Evaluation

The A2 Media Studies brief which I decided to choose was; A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the band
• a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package)
•  a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

I decided to create a website homepage and a digipak as my ancillary tasks to accompany my music video.
The music video required personal planning, filming and editing. Before making any final decisions on what song I wished to produce a music video for, I felt it was necessary to do some research prior to this on the history of music videos. This gave me an insight on the different types of music videos whether it be narrative, performance, abstract or a mixture of these and also the purposes which they are used for, this is often to create a specific impression of the band/ artist so that they are represented in the way they want the audience to see them. Music videos are also a way for the artist to express a message to the audience. This research showed me how music videos have developed in time, with all aspects changing or evolving, including animation, the camera quality with more elaborate camera movements due to new technology and devices. I looked at how the introduction of the Internet has dramatically helped towards the easy access of music videos and also the discovering of new bands and artists via well-known websites such as Youtube. I then delved further into music videos by analysing existing videos which are current and that I found interesting, this provided me with many ideas for my own media product.

I chose to produce my media text to the song "B Boy Baby" by Mutya Buena and Amy Winehouse which fits the genre of RnB/ Soul music. The reason for choosing this song is because as soon as I listened to the lyrics I could instantaneously visualise a narrative to go with the words, one which was both interesting and achievable. Due to the genre of the song being a hybrid of RnB and Soul music I made sure I researched these conventions so that I could see which style was more appropriate for my idea, I also took note on how these conventions appeared in official  music video of "B Boy Baby". This music video contained a mixture of both genre conventions as it included men who were break dancing which is associated with RnB, however elements such as the artists clothing were more suited to the Soul genre because of the links with her long black coat and that of gospel clothing. I feel that my media product holds aspects of both the RnB and Soul genres in certain ways however fits better to the Soul genre because RnB is more commonly linked to money and power although this is not always the case and many songs can be about love which my music video is about. I decided to make my target audience for my music video 16-19 year olds because this is not only the age range which I am in meaning I will understand this age group the most but the poll on my blog also features this age range the most, meaning it was likely that this would be the most common ages for people who may watch my music video and be interested in it, the majority of people felt that they would like to see a Soul or RnB music video and this is also what made me choose this song. Due to the target audiences age this would make them come under the E category in the demographics because of their age, most of these people would be classed as a student if they attend college or unemployed after just leaving school.

I modelled my music video around the conventions of real media products, specifically RnB and Soul music videos, however before finding these exact conventions I looked for more general conventions when applied to music videos. The media language of a music video covers a wide spectrum of elements therefore I made sure I looked at all the different forms which are included so that my media text would be consistent to the rest. They are edited in time with the beat so that when a scene changes from one clip to another it will conform with the music and not be a too apparent and sudden change as it fits in time with the beat. Locations and settings are used to create a certain atmosphere and give meaning to the text, this also applies to the rest of the mise-en-scene such as the costumes people wear and the props they use, all of these elements try to conform with the song by creating the correct vibe and fitting the genre and mood of the song therefore even facial expressions and body language are an important way of emphasising the moods of the songs. All media conventions help connote deeper meanings so it is important that the correct convention is used when trying to create a desired idea. The camera is crucial when trying to express a specific mood. The speed and types of camera movements, the angles and the types of shot are all used to create a certain vibe or meaning, for example a camera on a low angle tilted upwards on the artist can imply power and dominance where as a high angled camera tilted downwards on the artist can make the artist look vulnerable and weak.
All music videos are either a narrative, performance, abstract or are a mixture of these depending on how the band/ artist want to be portrayed and whether they have a story/ message to give therefore it is crucual to their image that they are represented in the correct way. Each type of genre has generic conventions, music videos emphasise these to make their genre and the values belonging to it clear to their target audience.

When researching into typical RnB and Soul music videos I found that RnB music is very materialised, with many of the songs being about prize possessions such as money, cars, clothes, jewelry and a high class lifestyle whereas Soul music is much more focused upon love and belief, it holds more of a meaningful message when compared to most typical RnB songs. As the song for my music video is a mixture of both these genres I found it vital that I also included the conventions of these genres and also music videos in general within my media product, I therefore took my research of these genres into consideration when I planned each aspect of my video.
My music video includes both narrative and performance, Tim O'Sullivan et al (1988) suggests that narratives have a common structure, starting with the establishment of a plot or theme which is then followed by the development of the problem or enigma which increases the tension and finally comes the resolution of the plot. This narrative structure can be seen within my music video, the beginning of the text shows the singer pining for a boy who is in her class at college, this plot then develops by the boy finding out she likes him through finding one of her doodles which she has written for him, we also see her singing to the boy which shows she has expressed her feeling for him. The resolution of this media text is that the singer gets the boy, we see this in their show of affection for each other through a hug that they share.
The lyrics played a major role in how the narrative and performance aspects of my video were produced. The narrative fits very well with the words of the song, due to the inclusion of animation I was able to illustrate some of the lyrics which would of been hard to do other wise, for example, for the lyrics "it was winter time" I drew a simple doodle of snow falling from the sky and a snowman. The performance by the singer was also affected by the lyrics and mood of the song as we can tell she is very passionate about her feelings for the boy when she sings about him. Her facial expressions imply happiness and also slight desperation at her need for the boy she likes. This passion is commonly seen in the genre of Soul music which contains a lot of powerful emotions which are normally very positive and uplifting. My music video uses 4 different settings, these are a college class room, a garden, a bedroom and an edited background which shows the girls doodles in the background and the singer in the foreground. The reasons for choosing these locations are that they conform very well to the story line of the girl fancying the boy, there are also connotations behind the locations. The back garden is full of nature and this is very obvious because of the very dominant colour green, this natural vibe helps convey deep and meaningful emotions which is once again typical of the Soul genre. The singers bedroom uses props such as the bed and a teddy, the flamingo teddy implies innocence and love as flamingos are often seen in the media with their heads together to form the shape of a love heart, this could emphasise the fact that she wants the boy to love her like she does him so they can unite to form a bond like the flamingos do.

The bed has a leopard print quilt on it, this is a much more RnB styled prop because it emphasises the girls physical attraction for the boy, giving the impression that her feelings are not only passionate and deep but wild and uncontrollable. Other props are also used which are more commonly linked associated with the RnB genre, the singers phone shows she possesses material objects and her clothing reflects this implication because she is dressed in high trend clothing which is popular for people of that age, this is to make sure she promotes the correct image of herself. Although the high trend clothing would suggest the conventions of the RnB genre, the fact that the artist is not wearing minimalistic attire keeps an innocence to the text and takes elements of the Soul genre and the age of the target audience into consideration.

When taking the camera angles for my music video into account I studied the original B Boy Baby video and
found many different shots were used, these included close ups; to show the emotion on Mutya Buenas face, tracking shots; to follow her whilst she walks which gives involves the audience by giving the impression they are walking alongside her, long shots to allow the audience to see the full scene and the mise-en-scene within it which helps create the ideology, this is a general convention of music videos. I included many different types of shots within my media product with the aim of making it look like a conventional music video yet also having specific shots and angles to help portray a certain meaning or emotion. When the artist sings "so won't you please", I deliberately had the camera higher than the singer so that she was forced to look upwards whilst the camera had a downwards tilt, this was to magnify her desperation for the boy and give the impression that she is almost pleading for his affection.

I also used close ups so that the audience could clearly focus upon the emotions behind the facial expressions and empathise with the girl, because the singer is smiling a lot in the video we can see that she enjoys having these feelings for the boy and gives a positive vibe which makes the media text much more light hearted and fun to watch.

I included a number of different camera movements within my music video, these included tracking shots, tilts, pans and zooming, although zooming is not an actual movement, the change in focal lens gives the illusion of it moving closer of further away. The image above shows a sequence from my music video where the artist goes to grab the camera and pull it towards her, the actions relate to the lyrics as she is singing "and when its over I'ma pull you closer". This camera movement could be classified as a following shot because the camera follows the path of the artists hands, although the interaction between the performer and the camera is not unseen in media texts I feel that this shot challenges the conventions of the average music video because it is not common for the artist to influence the cameras movements in such a way that implies they are actually moving it them self.

I felt it was extremely important that I edited my music video to the beat and mood of the song because this is a convention which is essential to all media texts in order for them to run smoothly. I used a tool called the chroma key when editing which enabled me to edit out the background of a green screen room so that only the foreground characters were included which then let me put in my desired backgrounds of the girls doodle animations. I also used a dissolve effect on some of my shots as many music videos which are based around love and have quite a steady tempo use this as a convention for dream-like effect, making it flow a lot better.


When creating the ancillary texts for my music video I felt it was wise to do some research on them beforehand. I therefore looked at similar artists to Mutya Buena, the true singer of the song I chose to produce my music video too, and look for popular conventions. The combination of my main product and ancillary texts is very effective as they all help towards promoting one another and bringing awareness to the different types of media forms for example I noticed that websites often had the artists latest single on the home page so that the audience can locate it easily, this is a smart way of promoting the new songs and music videos as if the audience like it they will be encouraged to buy the song. It is evident that I have kept a continuous theme between my music video and the two ancillary texts; a digipak and website. I have done this because it gives each media text a direct link to one another and lets the audience establish the common features within the texts, this would benefit the artist when regarding sales as the audience would find it much easier to locate the products due to apparent themes linked to the artist. These stylistic themes include the college-like equipment such as paper and a pencil, these not only link to the story line of the music video but they emphasise the artists age by indicating she still attends college and has quite an innocent approach to love.


The audience feedback was very insightful when considering things about my music video which I would change if I were to do it again. The audience was the initial reason I chose to style my music video around the soul and RnB genre, the people who voted on my poll was most interested in these areas of music. I also discovered that the audience found animation to be very interesting in music videos and this is why I developed my animation idea. The questionnaire I produced after I had finished my music video was given to 100 students at Wyke College, all between the ages of 16-19, this was so that I could get an accurate response from my target audience. Overall the results were very pleasing as the majority of people understood the purpose of my music video and enjoyed the narrative story line. Their critical opinions have helped me understand what needs to be taken into more consideration when planning a music video such as having enough locations and camera angles to make the video very pleasing to watch. It is obvious that because of the high levels of technological equipment used to produce the nowadays music videos, the audience expect a very professional styled appearance to the media texts, therefore things such as slightly shaky camera work can give the audience the impression that the work is sub-standard. Furthermore this has taught me the lesson that each planned scene should be filmed a number of times so that back up shots are available in case something isn't quite right about one, another example of this is the artists performance, some shots may have a more believable looking performance than others so by shooting it a number of times you can choose the best ones to use.


Throughout my A2 media assignment I have been introduced to many new media technologies in all stages of production. The research stage required using websites such as Youtube which make music videos and other media texts readily available to the audience. This website is a relatively new piece of media technology when comparing it to the past ways in which music videos used to be viewed, it makes it much more easily accessible to the audience and therefore there is much more chance of people watching it. I also used the well-known online encyclopaedia website "Wikipedia", however this source is believed to be quite misleading sometimes because anyone can make changes to it, therefore I made sure that all information I got off this sight was checked before applying it to my work.
When planning my music video I produced an animatic which is a rough video of the story board pictures edited together to the song I used, this required me to scan the images I had drawn onto the computer, the scanner made the process a lot quicker as I did not have to waste time drawing them on the computer which would of taken a lot longer to do and it was unnecessary to spend a long time on this because its main purpose was to give me a detailed plan which I could work towards therefore perfection of sketches was not needed. By editing the clips together I got a brief introduction to the editing software which belonged to the programme Adobe Premier Pro CS3, this was extremely beneficial as it prepared me for when I was ready to edit my actual clips together to the sound track.
The production stages of my music video required capturing the footage I needed on a SD Sim card camera. This camera was very easy to use and had effective tools such being able to zoom in and out of a scene without a change in the focus, I used this a substantial amount in my music video as it enabled me to include close ups whilst keeping the audience interested. When filming most scenes, I used a tripod which kept the camera at a desired height and angle. This was very helpful as when I was filming the shots to create the animation backgrounds it was essential that the camera stayed exactly where I started filming with it and the tripod was a great piece of equipment to do this with. I delved into the technology of editing a lot further when I had finished filming and imported my shots onto the editing suite so that I could start constructing my final piece. The editing of my footage required various affects which I had to apply to the shots to make them work. These affects included the chroma key which allowed me to make the green coloured back ground disappear on all of the scenes which I had shot in the college green room that was made especially for this purpose. Once this green colour was opaque and the only thing left on the screen was the elements I required such as the artist singing, I could add the appropriate background footage which I captured specifically to go behind the artist. It was important that I took the artists colour of clothing into consideration when filming in the green screen as and colours which were close to the green shaded background would also dissapear. The chroma key also allowed me to make the singer black and white, this gave quite a grainy affect however this is exactly what I wanted as it implies that the girl is part of the doodle on the page styled background. When editing shots together I used a dissolve transition which made my scenes flow elegantly from one clip to another, this added a dream-like affect to the video which emphasises the "fairy tale" type story line and her blossoming romance which she is hoping for. After finishing my music video I exported it using the Adobe Media Exporter and then uploaded this to my Youtube account which I created so that my video could be put on my blog and could be easily viewed.
Creating the ancillary texts required good editing software for the images; therefore I used Adobe Photoshop CS3. I was already accustomed to this programme having used it in my previous year of media studies therefore I did not need to experiment with the functions meaning I was saving time. The digipak needed to be set out in a certain way so that the images would be in the correct order if made into a real digipak therefore I used a template so that I could add the pictures I wanted to include over it. Different layers can be used on Photoshop, this means that when new images or text are being added to the composition they can be applied to their own layer so that this is the only thing that gets moved around or deleted if unwanted. This is a very good adaptation to the programme as it enables the user to locate the layers quickly and make any changes they want without having to change all elements, an example of a programme which does not have this feature would be Paint which is very simplistic in contrast to Photoshop.

I included shots directly out of my music video onto both my digipak and website to create a strong and continuous theme throughout my work. By using Photoshop on both ancillary texts it allowed me to use the same fonts, colours and other elements to maximise the continuity. Throughout my media brief I have used the programme Microsoft Word 2010 an excessive amount. This programme is very good when writing essays because it has an automatic spell checker which is useful as it highlights and errors you have made and allows for corrections whilst also keeping an extremely accurate account on the number of words you have written. Microsoft Publisher 2010 has also been a popular programme for me, specifically in the evaluation stages due to my use of print screens, this is a time efficient and helpful button as it quickly lets you get an image of the screen you want to get a picture of, once I pressed print screen I then pasted it on to Publisher so that I could crop the image down as much as I needed or to right click and save it as a JPEG file so that it could then be uploaded to my blog.
All stages of the work I produced was uploaded to my blog belonging to the website "blogger.com" which I created specifically for this brief. Blogger was a very effective way of recording all of my work as it allows for all typed of media to be uploaded to it. Even my hand written work was easy to put on my blog as I simply had to scan it onto the computer as a picture. When comparing my blog to the typical paper form of work it has many benefits as none of the work can go missing or be destroyed and it is much less hassle to navigate through.

Audience Feedback On Music Video

In order to gain an insight in the audiences opinions of my media product I created a questionnaire which I handed out to and students that were willing to fill it out in my college as they were all in the target audience age range anyone willing to watch my music video, this helped me see what the audience found particularly good about the video and also gave me tips on how I could improve it if I were to do it again.

I also created a poll at the start of my planning to get a brief idea of what the audience expect, this helped me decide what to include within my music video as although not many people voted on the poll some of the votes were almost unanimous in decision making it hard to ignore. The results showed:

• People were most interested in seeing a music video in the genre of RnB, this was closely followed by Soul, this is the reason I chose the song B Boy Baby as it is a mixture of both genres
• The audience all agreed that the music video is essential when promoting an artist therefore it waist very important that the artist was presented in a way which would appeal to the target audience and to fit in with her styles of songs which is love therefore she would need to be seen as innocent etc.
• The audience do not think dance sequences are essential to produce a good music video, this benefited me as I would of had to of found good dancers willing to spend time being filmed and not all of them may of been available at the same time or have been committed enough which I found with my cast list.
• Another interesting result was that the audience found music videos were interesting when they included types of animation. This is what inspired me to produce simple moving images which could go behind the artist while she was singing.
• The poll also helped me see the main age range of whom watched music videos which was 16-19 years old therefore I decided that this would be my target audience.

In total I asked 100 students to fill out the questionnaire, these are the percentages which I collected:

Questionnaire

1. Are you male or female? (circle one)                                                      Male - 41%        Female - 59%

2. Do you understand the storyline of the music video? (circle one)             Yes -97%         No - 3%

3. Please give a simple explanation of what you feel the storyline was.

(one version of most common answer, all these answers were very similar) - The girl is in love with the boy and is drawing pictures in class which the boy finds and then starts to like her too.

4. Did you make the link between the the girl sat at the desk with a pencil and paper drawing and these drawings being in the background when she is singing? (circle one)    Yes - 95%         No - 5%

5. Do you feel there was enough locations in the video? (circle one)           Yes - 85%         No - 15%

6. Can you see the reason for each location being in the video? If no, which one/s and why? 

Yes - 89%        No - 11%

(Most common answer for No) - I didn't understand why the girl was in her back garden

7. Does the video show continuity throughout? (circle one)                       Yes - 94%        No - 6%

8. What would you suggest to improve the music video?

(Different types of answers)

• Have a steadier camera as its sometimes a but jumpy
• Make the pictures better and more colourful
• Do more scenes showing the boy and girl falling for each other
• Re shoot some of the footage to make it better
• Change some of the locations such as the garden
• Make the shot of the phone brighter because it is quite dim around the phone
• Nothing I think it is good as it is
• You could of included more people in the video to make it more interesting
• More costume changes
• Make the acting more realistic

Analysis of Questionnaire
Overall this audience feedback is quite pleasing with the majority of people giving positive answers. The improvements are all valid and if I were to re shoot my music video I would take all of these on board and give myself much more time for the full process. The feedback also shows that both male and female students have given their opinions so these answers can be taken into consideration for both genders.

Ancillary Texts

This is the Digipak which I have created, it is obvious that I have kept the style of the digipak very consistent to that of the music video, I did this to keep continuity between them and for the audience to make a clear connection. The pencil and paper theme can be applied to the artist because it is clear she is the age of a student therefore these relate to her. I decided to give the text a very unique feel and to take the form of hand writing so that it implies she has written it herself, this adds more of a personal effect. The reason for using the colour red for the text is because it links to love and passion which is what the artist is singing about, it also looks aesthetically pleasing as it complements the red on the pencil.

I then set this digipak out on a different format so that you could get a better view of how it may look when set out properly. I feel that overall the digipak looks quite professional as it contains all the things you would see on a real CD, including the bar-code, copyright and music label.

Creating a website is the second ancillary task which I chose to do. I have once again stayed continuous with that of my music video and digipak, this is so that the audience can make links between all media products and it helps create an identity for the singer. My website home page research helped me find the features which are conventional to the home pages, for example the main navigation system is normally always along the top of the page, therefore this is where I put my own, other features are also very common on home pages such as links to twitter and facebook where the fans can follow the artist. I included the music video on the home page as this is a way of bringing the artists new work to attention. It is important that an image of the artist is on the home page so that the audience can actually see who the website has been produced for.



Drafts of Ancillary texts

These are brief drafts of what I intend on my Digi pack and website to look like.

Finished Music Video

Website Home Page research for Ancillary

This website homepage is for the singer Fergie whom I have also focused some of my music video research upon. It is evident that the three main colours which are used on this website home page are black, white and pink. These colours all connotate slightly different meanings however with regards to the singer they represent sophistication, power, purity and fun. This can be applied to the genre of her music as she is a Pop artist, which is generally associated with upbeat songs, they are powerful as Pop songs are generally the most listened to genre of music when it comes to the top 40 therefore they are very influential.
The text used for Fregies name is very dramatic with lots of swirls, this attracts attention and reflects Fergies image of being very feminine yet sophisticated because the style copies a sort of old fashioned hand writing.
The different page links have been set out along the top of the page, this is generally where they are usually placed so that they are easy to find. The right hand side of the page promotes Fergie by displaying her different types of work such as her own footwear label and also the black eyed peas band which she is the only female member of. The left hand side of the page contains a large image of fergie, this tells the audience straight away that this is what the artist looks like, her clothing has been chosen to match the overall look of the website by having the same pink coloured shorts to that of the text which shows the link between the artist and her name.

This website has been produced for the artist Lana Del Ray, the home page is very different to that of Fergies as when you enter the website the main thing that is focused upon is her current music video which starts playing instantly, this may be done for dramatic effect and to capture peoples attention to watch the video and hence listen to the music. The text used for her name is very simplistic and stays consistent with the headings of other pages however is larger. These headings are once again at the top of the page so the website is easy to navigate around. Both of the above website home pages also have twitter, facebook, youtube etc. links which the fans can follow the artists on, this is once again promoting themselves to the public.

Rebecca Fergusons website home page differs from the other two in the way it uses the length and width of the page, to see everything which is on the screen you have to scroll down and also side ways, this may be done to make the audience look further into the page rather than just taking a quick glance however I also feel this could be a disadvantage as people may get fed up of scrolling etc. Once again the main links to other pages are at the top of the page which is conventional for almost any website. The artists most recent music video is available to be played on the home page, this is very beneficial as it is easily available and shows the audience any new songs she may have released which consequently promotes her work, links to her twitter and facebook are also available. The main colours on this website are red, black and white, these are used for the text boxes and the actual texts. These colours may have been used because of their connotations, white being innocent and pure, black being serious showing she is a serious artist and dedicated to her work, and red emphasising love and passion which a lot of her songs are based around,

Health and Safety

This is a hazard list I made before filming so that all possible hazards were taken care of and the cast and crew were safe.

Hazards and who is at risk:

1. Falling over objects and equipment - The camera operator as some of the shots require them to walk backwards
2. Falling from heights - The camera operator as some shots require them standing on a a higher level

Controls:

1. Making sure that all wires etc are out of the way and that the camera operator is aware of surroundings
2. Having a stable platform for the camera operator to stand on and having mats around the platform

Severity of injury:

1. Serious
2. Serious

Chance of injury:

1. Low
2. Low

Control Measures:

1. Checking the routes that the camera operator and cast will need and keeping the wires and equipment out of these routes
2. Get the platforms checked before use, make sure they are stable and the mats cover the floor, tell the camera operator not to go near the edge of the platorm.

CHANGE IN CAST

Although the fact that my cast also attend Wyke, I still have had extreme difficulties in finding times when they are both available therefore I have decided to take the role of the girl lead myself as Jade finds it hard to make time for the filming. Due to Ashley also being a media studies student I have found it hard to find times when he can prioritise my filming over his own therefore I have also chosen a different boy role for my music video. This will be a challenging and time consuming task as if I do not have aid with the camera I may have to set up the scene myself before being able to perform however it is still possible.

Clothing

The clothing I intend on dressing the artist and the character of the boy in are mostly very casual and typical to that of an average student, whilst thinking about clothing I have looked around my college for inspiration and found that leather jackets are very popular with girl students along with leggings of all colours and patterns. I noticed many boy students tend to wear "chinos" which are coloured materials that normally are tight around the ankles, therefore these items of clothing may be featured in my video to promote the "typical" student look.

The girl has more than one change of clothing in the music video as there are different locations included in it. The lyrics state "It was winter time" therefore I have decided to chose clothing which will emphasise the winter period, I intend on having the singer wearing a large karki green winter coat with a fur hood and a wooly hat when shooting the scenes outside, this is because the colour green connotates nature, showing that her love for the boy is a natural feeling and it will also complement the surroundings of trees etc in the garden.

Another part of the music video will be shot inside my bedroom, therefore I feel it is appropriate that the singer is in pyjamas, this once again complements the surroundings as many of the shots include the girls bed etc. It could imply that her mind is always on the boy she fancies, even when she is alone or asleep.

Cast list

My  music video only features 2 main characters; the girl whom is the singer of the song and the one who is performing and narrating the story through her words; and also the boy in which the song is based around, his role does not include any performance such as singing due to his part only being included in the narrative story line within the music video. The two people I have allocated these roles too (Jade Watson and Ashley Willis) are also students of Wyke college, this is a major convenience for me as a lot of the scenes will be shot within the college.

Location List

Many of my scenes will be shot within the college because the storyline within the music video entails a girl who attends school/college falling in love with a boy who is in her class. Therefore I intend on shooting in a classroom of the college and also in the college corridoorsn possibly near the lockers. I also have scenes in my back garden and in my bedroom, the reasons for choosing to shoot in these locations are to show that the boy is constantly on the girls mind even when at home and in her own environment away from the boy, it also gives an innocent and light hearted approach to her love for the boy.

Prop list

I will need a selection of props within my music video, these include:

• Desk
• Chair
• Paper
• Pencil
• Folder
• Clock

All of these props emphasise the "student" nature of the music video and help the audience understand the narrative story line. For example at the very beginning of the music video I have planned on having the girl sat at a desk with a pencil in her hand and paper on the desk, she later starts drawing on the paper, this explains the drawings which appear behind the singer when performing the song.

Animatic

This is the animatic which I have produced in order to give a breif representation of the types of scenes included in my music video and when they cut from one to another.

Story Board

Below is a detailed story board for the music video of B Boy Baby. It consists of every shot I plan on including in the video and also a description of what happens in each shot.

Idea for music video

This music video contains moving imagery. The song is about the woman in the music video, she is listening to a cassette which becomes the main prop in the music video as Bruno Mars, the singer of the song, uses the tape out of the cassette to make images which combine with the music and lyrics which helps narrate it and make it interesting to watch. This has given me the idea to include some type of drawing which moves in my music video to help explain my storyline.

Goanimate - Target Audience

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Demographics are used to put the public under six different catergories, these catergories are:
A - Higher management, Bankers, Lawyers, Doctors and other professionals
B - Middle management, Teachers, creative and media people e.g. graphich designers etc.
C1 - Office supervisors, junior management, nurses, specialist clerical staff - white collar
C2 - Skilled manual workers, plumbers, builders - blue collar
D - Semi-skilled and unskilled maunal workers
E - Unemployed, students, pensioners, casual workers

In relation to these demographics the majority of my target audience would be under category E because of their age.

Conventions of RnB/ Soul genre

Conventions are the aspects which are expected to appear within a media text, therefore there are different conventions for different genres. Music videos reflect the song and hence the songs genre, this is represented through the use of editing, mise en scene, cinematography and sound.


B boy baby by Mutya Buena fits within the realms of the Rhythm and Blues (RnB) and Soul genres, meaning each convention of the music video should correspond with these genres to create the correct image for the artist.
RnB stereotypically entails aspects which imply money and wealth, ranging from flash cars to expensive clothing and jewelry, these props are used to reflect the lifestyle which the RnB artist is portraying and the power which the wealth brings to them, these representations are generally seen more in male RnB videos so that they appeal to the target audience, they also include promiscuous women in their videos as a way of adding extra appeal and also giving the male artists a higher status because they are shown to attract female attention. The lyrics within the songs also adhered to the image the artist is depicting by focusing on topics such as women and money. However conventions of RnB videos can be very different when considering a woman artists approach, showing that although it is the same genre, the outcomes can be nothing alike. This may be due to the fact that in male RnB videos, womens bodies can be used in a derogative manner which imply that women are objects, therefore giving women RnB artist an opportunity to express their opinions whether it copying this image or going against it. Topics such as men, love, heartbreak and sex can be related to this genre.
The soul genre combines a mixture of both gospel and RnB music, the term "soul" is describe gospel style music with secular lyrics. Soul music originated within the black culture of America around the 1940's and was displayed in places such as churches therefore this explains the tendency of soul music being based upon love, family and belief.

Cinematography in music videos is the variation of camera shots and angles, making them more interesting and aesthetically pleasing to view, different types of shots and angles can be used to suggest different meanings such as a low angle looking upwards to the artist would represent power and dominance.Close ups are used to capture the feelings and emotions of the artists and lets the audience relate themselves to them. B Boy Baby uses a number of different camera shots, these include close ups; to show the emotion on Mutyas face, tracking shots; to follow her whilst she walks which gives involves the audience by giving the impression they are walking along side her. Long shots are also a common shot to include in music videos as it allows the audience to see the full scene and the mise en scene within it which will help create the ideology.

The editing of a good music video always ensures to change scene in time with the beat; this is to create a continuous flow through the video and reflect the genre by editing the shots to the tempo of the song. therefore when comparing RnB based music videos to that of Soul, the major difference is the speed at which the scenes change, RnB is generally faster editing than Soul because it sets a quicker tempo and longer scenes are used in Soul to capture the emotion within the words.
In B Boy Baby the editing style is quite fast, cutting from scenes of the artist Mutya Buena to the break dancers competing against each other every 2-3 seconds or so, this may be done to reflect the fast movements of the break dancers.

Mise en scene consists of a number of elements such as lighting, props, settings, costume and body language, all these aspects help imply the correct ideology for the artist and can add extra meaning to the music videos via their connotations. RnB music videos involve props such as expensive cars and money where as the props included in Soul videos are much more meaningful and personal to the song. The clothing also varies when comparing these genres as male RnB artist tend to wear quite baggy clothing with a lot of expensive jewelery and the women generally dress quite minimalistic in order to attract attention from their target audience. On the other hand, women artists in Soul music videos seem to wear a more sophisticated and classy attire showing less skin and it is more common for men to wear suits rather than casual baggy clothing.
Within the B Boy Baby music video, both casual and classy clothing are shown through the break dancers and the artist. This clearly shows the genre is a mixture of both RnB and Soul music as the break dancing men are more representative of the RnB genre due to their clothing being baggy and how they choose to wear them, for example they are wearing hoodies with the hoods up, giving it a more "street" vibe. In addition to this the female artist takes more of a Soul appearance as she is wearing more formal clothing; a dress and long coat, both are black and a connotation of this is elegance therefore this is how she is being portrayed. Black can also be considered to imply loneliness which stays consistent with the song lyrics as she is asking someone to be her lover, showing she is in need of their affection. The artist is also wearing heels and earrings to add emphasis to her classy look.
Likewise, the body language displayed mirrors the genres, the men are break dancing which signifies RnB music as this style of dancing is connected to the lifestyles of the artists and audience of this genre, the fact that they are "battling" against each other shows confidence which is also a common characteristic for RnB artists to have. Mutya Buenas body language is much more subtle, her main action in the music video is walking, this insinuates the representation of the Soul genre as she is acting in a more proper and sensible manner when compared to the break dancers. Her facial expressions range from smiling; showing that the person she is singing about makes her happy, to serious; showing that she is passionate about her feelings for the man.
The setting of a music video is very important because it helps establish what type of genre it is instantly, in B Boy Baby the setting is outside on what appears to be an empty street, this complements all of the other elements in the music video as break dancing often occurs on streets, hence conveying the RnB genre. It also links into the song lyrics as the song includes the words "It was winter time", and it is evident in the video that it is around this season due to the clothing, the time of day and the use of water on the floor which implies that it has been raining.
Lighting is a good way of conveying a specific mood, music videos filled with lots of colour and that are brightly lit would imply a positive, fun and light hearted vibe whereas a dark, colourless video would emphasise a much more serious and sad mood.

The sound within the music video is one of the main features as this is the reason the video has been created; to narrate the song lyrics. The song B Boy Baby is seen as diegetic sound because the artist is performing to the words in the video, she appears to be singing to the lyrics which suggests she can hear the song in the video making the sound diegetic.

Mutya Buena Ft. Amy Winehouse - B Boy Baby Lyrics

Mmmm yeah

Ohhhhhh, yeah

B boy
Be my baby
(Won't you be my baby)
My one and only baby
(Be my baby now)
B boy
Be my baby
(Be my baby now)
My one and only baby
(oo oo oo ooh)

B boy
Be my baby
(Won't you be my baby)
My one and only baby
(Be my baby now)
B boy
Be my baby
(Be my baby now)
My one and only baby
(oo oo oo ooh)

It was winter time
You know what they say
Did you think about us
Did you miss your baby
I'm gonna catch the train
Cos' I'm heading your way
You're my number 1
That's all a new born son
Won't you be my king
(Won't you be my king)

Cos' I know you care
Did a dance for you
And when I'm done
I'm gonna do it again
And when it's over
I'm gonna pull you closer
Keep your Nike's on
You know how we do
There's nothing he won't try
We like two stars in th sky

You are my rainy day's Sunshine
It's plain to see
My heat in the cold of Winter
Just so right for me
So won't you please

B boy
Be my baby
(Won't you be my baby)
My one and only baby
(Be my baby now)
B boy
Be my baby
(Be my baby now)
My one and only baby
(oo oo oo ooh)

There are two in the air
If you feel like me
Someone who cares for so freaky
In demand by all the ladies
It's not for sale
It's being home delivered to me
So hang up all your trying cards please
(He's my baby)

Lovesick cos' thats what I get
I hear his voice then things get wet
Know's what I want
And then he'll fetch
He's my boo
And I'm his little pet, his little pet
You never know what he'll do next
He's my baby

My rainy day's bright Sunshine
Live in fantasy
My heat in the cold of Winter
Just so right for me
So won't you please

B boy
Be my baby
(Won't you be my baby)
My one and only baby
(Be my baby now)
B boy
Be my baby
(Be my baby now)
My one and only baby
(oo oo oo ooh)

B boy
Be my baby
(Won't you be my baby)
My one and only baby
(Be my baby now)
B boy
Be my baby
(Be my baby now)
My one and only baby
(oo oo oo ooh)

Chosen song for my music video

I have chosen to create a music video to the song "B Boy Baby - Mutya Buena ft Amy Winehouse".
There are various reasons for selecting this song:

• The song is not overly popular and takes a very simplistic approach in the production of its music video, therefore it is possible for me to create one which can be much more narrative whilst including performance as well so to contrast with the origional video and hopefully give a better overall outcome.
• The lyrics are very descriptive and can easily be illustrated to therefore I intend on including animation within my music video which will give fit in with the storyline.

Textual analysis of exisitng music videos

Media Representations
Fergie is the artist being represented in this music video. The song is about falling in love therefore uses a pop out styled book to emphasise the theme of a fairy tale love story. Fergie is represented in a number of different ways as every time the pop out page turns over in the video,her style changes, portraying another stereotype and acting accordingly with these stereotypes. The song lyrics are acted out through each separate account of Fergie trying to impress the man she is falling in love with, however to stay consistent with the song lyrics and to narrate them effectively each scenario results in Fergie making a fool of herself due to her being "clumsy cos' i'm falling in love". This implies that although her clothing and persona changes frequently, ranging from being a model on a cat walk to a more hip hop "street" character, falling in love can have the same effect on everyone, regardless of their personalities. Fergie comes across as naive and innocent in this video due to the
still comes across naive and innocent in the way she is trying to get the mans attention.

Media languages and forms
The denotation of this music video is that the narrative belongs within a book however when incorporating the lyrics along with the video we see that it connotes a fairy tale due to the proclamations of love which come across obstacles yet there is a happily ending where the "hero" saves the damsel in distress.
The mise en scene within the music video implies a simplistic and innocent approach towards love. The settings are minimalistic and belong within a pop-out book which would generally be aimed at children, hence emphasising a naive and pure type of love story. The lighting is very bright consisting of a lot of vibrant colours which stands out from the paler, unfocused background of the room that the book belongs in, this can be seen in the establishing shot of the music video. The bright colours imply an energetic vibe and reflects the concept of the children book. Fergies clothing changes with each scene to conform to the stereotype she is portraying, they help create the correct image which will mirror the setting and her actions. Throughout the music video close ups are used to capture Fergies facial expressions which gives a better view of how she is feeling and allows the audience to empathise with her. For example, the scene where she is on the cat walk and falls has a close up of the artist in a group of onlookers arms, it shows happiness because of her infatuation and also exasperation due to her clumsiness because of it.
In the opening shots to the music video the camera is used to suggest the point of view of a person whom is walking over to the book. The book opens and the camera is positioned into a crane shot to suggest that the viewer is looking downwards onto the page, it then tilts to imply a sitting down movement as the audience are about to indulge in the book. We see a helicopter flying around the pop-out book and some the camera movements imitate the helicopters path to give a different point of view.

Narrative
The narrative is clear in the way that it is made obvious that the solo-artist Fergie is falling in love with the man who features throughout her video and this causes her to be "clumsy". There are different scenarios in the music video which includes different styles etc however all of them are very brightly coloured and exaggerated to promote the idea of the story book therefore this shows that the music video is aware that it is a narrative one. The audience are positioned in a way which implies they are the reader of the Pop-up book due to the over head views which make it seem like they are looking down upon the book.

Genre
The artist Fergie is very much Pop and R&B orientated therefore this song fits under these genres, the music video has been created to complement these genres with the inclusion of bright colours and a fun narrative which is uplifting. There is a relation between the genre of Pop and the fact that the book is a "pop-up" book, this may of been used to emphasise the style of genre. The happy ending meets the audiences expectations as most fairy tale/ love stories end with a "happily ever after" and this is the case for this music video as she ends up with the man.

Media Institutions
The institution in this music video is the artist Fergie, the text has been shaped around her by making the storyline very feminine to match her media image and also glamorous in her appearance. The text is commercial, it is used to narrate and promote her song to attract more interest and attention therefore the text is used to portray Fergie in what ever way she wishes to be shown and what would please the target audience the most.

Media Values and ideology
The values and ideology behind this text emphasises the "fairytale" childrens book approach, each different setting in the music video has the same storyline which is the girl accidentally does something wrong which embarrasses her in front of the man she is falling for. However due to the fact the audience are aware it is in a Pop-up book they already expect the happy ending because these childrens books always end in a resolved way.

Media Audiences
The target audience of this music video would be fans of the singer, however more dominantly female, this is yet again due to the storyline which is very feminine, it is also based around boys therefore girls can relate much more to the song and video. The audience would most likely receive this text on music channels or websites such as "youtube", because this song will be shown on music channels it is very likely that the size of the audience whom have watched the music video is very large. By watching this music video the audience may make assumptions about the singer such as that she takes a very innocent approach towards love.




Media representations
The music video is representing the artist Cee Lo Green, it tells the story of his childhood and how throughout the different stages of growing up he keeps getting heartbroken by the girl he loved. This represents him as being romantic as he tries on numerous occasions to fight for his love, however failing each time therefore it shows he is strong to stay motivated, this shows the artist has an upbeat attitude towards life making the audience have a positive image of the artist and helping them relate to him. In the video each version of Cee Lo Green is portrayed as an average person when compared to the boy he is competing against who is in a suit and has a toy Ferrari, the happy ending implies to the audience that anyone can become successful if they are motivated enough to do so.

Media Language and forms
The text in this music video helps the audience understand what is happening, it points out the younger versions of himself, the text also sets the scene by the way it is decorated etc, some of the text relates to American styled diners which is more associated with past eras, the text style used to indicate which stage the artist is passing also adds emphasis to it by using commonly associated type, such as the "College years" type being type which you would find on an American college students team jacket etc. Images also appear along with the text to give more meaning to it, for example, when it says "the young Cee Lo Green" the toy truck also appears with it so that the link is made between the text and the boy holding the truck, this is done for each stage, on "the high school years" the flowers which he wants to give the "heart breaker" girl are behind the text and "the college years" has images of things associated with college however the actual text is the same colour as Cee Lo Greens clothing. Each version of Cee Lo Green uses dramatic facial expressions to emphasise the emotion they are feeling, the young Cee Lo Green is quite serious and aggressive when he sings to show he is upset and annoyed that the girl is interested in someone else however we see his facial expression changes to a smug look near the end of the video when he has become successful and she is not, we can see this as she is dressed in rags and has a mop in her hand showing she has to do manual labour. The "high School years" version of Cee Lo Green uses very dramatic facial expressions to show how he is feeling, he also makes it very obvious that he is aware of the camera by pulling confused faces to the camera. The mise-en-scene of the American diner is significant as it shows it is a place Cee Lo Green has grown up in and tells the story of his love for the girl, it also emphasises the story line because diners are very common with American films.
Close ups and medium close ups are used quite a lot in this video so that the facial expressions are emphasised. Tracking shots are used in this music video, this may be done to imply that they are following the singer as he walks but also as he grows up through life.

Narrative
The narrative is organised in time order, it shows the boy going through stages of his life therefore starts with his younger self, once the stage is finished it does not go back to it, this reflects life as you constantly grow but cannot go back in the past. The tracking shots make the audience feel like they are a customer in the diner and are walking around or sat down at the seats. Good and bad characters are created in this narrative by getting the audience to feel sorry for the singer by making the girl he fancies do nasty things, this makes the outcome of the music video satisfying to the audience as the good character is rewarded while the bad one is punished. This narrative is backed up by the theorist Claude Levi Strauss who stated that there needs to be a binary opposition within a film or programme which is usually presented through good and evil just as this music video mirrors

Genre
The media text belongs to the pop genre as it is full of colour and decoration making it very vibrant and up beat like the pop style of music. The mise-en-scene of this music video matches the style of music as an American Diner is associated with where people go to listen to the popular songs which are out at the time. The text used within the music video has been styled around the theme of the American Diner and the stages of life the character is going through, for example at the beginning of the music video the text used to introduce the song takes the form of a diner sign and as the girl he fancies grows up, the "heart breaker" text also changes to style itself around her. The characters are generically determined as we see that the girl is very pretty where as the boy is quite overweight and this helps emphasise the storyline that the girl thinks she is too good for the boy and has a nasty attitude towards him.

Media Institutions
The institutional source of text is the artist Cee Lo Green as this is his music video therefore the media text has been shaped in such a way which he wishes to be represented. The music video gives the impression that he is a romantic man who has worked his way to success therefore this text is commercial as it is portraying the artist how he wants to be portrayed and for no other purpose than this.

Media Values and ideology
This media text contains values as it shows that if you work hard in life you will succeed whereas if you use others to get by then in the end you will have nothing, it also shows that being disrespectful does not pay off. Therefore we see a happy ending with the artist becoming rich and famous and is finally happy whilst the girl has to work hard to earn a living which she does not like.

Media Audiences
The target audience for this text can be both male and female as the video and song is gender neutral having a story line which everyone can relate too and all wanting the same outcome. The age range is also quite broad however due to the song being in the Pop genre the most common target audience would be teenagers. The audience are likely to receive this text via music channels, internet websites such as youtube and the radio, this impacts on the media text as this is why the music video plays a large role in the representation of the singer therefore it has to give the right message to the audience.