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Music Video Production

Case Study
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Unit 29 - Music Video
Production
We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this
template is for you to write up your notes and to complete your
case study.

The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate

questions to answer.

Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the

strategies employed by labels and artists

Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions

of music video production

Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music

videos where you can unpack and discuss the videos considering
everything you have looked at in Task 1 and 2
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Learning outcomes, this case study is concerned with
the first two learning outcomes of the unit:

1. Understand the purpose of music videos

2. Understand the styles, conventions, and techniques

of music videos

3. Be able to originate and plan a music video

production for a specific music track

4. Be able to work to complete production of a music

video.
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria addressed by this case study,
further details are in your project brief:
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Notes on completing the case
study
It is often easier to show something you are discussing
than to take time describing it. With this in mind, feel
free to add lots of illustrative images from your chosen
video examples. Links to YouTube/Vevo/etc are also
encouraged.

Remember, when you make a point or define

something, you should follow this with an example, an
explanation of this and then link to further texts/videos
where possible.

If you dont think there is enough room to add your full

response to a question, dont just reset the font size to
really small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.
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Task 1 - Purposes
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short explanation for
each:

Sales: Music is a business and for the business to continue to run and grow it must
make money. Creating music videos for tracks will help increase the sales of the track.
This is due to it being on internet streaming sites such as YouTube for example.

Branding: Music videos have a purpose to brand the artist or banding which is
playing in the video. Branding is very important for the music industry because it
allows the audience to connect with the band or artist or to recognize them just by
their branding. So for example if the music video was for a heavy metal band then the
colors and tone would reflect this. So it is not very likely that many bright colors would
be in the video. It is more likely that dark colors would be present because this would
help the audience get an immediate inclination of what the band will be like and what
the song will be like.

Entertainment: Arguably the main purpose for a music video would be that is to
entertain the audience, not just with the song but with a video. This helps
demonstrate the themes of the song, along with the words. These extra pieces of
visualization to go along with the song and to give it context increases its
entertainment value for the audience.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q2 What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? Think

about some of the strategies employed by artists in their videos and
how they represent themselves, you could consider where the artist
is on a major label, independent label of unsigned, is there a
difference between them?

The difference between an artist who is part of an independent label creating

a music video and an artist who is part of a major label creating a music
video is; the production value gap between the major label and the
independent label will be massive. This is because the major label can secure
advertising and therefore have more money for videos. This mean the videos
can be afford to be quite extravagant. This means that if the artist or director
of the video want special effects in the video then this is possible. Also they
can have big events with lots of extras. All of theses things can mean that
these major label videos can be very passive and easy to watch. However, a
independent label has a much smaller budget for their video. This means the
director and artist will have to be more creative and subtle with the
messages and themes they want to get across for there song. They may
have to brand themselves in different ways die to the budget they have.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q3 Describe what is synergy is and how it has been

used in music videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and
convergence]

Synergy is a mutually benefiting cooperation of two brands

which over time become inseparable form one another. A
good example of synergy is Beats by Dre. The Beats brand
has come synonymous with Dr Dre. Another example of
synergy is the song Skyfall by Adele with the James Bond
film Skyfall. As soon as the song Skyfall comes on the radio
you instantly think of the film Skyfall. The last example of
synergy is the Michael Bay film Armageddon and the band
Aerosmith. This is because Aerosmith has a very popular song
(I dont want to miss a thing) which is the main song of the
film.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q4 Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they

present themselves in their music videos. Explain what their
brand is, who is appeals to and why they might have done this.

The Notorious B.I.G presents himself in his music videos to be a real

gangster rapper and as a Pimp. This can be seen in his video for Big
Poppa. In this video he is in a club, acting like he owns it. He is also
wearing stereotypical pimp clothing. Things such as big fur coats and
lots of extravagant jewelry, such as gold chains and rings. This presents
him as being a very successful and important person. In his other videos
he present himself in as more of a gangster then a successful person.
Showing himself as someone who shouldnt be messed with and
showing himself as more of a hard man. He appeals to people who
have a similar background as him. This is because he raps about his life
and people who have similar backgrounds as him can relate to his
songs. He brands himself in a gangster and pimp way because that is
what the culture he is from.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q5 Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music videos [find

them on YouTube!], what can you discern about each act from their
videos? What is the main aim? Explain why.

One Directions music video is very different when you compare it to Animal
Collectives music video. One Directions music videos are clearly more
manufactured and too clean when you compare it to Animal Collectives
music videos. Animal Collectives videos are much more alternate and artistic.
This is because their music is quite alternative and unique. This is also
because they have a smaller audience who are likely to all be quite similar.
However, because One Direction is part of a major label their music is much
more world wide, meaning that their audience is bigger and therefore they will
all be different. This means that the videos will have to be less creative,
subversive and unique. They will have to appeal to a wide audience meaning
things such as themes and messages must be simple to understand. The main
aim of One Directions videos is to help establish their brand and to help boost
sales for the label they are in contrast with. The main aim of Animal
Collectives videos is to help add some more artistic context for their songs
and to entertain people not just with the music but with visuals as well.
 Task 2 Styles,
+Techniques and
Conventions
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q1 Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music videos, i.e. the
types of shot used with examples to illustrate this

The camerawork in music videos can be very simple and also very complex. This is
because music videos can be whatever the artist or director wants. This means the
video does have to relate the the song and the words at all (Disjunction). The video
can just show the song acted out (Illustration). Or the video can add extra context
to a song through its visuals (Amplification). OK GO have a song called I wont let
you down. The music video for this song is a good example of disjunction when it
comes to music videos. The video doesnt really have anything to do with the lyrics
of the song. This video however uses one long take, with aerial and tracking shots
flowing together. They choreograph a synchronized dance with cleaver visuals
which keeps the audience entertained and guessing. Lana Del Ray has a song
called Video Games. The music video for this song is an illustration of the lyrics,
and it is essentially a montage of things which illustrate the lyrics and relate to
them in some way. The video is quite quickly cut due to it being a montage of
various things. So it doesnt really linger on one single shot for a extended period
of time, only a couple seconds at the most. This kind of video can be easily made
because the camerawork isn't as complex as the OK GO video.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e.
the way in which shots are sequenced, considering the rhythm of
the edit and combinations of shots and post-production techniques

The most common way of editing a music video is to cut on the beat of the
song. This is common because it looks good when it fits well when in
conjunction with the audio. It is also a very simple technique and can be
used on the majority of songs, of course some songs may not have a clear
beat to cut on compared to others. It is also common in music videos to see
that when the rhythm of a song changes, the visuals showing on screen
also change with it. So if the music speeds up and becomes more frantic
then this will normally happen on screen as well. This is also the case when
the music slows down, what is happening on screen will also slow down. If
the music video has a large budget then they can add special effects in
post to add to scene. If the song is about boasting and being extravagant,
then they may add extravagant things to add to the videos impact. They
can also change the coloring of the original video and make the video look
brighter and bolder because it is the overall theme if that song.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments in
music videos, i.e. in terms of how the music videos are filmed,
edited/produced and viewed

Depending on the song and label the artists are in contract with, the music
videos can be filmed and edited in various different ways. The ways in
which the video is filmed and edited will determine how the video is
viewed. So if the video is shot with a many low angle shots, this means that
the viewer is looking up at the artist making the viewer fell small compared
to the artist. This can be seen in many rap videos where the artist can be
seen rapping down onto the camera in an intimidating way. The way a
music video is edited can also influence how you listen to the song. So if
the song is a slow and delicate ballad and the video is edited very intensely
and quickly then this can make watching the video whilst listening to the
song a bad experience for the viewer. This is because the video and editing
doesnt mesh with the song itself. So if the song is a fast tempo rock song
then the video can be intensely and quickly edited. In this case the song
and video mesh well together creating a better experience for the viewer.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q4 Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to
genre conventions within their visual style and production
techniques. Select a recognizable genre and use
illustrations to explain what their genre conventions are

A convention in many hip-hop music videos the common use of

low angle shots. This is usually used because the artist may want
to seem intimidating. A good way of doing this is by using a low
angle shot making the artist look bigger. Another convention of
hip-hop music videos is having lots of women in the video. There
are normally shots of just the women and the women along side
the artist or artists. Another common convention of hip-hop music
videos is showing lots of money and expensive cars. Visualising
the lyrics of the song in the video is also a convention of most
music videos, especially hip-hop videos. The music videos creates
a direct link between the lyrics and videos.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions

They say its puppy love-

Ms Jackson-Outkast
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q5 - John Stuarts description of the music video
incorporating, raiding and reconstructing is
essentially the essence of intertextuality [something
asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can you explain what
intertexuality is and find some examples of it in music
videos?

Intertexuality is the way one piece of media text is

referenced is in another piece of media. An example of
intertexuality in a music video is in the Taylor Swift song
called Love Song. In this song the lyrics reference Romeo
and Juliet. The song is essentially a modernised version of the
story. The video also has references to Romero and Juliet. An
example of intertexuality in a music video which references
video games is, in the song Californiaction by the Red Hot
Chili Peppers. In the music video the band members are in a
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Task 3 Case Study
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Task 3 Case Study

For your individual case study you are required to prepare

material on a minimum of three music videos.

This should provide discussion on the usage of the

following:
Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and
the intention behind the video, remember the core purposes
and break this down into the other purposes we discussed]
Style[s] used
Techniques employed
Intertextuality
Camerawork/editing
Genre conventions
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Task 3 Case Study

You should include a video link for the video

You can include as many illustrative stills as you like

Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use

the heading on the previous slide a guide on how to
structure your response to get you started

Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the

chosen video as an example, explain yourself and then
link to another video where possible
+Task 3 Case Study
Music Video 1:The Notorious B.I.G- Big Poppa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phaJXp_zMYM

The music video for Big Poppa demonstrates the hip-hop

genre conventions while also creating a link between the
To the honies gettin' money. This screen shot
lyrics and the video.
shows the moment in the song where it shows
people at the club gambling with lots of money.
This doesnt only fit with the conventions of hip-
hop music videos but also creates a direct link
between the lyrics and the visuals.
To all the ladies in the place with style and
grace. This screen shot plays into the hip-
hop music video convention of shows lots of
women.
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Music Video 1:The Notorious B.I.G- Big Poppa

The purpose of the music, in the case of Big Poppa is to

illustrate the lyrics of the song. Perhaps the video can add
extra context to the lyrics of the song. I think that this is only
minor however in Big Poppa. The techniques used in the
video involves a lot of smooth transition shots and slow, calm
editing. This fits well with the song because the song isnt very
quickly paced. So the tempo of the song and the editing match
well. The video also includes many shots of Biggie and other
people in the club, having a good time. This also adds to the
purpose of the music video which is to illustrate the lyrics of
the song on to the screen. Another thing which adds to the
fact that the song is illustrating the lyrics on screen is the use
of slow motion shots of women in the club and getting ready to
go out. The music video for Big Poppa also has some
intertexuality. The intertextuality in the video involves several
cameos from Sean Combs otherwise known as Puff Daddy. He
is also himself a successful east coast rapper. He is the
producer of the song Big Poppa.
+Task 3 Case Study
Music Video 2: Coldplay-Paradise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg

The music video for Coldplays Paradise is a very unique

video when compared to other videos in the indie/rock
genre. A common convention for indie/rock music videos
include having a small budget. The video for paradise
doesnt really fit this due to having many different
locations. So it doesnt fit this convention but a convention
that is does fit is, the convention which involves a section of
the music video having footage from a live performance.
This video illustrates the lyrics of
the song. It does this in a unique
way however. It shows an
elephant escaping from a zoo
and returning to his home in a
paradise.
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Music Video 2: Coldplay-Paradise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg

The editing in the music video for Paradise is quite simple. It is

easy to follow and is very clean looking. Unlike some other music
videos in the rock genre, the editing does not speed up to match
the music. This may be due to the song not been too chaotic and
fast however. The cinematography of the video is quite beautiful
once the video has reached the paradise location. This is
because the lyrics talk about dreams and paradises so the visuals
follow this by showing beautiful imagery. The intertexuality that I
picked up on in this video was that in the video, it shows some
footage of a live concert and the band playing the song. This can
be seen as intertexuality because it is referencing a different type
of media that the band has performed the song in.
+Task 3 Case Study
Music Video 3:One Direction-Thats What Makes You Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E

The music video for One Directions Thats What Makes You
Beautiful illustrates the lyrics of the song in a simple and clean
way. The reason that this video only illustrates the lyrics of the song
and doesnt amplify the lyrics by adding extra context is probably
because the target audience of One Direction. The target audience
tends to be quite young so keeping things simple and easy to
understand is the best way to go for this audience. The video also
includes a lot of the pop music genre conventions. These
conventions include having the stars in the forefront of the video for
the majority of the video. Also a convention of pop bands is having
a small section of the video dedicated to each member of the band
and this is also present in this video.
+Task 3 Case Study
Music Video 3:One Direction-Thats What Makes You
Beautiful

The editing in the music video follows the other general

theme of the video which is simplicity. So the editing in the
video is very clean and simple. There are simple transitions
between random shots of the band members on the beach
and having a good time. There are not many complex shots
in the video. There are some shots in which the camera is in
the sea which is probably the most complex shot in the video
in my opinion. The main purpose of this video is to brand One
Direction in a good and respectable way to make them
appeal to a wider audience. this can be seen in the clothes
that are warn by the band in the video. These close were
what were in fashion at the time so this would have whelped
them relate and appeal to young people at the time. One of
the reasons that there isn't any intertextuality in the video,
because the video has to appeal to many people and the
target audience is young, this means that there is no reason
for intertexuality in this video.