VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR

AN INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC
VIDEO

FOR YOUR A2 COURSEWORK YOU WILL PRODUCE :

A MEDIA PORTFOLIO , COMPROMISING A

MAIN AND TWO ANCILLARY TEXTS

60 MARKS

20 MARKS

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

EVALUATION 20 MARKS

MAIN TASK
A

PROMOTION PACKAGE FOR THE RELEASE OF AN ALBUM , TO INCLUDE :

A MUSIC PROMO VIDEO

40

MARKS

PLUS:

A DIGIPAK CONSISTING OF AT LEAST SIX PANELS (CD PACKAGE)

10 MARKS

A MAGAZINE ADVERT FOR THE DIGIPAK (CD PACKAGE ) 10 MARKS

YOU

WILL THEN BE REQUIRED TO ANSWER

TWO

QUESTIONS IN YOUR

2015

EXAM ON YOUR COURSEWORK .

QUESTION 1A (25 MARKS) WILL FOCUS ON YOUR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

FROM AS TO A2. Y OU HAVE ALREADY BEGUN PREPARATION FOR THIS DURING
YOUR A2 INDUCTION LESSONS
QUESTION 1B (25 MARKS)

WILL ASK YOU TO ANALYSE

ONE

OF YOUR

PRODUCTS IN RELATION TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING KEY CONCEPTS

NARRATIVE
AUDIENCE
GENRE
REPRESENTATION
MEDIA LANGUAGE

THE PURPOSE

OF A

MUSIC VIDEO

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of

music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a [marketing]
device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of
music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the 1980s, when
MTV based their format around the medium, and later with the launch of VH1.
The term "music video" first came into popular usage in the early 1980s. Prior to
that time, these works were described by various terms including "filmed insert",
"promotional (promo) film", "promotional (promo) clip" or "film clip" (Wikipedia)
TASK 1
1.WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF AN ALBUM MARKETING
CAMPAIGN (THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH A BAND /A RTISTS IDENTITY IS MEDIATED
TO AN AUDIENCE)?

2.WHERE HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED THESE ELEMENTS IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?

3.WHAT FACTORS MAKE YOU LIKE A BAND AND THEREFORE DOWNLOAD THEIR
MUSIC , BUY THEIR ALBUMS OR ATTEND THEIR CONCERTS ? H OW DO YOU DECIDE
WHICH BAND IS COOL AND WHICH IS NOT?

WHAT MAKES THE MUSIC VIDEO UNIQUE ?

THE MUSIC VIDEO IS DESIGNED FOR MULTIPLE VIEWINGS; IT HAS TO BE INSTANTLY

MEMORABLE YET INTERESTING ENOUGH TO WARRANT WATCHING AGAIN AND AGAIN .

UNLIKE THE FILM TRAILER IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE VIEWED ON A LARGE SCREEN

NOR IS ITS AUDIENCE CAPTIVE.
1.WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU WATCH MUSIC VIDEOS?

TASK 2
IN THE SPACE BELOW LIST AS
VIDEOS THAT YOU CAN THINK

MANY FEATURES/ CONVENTIONS OF

OF.

MUSIC

Analysing Music Videos :

1. Genre Categories:

Illustration either a straightforward performance video or a simple

narrative video (or mixture of the two) that illustrates the meaning of the
lyrics and visualizes the music in a straightforward way. It could be called
music video denotation. A good example of a classic mixed
narrative/performance video is Pulps Babies.

Amplification the conventions demonstrated by the music video

auteur or creative director. S/he may use both performance and
narrative, however, rather than simply illustrate the lyrics or sounds this
director will amplify both with creative interpretation, unusual ideas and
surrealistic approaches. There is still a direct link to the song, whether it
be the beat, sound or connotative link to part of the lyrics or song title.
See Spike Jones video for Fat Boy Slims Praise You or Michel Gondrys
video for Kylie Minogues Come Into My Life.
Disjuncture also created by auteur directors these videos are
completely abstract and have no obvious link to the music, lyrics, song
title or artist. In this sense they are a point of disjuncture from the song.
See Spike Jones video for Daft Punks Da Funk or any Radiohead video.

2. The Narrative Video Codes and the Performance Video Codes:

Narrative Video:

Narratives are rarely complex for two reasons:

1. They need to market or advertise the band/artist and song so must

feature repeatability In other words the narrative code must be loose or
simply suggestive rather than realistic or detailed. This is because

music video audiences need to be able to watch videos repeatedly and a

tight realist narrative would prove too boring after the first couple of
viewings. Musical Synaesthesia only requires the musical or lyrical mood
to latch onto to develop a narrative concept.

2. Musical Synaesthesia the two elements of the song which determine

the visual subject matter or overall concept

a) Roland Barthes theory of the grain of voice whereby the vocal

sounds can be understood as music in themselves e.g. Michael
Jacksons yelp or the tone of voice of the words which are the song
title themselves e.g. Bjorks Its Oh So Quiet
b) The dominant musical arrangement that dictates the overall mood.
This could be a key guitar sound (the lead guitar in Get Lucky Daft
Punk) or a particular beat (Uptown Funk Mark Ronson)
Once the director has identified what he/she thinks is the key vocal or
musical element then this may be used to tap into the audiences sense of
shared cultural history or intertextuality e.g.

The steel guitar = the American Deep South and desert plains
An rnb beat or bass line = an urban environment
A group of choral voices = a place of religious significance e.g.: church or
graveside etc.

Performance Video:

1. Conventions of the band performance: a degree of authenticity of

the performance is sought by the band and the director so we find
lip-sync close-up, mimed playing of instruments, repetition of chorus
shots to enhance repeatability, unusual camera shots and angles
e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar,
sweeping crane shots to film audience reaction to the band playing
etc (see number 4)

2. Conventions of solo artist performance: many of the above plus

choreographed dance routines to enhance repeatability, a first
person mode of address directly engaging the viewer through the
camera which involves many close up shots of eyes rolling and
gesturing (see how these conventions have been adopted by Pop
Idol contestants in a bid to appear professional and authentic)and if
the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance and
narrative then the solo artist or band lead singer often becomes part
of the narrative story, acting as narrator and participant at the same
time (see Jarvis Cocker in Pulps video for Babies)
3. Star Image only 1 in 10 artists promoted by a major record
company will actually make that company any substantial profit.
This is why certain select profit making stars are manufactured,
manipulated and marketed by the record labels artist and
repertoire (A&R) division so aggressively. The star image of
individuals such as Michael Jackson and Madonna through their
videos is a vital component of this process. This is why we can
identify the meta-narrative of stars through their videos whereby
the record label manipulates and changes the artists image with
each new video release to increase sales, consolidate target
audiences and broaden appeal to new fan bases. The best case
studies are Madonna and Michael Jackson. Trace their image
manipulation through videos over the past 30 years.

3. Audio-Visual Technical Codes Needed for Analyzing a Music

Video:

Speed is the Essence:

Camera Shots: jumping directly between long shots, close ups and
extreme close ups. Primarily the close up on the singers face is the main
generic convention for music videos. Also the extreme close up on the lips
for lip synching.

Camera Movement: whip pans, fast dolly track shots and fast overhead
crane shots to follow the running, walking or dancing of performers. Also
fast vertical tilts and horizontal pans.

Editing: various terms: jump cutting, MTV style editing or montage editing.
Creating the visually de-centred experience of jumping from location to
person to instrument without any normal narrative continuity. Instead it is
often the beat or the rhythm of the track which provides the organising
principle for editing movement. The editing moves so fast it creates the
need for viewing repeatedly. There are exceptions though. Some
continuity editing used such as atmospheric dissolve shots such as in
Sinead OConnors Nothing Compare to You

Post-production digital effects: see i-movie for split screens (see Michel
Gondrys video for Kylie Minogues Come Into My World for split screens
seamlessly bled into each other) colourisation slow motion etc These
are now conventional for music videos. Please look out for other
innovative effects.

Lighting: Expressive lighting a key feature of music videos. Extreme

artificial light to create the bleaching effect on pop stars faces (making
them seem ageless). Also the use of switching from colour to black &
white or sepia to indicate a shift from chorus to verse. Also lighting effects
such as strobes or flashing needs to be identified. This obviously links into
the use of CGI in dance music videos to enhance the atmosphere.

Mise-en-scene: look for the overall artistic concept in a video. Is there a

theme such as the historical period e.g. the sixties (Madonnas Beautiful
Stranger with its intertextual link to the Austin Powers film) or the
seventies (The Beastie Boys Sabotage video which parodies the Starsky
& Hutch 70s TV Cop genre...also an intertextual link). Does the videos
mise en scene follow the need for authenticity in performance videos by
using the concert hall or rehearsal studio setting. Or is there an intentional
parodic setting to exaggerate star image as in many rap and r&b videos
with a focus on glamorous icons such as exotic locations, beautiful cocktail
bars and stunning beachside houses with infinity pools (see Rick Ross
Here I Am).

TASK 3
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
FEATURES
GENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS
AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC
AND VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSEUPS OF THE ARTIST

AND STAR IMAGE
MOTIFS?

IS THERE
REFERENCE TO THE
NOTION OF
LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL
REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO
CATEGORY
ILLUSTRATION,
DISJUNCTURE OR
AMPLIFICATION ?

HOW MUCH OF
EACH ?

OAME
BSERVATIONS
N
OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

EXAMPLES

TASK 3
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:
FEATURES
GENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS
AND VISUALS?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC
AND VISUALS?

ARE THERE CLOSE UPS OF THE ARTIST

AND STAR IMAGE
MOTIFS ?

IS THERE
REFERENCE TO THE
NOTION OF
LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL
REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO
CATEGORY
ILLUSTRATION ,
DISJUNCTURE OR
AMPLIFICATION ?
HOW MUCH OF
EACH ?

OBSERVATIONS

EXAMPLES

TASK 3
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
NAME OF TRACK:

ARTIST:

FEATURES
GENRE
CHARACTERISTICS

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LYRICS
AND VISUALS ?

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MUSIC
AND VISUALS ?

ARE THERE CLOSEUPS OF THE ARTIST

AND STAR IMAGE
MOTIFS?

IS THERE
REFERENCE TO THE
NOTION OF
LOOKING ?

ARE THERE
INTERTEXTUAL
REFERENCES ?

IS THE VIDEO
CATEGORY
ILLUSTRATION ,
DISJUNCTURE OR
AMPLIFICATION ?
HOW MUCH OF
EACH ?

OBSERVATIONS

EXAMPLES

TASK 4 A NSWER ALL

OF THING YOU LL NEED

THE QUESTIONS BELOW

THIS

IS EXACTLY THE SORT

TO DO WHEN EVALUATING YOUR OWN COURSEWORK .

1. Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

2. In what context did you encounter it?
3. What influence do you think this context might have had on
your interpretation of the text?
4. Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the
text?
5. To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its
genre?
6. Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of
the genre?
7. What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed
at (and how typical was this of the genre/style of music)?
8. What sort of person does it assume you are?
9. What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age,
gender and ethnicity?
10.
What interests does it assume you have?
11.
What relevance does the text actually have for you?
12.
What knowledge does it take for granted?
13.
To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that
the video seeks to position you as?
14.
Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if
so, what do they involve)?
15.
What responses does the video seem to expect from
you?
16.
How open to negotiation is your response (are you
invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular
ways)?
17.
Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected
ways?
18.
To what extent do you find yourself 'reading against
the grain' of the text and the genre?
19.
How typical do you think this video is of Music Videos?