WHAT IS A DIGIPACK? WHAT IS A MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT?

Digipacks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.

This is an example of a Digipack, showing that the artwork all connects and the actual disks are in the centre, with artwork incorporating all the pieces together. A digipack is important because it helps promote the artist, artistically. As well as this it helps to make money, establishes artist genre and builds a fan base due to visual imagery of the artist. The digipack is a vital piece of our coursework because it is an extension of our music video, creating a whole product to market our artist.

A magazine advertisement is a page in a music magazine which features artist information and promotes a song, album, concert, tour or appearance. This example is of a Jessie J magazine advertisement which promotes her debut album including her international smash single Price Tag.

   

The importance of a magazine advertisement is that it is incorporated into a separate type of media so the synergy creates a wider audience for the marketing strategy and a more successful promotion. With our magazine advertisement we will be promoting the artist and their new single/video which we are creating a video for. The house style must be consistent between the advertisement, video and the digipack so all products create a whole brand. 

Doing this post has helped me realise how important both the Digipack and Magazine Advertisement are and to remind myself that our group need to not completely focus on the video and divide the tasks between us. 

THE CULTURAL EFFECTS MODEL

The Cultural Effects Model is a theory which suggests that media influence on audiences isn't immediate but actually works over a period of time. This has been associated with Neo-Marxism and has been known as the 'Drip, Drip, Drip Effect'. When compared to Music Videos it can be seen in both lights. Cultural stereotypes and trends which can be seen in music videos can affect audiences and influence their behaviour while music videos also adapt and are based around cultural trends and celebrity influence.

A prime example of the Cultural Effects Model in use within Music Videos is the raised expectation of 'beauty' and attractiveness when it comes to both men and women. This includes, weight, body types, muscular definition and facial features. 

The music video for Can't Remember To Forget You by Shakira ft. Rihanna is based around the attractiveness of both female artists. The song has no relation to the sexual nature of the video and the sexualisation of both women is the almost a distraction from the song and the lyrics. The view of the 'Ideal Woman' in society has been changed by music videos like this where the artists rely on being seen as attractive rather than talented. 

The ideological representations of sexual attractiveness and how women are seen in this video implies that women have to be of an extremely high standard in all aspects of beauty to be considered 'ideal'. 

This theory also applies to men, which is clear by the amount of music videos led by male artists in which semi-nudity is also a necessity. 

Jason Derulo in his video for Trumpets can be seen topless quite frequently to display his abs and overall muscularity. This, just like with women, our beliefs and values are altered by this long-term exposure to men and women in such amazing physical condition that it influences society's expectations of people and how attractive they have to be to be attractive. 

 

Our music video is going against the rising cultural stereotypes that are evident in music videos and other mediums. Our narrative involves our main character of an average build for a teenager dressed in pyjamas, exploring his environment. We are not relying on baring skin or showing flesh to create an audience for our video because we want our video to reflect the lyrics and feel of the song. Being semi-nude will not fit into the ideologies we have in mind to show supernatural activity and creepy spiritual activity.

LIP SYNCING AND IT'S IMPORTANCE

Lip-syncing in music videos is the art of matching up the song and the lyrics of the song to the artist or actors miming the words. This creates the feel that the music video is live and that the song is actual being sung by the artists in that moment of watching the music video. It is the technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. It is important that lip syncing isn't out of time otherwise it can mess up a whole music video.

Some of the best lip-syncing can be seen in Rap music videos. Due to the fast lyrics and fast tempo of music it can be very difficult to edit the music video and song together to match and also to film in the first place. From doing our own lip sync video we realised how hard it is to lip sync words without singing them properly.




It is common that only minimal parts of rap lyrics will be lip synced and that the majority will be narrative based or only less than a seconds worth of lyrics will be lip-synced at a time. This can be seen in Berzerk by Eminem.

Another good example of lip syncing is Emma Stone and Jimmy Fallon's lip sync battle on his talk show.
 
It may not be a music video but I think it really displays how difficult lip syncing can be and how good it looks when done in perfect timing.

The importance of lip syncing lies in the controversy of bad lip syncing. Beyonce among many artists has been accused of lip-syncing and be blasted for being 'fake' and a 'fraud' because of it.

As you can see, lip-syncing is very important in live performances as well as in music videos.

It is important for me to have researched for this task because now I know how important lip-syncing is and even in music videos it needs to be spot on for the flow of the music video and the synergy between music and visuals. Without perfect lip-syncing the whole video will be distracted and it will greatly take away from our piece of work.

LOCATION RESEARCH

For our music video we have chosen the song Trials Of The Past by SBTRKT. Due to the eery vibe of the Indie Pop song we have come up with an idea of a dark woods at sunset, leading into night time. There are woods near where we all live so I have been location scouting and taken some pictures of the woods we are thinking of using.

These are the images I have acquired of the location we were thinking about using. I got a close up and an establishing shot so it would give more information when it comes to decided on a location. My initial thoughts are that although the forest is a nice scenery and would work well, it may be difficult to film at night. Without the sunlight to our advantage we would have to improvise and somehow produce a light to shoot our music video. The forest was a good location for our video because the song is quite creep and our initial idea was to create a video with a main character who is lost and cannot find his way home, or understand where he is.

 

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS FROM CHOSEN GENRE

 

Visual Codes

The whole video has quite a retro feel, with some of the objects that can be seen being very vintage. This links to the clothing that the main characters are wearing as well as the objects which are from an earlier period. There are quite a lot of bright colours used in the music video to connote the positive atmosphere within the video.

 



 

 

There is typography used in the video, 16 seconds in, this is the title of the song and the name of the band who perform the song.

The font resembles 'junk' which has been made up into words, this references to the garage sale that is happening in the music video, creating a link between both elements of the same product.  

The collection of retro and vintage objects which can be seen have nostalgic connotations which reflect the message of the song.

This image of the old style projector is an example of the retro technology which is seen in the video.

 

 

Technical Codes

 

One of the interesting camera shots used in the video is a close up on a tape the male characters find.

The tape reads 'Capital Cities, I Sold My Bed But Not My Stereo' which is the name of this song and the artist singing it. This is a way of breaking the 4th wall which gives the video an interesting dynamic.

This shot shows the characters dancing and singing along to the song. The long shot shows the characters amongst the other vintage items in the garage sale and their attire. At this point the music video becomes more of a performance video than narrative because the aspect changes and the male characters, who were playing anonymous roles, become the stars, as themselves.

The lights for the projector, lamp and stereo all turn on and off in sync with the music, this references to Andrew Goodwin's theory that the visuals on screen possess a connection with the melody of the song.

This is the example of the lamp which was flashing on and off in time with the music.

 

The editing is very fast paced and cut in time with the change of the music. Some shots last for less than a second due to the rising tempo of the music and the exciting nature of the video. In the second minute of the music video there is a lot of zooming out processes used to create effect. The shot starts off in a close up on the television screen and ends with the shot further back showing all of the older technology.

 

This is quite an artistic effect and also quite gimmicky, it could be described as a convention for the band because of their nonchalant, fun style of music and attitude within the music video.

 

Genre

 

The genre of the video is predominantly indie. Showing the connections with this artist and our artist SBTRKT. However our artist is more Electronic Pop which is also a slightly more mellow song whereas this Indie Pop could be considered happier and a lighter style of music. The genre and style of this version of Indie music requires a light-hearted music video. This means there is no pressing issues featured in the music video just as in the actual song.

Quite expected is the use of the cliché technique that the whole music video has been imagined, almost like a dream sequence. This is very abstract and creates a diverse effect for the whole music video. This could be considered subverted as the music video is on a high, until the realisation that it wasn't real.

 

Narrative

 

There isn't a specific narrative to the video because it is mostly performance based, however, the loose narrative shows the two main characters, who are the member of the band are searching through a garage sale and find a tape which has their own song on it. After this, they break into song and performance accompanying their own music in different situations. They begin by performing on the garage floor and then the video shows them in different television and computer screens whilst the setting changes. The setting changes due to the hue in the lighting while it changes from a brighter more inviting colour to a darkish blue.

 

Organisations

 

Capital Cities are signed to both Lazy Hooks and Capitol Records meaning they are both independent and mainstream. As artists, they are independent when it comes to their niche market but are distributed worldwide by their mainstream record label. Capitol Records probably provided the big budget which would have been required to shoot this complex video. As well as props like all of the technology used, there is special effects used to display the music video within the music video on an old television screen. The song first came to rise with its commercial success being featured in the German Vodafone advert, then topping the German music charts. Lazy Hooks specialise in music for advertisement, which is how Capital Cities managed to have their song on the advert for Vodafone.

 

Audience

 

The audience figures are quite large, due to the 145 million views of the official music video for the song on YouTube. This demonstrates quite a big fan following due to the mainstream record label, Capitol Records. The video would attract an older audience than the song itself. Although the Indie Pop song is aimed for an audience ranging from ages 15-30, the use of vintage technology and olden day appliances in the video could spark interest for older generations. This would lead to the Two-Step Flow, advertising and promoting the video through word of mouth.

 

Representations

 

There are no social representations due to the light-hearted nature of the song. However there are representations of the past with the props and settings.    

      

This screenshot shows some of the 80's paraphernalia which incorporates into the video. The pink flamingos and poker cap are both reminiscent of the 80's.

 



  

 

 

 

 

 

 





MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS FROM CHOSEN GENRE

Visual Codes

The video is set in quite a residential area, in a domestic home. The music video involves a man and a woman so the neighbourhood and house may present a married couple.

In the first shot which can be seen in the video, the moon is in the centre of the frame. The significance of this arises from the supernatural and eery connotations the moon holds. It is used to signify Werewolves, predominantly, but it is also used as a signifier for supernatural activity or strange occurrences. 

This could foreshadow some mysterious behaviour in the video and set a theme for the music video. 

There are a lot of close up shots used to show the teary eyed man, This allows the audience to visually see the emotion as well as just hearing it from the lyrics.

The man is seen to be driving home to his wife or girlfriend who is leaving him and the expressions on his face show pain, sadness and possibly guilt, this is all made clearer by the use of close ups.

Technical Codes

There is a shot of the female character used which makes it clear that she is packing her things to leave.

This gives the video perspective and makes the narrative easier to follow. This also explains the male characters actions and why he is rushing home in his car, teary eyed. The effect created shows a domestic situation which connects to the lyrics of the song 'Hold On'.  

The editing technique is quite slow in the majority, with the exception of some scenes like the male character searching upstairs for his female partner. 

 

These screenshots show the time of the video and how quite the editing is in this scene. The cuts are all standard cuts, there are no transitions. This may be because of the already confusing narrative, transitions would have been slightly distracting.

Genre

The genre of the song 'Hold On' is of the Indie Pop genre. The video also entails some of these elements like the emotional storyline which can usually be seen in Indie videos as well as the ambiguous narrative which requires depicting. The artist, SBTRKT, has been described to mix elements of dubstep, house, soul, techno and garage into his music also making his genre quite vast. The narrative isn't that typical because the expectation, based on the genre and lyrics, is that at the end of the video the male character will find his partner and they will reconcile their relationship. However, in this video the subverted narrative shows that he keeps seeing his wife from inside the house but whenever he leaves the house she vanishes. This highlights the supernatural element to the video which can also be seen in other SBTRKT videos like Trials Of The Past. 

Narrative

Within the video, the male character is shown to be driving while a female character is packing her things up to leave. Immediately we, as the audience, assume he is racing back to stop her from leaving. Throughout the rest of the video the male character is trying to locate the female character, however, he never finds her. Todorov's structure isn't incorporated into the video due to the lack of equilibrium and the entirety of the video appears to be a reconciliation of the destruction. Due to only being 2 characters in the video it is also unlikely Propp's theory could be considered. We don't see enough of the female character to apply a theoretic character to her and the male character doesn't show signs of being a 'hero'. One of the lyrics of the song is 'I called you later and you were outside' which strongly reflects the predominant scene of the female character being stood outside while the male character looks on.

   

Organisations

Young Turks are the name of the record label that SBTRKT is signed to. While he is a successful self-taught producer, the influence of the record label, financially, shows a great deal of benefit when it comes to this video. It isn't an extravagant video because Young Turks are still an independent label but without them SBTRKT may not have been able to afford to produce a video for this song. Aaron Jerome (SBTRKT) is sold as a quite a mysterious producer with his songs matching the enigmatic persona of him and support the concept of anonymity. He is never seen in the videos for his music and doesn't feature on his album covers. The tribal mask which is the logo for SBTRKT is also a headpiece that Jerome wears when he performs his music live.

SBTRKT started his music on the popular music sharing website Soundcloud. It is a website in which rising artists can make their music available for the public to listen to. SBTRKT still distributes his music through Soundcloud as well as his albums and EP's. 

Audience

The target audience for the video is both males and females, but more males, from the ages of 15 - 30. This is because of the indie nature of the music the audience would be expected to be between these ages. The video is quite complex in understanding and the relationship aspect would make the video suited for possibly older than 15 year olds. Uses and Gratifications theory could be one way in which audiences are attracted to the video. Relationships are a way of creating a more widely accepted music video because the majority of people can relate with the video and understand the video, making it more popular. 

Representation

Relationships are represented the most in this video. However, it could be said to be un-stereotypical. In this video we see the female character leaving the male but the male is very emotional and trying to find her throughout the video. This shows dependence and how the woman could be said to be superior to the male. 

These screenshots show the male character as 'lost' without his female counterpart showing an un-steretypical representation of gender.

   

ANALYSE A MUSIC VIDEO USING GOODWIN'S THEORY

Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

Links between Lyrics and Visuals:

There is a definite link between the visuals of the video and the lyrics of the song in this Miley Cyrus music video. One lyric in the song Cyrus sings 'To my home girls with the big butts, shaking it like we at a strip club' the visuals show Cyrus and her friends dancing provocatively shaking their bottoms.

The connection is apparent and makes the video feel more in-touch with the song.

Again, the lyrics 'It's our party we can do what we want to' link with the visuals on screen.

The visuals show a party commencing with Cyrus and her friends, connecting with the lyrics of the song.

 

 

Links between Music and Visuals:

 

The music usually links with the visuals to be either be complimentary or contradicting, sometimes to amplify.

The song begins when the hand shown turns on the speaker. This is an example of complimentary links between music and visuals because it portrays the image of the song coming out of the speaker. Again, when Cyrus and her friend are dancing, their bodies are moving to the beat of the music and their actions coincide with the tempo of the music.

 

 

Genre Characteristics:

 

A convention of Pop music videos entail a use of up to date and fashionable clothing. The artists and actors in the video are assumed to be wearing clothes of the current trends and the styles that can be seen in designer and high street retailers.

In this shot both Cyrus and one of her extras for the video can be seen to be wearing very fashionable clothing. Shops like Zara and Topshop are promoting white clothing since last summer when it came back into fashion. People like Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham and Cyrus herself have all sported white ensembles and some have been quoted to use the popular motto 'All white everything.' The man in the image is also dressed in popular attire of the current culture and time. Much like Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean he is sporting a backwards cap, tank top and gold chains.

 

Another characteristic of the Pop music video genre is that the star acquires a lot of camera time and is central to the video itself. Cyrus can be seen in nearly every shot of the video in a variety of different shot types.

Cyrus is seen in a close up, mid-shot and a long shot in these screenshots showing her importance in the video and how she is central to the video. This signifies how integral Cyrus is to the music video for We Can't Stop.

 

 

Intertextual References:

 

It could be considered that the use of product placement in the media text is an example of intertextuality.   

Beats by Dr Dre are advertised in Cyrus' music video and by doing this it will encourage audience's to buy them. The effect of the product placement may be to portray to the audience that the Beats Pill is loud enough and capable of staging a party.

 

Another example of intertextuality in We Can't Stop is comparisons between Cyrus and Cruella De Ville, the character from 101 Dalmatians.  



Miley Cyrus' large fur coat and small dog resembles the characteristics of the Disney villain, including Cyrus' hair and make up.

The big fur coat is quite controversial, much like the majority of Cyrus' music video for We Can't Stop. It is unknown whether the fur is real or fake which creates an issue for animal rights activists and caused an uproar for fans and audiences all over the world.

 

 

Notions of Looking:

 

Notions of looking is the ideology of people and characters being seen in certain ways in the media texts. According to Goodwin's theory, women are represented as objects and defined by their sexuality and attractiveness. Cyrus falls into this category well with her promiscuity and sexuality deviance. The majority of her music videos show her in next-to-nude attire and performing sexually explicit moves.

Notions of Looking can be linked with Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory. This explains that the camera takes on the role of the mans eyes and exploits women in front of the camera for their bodies. This could be the case in my first screenshot because the long shot shows the majority of Cyrus's body. The other two screenshots show Miley Cyrus being represented as a sex symbol in accordance with the Notions of Looking.

 

Voyeurism:

 

Similar to the Notions of Looking, Voyeurism is the idea that people enjoy watching other people. This means that music videos work because audiences enjoy watching the artists as people and find what they're doing interesting. Again, this can be done through sex appeal which Miley Cyrus is expected to do.

Theory states that audiences will be attracted to watch the video to watch Cyrus and her friends dancing. The sex appeal is present because of the exposure of her body in a provocative manner.

 

Demands of the Record Label:

 

It is likely that the Record Label for Miley Cyrus, Hollywood Records, instated that she must be in a lot of close ups in her debut music video for her new style of music and brand new image. Britney Spears' video for Baby (One More Time) featured a lot of close ups of her as demanded by her record label.

 

The Beats Pill is probably advertised through the video because of the record labels deal with Dr Dre Beats. Product placement is quite popular in Cyrus' genre of music and other genres like Hip-Hop.

 

 

Performance, narrative and concept based music videos:

 

We Can't Stop is generally a performance based narrative with a lot of lip syncing from Miley Cyrus herself. However a loose narrative of a party can be picked up on while the concept is that she is re-instating that she is young, wild and free and can do what she likes.

This screenshot is an example of Miley Cyrus lip syncing to the song, known as a performance shot.

This screenshot shows a party shot which could be received as a narrative based shot because of the party storyline which accompanies the song. It is the main narrative in the video and apart from partying with her friends, Cyrus can't be seen to do much else.

 

The concept of the video is that Cyrus is free to do whatever she likes and this is highlighted by some of the more quirky shots.

This shot of Cyrus licking a doll that looks like her re-enforces lyrics of the song like 'It's our party we can do what we want to'. The rebellious attitude is a theme in the song and the music video and conveys the concept to the audience.

 

 

Analysing a music video using Andrew Goodwin's theory has helped me understand the theory better so I can apply it to other videos. Also it helps me when I come to create my own music video because I could shoot it keeping the theory in mind.