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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 1- Purpose of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 1- Purpose of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1)

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1) Entertainment

2) Promotion of the artist/band

3) To make money - for the record company, sponsers (product placement in a music video can up the sales of a specific drink) including lyrics writers etc. and the artist. People pay to download the songs/music video.

4) Advertising of a product/brand- The advertisement of a product or brand with a specific song or band can up the sales e.g. IKEA sales were dropping so they had to get the younger generation interested, they did this by re-marketing themselves (their first ad. of the new re-marketed brand feature "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" by Jona Lewie)

5) Promotion of a the film industry- One of the biggest British film chain of films were the James Bond films. Each one always had a theme tune sung by a famous or upcoming singer, the song promoted the film and the singer.

6) Documentary- possibly of the artists journey, this always happens in the music video of the winner of the tv show The X-Factor, this promotes the show as well as creating an emotional connection between the artist and the audience

7) Spoof/Parody- Spoofs are often used to raise money for charity, often these include celebrities. Having just the celebrities (if they're popular) promotes the song and helps raise money. Parodie music videos are also very popular now e.g. All Time Low did a spoof music video that mocked other artists e.g. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber etc.

8) Promotion of Fashion or Merchandise- The way artits dress in their music videos has massive influence on trends within the fashion industry for example bands from the nineties have been rediscovered, fashion then followed on from that with its nineties grunge fashion trend which spanned across the majority of 2013. Along with this bands also have their own merchandise, some band members have their owb clothing companies e.g. members of the band You Me At Six have thrir own clothing companies (pieces tgat they often wear in their music videos for promotion).

9) Short Films- A lot of music videos nowadays are like short films, these promote directors and film companies.

10) Promotion of the Record Label- Dr Dre often promotes his own music label in his films, this can be dobe with representation of the logo at some point or in opening/closing titles.

11) To Connect With/Include Fans- Tour footage in the music video, sometimes there are competitions held that fans can take part in, in order to be a part of the video e.g. Frank Turner's latest music video saw him surrounded by fans.

12) Festival Highlights- The Vaccines music video for Wetsuit is made up of a collection of pictures from their tour. This will promote gigs to the audience.

13) To Promote a Specific Message/Belief- e.g. against animal cruelty.

14) Music Video Seasons- Used to remind audiences of a specific event or time in the year

15) Explain the Meaning Behind the Lyrics- The video can often be used as a way to explain the lyrics and help audiences understand the meaning of the song.

16) To Promote Other Artists- Singer WILL.I.AM is well known for his collaborations with artists going down in popularity for example after Britney Spears featured in a song with him her music sales shot up because younger audiences started downloading all of her nineties music having just discovered it along with all her new material too.

17) Producers Strategies- Since the start of MTV in the righties music and technology have exploded and developed rapidly. With the addition of the Internet too music has become much easier to promote and show audiences since the foundings of websites such as: YouTube, Vevo and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (2009)

Lady Gaga is well known for her controversial outfits and music videos but back in 2009 we were just getting used to her. So when Bad Romance was released in 2009 people were excited to see what the video would feature this time. Audiences loved the fact it was weird and different, Lady Gaga presented us with outrageousness we hadn't yet seen. There's no doubt that Gaga and her record company made millions not just from sales of the single and album but from the product placement in the video too: Dr Dre's Beats symbol can be seen on a line of laptops, LEX's Nemiroff Vodka bottles are featured clearly at at the beginning and when someone pours themselves a glass, Gaga promotes her own headphones and can be see wearing Carrera Sunglasses.The purpose of this video was to make money and capture audiences and keep their attention for the length of the video, which is just what it did.

The video demanded attention which was exactly what it got as Gaga received the Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the video received ten awards at MTVs 2010 Video Music Awards (including Video of the Year) and the song itself was certified ten-times platinum.

On YouTube.com the video currently has 560,024,773 views. The music video often features on television channels such as MTV Dance, The Hits, The Box, The Heat and MTV Hits.

As of August 2013 the song had sold 5,401,000 digital downloads having achieved worldwide success topping charts all over the world. Bad Romance had sold over 9.7 million copies by the end of 2010 breaking records and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity (1996)

This music video is probably the best known of them all from Jamiroquai. It was directed by Jonathon Glazer. Audiences were fascinated by the movements, the fact it looked like everything was moving on its own, like the floors were rolling (when it was actually the walls they were moving). The video went well with the song itself. It confused viewers, it was literally virtual insanity. The purpose of this music video was to help promote the bands third album Travelling Without Moving. I think it also served as a way to explain the lyrics of the song:

"This virtual insanity, we're livin in.

Has got to change, yeah
Things, will never be the same.
And I can't go on
While we're livin' in oh, oh virtual insanity
Oh, this world, has got to change"
The blood with the sofa and the way he is seemingly able to manipulate the movements of the room is their way of telling us the lyrics are saying that in the future we'll become too dependant on technology, we won't have to do anything for ourselves and that it's a bad future that needs to be changed.

In 1997 this video was nominated for ten separate nominations, four of which they won, including "Breakthrough Video" and "Best Video of the Year". Currently on the website for radio channel Last Fm the album has had 445,279 listeners and the song itself has have over 40,000 listens in the last 6 months.

Other outlets such as their official VEVO channel on YoutTube.com the video has 15,657,649 but on a separate video of them performing live there are a further 369,589 views. The video itself is just as popular (if not more so) as the song.

The video has been shown from multiple outlets and is often shown on music channels on TV such as: MTV, Magic, 4 Music.

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Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity (Official Video)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 2- Music Video Research      (Unit 29 P1, M1)

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a-ha - Take On Me (1985)

This music video was produced at a time when MTV had just started and was the the only thing of its kind. Music videos suddenly had more importance and they were what audiences wanted, not just the music on its own. The purpose of this video was to promote the song and I also think it was to stand out from other music videos. This video shows real people interacting with rotascope animations. People were amazed by it. Before the video the song had been released three times before making the charts in the UK and only topped the charts in the US because of it's cutting edge video that was shown on MTV. It did so well it was even nominated for MTVs Video of the Year in 1986 and the band itself were nominated for the Best Newcomer at the Grammy's.

Take On Me was released in the album Hunting High and Low. Since its release the album had sold over 11 million copies worldwide earning a triple platinum status in the UK.

The song itself reached its mass status due to being screened on MTV. The video is often shown on other outlets too such as music channels such as VH1, Magic, MTV Classic etc. The video has earned itself 56,376,175 views on YouTube.com

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a-ha - Take On Me (Official Music Video)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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1950s

The first ever music video was produced in 1895 in Thomas Edison's studio using the Kinetophone (a device created in Edison's lab that allowed people to see the moving images). In this video William Dickson plays music from an operetta on a violin as two men dance beside him. By the 1950s things had moved swiftly on with what were known as soundies. These were music videos that were screened on something very similar to a jukebox. The device was like a visual jukebox and called the Scoptione. It was invented in France in the late 1950s and played music and projected the footage on a screen, much like a television. These jukeboxes could be seen in bars and restaurants and featured famous singers, comedians and jazz players of the time.

In 1959 the term "Music Video" was first used. In an interview with British magazine jrbagehb Jiles Perry Richardson (also known as The Big Bopper) used the term.

The soundie feature below is from 1942 and features Dorothy Dandridge and Paul White singing A Zoot Suit. In this video the artist come across as very enthusiastic and excited. Overall their image makes them seem innocent and fun, you want to like them. This is so the video is as entertaining as possible. The music is very much of its time; very jazzy and fun. The jazz genre was at the height of its popularity in the 40s and 50s. The song itself actually about fashion trends itself. They want to look their best; the man asking for a "Zoot Suit" and the woman asking for a particular style of dress with a "hip slip" and a "lace waist". Fitting right in with the fashion trends of the time (i.e. high-waisted, wide legged trousers with a long coat). The footage is actually of quite a high quality for its time. It's clear and you can see the performers and their surroundings relatively clearly and the video itself is actually quite creative for a music video of its time. There are different shots e.g. close-ups, mid-shots that zoom out and often the artists are almost talking to the camera like they're interacting with their audiences. The video also features editing techniques such as transitions i.e. fades and wipes across the screen to reveal the next scene. It's a really good piece for its time. There are no special effects in this particular video. The style of this video is black and white, its a typical representation of its time.

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Nicholas Brothers / Chattanooga Choo Choo

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Dorothy Dandridge and Paul White strut their stuff in A ZOOT SUIT, an engaging Soundie from 1942. Read all about Soundies in THE SOUNDIES BOOK: A REVISED AND EXPANDED GUIDE TO THE "MUSIC VIDEOS" OF THE 1940s (2007) available from iUniverse at www.iuniverse.com

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos     (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos     (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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1960s

In the 1960s The Beatles led the way with music videos. As well as producing feature length films ("Help" and "A Hard Day's Night") they also filmed tons of promotional videos too. Some of them made no sense and had no narrative whereas others told a story. Many rock bands followed their example and started releasing bigger and better promotion films that were often screened on televised music variety shows.

Below is a trailer for The Beatles film "A Hard Days Night" released in 1964. The film featured eight of their songs and was the first of its kind. The film was a way for the band to tweak their image, show themselves as artists and more than their music though it was also a way for them to promote their much-love music too. The film shows them as rebellious, cheeky and fun. It makes the audiences feel like they're getting to know the members of the band.

The Beatles were big influences on fashion trends in the 60s. Not just what they wore but how they had their hair cut too. The Beatles very much looked to the mod-look for what they wore but they also went the psychedelic way (George Harrison's psychedelic mini is very famous). The film itself by way of shots and editing is very creative. A wide range of shots and transitions are used like close-ups, mid-shots, over-the-shoulder shots, low and high angles, point-of-view shots and seamless edits. The style of the film is in black and white but by the early 60s films were done in colour so it's possible the film was done in black and white on purpose.

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos     (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos     (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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1970s

The 70s music scene was dominated by disco, glam, punk and classic rock. Music videos were still known as promos as their purpose was to promote the artist but they were becoming more inventive. The video below shows the promo video for Alice Cooper's "Elected", released in 1972. This video helped enforce his rebel image. The close-ups of the rings, the sunglasses, the woman that runs up and kisses him, smoking and drinking backstage whilst a monkey runs through dressed as a human with a wheelbarrow full of money; it all adds to that image. Alice Cooper's music fits in with the classic rock genre (nowadays that's what he's well known for) and this song is no exception, fitting in well with the trends at the time.

In this promo video Cooper is dressed similarly to the man that featured on the front of classic American enlistment posters fitting the theme of the song. His actions in the promo video mainly match and tell the story of the lyrics. Cooper walks around shaking hands with his supposed constituents acting like he's running for president and there's also the final scene where he's making a speech in front of a large crowd. The men that walk around with Cooper (like his bodyguards) are dressed in a way that was on trend in the 70s i.e. blazers with shirts that have long collars and ties.

The quality of this footage isn't great. It's pixilated and not very clear with white spots dotting across the frame. The types of shots in this promo video are experimental for the time and the editing has been done so the cuts happens quick and on the beat. At one point during the video it cuts so quickly back and forth it becomes a bit confusing. This is a good example to show how people were becoming more experimentative with music videos. They weren't afraid to make them a bit erratic.

For it's time I would say the style of this film is contemporary. The shots are bumpy and all over the place but they look as if they're meant to be that way. They match the rebelliousness of the song, stepping away from the boundaries of camera work that came before.

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AliceCooper - Elected (1972 promo video)

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The original Alice Cooper's 1972 hit, ELECTED

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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1980s

On August 1st 1981 MTV (Music Television) aired for the first time. They opened the channel with one of MTVs creators (John Lack) with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll"' and proceeded to play it's first ever music video: The Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star". At the start of MTV basic music videos were played, introduced by Video Jockeys they were provided for free by record companies. When the music industry realised how valuable an asset MTV was they started pumping money into their music videos to create contemporary, cutting-edge videos that would go above the rest. By the mid-eighties a greater responsibility was placed on music videos.

Probably the most famous music video of the 80s was Michael Jacksons "Thriller". The video practically dominated 80s culture. In 1983 (when the video was released) MTV didn't have their awards show yet but by the next year it was sorted and Thriller was still up for seven nominations. The video is thirteen minutes long and features one of the most famous dance routines of all time.

At the very beginning of the video is a message from Michael Jackson that reads "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." This enforces Jackson's image to the public of being a religious man, even if people questioned the changes he'd made to his personal appearance at the time audiences still loved his music.

His clothes in the video (mainly the jacket) a more eccentric that the usual fashion of the 80s but still fit in. The clothes of this girlfriend and the people around him are typical everyday people in the eighties, none of them stand out like he did fitting in generically with the fashion trends of the time.

The quality of the footage isn't too bad considering it was probably filmed on VHS. The shots and editing in this video make it seem even more like a short film, which most people saw it as. This was the first of its kind too, a music video that had a screenplay and was made as if it were actually a film.

This film uses quite a few special effects: the make-up for the zombies and Jackson's transformation into a werewolf and the flick of green in his eyes at the end. It was very modern at the time it was released- what now looks dated and badly done to us was amazing and realistic then.

The style of this music video matched that of a horror film. Multiple shocks awake to what we thought was reality and then the jumps and the zombies, it fit the codes and conventions of a horror well.

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Michael Jackson - Thriller (Official Video)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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Assignment 1: Why Music Videos?      Task 3 - History of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1, M1, D1)

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1990s

By the early 90s music videos were still a novelty. In the first half of the decade only the bigger, best known pop stars had the music videos that were fancy and used amazing special effects, the rest were fairly simple but the sudden boom of alt-rock saw others getting larger music video budgets and being able to do more with them.

The video below is of The Chemical Brothers ft. Noel Gallagher "Let Forever Be". The video is completely mind-bending with its use of constant transitions from one space to another using the same woman. She and the objects around her are often multiplied sometimes reacting in sync other times in canon. It's a very creative music video to say the least. The poses from standing to laying down in each transition work really well so the video flows.

The band don't really feature in this video apart from one of them playing the drums outside at the very beginning. This video still has an effect on the way people perceive them, their image. This video makes people associate The Chemical Brothers music with things that are different and fresh.

Though her outfits change from normal everyday to dressier and possibly a bit futuristic between settings the female protagonist in this music video still fits in with fashion trends of the 90s, from the pink shirt and mini skirt to the sequinned top and shiny silver mini skirt.

Lots of different shot types are used in this music video. The range of them is what makes it easier for the transitions to flow from one to the other, because each time it's different you're not looking out for when it will change from normal to futuristic. The editing has been done to fit with the sounds of the music i.e. a funny noise that sounds like a low bubbling sound will see the movement of her arms going down in a dance more or something similar. Along with being well edited the video uses special effects too. The way the scenes shape and mould around the character aren't just transitions. At one point it looks like her face is morphing to someone the same but different. All of it fits really well with the surreal, futuristic sounds of the music.

The style of this music video is surreal. It's futuristic and contemporary. The transitions and effects made what would have been plain and simple shots look wacky and strange.

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 1 - Understand Styles of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 1 - Understand Styles of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P2)

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This style of music video shows a reel of moving images from live concerts where the band or artist is performing live. Sometimes it's all from one gig and other times it's a compilation of the band singing the same song across a whole tour. The video below (Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds To Mars) shows how live footage can be put with footage filmed elsewhere. A lot of this bands videos include live footage and people speaking about their problems or how music has affected them/their lives. The mix of the people speaking with tour footage of them singing the song creates nostalgia for the tour and the band. This style of music video can be very effective. Often footage from live performances is cut quickly from shot to shot so you can't actually see that the camera is shaky or that it's not a particularly good shot.

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Music video by Thirty Seconds To Mars performing Closer To The Edge. Pre VEVO play counts 8,228,715. 2010 Virgin Records America, Inc. Directed by: Bartholomew Cubbins

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Animation is a style of music video that shows the story told or the lyrics described by way of an animation. It could come in any form of animation i.e. stop-motion, 2D, 3D, cut-out etc. Below is the music video for The Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb. This video combines the use of animation and live footage, the two blend in and out from one another to tell the story of the lyrics. In a music video where the style is animation, animation doesn't have to be consistent throughout like in this video. The use of the two together is very effective in separating the past and present, what happened and what didn't. Animation is a good way to distinguish between time frames or between the reality and the dream.

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An Interpretive music video is a music video that can be interpreted differently by different people. The link below shows the music video for Radiohead's - Karma Police. This video is an interpretive video because it's not immediately clear what the video is trying to tell you. Almost the whole video takes place from the drivers perspective (someone that we never see in the video) who is chasing down an unknown man that is running up the road in front of the car. Every now and again he looks behind to the back seat which at first was empty but is then where Thom Yorke (lead singer of Radiohead) is sat sometimes singing in sync with the music.

The video doesn't have a clear plot, this makes you pay more attention to the video as you try to figure out what's happening. I have interpreted this video as Thom Yorke being the one to call the shots, he lip-sings the words "This is what you get" whilst looking out the front windshield as if towards the running man. This led me to believe that Yorke and the unknown driver are the "Karma Police" chasing after a man so they can give him what he deserves. When the man finally falls to the floor the lyrics "For a minute there I lost myself" are repeated over and over like he lost himself and finally gave up but regains himself when he realises what he could do, then going on to set fire to the petrol and effectively blowing up the car.

In the majority of music videos the artist/band are often referred back to in shots throughout the video whereas in this video Yorke is only shown a few times and he's the only member of his band present and they also don't do some sort of performance which is often the case in music videos.

At the end of the music video Thom Yorke is suddenly gone from the backseat leaving me to wonder if he was ever there or maybe he was and it wasn't the running man that was getting what he deserved but the unknown driver. That maybe Thom Yorke was death leading the driver to the end of his life telling him "This is what you get". Like the grim reaper himself is the "Karma Police".

The way I have interpreted this music video could be completely wrong to what the director was thinking. It could also match up with what other people that have watched the video have interpreted.

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Taken from the album 'OK Computer' Buy the incredible Radiohead back catalogue on iTunes here: http://smarturl.it/radioheaditunes Listen to this track on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/c4iik5 Buy the album on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/igy43p Music video by Radiohead performing Karma Police. (C) 2006 EMI Records Ltd

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Narrative is the style of animation that tells an actual story. It's not disjointed and doesn't leave you to work out what it meant. The link below shows the music video for The Shins - Simple Song. The start of the video sees a family at a memorial service/funeral for their father. He talks about how they all hated him so he left the deeds for everything somewhere in the house and that whoever found it would get to keep everything. Throughout the video you see things that happened when they were kids happening again in their race to find the deeds. The video flashes back and forth between an old home video, the past when the home video was filmed and the present; a few times the latter two come together.

Creating a music video with a narrative can be very hard; to fit a storyline that makes sense and has impact in the space of around three to four minutes is difficult. Often in narrative music videos the artist/band is regularly referred back to. In this music video the members of the band are actually the characters (the dead father, the son, the daughter and the other son) so they all have an active part in the video.

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The Shins' official music video for 'Simple Song'. Click to listen to The Shins on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/TSSpot?IQid=TSSS As featured on Port Of Morrow.

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An impressionist music video is influential on the way you feel. It can evoke certain memories and make you feel happy or sad. The video represents the way the artist is feeling, making you feel that way for example if they're angry a drummer hitting the drums with real force could help evoke such an emotion. The shots can seem random and unrelated when really they're moving you to understand the emotion of the song, it can focus on colours, specific lighting or actual objects. Below is the music video for Adele's - Rolling In The Deep. This is an impressionist video because all of the shots seem like they don't match, as if they don't make sense but if you think about it with the lyrics they make sense:

Adele sat in a room where there is basic furniture covered with plastic emphasises her isolation

The white city made of paper "We could of had it all", saying they could have had everything together

The glasses full of water that vibrate with the beat of the drum emphasise the force of the beat making it seem stronger, making the viewer feel as if they're getting stronger as the song goes on like Adele's voice in the song

The china being thrown and smashed against a wall as she gets feistier, like an argument between a couple that's escalating

Women in particular find this song empowering, watching the video helps enforce and amp up the feeling of strength they feel as a lot of them can connect to the lyrics (a relationship that's ended badly etc.).

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Surrealist is the style of music video that doesn't make much sense. It's a bit weird and can sometimes put you in a bit of a trance whilst watching because it's so interesting. Surrealist style music videos are sometimes like works of art, they give the director the chance to create basically anything he or she wants. The link below shows the video for The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be. This is a surrealist style music video. It's as if the protagonist is swiftly moving in and out of her dream world and reality. The way the shots transition in and out, to and from is what really makes this music video work. You can't help but pay full attention to the video just to see what happens next. The whole thing is wacky and surreal leaving you confused and intrigued at the end.

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Pastiche is an imitation of an original piece of work but not in a parody way, it doesn't mock the thing it is imitating. An example of Pastiche is in the music video for Ashanti's - Foolish. This music video imitates the film Goodfellas. The start with the two in the car talking about him needing him to go on a double date, the way their escorted through the back of the club then have a table set up just for them, the girlfriend asking him what he does, the mother screaming asking where he's been, her going after his mistress, his gang members telling him to go home to his wife etc. It fits right into the conventions of a pastiche music video, it doesn't mock Goodfellas and it copies the storyline straight off how it was in the film.

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Parody is the style of music video that makes fun of a particular time, show or person. It's imitative of whatever it is that's being mocked. This style of music video has become very popular in the last few years. The link below shows the music video for Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin. The video is a comedic parody. There is a clear difference between the show and his characters life as the soap has a filter over it. This music video unfolds as a stereotypical 1970s-era hospital soap opera, also following the lives of it's actors away from the show too with dave Grohl (lead singer of the Foo Fighters) as Davy Grolton playing Dr. Hanson Davidoff in the soap. The video basically follows the typical rise and fall of his career ending in typical 1970s fashion with Grohl driving off the edge of a cliff and the car exploding. The video is funny and meets the conventions of a parody style.

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Foo Fighters' official music video for 'Long Road To Ruin'. Click to listen to Foo Fighters on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/FooFSpotify?IQid=FooFLRTR As featured on Greatest Hits.

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Referencing is the style of music video that features clear references to a specific event, object or person. The link below shows the music video for Eminem's - We Made You. Throughout this video Eminem references to different celebrities: Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, Ellen Degeneres, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba and Amy Winehouse along with references to TV shows like Star Trek. There are actors and actresses to represent each person, there is even a re-enactment of the famous Elvis Presley video for Jailhouse Rock and These kind of videos are popular because people like celebrities making fun of themselves or other celebrities. It's also just really entertaining.

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Music video by Eminem performing We Made You. (C) 2009 Shady Records/Aftermath Records/Interscope Records

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Homage is the style of music video that's a dedication or demonstration of respect to a person, event or object. Sometimes the declaration is clear other times it's less obvious and more artistic. The music video for Stereophonics - Pick A Part That's New pays homage to the 1960s classic The Italian Job. The video begins with the band loading the last of the gold into the boot of the last mini and taking off. The video shows them evading the Police, an unknown blacksmith melting the gold down and the band playing the song with golden instruments in a bus balancing precariously on the edge of a cliff. The video is a real treat for anyone that's a fan of The Italian Job. A lot of the time homage videos are fun but they can also be serious too, it depends on the theme or thing you're paying homage to.

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I was a runner and generally helping out on set for this video.

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11: Influence of Commercials (A2 Task 1)

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11: Influence of Commercials (A2 Task 1)

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In recent years advertisers have started creating advertisements that have 30 second cuts and full three minute music video cuts. The influence of commercial style video is a way to promote the artist/band along with the brand/product getting exposure and publicity for both. Some examples are IKEA's Man Like Me ad (featuring You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties) and Pepsi's We Will Rock You (link featured below). This advertisement is set in ancient Rome at a gladiator fight where Enrique Iglesias sits with his tub full of ice cold Pepsi like Emperor. The video features pop stars Britney Spears, P!NK, Beyonce and Enrique Iglesias. The advertisement acts as a music video for the three female stars' rendition of We Will Rock You whilst acting as and advertising campaign for Pepsi too. At the end of the ad the three gladiators take a well deserved swig of Pepsi and proceed to throw cans into the crowd. A very effective way to advertise a product anyway but the ad was also first aired during the Super Bowl in 2004 meaning that millions of Americans saw it.

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Pepsi Commercial HD - We Will Rock You (feat. Britney Spears, Beyonce, Pink & Enrique Iglesias)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Lyric Interpretation

Lyric Interpretation in a music video is incredibly popular. It's when a scene matches the lyric that's being sung at that particular time in the song, it's a clear image that has an obvious connection to the lyric for example if they sing bout being sad and then you see them looking sad. This technique doesn't have to be consistent throughout, it may only happen when the chorus comes around. Below is the link for Aqua's - Barbie Girl music video. This video is very literal. The scenes basically match the story that the lyrics are trying to tell, the characters look like Barbie girls in the way they dress and the fact they live in pink houses with Ken in his purple car. This is a good example of lyric interpretation as it basically sticks to the tool for the whole thing.

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Extending or Consolidating the Song's Meaning

Extending or consolidation the song's meaning is the action of reaching out to the audience and eliciting an emotional reaction from them. This technique can actually end up giving the song more meaning than it originally had. The link below shows the music video for Kodaline's - High Hopes. I think this music video makes the audience feel sympathetic to the characters, you want them to be happy. When you first meet them the woman is running away from a wedding with her abusive partner and the man is trying to kill himself in his car when he sees the woman running away. As the video progresses you want them to be happy and feel a sudden shock as the husband comes back and shoots them both.

This video gives this song more meaning than it originally had. The song without the video is about having high hopes and maybe being able to start again but the music video gives it a deeper meaning with more feeling. It makes the lyrics not just about trivial problems that make you want to go back or just start over, it's about deeper things like feeling so desperately unhappy you try to gas yourself in your car or taking the courage to run from an abusive relationship. It pulls on your heartstrings and makes you think of the song and lyrics as deeply emotional giving the song more significance.

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Allusion

Allusion is the term used to describe the reference to or represents people, places, events, myths or works of art either directly or by implication. This kind of music video tends to reinforce your feelings about something or make you evaluate them. This kind of music video can often be a bit shabby but this only makes the lyrics much stronger in their message as you focus more on them than the video. The link below shows the music video for Rage Against the Machine's - Sleep Now in the Fire.

The video shows a game show set up like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", performance footage and live footage of them playing outside the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street. The lyrics speak of rebellion and to not be greedy while the video shows you scenes of police trying to stop the performance, a homeless man being handed millions of dollars and handing them back (then going on to destroy the studio and share the millions with everyone there), reinforcing the feeling of not conforming and not being driven by money. The video itself isn't that great but it helps put across the feeling of rebellion and breaking the rules, the feeling to go against the rules. It almost makes audiences feel empowered and like they could go against societies rules; especially when members of the public and people that work in the New York Stock Exchange stop and watch and dance to the performance.

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Rage Against The Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Links to Other Artists

Links to other artists is a technique used to sometimes mock or make tribute to another celebrity or person within the song. Sometimes this means they actually feature in the video or an actor/actress is hired to represent them. This is often seen in Homage/Parody music videos. Below is the music video for Eminem's - We Made You. The lyrics name constantly name drop throughout: Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Palin, John Mayer, Jessica Alba, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Blake Fielder-Civil, Britney Spears and Dr. Dre. With all these names there are also actors brought in to represent them in the music video, each celeb has their own actor or actress apart from Dr Dre who is the only person to actually feature in the music video. This is a really good example of Links to Other Artists. Sometimes this tool is used because the other artist actually features in the song but others it's to mock. This video mocks almost all of its mentioned celebrities and makes clear visual links to the lyrics about the celebs and it works well.

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Music video by Eminem performing We Made You. (C) 2009 Shady Records/Aftermath Records/Interscope Records

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Music Conventions in Hip Hop Videos

Hip Hop music has changed dramatically over the past decade. but the conventions of a Hip Hop music video have, for the most part, stayed the same. Generally these videos involve the artists acting like gangstas. Often there are a lot of props involved in these videos ranging from flash cars and big bundles of money to guns and fancy homes. They like to reinforce the badass, ladykiller reputation in hip hop music videos. They often wear the typical clothes, baggy trousers and tees but other times they dress in suits and silk shirts giving off the impression of wealth. With bright lighting and colourful shots to reinforce the mood of the video (careless but alert, as if the people in the video are staying alert for any trouble the audience stay alert enough to watch and pay attention to the video) it is fun and serious at the same time.

Below is the link to the music video for Notorious B.I.G.'s - Hypnotize. As you can see this is a typical nineties gangster, hip hop music video. Their clothes meet the conventions of hip hop music videos along with the colours and props. The camera shots throughout often focus on beautiful women and they happen from low or high angles that make the artists look powerful. More often than not in this music video there is camera movement; following the artists in the car as they drive off or as they speed off in a boat and when the shots are static the artists are gesturing at the camera. Along with the movements there are sound effects playing in the background that go with the storyline e.g. the undercover agents in the helicopters talking on walkie-talkies, movements of the vehicles (zooming car sounds) and the spin of the helicopters blades. There are a lot of pans from low angles in this video too. Throughout this video the edits are quick and fast paced and in some of it they cut on the beat of the bass or the smack of what sounds like a snare drum. Though when they're relaxed on the boat at the start the scenes change by fade out transitions. I think they're used in order to convey the way the characters feel, sort of chilled. The mise-en-scene in this video works well to give off the impression of wealth but in a way that's hip hop-cool.

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The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize (feat. Pam Long) (Official Music Video)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Music Conventions in Indie/Rock Videos

Indie rock music videos genrally, as rule, are a bit strange and different. They're simple and sometimes the narratives take place in a different era. A lot of the time there are also filters put on the footage to make the colours seem duller and less vivid but if the song is closer to dance music than rock then you could find the colours are bright and very vivid. Sometimes there isn't even a narrative it's just the band walking around with quick cuts to them playing gigs or just playing out in the streets or in a private location. Generally clothes are minimal and don't really try to make much of a fashion statement unless the narrative means that the characters need to fit a specific type of stereotype.

The link below shows the music video for Best Coast's - Our Deal. This music is like a short indie film, the extended version lasts for about ten minutes. The music video follows the story of a boy and girl from separate gangs that fall in love. The gangs are constantly at each others throats until someone actually gets beaten up. The girl asks the boy to run away with her before the big battle between gangs but he says he can't. At the end she accidentally pushes him off a building and he dies, while she sees the rest of the message which said he would come with her.

The clothes in this music video are actually quite bright for one gang and a bit out there with the gothic look and crazy hair. One gangs wears bright day colours while the other wear lots of black. When the two character meet you can see how they have affected each other when she starts to wear a bit of colour and he wears a t-shirt that's mostly grey. Sound wise there is barely any speech to tell the story apart from when one gang member gets the rest of them riled up for hurting her sister. The camera shots are very varied in this music video, lots of different angles and sort of experimental, like when you see the gang beating up one girl, they're just silhouettes. The mid-shots and close-ups are used in order to show the emotions of the actors, it's how the story is told without the use of speech.

The biggest prop in this music video is the spray cans they use to graffiti walls with their gang names. I think this prop is relatively important because it reinforces their "bad" gang against gang rivalry. The editing in this music video changes as the beat does as to when it cuts, either on the beat or every couple of beats etc. There are also simple fade dissolves used in this music video, when it goes from day to night or location to location but it also works with quick cuts too.The mise-en-scene works well in this video as the graffiti and their clothing and characterisations go with the concrete buildings and brick walls where the whole thing is set. It makes where they are seem cold and unforgiving, especially when he falls off the building and dies on the concrete. The lighting in this music video helps to differentiate between the two gangs. One of them is often seen in the sun and the other is often seen in shadows. When the couple are together they're in the light and dark, they could be standing in the shadows with a bright sky ahead of them.

(This is the music video, not extended, version).

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With Chloe Moretz, Tyler Posey, Alia Shawkat, Miranda Cosgrove, Shailene Woodley, Donald Glover. Two gangs. One ruled the streets by day. The other by night. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 2 - Conventions of Music Videos      (Unit 29 P1,M2)

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Music Conventions in Pop Videos

Pop videos are generally very brightly lit with brightly coloured clothing and lots of happy smiling faces too. Pop music videos are peppy and happy and often talk about love. They often involve some sort of dance routine with them singing at the camera sometimes choreographed and others it's just them bobbing around moving their hands. Below is the music video for One Direction's - Best Song Ever where the boy group meet with some American film producers about their film. The music video is actually done to promote their tour film hence why it ends with them spray painting a poster with "This Is Us" onto it.

The lighting in this music video is very bright, the whole thing is very clear and well lit with a lot of white. The props in the video such as the boards with the different clothing options on help make it look like a proper meeting and the ornaments and bookcases they knock over give the image they're rebellious pop stars.

The video is edited to specific things like the change of a lyric or an "oh oh oh" or a specific beat and co-ordinates well with the other shots. There aren't any transitions, it works with clean quick cuts. In this music video the artists also play other characters together in the same scene. This means that the camera shots had to be taken in a way that it wasn't obvious that one was missing from the shot so they could be there as someone else (when Zayn Malik delivers the water you can see he's cut out of the shot but only because you're looking for it)or when they're all shown together at once (when they first enter the office).

There isn't very much camera movement in this but when it does they're interesting shots, moving across the space from above as they dance in a particular direction etc. The sound in this music video is good, the characters actually have dialogue before the music kicks in, it's a bit like a scene from a TV show. The mise-en-scene works really well to set the scene of a proper film producers office in America. It's very clean with sharp edges, dark furniture and white walls. It looks sophisticated but still goes with the fun comedic tone of the film.

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 3 - Techniques      (Unit 29 P2, M2 & D2)  

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Assignment 2: Videos and More Videos      Task 3 - Techniques      (Unit 29 P2, M2 & D2)  

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Cutting to beat is a very popular technique used in music videos. Basically the editor cuts the shots on a specific beat e.g. every four beats there's a cut to the next shot. Cutting to the beat doesn't have to be consistent throughout. You can change when you want to cut so you could cut from shot to shot every 2 beats on the chorus then back to four during the verse. Cutting to the beat helps to make you music video flow from shot to shot. Cutting on the beat means that the shots and music can blend together harmoniously.

The link below is for The 1975's - Girls music video. This is a very good example of cutting to the beat. This music video cuts differently depending on the change of drums, the way the lyrics flow (if they're quick and snappy the shots cut with them) and on specific riffs with the guitar (obvious at the beginning). This is a very entertaining video and the music video helps keep the song preppy and upbeat. I would consider the way the cuts change depending on the snappyness of the lyrics to put in my music video. It's an interesting way of changing the shots at speeds during different parts of the song.

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'Girls' from The 1975's self-titled debut album, out now. http://smarturl.it/the1975album The 1975's new album 'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' is out now - http://the1975.com http://www.the1975.com http://www.twitter.com/the1975 http://www.facebook.com/the1975 Music video by The 1975 performing Girls.

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Effects in music videos have become very popular in recent years due to the evolvement of technology in the media industry. Effects include things like animation, graphics and chroma key.

A good example of effects is in the music video for Queens of The Stone Age's - Go With The Flow. The video is done entirely using effects. The band were filmed in front of a green screen performing the song while a group of people probably went out and filmed a truck driving through a deserted landscape. The two were then put together and had a filter placed over them to look black, red and white to blend them together with no noticeable difference, like they were actually playing on the bed of a truck while it sped through the desert. It's quite an entertaining music video. Whether or not I would consider using animation or other effects in my music video would depend on the skills of the people in my team and the resources that would be available to us.

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Queens Of The Stone Age - Go With The Flow

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Music video by Queens Of The Stone Age performing Go With The Flow. (C) 2002 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.

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Miming and lip sync is a technique used in almost every music video, ever. The technique can be quite difficult to achieve properly and can make your music video look unprofessional and amateur if not executed properly. When in editing the music and scenes have to be played back so many times you'll be sick of it just to make sure the person miming and the music are in sync, the slightest bit off can be really obvious to someone who knows what they're looking for. Miming doesn't have to be consistent throughout a music video, you could have the actor/artist only miming the chorus or just specific lines that are supposed to make the most impact.

Below is the music video for Tom Odell's - Grow Old With Me. The shots cut to Odell singing the song at the piano then to the actors telling portraying the narrative. Having him cut in and out means that you don't just pay attention to the narrative but you listen to the lyrics too. I would definitely consider using this technique in my music video, no matter how brief as it's a good way to make sure the lyrics have impact or at least register with the audience. I would have to think about timing etc. so I would have to take a copy of the music to filming and play it back for the artist or actors to get the correct timing on the song.

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Tom Odell - Grow Old With Me Tom Odell's second studio album 'Wrong Crowd' is OUT NOW: http://smarturl.it/WrongCrowdDL?IQid=yt http://www.tomodell.com/ Follow TomOdell on: Facebook: http://smarturl.it/TomOdellFB Twitter: http://smarturl.it/TomOdellTW Instagram: http://smarturl.it/TomOdellInsta

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Multi-image is the term used to describe the use of multiple shots on the same screen. It can be a very effective technique in a music video but it's also difficult to get it right without making it look cheesy and cheap.

A good example of multi-image is The Vaccines music video for Melody Calling. The entire music video is split in half (sometimes into thirds) and follows the story of one of the band mates wanting to call a girl he met. It's actually a really good music video and uses the multi-image technique well. I would consider this technique, it would be time consuming and mean that planning would involve two different people's points of view but for the most part in this video the girl doesn't really go anywhere and most of the movement takes place with the man. So I could definitely consider using two different people and what they're doing, possibly one obsessing over the other like in this video.

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The new EP Melody Calling is out now: http://smarturl.it/mMelodyCalling?IQid=yt http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/thevaccines https://twitter.com/THEREALVACCINES http://instagram.com/thevaccines Music video by The Vaccines performing Melody Calling. (C) 2013 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

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Camera movements involve different types of shots and specific equipment if it's to be smooth and professional. Pans are camera shots that involve movements, maybe from left to right or ceiling to floor and can be very effective. Camera movements can mean you follow an object or person on a journey, they could be walking along a road or something. For Camera movement shots you need specific equipment e.g. a Dolly/Tracking. This is where the camera is mounted onto a tripod that has wheels or is mounted on a cart that travels along tracks. If you don't have that kind of equipment available you could improvise with a spin chair and have yourself holding the camera and someone pushing or pulling the chair in the direction you want.

A good example of camera movements in a music video can be seen in The Verve's - Bittersweet Symphony music video. The camera follows the journey of the singer walking down a street. The camera is constantly moving (either backwards or forwards) with him as he walks forward. The camera movements are very smooth so they've obviously got a dolly or a tracker so it's smooth and not jostled.

I would consider using camera movements a they can produce very effective shots but during planning we would have to test different ways to get the movement smoothly as dolly's and tracks aren't readily available pieces of equipment.

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Camera angles are the different types of shots you use in a music video. There is a massive range of camera angles such as: high-angle (when the camera shows the subject from above, makes them look smaller and sometimes used to make someone seem vulnerable), low-angle (when the camera shows the subject from below to make them seem bigger and possibly more foreboding), eye level (very common angle that shows the subjects as we would see them in reality) etc.

A good example of different camera angles can be seen in the music video for Arctic Monkey's - Why's You Only Call Me When You're High?. At one point Turner falls down on the pavement while a man looms over him. A low angle was used here in order to make him seem powerful and a bit scary whilst he is down on the floor, high, and basically powerless because he can't seem to control his limbs. (3:20)

The use of different camera angles in a music video can be very helpful in portraying the character of a person in your music video as you only have about three minutes for people to understand what it is you're trying to tell them. Using angles can show if someone's timid or outgoing and using eye level can show that they're equal to everyone else in the video. I will definitely be considering the kinds of camera angles that will be shown in my music video and how they will help either tell the story or describe the lyrics.

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Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? (Official Video)

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Chroma key is a special effects technique that is worked on in post-production/editing. This technique works by layering two images or video streams together based on the colour hues. This technique is often used for weather forecasts as the CGI weather maps are projected onto blue or green screens that the reporter stands next to.

Chroma key can be seen in the music video for All Time Low's - I Feel Like Dancing. from 3:27 onwards you can see the use of a green screen to make it look like they're in a room that isn't actually there: the white room, the shining lights and the candy floss cloud background.

Chroma key can be used if there's a specific mise-en-scene in our music video that's in another country for example New York. We could consider projecting the landscape onto a green screen. We would have to do a trial first to make sure it didn't look tacky but if the effect looked good it's definitely something I would consider using.

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iTunes: http://glnk.it/4l Music video by All Time Low performing I Feel Like Dancin'. (C) 2011 DGC Records