Closing Post

This blog is now closed.

Thank you for reading my blog, I have had a great time working on this project and I hope that comes across through my work. Everything in the project is under the label 'A-Level NEA Research and Planning'.

Post 10: Reflections on outcomes/ Target audience responses

First edit/rough cut
Initially, my narrative was split across the three verses of my video. I realised that this could leave the choruses lacking in interest and also the storyline not very clear. After a discussion, I was advised early on to place all my narrative at the beginning of the track and then change locations for each verse, going from studio to hot tub and therefore showing a reclamation of the male dominated spaces seen in the opening verse.

Peer Assessment
Good use of colour and narrative was clear and obvious but they thought that editing on the final chorus and largest beat drop needs to be more fast paced. For the instagram, I would benefit from adding more posts and with a wider variety, like pictures from concerts or fan meet and greets. Interview is very believable and gratifies fan needs with the kind of questions I've asked.

Praised on female representations, male peers felt there was a fairly biased male representation as useless/mean but can respect that in a post-feminist world this is necessary in making an ironic point.

Website
Link on one of my tweets ins't working. I also need to include references to my video production company and universal music with copyright signs (as conventionally seen on artist sites). I also need more immediacy value, e.g. what's happening right now, make advert for women's march linked and include a picture to communicate attitudes values and beliefs

29th Oct

Homepage - Need to add buttons to banner and remove blank space near top
News - Re-crop buffalo logo with smoother edges to make it look more professional. Image of shoe needs to be changed to one where we can better see the product. Also, relink the enter now button away from an email as outdated mode of communication

Video edit going well, needs grading and lip sync is off in two places. A couple of shots go on slightly too long and so don't fit with the fast paced, disjunctive editing style I'm going for. Might work to slice two subsequent shots and position them in middle of one.

19th Oct Website feedback

Colour scheme in some places can be an eyesore, when pink is set on blue or vice versa. Maybe link instagram to name to reinforce to fans where to find you, at the moment block images aren't clearly social media based.

Finished product personal responses

Website

I am pleased with the overall outcome of my website and realise now that following convention in this product is much more expected. People need to know exactly what they're getting when they go online e.g. buying music, updating on news. In hindsight, I would've spent more time on graphics, adding cartoons and gifs cross-production instead of just a colour scheme and logo.

Video

I am happy with the fact audience responses have clearly understood the messages and point of my video albeit at different levels of depth. Aesthetically, my artists look, costumes and makeup fit well within the track and genre. Looking back, I would've benefited from planning shots more precisely instead of being experimental on set and therefore spending more time than necessary.

Post 9: Second Webpage

Interview
For my audio visual content I am doing an interview with my artist, similar to the one below with Charlie XCX. I want to give fans a feeling of closeness through insider knowledge and especially in the dance genre where lyrics are often minimal and not overly emotional, hearing what an artist has to say is very important.

 

Rough Script & Plan
I have chosen 4 questions as I want to keep the video down to around 3 minutes to keep it interesting and I have bullet pointed my answers instead of scripting in full as I want it to seem genuine and like my artist has thought of it in real time.

Brand Tie-in

I have chosen to do a brand tie in with Buffalo Shoes and tie this in with some audience interaction by creating a competition. I want fans to send in videos dancing to my track for a chance to win a pair of shoes. This enables me to create synergy with my brand and convey my style attitudes to fans. I decided to allow entries via instagram instead of emailing them in as I think this fits more with the kinds of communication vessels my fans use.

Call to action
In the footer across both pages I've placed a call to action for fans to subscribe for email updates

Call to action for women's protest
To create immediacy value and also to highlight my artists core beliefs in equal rights, I am advertising the January women's march to my fans. This will show my audience a cultural sophistication and social engagement with the real world issues separate from the music industry. I will sandwich the ad either side of two stills of my artist pointing into the camera so the direct address speaks to the fans, similarly to the propaganda of the World War 2 'We can do it!' poster.

Post 8: My Website Homepage

The brief requires me to create a website which I am going to do via Wix and a second linked page.

Design & Inspirations

A website I have largely drawn inspiration from is that of Nicki Minaj, as I feel like of all the ones I've looked at, hers provides fans with clarity of inspiration and clear messages about her design. It rewards fans for visiting with exclusive news and immediacy value.

I'm going to use a colour palette of three colours and I have chosen a pink and blue for my main two as they are replicated in the lighting I use in my music video and in many of the costumes my artist wears.

Layout

I like the use of rolling pages which fans can scroll down and this also works with the idea that fans would view my website via smartphones where they don't want to be clicking too much. Conventionally, artist websites are fairly minimal so having only two pages but very content heavy ones are whats expected.

To create synergy I will splash a video player across my homepage, as shown below on Nicki Minaj's for her most recent single.

A focal image of my persona, as on Nervo's webpage, reinforces my look and identity and so encourages fan engagement with the person rather than just the lyrics.

The layout for my homepage 

I have identified the following checklist of necessities for my webpage

• Masthead with logo
• Promo Shots
• Adverts for latest single/album (usually in a pop up)
• Tour Dates/Bookings/Festivals/Radio appearances
• Merchandising
• Social Media links
• Calls to action to sign up to newsletters
• Links to music videos

Post 7 My Music Video

Content
Narrative Arc
My storyline is as follows: The opening sees my artist come home to find her boyfriend in a hot tub (presumably being unfaithful) with another women. She then tells him to 'bounce' and we see him attempt to get her back with balloons, roses and chocolates. After unsuccessfully getting her to return his calls, the ex-boyfriend cries alone. Mini is then seen carefree and moving on on the set of her new video, channeling her emotion into a DJ performance and song. Her girl gang then pick her back up, have fun with her in the hot tub and dance with her in the studio. Showing the audience the individual power women have, not allowing unfair male behaviour and building strong friendships with others.

Performance
Despite by being in a studio, I want a feeling of closeness to my artist through 'real' shots, therefore I want to do some shoots with a closed set, with either me or one other person on camera. This will enable me to perform comfortably, including winks, laughter and carefree dancing. I have recieved some lip sync tips from an industry professional that will help me. These are:

• Learn lyrics off by heart
• Music video shoots play the song out loud and the artist sings out loud too. This is because convincing lip syncing need to be able to see the neck muscles moving.
• I will watch myself do this in a mirror and keep my facial expressions controlled. 
• I want to channel the meanings of the words so when I do my lyrical analysis I will make sure to incorporate this into the actions
• For example, when I say pronouns like ‘you’ I want to directly address the camera or point into it

Shot list - Visual references

Casting

Locations

I need to use at least two locations, for me one of these is the studio and I am utilising different lighting and performance set ups within this setting. For example, one with the DJ decks out, lit in silhouette with  a white background and another with a pink hue, pink heart shaped balloons and a close up angle. Outside of here I will use the hot tub in my back garden for those shots and a relatives hallway and front door for the shots of the male lead attempting to 'get back' the female. Having reccied these locations to check there is enough lighting and space for long shots I have created the shot lists.

4 Location set ups 

1 interior (school studio), plain white background set up with use of coloured lighting – Have already had studio training day so no need to recce – 

Bedroom interior

Want plain white walls and fairly non-descript bed for actor to sit on with blanket

2 Exterior locations

Hot Tub

Need to be careful with filming times due to natural light making hot tub lights not show up

Remove items from background to look more professional and less like a ‘normal’ household garden

Front door/Hallway

Cannot use home location as not enough natural light and hallway isn’t long enough for desired farming. Aunt's house (Park Nook Gardens, Enfield) is within reachable distance of my actors and has no cars coming past as it is a dead-end street. Therefore less noise pollution or members of the public affecting shots.

Want a house with a modern front door and facing out onto street you should be able to see other houses across the road from it. Should have a window to see outline of actor as he rings doorbell.

Shots from recce:

Post 6: My Artist Profile

My artist is a female disc jockey and singer called Mini.

Mini has a unique style in the dance music industry by being a DJ who not only produces music but also sings on her own samples. This gives her a unique edge and a self sufficient musical style. Her latest track 'Bounce' will be the first from her upcoming debut album. Therefore a lot rides on the video in establishing her ethos, performance style and look.

After reading an article in the New York Times entitled 'women edging their way into the dj booth' I was shocked to find that I previously knew very little about the difficulties that female DJ's face in the dance industry. The reasons stated for this are "An industry predominantly run by men, a lack of female role models and mentors of either gender, and a grueling lifestyle that is disruptive to having a family." Therefore I am going to create an artist persona which fulfills an audience want for female role models that have brains and aren't over sexualised. I want to use my platform as an artist to convey messages about respecting feminity and creativity as something more than a money making scheme.

Mini's look is current and on trend. Blends a mix of 90's rave pieces with modern sports luxe. Below is a style moodboard I have created. In terms of colour palettes I will be using the current fashion trend and dance genre favourite of neon tops and trousers, platform trainers and space buns and high ponytails.

After researching female DJ's and artists I have found often the use of monomyns create memorable artist personas and star identity that is separate from the person beneath.

Mini has made her way up through small clubs in the heart of London, to now playing on the international dance festival circuit in Ibiza, Berlin and globally. She promotes an aspirational, city-centric lifestyle that will resonate with a media savvy audience. Mini is fiercely femenist in a post modern setting and this is a key value I want to communicate through cross media marketing, her activism and political involvement is a key feature I want to communicate.

I have created a logo (below) which is simple and will feature across all my media brands, incorporating itself into the titles of my video and appearing on my website and other audio-visual content. Many artists use this kind of iconography to visually reinforce their identities. I thought the idea of a pink heart connotes the subverted feminity and 'cute' image I want Mini to put out to fans.

Influences

I am taking particular inspiration from two female artists, Flava D and Charlie XCX as they are both popular female DJ's hailing from the UK, like my artist. They are respected in the industry for being trailblazers of unique styles of music and fashion

Flava D
She is a producer and DJ and has been from the age of 16. She is involved in grime, drum and bass and bassline music and is often touring the clubs and events of England and Europe. She is from Bournemouth and is well respected in the industry for bringing accessibility to female producers and female listeners. I admire the way her record label 'Butterz' have utilised cross media convergence, starting from a weekly show on Rinse FM radio to creating an entire label.

Charlie XCX

Charlotte Emma Aitchison (2 August 1992), also known as Charli XCX, began performing at underground raves and signed with Asylum Records in 2010. She's known for her dance/electropop and her influences included Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. Her brand has been built up through social media platforms like Instagram and Tumblr. She uses her platform to be an activist, regularly campaigning for women's and LGBT rights and a sophisticated modern day generation responds well to this.She directed a 2015 documentary on gender equality, The F Word and Me, for BBC three.

Post 5: My project Proposal/ Response to the Brief

My brief requires me to produce a three minute dance music video, commissioned by Universal Music and produced by an independent media production company. Also, a website with a homepage and one linked page. I will create a clear sense of branding for my artist persona across these two products.

My Independent Media Production Company

Palmer Media Ltd.


London based cross platform production team specialising in visual media.
Aim to promote forward thinking media with a social/cultural awareness. As many production companies I researched like Luti media work in conjunction with independent directors I envision that mine hires a female entrepreneur who works closely with my artist, similarly to the partnership formed by Sarah McColgan and Charlie XCX. As shown the credits for the music video 'Boys' sees the two work simultaneously as directors within the bounds of the Atlantic Records production company. From my research around smaller production companies, I can see a clear theme of expressing complex ideas via symbolism rather than overly detailed mise en scene that we associate with high budget outlets.

Idea and inspirations

Having spent a long time researching and planning I have taken a lot of my inspirations from the music videos of Lily Allen. For example 'Smile' and 'Hard out Here'.



In her biography 'My Thoughts Exactly' she talks about the Hard out Here video in a way which particularly influenced mine. "I wanted the video to reflect the songs sentiment and hard edged anger. I wanted it to show exactly what women singers are expected to do in videos and at the same time undermine that expectation. And I wanted to do it with humour as well as rage. She also creates a unique style, converse and prom dresses, lots of blingly jewellery that I'm going to base some of my outfits on.

How each artefact will connect with each other

I am going to create the blue and pink colour scheme across my website, lighting and costumes thereby throwing out the gender stereotyped colour motifs. Social media will be the main way I create synergy, posting on instagram and twitter about my website, audio visual interview and music video itself. This is also the way I feel I will best connect with my AB culturally sophisticated audience as they are tech savvy, use apps and smartphones profusely and understand the 360 degree marketing process needed for fan involvement with star personas.

Casting

I need to represent at least two different social groups within my media products. I needed to cast 4 roles. These are essentially stereotypical characters, the boyfriend, the other woman and the supportive friends, I am going to widen representations by subverting these tropes, not casting conventionally attractive bodies or media representations of beautiful friends and heartthrob males.

Top Songs
After widely researching an array of dance music genres, looking at disco, drum and bass, house etc. I narrowed my options down to three tracks featuring female vocals as my artist persona is female and both produces and samples on her tracks. These were:
Calvin Harris ft. Kelis - Bounce
Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello
Dee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart

I eventually chose 'Bounce' because I thought the soprano vocals work with the small stature of my persona and the name Mini corresponding to a squeaky and high pitched vocal. I also think that repetitive choruses and a catchy hook will lend themselves well to fast paced editing and an easily organised narrative structure.

My video is going to be a postmodern view on modern romance. Having analysed the lyrics, I can see that this song is about a female moving on from a breakup, however, I'm going to turn these conventions around by putting the female in the position of the 'dumper' rather than 'dumpee'. My video will feature a mix of performance and narrative.

Overall Time Plan
Roughly these are my aims per month for the project, in order to meet the deadline and keep my products to a high standard.

August - Research and Planning

September - Production & Website creation

October - Post-production, feedback and finalisation

Half term - Deadline

Post 4: Representation

My AB, culturally sophisticated audience are used to seeing diverse, accurate and intelligent media portrayals and so I need to reflect that in my coursework.

Charlie XCX - BOYS

Charlie XCX's self directed music video for her song "boys" garnered a lot of media attention
“They’re basically doing all the sexy things that girls usually do in videos,” she said. “I started thinking about all the guys that I’ve worked with or met [throughout all] my years in the industry... I just want to flip the male gaze on its head and have you guys do the sexy stuff.”

Sexuality

This Years & Years video features a Bisexual romance in the storyline, reflecting the identity of its frontman Olly Alexander. He also plays with gender stereotypes visually through feminine costumes, wearing makeup and attention to the male form. This kind of normalisation of LGBT people is so important in spreading awareness and acceptance. As many media theorists agree, more widespread representations have positive effects on tolerance.

Marina and the diamonds - How to be a Heartbreaker

• Reclaiming female sexuality - images of scantily clad men
• Role reversal of women as active pursuer of men and men as passive objects
• Could be considered fairly hypocritical as the males are overly sexualised & video takes pleasure in women as deviants

Post modern femininity

Post modernist representations aim to reflect and distort the mirror the media holds up to our society. We favour irony, surrealism and hyperrealism to create more diverse and unusual representations that challenge traditional ones. A modern day youth audience expect to see this is the media they consume.

Annie Mac is a new and exciting female representation we are seeing in the media. Not only is she a female DJ and radio presenter, she is presented as cool and femenine and yet her talent allows her to be respected in a desexualised format.

 Annie Lenox - "I'm all for freedom of expression, but this is clearly one step beyond, and it's clearly into the realm of porn. How do you stop your kids being exposed to it?"

The Male Gaze - Laura Mulvey
Mulvey's theory is based around the perception of women in the media from a straight male point of view, this has arisen largely from lack of diversity in directors and the media industry, where little oppurtunity for female input has allowed a narrow and often unfair viewpoint. The male gaze often denies female identity, focusing on physical attributes solely and portraying women as disposable and sexual objects. She also explores the negative effects this has on young women watching these videos, which can lead them themselves to view women in this way, thus creating a dominant reading in our society which has only begun to be questioned in a post feminist era.

Her game changing essay from the 1970's 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' has been hugely influential. The Freudian idea of Scopophilia, when we get sexual pleasure from the art of looking brings feelings of narcissism and guilt, however Mulvey explains the guilt is removed when a subject is unknowingly watched or when we are in the anonymity of a dark cinema. This results in active males and passive females.

Lacan's ideas also influenced Mulvey who explains that the mirror stage in the media is about seeing your identity visually reflected in the film you're watching.

Van Zoonen

This theorist explores dominant ideas about gender roles. Gender is constructed or performative adn meaning varies according to cultural or histroical contexts. In teh mainstream media these codes are used both visual and in narratives to construct an objectified female body rather than the typical male body as spectacle. This assumes a heterosexual gaze occuring and doesnt fit with LGBT views on objectification which make for much more complex representations.

'The recurring images of women in popular media have some influence on how people think of women in real life' Railton/Watson

For example - 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus & the male gaze
The camera here plays the role of the voyeur, the unnoticed watcher. However, at one point in the video the gaze is returned by the female object giving the women some agency and empowerment (though still very little)




Manic Pixie Dream Girls


 
The term was coined by a journalist though this version of femininity has been around for centuries. The idea is explained well in this video about how the film '500 days of Summer' explores this trope and eventually punishes the male character, leaving him alone because he has spent his entire relationship constructing an optimistic and unrealistic feminine identity.

Post 3: Codes and Conventions

Videos generally follow three strands in combination to deliver messages.

Performance Videos

Early music videos were performance orientated – e..g. filming live performances from gigs concerts

These featured shots of stages and crowds for atmosphere and involvement
Performance videos use the following conventions:

‘real life’ – the band messing around, warming up, shots from the point of view of audience members looking up at the stage

‘spectacle’ = direct audience interaction

Motif = echoed throughout videos// iconography

Unusual performance settings e.g. rooftops/forests

Narrative videos
Lyrically explanative – could be used in opposition to the song to make a social comment

Performer can play themselves or a character they create – think Katy Perry

Resembling a mini film/ short film and in recent years as music videos have become more of an event than just a marketing tool, the idea of releasing them essentially as a short film has become popularised. For example, Taylor Swift's bad blood video:

• Marketing began 10 days before release via social media posts
• Used teaser images of well known celebrities cast as characters
• " "Bad Blood" creates a culture where girls want to be a part of that friend set, she says. "It's something that they aspire to see and be a part of." 
• Song came out prior to video release, enabling it to be recast in a new light through visuals

Enigma codes

Stereotypical representations

Intertextual references or found footage – film references

Some use a mixture

Electro House

The song I have chosen fits into the electro house genre, within the wider genre of dance music. This is typically identified by a prominent bassline and 125-135 beats per minute.

Easter eggs

The term is said to have been coined from the film 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' when the cast had an easter egg hunt on set and some of the unfound eggs appeared in the film.
They can be beneficial in drawing in fans and keeping audience attention as the look for these easter eggs.

Conventions of dance music videos
Lifestyle
Music artists are well known for fame and wealth and the perks that come with this. Frequent shots of models, cars, houses and boats that are not necessarily the artists own are used to imply affluent and aspirational lifestyles.

Title Shot - My music video must involve a title shot with the name of the artist and song. This is integral for my video as my artist is up and coming and therefore it is helpful to remind the video audience of who they are. These are generally used in the recurring font/graphics for the artist persona.


Sports // Movement
Extreme sports or fast paced aerobic style movement lends itself very well to the dance genre, as aside from playing in clubs etc. tracks like these will often be found in accompaniment to sports/dance classes due to there high, adrenaline pumping tempos. They are useful in casting visuals in time to the fast BPM.

Intertextuality
A favourite is often films from popular culture. Also other videos from said artist e.g. Lily Allen trigger bang features locations from her previous videos and a prop of her debut album within the opening setting. This is particularly relevant for a 'culturally sophisticated' demographic as they will enjoy being intellectually stimulated and spend time spotting the references. There is less danger of them not 'getting' the intertextual references.

Dance sequences
Typical of almost all dance music videos, a range of dancers and dance styles are usually explore, even if they do not fit with the genre. For example the Lean On video features Indian and Bollywood influences which create genre hybridity.

Performance Shots
For dance music videos where live music is less of a key factor, typical shots would be those of the technical equiptment. Also performance shots repeat costumes, set ups and lyrical visualisation to create visual hooks and motifs.

Beauty Shots
It's interesting to note the lack of these shots in male artist videos. Usually we see a heavily made up close up of a female performer, looking directly into the lens. Goodwin desribes these as 'visual hooks'.

Club shots
Often used in conjunction with dance or performance shots, many artists reference locations where the music would actually be listened to/danced to to inspire audiences to venture out of the world of the video and potentially spend their money on listening to the track in a different setting.

Product Placement

This is a well known revenue source, particularly when brand partnerships and sponsorship are ever important in a changing industry.

 “As little as $5,000 and as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the integration and the artist,” Lockwood reports. “Brand dollars are more important than ever to us. It allows us to make more and better videos -- and we like to showcase brands in the very best possible light.”

Editing

Carol Vernallis 'The Kindest Cut - Functions and meanings of Music Video Editing' (2001)

Narrative can be partial or fragmented and is generally a response to the music or lyrics. Structure may be disjointed too and thereby create enigma codes for the audience to follow and a resolution is not always found at the ending. Often montage styles are used with narrative playing a small role in moving the song along.

Editing often cuts in time to lyrical phrases or the beat of the song. Continuity editing is not followed in the same way as a traditional Hollywood cinema narrative becoming 'foregrounded' and obvious with multiple jump cuts to different times, locations and costumes. Rules such as the 180 degree rule are broke, frames see extreme juxtapostions and a style that runs through the video as a whole.

A wide range of shot lengths, types and distances are used sometimes in time with the music and the camera may move to the music or use master shots frequently.

The world of the video setting or 'diegesis' often confuses audiences through slow reveals and enigma codes that create gaps in audience understanding and result in endearing videos which keep viewers excited and paying attention for there duration.

Dance Styles

Dance styles are created in conjunction with the BPM of a genre of music and will often be performed in the video or created my fans outside of it. This generates a buzz around the song, for example the song 'Black Beatles' inspired many fans to post on social media doing the 'Mannequin challenge' giving the song and artist more buzz and exposure.

Goodwin - Codes and conventions

Visuals will illustrate, amplify or contradict lyrics

Thought beats - lyrics and visuals

Genre style & Iconography

Creation of a recognisable brand image

Voyeurism in relation to women - the male gaze

Websites

Websites not only create brand synergy through anchoring the artist to a different place than their music but also are products in an of themselves which encourage purchasing, fan interaction and immediacy value. I analysed Charlie XCX's webpage which she has made through her tumblr account, integrating social media into her brand.

Landing page
Artists websites are laid out fairly minimally with one long rolling page for the first thing audiences click to. A large picture of the band or artist is generally featured in a wash across the homepage with the most recent video/tour/merch featured in a pop up or box at the top. For Charlie XCX her latest single '1999' and a call to action in the button 'listen now' provide fans with immediacy value and a call to action. Similarly in the Major Lazer homepage we see a YouTube link to their latest video.

Calls to action - Sign Ups

Usually found in the footer of the page or in popups

Social media
Social media links, often depicted with icons create cross platform synergy and technical convergence as they allow fan interaction through comments, likes and follows while keeping them up to date with artist news.

Menu bar
Convention of any website and will display my 'Home' page and 'News' page in a header bar across the top right hand side.

Selling points - Merch

Original Images of band artist
I need a minimum of two original images, these are often displayed as a full size focal image across the screen, while other images may be used to advertise shoots and album/single covers from the artist. It further communicates there look and fashion style and may help[ inspire fans to purchase clothing from the online store.

Videos

As specified in the brief, my video will be displayed on my website, allowing fans to link to YouTube and view the latest content released from my artist. Having online stores also inspires purchase of the single, especially after seeing a visual representation of it.

Colour Scheme - Usually a palette of 3/4 colours are used which fits with the artists aesthetic. Fonts and graphics are consistent and minimal enabling memorable styles appropriate to the artist.