To start with the history of music, i wanted to start with the Beatles as they were a very popular band. I struggled to find a music video which the four of them had made but majority of them are singing live. When they brought music video's out, some of them were in black and white, and also a few were in colour. Since colour was used alot until the end of the bands career, some of the music videos don't look like it is good quality. The same for the pictures which have been taken for album covers. This song is 7 minutes long and it was the longest to stay at the top of the charts. With these music video's they don't have much of a storyline and also don't have all the special affects. If we look at a boy band now which is as famous as them, then they have personal stylists and so much more.
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
1984
With this singer, this music video has a bit more of a narrative although compared to video's which we see today the quality of the music video still isn't very good. If we listen to the lyrics of the music video, its referring more to love as the Beatles didn't always necessarily sing about that. the most common things which male singers or boy bands sing about is; Love. This attracts the female audience. With this music video, the colour fades in and out, so it shows that years after the beatles the colour still hasnt had a big effect on the music industry. Also what hasnt been introduced yet was dancing in music video's like artists such as Jason Derulo has now.
Justin Bieber Ft. Nicki Minaj - Beauty and a Beat
2012
Finally with a more recent music video that people will recognise. With video's like these which is from the pop genre we expect to see certain things, which as loads of effects and dancers. It al so became very common to have songs featuring other artists and have them sing a bit in their song. As time has gone on the video's in the pop genre have become cheesy. Although in the Indi genre they do tell a narrative but it is almost every song is about love. but you do get a fair few that might be more of an abstract video. In the music industry to this day a lot of the artists get stereotyped and get opinions forced upon them, were as The Beatles never had to act in a serious way or stick to a certain personality.
My overall conclusion from my research is that majority of people listen to music on a weekly basis, some of the people that took this questionnaire told me that they listen to it on the radio when they are getting ready in the morning or when they are driving to college/work. I asked people who are 16 or 17. 7 women took my quiz therefore from this i gathered that the women like watching a love story as a narrative as a story for the music video. From this research i will be basing my video on female's aged between 15-18 as i think at this age, it is more appealing to watch a love story in a music video.
Questionnaire to College students
1: How often do you listen to music and what genre?
2: Do you prefer watching music video's or just listening to the song?
3: What are the conventions you expect to see from this genre?
4: as a breif explaination, what do you think the story line would be in "please don't say you love me"?
5: Do you prefer to watch music video's which have a narrative?
6: How often do you use YouTube?
7: What do you use to listen to music? IPod, MP3 etc..
These are my 3 initial idea's that i could use as my narrative for my music video. Overall i know i will be basing it on a love story and i wanted a conflict within this narrative. My favourite which i will probably be using is idea 2. I think that it would be fun and also will add vertisimilitude to the story. The idea of basing it in the amusments, seems very normal for people but then also it can represent the love story to be real too. For my video i will be having two main characters to act as a couple, but i will also be using one other guy who will be acting as someone who wants the girl. With my first idea, it was pretty basic as a love story and it is what people expect to see as a boring love story, that is another reason why i wanted to pick something which has a exciting story to it and that some people will actually relate too. I think that the second idea is more likely to get me more marks and i also think it will be more enjoyable rather that the first idea. The first idea for me was too plain and it would get boring after a while. With the third idea i thought was too depressing, even though the song itself is slow the lyrics are not too depressing therefore the music video and the lyrics wouldn't really go. For my ideal video i would want people to look at it as a cute video but then i dont want my audience to think it was cheesy. In my view of the music video i think that i have a very thin line were it could be either, very cheesy or could have a nice narrative. I know that my video will probably be based more towards girls and my target audience is girls which are based in the teenage years.
Overall i know that i will be basing my video on the second idea. I like the idea of being in an amusements and it becomes a common love story. i have already picked who will be in my video.
The genre of this music video is country/pop. This artist Taylor Swift was firstly known for her country music rather then her pop which she later went on to do. This music video has a narrative of a fairy tale story about love. The twist with this music video is that is flips between modern day and Victorian times. This is reinforced by the mise en scene. The mise en scene is what i am going to be talking about first.
The mise en scene used in the music video first, was a school which looked a lot like a castle, this could be suggest that she is aiming the music video to a certain age group which are at school, but it could also mean that this was the time period when she went through it herself. We link castles with princesses therefore we expect to see a love story including two people. The fact that we see her carrying some books reinforces that she attends the school and this was a time in her life when she fell in love with someone. Stereo typically we would expect to see a young pretty man who she falls madly in love with, this is exactly what happens in this video, he too is studying which could mean that they attended the same school. Secondly we see flashbacks of Victorian dancing and the clothes they wear. The girl is wearing a cream dress which is fitted around her torso, and the skirt part of her dress is full and floaty, this reaches the floor. Her hair is up and looking neat, this appearance is what you expect to see from the Victorian times. The male is wearing white frills under his clothes, the frills come out of the sleeves for his jacket and the top of the torso, he is also wearing a dark brown waist coat. Then on top of that he is wearing a black blazer with the same colour trousers. His hair is long but also neat, which we see in a shoot that majority of men have their hair like this. These are the clothes of traditional Victorian clothes, this time period is reinforced by more mise en scene since we see the traditional dancing and the castle which they are dancing in is set out like this time period too. The clothes could also represent their personality or their intentions. The fact that the main singer is wearing coloured clothing which is mainly white or cream, suggests that she is pure and doesn't mean she is intending to do anything wrong but also could represent that she has a pure life too. The young man is also wearing white with his outfit, this could link them together, but the dark brown waist coat and black jacket might suggest otherwise. Black is normally assosiated with negative things, so this could mean that he is in the wrong about something, as the narrative is about them seeing eachother without their parents permission so this is where the black clothing could be linked. I noticed that there is a lot of candles used as light and natural light rather then electricty. This adds realism to the narrative but also reinforces the time period to make it look more believable. Another point would be that they are using a horse as transport or use them for other uses. As in Victorian days they wouldnt of used cars asmuch as modern times. The castle which the singer is singing in when it is the Victorian times, there is a painting behind her which could represent that it is quite old and possibly well known. When they couple are sneaking around together, we could link the purety of them into the mise en scene again, as they spend a lot of time in the garden where there is a lot of flowers and natural things rather then objects which would suggest otherwise. When the scene of the garden is shown we can see a angel which is brought into focus, we associate angels with love and the action which the angel is holding looks like she is pleased with love and it looks sweet. I have taken a snapshot to show this, the fact that we can see the nature surrounding this could represent that it is acceptable and possibly that it is meant to be. Still refering to the nature side of things, the main singer in a scene not long after this one, eats a cherry of the tree. Linking her with the nature, then it could go on to linking her with the angel and then finally linking her to love. The Victorian clothes and the culture in that time period links back to my point of it being like a prince and princess love story. The princess always have a pretty dress on and looks well kept, and the young man is always attractive. In the scene when they are both running towards eachother, slightly before that we her up a height but him on the ground, this could link in with the fairy tale of repunzal, this could attract different age groups; Adults will be able to remember the story from when they were younger, this is also similar for teenagers apart from the fact they will be admiring their relationshop as they will want it themselves, lastly younger childen will link it with the actually story and will become interested in the song and video causing the artist to get more views on youtube and their single being bought more often. We see a slight change in costume for this scene as the young man doesnt have any black on him which suggests that they have now been accepted by their parents. The young man is only wearing his white shirt, but he is also wearing light brown trousers. Within the narrative of the music video this is when they are engaged therefore have been accepted by eachothers family.
With the cinematography which is used in the music video, firstly we start with a establishing shot of the school which because of the mise en scene looks a lot like a castle, we see this from a low angle so we are looking up and the building, this is to show the size which is later linked with the second building we see that looks very alike. A track and a pan is used at the same time when the main singer is looking at the young man sitting under the tree, the track is used to represent her walking and the pan is used to represent what she can see while she is walking. After that we quickly see a few shots of close ups of different events, one was a close up of their hands just touching and another was a extreme close up of him whispering into her ear. After this is see a shot reverse shot, this is used to reinforce the love story and that they are trying to recognise eachother. Then there is another few shots which are used at flashbacks. The second establishing shot is of another castle which looks very similar to the school that we had previously seen. It also allows us to see it from the same angle which is a low angle looking up at this massive caslte.The first zoom is then used to show the main singer in the window, this helps us link it together in the sense that it is meant to come across as a fairytale love story, linked in with Victorian times and the modern day. Another one of many high angles are used when she is singing directly into the camera, this could represent that someone is listening to her but also the fact that we as an audience are looking out for her, as well as wanting to know what is going to happen with this narrative. The second track is used when they are in the Victorian times. It is used when the young man is walking into the dancing party and the track is used to represent that he is walking directly towards the main singer. We see the main singer in the castle a lot, and we see her from high and low angles, the low angles could represent where the young man should be or later in the narrative, will be. The first long shot we see is of the two when they meet for the first time. The long shot allows depth of field to be used therefore it is like they are in a world of their own linking back with the love story theme. We see a birdseye view of the traditional dancing, This could suggest that the angel which we saw from the mise en scene might be looking down on them, the same when it is just the main singer in the castle. A long shot is used when the main singer is on her own in the wooded area, and in that framing we can clearly see her but also we can see something ristricting us from getting any closer, this could be representing the angel wanting to get closer but can't. It is shown like we are spying on her and the angel is there for her own saftey. When we first see the young man in the wooded area, we begin to see the angel and it is up a height which reinforces all of the high angles which have previously been used. When we see a long shot of the couple with the horse, the horse is the same colour as the angel, therefore this could link them together. To represent that she is walking away there is a zoom used. It zooms out and it brings you to a meduim shot of him, from this we can see his emotion as he begins to walk away himself.
The genre of this music video is Indi. The mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound all reinforces this. The video also has a narrative for the storyline; Main character who is Jake Bugg is brought up in a aggressive family since he has a stepdad. His mother is always drinking and he has taken up smoking, but also performs. He is at his happiest when singing.
Firstly, the mise en scene in this music video refers a lot to the location where they are living. With in the first cut we see a sign post with Nottingham train station on. This is also represents where the whole video will be based and people will have already stereotypically made there own views of what people are like in Nottingham. From people's point of view that people who are from Nottingham are not the richest people, this is also reinforced by the costume. We see Jake Bugg wearing some trainers which dont look expensive and they also look like they have been warn a lot, suggesting that he spends his money on other things. But also this refers to the area he lives in since he wouldn't have posh clothing and living in a run down area. As we see his shoes, we a also begin to see a shadow of him. From the shadow we can see the outline of a guitar which he is carrying around, this reinforces my previous point; spending money on other things. It links in with the music, because we hear a lot of guitar playing. When we see Jake walking down the street, this adds realism to the music video. We always expect to see parked cars outside a street of houses, it could also be showing where he is living or might have come from. When he is walking down the street, he is smoking a cigarette. Not only does this link in with the lyrics but it refers on the community he might be involved in, this is reinforced when we see a group of lads sat outside of a closed shop which has a old and broken couch outside of it too. We see the main character doing a lot of walking until he gets to the bus stop, this represents what is the most popular way of transport in that area. In the background of the bus stop we see some run down houses, which could link in with the previous shot of him walking down a street full of houses. They also don't look very big or posh, could possibly suggest it was a council estate. Another point why he could be using bus as a transport could be because he can't afford a car but again money is spent on his guitar. Going back to the point of the boys smoking outside of a closed shop; The fact that they are smoking could link them group of lads to the main singer: Jake Bugg. This link could mean that they are either friends or from the same local comminity. People stereotype a lot of teenagers when they sit outside of closed shops and the mise en scene used in this reinforces that. The clothes they are wearing and that they are smoking reinforces the stereotypical point of being a Chav or part of a gang. Also we see a shot where the cigarette is being past between all of the teenage boys. This could represent that they couldnt afford to buy a packet each, but it also gives the impression that they are happy, sitting infront of a shop. Jake has normally just been in scenes on his own so far, this could suggest that he prefers to be on his own and has a slightly different life to the other group of guys. The guitar that he is always carrying reinforces that, since no one else has one. While Jake is running with his guitar, we see buses in the background. Showing the transport that we know he uses, but also shows that it is popular for people in that city. When Jake walks into the stage area where people are playing, the first thing i noticed was that the lighting was dark on him before he saw the stage itself, but the closer he got to it the lighter it got. This could suggest that he is happiest when on stage or around somewhere like that. When he is finally on the stage, there is a bright white light which is shinning on his face, this could mean he is the happiest here. Another thing i noticed was the mise en scene in the background when he was walking in. I saw a picture which was hanging on the wall and the guy in it was smoking. This could represent why he smokes himself and that the person in the picture could be what wants to be like as he gets older but also why he thinks it is a good thing rather then bad. When it cuts to him walking down the stairs, there was several things which i noticed. The first was that he was wearing the same trousers as the day before, suggesting that he doesn't own a lot of clothes. Secondly, the stairs seem very run down and not steady therefore didn't cost that much. After this we see the mother and step dad dancing in the living room, the fact that Jake walks straight past them asif it was normal suggests that he is used to this and it is reccuring all the time. The stepdad comes across like he is under the influence of something, maybe alcohol or drugs, the evidence for this is shown when the mother takes a drink of alcohol while still dancing with the stepdad. Further on when the couple are play fighting and it turns more aggressive, we see Jake hold two fingers up and walk out of the room, and seconds later the mother does it. This shows how his mother has been acting around him and how she has unfluenced him into a certian behaviour. The clothes the mother is wearing is all white, which could mean that she is truthful in this relationship but the red nail varish would suggest that she has something to hid, and the bad side of it all. The stepdad seems to be more dominant in the relationship but yet we see the mother fighting back. This is reinforced when the mother slaps the man and it goes everywhere. But the stepdad grabs her head and puts her face really close to it, like you would when you punish a pet therefore the stepdad is a dominant person. As an ending we see that the gaitur plays a vital part in his life, when Jake is in the airport, he is still carrying the gaitur which he has had stuch to him throughout the video.
Editing and also with the cinematography. To know where we are there is an establishing shot used to make us realise the Nottingham sign. When we see the main singer walking, a hand held camera is used, this could be to mimic the pedestrain walking but also gives us chance to understand what he is doing. It also used when he walks past the camera, it could be to represent the mood he is in but also it focus's on the fact he is smoking. A long shot is used when Jake is walking to the bus stop, this is reinforced by the mise en scene also. Because of this shot we can see the other houses and how they are kept, from what we can see the area could be seen as a rough estate as the houses are not that big and don't look good. The next cut is a close up of him, this allows us to see the emotion on his face. In his close up his head is down and he is looking directly at the floor, this would suggest that he was upset or not very happy about something. The last action we see Jake doing is smoking, then we see a close up of another guy smoking, because of the use of cinematography being the same, it links them together. Another establishing shot is used so we can see clearly where the young man is smoking. We learn that it is a closed down corner shop with a couch outside which they are sat on. A slight tilt is used when they pass the cigarette is passed between two people, this could suggest that they are also un wealthy. The second long shot which is used is to show the group of lads which seem to be mates, sat on the couch outside the corner shop. This refers to my other point when they used an establishing shot. From the long shot you can see how many of them there is and what they are doing as if someone is watching them, they are just sat quite general, you can also see clearly that the couch is rundown with material falling off it. It quickly cuts to Jake who is running and then runs across the zebra crossing. The cinematography used in this, is a pan. It gives the effect of someone watching, but the fact it cuts from 5 teenagers sat around to someone else who is doing something with their life allows us to compare different life styles. A track is used when Jake is walking into the stage area. The track is used like we are following him and when we see the stage become more clear, it feels like we can see what he can and that allows us to get a connection too and gives the impression that we are invited in. When in the stage area, we see a lot more of close ups or Jake. We also see a over the shoulder shot; from that it allows us to see how he is comminicating with the person and we see his emotion too. Next we see a pan of him coming down the stairs with the same jeans on, it refers to 'the night before', it follows through to the living room where the mother and stepdad are dancing. As the cinematography allows us to follow him, you can see that it doesnt bother him that his parents look under the influence of something. Therefore it makes it seem like its normal for him. The third longshot that is used is the parents drinking and still dancing in the foreground, and then in the background, Jake making a cup of tea as if it is natural. When the conflict happens, a hand held camera is used to make it look more agressive and serious. After all the fighting had finished we see a repeat of Jake walking down the stairs, this time he has trainers on. From this we know he is going out and this is also reinforced when we see a medium shot as he leaves the house with his bags and guitar. Before he leaves, he says bye and a over the shoulder shot is used so show he is looking down on his mother, this suggests that he us apologetic towards her but could also be disappointed with her.
Finally with the Sound, there is a few moments when the lyrics match moments in the music video. "i go back to Chifton, to see my old friends" on this moment we see a section where his friends are on the street corner. then "he's with my mamma, they're yelling and fighting, its not the first time" and at this point we see a selection where they are fighting and there is conflict in the music video.
Levi Strauss' Theory is refers alot of this music video, Strauss came up with Binary Opposites which involves a protagonist and an antagonist. With this music video "Two fingers by Jake Bugg" we see that his stepdad is refered to as the antagonist in this as he comes across as drunken and aggressive therefore we expect him to do bad and negative things, which is later shown when he is aggressive towards the mother and there is a scene of conflict between the three; mother, son and stepdad.The lyrics are also reinforcing this theory as the lyrics match the timing of the video and events that are happening in it too. Another theorist which is linked with this music video is Tessa Perkins. Perkins showed that stereotyping is everywhere, it can be positive or negative. For this video the majority of the stereotyping is negative. Firstly it is shown through the mise en scene which is the area they all live in as it seems quite rundown, but also when we see the young lads sat around a corner shop on a sofa. From that we would stereotype them as Chavs on the estate and we would link them with smoking and bad behaviour. What i think is when we stereotype a family which are alcoholics and aggressive, we don't expect the child to have a great life, this is challanged in this narrative as the ending is that Jake goes on tour with his band.
