Digipak Template

Digipak Template

This is the template that I will be using when I create my bands digipak. This template is a standard 4-panel digipak template that the large majority of artists follow.  The template has a front cover, back cover and two middle panels. The two middle panels will be where the insert and CD will be. Now that I have a template for my digipak, I will begin working on applying the information that I have found out on my digipak research prezi's and apply my own style and genre conventions on my own digipak for my band 'Palms'. Me and my partner will have to do a photo shoot with the band members and work on correcting and editing them to our desired style. I will use the digipak conventions post that I have done to complete my design and make my product look of a high quality, standard and realistic.

I will also be needing to do research on digipak typography/fonts and see which one is best applicable for my band. I will be applying the band name on most of the panels in the digipak. The album name will be on the front cover along with being on the CD itself. I feel it will only be suiting if all of the band members will feature on the front of the album cover. I will be editing the pictures of the band members using the programme Photoshop. Both the record label and band logo will be created using Adobe Illustrator as I will have more access to manipulate letters and images on this programme. I will be using bright colours that have been faded on the band members in order to fit both the indie and pop genre that I will be using for my genre. The colour black and another colour transitional colour will be used in the background of digipak to draw all the colours and images together. The tracklist will be the main focus of the back cover as it is the most important piece of information linking to the product of the digipak - the music. There will be copyright details at the bottom of the back cover as this is where most artists place this piece of information. Furthermore, I will include more copyright details on the outside perimeter on the CD.

Story Board

Story Board

Here are my first couple of storyboards that I made when I was beginning to compose my ideas together to fit the music.

I did not finish these ideas on paper as I believed using an animal storyboard video and changing scenes around on a programme would save me more time and be help me be more practical. I also thought that using the specific scenes to the actual music that I will be using would help me be more precise in my planning and would make more sense to whomever wants to see my plans for my music video.

Here is my final story board that I composed at home on movie maker and using my own animations using the following website - http://www.storyboardthat.com

As you can see my initial storyboards that I had planned and my final storyboard are extremely similar. I liked my idea so much so that I decided not to change much about it and thought that I wouldn't face many problems with my ideas during production. The only main thing that I have changed from my initial ideas and the final storyboard is the band playing all together in an outside space. I think that it would be difficult to carry instruments outside and getting people to play their instruments realistically in time to the music.

My treatment -

The band are all out going about their daily lives. The two band members who are currently in a loving relationship message each other to meet up. This meeting between the two is extremely important. The couple had just had a small argument and their relationship is in jeopardy. The two agree to meet up, settle their differences in order to 'forgive and forget'. The beautiful girl leaves quickly to meet the boy, there is a stranger who takes a second look at the beautiful girl who walks past due to her beauty. The boyfriend realises that he's a lot further away from the meeting point than his girlfriend is. He decides to run and steal a bike in order to get to his girlfriend who is waiting patiently on a wall for him to arrive. Whilst the boyfriend/drummer of the band rides his bike down the roads he rides across other members of the band. Meanwhile the band all together are playing their instruments along to the song in the studio. As we near the end of the music video we make the viewer sit on the edge of their seats as we don't know whether if the boy is going to find and get to the girl in time. When the loved up couple reunite, we make the audience also fall in love with the band and couple.

My shots will all be in high key lighting.

SHOT 1- Rees comes out his house. Wide Shot. Eye Level.

SHOT 2- Ria's sitting outside a café. Wide Shot. Eye Level.

SHOT 3- Rees goes on his phone. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT 4- Phone. Extreme Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT 5- Ria receives a message. She goes on her phone. Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT 6- Rees puts his phone away. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT 7- Rees starts to walk away. Wide shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT 8- Ria starts to walk towards meeting point. Medium Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT 9- Rees running. Wide Shot. Eye Level.

SHOT10- **CHORUS** Ria sings the first line. Cut Away.  Eye-Level.

SHOT11- Ronnie sings the second line. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT12- Ben sings third line. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT13- George sings fourth line. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT15- Split screen of all the band members singing last line. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

SHOT16- Quick changing instrumental shots. Variety of Wide Shots and Close Ups. Eye-Level/Low Angles.

SHOT17- Rees is still running. Extreme Wide Shots. Eye-Level.

SHOT18- He finds a bicycle. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT19- He gets on bicycle. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT20- Ria walks across street. Very Wide Shot and Close Up. Eye level and Low Angle.

SHOT21- Ress is on the bike. Tracking Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT22- Ria sits down and finds a place to wait. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT23- **CHORUS** Band members sing. Cut Away and Medium Close Ups. Eye-Level.

SHOT24- Recap shots of where Ria is. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT25- Rees rides past George. Very Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT26- Rees rides past Ben. Very Wide Shot and POV shot. High Angle.

SHOT27- Rees rides past Ronnie. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT28- Rees rides past Ben, George, Ronnie at bus stop. Extreme Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT29- **CHORUS** Band members sing. Medium Close Ups. Eye-Level.

SHOT30- Band gets confetti poured on them. Medium Close Ups. Eye-Level.

SHOT31- Different shots of band playing the instruments. Close Ups. Eye-Level.

SHOT32- Rees gets off his bike. Medium Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT35- Rees runs towards camera. Wide Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT36- We see Ria waiting.  Medium Shot. Eye-Level.

SHOT37- Band break instruments. Close Ups. Eye-Level.

SHOT38- Rees and Ria come together. Two Shot. Medium Close Up. Eye-Level.

Obviously my music video will not just consist of just 38 shots. When it comes to production I know that I will be including more shots as I could change my mind of how I want things to turn out on the days of producing the music video. I also want to make sure that I have extra shots just in case something doesn't turn out exactly how I want it to be.

Music Video Analysis 5

The Script- 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'

The music video for the song The Man Who Can't Be Moved by the Irish band the Script shows 2 of the 3 ways that visuals are used to promote the song. These three traits are 1) Illustrative 2)Disjuncture and 3)Amplify.

The illustrative trait is when the music video uses certain images and shots to illustrate and explain the meaning of lyrics to their song and the genre. The disjuncture trait is when the meaning of the song is completely ignored in the music video and the amplify trait is when the images and camera shots are manipulated and shown repeatedly throughout the music video in order for the image is drummed into our vision.

In this case the music video, 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' by the Script shows both Illustrative and Amplify traits of a music video. The music video sticks to the story of the song. The song starts off with the line "Going back to the corner where I first saw you" whilst the lead singer is clearly walking down the road in order to go back to the corner where her first saw this girl. At 1:01 he then says "and you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street" where he then proceeds to sit down on the corner of the street. The singer also repeatedly sings "I'm not moving" and "I'm the man who can't be moved" which at 3:09 we fully begin to understand as the singer is shown in a time lapse through different types of weather and still not moving from where he originally sat. There is also many other references of what the singer sings and the visuals on the screen.

"Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move. Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand saying - If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?"

The music video shows the cardboard sign with the exact words "If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?" alongside the sleeping bag and the man who 'can't be moved'.



'Policeman says "Son you can't stay here" and then is followed up with the image of the policeman who is looking at the lead singer and shakes her head at him. This is shown at 1:27.

 "Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows, if she changes her mind this is the first place she will go" is said at 1:35 but visuals for this is not shown until 3:18-3:30 (during the time lapse) This obviously shows how the singer 'stood his ground' and kept his word because he ultimately ended up waiting for the girl during the rain and snow.

The lyrics "Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved. And maybe you won't mean to, but you'll see me on the news" is being sung whilst the man is being shown on the news as now he is finally famous for being the 'man who can't be moved'.

These were all examples of the illustrative traits of the music video. The amplify traits were being shown whenever the the band is seen singing in the car park to signify how much the girl meant to the lead singer alongside the images of the lead singer sitting on the corner of the street as it shows how in love he is with the girl. It also signifies to the audience that the singer really was the guy who 'can't be moved' and that he really meant what he sings and kept his word. Overall this effect makes the band/singer seems real and music of better 'quality' as they mean what they sing. The audience falls for these simple media tricks like an audience falls for a magician's magic tricks.

Location

Location Research

This piece of work will also be shown on my group blog.

Website Research 2

Website Research 2 (Contrast Site)

Rap and Grime artist Skepta's official website - https://www.helloskepta.com/.

Music Video Mood Board

Indie Band Mood Board

Website Research

Website Research

Indie Hip Hop/Pop band Rat Boy website - http://www.ratboy.co.uk/home/ .

Treatment

Treatment for My Music Video

Elements of the Music Video-

• Artist Name: Palms.
• Song Title: Luna.
• Record Label: Wired Records.
• Genre: Indie Pop.
• Target Audience: Teens and Young Adults of both genders.
• Style Of Music Video: Indie.
• Copyright Approval: CURRENTLY WORKING ON.

Overview Concept-

The band are all out going about their daily lives. The two band members who are currently in a loving relationship message each other to meet up. This meeting between the two is extremely important. The couple had just had a small argument and their relationship is in jeopardy. The two agree to meet up, settle their differences in order to 'forgive and forget'. The beautiful girl leaves quickly to meet the boy, there is a stranger who takes a second look at the beautiful girl who walks past due to her beauty. The boyfriend realises that he's a lot further away from the meeting point than his girlfriend is. He decides to run and steal a bike in order to get to his girlfriend who is waiting patiently on a wall for him to arrive. Whilst the boyfriend/drummer of the band rides his bike down the roads he rides across other members of the band. Meanwhile the band all together are playing their instruments along to the song in the studio. As we near the end of the music video we make the viewer sit on the edge of their seats as we don't know whether if the boy is going to find and get to the girl in time. When the loved up couple reunite, we make the audience also fall in love with the band and couple.

Characters-

• Band Members

1. Lead Singer and Guitarist - George Sharp: George will be seen playing the guitar and singing in the music video. We will also be seeing George in the background of the outside shots.
2. Lead singer- Ria Burton: Ria is in a relationship with the drummer of the band. They will be meeting up with each other after an argument has occurred in order to forgive and forget. Ria will also be seen in the studio singing along to her song as she is the lead vocalist.
3. Bassist- Ronnie Afonso: Ronnie (Veronica) will be in the background of the shots with the other members of the band who aren't in a relationship, watching Rees as a stranger going to 'get the girl'. Ronnie will also be seen playing her cool purple bass guitar.
4. Drummer- Rees O'Connor: Rees is going to go after the his girlfriend in order to get her back in his life for god. We will be including Rees in our studio clips as well by getting him to play his drums and even singing along.
5. Key Board- Ben Wilson: Ben will be seen also as a 'stranger' walking past Rees whilst he goes on his journey to meet up with Ria. We will include clips of ben singing the song and playing his keyboard.

Locations-

• I will be basing my locations in urban areas in London.
• This will be effective as it goes along with the storyline of the song and is an easy place to film. There will be many hazards to take into consideration whilst filming the majority of the music video.
• I have chosen these places as they are local, stick to my genre and are places I know very well. If anything was to happen e.g. if it was to rain, I would have back up locations to film. and will not be difficult to return to in order to re-film.
• The locations fit the genre as they are all outside in natural or urban settings. Certain parts of my music video will require to be filmed in the black studio at school. 

Visual elements-

• Colour : The colour theme will be mainly neutrals. I plan to fade out the colours of the video in order to conform to the typical Indie music video conventions. I also plan to use the colour gels over the lighting in order to add an edgy affect onto my video clips. This will overall help the music video fit into its genre.
• Lighting : It will mostly be High-Key lighting as I want to make the music video the best quality as possible.
• Costume : No 'costume' will necessarily be required for the making of the video. However the characters will need to wear casual Indie clothing. Examples of a typical casual outfit will be: skinny jeans, hoodie, oversized jacket, trainers and a band tee.
• Props: We will be using a range of different props in the music video. All sticking to the Indie genre theme; there will be close ups of the instruments, use of bicycles etc.
• Style: To stick to the style of the music genre, this is to help the music and the video correlate.
• All of my visual elements will be adapted or manipulated during or post the filming process in order to fit into the Indie genre.

Equipment and Resources-

• Equipment needed to achieve what I want : I will be needing will be a

1. DSLR Camera which records
2. Camera tripod
3. Lighting
4. Lighting Gel
5. Light Reflector
6. Dolly
7. Confetti Cannons

• I believe that there are not many gaps in my skills that I need be aware of when I come to filming or editing my video. However, I believe I would be needing help with certain effects that I wish to be putting in my music video. In my personal opinion, the software After Effects has also been a difficult software to use, therefore I will limit my use and if I wish to use After Effects I will need to ask for help, or turn to YouTube for tutorials.
• The software that I will be using to edit my music video will be Adobe Premier Pro. Everything that I will be shooting will be on the Cannon DSLR. All the sounds will be from either the natural sounds picked up on the camera or sounds downloaded from Sound Bible if I choose to add them. If I change my mind and wish to add special effects on to my video, I will be using the After Effects software to help me achieve my desired look.
• I will be using a Cannon DSLR camera which belongs to the school. 

Struggles-

• With filming, there is a high chance that we will encounter many difficulties and problems. These problems could be from technical difficulties to people not being able to film.
• I plan to overcome all these problems by being well prepared. For example I will be checking that all the equipment is ok, that they have been set up properly, taking into consideration that the weather could change and having a back up location etc.

In summary, there are many things I will be needing to take into consideration when preparing to film and edit. I will be needing a clear vision as to how I will want my music to look like in order to avoid problems with my work. Furthermore, I will also need to be more free with my filming as it is difficult to film things precisely as there are many factors can change the overall look. There could also be things that I could later on change my mind on or whilst in the filming process I see something else that inspires me and changes my mind. I will also need to ensure that I have all the correct equipment to ensure that I accomplish my goals for the music video.

Record Labels

Genre Case Study

^USE LINK ABOVE IF IT IS UNABLE TO LOAD.

Green Screen and Lip Sync

Green Screen and Lip Sync

 

 

For this task, we had to create a minute video with the use of green screen and lip sync. The overall task was fun to film and produce. Setting up and making sure that there was little to no shadow being produced was the hardest part of the task.

We first set up the green screen. We made sure that the green screen had been attached to the poles as tightly as we could get it to be in order to eliminate creases. Looking back and at the video, it is clear to see that we did not do as well as we had hoped. In the short video clip that I edited, I noticed the creasing of the green screen, and I believe that this did effect the overall quality of the video.

We also had to carefully place the lighting as the green screen picks up shadows easily. We ended up only using only two of the three lights that we have just to reduce the amount of shadow being shown on the green screen and camera.

In terms of editing and matching the lip syncing to the music, I found it to be the easiest part of the whole task as it was the easiest to manipulate and control. The whole video has been matched perfectly to the song and the cuts and effects has been added to add emphasis to the lyrics. Cuts had been used systematically to make the match-on-action as effective as possible. I also edited out derogatory terms used in the music to also match the lip syncer of the video. I experimented with the green screen background, but then concluded to keep it simple by placing a grey brick wall behind the protagonist. The 3 way colour wheel was used, and I settled for adding cool blue tones to counter-act the natural warm yellow/orange tint that we got from the filming.

Overall this task was fun to do and easy to edit. I learnt that if I wish to use a green screen in my main task,I should take many different factors into consideration. These are: shadows, lighting placement, colour of lighting and set up of the green screen. 

 

Lighting Workshop

Lighting Workshop

During the lighting workshop there was many hazards that we needed to take into consideration whilst filming. The hazards that we should be wary of when filming are:

1) Electrical hazards.
Whilst handling electronic devices, there is always a possibility in getting an electrocution. It is a necessity to check whether if the wires, cables and sockets are not damaged before using the lights. This is done to ensure the possibility of electrocution is decreased.

2) Heat Hazards.
When using lights heat is produced. Due to the lights using a high number of Watts, the lights will produce a lot of heat. So to prevent burns when applying a gel or a white sheet in front of the light, either make sure you do it before the light has been turned on, or if you are using heat protecting gloves. The lights should also be kept away from other objects to ensure that they do not burn or melt any other objects.

3) Fire Hazards.
The possibility of a fire should be taken seriously. There is a possibility that the lights could create sparks and ignite flammable materials. It is vital that the lights are operated properly.

4) Trip Hazards.
The cables and stands should be taken in consideration whilst in use. As the stands are tall and the base is small, the lights could easily get knocked over. The cables are long and black, so if someone is not paying attention, it can be easily tripped over. As well as this, the legs of the stands are also very small and if in a dark room, can be tripped over also. To help reduce the problem, tape can be used to tape the wires to the floor as well as the light stand legs.

5) Light Hazards.
The lights are very bright. When turning on the lights, it is a good thing to inform everyone that they are being turned on. As the lights are very bright,  if the person being filmed looks directly into the light, they could easily damage their eyesight.

Whilst using the lighting, and the green screen combined; it was necessary to remove as much of the shadow as possible. This is so that the shadow would not appear on the video and affect the overall look of the music video clip that we produced. We used three lights at three different points to help remove as much of the shadow as we possibly could. The image above shows how we laid out the lighting. 

Due to the brightness of the light, we attached diffusers to the barn doors to soften the lights. This helps the overall look of the person being filmed and also helps reduce the amount of light that is reaching the person who is being filmed.

The group and I also played with the effects of lighting. We applied coloured gels to the barn doors to give an urban and fun look to the film. We applied a purple gel and it gave the desired effect that we were are all looking for. However, we all concluded that the gels should use either a white or black background as the green screen that we had set up in the background removed the 'wow factor' from the purple gel that we had applied on the light.

Music Video Director

Analysing Music Videos 4

Sia - The Greatest


Sia's music video for her song 'The Greatest' is a powerful music video which compliments the message that she is attempts to spread in her song. The music video was made as a with the main idea to help raise awareness to support the LGBT community and most importantly to show support and tribute to the 49 victims of the terrorist shoot attack in Orlando that happened on the 12th of June this year. Immediately this makes the music video stand out and differ from the usual music videos we see on a day-to-day basis.



The music video begins with an actress wiping her face with the rainbow flag which symbolises the LGBT community. She has a high contrast of lighting on here face, as only her face is half lit. This could highlight both the high good times and bad times that the community faces. Its is then followed by slow motion dancing which suggests the serious message of the song.

The lighting in the video is very low key due to the sad undertone in the song and to complete the eerie/weird look that the dancers were giving. The lighting was a dingy grey/black however towards the end when the dancers came all together we had green and red lighting in a dark room which helped make the dancers stand out and seem powerful and hopeful. This contributes to the message that the message Sia is portraying in her song.


There is very simplistic editing in this video. For the majority of the song, the use of tracking is used. As we reach towards the end of the music video, the techniques gradually get more complicated as different angles are used as well as a large variety of shots.

The music video seems to be set in an abandoned home. The protagonist dances around the building into different rooms and joins different dancers. Other dancers will be on the floor, looking half dead. There is not much in terms of what is in the Mise-en-scene due to focal point of the videos being on the dancers. However there was decorative furniture on the walls such as broken/wonky photo frames and clocks suggesting that there used to be people living there; the building had a purpose, this could link to the lives that was lost in the bombings earlier this year (tribute aspect).

Due to the actors/dancers being young in the music and the meaning of the song, it was unsuitable to use the male gaze as an aspect for this video. Moreover, this means that gender did not stand out in the video and was not used to entice people to watch the video/popularise the song.

However, the role of institution and audience played a large role into the video. Sia's record label RCA Records Label, have signed with pop artists such as Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake, P!nk and Zayn Malik. It is noticeable that for the female artists that are signed with this label, their music videos focus on female empowerment,or have important storylines. Whereas the males have mildly sexualised music videos. In this case, "The Greatest" music video proves my point. Alongside this, Sia's audience got what they expected, as the video focused on the lyrical dancer Maddie Ziegler, and was set in an abandoned/empty house. The music video was given a twist with the other dancers and the lighting.

Richard Dyer The Star Theory

Richard Dyer- The Star Theory

Richard Dyer believes that a star is not a person, but is the construction to what makes the certain person 'famous' or have 'star quality' from a range of materials. For example, Ariana Grande has her high pony tail, Miley Cyrus has her twerking and Ozzy Osbourne has his rounded sunglasses. This is almost seen as the artists USP.

Audiences and Institutions

Institutions typically create similar 'stars' in order to appeal to audiences and guarantee success. By sticking to trends, record companies can generate money easier. They then can further profits, by sticking to the knowledge of trends and  have unique selling point and sell different merchandise for their aimed demographic. For example rock bands such as The Rolling Stones, Guns and Roses and Nirvana, often sell T-shirts, however, for pop bands such as One Direction, Little Mix and 5 Seconds of Summer tend to stick to posters and wrist bands.

Constitutions

Each celebrity/star builds themselves up the status and popularity ladder in different ways. The way they constitute themselves will effect the end result of their popularity and 'stardom'. However they use the same principles (e.g. showing off their talent) to become stars.

Hegemony

A star originally begins as a person, then transforms into a construction. The more we see the star in the public eye and provide audiences an idea, the more we begin to believe that the person is becoming a star. This is seen as a 'culture. Due to the person becoming a star, a fanbase forms and people begin to idolise the stars. The stars will promote ideologies. People will begin to copy their 'star quality', act the same as the star, share the same beliefs as the star or even do the same things as the star. This could have a positive affect. For example Beyonce Knowles Carter spoke about feminism in her album 'Beyonce', therefore inspiring thousands of young girls to stand up and believe in feminism. However, it can at times have an opposite effect, for example artist Lana Del Rey released a song called "high by the beach" which probably ended up encouraging many young people to get involved in drugs.

Reflection Upon Year 12

Reflection Upon Year 12

Controlled Assessment:

• Where were your strength in this unit?

In last years unit, I felt that my strengths were within the planning and the editing as I consider myself as a perfectionist and a well-organised person. 

• Where were your weaknesses in this unit? What problems did you encounter during production?

This unit particularly suffered throughout the filming process. I believe that this is because as a group we had to rely on others and I was not able to control the situations during the filming. The problems I encountered was that the process of filming was harder to control as we had to rely on others who were also at the time trying to focus on their own school studies. I also had problems with spreading out the workload evenly across the group, therefore, making it more stressful for other team members to complete some vital pieces of work. I also encountered problems with the software After Effects and tried to make the "CMBC Productions' introduction look as good as possible; however we ended up keeping it as a simple 'fly in' movement due to the lack of time we had left.

                  

• How do you intend to improve upon your areas in this year's production unit? and how will you overcome these this year?

I intend to plan further ahead and plan more precisely when it comes to the production. I also would like to make sure that all the records of the filming process and paperwork beforehand is all done on time to ensure a better/higher standard of work and more time to focus on other key concepts of the controlled assessment.

                   

                 

Exam:

• What were your strengths in this unit?

In the exam I felt my strengths shone mostly through the 'Institutions and Audiences' part as I worked hard on finding the information for my case study and studied the information that I was given particularly well.

• What were your weaknesses? How do you intend to work upon your weaker areas in this years exam unit?

Last year, I believe I didn't perform best to my ability as I dedicated more of my time on other things that wouldn't matter as much in my exam and I did not ask for any extra help or work after lessons. I intend to start this year afresh and put more effort into my work as I become more and more passionate about the subject each day that goes by.

Targets:

My targets for this is to become more focused on the subject and to try and do extra work and research around the subject. I would also like to portray my work to the best of my ability and work harder as a team in team tasks.

Analysing Music Videos 3- The Male Gaze

Ariana Grande - Side To Side - Laura Mulvey's Theory

In this music video, the male gaze was obviously the main objective. From start to finish, we constantly see clips and imagery of half naked women dancing or working out which have sexual connotations. From looking at the comments on the music video, it also seems clear to the audience that this was the main focus of the video too as the top comment was exactly about how the whole video mainly focused on the half naked women.

Laura Mulvey in her theory suggests that women are "denied identity, relegating them to the status of the objects to be admired for physical appearance". She also mentions how women are now see themselves in a secondary males perspective due to the increase of popularity with the idea of the male gaze. This obviously leads to women objectifying other women, thus making it a social "norm" which is an ideology that many would frown upon and disagree with. The music video Side To Side by Ariana Grande supports Mulveys ideas and theory can be applied to the video.

Ariana Grande is seen as a well known idol to young girls in this day and age based on her feminist beliefs and her status. However the video for her latest song seems to objectify her and focuses mainly on her appearance, instead of her voice. This completely supports the Male Gaze theory. From 0:25 onwards in the video, the group of girls who seem to be 'working out' with high heels and minimal clothing, a face full of make-up and hair done to its best potentional. The focus is apparent as the women are constantly being viewed from different cuts and angles. The whipping of their hair, the camera angle from them working out from behind. This has no relation to the song and so therefore was not necessary to be in the video. This was all done purely for the male audience, however, this seems to a big focus and mechanism to lure audience in. The audience falls under this "hypnotic state" and end up forgetting about the song itself.

On the flip side, when the other artist, Nicki Minaj, is introduced into the video (2:10), she is seen surrounded by men, who are moving like dolls. This implies that she is in control men and is seen as supreme; whereas Ariana Grande looked as though she was aspiring to get the male attention. However, Nicki also supports Mulveys theory by dressing to appeal to the audience and dancing in a sexual manner.

Furthermore, the music video contains scenes of women wearing bikinis and dancing sexually in showers. Again this has no relevance to the music video, and was placed between cuts just to hoist in the male viewers. The male gaze is powerful technique which is too commonly used by artists in their videos, and Laura Mulvey's theory was completely proven right by this example.

Example Of a Star

Example of a Star

There are many different stars in this day and age, all of which have a different personality and persona. In order to gain success, it is key for the individual/group to stand out and make an impression. Richard Dyer's Star Theory believes this to be true.

OZZY OSBOURNE

       

Dress Sense and Style

Ozzy Osbourne has always been a star who has had a distinct look about him for a long period of time. He has always been known to have long hair, circular tinted glasses, and wear eyeliner. Due to his band being a heavy metal rock band, it is important that he adheres to his rock&roll persona and look the part of his band and brand. The immediate impression that we gain from Ozzy Osbourne is that he is wreckless and a bit of rebel as he stands out from the crowd and does not conform to social norms. This is all appealing to the audience as it keeps his followers guessing what Osbourne will be up to now. Keeping it exciting - what next?

Ozzy osbourne takes on his role of being a rock icon seriously. He has kept his style over the last 40+ years which signifies that this is him, he doesn't care what the outside world thinks. Osbourne has also influenced many others in past decades and still to this day has a large influence on how people dress. For example model and actress Cara Delevigne wore a very comparable typical Ozzy outfit which obviously goes through her fanbase, making a further impression to a wider audience about Ozzy's style.

Product Image and Appearance

Osbourne's image has always been tinted round glasses accompanied with dark purple/blue/red but mainly black clothing and religious or big chunky jewelry, not to mention the constant use of swear words. This links to the heavy metal genre that Ozzy is linked to, regardless the slight changes and adaptations that the genre has made, Ozzy Osbourne still fits into the stereotype of heavy metal icon today. The heavy metal genre conventions has always been linked with religious imagery which Ozzy is of course well known for. Even though most of the time the heavy metal genre has a stigma attached to it with being seen as satanic, Ozzy juxtaposes the image by wearing the cross and helping the image of his band. The chunky and staple accesory necklace adds a more 'punk effect' to his look ensuring he sticks to his unique public image.

Props

During performances Ozzy Osbourne didn't (and still doesn't) tend to use any props. He just kept his performance simple and it was usually him that was providing all the entertainment by either running round the stage topless and often intoxicated. This, in turn, makes it that much more interesting. However, after the 1982 incident, people tend to throw fake bats on stage, and Ozzy used to take pictures with fake bats too, just to make light of the incident. This obviously isn't what makes Ozzy a star according to Richard Dyers theory, however, it did bring more attention to Ozzy and that was what he was also mainly known for.

Audience and their perception

Different audiences perceive Ozzy in many different ways. Obviously due to stigma that many people have attached onto the heavy metal rock genre that Ozzy is notoriously known for,  many people didn't like him or his band Black Sabbath. People were often offended by the music or saw the genre as a cult/satanic. There was also a historic Rock incident in 1982 on tour that shocked millions people in the world that also turned many against Ozzy Osbourne. It resulted obviously in more people turning against Ozzy. On the other hand some people kept on supporting the artist and accepting his little quirks and odd behaviour. Ozzy even had his own television show with his family called "Meet the Osbourne's" which made the nation absolutely fall in love with Ozzy once again as he is hilarious and very real. Ozzy is still making an impression on todays society, even though he is no longer as big as he was before. Ozzy Osbourne is still considered a star. 



Analysing Music Videos 2

Arctic Monkeys - Arabella - Goodwins' Theory

Andrew Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' theory is apparent in the Arctic Monkeys - Arabella music video. The Key concepts of the theory is emphasised in the video despite the song being very popular on its own.

The Arctic Monkeys are known for their popular rock genre which is very much exaggerated in this music video for their song 'Arabella'. With the rock genre, music videos usually contain women who are often sexualised, a band who are dressed casual, but look rugged, a good-looking front man, shots and close ups of a guitar and usually contain alcohol or cigarettes and have an effect on the video image such as a tint, chroma key or a black and white effect . A music video that can be easily compared to 'Arabella' by the Arctic Monkeys is the Queens Of the Stone Age's video for 'Go with the Flow'. Both these music videos use the typical rock genre characteristics. In the Queens Of the Stone Age's music video, close ups of the guitar, the sexualised woman and the front man are all clearly shown.

The song lyrics to Arabella has also got a few links to the music video. From the music video, we cannot really assume who 'Arabella' is, as there are a constant variation of shots of different actresses. This could signify how some women can fall under the 'Arabella' stereotype. The song also describes 'Arabella' as being promiscuous, this correlates in the music video, as the shots are of the girl being sexualised, half naked and glamorous women who are surrounded or with men who seem to be intoxicated. This is an illustrative method of the lyrics being sung by the front man Alex Turner.

Moreover, the music video meet the Arctic Monkeys record labels, Domino Recording Company's, needs. The face of The Arctic Monkeys and leading man Alex Turner is the main focus of the music video with all the close ups and tracking of him singing. This in turn helps keep and maintain Turners high status and rock, bad-boy, suave look. On the other hand, his other band mates, such as the drummer Matt Helder, is very rarely seen in the music video, and if so, he is usually out of focus and in the background; therefore making him seem unimportant in comparison to Alex Turner.

Andrew Goodwins' theory also mentions the 'notion of looking', and in this case for the Arabella music video, the 'notion of looking' is made very clear as it is the story line and foundation for the music video. From the very first shot of the music video till the very last shot, the women have only been seen in a very sexualised manner, smothering men with affection, and wearing very revealing outfits whilst being very flirtatious. This enforces the male gaze on the video and making the Arctic Monkeys voyeuristic to the treatment of the females. This suggests that the bands music is sensual.

The music video does not contain inter-textual references to films. However it does stick to an old-fashioned cowboy-like theme with provocative women in a 'bar' and men drinking whilst with prostitutes. The black and white effect on the video and the manner in which the actors are dressed also helps contribute towards this theme. Such as an actress who looks similar to Marliyn Monroe, who is a big 50's icon, in an old film effect. We often see this theme in both TV programmes and movies such as 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly', which is very popular.

Analysing Music Videos

   

MØ - Walk This Way - Goodwins' Theory

    

According to Andrew Goodwins' theory, the music video 'Walk This Way' by the new upcoming artist MØ portrays all the 5 Key Aspects of a Music video.

The Music video highlights MØ's alternative edge that she produces through within her music. MØ sticks to the electronic street-vibe indie pop genre which is made immediately clear to the spectator of the music video; if not already done so in the music. Alongside MØ, artist Charlie XCX has also got a common style in which she shows her music, due to having a similar genre of songs.

The genre characteristics of the 'Walk This Way' music video has an american school, independent, strong woman, vibe among it, which is highlighted by having closeups of different women, making them seem empowering, which is also seen often in Charlie XCX's music videos. This links tot the song title being an imperative - 'Walk This Way', as it illustrates power and attitude. Furthermore, there is little dance routine and mostly just stills of the other women, whilst the artist is singing and moving around; giving the music video an alternative vibe which we usually do not get in our common pop music videos.

The video has a strong link and relationship to the music and lyrics due to the message of the song being important and meaningful. The chorus consists of repeating the line - " All my life I've stepped to the rhythm of the drums inside me head...". This essentially means that the artist MØ, has broken away from societies norms and values, therefore making her an idol and empowered person. This is noticeable in the music video when she is the only one standing out singing, and is made as the focus of the screen due to being different.

MØ's record label, Sony Music Entertainment, deems it important to keep MØ's message of feminism and the importance of sticking up for what you believe in as important. They ensured that even the visuals in her music videos focus on this message. They display this message to the audience by constantly bringing up close ups of the artist and making her the center of display, this virtually depicts how far she has come and how she has gained her success by sticking to these morals.

Alongside this, the music video does not contain any males, any obvious attempt of sexual images of women and filmed in a way that does not focus the attention of women being seen in the typical way that popular and most music videos portray them as being. In turn this heightens the awareness of the message that MØ wants to spread. The 'male gaze' is also removed to demonstrate the value in which both MØ and her record label take her message of independence seriously. More over, the abundance of females helps emphasise to the young female demographic, who are typically seen as vulnerable to society, that they can achieve their goals and believe in feminism, which in turn is empowering.

The music video lacks in inter-textual references due to wanting the focus to be solely on the message. However, it does noticeably look like the typical set of an american high schools P.E. field/track/sports hall. This is common in music videos. This stands out as usually the american films/TV shows use this set to show the males physique and athletic ability; therefore when MO uses and dominates this set with her 'girlfriends' she shows strength and goes against social norms with males typically being linked to sports and strength. Similarly Charlie XCX and Iggy Azealia both do a similar thing in their music video 'Fancy'.