T2: Convention 5: Frequent Notion of Looking

T2: Convention 5: Frequent Notion of Looking

In this fifth convention Andrew Goodwin states that in music videos there are frequent references to the notion of looking. Particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This is shown through many music videos the are going to be used as examples.

Rihanna - What's My Name? featuring Drake

This music video shows this convention pretty well, shown at the beginning of the video of when Drake is looking at Rihanna, and then the camera looks down at Rihanna's body from the males perspective of how he looks down at things. 

Beyonce - Video Phone Featuring Lady Gaga

In this music video, it explicitly shows how this convention works of how the camera shows the female body in music videos. In the music video where it has the scene of Beyonce dancing where it has two camera men recording parts of Beyonce's body, which is what the convention conveys. 

Task Two: Convention 4: Develop a Style

Task Two: Convention 4: Develop a Style

Andrew Goodwin's fourth convention is that all across all music videos, the demands of the record label will attempt to develop a motif that regularly recurs across their work. In their music video. Often, lots of close ups are demanded of the artist to help create a clear visual image/style of the artist. 

An Example of this is Lady Gaga: 


Lady Gaga's style has a striking visual, which has kind of changed in a dark one. This style of hers has been executed and maintained for a very long time. This image that you see of Lady Gaga is bright which executed through her music videos such as Poker Face and Just Dance, which are around the times she started. This was also maintained when she would go on the red carpet events. 

Another example of Andrew Goodwin's theory, this would be Katy Perry:

Katy Perry's style is very bright and colourful which shows through most of her music videos. For example, videos like her singles 'Roar', 'California Gurls' and just many more singles that recur. Katy Perry uses childlike images but wears provocative dresses that contrasts with the scenery in the video of 'California Gurls'. Her motif is, sweet and sexy. 

Task 2 Convention 3: Relation of Music to the Visuals

Task 2 Convention 3: Relation of Music to the Visuals

Andrew Goodwin's third convention is that the visuals in a music video will almost have a connection to the pace of the music/song. Just as convention 2, the video can be edited so that it either, illustrates, amplifies or contradicts the beat of the song. 

This music video illustrates the music that's playing in the background, the electrocardiogram which is shown mostly throughout the music video while the lead singer is singing, the visuals of the ECG (electrocardiogram) get big and small while the lead singer is vocally singing out their lyrics. Also, the animations go with the music for example the animation of the woman walking to the beat, where they show another animation of a group of women placing down tyres in time with the beat. Lastly, they show 4 different coloured ECG to represent each band member of the band, white for the lead singer, red and blue for the two different guitarists and the yellow for the drummers. Clearly, as seen on the music video, the animations really does illustrate the music video with the sequences and the timings of the music video. The good thing about an illustrative music video is that it visually shows what the lyrics are telling you and also shows that the visuals go in time with the music as explained previously. Although, it may not be appealing to audiences because in the video, majority of the time is shows the Arctic Monkeys ECG moving most of the time in the music video.

This music video amplifies. This music video from Nirvana, it amplifies the music that's playing with the techniques of slow motion. In the beginning as the music, the music is slow and calm but as it builds up which is where the slow editing is, when the chorus drops, sometimes the fast editing runs cohesively with the music. At times when the music was fast, the scenes are slow and at times the scene is in time with the music. An example of when it was in time of the music is when from 0:57 seconds in when the drummer playing on the drums to when Kurt Cobain jumps while playing the guitar. In this music video which amplifies is interesting as the pace of the music video gets in time with the music at times and can be slow and subtle at times too. Consistently throughout the video, the visuals are fast then they come out to be slow again throughout. The music video amplifies what the title of the song clearly states, with the teens having fun enjoying the music that is being played by the band.

In this Skrillex music video, it contradicts the music. This is because the music production is really fast and mostly the music video's pace is used in slow motion, which really contradicts the music. Slow motion was good in this video because as a viewer, it is really interesting to watch what is going on in the music video and listen to the music. However, the downfall is that the pace of the video doesn't cohesively match with the music playing since it is really fast. 

Task 2: Convention 2: Relation of Music/Lyrics to the Visuals.

Task 2: Convention 2: Relation of Music/Lyrics to the Visuals. 

In Andrew Goodwin's second convention, it is about the lyrics relating to the music video, so what you'll hear the artist singing or rapping their lyrics, the audience should visually see whats going on. So there is a very close relationship between the lyrics and the music video. This can happen in three different ways: 

Illustrate; music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics and genre, this is the most common. 

An example of this is the music video riptide, what you hear in this music video is what you see in this video. A set of images are used in this music video to match the lyrics. A strength of this video is to make the audience to really understand what the lyrics is about visually and hearing the song go at the same time. Weakness, may not interest the audience as its just literal and the video could miss out on the subtext of the music video. For example, if the song was about digging, and there was a music video about it that was literal, it was just be plain and boring to the audience where they could show something interesting related to the song. 

Amplify; meaning are amplified often through repetition, part of the song is amplified visually drumming it into our vision.

This music video is an example of amplifying in this video the meaning of the song is visually being repeated to make the audience really understand the meaning of the song. A strength about this type of music video is that they showed different scenes for the subtext about the song. Weakness about this video is that the audience may not understand the first time of the meaning of the song.

Contradict; completely ignores the meaning of the song. 

In this music video the lyrics are completely ignored, the song is about calling someone, and this music video has no relation to the lyrics. The music video shows a yoga class working out with a lot of females and only one male in the class. They are all just dancing to the song that is being played. A strength would be, that its appealing to an audience that doesn't relate to the lyrics, as in this music video it just shows a yoga class of women just dancing. However, it has a weakness would be that the audience may find it stupid, that the video disconnects to the lyrics.

Task Two – Understand the styles and conventions of music videos Convention 1: Genre Characteristics

Task Two – Understand the styles and conventions of music videos

Andrew Goodwin had six key conventions for music videos, he had a book which outlined the six key conventions. This book was called Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992). The following features of music videos: 

Music Video demonstrate genre characteristics 

Every genre of music features certain characteristics which feature in their music videos. For example girl bands have lots of choreography in their music videos such as Girls Aloud and Spice Girls. They are in the same genre which is pop, but they are two different groups with the same characteristics because they are in the same genre. This is mostly seen in the genre of pop.

Here are two examples of Girls Aloud and the Spice Girls, they both have dance sequences in their music videos.

Another example of this, indie rock. Bands like the Hives and The Foo Fighters. In their music videos, they would have one location, and they are not seen in any other location but the only one that they are placed in. And the band members would be seen playing their instruments, and the lead singer would be seen the most throughout the video, but there are a lot of cuts to see the other members. 

Both of these music videos are great examples, these two bands both have their similarities as they both have lead singers, and it is based in one location and lastly it cuts to the different band members, as they mostly show the lead singer. This solidifies the characteristics of the indie rock music video. Apart from the Foo Fighters who are an indie rock band that do music videos around different places that show in their videos. 

The last example is the Hip Hop/Rap music videos, with these type of music videos unlike the other genre characteristics that have been explained because, in the Hip Hop/Rap industry the artists talk about themselves and show where they come from while rapping or when they rap about something specific they would show it, but mostly its where they came from, their roots. 

Both of these are examples of Hip Hop/Rap videos are different to the others, these are good examples, as the music videos show the artists in different locations, lip syncing their lyrics in different locations that are urban that can give a good theme for the music video. 

Task One – Understand the purpose of music videos

Task One – Understand the purpose of music videos
The purpose of the music video has changed in purpose of what it is used for. Nowadays music videos are used to promote the artist, which could lead fans buying singles or albums from the artists supporting their music. Whereas, before if an artist or a band were not available for a live show they would show the music video. 

Availability of the artist is a big purpose of a music video, back in 1964 the Beatles were very busy touring all over the world. Since they were busy they thought that they should begin making promotional clips for distribution and broadcast in other countries. The Beatles featured in their film called film 'A Hard Day's Night'. They did this to enable themselves to promote their record releases, without having to make an in person appearance. This time around, that's what the artists intentions nowadays, to give fans a taste of whats to come in their brand new album. It was only after queens success after shooting a music video, for their single 'Bohemian Rhapsody', this is when it became a regular practice for record labels. Once they'd finish shooting the music videos it would be shown on TV. 

Before, on top of the pops if the artist wasn't available to perform on the show, they would bring dancers to perform over their music, and it was not fair on the artist because it doesn't portray what the band want from the dancers, also they could create a bad image of what the song is about as well below is an example of Pan's People. Which is why Queens started to do music videos. So it can be seen and not performed by dancers.

Promotional, music videos then became a promotional tool, this is then to show viewers of how the artist looks and show the artists characteristics. It is like an advertisement because, the artist are selling themselves for fans to buy their single or to buy their album. Also it is designed to draw attention to the artist and the song itself, for example Lady Gaga, this artist has over 600 million views on YouTube for the music video of her single 'Bad Romance'. This is because what she did was abstract towards the viewers, and its like something the audience haven't seen before. Lastly, the music video should appeal to the audience, if the music video is appealing which could draw loads of viewers in, the artists fan base could get really big. For example, PSY's music video for the single 'Gangnam Style'.

PSY's music video is appealing to an audience, the music video is animated which can appeal to kids, and also to advertise who PSY is and what type of an artist he is. For example, he's an animated artist that would add anything that may not match the song.

Creating a Brand, artists or groups are often sold as a brand, and the music video acts as the product of the brand, and they hope that the audience can buy into their brand. This is done through the mise-en-scene, which is how the scenery would look for the music video and also extend the look of the video into the rest of their lives. The artist will maintain a consistent image throughout a range of platforms, music videos, websites and loads of more factors. This way the audience would know what type of an artist he/she is in terms of their style. Some artists would be wary of their image more than the product and The Spice Girls are an example of this.

The Spice Girls, each of the members have their own identity, which sells to the audience. It also makes the audience understand their different personalities when it comes to the music. 

Other times when it comes to creating a brand, it is the song itself; the meaning of the song that sells to the audience. The artists image has a little to do with the sale of the song. For example, Ed Sheeran. 

The talented lyricist, Ed Sheeran, doesn't have an image that is abstract. The image of Ed Sheeran is just original, which shows that his looks don't matter more than the talent that he has. Also, his music is meaningful which sends a message out to audiences.

Extension of income, music videos are a great opportunity to extend their income instead of just making the music video as they want, they could add the little things, which can bring a lot more income. This is because, it could encourage audiences to buy the merchandise, the album etc. on what they could buy. Also, it can make audiences attend to music festivals and tours to see the artists. Also, this is a chance for product placement. 

Here is an example of the product placement, in this music video it has the new upcoming talent who is called Jasmine Villegas, who is signed by Interscope Records early 2014. In this music video, the product placement is the famous headphones called Beats by Dr Dre. 

Extension of outlets, the music video allows the artists to extend the outlets on which they are accessible through. For example: Music channels such as MTV, Kiss etc. Website, this is so the fans can catch up with updates about when the artist single is coming out or album. Also, updates about tour dates and could be selling merchandise.  

Here is an example of the Hip Hop artist Kendrick Lamar's website, filled with lots of updates about and related to Kendrick Lamar for his fans. And it has everything a fan would want from Kendrick Lamar. These outlets also help audiences become a fan of Kendrick's. 

Another purpose to create music video is to create opportunities for Synergy. Synergy is when two media products work together with each other, and they benefit and promote each other. This is helpful because if there was an unknown artist that made a song for a big film that is known, there is a chance that the artist can get popular from the synergy.

Here is an example of synergy, Never Say Never the song by Justin Bieber featuring Jaden Smith, works together with the film 'The Karate Kid' which stars Jaden Smith. This promotes the audience to purchase the single and watch the film as they are working together. 

The strategies producers use (Major Label, independent, artist self-produced). For each of these, music videos have different purposes. Each of these use music videos, to them music videos are a very important tool and used in different ways. 

For major labels their purpose of the music is clear. They provide a strong online presence and allow them to make more profit through advertising. A platform they use is Vevo. Vevo is a music video website, which was launched in December 2009. The music video below is Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me, in this music video there is a lot of advertising, by showing her fragrance, also advertising Sony by showing the Television from Sony, and there is a lot of advertising in this music video as this is by a major label. 

Independent labels, these labels have no connection with major labels. These labels mostly concentrate on a small number of acts. An example of an independent label is Top Dawg Entertainment. TDE is an independent label growing big as they are grabbing on to young talent which can help them into working the artists into signing to a major label. TDE showcase music videos, to showcase the artist and to represent the album that they are going to release. For example, leading man for TDE, Kendrick Lamar released a single called 'Swimming Pools' and released the music video to promote his album. 

Artist self-produced videos have the smallest budget, and are usually unknown artists. But, making a music video can really pave their way, by using Youtube to work their way up to become popular at what they do. 

An example is Justin Bieber. Bieber made a lot of YouTube videos of him singing and showcasing and got signed by American talent manager Scooter Braun and became more big and popular as an artist.