free

Intertextuality seems to find its way into many music videos. It's fun and easy to incorporate classic moments from other media texts into a music video. It plays an important role in music videos as it gives a sense of an inside joke or reference that the audience can discover. If a fan gets the artists reference it gives them a sense of intimacy and pleasure as they feel they are part of the 'joke'.

In Ariana Grande's music video for 'Break Free', she creates a Sci-Fi, adventure piece which includes references to popular space movies such as Star Wars and Barbarella. These two films are classics that many fans can relate to as the two films span over around 50 years. Here, Ariana Grande has chosen to use the same font that scrolls from the bottom of the screen to the top, to give an exposition on the narrative of the music video. This is a direct reference to Star Wars as each film had the same animated exposition at the beginning to give some insight into the story. 

Here is the original from Star wars. You can clearly see that the same animation style has been used. This reference to Star Wars in her music video could suggest that she is trying to attract the geeky/nerdy audience by showing she has an interest in the space and Sci-Fi. This then adds to her star image as now different audiences can relate to her and what she is doing. This is also done cleverly as the rest of the video is very similar to the 1960's space classic Barbarella. Her costume, the male voice over, and the dangerous femme fatal attitude all closely resemble that of the character Barbarella.

The short white outfit Ariana has on slightly resembles the classic white Barbarella outfit that she wore when defeating aliens in space. She also has long hair but the colour is brunette instead of blonde. The plot of the music video is parallel to Barbarella as we have a strong female protagonist who fights against aliens in intergalactic space. Referencing to this classic film allows an older generation to recognise a film that they may have seen when they were younger, giving them a sense of knowledge over a younger audience who may not know what the reference to Barbarella is. This is also creates Ariana's star image to an older generation, showing that she is interested in classic films and old Hollywood.

Music Video Director

For this task we had to find and research a music video director. I chose to do Joseph Kahn, a famous director in the industry who has done work for artists ranging from Taylor Swifts recent songs 'Wildest Dreams' and 'Bad Blood', to old rock classics like Muse's 'Knights of Cydonia'.

I really enjoy Joseph Kahn's recent Taylor Swift music video for 'Bad Blood'. His style of music videos focuses on the performer singing within the narrative of the song. So rather than the artist play themselves in the music video, they are portraying another character who has gone through an experience that the song is describing. This makes the music video feel more like a short film. In this example, Taylor Swift is portraying a strong female agent who has been betrayed by her old partner, and is now seeking revenge by grouping up with other female agents.There is less stage performance with actual instruments being shown, or a roaring audience in front of them, but rather more fragmented narrative with the main performer placed in the middle of the story. This is shown in quite a few of his works, for example Maroon 5's Misery. 

Here we can see Adam Levine acting in this music video. Like 'Bad Blood' he is playing a character and not himself. This character is a man who is dominated by a woman in his life. Joseph Kahn focuses on illustrating the words of the song through a great use of mise-en-scene. Here it is being taken to the extreme as the woman in the music video is assualting and attacking adam levines character. He also has a very good grip on the dynamic camera aspect of a music video. Most of his videos include lots of movement to express emotion. For example in 'Misery' the camera is constantly on the move, attempting to show Adam's desperation to escape, but halts as soon as the woman enters, showing she has control over him. He also lip syncs to the song in the music video. This makes it appear as though he is singing the song to this woman. I like this style of music video as it keeps the audience entertained and in wonder of where the music video is going to take them next. I also like this because as a generation we are people who feed of narrative and want to know every detail of the plot, so creating a music video to give an interpretation of the song visually keeps us engaged, whilst giving us a sense of intimacy with the artist.

Most of Joseph Kahn's music videos seem to be quite realistic. He tends to not use obvious symbolic imagery to represent another thought or theme. The words of the song are painted out clearly in the music video. He also uses lots of close ups on the artists face to sell them as a brand. Allowing us as an audience to feel close with the artist, giving us the opportunity to relate to them and the words they have written in the song. It almost seems as if they are a friend because the close ups extend the performers personality through the screen.

Pop Music Videos

Here are a few more music videos which I find inspiring. These music videos are also in the genre of Pop and House which is the genre that my group are going to be focusing on for our music video project. 

Disclosure's music video for You and Me is a very inspiring video as it has an extremely strong narrative throughout the 3 minutes. It tells a short story of a couple and their journey in a new town. Although the music video has no lip sync, the fast paced editing and mass amounts of locations make up for it. This is because of the video's dynamic nature, the element of movement makes the audience feel as if we are actually there with them in the music video. This could also link into voyeurism as we feel like an observer on this couples life together. This gives off a sense of intimacy and a certain amount of privacy which is shared with us. I would like to take away that editing style as it fits with that style of music which would be pop/house. I also like the idea of subversion of voyeurism as the female is not attempting to be sexual or seductive, but innocent and fun. The subversion of the female is a bold move as it eliminates the male viewer gaze but builds up a star image of someone who is not afraid to be themselves. Typically when a female artist is not playing with their sexuality, we find them more of a role model because there are shown to be strong and independent.

In Far East Movement's, The Illest. I really enjoyed watching the video as it has quite a funny narrative from start to finish. The music video isn't taken seriously which fits the sound of the song as it's an upbeat; fun, party song. The artists 'Far East Movement' have chosen to incorporate themselves within the narrative of the music video, showing them to be light hearted and fun. This also allows us to see a side of them which we would not be able to see at a live performance. The editing is also very manic to match the beat of the song which is something I would hope to incorporate in my work. Finally the costumes and mise-en-scene is also fun and interesting as it is set in an office and the 'characters' played by the group are people that would be typically found in an office, causing anarchy.

Lip Sync Exercise

As an initial task to learn the basics of lip sync, we had to find a song which we enjoyed and create a short clip of the music video. The video had to show off the lip sync aspect of a music video. We also chose to take some of the narrative from our chosen music video. 

For our first lip sync exercise we chose the song Miss Independent by Ne-Yo. We agreed on this song because it has a clear upbeat pop sound to it which would make it easier to edit to. We also chose this song because the song is catchy and well liked, giving us the joy of listening to it over and over again.

We managed to create a good narrative to the music video using a range of different shots to create meaning without giving away too much, as that is the songs job to do. Our narrative reflected the lyrics of the song which made for a good video. What we struggled on was the lip sync aspect of the music video as it was difficult to have the actor sing exactly as Ne-Yo does. Leading to some off moments which will be improved in our final project. We also felt we may have needed more lip sync scenes to show off our ability to create a believable lip sync. Finally editing the music video was quite difficult until we learned to use markers on the song. Placing markers on the beat of the song allowed us to edit the clips to the beat much easier.

From this lip sync exercise I now understand the different types of shots used in a music video and why they are used. Such as a close up on the face to show intimacy and a connection with the audience. I also have a better understanding of how to pull off a lip sync effectively.

Music Video Inspiration

For this task we had to choose three music videos that inspire us, and bring something that we can take away to use in our own pieces of work. The three music videos i have chosen are similar in style and genre as they all include some kind of pop.

In this video, Paramore use a lot of bright, warm colours contrasted with a monotone black and white. The video is also very fast paced and includes lots of cuts to fit the fast pace of the song. These montages make the video extremely dynamic which fits with the genre of the song, punk/rock. The fast editing also keeps the viewers engaged and having to rewind to take in every detail of the narrative. The story is also very manic and enjoyable to watch. I love the fact that Hayley Williams is part of the narrative itself whilst also cutting to performance scenes of the band. It makes it seems as though this is something that may have happened to Hayley in the past so we are kind of getting an insight into her personal life, creating intimacy and trust with the performer. Cutting to the band performing also brings pleasure to the audience as we get to the see the band performing up close. We could see the artists live but that doesn't allow us to see the emotion on their face.

During the beginning of Break Free with see some intertextuality as the exposition flying from top to bottom is reminiscent of star wars which is also a sci-fi, adventure text. I also love the costume design and the fun narrative as its outer space. Its isn't what we would usually see so it brings an element of wacky, 'avant garde' media to the music video. This out of the norm music video concept perfectly represents the fantasies that some people have, of wanting to be in outer space, partying and fighting evil aliens. The music video keeps viewers entertained as there are no overly long shots that have nothing interesting happen. Its artistic in an abstract way which is always enjoyable to watch. She also includes the male viewer gaze as there are several camera angles and pans that show of parts of her body. There is also a scene where she removes items of clothing in a zero gravity space. It brings pleasure to the viewers due to its 'out of this world' imagery. The colour choices and special effects also contrast but go well with the theme as we would expect space to be dark and scary, but Ariana shows it as colourful and bright.

In Tori Kelly’s video I really enjoy the narrative that she has behind the song. It only emphasises the meaning to her words and sets the tone for the song. Her clear shots and range of cutting from different angles make it interesting to watch. The locations chosen also reflect upon the lyrics and the emotions being drawn upon. She switches from a large crowd of people in public to an empty and cold room. This could symbolise how shes feels alienated in a large group and tries not to stand out, to make herself a ghost among the public. Her being secluded in a room also illustrates her love for keeping to herself but her pain of wanting to have someone there with her. The colour choices used in the music video is a simple pallet that mimics real life and the dull colours of the city. There aren't that many shots with bright, vibrant colours as that wouldn't be representational of the lyrics to the song. The lack of colour emphasises the lack of love and passion in her life, something that she believes will come to her when she's ready.

Voyeurism in Music Videos: Anaconda

Voyeurism in music videos is typically the act of performing in a sexual or sexualized manner in order for the audience to gain pleasure. The viewers who benefit from this are typically male as most examples of voyeurism are shown through female performance artists either in their own videos or actors/dancers within a male artists music video. This does not exclude male voyeurism as there are many examples of the male body being shown, generally for the female viewing pleasure.

This Nicki Minaj music video is a perfect example of what voyeurism in the industry looks like. The scenes within the video show off the female body in such a way which is appealing to the male viewer gaze. The song Anaconda contains several lyrics which is reflected in the video itself, as the song describes parts of the female body. Nicki Minaj is very well known for using mass amounts of voyeurism in her music videos as a means to either play with the conceptions of gender or subvert them.

Here shows off a mid-close up of a woman's body. This shot is used to accentuate the woman's figure and behind, which is a topic of the song. This is a classic example of voyeurism in music video as it shows the female in a light which would be pleasing to the male viewers. The close up on the body invokes a sense of intimacy with the audience and really sells the song. This shot could also be used as a more promotional strategy for the artist as this sense of intimacy makes the audience more likely to become involved and buy the artists produce.