Music videos

One music video which I like is Coldplay-The scientist where Chris Martin opens the song and the rest of the band joins after the first chorus. The song is very popular for its reverse narrative and Martin is seen mouthing the lyrics in the reverse footage. In order for him to do this, he had to learn the song backwards which took him around a month to do. The music video shows him going back through the suburbs where he then appears in the woods. It then shows Martin in a car where the car then goes back up the hill, through the fence and on the road. It also shows the woman taking of her seat belt which hen leads to her death.

Another music video I like is OK Go- Here it goes again which shows the band dancing on treadmills in one single continuous take. It had taken 17 attempts to complete the video.

Another is A-ha- Take on me which was filmed in two places. The video used a pencil sketched animation called rotoscoping. This took 16 weeks to complete and 3000 frames were rotoscoped.




Another is Michael Jackson- thriller which was filmed in various locations in New York and Los Angeles. It is longer than an original music video as it is similar to a short film. Following the music video, a 45 minute documentary was released which was shown heavily on MTV for a time. MTV also paid $250,000 for the exclusive rights to show the documentary.



Another is Gorillaz- On melancholy hill which has an animation for its music video. It has a small beginning where the ship is under attack by two planes. It then skips to Noodle shotting at the planes with the music starting.

Andrew Goodwin- Dancing in the distraction factory

Andrew Goodwin was a director of music and had written a book about the relationship between the music and the video.

• There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.
• There is a relationship between the music and visuals.
• Different music genres have a different video style and iconography.
• Record company's have a high demand for close ups of the artist of vocalist.
• There is a reference to voyeurism particularly in the treatment of females, but also in terms of systems of looking (screen within screen, camera etc).
• There is likley to be intertextual references to other music videos or films.

Eminem-Stan analysis

The video 'Stan' is about an obsessed fan who writes to Eminem about how much they are alike and how they they should be together. Eminem does not get his first letter and so the second letter that gets to Eminem is more angry. After no response, Stan is in a car with his girlfriend in the trunk talking in a recorder about how he realises they can not be together. He then drives the car into the river. The video is unconventional for a hip-hop music video as hip-hop music videos are usually different. This song shows how society thinks of celebrities, and that people admire them and are inspired by them similar to Stan in the music video. This also shows that music videos does not have to have to be the same music video genre convention to be a success, as this was one of the biggest hits in 2000.

The music video 'Stan' is narrative piece that is similar to the style of a short film. The video starts on a rainy night as the camera zooms into the window. A pregnant woman is lying on the bed and then shows the main character in the bathroom. The main character in this also looks like Eminem. It then shows the woman walking down the hall way and hitting the door. This then turns into an argument between them both. He also shouts at her for calling him Stanley. This may show that he is trying to be someone else. After this, it then goes to the lyrics. The first line of the lyrics is "My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all" which is linked to her life such as the place she lives in and her relationship. Her life in the lyrics is described as "my teas gone cold". During the lyrics, the camera then goes beneath the floor and into the basement where we see Stan. This type of shot links the two places. This type of shot is used a lot through the video like when his girlfriend is trying to get in the bathroom. During his lyrics, we see him mouthing them while writing the letter as if he he talking to Eminem. He is shown as his biggest fan in the video and this is shown with posters all over the walls and the television in the basement. The room that he is in is filled with pictures of Eminem and later shows Stan sticking a picture of him over his girlfriend. At this part, the lyrics are "P.S. we should be together" which shows that he loves him. In the video, from Stans point of view, it is seen as Eminem is ignoring him and the camera angle show his expression and how he is annoyed at him. The lyrics also become more angry at him. Before, he is trying to show that they are alike but then, he trys to show that he is different to him. The lyrics show this by saying "Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin in the trunk but I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain't like you". This then finishes with Stan driving into the river. The next part then shows Eminem receiving Stans letter. While Eminem is in the train, you can also see his reflection on the window. This can be interpreted as ghostly as Stan had just died.

The video scene changes with the beat of the music and the lightning flashing which gives it more of a dramatic feel. The storm also symbolizes the emotional feeling of the character. There is also a shot from above at the beginning when Stans girlfriend is trying to get into the bathroom. There is also the shot of when Eminem is in the basement which is a dark room and is raining. Instead of a happy relationship, Stan is showed to be in love with Eminem more than he is with his girlfriend. The song is also sang from a fans point of view and also through writing letters. The last part of the video is calm when Eninem is writing back to Stan. There are also small references to another Eminem songs like 'Bonnie and Clyde' when his girlfriend is in the trunk of his car. Stans objective in the song is to make Eminem feel guilty for not being an active part in Eminems life.

Music video conventions

Pop
Pop music videos are usually bright and may have a fast tempo. May have variations of close ups and zooms of the artists. May show the band performing or dancing. Instruments are not shown and may often see the band or artist change clothes through the music video. May have a part of the lyrics illustrated in the video.
Indie
May have a mixture of a performance and a narrative. Music video may not follow the lyrics. May have close ups of the main singer and occasional wide shots of the whole band. Lyrics and the tempo may change the colour as colour may be bright, dark, or black and white. Special effects may also be used in the music video. The pace of the editing may depend on the tempo of the music.
Rock
Colour of the videos are commonly dark to give a scary and an edgy feel. Will usually see the band performing in the video. Band are also dressed in dark clothing. May also were specific clothing to give scary feel. May sometimes have a narrative music video to reflect the tone of the music. Special effects are also sometimes used. Music is usually fast and loud so the pace of the editing may be fast.
Hip Hop
There is not really a story line in hip hop music videos. The videos are mainly about huge partys, women, jewelry and expensive cars. Colours are usually bright. Props such as alcohol may appear in the video. May also show people dancing in the video as there is usually a party. Will also show some performance of the artist with close ups. Will also show wide shots of the setting.

Music videos top 5

The top 5 most expensive music videos-
1. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Scream. $7,000,000
2. Madonna. Die another day. $6,100,000
3. Madonna. Express yourself. $5,000,000
4. Madonna. Bedtime story. $5,000,000
5. Guns N Roses. Estranged. $4,000,000

Top 5 music videos-
1. Thriller. Michael Jackson
2. Sledgehammer. Peter Gabriel
3. Take on me. a-ha
4. Heart shaped box. Nirvana
5. November rain. Guns N Roses

MTV

The pre-history of MTV began in 1977 but had launched on August 1 1981 12:01 am. MTV (music television) is an American network which had started in New York which had launched on August 1 1981. MTV had revolutionized the music industry and become an influential source of pop and entertainment to America and other parts of the world. Other countries include: Brazil, Denmark, Greece, UK, India, South Korea and many more. The creator of MTV was Robert W. Pittman. John Lack was the VJ (video jockey) at the time. In the early day of MTV, basic music videos were introduced by the VJ, and was given for free by record companies. Money was then invested in making creative and cutting edge videos.
By the late 1980's, MTV then started airing non music videos directed towards teenagers and young adults. Its popular reality series 'The real world' launched in 1992 which was then followed by popular shows such as: The Osbournes, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, Laguna Beach, My Super Sweet 16 and The Hills. MTV also debuted animated series including Beavis and Butthead and Celebrity Deathmatch, as well as documentaries, news, game shows and public service campaigns on topics ranging from voting rights to safe sex. MTV has also launched other channels in the US and around the world. Some channels in the US include: MTV2, Palladia, VH1, Comedy central, Nickelodeon and others. Other countries around the world have fewer MTV channels, the most famous being Nickelodeon.
During the early years of MTV, very few black artists had their music video shown on the channel. At the time, Rick James' "Super Freak" was rejected due to MTV saying it did not fit in with the genre. Eventually to resolve the struggle and finally "break the color barrier," the president of CBS Records, Walter Yetnikoff, announced to take away MTV's ability to play any of the record label's music videos. It was believed that 'Billie jean' was the song gthat broke the colour barrier. In the late 1990's and early 2000's, MTV placed a stronger focus on displaying reality TV shows and related series, like The Real World and Road Rules in the 1990's. With the reality shows came the game shows. In the late 90's, they began doing prank and comedy shows.

A2 Brief

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the band;
• a cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film.

3. The first level of a new computer game, together with two of the following three options:

• the cover for the game's package;
• a magazine advertisement for the game;
• a radio advertisement for the game.