Our Artist

John Mayer- looking at integrating storylines

Steve Archer suggested that "often music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song. Sometimes the artist (especially the singer) will be park of the story, acting as a narrator and participant at the same time. But it is the lip synch close-up and the miming of playing instruments that remains at the heart of the music videos as if to assure us that the band really can kick it." This is why integrating the storyline well into the performance aspects of the video is crucial and is something that we will definitely be using in our own video.

• First of all, the video has a short introduction with diagetic sound to set the location and the tone of the video, containing several establishing shots of a city scene which then contrasts with the country and rural setting of the rest of the video. As a group we were considering including this again to help establish the story of the video and introduce the artist and the characters of the video to the audience. 
• The artist plays the only role in the video which is himself which almost helps the audience get to know him better as he can be himself when he is alone, but also contributes to the lyrics of the video and his "shadow days" of being alone. 
• There is a mid profile shot of Mayer in the car and him singing along to the radio which happens to be his own song which I think is a really original way of combining both performance and story in one shot. 
• Overall the story is shown through a montage of establishing shots of the scenery which creates a good and effective way of setting the story apart from the performance; however cross cutting between them and the performance helps keep the video fluid and creating a good blend between performance and story. I don't think however that we would use this sort of technique purely because we dont have the means to shoot lots of locations or have the really eyecatching surroundings to shoot in
• The story includes him as a musician buying and playing the guitar but not as a performer which could connect to the type of audience that he attracts as many of them may be guitarists. This also helps us connect with him, showing his passion for music and guitars and we almost see him at his most open and vulnerable, especially at 1.17 where the slightly low angled mid shot across the bed shows him playing the guitar alone in a motel room
• The overall story of the video shows him as a "regular" man, going into the rural depths of america and not having to worry about being spotted or noticed by fans like he would in the city. It is an escape to him and he enjoys getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city

David Grey- How to shoot a performer

 David Grey offers a very different approack to recording the performance aspect of his music video. The fact that the piano is suspended up in the air gives a more varied range of shots that can be used. This has been taken advantage of as we see numerous different shots being used. The shots used are static though, offering no examples of panning or tracking or movement of the camera.

•  A mid shot, face onto the camera gives the opportunity for Grey to directly address the audience by looking straight down the camera lens. This is something that we want to replicate in our video. Addressing the audience is something vitally important in all genres of music: because our song is about love and lost love we want to create a sense or desire and adoration towards our artist so having him sing down the camera would be a good way of achieving this.
• There a frequent low angle shots of him and the piano which offer a unique perspective of what the people walking in the streets of the video would see (as the piano is in the air above him), helping to cleverly integrate the performance in with the story happening below. This would be a difficult concept for us to copy but we would still consider looking at using low angle shots to provide an interesting angle on the instruments and him as a performer. 
• A birds eye shot of Grey at the piano gives a great overview of him as a performer and shows the location of the video really well. This might be something that we want to emulate in our video as a way or showing our performer as a whole and will also show off the location that we will choose to use. It may also be a way for us to link the story to the performance side of the video. We will hoever have to find a safe and efficient way of filming this as a birds eye view shot can be difficult with the equipment that we will be provided.
• There a several shots such as another birds eye view shot focusing on his hands playing the piano which gives him credibility as an artist as he is playing his own instrument showing him as a true musician. This is something that we definitely want to use, but we will have to focus on a guitar rather than a piano. This again will show our artist as a credible musician but also lives up to the expectations of the Indie genre

what is indie to you?

Coldplay

This video displays perfectly the idea of binary opposition, contrasting the solitude and isolation we see at the beginning of the video, to the large arena performance in the second half of the video. This video is primarily a performance video and does not display the storyline which we see in a lot of music video. The apart of the video is made up of a long shot using a constantly moving camera following Chris Martin (will be abbreviated to CM from now on). It changes from a long and wide shot to a close up of him from the shoulders upwards. There is an affect of the video almost being in slow motion as the lip syncing isnt quite in time to the music. Having the location outside exaggerates the fact that he is alone and the low lighting created gives a more solemn atmosphere. At 0.58 the camera slowly zooms out showing CM's full surroundings as a building site, quite industrial and dirty. This makes the audience wonder what he is doing there and in what circumstances, this adheres to the enigma code that is sometimes used in music videos. There are connections between the lyrics and the composition of the video. The line "lights will guide you home" is shown as CM is walking down the street with a line of street lights in the left third of the screen as if he were following them to get to where he belongs. From 1.32 there is a montage sequence showing his current surroundings and it allows the audience to take in his location. He is alone in all of these shots, emphasising his loneliness. It is uncommon for a band to have such focus on just one band member. In contrast to this the performance sequence shows the full band. It is also implied that the lights have guided him to the stage which could be the "home" that he refers to in the song, meaning that he finds being on stage is like being at home and the line "and ignite your bones" refers to the excitement that he feels when he is performing on the stage. The camera switches from showing performance shots of the band to reaction shots of the audience in the arena. This gives the audience watching at home the impression that they are watching the band live like those in the video- this again creates that relationship that has been previously referred to.

Coldplay are a british rock band who have found success through their heartfelt memorable lyrics and amazing stage presence during their live shows. They attract a large and loyal fan base because of this. Early
Coldplay portrays the men as "normal guys" as they do not dress like rock stars or have the rock star persona that the press like to exploit.

Here you can see an example of how Coldplay look like "regular men". They are not flash or flamboyant and this is what so many people like about this band. This is a promo shoot for when "A rush of blood to the head" was released. The black and white filter adds a simplistic approach much like their music did on this album. The hands crossed and hands in pockets along with the challenge to the camera (looking straight into the camera) gives the men power and makes them seem more in control. Also the slight low angle of the camera makes them seem bigger and more powerful. In spite of all this, the band do not look menacing as you would expect. The direct address to the camera connects the audience to the band and begins that important relationship that an artist needs to have with their audience. The warehouse gives an industrial look to the shoot and with low lighting gives a sense of melancholy. Also the focus isnt as sharp as you would expect from a promotional shoot and their faces aren't entirely clear adding mystery to the photo.

Later on in the bands career they begin to develop a new and individual image, using fluorescent paints and bright colors. The extended from their music videos, to their live performances.

This is a photo taken from their performance on their Mylo Xyloto tour. As you can see brightly colored painted balloons have been released into the audience. Not only does this give the performance an interesting and unique visual along with the staging and lighting but also allows the audience to participate with the show as they are able to bounce the balloons around the arena. Also in this particular photograph the balloons look like planets and gives the impression that their music could speak to anyone in the universe and still mean something to someone.

This is a screen shot from the video "Every teardrop is a waterfall" and shows the fluorescent paints that Coldplay are now known for. Against the dark brick wall, these bright UV paints stand out immensely and create large collages of drawings and patterns, creating unique visual effects for the audience. The UV paints also cover their costumes and instruments giving the song and album an overall concept that the audience can recreate. Their instruments are covered in lyrics from previous songs reminding the audience of their previous songs but also creates sentiment for loyal fans that have loved the band since their first formed in 1996.

After marrying Gwenyth Paltrow, lead singer Chris Martin became more known in the media but they still have a clean image with know scandal forming in the media; unlike many rock bands that we know. They have managed to keep their personal lives fairly private and are much more about the meaning of the music. The lyrics written by Chris Martin do however give some insight into his private life but also help build that all important relationship with the audience and give the audience something to relate to.

Audience

Ndubz

Ndubz are a lodnon based RnB group consisting of 2 male members and a female memeber.

They are known for coming from a disadvantaged background to making it big in the music industry. Theyre fusion of rap and strong voal performances opens up their denmographic audience to a wider group of people. Im going to first look at Ndubz as a group and then at the individual members as they have developed their own image and audience. Looking at the previous image of their first album cover for "uncle B" firstly the typography of the text immedietely shows the genre of music. The graffiti style writing emulates "the hood" and the london surburbs where they all were raised. Purple however is seen as a very luxurious color and this could then represent the wealth that they now have and their succes.

Both Fazer and Dappy have been exploited in the media after they both have been charged on separate occasions for assault. Tulisa also has a reputation as having a very strong opinion and a short temper. This displays the "bad boy" image that most Rap and urban artists like to embody. They also embody the urban image in terms of their choice of clothing. Both male members are mostly seen in hoodies and tracksuits or baggy low rise jeans and trainers. Dappy's trademark wooley hat gives him an identity as an individual and gives the fans something to replicate. Tulisa has a different style often seen wearing body con dresses and heals; however she is seen portrayed as quite "chavvy" because of her large hoop earrings and peroxide blonde hair.



In the opening of the video, the tone of the video is immediately set, with the footage of the helicopter, car and motorbike. This emphasizes the fact that they have reached the dream life coming from nothing. However their clothes still show their urban identity with Tulisa wearing a sports bomber jacket and Dappy wearing his trademark wooley hat. The excessive amount of jewellery that each of them are wearing show both wealth and link the band back to urban and rap lifestyle. The club location and the booth look luxurious and expensive and the fact that all the women are attractive makes the band look more desirable. Young fans especially girls, aspire to be the women in the video and the boys want to be the men surrounded by beautiful women and nice cars. It follows the conventional commercial music video; cutting between performance shots and a stroyline. The shot of the mobile phone and the reference to facebook immediately show their target audience and helps the band to connect with them. At 1.18 we see Tulisa in a black dress and red lipstick making her seem desirable and sexy (she was recently voting FHM sexiest women 2012) but it also makes her seem less chavvy and more expensive. There are frequent references to the name of the band on the side of the helicopter so that the video has an identity. Fazer being seen in sunglasses inside the club adheres to the RnB image but also hiding his eyes creates a sense of mystery.

Love the way you lie video analysis

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a very creative artist and likes pushing the boundaries in terms of her image and persona. She is very elaborate and this is emulated through her clothing, music videos and set whilst performing on stage.

Here are some images of staging that lady gaga has used for various live performances

 

Very often she plays upon the idea of death and and here she can be seen appearing out of a coffin. This shows the darker side of her music and creates a very theatrical almost operatic style show which tells a story to the audience. The red velvet inside the coffin gives a medieval impression linking the idea of dracula, vampires and danger; something very popular with the youth of today because of phenomenons such as twilight and the vampire diaries. You can also she that her costume is made of a PVC plastic which is very reveling and creates a more sexual image especially bondage type clothing. This gives her a sense of power much like a dominatrix would. The dancers that accompany her on stage also where this leather/PVC bondage type clothing which carries the theme through. The use of dark colors on the set and clothing enhances the mystery that she is trying to create but also gives in to the idea of the "dark ages" and the medieval theme that she is portraying.

 Here you can see a much brighter stage set up compared to the previous image however it still gives off a sense of danger because of the fire and tall pillar around the circumference of the stage. The overall theme of the stage is a circus which at first glance would seem like a fun and innocent themes however the use of the flames and the pale face of the ring master gives an eerie atmosphere. Also the large image of the ringmaster is intimidating and some may find it scary like how some find clown scary. The Ferris wheel looks old and unkept which again adds to the danger of the whole show. The large runway at the front of the stage gives her room to connect with the audience and create a rapport with them that would otherwise be lost in such a large arena.

This is her performance at the MTV music awards in 2011. This is a more conventional stage set up for Lady Gaga. The cages at either sides of the stage give the idea of being imprisoned but is also an interesting prop for her dance crew to use in there choreography. The idea of being in prison again adds to this themes of danger and criminality and creates a sense of "grungyness". she also almost always uses exclusively male dancers which in this kind of staging works well as they can portray the stereotypical criminal. There is a runway to a larger performance area coming out of the main stage which again gives her the opportunity to be closer to her fans and connect with them which i think is an important part of her image as she values her fans as the people that keep her successful. The lighting for this show is more elaborate than has been previously seen and this may be becuase her staging is slightly more simple. This interesting lighting keeps her stage looking alive and dramatic as that is what she is know for but without lots of pieces of set.

Lady Gaga is known for being creatively in charge of everything she does. She has her "Haus of Gaga" which is her creative team which help create individual clothing, set and also choreograph and direct her music videos. She has so much input into how she is represented. This helps her connect with her audience more as she is basically reflecting who she is as a person  through her clothing and themes in her videos and live performances.
She does however create a lot of controversy in doing so.

The dress seen here is made of 100% meat and sparked numerous insults amongst animal cruelty protesters as well as the "fashion police" who marked it as a fatal mistake. However costume choice such as this keeps Gaga in the spotlight and the media giving her more exposure to the public. Made by her creative team "Haus of Gaga", it shows her ever growing individuality and that she is not sared of breaking boundarie and being herself; something that her fans admire her for and aspire to be like.

This outfit was workn on the UK Xfactor lice show for her track "marry the night" The black costume links to the theme of nightime displayed in the song and shows a dark and mysterious side to Gaga. It present a more gothic imge much like the medieval set seen previously. However it is the severed head effect that caused the contraversy amognst viewers considering that the Xfactor is a family show. I think that this adds to the theatrical nature that we associate with her. Her artist image is not just about music but about creativity and individuality and making an impact.

This is the egg which she "hatched" out of at her Grammy performance in 2011. It said that she was "incubated" for 3 hours in the egg getting into character for her Born This Way performance. This sparked many many health and safety complaints as she was carried in on the red carpet and confined in such a small space. The idea of the egg however links to the theme of her track Born This Way as it displays her being brought into the world exactly as she is now and nothing has changed about her. She is an embassador for self esteem amongst her fans claiming that they shouldnt change for anyone and should always be themselves and therefore attracts a large loyal following of "outcasts" or people who feel they dont belong.


Judas was another controversial video for Gaga as she blends religion with sexual themes. The video includes a prelude which shows her riding on the back of a Harley Davison motorbike. The establishing shot pans across the

Song choices

I've been using the online music sharing site Soundcloud to search for tracks from unsigned artist that would be suitable for our music video.










These are the final 4 which i have narrowed down from a large list of tracks. After finding out our groups for our coursework and looking and discussing which songs they have found we will choose which one to use.
I have already sought permission to use "be together with you" by singer/songwriter Matt Harvey (as this is my favourite amongst the 4) and have got a response.

mattharveymusic Yesterday 00:55

Hi Danielle!

Thanks for the message. I'm not signed and would love for you to make any vid you like with my tracks!

Here's a link to a hi-res copy of "Be Together With You" :-

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bud5st11v0hkuij/Be%20Together%20With%20You.wav

If you end up using it and it goes on youtube etc then just let me know. I'm possibly not far from you (near Cambridge) so if you needed me to come and mime for a camera or whatever then I'll try to find time for it!

Glad you like the track, feel free to message if you need to.

Matt