Saturday 9 October 2010

Micheal and Janet Jackson - Scream

Video directed by: Mark Romanek

Micheal and Janet Jacksons music video 'Scream' has become a great success, winning awards for best dance video, best choreography, best art-directed and also won a Grammy for the best music video - it also appeared in the Guinness world records for being the most expensive music video ever made costing $7 million! The idea behind 'Scream' was Jackson's retaliation to the overwhelming bad press he was getting at the time, his younger sister Janet was in full support of her brother and the two wrote the song together. 

The highly sci-fi themed video is set on a futuristic space ship, with the feeling of wanting to get away from the media and to just be left alone in the different 'fun' rooms that we see inside the space ship. The black and white (almost silver) tone also adds to the sci-fi effect, but could also have been used to create a sense of distancing themselves further from the world. Like many Jackson videos, there are many shots of dancing and dynamic movements, the two are wearing very tight, shiny leather costumes - and strangely enough the hair and make up are very similar on the siblings sometimes making it hard to tell the difference, this technique may have been used to show the closeness between them, and again to add to the overall sci-fi feel.
Aggression seems to be a cohesive theme throughout the video - guitars, mirrors and vases are getting smashed, the two are almost singing through gritted teeth and we see Janet Jackson flash the middle finger. Aggression is an unusual thing to see from either of them, however, this does reflect the whole meaning behind the song. I think this whole video is visually beautiful, everything comes nicely together to create a professional dynamic feel. 

Cinematography is interesting throughout this video, there are a variation of camera angles and techniques that help create the futuristic sense, focus is always very sharp, which makes it very 'in your face'. At one point micheal Jacksons face rotates 360 degrees when he sings - this could portray him 'going out of his mind' with the media. Close -ups, long shots, high angles and low angles are used - these camera angles change quite quickly, scene by scene which makes the pace very fast and visual. 
The visual effects are very important throughout this video, everything seems very angular, crisp and dynamic - making it seem very classy. We've already established that it is shot inside a spaceship but to emphases this, effects were used to show them dancing on the walls and ceilings and sometimes floating in mid air, although using these techniques could be seen as quite risky, with the chance of it looking abit tacky, I think it is pulled of perfectly in this video with the right balance of editing and cinematography. The editing intensifies imagery in dance routines.

The relationship between the lyrics and visuals are mainly evident once you know the reason behind the song - however, we can obviously see that 'stop pressuring me' and 'makes me want to scream' are visual on screen because the two look as though they mean what they are saying through facial expressions, actions and lyrics. There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals, during the very fast paced music we see very energetic performances, the same concept applies for when there is slower music when it is pretty much stillness and Micheal is meditating. Also when there is a scream or a smash, we see this visually.
We do not see much intertextuality in Scream as is it is a very unique idea, however there are references to Andy Warhol's self portrait and other artists work. But mainly we see a great deal of Japanese drawings in the back ground - there is also a Japanese character that i thought is meant to resemble Micheal.
The Japanese drawings may also be a technique of creating a futuristic feel.

Like all of Jacksons videos, performance is key - most of his career is formed around his ability to be an incredible performer, meaning his music videos are very important for him. However there is also concept behind this video, like i have already explained - it is his backlash to the media for making up stories and portraying him in a bad light. So although the video is mainly aimed at fans (like most music videos) it is also intended for the media to see.



Friday 8 October 2010

Analyses of Pop Promos: Blink 182 - Miss you

Video directed by: Jonas Akerlund

The general feel of Blink 182 song "I miss you" (Feb 2004) is quite sombre, downbeat and dark - this is reflected throughout the music video. Regarding Mes-en-scene, almost everything portrayed is gothic and dark. Location wise, Blink 182 are filmed playing the song in a mist surrounded castle on a stormy night, within this castle we see a number of gothic, almost ghostly like women who we also see outside the castle. Other things we see throughout the video include spiders, wolves, roses, Siamese cats, broken glass and a lake - the band are dressed in 1920's suites and are wearing pale make-up, all of these have gothic connotations and suite the dark feel of the song. I think this song and video stand out from the rest of their work because usualy they are quite playful and creative with their videos (see video for Whats my age again for example where the band are running through a town and performing naked. )

The editing and visual effects also help to create a ghostly feel, scenes fade into each other and a lot of the images are blurred. Alot of the shots are very quick and flashy, apart from when focus is on the band, and there is a range of jump cuts, it could be suggested that this use of cinematography project a nightmare feel.
There is a close relationship between the music and the visuals as through most of it we physically see the band playing, and the dark, sombre feel of the music is projected visually. However, unlike in some videos, there is not a very close relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The only evidence of this is when the line "Your already the voice inside my head" is sung, we see a woman fading - this could be a visual of her fading out of his mind, spiders are also mentioned in the lyrics but apart from that we only see a variation of unrelated gothic images.

There arnt any obvious use of intertextuality within this video - however the lyrics "We can live like jack and sally" and "we'll have Halloween on Christmas" are inspierd by Tim Burtons film Nightmare before Christmas. This pop promo is mainly performance based rather than narrative - as alot of it is takes of the band playing, I think the video is a good way to promote the band as it still keeps their new rock genre, but it is a darker version of their usual light-hearted, comical videos and shows they can be versatile.




Watch video here!

Monday 4 October 2010

Report/Overview of Pop Promos: What makes a good pop promo?

Relationship between what we hear and what we see: To make a good Pop promo, a few things need to be taken into consideration. Firstly the decision has to be made whether the visuals illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics - an example of a video were the visuals illustrate the lyrics is Eminem - Stan. The lyrics describe how Stan is an over obsessed fan of Eminem, he wrote him countless letters, has pictures of him on the walls and eventually crashes his car whilst his pregnant girlfriend is in the boot. The lyrics of this song practically narrate the visuals perfectly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSLZFdqwh7E&ob=av2e.

The lyrics set the tone and feel for the overall song and music video, key lines will usually be evident via the visuals to enhance meaning and importance. Editing must also be used to suit the music, fast tempo songs are more than likely to have quick, short shots whereas more mellow, calm songs - usually from female artists, such as Dido, will have much longer and slower shots to suit the feel of the song. The use of editing may also be used to amplify certain beats or sounds from the foreground (such as drum beat) which makes the visuals really fit in nicely with what we hear, it will also help make the music video look clean cut and professional.    

Genre codes and conventions: Music videos seemed to have taken to their own codes and conventions depending of the genre of music they belong to. The codes and conventions apply to many different areas when regarding music videos - these include; variety of camera shots depending on the style, editing techniques (use of jump cuts in fast paced music) and especially Mes-en-scene, which varies obviously between each genre; props, locations and costume could suggest which genre the music video belonged to - even without any sound.
A lot of the music channels you see on TV conform to their own specific style of music - if you were to watch MTV dance for a long period of time you will notice that many of the music videos played will have very similar styles, many are likely to be set inside a club with flashing lights, usually with a mixture of girls and boys dancing and flirting. It is also evident that the camera work will be similar within certain genres, perhaps different genres focusing on different things. For example, Dance videos would focus on clubs, lights and dancing whereas Rock videos would focus on instruments, large crowds and the band  

RnB music videos have the most obvious signs of codes and conventions these include:
These codes and conventions work to create an image for the artist and music, using RnB as an example again - many rappers sing about how they came from a very poor background in the ghetto and then went on to make something of themselves, which means they like to physically show their wealth using music videos.
Music videos can help create star image in many ways as musical artists can choose how they want to be presented to the world, pop artists, such as the former Britney Spears created a star image for herself by being a very pretty, bubbly, innocent and influential singer for young girls - this image may not have been as possible if it wasn't for her music videos which projected her this way. However, other medias can be used to help create and/or emphasise an artists star image - their single or album cover photograph would have been planned out carefully, you can also tell from this how the artist wants to be portrayed - some artists even chose not to have their own photograph on the cover, this could suggest they are more abstract or creative. You can learn what the artist is like in day-to-day life via other media coverage such as interviews or other public displays - whether they keep their star image or if it is some sort of ulta-ego, whether they really do act or dress like they do in their music videos or if they keep their private life separate. Using Britney Spears as an example again, public displays can be dangerous and could break down your star image and even career.

Pop promos are also used to maintain an artists popularity and/or to re-invent their image - the need to 'keep up with the times' is essential for a musical artists career, if you look at Maddonna for example, it would be very hard to expect that her career would still exist if it wasn't for her constant image change. This concept applies to many lengthy careers in the music industry. Pop promos make it possible for a star to show the world how they look, dress, dance and what their attitude is at that moment in time - just a song alone would not have the same effect and would make it harder for a star to maintain their career. However, the need to re-invent does not soley apply to ageing artist - Rhianna is an example of a star who changed her look from 'girl next door' to a more fierce 'bad girl' - this change made her popularity rocket. Music videos are also a good way to create new fashions based on celebrates styles, not only can it influence fans and media consumers, but also other artists - lady gaga for example, although her fashions do not exactly catch on -its the fact she is daring and kooky that has made it more acceptable to be 'different' - most of lady gagas career is based on these styles which is only made possible from her music videos.

Voyeurism:  Voyeurism usually refers to the idea of pleasure gained by looking, normally at a sexual object. Laura Mulvey (1975) proposed that because filmmakers are usually male, the voyeurism is predominantly through a male gaze - this means that many music videos, whether it be a male or female artist will have some sort of sexual female on display who is effectively portrayed as an object. The sexual display of the females can be projected via costume, camera work and movement and the significance of using voyeurism is not only to promote the music video, but to create that feeling of power and dominance (as the female on display is usually unaware she is being watched) and also female dancers can enhance the ego of male artists.
It is very unusual to see voyeurism through a female gaze - even if the artist is female you will more than likely find she is the one on sexual display.






History of the development and importance of pop promos

      Music videos are now almost a necessity when it comes to promoting and creating an image for musical artists, it is also a way of showing how an artist can perform without being at a live show. Music videos also benefit the audience as they have made it possible to not only listen to artists sing, but also as a form of visual entertainment, and perhaps something to aspire to. It is evident that the use and rise of music videos has changed the music industry dramatically as it is not only about the singing voice of an artist/band – but the whole package.
During my research –I was surprised to find that the TV show ‘countdown’ used video clips in 1974 to promote bands that were to appear on the show. Realizing that this sort of ‘advertising’ was a good marketing device, music industries and artists began to create their own music videos.  Shortly after in 1980, a band called ‘Split Endz’ recorded a set of music videos on cassette for each song on their album.

However, the most significant point in the history of pop promos was the launch of U.S music channel MTV in 1981, the concept behind this channel was to play music videos 24/7 and was created specifically for the promotion and entertainment of music videos. It had a huge impact on music industries and popular culture “video killed the radio star” was the first song to be aired on the 1st of August 1981. Because MTV was mainly aimed at a younger audience they had to think of a way to widen their market and popularity, so in 1985 MTV launched a second music channel VH1 which featured older, softer music.  To widen the audience even more - MTV Europe was introduced in 1987 and if that wasn’t enough MTV Asia in 1991. The development of MTV resulted in pretty much a worldwide industry, promoting music industries, artists, culture and video and entertainment techniques – re-shaping the image and popularity of music. MTV Launch
One of the world’s most popular and influential music video of all time was Micheal Jacksons 14 minuet “Thriller” released in 1983 – its popularity stemmed from being like a short movie, which then became an incentive for other music videos to have a narrative.
Recently, more techniques of advertising pop promos have raised thanks to the world wide web and the use of youtube – which has made it possible to access any music video you can think of at any time. Youtube was originally set up for ordinary people to upload personal home videos, but after noticing how popular it became - and how many people viewed these videos - most musical artists have their own youtube sites where fans can view their videos and can also get access to new, upper coming songs and videos.

 

Introduction

My name is Emily Stansfield, I am 17 years old and I'm currently studying A2 media studies at Suffolk New College. Our overall assignment this year is to create our own music video and completed promotional package for a college band. However, before we can complete this we need to research and understand the development of music videos, analyse how different bands, genres and stars are represented via music videos and use or develop our findings to create our own piece.
For this project we will be put into groups of no more than 4 - within our groups we each need to choose an area to focus on whilst creating our video, my area will be the art director and for this I need to make sure what is seen on screen is how we want it to look to the best of our ability.