History of Music Videos

Screen cast of Split Screen

We created the screen cast for how to split screen. Hope this helps!!!! :D

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts

From the lesson of learning performance, concept and narrative, I decided to analysis Christina Perri's music video for 'Jar of Hearts' because it holds many elements for symbolic concept and a small range of narrative and performance.

Camera
For the performance side of things, their is a lot of close ups on Perri's face of her singing (she sings through the whole song when you see her). This also follows the Goodwin theory of how it is required from record labels to show the artist in the video.

A long shot is used to show the group of girl dancers behind her, which shows performance and symbolic concept; the female dancers are all very emotional and angry as there were supposedly hurt from the man who is 'running round leaving scars'. The dramatic dancing leaves the audience unsettled, also feeling slightly angry (as the fastness and harshness of the dancing represents the anger).

An establishing shot is used in the video on the last scene, where the man is standing on the road dance attacking and being dance attacked by the women he had hurt (or left 'scars'). This symbolically suggests that the women are angry and that he has upset so many that he will get hurt himself; he is shoved of the car by a women. This is part of the little narrative we see in the video as the audience follows the story of how the man goes from one girl to the next, also teaching the audience that it is wrong that he is doing that.

Editing
The fast pace editing used when the girls are fighting the man is symbolic, as it shows the anger of the hurt women and the panic of the man being attacked.

Colour correction is used throughout the video: all of it till the end is dulled down and made to look gloomy suiting the dramatic lyrics that have a depressing tone to it, and at the end of the video when the bay guy is 'dead', the colour lightens up and becomes mostly warm shades of pink and yellow. This way of using colour correction is symbolic as it reflects the moods of the song through visuals.

Prevalence is used on Perri throughout the video, as she is the artist. However, it is a symbolic concept as it foreshadows to the audience that she is the 'hero' of the small narrative: she finishes the man off at the end of the song and gets her heart back. This way, it is suggested through the whole song that she will challenge him "who do you think you are?"

Mise en Scene
CGI is used over the women's chest's to show a little, empty (or being emptied) glass jar inside of them, referring to Goodwin's theory of the visuals illustrating the lyrics "collecting your jar of hearts". This strongly relates to the symbolic side of the video as it represents the metaphor of 'giving your heart away' and 'taking your heart'.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Again CGI is used, but this time to show the heart being taken when the man kisses a woman. It reminds me of dementors from Harry Potter: the kiss to take the soul. It also looks like cold breath, which could relate to the dingy atmosphere and the cold-heartness of the man hurting everyone. It also gives an effect of the audience having chills down their spine, as there is close ups focusing on the heart being taken.

The costumes are also symbolic as the colours used show anger, nastiness and also innocence. Typically the man is dressed in black suggesting that he is the bad guy (in which he is) and some of the women are dressed in white (including Perri), which shows their innocence and vulnerability. However, some of the women are dressed in either full black or a little bit of black and grey, which suggests how they are not weak and that they are angry and seeking for revenge. Perri dressed in white also suggests how good would defeat evil, referring to how the video is showing a bit of a narrative.

Sound
The music starts off slow and gentle, which is supported by the gentle kiss and fall of leaves. But then Perri's voice becomes louder and takes more control of the song, making things more dramatic as their is emotion in her voice, which then leads to the background dancers becoming more disturbed and upset over the situation.


Overall the song suits the symbolic concept theme as the lyrics are full of euphemisms.

21st June

Today, we all studied the special effects we could use in our music video such as split screen, green screen, colour correction and key framing.

We were then told to get into our chosen groups, where we would then have to master a technique. I'm in a group with Ben and Hazel, and our technique to master is split screen.

I'm glad we get to focus on this technique as I believe it to be the most useful and interesting to learn (even though I'm looking forward to learn how to master the others).

At the end of the lesson we managed to look at a couple of tutorials (which were a bit rubbish), and decided to try and find some in our own time. When everyone left I stayed on the Mac trying to find something but still couldn't find much.

In the end I've decided to take bits and pieces of what we managed to find, to try and work out myself on how to use the technique. It seemed simple enough to get two of me on the screen, but it will take a while to perfect lighting (as the natural light changed in a split second). I'm just hoping that Ben and Hazel might come across something a bit better than what I did (even though the experiment I did turned out ok).

Representation in Gender

I've decided to have a look at Olivia Newton John's music video 'Physical' to write about the representation of gender.



Camera
In the video, there are many close ups on the fitter men's bodies. This shows representation of how some men can be very obsessed in their body's appearance. It also suggests how woman can be attracted to men with muscles; Newton John looks at the men as though she is 'checking them out'. This also suggests how it is wanted for the audience to admire the men as the close ups are shoved in the audience's faces.

In contrast to the close ups, long shots are used to view the larger men. This supports the idea of how the fitter physic is more idealized than a more larger and unhealthier one (for both genders). This tells the male audience that they need to be more like the men they saw before the larger ones.

A long shot is also used when the only woman (Newton John) is in her tennis outfit standing by herself. This suggests the male gaze as she is wearing very little and is posing, gesturing that she wants a man to join her. However, the male characters challenge her as they all walk off out of the doors with each other.

There is mid shots used when the men walk out of the doors holding hands or with their arms wrapped around each other, and then again when Newton John pulls a larger man out of the door. This supports the stereotype of how all the good looking men are gay. It also shows how the men challenged Newton John's way of using the female body, as they just walk away without interest, whereas when they were larger, they were trying to impress her.

Sound
There isn't much connection with the sound and the representation with gender, however there is a steady beat throughout the song which relates to the men and lady working out, suggesting that they have determination in becoming more attractive (in the lady's case, making the men more attractive, suggesting that women are fussy in how men look).

Another one would be the lyrics: 'Let's get physical', showing the negative stereotype of how women can be bossy but also use more euphemisms then men.

Editing
Near the end of the video, dissolve is used on the larger men becoming fitter, giving the sense of time passing by and also before-and-after being compared. This shows representation on gender as men stereotypically need to be strong. It also shows how the woman has influenced them to become better, supporting the stereotype of how women are pushy.

Within the dissolves, there is intercutting used showing Newton John in the shower. The shower scene is slow making it seductive, which helps even out the gender representation in the video; there mostly has been men shown seductively. This scene is more for the male audience because of the lack of male gaze in the rest of the video.

Mise en Scene
The costumes used in the video fit the fitness suite theme well, however they are still a bit too 'showy' as they are used to emphasize the attractiveness of the men. The fitter men wear tight speedo-like gym pants, which is barely anything, but suggests how men is wanted to look: muscular and tanned. This again makes the male audience want to be more like them (similar to how the larger men want to do so).

However, it isn't just the men dressed to attract attention; Newton John wears rather tight clothing which shows her shape (even though it isn't as revealing). These again suggests the male gaze and how even if the music video is focused on the male body, the woman still needs to be very attractive.

On the scene when the larger man is on the bike machine, he salutes to Newton John when he sees her. This shows how men can be determined to impress women. However, Newton John turns the machine up, suggesting that the larger man needs to try harder, showing that women are hard to please.



Overall there is many negative stereotypes of vanity between the genders, however this particular music  video is rather different to many other music videos as it is the male gender used for voyeurism.

19th June

In lesson today we learnt about the bases of music videos: Performance based (mainly including the performance of the artists/band), Concept (thematic and symbolic), and Narrative based (story alongside music through visuals).

We were then put in groups to create a recipe poster for one of the themes we learnt. I went with Cristina, and we were given 'Performance'.

Sorry it's not flipped the right way, for some reason when I put it right, it refuses to stay landscape.

Director Study - Jonas Akerlund

Production Companies

In class, we were all set up in small groups of three to research a given production company who produces music videos. These include Universal Music Group, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music.

We found out facts like 'who owns the music company','do they offer a 360 degree deal', 'what artists are signed to the label', 'what have they do in the light of the digital revolution', and 'what sort of position are they in for the future'. 

Goodwin's Theories

Presentation on Goodwin

Sorry that it's not embedded, they wanted me to upgrade to a premium. 

Analysing An Iconic Music Video

Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero 
Released in April, 1984

In the music video, a small story is told alongside the song through visuals: It begins with the woman’s home set alight, soon followed by her being surrounded by three cowboys dressed in black, it then leads on to her thinking back (photo frame), and then ends with a cowboy dressed in white rushing over to save her. This could link to Goodwin’s theory of the lyrics having a link with the visuals.

Camera

In the video, high angles are used looking down at the singer. It is used when the bad cowboys surrounded her, to show her vulnerability to the situation linking to how she is calling for a hero. However, a high angle is used at the end of the video when she meets the cowboy in white, which suggests how stereotypically men are more dominant and that women depend on help.

A camera on a helicopter was used when Tyler was on the cliffs. Linking to the costume, the white dress she was wearing gave a sense of flying or falling which was supported by the helicopter going further away from her.

The camera shots used also suggested a religious meaning to the song; a long shot of Tyler on the cliffs making a crucifix shape, symbolising death. 

There is a close up on a backing singer’s hand showing that she either needs help or she will help. This links to the meaning of the lyrics of how a hero is needed.

A tracking shot is used in the video of a man on horse. This shows a relation between lyrics and visuals as she says her hero “has got to be fast”. The fastness and rush of the tracking shot supports the horse’s speed, increasing the pace of the visuals to fit with the sound.

Sound

In the video, the backing singers are harmonising together with “ooo ooo ooo ooooo” then going “ahhhh ahhhh”. I think that the “ahhhh ahhhh” part sounds similar to some sort of scream which helps suit with the story of the music video: A woman being surrounded by bad guys, and crying for a hero.

In the song, Tyler mentions that she wants  a “White Knight”, and by the end of the video we see a man fully dressed in white. This adds effect as the audience would have in their heads that the hero would be all in white and would be brave and strong.

The backing singers in white dance to the drum beats in a certain part, enhancing the adrenaline and rush of what is happening in the story and song.

Editing

Dissolve is once used when we view the women singers in white, illustrating the gentleness of women and how they can be vulnerable in the situation Tyler is in - which seems to be more distressing. This also shows the contrast of how Tyler is alone and in need of a hero, whereas the the women singers are all surrounded by each other, filling up the screen.

There is prevalence on Bonnie Tyler which supports Goodwin's theory of how the record label requests a lot of screen time on the artist. This is quite typical for a music video, as it is a way of getting the artist recognized and promoted to the public.

There is fast cutting used during the "ooo"'s and "ahhh"'s just before "somewhere after midnight", to help create tension of the song, making it more dramatic and panicky (fitting Tyler's character's feelings).

Mise en Scene

An explosion is used at the beginning of the video to set the mood of how the music video is going to be: dramatic and chaotic, with bad guys and damsels in distress. It's a good way of starting the story as Tyler needs a reason to want a hero, so it fits well with the lyrics showing relation.

On the scene of Tyler in the bedroom, she picks up her photo frame and lays on the bed and starts singing about her dreams. Beds are linked to dreams relating to the lyrics, and the photo frame is a visual image of her hero of who she dreams about. However we don't see the person clearly, which could either suggest how things can be blurry in dreams, or how Tyler (and the audience) doesn't know who her hero is as she just hasn't meet him yet.

For location, Tyler is situated on the cliffs and (shown by the camera angles) is alone. It suggests that she will welcome any hero to help her. However in contrast, it seems as though she doesn't need a hero as she is more free and not hassled by the bad guys.

Overall, the music video is rather symbolic in meaning, however most of the song is illustrated through the visuals quite clearly.

6th June

Today we started learning about what is required for our A2 coursework in media. Cristina and I decided to work by ourselves for this project, as we usually have different tastes in music and different ideas to what should be filmed. There seems to be a lot to do, but I’m looking forward to creating a music video. 

This year, we will be able to learn more techniques, especially in editing. It’ll be great to learn more special effects on Final Cut Express. We viewed a few past student examples, which were very well done (making me a bit nervous, as I may not be as skilful).

Overall, I’m very excited and can’t wait to start the project!