Thursday, 30 September 2010
Audience Survey
For finding out what genre of music the average teenager listens too I passed around a hand out to my whole sixth form that I had made and asked them to fill it in.
The results that I later recieved showed that the majority of the boys in my school preffered to listen to rock/acoustic music, and the most unpopular genre was classical. Because I aim for my music video to be quite teenager orientated I feel the genre for my music video should be rock or/and acoustic as this is what appeals most to teenagers.
The results that I later recieved showed that the majority of the boys in my school preffered to listen to rock/acoustic music, and the most unpopular genre was classical. Because I aim for my music video to be quite teenager orientated I feel the genre for my music video should be rock or/and acoustic as this is what appeals most to teenagers.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Research Into Similar Media Texts (CD Covers)
In order for my CD cover to look proffesional, I first need to do some research into popular and succesful CD covers.
Proffesor Green - Alive Till I'm Dead
In this CD cover, the first thing the target audience will see is Proffesor Green on the cover. Obviously this informs the audience that this CD is Proffesor Green's. The design of the CD has been slightly edited to make Proffesor Green look clean and pure and his trademark tatoo 'Lucky' is clearly visible, hence why the photographer did not take a picture of the other side of his neck.
The reason why this album would sell very well, is because everyone knows who Proffesor Green is, as various other famous artists have also featured in his songs, anothey key buying point.
The idea that Proffesor Green is seen looking away from the camera and up into the sky suggests that he is too important to look at the camera, and possibly even to show his tattoo on his neck. The reason behind this is because the artist himself is known to be quite 'hardcore' as he is a rapper - if however he had an album of him smiling and staring at the camera, this may deter his target audience, as this does not reflect in his music.
The album name also highlights the artists' motives, 'Alive Till I'm Dead' implying that his songs are rather meaningful and that he wants to be remembered, this also makes him look more of a badass. The jacket he is wearing is rather tightly fitted to his skin, making him look masculine and manly. The font of both the artist and album name has been simply designed, all in caps lock agaisnt a greyish white background. Two colours seperate the album name from the artist, differentiating which is which.
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
50 Cent is a well known rap artist and has been known to the general public as somewhat of a nutter. His album cover features a picture of him topless, showing off his extremely muscular physical form, emphasizing his masculinity and dominance. The album entitled 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' possibly because of his famed story of being shot nine times and surviving, and also the album cover is him behind shattered glass, again implying he is indestructible. 50 Cent is staring into the centre of the camera, intimidating audiences and again emphasizing his masculinity. The red background could possibly stand for the colour of blood, which promotes his masculinity yet again. The album name 'Get Rich, or Die Tryin' Another famed quote from 50 Cent, basically stating that you are either something or nothing, not in between. The album's main intentions and attractions is to draw in audiences who like rap music and enjoy listening to the likes of 50 Cent with his formidable presence and intimidating glare.
Sum 41 - All Killer No Filler
Depending on the genre of the music, album covers will alter in design. Take Sum 41 for example, their album cover consits of each of the band members pulling disgusting faces throughout the whole front cover. This gives the impression that this band's genre of music obviously isn't of the classical genre, but of something more generic, such as rock. Because of the somewhat disgusting album cover, it suggests that this genre of music is aimed at youths, as the cover is simply young adults pulling faces, showing the immaturity of the band and in some regards the comedic value it holds. The font of 'Sum 41' is bold and stands out well against the disgusting faces, with this bold and eye catching font, audiences will not have trouble determining what music genre the band is. The name Sum 41 doesn't really give any clues away as to what music they are labelling, 50 Cent for example clearly has alterior motives as the name suggests he is quite brutal. The album name 'All Killer No Filler' again highlights the rock theme this band are trying to portray, because of the red colouring of the font is also suggests that the band's music isn't very soft and soothing, but fast paced and hardcore. The mug shot effect the band has used on the front of the album could also suggest they are 'convicts' as such and are ruthless youths.
Lifehouse - Smoke And Mirrors.
Unlike my previous album covers, this album cover does not entail the band member(s) on the front of the CD. The reason for this being, is because Lifehouse are known for their simplicty in music and meaningful songs, their first ever album entitled 'No Name Face' consisted of the album cover having a wooden tribal face smiling at the camera, again this entailed no band members.
The album cover gives the audience a sense of errieness and mystery, as the mysterious blue smoke and dark background suggests the genre of music is quite mellow and meaningful. Therefore this would not be directed at people who enjoy the likes of Slipknot and Lamb of God. The album name and the way the CD cover is presented compliments the album name perfectly, as the title 'Smoke and Mirrors' is seen on the front cover as the blue smoke is mirrored as well as the album name and the band name. The way in which the text is mirrored on the front cover highlights the actual name of the album 'Smoke And Mirrors' as the text is reflected onto the surface. Both album name and band name are seen in small font, therefore making the album seem quite relaxed and meaningful, as opposed to a large font and explosions in the background.
The eerieness and mystery that lies behind the cover of the album draws audiences towards the product, making it a unique buying product.
James Blunt - All The Lost Souls
James Blunt, a popular acoustic/rock artist has released songs which always entail meaningful lyrics and personal emotions. His second album is still set around the same genre of music and is lyrically similar. The album entitled 'All The Lost Souls' implies that this is an album for people who seem lost in their lives, and the album looks to relax them, and specific songs can relate to different people depending on the situation in their lives. The background for the album consists of pictures of hundreds of different people photographed in everyday life, however, all of these photographs make up the face and upperbody of James Blunt, which is very clever, in that he is trying to communicate with the public by releasing such influential music, and the way in which James Blunt has made a portrait of himself out of all these people, suggests that he is a part of those people, and the people influence him to make music. The way the font of the album name is designed is such that it looks like it would be a sign you would see outside a pub, implying that all the people with 'lost souls' should rendez-vous at this pub where they can all relate to one and other. The artist font 'James Blunt' is similar to the font of 'All The Lost Souls' as it looks as if each letter has been taken from a pub sign, or a restaurant sign, again emphasizing how his music is for people from different backgrounds and lives.
The main image is James Blutn staring directly at the camera with a blurred face, making it difficult to determine what he is thinking, once again this relates to the vats majority of the public as he is implying that he is a lost soul.
Research Into Similar Media Texts (Music Videos)
In order for my music video to look of top quality, I need to research successful music videos and find out what distinguishes them to others.
Obviously music videos vary depending on the genre of music, for example, a pop song would have a completely different video to a heavy metal song, as the music is completely different.
For my music video, I aim to make it look and sound as professional as I can without making it look to amateur or boring.
Example - Last Ones Standing.
This music video has taken a comedic route, in that the video is mocking what a stereotypical American police force in the 70's would act like. The start of the video entails shot sharp camera shots focusing in on the lead singer in an old 70's tanned suit and dark glasses. The eye contact made with the audience in this shot suggests that Example is taking the lead role in this video as a 1970's cop. He takes off the sunglasses, breaking the barrier between himself and the audience, letting the audience know that he is in charge.
His facial expression is serious, yet holds a comedic value as he obviously is not a police man. The blurred colour tone int this shot suggests that this video is supposed to look like it was filmed in the 70's, however it still keeps a high quality of filming.
Immediately fans of Example would understand that this music video is focusing on comedy, as his music is more modern as seen by the print screen below:
We are told the name and artist of the song after the snap shots of the lead singer, the font looks retro and is edited to a poor quality on purpose to show how old the video is aiming to be. In this day and age, having an upbeat pop song tieing in with a retro 70's cop chase music video has a comic value, as a 70's cop show would be taken more seriously, with a more serious song used.
The screen shot below focuses on the title of the video 'EXAMPLE IN LAST ONES STANDING' the font is a bright yellow matching the lights, emphasizing the contrast in colour, in comparison with the dark background. The two officers are hidden in shadow, evoking a somewhat mysterious point of authority. The fact that the headlights of the car are focusing directly at the audience shows that the audience are part of this video, as the headlights are focused on you.
The lead singer is the centre of attention throughout the video, as he is the leading officer in this police force, he has a cheesy sidekick who is a woman with red glasses, symbolising her possible lust for the lead officer.
The screen shot below shows the cast of this music video.
As you can see it is very stereotypical, from left to right, you have the fat boss man, always yelling and ulitmately in charge, you have the cheeky sidekick who thinks he is better than the lead officer, he weilds a bat to try and emphasize is masculinity, but ends up looking like a fool, the woman in red skinny jeans with big bug eyed glasses and a blonde bob haircut, usually seen as the lead officer's love interest, and then the lead officer himself, masculine, cocky and ultimately cool. The different poses they adopt shows the soical status amoungst the other members. The boss is standing up crossing his arms looking masculine, the cheeky sidekick is holding a bat with a cheeky grin, again emphasizing his cheekyness. The woman and the man both stand with some authority as they are the leading roles in the video.
The entirety of the video aims to be amusing, the camera's setting is focused in such a way that the whole area and the surroundings look like they would in the 70's.
This is similar to what I want my music video to entail, I aim to make my music video slightly amusing, however direct to the point of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qklFpvW7IME
Elliot Minor - Electric High.
Unlike the previous music video, this video is rock/alternative in genre, and therefore the music video will alter in theme. This band is slightly low budget, as they are not very well known, and therefore their music videos tend to be quite simple, yet effective.
This music video shows the production of the song, how it was made and how the band members spend their free time, it's easy to film, it saves money and it's effective. The video is primarily all about the band's daily gig routine, and the humour and fun they have whilst touring, this makes the band look appealing and funny to the audience, thus making the band seem friendly to fans and the public.
The start of the video shows the band's preparation for the song and the camera only focuses on guitar strings, drum kits, plectrums and keyboards, all of their instruments, which gives it a nice effect as the audience know the music is about to begin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqNjIN7nzCM
The Coral - Dreaming Of You.
This music video 80% of the time takes place in a small room covered in posters where the band play their instruments, this immiediatly informs the audience that this band are young amateurs with a low budget. Because of the film being so low budget, it can encourage other newer/younger bands to make videos such as this one, as it is not that difficult, and doesn't cost too much money.
The editing of the separate scenes, such as the bike rides have clearly been green screened to make it look like they were cycling against a rural background.
However the aim of this video is to make it look amateur, as the music is indie and quite retro. The band members are all dressed in casual clothing, plain jumpers, jeans and messy hair, implying that they are young, attracting the youths of the music market.
Some music videos have a meaning behind them, a message that they want to send out, however this music video is simply going for a more subtle and enjoyable video, with little editing and effects, it's easy to tell that they are low budget. The short cuts between scenes showing the other band members implies that it is not just one individual that makes the band, but the rest of the members as well, this makes the band appear well formed and friendly to the public, giving off a good impression and a inviting look. The bike ride being a good example of the band's loyalty and friendship, The song itself is aimed at youths, as it was a bit hit with teenagers at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRy8N1P1EUI
OK GO - Here It Goes Again.
This video is one entire shot. Extremely low budget, and a student could make it. All it requires is co-ordination and teamwork. The song itself is of average standard, however the music video attracted millions of people, because of it's simplicity and its complexity. Using treadmills to dance on is a very strange idea, and yet people loved it. I do not intend my music video to be similar to this, as I do not own X number of treadmills and for the song I have chosen to do, treadmills would not fit into the genre. The genre of the song is pop, therefore the video will be rather light-hearted. The costumes in which the band members are wearing, symbolize that they are quite smart, yet somewhat dorky, which highlights the comedic value of the video. The video is made to look amateur, so that people watching could mimic the video, or perform something similar, as this video is not as proffesional as many others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPmhTCaDkGA
James Blunt - 1973.
James Blunt's music video consists of himself taking a walk down a road he once knew and loved, reminiscing the forgotten years of his youth remembering a girl he once knew. The lyrics of the song fit perfectly to the music video. In the music video, the camera cuts from an empty town where James is walking through, to the girl he is singing about dancing in what I can only assume to be his basement.
The camera used when filming the woman has been edited in a sepia tone or a golden lens, to evoke her purity and purity, making her almost Godess-like. emphasizing how pure and perfect she appears to be to James Blunt.
The camera comes in and out of focus at certain parts of the song, spinning around James' head, as if he is trying to remember his past but is having trouble doing so, thus showing his confusion and dissaray, people in the audience can relate to a situation similar to this, and the lyrics fit the song perfectly and they could have a personal impact on certain listeners.
The camera movements play a massive part in this music video, as it goes through cafes and swaps between James and the girl, showing people's views on James and different aspects of his journey through the deserted town. Even though James is viewed from different viewpoints, it is always following him wherever he goes, across rooftops, under boxes and mid shots when he is walking, almost as if the camera is trying to capture his journey with this woman that he once had.
Unlike my previous music video analysis' this video focuses more on the journey taken place rather than the band/artist playing live with no storyline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su29nRqft5Y
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army.
Similar to the 'OK GO' video, this music video is entirely one shot. The music video is simply a hypnotising display of continuous triangles, which captivates the audience, as it is slightly hypnotic. The colours used in the video, are red, white and black, all very distinct and bold colours which again draws the audience in.
Midway through the song, to stop the video becoming to repetitive, the continuous triangles transform into circles, with triangles still flowing. This minor change in the video makes it very substantial, as it is a subtle change, however it works well with the mood and pace of the video, it's a slightly fast paced video and by changing the speed or mood of the video would ruin it entirely.
All of the band members are wearing simple clothing with no logos on them, again highlighting the simplicity of the video, having a logo or sign on their clothing would draw attention to the clothing, rather than the videos effects.
The point of the video, is for it to be intriguing, which it is. Even if people do not like the actual song, the video makes up for it, less is more in the video, and because it is low budget, they would have made a lot of money back on it, as it became very renown and successful.
Rise Against - Hero Of War.
The aim of this video, unlike others, is to make people think about what other people in life go through. This specific video focuses on war, and a man telling a story about how cruel and harsh it is out there.
We see the lead singer sitting on a chair in what appears to be a run down play ground, emphasizing that that was once a place of laughter and enjoyment, and now it has been reduced to a desolate area where misery lies.
Obviously music videos vary depending on the genre of music, for example, a pop song would have a completely different video to a heavy metal song, as the music is completely different.
For my music video, I aim to make it look and sound as professional as I can without making it look to amateur or boring.
Example - Last Ones Standing.
This music video has taken a comedic route, in that the video is mocking what a stereotypical American police force in the 70's would act like. The start of the video entails shot sharp camera shots focusing in on the lead singer in an old 70's tanned suit and dark glasses. The eye contact made with the audience in this shot suggests that Example is taking the lead role in this video as a 1970's cop. He takes off the sunglasses, breaking the barrier between himself and the audience, letting the audience know that he is in charge.
His facial expression is serious, yet holds a comedic value as he obviously is not a police man. The blurred colour tone int this shot suggests that this video is supposed to look like it was filmed in the 70's, however it still keeps a high quality of filming.
Immediately fans of Example would understand that this music video is focusing on comedy, as his music is more modern as seen by the print screen below:
The screen shot below focuses on the title of the video 'EXAMPLE IN LAST ONES STANDING' the font is a bright yellow matching the lights, emphasizing the contrast in colour, in comparison with the dark background. The two officers are hidden in shadow, evoking a somewhat mysterious point of authority. The fact that the headlights of the car are focusing directly at the audience shows that the audience are part of this video, as the headlights are focused on you.
The lead singer is the centre of attention throughout the video, as he is the leading officer in this police force, he has a cheesy sidekick who is a woman with red glasses, symbolising her possible lust for the lead officer.
The screen shot below shows the cast of this music video.
As you can see it is very stereotypical, from left to right, you have the fat boss man, always yelling and ulitmately in charge, you have the cheeky sidekick who thinks he is better than the lead officer, he weilds a bat to try and emphasize is masculinity, but ends up looking like a fool, the woman in red skinny jeans with big bug eyed glasses and a blonde bob haircut, usually seen as the lead officer's love interest, and then the lead officer himself, masculine, cocky and ultimately cool. The different poses they adopt shows the soical status amoungst the other members. The boss is standing up crossing his arms looking masculine, the cheeky sidekick is holding a bat with a cheeky grin, again emphasizing his cheekyness. The woman and the man both stand with some authority as they are the leading roles in the video.
The entirety of the video aims to be amusing, the camera's setting is focused in such a way that the whole area and the surroundings look like they would in the 70's.
This is similar to what I want my music video to entail, I aim to make my music video slightly amusing, however direct to the point of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qklFpvW7IME
Elliot Minor - Electric High.
Unlike the previous music video, this video is rock/alternative in genre, and therefore the music video will alter in theme. This band is slightly low budget, as they are not very well known, and therefore their music videos tend to be quite simple, yet effective.
This music video shows the production of the song, how it was made and how the band members spend their free time, it's easy to film, it saves money and it's effective. The video is primarily all about the band's daily gig routine, and the humour and fun they have whilst touring, this makes the band look appealing and funny to the audience, thus making the band seem friendly to fans and the public.
The camera switches from the bands past times to the band performing on stage. The music video doesn't really entail any storyline or narrative, the song clearly just needed a music video and the band found old video recordings of themselves and used it in the video. This shows that the band are friendly towards eachother and have a good relationship with eachother, thus showing the audience that they are just like them, they are not trying to be something they are not, unlike many other modern bands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqNjIN7nzCM
The Coral - Dreaming Of You.
This music video 80% of the time takes place in a small room covered in posters where the band play their instruments, this immiediatly informs the audience that this band are young amateurs with a low budget. Because of the film being so low budget, it can encourage other newer/younger bands to make videos such as this one, as it is not that difficult, and doesn't cost too much money.
The editing of the separate scenes, such as the bike rides have clearly been green screened to make it look like they were cycling against a rural background.
However the aim of this video is to make it look amateur, as the music is indie and quite retro. The band members are all dressed in casual clothing, plain jumpers, jeans and messy hair, implying that they are young, attracting the youths of the music market.
Some music videos have a meaning behind them, a message that they want to send out, however this music video is simply going for a more subtle and enjoyable video, with little editing and effects, it's easy to tell that they are low budget. The short cuts between scenes showing the other band members implies that it is not just one individual that makes the band, but the rest of the members as well, this makes the band appear well formed and friendly to the public, giving off a good impression and a inviting look. The bike ride being a good example of the band's loyalty and friendship, The song itself is aimed at youths, as it was a bit hit with teenagers at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRy8N1P1EUI
OK GO - Here It Goes Again.
This video is one entire shot. Extremely low budget, and a student could make it. All it requires is co-ordination and teamwork. The song itself is of average standard, however the music video attracted millions of people, because of it's simplicity and its complexity. Using treadmills to dance on is a very strange idea, and yet people loved it. I do not intend my music video to be similar to this, as I do not own X number of treadmills and for the song I have chosen to do, treadmills would not fit into the genre. The genre of the song is pop, therefore the video will be rather light-hearted. The costumes in which the band members are wearing, symbolize that they are quite smart, yet somewhat dorky, which highlights the comedic value of the video. The video is made to look amateur, so that people watching could mimic the video, or perform something similar, as this video is not as proffesional as many others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPmhTCaDkGA
James Blunt - 1973.
James Blunt's music video consists of himself taking a walk down a road he once knew and loved, reminiscing the forgotten years of his youth remembering a girl he once knew. The lyrics of the song fit perfectly to the music video. In the music video, the camera cuts from an empty town where James is walking through, to the girl he is singing about dancing in what I can only assume to be his basement.
The camera used when filming the woman has been edited in a sepia tone or a golden lens, to evoke her purity and purity, making her almost Godess-like. emphasizing how pure and perfect she appears to be to James Blunt.
The camera comes in and out of focus at certain parts of the song, spinning around James' head, as if he is trying to remember his past but is having trouble doing so, thus showing his confusion and dissaray, people in the audience can relate to a situation similar to this, and the lyrics fit the song perfectly and they could have a personal impact on certain listeners.
The camera movements play a massive part in this music video, as it goes through cafes and swaps between James and the girl, showing people's views on James and different aspects of his journey through the deserted town. Even though James is viewed from different viewpoints, it is always following him wherever he goes, across rooftops, under boxes and mid shots when he is walking, almost as if the camera is trying to capture his journey with this woman that he once had.
Unlike my previous music video analysis' this video focuses more on the journey taken place rather than the band/artist playing live with no storyline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su29nRqft5Y
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army.
Similar to the 'OK GO' video, this music video is entirely one shot. The music video is simply a hypnotising display of continuous triangles, which captivates the audience, as it is slightly hypnotic. The colours used in the video, are red, white and black, all very distinct and bold colours which again draws the audience in.
Midway through the song, to stop the video becoming to repetitive, the continuous triangles transform into circles, with triangles still flowing. This minor change in the video makes it very substantial, as it is a subtle change, however it works well with the mood and pace of the video, it's a slightly fast paced video and by changing the speed or mood of the video would ruin it entirely.
All of the band members are wearing simple clothing with no logos on them, again highlighting the simplicity of the video, having a logo or sign on their clothing would draw attention to the clothing, rather than the videos effects.
The point of the video, is for it to be intriguing, which it is. Even if people do not like the actual song, the video makes up for it, less is more in the video, and because it is low budget, they would have made a lot of money back on it, as it became very renown and successful.
Rise Against - Hero Of War.
The aim of this video, unlike others, is to make people think about what other people in life go through. This specific video focuses on war, and a man telling a story about how cruel and harsh it is out there.
We see the lead singer sitting on a chair in what appears to be a run down play ground, emphasizing that that was once a place of laughter and enjoyment, and now it has been reduced to a desolate area where misery lies.
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Research Into Similar Media Texts (Music Genre)
In order for my teaser trailer to be captivating and intriguing to the audience, I first need to find the musical score I want my teaser trailer to entail. Because my film is set in a post modern world, I feel that orchestral/classical music would fit the trailer, as It is set in the past. The reason behind this is because I want the audience to feel immersion when the are watching the trailer, and by adding classical music to a film set years before modern times gives the film the immersion the audience crave for.
Although choosing the type of music for my trailer is also essential. My film is dark and mysterious, therefore and composer such as Frank Miller would deter people form viewing my trailer, as he was known for his upbeat and joyful music, that is why I have decided to use Hans Zimmer's music in my trailer, as he is known for creating epic and inspirational music.
Here is an example of what I want my trailer to entail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkvNmb9tMII
Although choosing the type of music for my trailer is also essential. My film is dark and mysterious, therefore and composer such as Frank Miller would deter people form viewing my trailer, as he was known for his upbeat and joyful music, that is why I have decided to use Hans Zimmer's music in my trailer, as he is known for creating epic and inspirational music.
Here is an example of what I want my trailer to entail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkvNmb9tMII
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