Analysing Taylor Swifts Music Video 'You Need To Calm Down'

 

Analysing a Student Made Music Video

 

Student Made Music Videos

There are a few common mistakes that students make in student-made music videos that detract from the creation of a professional, well-put-together music video. Here are a few examples:

• Focusing solely on the story (narrative) ,making it feel more like a film than a music video.  

• Lip syncing that isn't up to par will make a video appear unprofessional. When the lip syncing fails to match the music, the viewers' attention is drawn solely to how bad the lip syncing is, ignoring other aspects of the music video.

• The singer or band isn't excited or committed enough to play the parts. As a result, the music appears to have a different energy than what is depicted in the Mise-en-scene.

• Singer does not appear to be suitable for the goal on the track, for example, he/she is not old enough, he/she is not rough enough, he is not sweet enough, and so on. Matching the voice of the ordinary artists to the image of the artist we see in the video is a crucial aspect of making the music video. Age, style, confidence, and appearance are just a few of the factors to consider.

• There aren't enough shot sizes or types. This is critical because it adds to the excitement of the view. The various angles and shots add contrast and unpredictability to the viewer, making it more visually appealing and engaging to watch. This piques the interest of the audience.

• There isn't enough space or set up. This is similar to the previous point. More locations attract and engage more viewers, as well as create more visual excitement.

• There aren't enough outfit changes. This can be a limiting factor because using a variety of costumes may not provide a visual representation of how the artist develops and the video's storey line. It's possible that a lack of costumes can result in some dullness and a lack of colour. Which makes it difficult to be both ordinary and extravagant, as the genre would suggest. It would be a shame to miss out on this chance to add a visual element to the music video, giving the music a stronger visual effect on the audience.

• Attempting to make school venues appear posh. This often fails because, in reality, a schoolroom will always look like a schoolroom. As a result, it might be a better idea to start with a simple room and add to it, or to use the outside location of the premise you've been given. Because not all schools have the same faculties, you must make do with what you have and think outside the box.

                                  

Starting to analyse a student made music video:

Overall thoughts: I enjoyed the storyline and the use of an elderly person as a means of reflecting on his memories. There was a great link between what we are seeing and the lyrics of the song, creating a more emotional response to the watcher. The video immediately engaged me by showing an elderly man looking out a window lost but with a rye smile. This was a nice contrast from a stereotypical pop music video. 

Strength: I think that the relationship between the couple seemed genuine and authentic. E.g the way they act in each others company, joking together but affectionate, when they kissed they didn't seem awkward and comfortable around one another. 

Negative: I found that the story line was very similar throughout the whole music video. I would have liked to have seen the development of the relationship and ending with more impact possible a proposal or showing the elderly mans grandchildren. 

Another negative was the lack of costumes. I didn't think that the costume or location reflect the time laps between him as a young person and today when he is looking at his photo, yet there must have been a least a 50 year gap. 

There was a also a lack of camera quality. In may places the camera was shaky and blurry. At one point the camera lost focus unintentionally. Making the music video seem unprofessional. 

Behind the logo

 

Evaluation Of My Own Digipak Design

 

Analysing Eminem’s Digipak of Encore

 

Music Videos and what they have become in the age of YouTube

Pre YouTube music videos were made for Top of the Pops or MTV. However, these had their own restrictions. E.g no violence or explicit content. When Youtube was introduced everyone had the same opportunity to distribute their music video. Camera and editing technology became more available so good quality videos could be made without the professional expertise.  Because thousands of videos were being made it became even more important to have a unique quality  that stood out from the rest. This maybe a specific instrument the artist plays, dancing, unique image/look. 

Madonna- Borderline 

This is Madonna's first music video for MTV. Even in the early age of her career some of her image is prevalent. She is seen as a cool, street girl, flirtatiously dancing with good looking men. Despite this there were many other dance performers similar to madonna at the time. We can see the quality of this video and the budget is far more basic than her more recent extravaganzas. 

Madonna- Sorry 

In this music video you can see the development. I noticed from this video that the quality is much higher with better editing and more complex lighting. However, she is still a sexualised dancer on the street attracting the cool boys.  This is also bringing out her image of being a strong, independent women. 

A Digipak I designed

We were asked to make a practise Digipak for this lesson. This will come in handy when we start planning our Digipaks for the music videos we'll be making next year.

After creating this Digipak, I realised that some copyright text on the back would be beneficial. This is beneficial because it is a legal provision that ensures that album content cannot be used and sold elsewhere. 

Conventions of Digipak's

 

Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory

 

Music video examples of each of Andrew Goodwin's music video conventions :

A link between the lyrics and the visuals: 

E.g Lionel Richie- Dancing On The Ceiling 

This is seen when Lionel Richie is  physically dancing on the ceiling, mirroring the lyrics in what he is saying in the song.

A link between the music and the visuals:  

Toploader - Dancing in the moonlight

this music video reflects the tone and pace of the artists song. It should be noted that when the visuals cut they cut on the beat of the music, creating the same tempo and linking the music to the video. 

Use of intertextual reference: 

Boom clap- Charli xcx 

In this music video we can clearly see clips from the movie, the fault in our stars. This is helping to promote the music video by connecting with the fans that know this movie. These scenes also supports the popular storyline of the song, to give more meaning. 

Notions of looking and voyeurism: 

Rude boy- Rihanna 

In this music video voyeurism is clearly seen,  through the revelling outfits, drawing the audiences eyes too Rihanna's body and sexualising her. The camera work and editing in this music video fragments her body and emphasising a sexualised treatment. 

Demands of the record label:

Warning - Nicki Minaj

This video is one of Nicki Minaj's early music videos, with a low budget. At this point in her career she didn't have the power of a big record label. This is evident from the film quality, editing and  simplistic, singular location. 

Making the star image the key focus: 

Selena Gomez, Raux Alejandro- Baila Conmigo  

In this example, we can see the focus of the lens is on the artist singing, moving between one and the other, but never detracting from the individual. Always ensuring that Selena Gomez and Raux Alejandro are the centre of attention. 

or...

It could be a single performer such as Freddie Mercury simply standing on stage, as in this video below performing time waits for no one. 

Performance based, narrative based, and/ or concept based : 

Single ladies - Beyoncé 

  Performance based: 

This video clearly demonstrates the performance element of a music video. Showing Beyoncé and her back up dancers performing, entertaining the audience. 

Narrative based: 

Ed Sheeran- The A teams 

In Ed Sheeran's A team video he tells a day in the life story of a young, homeless girl, prostitute and drug user. This gives a greater more in-depth meaning to the song.

Concept base: 

Björk- Unravel 

In typical Björk style this music video is quite abstract and wild. It isn't always clear the connection between the song and the story line, but leaves much to think about. It should be noted that this music video does not clearly fall into the other categories. 

Reflect the common features of the genre of music: 

Meghan Trainor- All About That Bass 

In this video by Meghan Trainor it shows the typically features included in a  pop genre music video . For example, bright colours, backing dancers, simple choreography, teenage outfits and happy energy to the video.