Finished Music Video

Pre-Production

Research and Planning

The song I have chosen is Life Through A Lens by Jackson Harris. Jackson has always been interested in music and started out on Youtube, like many new artists. He uploaded covers to Youtube which many viewers enjoyed then started Vlogs. He has many singles and an EP out however not a full album, yet. Though he is not very well known in other countries, he has been on tour with the girl band, Fifth Harmony which will help boost his recognition, along with being close friends with Shay Carl who has his own popular, daily vlogs Youtube, Shaytards. In one of his music videos, Come Back Down To Earth, he asked Lucy Hale, an actress from Pretty Little Liars to star in his music video, which widened the audience which listened to his music. Jackson Harris' music has a pop/alternative rock vibe to it which relates to his image.

The song Life Through A Lens was written for the Shaytards. The whole meaning of the song is exploring your dreams and capturing every moment on camera. It also tells the listener that they don't know what their dreams may lead to, but to explore them nevertheless. With most people nowadays watching videos and uploading videos, this song can relate to many people. I feel the whole vibe of the song is upbeat and tells the listener to stay positive.

Jackson Harris' image altogether is a sort of a casual rocker look which goes very well with his genre of music. He's very natural and unlike other artists, he doesn't rely on 'make-up' nor sex appeal to sell his music. I feel his music is likeable to anyone, especially the song I have chosen, which is very catchy. In some videos, such as Miss Me, he wears more pastel colours to go with the theme of the song, however in others, he uses vibrant colours.

Come Back Down To Earth

Miss Me 

Go Crazy

Jackson Harris comes across at the typical 'boyband' artist by his clothing and many of his songs which are about typical break-ups which may put people off listening to him, but he is awesome man.

Jackson Harris 

Jackson Harris Music 

Shaytards

For my take on this song, I've been inspired by Taylor Swift's I'm Only Me When I'm With You. This is because the whole song is about capturing various moments on camera which this video includes. The sort of colours/look I want to include is inspired by clips from Give Your Heart A Break by Demi Lovato and Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr Right/Candle by White Tie Affair. These colours are a summer look with an orange colour.

Give Your Heart A Break  

Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr Right/Candle 

Synopsis

A day of vlogging.

Locations:

• City center - Norwich 
• Gorleston Beach
• College

Research and Planning: Designing an Esting.

Pre-Production 

Styles, Conventions and Techniques

There are many different styles in which a music video can be made. It completely depends on the artist and/ or the director on how they want to present their music video. The first style is in-concert/as live performance. These are of the artist performing their song live which is then made as a concert video. An example of this is When You Look Me In The Eyes by the Jonas Brothers. Although they're not playing the song live, they are clips of their recent tour.

The next is narrative and interpretive. This is where the music video represents what the lyrics are saying. It also adds more meaning to the lyrics. For example, in You Sound Good To Me by Lucy Hale, a lyric is "...when you lean in" and a moment after this, she leans into him. 

A narrative is where the music video follows a story. This could be related to the lyrics or anything at all. SOS once again by the Jonas Brothers, includes both narrative and interpretive. 

Surreal videos may mean that they do not relate to the lyrics at all, instead they are unique and often quite strange. Love You Like A Love Song by Selena Gomez is an example of a surreal video. Here you can see how parts look 'trippy' and extremely surreal, more so with the first image. 

In an impressionist video, the tone of the song is created through it and altogether forms a more artistic look. Usually the artist stars in it while lip-syncing. Cannonball by Lea Michele which includes soft colours and lighting to convey how she is feeling.

Many synergy music videos use footage from a film, however some do use references to the film. This is much like the music video Let It Go. There are two versions and both use footage from the film, Frozen. The first version, sung by Idina Menzel, is all footage from the film as it is the actual version. The second version, sung by Demi Lovato, which includes interpretive clips of Demi and clips from the film. 

An allusion music video often relates to some event that has happened either in the past or for culture. An example of this is Love Story by Taylor Swift which alludes to the Shakespeare story, Romeo and Juliet. 

When an artist imitates another artists style, this is called a pastiche. It's similar to a parody, however, a parody is a mick take of another video. The Michael Jackson, Thriller music video mimics the style of film making and editing in the era is was released, therefore is in someway a pastiche. The music video, Nuthin' But a Glee Thang is a parody of Dr Dre's Nuthin' But a G Thang. 

A homage is also like a parody, but in a homage they are showing respect to the artist. Michael Buble pays homage to Justin Bieber amongst others in his music video Hollywood. 

Animation is self explanatory. The artist may use clips of animation or clips. The animation could be digital or stop motion. Two examples is the hit from last Christmas, Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen and E.T by Katy Perry. E.T isn't fully animation as Katy herself stars in it, however, her surroundings are digital.

The majority of artists use lip-syncing in their music video if it fits the style of performance of narrative. Sometimes the video is played backwards but the artist mimes perfectly to the song. This is displayed in Pixie Lott's music video, Can't Make This Over. 

Music videos are edited very differently and in interesting ways. MTV even have an award for the best editing. 

Cutting to the beat is once again explanatory. This is where a shot is placed so it matched the beat of the music. An example of this is Jessie J's Domino. It's mostly at the beginning and during the chorus. 

Effects are put in during post-production which adds a whole new visual to the music video. This will possibly impress the audience and give the artist a whole new audience. The type of effects used will determine of the genre of the song. Safe And Sound by Capital Cities is a good of example of effects added during post-production. They even won MTV's Best Visual Effects in 2013.

Another effect used in some music videos is split screening. This is were two, three or more images are shown at the same time. In some ways it is quite disorientating however it is still an interesting effect. A good example which uses split screen throughout the video is Whispers In The Dark by Mumford & Sons. 

Chroma key is green screen. Things are shot in front of the green or blue screen then during post-production, images are placed onto the green or blue screen. Chroma key is used in Katy Perry's Dark Horse as the background to the set. Another example is Popular Song by MIKA ft Ariana Grande however, chroma key is only used in small sections.

The camera movements used in the music video can create a whole new feel to the piece. It can create a good flow as well as make it interesting to watch. During Bridgit Mendler's Ready Or Not, there is constant camera movement which creates the feel of movement as well as using pans and good editing. 

A range of shot lengths can create meaning which is used in Demi Lovato's Give Your Heart A Break where you are able to establish where they are then see the emotion in their faces when zoomed in.

The mise-en-scene in a music video can emphasize the mood of the song. This includes lighting, colours and objects.

The Purpose of Music Videos

This essay is to discuss the purpose behind music videos along with a small history of them. In 1941, a jukebox that plays short videos along with music was introduced and used in the USA. This then led Hollywood to explore the idea of films with music. It wasn't until 1962 when British television invented a different form of music television. Shows like shows Top Of The Pops which became extremely popular and where most people started listening to music. It was Queen who made the first proper music video, with Bohemian Rhapsody, which went on to become one of the most popular music video as it used many special effects. Artists then began to copy this idea and produce their own videos.

One of the main reasons for music videos is for the promotion of the artist and song. To increase the promotion, the artist can have some sort symbol in their video which relates to them. This is shown in a music video by Demi Lovato called Get Back. Though there's not particularly a clear shot, her name is written on the drum kit in clear red writing.

Music videos are also used to promote a director or a film maker, and give the audience a taste of their style. It also helps boost promotion for the director and if successful, it could increase work for them. As well as being an artist, Demi Lovato directed her first music video for her song Made In The USA. It does well for promotion as she is featured in the music video. It's her first piece of directing which could further help her promotion by showing she's not just an artist, but also a director.

Artists have different images in the way they present themselves, so everyone of them is unique. Each will use different ways to present themselves from kookiness to sex appeal. The most mainstream artists, like Lady GaGa, Beyonce and Katy Perry use sex appeal in their videos and this is because they can afford controversy.

However, independent artists or those just starting out may not have the budget to create such a risqué or 'over the top' music video. Instead, the artists will use a less range of shots and will most likely star in it themselves for promotion. These are artists like Cimorelli and Tyler Ward.
Both mainstream and independent artists use Youtube, a popular online video sharing space, to publish their videos. They may also share them on MTV channels and Viva, both very popular. 

As their are many easy places to share music videos, anyone can produce their own music video along with their music, online. For some lucky people, this can help them get started in the music industry and cause great success. An example of this is Cimorelli, who started with covers and now have their own music videos. Although there are many advantages to self-producing, such as creative control and free distribution, there are disadvantages like lower budget and limitation on resources.

There are, however, some artists who make music videos simply to create art and visually pleasing pieces of work. These are likely to be not as popular and have less of a chance to make it on prime time TV as they are not mainstream.

When an artist's song is played, they recieve payment which is known as royalties. This also applies to when the artist's music video is shown and watched, although it is hard to decipher when it is watched.
This is because there are so many outlets in which people can watch music videos, therefore an estimate is made. Mainstream artists are likely to receive more royalties as they are popular and make the charts, unlike alternative musicians.

Media Outlets are places where we are able to view and share music videos. These are often sources like:

• Music Video TV - MTV, VIVA, 4Music
• Internet (video sites) - Youtube, Vimeo
• Social Networking Sites - Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr
• iTunes 
• Radio - Radio 1, Kiss, Heart
• CDs/DVDs

There are advantages and disadvantages that come with the ever growing media outlet sites. Although it means there are more platforms to show your work, it also means more competition. It is also hard to be creative any more as people will have thought of different things already. Piracy will increase therefore hard to gain money from it.

The idea of synergistic marketing is when an artist or their company allow other companies to use their image and name. This can be for merchandising or films. An example of this is the One Direction. One Direction have recently had a film out called This Is Us, along with appearing in the Nickelodeon show iCarly, their songs have been feature in various popular soap operas like Eastenders and Coronation Street. Their name and faces have been used on a wide range of products such as make-up and nail varnish which is aimed at their target audience. Another artist who is much like One Direction film and merchandise wise is Justin Bieber. 

The people who benefit most from synergistic marketing are the artist and their recording label. This is because the artist gets a lot of promotion out of it, therefore their music sales increases. 

In my opinion, I believe music videos are so popular because they are entertaining and give the viewer to link the artist to.With the growth of media outlets to watch music videos on, I believe the popularity of music videos will rise as the access to them will be easier. The sustainability, however, could fall once another method better than music videos is introduced in the future.

Mood Board For Thanksgiving