Research

What is a music video?

According to The Bloomsbury Handbook of Popular Music Video Analysis, Music videos are a way for artists to promote their music across many online platforms such as YouTube, which has made the form available to millions. 

How to make a music video

To get an idea of how I should form the production process for my music video, I researched video tutorials on YouTube from people (in this case, students) to see how they created their music video.

Survey on what makes a good music video

At the beginning of my project, during my pitch, I asked my classmates what they thought were the features of a good music video. Their answers included:-

• Good cinematography
• Use of sound
• A storyline to make the music video flow
• A style

Target Audience Demographic for Music Videos

• Age = The average age of people who watch music videos can be a variety of younger and older people between 15-50 because music videos is a relatively new form of media that has only come about in the last 40 years.
• Gender = The gender of people who watch music videos can be both male and female. However, the audience's gender can depend on the type of music that is the music video is for as different genders and different people like different genres of music.
• Income = The annual income of people who watch music video could be £15,000 because this is the UK's minimum annual wage and as a lot of people watching music videos are young, they may be yet to earn the top salaries.
• Ethnicity = The ethnicity of people who watch music videos in the UK will most likely be White British because according to gov.uk, the majority of the UK's population is White British.
• Country = An audience for a music video could be worldwide as some artists perform their music in different countries, as well as the UK.
• Hobbies/Interests = The hobbies and interests of people who watch music videos would most probably include music but they could vary as according to cascadeae.com, music is something that billions of people around the globe enjoy and everyone has different interests in different things, as well as different tastes in music.

Features of a Music Video, 
according to Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

• Lyrics and Visuals = a relationship between the lyrics of a song and what is seen on-screen. An example of this could be that a social message is being portrayed through the lyrics of a song and in return, this is reciprocated in the music video. An example would be the "Where Is The Love?" music video, which portrays the message that there is no love in the world anymore and we should show love more in the world.
• Music and Visuals = a relationship between the music and what is seen on-screen. An example would be that the beat of a song co-ordinates with something visual. An example would be the "Walks Like Rihanna" music video, where the beat of the song co-ordinates with the flashing of the strobe-lighting.
• Genre = Every music video has a genre. Music video genres include; performance (where the song is performed to an audience, e.g the "We Got Love" music video), location (where a music video is based around one location, e.g. the "Beautiful Life" music video), narrative (where the music video revolves around a story, e.g. the "Take On Me" music video) and concept (an unusual music video based around an idea, e.g. the "Somebody That I Used To Know" music video).
• Artist Close-Ups = This is usually a record company's requirement that a record artist features heavily in a music video. An example would be the "Dancing" music video, where the artist, Kylie Minogue, is the main subject of the music video.
• Star Iconography = This is when an artist can develop their own style for their music video to make them iconic. An example would be the "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video, where the artist, Rick Astley, developed the famous "Rick Roll" dance move.
• Voyeurism = This is when the audience see something in a music video that they wouldn't or shouldn't usually see such as nudity, revealing clothing and intimate locations etc. An example would be the "Stay" music video, where the artist, Rihanna, appears nude in a bath.

Research into Music Videos

1). Dancing - Kylie Minogue

The music video for "Dancing" features Artist Close-Ups, Narrative and a strong relationship between the Music and Visuals because the artist, Kylie Minogue, is a prominent feature in the music video and the artist is seen dancing with backing dancers and lip syncing with the music. The structure of the narrative of this music video revolves around a woman getting ready to go on a night out and thinking about what she is going to do on her night out. The filmmaker was effective in conveying the narrative for a music video because there is regular cross-cuts between a bedroom and a dance studio. The use of micro-elements such as different levels of lighting creates a form of build-up to the chorus of a song. The theme of this music videos conveys a very positive message to go out and live life.

After researching into this video, I have decided to open my music video with a shot of a character playing an instrument and that my music video should feature dancing from a large group of people to bring out the happy, upbeat mood I want it to convey. From this music video, I have learnt that music videos feature a strong relationship between the music and what we see on-screen and they can give off certain moods. I will use this knowledge by establishing a mood for my music video through the content I create and showing a similarity between the lyrics of my song and what we see on-screen.

2). Live While We're Young - One Direction

The music video for "Live While We're Young", features a strong relationship between the Music and the Visuals and many Artist Close-Ups because the artists are heavily featured in the music video, dancing and lip-syncing in the video. The structure of the narrative revolves the group of men on a camping holiday in the summer and pursuing activities such as parties, raft building, driving tanks etc. The filmmaker is effective in relating the visuals to the song because the guys are young and they are living life and having fun by pursuing these activities. The use of micro-elements such as mise-en-scene has allowed the filmmaker to create a positive setting for the video. The theme of this music video conveys a positive message to young people to go and enjoy life.

After researching into this music video, I decided to base my music video around positive topics such as happiness and friendship. From this music video, I have learnt that music videos can portray a strong sense of either positivity or negativity through their content. I will use this knowledge by immediately establishing the mood of my music video to be either positive or negative.

3). Desire - Years and Years

The music video for "Desire" features a lot of Voyeurism and Artist Close-Ups because the singer and the band are a very prominent feature in the video and also, the video features scenes of a sexual nature to raise the message of different types of love such as lustful love and sexual love. The structure of the narrative revolves around the different types of love and sexualities you can find. The filmmaker is effective in raising awareness of this subject because they include scenes of sexual nature in the video. The use of micro-elements such as editing allowed the filmmaker to make scenes appear to be happening really fast. The theme of this music video conveys a negative message because it is conveys that people feel love as more of a sexual thing than a romantic thing.

After researching into this music video, I decided that my music video should convey a social message to my audience. From this music video, I have learnt that music videos can convey a strong message through the way they portray their content. I will use this knowledge by using the content and storyline of my music video to convey a social message to my audience.

4). Walks Like Rihanna - The Wanted

The music video for "Walks Like Rihanna" features an element of voyeurism and a strong relationship between the lyrics and what is seen on-screen because the video objectifies women in a sexual way through camera work and there is a part of the music video where flashing lights co-ordinate with the lyrics of the song. The structure of the narrative revolves around a group of boys looking at a woman as if they have a crush on her. The use of micro-elements such as editing allowed the filmmaker to include interesting transitions from a shot of something on a phone screen into that thing on a full screen. The theme of this music video conveys relationships as more of a sexual thing.

After researching into this music video, I decided that the visuals and the song for my music video should co-ordinate each other. From this music video, I have learnt that music videos feature a strong relationship between the music and what we see on-screen. I will use this knowledge by showing a similarity between the lyrics of my song and what we see on-screen.

5). Thriller - Michael Jackson

The iconic music video for 'Thriller' revolves around a concept and it features a relationship between the lyrics and visuals because the video features concepts such as zombies and monsters, which are designed to 'thrill' the audience. The structure of the narrative revolves around a man walking home from the cinema with his girlfriend late at night and how they come across zombies in a graveyard. The use of micro-elements such as sound allowed the filmmaker to make the audience feel scared watching the video because a lot of eerie and scary noises are featured. The theme of this music video revolves around a horror story.

After researching into this music video, I decided that there should be a relationship between the lyrics and visuals in my music video. From this music video, I have learnt that music videos feature a strong narrative. I will use this knowledge by making sure that the content of my music video features a storyline.

Music Video Platform - Vevo

Vevo is currently the world's leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform. In some ways, they replaced MTV at the end of the noughties because they became more of a reality TV platform. They have one office in the UK in London, and five offices in the USA including New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland. In several of the music videos I researched, they feature the Vevo watermark discreetly in the bottom right corner.

I intend to use this feature in my own music video by including the watermark in the bottom right corner.

How will the visuals of my project link to the lyrics of my song?

In my music video, I plan to link my interpretation of the lyrics of my song to the visuals in my music video by choreographing a dance routine, which features movements that relate to the lyrics. The inclusion of a dance routine will also help me to establish that this music video is for a piece of pop music.