PRODUCTION: Summary of codes and conventions for my music video and eventual song discovery

• First of all, the preferred genre of music I chose to research was indie rock music, a subsidiary of the largely-expansive rock music sector. To make sure I stuck to this genre, I made sure I included many artists from the same genre (even if that means including artists from other sub-genres of rock). For example Jamie T, who I have researched into by analysing the latest vinyl digipak released: "Trick" (2 September 2016); he is identified as belonging to the indie rock/British hip-hop/alternative rock genre despite being a singer-songwriter. I have recently researched the Courteeners, who are classified as 'indie rock'; The Hunna, who fall under the genre(s) of alternative/indie rock, and Sundara Karma ("Sundara" = Sanskrit meaning 'beautiful'), a Reading four-piece indie rock band.
• The codes and conventions typically used in their music videos would be my inspiration for producing my music video. They are part of the springboard for choosing my preferred musical artist to feature:

Lymington (renamed Robin Ridge*) for copyright reasons

*subject to change.

Members [from left to right]: Jake Stobbart, Sean Gill, Elliot Rose, Leo McDonald, Freddy Smith (James Aris not pictured in the band portrait)

Once I had researched into my initial genre of music, I looked at music videos of the same genre on YouTube. This gave me an idea of what codes and conventions to include in my own, for example: 

• The band name as the masthead showing up in bold (as seen in Sundara Karma's music videos for "A Young Understanding" and "Vivienne"). See below:

Band name and song title both flash in black and white on the screen in the respective music videos. This brings attention to the audience as they are in the same font, clearly following the codes and conventions of Sundara Karma's brand image.  This bold font is prominently featured in their music videos and the cover for their forthcoming debut album "Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect", helping to sell the band to their target audience better.

• Album cover below:

Furthermore, Sundara Karma include a sun symbol alongside their ancillary products. Said symbol has appeared in their single cover for "Flame":

There it is again on the front cover. This helps to sell their brand image as it is a recurring motif across their released ancillary products.

• This gave me the idea to include a recurring trademark symbol for my chosen band. With its use, teenage indie rockers will recognise the motif in each one of my ancillary products. "Audience appeal"
• I will use the same font for each of the ancillary products I will create in order to maintain brand image. Audiences would recognise the symbol regularly throughout the ancillary products.

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS | MICHAEL JACKSON

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS | MICHAEL JACKSON from Josh Pamfilo

RESEARCH: Andrew Goodwin's theory applied to music videos

Goodwin's music video theory suggests there are five key aspects to every video.

The aspects are as follows:

• Thought beats as in visualising the sound in your head
• Narrative and performance
• The "Star" image - so making the key artist/band the main aspect of the music video just by using key performance shots to make them more prominent.
• Technical aspects of music video.
• Relations of visuals to the song.

Thought Beats

• First of all look at the music itself. Take into account its structure e.g. verses, chorus, bridge, refrain.
• Second of all look at the voice of the song. The artist featured in the music video has an extremely unique voice which identifies with the audience. Also can act as a trademark which works well with the star image.
• Lastly, Goodwin points out the artist's mode of address. There is a narrative in the music video, that which tells a story to the viewer. The artist is perceived as a storyteller in this sense, and therefore the music video acts as a communication device, one which tells a story and the audience responds by listening to it.

Narrative and performance

• We do not get treated to the complete narrative of a music video! Only a fragmented gist of the narrative of the song can be achieved. Other individuals can make up theories about it or generate their own ideas about what the meaning of the song is.
• Coherent repeatability - like an earworm in someone's head. Encourage viewer to watch video as many times as they like without loss of interest
• Narrative not important in role of advertising.
• Artist acts as both narrator and participant - increase authenticity - however lip syncing and mimed actions are core of music videos. Inject ideology to the audience that 'this is real'.

Star image

• Vital aspect of music videos
• Meta-narrative - describes development of star over time - vital part in music video production process while still appealing in a unique way they are portrayed to the audience.
• Star image is very unique in the way they are presented e.g. Abél Tesfaye (The Weekend)'s hairstyle, other costumes, moves and appearance.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This helps to promote the artist's star image in public, also promoting the video in a dual role whilst creating a public reputation for the artist.

Relation of visuals to song

• Illustrate - most common aspect of music video - set of images in music video
• Amplify - related to repeatability - manipulating meanings and effects constantly shown throughout video. Constantly drummed into our heads.
• Disjuncture - ignore meaning of the song so narrative is not made important at all.

Technical aspects

• Goodwin discusses this feature as the glue which holds music videos together through the use of mise-en-scene, editing and visual effects.
• For example, lighting and visual effects help to set the mood for a music video. The Courteeners' "Are You In Love With a Notion?" uses sparking visual effects during the chorus to create a dramatic visual emphasis and thrill the audience.

• Mise-en-scene is also used to benefit the music video production. Another vital aspect - helps the artist gain authentication, making his work appear more professional - THEY STAND OUT MORE TO THE AUDIENCE...
• Beats of the song create effective cuts that complement the rhythm which entertains the audience.

AUDIENCE RESEARCH: Focus group

Focus group

There are four different character profiles to investigate. I will ask them what they all think of the first draft of my music video for the song "Above, And" performed by Lymington (Robin Ridge* for copyright reasons).

*subject to change in future

Vodka and Cherryade lyrics

ALMOST 100% ACCURATE! Lyrics belong to Lymington.
Just because I couldn't find the actual lyrics anywhere on the Internet, I had to copy them up to Pages...

PROGRESS: Second music video "Vodka and Cherryade"

After learning that the music video I composed for "Above, And" was lengthy in terms of editing and cutaway shots, I decided to make a second music video for Lymington (Robin Ridge because of existing brand image)'s commercial single "Vodka and Cherryade". The intro was composed of cutaway shots from their soundcheck dating back to July 21, 2016, in time with the guitar riffs of the intro.

RESEARCH: Jamie T: Trick (VINYL) - digipak analysis

Jamie T "Trick" (2016)

Genre: indie, post-punk revival

Jamie T's fourth studio album, Trick, was released on 2 September 2016. The album cover depicts a naked man with scruffy black hair pointing at the air. Around him are working-class citizens wearing flamboyant outfits, most of which are gossiping to each other while those near the stairs look up at the centre figure. There is a crowd of four shirtless figures, one of which is holding a torch while he is draped under a white flag. The entire album cover is a painting by Paul Falconer Poole entitled 'Solomon Eagle'.

Depicted here is a Quaker with a burning pan of charcoal on his head "denouncing of judgement upon the city". The painting offers a visual aesthetic which represents the overall theme of Jamie T's studio album.

The masthead is not present on the album cover packaging which enforces a sense of enigma upon the audience, but also challenges the codes and conventions of a normal digipak simply because the genre of music is indie. Also, there is no price tag present on the album; the latter would be only found when the vinyl record is sold in mainstream media shops such as HMV and other local stores.

Sources: Jamie T's Trick - NME We Art You - Jamie T - Trick

The back of the 'Trick' vinyl cover depicts a rotting yellow wallpaper draped with flowers. A much more simplistic layout than the front cover, this symbolises a poverty-stricken house interior, reminiscent of one in a deprived borough of London. Some of the wallpaper is torn apart, with the barcode on the top right and the Virgin Records logo below it. The torn wallpaper depicts a contrast between the front and the back cover, with the latter representing disarray in the home where it used to be beautiful.

Tracks on Side A and Side B are displayed in bold white font in the middle of the backdrop.

This is a common convention found on all vinyl digipaks, with five tracks on both sides.

The vinyl record shows a symbol of a cracked black and white skull in the middle - one seen on the front cover of 'Trick'; the skull emblem was designed by Shaun Paterson. This is a repeated motif used by Jamie to establish branding in his product.

The inner fold of the vinyl record for Jamie T's "Trick" contains all the lyrics to the 12 songs split over 6 vinyl discs. In addition to this, they resemble newspaper cuttings placed on top of a collage of various Jamie T-related images. This is to reflect the indie genre - a quite unusual way of designing a backdrop for the album inner art, which also shows Treays' creative innovation. (Conventional art).

Brand image is evident because the same skull logo on the album cover and back also appears on the left side - eagle-eyed viewers will recognise the skull as a symbol of familiarity - the same motif that repeats often throughout the album packaging.

Jamie T's creativity expands as the gatefold contains a collage of different photographs cut and stuck down on the surface as an artistic backdrop. Twin acoustic guitars can be seen, as well as a parade of revellers and the word "TRICK" on the right. The man with the burning urn and pictures of Jamie T himself along with historical photos are part of the collage. All of this information clearly fits the indie genre, whilst clearly challenging the typical codes and conventions of most digipaks because the gatefold and inner cover obviously doesn't stick to a specific colour palette.

Jamie clearly uses his time in the studio constructively, effectively spending it on the quality of the gatefold and inner cover, while in contrast using a painting as the album cover and a house wallpaper as the backdrop for the back cover for "Trick". Overall, the digipak represents the unique innovation of a musical artist seeking to win appeal from their fans in a particular way, not concerning their physical appearance.

OTHER DIGIPAKS BY JAMIE T:

Jamie T "Carry on the Grudge" (2014)

Jamie T "Panic Prevention" (2007)

Jamie T "Kings & Queens" (2009)

Jamie T's latest album is clearly advertised on his website to promote sales and streams through various music platforms and even his own music store: Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Jamie T Store.

The skull motif is recurrent throughout his website to create a sense of branding, which proves effective for "Trick" to sell well across different media platforms. Young audiences will instantly recognise Jamie T's skull motif and subsequently will flock to view other Jamie T related products.

Courteeners - Are You in Love With a Notion? music video analysis [includes music video theory]

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Taken from Andrew Goodwin's music video theory: the record label includes the need for close-ups of the artist - they'll have a visual style which recurs across their work. Liam Fray, pictured in the fourth frame above, is shown in a close-up shot. This shows that the Courteeners' record label [PIAS Cooperative for their album ANNA; Ignition Records for their latest album Mapping the Rendezvous] expects much of their prominence in their music videos.
• Additionally, Fray seems to be "breaking the fourth wall" as he is singing to the camera - a simulation that he is directly addressing the audience.
• Regarding shot #2: it is actually the notion of looking. The lead character's girlfriend is looking seductively at the camera in an over-the-shoulder shot, suggesting that we as the audience should look at her feminine beauty from our POV.

Progress: Robin Ridge - Above, And (initial music video draft)

Robin Ridge (Lymington) - Above, And - Music Video (First draft) from Josh Pamfilo on Vimeo.

I like how Freddy, the lead singer, perfectly lip syncs with the vocals of the music track. Footage shot dates back to Thursday, July 21, 2016; this was when the band played a soundcheck at Chinnerys at Southend before their evening gig. The cutaways at the end involving guitarists are effective as they evoke the alt rock genre via the mise-en-scene. For the shaky camera shot involving two band members throwing stones into the sea, a contrast is provided between this and a steady camera wide performance shot of RR playing the song.

However, there are a number of improvements. For starters, most (if not all) of the shots are too lengthy - I may require a number of cutaways to quicken the pace of the video. There has to be some clear narrative in the music video itself as it is a necessary convention most indie/alternative rock music videos have (see BLUSH's "Daggers" for example). In terms of this, I would include a narrative of a girl dancing in a nightclub OR people dancing at various parties as an example. This would really enhance the music video better, therefore attracting more audience members to watch the video.

Progress: Deciding on a band name for my musical act

http://www.sparknotes.com/mindhut/2012/01/19/how-to-name-your-indie-band

"[Type of animal] + [Non-sequitur location]"

After learning that most indie rock bands, for example the Arctic Monkeys and Grizzly Bear, have a band name associated with animals, I have decided to apply this formula to the band I am making a music video of. They are known as Lymington, but due to 'trademark' issues (their brand image is already existent) I had to rename them to 'Robin Ridge' since it was the popular formula for naming a collective composing 2-6 band members.

The robin is a small orange-breasted bird that is native to the British Isles and Europe. It features prominently in British folklore (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_robin) and was voted in 2015 as Britain's national bird, taking 34% of the overall vote, in an avian-based poll created by David Lindo.

'Ridge' refers to a narrow hilltop or mountain range. If one climbs the hilltop of Mount Everest, they can view themselves gazing into the horizon, hoping for a brighter future.

Also connotes the band being edgy, indie and suiting the alternative rock genre because ridge also refers to the edge of an object.

Research: BLUSH - "Daggers" music video analysis

The Hunna "Bonfire" music video analysis

"House Party Massacre" and faulty links

NOTE: Some A2 Advanced Media Studies blogs may have been archived, such as this one here:

http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/gabriellesmith/

http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/00laner01/

http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/danieldegaris/

For starters, this last A2 Media Coursework website ceases to work and instead directs you to this link:

NOT an A2 blog

These links don't even work, they require "permission" to gain access to the websites. Somehow, they kick you out of access:

https://www.blogger.com/blogin.g?blogspotURL=http://starproductions957.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.blogger.com/blogin.g?blogspotURL=http://emilytolgamedia.blogspot.co.uk/

MAIN ARTICLE: Lara Anisere's A2 Media Studies wixsite:

Digipak and album details

House Party Massacre: a catchy band name for an original punk rock/thrash metal band.

I particularly like this website and its content because it is a very unique way of presenting the Media Studies portfolio instead of just using Blogger to create another website which would be repetitive for a those wishing to advance through A-level Media Studies with an A or above.

The background for the website is particularly typical for a hardcore punk/thrash metal band like House Party Massacre - the grey splatters suit the conventions well. Also the band name is plastered on the top of the website just so audiences can easily recognise who they are - in addition to the masterfully photographed band image. The choice of font for the digipak cover and tracklisting evokes a hellish vibe, which establishes the band's genre to audiences.

"Act Like an Angel" music video

Let's make this clear. The "Act Like an Angel" music video depicts a gang of youths raiding a business blocks, each member breaking into individual rooms and flipping props such as a caution sign and classroom tables. This projects the genre of rebellion against society - a theme common to videos associated with punk rock bands. The band performance is impressive but a bit more bravado is required to propel HPM's standards higher to win appeal from their target audience. I like how the entire video was shot in black and white to invoke a retrospective point-of-view.

Richard Dyer's 'Star' theory

"A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines etc., as well as films [music])."

Richard Dyer, 1979

Image: Lukas Graham. Contemporary pop band, known for the hit single '7 Years'.

Dyer's star theory states that institutions such as the music industry (Universal Music Group is one example of an international music corporation) construct the likenesses of celebrities and icons, those of which represent 'real people' with 'emotions'. Their primary purpose is to make money out of audiences with extended plays, studio albums, live tours and gigs; the latter group then respond to the expectations of a star's personality by purchasing their records and merchandise, eventually becoming fans of that artist/band.

There are three sections to Richard Dyer's star theory. These are:

• Audiences and institutions
• Constitutions
• Hegemony

However, a true star will have 'brand awareness' which will have a lasting significance among a wider target market over a long period of time.

Stars can be represented by a specific attribute to better increase their appeal to people around them - for example, Fetty Wap's eye:

Fetty Wap was born with glaucoma in both eyes. With his left eye unable to be saved by doctors, he instead was fitted with an artificial eye.

Slipknot's nine-piece lineup complete with their iconic masks:

Audience and institutions

Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose: make money out of audiences.
If you increase their brand identity, this will benefit the institution; their brand identity plows the way for a household name which can increase media platform sales.

Constitutions

Pretty much the same as the audience and institutions section above.

Hegemony

ALIAS: CULTURE

A certain ideology is promoted. Shared cultural values and attitudes are displayed by stars.

Other useful websites

NME's 100 Greatest Music Videos

http://www.nme.com/list/100-greatest-music-videos/217342

And another one: Vulture - the Best Music Videos of 2016 So Far

http://www.vulture.com/2016/06/best-music-videos-of-2016-so-far.html

How to Make a Music Video - YouTube

This would sound expensive but this modern method of filming is handy for shooting music videos:

PROGRESS: How to get audio from SoundCloud into iMovie via mp3 file

First of all, I browsed through Lymington's SoundCloud profile page...

and then searched for a SoundCloud audio converter on Google. Nevertheless, the first result was a godsend:

By copying and pasting the track page link for "Above, And" into the search box below, it was successful in downloading the intended music track as an MP3 file.

It would then play in iTunes, confirming its identity as an eligible music track for iMovie:

Next, I decided to drag the MP3 file into iMovie. The result here is as follows:

In order to let the track play without any background interruption, I muted the volume in most of my footage present... all except the beginning and end. I decided to keep the ambient noise of crickets chirping in the background as it would provide a great opener to the music video. Furthermore, the fancy guitar riff at the end provided a superb closing section.

Note that this music video is still WIP (work-in-progress). Otherwise, a second live session with Lymington would work out along with a proper live recording for "Above, And" and some wide performance shots for the final artefact.

Examiner's report - comments

Eleanor Bleach 9191 Advanced Portfolio - three advantages

1. I like how Eleanor has mentioned the usage of cutaways in her evaluation question 1, which is photographic evidence of innovation; she brilliantly compares cutaways in two documentaries: 'Oh You Pretty Things' and her extract 'Fashionably Late'. This explains how she links youth culture in her extract to that of other documentaries, effectively establishing the 'retro' sense of fashion. However, as Eleanor challenges the traditional conventions of old archival footage, she has decided to use contemporary footage in her product.




2. The newspaper advert - Bleach's primary ancillary product. The font is eclectic and matches up with the conventions intended for the stylish aesthetic of 'Fashionably Late'. In her words, it is also 'eye-catching'; similarly, the house style chosen represents that of Channel 4, which is innovative given the purpose of the documentary (to be aired on TV - Channel 4 is a perfectly acceptable channel to air a fashion documentary on). The vibrant colours and composite images arranged in the newspaper advert makes it stand out a lot in front of television audiences. Finally, the vintage looking clothes selection closely matches with the intended genre: retrospect clothing.




3. Ellie chose to interview a manager, Linda, at a local charity shop. Filming the interview was key as it demonstrates a higher sense of authority and creativity while being broad in ideas. I like how she has used iMovie multiple times in the composition of footage as she is clearly taking into mind how various ideas from related products can lead to her final documentary extract of 'Fashionably Late'.


Comments by Josh.




Date: Thursday 8th September 2016




Time: 11:53.

8th September 2016. First blog post since last summer.

Lymington music video footage shot on July 21st, 2016 [last day of year 12 - there was a gig in which they performed at Chinnerys].


Filmed their soundcheck before their actual gig, as well as footage of neighbouring band the Narcotics to support media studies project. Establishing shots filmed at Leigh-on-Sea in August.


Planning to shoot additional seconds of footage during the Heisenbergs' returning gig at Chinnerys on September 10. Reason: as cutaways for the music video.


Edited raw footage onto iMovie on my MacBook Pro at home. Used Handbrake (a MOV file to mp4 converter) to transfer movie files onto the aforementioned program; sped up parts to overcome lengthy parts.

MUSIC VIDEO STORYBOARD - SUNDARA KARMA "VIVIENNE"