Music videos that influenced me.

Overall narrative of our video is to present the ups and downs of the relationship between Josie's and Daniel's character but that it all gets too much for her and she decides to leave but there is a twist at the end. My personal choice of music videos that influenced are idea are the following:



''Black Heart'' is a song from the British girl-group Stooshe. It deals with the issues of being in a relationship with a cheating lover. The video presents Stooshe as a girl group from the Sixties on the set of a television show. It shows band member Alexandra Buggs in a relationship with the host of the television show and him cheating on her with an assistant. One of the other members, Karis Anderson mentioned "There was a guy I was with for about six years and he broke my heart. When he hears the song he'll realise it's about him. Like with Adele's album, it's obvious to that person. We were all thinking about exes during the performance as it was important it was heartfelt. Everyone's been through a broken heart, so we can all relate to this song in particular." The reason I saw this as an influence for our idea is because Taylor Swift songs are mainly based on relationship themes and also happen to be obvious. However, we did not take on the genre which is a ballad with a "Motown-esque" feel about it. One music critic said the video for ''Black Heart'' is a homage to The Supremes.


''Call Me Maybe'' is a song recorded by the Canadian singer-songwriter Carley Rae Jepsen. Lyrically, the track brings attention to the trouble that a love at first sight brings to a girl who eagerly waits for a call back from the boy. The video presents Jepsen as falling for her neighbour only to find out at the end he reveals, by handing over his phone number, his attraction to a male band member  According to the director Knechtel, the main idea behind the narrative was to have a "twist at the end", trying to pull away from the idea of the classic "boy meets a girl" story which is similar to our idea but our twist doesn't end on a light note like in 'Call Me Maybe'.


''We Found Love'' is a song recorded by the American singer Rihanna. I saw it influencing our storyline as the video portrays both love and hate scenes as they face difficulties in their relationship. After enduring the extreme effects of recreational drug use and physical violence, she leaves her boyfriend finding she's had enough of the relationship.

Taylor Swift (Sparks Fly song) genre analysis.

The genre of the song Sparks Flys is country pop.

Brief description on country pop:

Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that arose in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop artists are now more likely to cross over to adult contemporary.
The coming together of country and pop began in the 1950s when studio executives Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley wanted to form a new kind of music for the young adult crowd after “rockabilly stole away much of country music's youth audience”. According to Bill Ivey, this innovative genre originated in Nashville, Tennessee and thus became known as Nashville Sound. Ivey believes that the “Nashville Sound often produced records that sounded more pop than country” after the removal of the fiddle and banjo. Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and Eddy Arnold were among the most popular artists during this time. This was intended to have country singers gain more success in pop music and sell more records. The first male artists to come out of this new genre were Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold, who both grew to have widespread acceptance in both country and pop music. Both Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold had major influence on Elvis Presley, apparent not only in secular songs, but even more so in country gospel songs. The first female country singer to emerge from this new genre was Patsy Cline in the early 60s. She created a whole new breed of female country artists,[such as Lynn Anderson, Crystal Gayle and Shania Twain, who gained prominence in later years. Even though Cline also gained widespread acceptance from country and pop audiences alike, the Nashville Sound did not maintain its popularity for long, receiving competition first from the Bakersfield Sound and later the outlaw movement.

Some research into a record label.

I've decided to do my research on the Big Machine Records which is an independent American record label specialising in country music artists. It was set up in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his affiliation in 2006. Big Machine is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and is distributed by Universal Music Group. The label has six Grammy Awards, awarded to Taylor Swift.  

Current artists that are under the Big Machine Records are pictured below in order starting with Ella Mae Bowen, Edens Edge, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift.

Questionnaire (2)

Questionnaire (2)

1) What is your gender?
Male

2) What is your age?
18

3) What is your occupation?
N/A

4) What area do you live in?
Wimbledon

5) What genre of music do you listen to?
a) Rock
b) Classical
c) Alternative
d) Pop
e) Country
f) R&B
g) Rap✓
h) Dubstep
i) Other

6) What radio station do you listen to most often and why?
98.4 Capital FM which has the best hit rap music.

7) What is your favourite music channel and why?
MTV for its rap music.

8) How do you get the latest news on your favourite artist most of the time?
a) Their offical website/social sites.
b) Music/tv channels.✓
c) Magazines.
d) Appearances - e.g adverts/interviews.
e) Other.

9) Do you think that negative stereotypes are portrayed in popular music videos?
Yes.

10) What appeals to you most about music videos?
Narrative and editing style.

11) What is your favourite music video?

2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up

12) How often do you watch music channels?
Weekends.

Questionnaire (1)

1) What is your gender?
Female

2) What is your age?
17

3) What is your occupation?
N/A

4) What area do you live in?
New Malden

5) What genre of music do you listen to?
a) Rock
b) Classical
c) Alternative
d) Pop
e) Country
f) R&B ✓
g) Rap
h) Dubstep
i) Other

6) What radio station do you listen to most often and why?
Kiss because it plays R&B music.

7) What is your favourite music channel and why?
Massive R&B because it's the best british music channel for R&B.

8) How do you get the latest news on your favourite artist most of the time?
a) Their offical website/social sites.
b) Music/tv channels.
c) Magazines.✓
d) Appearances - e.g adverts/interviews.
e) Other.

9) Do you think that negative stereotypes are portrayed in popular music videos?
Yes.

10) What appeals to you most about music videos?
Colour, narrative and edits.

11) What is your favourite music video?

Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z) — "Crazy in Love"

12) How often do you watch music channels?
Every day.

Promotion.

In lessons we have been looking at ways a band/artist is promoted. I created a prezi to show ideas how my fake artist Chloe Shaw could be promoted.

Textual analysis of music video.

Goodwin music video theory.

Goodwin says music videos are constructed by the connection between the visuals, lyrics and artist. Relationships are formed between these in a music video, and close-ups of the star provide them the representation and publicity they require.

A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics:
The relationship between the lyrics and visuals match, 'I'll find someone like you' as it’s featuring Adele wandering the early morning streets and pining for her long-lost love. Her solemn looking appearance ties in with the message behind the lyrics: ‘Don't forget me I beg, I remember you said ‘Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.’‘ This shows she has been let down and is feeling lonely. For the visuals to contradict the lyrics they would have had to consist of Adele having flashbacks of the good times in their relationship for example.


Genre-related style and iconography present:
Adele - Someone Like You. It was directed by Jake Nava, a British film and music director. The genre of the song is pop and this transmit through the music video as Adele is a popular figure and is seen throughout the clip along with popular images and scenery of Paris.


Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist:
There are many close-ups of Adele whilst she is walking throughout the video and her expression is sombre and this connects to the theme of facing relationship problems and feeling lonely. The image of Adele that is being offered is that she is full emotions and she is not scared to show the world how she feels on issues. This video relates to other songs by Adele which seem to be about relationships like 'Chasing Pavements'. 
 

Music Video Director!

My chosen music video director is Sanaa Hamri, who is a Moroccan American music video and film director. She is one of the few prominent female film and music video directors.

She has directed videos for Lupe Fiasco, Nicki Minaj, Lenny Kravitz, Joss Stone, Sting, Common, Raven-Symoné, Eric Benet, Amel Larrieux, Jay-Z, A*Teens, and Christina Aguilera.

Hamri has been described as intelligent, talented and versatile and I would say that was an accurate description of her looking at her background which tells how Hamri taught herself to use an Avid editing machine in 2000 and has never participated in a filmmaking course. Realising she had a talent for combining images together in order to tell a story, Hamri began making videos and approaching the music industry.

Hamri doesn't have a fixed style when it comes to directing, for example when it came to directing Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" which Minaj stated herself for wanting the video to be 'colourful and cutesy' and then looking at Lupe Fiasco's "Words I Never Said" which contrasts with the style of 'Super Bass' and this shows her versatile directing style.

Album art research

Design and Marketing:

ORA is the debut studio album by British recording artist Rita Ora, released on 27 August 2012 in the UK through Roc Nation. The album was recorded from 2010 through to 2012. Ora made a statement on the title of the album saying the title represents more than just her last name. “Ora is my surname, but it also means time in my country, Kosovo, and it definitely took me a long time to get this album - three years to be exact.'' The watch she is wearing in this photo could be associated with this. Ora's main target audience is young girls between 14-24.




Star image and brand:

Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born November 26, 1990) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. In 2012, Ora released her debut album, Ora which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom.Ora has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Rita Ora has a confident persona and the close-up of the image on the album could represent that she likes to get up close and personal with her fans.

Album art research

Design and Marketing:

The album cover consists of a 2009 commissioned oil painting by the African American artist Kadir Nelson. It features two cherubs, one white and one black which I associated this with his single 'Black or White' and they are placing a crown on Jackson's head against a mural depicting the images of the singer at different stages in his career. Jackson approached him several years ago to create a project detailing his life and career. "He places his hand over his heart and looks directly at the viewer, a symbol of Jackson's big heart and strong connection to his fans and music. A monarch butterfly sits on his shoulder, another symbol of Jackson's metamorphosis as a singer and entertainer, as well as a symbol of royalty. His musical history unfolds behind him." Nelson stated. 'Michael' is a posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks. It was released on December 10, 2010 by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment and features guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl.'Michael' is the first release of new Michael Jackson material in nine years since the album 'Invincible' in 2001. 'Michael' is the seventh album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Michael Jackson's death in June 2009.

Star image and brand:

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an African-American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ. Jackson is recognised as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971. Labels he was associated with were Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions.

Album art research

Design and marketing:

It is a simple design which consists of a image with the back of will.i.am and #WILLPOWER across it. As a member of the public I think this was a strong design to market the album and the reason for this is because twitter is a popular social site and the '#' in front of the album name is what is used on twitter to start a trend and gain attention from thousands or even millions of followers. All ages are on twitter but will.i.am's target audience is for anyone who is interested in his music.

Star image and brand:

The star image of will.i.am is that he is known for being an African-American recording artist, songwriter, entrepreneur, voice actor, DJ, record producer, educator and philanthropist, best known as one of the founding members of the hip hop/pop band, The Black Eyed Peas. He is the recipient of seven Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, a Teen Choice Award, two Video Music Award, and three World Music Awards all won with the Black Eyed Peas. will.i.am has also produced with other popular artists such as Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, U2 and many more. #WILLPOWER is his fourth studio album which he is planning to release on December 7th 2012.