History of Music Videos (Conventions of Media)

Music Videos can also be referred to as promotion videos or promos for short because they are primarily used as promotional devices. Music Videos are short films that accompany a song. It is arguable that music videos have been around as early as the 1920s however the films were animated and the musical scores were labelled as 'visual music'. The first ever music promos were filmed in the 1950s with more affluence people could afford televisions. The rise of popular music was tied with the rise of television as the format exposed new stars. 1964 saw a huge stepping stone for music videos as The Beatles set the stage for the modern music video with the film "Hard Days Night." Following up a year later the Beatles release 10 films which are used to promote alum releases which inevitably kicks off video promotion.

   

By 1981, music video took a leap forward with the introduction of MTV which provided 24 hour broadcasting of music videos therefore they began to play a more central role in music marketing by the mid 1980s. in 1983 Michael Jackson would release his most successful and influential video of all time- Thriller. To widen demographics Channels like VH1 which played softer music and Yo! MTV Raps which played Hip Hop music.

Careers as music video directors began to launch in 1992 as they were now listed in the credits. There are now many music video directors.the most expensive music video to this day was made in 1995 which cost 7 million called Scream by Michael Jackson.

In 2005 You Tube and Itunes were created which links music videos with the internet allowing people to watch videos online, new artists would now see popularity rise through internet an can be downloaded. As a result of this music videos have been able to viewed on a massive scale with artists such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga reaching over a billion views on their music videos collectively which means that more and more people are now able to access music videos and inevitably means more promotion for the artist.

   
Lady Gaga reached one billion views in 2010 thanks to You Tube.

   

DigiPack

My cover for my DigiPack, still a work in progress. Using Adobe Photoshop CS6 to edit and touch up for brightening up face and contrasting with the background.

Technology

Working out what technology and software to use is incredibly useful for filming as one can work out the limits of what can be filmed to look realistic. This helps a lot for helping me work out what shots I can achieve and what effects I could use to make the music video a more enjoyable experience. In this case i plan on using a canon 550d I have two lenses, 28mm and 18-135mm, gear includes a jib (small crane) tripods, steadycams, possibly a glidecam, my friend has 6 lights, and potentially a green screen and in terms of editing I will be using final cut pro which is very advanced. I should be able to make some great creative decisions this way.

Why I Chose Rock/Pop Genre for my Music Video and Conventions

I decided to Go with 'I Want You To Know' which belongs in the rock/ pop genre and is also an original song written by me and my old band 'HeadRush' in 2011 and later recorded in 2012 with a producer where we completely re-worked the song in terms of changing the verse and lyrics in in the chorus but keeping the hook of the song. We even added a middle 8 and our own guitar solo. The song means a great deal to me mainly because of the journey of creating the song, a lot of work and hours were put into that song as we had a lot of faith in it that it could do well. As a band we rehearsed and perfected it weekly even getting input from from producers and parents that had been in the music business. When my producer heard the original version of the song on YouTube he immediately began working on the song and brainstorming ideas as well as getting rough tracks down with his software 'Reason'. The producer got in touch with me in late 2011, having broken up with the band at the end of the summer i explained to him that we were no longer writing songs, nether the less he was very keen for me to come visit to see what he had done with the song. We eventually met up in January 2012 and i was immediately taken away by how much work and effort he had put into the song, it was remarkable. We began working on the song together whilst laying down 2 other tracks and one cover that would end up on my EP 'No Room For Beauty'. Even though 'I Want You To Know' was the song that we started on it was also the last song we finished in our 4 months of working together. I began gigging frequently and honing my skills as a musician and more recently began writing music to follow up my EP. I thought it would be a great opportunity to film a music video for the song considering it had been such a massive part of my life this year and I felt I could do a lot of justice to it whilst promoting myself online.

Typical conventions of the Rock/Pop genre include use of heavy guitar, perhaps a solo, relatively heavy drums use of synth and melodic poppy vocals. I intend to bring these conventions to life with my music video with the use of filming a live performance that will be dubbed with the actual track as well as more storytelling scenes like a pop video.

Here is link to the song: http://soundcloud.com/tchengiz-siddiqi/i-want-you-to-know

My Mood Board

Mood Board for my Music Video, showing where i have taken my inspiration for my music video from.

Textual Analysis- Gangnum Style

I chose PSY’s Gangnum Style as a music video for textual analysis purely because there is so much going on in this 4 minute video.

In terms of Mise-en scene the video starts with a clever visual of a reflection of the sky from sunglasses worn by PSY. PSY most of the time is seen in his signature suit doing his now world famous dance that is choreographed with dancers in the background throughout the video. There are scenes of dancing in stables with horses, this is relation to his dance that looks like he’s riding a horse. Another one its many scenes is in top of buildings, boats. He goes behind an explosion, and a merry-go-round. He is seen having a dance off in a car park as well as dancing in and underground station and tube. He is seen swimming in a pool, in a bus and even on the toilet! An array of lights and lasers are used towards the end to go with a large group of dancers behind PSY and the leading female dancer.

The editing is fast paced with quick cuts going in and out of scenes.

A lot of zooming and pan shots as well as free hand movements as well as massive zoom outs (see beginning and pool scene)

The Video

Director X

A music video director that I have taken inspiration from http://directorxfilms.com/home.html

(Director X above)

Director X has won numerous awards for his videos including Best Hip Hop Video at the EMAs, not to mention he is a 4 time nomanee for the MTV awards. He has worked with a variety of musicians including Flo Rida, R. Kelly, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nelly Furtado, The Wanted, Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz and Rick Ross all during 2012.

(Drake in his music video HYFR directed by X)

(Justin Bieber in his music video Boyfriend directed by X)

Chosen Song For Music Video

http://soundcloud.com/tchengiz-siddiqi/i-want-you-to-know

This is the original song that i intend to use for my music video

A2 Task

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with

a website homepage for the band; Wix

a digipak for the album’s release;

My inspiration came from writing and recording my own song earlier this year called ‘I Want You To Know’ which you can listen to and download on soundcloud. The song already has a plot so the music video would just be bringing the song to life. I will need a camera with tripod along with a drum kit, guitars, amps, mics, and dancers who will be recruited through work. I am also contacting a friend who is releasing a clothing line who wants to dress the band and dancers in the video.

The song is 5 minutes long however I may create a slightly shorter version by cutting the mid 8 of the song. I will make videos documenting my efforts along with photos on set.

There will be 3 scenes shot. the first scene is in my friend’s garage where will set up a band with mics amps and instruments. We may use wind machines for effect. The second will be set in a park for the flashback scene with a girl (as the song goes). The third and final scene will be set in an alleyway with the dancers in a darker setting.

To edit I will be using final cut pro, and Reason for song editing with help of my producers.

Took inspiration from music videos: Michael Jackson, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, and The Black Keys.

Michael Jackson in Billie Jean

Green Day in American Idiot

Music Video

I have chosen 1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with a website homepage for the band and a a digipak for the album’s release. This is because I am a musician with written and recorded songs. A music video is a top priority at this point in time for advancing forward with my musical career. Over the summer I have studied some contemporary music videos and how they are made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5587PORymWI&safe=active