Evaluation

Evaluation for music video

Over the past few weeks of this term, we have been exploring what goes into making and making our own Music Video. As few of us have experience in making a music video, it was very hard work and we had to overcome a lot of obstacles.
So to get us warmed up for this and experienced for the real thing, at the start of the term we were set a task of taking a Barry Manilow song, and record a music video to it, and most importantly get used to lip syncing so it became in time with the song. Overall our group of me, Tom, Dan and Bobby, worked really well together and produced a good video with a variety of shots that worked well with the music, and as it was the first time we had done anything like that I was extremely happy with the outcome, and for the real music video we kept basically the same group apart from we inherited Ayo into our group while Dan went to another group.
So after we had done that we then moved onto planning our music video, we got into our group, and went onto the Mac’s there was a programme called Garage band, we searched that for any backing beats we could use, and help structure the song with the appropriate music. It had thousands of beats and tunes we could put on, so not only was it easier to produce but for a one off we could use the song and just keep it on the computer, and transport it from file to file, computer to phone etc..
This was a good move to use this I think, although it meant it could not be performed live, we only needed it for a one off, and it was a lot easier to do it this way where it was already there for us rather than searching for instruments, singers etc..
Once we had established the beat and decided it was appropriate and worked with the song. We needed to come up with the idea and story for the video, all 4 of us went home that night and worked out 4 different ideas we could use, and either use one, or collaborate them all together to get one good idea.
When we all explained the idea, we all noticed that in all of our ideas we had one thing in common, a journey or walk story, so in the end we decided to collaborate all our ideas together and have a journey from different places to college which would be our Destination for the journey. We decided to add bits in such as it would be a dream and all four of us would come from different places, so we had me coming from Christchurch Park and all my shots in there coming back from there. Bobby from Cardinal Park, Tom from Portman Road and Ayo from Tower Ramparts. These are all well known established parts of town so we thought the audience watching could relate to these. I woke up on a bench and the shot showed me dashing to get back to college. All of the shots of all of us were different shots of us rushing back to college. We had to be careful we wore the same clothes if we came back and recorded because otherwise it would’ve looked weird to the audience if one shot I was wearing a shirt and the next a jumper.
So after we had fully established the idea and done all the paper work to plan it, storyboards, risk assessment etc… We had to think of lyrics to go with it; we had to make sure they were relevant and went with the beat, we all went off and wrote our own, came back and made sure they all fitted with the song.
We then went to a recording studio and sung our lyrics, then put them on a pen drive so they could be included in the song. We found this good because we went to the music section of the college, where they have all the best equipment.
When we got round to the filming of the video, we planned it out before hand, with a schedule so we knew where we should be at what time, and so we could fit it all in the allocated time. We managed to do this and by the end of the week had all the adequate and relevant footage, we had it all to edit in the next week.
So all of the next week we edited it, as we had logged and captured it, we could go straight into editing it, this meant lip syncing it which we had already practiced with the Barry Manilow work, so we done that and also edited everything so it went with the music, selected the shots we wanted to use from the ones we had taken. Also we cut down each shot and made sure it was the right length and cut out any black bits of any shot.
The week after this we wrote all the research and what we had found out whilst making the video, skills etc… We also had the chance to watch the other groups videos, and from what I saw the majority of ideas worked really well and everyone got on as a team, some were a bit out, and looked a bit amateur but as this was all our first attempts I thought they were excellent. I especially liked Stuarts groups ideas where they shot all there’s in one shot and just edited it with movement angle, speed and subtitles. That idea was very well structured, and left me whilst I was watching very engaged.
The things that worked well was that our group got the best out of each other because we were all friends, and all knew we would work well as a team and came up with constructive ideas for each other, and that was evident in our music shots, we all contributed with different ideas for shots. Also we all arranged to meet at certain times and came in at them times, otherwise if we had not it would be very mixed up, but we all came at the right times and this enabled us to go to schedule and have things done and over with in the right time.
Our all round shots worked well we used a variety of angles and shot types, these all added effect to the impression we were trying to give to the audience. I very much enjoyed making the beats on the computer and the freedom we were allowed, there was a very wide spectrum of ideas we could’ve used, for example when we looked at each others videos, all 5 were totally different to one and other. When we were watching it back a member of the class commented on one of the shots with the police car in the background and said it was “outstanding” this was obviously pleasing to hear good feedback such as this.
As it was only our first attempt at this some things were bound to go wrong, and as we took it from the computer to computer, the different speeds of each machine meant as we watched it back the lip sync looked a bit out. As well as this the continuity could’ve changed a bit for example; Ayo was wearing different clothes in 2 of the shots.
Had we had more time than we had, we would’ve been able to address these issues I also would’ve added in a variety of shots, and maybe different effects such as “Green Screen” to help the effects of the shots.
Overall I was very happy with the way things went and I thoroughly enjoyed the task as a whole, I mostly enjoyed the freedom we were allowed to do what we want, rather than be limited to themes, this enabled us to get the best from what we had. As it was my first attempt it was never going to be perfect, but as a group we pulled together and put together what was a very well established music video, and our tutor said it was “ a very good” piece of work. If I did it again I would perhaps add in more shots, and review it a bit more and perfect it, but other than that there were no major issues. Doing this rotation has made me see a different side of talents I may have, such as shot choosing, and editing, that I had never done before, and overall I thought I worked hard and found something I enjoyed doing. Of the opportunity came around to do something like this again, I would jump at it, I would also like to thank the tutors for the support we were given throughout the project.

Pre production work

Interactive media.

Interactive media is new to technology although thought of before, the equipment to really emphasise its use has only come about of late and the world of the Internet and media has made the most of it. Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio etc.. It is designed to make the user a lot more user-friendly. And to make things easier to use, quicker and a lot less active between the user and machine. Ont he system the machine can take a quicker easier route, however the user can be in control of what is playing and it is designed to designate exactly what the user wants. Although most machinery of a computing system is meant to be user friendly, interactive media so the name says emphasises this and interacts the user and the machine to get what is really wanted.
However despite being accepted mainly by the technical work and there is no doubt it enables the user to have an easier time, people have had complaints against it. Lev Manovich an expert in media of all time and a professor, says "to call a computing device interactive is simply stating a basic fact". And that the idea is simply tautology. The fact remains it has proved a hit and is very useful to computing.

A lot of interactive areas in computing systems are on the computer itself, specifically the Internet, many websites are run by TV or Radio companies which themselves can advertise there company through a website. But for advertising to take place they need viewers onto there site, and they do this by including interactive parts to their site that are user friendly and will make the user want to not only go onto the site but stay on it as well, and they will have no choice but to gain information from being on the page. Companies that do this include BBC i player, ITV catch-up, 4OD. These companies use Internet for an outlet before information is easily found, many people use it, and it is incredibly good to transport information and advertising across. The Internet is used for fun, entertaining, video and music. However with such a broad scale of information, in which it is very hard to monitor multi millions of people that use it a day, there will always be problems. As it is free to use for everyone and despite warnings children use it and sometimes they can gain TOO much information. People can take advantage of people over the Internet through Cyber-conversation. As well as this over the years of the Internet there have been issues with Cyber-Bullying in which teasing and worse can be started from I.M sites on Internet. Viruses can be hidden under certain sites, sometimes video sites if you click a video a virus can be hidden and take over the computer. As far as interactive media problems are concerned videos can be difficult to use if it's on an old computer videos may not have enough band with or the right programme, so money may have to be spent on a new computer.

More or less everyone who owns a computer has an E-Mail address, so companies can see this as a golden opportunity to send E-mails advertising there company, it will turn up in there inbox, and they will be forced to at least see the title of the Email if not more. So there is always going to be a certain amount of advertising. The companies will get the Email address either if the customer when they join gives it away or gives it away to other sites, the companies pay them for there address and look to make the money back through what they are selling to the person they have Emailed. The title of the Email that the user will read will often be a very catchy line for example "Get half price holidays to Australia now". And although they are not allowed to lie, on these titles they can over exaggerate things, and it may just turn out to be half price flights, but they will have already made you look at it by the time you find out and have showed the idea to you. They may include videos of the product they are advertising to give information to the viewer. It is very annoying for the user, who keeps on getting spam Emails, also on Facebook you can get them and it does start to get in the way and very annoying for the user, so it could backfire on the company and the user may be annoyed with the company.

DVDs are a very popular use for media and a lot of things can be put on them. Either to extract mass storage data from one thing or another

Textual analysis of two videos (research)

This video is one of my favourite videos ever made, but a artist i very much enjoy. 'We made you' Is a single of Eminem's album Relapse released in 2009, it was released 7 April in that year. Produced by mentor Dr. Dre. The video for this is a very entertaining one with a subliminal message that 'We made you' Meaning Eminem is trying to say to all the celebrities doing stupid things. They wouldn't be where they are now without being 'made' by the public and other people.

The video between shots mainly focuses on Eminem as himself rapping on a Guitar Hero game set out, with the aspects of the game going passed him and him standing on the track line, this shows yet another aspect of pointless entertainment in Eminem's mind.

However in other shots he dresses up or gets actresses to dress up as celebrities in the media spotlight so Eminem, can basically rip there reputation to pieces in a matter of words. Jessica Simpson, Bret Michaels, Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Alba, Elvis Presley, Tony Romo, John Mayer, Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian. These are all the people Eminem features in his video, and all of them he has a go at in some form of a way. To portray this the person he gets t play Sarah Palin is known as a "Pornographic actress. And as you can see in the video every person he does comment on is portrayed or dressed up as in maybe not an accurate reflection but certainly a very humorous and entertaining way. Which after all we'll get people watching it, we'll stick in peoples head, and gain publicity one of the major points of a video?

The main focuses of the video is when the word "RockStar" come in there is a caption that comes out saying "RockStar" This is to portray the parody of the video from "Rock of love" as it is like their symbol.

Throughout the video when you are watching it random objects and camera shots come up. Every shot contains people of some sort, Eminem himself being in a lot of them, also people he's ridiculing will be in the shots, played by actors anyway. Although 50 cent and Dr. Dre both appear as themselves. He even has a go at himself in an elf pink Tshirt and says "looking like someones outfit" and showing him wearing a very small pink Tshirt. However as this is yet another shot of him it will no doubt count as publicity and advertising, so it works in his favour whereas opposite effect when he is ridiculing someone else and tarnishes there reputation. Random objects are seen in lots of shots, such as; Hamburgers, star trek suits cuddly toys, men dressed as bears, these are all relevant in the shots in someway but just add to the hilarity of the shots themselves. The main focus of things on set or screen that come up is whenever in the chorus the word "Rockstar is said" the caption depicting "Rock of love" comes up. This again is to parody another show. And basically just prove he can.

A massive variety of shots are used in this video and i think Eminem and Joseph Kahn put them in as they very watchable and do keep you watching. For example, there is a cu of Jessica Simpson, as this what shes all about being in front of the camera and gaining Media spotlight. The shot with Sarah Palin uses a lot of angles, swings to different people in the shots and has CU's of their expressions throughout the shot. Also perhaps the best example is when Eminem is rapping with the Guitar Hero going passed him as it does look like he's in the game and is a very good idea from Joseph Kahn, also in the chorus it switches from MCU to CU of Eminem a lot.

There are many effects used to match the light-hearted, and entertaining factor of the video. The costumes used are very extreme and over the top, for example Sarah Palin half dressed to portray her reputation of being "sexy politician" and Amy Winehouse drinking with make up all smudged, clothes hanging off looking very rough. Thought bubbles are used with pictures to show what people are thinking. Without doubt the best visual effect used is that of the Guitar Hero bass line how it fits in with Eminem and how realistic they make it look. Keeping Eminem in shot and making it work with the video, it really was a very good idea from Kahn.

The lyrics in the song are very clever, they are both effective and flowing which is important as it gives out messages and is still a good song. It rhymes well and goes with the music. When he is talking about another person there is a shot that is either of them or relevant to them, and in the chorus it shows him making hand actions or body language to portray what he is saying. When he says "Gluteas Maximum" there is a shot of him acting as if he is indeed feeling her Gluteas Maximus. Any other shots that are not verses are filled bu the ongoing parody of Star Trek or Eminem rapping on the Guitar Hero bass line. Overall such is the credit it has received it works tremendously well.

Throughout the song the video takes different speeds and rhythms, it does not follow a consistent beat, which although unusual is effective and makes it very good to listen to. The fast bits are matched by fast rapping and fast shots, that change camera angles quickly. And the slower bits for example at the end when he is talking about Amy Winehouse in rehab, it slows down and then speeds up when he is speaking, that is effective. The most noticeable part of the music and camera shots, is that when the "RockStar" bit comes up the music stops and then continues when the caption has gone, this is so the main focus is on the caption.

The video itself does feature a lot of messages and the mise-en-scene, which i looked at a moment ago has messages and meaning. Every shot and every detail is looked at to make sure it is right. For Example in the Sarah Palin shot the accessories behind the desk, the flag, the picture, the head of animal, all portray different things. The desk and flag meant to look like political and native, but the head of an animal is stereotyped as being from Alaska she hunts animals. There is a bit of inter-textuality obviously the RockStar caption is writing that is meant to bed by the audience, the thought bubble portrays information without text, just showing pictures of what he is thinking. And the clothes and what is on shot does give out messages or signals of what the shot is about. For example, Eminem's pink Tshirt in the shot with him.

The video is very different from the stereotype of a hip hop Video. I mean in very few hip hop videos do you see mean dressed up as teddy bears, or Eskimos being sick. This is because it isn't like many other hip hop songs it focuses more on the entertainment side and isn't about Eminem himself, it is about other people. At the same time it does have the same effect as a hip hop video and earns respect because he dares to say what he is saying, and dares to use the shots he does. The shots do not have Fast cars, Half naked women in clubs (Although of course it does have half naked women on the shots) Not the type of thing that you would expect from a video of it's type. Yet it did win Hip hop's most prestigious video award, I think everyone enjoys the difference and the entertainment aspect, the comedy of the shots of people the viewers will recognise. And the Director and Eminem have thought about that hard, and it has payed off very well, it could've easily gone drastically wrong and been a very poor video just showing people badly dressed up. But Kahn showed why he is such a respectable Director.

Unusually again for a video there isn't much of a narrative or storyline, yes it does focus on celebrities a lot and lots of the shots are about them, but there isn't really a storyline. Although i do not think it needs one as it is extremely fun to watch anyway. He does go in order of slagging people off and the shots are relevant to what he is saying so it's not completely random, and it doesn't lose the viewer. Also at the end you can tell when the video is going to end because the music slows and the shots get slower. The Star Trek spoof scenes, of which there are four go in order and have a certain storyline to them, where Dr. Dre is the captain, Eminem comes on and crashes the ship. And the alternative shots of different celebrities are in chronological order.

This video however is not unlike others in it's purpose, and although sending out a message it does what Eminem wants and gives him major publicity, as he is in lots of the shots either as himself or dressed up. The fact that the video is funny and entertaining, will mean the viewer will go away having a positive perception of Eminem, and see him as a very good entertainer and maybe make them watch another one of his videos. the recognition it has received from MTV awards, and the Grammy it received, show it has been accepted extremely well, and this is obviously major publicity for Eminem as it shows his name up in lights, and a lot of people are watching. The video itself is entertaining and people may watch it again just for a laugh or recommend it to other people, thus giving the song more listens to make it more popular and push it up the charts, and in the end as what it's all been about all the way through give the artist more pounds, or dollars in this case.

Hip hop fans although maybe not seeing the usual, average, "playboy" Video will accept this video a lot because it is funny, and respectable because of what he says and how he says it. And the song itself does feature very good verses and rapping from the man himself, which is what Eminem fans come to expect when hearing a song by him. As it is very funny, but the comedy is very immature but still funny at the same time, maybe people who are serious may not find it to funny and see Eminem as a bit of a "fool" (many people do!). But I've showed it to my Parents both who are old! And they find it very funny, so this proves to me it must be a naturally funny video. And most people of whatever interests watch it, will find it "entertaining" which is what the video is aimed to do... Entertain.

Overall i think the video is very effective and does what it is supposed to do, Although not the usual Hip Hop/ Rap video it still works very well. The shots from camera and what is on set add to it very well, and whichever way you look at it, it is an entertaining video be it for the right or wrong reasons. Despite this it has had mixed reviews, The guardian saying " Eminem should stick to what he does best, and stay away from this" Whereas other sources saying "Hilariously funny, and at the same time a very good song, from the king of entertainment" From a Youtube user. All in all though he has made a video that is entertaining and gets people talking. It has won numerous awards including at MTV music videos "Video of the year" so it must have done something right. And it does entertain and give him publicity, popularity fame and of course money which is what all this in the end is for.

'Hey ya' by OutKast was released September 9th 2003, with the music video on which i will be concentrating on released September 5th in the same year. It was directed by Bryan Barber who has directed other music videos such as; Anastasia's smash hit "left outside alone" and Cornish act Joss Stone. This is a video i enjoy because of the enjoyment and feel good factor that comes with it as well as being a big fan of OutKast and Andre 3000 who is also in the video.

The main point of the video is that is set and based on The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9th 1964, however the video is set out so it is portrayed as being played in London this is shown at the start when the manager of OutKast portrayed as The Beatles says "i haven't come over the big sea for nothing" talking presumably about the Atlantic Ocean. When they are introduced by "Ed Sullivan" he announces them as OutKast with the band members in black and white through the camera lens. This is how Sullivan introduced The Beatles back in 1964.

All through the video you can see they have tried to adapt almost exactly to the show. They are each wearing green outfits and the set in the back ground is predominantly green. All the instruments are shown when they cut to a mid shot of the set, portraying a live act. There is also an audience who are very supportive and add to the atmosphere of the show. Through every shot that is shown in the video it is either of the band and set or of the crowd, there is no other alternative shots from outside the set or crew. One of the shots the video often cuts to is that of the camera man with an old 60's camera and shows a black and white shot through his lens of either the audience or the set itself. It is a very good idea from Director, Barber. The set is laid out so it can all be put on one shot with instruments and the band members, backdrops and lights can also be seen from the shot, and this adds to the all round feel that you are watching a live TV show.

Throughout the video, despite the limited space they are constantly adapting and changing to different shots. The one most used is the mid shot of the band and the set which just gives an overview of what happens. Also they cut to shots of the audiences reactions which acts as if live. They seem to alternate between these two parts of the studios, and if someone from the audience is doing something that is relevant to the video it will cut to a shot that will focus on them. Or if the lead singer is performing they will focus on him, if there is an instrumental they will focus on the band and the instrument that is playing. The shot that i think is the most interesting and effective, is when the music video camera, shoots the camera man who is an actor portraying the camera man on Sullivan's show from 1964. It focuses on his old camera and the screen on the camera to show what is being recorded is focused on and gives a black and white effect to the music video and it focuses on the band in black and white. This is interesting because in excess it is a camera recording a camera and the shot it puts out. And links the current video to that of The Beatles in 1964.

There is no real new special effects throughout the film or modernised shots because it is based on a production 40 years old. They use the effect with the camera looking through the other camera. At the start when they show Sullivan in black and white announcing OutKast are coming onto the stage, this adds to the feel that it is in fact from the 60's. When the lyrics say "Polaroid picture" there is a shot of people from the crowd shaking a Polaroid and getting a picture of Andre 3000 performing. Using old cameras that would've been used by the audience watching The Beatles back then.

Throughout the song what the singer is saying and the shots are linked. As it's a live performance the dancing while the music is played can be seen. Also naturally as its a performance you can watch him singing it, and the backing singers. So constantly throughout the video the lyrics and visuals are going to be similar. As i referred to in the previous paragraph when the singer says "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" you can see the woman taking a picture through her old fashioned camera of Andre 3000 and shaking it to get an accurate picture of him. As well as this at the end when the lead singer addresses the crowd he addresses the ladies in the crowd, and the shot immediately turns to them jumping and screaming.

As the video is "as live" despite it being portrayed from the 60's the visuals and the music are very close. Whenever there is an instrumental in the song, there is a shot of who is playing the instrument, likewise with the singer. When the music is quicker and more upbeat, t shows the lead singer dancing to the music and the tempo of it, as well as the rest of the band who are also dancing. This is also showed with the crowd and there dancing. There is one shot in the middle of an old lady who seems out of sync with the rest of the crowd, looking bored and upset by the mad people dancing next to her, however later on in the song, when the music is more upbeat it cuts to the same shot but this time she is dancing with people next to her. This is a shot that brilliantly portrays how the song is shown.

There is none or very little inter textuality, it's not really that type of music that needs information on it, as it is a live set. When watching a live set there is rarely any text because it as live.

It is a hip hop song, and OutKast are hip hop artists or that's what there known as, but if you watched the video without sound, you would not think of it as a hip hop video, it has very few characteristics of a hip hop video, apart from the dancing. But the outfits do not look like what a Hip Hop artist would wear at all; they are wearing what looks to be a jockey’s outfit, or very old outfits. As it is set in the 60's and there was no hip hop back then, it would look weird if there was any hip hop characteristics. And the only shots are from the old fashioned set studio.

It is very different to most other videos obviously because it is set as a live performance and set. So it definitely doesn't follow a storyline like many other videos do. The only real narrative it goes through is as if in real time. The performance of the song from start to finish. The audience reaction is as live as well. And the shot of the old women bored, and then entertained and happy, is shown as in chronological order.

This video just being of a set from the 60's with no alternative shots from any other venue could've gone badly wrong, and could've been very boring, compared to the Eminem song I reviewed before with lots of different shots, it's completely different. However it does promote the band very well, there are countless shots of them performing the song, and at the start the pre-video bit of what looks to be his manager giving him money, will no doubt show he has money. The live audience reaction to the song, which is one of great happiness entertaining and screaming, so much so, in one shot there is a shot of a woman who comes onto stage to dance with the band being taken away by security. The reaction of the audience shows the viewer that there music is enjoyable. There are numerous shots of performers close up, this advertises them and their face to the viewer. Overall it is a massive advertising project for OutKast and will gain them massive recognition. Not least for the awards it one.

It is difficult to say who this video is aimed at, obviously Hip Hop fans and Outkast fans, simply because it is a very good and well charted hip hop song, and follows the quick upbeat and rapping parts that are essential to any hip hop song. However as it got to Number one in charts from UK to New Zealand it must’ve appealed to the masses. The video could be down to this as it is a very good and interesting video to watch, because it is as if you are watching a live performance. It is interesting they have related it to The Beatles performance all those years ago, this may keep the viewer engaged to see how they have done it. Maybe even people who watched that version of the Ed Sullivan show or fans of The Beatles may relate to it. Also OutKast tried to show it could be suited to anyone when they showed the picture of the elderly lady dancing to it.

Overall I think this is a great and very imaginative video, done really well by Brian Barber the idea of a live set was a risky one because it limits them to very few shots of things. But they worked it really well. The awards it has one 2003 Hip Hop video the year, portrays the entertainment of the video. A particular highlight was the interesting ways they related it back to the 60's version, the camera shots showing the set, the old cameras, all made it work very well. The live set idea worked very well and gave the feel as if you were watching it live. Also the way the performers in OutKast entertained in the video, as if they were really enjoying it and working the crowd added to the atmosphere. This is a really popular video, and definitely my favorite for the sheer enjoyment of it and how light hearted it is, and if I was bored and wanted to watch a music video this would be the first one I would turn to.

Purposes of a music video

Over the years the idea of music videos and the convention of them has moved on massively. There importance in the industry has become more vital in order to represent them, advertise and alternate ways to get recognition. So much that if you consider that 50 years ago a music video was extremely optimistic, and now just 50 years later every charted song, you expect to see a video of some representation for them. They of course need directors and actors and this has enabled major responsibilities and roles for the crew, this of course is all paid for by a budget given that will maximise the recognition the video can give. A music video can massively effect the impact of a song, a good one will be remembered for a very long time, give the artist more advertising so songs will be downloaded. All eventually resulting in money, and lots of it....


There are many purposes of a music video, they all revolve around the main headline which is to promote the artist/band and give them more recognition for the song and the future. To promote it the music video will usually contain the artist, not all the time, but predominantly it will have the artist in the video to help promote them so the viewer sees there faces. In ones that don't necessarily use the artist or band in the song, they will use generally use either actors to portray a story, or other times such as Star Guitar - Chemical Brothers, they will have immensely wacky and impressive ideas. For the Chemical Brothers one, Michel Gondry uses a general trip on a train bus incredibly he has edited so everything you see on the outside represents a part of a instrument.

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEO






However all this would have never come about if the idea of a music video hadn't come up in the early 60's when it first came to prominence (Despite the first recognised video being "Jail house rock by Elvis himself) bands like The Beatles The Rolling Stones, realised the idea they could use a video to represent the song, and as the equipment to do this was although limited available they had one done. The other major plus was they could use this to represent the song on TV programmes or other areas, before the only way they could promote the song was to go and perform it everywhere, this would become incredibly tiresome, but now for example; The Beatles could just play there music video to an audience to play the song, meaning saving travel and energy. The recognition of the band and the appeal could grow further without them having to be there. A simple but very worthwhile idea. So they could go on shows and wouldn't need to perform the song. Shows that in the 70's would become top of the pops.
The first place they were being portrayed was the first ever visual Jukebox in which country French singers played videos with music and put them on, so you could say this is where it originated on screen. First famous video was a "hard day's night" by 'The Beatles' it was shot in black and white such was the budget and featured back then revelation exciting shots of the band and people, with interesting camera angles.







Going into the 70's as the idea of a music video became more popular and it was working, the idea went to new extremes. They became more creative using effects and used better cinematography. It became more popular that all the best songs had music videos, and they became more relevant to the song and the band or Artist. Big 70's acts such as The Jackson 5, Queen, ABBA, Roxy music etc... were all getting in on the act and finding they could get publicity from a video. Locations became more extreme, and all the while as video's were going on the ideas were competing after each idea. Videos were now being shown on TV shows such as top of the pops, another way of recognition for the band. Music videos were fast becoming the latest phenomenon in the world of music every artist was using it and the effects of using one were majorly paying off. Nearly everyone even if they weren't born has seen the Jackson 5 with little Michael Jackson performing "I want you back" This has become an iconic video, this was performed in the 70's, portraying how quickly in just a matter of years how far it had progressed. If there was just a song with no musical video content, would the song have become as famous? The answer i think is definitely no. This proves the effect of the music video even just 10 years after it's big conception. Other videos that are recognizable from back then is Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, often mistaken as the first ever music video and one of the most famous ever. It was shot all on video tape and premiered on top of the pops in 1975. Yet again illustrating the coming of the music video. As the 70's started TV shows were definitely the place to put the videos, they made the performer(s) more visually attractive to the audience. As the 80's approached so did the mainstream the videos and more music videos. Not just music videos were used but promotional videos were used, to do what they say on the tin really promote them, the masters of this were ABBA who used the most successful one's. All these were portrayed on TV. Media companies such as the biggest in the UK BBC were taking music videos under there wing, and using them to put on there stations. This is another point that shows how far it has come in 10 years. In the early 60's it was a one off you found a music video and the idea was still being conducted. But yet just 10 years later massive companies were investing into it. Music was going through a huge Transition...


























Onto the 80's and by now the music video was getting to be an established part of most hit songs, they were moving onto using effects and music channels such as Australian one Countdown were being brought on. Music videos and music itself was going mainstream, it was now getting to be all about money and fame. The biggest ever music channel MTV was first aired in 1981 this would go on to be one of the main outlets for artists success. The first song they played was ironically "video killed the radio star" by ' The Buggles. As the rise of the video came as did the equipment that could be used. Bands like Adam and the ants and solo artists such as Madonna owed a lot to this new found equipment that could be used. There's like many other became the first of the seductive videos, and before as they were just to represent the song. Artist were using this to promote themselves. This on the other hand went against some people's beliefs that it wasn't music anymore, simply anyone rich enough could make a seductive video put it on MTV and have instant success and it wasn't about talent. Hence why The Buggles made the song video killed the radio star, group member Terry Horn said "it was an end of an era that needed to be illustrated".


As the decade went on so did the style of the video, it was now getting quick and easy to make a video with the supplies on offer for the user. And basically every big song had some form of a video. As this was happening parallel to this was the introduction of new more sophisticated effects such as mixing the video or adding a narrative and a story-line to the video. They were no longer there as an experiment and a bit of fun it was now a big and established part of the music video. Special effects such as editing the lights and using speed difference to make it look a bit abnormal. This is used all the time now, but Peter Gabriel with his song Sledgehammer, was the first recognizable and one no less than 8 MTV music awards for it. Videos were all over the place as they were being made quick and easily, this was until the most iconic and influential music video ever was made. In 1983 Michael Jackson made the song Thriller with a view to shake and change the music world he did that with a 14 minute video showing himself as a monster/zombie, on of the most eye catching videos ever and known worldwide, it was banned by some music channels until before 9 because of the scariness of the video. The video itself set massive new standards for the cost, and Jackson's team spent an unheard of, a massive US$500,000 to film it. It was a risk because if the video had not been a success they would've lost out on money big time, however it did and the rest of the success for the video and M.J himself is history, and this shook the world of music and gave it a whole new dimension, and money spent on videos shot up. Just heading into the 90's music channels especially MTV were massive just a decade or so after it's conception MTV now had 3 American channel, a European one, an Asian one. And it's own very popular award show. Now everyone in the world was getting a taste for the music video and it was now very much part of the furniture in the music industries house. During the 80's it was mainly the British acts that first caught on to all of the music video trend, hence giving them more fame and recognition, and then allowing the "Brit Invasion" of the US charts.





























So then 90's came about and with it so did the Directors, they were seeing music video as a way to develop there careers thorough music videos. Established and well known names in the music industry such as Gondry, Williams and Jonze were making music videos to promote there respective artists. the artists would use them as they could get the best shots and video types to best promote them. So it worked for both parties.


Following on from Thriller, naturally the cost to make music videos was going up and up, but still the king of pop held the record with his sister Janet. There song "scream" still remains the most expensive video ever made at 7 million dollars, because the equipment at there disposal was not up to the scratch it is now and they paid over the limit to get the best out of it. This was closely followed by the Queen of pop Madonna when she made 'Bedtime Story' for 5 million dollars.


As this was happening yet more Music channels were being made, MTV announcing up to 7 more channels and were now becoming the main outlet for any global artist. As a new Millennium began so did a whole new generation of music.





















Into 2000 and music videos were being used to promote left right and centre, and now it was being played on many other platforms. Gone were the days where music videos could only be seen on TV channels. With the Internet coming in and users seeing opportunities to set up sites that could enable the user of there site to have exclusive access to a video. Naturally loads of people used it. Sites like Napster were set up, this is a file sharing site that could be used so that files of music videos could be passed to one and other for free at any time anywhere. This naturally meant many More people had access to music videos and publicity was becoming massive for the artist on the video. Then in 2005 the massive break through for every music artist and for the world. YouTube was founded, this was a site that allowed a video of more or less any kind to be uploaded, obviously the music business jumped on it and music videos were loaded up everywhere, to give publicity, and to make the viewer know about the song and give it essentially chart sauces leading to more money.

However so amazing YouTube was for the music industry, it wasn't just known artists that used it to promote there songs, as any video could be uploaded on it amateur artists put there videos of them singing or performing on there in the chance it gets noticed or gets lots of views, this way word of mouth gets round about them and they can get views publicity and on rare occasions even approached by a company for a contract. Artists such as Soulja Boy (Now a big hip hop star) His first song (Crank DAT) was released in 2007 however got very little recognition, he then made a video of it with a dance, and it became a massive song reaching Number 1 in 8 out of the 10 major charts. This shows the success one website in this day and age can bring someone. Some see YouTube as a brilliant way of free advertising and allowing every person who has talent a shot at doing something with it. However others see it as bad mainly the labels who would have made the video for a very high amount of money only for it to be watched everywhere for free. Also with a site like YouTube any video can be posted it is very easy for a video to be leaked early, this can damage the reputation of the music industry. It has mixed reviews, but the fact it has made the music video industry bigger is of no doubt. MTV is still expanding all the time and even at the moment is setting records, and its awards remain prestigious every year.
At the moment music videos are everywhere and can be watched anywhere at any time for free, still for the same reason to give publicity and recognition of the artist. In 40 years it has seen the development of it to it becoming a competition to get awards and the best video. It is almost now 50% of the package a good video to develop and help the song improve it's popularity. Essentially this is what it is all about more popularity more money.

MAIN PURPOSES OF MUSIC VIDEO

PROMOTIONAL

Obviously the main thing and artist needs and wants is recognition and fame, they can do this from promoting there song through a video. It shows the artist on the video, and therefore people remember there faces. As it can be seen basically anywhere for free, people will See and recommend it to people. Therefore getting it more views and more popularity as if a chain reaction.

A video is a visual representation of the song, if you can only hear the song you will not see the visual of someone performing it. And if it is a good video and watchable people will want to see it and download it giving it more chart success. It represents the song, and gives it another way to be recognised. The artist is on the video so if people know his or her face they will remember if they see him again.

A video gives the viewer another way of listening to the song, if it was just a track without a video you would only be able to hear it over radio, rather than having more opportunities through a video.

As well as this they can promote the artist through what they are wearing or doing, for example if they are wearing expensive posh suits it suggests they are rich and people may respect them more.

Or if they have released and album with three or four tracks being released from it, usually there are three a or four tracks that are the main ones, so they can all be promoted at the same time, and boost album and chart sales.

EXTENSION OF INCOME


Obviously with a video comes more chance for money, despite the video costing to make, it will give more ways of publicity and therefore sales. The artists’ main aim after all is to make money.

After a video is released of a big song you will often see the performer or performers in the public eye a lot and there will be stories about them. This will boost there image and give them even more publicity, meaning people more likely to download songs, more fans etc.. Maybe even advertising or interview contracts, giving the artist, record label and video team extra money. As i said the video will cost to make and it will cost a lot but with the money it can make through boosting sales of the song. It is a risky strategy because as Michael Jackson did spending $7 000 000 on a video, it's going to be a massive task for the song to recoup that money. As he is such a big name and it was such a good video it was a success. But it is finding the balance between money spent on a good video and the money you can make back.


EXTENSION OF OUTLETS.


Of course there is no good making the video if it cannot be put out and displayed to the public, so outlets to the artist and business are essential. Also they have to be sure they put it on to the best ones, with the best viewers, so the outlets who get the most viewers, will generally get the better artists. They can display it on TV, music channels, the most popular being MTV, VH1, the Hits, or national ones such as 4 music. This is if one genre of music is more popular in one country. Over the last few years Internet has become prime for music videos, many sites dedicate themselves just for music videos, as it's free more people will watch and they rely on that publicity and people downloading the song. Internet sites such as; VodPod, video cure etc... The major one however is YouTube since it's conception in 2005 this has been a massive source for music videos. Anyone can go on it select a video and watch it, leave comments and feedback. This will lead hopefully for the artist to downloads, they can be downloaded from places to everyday devices such as phones and IPod appealing to people so they can have it with them whenever they want. Keeping the viewers interested and entertained is an essential part of the process.


RELATING THE AUDIENCE


If the artist can relate to the audience then naturally they will pay attention for example sometimes they will pay celebrities and famous names to appear on the video to boost the appeal of the video to the audience for example Kanye West did this with Pamela Anderson in his song 'Touch The Sky'. Or a well known film clip in there then the audience can relate to it and more people will watch it.


PRODUCERS STRATEGIES


As said in previous post about Joseph Kahn Directors are vital when it comes to how the video will be set, and how it will look, appeal to the audience etc... He will sit down with the producer and artist before hand and think of an idea and see what he can do with the video. The producer will look to get the best Director he can in, so he can produce the better video, better video, more viewers, more viewers more interest, more interest more money. That will be the Producers plan anyway. They can be they key factor to whether the video succeeds or flops and will use the budget wisely. Thinking of the best shots, actors they can use. They will hope to attract attention. Since the 90's Producers and Directors have become vital in the music process since it has been more about fame and publicity than recognition.

The music video is a massive part of the music industry and over the years has become more essential by the year, back in the 60's the idea was seen as a breakthrough but only big artists had one. Now however everyone seems to have one, and they are easier and cheaper to make. They are a key part of the music industry and the public eye, there are awards for them. Publicity in music would not even be half without a video, because there is no visual effect of the song. The music video will live on, and continue to improve the music industry.

Research into music video director.

Joseph Kahn is a very talented, and well respected music Director, although mainly involved in the music video industry, predominantly Hip-Hop whose fans know him very well, and this could be said to be his target audience, Hip Hop fans, this is because most of the music video's he does for example Eminem and 50 cent are designed to be adequate for their liking. He has also Directed two films. Although he has personally said he does not want to get involved in this majorly. He has also directed numerous adverts for major companies, with Brands such as BMW, Vodaphone and PlayStation, a very wide range of media he has shone in. He usually specialises in Hip Hop videos, he has won 2 Grammy's with Eminem for the videos of "Without Me" and the video said by MTV to be "the funniest yet" "We made you" This really does express his talents it uses numerous effects, costumes and is very entertaining, unusually for a music video. He has worked with massive Artists such as; Chris Brown, Akon, 50 Cent, Black Eyed Peas. As well as this he does not just do Hip Hop he has done videos for Madonna and George Michael. At just 36 he has a massive career in front of him, even though he is already a millionaire and has achieved what other Directors would strive to in their life. At the moment he has already directed a music video for a UK number one, with the single "Helping Haiti" with an array of different Artists, however he did not receive a payment for this as it all went to charity. The major film he has directed was "Torque" and whilst not by any means being a flop it didn't go down well, reviews on play.com calling it "Terrbile" "Distinctly Average" one did say "It started off excellently, then trailed off towards the end". Kahn himself has said he is not keen or has no plans to make any more films, and would like to make the music, saying it is a lot more "down his alley". He is known by Pop and Hip Hop fans well because they watch most of his videos as he does a lot of the best selling ones.

Here are a few examples of his work:




This is his video that has received the most awards not just for Eminem but for Kahn as well, he got the best directed award as well as 3 other MTV awards and a Grammy. Best rap video, best edited, best male video, video of the year, viewers choice. All in award ceremonies in 2003. The video is directed brilliantly the camera shots are wild and the material equally so. It would be easy for this to have gone horribly wrong, but Kahn makes it entertaining. The alternative shots such as when it goes into the Mobile, work really well. And the Inclusion of Dr Dre in the video and characters he plays improves the video as well. This is the type of thing Kahn is capable of. Just with the speed and technical attributes of the shot it has been made into an entertaining video. It could be about paint drying and Kahn could make it entertaining simply from the camera angles he has chosen. On YouTube there was a lot of good feedback to the song, this one most portrayed my thoughts and what i have read from other people. Kaos9331 - "The fact this song can be so rubbish like if you just hear the song. But the fact Eminem sings it and the shots and hilarity of the video mean it is one of my favourite ever, really is a credit to the people who worked on the video" This really does illustrate the point of how firstly the music video effects the song and secondly how Kahn has got it more or less spot on with the balance between hilarity and childish.




Once again this is another example of Kahn's affiliation with Eminem, this video is very similar to the last one in that it shows Eminem himself and Dr Dre in the video. This time showing them dressed up as different characters to parody them. Kahn choice of shots and settings could not be better as it works really well with the theme. I got this video off YouTube and just scrolling down the page i found these comments... scbigjones: "I love the camera angles one of the best videos I've seen, deserving of it's awards for cinematography, Eminem and Kahn really hit the sweet spot here", CyclopsMaker "This video just proves what Kahn can do look at the difference and entertaining shots he can produce. Definitely best hip hop video of all time". This shows how well Kahn's ideas and shots have been taken in by the public a superb display of shot variety that has been welcome not just by music fans, but by fans of Eminem's as well. I looked at over 200 comments and the only negative one came from SFC Carlos who said "This isn't my type of video and it's a childish video" That maybe so but there is no doubt it is their to entertain and the awards one give it the recognition for that and what it deserves.




This video is very different style to the other two that i have shown Kahn directing. This is a different style of music and a lot slower. He matches the story of the video (A man on the runaway from his enemies with his love) very well and provides the emotion needed with slow motion shots. He designed it to look like a movie clip, and show the passion of a romantic action film. He did this so well that some of the comments on YouTube were debating whether it was a video or not. marsenaf - "Anyone know what movie this video clip is from?". As this was very much for Kahn outside his comfort zone, he waited nervously to hear the reviews. It wasn't warmed to as much as the Eminem ones were for sure, Exquisiteboi89 - "Hmm seems a bit soppy to me, i don't really like the video seems a bit too obvious. This video didn't win awards so it isn't one of his most successful, and that comment suggests that, however i don't think that's necessarily Kahn's fault, it was never designed to be a "take-your-breath-away" entertainment thriller. And fans of Iglesias liked it, one comment from "ILOVEIGLESIAS" which had 9 likes so lots of people must agree said "The video is so good, i think Enrique looks great in it, and all the shots and story is good to watch". This shows that Kahn's shots were taken in well, he is known well for his good shots.



All the hype that was surrounding Kahn and all the artist that wanted him for his videos was good, but it wasn't easy he had to drop most of his education in order to get it. However the most important thing for a Director is to be noticed by the public or by artists and brands to promote stuff for them, so feedback and what the audience think of you is everything for reputation. An artist is going to want the best director to shoot his video, so if Kahn was second best he would always lose out to that director, and therefore money. Neither will Kahn ever say which his favourite video is during this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w558eyoi-7U Kahn says "His favourite video is always his last one" or his "babies" as he refers to them as. He as one of the leading Directors has set the standard for others, in an interview with Asia Pacific Arts, the magazine representing the public said "Kahn has given creative expression to the most prominent musical characters" This shows that the public can see what Kahn is doing and it is understood he is one of the leading music video Directors. On Play.com under one of the reviews for Torque one of the reviews says "Torque is a very good film and i think Kahn has a future in film directing" Just from reading reviews it is clear to see why Kahn is at the top of his game, he gets fantastic reviews from the public and interviews.

As Hip hop videos is where he specialises, even if he did not mean to that has become what he is most renowned for, making videos for the likes of 50 cent and Eminem. Fans of this have become used to his work and enjoy it. He uses the best camera shots to bring out the best of the genre, which usually contains the typical half dressed women, fast cars, and lots of on screen shots of the Artist to promote them. He has found the right balance between making it look good and making it look silly, over the top and arrogant. When doing these videos his aim has to be for the video to sell to make the money for him and the artist, so he must target the Hip Hop fans, there is no good making a brilliant song if when someone watches the video it is of the history of computing. It just wouldn't sell so it must be suited to his target audience and Kahn does this very well, every time he does a hip hop video it seems to go down well with the audiencethis shown because he is first choice at this level. Also to be able to impress his target audience with a video like the Eminem ones where it is very different shows talent to still go down well with the Hip Hop fans. Even if he does not want to, advertising the video to the target audience must come first because they will be the mass of people buying it, regardless whether he likes what he's directing. Although not as much he is involved in the pop scene doing the video "Toxic" for Britney spears which in this interview is described as one of the best of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w558eyoi-7U. So the same applies to that if he had Britney Spears all wrapped up rather than half naked would it have sold as much? Definitely not. This is what the target audience expects to see, and this is what Kahn must include in the video if it will sell. Target audience for a director and knowing what they want is everything, without impressing them, they can forget any chance of success. Kahn has got the key aspects of a video down to a T, this is why his video's are so successful

He has come to where he is now through sheer belief, endeavour and work. Kahn was raised in the suburbs of Houston, Texas in 1972 where his parents moved in the calculation of enrolling him in the area's prestigious medical schools. From there he went on to be educated in the University of New York. However alongside this he was very much involved in filming, and was a self confessed pop music and TV addict. He used to film his friends doing skateboarding and make videos for them. He would then go and do 3 little jobs at the weekends to make funds for the videos. He worked immensely hard to get his dream acting as a one man army, editing, cinematography, directing all down to him. He was working flat out just to get his dream of directing on a bigger stage. He realised where he was living there was little opportunity of success so in 1995 he moved to LA where all the opportunities in music were coming about.

He began to be noticed for his directing skills by many artists and companies. He was now realising the on-coming trend of Hip Hop songs and videos, he realised this was the next way to make money, hence why this is what he is predominantly involved with now. And after making some successful music videos, and gaining money from them, he decided to go a step further a make his own Production Company.
'Supermega' this is what he decided to call it and it has made adverts and videos for massive headline acts and companies under it and receives a massive profit each year.

In 2004 he directed his first film 'Torque' it was an action thriller and although not a huge film, this proved Kahn's diversity and talents. Despite only Directing one more film, he decided he could just about handle the business and the videos and films could be held back at least for a later date or until he got "bored" with music videos. When asked "Were you Happy about the outcome of the movie he said "Not really to be honest" a self confessed perfectionist.

Since then he has made videos for numerous smash hits not just only in his native America but Major UK Artists as well. Such as Shayne Ward, George Michael and Jamiroquai.
At the moment he lives in LA, safe in the knowledge that in his fairly short career he has videoed for massive artists and is credited with a number of awards, such as; Best director for 'Without me' Eminem and "Knights of Cydonia" Muse. Both Grammys. He's won these as well as several MTV awards. In fact i think his legs and tongue must be quite tired for the amount of walking and talking he does to get to and then embrace his awards. The Hip Hop and Pop fans continue to enjoy watching his work and there is no sign of that stopping anytime soon.
Kahn now resides in Los Angeles still making lots of videos for his target audience of Hip Hop fans, and is now as successful as ever.