Research - Previous Student Work

Analyzing a previous students work

“Stuck” by canopy climbers

When analysing this student’s work, I used the OCR marking criteria. The quality of this video is very high as it shows they used a good and high quality camera. They have used a wide variety of camera angles which include, close-up, long-shot, mid-shot. They also show very good camera control and the video is always in focus, and is extremely steady. This gives the video a very professional feel. There is a good variation of lighting used and includes both natural bright light and dark lighting using fire a spotlight and giving the video an edge, which enhances the quality of the video. They have used a large variety of locations, which shows a lot of planning and organisation went into the making of the video. The locations also fit well with the story line of the video. They have clearly thought about the actor used to portray the main character, which fits the video and lyrics. They have used very good editing for this video such as fast scene changes, speeding up shots such as the cloud scene at the beginning. As well as decreasing the vibrancy of the video. The lip syncing is very good and is to a high professional quality. The video is overall very clear and they have clearly taken the lyrics, visuals, and music into consideration when making this video, to create a excellent and professional video.

“It’s too late now” by ultrabeat v Darren  

When analysing this student’s work, I used the OCR marking criteria. The camera work is steady which shows some professional quality, however is still very basic. They have used some different camera angles including close-up, long and mid shot. However these are very basic and doesn’t show a professional quality of camera angles. There is evidence of technical skills such as having more than one shot in  a single frame however, it is not done to a professional quality as the separate videos are squished together in the one frame and looks very unprofessional and poor. The editing doesn’t really fit the video and some of the lip syncing is out, and the actors haven’t paid attention to their facial expression and body language as they look very awkward and again takes away the quality of the video. They have used a variety of locations which shows good planning and organisation, however some of the locations don’t make sense and gives the video a bad professional quality. As well as this they haven’t paid much attention to the type of lighting used and could of had a variety of different lightings. This video is overall not very professional, as although the story line is clear they haven’t paid much attention to the professional quality of the video.

“Disco Lights” by

When analysing this student’s work, I used the OCR marking criteria. From the beginning of the video the poor quality of the video is obvious as the camera work is out of focus and isn’t steady, and shows poor camera skills. They have a variety of different locations which shows some planning. However there is evidence of not much planning as one location is in what looks like a school corridor as they haven’t paid attention to what is in the background. This makes the video look very unprofessional. This location also does not fit with the story line of the video, which shows they haven’t planned or organised the video properly. The lip syncing is to a basic standard as there are some parts where the actor looks as though he has forgotten the words, however is in sync most of the time. The actor hasn’t paid much attention to his facial expression as at points in the video he smiles as though he is going to laugh which makes the video look very unprofessional. He also doesn’t make eye-contact with the camera and therefore does not engage with the audience. they have given little thought to the editing of the video as a lot of the shots are out of focus and look like they have been filmed on a phone. the editing of the corridor scene doesn’t fit with the video and looks rather random. They have however shown some technical skills with the cutting at appropriate moments throughout the video. Overall the professional quality is poor and little knowledge is shown throughout the video.  

Research - Digipak Poster Analysis 3

Rihanna - Loud

The main image is of the artist, which is a typical convention of a poster, and takes up the whole poster. The image is the same on the poster as it is on the CD. This means that audiences will be able to make a quick connection between the poster and the album. Having the image take up the whole page and be of the artist face makes it easily recognisable for the audiences as Rihanna is a very well known artist. Fans will instantly recognise that is is Rihanna and want to know what she is advertising. Her facial expressions and body language are hidden which can suggest what her album is about. It also creates this sense of mystery and will encourage the audiences to want to find out more. The placement also makes it look as if the artist is looking downwards at the information, which will encourage the audience to also look down and follow her eye line and will lead them to see the information. The first thing you see if the artist name. Her name is placed first as it lets the audience know that the poster will be advertising something from Rihanna herself and will mean they will carry on reading to find out what their favourite artist is advertising. It is then followed by the name of the album 'LOUD' which is placed in the biggest font. Compared to the other posters I have analysed I have noticed that another typical convention of a digipak poster is that the album name is most commonly found to be the biggest font. This is because it makes the album name stand out the most as that is what is being advertised. The font is simple which means that it doesn't make the poster look to messy which could turn away audiences. The font is also placed in the colour gold which stands out against the black background as it contrasts. The poster also includes that a single released prior will also appear on the album. This is a typical convention of a digipak poster as it encourages audience to want to buy the album as they know a good popular song is on it and they are likely to find many more on the album as well. It is then followed by the release date which is placed in a large white font. The use of white font means that it will stand out against the black background. Again the use of large font also means that it will stand out more, as it is important for the audience to know the release date as it will create excitement and will mean the audience will be watching for the release date. The colour scheme in the poster sticks to a pinky colour on the image white/gold and black. By sticking to these simple colours it allows a contrast which makes the poster stand out and eye catching. The use of pink colours will also suggest the target audience is teenage girls as that is the stereotypical colour for girls. The use of black also suggests its for older girls as black symbolizes power, and it suggests that this is what Rihanna is promoting,

Research - Digipak Poster Analysis 2

Jessie J

The poster at first glance is pretty simple looking. The main image is the same that is used for the album cover. This instantly creates a clear link between the poster and the album. The audience will be able to instantly recognise the album when it is released. The artist is looking directly at the camera and therefore creates a bond with the audience. Having the artist face on the poster and in clear view will also draw in fans as she is instantly recognisable. Having the artist looking directly at the camera/audience is also a typical convention of a digipak poster. The choice of colours used are black, white and gold. The use of black and white contrast each other creating a bold poster that is eye catching without using too much and making it look too messy. The gold colours then contrast against the black and makes the album title stand out. The name of the artist is placed directly in the middle of the poster and is the biggest font found on the poster. The font used is instantly recognisable as the artist uses this font for all her singles and albums she has released and creates a sort of brand for the artists name. The audience will see the font and instantly recognise who the artist is. The title of the album is placed in much smaller font underneath the artist name, This makes the album name less noticeable as the artist name takes up most of the attention. However the placement of the album name, means people will see it when they look at the artist name. underneath the main image is a black box. This is effective because it makes the words stand out as the colouring of the box contrasts with the lettering. The words 'WHO YOU ARE', are in the biggest font as this is the name of the album. The choice of placing this information in all capital letters makes the wording stand out and encourage the audience to read the poster to find out more. The font is also easy to read which will encourage the audience to read the poster. It also informs the audience that the single released prior is also included on the album and will encourage fans to buy the album to hear more songs by the artist. It also includes other artist names that appear in  the album, which will draw in a much wider audience as their fans will want to hear who they've collaborated with. This is a typical convention of a digipak poster. Placed at the bottom is a web address link for the artist's official page. This allows viewers the chance to go onto her web page and find out more about the artist. This again creates a bond with the artist, as it makes the audience feel like they're being given something extra from the artist.

Research - Digipak Poster Analysis 1

Justin Bieber

The title of the album is placed in the center and about 3/4 of the way down the page. The title is the biggest font on the page, which means that the album title will stand out the most. This is effective as that is what the poster is advertising - the new album. The title is in a large gold box and the words 'Believe' is in bold black letters. The gold colours means it stands out against the black backgrounds, as the colours contrast. Placing the letters inside the gold box allows the same of the album to stand out because it's a different way to show the album name, and creates a recognisable logo for the album. It means people will instantly recognise the album instantly. The main is of the artist who's album is being advertised. The image is of Bieber's face. The main image takes up the whole space on the poster. This means that audience will be able to quickly recognise the artist, as he is well known all over the world. Therefore having an image of the artists face will mean the audiences will react to the poster straight away and will want to know what he is promoting. The image is in black and white which therefore allows the name of the album to stand out as this is the main focus of the poster. The image will draw in the audience and the colour of the album name will attract the audience to find out more about what the poster is about. At the bottom of the page they have placed all the information you need to know about the upcoming album. The writting is placed in white which again contrasts against the black background. This makes the information stand out. The phrase 'THE NEW ALBUM' is written in a large font, which allows it to stand out and lets the audience know that the artist is releasing a new album. The less important information id placed in a much smaller font, as it doesn't need to be noticed straight away. This also includes a list of some of the songs that will appear on the album. Doing this informs fans that singles they've heard will be included and will encourage them to buy the album as it suggest similar songs will be on the album. It can also help create a much wider target audience for the artist, as it says the album includes collaborations with other artists such as Drake, Niki Minaj and Big Sean. This will help draw in a wider audience because it they will see their favorite artist is on Justin's album and they want to find out more, In the top right hand corner they have placed a gold picture of a phone outline. It also says 'BIEBER EXCLUSIVE' written next to it. This has been placed to promote other features the artist offers, such as a webpage, an app plus any social media pages. This gives the audience the sense they are being given something extra from the artist and will draw they in to find out more. Overall the poster is eye catching due to the choice of colours, which are simple yet effective as the gold stands out. The size of the font and the main image makes the poster stand out really well. As well as this, the whole colour scheme goes with the scheme of the album which means the audience will be able to make the connection really easily between the poster and the album.

Research - Digipak Analysis 3

Justin Bieber - Believe 

The main image on the front cover is a close up of the artist. This means that audience will recognise whole the album is by straight away, as the artist is very well known world wide. This is a typical convention of a front cover. However the artist is not looking directly at the camera which could suggest a sense of mystery for the album. The title of the album is a long white strip with the word 'Believe'. The placement of it looks similar to that of do not enter tape, and therefore could suggest the artist is challenging the audience to 'enter' the album and listen. The word believe is placed in the white strip which juxtaposes the idea of the white strip. However it does help the name of the album stand out as the white contrasts against the dark background. The use of having a dark background and a white title really helps the album stand out. The artist name is included at the top. It is however in small font as this is less important than the album name. The audience will know who the artist is by the image as he is recognisable and therefore the name does not need to be in large.

The back cover includes a list of songs that the audience will find on the album. This is a typical convention of a digipak album They have also placed an image of the artist playing his guitar in what looks like a street. This makes the artist seem 'normal' and like everyone else, as it looks like he is busking. This will draw the audience in as they will see him on a personal level. The name of the album is again found on the back, which is another typical convention. However they have decided to place the name of the album on the guitar case. This suggest he is sending a message to his audience that they need to believe in themselves like he did. The barcode is placed in the bottom corner which is a typical convention of an album digipak as it allows shops to sell the item. On the opposite corner is the credits and the copyrights information. These are placed in small font as it is less important, but also gives the company credit for the album. This is a typical convention of a album back cover. 

Research - Digipak Analysis 2

Digipak Analysis - Selena Gomez 

The front cover image is of the artist which is a typical convention of a CD cover, however the artist is not looking directly at the audience which goes against the typical convention. The image is covered in a pink overlay. This suggest the target audience is for girls as pink is a stereotypical girls colour. The colour scheme of the album sticks to the colours black and shading of reds and pinks. This therefore sticks to the ‘rule of three’ and prevents the CD from looking over crowded.  The name of the artist is placed in the middle of the front cover. the font used is the same font she uses for most of her albums, this gives her name a signature look and means her fans will recognize it instantly. This also helps with the fact that you cannot see her face clearly and just shows the audience it is her album. A similar simplistic font is for the title of album which is placed at the bottom of the CD cover.  This doesn’t stand out as much as the artist name, but this is a typical convention as you want the artist image and name to stand out to draw in the attention.

On the inside of the digipak is two images of the artist. This time you can see her face and they are close up shots. They show off her facial expressions and body language more. This shows the artists personality more and creates a connection between the artist and her fans. The use of bright colours layering the pictures shows that the target audiences are younger teenage girls as she has use shades of pinks and purples throughout the digipak.

The back cover is a lot darker compared to the front cover. the use of the dark colours creates a mysterious feeling towards the CD. The use of red and black colours represent feeling of strength and power and colour suggest that the artist is promoting the idea of being strong to her target audiences. The choice of having the background in black and the writing in red, the colours contrast and make the wording stand out. The barcode, the labels logo and the copyright. This is a typical convention of any CD cover but also advertises the company that produced the album and gives those who worked on the album credit. There is also an image of the artist on the back cover which is another typical convention.  She is looking directly at the camera which creates that connection with the audience as it shows her facial expressions.

The CD its self is a plain simple one that follows with the colour scheme of shades of pinks. The artists name is written across the top and the name of the album is placed across the bottom. This shows what CD it is. Again the same font has been carried on to the CD which makes the font recognizable to the artist. 

Research - Digipak Analysis 1

Digipak Analysis - Lana Del Rey

The front covers main image is of the artist – Lana Del Rey. It is a medium shot with shows her face and her top clothing. This use of shot means the audience are able to see the artist and by showing clothing it shows the artists personality. There is also a background which shows the sky and trees with what looks like a fence behind her. As her genre is indie pop this is a typical convention of an indie pop CD cover.  The image has clearly been soften which could suggest her type of music which is soft. The colours use in the front cover a bright and colourful which shows that her target audiences are potentially younger and around the 15- 25 age range.  The font use is simplistic and in plain colours. This means the font is not taking attention away from the image of the artist, however the writing of the artists name is in a large font which helps the album stand out as the audience will see the artists name.  

The back of the album’s background is the same font as the name of the album. This keeps to the idea of the rule of 3 as if too many colours are used it makes the album look messy. This colour is simplistic but also makes the album stand out. the same font has also been used on the back as it has the front. Again this means the album does not look messy as there isn't too many different things going on. This also shows the simplicity of the album which reflects the artist. The barcode and the labels logo and copyright can all be found at the bottom of the back cover which is a typical convention of a digipak. This also allows the CD to advertise the company that produced the album and gives those who worked on the album credit. They have however gone against typical conventions of an album and they haven’t placed an image of the artist on the back cover. this however allows the audience to focus on her new songs.

The inside of the digipak includes a similar image as the one on the front. However this image draws us to look at her body language. This time instead of a mid shot they have use a close up of the artist. This also allows us to look at her facial expression which looks serious. This could suggest that the album is serious and the artist wants the audience to really listen to the album. The style of the image is the same as the front cover. again this shows the simplicity of the album and doesn’t make the album look messy.

Again  the image on the actual CD is simplistic. The CD is a simple white colour with roses placed around the edge. You cannot see the whole picture of the rose which could represent the idea of mystery as we cant see the whole image. The colours white represent purity and the colour red  is a very emotionally intense colour which  could suggest this idea of a mystery and getting to know the artist in a very emotional way. 

Research - Music Channels

Research of music channels

 

The Box:

The Box first appeared within the UK and being seen in Miami in 1991. The Box music channel is mostly trying to target a younger audience as they mostly broadcast music videos with young artists. They do different types of programmes to try and entice both female and male audiences such as programmes like hottest female and hottest male. The box mostly attracts students and younger people due to the typical music genres that are on the channel so therefore the demographic is D and E. 

The artists shown on The Box typically tend to be those who are in the top end of the charts and who have number 1's. Those who aren't and don't have this, don't get as much air time and might not get as much recognition as other artists. 

4Music:
4Music began broadcasting on the 15th August 2008. The type of music programmes that they typically broadcast are related to the charts from today and from recent years. Again, this is a music channel that broadcasts a range of music genres, like pop and urban and also music from the 90s. Due to mostly the kind of music they play, the audience that are usually enticed are young people with the demographic of D and E. Much like the other music channels, the artist gets most air time by depending on their position in the charts. If bigger artists are played on the channel, the more viewers the channel will get.

 Kiss TV:
Kiss TV was launched 26th June, 1998. Kiss aims to reach those from all ages as they broadcast all types of music channels, from music from the 80s to the recent chart hits. Like most other music channels the amount of air time they receive is dependent upon their place within the charts. Some programmes they broadcast range from weekend anthems and Ultimate RnB and hip hop, both different types of programmes that have varied genres which entices a younger audience as they tend to have newer and up to date music. 

Research - Branding

Research - Branding Research 

One Direction:

One Direction or “1D” for short, have created a huge brand for themselves. The shortened name “1D” has made its way onto many products such as dental hygiene (e.g. toothbrush), clothes, bed sheets and pillows, as well as various stationary such as pencil cases and pens, pencils, rubbers, etc. They have become globally recognised not only for their music but there huge range of products they offer, which has led to the bands products becoming so popular and demanding they now have their own “1D” store. Through the band becoming a branded pop band they have commercialised themselves and many criticise they band by saying they are not true to the music industry. However this is very typical to happen to a hugely popular boy band as this has previously been seen with boy bands for many years as the bands are influenced by their record labels and the pressure of demands. This not only offers merchandise to their fans, but promotes the band.

Justin Bieber:

Justin Bieber’s merchandise has changed massively over few years he’s been famous for. In 2010 when Justin Bieber’s song “baby” it was massive which lead to Justin becoming so famous. When he became increasingly popular Justin started out with merchandise suited to his age group which at the time were young girls from around ages 10 -15. Products sold included lunch boxes, bracelets, Dolls of Justin Bieber, earrings and posters. However as Justin Bieber has grown and his image has grown as well his merchandise is very different now compared to 2010. The products now are “stylish” and current fashion clothing such as jumpers and t-shirts, as well as mugs, bags. The merchandise on Bieber’s official site it mainly made up of jumpers and t-shirts. This is because as Bieber has grown up and so have his fans. His target audience is now around ages 16 – 22. So the merchandise available is very different as the target audience now, wouldn’t want a “Justin Bieber lunchbox”. So the use of clothing to promote and sell is much more suited to his current target audience.

Research - Artist Research

Christina Perri

Personal Life:

Christina was born on August 19th, 1986 and is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the younger sister to Nick Perri, who use to play guitar with the likes of Shinedown. She had taught herself how to play guitar at the age of 16. As a child, she use to sing and act in musical theatre. 

Career:

During her divorce in her early 20s, she had wrote "Jar of Hearts". After being played on the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2010, the song sold 48,000 digital copies within the first week. It has sold 3 million copies in the US and reached no.3 in the charts in the UK. After this success, Perri was signed to Atlantic Records on July 21, 2010. Jar of Hearts had reached No.2 in Australia and the Republic of Ireland, No.3 in Czech Republic and No.4 in the UK and Finland. With it being the 11th best selling single of 2011 in the UK. 

In July 2011, she began her first world tour which had lasted a year. She released "A Thousand Years" single which featured on the soundtrack for the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1. The song is 4x Platinum, with over 4 million sales within the US, to date it has been her most successful single. 

Research - Theorists

Research- Post, How coursework links to theories

Genre:

Theorist; Goodwin, 3 stages to music video theory:

•       1.  Music videos more often than not tend to include a demonstration of typical genre characteristics.

•       2. There are frequent references to the notion of looking and the voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

•       3. There is a clear relationship between music and visuals.

Our music video follows these typical theory conventions as we have voyeuristic treatment of the female body, and there is a clear relationship between the music and visuals, for example when the song sings ‘I can dance and play the part…’ our artist then is a puppet and is forced to dance.

Narrative:

Props narrative:

•       Propps Narrative theory is that there are ‘multiple central characters.’

Our music video has gone against this idea of multiple characters as we only have one artist. Our video does not have a damsel in distress, or a villain ect.  

Representation:

Angela McRobbie:

•       Even though she accepts the fact that some women in the media are shown in a negative, sexual and 'weaker' role she thinks that it is in fact a good thing.

•       Unlike the general view of females and feminists who feel that the representation of women is wrong she thinks that some representations empower women and show them off as sexually powerful, dominating and clearly better than a lot of men.

Our music video goes with and against this theory, our artist starts off weaker and fragile and towards the end of the video she is stronger and more dominating.

Audience:

Stuart Hall’s preferred reading theory:

This work was based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience - the music video is encoded (a message/ theme/ representation put in) by the producer, and decoded (a message/ theme/ representation taken out) by the reader, and there may be major differences between two different readings of the same code.

Our music video goes with this theory of encoding and decoding. The message we encoded was that women are objectified in society and looked down upon. And the audience then decode the message that women need to break through the typical conventions.

Media Language:

Carol Vernalis:

•       Carole Vernalis thinks that in a music video there are always similar/ typical aspects a person would expect to see.

•       She states that music video constructions requires narrative, editing, camera and sound aspects which overall encode a strong meaning for the audience.

Our music video follows this theory as our video has a story, has been edited and has a meaning encoded for the audience.

Research - Music Directors

Music Directors

David Fincher:

David Fincher has won 2 Grammy’s within his career for best video with the likes of Jay Z and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Suit and Tie’ and the Rolling Stones ‘Love strong’. 

The other artists he has worked with are legendary within the industry and range from Michael Jackson to Sting and many more. Fincher works on a range of different genres of music with most being pop and rock. He’s considered a mainstream director as he has worked with many popular artists who are signed to large companies.

Ant Mandler:

Ant Mandler is a widespread director ranging from music videos to television commercial director. He has only been nominated for one music video award and this was for Madness – Muse at the camerimage festive in 2012. His experience of working with artists are well varied across the genres as this ranges from those from the rock genre such as the killers, a rapper in the form of Eminem and a pop artist like Rihanna. He would be considered a mainstream director as again he works with a varied amount of well-known artists who are involved with big record labels who also have their music videos broadcasted across a range of different platforms. 

Dave Meyers:

Dave Meyers began to direct since 1997 and still to this day is a well known director. In his directing career he has been nominated for several music awards and in 2003 won the MTV Music Awards for the Best Video of the Year with Missy Elliott's - Work It. Other artists he has had encounters with and won awards with range from the likes of Fergie and Jennifer Lopez to Pink. In 2008 he directed the first ever 3D music video, again for Missy Elliott and 'Ching-a-Ling'. He also worked with very popular artists again such as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Leona Lewis. Dave Meyers would be considered a mainstream music director as many of the artists he works for make it to the top of the charts. 

Research - Additional Music Video Analysis

Beyonce - Pretty Hurts

I will be analysing Beyonce’s ‘pretty hurts’ music video.  The genre of this video is Power Pop as it has a powerful message behind the son g and the video. It discusses society’s beauty standards. This video follows a non linear story line, and through the help of constant cuts betweens shots, it shows a story line through the idea of flashbacks and to show the future. The video begins with a series of shots such as close ups and panning shots of the girls in the beauty pageant getting ready. Panning shots are typical conventions of a pop music video as it shows voyeurism of the women. The transitions between these quick shots are quick and there are many of them. Again this is a typical convention of a pop music video. Within the first 1 minute of the video beginning, there are already around 9 costume changes. The costumes are revealing, which shows the idea of women having to have ‘perfect bodies’. It also relates to the idea of Laura Mulvey who suggests in videos women are objectified and are there to look at. This is exactly the idea of the video as it suggests that beauty pageants are there for men to look at women, as in one of the shots it shows 3 judges which are all male. Using all these fast shots and costume changes, represents the idea of beauty pageants being messy and a lot of work. Beyonce is the main character in the video as it mainly focuses on her as she is the artist. This is a typical convention of music videos as the artist is the typically the main character. Beyonce is represented in the video as your typical beauty constant. . The location is in what looks like a dressing room. There are hair and make-up products all over the room as well as mirrors, which emphasises the need to force women to make themselves ‘pretty’.  Throughout the video there is imagery of all the women getting ready in the changing room. It shows them taking diet pills, pulling at their bodies, making themselves sick, doing hair and makeup, choosing outfits as well as having Botox and spray tans. These show everything women put themselves through to make themselves feel they fit into society’s idea of being ‘perfect’. This all fits with the lyrics, it all shows the message about how society’s idea of being perfect can make people feel. Throughout the whole first minute and a half, Beyonce’s facial expressions are blank and sad. This shows the title of the song clearly ‘pretty hurts’ as it relates to the emotional pain of society’s beauty standards rather than physical pain. However physical pain is still shown in some parts of the video such as towards the end, one scene shows her in a doctor’s office with the doctor holding a needle and lines on Beyonce’s face. This shows the idea of women feeling they have to physically change their appearance to be accepted in society. By Beyonce having blank facial expressions, it juxtaposes with the costumes she is wearing. It shows that she still isn’t happy with herself which is the theme behind the video. This also shows that beauty pageants aren’t as fun as they are made out to be. As in one scene she is wearing a tiara and a sash, suggesting she won one of them. But because her facial expressions are blank it suggests she still isn’t happy.  Throughout the video, Beyonce is constantly given dirty look by the other girls in the pageant. This again relates to the title of the song ‘pretty hurts’ as they are judging her by the way she looks. All the other girls act the same and do the same thing, where as Beyonce decides to step away from this pageant life which makes her stand out, and shows young girls that they don’t have to follow everyone else. The message Beyonce is trying to get across in the video is self-empowerment. The video shows clearly society’s beauty standards and also includes the idea of a patriarchy, as throughout the video, the ‘host’ is a male and he’s presented as showing off the women and showing them as an object to be looked at through the male gaze. Another example of this is shown in the video when a male is measuring and weighing Beyonce and he gives a disapproving look and gestures her away, showing he is superior and she is not ‘worthy’ enough. 

Research - Additional Music Video Analysis

Sia - Elastic Hearts

https://prezi.com/vs_zx7jcqhxw/edit/#0_30863873

Research - Music Video Analysis 3

Whitney Houston - I will always love you. 

The video beings with a close up of the artists face. This instantly shows the audience who the video is by. This is a typical convention of a music video. She doesn't look at the camera within the first scene and throughout the video. This gives her a closed body language and sets the mood of the video which is sad. It shows a darkness to the video as it could represent that she feels alone and upset. The lighting throughout the video is often dark, in the scenes where she is sat alone thinking about her memories. The lighting in the flash back clips are bright which tells the audience she was happy during them times. We also see in the scenes where the female actor is sat alone in an empty theater. This emphasises how lonely she feels without the male character which is why she is looking back at the memories. By her standing on the stage it suggests that she practicing telling her love story. One scene at the beginning of the video shows various angle shots of plane and suggests that she is leaving which sets the narrative of the video. Through out the video there are many camera angles and movements. This is a typical convention of a pop music. However the camera angles and movements are slow panning and many fading out and in shots. There is also some editing where the flash back scenes over lay. This creates an effect of the artist looking at her memories and we are with her. This also goes along with the lyrics. For example one sentence says ' Bitter sweet memories' and she is looking back at her memories. This fits the tempo of the video which is a typical convention. As the speed and tempo speed up, so does the amount of shots. There are many close up of the artists face, which allows us to see the artists emotions. They are often blanks and again she doesn't look a the camera, showing the mood of the video which is sad. The use of quick shots and over laying of shots suggest that the artist is looking back at flashbacks of her life. These flashbacks are taken from the film the bodyguard in which the artist plays the main female character. This means the video is promoting the film and the film is promoting the artist. This is an example of cross media convergence/synogy. This is a popular means of two media texts promoting each other with less cost involved. It has been done with other artists such as Adele sang the theme song for James Bond film - skyfall and Ellie Goulding for the 50 shades of grey theme song - love me like you do. The use of flashbacks also creates a narrative for the video. It is typical for a pop ballad video to have a narrative. The video is not a typical chronological order video as it there are flashbacks, however these flashbacks are all in order and help the audience see into the artists point of view. The artist has a plain simple make-up which goes against the typical pop music video, compared to her video 'I wanna dance with somebody' where her make up is very bright, this song is a slow pop ballad and therefore requires a simple make-up. She still has a red lipstick, as red represents love and shows that she still misses the male character. There are multiple costume changes which again is another typical convention of a music video, as shows the audience that the events in the video have happened over a long period of time and shows how deep her love for the male character is.

Research - Music Video Analysis 2

Taylor Swift - Blank Space

The beginning of the video show a title followed by the name of the artist. This is a typical convention of pop music video. Straight away we see a character drive into a castle type house, which suggests the video is going to be a narrative. The setting of the video, suggest the characters are wealthy. A narrative is often used in pop music videos as it helps tell the story of the lyrics. We see that throughout the video the male character pays little attention to the female character. This visualises the title of the song 'Blank space' as the female character may feel like a blank space because she is being ignored. Having visuals that match the lyric are a key point to a pop music video and is a typical convention. For example the lyrics say 'cause we're young and we're reckless'. The visuals are of the two characters running around outside and are inside riding a bike. This is typical childish behavior and suggest the video is about how childish love can be. The camera shots in the music video are also fast and there are many of them. This fits the style and tempo of the music which again is a typical convention of a music video. The vast  majority of shots, creates this atmosphere and reflects the artists crazy character. At the beginning of the video, the camera is angling up and the main character. This shows that she has all the power in the video, as she is also wearing a black dress and black represents power and elegance. This completely goes against the typical characters, as the female is often shown as the damsel in distress. In this video she is not the damsel in distress and rather is the heroin. This low angle also makes her look intimidating. The video has multiple bright colour costume changes which is another typical convention of a pop music video. This is because it will attract the artist target audience, which is teenage girls, and they stereotypical are attracted to bright colours, so this will draw in her audience to watch the video. Through out the whole video the artist keeps the same red lipstick. This creates a recurring symbol for the artist and makes her stand out and recognisable. The colour also symbolises red and danger, which is the theme that stands out in the video, and makes the artist come across as dangerous. At the end of the video the characters are standing in front of a tree and are carving their initials into the tree. This is a scene typically seen in teenage american love films and therefore fits her genre perfectly. She is also wearing purple shorts which is a symbol of power and wealth, again showing she is the dominant character as well as being a bright attracting colour.