You can find all my research and planning evidence for my NEA under the label 'AL Research and Planning'. This is located in the top right corner of my blog. I hope you enjoy!
My music video and website were reviewed several times, both during and after the production process. I was given lots of feedback from my teachers to help me improve the products before the deadline.
My music video
WWW: The video looks professional and fits well into the pop genre
The mise-en-scene is amazing and makes clear reference to the 60s
There are a good variety of shots
Good pace which fits to the music well
The grade is good and signifies the change in time
EBI: The opening narrative shots need to anchor the story more
Some sections were particularly 'performance heavy' where an audience might expect to see narrative
Add the name of my artist and the title of the song at the start
Add a link to the website at the end
Add more scenes from the record shop as the location looked really good on camera
Below, you can see the improvements that I made after receiving that feedback.
Adding the name of the track
Adding a link to website
Changing the opening shots to anchor the story more
Adding extra scenes from the record shop
My website
WWW: There is lots of interactive elements
The pictures anchor the star identity of the artist
The extra audio visual content is very entertaining and original
We were also given a list of snags that needed to be fixed before the deadline:
HOMEPAGE
Tour section is all over the place
‘Watch now’ button doesn’t got to anywhere
Gallery section – slider transitions too quickly
When click ‘view now’ the gallery doesn’t show
Name the ‘Merch’ section
‘Sale’ button doesn’t work
Fanbase needs to be prominent on website there is only one reference – i.e. b-gang etc.
Check image captions as they have the original image names
Facebook at bottom leads to Wix Facebook
Menu bar needs to scroll with page or have a button to
bring you to top in each section (Can’t get back to start or to another
section)
Original crowd image?
LINKED PAGE
No menu bar
News summary needs more mode of address to make it personal
Check grammar in ‘latest news’ section
‘Read More’ buttons don’t work on any section
Make the sections the same size
Elle cover isn’t industry standard – too simple
Again, I have embedded the improvements that I made after receiving my feedback
Improving my tour section and making it more clear
Adding a menu bar to the News page
Making the mode of address more personal on my news page
Adding a 'back to top' button
I am very grateful for the teachers feedback as it has been crucial in making my project the best it can possibly be.
I also received lots of feedback on my music video from my peers and the target audience. Everyone seemed to love and understand the narrative, they liked the upbeat nature of the song and they enjoyed the variety of shots. Lots of people said it looked high quality and professional which I am very pleased about.
Working on this project has been an absolute pleasure. I have learnt so much about pre-production planning, filming, editing and performing! It has been so much fun watching my ideas come to life. It has taken lots hard-work, but it has been an experience that I will never forget.
I have been majorly inspired by the online presence of artists such as Katy Perry, Cardi B and Khalid. When viewing their websites and social media pages, I became instantly engaged by the variety of content, ability to interact with the site and the interesting colour schemes, fonts and designs.
I also made sure to look at the websites of some of the artists signed to Sony Music, such as George Ezra and DJ Khaled. I wanted to see how their online presence compared to artists signed to alternative labels. I found that their content is slightly more personal than other artists. For example, they tend to use a personal mode of address in order to make the audience feel closer to the artist.
Through looking at existing websites, I can see how codes and conventions of pop artists websites have been used effectively. They all have a consistent colour and font scheme, they all have moving pictures and videos to create an interactive element, and their platforms are all digitally converged to encourage audiences to view all their digital platforms.
Katy Perry Official Website
Khalid Instagram
George Ezra Official Website
I did a more in depth study of Cardi B in order to see how an individual artist creates a consistent brand online. She is a mainstream rap artist who has a huge participatory presence online and has inspired my ideas in many ways.
Seeing how Cardi B uses her online platforms has majorly inspired my ideas. I like the layout of her website as it is bold and eye-catching. The images are consistent and there are a lot of interactive elements for the audience such as the videos and moving pictures.
Below, I have embedded a flat plan that I created for my website homepage. I aim to create a synergised brand through the uniform colour and font scheme, as well as appeal to and engage the youth target audience through the interactive content.
I need to create extra audio-visual content that will feature on the linked page of my website, which I have decided will be a 'News' page. The content needs to be fun, engaging and exciting in order to gratify the audience need for entertainment. This will keep them interested in my artist and the type of content that she produces. It also shows that my artist is becoming very successful in the industry as she is starring on TV shows and creating clothing lines.
Audio-visual content
1 - Carpool Karaoke
For this idea, I was heavily inspired by 'The Late Late Show' with James Corden. The Carpool Karaoke segment has always been something that I found really funny and entertaining. It is also a great platform for artists to promote their new music on, as James often asks them about upcoming tours, events etc.
I studied the codes and conventions of the episode featuring Ariana Grande, and used these to recreate a similarly styled video. The videos usually start with the celebrity entering the car and greeting James. They then listen to one of the artist's songs and this is then follow by a small conversation before the next song begins.
I wish to recreate a similar video, however I will have to sing songs by other artists as I only have a debut single.
I decided to ask my dad if he would play the role of 'James Corden', and take part in a carpool karaoke with my artist. Needless to say we had lots of fun!
2 - Celebrity Endorsement (Clothing Line)
When researching pop artists, I discovered that many of them endorse brands. This is a symbiotic relationship, as the celebrity receives a huge pay check and the brand they endorse are being marketed by somebody with millions of fans and followers, meaning that they reach more people and therefore increase their sales.
I was really inspired by the recent release of the LittleMix x PLT campaign.
I wish to recreate an advert for my clothing line in the studio. I will use similar shot types in order to conform to the conventions of these adverts. I want to endorse the clothing brand Missguided as their brand values and ethos are very similar to that of my pop artist.
3 - BTS Video
I want to create a BTS video from the making of my music video. This will generate buzz amongst the fans as they are able to see a stripped down version of my artist; having fun, making mistakes and being silly. This will make my artist more relatable and lovable.
I was really inspired by the BTS video for Ariana Grande's 'Thank U Next'.
4 - Elle Magazine
I wanted to create a magazine cover for Elle. From my research into the target audience, I discovered that the mainstreamers were big fans of reading popular magazines such as Heat and Elle. This meant that an Elle magazine issue would be likely to interest and engage some people from the target audience.
I studied the Demi Lovato issue released recently in order to find out some of the conventions of the magazine cover.
I discovered that the artist usually stands in the centre, foreground of the image, slightly covering the title. The main issues discussed on the cover page are about fashion, beauty, relationships and the issues that the featured celebrity are talking about.
In my magazine, I want to discuss the issues surrounding being a woman in the music industry. From movements such as #MeToo, I have learnt that women often struggle within the industry, and there is often a lot of gender inequality. I want my artist to share her struggles with the audience, to make her seem more authentic, genuine and open with her fans. It also shows that she is a strong feminist and is not afraid to speak her mind if she knows that it may benefit others in some way.
5 - Bellemoji
I wanted to create an emoji for my artist, named 'Bellemojis'. This was inspired by the release of Kim Kardashian's 'Kimojis' pack in December 2015.
This is a fun little feature that fans can use when texting their friends and commenting on pictures. This encourages people to talk about my artist as they are reminded of them through the Bellemoji.
Vernallis views music video as having a set of underlying principles, based on the creating a relationship between the audio and visual. This means music videos are usually presented through fragmented, multiple narratives and perspectives.
I have analysed the music videos of two mainstream, pop artists in order to see how media language is used to communicate narrative and performance. I am also interested to see how people, places and issues are represented. 'Don't call me up' by Mabel
Mabel- Don't Call Me Up
This music video is more performance based, with elements of narrative running throughout. The video is about Mabel getting over a break-up, despite her ex trying desperately to get back together with her. The lyrics are illustrated by the visuals, as we see Mabel ignoring all his attempts of him trying to 'call her up'.
The video starts with a few narrative shots of the ex boyfriend trying to call Mabel. This instantly clarifies the message of the song and makes the narrative easier to follow.
There are a range of shots used in the music video, however, I identified a significant use of CU or 'money shots'. These shots help to sell the artist, as we are seeing them up close. Furthermore, there are lots of low-angle shots of Mabel, connoting that she is stronger, and that she doesn't need to be in the relationship anymore. This is appealing to young women, as it gives them a sense of empowerment, and shows them that men don't define who they are.
The majority of the video is shot in an interior setting, underneath studio lighting, giving the video a professional and glossy feel. The locations symbolise typical places where people get over a break up. For example, we have Mabel in her bedroom getting pampered by her girl friends. This is usually seen to happen when people have just left a relationship. We also have all of the girls outside, dressed up to go to the club. This signifies that Mabel just wants to forget about her ex and focus on having fun with her friends.
'Happier' by Marshmello ft. Bastille
Happier - Marshmello ft. Bastille
This music video is completely narrative based. There are no performance elements and we never see the artist who sings the song. Furthermore, the lyrics are amplified by the visuals. When listening to the song on the radio, I imagined it to be about a couple going through a break up. However, this video adds a new layer of meaning to the lyrics, as it is about a girl who is bullied at school and becomes unhappy. The only thing that seems to comfort her is her dog, but unfortunately at the end of the music video he dies. This video appeals to the audience through pulling on their heart strings, and making them think about the most important things in life.
The camera work and editing are incredible in this video. There are lots of moving shots used to symbolise movement through time, and these are typically cut to the beat to create a quicker pace. The main character grows up throughout the music video, however, she is always recognised through wearing a yellow bow in her hair. This makes it easier for the audience to follow along with the narrative.
The use of lighting is also symbolic of mood. The scene when the girl first receives her puppy changes from normal lighting, to bright yellow lighting to symbolise her happiness. Furthermore, the final scenes when her dog are dying are dimly lit, to connote sadness and death.
The girl is bullied at school, and this is seen when the 'mean girl' make fun of her. The main character is very stereotypically 'geeky'. She wears her hair in pigtails with bows, and has braces. The other girls wear lots of makeup and tighter clothing to suggest that they are popular. This could be a direct intertextual link with the film 'Mean Girls' or any other high school related drama.
The artist 'Marshmallow' makes his presence known despite not actually featuring in the music video. This is through the use of easter eggs. We see either his name or logo in several places throughout the music video. He does this to ensure that the audience know that this is a 'Marshmello' music video.
Both of these videos have inspired my work massively. I intend to borrow some ideas from Mabel, in terms of creating a fun and interesting performance. I want to have a dance routine that is performed by me and some back-up dancers. I also intend on borrowing some editing techniques used in the Marshmallow video to help me symbolise a movement in time. I will do this through fades and zooms, as well as changing the pace to suggest travelling.
After analysing several pop music videos by various artists, I had to start planning what I wanted my own music video to look like. I began to document some of my initial narrative ideas. I have embedded these below.
After finalising my narrative idea, I decided to storyboard some of my initial ideas to get an understanding of what some of my shots would look like and where I wanted them to be placed. The ideas were adapted several times after being reviewed by my peers and teachers.
Storyboard
Storyboard
Once I had my basic narrative outline, I began to plan the production process. Firstly, I created a cast list. This helped me to think about the characters that I wanted in my music video, as well as the costumes and props that they would need on the shoot days.
Then, I created a list of props that I would need in my music video. I spent lots of time collecting records, furniture and other props that would connote '1960s' to use in my video. These can be seen below.
Next, I did a location recce, where I took pictures of all the locations that I would need to shoot. I also made a note of all the props that I would need in each of the loactions.
I also decided to create a collage of hair and make-up from the 1960s. These will be used as inspiration when I come to recreate a 60s look on the day of the shoot.
For costumes, I did the same. I also had to make sure that these outfits were realistic as I will have to source all of the clothing myself.
It was also really important to schedule when and where I was going to be filming, in order to keep the production process running as smoothly as possible. I filled in a studio shoot timetable, which stated the time and date when I would be filming my shots in the studio.
Lastly, I created shoot boards that I will use on the day of the shoot. These helped me organise the running order of my shots so that the filming days run smoothly.
