Research Into Chosen Artist

3)     Artist music video analysis

1) Analyse 2 music videos
2) Explain how Dyer’s star theory is used
3) How is Goodwin’s theory used?
4) How is the artist represented?
5) Who is the target audience?
6) What is the style of the music video?
7) How is mise-en-scene used?
8) What common camera shots do the music videos use?

4)     Summary
Explain how your research on your chosen music artist will assist you with planning your own music video

My interests within my chosen artist is that i enjoy her music as well as have an interest within her music videos with them all being different and artistic. Though out her music video she uses large amounts of imagery, I think this works well with the audience, keeping them interested. She also has an editing style where she doesn't conform to the media and uses it the same way a student would use them not making them look to the most professional, but at the same giving a better affect. she also uses simple things to make them look extra ordinary to the audience. 

Ellie Goulding( Elena Jane Goulding) is a singer and a multi-instrumentalist, with her selling over 3million albums and 10million singles worldwide She has made 2 albums both being extended after popular demand. She won BBC's Sound of 2010 and also sang at the royal wedding. She got her first number one with 'Burn' from her second album. She listening to artist like Florence + The Machine, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill and Lana Del Rey. She is signed to Polyer which is a conglomerate to Interscope.  

Figure 8 

The music video figure 8 is a music video that looks more student like, with not much production and even tho she is given large amount for this video she didn't make it look high production. She uses dyers theory in this video by not using loads of imagery and visual effects so the audience have something new compared to her old videos. Also the editing in this video is uses more different types like things in revers, things being slowed down or stead up. She also uses Goodwins theory of the visuals and lyrics connecting this is mainly with the words 'hold on' and 'Kiss'. Ellie is represented as someone the audience can to relate to with the surroundings not being glamerious and her being in love with someone who isnt showing any affection back. The target audience of this video would be her fans that where interest in her first album by this song not being very pop music but more heartfelt. 

Research on my artist will help me with planning and filming my video, also with any thing else that I have to create. This has helpped me plan my music video because I have seen that in all of her vidoes the scene changes every 3 seconds a most and the edititng is always quite fast pace. I have also noticed that she always has a strong narrative behind the story that connects to the lyrics of the song, I will do the same in my music video. I have also seen that they have shots of things happening like things exploding and droping this has a good affect if it flows with the music. She also uses a lot of different editing styles compared to other artist which keep the same angles and filters she likes it to constanly change, using technology like putting it in reverse is not normally used within artist videos but she does this in many of video this shows that she is more of a student type of artist connecting with her audience.

Planning setting & Iconography

The purpose of setting and iconography is so that it links with the lyrics and with the artist representation. This can be used to give the artist a connection with the audience.

In my video I well be using the setting of a forest were the main boy and girl are on there date this makes is seem natural and lost compared to a man made place, we are using the setting of High Beach as this setting because its an easy location to get to, which also has a hill so you can see above the trees and at the right angle we can see the starts or sunset. Our other location is a pool table this is a sign of the guy playing a game with the girl showing him to be sly, and teacher her how to play in his own way. This is also the reason we have chose the setting of Top Golf this is where they can play but also show her how to play as well making him seem sneaky. We are also using the location of the girls bed room this well be white with a pure looking surrounding making her seem innocent, contrasting that the guy is the sneaky one.

We will be dressing the guy in the same black leather jacket though out meaning that he seems evil, he will wear the same While the girl will be wearing a white dress, but have dark makeup around her eyes showing that she's in pain. There will be use of fire symbolising the end and the pain of the relationship. We are using footage of a base speaker with red glitter in it to represent a heart beat.

My setting is conventional to my music genre, this is because most indie music videos are done around nature or social places e.g. bars. The use of the base speaker is not conventional though out our genre, it is mainly used within Rap or Rnb videos, we are using it because of the base in the song is quite heaving and it could represent a heart beat.

Seeing the artist emotional would make the audience feel connected to them, with making the guy evil they should be against him.

Subculture Theory

A sub- culture is a sub genre of people outside the normal music put out by the media (Pop), the group of people could be united by clothing, music or politics they could be the conforming to there friendship group or rebelling against media. People who break break the norm dislike capitalism and consumerism. There are 3 theories about sub-cultures Grant Mc Cracken, CCCs and Hedbige.

Grant Mc Cracken- This theory talks about how the cultures are creative and diverse, that they are all individual and are nothing alike the other genres.

CCCs- This states that all sub genres come from one genre, from reacting the the mainstream, ever trying to be different from it or keeping some values.

Hebdige- His theory states that although some people think they appear to be different, they are all the same if you look within what they are talking about and there main qualities, there is enough likeness to change 'sub-culture' to 'little cultures'.

We have decided between us that we are going to use the theory of CCCs because we believe that the artist change because of the record label wanting to sell more and stopping the audience form becoming bored of the artist and always being something new to the table. This has seen Ellie go from acoustic then to electronic/indie.

We then decided to create pie charts so that we could see the information more clearly. I made them for every question so that we could look at how the target audience felt about the questions and how they reacted so we haven't made any mistakes.

Vox Pop

In our group we decided to take park in a vox pop because it showed the target audiences reaction to our ideas and theres more chance of someone being honest while being filmed and asked face to faced compared to giving them a questionnaire to fill out. We also chose this type of a questionnaire because people can answer in more detail and we can look back on what they have answered more easily. I think it went well and the videoing of it was easy, it wasn't hard to edit. The people we chose where of a wide range of male and female and different ages, this gave us a wider spread of data. 

From the answers we got we can see that most people didn't want to see dancing in a music video because of this we will not have a set dance routine, but we may have our artist jumping around this is because it is a remix and there needs to be fast movement. Most of the people asked wanted to see thing break on slow motion, this is something we both wanted to do so having the audience wanting to see it makes it even more likely that we will do it. This fits in with dance and indie rock music. The idea of glitter in a base speaker was aimed at more of an Rnb or rap song, but we think it will look good in our music video. The people we asked said they did want to see this meaning that we will include this within our video. With nearly all of the people we asked wanting a blonde artist, we are going to stick with what they want and look for a blonde young adult to be our artist. The next question was on if they wanted someone realist or glamours, the audience wanted the artist to be realist this is more easily done and it means the audience can relate to the artist more easily.

This type of research has helped us decide on many decisions, it was more personal because they could answer in much more detail instead of just yes or no or blunt answers. The audience could also suggest different answers unlike the questionnaire where they had the answers already on the paper. From these results we can now decide who will be our artist and different things we will have in our music video making in specific to our audience.

Pie Charts

I have made pie charts this will help me see what the audience would like, this makes is much more clear to me.

1

From this we can see that we have done a fair survey of males and females meaning that it should appeal to both genders and it will be more popular because it includes a wider section of the population.

From this chart of the age we have asked, it is clean we have chosen more of a younger audience this will affect are selfs meaning it will be aimed more at the younger audience but because we have come older people who we have asked it should have some of what they will want. The younger audience buys more music and watches more music videos so this was a good idea to aim our questionnaire at them.

From this we can see that most people watch music videos nearly everyday this could be unmeaningly but they still see them, around 15% of our audience said they watch music videos less then everyday meaning there must be a high demand for them. This is mainly because we have asked a younger group of people and younger people are more likely to watch music videos more often.

Most of our audience did want to see the artist in the music video but around 25% said they did not, this could have been people from outside our age range but either way we are going to affect on this by having the artist in is for only part of the video and not just standing around singing but doing more of a narrative to the story. From this information we will include or own artist within our music video meaning we are having what the target audience wants.

We then asked how they watched there music videos, mostly they replied with T.V. but also a high percentage was over Youtube which included Vevo, but none said that they bought any, this maybe because there out there for free anyway and any platform where you can buy it they also have youtube anyway. From this we have seen a high amount are watching it on youtube compared to years ago when it was all seen on tv, so we are going to put it on youtube so that a high amount of people can see it easily.

By having a 20 second video the audience will anticipate it more, and from the pie chart I can see that they enjoy it more then having nothing to go on. From this I can see that the audience do want something while they are waiting for the main product. We will now try and make something similar for the audience to view while they are waiting.

We have asked which artist they like most meaning that they can choose which one we will use. They choose Ellie Goulding by a quite a lot and second was Lana Del Rey. Because of the popularity of Ellie Goulding we are going to use her music, this will work more positively because the target audience like her more meaning they will have more reason to like our video. We will also try to make our artist have the personality trades as her.

Most people referred the remix to the original this maybe because it more fast paced because of this we will be using a remix of the song we chose also it maybe because we have asked a younger audience. By doing this we can try something that is not done so often because it is more done that they make a music video for the original song only.

People wanted more of both narratives and visuals but most people do like a strong storyline. Because there is such a high amount of his we will be doing both but with a strong storyline though out the imagery. It shouldn't be too hard putting both in the video because we can use them within scene changes and changes in shots.

Most want to see the artist be more on screen doing something then just singing. From this we will try make are artist be in most of the shots. This will also make our artist be more known because the audience will know who she is and want to buy her cd more.

From this we can see that they like it to have loads of editing styles. This is a very large amount of different editing styles that they want within the video, we will try to have them all within there so that it fits everyones taste. The hardest thing will be trying to make it look professional while doing it because of the large amounts of different styles, it maybe just look rushed.

From all this research we can see that the younger audience like faster paced and loads of things going on thought the video. With the artist appearing in most of the scenes meaning we will have to find a few different locations in which she can be but they will have to be interesting enough so that the audience dont mind seeing them many times. From them choosing Ellie Goulding we will know have to research on what she's like and her style of videos so that we can then we can have the type of video that the audience want. A high percentage watch there videos on YouTube meaning its easy for us to put it on there and its easy assess for most people with them having internet on there phone or some sort of computer at home and also tables. With the audience likes the remix that fits in with having high amounts of editing styles so hopefully it will flow more easily because of the fast pace of the song we will use.

Research Into Music Genres

Music videos appeal to audiences indifferent ways, with a rap video its the meaning linking to the videos and how the artist can express them self, with dance its about the good times and happiness being show, while indies showing a story behind the song.

Rap- Drake Over

The song over by Drake is a clear example of a rap video with its story story behind it of his way to fame, this is shown by his camera angle which is low showing him as more powerful but his head down showing distress. The darkness with one light contrast on each other showing that he's alone inside. Then the fire comes up showing about his fast rise to fame showing his powerful at the same time bit also hes still alone.
This is linked with the lyrics which talk about his life now and how everyone is moving fast around him, this is reflected with the people who seem to be shadows, the audience are interested in this so that they feel closer to the artist because its something personal. This video is mostly performance with some narrative though out. From this video the editing is in sync with the bass  though out which is something I would want in my music video.

Dance- Flo Rider 'Club Can't Handle Us'

The song is a feel good song made by flo rider for a dance film, he is shown to be the centre of attention in a club, this is show with him wearing a red jacket and standing on a stand, they have done this to make him stand out and seem more important compared to his surrounding. The genre of the song is dance which it sticks to the conventions of it being over the top and with dance sequences some in a night club. The music video appeals to the audience though his high life style shown, by doing this people like to see how the rich and famous live, and he uses a night club which is a place of happiness for most people. The audience can't build a relationship with the artist in this video because he does not show anything personal or meaningful but they can some how though them enjoying them self though the eyes of Flo Rider.

Gabrielle Aplin 'Panic Cord'
This is an indie song with Gabrielle sing with her guitar which is a mean convention to an indie video, it isn't over produced, with also the music video being simple. The video would appeal to the audience because it has the artist though out it so fans will want to watch it, also men would be appealed because she is angelic. The audiences relationship is built up of moments from a relationships past which is shown in the video, it looks realistic meaning the audience can relate to the artist, the artist has made herself seem down to earth then glamours. from this music i have seen that by making your artist seem realistic the audience can relate more easily compared to Flo Rider.

Research & Analysis Of A Star Dyer's Theory

Dyer's Theory

"A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines etc as well as films)

Stars are commodities produce and consumed on the strength of their meanings.

A stars image is made up of  a range of subsidiary media e.g. magazines, T.V. radio and internet, all of this is made to attract the target audience.

How Music Videos Show an Artist image?

An image of an artist is how there are perceived by the audience, the image of an artist changes though out time, with there changing audiences and for them to seem fresh. Britney Spears is the pop princess from the age of 18 her image has changed though out from the pure look of sometimes to 'Slave 4 U' to 'Womanizer' this is mostly done for personal reasons or because of

Sometimes

This music video is one of the most innocent videos of all time with her wearing all white and doing dance ruin-teens. She is shown as an innocent teenager because it was the time of bubble gum pop, there were loads of pop groups singing songs aimed at teens and that was pop culture at the time. The song is about love and being love shy, this makes her seem more innocent. They use the sea in the back ground to make her seem pure, and show her in the sun make her look more angelic. They ruin teen is very slow and aimed at young teens who can see her as a role model. She's looks at the man she fancies though a telescope meaning she's too shy to go near him, this makes her seem more innocent, and timid. 

I'm A slave 4 U
This is were everything changes, this is her second album and she wanted to show that she wasn't just a young girl anymore this is shown with the line 'All you people look at me like I'm a little girl' this is her using Goodwins theory by making her more sexually appealing it widened her audience but also lost parents seeing her as a good role model. At the same time because of her fan growing older she done the right thing because at he age of 13-18 no teenager want to be listening the 'sometimes' Britney .She wanted to get more to a male audience, this video is filmed in a dirty car park, where everyone is wearing next to nothing and sweaty. In this video her dancing is more prerogative with topless men rubbing against her and also kissing her, this is nothing like the first video.  She also seems dirty in this video with greasy hair and darker shiny skin tone this more sexually appealing. 

womanizer
 It consist  of her flirting with one guy but dress in different costumes proving this guy is cheating on her. The video straight away starts with her naked in a steam room, this sets the scene for the video, the only thing stopping the viewer from seeing her naked is the steam. You can see straight away from this video that she is more grown up and has nothing to prove, meaning she can be more natural. The action though out are more flirtatious, with her putting a knot in a cherry top in her tongue, this is shocking to the audience. This is aimed at an older audience of older teens and adults, with it being about a guy who plays around with girls. 

Questionnaires

 Questionnaires are important because they show the view of a target audience, so by asking a questionnaire to our target audience we can ask them what they want. We included in this if they preferred remixes or original songs and what type of editing styles they liked, they ended up liking remixes more, from the questionnaire we have changed some of our choices so that we have what the audience want instead of what we want. We surveyed 40 people, we surveyed so many people because we wanted to get a lot of opinions and a wider spread of information.  

From the results we are going to receive it will give us ideas on what the audience want to see. By knowing if they prefer seeing the artist within the music video we will know if we should use them or not. By them knowing which artist we are looking at the audience can chose which one we should aim to do, giving us an idea on which one is more popular. We have then asked on which they prefer the remix or original, this helps with us deciding which version of the song to use. Asking the audience if they want to see the artist perform or sing gives us a good idea on what we should include more of, instead of doing what we want and boring the audience. We would like to do a lot of editing in our video but if we find out the audience dont like it we will have to do something else.

1.     Are you male or female?        Male         Female

2.     What age are you?

10-15 16-20  21-30 31-40

3.     How often do you watch music videos?

       Everyday      Every other day    once a week   less than

4.     Do you prefer seeing the artist in the music video?

Yes     No

5.     Where do you watch music videos?

TV      Youtube      Buy them

6.     Do you prefer to have a pre 20second music video?

Yes      No

7.     Who’s your Favourite artist?

Lana Del Rey    Ellie Goulding   Amy Winehouse     Little Boots

8.     Do you prefer Lana Del Reys original summertime sadness or the remix

Original      Remix

9.     Do you prefer Visual imagery or more of a storyline?

…………………

10. Do you want to watch the artist do the lyrics or perform?

11. What type of editing do prefer? (Circle more then one)

Fast     Slow    Colour tints     split screen      strobe lighting    Replay    OTHER