Analysis of 2 music videos

4 Sour - Hibi No Neiro

• The style/concept of this video is very contempory and modern as it is set out like a social networking website and there are many shots set out as people communiticating to each other via webcams - one example of which four people are taking photos of each other yet they are in different locations. What I like about this personally is that this is very simple to do if someone is making a low budget music video and this has given me another perspective of how to construct my own music video. Also, there were not many shots used as there was one main narrative running through the video. Overall, I quite liked the theme and the simplicity throughout.
  
• What I dislike about this video is that there was a background story, and I like individualistic, original music videos, it didn't give me the "wow" factor.
  

8 Pop Levi - Semi Babe

• Not what I had expected - the style is a little too simple for my liking, but it looks as if a lot of effort had gone into the making of the video. There are no cuts or edits used; just one long frame used of a few people playing instruments, which is giving the audience the sense of dullness, yet intriguing as something else may happen (which nothing did happen). The style is simple, but more work should've have gone in - e.g. use different settings, locations, costumes, and more singing as it was a really late duration - almost 3 minutes! And what disappointed me again was that the man in the red jacket sang "Semi babe" and went away! There were hardly any lyrics used and that is uncommon (unless it were a post-rock band performing, such as Sigur Rós, who are well known for their use of made up language "hopelandic" containing no lyrics throughout some songs to express a feeling or emotion) and because the no lyrics used in thisvideo, I was disappointed and bored of the whole narrative and the performance being plain.

Planning Task 1) Initial Ideas

Nina Ricci advert

The initial idea for our music video is that myself and Laura are going to use the song "Blinding" by Florence & the Machine, and this is influenced by the Nina Ricci advert with the autumnal colours and theme going through it, using washed out, distressed colours which could suggest that this is slightly twisted - also main focus is the apple (in relation to Snow White). It also has a red tint through out the advert.

Florence Welch - Singer for Florence and the Machine.

I have discovered that Florence is modelled to the likes of Kate Bush and Tori Amos, all having pale skin, red hair, and the performance in their music videos show a slight sense of bitterness and the representation of "the tortured, beautiful, twisted woman". Also in relation to "Ophelia" by Millais, a Pre-Raphelite painter. Their style of music is eclectic and very abstract in comparasion to the mainstream music that is out at the moment, not many people can get away with this impression if they do not have these features as of which these people have in common.

Kate Bush was recognised from the song "Wuthering Heights"

Tori Amos was known for the release of " Cornflake Girl". Inspired by Kate Bush, and then Florence from Tori Amos.

Research Task 19) Audience Research 2 (analysis)

So the results show that the RnB genre is the most popular genre, and Indie coming in second. Also, the results show that people prefer to watch music videos on TV rather than Youtube, which was unexpected. The bar graph indicates that 90% of people questioned watch music videos everyday and lastly it was 50/50 when we asked people what makes people watch music videos, resulting in abstract and performance.

Regardless of what the results show (that RnB is the most popular), my aim is to create a music video that isn't going to be stereotyped, degrading (e.g. professor green ft. lily allen, lots of girls dancing promiscuously) hopefully, this music video could be like an art piece, becoming very abstract and different to the typical music videos which are out at the moment!

Research Task 19) Audience Research 2

These are the results from the respondents in which myself and Laura asked sixth formers a number of questions to fill in on the questionnaire we'd given them. There were multiple choice answers; such as "What is your favourite genre?" and the majority of people put down RnB.

Research Task 18) Audience research 1

This is the questionnaire I had used to conduct the study.

Research Task 1) Brief

The task I have been set is to create a "promotional package" for the release of an album, and to include a music promo video together with two of the three options:

- Website homepage for the band/artist
- Design a album cover for the band
- Magazine advert for the band/album

The aim is to create your own artist, and using the original song, but recreate the artist for the music video.

Research Task 17) Record Label research 1

Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group. The label now operates as a division of The United Def Jam Music Group in the United States and as a standalone label in the United Kingdom (also known as Island Records Group or Universal Island).

• Myself & Laura have decided to use Island as our record label due to their vast range of popular artists, who were previously not well known. Artists such as Ladyhawke, Florence & The Machine, Tori Amos, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Killers, and Brandon Flowers are all associated with this label and I felt that our artist would be well suited to this record label.