Case Study

As part of my research I did a case study into a similar artist. I chose Katy Perry as she is a good all rounder pop singer and song writer who is very inspirational. I created my case study in the form of a flash site here is the link for it www.wix.com/amyadair/katy-p

Conventions of a pop music video

Camera Shots

Pop music videos often have many different fast camera shots. Bands generally are portrayed in mid or long shots to show the connection and relationship between the band members. Especially in pop videos there maybe a shot of the dominant image in the centre generally the main singer and then the rest of the band are often performing slightly behind, often showing a dance routine or movement. Long shots are used alot during band videos as the pop genre generally has alot of performing and choreographed dancing in their videos. However solo artists are often shown in close ups to help them to relate more to their fans and show emotions. Birds eye view shots are often used to focus on an image and show a different angle. It is often used in pop music videos as it gives a strange and unnatural angle. A birds eye angle adds surealism to the already strange image from the scissor sisters video of the band placed in a hand. This may also add the impresssion of a God like view to the audience. Tracking shots are often used in pop videos to follow an artist or to lead the audience to another shot or scene. Pan shots are also used often to show other band members or the surrounding area and to give a wider view of the scene. Zoom in/out affects are also used alot in disjuncture pop music videos to focus on objects or identify fine detail, that the audience may not have noticed otherwise.

Editing

Lots of editing techniques are used in pop music videos. Especially in our style of video as fast

songs have lots of cuts showing different shots flash on and off screen. This makes the video match the tempo of the song and makes it more interesting to look at for the audience. Another popular editing technique is the use of a green screen or plain background. This is then edited to create a bright vibrant background to the band, it can also be used to add effects to change the colour or detail to clothing items, objects and props. Effects are also often used to create a pattern on the background. Transitions are also used to change from one shot to another, this can be done in many form such as a dissolve, zoom or fade movement. This makes it more interesting to the audience and helps to reflect the theme's that were aimed for in the music video. A popular one for our style of video is a distorted effect that would help to add surealism to our footage.

Lighting

Lighting is portrayed very bright and lively in pop music videos. Flashing lights are often used as an effect to add energy to the video and the shot is generally always bright and well lit. In some shots you may find the edges darker and the centre brighter often on the dominant artist to enhance the star image.

Mise en scene

In any music video's mise en scene is carefully thought about. Each object or item is carefully selected for a particular reason and everything seen by the audeience on screen is there for a reason. In music videos props and costumes pay an important role. Costumes and make up are carefully selected and are often over the top to fit the style of the song.

9 Frame Analysis

I came across the music video 'Cheap and Cheerful' by The Kills, which I perticulary enjoy. The video has many features that we are hopefully going to use in our video and is a great influence. The style of the video and editing has helped us to create new ideas and a different view towards ours. To help gain an indepth view and to identify some of the main features of the video I decided to do an analysis of 9 shots from the video to study.

Shot 1- The first shot shows a close up of Alison the main singer, by using a close up we are framing the artist to focus on her face. This is one of the main selling points as she is the most well known artist out the group and a close up helps to introduce and distinguish her making her more appealing and personal to the fans. Alison is shown wearing bright glittery make up that shows a fun and interesting side to her however the red lips also add a seductive side which will appeal to a different audience. During the shot shadows are used on her face which changes everytime to hit the beat, this sets a fun and outgoing theme and add to the feel of the music.

Shot 2- For this shot a green screen has been used as we see footage of Alison displayed on the screen behind and of the actual footage on screen. This editing technique allows us to play a piece of footage in the background whilst filming the shot we are after on screen. Alison is portrayed in a smart old fashioned band stand style outfit with a large drum. The drum connotes that music is imprtant to her and the fact she is stood resting her leg on the drum portrays her laid back outlook on life. The shot on the screen behind is a mid shot therefore by using the two shots together we get a more indepth feel to the artist and many different views of her.

Shot 3- For this shot the clapping sequence is used to fit in with the music thought beats, it is short and fast but effective with the style of music. A mirror shot has been used as the two artists are shown twice and this has been edited in to create a duplicate effect, possibly by the use of a green screen again in a studio. Shadows are also another convention of the music video as it makes it more realistic and interesting to the audience. Alison is portrayed in black this time wearing a blazer showing a more smart, sophisticated but mysterious side to her. The other artist (Jamie) is also shown in a smart traditional band stand style jacket, this fits in with the themes of the song.

Shot 4- In this shot Alison is wearing a blonde 60's style wig with sunglasses. This may may be a reference to some of her influences as an artist. Footage shown in the background is also edited to an old 60's style film with interference across the shot. The glasses and leopard print scarf connote a wild charasmatic side to her. The red lips suggest an attractive side and that she likes to present her self well. However the smudged makeup also suggests an emotional side to her and portray her feelings.

Shot 5- This shot shows Jamie in a military style jacket playing the drums, this fits in with the themes of the music video already created. A shot of him has been cloned 4 times to show us 4 of the same image but two with different jackets on, this is affective as it confuses the audience and makes them look twice at the artist. The drum symbolises the love for music and the close up of Alison on the screen behind shows the more emotive side.

Shot 6- This shot shows a green background with a long shot of the two artists. The green background may connote envy and the two artists are wearing the same military style suits. The background screen shows a mid shot of Jamie dancing in robot style movements and the two artists are dancing in a similar style on screen. The puppet style dance movements show a form of control and add a quirkiness to the video. It makes it more intresting and adds a fun element to the video.

Shot 7- One convention often used is a shadow effect as shown in this shot. A simple long shot of the artist can be made very effective by the shadow effect. A guitar and amp are shown in the shot showing the importance of music to the band and to suggest that they play all their instruments and are showing their fans everything they have. The shadow effect adds a dark mystery look which could be interpretated to some of the ideas in their music.

Shot 8- This shot uses one of the features we are hoping to use in our video by using writing on the screen. The bold red typography helps make it easier for the audience to join in and as a marketing feature helps the song stick in the audiences head. Again a shadow is used adding a mysterious seductive view towards Alison. She is wearing laid back clothes which suggests her calm outlook on life but her makeup suggests that she cares about what she looks like and maybe what people think of her. The bright eye shadow makes the shot fun and exciting and the direct mode of address makes it more personal to the audience.

Shot 9- This shot is edited to match with the 60's theme aimed for. A monochrome silhoutte type image is layered on top of the video footage to create the effect. Half the normal footage is visable with the other half being the edited part. The background image on the screen is blured out to create the contrast between the two shots. And the bright colours used help identify the different elements of the shot. This shot portrays the quirkiness and surealism the band were aiming for and adds an 'art student' creative type image towards the band.

Prezi Analysis

The Dead Weather- Treat me like your mother on Prezi

As part of my research I analysed a music video by The Dead Weather and created a Prezi of my analysis. This excercise was to help recognise the key features that make up a music video including thoughtbeats, story line, image, technical points and visuals. This excercise helped me remember what the conventions of a video were as I could witness the different aspects in a real video and apply them to the features as I saw it happen in the shot.

This was also my first attempt at displaying my findings in a Prezi document. I typed up my findings into a prezi and linked each piece of information through a numbered path. The path added motion to my document and linked all the pieces together in order. Next time I create a Prezi I will try using different types of media such as images.

Album Cover Analysis

From top left: Biffy Clyro- Puzzle, Dead mau5- Random album Title, The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's, The doors- Waiting for the Sun, Marina and the Diamonds- The Family Jewels, The Beatles- Revolver, CocoRosie- La Maison De Mon Reve, Blondie- Parallel lines.

Album covers are used to market the artist and their album and draw an audience and interest them. The majority of album covers have the artists name in large typography at the top or bottom of the cover. The album name is generally underneath the artists name in smaller typography. An album cover generally has a background/setting with a centre dominant image, generally of the artist or an image reflecting the album and themes. A prime example is the Blondie- parallel lines where Debbie Harry is portrayed as the dominant member with the rest of the band behind her, they use a simple background which works well as the attention is then drawn to the artist. The artists title is used in a logo signature type font which makes the album more personal to her fans. Lots of other artists have used this idea including The doors, Marina and the Diamonds, Deadmau5 and CocoRosie.

The covers I have chose are categorised very differently. Biffy Clyro do not portray their band in their album covers, instead they use imagery. This is used to show that they are more interested in their music and being part of band than the image they receive from it. Deadmau5 have used a computerised image of the artist which reflects their music and the idea it is all electronic. The doors and Blondie both use images of the artists, this is their main selling point as they are known by their faces and star image. Marina and the Diamonds also uses this technique but the main artist/star, Marina, is posing seductively, this appeals to an audience of girls admiring her and men who are attracted to her. CocoRosie use the artist in the cover however they mix imagery with it too, this helps show their emotions and innocence that the album tries to portray, and adds a more serious feel than drawing attention to the artists image. The Beatles have used a collage like cover, including the artist in the image. This adds a fun feel and suggests what the album may be about.

A album covered is used to advertise and identify the contents of the product, to convey the artistic aspirations of the original artists and in promotional efforts surrounding the product as an identifiable image associated with it.

Shot Count

There are over 103 shots in the music video Nancy Boy by Placebo. There are a range of meat shots and other shots edited together. There are still however a lot of shots of the band as a whole playing their instruments or singing which connotes that their music is important to them whoever there is a greater focus on the lead singer.

A range of shots are used throughout the video, there are many long shots however when it comes to a shot of the band there are either close ups or mid shots, this helps us get closer to the artist and makes it more personal.

Pre Lim Video

For my pre lim task the aim was to practice using the technologies, skills and equiptment we may need for our final media product and to learn how to use it. We used a video camera to record basic footage of a lip syncing practice we designed to practice our skills that we may need for future media products. After recording all of our footage, we used a fire wire to upload the footage to the computers. We then opened it up in the programme Final Cut. After uploading our footage we found the song we had practiced lip syncing to on Youtube and uploaded the url link to a website called Zamzar.com. Zamzar then converts the music to a suitable mp3 format to be used in Final Cut. It then sent me a email with the music file in within 24 hours. We uploaded the music File to Final Cut and placed it in position with our footage. We cut the video footage into sections such as verse and course and moved the pieces of footage into place with the song. This made rendering time quicker and allowed us to organise our short video. To match the video with the song I created markers through the footage so that the lip sync matched the lyrics in the song at the correct time. This was very difficult getting it exactly right in place. Overall for a first attempt i think our group did a good attempt. We chose the Venga Boys song We're going to Ibiza as it is a fun and energetic song. This would lead us to create a better performance as the words are simple to lip sync to and if we enjoyed filming as a group our performance is likely to be better. There are a lot of things to improve on as this was our first attempt it is at a very low level. We need to practice our editing techniques and create more interesting shots maybe with some transitions and edits into shots instead of a simple cut edit. We also need to work on getting different camera shots and angled shots to create a variety of shots that are suitable for the video.