The Pop Video: The Key Features and Processes

The Process:



Different Styles



Will Young, "Leave right Now"

First Production Gathering/Meeting

In our group of 4, we split our ideas unto a mind map. We all had creative ideas, which was split into two. 

The first idea was to choose the Marian Hill Song, One Time.

For this song, we thought of having a range of masquerade masks, perhaps 5. Each mask would represent different personalities that dominates when she is with a particular partner. The music video would have a Freudian twist to it.

Or, Jet Black Alley Cat, Poison.

The lead singer will have a journey with music. Where he will be dancing in cool backgrounds, such as a graffiti wall and underground tunnel at a train station. There will be a rock, but urban feel to this. 

Here, there are some costumes we are thinking of.

Decisions, decisions.

Artist Profile

They are a young group of 5 from Nashville, which most probably appeal to teenager, and perhaps 18-21 year olds. However, they are not the most typical band, as they have elements of pop, rock, and a sprinkle of indie.

They are different, exciting and bring a new flavour to the music industry. 

They have elements of The 1975, and Imagine Dragons.

Looking for an Artist

Copyright

Unsigned artists ensure that I will not get any issues with copyright. The artists that are unlikely to respond are the mainstreams ones like Justin Bieber, and One Direction

The artists that are more approachable, are unsigned and have a smaller fanbase, therefore they are more likely to respond

Where to find music 

Streaming sites such as Soundcloud have numerous artists. This makes it more likely to find an unsigned artist that will be okay with us using their track. It is the most efficient way, perhaps of asking for permission

Ideal track 

The track should be no longer than 5 minutes, and no less than 3 minutes. It should not be too fast, or too slow. Perhaps, something upbeat enough to be exciting but can be easily followed without looking like a mess. There should be enough lyrics to avoid, awkward gaps of music

Genres to avoid

Rap – Although it may be upbeat, most rap contains not just bad language but frequent sexual and explicit references.  Also, the lyrics are normally fast so it may look like a pathetic attempt to look like you have the same flow

Country – It is difficult to adapt to the conventional setting of country landscape, and cowboy attire. It would be even more difficult to access these areas due to the sort of town I listen to

Dubstep – This genre doesn’t have many vocals and the performance will not be as great. 

Potential Tracks

Marian Hill - One Time 

Jet Black Alley Cat - Poisen

Cherry V - Stole my heart beat

Laura Mulvey - Rihanna

Shut up and Drive & Laura Mulvey Theory



There's no doubt most
Watch the video first, then after I explain Laura Mulvey's theory then watch it for the second time.

Laura Mulvey's Theory

She is a British feminist, who studied at Birbeck, University of London. She is a profesor of film  and media studies, so she has thorough insight on how the industry works

Her famous essay that she wrote was from her journal Screen, entitled Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.


The industry illustrates two main assertions.

The entertainment industry reflects society - the industry tries to show relations with the real world

Society is patriarchal - society leans towards a male dominated world, and the industry prioritises the male audience

"The Male Gaze"

The male gaze is active, while the female is passive. In most narratives, not just the male character is drawn to the woman, but the camera forces to focus on the woman ourselves 

This is called the Triple Gaze...

Us, as the spectator are made to identify with the male gaze.

Now watch Shut up and Drive, again. 

Here are a couple shots I've spotted.

Classic, Lepord print heels. If that doesn't scream provactive, I don't know what other heels does.

Rihanna enters what seems to be a garage, a male dominated environment.

The camera gazes to her putting a cloth behind her, which what seems to be a male gaze.

She dances, emphasises her body to entertain the eyes of men.

Here's another shot of her empahising her body to an angle, attracting the gaze of the man.

The garage, which is normally a male environment is full of half dressed women.

The camera starts at their faces then, travels to their legs.                   

The camera shifts to an angle, where her full body is in view from behind.

The first male introduced by the camera seems to be distracted by Rihanna.

He looks at her, rather admiringly.

She starts the race.

...

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin had a particular interest in music videos



 

He was in "Dancing in the distraction factory"




,.. and identified different features of music videos.

Goodwin saw a relationship between the lyrics that we hear, and the video that we see visually. They both might correlate with one another, or they might contradict.



Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey is an example of a song which correlates to the lyrics. The lyrics are quite dark, however the beat and the pace of the song is replaced with a slightly pop or r&b sound. At the beginning of the video, there is a repetition of shots of a cloudy sky, emphasising the depressing tone. There is a shot of Lana Del Rey committing suicide; this could be seen as a glorification of depression or suicide. Also, it could represent how she re-invented herslef, previously named "Elizabeth Grant." Her image is totally reinvented. She is wearing a white dress, representing innocence, however the smoke shows that the innocence is blurred, or innocence is covered by a an uncertainty or corruption. Some of the shots are short and flashy, which showcases her fast lifestyle that the industry offers. Additionally the story line of the other woman who commits suicide could simply be another version of herself, or a doppelganger. Additionally, the shots of the crucifix and her imitating the cross perhaps shows her sacrificing herself; it was a strong Gatsby theme to it. She represents the lost generation (she was heavily influenced by the "roaring twenties". Also, the re-occurring soft light on Lana Del Rey's face shows her beauty and glamour that her new image stands for.

 

Record Labels love the stamp, close ups can create.


 A very well known example is Micheal Jackson and his "glove" motif.




Micheal Jackson's sparkling white glove is recognisable almost everywhere. He introduced this glove while performing on "Motown 25." The television special allowed the Jackson 5 to showcase themselves and obtain a number of fans. He combined the white glove look with black trousers, white socks and a "spy hat." This iconic look made Michael Jackson recognisable everywhere. The glove became an outfit necessity, often covered in rhinestone mesh. After his death, there were speculations about the primal reason behind wearing the glove. According to Whitten (the designer of the glove) said it was to disguise his vitiligo - a skin condition. The distinctive look nevertheless was extraordinary to the audience.




Another, rather controversial example is Miley Cyrus' infamous "tongue."




Andrew Goodwin wrote the book Dancing in the Distraction Factory which highlighted certain features found in music videos. The conventions of a music video genre:

Music videos show quite strong genre characteristics such as stage performance in metal videos, dance routines for pop bands, and aspiration in Hip Hop. The lyrics and visuals have a relationship, but there may not always be a correlation. Usually, the lyrics represent the images, however commonly nowadays, they may contradict. They could either be three main things; illustrative, amplifying or contradicting. In most cases the tone and atmosphere match with the lyrics, again either illustrative, amplyfying or contradicting. Record labels love closups. Closeups develop motifs like previously mentioned.

There are frequent refrence to notion looking such as screens within screens, or mirrors. And the famous voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Sometimes, movies or TV shows are incooperated into the music video, to promote both at the same time, or another music video. One of the most recent example, is the "Boom Clap," by Charlie XCX and "The Fault in Our Stars."

One of the childhood favourites.