Music Video Assignment 01 2021 Pro Forma

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
AIDAN JONES

2. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
• We will look at Music Videos from several perspectives, this template is for you
to write up your notes and to complete your case study.
• The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate questions to
answer.
• Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the strategies
employed by labels and artists
• Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions of music video
production
• Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music videos where you
can unpack and discuss the videos considering everything you have looked at in
Task 1 and 2
• You are expected to submit each section on a weekly basis during your remote
learning weeks.
• If you get stuck, talk to/email your tutor for guidance.

3. NOTES ON COMPLETING THE
CASE STUDY
• It is often easier to show something you are discussing than to
take time describing it. With this in mind, feel free to add lots of
illustrative images from your chosen video examples. Links to
YouTube/Vevo/etc are also encouraged.
• Remember, when you make a point or define something, you
should follow this with an example, an explanation of this and
then link to further texts/videos where possible.
• If you don’t think there is enough room to add your full
response to a question, don’t just reset the font size to really
small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.

4. TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 1
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K

5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• To entertain the viewers/audience – The audience may get bored whilst listening
to the music. A music video would usually be created to keep the viewers
occupied throughout the song. They are usually created in a way that is a little
bit confusion, therefore the audience will want to watch it more, and the
artist/band makes more profit.
• To possibly engage more listeners / open to a broader range of ages – The lyrics
may pique interest to a teenager, but not so much to an older person. The video
may pique interest to those older people, therefore broadening the spectrum of
ages interested in the artists/bands work.
• To make money from it – Most of the time artists/bands will make a music video
that costs a lot of money to create. This is because it they will most likely get a
lot more money in return – profit. This would also catch the attention of a larger
group of listeners. Overall, positively benefiting the artist/band.

6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
What are some of the broader purposes of music videos.
• Allow the audience the advantage of interpreting the song using the video playing in the background.
• To endorse products to make them more popular and increase sales.
• Feature other artists from their label as a means of production.
• Reinforce a political view or social message.
The strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they represent themselves.
In music videos artists/bands may decide to focus attention onto things that they like to do in their free time. Most of
time, in a music video, an artist/band would represent themselves as living their best life and enjoying themselves. This
may then encourage the audience to interact with the video or artist more, if they are interested in them.
You could consider whether the artist is on a major label, independent label of unsigned, is
there a difference between them?
With a major label the artist/band has better equipment (cameras, set-ups), but less control.
With an independent label the artist/band would have lower quality equipment, but they would have a lot more
creativity, control, and productivity towards the final product.
If an artist/band were to be unsigned they would have a lot of free movement/choices, they’d keep 100% of the profit,
choose how to brand and market themselves, perform and tour whenever they want, work with whoever they would
and make their own schedule.

7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
I like METALLICA.
They present themselves a quite angry, but they’re enjoying it. They very
much enjoy the loud booming and slashing of chords. They nod their head to
the beat to show this. They never really look at the camera, they stare off into
the distance with angry expressions + wide eyes, and lights projected onto
their faces.
Their brand is BOLD which works to show the power that they show when
playing their music.
The M and second A are misshaped and sharp. This makes the word stand out,
and then again show that they are powerful.
They will have done this because it portrays them in one way, it also would
catch someone’s attention. The letters in the word are BOLD which states that
their music is powerful.

8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music
videos [find them on YouTube!], what can you discern about
each act from their videos? What is the main aim? Explain why.
One Direction
In their music videos, they act very excited and happy. They bring a lot of
energy, but it is a bit over-the-top and abnormal. Most of the time they
are moving about with close-up shots. They like to think of themselves as
charming and as if they own everything. They are very reckless and rash,
especially in “Best Song Ever”. High budget. Larger audience.
Animal Collective
Non-representable. Obscure/artistic intentions. Not easy to follow –
audience needs to be more active when engaging with it. Open meaning.
Artistically derived. More challenging to watch. Built to be creative. Low
budget. Smaller audience.

9. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 2
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K

10. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
As with any moving image text, how the camera is used and how
images are sequenced will have a significant impact on meaning.
Camera movement may accompany movement of performers, but
it may also be used to create a more dynamic feel to stage
performance, by for instance constantly circling the band as they
perform on stage.
The close-up does predominate, as in most TV, partly because of
the size of the screen and partly because of the desire to create a
sense of intimacy for the viewer. It also emphasizes half of the
commodity on sale.

11. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
Thought the most common form of editing associated with the
music promo is fast cut montage, rendering many of the images
impossible to grasp on first viewing thus ensuring multiple
viewing, there are videos which use slow pace and gentler
transitions to establish mood.
This is particularly apparent for the work of many female solo
artists with a broad audience appeal, such as Dido.
Often enhancing the editing are digital effects which play with the
original images to offer different kinds of pleasure for the
audience. This might take the form of split screens, colorization
and of course blockbuster film style CGI.

12. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES AND CONVENTIONS
Generally, in Hard Rock and Thrash Metal music videos the bands
would be rocking out by nodding their heads, moving about,
angry expressions, and punching towards the sky. When making
the music video the band would be performing on a stage, with
the audience enjoying the music. Lights flash and different images
come into view to the beat.
In Metallica’s song Enter
Sandman, lights flash and
different images come into
view to the beat.
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=CD-E-LDc384
Same with AC/DC + a lot of
jumping up and down in the
crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=44XYEeD1A1U
The Foo Fighters are a bit
different. In the music video,
The Pretender, there is no
audience. It is just the
performers for a bit, then a
story progresses.
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ
Guns N’ Roses is also
different, it continuously
switches between a story
and the band performing
of a large stage.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=8SbUC-UaAxE

13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
Intertextuality is visual reference in a music video coming from a range of sources,
though the three most frequent are perhaps cinema, fashion, and art photography.
Example: Madonna’s Material Girl is heavily referential to the to the Marylin
Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in it’s look and choreography.
Example: Robert Palmers video from the 80’s was highly referential of fashion (and
80’s attitudes), Shania Twain subverts this and creates new meaning and something
more relevant to the 90’s.
The influence of video games will predominate for the younger audience with the
more plasticised look of the characters emerging. (As seen for example in Robbie
Williams ‘Let Love Be Your Energy’ and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Californication’.

14. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 3
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K

15. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist of
choice, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
• This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
– Camerawork/editing
– Genre conventions
– Critical approaches [you should be applying some of the critical
approaches from your lessons and some of your own, to your
selected videos]

16. GLASS ANIMALS
DREAMLAND
I would say that the style for this song would be Soft Pop. The song is just over a year old, so
therefore could be classed as modern pop. However, it is not like some of the recent pop
songs (Kiss Me More by Doja Cat), it is more gentle and instrumentally powerful. The song is
filmed in a kitchen/living space, all by one person, as shown later on in the song. In this song a
member is representative of the band.
In this song, the background, lighting, and clothes Dave is wearing fits really well with the
style of the music. Later on in the song you find out that the camera is put on a rail track
guided by a drill and string. This, in my opinion, is a very cool way of filming because it is a
form of filming that is not commonly used. I feel like this music would be generally aimed at
people between the ages of 14 & 30.

17. GLASS ANIMALS
I DON’T WANNA TALK
I would also say that this song is Soft Pop, although it is a bit more like a Pop song.
This may be because the song it more recent, it came out 3 weeks ago. This song
was filmed in many different locations, which include a road-side café, the kitchen
for the café, a bowling alley, the kitchen to a road-side shop, an auto shop + it’s
junkyard, a few car parks, + more. Here again it is just one of the band members
representing the band throughout the video, along with members of the public
enjoying themselves. There are no exact clothing styles, most of them are fitted to
present clothes that people would generally wear to their work place.

18. GLASS ANIMALS
TANGERINE
I would say that this song is a Pop song. It came out about 10 months ago. The
music video was mainly filmed in a car, and it was made to seem like they were
driving in the night. The video was made comical, as just one of the band members
was all three characters on the journey. There was a story going on throughout,
that you could clearly follow and understand. The clothes for the parents are based
on the general idea of adults clothes. The clothes change for the child as he is
growing up. Most of the time, the camera shots show all three people in the
car. Although, it does regularly switch shots between each character.

19. GLASS ANIMALS - SPACE
GHOST COAST TO COAST
This song is a bit different; I wouldn't say that it is Pop or Soft Pop. It is unusual.
The music video is based in an area of a large city, during the daytime. There is not
really a story being told throughout the music video. The clothes that the main
character is wearing would be casual clothes. As the song progresses (when it gets
weirder) there are characters that are falling from the sky – that are naked. All of
the shots are taken from far away, they zoom into the different moments. There are
a few shots when it just cuts to the point. I don't really understand the message
from the video, but maybe it was intentional – to make the audience rewatch the
video several times.

20. GLASS ANIMALS – IT’S ALL
SO INCREDIBLY LOUD
I would say that the song is gentler at the start of the song, but as it progresses it
turns more into a Pop kind-of song. I like it because it slowly, overtime gets louder
and more powerful as the song advances. Again, the main character in the song is
wearing casual clothes. The lyrics in the song tell the story, not the video. He's
talking about how there is so much going on – he basically can't hold it in
anymore. At the end, he jumps into the pool as the music is at the highest and
most powerful point. A slow-mo camera is used to show him entering the water.
And then the song ends off with him submerged.

21. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the videos used
• You should include illustrative stills from the videos chosen
• Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use the heading
on the previous slide a guide on how to structure your response to
get you started
• Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the chosen video as
an example, explain yourself and then link to another video where
possible
• Compare and contrast your artist/genre to other artists/genres
• Remember to consider differing contexts
• Add slides here as appropriate – DO NOT SHORT CUT THIS
SECTION, IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

22. TASK 4 – LINKS
TO YOUR OWN
WORK

23. LINKING FORWARD…
• Now it’s important to think about how you can use some of what
you’ve learned in your investigations for your own work.
• Summarise in this section the key techniques, styles, conventions
and genre you prefer and what you think you could use in your
project.
• Think of this as a place to put all those loose ideas for your music
video and how you intend to apply the things you’ve enjoyed
looking at.
• Remember, music video is a medium that has a lot freedom in
terms of form and style. It is also the medium that steals,
incorporates and re-integrates all the things you have seen and
experienced.
• Add slides as necessary, it will make the next section of the
project much easier

24. STYLES, CONVENTIONS AND
TECHNIQUES
Styles:
In-concert footage, Animation, Interpretative, Narrative, Impressionist,
Surrealist, Pastiche, Parody, Referencing, Homage, Influence Of
Commercials.
Representative v Non-representative videos and how they relate to genre
is worth considering when looking at styles of music/video.
Techniques:
Cutting to the Beat, Special Effects, Playback and Lip Sync, Multi-mage,
Camera Movements/Angles, Chroma Key.

25. MY PROJECT
I think that I would like to have my projects style as something
like the Glass Animals songs above. I want it to be interesting and
clear. But for it to make the listeners go back to watch the video
several times. I would like it to be themed like the Dreamland
video, where it is quite simple; and effective. I would like it to have
neon lights somewhere. It would be very cool if we could have
some parts animated. To make it more fun to create and it may
entertain the audience more. It may also be easier to portray the
ideas and meaning in the lyrics. I would like it to involve more
than one character, possibly in fancy dress clothes. Or unusual
clothes. Some clothes that may look good for the video, but also
aren't too weird. It would be great if we could have a range of
different camera shots – from different angles, and heights. Also,
with zooming in and out. Maybe in a very dark room with some
neon lights on the walls behind, then it (at some points)
transitions into the animated sections of the song.