Planning: Ideas and References

 Since the demographic is 16-25, I do not think the original style of a real-life magazine is going to appeal to this type of audience. Therefore, I will change the style of the magazine to something sleeker. However, I will still try to keep the shock value of the stories portrayed in the magazine and the charismatic image that real-life magazines like "That's Life!" have in order to fit the brief.

I am going to take inspiration from:

These are still real-life magazines but their style is a lot more subtle than a traditional real-life magazine. The "happiful" one especially, I think, is the best example since it still has a lot of cover lines around the photo which give it that "real-life magazine feel" 

CHANGE OF PLAN!!

 I have realised that with the current covid situation and what happened over the summer, I won't be able to do a music video. Therefore, I've changed my mind and I'm doing magizne because it is a lot more do-able and reliable. I am going to take more pictures but just in case everything goes wrong, I already have some that I can use as a backup.

This is the new brief:

Audience Research: Focus Group

 Focus Group

Name: Jerri Smith

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Psychographic: Explorer

Interests: Reading, dancing, performing arts, listening to music + painting

Favourite music genre: Rock

Preferred way to listen to music: YouTube + Spotify

Favourite Artists: Clinton Kane, Mother Mother, Mindless Self Indulgence

Name: Marcel Pavlov

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Psychographic: Reformer

Interests: Art, poetry, music (general artistic expression), writing stories

Favourite music genre: Indie, Punk Rock

Preferred way to listen to music: Apple Music

Favourite artists: They Might Be Giants, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Gorillaz

Name: Hana Wright-Laycock

Age: 17

Occupation: College Student

Psychographic: Succeder 

Interests: Discovering new music + artists, collecting aesthetic clothing (fashion)

Favourite music genre: Likes all genres of music

Preferred way to listen to music: YouTube

Favourite artists: Lauv, Twice, BTS, The 1975, Day6

Favourite artists: Lil Peep

Planning: Song Lyrics

Something lately drives me crazy

Has to do with how you make me 

Struggle to get your attention
Calling you brings apprehension

Texts from you and sex from you
Are things that are not so uncommon
Flirt with you you're all about it
Tell me why I feel unwanted?

Damn, if you didn't want me back
Why'd you have to act like that?
It's confusing to the core
'Cause I know you want it

Oh, and if you don't wanna be
Something substantial with me
Then why do you give me more?
Babe I know you want it

Say that you want me every day
That you want me every way
That you need me
Got me trippin' super psycho love

Aim, pull the trigger
Feel the pain getting bigger
Go insane from the bitter feeling
Trippin' super psycho love

Pull me off to darkened corners

Where all other eyes avoid us
Tell me how I mesmerize you
I love you and despise you
Back to the crowd where you ignore me

Bedroom eyes to those before me
How am I supposed to handle?
Lit the fuse and missed the candle
Damn, if you wanna let me go

Baby please just let me know
You're not gonna get away
With leading me on
Say that you want me every day

That you want me every way
That you need me
Got me trippin' super psycho love
Aim, pull the trigger

Feel the pain getting bigger
Go insane from the bitter feeling
Trippin' super psycho love

Say you want me

Say you need me

Tear my heart out slow
And bleed me
You want me
You need me

You're gonna
Be with me
I know you want me too
I think you want me too

Please say you want me too
Because you're going to
Say that you want me every day
That you want me every way
That you need me

Got me trippin' super psycho love
Aim, pull the trigger
Feel the pain getting bigger
Go insane from the bitter feeling
Trippin' super psycho love

Say that you want me every day
That you want me every way
That you need me
Got me trippin' super psycho love
Aim, pull the trigger
Feel the pain getting bigger
Go insane from the bitter feeling
Trippin' super psycho love

Planning: Props

 

Link to song

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPD58u6i-AA - Super Psycho Love by Simon Curtis

Practice Photoshoot

 Photoshoot

This shot was quite experimental. I was outside and there were a lot of colourful leaves on the ground so I decided to use them as props. The subject's hair reminded me of autumn colours so I wanted to recreate that feel. It has been pointed out to me that the top of my subject's head should never be cut off so next time I'll make sure that doesn't happen.

This photo, I really really like. I noticed that my subject had very pretty eyes and freckles so I wanted to bring attention to those natural features. It was shot outside so it was hard to keep the hair out of their face. This is the "raw", unedited picture but with some editing, I could really bring out that blue tint in her eyes. 

Funny enough, this was an accidental shot but it turned out to be one of the best! The subject is in focus in the foreground and the background is blurry which I think is really nice. 

It was so hard to get the lighting right for these ones but in the end, after a lot of tries, I managed to find the perfect lighting. It is soft with a hint of warmth which lights the subject face well and brings out her natural features. I like the direct mode of address, she looks confident and the composition brings attention to the makeup.

This is probably my favourite out of all the ones I took. The composition of the photo makes it really good for a double-page spread. I like how she's looking directly at the light, although it's not a direct mode of address, the subject is still the main focus of the photo. The white background certainly helped. 

This photo also brings attention to the fancy makeup. I think this photo would have been better if the hair was styled better but apart from that, I think it is still a good photo.

This one, again like the first one, was quite experimental. The subject was moving and I was trying to capture that movement by taking a couple of shots all in a row. This is a nice photo but I think it would look nicer cropped and if the head was higher and all of the arms-length was included. This would have been a fixable problem if I directed the subject more. I need to tell them exactly what I want them to do for the best results.

This one is quite simplistic but nice, nonetheless. I like the facial expression and the direct mode of address. I think here it works well. The lighting is good and you can make out the makeup. The hair, again, is an issue but I think that's due to a lack of a stylist.    

All these photos have been shot on a school Canon DSLR camera. I used the same camera for all the photos. I had some issues at first with the camera settings which is why the first photos came out really really dark. The photos here are the ones that have turned out the best (in my opinion). I have learnt that lighting is extremely important and that the composition of the shot must always be kept in mind in terms of how you are going to fit the text or other bits (if the photos are going to be used as covers for a magazine). However, in my case, since I'm doing a music video, I probably won't need these photos but it was good practice none the less and I have learnt a lot :)

Generic Research: Intertextuality

 Good Examples of Intertextuality

Madonna - Material Girl (1985)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p-lDYPR2P8 - Madonna Material Girl 

Use of intertextuality here - reference to the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), shown through the clothing and the mise-en-scene

Ariana Grande - Thank you Next 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k - Thank you Next 

Thank you Next is FULL of intertextuality - pays homage to films like Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Bring it On and 13 Going on 30

Planning: Pitch

My pitch is to create a music video for "Super Psycho Love" by Simon Curtis, along with an accompanying website. It will be a performance video (mainly) in the sense that it doesn't follow a narrative. The music video will have short cut scenes and a lot of playing with colour to adjust to the different moods the person delivering the song is going through (disappointment and loss just to name a few). The song itself is about unrequited/toxic love, a person dealing with internal struggle over a lover who seems to give them mixed signals - therefore fulfilling the brief (‘love song’). Since it is a performance music video, it will have expressive camerawork - different shots and angles - and the narrative will be mainly driven by the structure of the song.

The target audience for my video is ‘a primarily 16-25 year old mass market audience that expects to be emotionally engaged’, who will be able to engage with my video as the problems the narrator is having in the song are all about a very specific type of relationship problem that mostly 16-25 year olds seem to have/have gone through. They'll be able to relate to the song and therefore will feel "emotionally engaged".

I will use digital convergence by linking my website at the end of my music video, and by featuring the video on the homepage of my website – so both are accessible from each other. The website will also contain links to the fictional artist’s social media sites along with various types of merch and a section for "upcoming live performances".

Generic Research: Stop Motion Body Art

For my music video I wanted to include some elements of stop motion so I've looking at videos that show how it can be done effectively.

I like the way in this particular example is not "perfect" or completely smooth between a transition to the next, so I will try do that for myself. I also very much like how even the makeup of the model slowly materialises on the face.

Generic Research: Shadow Effect

 I find this effect very pretty and I will most likely apply it to the music video since it gives you a chance to play around with colour. I am probably going to use colours that makes the audience feel a certain away while also keeping in mind the theme of the music video aka love. Therefore, I'll most likely use colours such as red and purple which are very deep, bold colours.

I got the inspiration from The 1975 "Love It If We Made It" music video:

This video here outlines how to achieve this effect and the equipment you'd need:

Generic Research: Websites

 Taylor Swift's website very much adheres to an aesthetic and that is what I would like to do since the brief states that there has be a connection between the website and the music video and clear sense of branding through out. Taylor has a clear colour palette and her merch matches the aesthetic as well

The band Panic! At The Disco along with Taylor Swift use their album cover as the background for the initial page on their website. This is a good idea since it establishes again the artist and who they are but also keeps the audience updated. It is also a good way to add more colour and dimension to your website instead of having a box colour.

Harry Styles, on the other hand, uses clips from his recent music video as the background for his website which is also a good idea since it meets the point of the brief of including a mini video in the website. Along with this, it also makes the website feel alive and busy

The band Palaye Royale's ways of promoting themselves on other platforms like this is nice because it is easy to access and work with. This is probably how I will set it up on my website when it comes to it. It also makes it easier for the examiner. 

Cavetown uses a very specific font, again, to give a sense of branding. Something the audience can recognise 

Planning: Possible songs for Music Video

 

Different songs and ideas for music video from Sharon Pasquini

 Industrial Context: Contemporary Context

How companies finance, distribute and exchange their products:

-Musicians make money from royalties, advances, playing live, selling merchandise, and licensing fees for their music

-Distribution companies sign deals with record labels, this gives them the right to sell that label's products. Following from that, the distributor takes a cut of income from each unit sold and then pays the label the remaining balance

How do audiences access them? (consider recent developments in technology:

-Media Players:

Due to the advancement of technology, audiences can now stream and/or download music and/or music videos on their preferred electronic devices through media players such as iTunes, Spotify or Pandora. They can either stream for free or pay a reasonable price every month for extra features or an ad-free service This new found way of accessing music is becoming more and more popular as it allows the audience to access music/music videos on demand whenever and wherever they are making a life-changing commodity.

However, it also useful to point out that many hardcore fans or older generations still consume their music through CDs, Vinyl or something similar

-TV stations:

Music videos, since they've made their first appearance, have always been broadcasted on television. Tv channels such as MTV and 4Music play both old and current music which primarily targets young adults but also teenagers. MTV has evolved and now has separate channels for different genres of music, this was done in order to make it easier for audiences watching to access more "niche" type of music/music videos.

-Internet:

The internet has now become one of the most used ways for audiences to access music videos. Most artists nowadays upload their music videos on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo whose content can be easily shared through links and other apps. That way audiences are constantly engaged. The internet has also allowed audiences to explore music/music videos from artists from different countries which would have been unthinkable many years ago as the videos would have most likely have only played on national TV. 

Industrial Context: The Music Industry

 

The Music Industry from Sharon Pasquini

Generic Research: Mirror Effect

 For my music video I wanted to have a first person mirror view scene somewhere at the beginning, where the person is looking into the mirror as if the camera is their eyes instead of having a camera to the side so I've been looking at different tutorials on YouTube that explain how to achieve that effect:

He uses Adobe which is a paid programme but I believe I can achieve the same effect on another program as long as I have the mask tool which is a key component in order for this to work

I looked at this shorter video to see what the effect would look like once it's finished and to see if it's actually what I want.

 

It's not going to look exactly like this but the main idea is there and I'll play around with it to fit what I want to achieve. 

I also did a little drawing to try and visualize my idea: 

It's very basic but it helps me envision what I have in mind and it prevents me from forgetting various ideas I have. 

Industrial Context: Brief History of Music Videos

 

Industrial Context: Brief History of Music Videos

July 24^th, 1963- First Appearance of Music Videos: One of the earliest videos was Jan & Dean’s “Surf City” – this music video hit the Top 40

June 28^th, 1964- The Beatles first music video: The Beatles starred in their first feature film A Hard Day’s Night, directed by Richard Lester, which was shot in black and white

June 28^th, 1966- Bob Dylan’s first music video: Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” was filmed by D.A. Pennebaker. It was featured in Pennebaker’s Dylan film documentary Don’t Look Back

June 28^th, 1974- Sparks’ music video: In 1974 the band Sparks filmed a promo video for their single “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” from the album Kimono My House

June 28^th, 1975- TOTP: The long-running British TV show Top of The Pops began playing music videos in the late 1970s. Therefore a good video would increase a song’s sales as viewers hoped to see it again the following week

August 16^th, 1975- Queen on TOTP: The band Queen ordered Bruce Gowers to make a promo video for their new single “Bohemian Rhapsody” to show it in Top of The Pops; this is also notable for being entirely shot and edited on videotape

1980- Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie): The most expensive music video until then, and also one of the most iconic. This music video was a stepping stone to deeper layers of meaning in music videos

June 28^th, 1981- MTV: The U.S. video channel MTV launched, airing “Video Killed the Radio Star” and beginning an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television

June 28^th, 1983- Michael Jackson’s influential music video: The most successful, influential and iconic music video of all time was released – the nearly 14-minute-long video for Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller”. The video set new standards for production, having cost US$500,000 to film

July 30^th, 1985- Mainstream music videos: Music videos grew to play a central role in popular music marketing. Many important acts of this period, most notably Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran and Madonna, owed a great deal of their success to their skilful construction and seductive appeal of their videos

December 11^th, 1992- Directors credited in music videos: MTV began listing directors with the artist and song credits, reflecting the fact that music videos had increasingly become an auteur’s medium. Directors i.e. Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, and Hype Williams all brought a unique vision and style to the videos they directed

June 28^th, 1995- Most expensive music videos: Two of the videos directed by Romanek are notable for being two of the three most expensive music videos of all time; Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” which cost $7million to produce and Madonna’s “Bedtime Story” which cost $5million

March 16^th, 2005- Fall of MTV music videos: MTV and many of its sister channels had largely abandoned showing music videos in favour of reality television shows, which were more popular with its audiences

September 2^nd, 2005- Rise of the Internet: The launch of the website YouTube made the viewing of online video much faster and easier, just like Google Videos, Yahoo! Video, Facebook, etc. which uses similar technology. Some artists began to see success as a result of videos seen mostly or entirely online, i.e. the band OK Go