Styles and conventions of music videos

Narrative
In a narrative music video there is very little footage of the artist preforming the song its mainly a story of something nothing to do with the song but sometimes it is to do with the song. Institutions use narrative video to get people talking about the song and generate word of mouth. It generates word of mouth because people will talk about the storyline of the video.



Preformance
Preformance usic video is when a music video is made and the footage is footage from a ive concert that the artist has preformed in. Institutions do this because its cheaper because they wont have to spend alot of money making a brand new music video. Also it gives viewers a chance to see what the artist is like live so they can be pursuaded to buy tickets to go and watch the artist live. This will make more money from concerts.



Typical conventions of genre
Typical conventions of genre are music videos what you would expect to see in a typical music video for a specific genre. Institutions could do this to show the strong sense of brand and to show clearly what genre the music is and the conventions that genre has.



Animation
Animation music videos are when the music video is edited or is just not footage. institutions do this to attract the audience more. It can also generate more word of mouth. Also it could make ore money because people will like it so much it can win awards.



interpretation
Interpretation is when the video matches the lyrics of the song, so for example if the singer sings a line where he/she says 'i got in the car' and in the video the artist gets into a car. Institutions do this so its easier for the audience to understand. Also some people may enjoy it more because its more relevant to the song.


impresionist
This is when the video doesn't match the lyrics of the song but the lyrics go with the pace and the cuts of the video. So for example if the theme of the song is anger the video will be very fast paced and there will be a lot of cuts. Institutions do this so the video becomes more eye catching because the pace of the video goes with the song itself. Also the the song can tell two different stories if the lyrics and the video do not match.




intertextuality
Intertextuality is when a music video refers to another media text. It is done so the audience have an understanding of what is going on and they will enjoy it more. Institutions may do this to attract viewers more. It can also promote the other media that they have remade.



parody
Parody is when is a comic version of another media text. Institutions may do this because the audience they are aimed at may enjoy humour. Also it shows the funny side to something that can be serious. Also institutions may do this t appeal to a wider audience.



referencing
Referencing is when the song is a soundtrack for a movie and the music video has clips of the movie in it. This can promote the movie and create a hype for when it will be released. Also institutions may do this so they can appeal to the movies audience aswell as there own this will make their target audience alot biger.

Music video outlets

Mainstream TV
Mainstream TV is television that is shown to most of the public and it is really popular. So if a song is shown on mainstream TV alot of people will hear and see it. This is good for a new song because if its new it will be shown to allot of people fast so the audience will be bigger. Also it could increase the size of the artists target audience. This is good for the label because they will pay only a small amount for it to be shown and mainstream TV is easy to access and its accessible to a large number of people. An example of a music show for mainstream TV would be top of the pops. When They was on TV they was on a channel that everyone could watch and they showed live performances and new music.

Music channels
Music channels are TV channels specifically for music. Music channels are good because they have chart shows so the public know how well songs are doing, shows that show how a music video was made, they show music videos and they promote new releases. Also shows such as MTV have other channels for different genres for example MTV base for hip hop and RnB, MTV hits for pop and MTV dance for clubland songs. Music channels are good for the artist and the song because when a new song is released its shown lot for the first week or two since it has been released. This can show the target audience the song and promote it more however on a downside if the song is shown too much viewers may get annoyed, Also with MTV's channels for specific genres it limits the size of the audience the artist can appeal to. This is good for the label because if the music channel promotes and shows the song a lot when its first released then the label can make a lot of money in early sales.


Direct CD/special edition CD/DVD releases
Some artists release exclusive footage with their CD's. Most of the time this is the record labels choice. This is good because the release of an album would be more hyped up and also it will persuade the target audience to buy it because they get to see something you cant see anywhere else. however on a downside people may think they can watch it for free on the internet so their is no point paying for a CD. This is good for the artist because it shows the audience more about themselves so the audience can relate to them and find out what their lives are really like.

Streaming websites
Streaming websites like youtube are good because people can watch music videos for free and its easy to access. Its also free for the video to be posted so the artist does not loose any money. Also there are links to other songs from the same genre. This will benefit the artist and the label because millions of people use youtube all over the world so they can see the music video. Also for unknown artists that post videos of them singing on youtube if they get good ratings then they could rise up the ranks and get signed by a record label. A good example of this would be Justin Bieber, as he released a video of him singing on youtube and then he was signed and now he has global success. Its also good for the artist because they can increase the size of their audience for free.


Artists websites
Artist websites are good because it shows everything about an artist and their music, it also has some business tie ins and you can purchase merchandise or tour tickets. This is good for the artist and the label because people can view only the artists music so it wont send them to someone else s music like youtube so it doesn't make competition fierce. However the audience size is limited and it is unlikely your target audience will increase.

Downloads (illegal and legal)
Downloading music legally is good for the audience and the artist because, The download cost money will go to the artist and the audience wont face any trouble if they are caught. However if music is downloaded illegally then the artist wont gain any money and it could affect the rannk they get in a chart shwo.

purpose of a music video

promotion of new music release
This purpose is to raise awareness of the new song or album. Raising awareness can increase launch sales because people will know when the new song or album is going to be released so they will be ready to buy it.The release date is usually turned into a special event with a countdown and sometimes even a launch party. Also on the internet on websites such as Youtube it can raise awareness in areas where artists are unknown for example there could be an advertisement on a different song saying that the track or album is going to be released.

Visual representation of an artist
Also music videos can be made is because of the visuals. This allows the Artist to be seen without having to preform. It also shows the audience the artists brand more clearer. For example if the music video is filmed in a gym and has lots of footage of people working out this can connote their brand is fitness and they like to keep in shape and that they want to promote healthy living and fitness. Also if the lyrics match the video and whats happening in the video it can be easier to understand.



Play ability of songs on music channels
When new songs are released music channels play the song allot and more frequently then others, this is so more people find out about the song and so people know about it. This can increase sales of the artists new rack and promote them. Also it can change their rank in popularity for example if a new grime song is released and is frequently played on channel AKA it can become very popular and make it on to bigger and better chat shows.

Synergy
Synergy is used to promote and raise awareness of both the artist and the institution. For example every year x factor make a charity song that all their contestants sing that usually becomes Christmas number one in the charts. This will show everyone the talent x factor have because the people they have made a number one single.


Art 
If the music video is really good it can make the song even more popular. Also it can get people talking and it could be remembered fr a very long time.The video could even be more popular and remembered more than the actual song itself.

Good and bad music video techniques

Large number of cuts



Cuts are used in music videos to try and get the viewer drawn into the video, the cuts have to be in time with the beat to draw the viewer in more because if its not in time with the beat its confusing and takes the viewer of the song. this cutting technique has been succesful in this music video because it cuts in time with the song. this makes the video more eye catching and draws the viewer in alot more so they enjoy watching the video while listening to the song. also it dosent confuse the viewer because it cuts in time so its more enjoyable to watch. the quick cuts can connote that the music is fast beat so this can connote that the artist sings fast songs.



If there isnt many ucts in a music video it can be quiet boring. here is an example of a music video with not many cuts.  the viewer may find it boring because its not very intresting because its just a many with monkeys dancing to a song. this can take the viewers concentration off the video because not much is happening  so it is quiet boring. this can connote the artist makes more chilled out slow songs because there isnt any cuts so there isnt much of a beat or a quick beat.#

Special effects 



Special effects are used in the best music videos. They are used to attract the viewer and to keep the viewer watching the video. If the special effects are really good then the viewer may enjoy the song more. This technique has been successful because its very eye catching and the special effects link in with music because, the special effect is people and objects being drawn with a tape. This can keep he viewers focus on the song because they will not want to look away because its good also it will help them enjoy the song more. These special effects are coming out from tapes so this can connote the video has something to do with music.



In this music video they have tried to add special effects but they are not very good. This is a bad example of special effects because they are supposed to attract the viewer more and make the video more enjoyable but the special effects were not very good so it didn't work. This would bore the viewer so it wouldn't be very effective.

Cutting to the beat




The technique of cutting to the beat is used to draw the viewer into the video more. it can make it more enjoyable and eye catching t watch. it also goes with the flow of the song so its better to watch. This technique has been successful because it cuts with the beta, the beat is fast and the cuts keep up with the fast tempo. The effect of this technique is that it makes the video more enjoyable and people will talk about it more. it can also connote the type of music so if there's lots of cuts it can connote its a fast song.




This is a bad example of cutting to the beat because, the song is playing and the cuts are very random. The cuts do not go with the beat. This can loose the viewers interest and concentration on the song because it can be confusing. It can be confusing because the tempo of the song is different to the cuts of in the video so the viewer is trying to concentrate on two things, the video and the song.

Varied camera language


Varied camera language is used to show movements of people in a video and to keep the video good and not boring. This is a good example of varied camera language because the camera is always moving and there is a variety of different shots, angles and camera movements. this makes the video better because it will not bore the viewer. It can also show the movement of the characters and where they are going. Also it can connote the type of song so if theres little camera movement it could be a slow paced love song or ballad but if theres alot of camera movement then it could be a party song.


Here is an example of a video with not much varied camera movement. This is quite boring and can loose viewers interests very easily because not much is happening.

Green screen



Green screen is used so the video can be in any location or somewhere that doesn't even exist without going there. In this video it has been used good because it doesn't look obviously fake. This will draw the viewer in more and make it more enjoyable to watch because it makes the video more like a movie.




Here is an example of bad green screening. Its bad because the boy in the video is wearing the same colour as the screen so his body gets cut out of the image. Also the background image is not very eye catching and it it quite boring so this will loose viewers attention.

Lip-syncing



This technique is used to make the audience think that they are singing but they aren't. This is good because the performer could be doing a dance routine and look like hes singing when he actually isn't rather than dancing and singing really bad. It has to be done good like in the video above because it will look like they are actually singing where as in the video below you can tell the artist isn't really singing and it looks really bad.

evaluation

We were asked to make a corporate video for a charity, the charity we chose was Redbridge Faith Forum. Redbridge Faith Forum is a charity that teaches people about lots of different faiths. this is good because people will have an understanding of what other people believe in. also it will reduce racism and helps people live with community cohesion.

We had to make a corporate video for Redbridge Faith Forum. The corporate video had to tell viewers  what Redbridge Faith Forum is about and what they do. For example our video was a interview which had questions which sums up what Redbridge Faith Forum is.

The purpose of the video was to inform the public about Redbridge Faith Forum and what they do. We had to promote there organisation to the public and show why they were set up, what they aim to achieve, what they have achieved so far and what they do.

Pre-Production
In pre-production we had to research about corporate videos, the conventions of a corporate video and what makes a good coporate video and what makes a bad corporate video.We then had to do some work where we had to write about two corporate videos why one was good and why one was bad. Then we had to select what organisation we was going to work with. we chose redbridge faith forum, we then had to research redbridge faith forum to get some knowledge about them before we went to go and see them. after we had chosen what organisation we were going to work with and got some information about them we had to go meet redbridge faith forum and get some more information about them. we found out what they do and what the purpose of their organisation is, we also found out what they have ahcieved and what theyre targets are. we then organised a date to go and film with them and planned what we was going to do and when we was going to do it. we then planned the structure of our video. Our video structure was to have graphics of the questions then have the footage of the answers after.

Production
During production we went to go and see redbridge faith forum and we did some filming. we did an interview with them asking them who they are, what they do and their targets. then we uploaded our footage and began to edit it. When we had to set up the shots for filming we didn't really have much choice of what shots we could do because the room we was filming in was really small, so we done an over the shoulder shot for the whole time we filmed.

Post production
in post production we edited our footage and began to put our corporate video together we made graphics that had the questions written on them and we inserted them in the appropriate places in the video then put the footage of the answer after. we also added some other graphics like the logo. and finally we put some background music in to go with the video and not make it boring. we also added images of the different logos Redbridge Faith Forum has so it the video wasn't just an interview because it would have been boring for the viewer.

The problems we faced with this was that we couldnt get in touch with the organisation because they were busy so we got a late filming date which made us rush everything.

The strengths of our work was that we had thought of a strong idea really quickly so we had time to elaborate on it and make it even better. however the weaknesses are that everything was rushed towards the end and we did not have much footage that we had filmed ourselves.

My opinion on the end product is that considering the time we had at the end and the footage we had we made it to the best it could be. it could have been better if we had more time to film but unfortunately that wasnt the case. overall i think me and my group put in allot of effort and the end product showed was rather good.

corporate video for Redbridge Faith Forum

Music video job roles

Camera operator


duties:

• camera operator is a senior role within the tv department. 
• they have o carry out instructions from the director so they have good variety of shots and camera movement so they have a good piece of footage
• they must have great technical skills so they know how the camera works and so they can use it
• they need good physical stamina so they can carry heavy equipment and work for long hours
• they must be able to multi task so they can listen and think while filming

skills:

• they need good communication skills
• need good diplomatic skills
• need good I.T skills

qualities:

• they must be creative
• they have to be patient
• have t work good in a group

Camera assistant

• they have to support members of camera crew and it is like having an apprenticeship
• they carry out work like camera maintenance so the equipment keeps working rather then waiting for it to break and paying more ad buying a new one.
• they need to know how to work in all different media formats
• they need to know how to use a basic camera so they can use it
• they need to know camera inside out so they can detect a problem and fix it.

skills:

• must be able to follow instructions
• need to be able to work under pressure
• need to be able to work in stressful situation

qualities:

• must be willing to learn skills from peers
• must be able to work under pressure
• mst have good health

art director

•  Art Directors work on feature films, commercials and some types of  television productions.
• they use there creative vision to design locations and props for filming for certain situations that give the production uniqueness.
• Art Directors must find practical solutions to creative problems while simultaneously monitoring the budget.
• they need to be able to think visually so they can plan things in their heads and rather than spending time and drawing it out this is good because if they dont like the idea they dont throw it away and waste time they can just think of another idea.
• Art Directors should have a good all round knowledge of interior design and architecture and the history of both, as well as a practical understanding of building and construction.

skills:

• they must have the ability to match colours and characters
• must have good drawing skills
• good management skills.

qualities:

•  they must have ntrests in art
• must have intrests in sculpture and design
• must work well with other people.

make up and hair artist

•  Make-up and Hair are key elements in the overall design of films or television productions. so they must be able to match the appearance of a person with the settings or the theme of the film.
• Make-up and Hair Artists must be experienced in using a wide variety of professional make-up and hair products, so they can work anywhere and use almost any product on whoever they need to use it on.
• they have to create there on make ups to use, this is so if there is a low amount or no make up they can make some and there isnt any problems.
• they need to know if the person they are working with has any medical problems or is allergic to anything because if they put make up on them and it has a ingredient that the person is allergic to in it then they can cause problems for the manager.
• Make-up and Hair Artists should be able to break down scripts in terms of make-up and hair plots, and need an understanding of story structure and character arcs.

skills:

•  must be able to create make up designs
• good presentation skills
• good I.T skills

qualities:

•  good listening skills
• they must have a passion for what they do
• they must be out going
• 
  

Gaffer

• gaffers are like managers or a head of department.
•  Gaffers are close with Heads of Department they discuss all lighting aspects of the production, including crewing and equipment requirements, shooting dates and durations, etc.
• they make lists of requirements so everyone knows what they have to do and when they have to do it by.
• Gaffers order the required equipment from Lighting companies and specify the crewing requirements.
• Gaffers observe and supervise all aspects of the Lighting department's work.
• they need willingness to work long and irregular hours because they have to supervise and tell everyone what to do.

skills:

• must be self-diciplined
• must be patient
• must be reliable

qualities:

•  they must be willing to travel alot 
• must be able to work well wih other people
• they must be able t work under pressure
• 
  

Executive producer

•  Executive Producers are responsible for the overall quality control of productions and to make sure the final product is good.
• they must be able to identify commercial marketable products.
• During production they act as a sounding board for Producers in the decision making processes.
• sometimes they may have to do scripting casting or maybe even be part of the camera crew.

skills:

• good initiative sklls
• good at problem solving
• must have good mentoring skills

qualities:

• must be able to work well with alot of stress
• must be able t work under pressure
• must be able to work well wth others

Production manager

•  they work in all genres in television production they are responsible for organising everything, scheduling and the budget.
• they make sure scripts have been broken down so it can fit into time allocated to film.
• they have to communicate well with all heads of department to make sure everything goes smoothly, they stay in there time allocated and they keep within the budget.
• their problem solvung skills have to be good so nothing goes wrong and there is no problems.
• Production Managers should have up-to-date working knowledge of the relevant UK union and/or broadcaster regulations and agreements

skills:

• must have good budgeting skills
• must be good financially
• must have good analytic skills

qualities:

• must be able to work on the computer for long periods
• they must be enthusiastic
• they need to be confident

Location manager

•  they find suitable filming locations so they can film there then they negotiate contracts and make payments and tell the heads of departments.
• thye have to find locations that go with the script and the theme of filming.
• they have to find quick easy safe routes to get to the location for everone working so things can be done quickly.
• they need very good negotiation skills, so they can neotite well when they want to use a certain location.

skills: 

• highly developed negotiation skills
• excellent communication skills
• excellent I.T skills

qualities:

•  must be able to read maps
• willingness to work long hours
• must have a good sense of direction

director

•  the director tells everyone what to do durin production, he is like a boss.
• Directors are responsible for the look and sound of a production and its technical standards such as camera movements.
• they work closely with producers and writers so they know exactly what needs to happen.
• they need good communication skills so everything runs smoothly.
• they liase with camera men so every shot is right and so the camera men know everything is going well.

skills:

• good initiative skills
• good communication skills
• good problem solving skills

qualities:

•  must have precise attention to detail
• must have good stamina
• must be able to work in stressful situations