Research into Goodwin's theory - Miss Georgiou

Research into Goodwin's theory

The main aim for an artist is to sell their music, and the only way they can achieve this is to have an audience buy into their songs/music, which is why it can therefore be argued that the audience are the most important aspect of the music industry, because without them an artist would have no purpose. If the audience like a song, they are much more likely to want to listen to more music produced by the same artist and buy this music when it is released, which leads to more money for the artist. Goodwin's music video theory 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' (1992) suggests that there are seven different elements that an artist should include in their music video in order to optimise the relationship built between them and their audience. This theory is therefore essential to this relationship due to the fact that there is the idea that by using all seven elements an artist is allowing the audience to get to know more about them, which helps to give their music a deeper meaning, allowing the audience to be able to make an emotional connection to a song and the artist, which is arguably why artists often base the lyrics of to their songs on real life experiences. Reliability and an interesting narrative will help an artist to sell their song, due to the fact that the audience will be able to... and will be more interesting to listen to.

Taylor Swift - Mine

Taylor Swift is a country, pop rock music artist, and her music video for her song 'Mine' demonstrates all seven factors of Goodwin's music video theory. The first point he makes is that all music videos will demonstrate characteristics that are typical to a specific music genre. The main way in which this particular music video demonstrates characteristics that are common in the pop rock music genre is the love story behind it. The video shows the progression of a relationship between a boy and a girl, which includes the first time that they meet, the idea of marriage and children, and a fight. This will help Taylor Swift to build a relationship with her audience as they will be able to relate to the real life experiences and the relationship that the boy and girl in the video have, and they will be drawn into the narrative and want to see how their relationship develops. Taylor Swift's songs are often based on real life experiences, therefore the audience will feel as though she is sharing a personal story with them. Her target audience are young and impressionable teenage girls, therefore many will view her as a role model and look up to the lifestyle she has. A relationship between the audience and Taylor Swift will develop because the music video will make them feel as though they are getting to know more about her and her personal life.

Goodwin's theory also explains that in the music video there will be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This relationship can be seen in the music video for 'Mine' when Taylor Swift sings the lyrics 'you were in college working part time waiting tables'. These lyrics coincide with the audience seeing her character sitting down at a table in a diner holding a menu, while a male character is standing in front of her wearing an apron around his waist, holding open a notepad and pen. The use of Mise-en-scene, specifically iconography and costume, clearly shows the audience that the male character is waiting on her, therefore he is the waiter that she is referring to in the song. The audience will feel as though Taylor Swift is sharing a personal story with them, which will draw the audience in and make them want to know more about her. A relationship will develop due to the audience being able to relate to the real life experiences that Taylor Swift sings about in the video, and also the fact that they may feel as though they are getting to know more about her personal life. The narrative of a song being based on a love story is conventional to the indie pop genre due to the fact that artists often sing about experiences that they feel the audience will be able to relate to as this will help a song to sell, due to the fact that the audience will want to listen to the song again if they can make a connection with the song and view the artist as being more realistic.

The Goodwin music video theory also suggests that the audience will be able to see a relationship between the music and visuals. A prime example of this relationship in the music video for 'Mine' can be seen when Taylor Swift begins to sing about the boy and girl getting into a fight; "I still remember that fight, two thirty a m". The audience will be able to hear the tempo of the song pick up, and Taylor Swift herself begins to sing louder which mirrors the girl and boy shouting at each other in the video. This section of the song stands out against the rest of the video when they are happy in the relationship and the music is a lot softer. The audience will feel as though Taylor Swift is sharing a personal story with them because most relationships are private, especially for famous artists who are always in the public eye through the use of media, therefore the audience may feel as though they are getting to know more things about her that they didn't know already. Furthermore, the audience may sympathise with Taylor Swift due to the fact that, through the use of facial expressions, she is presented as being upset and most of the audience will know what it is like to fight or break up with someone that they are in a relationship with, therefore they can relate to her situation in the song. The idea of a narrative based on a relationship is conventional to the indie pop genre because artists often write songs that are based on real life experiences that they feel an audience will be able to relate to. This will make the audience feel more inclined to want to listen to the song again because they can relate to the lyrics, therefore the song is more likely to sell.

The fourth stage is that the record label will demand that a music video includes a lot of close ups of the artist. Throughout the music video of 'Mine', Taylor Swift is the prime focus, not only during the narrative that shows the development of the relationship between her character and the boy, but also the audience will often see her wandering through a forest, looking between the camera and the pictures of her and the boy that are hanging from the trees. The use of close up of an artist will help the audience to feel as though Taylor Swift is sharing a personal story with them because they are given a clearer view of her emotions and are shown how she is feeling at a specific point within the video. This is conventional to the indie pop genre due to the fact that artists often write songs that are based on real life experiences, which helps to give the song more of a personal feel and allows the audience to build a relationship with the artist because they are more likely to feel as though they are getting to know personal information about the artist which they may not already know. Taylor Swift's target audience are young and impressionable teenage girls, some of who will view her as a role model, and be influenced by, for example, the way she dresses, the amount of makeup she wears, the way she behaves and the way she wears her hair. Taylor can therefore use her music to warn her target audience about the downsides and dangers of being in a relationship and about the reality of what to expect, and not just what movies and the media want everybody to believe a relationship is like, due to the fact that it is likely that the target audience are made up of young girls who may have had no real experience with these kind of situations before. Furthermore, some of her target audience may be too young to fully understand what the lyrics mean and may only like the music because of the tune, therefore the use of visuals make it easier for them to understand the deeper meaning behind her songs.

The fifth stage of Goodwin's theory is that there is frequently references to the notion of looking, which means the audience are looking at the artist but the artist does not realise. Throughout the entire music video to 'Mine', the audience are watching the two characters as their relationship begins, breaks down and progresses, for example, at the beginning of the video the audience can see Taylor Swift carrying boxes into his house, which therefore suggests that the two characters are moving in together. They also watch as the characters sit on the boat together, which is where he proposes to her. This stage of Goodwin's theory will help Taylor Swift to build a relationship as most of the audience will view the music video as more of a cinematic experience and they will be hooked into watching the video to see how it ends. Also, some of them may be able to relate to the situations that are shown in the video, therefore they may connect to the song. Due to the nature of the video, the audience may feel as though Taylor Swift views them as more of a friend, rather than a fan, due to the fact that relationships are usually discussed between two friends as opposed to two complete strangers. This is conventional to the indie pop genre due to the fact that artists often write songs that are based on real life experiences, which helps to give the song more of a personal feel and allows the audience to build a relationship with the artist because they are more likely to feel as though they are getting to know personal information about the artist which they may not already know.

Goodwin's theory also suggested that a music video will often include intertextual references, for example, to films or television programmes. In Taylor Swift's music video to 'Mine' the main focus is on the love based narrative about the relationship that the two characters have, therefore, intertextual references are not needed in this music video as all of the focus is aimed at the two characters and the story they are telling the audience. However, it could be argued that the pictures hanging from the trees are forms of intertextual references from the video as they show the different stages of the relationship as it is happening. This helps the artist to build a relationship with the audience as the use of pictures makes the video more personal and the audience will be able to relate as nowadays, people often take pictures as a way to remember places and people by.

 

Finally, Goodwin wrote that all music videos will primarily be either performance based, narrative based, or concept based. Overall, the music video for 'Mine' is a mixture of both performance and narrative. The entire song is a narrative that consists of Taylor Swift singing about the relationship and life that a boy and girl have together, starting with the first time they meet, through to them moving in together and the idea of them starting a family. The use of narrative makes the video more interesting to watch because the audience will feel as though they are watching a mini film, as opposed to a music video, which could help them to build a relationship with the artist as it feels as though she is singing about real life experiences, therefore the song is more personal to her. Also, throughout the music video, when Taylor Swift is not performing alongside the male actor, the audience can see her wandering through a forest area, looking at the pictures that are hanging from the trees around her. As she walks along, Taylor Swift often makes eye contact with the camera. This will help her to build a relationship with the audience as they will feel as though she is telling her love story directly to them, making them feel as though they are her friends, rather than just strangers who listen to her music. The use of performance is conventional as it makes the audience feel as though this is what it would be like to see her perform live, as many of them may not have the money to afford an actual concert ticket, therefore they do not feel as though they are missing out.

Goodwin's theory will assist me with planning my own music video as I know what I need to include in order to optimise the relationship built between the artist and the audience. The characteristics have to be typical of my chosen genre, the lyrics and visuals and the music and visuals have to relate to each other, the video must include close ups of the artist in order to draw in the audience, and the use of performance, narrative and concept help to engage the audience as they will make the video more entertaining, and will provide the audience with a story to watch along with the song. The music genre that I would like to create a music video for is indie pop. The first characteristic that I would like to include in my own music video is a soppy love story that will provide a narrative for the video to draw the audience in. Most artists, like Taylor Swift sing about life experiences, especially relationships as audience's buy into those kind of stories and it is easier to fulfil all of the stages of Goodwin's music video theory. Also, the use of real life experiences helps the audience to relate to what they are watching as there is a possibility that the same thing could or has happened to them.

The role of a target audience is to provide an artist with a clear image of who they are aiming their music at, which can therefore dictate the nature of their music and influence the way she dresses, behaves and how she expresses the narrative to the audience. Taylor Swift's target audience are young, impressionable teenage girls, who may look up to her as someone who can inform them about real life experiences that they may one day experience themselves, and as someone who they can strive to be like in the sense that she is successful, independent and talented. The target audience are essentially the most import aspect of the music industry, due to the fact that without them, an artist will be unable to make any money and there will be no purpose to them producing music, therefore, the role of the target audience is to buy into her music and want to buy and listen to any new music that an artist produces.

Research into music channels - Miss Georgiou

Research into music channels

The purpose of having a variety of music television channels are to provide an audience an alternative way of watching music videos or listening to music if a radio or mobile phone is unavailable to them. It also means that they are able to enjoy watching new music videos from the comfort of their homes. Examples of music television channels include MTV, VIVA, and 4Music.

MTV

The target audience for the music television channel MTV consists of teenagers, specifically those between the ages of 13-21. The type of music that the MTV music channel usually plays usually are songs that are part of the top charts, the UK top 40; current hits and popular music that will appeal to their target audience, which is arguable how MTV have remained so successful over the years. For example, songs by artists including Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris and Beyoncé will usually feature of the MTV music channel. Taylor Swift is well known for releasing songs that are about her own life and life experiences, the most common being break ups. She often sings about situations that her fans may find themselves in, making her music relatable and more interesting. A prime example of this is her song 'We Are Never Getting Back Together'. Beyoncé, similar to Taylor Swift is well known for her catchy, relationship, woman empowerment themed songs. For example, 'If I were a boy'. On the other hand, Calvin Harris is a well known DJ that produces upbeat, club type songs that are good to dance to. He often collaborates with other famous music artists from different music genres in order to create a different style of popular music. For example, his song 'Outside' featured the pop indie artist Ellie Goulding. All three are examples of popular music artists that are always releasing new songs to help keep their audience interested and their music fresh. The MTV music channel is owned by and is part of the Viacom Media Networks. Other well known television channels that are part of the Viacom Networks are Comedy Central, home to the popular American TV sitcom 'Friends', Nickelodeon, and NickTeens.

These are just a few examples of music and television programmes that currently and regularly air on the MTV channel:

One direction are a current, successful worldwide band. They are known for creating cheesy pop songs that appeal to their huge, teenage girl fan base. The fan base that the MTV channel have are similar to that of One Direction, therefore it is likely that they will purposely watch the channel in order to listen to their music.

The television programme 16 and pregnant features a group of knocked up teenagers who are around the same age as the target audience of MTV. Teenage pregnancy affects a lot more teenagers nowadays, especially in the US and UK, therefore the audience can relate to the cast. Also, the growth of social networks means the audience can now reach out to the cast and crew on the show which helps them to build more of a relationship. The show airs at 4 in the afternoon which is a prime time as the target audience for the show would either have just finished school or just gotten home from school, therefore 4 is a suitable time for them to be able to watch the programme.

The official UK download chart plays the 20 most popular songs that individuals have downloaded that week. This type of music will appeal to the MTV target audience as it is likely that they are the ones who have downloaded the music and at 6 the older members of the MTV target audience will be finishing work or university, or they may have a drive home during which they will be able to listen to the music as they go.

The letter M is bold and black, while the letters TV are written in a white, graffiti style. The use of contrasting colours helps the letter 'TV' to stand out, possibly to remind the audience that MTV is a television channel - more than just music. Also, the use of graffiti style writing helps the channel to appeal to their target audience of 13-21 year olds as graffiti typically connotes the idea of being cool and rebellious.

CMT

CMT stands for country music television. When it was first aired in 1983, the channel would play country music videos and taped concerts of famous country music artists, but as the channel has developed, similar to MTV, it now plays reality programmes and films. The channel does still show music videos but they usually air in the late evening or early hours of the morning. The target audience for the music channel CMT are young adults, specifically those between the ages of 18-28. The type of music that the CMT music channel plays is country which includes artists such as Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves and Little Big Town. Carrie Underwood, who rose to fame in 2005 after she won American Idol, is arguably one of the most well known country singers. Some examples of her songs include 'Before He Cheats' and 'All-American Girl'. A common trait that country music will have is simple harmonies and the use of string instruments. Also, country music singers will often have a twang to their voices which helps to give their music an edge. A prime example of a song that has all of these traits is 'Biscuits' which is sung by Kacey Musgraves.

Examples of some of the reality TV programmes that the CMT channel now plays are The Josh Wolf show and Party Down South 2. The Josh Wolf show was CMT's first late-night television programme, which will appeal to CMT's target audience who will most likely have day jobs and will therefore not have the time to watch daytime programmes. The Josh Wolf show provides them with a programme that they can watch and relax to after work. Also, the host, Josh Wolf is an American comedian, therefore the audience can expect a light hearted, entertainment show.



CMT, like MTV is also owned by Viacom Music Network, which emphasises how big a range of music and music channels the Network has. The use of a blue background for the CMT logo helps the white lettering of the 'CMT' to stand out. The use of the colours blue and white, which are both quite plain and relaxing emphasises the calmness that country music typically has. It is a simple logo for a soft and simple music genre.

Kerrang!

Kerrang! is one of the most well known rock music stations that plays songs from the likes of Nirvana, Green Day and You Me at Six. On Monday nights the channel allows the audience to take over and decide which artists and songs they want to listen to, they also allow different bands to takeover, which is known as 'The Hijack'. By doing this, Kerrang! will appeal to a wider audience as they will have the freedom to listen to the songs that they want to listen to. The target audience for the music channel Kerrang! are people between the ages of 17-30, this is due to rock bands ranging and appealing to different ages.

The Kerrang! music channel works closely alongside the other Kerrang! channels, such as the Kerrang! magazine, both of which are used to give exposure to upcoming rock artists. On the Kerrang! television channel, audiences can watch some of the rock music videos for the songs that are played on the radio station. The variety of channels and ways in which the audience can interact with Kerrang! will appeal to the target audience as, not only can they listen to music, but they can also watch the music videos on the Kerrang! television channel and find out information regarding the music artists through reading the magazine.


The Kerrang! music channel is owned by and is part of The Box Plus Network. Other channels that are owned by The Box Plus Network includes 4Music, Magic and Kiss TV. The use of the colours red and white for the Kerrang! logo compliment the rock genre as this type of music is typically seen as quite bold and loud, and red and white are bold colours. The font of the logo is quite straight and striking, and the use of an exclamation point helps the logo to stand out and emphasises how the rock genre can be quite in your face.

Clubland TV
The Clubland TV music channel is devoted to playing dance music. The channel features pretty much all of the artists that have been signed by the All Around the World Production. Such artists include Cascada and Charlie Brown. Two of Cascada's most well known songs are 'Everytime We Touch' and 'Evacuate the Dancefloor'. Both of these songs have an upbeat tempo and are good for dancing to. It could be argued that Charlie Brown became a hit following the release of his song 'On My Way'. These types of artists will appeal to Clubland TV's target audience as their songs are entertaining and have catchy lyrics that the audience will be able to sing and dance along to. The target audience for the music channel Clubland TV will be for those between the ages of 18-28. The type of music that Clubland TV plays will be found in a club, therefore the channel will be aimed at those who are old enough to go clubbing. The logo for the channel appeals to this target audience as the use of sparkles suggest a glitter ball or strobe lights which are typically found in a club, and suggest the idea of partying and dancing. The use of a bold font also helps the logo to stand out, and as a whole, this will appeal to the target audience as from the logo they will expect current, dance music that they probably listen to on the regular. The Clubland TV music channel was founded in 2008 and is owned by and is part of the All Around the World Productions, which is a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group. Due to the success of their TV channel Clubland TV, All Around the World Productions introduces another music channel in 2010 called WTF.

AKA

AKA is a British music television channel that plays upcoming urban, grime and hip-hop music artists from the UK that have yet to be discovered. Some of these artists have included Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal and Wretch 32. The fact that the channel aims to help out undiscovered music talent in the UK is one of the main reasons why the listeners remain loyal to the channel, the audience will get to listen to new artists and new songs, and not just the same songs on repeat. The target audience for the music channel AKA are young adults, specifically those between the ages of 18-28. Artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Wretch 32 and Tinie Tempah often write and sing about life experiences, including relationships and partying which their audiences can often relate to. For example, the song '6 Words' by Wretch 32 is about a progressing relationship and how much he cherishes his significant other.
The AKA music channel was originally owned by Mushroom TV, but in 2012 the channel was taken over by the All Around the World Productions, which means AKA is owned by the same company as Clubland TV and this tells us that All Around the World Productions will appeal to a wide range of music listeners. The logo for AKA shows an outline of a person in red, surrounded by red looking smoke. This is due to this genre of music stereotypically being associated with drugs and cigarettes which may appeal to the target audience as the use of drugs often connotes the idea of being cool, which may be what the audience are into. Also, the AKA logo is written in black, bold lettering which stands out against the red smoke and white background.


There are so many different MTV channels due to the wide age range of audiences that they have which means they need to air different TV programmes and music channels that appeal to all of their audiences. Children will want to watch programmes that adults do not. Similarly, different music channels are necessary as not all people listen to the same genre of music or just one genre of music, therefore there needs to be music channels that play different genres of music in order to appeal to all. The main reason why MTV have been so successful is because they have extended beyond just being a music channel and now air a variety of different television programmes, including Teen Mom and Geordie Shore. MTV give their audience more music and television options to chose from allowing them to appeal to a wider audience.

It is key for an artist who wants to be successful to brand themselves or their band. A brand is something that will make an artist stand out or that an audience will use to identify an artist with. The brand is what an audience will remember and associate with an artist. Music videos are becoming much more expensive to produce, therefore an artist will need to find a way to reduce the costs... sponsor the brand, exposure for the brand... an actual product appearing in the music video...helps to promote the product...part of the brand...the audience may buy the product...
In order to sell their music, an artist or band will need to brand themselves. A brand is used by an artist to promote themselves. For example, social media accounts, which is becoming increasingly popular, can be set up under an artists brand name to help their audience to keep up to date with and find out about an artist.

The type of genre that I would like my music video to be is indie. This is because I think it will be much easier to tell the audience a story as most songs within the indie genre are often based on real life experiences that an audience can relate to, which help the audience to build an emotional connection with the song and artist because they feel as though they are getting to know more about them. The indie genre is very quirky, therefore we will be able to set our music video in a variety of locations which will make the video more interesting to watch, but may require the use of a green screen to act as a backdrops, due to the fact that is it unlikely we will be able to go to lots of different places that all look different in the time we have to produce the video. Another genre that I would potentially like my music video to be is pop, which is arguably one of the most popular music genres due to the fact that it is ever changing in order to keep up with the current trends and appeal to the tastes and preferences of the younger generation, for example, nowadays the audience will expect to see female pop artists wearing revealing outfits and tons of makeup, an image that more and more impressionable teenage girls are conforming to. The pop genre is also very competitive because it appeals to almost everyone, therefore artists have the chance of expanding their target audience which could lead to them making more money, the genre is ideal for an artist or a band who is seeking to sell their music to a wider audience.

History of a music video - Miss Georgiou

History of a music video

Over the years, the way in which people are able to consume music videos has changed. Through the development in technologies, it is pretty much possible for us to access music and music channels almost everywhere. It could be argued that the radio is still the most popular place that people will go to in order to listen to music, however, other ways in which music is now being consumed include computers, smart phones and music television channels, such as VIVA and 4Music.

Furthermore, YouTube, founded in 2005, is an easy to use application that can be accessed on both the computer or as a smart phone application, and is available to a worldwide audience. Arguably, the development in smart phones is responsible for rise in the number of people using YouTube. The application has made it much easier for people to download music onto their smart phones and listen to their favourite songs on the go. YouTube is beneficial to both the artist and the audience. The audience are able to listen to different music videos and subscribe to different YouTube channels which means they will be notified when the same artist releases a new song or music video. One the other hand, the artist will be able to see how many people have watched and like their new song or music video, which may influence any future music videos that they make.
YouTube has also been responsible for the career launch of some of the newer/younger music artists. By uploading videos of themselves singing onto YouTube, artists such as The Vamps and Madison Beer have had their videos watched, liked and shared by thousands of people all across the world. This then creates a word of mouth effect and results in more people hearing about them and wanting to listen to their music. Before the days of YouTube people would have had to walk to the main office of a record labels and hand a CD of them singing over on the off chance that it will get listened to and that the label will like what they hear. It could be argued that is much more easier nowadays for musicians to be noticed and to become famous.

YouTube will help with the production of my video as is an application that can be used worldwide, therefore the music video has the potential to be seen worldwide. More views means the video is more like to be successful which, overall, could lead to the production company receiving more money. This will be beneficial for the production company as they will be made to look more desirable in a competitive industry. A successful music industry is more likely to be approached by a well known artist. Furthermore, YouTube can be used to promote the music video as it can be seen and shared on a worldwide scale. The use of YouTube during the production stage also gives me the opportunity to create a rough cut music video, which will help me to determine whether or not the target audience like my style. The overall aim is for the music video to appeal to the target audience. It is difficult for a music video to be successful if the target audience do not want to watch it as ultimately they are the ones who are going to buy into it.

As of late, the most viewed music video on YouTube is PSY's "Gangnam Style". After its release in 2012, the song became an instant hit. The success of the song is arguably down to the entertaining and easy to learn dance routine that is featured in the music video, and the repetitive and catchy lyrics that are also easy to remember, despite the fact that they are sung in Korean. These conventions are typical of the dance genre because artists often want to entertain their audiences and create a song that an audience will continue to listen to, even if the lyrics themselves aren't very good. Justin Bieber's song "Baby" is currently the second most viewed music video on YouTube. The success of his songs are aided by the fact that his fan base spreads across a worldwide scale, and that his songs have catchy, repetitive lyrics. Also, Bieber became part of the music industry from quite a young age, therefore over the years people have watched him grow as an artist and have seen how his style of music has changed as well.

MTV, which stands for 'music television', was founded in 1981  and was the first ever music channel to air on television. The channel plays popular and current music which is the main reason why the success of MTV still continues to grow. This means that MTV's worldwide audience are able to watch the latest music videos and the biggest hits. Furthermore, the growth and development of the channel from over the years can be seen by the fact that MTV now airs television programmes, such as Teen Mom, which continues to appeal to the target audience, who the majority of will be the same age as the girls from the show and may enjoy 

During the 1920's, music videos were basic and were referred to as 'visual music' as they were seen by most as short films; a short story to accompany the song and lyric. By the 1980's, they were described by the term "rock video". The song St Louis Blue's (1929) sung by Bessie Smith was the first music video to ever be shown in theatres, where it continued to play until 1932. Then in 1940, Walt Disney released his first animated film Fantasia, which is one of the first and most well known musicals to be produced. The film was a music based around famous pieces of classical music, for example, Symphony number 6 (1808), composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. In 1956, Tony Bennett released "Strangers in paradise" which is the earliest example of a music video being played on television in both the UK and US. Over the years, the music industry has seen a rise in the number of different music genres, from folk to pop, to reggae to rap. One of the newest music genres is electronic, which closely fits into the dance genre.

As of late, the most expensive music video ever made was for the song Scream (1995), sung by Michael and Janet Jackson. The video is very futuristic and is - black and white, but most of the expenses for the video are made up by the 11 different sets that were used when filming, and the use of animations within the video. Approximately, $7,000,000 was spent producing the music video, which is a huge amount, even compared to the music videos that are currently being produced.
For example, after watching the music video for Taylor Swift's song 'Bad Blood' which incorporated big explosions and stunts, and extravagant sets and costumes, many people would have expected it to have cost a lot to produce. However, no expensive special effects were involved in the making of the video, therefore costs were a lot lower than expected. Another possible reason for why 'Scream' is the most expensive music video to ever be produced could be down to the fact that artists nowadays often have to spend their own money on producing a music video. Some artists cannot afford to spend too much as they are at a much bigger risk of losing the money that they invest into the video if it is not as successful as they hope it to be. Had YouTube been more prominent in 1995 when 'Scream' was released, Michael and Janet Jackson may have experienced an even bigger success because the more views the music video received would have led to an increase in the profit that the pair made.

The way in which people can consume music videos has developed and changed over the years from having to buy vinyl's to cassette's, to CD's to now being able to download music freely on smart phones or music download applications. This has therefore seen a decrease in the number of local music shops that people would of had to go to in order to buy a CD so they could listen to their favourite artists. The music industry has also seen a decrease in the number of record labels. Some of the biggest labels that were around roughly 20 years ago include Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. These labels would spend millions on helping new artists produce their music videos and promote themselves in order to attract an audience that will buy their music. Nowadays, there are less music labels around and artists often have to spend their own money on producing music videos. They also rely more on the development of social media and word of mouth to promote themselves and details regarding their new songs and tour dates.

I think the development in technologies is what has had the biggest impact on the way in which audiences consume music videos. The development in smart phones and the growth in the number of people who own smart phones has led to the release of hundreds of different music download applications, such as YouTube and Play Tube, which allow us to listen to and watch music videos. The development in technologies has also led to an improvement in the quality of music videos and the songs themselves. Artists have more of a choice of equipment to use during the filming of their music videos, most of which will produce a high quality music video.

The ways in which artists will make money is through the sales of their songs on iTunes or on CD, and with this money they will be able to invest it into any future music videos that they plan on making. Another possible way for an artist to make more money is through collaborating with other artists, as this will result in two or more fan bases coming together, therefore an increase in the size of the audience and potentially more sales. An artist and DJ who is well known for his collaborations is Calvin Harris, who has worked with other famous artists such as Florence Welch and Ellie Goulding.

It could be argued that the older generations of music listeners still prefer to listen to music on the radio or from a CD, rather than on newly developed music applications. They may not be as interested in the development of smart phones or do not require a smart phone, therefore they will have no use for music download applications. The younger generation of music listeners will be more interested in the different ways in which they can listen to music. However, on a whole, I think nowadays people are more open to listening to a wider range of music genres, and not just sticking to one. Not only are there more music genres for an audience to chose from, but quite often two or more artists will collaborate and work together in order to produce a song that doesn't necessarily fit into just one genre, therefore creating a different style of music. An example of this could be the song Five Four Seconds, which is sung by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney. While Rihanna and Kanye West are more of hip hop music artists, Paul McCartney, ex-Beatle member is part of the rock/pop genre. Some may have seen the three of them as an unlikely collaboration, but the song was a big hit worldwide.

In conclusion, the music genre has developed massively, and this research has taught me that we do not have to stick with just one genre of music when creating a music video, that by experimenting with the different genres we will be able to come up with something that is different and more interesting. Also, it is important for a music video to keep the audience interested, and we have to ensure that it keeps in time with the genre of music that we have chosen. Music videos can be a good way for an artist to tell the audience a story, which does not require a huge budget to do (Taylor Swift - Bad Blood). Furthermore, once we have identified the target audience for our music video, we will need to ensure that the footage is relevant to the song and is appropriate for them to watch.

What is a Music Video - Miss Miller

What is a Music Video?

A music video is a visual representation of a song that are often used by an artist for many different purpose, for example, some artists may want to show their audiences that they have a creative side through the use of a narrative which could also help to engage the audience as they have something to focus on, therefore they will be more likely to remember the song. Furthermore, a story behind the lyrics allows the audience to get to know more about an artist due to the fact that narratives are often based on real life experiences that an audience will be able to relate to.

There are many different purposes for the creation of a music video, and these can often depend on what genre of music the video is coming from, for example, a music video for the dance genre may have the purpose of entertaining their audience or setting new dance trends due to the fact that these songs often have a fast and catchy beat or a dance routine that are associated with them. The music video for the song 'Touch' by Shift K3y includes visuals of bright strobe lights and smoke, which arguably connotes the idea of a club setting which is conventional to the dance genre due to the fact that this style of music is often played in a club. The audience for this music video will be able to relate to this type of setting due to the fact that they will be at the age where they are able to go clubbing, this may therefore cause them to enjoy the video more and will be more likely to watch the video again or recommend the video to their friends which in turn will increase the exposure for the artist. Furthermore, because they songs will be used for dancing purposes, the artist will be more focused on the beat and tempo of the song rather than developing a deeper meaning for the lyrics. On the other hand, a genre such as indie will focus more on the lyrics of the song due to the fact that indie artists are known for writing their own songs themselves based on real life experience, therefore they will be much more personal to the artist and will have a deeper meaning to them.

Another purpose of a music video could be to attract an audience into buying into an artist and their music, or to flaunt what the industry has given them such as a wealthy lifestyle in order to make an audience feel envious and want to have a lifestyle similar to their own. Audiences are often influenced by artists, especially artists from within the pop genre who are often known for keeping up with and setting new fashion trends that the younger generation want to fit into. Most successful artists are associated with the idea of being wealthy and being able to afford the most expensive things in life including branded clothing, however, this makes it difficult for an audience to be able to relate to them due to the fact that they will often have average paying day jobs. This implied wealth is often made evident by the use of visuals or the portrayal of them through the media where the artist can be seen wearing designer brand such as Gucci and expensive jewellery, driving expensive cars and living in bigger houses which helps them to dictate and fit into the mainstream and therefore appeal to the audience due to the fact that most teenagers want to be seen as fitting in. There are a lot of people who cannot afford to buy nice things and may therefore envy the fact that an artist does not have to worry about spending money. Also, through the use and development of YouTube and music television channels like MTV, music video's are now available to a worldwide audience. This means that more people can watch the music videos to their favourite songs and understand what the deeper meaning behind them is. It also makes it more interesting for them when compared to just listening to the words. The use of a music video may also make it easier for an audience to identify an artist when they hear the song again due to the fact that they often include visuals of the artist through the use of a close up or performance, which therefore helps the audience to remember the video for longer, for example, in the music video for Ed Sheeran's song 'thinking out loud', the artist himself played the most important role in this video and participated in a dance sequence for the first time, therefore this video was unexpected but allowed the audience to see a different side to him as an artist. I was inspired to create a video that portrayed my artist as being more natural and realistic due to the fact that I felt as though the audience would be able to relate to this representation more compared to had I portrayed the artist as being materialistic. I will achieve this representation through the use of affordable clothing such as skinny jeans and a grey t-shirt for the artist to wear, the use of minimal makeup so that the audience are able to see what she really looks like, and the use of natural lighting when filming as this will show the audience that no special effects have been used to make the footage appear better or more than what it actually is.

There are three different styles of music video's, the first being performance, which is when the video consists mainly of visuals of an artist singing or blah in a dance routine, typically seen in the dance genre. This style of music video is a good way for the artist to engage the audience due to the fact that they will often sing directly into the camera as if they were singing directly to the audience, therefore the audience may feel as though they are friends with the artist, rather than just one of the hundreds of people watching the video from behind the screen. This will work well for artists such as One Direction or Justin Bieber who each have huge fan bases and will therefore be unable to connect with each of them individually. Performance will also enable an artist to show their audience any other talents that the artist might have due to the fact that artists often play musical instruments which take a lot of time and effort to learn, therefore the audience may appreciate how dedicated an artist is to their music. The second style of music video is narrative which is often used when the artist wants to tell their audience a story or to show them that the song has a deeper meaning to it, therefore this is the style that most indie artists such as Gabrielle Aplin and Ed Sheeran choose for their music videos. Indie artists are often known for writing their own music which are based on real life experiences such as relationships and friendships that most of the audience will be able to relate to. Songs within this genre will often be at a slower pace due to the fact that the theme of the music video will often be quite emotional, therefore the slower pace will give the audience longer to take in what the artist is trying to tell them. The final style of music video is concept, which is used when an artist wants to tell their audience an idea or give the song a deeper meaning, due to the fact that the audience will often have to think more about what is going on. This style can be seen in the music video for 'stupid girls' by Pink during which she expresses the idea that girls have the right to choose their own lifestyle and do not have to conform to society's idea of the 'norm' which includes being skinny, wearing lots of makeup and fake tan which is an unrealistic lifestyle that only a few people will be able to live up to. I was inspired to use the styles of narrative and performance in my own music video due to the fact that a narrative will give the audience visuals to focus on and relate the lyrics of the song to, which therefore gives the video a deeper meaning. Also, the use of performance will allow me to introduce my artist into the music industry due to that fact that the visuals of her singing will allow the audience to see clearly what she looks like and how she is feeling at that specific point in the video, especially if the cinematography used is a close up of her face.

The song 'cool kids' by Echosmith is an only one example of a well known song from the indie genre. This genre in particular is often perceived as not being the most popular choice of music due to the fact that it does not fit into the mainstream, therefore indie artists often focus on the deeper meaning of the song, rather than filming in high quality/status locations or wearing expensive, branded clothing that often suggest an artist as being materialistic. Furthermore, an indie artist is often portrayed as being more relatable/realistic for an audience due to the fact that they are often less concerned about the materialistic side of the industry, therefore they do not care as much about how much money they have or what type of clothing they wear, which makes it easier for the audience to make a connection with the artist because they themselves may not have that much money. It could be argued that the purpose of this music video is for the artist to show the audience that there is deeper meaning behind the song through the use of a concept, the lyrics 'I wish that I could be like the cool kids' suggest that this band are singing to an audience who do not fit into the mainstream but wishes to. This will appeal to the target audience due to the fact that nowadays it is important for teenagers in particular to feel as though they fit in, have a lot of friends and a social life, however, the music video could suggest that the band are wanting to encourage their audience to be different and to be individual, which is evident in the music video through the use of the children characters who when are first seen come across as being quite shy and conservative, but by the end of the video they can be seen dancing around the screen, not caring about what they look like. I was inspired by this video which does not have a narrative to use a narrative in my own music video due to the fact that I feel as though a narrative helps to engage the audience more as they are given something to focus on and relate the lyrics to, this giving the song more of a deeper meaning and making it feel more personal to the artist as indie artists are known for writing their own music based on real life experiences.

The two main styles that this music video includes are performance and concept. Performance can be seen through the use of close ups' of the different band members singing and playing different musical instruments such as the drums and guitar which is conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie artists are known for writing their own music based on real life experiences, therefore the lyrics to the song will relate directly to their life and will be more personal to them. Indie artists often want to make their audience aware that every aspect of the video has been produced by them as they do not want to become a product of the music industry. Furthermore, these visuals will allow the band to show their audience that they are talented in the sense that they are able to play musical instruments, therefore the audience may appreciate how dedicated this band are regarding their career due to the fact that musical instruments of take a lot of time and effort to learn. This will help the audience to relate to the artist due to the fact that artists are sometimes perceived as only being in the music industry for the money because the music industry is often perceived as being a wealthy industry, however, not everybody will be able to relate to this luxury. Moreover, the use of a close up allows the band to build a relationship with the audience because it appears as though the artist is singing directly towards the camera, and therefore that they are singing to just one person rather than the hundreds of people who are watching the video from behind a screen. Performance and a close up will also give the audience a better understanding of what it would be like to see the band perform live which they may enjoy due to the fact that some of the audience may not be able to afford tickets to watch the band in concert, therefore these types of music videos are the closest they are going to get. I was inspired to use performance in my own music video due to the fact that I want to portray my artist as being talented and to be able to show the audience what she looks like and how she is feeling as this is especially important when it comes to introducing my artist to an audience and the music industry due to the fact that she is new, therefore not many people will know who she is. Furthermore, the concept behind the music video is arguably the idea that being 'cool' can mean different things to different people and that the younger generation tend to feel as though they have to be considered cool in order to fit into society due to the fact that people who are considered cool tend to have it easier and are perceived as having more friends. The use of a concept for a music video directed at teenagers is arguably likely to increase the success of the video because teenagers are easily influenced by people within the music industry therefore they will listen to the song and pay attention to what the artist is saying, thus giving the concept more of a purpose.

There are many ways in which the music video for the song 'cool kids' follows the conventions of the indie genre, for example, through the use of iconography, specifically the visuals of musical instruments, the audience can see the three boy band members playing different musical instruments such as the drums and guitar. The use of a musical instrument in an indie music videos adds to the performance element of the video because it appears as though the band are performing live which is beneficial to the artist because it allows them to show off their musical talents and helps the audience to understand that every musical aspect of the video has been created by the band and what the audience can hear is exactly what the artist wants them to hear, therefore they cannot be viewed as just another product of the music industry. Other artists may be more interested in working with this band due to the fact that they have other skills that they can bring to the industry, which therefore has the potential to increase their exposure and success within the industry as working with other artists will expose this band to audiences who may not have otherwise seen them. I was inspired to use a musical instrument, specifically a piano in my own music video during the performance sections as I felt this helped to portray my artist as being more talented and would make the video more interesting to watch due to the fact that the audience can see where the music is coming from.

The use of musical instruments also adds to the performance aspect of the video which can be seen through the use of mise-en-scene, specifically the body positions of the band members, for example, the audience can see that they are all moving around in a dance-like motion, swaying from side to side as opposed to standing in the same position for the duration of the video. The use of performance is beneficial for the fans who may not be able to afford to pay for tickets to go to an actual concert during which the band will perform live, therefore this allows them to experiences what it would be like if they could. The use of a variety of camera shots such as a close up and panning also helps the video to appear as though the audience are actually there with them, as opposed to sitting behind a computer screen with hundreds of other people, thus giving the video more of a personal feel. Moreover, the use of performance to break up the narrative helps to make the video more interesting to watch due to that fact that it does not require the audience to be focused and it allows the band to portray themselves as being young and enjoying what they do, which may appeal to the audience who can see that they care about their music and that are not in the music industry for the materialistic aspects. Furthermore, musical instruments often take a lot of time and effort to learn how to play, therefore the visuals of the drums and guitar implies that the band are committed to their music and that they will continue to produce music for their audience to listen to. These visuals are conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie artists like to use performance to show off any other talents that they may have other than singing as this helps them to appeal to other artists within the industry to want to work with them, and to express to the audience that they are the ones who have created every musical aspect of the video, therefore everything that the audience can hear is purposeful and exactly how the artist wants it to be, thus preventing them from becoming a product of the music industry. I was inspired by this use of performance to use musical instruments, specifically the piano in my own music video as I felt as though it helps to give the video more of a personal feel to it and it allows the artist to excel in what they do best, thus making the video more enjoyable for the audience to watch as it was obvious that the artist themselves were enjoying making the video.

Another way in which the music video is conventional to the indie genre is through the use of mise-en-scene, specifically the costumes that the band members can be seen wearing, for example, the base player is wearing a bowler hat and black skinny jeans, both of which connote the idea of affordability and suggest him as having a vintage style of dress. These visuals are conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie is often perceived as being old fashioned and therefore as not fitting into the mainstream. Indie artists themselves are often perceived as always being on the road performing for an audience due to the fact that they are seen as being more focused on their music rather than the materialistic side of the industry and being able to buy expensive goods in order to keep up with current fashion trends. Furthermore, indie is not the most popular genre of music, therefore they will not make a huge amount of money that can be spent on materialistic goods. This arguably helps the audience to view them as being more relatable due to the fact that not everybody will be able to relate to the idea of being wealthy because most people will have average paying jobs and the music industry is only made up of a small percentage of people due to the fact that not everybody has the ability to sing. The purpose of this particular music video was arguably too promote the idea of individuality which shows the audience that there is a deeper meaning/concept behind the song and therefore that the artist has put a lot of thought into what they want the audience to see visually in order for them to understand the lyrics. The audience may also appreciate how creative the artist has been in regards to the deeper meaning of the video, therefore they may feel more connected to the artist who will have put a lot of thought into the song and is sharing a story with them. I was inspired by this video to use affordable clothing such as leggings and a grey dress for the artist and locations such as the park and a house within my own music video due to the fact that I feel as though the audience will be able to relate to these visuals more because they are likely to have been to these places themselves on the regular and that it will help me to promote the artist as being more natural and down to earth which is subversive of audience expectation due to the fact that the audience will expect people who have a lot of money to live luxurious, expensive lifestyles.

The lyrics of the song being based on the idea of love is also conventional to the indie genre due to the fact that indie artists are often perceived as writing their own music based on real life experiences that they feel their audience will be able to relate to such as friendships and relationships. Through the use of body positions and facial expressions, the audience are able to see the young kids in the video laughing and dancing around the screen in a big group which implies that they do not care what they look like, they are just enjoying themselves. The target audience of people between the ages of 13-18 will be able to relate to these visuals due to the fact that teenagers are often associated with the idea of friendship groups and solidarity. Furthermore, younger teenagers are often influenced by the way artists and people who are constantly in the media dress and behave, therefore if an indie artist promotes the idea of being individual, society may begin to accept the idea that not everybody is going to look and dress the same way. The music video will appeal to this specific audience due to the fact that they are at the age where they will be just starting secondary school or high school which is typically the age where people will begin to care more about what people think of them and their appearance because many teenagers believe the most important thing is being able to fit into the mainstream. This is arguably subversive of the indie genre which does not have a huge following when compared to the pop or rap genre due to the fact that it is often perceived as being old fashioned and as not fitting into the mainstream, therefore it will be unlikely that indie artists themselves will care about what they look like, which conforms to the genre as indie artists are often perceived as always being on the road performing their music, which is the most important thing to them. The purpose of this particular music video may be to give the audience the confidence to be themselves which is often how indie artists themselves want to be perceived as this individual style will help them to stand out from within one of the most competitive industries and will help them to be more memorable for an audience, which arguably enables them to increase their longevity within the industry. I was inspired to use the theme of love between a boy and a girl in my own video through which will be seen through the use of close up visuals of the artist and the male character due to the fact that everybody loves someone, therefore they will be able to relate to the idea of love, and relationship based videos are arguably more interesting to watch because people tend to be nosey and like to know what other people's relationships are like, therefore they will feel interested to see how this relationship has been portrayed. Furthermore, the theme of love can be interpreted in many different ways, therefore this will allow me to be creative when it comes to the narrative and how I want the characters in my video to be portrayed.

In conclusion, after analysing various media products, in particular, 'cool kids' by Echosmith, it is clear to see that not all music videos will carry the same purpose, especially if the genres of music from which they come from are different. For example, artists from within the pop genre which is arguably the most mainstream genres of music due to the fact that it appeals to a much wider target audience, will seek to entertain their audience and to influence the way they dress and behave, therefore they promote the idea of being materialistic. On the other hand, music videos from within the dance genre are often entirely performance based due to the fact that the songs themselves will have purely dancing and entertainment purposes, therefore the artist will either be seen dancing or will be surrounded by dancers to show the audience the type of dancing that compliments that specific song. Furthermore, my personal favourite style of music video are the ones that are mostly narrative based as I like having visuals to relate the lyrics of a song to due to the fact that lyrics can be quite ambiguous and are left up to the audience to interpret what they could mean. The genre most likely to produce narrative based music videos is indie, due to the fact that indie artists often write their own music themselves that are based on real life experiences, therefore the lyrics will have actual stories behind them that an artist may want to express to their audiences.