Print Artefacts - The creation

After finishing our music video production in class . We were faced with designing various print artefact's to compliment our music video . This took a while as in order to achieve our final print artefact's, this being a CD advert , and a CD front and back cover we had to experiment with various different ideas in order to achieve the best look possible for our CD artwork and advert.
firstly we decided to focus all our artwork on combining the two lead singers in the production ,faces together. We used various apps on apple IPAD in order to achieve this . Below are the images we started with and the image we achieved after.
Step by step guide to making our CD poster

Here i have demonstrated in a step by step guide how my group created our final CD poster promoting The Pretty Reckless album "Light me up". Both the images of step one and two in our poster creation illustrates how we started of by taking pictures of the two main characters in our music video, the good and the bad alter ego on an IPAD .We then uploaded these images to a laptop in order to edit the two photos on photo shop so we could create a face mash up of the two characters in the music video. We created this specific image to mirror the narrative of the storyline, this being that these two people are actually one stand alone person. We also made this iconic image as ideally these two performers in the music video could in fact be the band members of The Pretty Reckless. Therefore by displaying the face image on the CD poster, people will be aware instantly of who's CD HMV are promoting and therefore this could alone draw them in to by the CD . We then transferred the image back on to the IPAD ,as shown in step 4, and removed any blemishes of the photo to give the image a professional feel. Then using various apps on the IPAD we played with various darkening effects in order to get an image that truly reflected the dark rock feel behind the album itself. Using an IPAD app we also changed the eye colour of each eye. Are end image contains one red eye and one blue as shown in step five in order to highlight the idea of the two performers portraying good and evil colliding . Blue being good and red evil due to various connotations. We also lit up the eyes to keep in line with the album title "Light me up." This is because the eyes are the only part of the face we have highlighted in the image which in turn suggests the eyes are the window to the soul, one soul embodying good the other evil. Step 5 also shows the dutch tilt we added to the iconic face image . We did this in order to give a sense of realism to the image , so people would believe the image is in fact only one person .Finally as step 6 illustrates we tried out various different texts and logo styles on our CD poster and after various considerations we decided on an overall style whilst keeping in convention with CD posters e.g we edited in an image of hmv advertising and also the CD cover itself has various quotes about the album and a star rating something you will find on all album posters.    

Step by step guide to creating our CD back and front cover

 

When making our CD cover we decided to take the background image from our CD poster of the face collision,to demonstrate relevance to the narrative of our music video, "You make me wanna die" and to keep in line with a popular convention of CD covers ; having the band on the front of the CD as to make it instantly recognisable to fans and customers. As step 2 and 3 shows , we decided to take close up shots of the good and evil eyes of the two performers in the music video . We decided upon this mainly due to the feel of the album. It contains a mixture of dark and light songs in terms of meaning and emotion e.g. from love to hate. Therefore the two different colour eyes are symbolic of the good and bad feel of the album as well as the two characters in our music video. By step 4 we decided to integrate these four images together using an IPAD app in order to collaborate all our various meaningful ideas together. We then added the title of the album "Light me up" an the band name to the image. We did this to keep in line with CD conventions. We were then faced with the issue of creating the back of the CD sleeve. We decided to take inspiration from the likes of artists such as Adele and The Pretty Reckless themselves, who on one or more of their albums have one simplistic image. We decided on this as we did not want to busy the page with unneeded detail and for the customers sake as we do not want to draw them away from the main purpose of the back of the CD sleeve . This being the illustration of the song list . We chose an image of the lead singer of our created "band". We tried out various styles as show in steps 5 to 6 and after facing issues such as over crowed space and contrasting colours we decided upon our final back cover containing yellow bold writing. This makes the writing easy and simple to read. we then added the conventional bar code and copyright info in small print along with the interscope logo in order for our CD sleeve to look realistic and saleable. Then we combined the image with our front cover created previously.  

 

Cd cover

Today in media we decided to experiment with different cd front covers for our music video here is one of the examples we came up with.

Production schedule 1

Today in Lesson our group made a production schedule in order to visually show where and when we need to film certain scenes . We did this so the filming process would be as quick and as smooth running as possible and so there was no time wasting.

Production schedule 2

In our group today we also decided to plan each step by step shot out so we were fully organised when it came to filming our music video .

 

 

 

What to do and not what to do when making a music video

Today in our lesson we watched various past A2 music videos and discussed what and what does not make a good music video this is the list we came up with. 

What's good 
We decided that the best music videos need to have a good storyline ,if they are going to be made in a narrative style as if there is not a good storyline there is little to work with as a whole. The edits used in the music video must also be timeed to that of the song so the video flows smoothly and effectively. You also need to make sure your music video shows the music channels logo and the artist , song name and album name in this order ,in order for the video to look professional. You also need to make sure the bottom titles are tiny as you do not want to draw the audience away from the main focus , this being the music video itself. You also need to hire professional performers who are confident to perform as if you do not the music video could appear passionless and unprofessional. You also need to make sure all your camera frames are right as if they are not the final Finish can look messy and you will lose marks. Finally you need to book at the end and at the start in order to follow the stereotype of music videos. Finally only allow camera shots / frames to last for five seconds maximum as otherwise the music video can become boring and slow. 

Whats bad
It is bad to create large titles as this draws focus away from the music video. It is also bad to focus to much on one shot for too long as it makes people lose interest in the actual music video. It is bad to hire people who are not going to take the project seriously. For example if they do not know their lines to the song it can effect the music video greatly as it will no longer look professional. It is bad to not vary your camera angles. Camera angles are marks therefore if you stick to one angle throughout you are limiting your grade and basically creating a non interesting video for people to disengage with. 

Task 9 Casting and setting

In our music video narrative their are three characters 2 main and 1 major. 

Character one = Jasmine let man playing good personality . Jasmine is playing the real girl who suffers from schizophrenia she is good at heart put is constantly possessed by her alter ego which makes her do bad things to other people . Her clothes in the music video reflect her personality they are casual and light coloured in order to mirror her goodness inside and finally a knife with which she accidentally stabs herself. 

Props needed = Phone , Pyjamas , light coloured clothing in order to imply her good personality and her pureness. a mirror in order to see the bad reflection of herself.

Character 2 = Chloe Ravenscroft as bad personality . Chloe is playing the bad alter ego of Jasmine . She constantly makes Jasmine do bad things to other people and ultimately leads to Jasmines death . In comparison to Jasmines good character she wears dark and grunge clothes in order to signify someone on the edge who relies heavily on alcohol. 

Props needed =Grunge clothes , Pyjamas , plastic bottle to kill caramels character with. alcohol bottle in order to show her drunken state. Phone , which is going to be used to show the bad things Chloe's character gets up to. 

Character 3 = Carmel Elliott as "Chav". Carmel is playing Chloe's bad friend . She is the one who leads Chloe , Jasmines alter ego ,down the wrong path and leads her into bad situations . She is killed when she gets into an argument with Jasmines alter ego Chloe . 

Props needed = Carmel's clothes need to be young yet street like as they need to signify this is where she spends most her time . Therefore we have gone with the outfit tracksuit bottoms with a top and hat in order to stick to the stereotypical idea of a "Chav". 

Task 8 - The final proposal

Our group has decided to make a music video fro our media A2 coursework . The name of our production is "You make me wanna die" by The pretty reckless . Due to the genre of the song ,this being rock / pop, we have decided that our music video would best suit the music channels Kerrang , as this is the most popular rock station and this is where our predominant target audience will lie and 4 music . We chose 4 music as the music channel we wish to associate our music with as it plays a variety of different genres of music and as our music video contains more than one genre we feel this is the music channel which would allow us to reach a wide variety of audiences as well as directly targeting our chosen target group.

on the topic of of target groups we have decided that our song and music video would best suit teenagers who are of the causation ethnicity who are working class/middle class . This is because the music itself is quite dark and sinister and this type of music is generally associated with the teen generation. This is because certain popularity groups are associated with such music e.g "grebs" and "goths." We also believed that the music video would best suit those from working class to middle class backgrounds as such parents are stereotypically known to allow their child to view music that is more on the sinister and heavy side. We chose Caucasian as our target audience, ethnicity type, as the two characters in the music video are of this ethnicity themselves. Therefore we believe viewers of the same ethnicity will find it easier to relate to the characters in the music video and therefore the music itself. We believe that both male and female audiences our within our target audience zone as the music is not gender specific and the topics explored in the music video (e.g schizophrenia) are not gender directed. However as the music video only contains female characters and actors the main bulk of our target audience will probably be made up of females as they can directly relate to the narrative in the music video as it is approached from a female perspective.

As our music video is from the rock/ pop genre we have decided to create a music video that has a narrative . This is due to the fact that rock music tends to look into deep and dark meaningfull topics and emotions . Therefore we wanted to be able to match this in our music video and get truly across the emotion embedded in the song. We believed the best way to do this is tell the story of the song through a story itself. We have however decided to also encompass a performance into the music video , this being the characters singing the song throughout the narrative. We have done this as such a convention is generally associated with music videos and by doing so the narrative of the story truly connects to the song effectively.

Finally the style of our music video is going to be very complex . As we have decided to follow a narrative of a schizophrenic we have decided to use a lot of various effective camera angle that allow us to show the transition from one persona to another . This will include various fades , dissolves ex... in order to show the switch from one personality to the next. The style of our music video is also going to match that of the style of the song . This means the edits will match that of the beat of the song . Therefore whilst the verses are playing our edits are going to be slow paced and steady . However as the song reaches it pinpoint moment we are going to change the edits to fast cuts in order to really encompass the song in the music video as a whole. 

Task 7 role allocation

In lesson today we decided who in our group would be doing what when it comes to producing our entertainment project we decided:

Camera people : Jasmine Letman , Chloe Ravenscroft and Amy Ravenscroft 

Editor: Jasmine Letman 

Writer : Chloe Ravenscroft and Jasmine Letman 

Producer: Jasmine Letman 

Director: Chloe Ravenscroft 

Music : The pretty Reckless "You make me wanna die "

Task 6 -Story boards for music video

Today in our media lesson we created the storyboards for our music video "You make me wanna die" so we are in a position to know what shots to film when we start production on our project.

Page 1

 

 

Page 2

 

Page 3

 

 

 

 

Final idea

Final idea for a music video

Today my group decided upon what type of music video we were going to be filming we decided on a rock/pop song by The Pretty Reckless called "You make me wanna die". We decided the plot line was going to be based around the mental illness Schesiphrenia . The music video is going to follow a teenage girl who suffers with this illness.

Plot line

The teenage girl is going to be possessed by her evil alter ego who makes who do bad things . The music video narrative will include her breaking into a school whilst possessed by her alter ego and accidentally seriously injuring her best friend who she accidentally kills whilst drinking alcohol in the school in her drunken state. The teenage girl will run away from the scene and fighting against her alter ego call the police on herself . However the alter ego will try fiercely to persuade her not to hand herself into the police and through doing so anger the girl to the degree she stabs her alter ego which in context turns out to be herself . Therefore resulting in her killing herself hence the song "you make me wanna die" . This also results in the ghostly figure of her imagination being killed to.

Effects
Throughout the song you will see the teenage girl switch from herself into her alter ego as the lines of the song says a different meaning e.g "i had everything" would be sung by the cast member who is playing the good teenage girl.We will do this by using the affects on the mac such as merging and cropping of images in order to display the transition between the two characters. 

A picture of the band who play our chosen song " You make me wanna die".

Bar chart results

After looking at the results for the music video questionnaires it has become clearer to see as a group what type of music video and song we will be choosing to work with. 

The majority of the participants were between the age of 17 and 21 therefore due to this we have decided to direct are music video towards this particular target group as we are most familiar (from the questionnaire results) with what type of music and music videos they enjoy to listen to and watch the most . Plus being a similar age it allows us to understand what type of music videos such an age group wants to see  and most of all what they like to watch and listen to.

The most popular song choice turned out to be pop music closely followed by indie and rock. Therefore when choosing our song we have decided to go for an artist or band which encompasses all three types of music styles to a degree e.g light rock bands. When it came to favourite bands and solo performers there was a mix of music artists from lady gaga to blink 182. This clearly showed us that people of the similar age like all different types of music and artists from those who sing pop to those who sing R and B. Therefore this has allowed us to play round with a few ideas for our music video that vary greatly in style and content as there are alot of different target group to target inside only one age range .

when looking at the collective results for why people enjoy listening and watching their favourite artists and bands music videos the overall answer was because their music videos were strong and attention grabbing . Therefore we intend to do the same with our music video and create a video which contains various entertainment elements e.g a performance and a narrative ex in order to capture the audiences attention with both the video as well as the song choice. 

After looking at the results for favourite type of music video the results showed us that people like a music video which has a strong narrative as well as a performance . Therefore when creating our music video we intend to encompass both of elements e.g the song being sung in the music video whilst a storyline is taking place at the same time.

The results for favourite music channel also opened our eyes to how people enjoy a mix of music types as the most popular music channel was four music which plays various types of music from pop to R and B. Therefore we will not feel so restricted when choosing a song to use in our music video as it seems the public are open to various tracks and styles of music .

Bar chart results of Questionaire

Task 4- Audience research

Questionnaire findings -

Age range =
17 -21 - 5
16 and under- 1
22-30 - 3
over 30- 1


1) What is your favourite type of music ?
Pop - 4
Indie- 2
Musicals - 1
Rock- 2
R and B - 1
Reggae -0
Classical-0
Rap-0


2) What is your favourite solo performer in a music video and why ?
Lady gaga - 1
Pink-1
Robbie William's -1
Noel Gallagher -1
Beyonce-2
Chris Brown-1
Blink 182-1
Cheryl Cole-1
Rita Ora - 1


3) Who is your favourite band in a music video and why?
The Wanted - 1
Take That - 4
maroon 5 -1
1D -1
Aerosmith -1
Guns and Roses-1
Coldplay-1


4) What music channels do you watch?
4music-5
Mtv-2
Kerrang-3
Vh1-0
Viva-0


5) What is your favourite type of music video and why?
N/A= 1
Beyonce -love on top
Lady gaga and Beyonce - telephone
Moves like jagger- Maroon 5
Katy Perry - Part of me
Weapon of choice - Fat boy slim
Four years strong - Just divine
Foo fighters - learn to fly
Coldplay-Yellow
Michael Jackson - Thriller


6) What types of music videos do you like ?
Strong narrative - 6
Live show footage - 2
Dancing - 2


7) What type of music video do you most prefer and why ?
performance - 9
Artisitic-1
Abstract- 0


8) why do you listen to music ?
To relax-5
To party-1
Entertainment - 4
To help concentrate - 0


9) What music channel would you put these artists songs on?
Coldplay - 4music - Mtv- Viva- 4music- Viva- Mtv- Kerrang-Mtv- Mtv2- Kerrang
Nicki Minaj - 4music - Mtv- Mtv- R n B- 4music- Mtv- Vh1- Mtv Base- Mtv Base-Mtv Base
Lady Gaga - 4music - Mtv- 4music - Mtv Dance- Mtv- Mtv- Vh1- m Mtv hits -Mtv- M tv base
Beyonce -4 music- Mtv -Mtv- 4music- Mtv- Mtv-Vh1- Mtv base-Mtv base-Mtv
Muse - Kerrang -Kerrang-Kerrang- Kerrang - Kerrang- Kerrang- Kerrang- Kerrang- Mtv2- Kerrang
The Pretty Reckless- Kerrang -Kerrang- Kerrang - Kerrang-Kerrang-Kerrang-Kerramg-Kerrang,Mtv2,Vh1
Adele- 4music-Vh1-Mtv -Vh1-Vh1-Mtv-Vh1-Vh1-Magic-4music


10) What do you watch music videos on?
Ipod/Ipad-4
Computer-2
Laptop-3
Tv-1

From the results obtained , that cover a large span of people, it is clear to see that the most favoured music present in a music video is pop therfore this has ifluenced my disocion when it comes to deciding what song to acually use for my music video as now it is clear to see that pop is the favourite choice and therefore my song will lie within this area. 

Task three - Mind Mapping

Music video 1 = Jana Kramer , Won't give up .  This music video focuses around a young couple and how their relationship has broken down but the girl wont give up on it. The music video starts with an argument, the door bangs shut and the music begins and the lights change from light to dark as she walks through the streets singing showing time passing . This footage flicks between happier footage of the couple in the past . As she returns home the phone rings and the door knocks and he has come back to her .


Music video 2 = Nicki Minaj, Marilyn Monre, This music video looks at different types of girls and how when they are classed as different no one wants them as friends but when they are seen as cool and credible they do not want to be associated with them people in the end . The music video focuses predominately on a geeky girl and her story of being shunned by a boy when she was in her high school and now she is older and this boy wants he but now  she does not want anything to do with him as he did not except her originally . focuses on her looking back on past and now the present.

Music video 3 = The pretty reckless (You make me wanna die) This idea deals with the idea of schizophrenia and how the sufferer is constantly being possessed by another character and made to do bad things . the storyline will follow a girl who is good at heart but her other character makes her do bad things such as murder .  The music video ends with her stabbing her alter ego however in retrospect she has killed herself and is left to die.


Documentary 1 = Made in Tamworth . A documentary looking into the day to day lives of the young people living in Tamworth,  it is based on programs such as Made in Chelsea and the Only way is Essex and looks at the drama of a small group over a period of time . Almost like a soap.


Documentary 2 = 2.4 children, looks into the idea of is really two kids the ideal. It includes interviews with families of all kinds but predominately looking at one family containing four grown up kids and the journey they have had. Also contains fly on the wall footage.The core idea focusing on how life has changed over the years and what now is seen as the norm as family size has decreased. 

Task two - Game trailer analysis

Dead island 

Firstly the logos appearing at the beginning of the game advert clearly indicate its authenticity , for such major brands to be putting there name to this game it already indicates before the advert has begun that this is a trustworthy and credible game as if it not it would not have such strong sponsors. The fact the game is also indicated as copyrighted it indicates it is in keeping with the law and if you were to buy it this would not break any sales laws involved . The music behind the advert is slow and almost opera like this is out of convention with the theme of the game , this being zombies attacking, as such creatures are generally associated with danger and fear indicating loud , frightening music would be used opposed to this.  Therefore to change this concept around and to go in the opposite direction the game has already caught our attention from the word go. When it comes to the narrative of the advert it is very much represented as a film advert as it contains many film conventions such as an open narrative . this being a girl and her family being attacked by zombies and failing to escape and also a variety of quick jumps and transitions between past and present e.g when the little girl is show at the end of the advert happy before she is attacked whereas the other parts of the advert are predominately her getting attacked in the future tense. The advert makers have also captured the audience through the use of gore e.g when the zombies are chasing the little girl. This catches the attention of those who love such graphics and therefore already the game is reaching its vast target audience , this being the older generation and predominately boys ,before it has even told us any information visually or verbally about the game. The certificate of the film is also clearly shown in the advert , in this case it is an eighteen this is vitally important as without this the advert would be viewed as inconsistent as it would not have clearly indicated the audience it intends to sell to , this being the elder generation and such conventions of a game advert are always needed and necessary. Finally the edits in the game advert are fast paced and quick this builds anticipation in itself as it creates the fast paced mood of the game and the fear it embodies as a whole.

Task 2 - Analysis of a short film

Craig Devine film - This is the life 


The short film itself seems to be an autobiography as the main characters name is similar to Craigs name. We also know from background information that this short film is representative of his own personal life. The narrative of the storyline tackles the idea of a family containing a mom a sister and a brother receiving there father home from prison. 


The short film is filmed in familiar settings to the characters and also to the audience . Such settings include a house and outside a school this is in keeping with conventions of a short film as they generally take place in familiar / normal settings for the characters and the audience in order for the audience to be able to relate to the film. The camera shots show that the film is set in a working-class area as the types of houses and the rubbish outside each house conveys the idea of how the working class stereotypically live. This is also implied by the characters costumes as the boy is in trainers with his school uniform signifying the idea that his mom can not afford to buy him the proper uniform , suggesting therefore they do not have a lot of money. This is also suggested by the boys uniform as it is scruffy and looks old creating the idea his background isn't one full of wealth as his presentation is poor. The theme of a working class family is also signified further by the lack of there father as the mother states he will be home today . This is stereotypical of working class families as they are known highly for living in lone parent families. The family is also indicated as working class through the use of their eating habits the low angle shot of them eating dinner on there laps in front of the TV indicate they are not of a middle class background as middle class people stereotypically eat at a table with the telly of and this family is doing the complete opposite. 


The camera shots are predominately hand held. This may have been done to add a sense of realism to the whole film as it is a documentary technique and is generally not seen highly in films. It becomes clear that there dad has been in prison when he is eating walkers crisps and claims he has missed them . Such a line hints at there father having been in prison as such food is generally not allowed in such circumstances , plus the mom also states that she thought it would be easier when he got home suggesting that where he has been is not a nice place as she has been struggling at home with her children.The edits used by Craig are predominately long edits this is used clearly to highlight the feel of the short film. As the film is only around five minutes long it is a short time to get the emotion and understanding into the time limit . Therefore by using longer edits Craig allows us as an audience to absorb the feel of the film and truly understand the moods involved within the whole production. 


The whole short film switches moods rapidly in such a short space of time for example in once scene the sister creates fun which is shown by the shopping trolley indicating a sense of recklessness as this has nothing necessarily to do with the main plot line of the short film but it may have been added to balance the whole mood of the film itself so that the audience feel they have had an overall experience. 


In the scene where the dad and son drive the car together craig makes it clear that this is an important moment in the plot line as they are making up through this fun act . Therefore this fun , sweet scene has been added in order to highlight who the characters are and what they have been through. 


Craig devine has actually been clever with his camera angles. For example in the probation office at the end of the short film when the father is actually clarified as having gone to prison he uses an angle which allows just his face to be seen rather then the office. Therefore you do not always have to have the equipment and space to make a short film work as you are fully convinced this man is with a probation officer. 

How to structure a short film

Short films 

When making a short film structure is the most important thing in helping towards the film look how it should do. You also have to consider what kind of movie it will be e.g experimental. You also have to consider what genre the film will be. The length of a short film is vitally important as if you go over a certain time frame the film is no longer classed as a short film but a feature film . It is also important when thinking about the plot of the film and the structure because more can be done with more time. Short films are usually four to ten minutes long but no longer then thirty minutes. 

Plot - when it comes to the plot of a short film it can not be a complete plot instead it should be a snapshot of a characters life.  Short films also tend to throw the audience into the action and there is no need for explanation in the lead up to the setting.  Plus there is no time or need for character development. You then have to think about a problem the short film will tackle and you actually have to decide who the characters are and how the audience will relate to them and how will the audience recognise this . Finally you have to think where would the film go if it is actually turned into a feature film. However the main guideline to follow when making a short film is to keep it simple and make sure there is substance over style. 

Task 2= Analysis of music videos

Damien Rice - The Blowers daughter

Performance style = acoustic
Narrative = The music video follows a linear storyline and is about a man who cannot simply stop loving this one person and because of this his mind is possessed by her and so he cannot find anybody new.

Casting and characters = Jude law and Julia Roberts in footage from a film and Damien Rice and a female actress. 
Mise en scene = The music video is filmed upon a isolated sea front. This may be in order to signify the isolation this man feels because he is trapped by his love and therefore he cannot escape the place where she is, in this case on the sea front. The costumes consist of dour clothes and rain macs this implies that because the weather is stormy and is rough as it is raining there relationship has also been through rough times to. The use of heavy waves in the  camera shots and a cloudy sky is symbolic of this mans mood because as the lyrics state he cannot take his eyes of her or move on and therefore his vision is clouded like the sky is obstructed by the clouds.
Editing and images /sound and camera work.
Throughout the music video the footage skips from film footage of a film containing both Julia Roberts and Jude law who in the clip are evidently in love. This therefore signifies straightaway that the music video has gone down the path of a love theme due to what the lyrics entail. This footage then fades to the footage of Damien Rice singing to a girl. This follows the music video convention a performance as he as a artist is performing a song. However he has combined two different types of music video as the footage also plays out a storyline of him being obsessed with this particular girl . The cuts from the footage of the film to the music video is very slow in keeping with the slow pace of the song. The majority of the shots of Damien singing are close ups of his face. This has been done it seems in order to convey the emotion embedded in the song and the pain this man feels. There is also various over the shoulder shots and two shots in order to show the proximity between the man and the women This is because throughout the music video he becomes closer and closer to her but never actually reaches her . Therefore these two shots may have been used in order to help the storyline along and show that no matter how close he gets to her he never actually reaches her. This being symbolic of this women he loves being unreachable to him not matter how much he loves her. The music video also contains some highly effective establishing shots of the sea front where the music video is shot. This seems to have been done in order to show the actual isolation of the stormy place and therefore how alone Damien really is and how lost in love he is.
Animation /technology= 
Damien Rice has gone down the path of using no actual animations in his music video it seems on first glance however the sky may have been re enhanced through computer technology in order to clearly achieve a feeling of gloom and misery to the music video.







Beyonce - Best thing i never had

Performance style = solo performance
Casting and characters = Beyonce , wedding guests , husband and ex boyfriend

Narrative = The narrative is non linear. This is because Beyonce in her music video is telling a story therefore the video contains various flashbacks in Beyonces characters past e.g at prom . The narrative relates to the lyrics about how Beyonces character was to be married to a man but they broke up and how she is looking over there past together because now she is marrying another man and her ex boyfriend is as the lyrics say the " Best thing she never had".
Mise en scene = In the opening of the music video Beyonce is seen getting ready. The clothes she is wearing are of the colour white suggesting the event she is preparing for is a wedding as traditionally white is the colour the Bride wears. As she is shown putting on her wedding dress and a tiara it becomes evident that she is the bride to be as such items of clothing could be meant for no other occasion but a wedding. Some of the footage in the music video is filmed outside as the sun is setting , this is symbolic of the fact that the sun is setting on her past relationship as she now enters marriage with another man.

The other settings in the music video such as a party room and in a dressing room are very bright and colourful. This is symbolic of the happiness that is stereotypically associated with a wedding day because like the room being bright all the guests and the husband and wife are meant to be feeling happy to. The outside shots of Beyonce in a large open space may have been used in order to show the freedom that Beyonce now has because she has escaped the relationship she was once in. 
Editing in images and sound/camera work

The music video consists largely of fast cuts that sometimes slow to a medium pace ,which in turn keep in synchronisation with the music. The camera work used in this particular music video varies greatly . There are many close ups of Beyonces face as she sings in order to display clearly the emotion the song holds. Half way through the music video there is a low angle shot of Beyonce when she is outside singing this may have been used in order to show Beyonce dominance and how she is in control maybe of the music video or it could be of the relationship in the videos storyline.

The majority of the wedding scenes are filmed in hand held shots this seems to have been used in order to add a sense of realism to the video in order to create the idea that an actual wedding is happening and like with all weddings it is being recorded . Therefore this convention used here fits greatly in with the wedding storyline present in the video. Finally the long shot at the end of the music video showing Beyonce walking away is symbolic of Beyonce fully leaving the past relationship behind and moving on mentally as well as physically.

Take that - Back for good
Performance style- Band performance 


Casting and Characters- The band members = Robbie , Gary , Jason , Howard and Mark

Narrative - The narrative takes place on a film set. The story seems to embody the band members feeling down and miserable as they have lost a girl and now they regret it and want her back. Through the use of the sound stage and the black and white colours in the music video the storyline seems to embody a storyline within itself this being the boys being in a film as many hints e.g film lights and film conventions are present e.g a dramatic storyline suggest this.

Mise en scene - The boys in the music video are wearing dark clothes this may have been used in order to convey the mood of the music video this being a dark and saddening mood as the connotation of dark things is usually sadness. Throughout the music video it is raining this may have been done in order to mirror the mood also as the boys are meant to be feeling down and fed up and the rain could be a metaphor for there spirits being dampened.

The black and white image used throughout the music video may have been used in order to keep in convention with the narrative of the storyline of the boys acting in a film as such an effect is generally associated with old Hollywood films this is further suggested by the props used in the music video such as fake lighting because such equipment is used in a film production, therefore signifying the boys are acting for the camera. However the whole wet image may have been used in order to stay in convention with what a boy band entails as such groups are meant to be icons for teenage girls and therefore they must encompass this look in order to gain fans. 

Editing in images and sound - The edits in the music video are generally fast paced this may have been done in order to give each band member there full screen time. The edits are also in sync with who is singing for example if Gary is singing the camera cuts to him then when Robbie sings the camera will cut to him instead. Therefore in general the edits are done to the sound of the music and the pace of the music to. The edits include a lot of effects such as fade in and out this may have been done to make the music video dramatic and in keeping with the storyline of the boys acting in a film or mirroring the dramatic mood they are feeling after losing this girl. 

Camera work - Throughout the music video the camera shots vary greatly. At the peak of the song there are numerous close ups of the boys this may have been done to show the emotion they are feeling as they sing along to the song and therefore the close ups are used in order to display what the meaning of the song  actually is . There is also numerous shots of the rain falling down in order to mirror the dampened spirits of the boys as it is evident from the lyrics of the song they are feeling exactly like the weather, this being  dampened and dismal.

There is also the use of backwards tracking in the music video this was probably used in order to keep in line with the dramatic feel of the music video and how it is like an actual film being filmed. This is because all the way through the music video both movement and camera work are dramatic and exaggerated. This could also have been used to show the strength of the emotion the boys are feeling as they sing along to the song.