This is my Audience Questionnaire. The aim of this questionnaire is to identify the type of audiences that watch music videos, this way I will know who I should be aiming my music video for when it come to making my own.
Name:..........................
Age:...........................
1. Have you ever watched a music video?
Yes
No
2. Do you like watching music videos?
Yes
No
3. How often do you watch music videos?
All the time
Often
Not very often
I don't watch them
4. Do you sit and watch music videos or do you listen to it in the background?
·A music
video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional
or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a
marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are
also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them
to become more than just a song. Music videos use a wide range of styles of
contemporary video making techniques, including animation, live action filming,
documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music
videos blend different styles, such as animation, music, and live action.
Combining these styles and techniques has become more popular because of the
variation it presents to the audience. Many music videos interpret images and
scenes from the song's lyrics, while others take a more thematic approach.
·In 1894,
sheet music publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired electrician George
Thomas and various performers to promote sales of their song "The Little
Lost Child". Using a magic lantern, Thomas projected a series of still
images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. This would become a
popular form of entertainment known as the illustrated song, the first step
toward music video.
·In 1981, the
U.S. video channel MTV launched, airing "Video Killed the Radio Star"
and beginning an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television. With this new outlet
for material, the music video would, by the mid-1980s, grow to play a central
role in popular music marketing. Many important acts of this period, most
notably Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran and Madonna, owed a great deal of their
success to the skilful construction and seductive appeal of their videos.
A music video
is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or
artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a
marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are
also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them
to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in
toys or marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins
of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the
1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format
around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various
terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional
(promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional
video", "song video", "song clip" or "film
clip".
·60s - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
oThis was
popular because the rolling stones were quite a big band back in the 60s and
they were loved by a lot of people, they had a big audience.
·70s - Queen: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
oQueen are
another big band and they were extremely popular their song Bohemian Rhapsody
was completely different to their other songs and it was kind of like a shock
to the public, it massively showed Freddie Mercury’s vocal range.
·80s - "Thriller" - Michael
Jackson (1983)
oA lot of
money went in to every Michael Jackson music video, he was also very well know
and that impacted massively on the amount of views the music video received.
oThe
13-minute film that resulted changed the music video for ever, becoming less a
promo clip than a cultural phenomenon. Directed by John Landis. Nevertheless,
the Thriller video was set to be so expensive – $900,000, to pay for not just
the filming and effects but 10 days of dance rehearsals – that Landis and
Jackson had to find a way to fund it (Jackson had paid the $150,000 cost of the
Beat It video himself).
oKicking off
a fruitful career, the teenaged Britney won the fervent love of millions of
fans with this instant pop classic set inside a high school and prominently
featuring Ms. Spears dancing in her mini-skirted take on the school uniform
·2000s - Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (2009)
oLady Gaga's
"Paparazzi" video, as elaborate a plotline as it had, was just the
appetizer to her cinematic climax of 2009's "Bad Romance," which won
Video of the Year at the 2010 VMAs
Looking into the history of music videos will help me to understand more about them and I will be able to use some of the knowledge that I've learned in the process of making my music video.
The song I have chosen to look at Weak by Ajr. Ajr are an American (New York city based) Indie pop band. The band consist of three brother and there names make the up the name of the group (Adam, Jack and Ryan) they write, produce and mix there own material from the comfort of there own apartment.
Mise-en-scene
The majority
of the music video contains a lot of low key lighting which connotes that the
man could be in danger. The main character in the music video is the artist of
the song, he is wearing quite pale colours, he is wearing a white t-shirt and
there are elements of white on his hat, connoting innocence and vulnerability
for this individual. However the male that was sitting next to him on the train
is wearing a black shirt connoting death. Suggesting that something has
happened to him and that also the same thing might happen to the male dressed
in white. This make the audience empathise with the artist because they are
worried that the same thing will happen to him. The music video takes place on
a train, connoting that they could be on the way home from a party. The
lighting on the train is generally quite low, making the setting for the music
video a lot more dramatic and mysterious.
Sound
There is a
piece of diegetic sound at the beginning on the train, it sounds like a door
bell and it is as if it is signalling for the conductor to start talking but no
one speaks. Also in the background there is the sound of a train driving down
the tracks to give the impression that the train is moving. There is another
piece of diegetic sound as the artist is banging on that glass on the train as
he tries to escape. It gives the appearance that the male is trapped and cannot
escape from what his taken, like the train is a metaphorical prison in his
mind. The expression on his face as he punches the see through glass is what
makes the audience/ viewer feel sorry for him. There is a quick level of panic
and worry brush across his face and this is what grabs the audience and pulls
them in closer to the narrative.
Camera angles
There are a
variety of different shots used within the music video but the one that is
primarily seen all the way through is close ups. Artist like using close ups
because it but more emphasis on then within the video. Nearer the beginning of
the music video there is a canted angle connoting drama and danger as the
character walks further down the train connoting that the artist could be
heading towards danger. It is used to create a dramatic effect on the audience
watching the video. Towards the end of the video there is also a low angle shot
looking up at the artist connoting that by this point the tables have turned
and that he is now the one on charge.
Narrative / performance
I believe
that this music video has a good mixture of both performance and narrative.
There is multiple times where the artist is seen lip syncing and the narrative
continues all the way through. I believe that the narrative in the video helps
to explain the lyrics a little more clearly, and by the end of the music. The
narrative running through the video appears to be about a group of young adults
that have obviously taken something that they shouldn’t have, in this case
illegal substances (drugs). This is apparent from the first line of the song
“No thank you, is what I should have said” connoting that he should have he
should have resisted the urge/curiosity to experience the drugs – hence the
title of the song Weak. This fact is also apparent from the post production
editing where the frame appears to be twitching and freaking out, connoting the
feeling that the artist is feeling whilst on drugs.
Editing
With regards to the editing it is
clear that editing is something that as used a lot in the music video. It is obvious
from the colour correction toward the end. There is also the use of overlapping
the frame to give the appearance that the artist jumping within the frame. The pace
of the editing varies all the way through the music video there are times where
the pace almost jumps from frame to frame. However, there is also times where
the pace slows a little and the frame changes every couple of seconds but
overall the pace is still quite fast. The fast pace of the editing helps the
narrative, the pace combined with the beat of the music makes the music video
become tenser overall, and the audience become more engaged with the video
because they are constantly looking for what’s next.
By doing
this textual analysis of a music video I have learned more about the way a
narrative can be shown within the video and how all the other parts of the
music video e.g. editing and camera shots, can be used to enhance the
narrative. It’s evident that the use of lighting and locations is very
important when it comes to music videos.
This will help me when it comes to making my own music video because I've analysed the balance between narrative and performance and this will help me to know exactly how much of each to include.
This will help when it comes to making my music video because it made me realise how many shots are used within a music video and what theories are used throughout. Hopefully I will be able to transfer some of that knowledge over into my music video.
The will help me when it comes to making my music video because I looked into how to attract different audiences and the different locations that their filmed in. This will give me better idea when it comes to finding locations for my music video.
