Abba - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
We did a lip-snyc project of Gimmie Gimmee Gimmie by Abba which we filmed on monday 11th January, we managed to start editing on the same day but did not finish due to both lack of time and computer problems. The filming on the day went well and to planned, we were quick to set off in the morning and went to Reeces house to do out first lot of filming capturing some successfull shots such as the opening scene and the shot on the sofa. After watching a bit of the film Mamma Mia for inspiration we then set off in Reeces car in search for ideal locations, whilst in the car we shot our personal favorite shot which was with the snowman. After trying our luck in public places such as round-a-bouts, car parks and docks where we did some filming of us danceing we ended up back at college filming some of our more outstanding shots such as the zoom of Reece and Josh from the top floor of the college. Once we got all out filming done we quickly got onto the Mac and attempted to get it edited and finished but were slowed down by time and luck with the Macs. We then put in extra time before and after college aswell as lunch breaks for the next couple of days so we could complete the project which we did. The song was long lasting nearly five minutes so we struggled to get enough shots to fill the whole song, so we used shots more than once and played around with some to change them up where we could. We also had problems completing the lip-sync in time with the music as we had no playing copy of the song, apart from in the car and house, as we filmed it therefore singing the song off memory having some success. This is one of the main things i would change if we could do the project again aswell as getting more shots to fill up the long song. Overall i was relatively happy with the outcome of the music video as the style we tryed to create in out shots, dancing and acting sutied the song style and we also used a range of camera shots and locations.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Purpose of Music Videos Research
The main purpose of a music video is to promote the artist so it is primarily a marketing device. The artists need to be in the public eye as much as possible to be successful and the best way to do that is to make a music video as they can be constantly seen all over the world on the TV and internet etc. They are not just advertising the single, they are also advertising their album as the single will be one of many songs on the album of the same genre. If a single has no music video it will not be played and shown no where near as much as it would with a video because most music channels will not play it without one. Music videos are a good way of showing a genre as you can put the lyrics and whats going on in the video together and it is normally pretty clear what genre they are trying to be and what target audience they are aiming for. The people that the music video is for is depending on how successful the artist is at and at what stage in their journey as well known artist is at. They might already be big and successful and just promoting a new single/album or they might be trying to make it to that stage and are putting ideas forward to record labels or putting it out on the internet for example hoping that it is spotted. They then have the challenge of connecting with the public and making things happen for themselves with their music and video ideas. Music videos also give the artists an oppotunity to show what their about to the public in terms of personality which some people look for or apperance which may be important for some people. Music videos these days make the most of the ever improving technology including special effects, techniques and animations to help sell records as by just having a very high quality video, that alone could possibly make up for a poor song and still be a successful seller in the records sales.
Music Videos were known as a flm insert or a promotional film/clip until the 1980s and it was then and the late 70's when music videos took a big rise in popularity partly because MTV based their channel around them and later on creating VH1, United Kingon and America were the countries that started music videos popularity. An example of a popular british song that had a music video that represented the birth of music videos was the Buggles number 1 hit 'Video Killed The Radio Star', the song was released in 1979 and the video was the first shown on MTV in North America in 1981, the lyrics are about the rise of music videos. You still see some successfull songs that were made before this era come on music channels today that have no video and just feature the artist performing on stage for example the 1973 christmas hit 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day' by Wizzard. Musical films were an important precursor to music videos, there has been several well known music videos that were based around the same style based on Hollywood musicals from the 1930s - 1950s including Madonna's 1985 hit 'Material Girl' which was based on the staged performance of 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'. Michael Jackson was known as a pioneer for a new era of music video and he went for a similar style in several of his well known music videos which show dance sequences from Hollywood Classics. The video for 'Thriller' directed by John Lamdis, which was at the time the most expensive music video ever made, and the video for 'Bad' which was based on the stylized fights from 'West Side Story'. Jackson went on in his career to make several inspirational music videos including 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' that changed the music video industry until today and also helped getting African-American artists music played on MTV. According to Internet Accuracy Project, Jockey-singer JP Richardson was the first to use the phrase 'music video' in 1959 and it's no conincidence that the rise of popular music came at the same time as the rise in popularity of TV as it gave many people who would have been passed on by Hollywood the exposure and recognition they needed as it normally required big well known names in order to attract an audience and be abox office success. The Beatles were also inspirational in the world of music video, in 1964 they featured in a feature film 'A Hard Days Night' directed by Richard Lester which was in black in white and was in a mock documentary style and it was structured to be combination of exciting musical sequences and comedic and dialogue sequences. These musical sequences would go on to be a model for future promo clips and music videos and it was big influence on the style and visuals of music videos. An example of this was succesful US TV series 'The Monkees' from 1966-1968 which featured many simialar styled musical sequences to go along with the well known songs of the band.
A good way to find out how successfull a single/music video is apart from record sales is on the internet on websites such as Youtube where People leave comments on videos expressing their opinion and in forums and dicussions where people talk about the positives and negatives and what could of been done better. Artist can also use a music videos to express themselves in a visual way aswell as in their singing and can get a message across to their fans who look up to them. Some artists are not just singers and can dance aswell so a music video is a good way to showcase their other talents such as dancing and use choreography which they can also promote. If an artist can really make an impression with a music video it can be as just as good a way of making the pubic remember it as the song itself and some of the most successful and well known videos are stilled played today on music channels and internet sites and keep records selling. Some songs have quite complicated lyrics and a story behind it which some people may not understand so by making a music video, an artist is able show and tell their story through images which some people may understand easier. Music videos have become so popular now across the world that you would not see a successful and big artist bring out a single without one as it will not get the recognition and attention the song may or may not deserve so to make a song successful you need to promote it as much as possible starting with a music video. Music
Music Videos were known as a flm insert or a promotional film/clip until the 1980s and it was then and the late 70's when music videos took a big rise in popularity partly because MTV based their channel around them and later on creating VH1, United Kingon and America were the countries that started music videos popularity. An example of a popular british song that had a music video that represented the birth of music videos was the Buggles number 1 hit 'Video Killed The Radio Star', the song was released in 1979 and the video was the first shown on MTV in North America in 1981, the lyrics are about the rise of music videos. You still see some successfull songs that were made before this era come on music channels today that have no video and just feature the artist performing on stage for example the 1973 christmas hit 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day' by Wizzard. Musical films were an important precursor to music videos, there has been several well known music videos that were based around the same style based on Hollywood musicals from the 1930s - 1950s including Madonna's 1985 hit 'Material Girl' which was based on the staged performance of 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'. Michael Jackson was known as a pioneer for a new era of music video and he went for a similar style in several of his well known music videos which show dance sequences from Hollywood Classics. The video for 'Thriller' directed by John Lamdis, which was at the time the most expensive music video ever made, and the video for 'Bad' which was based on the stylized fights from 'West Side Story'. Jackson went on in his career to make several inspirational music videos including 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' that changed the music video industry until today and also helped getting African-American artists music played on MTV. According to Internet Accuracy Project, Jockey-singer JP Richardson was the first to use the phrase 'music video' in 1959 and it's no conincidence that the rise of popular music came at the same time as the rise in popularity of TV as it gave many people who would have been passed on by Hollywood the exposure and recognition they needed as it normally required big well known names in order to attract an audience and be abox office success. The Beatles were also inspirational in the world of music video, in 1964 they featured in a feature film 'A Hard Days Night' directed by Richard Lester which was in black in white and was in a mock documentary style and it was structured to be combination of exciting musical sequences and comedic and dialogue sequences. These musical sequences would go on to be a model for future promo clips and music videos and it was big influence on the style and visuals of music videos. An example of this was succesful US TV series 'The Monkees' from 1966-1968 which featured many simialar styled musical sequences to go along with the well known songs of the band.
A good way to find out how successfull a single/music video is apart from record sales is on the internet on websites such as Youtube where People leave comments on videos expressing their opinion and in forums and dicussions where people talk about the positives and negatives and what could of been done better. Artist can also use a music videos to express themselves in a visual way aswell as in their singing and can get a message across to their fans who look up to them. Some artists are not just singers and can dance aswell so a music video is a good way to showcase their other talents such as dancing and use choreography which they can also promote. If an artist can really make an impression with a music video it can be as just as good a way of making the pubic remember it as the song itself and some of the most successful and well known videos are stilled played today on music channels and internet sites and keep records selling. Some songs have quite complicated lyrics and a story behind it which some people may not understand so by making a music video, an artist is able show and tell their story through images which some people may understand easier. Music videos have become so popular now across the world that you would not see a successful and big artist bring out a single without one as it will not get the recognition and attention the song may or may not deserve so to make a song successful you need to promote it as much as possible starting with a music video. Music
Contemporary Music Video Research
Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling Directed By Ben Mor
The official music video for I Gotta Feeling was released on June 2nd, 2009 after an incomplete version of it was leaked on May 29th, 2009 and it was made earlier in the same year. The video features other music artists such as David Guetta who produced the song, Kid Cudi. Katie Perry, Chantal Jones, members of the indie rock band Gossip, the designer duo Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared and a few well-known personalities of the LGBT community, including Ongina of RuPaul's Drag Race fame. All together it cost around $200,000 to make according to unconfirmed reports on the internet, the filming didn’t take too long too do as a lot of the shots are within the same interior location with the band and other actors and dancers dancing aswell as the band getting ready to go out. There are also some exterior shots of people walking and driving around Hollywood Boulevard. There is a very little amount of shots in particualar that would of took a far greater amount of time to film or make as it sticks to the same relatively basic concept of dancing and jumping around for the majority of the music video.
The director Ben Mor was born in Israel before moving to Nigeria and has directed commercials, music videos, and short films. He is a director whose creativity and style give his videos an immense cinematic quality, no matter the budget or tools he is given to work with.
One of the main assests and strenghs of the music video is the lighting effects produced, which sets a very good dancing vibe for the video, in paticually for the second half when the lighting is dimmed and the band has phosphorescent paint on them while dancing slower to the slower beat and key change. This is the part of the music video when it goes to the next level in terms of the vibe and excitement in the video, music, lyrics and effects and continues for the rest of the song. It makes people want to dance which is what the song and music video is trying to achieve, this links on to the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the song is dedicated to people who are going out, on there way out which is shown at the start, and people who are out having a good time. The lyrics are related to having a good time, which is also shown in the music video and it’s the vibe you get in the music. The relationhip between the music and the visuals is simlar as it’s also showing people having a good time whilst and it’s the vibe you get in the beat of the music and the speed of it, when the key changes, so does the lighting effect and the dancing is slowed down and so is the music.
The genre of the song is R’n’B and that’s what the Black Eyed Peas are known for but for this song they work with dance DJ David Guetta who produced it creating a remix of his dance song as they use the same music beat, so the song has a very dance genre feel to it. There are many characteristics in the song and music video that are dance related as in the lyrics their singing about having a good time dancing, the beat of the song and speed of it is of a song you would dance to at a party and dancing and partying is what the music video is all about. In a dance song, the key and tempo changes as it goes along untill it reaches the end by which it is very up tempo and this is what it used in I Gotta Feeling and transferred into the video as the atmosphere and the dancing tempo also picks up with the music as it goes along. The entire music video is based around a party and dancing and this is typical of other dance song videos that are similar. The lyrics are also typical of an R’n’B song and the way in which the song is sang is likewise as some of the lyrics are rapped and some of them are sang.
The majority of the music video is concept based and sticks to the concept of a party within the video with no narrative and some performance as it is often showing shots of the band singing whilst dancing. The video features a very realistic example of a party showing people dancing and having fun, the majority of it is very natural to the extent that it makes you feel like you are there just enjoying yourself at a normal party. It doesn’t seem like the extra dancers except for the band and guests are aware of the cameras as it rarely shows anyone making eye contact or trying to get attention specifically for the camera and these all make it seem very accidental.
There is very little cinematography in the music video and the song is constantly playing the duration of the video with no cut scenes for speech or any other dialogue. The majority of the video is just showing people having a good time jumping around dancing except for the beginning when it shows the band preparing for it and looking at phones and doing make up etc. This is the only time any of the video appears attentional and seems like band are acting up fot the cameras trying to create the pre going out vibe.
The visual effects in the music video relate back to the lighting effects and phosphorescent paint in the second half of the music video which creates a more up tempo vibrant atmosphere. A lot of the shots are slowed down in time with the music which makes the video more structured as the slowed down shots come in separate parts at the beginning of the video when the music is slowed down and not again untill the same piece of music and beat returns towards the end when the lighting is dimmed. It all comes together to make the video seem more attentional and organised as it doesn’t stick to the same concept the entire duration. There is some intresting bits of editing in the video aswell including a shot when one of the band members is floating still in midair as people walk past seeming unaware of anything not normal and another similar shot when another band member is also floating in midair but coming down whilst dancining, this is in slow motion because it starts as soon as the music slows down. A lot of them main editing in the video is based around the slow motion in which people dance in to the music.
The promo does a good job of promoting the band as it shows the band dancing with a lot of people to their song showing a typical party enviroment which people can relate to. It also represents them well as it shows the type of people they are and how they like to enjoy themselves, it also represents them well musically because it shows that the song is meant for partys for people to dance too and also the car as people will want to listen to it on their way out so people who can relate to this will buy the record. This song and video also shows a slightly different style for the band as their past work has a different vibe and purpose in the lyrics and music, it shows they can expand their music range and have success in different areas within music and the video is also different as they normally have more special effects and editing instead of a normal, typical party enviroment.
The intended audience for this music video is young adults from late teenage years, people who are out partying , getting ready to to go out or driving out as it can be played to get people in the mood for a good night. The video acheives this as it shows that it is for young adults before and during parties as that’s what the video is all about.
Kanye West - Amazing directed by Hype Williams
The music video for Amazing by Kanye West was made in early 2009 and released April 23rd, 2009 and was premiered on BET’s 106 and Park. It was directed by Hype Williams in Kauai, Hawaii, a lot of the footage in the video is shots of different locations around the world and Kanye West singing in several locations and as a lot of the footage was shots of the world, it didn’t take too long to shoot. It cost around $200,000 to make and Hype Williams did a good job of making the most of it using a range of incredible locations and effects. Hype Williams in a multi award winning American director specializing on music videos and has worked with some of the worlds biggest stars including Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G, R Kelly and Alicia Keys and has worked on other music videos with Kanye West.
The music video is based mainly around its long camera shot over the top of well known incredible locations in different parts of the world because it relates to the lyrics and title of the song. There is also some interesting Mise-en-scene in shots where Kanye West is singing including at the beginning when the only light is the vibrant fire burning behind him and also when he is standing alone in the middle of a huge rain forest, the video is making a point with its breathtaking locations and setting.
There is a very strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the entire song and lyrics is based around the word ‘Amazing’ whish is also the title, and the entire video is showing ‘amazing’ locations and effects. That’s the effect the video is aiming for and it succeeds creating a nice combination of quality camera shots to go with the lyrics making a powerful statement. This is similar to the relationship between the music and the visual as the song uses a strong beat and vibe and each time there is beat which is constantly repeated, the lyric ‘amazing’ is used and it changes from one overhead shot of a location to another also helping to make a statement and show the style it is looking for. Kanye West is also using powerful body positions throughout the song to go with the lyrics and music trying to get the ‘Amazing’ atmosphere it’s aiming for. Everything about the song and video from the acting, lyrics, music, location, effects etc is making the same statement as it is non stop throughout keeping a consistent beat and lyrics whilst keeping similar locations showed with different shots using similar camera shots.
There is a strong meaning behind the video as Kanye West is trying to promote himself using more very positive, powerful words other than the title and chorus. It is also saying that he is the only person still around and is able to survive challenges equivalent to living in a wild rain forest and surviving off a wood fire, apart from the rapper who also features in the song singing similar lyrics with the same meaning just in a different style. The camera shots used for the shots over the top are representing power and hierarchy as they tower above everything else to once again promote the artist to be ‘Amazing’ and so powerful that even an incredible location like them aren’t as rich. Your initial reaction to the shots of the locations and the setting in which he stands in are that the lyrics are trying to describe these places as ‘amazing’, which it is. There also showing through the survival alone in places such as wild forests and camera shots along with the lyrics that even these places are not on the same level.
There are genre characteristics for R’n’B as there is a verse sang by a different rapper also singing about similar things, in a lot of songs sang by rappers there are other rappers helping to promote the song by featuring in it either singing a big part of small. A lot of rap songs have strong, self confident lyrics and this is no different and it’s shown in the promo, there is also a constant beat and vibrant feel throughout the song which is also conventional of the genre. However, Kanye West also gives the song and video a twist as he makes the culture different. It’s less urban and this is particularly the case in the video as there are no props or other elements you would normally expect to see in a rap video such as bad language, violence, women and cars etc. It is actually the opposite and features a lot of visuals and acting you rarely see in a rap video such as the locations and the lack of people so you could say the artist is trying to give a new style to his identity has a musician as the video represents a slightly different meaning. On some songs if they were titled ‘Amazing’ and had lyrics to relate to success and money, money and related things is what you would expect too see. Kanye West has shown he is creative and not a conventional artist of the Rap/R’n’B genre.
The video and song is a mix of being narrative and concept based, the narrative is because the whole idea of the video is to describe and represent through visuals ‘Amazing’ and that’s what it does the duration of the video and uses good examples of places around the world and survival to do so. It is also concept based because some of the video still sticks to the conventional music video, there are shots of Kanye West singing, but it is very rare in the video to see eye contact made with the camera and the whole video seems as though he’s there singing alone unaware of the cameras. So it is more narrative as it does a good job constantly describing the visuals using the lyrics but it manages to create a good mix of both to make the video more effective.
The promo does a very impressive job of promoting the band as the song itself is already purposely doing a good job of promoting it through its lyrics, and the video is a great way of bringing the two together to really promote Kanye West and the song as a success. There is also nobody else, apart from the other artist, featured in the video so full attention is on him so it is clear that the reason behind the lyrics is to describe him and that’s what it does. It also represents the world through a birds eye view making it look very positive and by switching from shots of him and the locations he can make people put them on the same level and into the same thought and that’s how the video is forcing the audience to see it.
The music video is aimed at many people of different ages from late teens onwards as it has something to appeal to most people. Some people will find just the scenery and experience worth watching even if they don’t like the song itself, this is likely to be older people. Whilst some people, most probably the younger generation will like the song which is what the video is trying to promote anyway, some people may just like the statement the video and song is making. The song isn’t one certain genre of music and is a mix of different genres including rap and pop and can appeal to a range of different tastes in music, making it even more of a success as it can rely on more than just one group of people to buy the record. The video will appeal to everyone as the scenery and shots are interesting and along with the music make a bold statement representing the world from a birds eye view.
The official music video for I Gotta Feeling was released on June 2nd, 2009 after an incomplete version of it was leaked on May 29th, 2009 and it was made earlier in the same year. The video features other music artists such as David Guetta who produced the song, Kid Cudi. Katie Perry, Chantal Jones, members of the indie rock band Gossip, the designer duo Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared and a few well-known personalities of the LGBT community, including Ongina of RuPaul's Drag Race fame. All together it cost around $200,000 to make according to unconfirmed reports on the internet, the filming didn’t take too long too do as a lot of the shots are within the same interior location with the band and other actors and dancers dancing aswell as the band getting ready to go out. There are also some exterior shots of people walking and driving around Hollywood Boulevard. There is a very little amount of shots in particualar that would of took a far greater amount of time to film or make as it sticks to the same relatively basic concept of dancing and jumping around for the majority of the music video.
The director Ben Mor was born in Israel before moving to Nigeria and has directed commercials, music videos, and short films. He is a director whose creativity and style give his videos an immense cinematic quality, no matter the budget or tools he is given to work with.
One of the main assests and strenghs of the music video is the lighting effects produced, which sets a very good dancing vibe for the video, in paticually for the second half when the lighting is dimmed and the band has phosphorescent paint on them while dancing slower to the slower beat and key change. This is the part of the music video when it goes to the next level in terms of the vibe and excitement in the video, music, lyrics and effects and continues for the rest of the song. It makes people want to dance which is what the song and music video is trying to achieve, this links on to the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the song is dedicated to people who are going out, on there way out which is shown at the start, and people who are out having a good time. The lyrics are related to having a good time, which is also shown in the music video and it’s the vibe you get in the music. The relationhip between the music and the visuals is simlar as it’s also showing people having a good time whilst and it’s the vibe you get in the beat of the music and the speed of it, when the key changes, so does the lighting effect and the dancing is slowed down and so is the music.
The genre of the song is R’n’B and that’s what the Black Eyed Peas are known for but for this song they work with dance DJ David Guetta who produced it creating a remix of his dance song as they use the same music beat, so the song has a very dance genre feel to it. There are many characteristics in the song and music video that are dance related as in the lyrics their singing about having a good time dancing, the beat of the song and speed of it is of a song you would dance to at a party and dancing and partying is what the music video is all about. In a dance song, the key and tempo changes as it goes along untill it reaches the end by which it is very up tempo and this is what it used in I Gotta Feeling and transferred into the video as the atmosphere and the dancing tempo also picks up with the music as it goes along. The entire music video is based around a party and dancing and this is typical of other dance song videos that are similar. The lyrics are also typical of an R’n’B song and the way in which the song is sang is likewise as some of the lyrics are rapped and some of them are sang.
The majority of the music video is concept based and sticks to the concept of a party within the video with no narrative and some performance as it is often showing shots of the band singing whilst dancing. The video features a very realistic example of a party showing people dancing and having fun, the majority of it is very natural to the extent that it makes you feel like you are there just enjoying yourself at a normal party. It doesn’t seem like the extra dancers except for the band and guests are aware of the cameras as it rarely shows anyone making eye contact or trying to get attention specifically for the camera and these all make it seem very accidental.
There is very little cinematography in the music video and the song is constantly playing the duration of the video with no cut scenes for speech or any other dialogue. The majority of the video is just showing people having a good time jumping around dancing except for the beginning when it shows the band preparing for it and looking at phones and doing make up etc. This is the only time any of the video appears attentional and seems like band are acting up fot the cameras trying to create the pre going out vibe.
The visual effects in the music video relate back to the lighting effects and phosphorescent paint in the second half of the music video which creates a more up tempo vibrant atmosphere. A lot of the shots are slowed down in time with the music which makes the video more structured as the slowed down shots come in separate parts at the beginning of the video when the music is slowed down and not again untill the same piece of music and beat returns towards the end when the lighting is dimmed. It all comes together to make the video seem more attentional and organised as it doesn’t stick to the same concept the entire duration. There is some intresting bits of editing in the video aswell including a shot when one of the band members is floating still in midair as people walk past seeming unaware of anything not normal and another similar shot when another band member is also floating in midair but coming down whilst dancining, this is in slow motion because it starts as soon as the music slows down. A lot of them main editing in the video is based around the slow motion in which people dance in to the music.
The promo does a good job of promoting the band as it shows the band dancing with a lot of people to their song showing a typical party enviroment which people can relate to. It also represents them well as it shows the type of people they are and how they like to enjoy themselves, it also represents them well musically because it shows that the song is meant for partys for people to dance too and also the car as people will want to listen to it on their way out so people who can relate to this will buy the record. This song and video also shows a slightly different style for the band as their past work has a different vibe and purpose in the lyrics and music, it shows they can expand their music range and have success in different areas within music and the video is also different as they normally have more special effects and editing instead of a normal, typical party enviroment.
The intended audience for this music video is young adults from late teenage years, people who are out partying , getting ready to to go out or driving out as it can be played to get people in the mood for a good night. The video acheives this as it shows that it is for young adults before and during parties as that’s what the video is all about.
Kanye West - Amazing directed by Hype Williams
The music video for Amazing by Kanye West was made in early 2009 and released April 23rd, 2009 and was premiered on BET’s 106 and Park. It was directed by Hype Williams in Kauai, Hawaii, a lot of the footage in the video is shots of different locations around the world and Kanye West singing in several locations and as a lot of the footage was shots of the world, it didn’t take too long to shoot. It cost around $200,000 to make and Hype Williams did a good job of making the most of it using a range of incredible locations and effects. Hype Williams in a multi award winning American director specializing on music videos and has worked with some of the worlds biggest stars including Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G, R Kelly and Alicia Keys and has worked on other music videos with Kanye West.
The music video is based mainly around its long camera shot over the top of well known incredible locations in different parts of the world because it relates to the lyrics and title of the song. There is also some interesting Mise-en-scene in shots where Kanye West is singing including at the beginning when the only light is the vibrant fire burning behind him and also when he is standing alone in the middle of a huge rain forest, the video is making a point with its breathtaking locations and setting.
There is a very strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the entire song and lyrics is based around the word ‘Amazing’ whish is also the title, and the entire video is showing ‘amazing’ locations and effects. That’s the effect the video is aiming for and it succeeds creating a nice combination of quality camera shots to go with the lyrics making a powerful statement. This is similar to the relationship between the music and the visual as the song uses a strong beat and vibe and each time there is beat which is constantly repeated, the lyric ‘amazing’ is used and it changes from one overhead shot of a location to another also helping to make a statement and show the style it is looking for. Kanye West is also using powerful body positions throughout the song to go with the lyrics and music trying to get the ‘Amazing’ atmosphere it’s aiming for. Everything about the song and video from the acting, lyrics, music, location, effects etc is making the same statement as it is non stop throughout keeping a consistent beat and lyrics whilst keeping similar locations showed with different shots using similar camera shots.
There is a strong meaning behind the video as Kanye West is trying to promote himself using more very positive, powerful words other than the title and chorus. It is also saying that he is the only person still around and is able to survive challenges equivalent to living in a wild rain forest and surviving off a wood fire, apart from the rapper who also features in the song singing similar lyrics with the same meaning just in a different style. The camera shots used for the shots over the top are representing power and hierarchy as they tower above everything else to once again promote the artist to be ‘Amazing’ and so powerful that even an incredible location like them aren’t as rich. Your initial reaction to the shots of the locations and the setting in which he stands in are that the lyrics are trying to describe these places as ‘amazing’, which it is. There also showing through the survival alone in places such as wild forests and camera shots along with the lyrics that even these places are not on the same level.
There are genre characteristics for R’n’B as there is a verse sang by a different rapper also singing about similar things, in a lot of songs sang by rappers there are other rappers helping to promote the song by featuring in it either singing a big part of small. A lot of rap songs have strong, self confident lyrics and this is no different and it’s shown in the promo, there is also a constant beat and vibrant feel throughout the song which is also conventional of the genre. However, Kanye West also gives the song and video a twist as he makes the culture different. It’s less urban and this is particularly the case in the video as there are no props or other elements you would normally expect to see in a rap video such as bad language, violence, women and cars etc. It is actually the opposite and features a lot of visuals and acting you rarely see in a rap video such as the locations and the lack of people so you could say the artist is trying to give a new style to his identity has a musician as the video represents a slightly different meaning. On some songs if they were titled ‘Amazing’ and had lyrics to relate to success and money, money and related things is what you would expect too see. Kanye West has shown he is creative and not a conventional artist of the Rap/R’n’B genre.
The video and song is a mix of being narrative and concept based, the narrative is because the whole idea of the video is to describe and represent through visuals ‘Amazing’ and that’s what it does the duration of the video and uses good examples of places around the world and survival to do so. It is also concept based because some of the video still sticks to the conventional music video, there are shots of Kanye West singing, but it is very rare in the video to see eye contact made with the camera and the whole video seems as though he’s there singing alone unaware of the cameras. So it is more narrative as it does a good job constantly describing the visuals using the lyrics but it manages to create a good mix of both to make the video more effective.
The promo does a very impressive job of promoting the band as the song itself is already purposely doing a good job of promoting it through its lyrics, and the video is a great way of bringing the two together to really promote Kanye West and the song as a success. There is also nobody else, apart from the other artist, featured in the video so full attention is on him so it is clear that the reason behind the lyrics is to describe him and that’s what it does. It also represents the world through a birds eye view making it look very positive and by switching from shots of him and the locations he can make people put them on the same level and into the same thought and that’s how the video is forcing the audience to see it.
The music video is aimed at many people of different ages from late teens onwards as it has something to appeal to most people. Some people will find just the scenery and experience worth watching even if they don’t like the song itself, this is likely to be older people. Whilst some people, most probably the younger generation will like the song which is what the video is trying to promote anyway, some people may just like the statement the video and song is making. The song isn’t one certain genre of music and is a mix of different genres including rap and pop and can appeal to a range of different tastes in music, making it even more of a success as it can rely on more than just one group of people to buy the record. The video will appeal to everyone as the scenery and shots are interesting and along with the music make a bold statement representing the world from a birds eye view.
Purposes Of Research
Primary Research - Primary research is you take it upon yourself to collect information that you wouldn't find on the internet such as specific facts and figures. It is more flexible so you can target your research towards information related to you such as people in your class, however this can be harder to find and takes more time than looking on the internet. But the results you get are more reliable as your getting it yourself instead of relying on someone's website that might have incorrect information.
Secondary Research - Secondary research is when you take information from an already used source such as internet sites like Wikipedia and books you would find in the library which is more reliable than a website that could be false information as anyone could make one. You cant search as specific information as you can when you do primary research.
Music Video Director Research
Michel Gondry
"I always hated pretentious commercials and videos before I started directing, not following the typical and saying that people are all fashion. It has always been my goal to make people feel alright when they watch my work."
Michel Gondry is a French director that specialises on music videos but has also done feature and short films as well as commercials; he has worked with many of the worlds top recording artists including Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and more recently Kanye West. He has often been credited for saving and reviving music videos in the 1990’s. He was an artist in Residence at the Massachusetts institute of technology in 2005 and 2006 before directing the video for Paul McCartney’s song ‘Dance Tonight’ in which he makes a cameo appearance, he makes similar sized appearances in other music videos he has directed.
He was born may 8th, 1963 in Versailles in France and grew up there; he is the grandson of Constant Martin and has a teenage son Paul who is also an artist.
He works as though he has a child like perspective and tells stories about people and life through his work often asking questions. Through his work he shows the connection and between our world and nature and society we live in. He uses a lot of special effects and animation to create a surreal environment.
“He is an artist, a musician, a filmmaker all in one”.
Gondry has done a total of seventy music videos since he began directing them in 1988, the first videos he shot were French, before he had made a huge name for himself. He did fourteen French music videos before he did his first non-French video which was by Mark Curry. He had been doing a lot of work with the French rock band Qui Qui when he was recognised by music artist Bjork who asked him to direct the song ‘Human Behaviour’ for her and then went on to do a total of seven videos with her. He has worked with other artists more than once including Daft Punk, Beck, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead and The White Stripes. The style of his music videos often rely on videography and camera tricks with frames of reference. He directed a musical documentary called ‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party’ which was about Chappelle as attempted to have a large concert in a neighborhood of Brooklyn for free. According to the Guniness world record books of 2004, his advert for Levi’s jeans holds the record for most awards won by a TV commercial.
“He is the Picasse of our times! Using clever ideas and not just copying everything.”
Gondry has been able to inspire in many ways and is a pioneer for all music videos, one of his most well known techniques is the famous “bullet time” move in a Smirnoff Vodka commercial that was later used in the Matrix films. He is part of the group of directors to make the leap from music video to feature film along with other top directors, Spike Jonze and David Fincher making his feature film debut in 2001 in Human Nature but got mixed reviews. However he came back to direct Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004 which was a big success.
“That’s the thing about Gondry, even when he doesn’t have anything to tell, he tells it like nobody else”.
He has directed many successful music videos including The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl, Radiohead - Knives Out, Bjork - Declare Independence and Foo Fighters – Everlong. In most of his music videos there was an influence of abstract childhood mainly through toys which he spoke about in a biography quoting he played with and was interested in opening up Lego and Meccano.
"As a child I was interested in the possibilities that Lego and Meccano opened up, to create and invent new discoveries. My cousin and I used Meccano to build a prototype cartoon machine, quite similar to the zoetrope. It was a black circle with a gap to look at the little drawings. One of the stories we drew was about a journey in which you fractal zoom from a larger infinity to a smaller infinity. It started in space, with the planets, and then closed in on the Earth, then the continents, the countries and cities, the streets and the houses, down through a chimney, deep into the wood and right into the little atoms. Then it zoomed back out to the planets again. It was about a minute long, and we were 12 years old.”
This shows he has always had a similarly creative and imaginative mind which has led to the success he has had today with his unique and animated music videos, in particularly shown in the White Stripes video for Fell In Love With A Girl which features a lot of Lego and special effects to create the Lego into a moving animation which he gained a lot of praise for.
“Michel Gondry’s work is so simple, yet so incredible”
Gondry aims for an audience from late teens on wards as he is very technical in his videos and it is his animations and effects with which he creates a story within his videos that he gets a lot of his praise for, it is people who are old enough to understand the story behind his music videos that he aims them too. The animations are interesting to look at and this appeals to the younger generation but for them it is no more than just interesting visuals and it is the story and message that he is trying to put across that makes his music videos what they are. Audience often associate Michel Gondry with his colourful and effective videos and he often gets credit for it when people respond online to his work, for example one person saying “Quirky and colourful, must be a new Michel Gondry Video” as they can recognise his work because of his individual and unique style. People also appreciate his ability to make something out of nothing, one person for example saying on YouTube, “Again, proof that creativity doesn’t hinge on big budgets or heavy editing”. On a review of ‘The Work of Director Michel Gondry’ on imdb.com, one person talks about his child like inspiration saying “The centre of Gondry’s solipsistic solar system is childhood (dreams, puppy loves and memories of school dances)” stating that it radiates creativity. In the same review the person talks about how Gondry will and does challenge himself more and more and that’s its fortunate he’s got big hands even though he’s so small because he can and always seems to find a way to surprise people and pull a new trick out of the bag. The same website has a lot of responses for Gondry’s work with one person saying that “He is the perfect blend of French Naivety and the American just do it mentality, he gets things done which other would dismiss as stupid or impossible before even starting”. Somebody else talk about a more structured and organised side of Gondry’s work saying “No matter how absurd, his work is logically constructed and thought through”. It is clear people like his very creative and unique style of work calling him “A magician and a genius”, but on the negative side one person states “I hope he’ll find a new field or inspiration other than dream analysis” as they believe he needs to add more to his repertoire if he is to gain even more success. But overall people do appreciate his self inspiration and his unique way of staying away from common and already done styles of video, one person says “He skips cliché of rules of Hollywood and does what he wants in his own style and vision”.
Gondry has spoken in an interview on www.collider.com with a fan about his film ‘Science Of Sheep’ and inspirations in his life and career and he says that he tries to avoid influences, but one director that does help him for motivation is Georges Melies and how he reminds him of the person who started the in-camera trick called prestidigitation, the sleight of hand. He says that he was the first person to think of the camera as an extension of tricks, making him somewhat of a role model. However he also states how he doesn’t like to make tribute videos to other directors as he sees it as “a genetic copy than a tribute” and that his opinion of other directors tributes are “a lazy way of getting inspiration” saying that he is a director that sticks to his own original ideas and inspiration. He speaks of working with actors and getting everybody on the same page when it comes to entering the world of the video so it allows them to adjust the tone and communicate it directly; he says there is always a positive energy that comes out of it. He always try to make the effects not look lazy and dislikes it when directors use a green screen to show a city as a location because they can not be bothered to go the location saying it “disconnects the actor from the reality trying to be created around them. He likes to make videos that are personal to him interacting real life and fiction using himself as an “initial laboratory”, this got a lot of good responses including the interviewer who said they loved it and said “it got at the truth of this character” also saying that they can relate to it from their own life. He has spoken of a film that he recently watched, ‘God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of Lost Boys Sudan’ which is about refugees who come to live in America, saying that it has changed his mind and that it has made him realise there is a lot to learn and that we take so much from their culture but don’t give enough back.
"I always hated pretentious commercials and videos before I started directing, not following the typical and saying that people are all fashion. It has always been my goal to make people feel alright when they watch my work."
Michel Gondry is a French director that specialises on music videos but has also done feature and short films as well as commercials; he has worked with many of the worlds top recording artists including Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and more recently Kanye West. He has often been credited for saving and reviving music videos in the 1990’s. He was an artist in Residence at the Massachusetts institute of technology in 2005 and 2006 before directing the video for Paul McCartney’s song ‘Dance Tonight’ in which he makes a cameo appearance, he makes similar sized appearances in other music videos he has directed.
He was born may 8th, 1963 in Versailles in France and grew up there; he is the grandson of Constant Martin and has a teenage son Paul who is also an artist.
He works as though he has a child like perspective and tells stories about people and life through his work often asking questions. Through his work he shows the connection and between our world and nature and society we live in. He uses a lot of special effects and animation to create a surreal environment.
“He is an artist, a musician, a filmmaker all in one”.
Gondry has done a total of seventy music videos since he began directing them in 1988, the first videos he shot were French, before he had made a huge name for himself. He did fourteen French music videos before he did his first non-French video which was by Mark Curry. He had been doing a lot of work with the French rock band Qui Qui when he was recognised by music artist Bjork who asked him to direct the song ‘Human Behaviour’ for her and then went on to do a total of seven videos with her. He has worked with other artists more than once including Daft Punk, Beck, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead and The White Stripes. The style of his music videos often rely on videography and camera tricks with frames of reference. He directed a musical documentary called ‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party’ which was about Chappelle as attempted to have a large concert in a neighborhood of Brooklyn for free. According to the Guniness world record books of 2004, his advert for Levi’s jeans holds the record for most awards won by a TV commercial.
“He is the Picasse of our times! Using clever ideas and not just copying everything.”
Gondry has been able to inspire in many ways and is a pioneer for all music videos, one of his most well known techniques is the famous “bullet time” move in a Smirnoff Vodka commercial that was later used in the Matrix films. He is part of the group of directors to make the leap from music video to feature film along with other top directors, Spike Jonze and David Fincher making his feature film debut in 2001 in Human Nature but got mixed reviews. However he came back to direct Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004 which was a big success.
“That’s the thing about Gondry, even when he doesn’t have anything to tell, he tells it like nobody else”.
He has directed many successful music videos including The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl, Radiohead - Knives Out, Bjork - Declare Independence and Foo Fighters – Everlong. In most of his music videos there was an influence of abstract childhood mainly through toys which he spoke about in a biography quoting he played with and was interested in opening up Lego and Meccano.
"As a child I was interested in the possibilities that Lego and Meccano opened up, to create and invent new discoveries. My cousin and I used Meccano to build a prototype cartoon machine, quite similar to the zoetrope. It was a black circle with a gap to look at the little drawings. One of the stories we drew was about a journey in which you fractal zoom from a larger infinity to a smaller infinity. It started in space, with the planets, and then closed in on the Earth, then the continents, the countries and cities, the streets and the houses, down through a chimney, deep into the wood and right into the little atoms. Then it zoomed back out to the planets again. It was about a minute long, and we were 12 years old.”
This shows he has always had a similarly creative and imaginative mind which has led to the success he has had today with his unique and animated music videos, in particularly shown in the White Stripes video for Fell In Love With A Girl which features a lot of Lego and special effects to create the Lego into a moving animation which he gained a lot of praise for.
“Michel Gondry’s work is so simple, yet so incredible”
Gondry aims for an audience from late teens on wards as he is very technical in his videos and it is his animations and effects with which he creates a story within his videos that he gets a lot of his praise for, it is people who are old enough to understand the story behind his music videos that he aims them too. The animations are interesting to look at and this appeals to the younger generation but for them it is no more than just interesting visuals and it is the story and message that he is trying to put across that makes his music videos what they are. Audience often associate Michel Gondry with his colourful and effective videos and he often gets credit for it when people respond online to his work, for example one person saying “Quirky and colourful, must be a new Michel Gondry Video” as they can recognise his work because of his individual and unique style. People also appreciate his ability to make something out of nothing, one person for example saying on YouTube, “Again, proof that creativity doesn’t hinge on big budgets or heavy editing”. On a review of ‘The Work of Director Michel Gondry’ on imdb.com, one person talks about his child like inspiration saying “The centre of Gondry’s solipsistic solar system is childhood (dreams, puppy loves and memories of school dances)” stating that it radiates creativity. In the same review the person talks about how Gondry will and does challenge himself more and more and that’s its fortunate he’s got big hands even though he’s so small because he can and always seems to find a way to surprise people and pull a new trick out of the bag. The same website has a lot of responses for Gondry’s work with one person saying that “He is the perfect blend of French Naivety and the American just do it mentality, he gets things done which other would dismiss as stupid or impossible before even starting”. Somebody else talk about a more structured and organised side of Gondry’s work saying “No matter how absurd, his work is logically constructed and thought through”. It is clear people like his very creative and unique style of work calling him “A magician and a genius”, but on the negative side one person states “I hope he’ll find a new field or inspiration other than dream analysis” as they believe he needs to add more to his repertoire if he is to gain even more success. But overall people do appreciate his self inspiration and his unique way of staying away from common and already done styles of video, one person says “He skips cliché of rules of Hollywood and does what he wants in his own style and vision”.
Gondry has spoken in an interview on www.collider.com with a fan about his film ‘Science Of Sheep’ and inspirations in his life and career and he says that he tries to avoid influences, but one director that does help him for motivation is Georges Melies and how he reminds him of the person who started the in-camera trick called prestidigitation, the sleight of hand. He says that he was the first person to think of the camera as an extension of tricks, making him somewhat of a role model. However he also states how he doesn’t like to make tribute videos to other directors as he sees it as “a genetic copy than a tribute” and that his opinion of other directors tributes are “a lazy way of getting inspiration” saying that he is a director that sticks to his own original ideas and inspiration. He speaks of working with actors and getting everybody on the same page when it comes to entering the world of the video so it allows them to adjust the tone and communicate it directly; he says there is always a positive energy that comes out of it. He always try to make the effects not look lazy and dislikes it when directors use a green screen to show a city as a location because they can not be bothered to go the location saying it “disconnects the actor from the reality trying to be created around them. He likes to make videos that are personal to him interacting real life and fiction using himself as an “initial laboratory”, this got a lot of good responses including the interviewer who said they loved it and said “it got at the truth of this character” also saying that they can relate to it from their own life. He has spoken of a film that he recently watched, ‘God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of Lost Boys Sudan’ which is about refugees who come to live in America, saying that it has changed his mind and that it has made him realise there is a lot to learn and that we take so much from their culture but don’t give enough back.
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