Analysis of Lyrics

Music Videos with the Country Genre

All 3 of these music videos have similarities; they all promote the country genre! However the narrative used throughout each video is different representing different attitudes of the artist as well as creating different tones and moods of the music video.

The first music video demonstrates the largest aspect of narrative during the music video especially from the use of cross cutting as part of editing during the start of the music video establishing the character and the setting. The artists costume style is very appropriate for her music video as she is styled in traditional country stlye outfits for example: the brown leather jacket/dress and cowboy boots. Other props are also used during the music video which are very conventional of the country genre for example the cowboy hat, large open trucks, traditional sherif badge/sunglasses and a guitar ect. In this music video the narrative is very specific to the lyrics and the content of everyshot relates to the song itself. I do not think this music video is particulary successful as shots have been repeated throughout and the outcome of the narrative is very expected, the producers seem to have followed the conventions of the country genre into too much detail.

It is very clear this music video offers much more quality in the shots produced which could be due to the photographic landscape filming which captures the natural beauty of the environment. This music video demonstrates a clear performance style however shots of other characters have been used to create a visual image of the lyrics to the audience. This music video is very upbeat and has a cross genre of pop/country with also elements of rock. The artists bold image connotes her outgoing personality, this goes against the conventions of the country genre in which females are usually portrayed as innocent and vulnerable. The use of backup dancers promote the idea that the artist is trying to make herself unique and bold from the traditional country style. However typical conventions are still demonstrated ensure the audience still understands the natural genre of the song. The main way producers have done this is by greatly using mise-en-scene to their advantage for example using traditional props demonstrated in the majority of country videos (open back trucks, jeans and checkered shirts, microphone, band set, hay bails, tractor).

This music video ignores and goes against the majority of the typical conventions of this country genre which does successfully promote the artist as it makes the statement she is seductive and appealing to the audience. I expect this would increase the artists fan base as she is appealing to a wider audience. A narrative is used during the video however it mainly focuses on the ideology of partying and having fun again breaking conventions as it is expected for the artist to be fragile and naive.

Filming conditions - The Weather

Clearly the weather is an issue regarding the filming process of my music video as all my shots focus on the landscape and the natural setting. This means my preparation for the filming is quite limited and I have to make the decision to film the video either the day before production or on the day itself. Importantly the content of my shots focus on a photography element which will make my video individual therefore the appearance of the sky and ground must be accurate itself in the shot. For some shots I want to include the sunset as this all adds to the country style atmosphere so will need to accurately consider the time of day I choose to shoot parts of the video. The autumn to winter seasonal period of the year does create many difficulties with the music video I want to create myself however I could use this to my advantage, for example shooting in front of large oak trees as the mixture of leaves are a stunning colour showing the beauty of nature.

Although all previous weather conditions would be ideal for my music video ultimately the conditions must be dry for filming to ensure the equipment is safe and will not be damaged. On the day of shooting I will ensure I park the car close to the area of shooting so if weather conditions change I can quickly put the camera away.

Initial Research - Locations

Barmston Farm

Barmston Lane

Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire HU17 0TP

Get directions

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01482 863566

http://www.hoseasons.co.uk/holiday-parks/barmston-farm-barf?gclid=COL1lM7IlLMCFUbKtAodiX8AJg&ISDLNK=1&TIDPDUKPARKparkInfo&ISPKMD=true&PID=123&ef_id=UIU0VQAAUrkadjsk:20121022115605:s

This farm is situated in an ideal location as it is close to my house itself in Beverley therefore easily accessible to film as well as re-shoot in case I encounter any problems with my initial recording. The farm itself is actually a collection of cottages placed in a tranquil park in Woodmansy however I am mainly interested in the outside area of this tourist zone involving the surrounding meadows and the ideal fishing lake. Using this lake I will face health and safety hazards which I definitely need to consider. Also I will need to think about the weather as dark and damp conditions could effect the whole atmosphere and connotation's I want to create to the audience. Following the research into the different locations I could use I will be taking photographs for my own planning and finding out if the location is as useful in reality as it appears on the website. If the location is still ideal and appropriate for my music magazine I will need to write a letter to the land owner requesting their permission to film on their grounds. 


Fields in East Yorkshire

The main location I want to focus on would ideally be flower or oil seed rape fields as they are full of life and colour connoting the natural simplicity of my music video, however unfortuantly this type of plant does not grow during the autumn to winter period therefore there is no way I can use this for my location. Instead I intend to use a grass field in East Yorkshire which are commonly found on nature reserves. This large open space is available to use with requesting permission as it is open to the general public which is a great  advantage. The image below demonstrate how simple and easy it is to find appropriate fields in the East Yorkshire area. I simple typed in on Google maps a near by town (in this example Bishop Burton) and zoomed out to find the nearest area of countryside.


Furrows Farm

On the social networking website Facebook I sent out a request to use any land anyone owns explaining the purpose, fortunately resulting with my old friend Louisa Brumfield offering her farm as she suggested it would be very fitting to the country genre. She also owns a large barn stacked full of haystacks which could be a useful prop for part of my mise-en-scene. Furrows Farm owns animals including horses which again would be ideal to use as horses are mainly associated with the countryside.

Lakes In East Riding 

I figured the most easy and simple way to fnid appropriate areas in the East Riding with lakes would be to search for fishing lakes as these are likely to also have small bridges which could be useful to use in my shots. The following webpage appeared when searching for this specific information showing the many different choices I have as to where my location could be set.



However this still meant there was still a large distance to travel to get to the location (although these lakes would be useful in the context of my music video). To make my findings more specific I researched "Lakes near Beverley" which gave me a starting point to find appropriate locations.

 This gave me many different options of the nearby lakes I could use as a location.

Representations for my Music Video

I must consider the representations I can convey through my music video prior to the creation of my actual product. The most idealistic artist I want my model to resemble is Miley Cyrus who demonstrates certain aspects of a country theme but continues to make the actual genre pop. In  2009 Miley Cyrus used the process of convergence which allowed her to create her own branded products such as "Hannah Montanna: The movie". The movie is about a young girl Miley Cyrus who takes a trip back to her hometown to Tennessee with her family and achieves a perspective on what matters most in life. The film demonstrates the true nature of the countryside and the traditional stylistic attitude of country singers including their personal song writing styles. I hope to create few inter-textual references in my music video as this will relate the younger audience with my video and gain more interest from the public. The mix of genre shown during this music video is especially interesting and a segment of the market I want to promote making it more widely noticed by the public.

I have taken a particular interest in the scene involving Miley recognising her own horse "blue jeans" and removing her fake image to show her natural country origin. During my music video a farm like setting and the use of a horse for a prop would be ideal for the country style I want to promote. I could relate the models entire costume designs to be associated with the farm for example a checkered shirt, jeans, traditional cowboy hat and of course the boots to match. I will need to further research where I can source these outfits and the location itself.

This image of Miley shows her natural image and beauty again focusing on the country style and genre. The use of a guitar is very effective and I think using this as part of my mise-en-scene would be very useful for relating the content with the genre I am focusing on.

I must remember to focus on my actual theme which is love and heartbreak (following the lyrics of the song) therefore the tone of the video must be slightly negative. I must ensure using props such as a guitar and horse will not affect my initial ideas.

Finally Miley Cyrus focuses on the image that "dreams can make anything happen" and people should never give up. This imagery ultimately combines the country and pop genre and does show that pop artists with all the glamour and fame can also successfully promote country music. The lower section of this image could be useful for my digipack involving a CD/DVD package as it shows the main environment however the artist herself has the main focus.

Evaluation of my Reconstruction Task

The process of reconstructing the media text Birdy – Shelter has given me valid practise towards the preparation of creating a music video as part of my advanced portfolio coursework. I created an accurate production plan, researched the artist and deconstructed the music video to give me a foundation understanding before tackling the actual reconstruction of the music video.

 

Time management was an important factor in determining the success of my groups reconstruction of the music video. The group stuck by the production plan we created which was expected as it was timetabled during college hours however some members of the group switched roles which was a problem and also we did not shoot the video in the initial chosen location; Beverley West wood  This setting was much more suited for the video and conveyed exactly the same atmosphere and mood we wanted to create however personal issues regarding a member of the group meant we had to create a new production plan labelling a different location.  Other features of the mise-en-scene were successfully reconstructed for example the costume and make up used on the model. By using a trench coat and military boots our model’s look was very similar to that of Birdy which connoted the dark and cold tone that is also created in the actual music video, making out reconstruction more specific.  

(Images of Olivia in Costume and Setting )

The first stage of the creation of our music video was shooting the correct shots as part of our filming, the practice with the video camera was very valuable experience and made me realise how jerky the final product can appear from little hand movement when shooting the video. When creating my individual music video I will need too re shoot the same shot many times to ensure my camera quality is good and avoid having to venture out to the location to re shoot wasting time I could be using on the editing suites. The second shot we created was very effective and proved to be a lovely transition, the use of slow motion was  valuable and a great choice for a slow song with emotional meaning. This fits the criteria I am using for my music video therefore I am greatly considering using this technique to express meaning during my music video. 

The post production techniques using the editing suites was very useful and I was surprised by the different effects and changes you can actually make to your final product. For example you can tint the music video certain colours, we practised giving the shots a blue tinge to emphasise the cold and dreary atmosphere however it resulted in some shots with low lighting being too dark. If I decide to use this post production technique I will need to use a more complex approach by editing the shots separately.  During the editing production we tried changing the lighting to make it the shots darker however we noticed when watching our final product that this affected continuity as the video doesn't flow from the rapid change of light using the same setting. This tool is very constructive but I have learnt for the creation of my own music video that I will ensure the lighting is made the similar in each shot giving the video continuity.






















 

Codes and Conventions of a Music Video - Essay

Conventionally a music video either follows the form of a narrative, a performance or an abstract piece to make a statement about the video and genre. The genre I have chosen to focus on for my advanced portfolio is pop, its popularity and reputation have resulted in a wide creation and distribution of music videos giving me many different texts to compare and analyse. All 3 of these forms for the pop genre are conventional however more are more recognized and popular than others. Usually a music video following the pop field is performance based for example Beyonce – Love on Top and Kesha – TikTok. However certain artists use an abstract and unusual tone during music videos which can promote messages about the performers themselves. A very good example of this is Lady Gaga – Born this way, this specific artist has created a unique ideology about herself which has resulted in many fans referring to her as “the female version of Michael Jackson”. Finally narratives are very useful to use in a music video as it gives the audience a visual image of the song and gives an emotional meaning following the lyrics. This form of style can be difficult to create as the main focus would be making the audience engage with the video constantly by using an interesting storyboard. Usually artists mix around these different elements to create a more superior music video, for example Beyonce Knowles is very famous for making both simple and complex videos successful.
   

The pop genre has been dominated by a mass audience therefore I argue no specific segment of the market is more conventional and expected than others. However importantly the market does rely on the popularity factor meaning the conventional audience is likely to be ordinary citizens in the working class (as this is the largest segment of community). In general terms the conventional audience for different genres differs slightly for example music videos with an Indie/Rock genre have the following conventions: the band/artist is shown during the video, tends to be in black and white, dark lighting is used, use of long shots and close ups are popular and finally special effects tend to be used during the editing process making the video more unique and different. Obviously the audience of this genre differs to that of pop as different conventions appeal to different audiences. Specific conventions for the pop genre follow: high and bright lighting, low/high shots, colour effect (monochrome), shadows (the mise-en-scene reflect the atmosphere accurately) and face paced editing. Animation during a music video is a unique feature which is also conventional for the pop genre however very unusual.

A music video is very dynamic as the style of the audience can quickly change and producers need to fit the trend of the current fashion to make it suitable for its target audience. In terms of the pop genre social activities of teenagers (fashion, dance, and subcultures) are included during music videos as this is the most suitable and popular segment of the pop genre’s market to promote. It is also conventional for music videos to target its audiences by using famous stars allowing them to identify celebrities giving individual audience members an enjoyable experience.

In terms of media language music videos featuring the pop genre offer many different representations as it is so widely recognized  Every music video is individual to the artist and creates connotations about the performer themselves; the video could feature representations of age, gender, social class ect. Artist use this to their advantage to represent themselves and their lifestyle targeting an individual niche of the pop market. Images can be taken from these music videos as a form of marketing for the artist, for example press coverage. Therefore music videos are conventionally very important for making a statement about the artist themselves and can raise their status in the music industry. Representations are commonly used today during music videos as the current audience in today’s society is celebrity-obsessed. It is conventional for female artists to perform seductive poses and act in this mannerism by showing cleavage and tight dresses as it gains the interest of males therefore increases their fame and popularity in the market. Also some artists create intertextual references during their videos for example during Madonna – Vogue relates herself with Marilyn Monroe to promote the message she is as beautiful and attractive as the famous icon. Chosen locations for music videos can also represent the artist in certain ways for example very urban locations are associated with gang violence and crime which can affect the audience’s perception of the performer.