Album Cover Analysis

             Kygo

Kygo's album 'Firestone' featuring Conrad, is all very dark coloured, and simplistic.
The covers and designs only contain the artist's logo, name and the song/album title.

The artwork doesn't contain any pictures of the artist, this could be due to Kygo only being a composer and DJ and doesn't actually sing in the music he creates. He only writes the lyrics and edits it.

Avicii

Avicii's album 'True' which debuted in 2014 and many of the songs on this album scaled the charts.
The art is very minimalistic, like Kygo's.
It's a theme within the EDM genre that album art is very minimalistic, and as such, is something I will be using in my song's album art.

The front cover shows a dark figure which is presumed to be him. This could, again like Kygo, be due to him not actually singing on the album hence he isn't the centre focus of the art.
Then on the main cover, it has "True" written in a bold, white font, which is contrasting against the dark, black background.
Furthermore, it also has Avicii's logo and his name at the bottom of the cover as well. Again, the size of his artist name could be referencing to how he doesn't sing in any of the songs.

Gryfinn

Gryffin's single 'Feel Good' which released in 2017, which scaled the YouTube trending and hit over 5 million views in 2 months on YouTube, and 21 million on Spotify.

The artwork shows a woman sitting on an edge overlooking the city. The city is very colourful, representing a happy place. The artwork  compares to the audio of the song very close. The song is about feeling good, and relationships, and in general being happy. I think the song relates to the artwork very well due to this. 

The song, Feel Good, is an EDM song, yet it doesn't conform to the usual standard of EDM songs have the artist's logo on the artwork.

My audience feedback

I plan to ask a selection of 10-15 people the following questions about my first draft of my music video:

1. What were your initial thoughts on the music video?
1. I am asking this so I can get a generalised opinion of the video overall, and then if the general consensus is that I should change something about the video, it helps me out.
2. What are your thoughts on the placement of the actors, and the choice is actors?
1. I am asking this to see what my audience's opinion on the actors is. As per the Uses and Gratification theory, the audience may look up to the actors. As the Uses and Gratification theory can play an important part within a music video, I want to make my audience relate to my actors.
3. What is your opinion on the use of minimal editing and a continuous shot?
1. I'm asking this to get people's opinion on the minimalistic editing and use of a continuous shot.
4. How do you feel the music video relates to the content of the song?
1. As per Andrew Goodwin's theory, Goodwin believes that a song's music video must relate to the content being displayed on the screen. 
5. How easy was it for you to understand the concept behind the video?
1. I want my video to be easily understood by all audiences, so if people don't understand the concept I won't achieve this aim.
6. What were your opinions on the shots and angles used in the video?
7. What is your opinion on the use of props and costumes? 

Production Team

My production team for my music video is:



Actors:
 - Rachel
 - Chris


Director:
 - Myself

Cameras:
 - Myself

Editing:
 - Myself


I have chosen to undertake the filming, directing and editing myself as I have a vision in my head of how I want the video to look, and I feel that I can best bring that vision to a video rather than trying to explain to someone how I want it to go and then further wasting more time.

Finalise Storyboard

Location Reconnaissance

I have decided to use Caversham Courts for the filming of my music video.

The area provides good lighting, and places to record my video properly.

Below is an image of Caversham Courts.

As Caversham Courts is public grounds, I did not need permission to use this land or record here.

Actors

I have chosen one female actor and one male actor, Rachel and Will. Both are aged 17, here's the permission I gained from both of them:

My first actor, Rachel, is 17 and studying Drama at school.

I've chosen to work with Rachel as we worked together on another project, and it was easy to work together. Furthermore, she's studying Drama at school and has drama expertise.

My second actor, Chris, is also 17, and also studies Drama.

I've been known with Chris for a while, and he's good to work with. He's also studying Drama at school, which means he can also input his drama expertise.

Calendar & Timeline

All filming will be done outside of class-time, to maximise the time slots we get to film.

Record Label and Production Company

Record Label

Closer by The Chainsmokers (ft. Halsey) was released under Disruptor / Columbia Records.

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment (SME).

Columbia was formed in 1887.

They work with the record label Disruptor Records to publish content from artists such as The Chainsmokers, Vanic, XYLO and Lost Kings. 

They've worked with The Chainsmokers on all their songs since Roses in 2015 (5 prior to this). 

Production Company

The Chainsmokers have produced all their songs on their own for the past 15 singles have all been primarily written by them. Some of their songs have featured other artists throughout the production. 

Reasoning for Chosen Artist

I've decided to use The Chainsmokers as my artist, as this is an artist which I currently listen to and influences me a lot.
Plus, their music also motivates me a lot more than other artists.

Their genre is EDM, which is an upcoming genre, which sees more and more listeners every day, and is growing at rapid speeds. It's also becoming a more main-stream media genre / source.


The song I've decided to use is 'Closer' by The Chainsmokers, featuring Halsey. The song is quite a laid back, yet up beat/tempo song, which I think I can make a music video which matches that beat.
Written by Andrew Taggart, he says on Genius that the lyrics come from hooking up with a previous partner and regretting it / reliving old memories.

Written Consideration of Artists and Tracks

I'm currently considering to go for a song by The Chainsmokers called Closer, featuring Halsey.
The song was in the top 10 in over 26 countries globally, it also went platinum just over a month of the single being out.

The Chainsmokers originally became well known for their debut single, #SELFIE, in 2014. Then releasing Roses and Don't Let Me Down.

The artist is labelled to Disruptor, Columbia and Sony Records. Yet the majority of their new records, including Closer, is labelled with only Disruptor and Columbia.

The song is about hooking up with an ex-partner, as Andrew Taggart and Andrew Pall (the two members of The Chainsmokers) said on Genius.


I'm also considering the song 'Samurai' by Vanic.
The song is a less-well-known song in regards to the charts and mainstream media, however, on sites such as SoundCloud - a more "indie" (independent) artist site, the song is well known and streamed a lot.

Vanic has also featured on an episode of NICE HAIR by The Chainsmokers. An hour of music which they release every month, and up until now had never featured another guest.

He's currently labelled with Disruptor Records, a joint venture with SME (Sony Music Entertainment).

Initial Ideas

I am currently thinking of using Closer, by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey.

I'm considering this song as I've listened to The Chainsmokers for a long time, being a fan of their music and content.
Then with The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey in their song, it means that a new side of their music has been shown, a song which I feel I can make a good video out of.

Recently The Chainsmokers have grown considerably, after their initial release 'Don't let me Down' featuring Daya, at the beginning of the year, the song claimed just shy of 700 million streams on Spotify, and another 500 million on YouTube. The Chainsmokers have also won the Best New DJ of 2016, have been nominated for International New Artist of the Year, Best New Act, and many more.

Music Video Theorists

Music Video Theorists

Andrew Goodwin

He identifies 5 key aspects to which music videos should adhere to, and the audience should look out for:

 - Thought beats (the video in time with the beat, i.e scene changes on a beat)

For example, the use of a stage performance for a (rock) metal video, partners for a love song, etc. 

 - Technical aspects of the Music Video

Technical aspects reference to the use of camera angles, editing and misé en scene.

Lighting and colour are used to identify key moods and emphasise key moments of the song for dramatic effect.

Editing should be used to cut between scenes in time with the beat.

 - Narrative and Performance (a story is being told)

Music videos should avoid portraying a common narrative, this is important to their advertising to make their video unique to the artists. 

The video should be repeatable. Narrative and performance should work together to make the video repeatable for the audience, so they can watch it over and over again without getting bored or losing interest. 

With the artist acting in the video, this helps improve the authenticity of the music video for the audience, however lip syncing and other mimed actions must remain central to the video. 

The audience need to believe it's real. 

 - Relations of Visual to the Song (the video should be relevant to the song)

Goodwin believed that a music video can promote a song through the analysis of it's lyrics. 

For example, linking what's happening on screen to the lyrics at the time.

i.e, referencing to a kiss in the video and the actors in the video kiss, or if the lyrics reference jumping the crowd / actors jump in the video.

 - The Star Image

The Star Image is a vital part of a music video. 

The music video must have a central star image, or pair, and the video shows their story over time.  This helps improve the artists image in public whilst helping to promote the video and it's authenticity.

Vladimir Propps

Propps suggested that every narrative has 8 different character types. Which he calls the 'spheres of action'.

They are:

 - A villain which fights a hero in some way;

 - A dispatcher, who introduces the villain and sends a hero away;

 - The magical helper, who helps the hero in his/her quests; 

 - The princess, who the hero is aiming to address;

 - The father of the princess, who gives the hero the task(s), however the father and hero cannot be easily identified as related;

 - The hero, reacts to the orders;

 - False hero, who attempts to take credit for the actions of the hero, and tries to take the princess for himself.

Representation Theorists

Laura Mulvey

Mulvey identifies a "Male Gaze" theory. The theory suggests that the male gaze prevents women from having a human identity, representing them as objects to be admired for a physical appearance. 

She suggests that women have no real purpose, other than how they make the male actor feel or act which is of most importance. 

Mulvey states that females in a narrative have two purposes;

 - As an erotic object for the characters within the narrative;

 - And as an erotic object for the viewers to view.

The male gaze is a very common aspect of James Bond films, too.

Music Video Directors

Music Video Directors

Daniel Askill

Askill is an Australian born (1977), he mainly focuses on Pop or Rock videos, with artists such as Sia.  He's worked with Sia 6 times, and worked with another 6 individual artists either once or twice. He's worked on 14 videos across 7 different artists.

He looks to have a very abstract method of directing his videos. His videos tell a story, however also want you to use your own imagination when viewing it. This goes against many theorists views, which believe that a music video should tell you exactly what the director wants. Yet he opposes this theory, clearly. 

He uses lots of wide-angle tracking shots, which then move into close ups without any editing - just from the movement of the camera. I really liked the use of this as it cuts down on the editing which I really like, it also creates a nice flow to the shot.


Joseph Kahn

Khan is a Korean American film and music video director, who's real name is Ahn Jun-hee, but is professionally known as Joseph Kahn. Born in 1972, he's well known for his works with pop, rock and rap artists. He's won many MTV Music Video Awards, with nominations for Best Music Video of the Year.
In 2002, Kahn won his first Grammy for his works behind the video "Without me" by Eminem. Which also won awards for Best Music Video of the Year and Best Direction.

He's worked with artists such as U2, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Britney Spears, Eminem, Maroon 5 and Shakira. And most recently, four videos for Taylor Swift.


His music videos are very to the point. His music videos tell the story exactly how he wants them to be told, leaving very little room for your imagination to make up parts of the story.
He conforms to some theorists, such as that a music video should include exactly what you want to tell.

He uses a lot of aerial shots, especially in his video Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift. As well as a lot of long-distance shots. In another video, Love the way you lie by Eminem ft. Rihanna, he uses a lot of tracking shots which is an idea I really like.

Director X

Who's actual name is Julien Christian Lutz, but is professionally known as "Director X", is a Canadian music video director. Born in 1975, he's known for his works in the pop and rap industry. He's worked with artists such as ZAYN, Usher, David Guetta, Justin Bieber, Drake, Rihanna and many more.

His videos are very abstract, and don't really tell a story. More of just a couple of scenes which don't really relate to the song. The odd scene in Drake's "Hotline Bling" song actually relates to the song, where he creates a phone using his hand and puts it to his ear as the lyrics sing "I used to call you on my cell phone". Other than this, there is very little relation to the lyrics, in this song especially.

He also conforms to Laura Mulvey's "Male Gaze" theory, of having a main male character and many female characters for the sole purpose of "an erotic object for the viewers to view" as her theory states. This is clearly shown by the female characters in the video "Hotline Bling" by Drake being shown sexually and with no actual role in the video.

However he does conform to some parts of Andrew Goodwin's theory, mainly the part of Narrative and Performance stating that videos should lip-sync. Drake does a lot of lip syncing in the video for "Hotline Bling"

Music Video Research

Music Video #1

Zedd - Beautiful (link)

This long shot of a girl sitting against the glass with another girl drowning herself in the pool shows that there has been an argument between the two, and to the point where the girl sitting out doesn't care about the other girl's life anymore. As this is only in the first 10 seconds of the song, it shows that there is a lot more to come and you are going to learn a lot more about their relationship together.

This facial closeup of the same girl who just watched as a girl tried to drown herself. This scene was just after she tried to be hit by a train, and yet it went over her and didn't harm her. I think her surprise on her face says a lot, which is why a facial closeup is a really powerful shot for this scene. Especially as it sets the rest of the video up to show how it's a "change" of luck for her. 

Preliminary Task