Task Brief:
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music video (major task), together with an official social media page for the band or artiste(s) and a digipak for the album’s release (minor tasks).
Questions to cover before Research
What is a music video?
Music videos are short films (usually lasting around 6.8 minutes according to YouTube) that combines the artist's original song with imagery and play a major part in the music industry to this day. Music videos can be presented in a multitude of ways including live action, animation and also narrative. Music videos are often a series of pictures and scenes that are directly interpreted from the artist's song lyrics, but can also be presented in more thematic ways. |
What is the purpose of a music video?
The purpose of a music video is often to promote the artist's song for monetary gains but can also be used as a way of expressing the artist's views on certain topics, such as various political messages seen in the music video "Changes", where the prominent artist Tupac shares his views on racial inequality and the problems in America's society. |
Why are music videos still important in the promotion of modern artists?
Music videos still play a major part in the promotion of modern artists, as they allow the artist to show their creativity and give them opportunities to connect with their audience. Music videos help the artist present who they are to the public and enforce their image in the music industry, whether it's to show that they're authentic and include scenes of live action performances such as "Four Out Of Five" by Arctic Monkeys, or to convey the theatrical qualities of their music, as seen in "High Hopes" by Panic! At The Disco. |
The History of Music Videos
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Lost_Child
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stronger_(Kanye_West_song)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Lost_Child
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stronger_(Kanye_West_song)
There is a level of debate regarding when music videos were actually invented, with many people viewing "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen as the first ever promotional music video, as well as others regarding The Beatles as the first to release music videos such as their live performances on the Ed Sullivan show.
The earliest example of a Musical Film that follows the quota to be considered a 'Music Video' was "The Little Lost Child" by Jos. W. Stern and CO, which first originated in 1894, being what I view as the earliest example of a Music Video promotion, which led to over 2 million copies of it's music sheet being sold. Music videos nowadays are distributed and received by their audience in a multitude of ways, in the form of broadcasts such as TV Channels dedicated to music, and social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. |
Music videos have evolved from being promotional moves to boost the popularity of new songs, to becoming a critical part in proving the creativity and worth of an artist, which is one of the key reasons that they are still so relevant to this day. Videos by artist's such as Queen mainly consisted of stylish live action performances of their song, however now, music videos now contain features similar to that of high level movies. The cost of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen costed $3,500 USD to produce, while music videos nowadays such as Taylor Swift's "Blank Space", costed $240,400.59 USD, which is over 50 times the cost of "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In August 1981, MTV, the first channel fully dedicated to streaming music videos, was founded, marking a critical point in the evolution of music videos. Now music videos are streamed on other major services fully dedicated to music videos such as Vevo, YouTube Music, Amazon Prime Music and Deezer. Music videos are also promoted nowadays in a variety of ways, including major social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They're also streamed in addition to artists music on Apple Music and Spotify, and considering Apple Music is preinstalled on 900 Million iPhone's, as well as Spotify being used by 248 Million people, means that the use of just these two platforms can make a significant difference in the success in a music video's promotion.
In August 1981, MTV, the first channel fully dedicated to streaming music videos, was founded, marking a critical point in the evolution of music videos. Now music videos are streamed on other major services fully dedicated to music videos such as Vevo, YouTube Music, Amazon Prime Music and Deezer. Music videos are also promoted nowadays in a variety of ways, including major social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They're also streamed in addition to artists music on Apple Music and Spotify, and considering Apple Music is preinstalled on 900 Million iPhone's, as well as Spotify being used by 248 Million people, means that the use of just these two platforms can make a significant difference in the success in a music video's promotion.
Case Studies of Artists and their Target Audiences
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Hige_Dandism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Monkeys
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Hige_Dandism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Monkeys
OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM
Official Hige Dandism's target audience are mainly Japanese young adults and below, considering the genre is not prominent outside of Japan. However despite J-Pop not being popular in the west, Official Hige has had hit songs such as "Pretender" that have soared in the top 100 Apple Music charts as well as holding a place in Japan's top 10 chart for 23 consecutive weeks.
|
THE BEATLES
The Beatles' target audience were mainly females, from young adults and below, however when people listen to music by The Beatles now, the main audience are male adults rather than females. They showed an example of appealing to their audience when they released their first album, "Please Please Me", to capitalize on their single's success, however this turned out to be more successful than ever anticipated after it's popularity spearheaded the British Invasion, gaining recognition around the globe. The Beatles had simple but authentic branding, sporting formal but casual clothing, while making sure they each had a distinguishable personality, to make the members likable to the audience. The Beatles also chose to go onto live programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show, to appeal to their audience and gain more publicity (The Ed Sullivan Show had over 73 million viewers watching The Beatles). Due to their success, they were able to hold the top 5 spots of the Billboard 100 in 1964.
|
ARCTIC MONKEYS
The Arctic Monkeys' initial target audience were primarily working class males, between the ages 15 to 25, but are now primarily aimed at both Generation X and Millennial's, males and females. They showed an example of appealing to their audience by releasing a Brit Pop album rather than an Indie Rock Album in 2013, which drew in a wider audience due to the increase in Pop genre popularity. The Arctic Monkeys distributed their first albums by handing out homemade CDs to people at concerts as well as setting up a Myspace (and other file sharing networks) to get the audiences attention and increase their publicity. They later included elements from American Soft Rock to increase their audience range and commercial success. The Arctic Monkeys' have changed their style throughout many years: Their first album released in 2006, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's what I'm Not" was Indie Rock, with 1.63 million sales. Their third album released in 2009, "Humbug", was Hard Rock, with 335,000 sales. Their fifth album released in 2013, "AM", went back to Alternative Rock, reaching 915,000 sales. |
Music Video Genres
The definitions for Genre have been acquired through Google
The definition of a genre is "a style or category of art, music, or literature" however a more in depth definition would be the categorization of a piece of film, sound or picture that follow the same conventions and themes as similar pieces. 3 Examples of music genres include Alternative, such as music by Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys, Dance, such as music by Avicii and Tiësto, and Rock, such as music by AC/DC and Queen. Music genre is important for music artist because it helps the artist focus on a specific area to specialize on a target audience, making it easier for the artist to dedicate themed music and merchandise. Music genre is also important for the audience because it gives them something to identify with and follow as well as appreciate.
Genre helps a producer market an artist because it gives them a reasonably detailed idea of what the artist's audience will be, for example if the artist's genre was rap then the target audience would mainly be urban males from late teens and up, giving the producer a rough idea of what to advertise and how to promote the artist's music. The artist fulfills genre conventions through their lyrics, beats, image as well as performances, for example a Pop band would make their lyrics upbeat and keep the beat positive, they wouldn't be seen wearing Gothic clothing but would wear the trending fashion, and would mainly do live performances in concerts rather than in bars or in public. The artist wants their music to be received in a way that publicly promotes their reputation and image, getting the artist's music more fame and popularity to increase their publicity. They would want the audience to feel that their music is unique and worth listening to, and would want the audience to promote their music on social media to reduce marketing costs. |
Different forms of Media platforms
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video
Previous Students' Work
In order to ensure that my research is up to the best possible standards, I must analyze websites by previous A Level students to see what I can incorporate into my work, and what I must do to avoid any mistakes made by the former students. This is useful to raise the quality of my work.
Finn Duffyhttps://finna2media.weebly.com/research2.html
This student's work was useful for my research as I found that their structuring towards making detailed bullet points of each topic was an effective way to convey information. They also made sure to include images that compliment their information, e.g. they used a picture from 'Take Me On' to associate with their information on Narrative Music videos. Another feature of their website that I found useful was their boldening of key bullet points within their topics, which helped in terms of separating each bullet point as well as providing a clear marker for each definition. |
|
The importance of Social Media in the Music Industry
In this day and age, Social Media pages are a critical part of interacting with and appealing to your audience. These pages can act as personal accounts, where artists post what's going on in their personal life to make the audience feel included, or as hubs to keep the audience informed on what events are going to happen and when (e.g. an artist's next concert, or their next album release date). Social Media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are effective in appealing towards a younger audience, as these platforms are most used by younger generations. Social Media platforms such as Facebook are effective in appealing towards an older, as these platforms are most used by older generations.
|
Existing Artists' Social Media
As one of the main criteria of this course is to produce a Social Media page for our artist, I feel that it is critically important to research the Social Media pages and channels of similar themed artists, artists of inspiration, as well as other genres that don't align with my artist's genre. My reasoning for studying a range of genres that both align and stray from my selected genre is to ensure that I fully understand the topic, and see the various ways different artists structure their social pages.
Foo Fighters (Instagram)
https://bit.ly/3zffvsJ
The Foo Fighters' Instagram mainly consists of posts which promote or showcase the band's upcoming performances, past performances, or merchandise. These posts usually consist of posters or stills of the band's live performance in order to mark their presence. There are also posts on the band's Instagram which give more insight into the Foo Fighters as a whole. These are usually interviews or videos which last a couple minutes. Some posts on the band's twitter are also political messages, such as videos encouraging the US population to vote during the presidential elections. This is because the band is US based and wants to interact and appeal to their target audience. |
Bruno Mars (Twitter)
https://bit.ly/3h6LeWu
Bruno Mars' Twitter is mainly just based around promoting the artists performances rather than posting in ways which they can interact with their audience. The social media page is mostly informative, posing as a noticeboard for Bruno Mars' music. There are links towards the artist's more interactive social media accounts, such as his Instagram, which are more focused on posting around the artist's activity outside of his music career. Like Foo Fighters, this includes political posts which interact with the US population, as Bruno Mars' main audience is within the West, and more specifically in the North American region. Activity such as this won't be found within his Twitter page. |
Paramore (YouTube)
https://bit.ly/2Xf356U
Paramore's YouTube channel comprises of eye-catching thumbnails and dozens of videos for viewers to click on. The banner for the band's channel is a cover of their latest album, which promotes and advertises their work. There is a featured video which plays automatically as a viewer enters the channel page, showcasing the band's most successful work. The channel solely promotes the band's work, with YouTube posts of their music videos and songs. Each of the videos' thumbnails are eye-catching and encourage the viewer to check out the bands content. On the channel's banner there are also links which direct the viewer to the band's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. There are also playlists to help organize what types of videos the viewer can watch, e.g. their latest singles and albums. |
Star Theory
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://www.slideshare.net/conmann2997/richard-dyers-star-theory-36585778
https://www.slideshare.net/conmann2997/richard-dyers-star-theory-36585778
A theory composed by Richard Dyer, stating that there are three forms of stars within the music industry; star as a construction, star as a commodity, and star as an ideology. The star as a construction argues that the star is essentially artificial (hence the term construction), and depicts the artist doing actions that they would never do in their everyday lives, such as Brendan Urie walking up a skyscraper in High Hopes. The star as a commodity refers to revenue and profit, and can be recognized through sales, merchandise, etc. These types of stars are usually heavily controlled by their record label, and are sculpted to fit a certain image, genre and style (in order to appeal to their audience and generate as much income as possible). This includes boy bands such as One Direction, who were formed by Simon Cowell and had little to no creative freedom. A star as an ideology refers to what the artist represents, such as social groups and ethnicities. Artists such as Tupac and Kanye West frequently spoke out about discrimination or the level of poverty in both the US and other countries. For this theory to work effectively, the star must be relatively ordinary in order to relate and interact with the audience. However they must also be talented to an extraordinary level in order to be idolized and hailed by the audience. Lastly with the theory, the star must be both present and absent from the audience's lives, as they must be present through the publishing of their music, merchandise, music videos etc, as well as absent through not being attainable or reachable by the public.
Andrew Goodwin's Theory (Theories)
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://www.slideshare.net/mrshmedia/andrew-goodwin-music-video-theory-63564120
https://www.slideshare.net/mrshmedia/andrew-goodwin-music-video-theory-63564120
- Intertextuality to films or TV programs are done to enhance the audiences visual experiences. Implementations of this are easily recognizable within Tim Burton's directed music videos, with the director including shots and scenes of his previous films within the music videos, in order to engage and appeal to the audience as much as possible. Sunflower's music video is nearly completely comprised of scenes from Spiderman: Into The Multiverse, which appeals to the audience as this was the most popular song from the movie's soundtrack.
- The relationship between music and visuals is also recognizable within music videos, such as upbeat songs having brighter surroundings, and serious songs having darker surroundings. A prominent example of this is Michael Jackson's thriller, which has Halloween and horror themed surroundings in order to appeal to his audience. Bruno Mars' 24K Magic music video speaks about wealth and success, and is complimented by the music video through being visualized in bright, gold, and wealthy surroundings.
- Voyeurism is a key aspect within some genres of music videos (e.g. rap, pop, R&B), as sexual representations of people's body is a key way towards appealing to the artist's audience. One of the most prominent ways this was implemented was through Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball, where the artist was depicted completely naked on a wrecking ball. This can also be seen within music videos by artists such as Future, who uses intimate contact with women to appeal to the audience as well as visualize his lyrics. This is also done as it fits the artist's genre.
Camera Angles
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shot-angles-in-film/
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shot-angles-in-film/
There are various ways to influence the development of a scene's atmosphere and tone, one of these is through utilizing camera angles. This is seen as camera angles can evoke a feeling of dread, happiness or even tension, based on how they're implemented. Angles that face down on the subject are mostly done to place the subject in a place of vulnerability or isolation, whereas angles that face up towards the subject are mostly done to place the subject in a place of power or superiority. Overall, camera angles can include shots such as:
|
3 Examples of Product Placement
Example 1: Old Town Road
- In Old Town Road, several bottles of Snapple can be seen at 3:40 along with the artist Lil Nas X sipping a Snapple at the end of the video to promotion.
- Snapple may have chosen Lil Nas X to promote their brand because the music video is set in the West, and Snapple was made in Piano, Texas.
- Snapple may have also chosen Lil Nas X to promote their brand because their drinks are aimed at a wide American audience, and Lil Nas X's target audience for the music video are people that listen to Country music as well as Rap, giving him a large audience range and filling Snapple's quota for a promotion.
- Various famous celebrities are seen in the music video too such as Chris Rock, Diplo and Billy Ray Cyrus, who's iconography would draw in an even wider audience and allow even more people to view their promotion.
Example 2: 24K Magic
- In the opening scene to 24K Magic, a series of Cadillac's are lined up in front of the plane, Cadillac may have chosen Bruno Mars to promote their brand because the theme of his song promotes wealth and luxury, and Cadillac's are one of the most expensive car brands in America.
- 24K Magic's also sponsored by Heineken, which may be why in a majority of the music video's scenes Bruno Mars can be seen holding a glass or a bottle of alcohol.
- Lastly, Bruno Mars is seen flashing his watch and chain, as well as showing off his hat, which may be an attempt to promote his own merchandise and attract the audience into purchasing items which would boost his commercial success as well as his reputations.
Example 3: All The Stars
- Black Panther is the main promotion is this music video, as All The Stars is part of the Movie's soundtrack and frequently hints at Panthers and the themes of Black Panther.
- Another example of product placement are Converse sneakers, the sneakers are frequently seen by the dancers in the music video as well as a child wearing them in a close up shot.
- Converse may have chosen Kendrick Lamar to promote their brand due to the fact that Converse is an urban brand worn by teens and under, and Kendrick Lamar's main audience are young adults and under who's music usually talks about society and follows the genre of Urban rap.
Examples of Music Video Production Synergy
Example 1: Into The Spider verse + Sunflower
- Synergy has been used in this video by playing Sunflower in the foreground with no other sound, while scenes from Into The Spider verse are being played as well.
- The synergy has helped Post Malone and Swae Lee promote promote their song since Into The Spider verse is a major movie being released into cinemas to be watched by a wide audience.
- Post Malone's target audience are urban millennial's, and Into The Spider verse is a spin-off of a popular urban based superhero who deals with everyday problems as well as being a hero, correlating with Post's audience, meaning Post's target audience are highly likely listen to his song after watching Into The Multiverse.
Example Two: Highlander + Who Wants To Live Forever
- Synergy was used in the video by the movie producers cutting the movie audio and replacing it with Queen's song, Who Wants To Live Forever, as Queen produced the soundtrack for Highlander.
- The synergy helped Queen promote their song as Highlander made queen directly in charge of producing the movie's soundtrack, giving them popularity and enforcing their reputation as an elite band that has the ability to make great music.
- Queen may have chosen to cover Highlander with their music as Queen's target audience are young adults and above of both genders, and Highlander's audience were the same, giving Queen the perfect audience to promote their music to.
Example 3: Ritmo + Bad Boys For Life
- Synergy was used in the music video by cutting parts of the music video's scenes and inserting scenes from the movie while still having the music playing overhead, as well as promoting the movie title in the intro of the video.
- This synergy helped Black Eyed Peas promote their song as the combination of promotion with Bad Boys led to them hitting the top of the charts in Latin America, as well as already gaining promotional support from being to the lead song for Bad Boys' soundtrack.
- The Black Eyed Peas may have chosen to promote Bad Boys For Life in their music video as both the artist and the movie have the same target audience. This is seen as The Black Eyed Peas make Pop and Dance music aimed towards a mainly female audience consisting of Generation X and Millennial's, which is the exact same audience that Bad Boys For Life is aimed at.
Digipaks
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-industry/music-production/digipak-cd
https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-industry/music-production/digipak-cd
Digipaks are a type of packaging for CDs or DVDs, typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs. They are one of the main forms of music distribution, with whole albums being embedded into CDs for buyers to listen to. Digipaks consist of an album thumbnail on the front of the cover, the actual CD packaged on the inside, and sometimes a set of text covering a page on the inside of the Digipak. The inside page of a Digipak could include a summary of the artist's album, the list of songs which appear on the CD, or simply just another image that relates with the album. Digipaks have become less and less popular following the mass movement towards digital media, however CDs are still prominent in use today.
|
Existing Digipaks
In order to ensure that I produce a Digipak of the highest quality, I will analyze parts of different artists' Digipaks. The analysis of specific areas of Digipaks means that I will be able to devote all my focus into one part of the album, making the inferences more detailed and elaborate, rather than having to cover a wide area of features for each artist. The analysis of existing Digipaks as a whole means that I can see what features would be suitable and useful on my own Digipak.
Foo Fighters (DIGIPAK COVER)
The Digipak Cover for Foo Fighters showcases the band's members in a sepia filter, giving a homage theme to the Digipak. The filter makes everyone the exact same color and shade, which may done on purpose to give the band of feeling of togetherness. The sepia colors and the implementation of a sharp image is swiftly contrasted by a bold and bright logo of the band's name, in order to immediately attract the viewer's attention, and also inform the viewer on whose Digipak this is. The over-heading title also includes "Greatest Hits", which suggests to the viewer that the collection of songs is appealing and of the band's highest quality. There is a Parental Advisory watermark, to inform the viewer that the songs within the album contain lyrics unsuitable for children, immediately hinting that the album was made for an older audience rather than children.
|
Nirvana (BACK PANEL)
The Back Panel of Nirvana's Digipak contains lists of all of the Digipak's contents (all of the songs that are on the CD/CDs). There are two columns of song names, with the columns split into CD One and CD Two, in order to show the listener what songs they can listen to on which CD. There are further separations in order to organize the songs into different series' of music, with the different categories being Original Album, B Series, The Smart Studio Sessions, The Boombox Rehearsals, and BBC Sessions. On the side of the Back Panel there are a number of watermarks and labels of production companies and other companies which contributed or have connections to the band's Digipak. On the top right of the Back Panel, there is a bar code which is placed in order to be able to further identify the product.
|
Coldplay (FULL DIGIPAK)
The Digipak for Coldplay's "A Head full of Dreams" was made in a style which fits with the theme of the band's album. The product is covered with dots and splatters of different colors, aligning with the album's name (which follows a bright and colorful style). The band's name is etched into the front cover of the Digipak, in a color that stands out from the color scheme, which effectively identifies whose album this Digipak is. The CD which comes in the Digipak is in matte black, and is covered in bright colors. This is done in order to make the CD more interesting and eye-catching to the viewer, as well as fitting in with the Digipak's theme.
|
Music Video Production Strategies
Most of the time when a music video is made, the artist has made the music video as more than a visual addition to their song, meaning it normally has an additional creative aspect to gain publicity for the artist, such as a political message or addressing problems within society that provokes discussion regarding the song. There are also label strategies such as marketing, distribution, production strategies and the enforcement of copyright ownership of music videos.
There are 3 main label approaches when it comes to creating music videos:
There are 3 main label approaches when it comes to creating music videos:
Method 1: Major Labels
Major Labels such as Sony and Universal Studios focus on gaining as much profit and publicity as possible for the artist and their company. The music videos will be of a higher quality due to the larger budget that the company can provide. Other major artists will often be featured in the music video to increase the publicity. Pros of this include that the music video will be a higher quality than even above average music videos, however cons of this include the artist's creative freedom will be heavily restricted. This is because the Major Label has full over what they want the produced outcome to be. |
Method 2: Independent Producers
Independent Producers have no connections with larger companies due to being significantly smaller and aim their products towards a niche audience. Even though these producers gain less publicity in comparison to labels like Sony or Universal Studios, they can still be successful, seen with producers such as XL Recordings, who have major artists such as Adele and Radiohead. Pros of this include the producers are able to focus on their target audience easily due to their niche range, however cons include the quality may be lower than that of a major label, as well as receiving less publicity due to their smaller company. |
Method 3: Self Produced
This is when the artist makes the video by himself without the need of a producer, the method is quite new due to the wider access to media equipment such as iPhone's and other portable recording equipment. As well as wider access to media equipment it is now much easier for the artist to upload their content into mainstream media, such as YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Various artists use this method nowadays such as Tyler, The Creator and Ed Sheeran. Pros of this include the artist has full creative freedom over how they produce their music video, however cons include the quality may be significantly lower than that of a major label, and it would be more difficult for the artist to distribute their product to mainstream media and gain as much publicity than that of a major label. |
Deeper Music Video Research
Information for this study has been acquired from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pretender_(Foo_Fighters_song)
Google (the general details of the song itself)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_MacArthur_Park_rallies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pretender_(Foo_Fighters_song)
Google (the general details of the song itself)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_MacArthur_Park_rallies
The Pretender was a music video by Foo Fighters, that was directed by Sam Brown and produced by Jon Landau. It is essentially a protest against an oppressive ruling system, which portrays Foo Fighters as the people and the police as the oppressors. It was released in 2007, meaning the reasons for its production and release could coincide with the 2007 MacArthur Park Rallies, which protested in support of amnesty for undocumented immigrants. From what I've researched, I believe that the themes of oppression within The Pretender greatly hail from the events of the 2007 MacArthur Park Rallies. This is because in response to the protests, police drove motorcycles through the crowds, used batons and rubber bullets, and then ordered the crowds to disperse. The incident also received considerable attention from news media outlets because several reporters were also pushed and injured by the police, with reporters such as Patricia Nazario, a reporter for KPCC, was beaten in the ribs and back, before being struck over the head with a baton.
The music video frequently cuts between shots of the musicians and shots of the riot control police, and further utilizes the idea of two main sides, with the musicians being portrayed with white colors and the police being portrayed with black colors. White is often used to symbolize good or heroism, while black is most often used to symbolize evil or villainy. These colors connote a message sent by the band.
|
This portrayal of the police as evil clearly aligns Foo Fighters as supporters of the 2007 protesters, as the police were greatly criticized for their brutal handling of the protests. The music video also ends with the musicians being blasted by gas/water in a violent manner, which further shows how the band was criticizing the police.
|
The entirety of the music video was set indoors, which is useful towards ensuring the production costs are cheaper, and that time is managed effectively, seen as working within one specific location is much less work in comparison to shooting in multiple different areas. This use of a single location means more time can be spent preparing for production as well as editing the footage afterwards, meaning the music video will (more likely than not) be of a higher quality in comparison to that of a music video with less time to edit footage. The music video's set consists of the band performing the song, "The Pretender" in an airplane hangar, with many strip lights on the ceiling. Behind the band is a large, red screen, which later explodes.
|
There is little to no use of CGI within the music video, with the only exception being the red wall's explosion into gas particles upon the band. This means that the lack of computer generated imagery greatly reduces production costs, and therefore means less funding is required to create the music video. The Pretender is known to be one of Foo Fighters' simplest production styles, since it has barely any CGI, as well as having relatively straightforward surroundings. The music video mainly relies on the music itself, and its accompanied imagery from the actors and their props. No forms of product placement can be seen within this video either, which is something that could be due to the music video production's simplicity requiring no outside funding, or could also be due to the fact that the music video's radical themes have driven away any opportunities for corporate funding (since themes against a system are often controversial to companies.
Directors
Information for this section has been acquired through:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Jonze
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Fincher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Gondry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Jonze
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Fincher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Gondry
To understand filming and production methods better, I must study and analyze successful music video directors. This can include directors who have only produced music videos, or also directors who have worked on other pieces of work (along with music videos).
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton is an American film director, producer, writer, and artist. Known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. He has also directed 2 music videos for The Killers, an American rock band formed in 2001. His directed music videos are Bones, and Here With Me. His music videos follow a Narrative style, with implementations of animation and cinematic footage to build onto the videos' theme of post-punk revival. Within the music video there are also cuts to scenes within some of Tim Burton's past movies, such as Pee-Wee's big adventure.
|
Spike Jonze
Adam Spiegel, known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, photographer, musician, and actor, whose work includes film, skateboard videos, television, music videos, and commercials. He is one of the most prominent directors of the music video industry, and has directed videos for songs such as Sky's The Limit, Sure Shot and Hey Brother. Spike Jonze has directed 59 music videos, meaning he's directed the most music videos ever. A large portion of his directed videos are of songs by rap artists, such as Kanye West, Beastie Boys, and Notorious B.I.G.
|
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film director, known both for his highly acclaimed movies (such as Se7en, or F#### C###) as well as his equally acclaimed music videos. Fincher has directed 55 music videos as of 2014, with the most prominent videos being Vogue by Madonna, and Freedom 90 by George Michael. The majority of David Fincher's videos are of pop songs, with prominent artists. His videos are mainly performance/narrative videos.
|
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is a French film director, screenwriter, and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Michel Gondry has directed 35 music videos, and is known for his primary focus on narrative music video styles. The most prominent of his videos are Everlong, Around The World, and Fell In Love With A Girl. Michel Gondry is an important music video director for me to analyze considering he directed the music video for Everlong, by the Foo Fighters. This is the song which I'll be making a music video for as well.
|