Chosen Genre: Pop

I enjoy the idea of creating a music video for an alternative rock song. However I really want to produce a fun, artist focussed video, especially since my audience research clearly showed that pop music was the general favourite. Therefore I have decided to produce a music video for a pop song, and will create an artist with a target audience of young girls. I will refer to all of my research in order to create something which they will love.

Hip Hop Magazine Advert Analysis- Kanye West: Yeezus

This advert is very simplistic, a far cry from the Nicki Minaj advert. The simplicity in itself makes the advert stand out due to its uniqueness. It is also unexpected, suggesting that the music is also. The colour scheme is mostly black and white, making the red tape on the digipak really stand out. The whole effect of this advert suggests that very little effort has been put into the appearance. This implies that the music is so good, and West is so successful, that it doesn’t need to be overly extravagant. This presents West as very confident and somewhat arrogant. The text looks as though someone has written it out in a black marker pen, and the small smudges gives the page a rushed appearance. The album name and release date are the largest pieces of text, highlighting their importance. West’s name is the next largest; this attracts his fans and is also self-promotional. The use of capital letters gives the appearance that the advert is ‘shouting’ at the reader, and implies that it is important. This reflects West’s public image, which has been shaped by many controversies, including anti-Semitic comments, disrespecting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards and attacking paparazzi.

Rock Magazine Advert Analysis- Green Day: Wake Me Up When September Ends

This album advert’s distressed look gives it a dark, ‘emo’ appearance. This suggests that the album focusses on dark emotions like sorrow and anger. Green Day’s target audience will likely be drawn in by the gothic themes of the design. The grungy text conveys a worn, nonchalant vibe, suggesting that the band aren’t trying to be successful. This will appeal to their target audience of rock fans, who want natural talent. The colour scheme reflects that of the album digipak, linking the two visually. The red and white stands out against the black background, and the red is effective due to connotations of gore, anger and love; suggesting themes explored in the album. The most prominent colour used is black, which is seen as a gothic colour. The image shows the band’s ‘emo’ brand. This will especially appeal to similar people, as they will feel like they can relate to the artists.

Pop Magazine Advert Analysis- Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday

The bright colours of this advert draw the readers’ attention. The bubble-gum pink and electric blue contrast greatly and stand out against the black background. This reflects Minaj’s style of music- its pop genre and uniqueness. By using five images of herself, Minaj shows that her public image is very important to her brand. She uses her sexuality to make the advert stand out by wearing a dress which greatly reveals her breasts. In the top image, Minaj is bending over and looking down, seemingly at the text. This draws the viewer’s eyes down to read the information. The pink colour links with the album title and Minaj’s ‘provocative barbie’ style. Minaj also includes a link to the website.

Magazine Adverts

When releasing an album or single, artists will usually advertise using magazine adverts, often in conjunction with television and/or online ads. The advert will be put in certain magazines in order to reach the artist’s target audience; magazines targeted at the same audience will be bought by readers likely to enjoy the artist’s music. For example you wouldn’t see this Taylor Swift advert in Kerrang!, but are more likely to see 30 Seconds To Mars or Bring Me The Horizon.

Magazine adverts often include the same conventions. They will have the name of the album or single, and the name of the artist or band. There will usually be an image of artist or album cover. Many adverts use the album cover, like Gwen Stefani has for her Love. Angel. Music. Baby. advert. Alternatively, like Swift, they may use an image in the same style and colour scheme to the album. There may also be reviews- these may be quotes or just stars, and links to the artist’s website and possible their social media.

Dance Digipak Analysis- Calvin Harris: 18 Months

This digipak for Calvin Harris' 18 Months, along with most other dance digipaks, vary greatly from pop and rock digipaks. While there is a picture of Harris, he takes up a very small proportion of the album cover and is turning his face away. Therefore we cannot see him clearly. This shows that the artist's appearance is not important to his brand; his music is. The way his arms are held, Harris points up to the album title as if to say 'Don't look at me, listen to my music'. The overall colour scheme and mise-en-scene are not very bright, but in fact mostly brown, grey and slightly dull. The lack of extravagance attracts the target audience, as they feel they can relate to him more. This is very different to Nicki Minaj with her Pink Friday digipak, as her target audience is younger and therefore are looking more for a role model to aspire to be like.

Harris uses the same font as the cover in his singles. This works as a logo; even from far away the viewer may recognise the layout of text and therefor recognise the album as Harris'. Furthermore the text fits the band at is fairly basic, however the capital letters make it stand out. The way the words are laid out on a brick background, the title almost looks like graffiti, giving the digipak a slightly rebellious, blasé look.

The text on the disk remains the same to that on the cover, keeping the digipak consistent. While the pop, rock and dance digipaks are very different and follow different conventions, it is obvious that most artist keep their digipaks very consistent. When I make my own digipak I will keep the colour scheme, font and costumes constant throughout as it makes the album look well thought out and professional.

The use of black and white keeps the CD looking very simplistic. This flows with the lack of extravagance in the digipak. Like with Green Day's American Idiot digipak there is no image of the artist, showing Harris' modesty. However unlike American Idiot, there is no image at all; this album is targeted at more mature listeners.

 

The back cover is very similar to the front, with Harris sitting in the same place. This time his arms are down and he is looking at the camera. To me this suggests that while he has been modest, it is now his chance to be proud of what he's produced.

The houses behind the wall are fairly small and unattractive. This shows that while he is now successful and wealthy, he still goes back to his roots.

Furthermore Harris uses the track list to appeal to a larger target audience. On 18 Months he has collaborated with 11 other artists. By clearly stating this on the back cover, fans of other artists like Rihanna will be more inclined to by the album.

Rock Digipak Analysis- Green Day: American Idiot

The conventions of the rock genre are very different to pop. This is shown on the Green Day album, which does not feature an image of the band on the album cover. The font used looks distressed, reflecting the nonchalant, rebellious attitude of the band. This appeals to their male primary target audience.
Initial inspiration for the image came from propaganda for the Communist Party of China, and then later the film poster for the Man with the Golden Arm. The image explores the line between love and hate. In the image the heart is being squeezed and shattered by the hand, causing it to bleed. The heart is also a grenade. This mixes two antithetic symbols- one of love and one of hate, suggesting that the two are very close; one leads to the other. The image suggests that love is destructive and quickly conveys the tone of the music to the audience. Furthermore red is a prominent colour on the cover. It is often used to represent passion or hate, however here it can be used for both. While the grenade and the blood immediately appeal to the target audience, women are attracted to the heart and the powerful message as a whole. Therefore the album appeals to a wide range of people.

The colour scheme of red, black and white is used throughout the digipak. The black background reflects the punk rock genre of music, and so will appeal to people whom are likely to enjoy the music. Furthermore black generally has rather negative connotations of death, loss and despair. It also highlights the bright red and white. On the back cover the track list is white. This discretely looks quite rebellious- text is usually black on a white background. By simply switching this around Green Day are showing that they don't play by the rules and are possibly more exciting than other bands. The magnifying glass suggests that they are looking for something, further implying that they are lost; perhaps they are trying to find themselves. Magnifying glasses can also reflect crime as they are used to search for clues. This reflects the band's rebellious brand.



The American Idiot disk is consistent with the cover as it depicts an image of the hand dripping with blood. This makes me think of the phrase 'caught red handed'; perhaps the crime hinted at on the back cover is in fact a crime of love. As a cartoon, while the image appeals to men who stereotypically like blood and gore, it is not actually gruesome. This stops the album from scaring away female and younger listeners. Again the CD is mostly black, reflecting the convention of rock music as quite dark. The track listing on the disk shows that the music is the most important part of the album. This contrasts to Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday- she instead has an image of herself, showing that her image is very important to her success and career.


Green Day's booklet involves the lyrics of each song on their album. Alternatively they have opted to hand write the lyrics, making it appear very messy and chaotic. This works well for their brand, as this is how they aim to come across to fans. Furthermore the little doodles and emphasised words are quite fun, and the handwriting male the booklet feel very personal and intimate. The band show that they are not trying to polish themselves up to be something they aren't.

Pop Digipak Analysis- Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday

 

On the digipak cover for her album Pink Friday, Minaj has used a dramatic image of herself. This fits the conventions of a pop album- Minaj's brand is her extravagant image. She is wearing all pink, including a wig. This reflects the album's title and her 'Barbie persona'. The way her arms are bent behind her accentuates her breasts. Her legs have been edited to look much longer, and the massive heels lengthen them further. They also look unnaturally shiny- almost like plastic. These features make her look rather like a Barbie doll. While the image is very pink, the shoes she wears actually make her look quite powerful, especially due to the huge, pointed heels. The text used is rather sleek, with the silver standing out against the copious amounts of pink. However the work "Pink" is exaggerated by being of contrasting size, colour and font- the latter of which looks very similar to the Barbie logo.

 

By using another image of herself on the back cover, Minaj shows how much image is important to her brand. Her appearance is the same as the cover; the consistency makes the digipak flow and fit together. Minaj's makeup is very dramatic, with bright pink lipstick and huge false eyelashes. These again make her look more like a doll than an actual woman. The chains on her dress and bracelets reflect body armour, suggesting she is a fighter. Furthermore we can clearly see that her shoes are a boot/heel hybrid, highlighting that she is both feminine and strong. Her costume clearly aims to show that Minaj is as strong as a man, but as glamorous as a woman. Minaj's foot points to the tracklist, encouraging the viewer to read it.

 

 

Yet another image of Minaj is used on the disk. With the wig (which may be the same pink wig from the other photographs, but in fact looks blonde in this image), wide eyes, long eyelashes and pink lips she looks even more like a Barbie doll than usual. In fact, the whole way the image is put together is very reminiscent of an image of Barbie. The colours fit the overall digipak colour scheme, and the text matches that of the front cover.

 

Rather than opening like a booklet, Minaj's is more like a poster. This could encourage her fans, or 'Barbs' to display it on their wall. The tracks are on the right, while multiple images of Minaj are on the right. The images show off Minaj's infamous figure, and in one her legs are again dramatically stretched. In the top right and middle left images, Minaj looks stiff like a doll. Again the focus on images of herself is very conventional of pop digipaks.

Minaj's 'thanks' section is very long, showing that she is very grateful for her success. Furthermore the language used is very informal, creating intimacy with the reader and suggesting that she is very down to earth. Her target audience is probably likely to speak/write like this too, so it makes her relatable.

Digipaks

Digipaks are a book-like packaging that discs usually come in, whether that be a CD, DVD or Blue-Ray. Artists and bands will sell physical copies of their singles, albums or extended plays in digipaks, so the appearance needs to stand out whilst also representing the artist and their brand. While listeners are starting to favour downloads over hard copies (www.billboard.com suggests CDs currently make up only 48% of sales, compared to 68% in 2011), even on a smart phone or mp3 player album artwork is displayed.

Furthermore digipaks sometimes link to a music video; for the Problem single digipak cover, Ariana Grande wears the same outfit as in the song’s music video.

The back cover of a digipak is typically reserved for the track listing. While it is not essential this side often features a less dominant image, if it contains an image at all. This allows a stronger focus on the track listing. For example Trey Songz fits the subject of the monochrome image (matching the cover) around the text to allow it to contrast sharply with the background. This also frames the text, further drawing attention to it.

Alternatively, on Kasabian’s new album 48:13, the track listing does not show the track names, but the each track’s length. This creates consistency with the name, which is the length of the entire album, and also ensures that the digipak stands out against all others.

Inside the digipak will be the disk and a booklet containing information- usually lyrics, dedications etc.

 

The disk is generally printed with an image. On her I Am… Sasha Fierce disk Beyoncé has used two images of herself, each styled differently. This reflects the album’s title, which refers to Beyoncé’s ‘alter ego’. Images of the artist are very common for pop artists, as brand is typically most important for artists of that genre.

 

Some artists, like Taylor Swift on this Fearless album, feature the track listing on the disc in addition to the back cover. Swift also uses an image of her hands making a heart shape, an action with she made throughout her Fearless tour 2009/10.

 

 

 

 

However most album discs feature a pattern, image or simply one block colour. For her The New Classic album, Iggy Azalea used a pattern featuring the same colour scheme as the rest of the digipak.

Many booklets contain the song lyrics, like Ed Sheeran’s +. This allows fans to learn the songs and sing along, making them feel involved in the music. The booklet will also include the names of the people and companies involved in the writing and producing of the song.

Many artists, such as Demi Lovato, will use the last page of their booklet to thank people that have helped them and allowed them to create the album, EP or single. This shows fans that the artists are grateful for their success. Furthermore most artists thank their fans, making them feel appreciated and close to artist. In her DEMI album, Lovato (like most artists) saves the last thank you for the fans, making them feel the most important.

Inspiration: Lights

Disco Lights

I really want to incorporate disco lights in my music video. It would make the video look really exciting and colourful. I think it would work for a performance based video, or a performance segment.


Fairy Lights  

I have some fairy lights in my bedroom, and I really like the way they can make things look really pretty and twinkly. In my music video I could put some in a tree to light up a dark location, or even wrap them around my artist for a quirky performance. I also like how close up shots of fairy lights go blurry.

Candles

As well as fairy and disco lights, I think candles are so pretty. They would have a natural look and not appear artificial. They could be used to add a bit of a twinkle if I film in the evening, or hang from trees to give a woodland scene a really beautiful effect.

One issue I would have to overcome if using candles outside would be the wind. Especially if using many candles, I would have to look at a forecast and try to film on a day with less wind. I would also try to film in a sheltered area.

Glow Sticks

Glow sticks would also look really awesome in a music video, however I would only use them a little bit. This is because I would need a dark mise-en-scene, otherwise they would not have the same effect.
I also came across this website showing how to make glowing jars using the liquid from glow sticks. I could use these outside without having to worry about the wind like I would with candles.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Mason-Jar-Glow-Stick-Lanterns

Representation in Music Videos

Artists and characters in music videos often fit general stereotypes. This is used as a quick way to convey information to an audience; a couple of hints that a character fits a stereotype lead the audience to assume that they completely fit this label.

Gender

In music videos men and women are presented very differently...

Women

Objectification: Jason Derulo feat. Snoop Dogg- Wiggle.

In this video women are represented as sexual objects. Extremely low angle shots of the women put the focus on their buttocks. The video shows countless women in costumes consisting of crop tops, bikinis and hot pants. The camera rarely lingers on their faces; instead we are shown their bodies as they dance provocatively. This conveys a message that the value of women lies in their physical appearance. As we don’t see their faces, we do not recognise any particular characters in the video. This gives a sense of promiscuity. In addition, the shots of the artist in a bed with six women suggest that they are all there to please the man, and have very little self-respect.

Empowerment: Beyoncé- Run the World (Girls).

In this music video the artist is trying to express a message of female empowerment. Despite this, there are many similarities between this video and Wiggle. The artist and female actors are wearing significantly less clothing than the men, again reflecting how female sex appeal is used to sell music. In addition the women wear suspenders, which are characteristically recognised as attire of strippers or prostitutes. This emphasises the idea of women using their bodies for money. In addition the dance moves, which are slightly more ladylike, are still emphasising sexualised body parts. As in Wiggle, Beyoncé is using sex to sell her song. Whilst her fan base is predominantly women, she is using her appearance to draw the attention of men.

However the idea of this video is to empower the artist. Beyoncé is taking control of her own body and basically conveying the message that she can wear what she wants and do what she wants; she is not restricted due to her gender. This fits with the lyrics of the video, and suggests that her appearance allows her to control and manipulate men, rather than the other way round.





The Victim: Taylor Swift- I Knew You Were Trouble

Swift uses a narrative-based music video to present herself as a victim. This is much more common in female artists’ work, as women are stereotypically more sensitive than men.

The first two minutes of the video feature a voice-over by Swift, describing the relationship and the toll it took on her emotionally. The mise-en-scene in this scene have been used to reflect Swift’s emotional state- the abandoned dessert represents her emptiness and loneliness, while the litter signifies the mess the relationship has made. Furthermore her position lying on the ground shows that the relationship has drained her.

The pink hair in the video shows that Swift is desperately trying to appeal to her boyfriend and fit in with his lifestyle. However the colour is very feminine, so also suggests that deep down she isn’t tough or nonchalant enough to handle the relationship.

As it is a narrative-based video, the audience follows Swifts story and watches her boyfriend kiss other women in front of her. Then we also see her reaction and can empathise with her. Having the audience feeling sympathy toward Swift is the desired reaction, as it emphasises her position as a victim.

Men

The Gangster: Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi- All of the Lights

In this video, the male African American rappers fit their stereotypes as ‘Gangsters’.

Then he stands, dances and jumps on a police car, showing his disrespect for the law. This reflects his confidence- he is not afraid of being arrested.

The other male in the video is Kid Cudi. Like West, he wears a lot of expensive looking jewellery. The men are expressing their wealth and fitting their stereotype as gangsters.

The men contrast greatly to the women in the video. In one scene West expresses his dominance over women by domestically abusing his girlfriend. In addition, while West and Kid Cudi are very much covered up, Rihanna is wearing almost as little clothing as possible and is provocative in her performance. Furthermore Rihanna’s is the clearest performance to see- West sings mostly in the dark, and while Kid Cudi’s performance is slightly lighter than his, he is mostly facing away from the camera. This objectifies Rihanna as it suggests that her appearance is her best quality.  
  


The Poet: Ed Sheeran- The A Team


This is a very different male stereotype, and these more emotionally expressive men are much less commonly found in music. In his video for The A Team, Sheeran’s narrative-based video features a female protagonist.

Sheeran only cameoed in the video, buying the Big Issue from the protagonist. Her vulnerability is shown by her position sitting on the floor, covered in blankets. Sheeran shows his kindness by sitting and talking to her. This shows that he is sympathetic and doesn’t feel inferior.

Sheeran presents prostitution in the video very grotesquely. Rather than sexually objectifying women in his music video, he highlights the dark truth about women having to sell themselves. The scene isn’t at all explicit- the audience is only shown the exchange of money and the protagonist’s devastated expression afterwards. This shows that Sheeran is far from using sex to sell his song, but instead using the video to speak out against prostitution.

The video also shows that the central character is using the money from prostitution to buy drugs. It presents prostitution as something entirely destructive and toxic. Furthermore it shows her sense of self-worth; she is ultimately exchanging herself for drugs.  

Genre Conventions in Music Videos- Indie

Concept-based Music Videos

I have found that concept-based videos are very common for indie songs. They reflect the alternative style of the music; this also means that the video I likely to be well suited to their fans.

An example of this would be Alt-J’s Hunger of the Pine, which features a young man running away from some unknown enemy which is firing arrows at him. He is stuck by many but keeps running. The mystery of the video leaves it to raise a lot of questions; Who is he running from? Why are they attacking him? How is he surviving? This makes the video unique and interesting, and means that viewers have to understand the symbolism in order to find the true meaning. My interpretation is that the video relates to the lyrics, and the arrows reflect the pain of missing someone. The man is trying to avoid his emotions however in the end they consume him. 
 

 Bombay Bicycle Club’s Feel video is also concept-based. The theming of the video around an Indian wedding links to the band’s name and so may be more recognisable and memorable for viewers. It also fits with the sound of the song, which has subtle Bollywood features. The video features actors and dancers rather than members of the band, suggesting that they are focussed on their music rather than their individual fame. The bright colours reflect the happy emotions in the song, and also look very extravagant and exciting.

Similarly, their Luna video features synchronised swimmers, dancing to the beat of the song. The water suits the song’s sound, which has very gentle backing instruments which almost sound like trickling water. It also links to the lyrics; “I will bathe myself”. The washed out colour of the video also links to the lyrics, which describe “colours fading” and “your face so pale and white”.

 

 

 

 

The 1975 also use a concept-based video for Settle Down. It is a very obscure video, with a rather ambiguous meaning. It is based on a recurring dream from lead singer Matt Healy’s childhood. It explores the experiences of children in an environment conflicted with both taboo and open mindedness. The blinding light when the boys’ hands meet suggest something very powerful in the single action. Furthermore the way the adults collapse suggests that their relationship- whether it be plutonic or otherwise- is challenging old beliefs and opinions.

 

Low Budget

R U Mine, like many indie music videos, is shot to look very low budget. The video is very simple, mostly consisting of the band lip-syncing in a car. The image is in black and white and flickers slightly, giving the appearance that it is bad quality. The effect of the handheld camera gives the video a homemade look. Overall this suggests that the band are not bothered about making massively extravagant videos, which in turn implies many ideas. Firstly it suggests that the band is very blasé about their music, helping their cool image and also presenting them to be modest. Secondly it suggests that the Arctic Monkeys are so talented that they don’t need a dramatic, expensive video to promote the song.

HAIM’s Forever features the band performing in living room of a house and contains home video footage. This shows that it was a fairly low budget video, but emphasises the homely vibe of the band; they are sisters. Like the Arctic Monkeys the video suggests a carefree attitude, however as their debut single, the song established the band and so is presenting the first image of the band. By performing in a house and showing childhood footage, HAIM appear to be sticking to their roots and a nostalgic ambiance is created. The dance moves suggest that they are in sync with each other, and get on well.