AS2 Task 3- Analyse the track

The song that we have decided to do as part of our music video task is 'say sometin' by Austin Mahone, we decided to do this one because it was not only the best song that we came across but also because he is not extremely well known. The song has a fast beat to at points in it which was one reason that we chose to do this song but also because the lyrics that are in the song are catchy, This song can be seen to be about love 'say somethin, cause your driving me crazy' these lyrics could mean that he wants this girl to just talk to him because he fancies her and there isn't really a story to the song because there is no meaning to it and it doesn't try to pick on anything. The only hidden meaning that may be in this song could be that this girl that the song is meant for could be his way of saying that he is starting to develop strong feelings for them and that he could see them being together.

AS2 Task 2- Analyse the artist

The artist that we have decided to go with to create our music video is Austin Mahone, he mainly sings songs on the teen pop and dance pop genre which would appeal more so to the younger generation that are teenagers or slightly younger. Austin Mahone came to fame in 2011 meaning that he was only 15, he was born on 4th April 1996 in San Antonio which is located in Texas, he grew up with only his mother because his father died when he was 1 1/2 years old.

Austin Mahone is seen to the older generation as just another singer but to the younger generation they would look up to him and the girls would find him as a attractive person, this is shown in one of his music videos where it was at a live performance at multiple destinations singing with some fans sat on stage and all they wanted to do was try and kiss him, hug him and take picture because they was that happy to be sat on the stage while he was singing.

AS2 Task 1- Choosing the track/gaining permission

It is an important task to ask the artist for their permission before we use their song and lyrics in a song for our own gain because they have the legitimate rights to that song therefore if you sing that song without their permission then they could sue you for using that song and it would also it would be important for us not to break any copy right laws because the song may not only be taken down from the internet under copyright laws, the author of that copy of the song, criminal charges pressed against them.

We chose to go with this track because the artist is not only not that well known, but the song has a good beat and rhythm to it and the lyrics also fit in to the song so thinking through it we thought that we could create our own music video based on these lyrics and it would be better than if we went with a different song.

Task 5- Understanding the techniques of music video 'Elton John and Kiki Dee'

When we decided to shoot this video we did this with two different cameras so that we could get in different shots at the same time and then choose which one suited which scene, in the actual filming process we decided to make more than 20 different shots but I only used 14 of those to have a different shot variety and to also have a bit of pace in the music video. When i was editing this work i was making sure that when they where singing we had footage where the singers lips sync was in time to the actual song, I also tried to make sure that when I was editing the work the parts in which they was only focusing on dancing matched up with what was actually going on in the song and also to the beat of the song, I also tried to change it up as much as possible so that you are not looking at the same footage throughout the whole time that you are watching it.

When we was doing this we had 6 people participating in this which meant that while the two people was singing the song we still had 4 people hanging around in the background which allowed them to set up all of the camera equipment and discuss what different shots that we should be using and doing, we also decided to use a dolly cam which allowed us to move around those who where singing to get a moving shot of them.

In conclusion i think that this was a good way for us to be able to understand the must do's in order to have a successful music video, we came to understand how important it is to also change up the shots that was been used and also why we should change the shots up. During the filming process of this we encountered problems which slowed us down, this included the singers not knowing the lyrics to the music video and because of that it slowed us down because when we was recording them they fell behind the song playing in the background so we had to reshoot the footage a few times to make sure that the lip sync was going to match up to the song

Task 4- Understanding the techniques of music videos 'The Pretender'

In this task I created a storyboard to a short sequence to a song,the song was called The pretender by the foo fighters, I tried to do this from about 20 seconds in so that there is more of a shot variety, I then drew the drawings for every different shot that went on during that 20 second sequence, after all of the drawings that had been completed I then had moved onto taking the photos of each individual drawing, once those had been completed I moved onto transferring it all over to the computer to then edit it and make it into an animatic.
I have learnt that during the music video there was a wide range of shots that was used and this is effective because it not only makes the music video seem more interesting (depending on the shots used) it would also give it more pace which would allow the song to have a bit more of a flow to it.

Task 3- Understanding the techniques of music videos 'editing to the beat'

In this task we was asked to create a music video out of some clips that had been gathered, in this video we had to do a few things, we had to make sure that the beat of the music and the lyrics fitted in with the clips that we was using, we also had to make the video have at one point two different clips showing at the same time and we had to place in some special effects. I found it a relatively easy task to complete but the hardest part of all of this was to make sure all the clips fit in with the pace of the song and the lyrics so I found this an effective way to get practice in for when we eventually create our own music video.

Task 2- Understand the styles and conventions of music videos

Andrew Goodwin's six key conventions

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
   (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.
   (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often inter-textual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).

Andrew Goodwin presented these idea's on music videos and condensed them into 6 key features that could be addressed in music video's. These 6 ideas were then published into his book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory'

Pastiche
Pastiche music videos are the type of videos that pick on the type of era so at the time it could be seen as a really good idea to have or do but in the future people would think what are they doing, this would have been done so that they could fit into the current culture and to also please their fan base.

Parody
Music videos that are parody's would generally be used to mock another artists music video or song but it can also trick people that it isn't for that purpose, some people may see this and think that they are just acting stupid because in today's society you wouldn't see a music video like that.

Animation
This type of music video uses a different series of animation to create a music video, it would generally consist of stop motion and computer animation along with others, this type of music video would try and use the latest things and try to stand out from everything else so that they do not look as though they are trying to copy other artists.

Narrative
A music video that is based on a narrative would have a story behind it, some artists would choose to have this type of music video so that they can spread awareness, for example, below is a video of a song called the earth song, this song was made to try and make people aware that their actions and that they are destroying the earth.

Performance
Music videos that are based on performance are only made and focused on the band playing and performing, this is not only a cheap way to keep your budget for the music video low, it is also an excellent way to make sure that all attention is placed and based on the artists that are singing/playing.

Inter-textual
Inter-textual music videos are music videos that have been made specifically for films, the music videos would have clips of the film in it so that it would be also advertising the film, this is called synergy, some artists would do this because they can sell the song to their fans and some people who like the song in the film may go to listen and buy it so they can earn even more money and it can work exactly the same way for the film.

As live/concert
As live/concert is where the video is put together from a real concert that the artist had played at, some artists may choose to do this because it allows the fans to share in the 'excitement' of the live show, sometimes when they do this type of music video they may not be on a tour doing a show, it could show them singing the song while they are in the studio.

Cinematic
Music videos that come under the cinematic category generally means that they have made the music video and it looks as though it is a movie production because it is that long and a lot of effort had gone into it, it could also be because the music video had a intro before the song started where there could have been acting out a scene that leads up to the song been sung.

Abstract/concept
A music video that has an abstract/concept music video is the type of music video that generally leave the public or who ever watches it confused because it can be that out of the ordinary that people do not understand it.

Task 1- Understand the purpose of music videos

Music videos wasn't really around until the 60's and one of the very first music groups to create one was none other than the Beatles, the song that they had created this music video with was a song called paperback writer. There was a reason behind why they wanted to create this, some of those reason where to help promote their new single in all the different countries in the world and one of the main reasons was because when they performed live at concerts, the crowd screamed that loud that you wasn't able to hear them singing the song.

This also allowed the fans to see them without them actually having to be there, this suited them because they could not be in every country in the world at the same time to perform, this was also a good thing for them because it allowed them to promote their new song which would get the fans more excited and want to buy the vinyl (the CD of their time) this allowed them to have another source of income because they was now able to earn the money that they needed to live from a different place.

Creating a music video allows the Beatles to expand the type of audiences that will see/hear their songs and music videos , also creating the music video allows the artists to have their song played any across the world without them having to be there to play it which suits them because then they don't have to be everywhere at the same time.

Creating the music video is also a way of promoting a song, the song could be shown on TV show such as 4Music which would allow people to listen to the song and watch the video and if they liked the song they could then have the chance to go and buy the song or album.

If a artist created a music video they could also get a extended income because they could then have a flurry of people wanting to watch the video and buy the song which means that they would have even more money coming through to them.

When an artist creates a music video it also allows them to create an extension of out lets, for example if an artist created their music video it could be uploaded to a site called YouTube and that would allow for more people to see their song and video which could increase the chances of those people becoming fans of that artist, this would mean that they could then create an opening for them to get more sales on that song or their entire album.

If the artist has the opportunity to have a song feature inside a film it would benefit them both, for example, Adele sung a song named Skyfall and it featured in the James Bond film Skyfall, the music video featured scenes from the film which could attract people to watch the film and when the film plays the song the people that are watching it could then decide to go and buy the song which means both the artist and the producers benefit from having synergy.

producers would use a strategy for different labels, there are 3 different types of label categories and these are known as the Majors, independent and self-produced artists. The major record labels are dominated by 4 different record labels, this category would have stakes in other companies and would also have connections to Films, TV and electronics, the strategy that this record label would have is that they would use online platforms such as VEVO which can used and accessed on YouTube. The next set is the independent, this record label have a huge number of smaller companies that have no connection to the majors, The independent producers like to see their work as a art form and not just a advertisement for the music industry and the music videos of these artists that aer in this category would have directors that are using it as a stepping stone for up and coming directors to further their career as a director. the final record label would be self produced artists and these type of people would have the smallest budgets and are generally unknown to the public and when they produce their music video, it becomes a vital part for promoting their early career and it also allows them to utilize websites such as YouTube which could lead them to great success