Product evaluation
Product evaluation
MUSIC videos
(final product)
task 1 - Purpose of music videos
Why are music videos created? What is their purpose, aims and target audience?
Music videos are created to promote artists and to express the meaning behind a song visually so that the audience understand the artists intentions behind writing the song. They are a good source of income and are a good way to promote new artists as they are meant to entertain and attract specific audiences. If music videos keep a consistent style and are entertaining, it’ll drive audiences to share the video creating social interaction with people they know who like that kind of music and video style and will also encourage replays of the video which will garner more popularity and will get your video recommended by well known artists and websites such as YouTube. They can also promote and increase album and single sales as they can help tell a story or reveal the meaning behind your song. Once audiences watch the video and understand the lyrics, they may be inclined to buy the song so they can listen to it in their free time and will already have an understanding of the lyrics without the need of watching the video.
Some videos also go viral due to how unusual the video is. This brings attention to your image and future music as people will wonder what other content you can produce. An example of this is the music video of a song called Fantasy by DyE which went viral due to its disturbing content. Audiences then discussed it over the internet and proceeded to analyse the video and it’s lyrics to find the complex meaning behind it, which only made it even more popular. This shows how important it is to have a unique music as they can attract a niche audience who will be eager to listen to your future music.
The target audience for every music video changes depending on genre and type. For example, for indie music the target audience would be men aged around 16-24 as they are the biggest consumers of the genre so the music video would have to use conventions to attract and appeal to that audience as they are who would be most likely to listen to the music.
Music videos over time have become more creative and symbolic; trying to send a bigger message about society. With the development of technology has come the development of different ways to present music videos. For example, the virtual reality and 360 degree video features on YouTube has allowed for more interesting and interactable music videos such as Saturnz Barz by Gorillaz which let you be a part of the haunted house the band was exploring. This encourages fans to share as it is not just a music video but a unique and fun experience.
However, there have been aspects of music videos that have not changed much since the 80s; music videos still use sex as a selling point of their videos. Despite the objectification of women being frowned upon due to the progress of feminism, music videos today, such as Despacito by Daddy Yankee, still use the male gaze to attract their target audiences since it sells. On the other hand, many female artists have said that they are not using their bodies to sell music videos but owning their sexuality for example Cardi B’s WAP.
Music videos were first broadcasted on MTV, the first being ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ on August 1st 1981. This made MTV a powerful medium to promote and discover new music and artists since televisions were the best way to consume media at the time. When MTV shifted from being a 24-hour music channel to focus on reality TV shows, music videos moved to YouTube around 2006. YouTube also allowed people to share links to their favourite music videos with friends creating social interaction and allowed people to play music videos whenever they wanted, making it more accessible.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marketing - Music - GCSE Media Studies Revision
Indie Target Audience
Task 2: Conventions of Music Videos
Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory
Andrew Goodwin identified 8 conventions that every music video consists of.
The first principal is having links between the music and the visuals. This means that the editing and dancing would reflect the tone of the song. For example, a fast, upbeat song would include energetic and optimistic dancing.
The second convention is having links between the lyrics and the visuals. Props, set and actions in a music video will often reflect the lyrics of the song.
The third convention is displaying the typical genre conventions. Many music videos reflect aspects of their genre in their visuals. For example, the conventions of a pop music video typically consists of close ups of the artists face, bright colours and shots of dancing/partying.
The fourth convention is having a variety of intertextual references which is when it will reference another piece of media.
The fifth principal is the notions of looks. This is when the artist(s) or actor(s) look into the camera directly at the audience to make them feel as if they are involved in the video.
The sixth convention is voyeurism. This is to look at someone or something for sexual satisfaction. This is used a lot with women as they appeal and cater to the male gaze.
The seventh convention is the demands from the record label. Record labels will have certain expectations and requirements from their artists to keep a certain image of them that reflects their brand identity so they can promote not only them but the record label.
The last convention of music videos is the category. All music videos are either performance, narrative or concept based videos. Performance will show the artist(s) performing the song. Narrative videos will tell a story or share a message. Concept based videos where the video presents an idea through it’s visuals but won’t always reflect the lyrics.
Music Video Types
Summary and Reflection
Goodwin’s theory will influence my work as I will think of all eight conventions that are used in most music videos and try to include them in mine to make sure it appeals to my target audience and is successful. The research I did has taught me that the importance of lyric analysis. If i interpret lyrics one way, I should express that interpretation in an interesting way to appeal to my audience. This will influence my final product as I will think about the different ways I can interpret lyrics and find interesting ways to show my ideas to stand out and make a successful video.
Having hidden messages and references to other popular media can also help make your video more interesting and successful. This is because having intertextual links helps tell your audience more about the story/message you’re trying to tell. It also persuades those who understand the references to send them to friends they know who would understand them, which would lead to more views. This will influence my work as I will research ways I can fit references into my music video in creative ways. I will also need to make sure they make sense to the story I am planning to tell so that the references don’t confuse my audience.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory
Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory - Advanced Media Portfolio
Codes and Conventions of Indie Music Videos
Conventions of Pop Music Videos
Donald Glover's 'This is America': All the Secret References
Task 4: lyric analysis
TASK 5: PITCH
TASK 8: Target Audience Feedback
Audience Enjoyment
I sent my music video along with a questionnaire to my target audience to have some insight on what they thought of it. Most feedback was positive and constructive which helped me adjust some of my final product so that it was better.
Thoughts on the Video
The editing of my music video was met with a lot of positive feedback which shows that it is one of the strongest aspect of the video. Criticisms I received mainly revolved around the filming and camera movement which I was able to fix in some parts of the video. I explained my narrative in a way that was universally understood but still explored enough themes and concepts to leave my audience asking questions and interpreting their own view of the story.
