Inital Notes on Music Artist Poster

Posters are used in order to advertise an upcoming release or concert by an artist, much in the same way that magazine adverts are used. However, a poster can be viewed by anybody who walks past it, whereas an advert can only be seen by those who have purchased the magazine, so it opens the artist up to a much wider exposure. The feel of a poster will usually present the artist and their music as ultra-appealing, as the majority of the people who will see the poster will not already be aware of the artist. Below are some examples of posters, and explanations as to why they are effective.



Death Cab for Cutie - This poster is advertising an upcoming concert, so will be placed in the area surrounding the venue. The imagery is effective as it plays on the name of the band, with "death" represented by the skeleton within the advert, "cab" shown by the fact that he is driving a taxi and "cutie" shown by the pink colours and the heart which the skeleton is holding. This clever imagery is likely to capture the attention of a passer-by, and connotes that the band regard their music as being a mixture of many different elements, as shown by the juxtaposition of such words.

In addition to this, there are many bright and clashing colours, such as pink, yellow, green and purple. This ensures that the poster doesn't blend into the background, and also suggests that the bands music is likely to be upbeat.



Queens of the Stone Age - This poster is presented in the style of a 1970s movie poster, with its background being a "queen" playing card, making a clever link to the name of the band in the same way that the Death Cab for Cutie poster does. In addition to this, its use of bright colours ensure that it stands out well amongst its surroundings. The text on it declares "Live! Here! Tonight!!!", which makes the prospect of going to see the band much more appealing, even though there is an element of sarcasm behind the whole poster. Overall, the poster has a sleazy, dated feel to it, which matches the music which the band plays.



The Strokes - This poster, which is also advertising tour dates, has its image focal point as a picture of each member of the band. This could connote that the band believe that their own image is as important to the tour dates selling as their music is. In addition to this, it is much less colourful than the posters for the other bands, with beige, black and red being the only colours which are featured. However, it does provide more information than the other posters do, as it gives websites which tickets can be purchased from as part of the main print, which is not included on either of the other posters. This means that whilst it may not be as eye catching, and doesn't tell as much about the band themselves, it is more likely to drive sales than the other posters, as it tells the potential fan where they can purchase tickets.

Analysing, comparing and contrasting these posters has shown me how artists are able to build up a persona through the use of imagery, which we will need to ensure we do when we make our music video and ancillary products.

Initial ideas on my own music video

Although we are yet to have decided on a song to do, I would personally like to do a video for an indie song. There are a number of reasons for this, such as:

• The bands are usually either unsigned or signed to an independent record label (where the word indie comes from) so there is a much larger chance of getting the agreement of the record company to make the video.
• The settings of the videos are often inner cities/suburbs, in order to make sure the bands aren't shown as having got too big for themselves. This is helpful because we will have very little, if any, money to make the music video with, so we need a setting which can be easily obtained.
• There are few genre characteristics, other than a DIY production quality, so we will still be able to make a video which differs largely from other videos within the genre.

Some initial ideas I have had is a video which splits between shots of the artist performing and them in their "day-to-day" life, as a common characteristic of indie videos is showing the artists as being ordinary people. Additionally, if we choose to make a video for an artist who we know personally, such as Rat Boy, then we will be able to get him to actually star in the video, which will result in a much higher quality of lip syncing.

Update: Since posting the first ideas which we had about the video, we have since decided on a song and a general theme which we want the video to have. The song is called Trials of the Past by SBTRKT, which I believe is a suitable song as it doesn't have an official music video, is by a British artist, and the record label, Young Turks, are easily contactable in order to gain permission to use their song.

 

In terms of initial ideas, we have decided that the video is going to have a psychological horror influence and to be filmed in black and white. We have also chosen various locations in which to film the video, including an abandoned house, a woods, and a bedroom. In terms of characters, we are only going to include a single male character, although his appearance will differ when he is playing the ghosts who are haunting him.

 

Filming Schedule

We have designated two days to the filming of our video, although we may need to find time a few weeks afterwards to re-shoot certain parts if we decide we have not captured footage which meets our high standards. 

Monday 27th October: We have planned for this to be the day that we take various establishing shots and to organise our props within the forest. We won't be filming any of the shots which contain our actor on this day, as he has already said he is unlikely to be able to make it. It will also give us a good chance to test out the lighting rig and ensure that there are no modifications which will need to be made before the bulk of the shooting begins. We plan to begin filming at about 3pm and to finish at about 8pm, as this will give us time to get a good collection of both day and night shots, and to experiment with the lighting rig.

Thursday 30th October:  This is the day where the bulk of the filming will take place, as our actor is available for the whole day. We plan to begin shooting at around 12pm and to finish in the early hours of the morning, as we need to record a lot of footage, and to ensure that we do each shot multiple (4 or 5) times to make sure that we have the largest possible amount of footage to make the finished product from. By creating our lighting rig, we will be able to continue filming in the night, which will work to our advantage as it will show a noticeable difference between the beginning and the end of our video. 

Monday 3rd November: On this day we will begin editing at my house, using Final Cut Pro X in order to add special effects to the shots before we take them into school to string them together using Final Cut Express.

4th November-30th November: Most days during this period will be spent editing the video, with a lengthy editing process being required in order for us to make the finished product to the quality which it needs to be. After this we will be finished with the video part of the coursework meaning we will be able to focus on making a digipack and magazine advert which are of similar quality.

Analysis of a past student music video

The main iconography within this video is that of a party. This is shown mainly through the use of props, such as the balloons and the flashing lights. However, this iconography would usually be used in a pop/electro video showing people having a great time in a club, whereas in this video they have been cleverly constructed in order to give a completely different, more eerie feel. This is through the use of both the low key lighting and the black and white shots, both of which connote mysteriousness and discomfort. This is what makes the iconography of a party appropriate in this video, as it opens more questions about exactly what the lyrics mean.

The most prominent technical codes within the video are the uses of editing and the switch between black and white shots for the artist on his own, and the low-key lighting of the shots which show the party. The most notable thing about the editing is that almost the whole video is in slow-motion. This is possibly to reflect on the sombre mood of the song, and in order to give it a nostalgic and blurry feel, which is often associated with videos which show people partying. In addition to this, the switch between black and white shots and colour shots helps to separate the two "scenes" in the video well, although transitions could be used in order to ease between the two different looks, as in places the video jumps between the two different colour schemes which can be uneasy on the eye. 

It is hard to put the song, and consequently the video, into a genre, as they are both very different in terms of style. Assuming the song is a ballad, then there are some features of the video which are key conventions of this genre. For example, the shots of the artist playing piano in black and white are typical of music videos for ballads, such as the video for Someone Like You by Adele. In addition to this, there are many close up shots of the artist - these are a convention of a ballad video, as the close up shot allows the audience to further engage with the emotions of the artist.

The song which the video was produced for was self-released, which means that there is no record company which can dictate what needs to be in the video, and how the star needs to be presented. This allows a lot more creative freedom for the director, as they are able to decide exactly how the video shall look. However, there is a downside to this, as having no record label would mean that there will be very little, if any, budget for the production of the video. However, as this is a student video, it is very unlikely that the record company would provide any funding for it anyway, so this isn't a huge issue. Another problem with the song being self-released is the low quality which it has. The song sounds like a home recording, as the vocals are hard to comprehend in places, which immediately makes the entire product seem a lot less professional than it otherwise could do.

The scenes showing people dancing are likely to help the video
appeal to a younger audience than it usually would

The target audience for this video is likely to be hugely varied, as pop ballads are popular with people from all ages. However, the iconography of a party and the bright lights in the video mean that this is more likely to be aimed towards a younger audience, of those under 35, than a more mature audience. In addition to this, it is clear that the video is selling marketing the artist as being attractive for women, in the same way that a video for the likes of One Direction would. This means that the video is most likely targeted towards young women more than any other audience.

Overall, the video is fairly well executed considering that it has been made for A2 coursework. The best parts of the video are the uses of lighting, the slow motion and the well considered props and iconography, in order to create a realistic scene for filming the video. However, the video would have been more impressive had they chosen a higher quality song, or at least used the schools facilities to re-record it. In addition to this, they could have perhaps included more than just the two scenes they used, as most music videos include more than 10 separate scenes, as once one scene is left, the action doesn't return to that scene.

Music Video Target Audiences: Results and Analysis

1. What is your favourite music video and on what platform (TV, YouTube etc) did you first see it?

Responder 1: Still D.R.E by Dr Dre, YouTube
Responder 2: Renegade by Jay-Z and Eminem, TV
Responder 3: Dancing Queen by ABBA, TV
Responder 4: Blind Faith by Chase & Status, YouTube
Responder 5: When The Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys, TV
Responder 6: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, TV
Responder 7: Kyoto by Yung Lean, YouTube
Responder 8: N***as in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye West, YouTube
Responder 9: Don't Kill My Vibe by Kendrick Lamar, YouTube
Responder 10: Kids by MGMT, TV

2. When watching a music video, which of these things are you most interested in seeing?

3. What is your opinion on music videos which contain a lot of lip syncing, either by the artist or by an actor?

Responder 1: I like them, although sometimes it can be overdone
Responder 2: Find it cringey, especially when they are staring at the camera
Responder 3: I think it's fine, because it adds more meaning to the song
Responder 4: It is usually alright although it depends on the artist
Responder 5: I like seeing the artist lip syncing, it is a bit off-putting seeing an actor doing it though
Responder 6: I'm not entirely sure
Responder 7: It's alright
Responder 8: Can be good if it's done properly
Responder 9: It helps me to engage further with the artist
Responder 10: I think it's horrible and it doesn't look right

4. Do you prefer music videos which are highly produced or videos which have lots of verisimilitude, as if they have been self produced? A: Highly produced B: Self produced

5. Are you likely to respond to product placement or advertisement within a music video? A: Yes, I will always respond to it B: Only if it is a product I already know of C: I usually ignore product placement within music videos

6. Which of these platforms do you watch music videos on the most? A: Dedicated TV channel (ie MTV music, Kerrang), B: YouTube/Vevo/Vimeo C: Non-dedicated TV channel

7. How often will you purchase music by an artist after being impressed by their music video? A: Never/very rarely B: Occasionally, although usually if I have heard other work by the artist as well C: Very often, as the aesthetic shown within a music video is often enough to make me like/dislike their music

8. Do you prefer music videos which show the artist as a star or as an ordinary person?

Responder 1: Ordinary person
Responder 2: Ordinary person
Responder 3: Star
Responder 4: Ordinary person
Responder 5: Star
Responder 6: Star
Responder 7: Neither, I prefer videos which don't contain the artist much
Responder 8: Ordinary person
Responder 9: Star
Responder 10: Ordinary person

9. Have you ever experienced an interactive music video, and if so, what was your opinion of it? 

Responder 1: I have seen the video for Carry Me by Bombay Bicycle Club, it's a really good idea although is difficult to watch/play if you don't have fast internet
Responder 2: Never experienced one
Responder 3: Not sure I've ever seen one, if I have I didn't realise
Responder 4: I'm sure I've seen a couple, I wasn't a huge fan because you have to basically create the content for yourself
Responder 5: I've seen the video for Manipulator by Ty Segall and I'm pretty sure that was interactive, it's a good concept but seems difficult to do
Responder 6: Never watched one
Responder 7: Don't think I've ever seen one
Responder 8: I hated the one I've seen because I prefer to sit back and watch stuff
Responder 9: Never seen one
Responder 10: No idea what one even is!

10. Are you likely to watch music videos by the same artist one after another?

Responder 1: Yes, especially as YouTube keeps suggesting them
Responder 2: No, I'm more likely to watch a single video, and then watch one by another similar artist depending on the mood I'm in
Responder 3: Yeah I will watch 5 or 6 in a row!
Responder 4: Most of the time, depends how much I like the artist
Responder 5: Nope, I usually only watch one video before doing something else
Responder 6: If there are videos which follow on from one another, then I am likely to watch them together but not usually otherwise
Responder 7: I will if I've got nothing better to do, but the same artist starts to bore me after a while!
Responder 8: I am likely too, although this is dependent on time
Responder 9: Only if the artist is one of my favourites
Responder 10: No, I am unlikely too

Analysis

Question 1: Equal numbers of people responded about whether they saw their favourite music video on YouTube or TV, which is surprising, as it would be expected that somebodies favourite music video is one of the first ones they saw. As YouTube has only be active for music videos since late 2008, it is surprising that most people have discovered their favourite music videos so recently.

Question 2: The response to this one wasn't surprising, as shots of the artist are what most people look for in a video, as otherwise it is likely that they would just listen to the song instead.

Question 3: The general consensus in the answers for this one is that lip syncing is alright in short bursts, but an entirely lip-synced video can become overbearing. This is good information to know for when we produce our video as it will stop us from relying on lip syncing to "fit up time".

Question 4: This one was surprising, as highly produced videos are much more popular with a mainstream audience than self produced videos are.

Question 5: This is surprising as 60% of people say that they respond to product placement in some way, as I assumed that almost everybody else just completely ignored it, as I do. This means that if we were making this music video professionally and needed sponsorship for it, perhaps product placement would be an effective way of generating funds.

Question 6: This one was hardly surprising, with Youtube's Vevo platform being the place where almost all record companies upload their artists videos too.

Question 7: I would have assumed there would have been a bigger trend for people to purchase music from the artist after seeing a video, in order to continue their liking of that artist. However, most people answered saying that they only do it occasionally.

Question 8: Personally I prefer videos which don't show the artist as a star, as I think they are more impressive when it is clear the artist can step out of their star persona. This is probably how we will design our video to be.

Question 9: Having only seen a couple of interactive videos myself I wasn't expecting many responders to have seen one, which they hadn't done. In addition to this, it would be extremely difficult to incorporate an interactive element into our video because it will require advanced knowledge of software such as Flash or Sony Vegas.

Question 10: I wasn't sure what the response would be to this one, although it seems that most people are happy to watch a few videos by an artist. This means that it is important that our video fits together stylistically with other videos by the same artist, as it is likely to deter people from watching it if it has a completely different stylistic idea to the artists other videos. 

Music Video Target Audiences: Questions

Below are some questions which I have conceived in order to discover who music videos are typically aimed at. This will be very helpful when it comes to constructing the music video which we will be making later in the year, as not only will it help to narrow our target audience but will also show us what the feature(s) people enjoy the most in a music video is. I plan on 

1. What is your favorite music video, why is it your favorite, and on what platform (TV, YouTube etc) did you first see it?
2. When watching a music video, which of these things are you most interested in seeing? A: Narrative B: Style C: Shots of the artist outside of the norm (i.e. doing day to day activities) D: Performance shots
3. What is your opinion on music videos which contain a lot of lip syncing, either by the artist or by an actor?
4. Do you prefer music videos which are highly produced or videos which have lots of verisimilitude, as if they have been self produced? 
5. Are you likely to respond to product placement or advertisement within a music video? A: Yes, I will always respond to it B: Only if it is a product I already know of C: I usually ignore product placement within music videos
6. Which of these platforms do you watch music videos on the most? A: Dedicated TV channel (ie MTV music, Kerrang), B: YouTube/Vevo/Vimeo C: Non-dedicated TV channel
7. How often will you purchase music by an artist after being impressed by their music video? A: Never/very rarely B: Occasionally, although usually if I have heard other work by the artist as well C: Very often, as the aesthetic shown within a music video is often enough to make me like/dislike their music
8. Do you prefer music videos which show the artist as a star or as an ordinary person?
9. Have you ever experienced an interactive music video, and if so, what was your opinion of it? 
10. Are you likely to watch music videos by the same artist one after another?

The Purpose of a Music Video

A fairly simplistic definition of a music video is a short film, which is set to a particular song (or songs, in some cases), in order to provide promotion for an artist. However, on top of this there are a few more purposes which are universal throughout almost all videos. Researching into these will provide me with a checklist of things to ensure that my music video does when I make it, as otherwise it will not be fit for purpose and thus will not be as affective when I market it to an audience.

1. The video should sell the song, or the album, by providing additional promotion for them which would not be available just by hearing the song on the radio. This can be achieved by having a running theme throughout videos from the same album, for example the colour scheme which the White Stripes have running between videos from songs from all of their albums.
 

 

 

2. To give the listener a better understanding of the narrative within the song, such as in 'Writing's On The Wall' by Plan B, where there is a much more sinister narrative in the video than the audience can grasp by just hearing the song alone.

 

3. To sell the artist as an individual star as somebody who is bigger than just the song - this is common in music videos which string multiple songs together, such as Tropico by Lana Del Rey.

 

4. The video could show off the other talents which the artist might have, or activities which they get up to outside of music - for example, rock videos will often show the artist on tour, and pop videos will usually feature some dancing or acting from the artist in order to market them as a star across several different mediums.

5. Several videos have been designed to particularly cause controversy within the wider media, and thus gain fans for the artist from this wider exposure. An example of this was the original video for Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, which was universally shunned for its degrading attitude towards women and use of nudity.