Audience research

Do you watch channels which show music videos?

Yes      No

If yes, how many hours a week would you say you spend watching them? (hours)

0          1-2      3-4      more than 4

What part of a music video do you enjoy most?

The band        The story        Both equally

What kind of story would you enjoy the most in a music video?

Believeable    Fantasy           Fun     No real story

Do you think music videos are key to understanding the songs they are for?

Yes      No

Do you prefer watching music videos to just listening to the songs?

Yes      No



I asked other students in the sixth form common room during a free period, 20 participants in total, aiming to interview those with varying musical tastes

 65% did not watch music videos

Those who did spent on average an hour or less of a given week watching them


80% said they enjoyed the narrative element of a video the most


The most popular type of narrative was a believeable one, with 60% of those asked choosing the option


Only 30% felt that a video was a key part of understanding what the song is about


90% prefer to watch music videos as opposed to just listening to them

Ancillary task analysis (digipaks)

Along with analysing album covers I also examined digipaks. I chose to do these sections separately because I couldn’t get any images of genre specific digipaks and so used genre specified CD covers and a separate section for digipaks. The digipaks I have looked at are for various genres of music and as such each has different generic conventions as far as colours, images and so on are concerned. But equally they do all have something in common; they use generic conventions of digipaks, which I will analyse below.

The first pack uses the colour scheme of black and red/orange in a fire type combination. The images used through the panels are also of a very similar nature, using what looks like a light bulb and also using fire.  

As you can see each image has a set of specific images and colour schemes, as well as ongoing themes in terms of shapes and fonts used. In each though, these ideas are kept a continuous theme, carried on through inside and outside panels to create a sense of flowing style. For example the ‘Vendetta’ digipak uses the same colour scheme of grey, blue and black through all the panels of the pack. It also keeps the idea of an egg timer consistent, using one on the original album art and one as the body shape for the text on the inside. Also, the frames used around the images have a very similar style.

This pack uses similar consistencies of style, with an ongoing colour scheme of yellows and browns, with photos of the musicians through the pack, on the cover, and through the inside panels. Also, the frames used around the images have a very similar style.

This Metallica digipak is an example of a digipak whose genre is closer to that of my project. It still obeys all the conventions of a digipak, but in an interesting way. While keeping with all the other ideas, such as similar colour schemes of creamy colour, silvery grey and black and images of a graffiti’d flight case (because it’s a live CD) it also creates a sense of flow by using the writing spread from the outside front panel and finishes on an inside one.

So, having looked into digipaks and CD covers of the genre which my product will be a part of in depth I have concluded that:

• The overall product should have a consistent colour scheme
• A consistent image set or set of ideas (skulls are a very popular idea among metal covers)
• A sense of flowing
• A potential concept to flow through the whole design

 

Similar media texts

For my first ancillary task I will be doing the album cover and insert for a new album. The album will be by a made up artist, and will be of the metalcore music genre. For this, I will look at similar media texts in the form of other inserts from metalcore albums.

·        The cover features mainly dimmer colours, which are less striking and sharp

·        The main shape of the cover art is a skull

·        The text used for the artist is large, central and serif but basic

·        The album name is smaller, above the artist and in a more wispy font

·        The cover again features mainly dimmer, darker colours, less striking and sharp

·        Also the main shape again is of a skeletal style, using a sketchier design style

·        The use of a boat and wave style effects have a relation to the album title ‘The Tide And It’s Takers’

·        The artist text is again large, white and in a serif font, but is basic at the same time

·        The album name is kept with the artist name, but is smaller, but this time is in a similar font to the artist name

·        The artwork itself is using dimmer, less sharp, but this time even darker colours

·        The main feature of the artwork is skulls, like the other 2 examples

·        The artist text is again larger, and in a pale colour, but this time in a more sans serif text

·        The album text is smaller, but this time away from the artist name

·        This artwork uses a more bright set of colours, using a variety of blues as well as darker colours

·        The main feature of the artwork is, like the others, a skeletal figure

·        The artist text, like all the others, is large, but in a very serif text, in this case though it is because the artist has a specific font used on all their products

·        The album text is smaller, and also in a serif font, although a less serif one than the artist title, and is again just below the artist title

·        The art itself has a relation to the album title, with the skeletal figure with a scythe being incinuated as the ‘grim reaper’ and the album being titled ‘Follow The Reaper’

·        This artwork uses the same ideas of darker, dimmer colours, although the red is arguably bright in comparison with the other artworks

·        The main subject of the art this time is not of anything skeletal, but still has somewhat dark connotations

·        The artist text is much more arty and stylised, but again this is because the band uses it as their band logo to appear on other products

·        The album text is attached to the artist text, but does still stay close to the artist name and use a less serif text, and is in smaller proportion to the artist name

Ancillary tasks analysis (magazine adverts)

All Time Low-Put Up or Shut Up

·        No album art featured but the cartoon style is used in the album art

·        No advertising of other work by the artist

·        Review quotes used

·        No links to band pages or record company information

This advert is very atypical, in that it has very few of the generic conventions of the album release advert. The album artwork itself is not featured, which may mean people will be less likely to seek it out to buy it. There is no other advertising for the bands work, which might have helped a potential audience member associate the artist with some of their other work. There are also no other advertisements for the band or record company’s Myspace page, which would give consumers a chance to listen to the band before buying the album.

The two conventions which it does follow however, are key ones. Although there is no album artwork featured there is still an element of intertextuality, in that the album it promotes, and an earlier album, use a similar cartoon-like style. This means this advert will appeal more to existing fans than to new ones. The advert also uses quotes from reviews by respected reviewers such as Kerrang and Rock Sound. These reviews are chosen because they positively portray the album, and would make potential consumers more likely to buy it.

Image has not been added due to technical difficulties (no driver for the scanner)

Magazine advert-Mendeed

• Same colour scheme as the album art
• Review quotes
• Record label also advertised
• Reference to other albums
• Reference to the bands myspace
• Release date is prominent
• Large image of the cover art dominates the advert

In general, these things aim to achieve one of two things; further band advertising (other albums) or heavier advertising for the album (review quotes)

Image has not been added due to technical difficulties (no driver for the scanner)

Magazine advert-Losing Sun

• Same colour scheme as the album advert
• Band font used
• Album art not actually used
• Record label advertised
• Simplistic
• Band myspace advertised
• Colour scheme is very consistent
• Single advertised

These conventions, again, are used to either advertise the bands other work, or further promote the album

More main task research

These are the rest of my main task analyses, some are done differently to others purely because they weren't done in the order they're on here, I did all my research and then I've uploaded it all today in one batch

Foo Fighters-My Hero            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVKDQgT_b-Y

This video, while mostly obeying the generic codes and conventions of the music video, while working somewhat differently to the majority of music videos in that it merges the narrative and the band shots a lot more than any other videos.

Band shots

·        Band are all in crowded spaces, but are creating quite an atmosphere (aside from the narrative) to show they are an energetic band and because it is a convention of the bands videos. This also shows that they aren’t effected by their fame, that they haven’t sold out

·        Band are all dressed in generally normal clothes, they are a rock band as opposed to a metal band, and as such they address their fanbase of more normal people by dressing like them, makes them seem like normal guys as oppose to famous rock stars.

·        The narrative and band shots look like they are filmed as a single shot, with the cuts only being at the beginning, used to create a strong support for the narrative, to make the band seem more of a soundtrack, making the band less of a focus, instead using them to strengthen the narrative

·        Band play shots in the house used as part of the narrative to blend the two elements more

·        The band are shot playing where the story happens, the singer could be singing to the protagonist as the lyrical themes of the song suggest it

Narrative

·        Most of the video is a single shot, focusing mainly on the protagonist, to show that the song is centred, in terms of narrative and lyrical themes, around him

·        The idea of the narrative is almost explicitly relating to the lyrical theme of the song

·        The use of shots which look hand held add a sense of a rough edge to add to the rock music connotations. The majority of shots are from behind the protagonist, which may be to encourage the viewer to feel in his shoes

·        The use of a single main character through the narrative and his nonchalant attitude toward what he’s done emphasises his status as an ‘ordinary hero’ which links back to the original theme of the video

Lamb of God- Laid to rest         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOWB6rmSd4I

T                 The music video is emphasizes a lot on the importance of the band themselves and the way they play their instruments together and individually. Once again the video begins with face pace editing to a fast paced intro. The music has a very syncopated rhythm which sounds all over the place if you will, just like
the variety of shots and effects. A very significant effect is the red and yellow saturation used on some of the images and the way the fade in and out, quite like a flame. This effect is also used a lot during the chorus where the lyrics are most vicious.

The band themselves are all wearing black t-shirts, showing their unity and the color itself gives of connotations of metal, darkness and the use of  lighting emphasizes their shadows in the empty seeming abandoned warehouse where they are playing. There is also a narrative which very much relates to the
way the music plays. The double-bass is very consistent and has a running pace to it and using parallel editing, the director emphasizes this by shooting a variety
of hand held shots of a man being chased. The use of cutting itself synchronizes with the music which shows that rather than the video emphasizing the music, the music is emphasizing the video and what it is that’s happening. For example the first few shots of the foot chase at the beginning are completely in time with the beat and help highlight the feelings inhibited by the audience from the music itself. However, the lyrics are not.

In this video the meaning of the lyrics is not related to the narrative until the very end. So in a way it is unconventional as it leaves the fans trying to figure out what the narrative has to do with the song. It’s about getting your own back on somebody that has seemingly purposely made your life worse. This
is shown at the very end of the video with a heroic tracking shot, tracking away from the man being chased holding the hoodie of the man trying to hurt him, showing overcoming those who ‘ruin’ you, which is where the narrative meets the song. There are also many close up shots of the lead singer as his emotions and the way he sings the lyrics are
an important part of understanding the music.A very significant section of the video stresses the way these two factors work together and it is when the break down is introduced and the singer screams. Here the narrative and performance shots come together as the actors run behind the band. This is very important because it clearly introduces the link between the lyrics and the narrative of which the audience have been so keenly waiting on. Suddenly, the narrative takes up more time on the video than the performance.

Iron Maiden-Aces High              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmWE3QEUYr8

This video, although a lot older than other videos I have analysed, still keeps in with the generic conventions of music videos, and especially videos for metal music. The video uses band shots in parallel with a narrative, without the two intertwining, and I shall analyse each type of shot below

Band shots                               

·        The shots are from a crowd perspective of the band performing live

·        The band all have long hair, and are wearing tight clothing, something considered very ‘metal’ at the time, the equivalent of black clothing in today’s day and age

·        The shots focus equally on the band themselves and their instruments, showing that the element of instrumental skill is an important part

·        The shots are all in colour, contrastingly to the narrative, shows the band are more modern

·        Lighting is bright and flashing, used to make the shots more exciting, contrasting to the darker shots used in more modern metal videos

Narrative shots

·        Archived footage from the Battle of Britain, in keeping with the lyrical themes of the song

·        Introduction clip of Churchill’s speech, war connotations

·        Despite the age of the clips, they are edited to look more exciting

·        Clips are all black and white, to show they are historic, unlike the band shots, this is used to show different time periods

·        Shots are from a pilots point of view, this is to associate with the lyrical themes of the song

·        Shots are mostly British aircraft and forces, and show favour over the Nazi’s, again encouraging a link between the lyrical themes and the shots

Research into similar media texts (main task)

As the first part of my research i need to analyse multiple existing media in the category of my final project, music videos.

Avenged Sevenfold-Nightmare         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bGzWyHbu0

This music video uses the generic conventions for music videos very heavily, running 2 parallel scenes, one of the band playing and one of a story progressing with some relevance to the song. The shots of the band are all of them half covered by darkness, and only one at a time but the shots relating to the story are shot showing either the protagonist or from his point of view.  

Band shots

The shots of the band half covered by darkness are related to the theme of the video, all aimed to be a nightmare, as is the theme of the music video. This choice of shot is also related to the genre of the music itself. The song is of the hard rock/metal genre and as such the use of very little lighting and darkness is in following the intertextuality of the genre, with a lot of metal videos using a lot of darker scenes. The band themselves are all also dressed in darker coloured clothes; black jeans and black shirts, in keeping with the stereotypes of the genre and their personal style, an intertextuality of their own work as a well known band. The editing uses these shots at random intervals within the video, but cuts to them from another short gradually changing, using continuity editing to create a sense of natural flow and keep the storyline of the video. The camera angles are all also taken from a head on angle, to show the members of the band as clearly as possible, perhaps to help a viewer see that they band members are also all part of the storyline of the video. Their instruments are also really clearly visible to show that they are members of the band, and the guitarists shots focus heavily on his guitar during the solo because this is a convention of metal videos, where solos are a big part of the song.

Narrative shots

The shots showing the protagonist of the video, also the singer from the band, help us to see the situation, and set the scene, adding to the nightmare theme of the video. The shots are shot perhaps from the point of view of someone having the dream, and encourages the viewer to associate with what is happening. These shots are also used at the beginning of the video as establishing shots. The protagonist is strapped down to a stretcher and is not wearing a shirt to show his tattoos, and thus that he is of the ‘metal guy’ stereotype, but also that he has been confined and is being held against his will, also shown by him struggling to escape at the start of the video. The lighting is of a poor standard, which helps add to the idea of it being quite a dingy place. The editing often cuts from these shots to shots from the protagonists point of view, which helps us associate and draws us into the situation he’s in.

The shots from the protagonists point of view show things as he sees them, which aim to encourage association with him. These shots also show us other elements of the video, such as the other band members as part of the facility where the video is set. These shots of other people in the facility, what they’re doing and how they’re dressed, all adds to the nightmarish connotations of the video.