The Music Industry

Representation in our Music Video

We were set the task to film ourselves discussing representation in our music video. We spoke about a range of features such as mise en scene, camerawork, editing and stereotypes. By discussing this allowed us to plan what representation we were going to include and build in our music video. By doing so we gained a clearer understanding of what we were aiming to achieve in detail.

Location, Costume, Equipment and Props

 This is a post that shows my planning of the locations, costume, equipment and props. The locations shows the different locations as well as a map of where they are. The costume shows three costume types and why I have chosen them. The equipment and props show a list of items that will be used in the music video or to make the music video and it includes why they are being used. This all helps with the planning and preparation of the music video as they will all be used or needed in the making of the music video. This saves time and organises characters and people involved.

Record Labels

Record labels from ellelew

This post shows a number of record labels that are associated with indie bands similar to mine. I have also done additional research a couple of record labels and saw what bands they manage and market. This helped me make an overall decision on the record label I have chosen for my band.

Shooting Schedule

Animatic Storyboard

Storyboard

Here are a few images of a digital storyboard that myself and my team created. We made it full of detail so we had a clear plan to go off when filming. By doing so, it allows us to save time as having a plan ahead helps with organisation and ensures we don’t waste valuable time.

Risk Assessment for Filming

Risk Assessment

 

What is a risk assessment?
When filming, especially in the music industry- risk assessments are very important to ensure that if an accident occurs- you would have previous assessed the risk and tried to your best to prevent it, making claiming insurance easier! However, this does not apply so much for an A-level Media Studies music video- but we have tried our best to scale down the process to get a feel for what real music producers have to do when producing a music video.

Risk assessment is the process where you:

- Identify hazards.
- Analyze or evaluate the risk associated with that hazard.
- Determine appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard.

In practical terms, a risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things, situations, processes, etc that may cause harm, particularly to people. After identification is made, you evaluate how likely and severe the risk is, and then decide what measures should be in place to effectively prevent or control the harm from happening.

Why is risk assessment important?
Risk assessments are very important as they form an integral part of a good occupational health and safety management plan. They help to:

- Create awareness of hazards and risks.
- Identify who may be at risk (employees, cleaners, visitors, contractors, the public, etc).
- Determine if existing control measures are adequate or if more should be done.
- Prevent injuries or illnesses when done at the design or planning stage.
- Prioritize hazards and control measures.

What is the goal of risk assessment?
The aim of the risk assessment process is to remove a hazard or reduce the level of its risk by adding precautions or control measures, as necessary. By doing so, you have created a safer and healthier workplace

 

Digipak Analysis

Music Website Analysis

Voxpop

Myself and my team decided to expand on the research of target audiences and the indie rock genre. We decided to create a Voxpop, where questions are asked and answered whilst being filmed, this way you get an honest and genuine response. We found out more about how people feel about the genre which instigated new ideas for us to utilise when it comes to filming and editing. The Voxpop was both filmed and edited by the production team, which will come hand in hand later on in the process when we have to edit the music video.

Storyboard Idea's

Made with Storyboard That

 

I was set the task to create a storyboard made up of some potential ideas for my final music video. I used a software called 'Storyboard That' which allowed me to use different settings and scenes and edit on what types of things I could do when in the production stage. My music video will be concept based along with performance based, this made it challenging when creating the storyboard as there was no type of narrative to go off. A main theme for the music video will be shade and light, as this links to the lyrics of the song and can also be effective when done accordingly. I have tried to come up with some idea's I want to feature in the final product however there are many other aspects to think about and work with.

Focus Group Pitch and Interview

 

This is my focus group interview that I filmed with a small sample of people. They ranged in age to get varied answers. We showed them a pitch which included mood boards, the song, the lyrics, three summary ideas as well as names for the band and song title. This all helps make decisions as we can base it on the reply of the focus group. We also asked open questions to allow people to give additional ideas and opinions to our pitch. We got the focus group to fill in a questionnaire whilst doing the pitch to get physical feedback that they may not have had chance to say during the pitch.

Target Audience Demographics

Demographics of indie rock audience from ellelew

From doing this research, I have put together a short presentation based on what types of people are included in the target audience for Indie Rock music. I found that the types of people differ in sex and social grading; however the age of 18-24 is a similarity within. By finding out these elements, it allows me and the group to come up and develop new ideas that are suitable for these demographics.

Meet the Production Team

This is an online Prezi allowing you to meet the team who is behind the production process. In this presentation you can find out more about each member of the team, including facts, strengths and weaknesses and overall why it is beneficial to work as a group rather than individually.

Random Generated Album Cover

I was set the task of creating a random generated album cover, using a random Wikipedia article, a random quotes page and using the last words of a quote and finally a picture from Flickr’s last seven days and using the third picture. By only having 3 concepts to work with I felt challenged by what I could create to a high standard, I enjoyed this process because it allowed me to understand the layout of an album cover and also appreciate the work that goes into them. Although I wasn’t happy with the random options I got to work with, I am overall happy with the look of the final piece. After playing around with different effects on Photoshop, I took a simplistic approach and found it worked better.

Permisson to Use Chosen Song

I have wrote an email to the record company for Arctic Monkeys (Domino Recording Company) to ask for permission to use ‘Curtains Close’. This is an image of my email as it will be used for educational purposes.

Intertextuality in Music Videos

Target Audience Questionnaire

Create your own user feedback survey

I have designed and created a questionnaire based on target audiences for my music video. By doing so I have allowed myself to gain knowledge on peoples interests in music and music videos but most importantly the genre I will be revolving my own music video around, which is Indie/Rock. By asking particular questions on what people are expecting from this genre, it initiates ideas for the music video I will be creating whilst also helping to be a success with any potential viewers. The software ‘Survey Monkey’ allows my questionnaire to be answered by a mass amount of people, which in turn is positive for me as it will allow me to get a realistic view on people’s expectations on Indie/Rock. It also lets me eliminate any ideas that I know are not going to be effective in the end result, and engage with new ideas that weren’t originally thought of. The use of comment boxes will supply me with more information; this will lead me to have both quantitative and qualitative data.

Audience Theories

Audience theories from ellelew

Indie/Rock Music Video Conventions

Music Video Analysis

Summary of andrew goodwin’s theory from ellelew

Welcome Post

My name is Elle Lewin and I am currently studying my second year of A Level Media Studies. Throughout the progression of the year, I will be taking part in a research and planning process for music videos and music genres, this will include me going into depth about certain genres, target audiences and expectations. I will also be working as part of a team for the production side of the course, meaning filming, editing and directing to create my own music video for a chosen genre, I will also be producing a digipak to help gain a realistic approach to this field of media. I will then evaluate my own product, ensuring there is constructive criticism to challenge myself for any future references.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!