Digipak Examples

Costume

With our group video being partly in stop motion animation, obviously the fruit will not be wearing a costume apart from in some scenes they will be seen in stereotypical props to amplify the lyrics e.g. woolly hats, sun glasses and scarf’s will be drawn onto the tomatoes. To go with the tomato couple we will film other couples in everyday casual clothing the casual clothes will make the staged couples more realistic and more believable. Also they should be dressed correctly for their age as this will look good for when we want to capture couples growing older.

Storyboards

Brainstorm

Lyrics

Lyrics

We’ve been growing up in the same old time from 3 feet tall some of us met eyes
Who knew we’d be sharing secrets for then
Things have changed yes we have changed but together we have stayed
No one knew wed be sharing secrets for ever
Thanks for this complex world
That dragged the land away from the sea so we could be together using the waves for free

We’ve been north east south and west
Wouldn’t think of anything less now
Like the waves were longing to be free
We’ve been backwards forward up and down in life
Just trying to do what’s right in life
I love the way you we joke around always spell bound
Photographs films places we’ve been put them in a box seal them in
Rain days will never ever ever be doomed

Thanks for this complex world that dragged the land away from the sea
So we could be together using the waves for free
We’ve been north east south and west wouldn’t think of any less now
Like the waves were longing to be free
I know were meant to be together we’ve been climbing trees together
Scraping our knees
Together forever

(sniffle)

Thanks for this complex world that dragged the land away from the sea
So we could be together using the waves for free
We’ve been north east south and west wouldn’t think any less now
Like the waves were longing to be free

I think were free

Survey Results

The results of our survey are as followed:

When we asked 30 people questions about what they preferred to see in a music video, to help us create the perfect video for our target audience.



In the 30 people that we asked 16 were female and 14 were male.





4 of whom were 16 8 were eighteen and 18 were seventeen, this concludes that we will have to be basing our music video around the specific results, in summery we will have to use ideas and points based on the age and gender.




The majority of the people we asked only watch videos for less than one hour a day, therefore a video should really statnd out and intrigue the audience into watching ours.




The most popular music channel was MTV and was also the most popular to watch. Our video should be something very simliar to those MTV play this should create a bigger audience and better feedback.




The preferred music genre is rock; therefore we will use a rock band to correspond with our results.




However the most popular music video is Beyonce - Single ladies which is a poplar R&B artist. Therefore our video could have some elements of an R&B video. This however would be hard to create as most videos for R&B artists involve clubs, which our group will not be able to film in legally.



The least popular music video was Lady Gaga – Poker face and Westlife – Mandy which are both pop songs so we can gather from our results that pop videos are the least popular.




The most popular artist at the moment which is suggested from our results is Calvin Harris, who is an electro artist, the editing in the videos are usually fast paced to match his up tempo genre.





When asked if they prefer narrative or performance based videos 18 people prefer narrative where as 12 people like performance based videos, this contradicts with our pervious result of the preferred genre being rock as most rock videos are usually performance based.




Furthermore when asked if they prefer linear to non-linear, 18 people prefer linear and 12 people prefer non linear, therefore our music video shall be linear.




The most popular setting for a music video is a city with 8 votes, this could be a possible setting for our music video, however it could be quite a problem trying to organise trying to get the group together at the same period of time in this setting. The next most popular areas are a house and a field which both got 6 votes, these areas are a lot easier to get to and organise so they could be more convenient setting to shoot our music video.






We asked the question, should the video include the band or artist? Our results show that people prefer to see the artist/band, this could correspond with our most popular genre of rock.




We then asked if they should play as themselves or a character, themselves was the most popular choice.






Our results also show that the audience prefer a music video to illustrate the lyrics. So when choosing our song we as a group need to focus on the lyrics, which ever song has the most simple lyrics to portray we will use.




When asked if they prefer slow or fast music, they chose fast, therefore our music video should correspond with our results and be faced paced editing.





Yet the video should be realistic as this is the preferred choice of our target audience. This will be easier for our group, as we have a limited time.





The video will also be in colour as only 13 people enjoy this effect. This is ironic as the most popular video, Beyonce - Single ladies, is in Black & white throughout the video.





We have also decided to not use a dance routine in our video as 19 people dont like to see them this is another benifit for our group as we do not have the time to choreograph a routine.







Were going to have an animal because this is what they want to see. An animal will automatically make our video more loveable, the majoirty of our questionares were answered by girls, stereotypically they will really enjoy the cute loveable animal aspect of our video.







We also asked what the audience would like to see in the digi pack, a DVD was the most popular choice, as this could be quite hard to produce we could opt for the second highest result which was artwork

Codes and Conventions

After taking our survey results into consideration we thought we should also follow the codes and convetions that apear in the music videos that we have analysed over the past weeks.

The most common factor throughout the videos was that the video amplified the lyrics in the song. When we begin to storyboard our video, we shall take this into high consideration.
How we portray the artist is also very important, the genre of music depends on the representation we will use, we have chose a rock band. Our video will be very simialr to those of other rock bands. This includes a performance which is a common aspect of a rock video, this will iclude lip syncing. To help portray the artist we will also consider the mise en scene to emphasise the bands personality.
When we start to edit out video, we need to make sure that the edits match the pace of the music.
There should be a wide variety of camera angles, alot of close ups, tracking shots and crane shots should be used to follow the usual conventions of a music video.
The simple narrative of our videos should be linear as most videos are, also it should come to a close, a music video is a short film which should come to an ending, no cliff hanger will be in our music video. The story line should be quite simple, yet not boring. To match the simple narrative we will use a simple realistic setting, this is a very common convention in the music videos we have watched. We need to attract people with our video, we will use special effects however in the time space that we have we will have to use quite simple special effects, which is an advantage to us as most videos use simple effects such as slow motion very often.

Chemical Brothers - Hey Girl, Hey Boy

Chemical Brothers - Hey Girl, Hey Boy

Aspects of performance / mode of address

In this music video there is no performance as the video is all narrative driven. There is an indirect address to the video as the audience are shown as 'invisible', the audience are just 'peaking' into the lives.


Narrative

There is a Linear narrative for the music video, the flashes and gaps in time are going forwards, not backwards. At the beginning there is a class of children on a school trip at a museum, we see the girl becoming fascinated with bones throughout the video, In the middle she has broken her arm and this is where the flash forward occurs from her bedroom as a girl to the bathroom of a club as a woman. Towards the end of the music video, everyone else turns into skeletons while dancing to the song.


How does the video create an image for the star/artist/band?

The artist are shown as indirectly promoting the dance music culture with the drugs, dancing and raves, this is because the woman looks as though she is hallucinating through the video.


How do the visual elements relate to the song? Amplification, illustration, disjuncture?

The visual elements are amplified in the song, the title 'Hey boy hey girl' is quite simply a boy and a girl who are shown throughout the video from being children to growing into adults. The visual elements make the lyrics have a meaning.


Mise-en-scene

The setting for the music video is in a club, this helps identify the audience which are young people. The woman is dressed in all black which blends in with everyone else as she is at a club. The skeletons are used as hallucinations in the music video.


Use of camera

Tracking is used at the beginning to show the audience that the children are on a bus, this then zooms into the girl which lets the audience know that she is the main character in this music video. A point of view shot is used when the girl is reading the book which makes the audience feel more involved. A low angle shot is used on the boy on the bus to show that he is powerful or perhaps a bully. Panning is used to show the different dinosaurs in the museum. A high angle shot is used on the girl when she has a broken arm, this shows that she is vulnerable.


Editing

Slow motion is used to show the chaos of the children, this is more effective, the slow motion also fits with the song. Elliptical editing is used, this skips time to show that the girl has grown up straight away, this is to skip some bits out and continues with the narrative. The pase of the editing matches the beat of the song, it starts off slower and then speeds up.


Representation

The video represents a young generation connected with drugs which indirectly promotes the dance culture, the music video exposes the negative through the culture. On the other hand, the woman may not be on drugs because we have seen her as a child, fascinated by skeletons, she might think that everyone is the same underneath.


Special effects

Strobe lights are used in the club setting of the video, this is another part of the dance culture. With the use of CGI, skeletons have been created and are there to show the girl's fascination with skeletons and/or the dance culture - hallucinations.


Genre

Electronic/Dance


Audience

Young people around 16 - 30 years old.


Channel

MTV Dance

Lighthouse Family - I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free

Lighthouse Family - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free

Aspects of performance/mode of address.

There is a direct mode of a address (looking at the audience directly), the man on the train is clearly in the band as he looks into peoples lives, this separates him from everyone else. There are no dance routines or real performances in this music video, it is narrative based with some performance within the narrative with the singing along, this is to focus more on the narrative, rather than the performance.


Narrative

The narrative of this music video is that people have problems on the train, then the problems are gone towards the end after he takes them all away. A non-linear narrative is used because of the use of flashbacks into peoples lives, this is to show the audience quickly the background to each of the characters. There is a clear beginning, middle and end to the music video. At the beginning there are normal people on a train who all have problems, in the middle, the man on the train is going through everyone's problems, and by the end of the music video he has taken care of everyone's problems.


How does the video create an image for the star/artist or band?

The Lighthouse Family have been made to look like that they will change your life for the better if you listen to them. They are shown as having a laid back approach with the tempo of the song. The Lighthouse Family are also shown to be normal people as they blend in with the rest of the characters.


How do the visual elements relate to the song? Amplification, illustration or disjuncture?

The visual elements relate to the song by amplify that he is saying talk about your problems because everyone has problems so that when they get off the train they feel a bit better because they have left their problems behind.


Mise-en-scene

The lighting is getting brighter towards the end which shows that the people on the train are feeling better than they were at the beginning. The costumes that are being worn are dark and all look the same, this is so that the band can blend in with the other characters. The Setting is underground, it is on a train which everyone can relate because people use it everyday.


Use of camera

There are many different camera angles and movement in this music video, an extreme long shot is used at the beginning of the video to show the train, the setting. A close up is used to show the adience the facial expressions of the characters. There is Tracking through the train which moves on from person to person showing their lives along the way. There is a zoom used to zoom into peoples lives. A point of view shot is used where the man is cooking this makes the audience feel more involved. Panning shots are used to move from one problem to another.


Editing

Straight cuts are used mostly throughout the music video, however dissolves are used to show the audience that it is a flashback into the characters' lives. Match on action is used when the girl takes his hand down the train to keep contingency. The editing of the music video has a slow pace which goes with the tempo and timing of the song. Eyeline matches are used with people in the train which let the audience know what the man is looking at, the people with problems.


Representation

The people on the train are stereotypically working class or lower people, this is shown through the costume, hair and make up, this is so that the song can relate to a wider audience. The girl is blonde which shows that she is pretty, she also has pale skin which makes her stand out from the other characters. This music video may have a religious meaning, the man is cleansing their souls before they go up the stairs to heaven.


Special effects

There are only some special effects used, these are really simple and basic, there is a slight glow on the character's face to make it stand out more.


Genre

Contemporary Soul


Audience

The audience for this video is 25 - 40 year olds as the song was made in the 1990s and it is mellow and easy listening.


Channel

Typical channels this video would be played on are VH1, Smooth or Magic.

Music Videos

Music Video

Music videos are a marketing device used by record companies to make the songs popular and to make sales. Music videos have only been mainstream since the 1980s but have been around for longer. Some people argue that the Beatles contributed to 'music videos'. In 1964, the film 'A Hard Days Night' contains songs with the Beatles and some narrative was attempted. Therefore it was a musical sequence, not a video. In 1965 the Beatles began to make film inserts as a promotional tool. Other bands began to follow this idea. The Beatles led the way with 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane', both were directed by Peter Goldman.
Use slow motion, unusual camera work, and through experimentation they were more sophistication than previous musical sequences. In the 1980s, music videos became mainstream with MTV, with the first song, 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. Music videos became standard practice for bands and artists as they were cheaply produced with hi-tech equipment such as the chroma key.

Censorship

Music videos need to be censored. They are regulated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), music videos are small films, so the film board regulate them. Censorship must be considered when making a music video. In 1991, Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' was censored when it was said that he was inappropriately touching himself. Other videos that are censored include 'Smack my bitch up' and 'Rock DJ'.

Music Theory

Some would argue that music videos make pop music based on image. Are pop songs enough on their own to make meaning and pleasure to the audience..?

"A good music video is a clip that responds to the pleasure of music, in which the music, is made visual, either in new ways that accentuates existing visual associations"

- Andrew Goodwin, 1992




1. The basic function or purpose of a music video is an advertisement and promotional tool to be used by the record company and artist as part of a marketing strategy.

2. The first music videos were produced in the 1980s.

3. Music videos are commissioned by becoming publisher-broadcasters rather than a broadcaster and programme maker, for example, channel 4 commissions all of its programmes from independent production companies.

4. A music video rarely takes more than two weeks to produce.

5. According to Andrew Goodwin, the three different ways in which the visuals in a video can relate to the lyrics of a song are illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

6. A music video treatment or pitch is the concept which outlines what the video will show, it will also include the location, situation, stories, images, look and feel, colour, the video's pace and many other important factors that need to be considered when making a music video.

7. Some of the things to avoid when making a student video are lack of planning and lack of research.