Research : Reviewing favorite previous student video.

Hall of fame: 12
This video is of hip hop genre and its intended audience is the young, urban male.
The narrative structure is brilliant as it is about an "asshole boss" who makes life difficult for a worker.
The students have tried in making the narrative structure clear.
There is a wide use is locations that is fitting to the song. For example when the lyrics of the song is about the asshole boss and how he is treating the worker wrongly, the camera is on the office location, but when the lyrics is in general terms, the camera is focused on the main character in the Graffiti location..
This video has a strong performance from all the characters and they keep their audience entertained and interested.
There is rapid pace of editing and also conventional editing.
I am finding it difficult to put the video on this blog, but if interested in watching it, you can follow this link: http://candihalloffame.blogspot.com/

Research : Laura Mulvey's view on representation

Laura Mulvey is a British Feminist Film Theorist.
She primarily focuses her attention on the inequality on the sexual representation of women in media. She noted that the sexual inequality among men and women is characterised by superior men and inferior women. In this, women gets the expectations of men and try to meet their fantasy.
                  

The image of an artist(s) in amusic video will have been carefully planned. This includes the syle of hair, choice of clothes to the position and act that the character plays.
As audience, we deconstuct this interpretation based on our own cultural references and understanding. As a result, we become accustomed to seeing familiar representation within the videos for particular artists/groups.

The main idea is that "looking" is generally seen as an active male role while the passive role of being looked at is immediately adopted as a female characteristic. It is under the construction of patriarchy that Mulvey argues that women in film are tied to desire and that female characters hold an "appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact". The female actor is never meant to represent a character that directly effects the outcome of a plot or keep the story line going, but is inserted into the film as a way of supporting the male role and "bearing the burden of sexual objectification" that he cannot.

This representation is particular Hip hop and Metal.
      
However, some artists try to challenge this representation. For example, Alicia keys, as she tries to present herself like a dominant person in her music videos. In her superwoman song, she tries to convey herself as the traditional role of a woman who srives hard to look after her children and not as the negative stereotype given to women.

Research : Carol Venallis' Theory

                
Carol Vernallis is associate professor of Film and Media Studies at Arizona State University.
In her theory :,
She noted that the usual rules of  'continuity' editing are broken in order to draw attention to what is on the screen.
Also, edits may be really obvious to draw attention to themselves like wipes, boxes and other special effects that are added. For example Franz Ferdinand - Can't Stop Feeling

In addition, jump cuts are also of utmost importance.

She observed that edits in music video come much more frequently than in film and that many stand out as disjuncture. For example Michael Jackson's Man in the mirror


Master shot or base track are frequently used to give the video a structure.
Camera move in time with the music. For example Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - The Bike Song

Finally, she noted that the editing seems to have a rhythmic basis closely connected to the song. For example Mary Mary Walking.

Research : Andrew Goodwin's theory

Andrew John Goodwin was the director of music and organist at Bangor Cathedral for 37 years.

He is of the opinion that traditional narrative analyses (normality-problem-resolution) does not apply to pop videos. He says this is because pop videos are built around songs, they use singer both as narrator and as a character and that the singer often looks directly at the camera. This opinion can be prove in videos like "Dionne Bromfield's Mama said" 

He points out 3 different types of relationship between songs and videos. they are:

• Illustration: this is where the video tells the story of the lyrics. Example is Madonna's Papa don't preach

• Amplification: This is where videos introduce new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics but adds layers of meaning. Example is Alicia keys Superwoman

• Disjuncture: this is where there is little connection between lyric and video or where video contradicts lyrics. Example is Wretch 32 Unorthodox

Furthermore, he feels that pop videos rely on repetition and that they repeat images just as songs repeats choruses and lines. He noted that we (the audience) will become familiar with the genre of the song when parts of the song or rhythm of other songs (intertexuality) are repeated. Also, playing the song on Radio, showing its video on TV and advertisement enhances the audiences' familiarity with the song. An example of a music video that ties in with this is Supergrass-Alright.

In addition, music videos have a form of closure and ending. the structure of the music reflects its ending as its build to a climax or its verse, bridge or chorus being repeated and fading. Look at the end of this song Kirk Franklin - Revolution for an example as the repetition of a word goes on until its fades :

Finally, videos that are from songs written for particular movies often incorporate images from that movie in the video. For example, Celine Dion My heart will go on from Titanic. 

Research : Analysis of a music video

I will be explaining and analysing the song Can't stop feeling by Franz Ferdinand. 

Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish indie rock and post-punk band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals).

After watching this music video, I was absolutely sure it is one of the best music videos I have ever watched. (I mean it !!!)
Audience are kept engaged throughout the whole music video due to the brilliant use of editing that kept linking the clips together with interesting and eye gripping actions.
Although there is no strong pattern of a narrative to the lyrics of the song, the music video is as interesting as it gets. Not that is it was overly dramatic or a nonsense comedy, but I think it just comes from the right angle and has the right kind of touch that audience what to get the right feeling of entertainment and pleasure.
It is a typical example of a music video as all it does is trying to promote the artists. Throughout the music video, the focus is on the artists which makes this music video a typical example of videos that tries to promote artists.
It is obvious that it is of utmost importance to the artists to keep their audience involved and entertained. The funny and interesting actions and movements almost always calls for a laugh.

Research : Function of a music video

A music video is a performance that integrates song and imagery for promotional or artistic purposes.
Music videos are mainly used a marketing device to promote the sale of  music recordings.
Music videos are used to advertise the artist as almost always, artists appear as the lead in music videos.
Music videos intend to keep audience interested and involved.
Music videos are used to advertise either a single record or an album of a particular artist.

Here is an example of a music video that I did with my group before the summer holidays. Even though we we are not as experienced, knowledgeable and career dedicated in this field as professional artists, it is obvious that some of what we were doing corresponds with the functions of a music video.

Also is an example of a professional music video that conveys most of the above listed functions of a music video.

Research : Copy of copyright clearance written during summer.

Having done some research on the songs I intend to use, I chose a song by a group called V9 Collective (picture above) and sent them this letter.

No 13 Keswick Apartments

Ambleside Close,

Drapers Road,

 Tottenham,

 London.

 N17 6FH

05/09/11

V9 Collective

Dear Sam Lynch,

Request for Copyright Permission to use part or whole of: Don’t Judge This Book by V9
Collective.

I am a student of A level Media Studies and for my Advanced Portfolio I will be working in a group to produce a promotional package for the release of a new album track. I would like to request permission to use the above track for this project.

The finished project will not be made available publicly and will be used solely for coursework purposes. The holder of the original copyright will be fully acknowledged in the finished project.

If you do not hold the rights for this song I should be grateful if you could forward this request to the appropriate person, or return it to me with the contact details in order that I might approach the copyright holder directly.

Yours faithfully

I.K.

Kehinde Ibrahim

kennyibrahim_17@yahoo.co.uk