Andrew Goodwin - Key Features of Music Videos

Andrew Goodwin has identified the following features of music videos:

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for girl/boy band).

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either contradicting, illustrative or amplifying).

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either contradicting, illustrative or amplifying).

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for various close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (visual style).

5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens)and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes and other music videos etc.

It is also worth considering: Whether the music video is narrative-based, performance- based or concept- based and how each element is used in it.

I have used this structure in order to identify key features within music video in my textual analyses.

Storyboards

 

The storyboards are currently in the process of being done. These are the following of what we have done so far: 

 

 

 

Copyright email

Dear Universal Music Group,

 I'm a British student, currently studying Media Studies at A2 level. As part of my coursework (50% of A2), I need to create a music video along with ancillary products. I'm working in a group of four and we have decided to use the song 'All Day and All of the Night' by The Kinks. We would like to gain permission from you to use this song for our music video, as we researched and noticed that you own copyrights over their song- 'Copyright © 2011 Universal Music Strategic Marketing. All Rights Reserved.'

 Yours faithfully, Callum Hind & Georgia Tooby.

Print screen

Target Audience

 

 

I used https://bubbl.us/ to create this brainstorm.

 

 

 



Development of ideas

This is a group a discussion of the initial ideas that I and the group are wanting to develop in the music video.

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Ideas

• Possible Café shot.

 

• All three members of the band like the particular girl, (notion of looking). This creates the narrative to the music video.

 

• Jump cuts of the instrumental music at the beginning.

 

• Time lapse at the end of the sun rising and setting.

 

•  The girl is not overly aware that they band members like her, yet it becomes more obvious throughout the music video.

 

• Possible mirror shot at the beginning  (before any source of music begins). This will suggest that the girl featuring in the music video is the centre of attention, (focal point).

 

• Features of female voyeuristic treatment (tracking shot of legs).

 

• Editing idea: black and white with coloured coats of the girl.

 

• Upside - down shots of the members of the band.

 

• Take a photo with an old camera directly at the video camera (notion of looking).

 



Wickinomics - Tapscott and Williams

Anderson's Long Tail

What is the Long Tail?

Chris Anderson in 2006 published his theory of the way that the internet has transformed commerce, consumption and economics.

Andersons idea sum's up what has been happening for a few years since broadband was rolled out for consumers. Since broadband there has been a realisation that adding up niche consumption might amount to some revenue, (no longer a lower end to the  market).

Andersons theory explains that economics usually focus on the top end of the tail and ignoring the end. His simple point is " As broadband internet allows more and more people to look for and share or buy a wider variety of material and products, what happens is that people buy less of more. So instead of ignoring all the small sales of products in favour of cent rating on huge mass sales (more of less), businesses ought to consider both routes and give equal weighing to both ends of the tail".

Summary of the theory:

The Long Tail theory - Our economy and culture are increasingly shifting from a focus of small number of hits (mainstream products) at the head of the demand curve, and moving towards a huge number of niche products in the tail. In an era where narrowly targeted services and goods can be economically attractive as mainstream products.

The internet is a virtual warehouse which has allowed fewer overheads to be associated with niche distribution and therefore infinitive choice is available.

Why this relates to the music industry?

The internet has changed the way that media (music) is consumed and therefore allowing niece products to be discovered by individuals which would have never been before. The internet is very powerful and has given majority of its power to consumers, who now decide what is a bigger seller and what isn't. The big 4 music labels; ; Sony BMG, Universal music group, EMI and Warner music group no longer dominate/control the music industry, consumers do. Grassroots media is easier to access, which makes armatures become famous using websites such as YouTube.  For example Justin Bieber could not be where he is today if it wasn't for the power of the internet.

Textual Analysis: The Animals - House of the Rising Sun

I decided to used this music video for a third textual analysis because it was released in 1964, the same year The Kinks released 'All of the Day & All of the Night'. Also the fact that the band The Animals are from a very similar genre and share a similar fashion/creative style to The Kinks.

What I liked:

• The use of colour emphasises the era of the 1960's.
• The powerful message and meaning to the song that is portrayed through the music video. 

What I disliked:  

• I understand why the music video would have been performance based but for the music video I will be doing in a group its necessary for it to be narrative based.

Push and Pull Model

The music industry can market their products in two different ways, either 'push' or 'pull':

Push

In a 'push' system information is 'pushed' towards the consumer. The marketer is in control of what the message is, how it is seen and where.

Pull

In a 'pull' system the consumer requests or seeks out the product and 'pulls' it through the delivery channel.

Social Networking:

• Social networking is evidence of how companies are trying to make the most of the shift to 'pull' marketing strategy by ensuring they market in the correct places by knowing who the target audience is. This links to the semantic, (web 3.0) where certain sites are beginning learning who their customers are and by doing this marketers can put certain advertisements where consumers will respond to them.
• Consumers are increasingly 'pulling' towards the music they want to consume, e.g. from platforms such as iTunes and Spotify in order to customise their own playlists. This goes on to suggest that playlists are inevitably becoming a pull marketing resource which marketers must embrace, due to their ability to be shared via social networking sites. Consumers are choosing what they want to hear rather than having it 'pushed' on them.

Summary

- Traditionally the music industry used to use the 'push' model in order to market products. However, social networking has led to increase consumer freedom that make 'push' marketing less effective.

• - The music industry is having to start using the 'pull' model in order to market their products. This is because in the future the music industry will begin to rely on 'pull' marketing strategies to promote new artists.

Relation to the Music Video:

One part of the portfolio is to create a magazine advertisement and this theory helps explain how to target different audiences. As technology has advanced the music industry has had to adapt, especially within media. Its important that when creating the magazine advertisement that I know that I'm going to market the music video correctly, possibly using both 'push' and 'pull' marketing strategies. Its no longer good enough to rely on 'pushing' media onto consumers, its important that the music video is accessible from external sources in order for consumers to 'pull' the media towards them.

Location Scouting

In order to create an effective music video which creates this 1960's mise en scene with a modern twist, we have decided to look for locations that have a traditional feel to them, (not being modern).
A few shots may consist of terraced houses,  as we think this will create a perfect setting for the music video. Me and Callum got these images from Chesterfield and Danesmoor.

Slideshow created on http://animoto.com/

Uses and Gratification Theory - McQuail

McQuail - Uses and Gratifications is a theory understanding how and why people seek out specific media products to be satisfied. This is a communication theory which focuses on communication within the mass media. This approach assumes that audiences are not passive consumers, rather that they have power over the media and how they consume it. Furthermore this theory suggests that audiences are responsible for consuming media that meets their needs and desires in order to achieve gratification. This theory leads on to suggests that sources of media compete in order to gain viewers gratification.

 

Information

Finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world.

Seeking advice on practical matter or opinions and decision choices.

Satisfying curiosity and general interest.

Learning; self-education.

Gaining a sense of security through knowledge.

Personal Identity

Finding reinforcement of personal values.

Finding models of behaviour.

Identifying with valued other (in the media).

Gaining in sight into one's self.

Integration and Social Interaction

Gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy.

Identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging.

Finding a basis for conversation and social interaction.

Having a substitute for real-life companionship.

Helping to carry out social roles.

Entertainment

Escaping or being diverted from problems.

Relaxing.

Getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment.

Filling time.

Emotional release.

Examples:

Information - 

The song 'Imagine'  was the biggest seller of John Lennon's career. The song was for everyone to imagine a world at peace without the divisiveness and barriers od nationalities, borders and religions  and to consider the possibility that humanity should be living a life unattached to a material of possessions, (live in peace).

At the time this song was released it made it so individuals could find out about relevant events and conditions immediate surrounding, society and the world. The song is still very influential and dues to SLATE (web 2.0) it is able to be viewed at any given time.

Personal identity - 

Individuals can use the internet to find models of behaviour. Barack Obama is the first black American president and his speeches will always be influential. The theory suggests that's consumers will access content again and again in order to find reinforcement of personal values.

 

Integration and Social Interaction -  

One Direction have recently released a new album. This theory suggests that consumers will seek out the album to gain a sense of belonging in order to create social interaction with others. Therefore by seeking out popular media content consumers carry out social roles.

 

 

Entertainment -  

The theory suggests that consumers can actively gain intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment as the music video 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus is not the best regulated music video. Consumers may actively seek this music video out for an entertainment purpose because the video went viral. The main reason the video going viral was the explicitness of Miley Cyrus being fully naked which links to the aesthetic enjoyment.

 

Costume and Hair Boards: Pre - Production Planning

In order to generate ideas and inspiration for the themed 1960's music video with a modern twist, me and Callum used Pinterest to make boards. It is essential to get the clothing, hair and make - up correct for this particular era, in order for this modern twist to be enhanced.

For the woman character in the video we looked at modern make-up twists from the 1960's era and also an iconic model 'Twiggy' from the 1960's.

For the males (band members) we looked at the style of The Kinks clothing in 1964 when their style was predominantly suits and also similar bands; The Animals, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones from 1964.

The next step will be to find existing clothing we own or seek items out in charity shops.

Follow Callum Hind A2 Media- Male Costume Board on Pinterest Follow Georgia Tooby A2 Media- Womens Costume Board on Pinterest

The Kinks Record Labels

Pye Records

The bands demo 'Long Tall Sally' reached Shel Talmy (American record producer under ye Records). In 1964, Shel Talmy helped the band get a contact with Pye Records. 'Long Tall Sally' was released in February 1964, but failed to chart. In addition their second single 'You Still Want Me; also flopped.
However, their third single 'You Really Got Me' was a more dynamic and nosier solo from Dave Davies reached number one within a month. The groups fourth single 'All Day & All of the Night', released in 1964 rose to number two and in America it reached number seven. During this time the band also produced two full length albums.

                                         RCA Records

The bands contract with Pye Records expired in 1971, leaving The Kinks free to sign a new record contract. By the end of 1971 the band had signed a five album deal with RCA Records, in which they gained a million dollar advance. The Muswell Hillbillies, released in 1971 (first album with RCA) marked a return to the nostalgia of The Kinks in the late 60's albums, but with more music hall influences.

Arista Records

In 1976 The Kinks left RCA and signed with Arista Records. On this label the band refashioned themselves as a hard rock band. Sleepwalker, The Kinks first album for Arista became a major hit in the US. The bands next album, Give the People What They Want, released in 1981, peaked at number 15 and went gold.

 

MCA Records

 In 1986, the band signed with MCA Records in the US, London in the UK. In 1986 their first album Think Visual was released. The Road was released in 1987, which spent a brief time on the charts. Two years later the band released their last studio record for MCA.

Columbia Records

The bands contract with MCA expired in 1991 and later in the year the band signed with Columbia Records and released an EP called 'Did Ya' which did not chart. In 1994 the band was dropped, leaving the group to release the live To the Bone on an independent label in the UK.

Key Company Case Study

YouTube is a vide - sharing website, created in February 2005 by threes (former) PayPal employees; Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim and Steve Chen.YouTube has been owned by Google since November 2006, when bough for $1.65 billion. The purpose of YouTube is for consumers to create and upload videos which they then become prosumers (creating the content for the website). The company is based in San Bruno, California and uses  Adobe flash video, HTML5 technology in order to display a variety of user-generated video content, including music videos, television clips and also 'grassroots media' (blogging from individuals).

Content on YouTube is uploaded by individuals, although media corporations; BBC, Vevo, CBS, Hulu and other organisations offer material through the website, (YouTube partnership programme).

Company History: 

• July 2006 - more than 65,000 new videos uploaded every day and the site was receiving 100 million views per day.
• YouTube is the dominant provider for online videos, with a more than 14 billion views on May 2010 and has a market share of a 43%.
• 60 hours of videos uploaded every minute.
• Third most visited website, behind Google and Facebook.
• June 2008, Forbes magazine projected revenue at $200 million in advertising alone.
• January 2012, consumers spend on average 15 minutes a day on the website.
• June 2006, YouTube entered into advertising and marketing partnership with NGB.
• YouTube launched a new design in March 2010, with the aim to simplifying the interface in order to increase time users spent on the website.
• May 2010, YouTube was serving more than two billion videos a day, (double prime - time audience of all three major US television networks combined.
• May 2011, YouTube received more than three billion views a day.
• The Google+ social networking site integrated directly with Chrome web browser, and YouTube which allowed YouTube videos to be viewed the Google+ interface, in November 2011.
• May 2011, YouTube launched a pilot  programme which offered some content providers that ability to charge $0.99 per month for certain channels, (majority of channels still remaining free).

Content accessibility:

YouTube offers the chance to view videos outside their website. This can be done because each YouTube video is accompanied by a HTML code than can embed on any page. This function is often used on social networking sites and blogs.

Usually YouTube does not offer a download link for videos as it intends for them to be viewed through the websites interface, only a small number of videos can be downloaded as an MP4. However, plug-ins and third party websites allow users to download YouTube videos. When uploading a video to YouTube, it will retain a copyright on the video for the uploader, but in July 2012 it's been possible to select a creative commons license as the default, allowing other users to reuse and remix the material if it is free of copyright.

Platforms:

Through the technical convergence of mobile phone, they are capable of accessing You Tube videos, (depending on the data plan). Since June 2007, YouTube has been available for viewing on a range of Apple products  which required YouTube's content to get transcoded into Apple's preferred video standard. Products YouTube can be viewed on; Apple TV, iPod Touch, and the iPhone. In 2010 the app became available on Android due to the app avoiding the use of Adobe Flash Player.

In January 2009, YouTube launched 'YouTube for TV' a version of the website catered for set-top boxes and TV -based media. This allowed YouTube to be accessed on PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox Live.

In June 2009, YouTube XL was introduced which was a simplified interface designed for viewing on standard television screens.

According to Global Web Index, YouTube was used by 35% of smartphones between April and June 2013, (third most used app).

Music Industry:

YouTube launched its own weekly chart in 2011, 'the YouTube 100' where the main aim was to track popularity of music videos on the website. This is significant because in 2013, the Billboard charts began including online streams in the top 100 lists, which means that YouTube videos now had an influence of positions in the charts.

 

Overall:

YouTube is such a significant company because of how far I has come in 8 years. It's possible that YouTube may one day be the one source for all content. YouTube has had a huge impact on the music industry as video views on the site count towards the Billboard charts. In addition, how certain distribution websites, Vevo, etc. uses YouTube to make profits through advertising. YouTube is the main source of 'grassroots media' whereby individuals can express their own creativity. This view links to the Tapscott and Williams theory 'Wikinomics' of how collaboration has lead to prosumers producing content which consumers are responding too. This suggests that traditional ways of consuming media may cease to exist as 'grassroots media' is like a perfect storm, the advancements in technology will continuously occur and so will more prosumers producing content. YouTube is a key factor in this because this website is the source for consumers to create their own channels and to gain their own audience. Furthermore this links to possible predications of Web 3.0, will YouTube replace traditional sources of media used today.

Distribution Process

The distribution process is where the song and music video get released and gets duplicated as it will be required from different companies such as MTV and Viva. The products will be advertised by events such as music festivals, interviews, the artist own website and companies such as YouTube and Vevo. The purpose of distribution is to get as many viewers as possible in order to make profit.

There are websites that are connected with music industries e.g.

 

 

Example of Distribution Company:

http://www.selectmusic.co.uk/


Select Music was founded in 1991 to distribute and market Marco Polo labels and Naxos in the UK. Over the years it has taken over 70 independent classic labels, supplying retail in the UK with over 17,000 live titles. It is established as largest and most successful independent classic distributor in the UK and in 2010 was named the Best Classical Distributor by the ICS (Independent Classical Specialists). Select also lead with distributing all the lager independent DVD labels such as, Arthaus, EuroArts, Major Entertainment and Opus.


http://www.properdistribution.com/

Proper distribution is the largest distributor in the UK and provides top quality distribution services to over 400 labels around the world, supplying UK retailers and exports. Proper Music were voted 'Distributor of The Year' at the Music Awards for two consecutive years (2009 and 2010).

 

Exhibition:

This stage is where the music video is broadcasted for worldwide viewers, where technical convergence has increasingly become a real advantage for music companies. Phones and iPod's have become more modernized, allowing access for people to download music and watch music videos. Individuals can now go onto YouTube and watch music videos which also shows advertisements for songs and other media products before the music video starts.

The music industry have benefited to web 2.0 because it is a useful resource for exhibiting music videos and many people now use social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. A further benefit is how the internet has made it so individuals can download and watch various music videos on YouTube and other torrent sites. The advancement of the internet has allowed music videos to be shown to mass audiences which has increasingly allowed more and more advertisements to be used on certain websites. This is done when music company's know that a certain age group will be targeted by the advertisement in a way that will directly benefit that company.

The main purpose of music channels are to show music videos and new artists for audiences who do not have access tot he internet. Usually audiences watch music videos on TV passively, which subconsciously influences the target audience by music companies (linking to The Hypodermic Needle Model). Radios are also a source of exhibition, although they don't show the actual music video, they are able to play the song which acts as a source of advertisement.

Production Process

                                    Pre-Production:

In order to make a successful music video planning is crucial. A thorough plan should identify; production aims, target audience, key messages and style. Summarizing a music video should be the starting point. This allows the production company to communicate idea to the artist and allows the artist to regard the direction the music video will take.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storyboards:

After a music video summary is approved by either the record company or the artist, the next step is crating the storyboards. Storyboards are essential as they act as a great medium to help everyone involved gain a visual understanding of the summary.

Storyboards also serve as a communication tool between the artist and the production company where either party can feedback in a contextual way and suggest input.

An advantage of using storyboards would be that they act as a time saving tool which in the long run saves money. This is because storyboards keep to the process of filming and continue to stay focused on pre-planned and pre-determined angles and takes.

Casting:

If casting is necessary, a casting director has full control, but with some input from, director, producer or studio. Music videos do not usually require actors, as the only people present on screen are the artist or band members. However this does depend on the genre and narrative of the song, because storytelling-based treatments will require hiring of actors.

Location Scouting:

When filming on-location, in comparison to a controlled filming studio, there is a pre-production step that needs to be taken - location scouting. This process is usually done by directors in conjunction with the director of photography and occasionally the lighting technicians.

Licensing:

If an artist or group pay dues to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) or BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), a synchronization license needs to be obtained, which allows the producer of the video to use copyrighted music in timed relation with a visual image. An

Production:

When filming action using digital video, (in most cases) its important to treat captured footage in order to make it compatible with TV broadcast standards. For example, there are a certain amount of limitations in the amount of colour luminosity that need to be respected. Its important to do a proper treatment of footage through colour correction to ensure that the final product will be broadcast-friendly and therefore considered for broadcast by TV stations.

 

Production Insurance:

With every video production, there is risk of loses, accidents or inconveniences that may ruin assets that are expensive or irreplaceable. In these situations it is very important that the production company provides insurance. The cost of production insurance depends on the conditions the production takes place from; weather conditions, stunts, third party liability and cost of equipment.

Post-Production:

Editing and Colouring:

Editing is the most important step of post-production. Without editing there wouldn't be any continuity. After all the footage has been captured and loaded up onto a system, the edited will layer out the shots onto a timeline and carefully select shots needed.The process can be very time consuming and its directly proportional to the amount of offstage captured, known as the principal photography stage.

Colour correction is the process which occurs after all the shots have been laid out on the timeline. Colour correction brings benefits to the final cut; ensure colour found in selected shots don't exceed limits by broadcasting standards and increases the consistency of colour throughout the video, and also creates a specific look for some or all clips on the timeline.

Transitions are used to join two clips together. Commonly used transitions are cross dissolve, fade-in, fade-out and dip to colour. In filmmaking, different transitions have different meaning. Fade can be used to express that a long period of time has passed between situations. On the other hand, cross dissolve can be used to cut between present time and a flashback scene.

Mastering:

Mastering is the process of flattening all the effects, transitions, colour correction and other effects into a format that can be distributed for broadcast. Mastering also involves making sure that audio levels are in the right place and that the final version is technically compliant with the rules of broadcasting.

Why will the audience respond to the choosen song?

The Kinks - All of The Day & All of The Night

Just recently many a couple of The Kinks songs have featured in advertisements. This indicates that the audience will respond to the chosen song for the music video. Even more so at the fact 'All of The Day & All of the Night features in a H&M advert.

 

Although the lyrics of the song have been changed a little because of the female vocals this is a source of marketing for the song. Although audiences may respond passively to the advert, it is the song that will remain in their head. The song is from 1964 and the fact it is used on an advert in 2013 represents the popularity of the song but most of all that it is has a lot of potential for the target audience to respond to the music video.

 

 



 

To furthermore support the view that the target audience will respond to the music video would be how another recent advert, uses another Kinks song 'You Really Got Me'. As modern day adverts are using The Kinks songs suggests that there is an appeal for this style of niche music at the moment, therefore this is another reason as to why the audience should respond to the song chosen for the music video.

Industry Research - Jake Bugg (Website Textual Analysis)

As The Kinks no longer release music and have need to be marketed, I decided to look at how the artist Jake Bugg markets his music because he is an artist who has come around in the past year.

 

Website:

The artist website is key when comes to marketing new singles. For example, marketing techniques are used promoting the new single before you (the audience/fans) can enter the website). Sizing hierarchy is used on the home page to indicate the single name, “what doesn’t kill you”. A link to YouTube for the new single is the direct focus point.

This marketing technique pragmatically implies for the audience to click on the video.  This is done in a clever way because under the video of the new single you can pre order the single and the new album from links such as; Amazon, iTunes and Google play.

 

 

As you enter the band website there are more marketing techniques using media. For example the free download. Most likely to get the free download you will have to register to the website which means the artist gains more access into marketing his music. This is because usually when you sign up to something you get regular emails. In this case this is another media form which will further more promote any other singles, albums and tours etc. Again more media sources are in view for the website audience, Twitter and Facebook again but Instargram is added as you enter the site. Although these social networking websites are mainly used for fans to gain more insight into the artist, the main purpose is more for marketing and promotion.

 

Social Networking:

Facebook and Twitter links are placed at the top left corner of the website presenting alternative marketing techniques.  Also the social networking links present how popular they are. For example Facebook shows that Jake Bugg has 329 k subscribers. Just realized that by clicking on the twitter link and logging in the website promotes the new single through your tweets, ‘Jake Bugg “What doesn’t kill you” http://jakebugg.com/akebugg.com ‘.

First of all you know an artist has made it when they get the verified blue tick which instantly allows followers to know that this is Jack Bugg and not a fake account. His Twitter page shows how many followers he has (299,934) which represents his popularity as he only follows 351 people. A tweet promoting his single is posted from his account.

 

Marketing Strategies:

Web 2.0 has developed marketing strategies of artists products. Traditional marketing methods are being used less and less because the music industry are benefiting more from taking advantage of prosumers (target audience of products). 'Push' and 'Pull' methods are increasingly being used by record companies to market products. In a ‘pull’ system the consumer requests or seeks out the product and ‘pulls’ it through the delivery channel. For example a consumer would intentionally have to search for Jake Bugg’s website and follow the artist on Twitter and like the artists Facebook page. Furthermore, as soon as you go onto Jake Bugg’s website you instantly get marketing techniques being used to promote his new single ‘what doesn’t kill you’.  Although this is an example of a ‘pull’ system, ‘push’ marketing is being forced upon the consumer before they have gotten further than the homepage. In a ‘push’ system, information is just ‘pushed’ towards the buyer.

 

Traditionally the music industry has used ‘push’ model of marketing but social networking has led to increased consumer freedom’s that make ‘push’ marketing less effective. The music industry is beginning to use ‘pull’ marketing and in the future, the music industry will rely on ‘pull’ strategies. The internet has given power to the consumer as companies are trying to make the most of shift to ‘pull’ marketing strategy  because consumers are increasingly ‘pulling’ towards music they want to consume, e.g. downloading music through platforms such as, iTunes and Spotify.

 

Textual Analysis: The Kinks- Sunny Afternoon

I decided to use this video for a textual analysis as The Kinks do not have an existing music video for the song "All of The Day & All of The Night". By analysing this music video I have gained knowledge on what features might be included in the music video I create in a group and features that I did not like and will not consider.

Features to consider:

• Camera effect to give the music video a 1960's twist.
• The symbolic codes and conventions of the clothing the band members wore.
• The use of the instrument/performance within the video.
• Effects used in the post production process.

Features not to consider:

• Repetition of certain camera shots and movements.
• Notion of looking.

The Cultivation/Culmination Theory

In reference to The Hypodermic Model, this theory is a more refined version of the theory because of the difficulty of proving the effects of individual media texts on their audience.

Definition: The Cultivation/ Culmination Theory, suggests that one media text does not have too much effect, years and years of watching certain media products will make you less sensitive to that certain issue. This process is referred to as desensitisation.

One difficulty with this theory and The Hypodermic Needle Model would be that looking at the media in this way can be very difficult. Many people believe that the media does affect our behaviour, but it is very difficult to prove how much effect if any text might have on an audience.

In relation to the media product I will make in a group, (music video) this theory coincides with The Hypodermic Needle Model when looking at issues that the music video may create. For example, because features of  'The Male Gaze' will occur throughout the music video due to lyrics and meaning of the song, The Cultivation/Culmination Theory suggests that the audience may no longer be effected. As the music video created may involve issues such as females questioning their body and behaviour, because woman have been viewed in this way for decades its possibly that the audience have now become desensitized. In the past music video have always included an element of female voyeurism and therefore it is highly likely that females of today are used to this behaviour in particular media products. Although, the music video I will create in a group will have elements of female voyeurism it will be on a minimalistic scale, therefore the female audience shouldn't find themselves sanative to the music video.

The Hypodermic Needle Model

Definition: According to the theory the media is like a syringe which injects ideas, attitudes and beliefs into the audience who as a powerless mass have little choice but to be influenced.

This theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to the mass media, suggesting that audiences passively receive the information through media text, without any attempt on their part to challenge or process the data.

Governments had just discovered the power of advertising to communicate a message, and produced propaganda to try and  audiences way of thinking, as this theory was developed in the 1920s. Therefore the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audiences unmediated.

Furthermore this theory suggests that as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts. In addition our thinking and behaviour might be easily changed by media-makers. This model assumes that the audience are passive and heterogeneous.

The Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that media texts/products brainwash audiences and manipulate their behaviour in a way that audiences are too passive to challenge. However its important to take into consideration how many people view this theory as simplistic because it does not take any account of peoples individuality and yet it is still very popular in society.

This theory may relate to the media product (music video) that I will be creating in the group. The narrative of the music video using the song 'All of The Day & All of The Night' by The Kinks could possibly influence the audience (receiver's of the product). As the song is about a man wanting to be with a woman, its inevitable that elements of the 'Male Gaze' wont feature. In relation to The Hypodermic Needle Model, the music video created may possibly influence the female's of the audience to look a certain way and pressure females to behave differently. Considering the context of when the music video will be set, it seems less likely that females will be influenced negatively. As this is a video which will have connotations of the 1960's era, it seems less likely that females from todays era would feel influenced or pressured to look and act like the female actress in the music video. If this video was made in the 1960's woman may have been directly affected by the media product that will be made.

Results form the Target Audience Questionnaire

The Male Gaze - Laura Mulvey

'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema'

What is the Gaze?

The term was coined in 1975 - in film audiences have to view characters from a heterosexual male.

The concept of the gaze is one that deals with how the audience views the audience presented.

For a feminist is can be though of in 3 ways;

• How men look at women.
• How women look at themselves.
• How women look at other women.

Features of the Male Gaze?

• The camera lingers on a woman's curves, and events that occur to women are presents in the context from a mans reaction.
• Regulates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.

Relation to the music video:

This theory provides useful within the music video being created. In the song 'All Day & All Of The Night' by The Kinks the lyrics relate to this theory as the narrative of the song is about a male wanting to be with a female all of the day and all of the night. For example "Girl I want to be with you all of the time, all day and all of the night". Although there will have to be elements of this theory by using certain camera angles to represent how this male feels about this female, it will not include vulgar voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

Furthermore elements of this theory relate because of the time period the music video will be set in. In the 1960's fashion changed drastically where women began to wear more relieving clothing than ever before. Therefore this changed the way men looked at women, the way women looked at themselves and how women looked at other women.

Example of the Male Gaze in reference to a music video:

Eric Prydz - Call On Me

This music video presents elements of 'the male gaze' because the camera lingers around the woman's curves.

Director Case Study - Richard Lester

I choose to do a case study on Richard Lester for many reasons;

- 'The kinks' were around the same time of 'The Beatles' with a similar style in fashion and music. Therefore Richard Lester's work was worth looking at because he directed 'The Beatles' films; 'A Hard Days Night' and 'Help!'. I'd like the music video to have a 1960's camera/filming effect but with a modern twist. As 'The Kinks' do not have any music videos I think it is worth looking at 'The 'Beatles' films at the camera shots, effects and Richard Lester's directing skills. I hope that I and the group will capture some of the effects that Richard Lester has used in order to create a successful music video of the 1960's era with our own modern twist. Many of Richard Lester's stylistic innovations survive today as the conventions of music videos, in particular the multi-angle filming of a live performance.

 

A timeline of Richard Lester's career, with descriptions on certain events.

http://timeglider.com/t/e527f187cb6c4cc8?min_zoom=1&max_zoom=100 

 

 

Screen Shot:

 



Research Questionnaire

In order to create a music video that will be successful, I created a questionnaire (primary research) for the target audience to respond to and help me generate ideas.

1. How often do you watch music videos?

Not very often       Sometimes/Occasionally        Majority of my time

 

2. Do you prefer music videos with a narrative structure or without?

No narrative structure     Don't mind    With a narrative structure

 

3. How important do you find music videos for the purpose of promoting a song?

Not essential              Possibly essential             Extremely essential


4. Do you think a music video should present a relationship between visuals and lyrics? 

Not always necessary             Not too sure            Very necessary

 5. Do you think the artist of the song should feature in the music video?

No, not always             Doesn't matter to much            Yes, always

6. If you dislike a music video, does it put you off liking the song?

No                    Sometimes                          Yes, definitely

7. Any additional comments that you like or dislike about features of music videos?