The chosen artist and song for my group's project is; Christina Grimmie: "Feelin' Good". Shown below are the lyrics to her song.
"Before last night I was down on my luck. There was nothing going my way. Before last night I wasn't feeling the love. No reason for a smile on my face.
But I was always told, You could turn it around, Do it for the light of day. So get your self together, Head out on the town, The music gets you feeling okay.
Now I'm on a roll and I'm losing control 'cause I got that sunshine, It's like the world is mine. I can't deny I'm feelin' good (feelin' good) Can't stop from smiling, I'm bottled lightning But deep inside I'm feeling good (feelin' good)
All my heartbreak, my long and rainy days, are gone and now I can't complain. Everything's alright, I'm feeling so alive. I can't deny I'm feelin' good, yeah.
I was so low on Friday alone, No one even calling my phone. I looked in the mirror, And I said to myself, Why am I still seating at home?
Now I'm on a roll and I'm losing control 'cause I got that sunshine, It's like the world is mine. I can't deny I'm feelin' good (feelin' good) Can't stop from smiling, I'm bottled lightning But deep inside I'm feeling good (feelin' good)
All my heartbreak, my long and rainy days, are gone and now I can't complain. Everything's alright, I'm feeling so alive. I can't deny I'm feelin' good, yeah.
I got that sunshine, world is mine. I'm feelin' good. I feel it deep inside, I can't deny I'm feelin' good Everything's alright, so alive. I'm feelin' good, I'm feelin' good I'm feelin' good, hey, yeah!
I got that sunshine, It's like the world is mine. I can't deny I'm feelin' good (feelin' good) Can't deny I'm feelin' good Can't stop from smiling, I'm bottled lightning But deep inside I'm feeling good (feelin' good) Hey, hey hey!
All my heartbreak, my long and rainy days, are gone and now I can't complain. (Oh and now I can't complain) Everything's alright, I'm feeling so alive. I can't deny oh!
I got that sunshine, It's like the world is mine. I can't deny I'm feelin' good (feelin' good) Can't deny I'm feelin' good Can't stop from smiling, I'm bottled lightning But deep inside I'm feeling good (feelin' good) Yeah, yeah hey yeah
All my heartbreak, my long and rainy days, are gone and now I can't complain. Everything's alright, I'm feeling so alive. I can't deny I'm feelin' good. Yeah!"
Shown below is my analysis of the lyrics and what I presumed the artist (Grimmie) was expressing at this time. From what I have gathered from listening to the song it has a unique melody as it starts off quite slow and then builds up to an upbeat melody.
The song is just over 4 minutes long and from what I have gathered from the lyrics, it seems as though Grimmie's past few days weren't any of her best as she states "before last night I was down on my luck" - it seems as though she has been so unlucky and nothing is going her way. The second part of the first verse is an indication of how she would remain positive throughout her darkest of days - she states; "I was always told you could turn it around" - this suggests how Grimmie is beginning to forget about her past and is moving on.
When I first heard the song, I believed that the lyrics were based around Grimmie leaving a relationship, due to her singing; "all my heartbreak", yet she also states how her "long and rainy days are gone and now I can't complain" hinting that she may have found someone new (relating back to the start of the song; "before last night").
The chorus is the focus of the song because this is an indication of Grimmie finally finding happiness - she states; "I got that sunshine, it's like the world is mine, I can't deny I'm feeling good" - this suggests how she's finally at peace with her life and nothing can go wrong anymore.
The artist I have chosen to use for my music video is the late Christina Grimmie. Christina Grimmie - born 12th March 1994 - 10th June 2016 was a singer/songwriter, musician and YouTuber. Grimmie first started her singer career by uploading herself singing covers of songs on YouTube in 2009 at the age of 15. In 2010, Grimmie uploaded a cover of Nelly's 'Just a dream' with fellow YouTuber; Sam Tsui and received over 135 million views demonstrating her increasing popularity. In 2011, Grimmie performed at charity concerts - one in particular being the UNICEF charity concert where she provided her backing vocals for Selena Gomez and the Scene and also opened for them along with Allstar Weekend and The Jonas Brothers at the Concert of Hope. Grimmie also appeared at the first ever DigiTour (created for YouTube artists) in 2011. On the 14th June 2011, Grimmie released an EP entitled; 'Find Me'.
In 2012, Grimmie moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue her music career where she was signed to 'Creative Artists Agency'. By 2014, Christina rose to fame by appearing on the television singing competition programme; 'The Voice US' where she performed 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus - her efforts payed off as Grimmie eventually placed 3rd in the competition.
Unfortunately for Grimmie, on the 10th June 2016 at 10:24pm at her own fan meet and greet, Grimmie was shot 4 times by gunman; Kevin James Loibl - who was 27 years old at the time. Grimmie's brother attempted to fight off the gunman but Loibl broke away from his hold and ran towards a wall in which he put his back against and shot himself dead. Grimmie eventually succumbed to her gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead just shortly before 11:00pm.
Performances:
Christina Grimmie in 2014
By watching some of Grimmie's performances and video covers, I could see that she would always perform to the best of her ability to please her fans - this is shown through her confidence on stage and on camera as she would often dance along to the music setting a fun mood for the audience as both parties were having such a good time at her concerts.
Whilst developing a music video it is a necessity to think about legal implications if you were to use a piece of music that isn't yours. If you were to use a piece of music that is not yours, then you could be facing prosecution for breaking copyright laws - this is why it is vital to contact the artists or their record label in order to get permission to use their music.
We know that the artists/record label own the music content and this is why other people cannot just simply sample the music for their own needs, no matter how much they desire to create their own piece of music.
Song Choice:
The song choice was quite difficult to choose since each artist my group and I came across was already signed to a record label. Eventually we came to the conclusion that we should choose the late singer Christina Grimmie and her song "Feelin' Good". My group have chosen this song by Grimmie because we felt as though the song is relatable and has a catchy tune - it also pays respect to Grimmie after she passed away in 2016, so I feel as though the music video my group creates can pay a tribute to her and her music. The song is upbeat and I believe it is relatively easy to mime along to and when it comes to filming the scenes, they would appear to look more realistic on screen.
Understanding the Techniques of Music Videos - "Elton John and Kiki Dee"
For this task, the class was assigned to choose groups and make a video of two people lip syncing to Elton John and Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". This is the first task assigned to us that involved us recording the scenes right from the start of the song, all the way to the end of the song only in one shot. This was done several times using different shot varieties as a more efficient way of editing. Shown below are the tools used to help edit my software.
In total my group and I had filmed 14 scenes using a variety of different shots. Our reasoning behind having 14 different takes was that it would be a lot easier to edit the clips on the timeline if they would all flow instead of cutting each clip down to size (however I did cut a few clips on the timeline only because I personally found this technique to be quite easier).
One of the first editing techniques I used was achieved by using the fading tool. I placed one clip on top of another one and used the fading tool by dragging the yellow line on one of the clips downwards and then dragging it back up when I wanted the fade to end.
Before
After
Another technique that I have learned during this process is locking an audio track in place. This made editing efficient because it saved me from having to move the audio track out of the way of other clips on the timeline.
Markers:
As shown in previous screenshots (and one below), underneath the duration time of the video, there are green markers. I have placed the markers just above the timeline as this helped me to judge when to place the clips onto the timeline. This would enable me to match the clips on the timeline perfectly and match the start of the audio and by doing this, it would give the perception of the two people on screen lip syncing.
Understanding the Techniques of Music Videos - "The Pretender"
The Creative Process:
When creating this animatic, the initial idea was to storyboard 45 seconds of the music video and demonstrate the different uses of shot angles within this piece. From my knowledge and understanding I have now established that there are more shot angles that I hadn't heard about before. These include high/low angle crane shots and various others.
After story boarding each frame, I uploaded the pictures onto Premier Pro in order to edit my sequence to the beat - this had to last 45 seconds due to the fact that the 28 frames totalled to 45 seconds.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
I would say that one of my strengths included how I was able distinguish shot types that I have learned about previously.
The mise-en-scene was the most difficult to draw onto the storyboard, particularly where there were objects in the background such as stereos and lights as I attempted to draw these as precise as they appeared in the actual music video.
Another weakness I found at times was trying to edit the clips I had to the timing of the video - this is because some clips were barely 1 second long before it was time to move onto the next scene.
What I have learned:
I found it quite difficult to storyboard this music video, due to the fact that I didn't realise that it would take up to 28 frames on the storyboard to cover only 45 seconds, I understand now that this requires a lot of time and commitment. I mainly struggled to draw parts of the video in certain frames that depicted the reflection of lights in the background (for example). I have learned how to edit a video to the beat and pace of the music itself. It was a tiring process but it was quite enjoyable overall and I am pleased with my final outcome.
Over the course of making the video, I have learned about the different types of shot variety (as I have mentioned previously mentioned) and how to keep up with the pace of each shot. I have been able to develop my knowledge further on shot variety and it has enabled me to practice a variety of shots in my own work. For example, the use of a low angle crane shot. In my spare time I have practiced filming a video using the new angle shots that I have learned about and it gave me the desired outcome that I wished for. Although I had to experiment a few times to find the perfect angle, learning about the different types of shot variety helped me to produce videos with better quality.
Understanding the Techniques of Music Videos - Editing to the Beat
Cutting to the Beat and Edits:
Throughout this task I have edited my product using Adobe Premier Pro. During this time I have learned how to use a variety of editing techniques such as: marking, locking a soundtrack on the timeline and learning how to make a split screen and shown below is how I was able to achieve this.
Split Screen
As shown, I have cut a scene and placed it directly above another scene on the timeline and this is how I was able to create the effect of the split screen as seen below. Although I have been able to create the split screen, I have also learned how I can separate each clip and put it to the size I prefer - you can see this below where there are three frames shown within one whole frame.
Tools used to edit
Split Screen
Shown below are the tools I have used in order to edit my video. By using these tools, I have also been able to add effects onto the timeline - these have included the fading technique. The fading tool is demonstrated just above the hand on the toolbar.
I believe that using the fading tool signals the end of the video and I have embedded this feature at the end of the sequence and at other points during the video. Shown below the feature is demonstrated.
Screen is bright
Screen is fading to black
Across the timeline, I have placed green markers. These green markers represent the beat of the first few seconds of the song. I was able to place the markers by listening to the song beforehand and then by pressing 'M' I was able to match the placing of the markers to the beat of the song. I found this to help make the editing process a lot easier and a more efficient way of editing to the beat.
Markers
The techniques that I have used in this video may be used in an actual music video because of its effect it leaves on the final product. Popular music videos are often vibrant and eye catching due to the amount of editing that actually goes into the video and I believe that this is particularly the reason behind their success. By creating this video, I have gained experience from editing in order to put the skills I have learned into practice for creating an actual music video.
Understand the Styles and Conventions of Music Videos
Andrew Goodwin - Six Key Conventions:
Goodwin's six key conventions consists of different forms of music videos, such as:
Digital/Stop Motion Animation
In concert - "live footage"
Studio based
The six key conventions also consist of different styles of music videos, such as:
Narrative based
Impressionist
Surrealist
Pastiche
Parody
Homage
In 1992, Goodwin released a book entitled: "Dancing in the Distraction Factory" and he identifies the six key conventions in this book.
Key Features - Goodwin States:
Music videos convey genre characteristics
There is a correlation between lyrics and visuals - through illustrating, amplifying and contradicting
There is a correlation between music and visuals - through illustrating, amplifying and contradicting
The record label will demand lots of close ups of the artist. The artist may develop motifs which are displayed across their work - these are visual styles.
There is frequent referencing to visuals which include viewing through screens, telescopes and many more. The female body is also focused on quite often.
There are intertextual references here - references to films, television, other music videos and many more.
Convention 1 - Genre Characteristics:
Andrew Goodwin states that there are different music genres that use key conventions in their videos. Some examples of this would be from music videos that centre around women walking around the pool side in bikinis. This is seen in various music videos to date and this relates back to some of Goodwin's key features under frequent referencing to visuals.
Most artists present themselves through their characteristics and the Spice Girls are a perfect example of this. The Spice Girls were made up of Mel B, Melanie C, Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton and each member had their own nickname; Mel B a.k.a "Scary Spice", Melanie C a.k.a "Sporty Spice", Victoria Beckham a.k.a "Posh Spice", Geri Halliwell a.k.a "Ginger Spice" and Emma Bunton a.k.a "Baby Spice". Each member's characteristics were presented in their debut single "Wannabe" in the music video. Goodwin's first convention was used in the music video as the members made it clear to express their individuality and characteristics.
Another example of characteristics being presented in music videos would be by the rapper Nelly. When Nelly first debuted his music career, he would always wear white tape across his cheek and this would always be present his work.
A popular music video of Nelly's is when he duets will Kelly Rowland in the song "Dilemma"- in the video, the audience can see the tape on Nelly's face.
Convention 2: Relation of Lyrics/Music to Visuals:
Goodwin states that there is a correlation with a music video and its lyrics and visual images. These can be seen through:
Illustration
Amplifying
Contradicting
The pace of editing can also be used to represent these three different ways of relating to visuals.
Illustrate: The music video can use a variety of images and to illustrate the music video and its genre and lyrics. This is the most common relation to use for music videos. An example of this will be shown through Vance Joy's "Riptide".
Amplify: Most meanings are amplified through the use of repetition. Each meaning is repeatedly shown to us so that it is able to stay in our minds for a long time. An example of this is The Script's "Hall of Fame".
Contradict: This happens when we choose to ignore the entire meaning of the song. An example of this would be Eric Prydz's "Call On Me". We can see how the music video promotes women's bodies to the audience instead.
Convention 3: Relation of Music to the Video:
Goodwin states how his third convention uses visuals in a music video and how they will almost always have a connection to the pace of a song. In this case, the music can be edited to suit the pace of the song by illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the beat. Shown below are a few examples.
Arctic Monkeys: 'Do I Wanna Know?':
The music video for 'Do I Wanna Know?' demonstrates the use of sound waves up until 1 minute, 36 seconds that are able to match the beat of the song and the lyrics - this is where we see the use of illustration.
After this scene, the audience is shown a pair of legs that begin walking to the beat - as well as the placing of tyres that match the beat of the song, which is a great example of illustration through visual images, so I believe that the video was a success and matched the song.
Each visual wee see within the video is an example of how the video has been created and edited to match the beat of the song.
Nirvana: 'Smells Like Teen Spirit':
The pace of the music quickens around 57 seconds as we see the band's drummer drumming along to the pace of the music and he continues this all throughout the video. This video is proof of Goodwin's theory that the music video would almost always have a connection to the pace of a song - there is a correlation: as the pace of the music quickens, the band is seen playing their instruments a lot faster to match the music's pace. This is another example of how the video was a success - the video is example of amplifying. The video had shots that were repeated - this is shown here again when the band starts paling their instruments to match the speed of the song.
Skrillex: 'Bangarang' ft Sirah:
The music video for Bangarang depicts at 1 minute, 9 seconds what seems to look like a miniature bomb and a few seconds later the bomb is being fired at the ice cream van and explodes. This demonstrates how the music video has been edited to suit the music video as it correlates to the lyrics because the word "bang" is used in this scene (and is also featured within the title).
Throughout the rest of the video, we see how the lyrics and the video link with each other. each time we hear the word 'bang', there seems to be an explosion.
Convention 4: Develop a Style:
This next convention of Goodwin's states how the record labels will begin to demand the development of a motif that regularly occurs across all music videos by the artist. One of the demands is the requirement of visuals and close ups of the artist.
Stars such as Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and various others all have their own motif which is expressed throughout their music videos.
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
This picture of Nicki Minaj demonstrates her in the era of her album 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'. During the release of this album, the public would often see Nicki dressed in peculiar outfits that consisted of vibrant colours and at the time this suited her image and personality. Some people would often think that Minaj wouldn't dress appropriate for her age - therefore I think that there were some weaknesses when it came to Minaj's public image.
Katy Perry: Roar
This is a still image taken from Katy Perry's music video for her single 'Roar'. Katy Perry's motif here is expressed through the use of nature in her surroundings and in her outfit. She makes sure that her style is represented within her music videos. Perry's likeable outfit made her and her video a success.
Lady Gaga: Poker Face
Lady Gaga is widely known for her dress sense, especially when she first debuted. Gaga has a bold visual style that she clearly makes her own - this includes moments when she wore an entire dress made of meat, performing in a bikini made from seashells and wearing 10 inch high heels. Due to this, the audience definitely are aware of Lady Gaga's "unique" style.
Convention 5: Frequent Notion of Looking:
Andrew Goodwin has stated in his fifth convention that in music videos, there is often frequent referencing to the notion of looking i.e. with screens within screens and telescopes, etc and the expressive treatment of women's bodies on camera.
'Video Phone' by Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga focuses a lot on both women's bodies as we see right at the beginning of the video. At 1 minute 50 seconds, there are two men that appear to have cameras on their heads which relates to the lyrics of looking at a video and the notion of looking through screens in the video. I'd say there are both strengths and weaknesses to this video, this is because both Beyoncè and Gaga have used their bodies in order to attract the viewers (this is a strength to get more views), yet at the same time it promotes objectification (this is a weakness).
In 'What's My Name?' Rihanna appears to be looking at the camera consistently throughout the music video. Drake also seems to be looking at Rihanna for a long period of time as she enters a shop at the beginning of the video. We see how Rihanna's body is often the focus of the video which is often the case in numerous music videos that involve women today - this could suggest how the labels would want to produce what sells and the majority of the time it involves women's bodies rather than the music (they would see this as a strength), which is shown in "Video Phone" above.
Convention 6: Intertextual References:
Finally, Goodwin states how music videos are often filled with several intertextual references aimed towards other music videos, films, television shows, etc.
Jennifer Lopez - 'I'm Glad':
As seen in this music video, we see how the video is a replica of the film 'Flashdance'. Sometimes recreating a video to this extent could often be seen as either a success or a failure (people may not understand the referencing behind the video or may not know what film it is from) - in Lopez's case it was a success.
Ariana Grande - 'Almost Is Never Enough' featuring Nathan Sykes
'Almost Is Never Enough' features parts of the film 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'. I would say there are strengths to this video because parts of the actual movie are included letting viewers know about the movie. This is great because it promotes the movie as well as promoting Grande's song.
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX - 'Fancy':
Fancy includes an intertextual reference to the popular 1990's film "Clueless". Like Jennifer Lopez, Iggy Azalea's replica is a clear demonstration of the film. Due to many people having watched Clueless, the film is known as a classic and should become familiar when shown through Azalea's video. This video was indeed a success.
The Beatles: During the 1960's, to say The Beatles were popular was an undeniable understatement. By 1964 The Beatles had already starred in their first feature film; "A Hard Day's Night", directed by Richard Lester. Aside is a clip from the film where the group perform their hit "She Loves You".
By 1965 the group were already creating promotional clips and broadcasts in different countries around the world. Here is a clip from one of the groups' promotional features shown below.
The Beatles would create these promotional clips to enable them to promote their records without having to physically perform live in person. This was beneficial for the group because this meant that they had more time to create new records while their previous records were still being played. This was clever because the group was able to have a steady income, and it also meant that they were able to gain more publicity. Due to their increasing popularity, The Beatles would often have huge crowds of fans bombarding them. By not singing at live events, this increased their safety.
The Beatles' success was on par with Queen and their hit single; "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Due to each band's success, it became fairly common for production companies to release promotional videos for their groups. Bohemian Rhapsody was probably one of Queen's most successful songs and to this day is still quite popular due to their music videos being one of the first ever. Top of the Pops was a popular show for promoting music as the artists wouldn't need to appear on television. This is beneficial for the artists because this gave them time to release more records and the longer the air time they had on television and in the charts, the more successful their song was.
Before the days of promotional videos if artists were unavailable, their songs would be broadcast and would have dancers accompany them on "Pan's People". Here is an example of a broadcast of Pan's People from April 1976.
Brian May, the popular member of Queen and lead guitarist stated that the video for Bohemian Rhapsody was produced simply because this would help them to avoid performing such a complexed song on Top of the Pops and having to mime along to it. Queen weren't able to appear on the show whenever they were invited to, due to the group about to go on tour. Due to the amount of air time Bohemian Rhapsody was able to obtain, this led to this song being number 1 for 9 consecutive weeks.
Promotional:
As music videos were becoming increasingly popular, they worked as a great promotional tool for artists as it provided great advertisement as quoted; "It is designed to draw attention to the music and illustrate the song". The music appeals to a visual audience and this is because more and more people were buying televisions and this meant that more people could watch music videos.
Appeals to a Visual Audience:
Psy's Gangnam Style and Kpop:
As mainstream media became more and more popular, in 2012 a South Korean artist known as "Psy" (싸이) released a single entitled "Gangnam Style" ("강남 스타일"). Psy is known as a "K-Artist" or "Kpop Artist" (the 'K' meaning Korean) who made the genre Kpop become extremely popular by releasing this single. Due to it's popularity, Gangnam Style was the first ever video on YouTube to reach over 1 billion views. Today the video now has over 2 billion views.
Kpop has been around since as long as the 1990's and not many people had heard of this genre beforehand - however popular groups such as "Big Bang" (빅뱅), "Super Junior" (슈퍼주니어), "Bangtan Boys (BTS)" (방탄소년단), "SHINee" (샤이니), "Got7" (갓세븐), "Exo" (엑소) and many more have been noticed all around the world and have been known for making Kpop extremely popular. There are three main Kpop companies that most Kpop fans know of today and they are; SM Entertainment (founded in 1989), JYP Entertainment (founded in 1997) and YG Entertainment (founded in 1998) - the biggest groups in Kpop today belong to these three, however there are more companies. Shown below are more examples of Kpop music videos from these groups.
Big Bang:
Shown opposite is the popular music video by South Korean boy band Big Bang entitled "Bang Bang Bang". Big Bang debuted in 2006 and belong to YG Entertainment. Known as a hip hop group, their first album ("Always", 2007) sold around 48,000 copies and their hit single from this album entitled Lies (거짓말) went on to top Korean music charts for 7 consecutive weeks. After 10 years of success, Big Bang have sold over 6.7 million albums in Korea, Japan and all throughout the rest of Asia.
Super Junior:
Here is a music video for Super Junior's "Mr Simple". Super Junior debuted in 2005 and belong to SM Entertainment. Like Big Bang, they are one of the longest groups to be around for this length of time. At one time the group had 13 members from 2006, however two members have left the group since. Due to their popularity, the group were nominated for an MTV EMA (European Music Award) under the category "Best Asian Act". As I have previously mentioned, Psy made Kpop become increasingly popular to the world during this time and Super Junior being nominated for this award shows Kpop's growing popularity.
Bangtan Boys (BTS):
Bangtan Boys (BTS)'s music video for their hit single "Fire". BTS are relatively a new group who debuted in 2013 and belong to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS' fanbase is extremely large, starting from Asia to Europe, North America, South America and Australia and it is no surprise that they were the first Kpop band to chart at number 1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart for weeks in a row with their album; "The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 2".
SHINee:
SHINee debuted in 2008 and are signed to SM Entertainment. They have continued to release top 10 singles over the last 8 years. Shown opposite is their single "Married to the Music". SHINee also contribute to the genre "Jpop" (Japanese Pop) along with Big Bang and other groups and this proves how the Kpop influence has spread to other parts of Asia and various parts of the world. In 2012 the group released their fifth album called "Sherlock" and this was their most successful album, having sold over 180,000 copies.
Got7:
Got7 is a relatively new group having only debuted in 2014 and are signed to JYP Entertainment. They released an album in late 2015 and shown opposite is their popular single from it; "Fly". Got7 are another hip hop group who released their debut album in 2014 called; "Identify". The group's popular single; "Stop Stop It" from this album led to the album selling more than 80,000 copies.
Exo:
Exo have got to be one of the most famous South Korean boy bands to date having debuted in 2011 and belonging to SM Entertainment. Exo have been the best selling Korean artist in 12 years and this was due to the release of their first album "XOXO" in 2013 - the success led to the album selling over 1 million copies. Exo have notably been called "the forefront of pop domination" due to their insane choreography and the craft of their song writing.
Psy's Gangnam Style music video appeals to a visual audience because not only is the song catchy, but the video includes choreography that the audience may find peculiar. The dance repeatedly shows Psy and his dancers swinging an arm round in a circle and jumping up and down on each leg at a time - as if they are riding a horse (for example) and from experience I personally saw students from my school dancing along to this song, therefore I believe it was very effective. Gangnam Style was definitely a good use of promotion as it promoted the genre Kpop more and created a wider audience for it.
One Direction:
Psy along with other Kpop groups and soloists aren't the only artists to have made an impact on the world of music. In 2010 One Direction were formed on the popular singing competition; The X Factor. Due to social media developing and more and more people having social media accounts on Twitter (for example), this helped the group become increasingly popular all around the world in the space of just 2-3 years. Their first single "What Makes You Beautiful" led to their huge success and by the time the group had been together for three years, they already had multiple number 1's and awards, have a film documentary made about them and are known as the biggest boy band in the world, becoming more popular than The Beatles.
Creating a Brand:
Artists are often used as promotional tools in order to help promote their music videos or other items, i.e. fragrances, this creates a wider audience so that they are able to buy into the brand. Artists often sell themselves through the use of mise en scene. The mise en scene helps to set the look for the rest of their careers if a music video is memorable. Their image is set for the rest of the of their careers through their music videos, style, talent, websites, modelling image and many more. The artists normally care for their image more than the quality of their products and the Spice Girls are a good example of caring for their image.
Spice Girls:
The Spice Girls have been notably famous for their debut single "Wannabe". Spice Girls consisted of "Scary Spice", "Baby Spice", "Posh Spice", "Ginger Spice" and "Sporty Spice" - their names corresponded to their own styles of fashion.
Ed Sheeran:
Other times, music isn't about the image but it is about the song itself and its meaning. Ed Sheeran is a singer/songwriter who believes that image doesn't have to make a song sell, but its lyrics do and in his own song "Take It Back" Sheeran states this.
Marketing an Image:
There some artists who market their own image. This can be demonstrated through Lady Gaga and Adele - two completely different artists and have different styles.
Lady Gaga:
Lady Gaga has been active since 2001, but she really rose to fame with her album "The Fame" (2008) which included chart topping singles, "Poker Face" and "Just Dance". Gaga's following album the next year; "The Fame Monster" (2009) led to her increasing popularity with hit singles; "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro". Lady Gaga's image is somewhat unique and forever changing on each appearance. Shown opposite Lady Gaga collected her MTV VMA (Video Music Award) wearing a controversial dress made of meat. By wearing bizarre outfits, Lady Gaga has definitely made her impact on becoming a trend setter as her image has already been set by her unusual promotion of her wardrobe. She creates a brand by expanding her marketing skills through releasing fragrances, by doing this she expands her audience. Gaga's fans are known as "Monsters" and her dress sense often correlates to this word, however some may say that her style is unique and different.
Adele:
The unmistakable singer Adele has her own unique style. The release of her latest album "25" (2015) included the song "Hello". Hello was Adele's first song after her 4 year hiatus and immediately shot to number 1 and has now gathered over 1 billion views on YouTube. Adele expresses her talent through her remarkable voice and in contrast to Lady Gaga, she presents herself in a more suitable and calm manner. Adele and Lady Gaga's dress sense differs clearly from the other where Gaga goes for the bizarre look on most occasions and Adele goes for the more conservative look. This type of identity could lead to more exposure due to Gaga's odd dress sense, whereas Adele's exposure comes from her unique voice.
What Makes it Memorable?:
All of these videos are memorable because they are good examples of promotional videos. "Gangnam Style" was memorable because of its peculiar music video and this eventually led to the huge expanse of the KPop world. "Wannabe" is memorable for the Spice Girls because each member made sure to express their individuality in the music video - the song is also seen as an anthem for many girls around the world as they truly believe that their "lover" should really learn to accept their friends.
Extension of Income:
Music videos contribute to artists' income. A great example of this will be Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. Thriller was a very popular music video for Jackson - the video was 14 minutes long and it gives viewers the idea that they are watching a scary movie. We see Michael Jackson in the cinema and this gives the perception that the audience are being prepared to actually watch a thriller.
When fans watch music videos it encourages them to stay loyal to their favourite artists and buy their merchandise - this can include their albums, t-shirts, posters, wristbands. One Direction, again are an extremely popular boy band and they often release new merchandise for their fans, such as perfumes and calendars and have continued to sell large amounts of their products worldwide to their fans. Overtime this will eventually encourage fans to attend concerts, tours and festivals.
Music videos are good advertisement for a product as they can provide the artist the chance to promote their music and products. Another example would be how Christina Aguilera's music video for "Not Myself Tonight" - she later released a perfume and the music video was good promotion for this as she already has a large fanbase.
Extension of Outlets:
Each artist has an outlet which enables them to connect with the world and their fans and this can be through websites, social media, music channels/YouTube/Vevo and many more.
Synergy:
Music videos are always purposeful as they can provide synergy. Synergy is what happens when two media products combine their work for each other's benefit. An example of this would be singer Adele and the film Skyfall - Adele provided the soundtrack for the popular Bond film. This is a good example of a collaboration because the synergy helps to promote Adele's song, whilst Adele's song promotes the film.
Producer's Strategies:
There are three different types of artists. These include:
Major Label
Independent
Artist self-produced
Each of these type will all have different types of music videos to them - they will each serve a different purpose, however their music videos will still be a vital tool.
Major Record Labels:
The music industry is surrounded by four Multinational Corporations/Transnational Corporations (MNC's/TNC's) and these include:
Universal
Sony
Warner Brothers
EMI
These record labels dominate the music industry, hence why they are referred to as the major record labels. These major labels also own their own sub labels which are popular today. These consist of:
Columbia
Island
Syco
RCA
Virgin
These sub labels are known as major independent labels and they present a large variety of music genres to create a different kind of audience.
Artists Self Produced:
Self produced artists are often unknown and have the lowest budget. Self produced artists rely on making music videos in order for their career to take off and they would most likely upload their music videos to YouTube. One very popular self produced artist is none other than Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber:
Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube in 2008 by Scooter Braun after he found his videos. Bieber quickly rose to fame in 2009 after the release of his debut single "One Time" from his album "My World". Justin became more successful in 2010 after he released the single "Baby" from his album "My World 2.0" which created mixed views after the music video was released. The video to this day was the first video on Vevo to reach 1 billion views and has gained more dislikes to likes on YouTube - with over 5 million likes and over 7 million dislikes. Although Bieber has a huge fanbase, when he rose to fame he also received a lot of hate for his music.
