Production Log 1

Production Log 1

This week I have been searching through different websites for example Unsigned.com and Youtube for an artist that i can use for my music video but must be unsigned for me to use them for my idea. 
However it wouldn't be confirmed that my group and i would use my song due to the fact were going on who has the best idea and that is a decision that we would have to make together. It's been very difficult to find an unsigned artist since initially your looking for an unsigned artist that you like and have an idea for what your music video would look like so when it comes to our pitches we have a much stronger pitch for my group members. 

Richard Dyer Star Theory

Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory'

Stars as constructions:

This is when artist change their style and appearance to fit the right category of what is available in the music world. For example One Direction is a great example since at the time when One Direction was on the XFactor there were not really any boy bands out there and were forgotten about. During when One Direction was on the XFactor they weren't originally a band they all auditioned as individuals but at boot camp the five boys were told by Simon Cowell and the other judges that they could continue the XFactor if the five became a group and as expected they said yes. They then continued all the way to the live shows the XFactor stylists worked together and they changed their style and hair so that they would have the right image. One Direction then went all the way to the final but they came 3rd place. However because people especially young girls aged 7 - 16 loved them they became very popular. 

Due to how popular they were and how much Simon Cowell liked and saw potential for the boys Simon signed One Direction to his record label Syco. They started recording their debut album and then went on tour. So things for the boys started moving quickly after the XFactor. Their album was released later that year and it was a complete success. However in March 2016 Zayn Malik left the band leaving just 4 guys in the band and then the boys had to re construct as a four man band but not long after the band broke up. 

Stars as personalities:

To be successful artists, they have to connect with their target audience on a personal level, as well as through their music. An example of an artists that does this is Adele. Adele has the most amazing songs and is so famous but when she speaks she has a real British accent and just by hearing her you can hear where she is from. Adele is an artist that young people can look up to because even though she is a very famous singer the fame hasn't changed her she is a very good star personality to be in the public eye, she makes great music and she supports many charities. 

What also makes Adele stand out is that the record label that she is with doesn't take over who she is for example she doesn't change the way she is because of the record label she is with tells her too they allow her freedom to be who she wants. Record labels sometimes make there signed artist change how they would act or dress etc. Whereas Adele has her own freedom and some artist are not as lucky as she is. 


Stars as products:

This is people who make money from merchandise for example  One direction have a lot of merchandise some examples are;  

- Posters
- Stationary
- Duvet covers
- Cushions

When the fans of one direction go to their concerts they are able to buy merchandise there which is very likely for fans to do because they are so excited about the artist performing that fans would buy merchandise there and then. The target audience that they would be aiming this type of merchandise at is girls aged 7 - 15 years old. 

This is because they are excited and young and if one directions face is on that piece of merchandise then those young girls would want to buy that. Merchandise doesn't just benefit the stars it can also benefit stores that sell merchandise because increase the amount of customers they have for example fans would go to the stores that sell these types of merchandise and a lot of money would be payed by these fans. 


Stars as embodiment's of ideologies and cultures:

Star embodiment is when different artist decide to make a new trend such as clothing lines, trying to help and improve things happening now. Artist with very large fan bases usually follow this trend because they either want to make a difference like that celebrity or perhaps be like that celebrity. An example of a artist that may inspire fans is Meghan Trainor. This is because she writes and sings songs about girls that don't look a certain way. For example the song 'All about that bass' she sings about bigger girls and to quote her lyrics "I ain't no size two" which can come across to say that she isn't a size two but she can still write a good song and become a famous singer and that if you want to get somewhere in life that you don't need to look a certain way. This might aspire some girls to be like her because she doesn't care about what people think about her and that she is just being her which girls might look up to because nowadays young girls are fixated on what they look like but what Meghan Trainor might be saying that what you look like doesn't define you as a person. 

Transcribing and analysing lyrics and music

Transcribing and analysing lyrics and music

Artist: Amanda Kaletsky 

Song: Everything Lies 

My primary target audience is aimed at teenagers aged 13 - 17 years old and it would primarily be for females since the song is about a girl singing about a boy that has deceived her.

Lyrics

Don’t hide behind that pretty face of yours

You’ve got everyone believing that you would never be this deceiving, pretty eyes

I can see through all the lies you tell

That sweet exterior is what you were

And now you are becoming something new

And I can be broken just as you now seem to be

And you should go on now but it will have to be without me

Cause everything lies between you and me

You think this song is all about you

You say I’ve done all the changing while I’m watching all your rearranging, silly boy

You seem to constantly out do yourself

Why don’t you admit that you’re not fit to try to run a race against me

And I can be broken just as you now seem to be

And you should go on now but it will have to be without me

Cause everything lies between you and me

Cause everything lies between you and me

Everything lies between you and me

And I can be broken just as you now seem to be

And you should go on now but it will have to be without me

Cause everything lies / Everything lies

Everything lies between you and me

I would say that the key theme in the song is betrayal. This is because in the lyrics where Amanda says 'you say that I've done all the changing while I'm watching all the re-arranging' suggest that she was in a relationship and they may have broke up and her partner said that she has changed but he's actually the one that's changed and that the song is the way that she chooses to express that. 

When I listen to this song 'everything lies' I imagine that in the music video that it is telling a narrative of a relationship between a guy and girl, and it shows an argument between the them and their relationship ending due to how he's changed I also imagine a flashback of how he's changed and how they got to that point at that time of the argument. When listening to this song it doesn't sound very sad she actually sounds like she's singing a normal song but the lyrics in the song sound like that there should have been some emotion shown to show the audience that she is effects by the break up therefore the audience may not receive a clear understanding of how the singer Amanda Kaletsky is feeling at the time. 

In the song I hear a drum and cymbal instrument which doesn't really go with the song and what it's about because in my opinion i think that the song should have been a little more emotional so maybe they could have had a basic piano if it is about someone that she cared for then it there could have been a little bit more of an effort. However the song is a catchy song but there doesn't seem to be much feeling coming from Amanda Kaletsky. The impact that the drum and cymbal might have on the audience is that it's memorable so people will remember it when they hear it again. 

If my group and I were to use this song for our music video then I would keep the set very minimal so that the audience can focus on the lyrics of the song instead of the actual production of it all but still have a good story behind the music video. What my performer would wear is something that a normal teenage female would wear so it's vey realistic and the audience can identify with that performer and if this were to happen this could result to the audience wanting to hear more of the performers songs and then they may become a fan of their music. For my camera language I will use a variety of shots for example long shots since they show the surroundings of the performer so that the audience can get a grasp of what type of environment that she is in. Also I would use medium shots so that I could show surroundings of the performer and their emotions at the time but this would give me and my group the advantage to show the surroundings that we want the audience to see since the surroundings would be quite minimal by using this shot. Also close ups will be used in my music video so that my audience can see the emotion that the performer has so then this may give the audience some personal identification because this song might speak to a specific target audience for example females that have broken up with a partner due to the fact that they were not happy with their relationship and felt like their significant other had changed. I would also use eye level for my angles so that my audience feel like they are on the same level as the performer since it is quite realistic that relationships could end like the one in the song. 

Good & Bad Music Video Techniques

Good & Bad Music Video Techniques

Lip Syncing is when a singer moves their lips in synchronisation with the pre recorded music. Lip syncing is used in almost all music videos their can be lip syncing that is really good and it really looks as if the artist is singing and there are music videos that have artist lip syncing but their lip syncing is off. An example for a good lip syncing music video is 'The Monsters' by Eminem ft. Rihanna. In this music video their seems to be a narrative from the very beginning of the music video when Rihanna puts on a video and Eminem watches it and has some of his previous music videos on it. Rihanna seems to play some kind of therapist in this music video who helps him confront 'The monster' that has him so shaken up. This continues throughout the music video until towards the end at 4.22 - 5.11 when he then decides to confront his 'monster' which is later revealed as himself and he can finally forget about his 'monster' and move on with his life.  


An example of a bad lip syncing music video is 'Beauty and the beat' by Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj.
In the beginning of the music video Justin's singing looks off for example the way he says things in the song then the way he moves his lips don't look right and it looks very unbelievable that he's saying the words and in the music video Justin starts to sing under water at 2.08 - 2.14 which then the audience start to realise that Justin is not actually singing. In this music video Justin is having a pool party and it looks as if he's filming the party from the way that he holds the camera.

Cutting to the beat is when an image or transition cuts during a music video changes when the song hits a beat or on significant beats in the actual music itself. An example of a music video that cuts to the beat is 'Don't let me down' by The Chainsmokers ft. Daya. In this music video nearly every time that the song hits a beat it changes to a new image or transition on the screen. This allows for the audience to become more engaged with the music video. Also constant shot change need more attention. It also works well with the lyrics since the lyrics need more emphasis. 

A bad example of a cutting to the beat music video is 'Never gonna give you up' by Rick Astley. In this music video all of the beats that are used in this music video are not cut to the beat they're all over the place.This is about a man dancing around singing about a girl. The video also does not go with the song at all and the music video itself could have been done much better for example doing something in the video other than dancing around. 

Number of cuts an example of this music video technique is 'We found love' By Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris. In this music video all the shots and music is quite fast paced however it shows a lot of detail and you can still understand what is going on in the music video. Throughout the music video it tells a sort of narrative at how great that the two characters relationship was but then at 3.30 - 4.30 towards the end of the video it shows that their relationship turned bad over a certain period of time. Number of cuts is a good technique to use because it shows the audience the full depth of the relationship over a 4 minute song. It allows the audience to understand the relationship that is formed between Rihanna and her partner. 

A bad example of number of cuts is 'Call your girlfriend' by Robyn. This music video doesn't have any shots what so ever. Even though the artist Robyn is continuously expressing her feelings and emotions through her dancing which is very good. But she does not use cuts in the music video this could allow her audience to get bored. People may understand the reason why that Robyn is dancing around in a room trying to express her emotions through just one shot however for just a random person to watch this music video may like the song but dislike the music video therefore they wouldn't watch the video. 

Special effects this is an illusion that is used in television shows, movies, music videos. This is done by the use of props computer graphics and camerawork. This technique is used in the music video 'E.T.' by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West. In this video its shown from out of space which is quite unbelievable since they wouldn't have been able to film this music video in that location. Also it is obvious that this music video uses special effect techniques because at the end of the video at 4.33 - 5.00 Katy Perry is standing there with cow legs so she is then half human and half cow which is impossible therefore the creators would of needed to use special effects also let alone throughout the entire music video. 

A bad example of special effects is 'Earth song' by Michael Jackson in this music video the special effects that were used which created the visual image of the audience seeing strong winds and lighting but with all that strong wind and lighting the people who lived where all the destruction was happening were very calm and wasn't screaming or crying. This is first seen at 3.52 - 6.32. Therefore audience may have seen this music video as very unrealistic therefore they may get bored and stop watching the video. However it is a good song but people may prefer the song to the video itself. 

Camera language this is the use of shots, movement and angle used throughout a production which is is usually used in movies, television shows and music videos. A music video that does use this technique is 'Look at me now' by Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes. The use a variety of camera language techniques they use medium close ups mostly throughout music video which is seen for the first time at 0.11 - 0.14 this is because they may want you to see the artist close up but not close so you can see what is going on around them however the shot variety does change to close ups, long shots etc. Also they use a variety of angles for example a high angle at 0.31 - 0.32. This is so that we cans see every aspect of what is going on around the artists. 

An example of a music video that uses bad camera language techniques is 'Who you are' by Jessie J. This video is of Jessie J singing in a bedroom into a camera however this music video doesn't use a variety of different camera language of shots, movement and angle. This just stays at one angle which is eye level and the camera is mostly still apart from one point when the camera moves when Jessie J is in another location in that same room however the camera just turns but stills stays at the same angle the first time throughout the video it is seen at 0.57 - 1.02. This could get the audience very bored of watching that artist just sit around and not do much and just stare into a camera.

Chroma key/green screen this is a screen that is usually behind the artist allowing them to later add an image at the back of that artist to make it look as if they are in location that they are not necessarily in at that point. An example of a music video that uses a green screen is 'The Climb' by Miley Cyrus. which is of her standing in front of a screen playing her guitar and singing the background image is of clouds and as if she is walking a long deserted road. This is first seen at 0.14 - 0.19. This screen is to create the effect of having to climb for the things that you want in life. The visuals behind Miley also work well with what she is singing about, the lyrics and the visuals behind her work well together. 

A bad example of a green screen music video is 'Bound 2' by Kanye West. In this music video the audience are able to see Kanye West sitting on a motor bike but it's obvious that behind him   is a green screen and that the bike is not even moving which is first seen at 0.39 - 0.42. This is noticeable because of how slow that the green screen visual background moves. This might make the audience bored of watching the video because obviously the artist and creators did not go to much effort to make the music video look realistic. Also Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian suddenly appears on his lap and he is not even concentrating on 'the road' and only focusing on her which is also very unrealistic.