Drummer

The decision to use Luke as the drummer was a last minute decision as up until then i was going to dress as a boy and be the drummer. As it didnt look as realistic and i didnt look enough like a boy i found Luke.

As Luke is a drummer and suits the part more with his long hair and indie look he was a much better choice and the group agreed.

Guitarist Two

We chose Chris to be our second guitarist for the band purely because we felt that he had a good look for the band (long hair, leather jacket...) and he would really suit the bands image.

Also as he is the boyfriend of Amanda we knew he could be counted upon to be reliable and turn up on time and at every shooting.

Guitarist One

We casted George as the first guitarist as we were confident in his ability to be on camera as he is drama student and also has a love of music that shows in his performance. When we decided that the band should go for a 'smart casual' look we knew that Georges wardrobe is like that so it would make it easier for us.

Lead Singer

As a group we decided that Matt would be best suited to a lead singer because we knew that he was confident to enough to sing in front us when we saw him in our Britney video and as he is part of the group we knew he would be reliable and make a good effort.

The lip synching task seconded our decisiom to use Matt as the lead singer because he was perfect at exaggerating his lip movement and looking like he was really singing.

He also looks the part of the band and had a good wardrobe for all different types of style.

Production Diary - Session 18

8th October

Today we had our first day of filming. We collected the instruments and chose a location on the field where the light would be ok as it was a sunny day and we realised that shadows on the face would be an issue. We assembled the band and did a test run of the whole song on a long shot of the band. This helped us to pick up on one of the guitarists lack of movement so we replaced him with our spare band member who suited the band better.

After an hour of shooting we mangaged to run through the song several times to make sure we had plenty of footage and then did the individual close ups of the band.

Over all i think it went really well and we covered ourselves well by getting at least 3 of each individual shot in case anything was wrong. Im really pleased by the amount of footage we got and how well it all turned out.

Annotated Final Song Choice

Production Diary - Session 17

7th October:

Today we all split up and did different things. I begun costume designing what our band should wear. Amanda wrote down all of the shots that we needed to film of the band as we are doing that tomorrow. We also discussed props that we need for the band shots. Matt researched possible band names and we began to take inspiration from song titles. We also asked the music teacher at our school if we could borrow instruments for our shoot and he said yes. We also chose a band name of 'Maybe Tomorrow'.

To organise us for tomorrows first shoot we wrote down all of the shots which feature the band in and linked them with a set of lyrics and type of shot and what of. We also colour coded the shot so we could easily see who was in each shot making it quicker and easier to get the correct shots tomorrow.

Music Video Questions

Music Video Questions.
1) Who will be your target audience?

I believe that our target audience will be young people, mainly teenagers. I think that the song will appeal to both sexes as it does not have serious lyrics, and it is a catchy song. It will probably apply people 13+ as they may start to have relationships at this time and experience what the characters go through in the video.

2) What genre of music is your chosen track?

The genre of the track is indie/rock.

3) What conventions does this style of music use in its videos?

There are many conventions during these music videos such as dark locations, showing long shots of the bands, being fast paced, and using a lot of close ups and extreme close ups. Some of these coventions can be seen throughout our music video, such as the long band shots and a lot of close ups. I feel that our video is also fairly fast paced.

4) What type of music video will you film?

Our video is a mixture of narrative and performance, flicking between the two. We wanted the video to show a typical teenage life, and therefore we are using a lot of light locations and places that teenagers would spend a lot of time, like their bedrooms.

5) Describe the characters in your video.

In our video we have two protagonists, a girl and a boy. They used to be together, but they broke up and the narrative of the video shows them meeting at a party and then the girl being rejected by him again. In our video we also have the girls friends when they are getting ready in their bedroom. Then we have all of the extras during the party scene.

6) Where will you film your video?

We have chosen different locations for our video, such as in two separate bedrooms for the getting ready scenes, someone elses house or garage for the party and then a separate outside location for the band to play in. We also have locations such as a bus stop and the girl running through a field.

7) What type of media institution will show your video?

As our video is in the indie genre, it would most likely be shown on television channels such as MTV, Q, NME TV, Smash hits and TMF. This would allow us to show our song directly to the target audience, as this is where they would most likely watch music on their televisions. We could also show our video on the band websites and also on video websites such as youtube.

8) How do media technologies affect the consumption of music videos?

The technologies can make videos more glamorous by putting them on television. They can also make them much more accessible and better for viewing with things such as HD television. The fact that you can get hold of almost any video on the internet now is also due to media technologies, and that is one of the advances of the 21st century.

Group Timetable

This is the timetable that we made which shows all of our frees at school so that we can easily see when we are all available and also times we all have frees together.

Production Diary - Session 16

6th October

Today we organised our shots into different locations and wrote lyrics on the band shots. We then started to prepare for our first shoot of the band on friday by collecting instruments and organised the band members.
We also combined our timetables and made a timetable of all of our
free's to make it easier for us to plan
times to shoot and events.

Production Diary - Session 14 + 15

5th October:

We begun by uploading both the storyboard and the lip synching task to vimeo and then putting them on to all of our blogs. Matt finished the shooting schedule whilst Amanda and I discussed the possible venues for the party scene. We then contacted various people and are still waiting for a reply. We then looked into images for our band to have and discussed band names but we are still deciding. We then put the shooting schedule on to all of our blogs.

Production Diary - Session 13

1st October:

We begun the session by filming Matt singing the first section of our song. We then put it onto the edit suite and changed the audio to the song so it created the effect of lip synching. We then extracted both our storyboard and the lip synching video to a windows media file so that it could be easily uploaded to youtube.

Production Diary - Session 12

30th September:

Amanda finished the editing of our storyboard, whilst Matt and I made the completed version of our shooting schedule, which contained each location, time and shot numbers that need that location. We also decided who we were going to use in our video.

Production Diary - Session 11

28th September:

During this session Amanda contined to edit the last few shots, whilst Matt and I begun making a list of all the locations that we need to use.

Production Diary - Session 10

27th September:

We finished filming the storyboard and once we had it on the computer I started to edit the final 20 shots. We also made arrangements for our party which we need to film part of our video. We spoke to a representative of the venue and started to talk dates and times with them.

Production Diary - Session 9

23rd September:

Once again we continued to outline the storyboard, film it and put it on the edit suite, and also cut it to fit in with the song.

Production Diary - Session 8

22nd September:

Amanda and I continued to film and edit on the editing suite whilst Matt continued to outline the storyboard.

Production Diary - Session 6+7

21st September:

We continued and completed the storyboard in pencil, and Matt then went over it in pen whilst Amanda and I began to film as he finished going over certain sections. We were also taught how to import our film and how to edit and cut our storyboard using Adobe Pro.

Production Diary - Session 5

17th September:

Once again, we continued with the storyboard and discussed all of the shots between us.

Production Diary - Session 4

16th September:

During this session we continued discussing shots as a group and carrying on with the storyboard.

Production Diary - Session 3

14th September:

During this session, we finished annotating the lyrics and began drawing the storyboard in pencil, so we could go over it later when we were sure that it was correct. We discussed each shot as a group and all had an even contribution.

Production Diary - Session 2

13th September:

Matt brought in the song on CD and we played it and went through each verse and decided exactly what we should do. Whilst doing this we also split the lines up into durations for each shot. This took quite a while, as we were doing it line by line.

Production Diary - Session 1

9th September:

During our first meeting we discussed what our favourite songs were out of our original three choices, and we looked up lyrics for those and annotated them for possible narratives. We finally decided on 'Girls' by Kids in Glass Houses, after realising that our initial choice of Taylor Swift did not provide us with much scope for a storyline. After deciding on our fina choice, we got a copy of the lyrics and brainstormed a storyline whilst listening to the song.

Shooting Schedule

Lip Synching Task.

Matt Lip Synching. from Amanda Champion on Vimeo.

Our Storyboard.

Our Storyboard. from Lizzie Hubbard on Vimeo.

Star Profile

Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) was born on 16th August 1958 and is well known recording artist. She shot to fame with her debut album in 1983 and has continued to win contracts and awards throughout her career and not only as a singer! She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita 1996. And has gone down many paths such as fashion designing, becoming a children's book author, film director and producer, and owner of her own recording company Maverick corporation, as a joint venture with Time Warner.
Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records.
She is considered to be one of the most influential figures in contemporary music and is also known continuously reinventing both her music and image.

From when she first burst into the music world Madonna became a style icon with her wacky and entirely new style of dressing which influenced many young girls and women. Her style became a female fashion trend of the 1980s as she wore lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry showing the crucifix and bleached hair.



This influencial trend started after she achieved global recognition after the release of her second studio album: Like a Virgin in 1984. The track ‘Like a Virgin’ attracted the attention of family organizations, who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values and moralists sought to have the song and video banned and this was the very beginning of her provocative image.



In 1989 she was landed a contract with Pepsi adverts in which she debuted her latest hit ‘Like a Prayer’ The music video shows many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, and a dream about making love to a saint, which made the Vatican to ban the video. Religious groups wanted to ban the advert and Pepsi products which resulted in her drop from the advert.



Her trademark provocative image continued in the 1990s with the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. The releases of her sexually explicit films, albums and book made critics question Madonna as a ‘sexual renegade’. She faced strong negative publicity from critics and fans, who commented that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over.

In 1996 Madonna landed a part in Evita and also a new image as she toned down her appearance and video’s. Evita was well received by critics and the public and landed her several awards. On 14th October 1996, Madonna gave birth to her daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. In 1998 she release he 7th album which reflected her change in image and lifestyle as she gave up partying and became a mother. In later years she married Guy Richie and had another child as she maintained more reserved being.

Madonna's Style:


1990 as she became World famous for her singing and for her style


1996 at the Evita Premiere. Her style has become less wild after her slaying by critics and the public and she shows a more mature woman who has proved herself as an actress and also a new mother.


2005. An older more matured woman with a husband and family. She has become alot less wild and provocative but shows that despite her age she's still got it.


2010. This photo shows Madonna as she is now. Older but still very attractive withouth the need for her old style.

In the video ‘Like a Virgin’ the record company is trying to sell Madonna as something different as she is new to the music world. Her costume is 80’s style but slightly wackier as this shows her as something different. The song is also different and would definitely be noticed as it was very sexualised and perhaps imoral by showing her in a wedding dress? But the whole image was to get her noticed and established. There are lots of closeups of Madonna throughout the video as would be expected to establish her.
Madonna always seems to play a character in her video’s as she has a wild dress sense and seems to want to shock the public and push the boundreys that little bit further in her early career before she calmed but in her later videos such as: ‘Hung Up’ in 2005 she shows off her dancing and performing skills more as she shocks by showing how she is still fit and in shape at 50. Her costumes became a little smaller and tighter again as she showed that she’s still ‘got it’ while not being quite as wild as her early days now she has a family and responsibilites.



I think Madonna is a representantive of girl power as she shows a lot of independence but she is very femine and her whole music career has a stong sense of sexual reference which maes her a powerful woman with out being a feminist as such.

Madonna has changed a lot over the decade as she started as a bold individual who brought and entirely new definition to pop and dress trends. She has slowly become less and less sexualised in her music and she has tamed dramatically as she aged but still maintains a lot of sexappeal in her music and in her image. Her sound has changed with age and her dress taste has changed along with the millions who strive to be just like her. Whether you love her or hate her she has changed pop music and was and still is the worlds top selling recording artist of all time!

The Click Five - All I Need Is You

I chose this song as its up beat and quite happy. Again its easy to relate too as you either have a crush on somebody or are struggling with problems but rely on love.

I think this song would be quite easy to video because you would only need on lead vocal and you could mix performance with narrative in the video. Maybe a simple teen video or something with a bit more depth?



Lyrics:

You're scared
It shows
Been there
You're not prepared to be
In love
With me
So soon cause you've been through enough to have
Something hold you back

We don't need to go that far
Let's hold on to where we are
If it's real we'll make it through
Cause all I need is you

They say
Don't waste
Your time
They're obviously blind

So let's
Forget
The words the thoughts they put into your head
Don't give up just yet

We don't need to go that far
Let's hold on to where we are
If it's real we'll make it through
Cause all I need is you

We don't need the world right now
We got time to work it out
Hold on tight, I'll hold on too
Cause all I need is --

Baby, maybe we should start somewhere
Baby, let me in your heart
Before we fall apart

We don't need to go too far
Let's hold on to who we are
If it's real we'll make it through
Cause all I need is you

We don't need the world right now
We got time to work it out
Hold on tight, I'll hold on too
Cause all I need is you
All I need is you
All I need is you

Scouting For Girls - A Level Pain

I chose the song A Level Pain by Scouting for Girls because i thought the lyrics can be relasted to alot as we are all A level students and we can empathise alot with the lyrics.
The idea of the video could be made comical or seriously and i think ith would be very easy to shoot the video as we have a school location already! I think that the contrast of working hard and then going out at night can be looked at alot and maybe there could be a slight narrative in the video also.



Lyrics:

Who wants to know about history?
Not me (Not me) and not me
Who wants to know about psychology?
Not me (Not me) and not me

Who wants to read books, when you've got the looks
To go out, go out and have some fun
Who wants to stay in, when that's all you've been
And you know that you only wanna have some fun

(You work and you work and you work, no, no)
(You work and you work and you work, no, no)
(You work and you work and you work, no, no, no)

A level pain, hits me again
Hits me again and again and again
Always the same, always the same
Always the same and the same and the same
A level pain!
(I'll never use Pythagoras)
A level pain!

Who wants to know about biology?
Not me (Not me) and not me
Who wants to know about CDT with Mr. Cosby?

Who wants to read books, when you've got the looks
To go out, go out and have some fun
Who wants to stay in, when that's all you've been
And you know that you only wanna have some fun

(You work and you work and you work, no, no)
(You work and you work and you work, no, no)
(You work and you work and you work, no, no, no)

A level pain, hits me again
Hits me again and again and again
Always the same, always the same
Always the same and the same and the same
A level pain!
(I'll never use Pythagoras)
A level pain!

I've never used Pythagoras
(I've never used Pythagoras)

A level pain, hits me again
Hits me again and again and again
Always the same, always the same
Always the same and the same and the same
A level pain!
(I'll never use Pythagoras)
A level pain!

The Script - I'm Yours

I chose this song by The Script which is basically about a man telling a woman how she makes him feel and how much he loves her.
I think that this song could have a really interesting video as people can obviously relate to the lyrics and the slower song would alow alot of long shots and interesting angles.
This song would also be easier as it only needs one main singer and the filming and ideas could be unique but simple. Maybe as it is an emotional song already it wouldnt need a big video and simple ideas like shots of the singer lying on his bed singing or walking down the road could really work well.



Lyrics:

You've touched these tired eyes of mine
And mapped my face line by line
And some how growing old feels fine
I listen close for I'm not smart
You wrap your thoughts and works of art
And there hanging on the walls of my heart.

I may not have the softest touch
I may not say the words as such
And though I may not look like much
I'm yours.

And though my edge is maybe rough
I never feel I'm quite enough
And it may not seem like very much
But I'm yours.

You healed these scars over time
And braced my soul, you loved my mind
Your the only angel in my life
The day the news came, my best friend died
My knees went weak, and you saw me cry
Say I'm still the soldier in your eyes.

I may not have the softest touch
I may not say the words as such
And though I may not look like much
I'm yours.

And though my edge is maybe rough
I never feel I'm quite enough
And it may not seem like very much
But I'm yours.

I may not have the softest touch
I may not say the words as such
And though I don't fit in that much
But I'm yours.

What Music Means to Me.

Steps 5,6,7,8 was a track that really takes me back to my childhood years. Being a very popular band in the late 90's and early noughtie's they were very popular to have played at your birthday party when your about 7. This particular track reminds me most of the countless birthday parties that it was always played at and the dance routine that everyone knew and i still remember now.



Take That, Never Forget sums us my young teenage years as got my music taste from my sister before i got my own taste. This song reminds me of her and me singing and dancing when we were younger as it was one of her favourite tracks which rubbed off on me.
Though to this day i still listen to alot of take that, old and new for the memories and i enjoy the music.



Omen by The Prodigy reminds me of later teenage years as it came out in one of the best summer holidays to date. The summer at the end of year 11 when i spent alot of time relaxed, stress free and with my friends. This track relly reminds me of this summer and alot of friends that left in year 11 and didnt come back to 6th form.

Jason Derulo - What If

I have chosen to analyse Jason Derulo's video 'What If' which belongs in the genre of RnB. The songs within this genre tend to be have catchy beats and lyrics and also have noticable back beats even if the song is slow. The tracks are usually sung instead of being rapped which distinguishes the RnB from Hip-Hop. They tracks also have a tendancy to be about love which is true of this particular track.

Throughout the video the lyrics of 'What If' portray the question that the track is about of whether the couple have a future. The video portrays this as the video is shown in rewind as we watch the couple meet and fall in love. In particular the lyric 'what if im the one for you and your the one for me?' which shows Jason Derulo looking at an engagement ring. And again when he sings 'future with a dog names ........... and a house with a fire place' clips are shown of the couple bathing their dog and lots of them in a house together. The video portrays his love for the woman he was about to propose to dying in a car accident and the lyric 'we can't, no we cant tell the future' which symbolise that you never know what way happen in your life, and as she dies this lyric is repeated.

The pace of the music also reflects the visuals and particularly at the beginning when the music cuts out completely and is replaced by a heart beat as the video slows to show the possible accident and Jason Derulo running to save his girlfriend. This sets the scene and explains the lyrics to come in the video. The clips of the past in rewind are at a fairly slow pace which matches the music as it shows the couple being relaxed and very much in love with obvoiusly no idea what will happen in the future. I also noticed that the beat of the song almost matched the pace of the people walking in the rewinds as it shows normal life before slightly faster paces shots as she dies at the end.

Throughout the video there are several close ups and some extreme close ups of Jason Derulo which shows how he is the singer but also shows the emotion of the song. I think that he is trying to get across how you would be feeling if an event like that happened to you and how yuo would look back at your time together as people can relate to that.

In previous videos Jason Derulo does alot of dancing aswell as singing and his look appears to be the same as he wears sunglasses big watches and drives expensive cars. He also often writes songs about love and heartbreak which have a simular theme maybe as they are so easy to relate to.

I think that he wants to show love in his video and how it was taken away from him., There is no sexual display but his girlfriend is obviously attractive. The costumes again dont show sexual display yet they are attractive and fairly normal.

The main feature of the video is the rewind in time (people walking backwards, actions back to front and his watch moving backwards) which shows what he has lost and how he remembers there past.

The video is mainly narrative based as from the beginning before the track starts it shows his talking to his girlfriend and looking at the ring which sets the scene. And then the whole narrative gives the lyrics more emotion and more meaning. Yet he is also singing in the video through the narrative, showing that the song is his but also it gives the track more emotion.

Aero Smith & Queen

Aero Smith – I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing (1998)
Queen – Somebody to Love (1976)

I have chosen to analyse 2 videos from within the genre or rock but also chose them to be love ballads as I wanted to see how they differ. I firstly chose Aero Smith’s ‘I don’t wanna miss a thing’ as this is a well known rock ballad written for the film, ‘Armageddon’. I am comparing this to Queen’s ‘Somebody to love’ as this is another well known classic which could be considered a love song. These tracks also differ in age as ‘I don’t wanna miss a thing’ was released in 1998 while ‘Somebody to love’ was released in 1976, so does this make the videos different?

Throughout Aero Smith’s video the lyrics are well matched to the visuals. The video is a mixture of Aero Smith himself singing at the recording studio and clips of the film, ‘Armageddon’, that the track was written for. The clip shown of the astronaut saying good bye to his partner and leaving is matched with the lyric, ‘I miss you babe, and I don’t wanna miss a thing’. And later the astronaut kisses the girl as the lyrics say ‘and then I kiss your eyes’. This shows how the track was made for the film but also makes the words of the song seem more emotional. Aero smith’s actions such as touching his heart in certain shots and closing his eyes reflect the lyrics as he looks as though he is really feeling the words.

On the other hand, there are not particularly any visuals which reflect the lyrics of ‘Somebody to love’ as the band appear to be in a recording studio for the majority of the video, and no story is shown to match the words which there could have been. The only slight match from visual to lyrics is how Freddie closes his eyes as he sings ‘Can anybody find me somebody to love?’ as if he is really wishing for it. Even when the video switches to the performance on stage the band are only singing with emotion there is no other visual to go with the lyrics.

Although similarly, both video’s show a change of speed in camera shots when the pace either quickens or slows. Aero Smith’s video stays slow through most of the first verse only moving from medium close ups to close ups of Aerosmith. Yet with the heavier beat and faster pace comes shot reverse shots from Aero Smith to the clips from ‘Armageddon’. As the tempo increases so does the pace of the shots which creates more emotion as the video flicks faster between shots. There are also shot reverse shots in the Queen video as the repetition of ‘Somebody’ comes with shots of Freddie Mercury to the background singers in a fast pace to reflect the increased pace of the music.

In both video’s the band/artist and musicians are shown in individual close up or medium close up shots so that we can establish the track better. Aero Smoth is shown about half as much as the film clips as if to remind us that it is his song and it was created for the film. The musicians and instrumental parts are also shown in medium close ups and zooms on the band in the Queen video but there are many more of Freddie Mercury showing that he is the lead of the band and also the music. There are also shots briefly of the other band members like the guitarists so we can identify them. At the end of the Queen video there is an extreme wide shot showing the band on stage performing to a large crowd, this shows that they are massively popular and the vastness of it shows how well they must be doing and how big they are in the music world.

Both artists have a similar taste in clothes/costume as do many others in the rock side of the music industry. The stereotypical tight fitting clothes, long hair, heavy makeup and extravagant and weird coats are used here by Aero Smith. While Freddie Mercury wears something that looks like a leotard along with the long hair and makeup on the stage, he is wearing a casual shirt in the recording studio. Perhaps showing that he is more normal and his stage look and performance is all an act?

The setting of Aero Smith’s video is in a recording studio as he records the track for the film but clips from ‘Armageddon’ are also used. This helps the music sell the film in the same way the film will sell the music as well as creating a more emotion filled video by using scenes of the astronaut and the woman. Although the video switches between shots the 2 sets are brought together when a rocket sets off in the film and smoke is everywhere and similarly it bursts into the studio. Also the girl from the film is shown at the end watching the video in the studio looking distraught. Perhaps foreshadowing events an unhappy ending in the film? These things make the video a mixture of both performance and narrative yet Queens video is entirely performance based. Aero Smiths video definitely shows more emotion by including a narrative side with the film clips and maybe Queen thought they were known enough and good enough without needing extra ideas in there video? Or maybe it was just because the video was made a while before Aero Smith’s and technology wasn’t as good.



Queen - Somebody to Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxbFLYa0_bw

Britney Experience

Britney Experience

I learnt a lot about how to film while filming the Britney spears video. I never realised how much filming goes into making a music video perfect and how many takes you have to do. I also discovered while watching our Britney that lip-syncing is a lot harder than it looks. I never realised how long filming one shot takes and how getting the perfect camera shot and angle really makes a difference. Also the editing of the whole thing was a lot harder than I thought as each second has to be perfectly in sync with the track and the video of the singer. I found that I was enjoyed filming as I could help to direct on how things could be so that my opinion was listened to as well as the others. I thought we worked really well as a team and all the same idea of how it should be.

My favourite part was the filming itself as it was fun to recreate the video and be part of the actual making of the video.
I think that being able to practise the filming and editing on a well known video will help me to understand a lot more about the whole process and also to overcome mistakes I made in the Britney video and ensure that they don’t happen again. I also think that by seeing how a video was really made and how certain parts of the video relate to lyrics of the song I will have an idea of what to include in our own video and can use the idea of dancing and scenes as inspiration.
I think that my particular strengths were being able to work well in a team which I think we all did well as we all listened to each other and had a good time while doing it which I think is an important factor to the project.

CD Cover Analysis

The genre of Eliza Doolittles music would come under pop. Her album cover shows aspects of this by using bright and fun colours to signify the mood of the pop genre. Yet her cover is unique as random objects and animals are use to create a surreal look. This is Eliza Doolittles debut album so perhaps the objects represent her personality that she wanted to show the public. The artist is shown on the front cover probably so that her name and look can be established and shown to the public. As this is the debut album she would not yet be widely known so her music and appearance needs to be shown.
The title of the album is ‘Eliza Doolittle’ again to present her and to get her name out there in the music industry and to the public.

The setting of the cover looks as though it could be London as a main feature of the image is ‘the gherkin’ this shows where she is from. The objects in the foreground are a random collection of things from cats and lions to buildings and volcanoes. I think this shows that her songs will match the randomness of the cover but also it could represent her personality and imagination.
Eliza Doolittle her self is dressed fairly casually but also uniquely as she wears converse trainers with boldly printed t shirt and shorts. This shows her personality and difference from the glamourous side of music. The way she is positioned sitting on a building and throwing a dice shows fun and originality perhaps portrayed in her music? Her facial expression also gives the impression that she is fun and bubbly as she looks to be laughing. The way colours and the images are pieced together show a scrapbook effect and the shot of her shows her whole body so would probably be a long shot and is also taken from a slightly lower position. This shot makes the cover seem more fun and as if she really is sitting on top of the pile.

I think that the target audience of the artist and album would be young adults perhaps older teens as the style of the cover is very modern. The audience would also be mainly women as the objects such as lips give the cover a feminine feel.




Snow Patrols music would come under the genre of Indie and the cover really reflects that. The duller colours and the obscurity of the whole thing really give it an Indie feel. The artist, Snow Patrol is not on the cover as they are already a very established band and don’t need to be shown as the band name on the album does all the selling itself. The band also doesn’t like to be on the cover and in the spotlight a lot to sell there music as they think that there music should do the talking. The title of the CD is ‘Eyes Open’ this is typical of snow patrol as they usually have a sense of mystery about the cd names and also there track titles. ‘Eyes Open’ is also a name of a track on the album.

The background of the image is plain but the foreground is a silhouette of two bodies slightly obscured. The lines across the cover look a bit like barbed wire which makes the cover more weird and mysterious. The dark colours and the silhouette create mystery but also look like they could tell a story, maybe in the lyrics of some songs? The angle of the silhouettes is as a medium close up and we can tell that they are supposed to be the main focus point on the cover, yet the barbed wire type lines and that shadows and tones in the image means that we notice more things the more that we look at it. If you look really closely I think I can see a close up of a face in the darkness of the people as I can see an outline of lips and a nose. This suggests that there maybe a lot of hidden meanings in the lyrics and tracks.

I think that the target audience for this band would be young adults as they appreciate the good music but also like to listen as the music is often seen as relaxing. I don’t think that Snow Patrols music is aimed at a specific genre as they don’t write about things for a specific genre and there marketing isn’t particularly gender specific either.




Nirvana is known to come under the genre of heavy rock. The cover doesn’t particularly show this as the blue in the background is bright and a swimming baby is used. Perhaps the originality of the cover image could show the slightly off the wall style of heavy rock. The artist is a band called Nirvana. They are not shown on the cover as they are a well established band and are recognised by name. The title of the album ‘Never mind’ suggests that the band are laid back and relaxed and also could imply that the image of the baby swimming after the money is normal and they think is fine.

The setting of the image is in a pool and the only thing in this fairly blank cover is the naked baby swimming to catch some money. The strangeness of this composition shows what Nirvana are like and also the weirdness of it is a selling point for them. I this CD was in a shop, lots of attention would be drawn to the cover. I think this is also a reason that Nirvana aren’t feature on the cover themselves as well as because they are already an established band with a huge fan base. The camera shot from under the baby shows the scene off better as we see the setting and the expression on the baby. The cover creates mixed mood as we are disgusted at the baby being used but also fond the scene funny which I think is what they probably wanted to achieve in order to attract attention.

The target audience of the band is fairly broad as teenagers, young and older adults would listen to Nirvana yet only someone who was particularly into rock would be. I think the audience is mainly made up of young male adults as this was the age of the band members at the time.

Oasis & Snow Patrol

Oasis – Champagne Supernova (1995)
Snow Patrol – Crack the Shutters (2009)

I chose to analyse a music video created in 1995 by Oasis called ‘Champagne Supernova’. It is an Indie/Rock video which usually means that the video will have a unique and individual idea which relates to the unique and perhaps slightly weird lyrics. The video’s are usually mostly performance based yet can still tell a story or imply meanings behind their lyrics. These characteristics apply to the Oasis video yet also to a more modern video of this genre: Snow Patrol’s ‘Crack the shutters’. Crack the shutters, was released and videoed in 2009 and also fits into the category of Indie/Rock.

Throughout the Snow Patrol video ‘Crack the shutters’ the lyrics fit the visual. During the chorus, the lyrics say ‘Crack the shutters open wide’ and a crowd of people burst into the scene and run across the set to reflect them all running to be with someone as it implies in the following lyrics. This faster visual also fits the pace and heavier beat added in the chorus. The lyrics are then visualised again as the lyric says: ‘the daylight seems to want you just as much as I want you’. At this lyric the crowd of people walk through the darkness with torches to show how they are searching for someone and also to portray the darkness and a slightly sombre mood.

Similarly the lyrics of the Oasis track ‘Champagne Supernova’ match the visuals shown. There is a theme of the rock and roll lifestyle, drugs and alcohol being implied throughout the lyrics, and also through visuals as the blurred backdrops and slow spiralling shots reflect the situation.

Although this video is less clear than Snow Patrol’s, as it is all fairly jumbled up as this reflects the random lyrics, yet this randomness and sense of confusion portrays its own idea of the rock and roll lifestyle: music, drugs,girls… Though neither of the videos are narrative based each gets across a meaning using simple shots and visuals during their performance to reflect their lyrics.

Snow Patrol’s song speeds up at the chorus which is matched by a cut and zoom out to show a wide shot so that the people running by can be seen along with the whole band. Similarly the Oasis video flows throughout the slower part yet also speeds up when the beat livens. All instrumental parts of the track are illustrated using close ups from all different angles, the instruments themselves are also focused on a lot. All of the band members seem to appear on the video an equal amount which suggests that they are all equally important to the image. On the other hand Snow Patrol’s video has no full instrumental part yet there are a few seconds where there is no singing when the camera focuses on the guitars and drums.

In the Oasis video the pace speeds up and the music gets louder with quicker shots which are slightly random and confusing as they jump from the dancers to the band, the background or distorted images. These all appear for seconds at a time which matches the confusion of the song in general. On the other hand, Snow Patrol’s video is a lot simpler and flows as zooms are usually used instead of cuts. When the lead singer is singing acoustic there is extreme close up of him which zooms out to a wide shot as the pace increase and the chorus kicks in. This makes the video appear a lot more natural and flowing.

The clothes of Snow Patrol are very normal and are nothing special which matches the non extravagant video, the band appear to be fairly normal and laid back which is easy to relate to for fans. While the members of Oasis look to be slightly wacky and off the wall as they seem almost surreal in their video. Their costumes don’t reflect this though as they are fashionable and on trend for the era which makes me wonder if they put on a lot of the characteristics in the video or if they just wanted to be fashionable!

Both of the videos are fairly simple and videoed in a studio, both bands were well established and popular at the time that these tracks were released so they wouldn’t need to sell themselves too much, only their music. Snow Patrols’ video is fairly normal and plain as it is almost like a private gig, this aspect shows how laidback and easy going there music is and how they themselves. Oasis’ video includes more special effects which would have been good for the era and also help to show the drug theme.

Snow Patrol’s video is very simple and is pretty self explanatory and the lyrics are easy to interpret, whereas Oasis’ lyrics are stranger and so along with the visuals the implications of ‘sex drugs and rock and roll’ are formed. The dancing women in revealing costumes show sexual display associated with the theme as well as distortions and slightly abstract shots showing the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Both videos are mainly performance based yet Snow Patrol manages to tell a story of their lyrics from the stage by including their crowd. Oasis could also come under the category of a concept based video as the unusual shots and visuals present a ‘different’ idea.

Both the video’s follow the same outlines and stereotypical video of being unique, Snow Patrol more down to their song while Oasis make a more original video. Although the tracks are from different decades and are almost 15 years apart the genre of Indie/Rock as not changed much making both video’s quite similar.

History of the Music Video

The History of Music Video’s.

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a piece of music. Modern music videos are usually made to promote the sale of music recordings by marketing and also to further sell the works of the artist/band. Music videos go along way back in history though during the 1980’s they became what we expect from them today. The term "music video" first came into popular usage in the early 1980s.

MTV started broadcasting in 1981 in the USA and it marked the beginning of the music video's ruling over the music industry. The first video ever played on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles. As MTV was broadcasting 24-hour-a-day music, music videos were needed to be produced. So from that moment music video began to play an important role in artists' careers.

MTV’s surge into new and exciting videos left 2 opinions on audiences. Some saw as the beginning of an amazing, new, fresh era in music while others considered it to mark the end of true musical talent, as artists have been become more appreciated for their looks instead of their vocal abilities. Either way music videos brought, and continue to bring, the music industry to a whole new level whether viewers like it or not.