Monday, 30 September 2013

Progression In A2

The AS year had taught we how important it was to stay on organised and top of my blogging work. Although I was able to complete all nessaccary blog posts in my AS year, leading me to obtain a grade A in media, I now understand that it is much easier and causes less stress when you complete blog posts as soon as you have to knowledge and have done enough research to create a good post, which is what I have done since starting A2. I now stay on top of my work and even if it is not possible to post a blog, I plan them on journeys too and from college, at work and even mentally when I am in bed(lol). I also have a wider knowledge on a range of  ICT skills to present my posts in an interesting way, from gifs to prezzies.

My analysis posts are often quite detailed however I know that I could go in to more depth as my understanding and analysis skills in media are quite good (not to toot my own horn haha) therefore I will make a conscience effort to make more detailed blog posts.

I feel that my blog is progressing well but not as well as it could. I definatly blog more than I did during AS however I feel that I could do more to reach my potential, which is why I will focus on 3 things: 1. furthering my organisation skills in terms of the way I blog, maybe creating a timetable of hours and times to blog during the week. 2. attending more workshops to perfect and add things that I have missed in my posts. 3.Learn some new ICT techniques, to make my blog more interesting.

I would give my blog a 14/20 as I know that I have not yet reached my full potential but my work is still decent.

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Research - Cross Media Products and Synergy


Cross Media Products and Synergy

Ciara 

Ciara is typically an RnB artist but often makes music fitting the pop genre (our chosen genre). Ciara used many different forms of cross media products and synergy in order to promote her debut album 'Ciara'. 
Ciara's lead single for her album is very sexy and sensual. In the video for 'Body Party' we see her at a party meeting a guy, then giving him a lap dance. Although it is quite a sexualised video, she appears sleek, glamorous and sophisticated which is a pattern we see throughout the promotion to her upcoming album. Her hair and make up is done perfectly and styled very beautifully/
 The album cover shows off her toned body but she still looks classy and sophisticated yet she still shows off her urban roots with a fitted cap. Her hand on her stomach draws attention from the audience, almost forcing them to pay attention to her body.
An example of cross media promotion is when she appears on popular music program, 106&Park, where she performs and does an interview talking about her upcoming album, raisin awareness and drawing in not only her main target audience but also a broader target demographic. She also features on the cover of notion magazine.

In all of these forms of promotion, Ciara creates an image and brand for herself as she always appears sexy with her hair, make up and styling. This allows the audience to become familiar with her image and her as an artist. If Ciara was to appear different in all her involvement during her cross media promotion, it would make no sense to the audience and nobody would understand the image she is trying to put across, which will lose her fans and profit




Album Art and Track List:





 Single - Body Party, cover&video





Interview and Performance On Popular Show 106&Park



Feature On Magazine Cover











Research for music video - Reflection on Progress.

Compared to last year I feel I have come a long way, and developed my skills with this A2 Year. I feel I have put a lot more effort, and are continuing to put a lot more effort into my blogs this year, compared to last year.
I am including way more detail in my blogs this year than what I had previously included last year.
Last year I found it difficult to find inspiration for what to blog in reference for my film opening, however, though this year is still challenging, I am finding it easier to be more creative and I am finding it easier to treat the blog more like a diary than a stressful, on-going piece of homework.

I am using more of a variety of different ICT and different programmes in my blog in order to demonstrate my ideas such as powerpoint, prezi, slideshare and have also created flickr images which I didn't know how to do last year.

Out of 20 I would rate myself a 17/20 for effort and a 15/20 for demonstrated skill for the use of different ICT skills and the blogging, as there are still more programmes for me to explore and use and I do need to blog more.

Though I am putting more detail into my blog and more effort into my blog this year, I must admit I am finding it difficult to keep on-top of things, as the standards for blogs in the A2 year are so high. Despite this however, I shall continue trying and continue to put in more effort in order to achieve the best grade possible at the end of the year.

Three things I, admitted, need to improve on:


  • I need to blog way more frequently.
  • I need to be more organised with the planning for the music video.
  • I need to make sure to use and explore all available programmes to demonstrate my work in the blog.

Research: Reflection on Progress

Reflection on Progress

I feel that I am progressing with my blogging quite well compared to my AS year. Last year i found it difficult to keep up with the amount of work that we had to do for the Thriller Openings. I am trying to keep on top of everything and do more detailed analyses. For the Music Video blogging, so far I've used different ICT and my level of detail within my work is developing; at this point I have used PowerPoint, Prezi, Camtasia, SlideShare, screenshots embedded videos, photos and other various forms of technologies. I would give myself a mark of 14/20, for the use of different  ICT and the level of detail in my blogging. My level of detail can definitely be improved and I need to do extra blogs to show more of our ideas and thought processes.

The three things that I need to improve are: 
  • To use even more technologies and show a wide variation 
  • Keep on top of my blogging by being organised and managing my time well to not to fall behind 
  • Add loads more detail to my work, be specific and contextualise


Research: Skills Audit

Development of Research Skills

Thinking back to the research that I conducted for my AS practical work; my skills in research have developed since then in terms of how I analyse various examples that relate to my work and that represent or portray a certain aspect that I’m highlighting in the subject. Using the internet and various websites is a great feature to gain information and learn about things in depth. It’s great to be knowledgeable about what you are studying in terms of finding out relevant terminology and being able to come up with ideas instantaneously. I am able to put my learnt research skills to good use this year as I am continuously working and improving on my Media coursework, especially now that I know how things work and how to use certain programmes, which enables me to do more work quicker, efficiently and independently.

Research: Cross Media Products & Synergy - Independent Research - Pop Genre

Analysis - Creating A Synergous Brand Identity - Justin Timberlake

As similar to my last blog post, I am analysing cross media products and synergy, however this post is slightly different as it is in reference to the genre that me and my group are interested in working on, Pop. Justin Timberlake has elements of  Pop within this album, however the album as a whole  infuses R&B and Pop with Techno, Funk, and elements of Rock.

Album Cover
Name: FutureSex/LoveSounds 




The album cover colours consist of black, white, grey and orange. Justin's costume is a suit and tie and he is crushing a disco ball. The title font is the same font as the writing on the back of the cover for the track list, and the colours black, orange and grey are the same. The background colour is white with lighting focused on the artist, so the right side is highlighted. The back cover also has a white background and the picture is of the disco ball reflected. The album cover is quite simple with basic colours and not much going on; this is to keep it sophisticated, classy and mainly to focus on the artist.

Music Video Single: Medley: Let Me Talk To You/My Love   





The video sticks with the same colour scheme of black and white and the suit and ties. In the beginning of the video Both Justin and the featured artist 'Timberland' both are dressed in the similar sophisticated costumes. The location is simple with the black background focused on the light bulb tubes that are continuously flashing which creates the contrast of the black and white colours. As the main song starts, the location changes to an all white background with Justin in a waist coat and tie, without any blazer. As he dances with the performers the shots flicker between black and white backgrounds.

Key Features Seen Across All Products:

The key features that are seen across both the album cover and the video are the simplicity and the fact that nothing much is happening within each of the products. The colour schemes are similar and the costumes are similar which reflect the artist, brand and identity as it is consistent throughout. 

Research: Cross Media Products & Synergy - Independent Research

Analysis - Creating A Synergous Brand Identity - Nicki Minaj

Album Cover
Name: Pink Friday




One of the main key features that are highlighted on the album cover is that everything is pink. The album is called 'Pink Friday' and Nicki Minaj has purposely worn pink clothes, shoes, lipstick and hair to demonstrate the theme and love for the pink, girly, 'Barbie' look. With this, she wears extravagant, over the top, theatrical costumes; again this could be referring to her looking/being like a 'Barbie'. This is even by the way she is positioned and posing for the album cover; very stiff like a mannequin with air brushing and Photoshop being used to get that glistening, porcelain doll look on her body. The album cover background is all pink with the word 'Pink' written in pink and the back cover has white writing for the track-list.

Album Promotion:






These are other forms of promotion in terms of photo shoots and products such as perfumes. The CD itself has a picture of Nicki Minaj, again with the pink tint to the background. The photo shoot that took place for the album, consisted of different shots of Nicki in theatrical poses, which demonstrates her character and shows her energy. The perfume bottle and box, still follows the theme of pink and with the doll look as the bottle is shaped as Nicki with the hair.

Music Video Single: Moment 4 Life




The key features that are highlighted with the video are Nicki's different characters and costumes. The sparkly shoes and dresses portray Nicki as a princess/Barbie doll. The emphasis on pink is shown throughout the video with the pink hair and nails. Bold jewellery, head dresses and gold colours and tones are featured within the video, which links with the perfume bottle as that had gold features along with the pink.

Key Feautures Seen Across All Products:

The main key features that were seen across all products were the pink and gold colours and accessories. The same hair cut/style but in different colours e.g. pink, black etc. These all show a link between the products and the brand, which then promotes the brand and identity.

Further Additions: 




The album 'Pink Friday' was re released but with brand new songs featured on the album, therefore calling it 'Roman Reloaded', Roman being one of her characters. Then the album we released for a 3rd time with the 'The Re-up' added to the album name, but again with more new songs. This is all about promotion of the artists and the album and previous albums in one go.


Saturday, 28 September 2013

Research for Music Video - Appeal of music videos to Audiences

Music videos appeal to audience via a range of different ways:

  • Showcasing the Artists skills: 
The artists within a music video are usually seen broadcasting their variety of talents, such as dancing, playing a musical instrument, clips from their lives performances - this is to introduce them to their new audience showcasing their skills in order to promote themselves and convince the  audience into buying tickets for their shows, concerts, gigs. 





















  • The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze is evident in the majority of music videos featured in this day and age, as females have become more provocative and eccentric and music videos have become more outrageous and daring. 

The majority of female artists on the market now, use elements to attract their male audience members attention: this is through dismemberment, makeup, provocative, minimal clothing and sensual, sexual or explicit dancing.

Additionally, many male artists (particularly in the genre RnB and Hip Hip) feature woman dressed in minimal clothing, dancing provocatively to engage males and provide them with viewing pleasure.












  • Eye contact with the viewer
This gives a direct performance for the viewers which allows the audience to feel involved.







Research for Music video - Skills Audit

  • I believe my research skills in media have significantly developed since my AS year as last year I would mainly depend on discussions within my group and class discussions rather than using my initiative and my own knowledge. 
  • This year my research skills have developed as I have taken a more independent approach and more responsibility with my research and have combined research findings from a range of different sources, with my own initiative in order to get a more productive result. 
  • I am hoping that with my new approach I will get an overall more productive result with research and, consequently, a positive, successful result with my group's music video. 

Research for Music Video - Synergy Brand Identity activity - Katy Perry.

Album Cover 

Name: Teenage Dream. 





The main features highlighted on this album cover is the idea of candy and sweets. The Artists name 'Katy Perry' is made to look like red licorice, and the name of the album 'Teenage Dream' written in a style that looks like a candy cane sweet. Katy herself is appeared on by laying on an large cloud - connecting to the idea of a 'dream' - made of pink cotton-candy. The back of the album cover has the same theme, with the O's replaced in song tittles with an image of a circled, striped piece of candy. The album itself also was made to smell like sweets also which added to the promotion and continuity of the sweet-themed promotion of the album. 

Album Promotion:


File:Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song).jpg



There is a range of different forms of promotion Katy Perry used for her album. The CD itself within the 'Teenage Dream' album was designed in order to look like a piece of striped candy also, relating to the album cover front a back in which she used the striped candy design within her font. 
During the time of her album and single release Katy Perry also did a range of photo shoots, and a variety of celebrity appearances wearing her blue wig  or having a blue hair style which is the same hair she has on for the majority of the time the music video for 'California Gurls' -  the single released from her album.
There were also fancy-dress costumes made of an exact replica's of Katy's outfits in her 'California Gurls' music video. 

Music Video Single - California Gurls:



In the music video, Katy is seen wearing a range of different outfits all having one thing in common: all outfits are made from pieces of and replicating pieces of candy. She is also seen wearing two brightly coloured wigs - the main a bright blue wig and another lilac coloured wig. She is also seen laying on the cloud made of cotton-candy as she sings which is replicating the exact image of her album cover. In her lyrics she mentions candy '...so hot we'll melt your Popsicle.'
The concept of the video is Katy walking featured within a board game which the featured artists - Snoop Dogg- is playing. The entire board game is a world made of candy and sweets - everything is made of cupcakes, lollipops, sweets, pieces of candy and jelly.
The featured artist, Snoop Dogg - is also wearing a suit with images of sweets and pieces of candy all over it.

Key Features seen across all products:

The key features shown across all products were the idea of candy, sweets and bright colours. Katy is seen wearing the same coloured hair with different styles on and off screen in a range of different celebrity appearances and settings. She continues the theme of candy from her music video to the outfits, to her album cover, to the CD itself. These all show a link between the products and the brand, which then consequently promotes the brand and the artists image and identity. 



Wednesday, 25 September 2013

Research: Appeal Of Music Video To Audiences - Bloopers!


Research: Examining The Appeal of Music Videos To Audiences

The Appeal of Music Videos

I have gone around and asked the audience 'What appeals them to music videos?' and this is there response:


As you can see, these are the main responses:
  • Entertainment
  • Audience like the artist and like looking at them
  • Audience like the location
  • Audience like the song
  • The Male Gaze
  • Audience like the Narrative
  • Adds another dimension to the song (visuals)
  • Audience like their image, style and brand etc and would want to emulate them
Depending on whether the person is male or female, determines the type of response they also have. For e.g looking at females half naked (Laura Mulvey's Theory), was mentioned from Torian. I also asked Lolade how old she was, to show that the target audience is between the ages of 16 to 20+. 

Research: Individual Analysis of Costume, Props, Location and Setting

Analysis of Costume, Props, Location and Setting - Pop Video's

In this post  I will be individually analysing the costumes and locations from 3 videos from a genre that me and my group are interested in working with, which is Pop. I will be analysing 3 different Pop videos by different artists and explaining the similarities and  the differences between each of the videos including the amounts of costume/ location/setting changes and the use of the props  within video too.

Little Mix - How Ya Doin'? ft. Missy Elliott:



This video is a great example of how a Pop videos demonstrates the various changes within the costume, location and setting. Little Mix being a girl Pop group, appeals to the audience by their style of dressing, in terms of their urban, retro, funky looks with crop tops and jersey t-shirts, which links with their style of singing. Their hair colour is also died to bright red, pinks and blues, and product advertisement is shown within the video for the hair dye. Each member of the group has 4 costume changes, which is equivalent to 8 changes in total. This is also included within the  Mis en scene, where the costume is linked with the location and the genre. Pop being a fun, energetic, happy genre, and the way Little Mix are dressed, this connection is clearly shown  throughout the video. In terms of setting/location, the video is set internally with bright lights and colourful rooms, again showing the fun, happy environment. The prop which is most significant is the telephones, as the lyrics are about someone not being able to get through to them on the phone. Other props that are included are clothing, hair products and make up. 


Cher Lloyd - With Ur Love ft. Mike Posner


Cher Lloyd is a good example of an artists that does many Pop songs. This example is good, however slightly different as she only has 2 costume changes within the video. I think this is because the video focuses on the surrounding/setting, as it’s meant to be a natural, casual look in relation to the song. Everything is still colourful and there is multi-coloured balloons floating in the air and it shows a fun, happy environment. There are 4 location changes, 1 being the bedroom (which is actually outside), 2 being an external location where most of the video is filmed, 3 a roof top and lastly a colourful wall. As the video is meant to be a calm, natural environment, having fun with citizens and relaxing, there are no obvious edits or over exaggerated costumes. Props that are included are an iPod, bed, balloons and many more.


Rita Ora - How We Do (Party):



This is another good example as a variety of costume/location changes take place throughout this video. Rita Ora has 6 different costume changes, and with these changes comes a change in the setting and area she is in. As she is singing about partying, the location is set around loads of people either in a room or in a confined space having fun and partying. As it is a fun environment the scenes change from partying, to Rita sitting down surrounded by roses, to everyone partying and having fun in a room full of glow in the dark, neon lights. Rita Ora wears a crown and is dressed in casual clothing such as a t-shirt, hoodie and leather jacket, and in other scenes, shes dressed in more of a urban street look with beanie hats, crop tops and shorts. Props that are included are  a bed, snake, alcohol, chairs, paint and many more. 

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Research - What Is A Music Video?

Research - Copy Right Clearance

Research - Recap of What I Learnt From the AS Year

In the AS year I developed skills in...

  • Camera work  - I have developed my skills in using cameras further. I am able to frame the camera in a range of different shots, from close ups to POV'S to crane shots etc.
  • Using editing software and how/why editing works - I can now use Final Cut Pro comfortably. I am able to cut footage to make clips and films, add writing and different sounds, add transitions and various other things the software provides.
  • My understanding and ability to analyse the use of mise en scene - Although I was able to analyse media products before I started AS Media, I am now able to recognise how the use of mise en scene effects film and TV in depth, using a wider range of media language.
  • Sound - In the AS year I learnt how to use sound software such as Sound Track Pro and although I don't feel that I have mastered the program, I am still able to use it to create soundtracks that may be used in films and TV clips whereas before this was not a skill that I had.

Research - Reflecting On The AS Year YOU NEED TO EMBED VIDEO

The remake of the Down With the Trumpets music video by Rizzle Kicks that I produced in the AS year, was very poor. The lip syncing was not good and the camera was very static. However I did develop my knowledge on the use and purposes of base tracks...

Research for Music Video - Review of previous Student's video



This is a previous Student's video, they chose the song Florence and The Machine - Howl

- The intended target audience for this music video is late teenagers to young adults - possibly the years 18-24, with the wider audience being anybody of any age that listens to this sort of music genre.

- The genre of the song featured in this music video is a combination of various genre's with various elements including rock, soul, and modern indie pop.

-  I believe they followed a disjuncture structure as the music video didn't seem to have any relation to the lyrics - the video was mainly focused on the artist.

What I thought...


  • This was my favourite student video, I really enjoyed watching it as I felt it looked like and imitated an actual music video really well - it looked highly professional. 
  • It had high entertainment value as they sued a variety of shots, with the camera hardly ever remaining static for too long.
  • The concept and video was kept simple, which worked really well as it allowed the video to be easy to understand and easy to follow
  • The students really played around with the different uses of lighting - they darkened some parts which added mystery and diversity to the video. 
  • The costume changes were kept to a minimum - four costume changes in total - and the locations were also kept simple which allowed the video to be easy to follow. 
  • Despite the costume changes, the artists' makeup as kept the same in every scene which allowed the music video to keep continuity. 
  • The group used a mix of fast and slow motion when the main artist was singing in front of the projector, her mouth is in sync with the words of the song though her movements are made quicker this added to the more professional feel of the music video as this technique - the manipulation of the speed in shots - is sued frequently in real music videos. 
Despite this though...

  • Though this song does not feature an actual video I did find that the lightning used was very similar to the live performance Florence and the Machine did on 'Letterman'. 


  • Also the costume where the artists featured in the student video is wearing a cream dress is also similar to the cream coloured outfits that Florence is wearing during this live performance. 
  • The student video also follows a similar style that imitates  Florence and the Machine's regular style in all her other music videos. 
  • The only criticism I'd give is that I feel the students could have taken a totally  different  approach and completely broke away from the usual style of Florence and the Machine's videos, and used a totally different concept.
Overall though an amazing student re-creation of  music video, very professional. It is clear that a lot of effort and attentiveness went into the creation of this piece. 

Research - Analysis of Costume, Location and Setting (Individual)

Analysis of Costume, Location and Setting

In this post I will be analysing costume, location and setting of a video from the pop genre. My group is interested in creating a music video within this genre and analysis of other videos will help our understanding of what conventions are included in mainstream pop videos. I will be analysing Rita Ora - RIP


These outfits Rita Ora is wearing are urban but sexy and feminine outfits which reflects the urban feel of the song. Two of the outfits include hats, which is an item of clothing that may be seen as 'street' and something that may often be associated with young boys and men however Ora pulls it off by including sexy and slightly revealing clothes that allow her to show off a sexy and feminine side of her. She also wears heavy gold chains, another accassory we would expect from a male artist from the HipHop or RnB genres. The costumes portrays a sexy yet strong and tough female character which goes hand in hand with the lyrics of the song, which tell the story of leaving behind a negative past and the vulnerable she was to become stronger and less passive. The location in which these outfits are worn are also urban and gritty, adding continuity to the urban type theme. There is are very dark and gloomy colour wash that



In this base track Rita Ora is wearing a  plain white vest top, with pale make up, with very white bright lighting. This gives a sense of religion and afterlife. This base track often appears when the hook 'RIP to the girl you used to see' is sung by the artist which all adds to the connotations of afterlife suggesting that 'the girl she used to be' is dead and gone.

This costume breaks the urban theme but is still very sexy and sophisticated. This suggests that although Ora has a tough, strong and 'hood' side to her, she still knows how to be a lady. This may suggest that she is ready to move on from the man that she is singing about. She is surrounded by mirrors which also suggest femininity. This shot appears when she sings lyrics such as 'I'm ready for ya' connoting that she is ready to move on as she knows she looks good.




Research for music video - Short summary demonstrating what I understand about Mulvey's theory


 Laura Mulvey and 'The Male Gaze' 


  • Laura Mulvey stated that the the world is ordered on sexual imbalance.

  • She coined the term 'The Male Gaze' in which she believed that audiences have to view characters (in music videos/film) from a heterosexual male's perspective. 

  • In her words, 'the determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure who is styled accordingly.'
Based on this, it could be assumed that woman would be portrayed in music videos in a degrading, demeaning sexualised way and most likely dressed in provocative and revealing clothing. 

This is mainly evident in music videos of the RnB, Hip-Hop and Pop genre as is expected for woman to be dressed in minimal clothing, showing off a large amount of skin and revealing their body shape for the audience. 

I3KsEg on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs

A music video that demonstrates Mulvey's theory throughout is Kelly Rowland's music video for Lay it  on Me:

Throughout the music video the male gaze is presented: the men are constantly looking at her and parts on her body. Kelly is wearing revealing clothing to clearly show off her figure and dances sexually and provocatively as the male gaze is fixated on her.