Update

After a great deal of thinking I've decided that the animation I was planning to do for my video is far too time consuming to be the majority of my video and therefore will restrict the amount of animation in my video to the bare minimum. Now I am debating whether it would be best to make my video into a story telling piece or a performance piece. I would prefer to make the piece tell a story but I am so far uncertain about what that story could be. As I hope to bring the song to a younger audience I will try and target them, however I also want older audiences of ELO fans to be able to enjoy the content.

Lyrically and visual links

Sun is shinin' in the sky, (Time lapse of the sun rising)
There ain't a cloud in sight ( Binoculars looking around)
It's stopped rainin' (walks out front door and holds hands out)
Everybody's in a play ( Clowns dancing in a circle)
And don't you know (close ups on Mr blue and clowns interchanging.)
It's a beautiful new day. ( Clowns hold up rope )

Runnin' down the avenue,(Pant, Pant, Pant) (Clowns chasing Mr Blue)
See how the sun shines brightly ( looks up at sun possibly animated )
In the city on the streets
Where once was pity, (cornered by clowns)
Mr. Blue Sky is living here today. (Closing in)

(Chorus:)
Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why, (close up POV on clowns each saying line)
You had to hide away
For so long where did we go wrong. (rope held up)

Hey there Mr. Blue (sun beds )
We're so pleased to be with you ( pans to Mr Blue tied up )
Look around see what you do, (toast to Mr Blue)
Everybody smiles at you. (close up on Mr Blue terrified)

Hey you with the pretty face, (close up on Mr Blue sky's face)
Welcome to the human race ( wide angle of clowns chasing then tackled)
A celebration Mr. Blue Sky's ( Mad party with hats etc )
Up there waitin' and today
Is the day we've waited for

(Chorus)

Mr. Blue you did it right,
But soon comes Mr. Night,
Creepin' over, now his
Hand is on your shoulder,
Never mind I'll remember you this way.

Best and Worst music videos throughout time

 Purpose of a music video

To evaluate a music video's suitability and effectiveness the best course of action would be to first examine what makes a good music video and also what music videos are first. This is true as music videos similarly to most, if not all media is made for a purpose and audience, otherwise, there wouldn't be a point to its creation. So when evaluating these video I will consider this and evaluate based on how effective the videos are in this respect.
           The foremost reason for making music videos is to advertise the song that is included. This helps make the song stick in the consumers head and therefore make them more inclined to spread the word about the artist making the producers more money which is obviously the overall aim of the music industry.
            A secondary purpose of a music video is that it helps to explain the messages connoted in the song and therefore helps develop the meaning the video has. This is important as it means videos such as this become more personal to the artist, as well as helping the consumer understand what is trying to said, which relating to uses and gratifications theory will help them be able to identify with the artist and become a fan.
           Thirdly, music videos are used to entertain the audience which relates to the theory of uses and gratifications also in the fact that it offers escapism to the consumer. This also contributes to the popularity of the song as by giving the consumer something that occupies both their eyes and their ears, the consumer will value this escapism all the more and will therefore remember the artist.
            Finally music videos may also serve to help sell CDs and DVDs as the imagery on the covers of these products could linked to the music video helping to further promote the artist and make them profit.

Greatest 100 music videos of all time - NME (first five) (source: http://www.nme.com/list/100-greatest-music-videos/217342/page/1)

Number 100 - Billy Jean - Michael Jackson

Number 99 - Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler

Number 98 - Lykke Li - Get some

Number 97 has way too much nudity and so I'm not going to review it.


Number 96 - Jay-Z - Big Pimpin'

 

Number 95 - Blur - Parklife

 

Update on planning

So far I have only the idea about how the video will progress artistically, but have yet to start planning in any larger depth. I have many A-level art students who can direct me if need be, however I believe at this point the best way to proceed will be to create a ruff draft of how the overall video will eventually look. I will do this with a thorough storyboard which will then be turned into a stop motion animation and attached to the song. The main idea I have been juggling at the moment is the idea that the sky is in itself a being in the video who is somewhat of menace, adding an element of irony to the piece as the song is so upbeat. I see this as being a fun twist on the song and think this will make the video more interesting.

CD and Website analysises

These are the analysis's of various different websites and Cd covers that are relevant to my own. This is useful as it will provide me with an insight into the conventions of real Cd covers and Website which will benefit my ancillaries.

Anthony Mandler Case study

I decided that a good method of developing my knowledge of music videos would be to learn about a director who prominently features in the industry. I decided to undertake this for director Anthony Mandler because they are a modern example of a successful music video director and I thought I could take advantage of this in relation to my aim of making an old song engaging for a younger audience.

'Too Close' music video textual analysis (Related to Goodwin's theory of music videos)

Genre Characteristics:
Dubstep:
The genre of this song is Dubstep and this is reflected in the music video in a few ways by the mise-en-scene. Firstly a characteristic of Dubstep that is contained within this video is the moody attitude that most Dubstep music videos contain. This is represented by the mostly natural and dull lighting of the video. Another thing that is a characteristic of Dubstep music videos is a lot of special effects. This is present in this text when there are expansions of time for effect to make the fight scenes more dramatic. There are also a lot of focus pulls with the camera to make the background blur which adds to this moody mood in the mise-en-scene. Thirdly a characteristic of Dubstep that is present in this video is the setting of the video. This is because Dubstep music videos are usually filmed in run down area, maybe council estates etc. and this one is set in a such run down area with rubble and rusted metal dotted around. This setting once again also contributes to the moody feel of the video.

The relationship between lyrics and visuals:
I would say that the first time this maxim of Goodwin's theory comes into place is when the lyrics say 'that I need to release' which I see as suggesting an emotional repression and this is mirrored in the video by the body language of the samurai. I believe that the main concept of the video/ song is that at close proximity couples or friends, however related to each other can be prone to conflict. The second time i see this come into play is when Alex Clare sings 'which way is right, which way is wrong' which suggests a moralistic conflict which is brought to life on screen with the hesitation of the actors in samurai costumes with swords. A third note worthy example of this lyrical relation to the video is when the chorus begins with 'And I think I'm too close' and the two characters proximity to each other increases gradually until they are face to face and then this line signals the violence.

The relationship between music and visuals:
The cuts initially line up with the bars extremely effectively and then carries on throughout the text with a variety of different cuts including graphic matches. As well as this there is a definite method of connecting the tempo of the music with the video of the music video that is used throughout the entire video at various points. Initially in the introduction bars of the song where the music is fairly steady and non-dramatic there are some simple shots with regular cuts and possibly some expansion, all a part of a continuity editing agenda. However when the music is building to the bass drop you see the editing start to loose its continuity and the actors start becoming more violent until it climaxes and they start fighting. Another time the music and visuals match up is when there is a quickening of the beat and at the same time the cuts of the video speed up momentarily.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs:
The video is very much split into two halves. On one half is the story being told by the video with the two actors fighting and on the other is the artist Alex Clare. This backs up Goodwin's music video theory as it shows how there is a star image motif in the video as well as having many close ups on the artist himself. The motif being the clothes that the artist wears are fairly recurring style that is emphasised in the video by many shots with him in.
Reference to the notion of looking:
No references were included in this video and so this opposes Goodwin's theory about this area of music videos.
Inter-textual references:
No inter-textual references were included in this video and so this opposes Goodwin's theory about this area of music videos.
Performance, narrative or concept based:
I believe that this music video is a definite example of concept based video as it is hugely orientated about this struggle between the two warriors and what that symbolises. However it also contains a small amount of performance when it returns to the artist singing in the video.

Company Logo creation presentation

 

A serious logo

I have decided that to create a brand that will be taken seriously I need to make a logo that will be. I cannot afford to have a cartoony logo as well as a non-serious video as it may make my company seem immature to my audience, therefore I will be attempting to create a logo that will meet professional standards.

Music video initial idea

Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

The music video I would make would heavily include stop motion as I believe this would be the most effective method of tackling this song because of its upbeat tone and the emphasis it puts on the beat of the music. The way I would do it is either by taking pictures of real life , drawing it in frames on paper/ a whiteboard or by mixing the two by using a green screen. I have previously done various forms of animation including stop motion, however the will be no shortage of challenges in creating a video like this. I believe that I have the capability to do this, however, for me to be successful in this I will need to practice stop motion filming in various different ways before I create the final video. The video above is the recent music video that was made for the song, which is an animated tribute to the lead singer. So clearly although they used a different animation technique to me in their video the idea of using animation for this song is suitable to the artist. I personally believe that although theirs is an interesting video, it could have been done better as I find the imagery strange, inconsistent and generally not suited to the music.
                       The secondary audience for this video will be middle aged people who will be reminiscent of the song from when they were younger and teh primary target audience will be a younger demographic of 16-21 year olds on the internet that will hopefully be won over by the timeless song. This will hope fully appeal to the passive audiences who wish to sit back and be entertained by the upbeat music and video, however it may also inspire active audiences in thought with the metaphorical imagery contained in the video. Overall I think that this video will be effective and well targeted to the audience as it is a modern take on a fun song.
              

Preliminary Website

http://palomanash.weebly.com/

Screenshot taken from the website

Practice cd cover

Front

 Back

Christian rap

I was given a task to research an obscure genre of music by my teacher called 'Christian rap'. One genre convention of this is that in the UK it is often merged with the music style known as Grime. It is also as you can imagine a method that Christians use to spread the word of Jesus etc. and so it is a method of evangelism. As well as this Christian rap (hip hop) features all conventional hip hop styles and so despite the name of the genre, it isn't too outrageous that popular rappers such as Tupac and MC Hammer have in the past taken part in creating music within it. Without sound the music videos for this genre could easily be just another badly written rap about money and women rather than a song conveying Christian messages.

Final preliminary music video

My story boards for practice music video

DRAFT 1

DRAFT 2

FINAL STORYBOARDS

Shooting Schedule for Mini Music Video

History of the music video timeline

Hello

Hello I'm Tom and I'm going to be producing a music video through the course of the next school year and will be documenting the process of research, planning, production and evaluation etc. on this blogger page. I am relatively proficient in relation to camera use, editing and sound manipulation due to my previous AS-level media production of a thriller opening, which I learned a great deal from. I am however very inexperienced in the area of music videos but I am very interested in their creation and feel that I can bring some originality to the form of media. I will likely be basing my research more on the music videos that don't simply have a person singing to the camera as I find that boring and it possibly could be restrictive to the amount of creativity that can go into the piece. Overall I'm very interested in the task and I look forward to the new experience.