Pop characteristics

• Catchy 
• Up beat 
• Fast 
• Simple lyrics and rhythm 
• Expensive
• Boy/Girl band
• Fast paced
• Bight
• Big Mise-en-scene
• Narrative

Examples

• Lady Gaga
• Katy Perry
• Beyonce
• Rhianna
• Pink 

Group Meeting- Location 3

Our third meeting took place at a potential location of ours; it was an old victorian-style house hidden in Epping Forest which seems to fit perfectly with all our ideas. We were given a tour of the beautiful house where we looked around all the rooms and found use for each one as well as wanting to use the garden and surrounding fields and forest in the shoot.

The photos below show the main rooms in the house that we felt were good settings for our music video.

The Staircase - we liked the strong red colour of the stairs and we thought that a performance on the stairs could represent her "in between" state of mind where she no longer knew who was on her level after the feud with her best friend.

There were many aspects of the house we liked, each room was beautifully decorated differently with vintage wallpaper and accessories, the garden was huge with statues, flowers, and a fountain in the centre. We also thought it would be a good idea to use their special under ground garage to get creative with.



The Summer Tea House - Every little girl's dream was to have a little house where they would have tea parties with all their friends and so we thought that this little hut would be perfect to show the artist wanting to turn back time after the deep regret she feels.

So, all in all, an excellent location to use.

Jessie J, Nobody's Perfect- Lyrics

I have this feeling I talk too much

Sometimes I just can’t shut the hell up

It’s like I need to tell someone anyone who listen

And that’s where I seem to fuck up, yeah

I forget about the consequences, for a minute there I lose my senses

And thought that you … my mouth’s got going the words got going

Baby never meant to hurt you, you know it’s time that i… you

Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved

… lesson to learn and I hate that I let you down and I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around cause now I’m the one hurting down

And I hate that I made you thinking that you must repair what’s broken

So don’t tell me you can’t forgive me

Cause nobody’s perfect, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

I fucking turned the things …

I swear I never wanna cross that line

I should of kept it between us but know I … I’ma feeling …

So it hits … with these tears coming out from my eyes

I gotta change if I wanna keep you forever

Promise that I’m gonna try

Baby never meant to hurt you, you know it’s time that i… you

Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved

… lesson to learn and I hate that I let you down and I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around cause now I’m the one hurting down

And I hate that I made you thinking that you must repair what’s broken

So don’t tell me you can’t forgive me

Cause nobody’s perfect, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

I’m not a saint no matter no, cause what I did that wasn’t cool

Mamma swear that I’ll never do it again to you

I’m not a saint, I’m not a saint, I’m not at all

Mamma swear that I’ll never do it again to you

And I hate that I let you down, and I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around cause now I’m the one hurting down

And I hate that I made you thinking that you must repair what’s broken

So don’t tell me you can’t forgive me

Cause nobody’s perfect, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

Don’t tell me, don’t tell me no, you can’t give me more

Cause nobody’s perfect.

Clothing and Make-up Mood Board

This Mood Board consists of pictures that show our general make-up, hair and costume ideas which we will put into our music video. 

Mind Map of video ideas

Word Cloud

This world cloud shows words that reflect what we want our video to contain:

Mood Board

This Mood Board is the overall look of the themes we want to portray during our music video. We have added locations we want to use: forest, Victorian house. The props on our Mood Board consist of dolls, teddies and cakes to represent the idea of childhood memories. Make-up and costume pictures have been added to the Mood Board to give us a general idea of what look we are going for. 

Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Deja Vu

Andrew Godwin wrote a Music Video Analysis within ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992) he states the various elements to look for when analysing a music video and I will apply this when evaluating Beyonce’s music video to her song ‘Déjà vu’.


Déjà Vu is a Beyonce song that features the vocals of Jay Z. Déjà vu was filmed in 2006 by British director Sophie Muller, who has also directed music videos for a number of big recording artists such as; Kings of Leon, Duffy, Pink, Shakira, Lily Allen and more.


Within Goodwin’s music video analysis, he states that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals within a music video and that these can either be; illustrative, amplifying or contradicting. Within this particular video, the relationship between the two is illustrative and amplifying. This is shows as the video begins with the simple lyric “bass” which is immediately illustrated with a shot of Jay Z’s hand strumming a bass guitar. Similarly the next lyric of “high hat” is accompanied by a shimmy of Beyonce’s shoulders. As well as this, the running lyrics of “déjà vu” are greatly amplified throughout the video in many aspects; the continuous cross-cutting between shots of Beyonce between outfits are put together when a movement fits from one shot to the other, therefore making it obvious that she has done it before, a feeling of déjà vu. Repetition of movements by the artist as well as shots of her also symbolise the idea of déjà vu. This feeling is also represented when various shots of the artist show her in costume from different time periods and situations as the same thing is happening to her in a number of different circumstances. The slightly revealing outfits and almost erotic positioning clearly amplify the lyric repeated within the hook that is “sexiness” “Losing it” is intensified within the video by fast-paced cutting and almost crazy and over the top dance moves. Within Jay Z’s verse, the word “unusual” is represented through the awkward movement of Beyonce while she is dancing around. As well as the lyrics “light up the strobe” which is further amplified by a flashing light caused by Beyonce opening and closing her legs quickly.


Goodwin also states that relationships between the music itself and the visuals of the video tend to have a relationship that tends to be; illustrative, amplifying or contradictive. Taking this into consideration, the pace of the song is a common mixture of fast and slow. The various shots and amount of straight cuts between them further this, as well as the combination of fast and slow movements made by Beyonce when dancing and moving. This is also amplified through the use of slow motion within the video, for example, when Beyonce turns in front of the lake. Further exemplifying the pace of the music, the editing shows fast cuts with the double beats as well as randomly on off beats to quicken the pace and excite viewers.


The demands of the record label obviously included a large amount of close-ups of the artist to portray the idea of star image. In my opinion, I believe that the record company has looked to heavily include Beyonce’s image to sell the track. Alongside her outstanding vocals and writing skills, the video uses her in different outfits with completely contrasting styles to show her versatility. The genre of this song is a combination of pop and R&B. This is shown through conventions of the video; pop being a dance routine, the light-hearted idea of the narrative as well as the use and combination of fashion which attract both genders of different ages. The R&B genre of the song is shown through a rap in the middle as well as the very urban style and set of the video. Within the video, Beyonce is represented as a powerful woman as this is her known image within the media. Though she isn’t placed obviously on sexual display it is suggested that sex is also being used to sell the video as there are some provocative dance moves and suggestive actions. As well as the, at times, revealing outfits and the very sexual tension shown between her and Jay Z when she dances around him. I believe that the sexual image has been used in a professional way within the video in order to sell the track but they are, however, having the artist keep her own image as a respectful woman.


In view of Beyonce’s previous videos, this one has very similar motif in the fact that her songs are of similar pace and genre due to the use of dance routines and variant outfits and locations. However, other videos of hers are conventionally dissimilar, with strange narratives as well as toned down costume and original ideas. This does further the image of Beyonce being professionally adaptable to sell her music in many ways.

The video is a combination of performance and concept. The performance is heavily induced through the amount of dance and lip sync within the song. The concept side of it is shown through the diversity and creativity of the costumes used as well as the locations and extravagant dances that make the video an art form.

Group Meeting 2

Broken Childhood, Doll- Prop

Within our second meeting we have come up with ideas for a mood board on our overall look for our music video.  We decided we want to include:




Colour Scheme : bright colours, often contrasting next to eachother to reflect the mood and tone of the video.


Props: Many items that reference back to a stereotypical childhood such as dolls, teddybears, tea sets, ballerinas


Costume:  creative and over-the-top make up, eccentric costume pieces including ballerina costumes, colourful dresses and also items of clothing such as leather jackets, big black Dr Martin boots and leggings to make another contrast of the performer and the memory of her childhood.

Overall we feel we have captured the suitable characteristics that will enhance our chosen genre, making our video different and modern yet interesting to watch.

Costume

Props, Tea party

Lady Gaga Bad Romance

Lady Gaga is a female recording artist well known for her theatricality; this is included in her personality during interviews, fashion sense and more importantly, her music videos. Andrew Goodwin’s “Dancing in the distraction Factory” (Routledge 1992) expresses how music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. The conceptual and performing music video of  “Bad Romance” (produced by RedOne) is well known for its theatrical, pop burlesque genre which is demonstrated mainly through her eccentric costume, make-up, dance routines and use of unusual narratives. 

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the narrative of the video at a first glance is unclear, however, when reading an interview with the director, the video tells a story of how Gaga is abducted by supermodels who drug her and sell her off to the Russian Mafia for a million Rubles.

 Although not clear at first, the narrative is shown through aspects of the mise-en-scene, revealing relationships between the music and the visuals. Just as the video begins a close up on vodka bottles is shown; this is as the lyrics “caught in a bad romance” are sung; alcohol is something that usually comes between relationships and so a connection is made. Vodka is  also the main alcoholic drink associated with Russia and text appears on the screen saying "bath Haus of Gaga" indicating that the film video is set in a wash room in eastern Europe. There are also various shots showing her wrestling women whilst in a bathtub and being forced to drink; although this could be done to allow the voyeur of women to the audience, it ties in with the narrative to show he feeling of being trapped.

 

The costumes shown in the video is the main ingredient to the extreme theatricality of the video; the pointed crowns and white latex (designed mainly by Gaga) has an intertextual reference to the children’s book "Where the wild things are" where the wolf costume inspired Gaga and her designers. These costumes are said to represent her inner monsters and show her dark views expressed in this song. The costume also contributes towards the narrative as props; she is forced to stand in front of this group of men and has a long brown coat ripped off of her to show revealing underwear made out of jewels to impress the Russian buyers. This again ties in with Goodwin’s analysis which expresses how there is frequent reference to the notion of looking, displaying Lady Gaga as more of an object than a person.  Some of her costumes (or lack of) add to the idea that she is on sexual display; her white and black latex suits cling on to her figure showing her silhouette and her face is covered, suggesting that her facial expression is not relevant, its her body that is the main focus. The other costumes are mainly underwear, some are worn with a giant polar bear coat and others are made entirely out of diamonds; this contributes to the company wanting the audience to focus on Gaga as a sexual figure.

The camera work also contribute to Gaga being on sexual display; the film video is made up of a great variation of shots, close ups on her crying face exaggerate her pain and suffering she is feeling. They also show the suggestive and lustful looks of the men in the room which could possibly reflect Gaga's view on typical male characteristics. The long shots in the music film allow the dancers and the chaos of her emotions to be seen altogether. The pace of these shots also eventually speed up towards the end of the song to show the build up of madness caused by the drugs she was forced to take. It then suddenly slows down as the bed she is walking towards bursts into flames which could possibly represent her finally rebelling and taking control of the situation.

The company is able to sell this track mainly because of Gaga’s well-known reputation as an unconformable artist. Her amazing “shock factor” motif immediately captures the audience and so the excitement builds for her next project. This is because she never does the same thing twice; her clothes, dance routines, hair styles and music video settings are always different making her unpredictable music videos exciting every time you watch it. Therefore, the music video is made up mainly on close-ups on Gaga, according to Goodwin’s analysis, the demands of the record label (Streamline) will need to emphasise the fact that this is Lady Gaga’s video as she is a star with a large fan base.

There is more intertextual references to the video “Thriller”  (directed by John Landis), shown in Gaga’s dance performances. Lady Gaga’s long-armed claw-like movements throughout the video show her and the dancers as monsters, contributing to the narrative to show the evil in people.

I enjoy watching this video as it explores the many emotions felt during relationships and the need to have control over your life and actions. This very deep underlying message is shown through the madness of the music video with the amazing use of eccentric costume, varied shots types and dramatic dance routines.

Music Video Analysis

Artist: Ke$ha
Song: TiK ToK
Director: Syndrome
Record Label: RCA 
Produced: Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke
Officially released on August 7, 2009

This music video has a strong narrative as well a small performance, with the conceptual idea of a rebelling teenager. I will be using Andrew Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory'- Routledge 1992 to analyse this music video.
 You first see the artist sitting in a bath tub with a quick flash back to which is seen to be a party scene. From this we are not sure whether this is going to be a scene from the night before or a scene that we will see later on. After this you then see her getting herself ready whilst moving throughout the house. Which we later see being her 'family' household. The lyrics, 'brushing my teeth with a bottle of jack' is illustrated by her doing so. Giving a link between the lyrics and the visual.

The Mise-en-scene in the house sets the scene of being a very stable, well mannered household which is juxtaposed to the family member Ke$ha. Who is portrayed as a 'drunken', free spirited young girl against the comparison of her stereotypical polite family. The mise-en-scene in the party clip, contrasts with the family house hold we see at the start. It is loud, bright, messy and full of people having a party. The music itself would be more than likely played at a party which we see, this links the visual and music together. Also linking the audience into the situation in which they can relate too.

The editing that has been used has created a 'tipsy' effect when she sings those links. This links into the lyrics with the use of edits. Making a complete piece of work that portrays the message the artist is trying to get across. The use of black and white flickering throughout, gives a vintage feel to the video as well as adding some depth and interesting instead of using the same image. Close ups are used through the whole clip, this makes sure the audience know who the artist singing is, giving Ke$ha a large amount of coverage which may have been demanded by her label RCA.

Humour is used 1:25, this makes the video and the artist seem relaxed and not taking themselves too seriously. This reflects what the artist is like as a person, as well as a famous face.
There is a strong performance element throughout, with the block performance being her against the yellow wall. This is cut and added in certain moments in the video, were the narrative is not being used.

There are a few references to other artist and famous people thought her song viva lyrics- 'wake up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy', ' unless they look like Mick Jagger' humour is then used as a lookalike Mick Jagger appears. This giving a light hearted feel to the music video as well as interlinking the lyrics and visual.

The music video as a whole reflects the genre of the song. Being a dance-pop/electro pop tune, images of parties, bright lights, quick editing, humour all reflect the genre in the stereotypical way. This not being a negative nor a positive just the expected visual for this song and its audience.

There is a form of negativity toward women in the way that she is dressed. Her clothing and make-up is very provocative which shows Ke$ha as a sex symbol and this concentrates less on her song. However this way of portraying her will be attractive to males, which therefore gives Ke$ha a larger fan base. But can also make her lose younger viewers as their parents may think that it is inappropriate for them to watch. Ke$ha may be seen as a role model to younger girls and this is giving them a negative view in the way that they should dress and interacted with other people and view their self.

There is a link between the first scene we see and the last, both of these being Ke$ha in a bath.  The main themes in this music video are the sense of partying, having a good time and not caring. Throughout the whole music video there is a strong narrative to a girl waking up from a party and then doing it all again, with parts of performance. The music video uses lots of visual, music and lyrical illustrations plus humour. To give this music video as a whole a substance. I feel it is aimed at the typical teenage market for this genre of music and the video works well to market it. With also having provocatively in it but not over powering it, so males will enjoy it as well as females, without feeling uncomfortable.

Music Video Ideas

This is one idea for a music video we have come up with.

Using Katy Perry's song Last Friday Night as it is an upbeat and popular song, which I feel will reach out to a wide audience. My initial idea was to keep the music video very conceptual with a strong narrative. Using two main characters, a stereotypical 'popular' girl and a unsocial outcast. These two girls then swapping lives, in the form of taking over each other's bodies.
I would do this by using the theme of a dream like effect such like the one seen in Foo Fighters, ever long, directed by Michel Gondry. Using over exaggerated make-up and mise-en-scene it will give the video and very obscure and interesting appeal.
Split screen and close-ups would be used to show the facial expressions therefore making the narrative clear for the audience. There could be a small section of performance, maybe in a party scene. This then makes sure the 'artist' to viewed so it's clear to know who's music video it belongs to.

First Meeting

This is our first group meeting, we have come up with our: 

• Product name - after much discussion we decided to have the name of 'YouKnowJack Productions'
• Song choice - after brainstorming and coming up with very brief ideas for various songs we all settled on one track we all enjoy and believe we can do a lot with. We chose Jessie J's Nobody's Perfect. We did this because its a pop song, the genre means that the video can be as diverse and creative as we want. We also believe that the lyrics cause for strong narrative which can be easily portrayed through the music video.
• Location ideas - considering we will need to be able to easily access the location of our choice we were very selective with our choice of set. We all agreed on the idea of a large green area like a field as well as a wooded area like a forest. However, using some outside locations we will have to consider the weather as its not always predictable and lighting cannot be controlled. It was also suggested that we use a family member's house as it is large and beautifully decorated in Victorian style which is an idea we each really took a liking to. 
• Costume and Mise-en-scene - we all really liked the idea of a really edgy styled wardrobe and make up to contrast with the classic decoration of the location. We were inspired for these ideas by artists such as Lady Gaga as well as Jessie J herself and other modern pop artists who make use of the edgy/weird/coture type dress within music videos. In-keeping with the weird, twisted nature of the costume, we decided that props would include very child-like things such as dolls and teddies that will be played with by grown ups to convey the idea of 'living in the past'.
• Narrative - the lyrics of the song tell the story of Jessie J and a friend and how she has told everyone something she wasn't meant to and is asking for forgiveness because everyone makes mistakes. We decided we would like to portray this through out music video by showing friendship, anger, upset, etc. in a twisted and almost dream-like/fantasy type of style.

Ed Sheeran

Song: The A Team
Music by Ed Sheeran
Produced by Jake Gosling
Directed and shot by Ruskin Kyle

This is the music video from Ed Sheeran's first single, The A Team. I personally enjoyed the video as well as the song. At the start of the video you see what would in actual fact be the ending. This straight away grabs the audience's attention and makes us want to continue watching it to find out what has happened for this situation to take place. There is no music at this point only a extreme close up which slowly backs away. The only sound that you can hear are birds singing, this then links into the next shot which is shown of the girl sleeping in a park. In many music videos there are no plots or storyline but with this one there is a clear story behind it, taht links in and relates to the lyrics.
You see a 'homeless' looking girl who seems to be in great need, linking with the lyrics 'White lips, pale face'. Later on in the video you see the way that she makes her living by sleeping with men, this was shown through the visual as well as audio- 'Struggling to pay rent ,Long nights, strange men'. 
I particularly liked the mise-en-scene it makes the video look realistic and therefore makes me believe in what I am seeing and hearing. Another aspect which I liked was the use of the mirror whilst she applies her lipstick, the blurred vision and dirty looking side made the whole video fit together. Showing her harsh living conditions as she still tries to make an effort and put on make-up.
3:50, the close up shot of the exchange of drugs highlights the situation and makes everything link together. This scene is vital as it explains the first scene we see of her dead.
Another aspect of the video is the use of only black and white throughout. This makes the video more edgy and different. Also it allows the music and the visual to really play a part instead of bight distracting colours, you focus on what you are seeing. The black and white fits very well with the song which itself is very 'depressing' as well as the mise-en-scene.

Run the world brief analysis

Beyonce is well known for always trying something exciting and new for her music videos; from street dancing in hotpants with Jay Z to bailing Lady Gaga out of jail in a giant yellow cowboy hat.

The video to "Run the World" directed by Francis Lawrence, is also no exception. The music video begins and Beyonce is shown on a mixture of long shots and close-ups riding a black horse over an open, deserted plain. These shots are mixed together along with shots of a deserted area full of rubbish and symbols of destruction, indicating that this has what has happened to the world whilst the men have been ruling the world.

Although her stardom allows her appearence to be known by almost everyone around the world, a close up of her face is not shown until 35 seconds into the song when the she is shown wearing golden armor indicating that she is ready to take over the world from the men. Knowles, is also wearing a large golden helm and is surrounded by a lion, a large group of women prepared for battle and banners featuring Knowles insignia.. As several scantily clad women are shown, a SWAT team of men charge towards the battlefield as a sample from Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor" is played. As the male forces arrive,  As the song begins, Knowles removes her armor and confronts the male army, engaging in a series of shoulder-thrusting dance routines along with two male dancers either side of her.

Knowles dances seductively towards the men as scenes of Knowles wearing several outfits are seen, the first of which is a white evening gown as she grasps the chains of two chained hyenas. As the confrontation escalates, Knowles appears next to several flaming vehicles, and she undergoes another costume change. Returning to the main plot, the video shows Knowles in front of a small group of her female army, wearing a yellow ensemble and black heeled-boots. As the dancing commences, scenes of the two clashing armies are seen while Knowles writhes in sand. The females, now an even larger group, are shown dancing, using powerful and emphatic movements, in front of the male army with alternating costumes and several flags in the background. The video ends with the front line of females confronting the men face-to-face, raising their right arms and saluting to them as Knowles rips off the male general's badge, placing it on herself, revealing the main narrative of the music video: women are strong enough to take over and "Run the World".