Poster Analysis

Just by looking at these posters/adverts you can tell they have been kept minimal and simple.
Commonly the picture is of that from the album or single. ‘Muse’ stands out the most from these posters by being in contrast with the background, and mainly positioned in the top left or in the middle of the poster. On them they state the release date of the single or album and the album it originates from. The posters also contain copyright information,

Album cover analysis

On designing our digipack we started by analysing most of Muse’s albums to get an idea of what they put on there album covers.
In general the album cover gets extended on to the back cover, keeping it as minimal as possible
On the front there is the band name and album name the picture generally links to the song if it is a single or the theme of the album.

On the back cover it is one picture with the tracks, the legal and copyright information and the barcode.

Summary of research

Our group had decided on filming a music video as we had quite a few of ideas already we then decided on making one of muses videos as we discussed it was in the genre we chose which is ‘alternative’ or ‘indie rock’ our ideas consisted of either live music event or based around the band playing, with a sub plot happening simultaneously. We have also decided on a target audience of 15-25 and obviously trying to keep it in style with the band so that existing muse fans can also enjoy it, we have also chosen to keep it as mainstream as we possibly can.

Originally ‘indie rock’ was made to reject mainstream culture however they have started to be influenced more by it to incorporate this standard culture. However the videos and lyrics still address social concern like drug abuse or environmentalism.

From all of my research I have found that music videos are a very important part of the music industry. They have been used to promote the artist since the concept of a music video Music videos are used to promote the artist and to increase their profit. For this reason they need to have a large target audience so it is enjoyable for the majority therefore most modern videos are made to be highly mainstream. They also give the viewer a chance to observe the bands style and performance.

The distribution part of production is also a very important part as this is the vital stage in letting the fans gain access to their material. Ideally the artist would like their video on a popular music channel like MTV as then not only the fans have access to it, meaning general public can watch and then maybe start to appreciate the band, and purchase the album. The band would also make money from allowing the channel to play their work. YouTube is a good way for the band to get heard as it is free and good videos spread fast on the internet.

The Theorists I used have allowed me to analyse some music videos, Roland Barthes’s theory has made it easier for me to analyse not only the bands music videos but there dig packs and magazine reviews allowing me to get an incite on the bands technique and style. Karl Marx’s theory had told me I have to make the video mainstream so a large number of viewers enjoy it therefore making money and Laura Mulvey said that the videos are filmed from a male perspective and this it is the social standard. I have put these theories in to practice and analysed a selection of our desired genre these gave me a general idea of what to expect in an ‘alternative’ music video. I then analysed some of muse’s our chosen artist’s videos this gave me an idea of there general style including elements like they mainly have the band as the centre of attention and that they use a lot of the colour red also in most of their videos they have filmed form a male point of view. And that; like there lyrics the videos portray general topics of social concern. From analyzing digipacks and magazine adverts I have found the general style of advertising from how attract attention and keeping it in style with the artist.

Music video analysing

To help me in my media production I have analysed my some music videos from artists in the same genre, following the theories of the theorists that I have studied.

White lies – To Loose a Life

Firstly I have chosen To Loose a Life by the White Lies, there video follows Karl Marx’s theory as it is a very simple video which is likeable by most audiences therefore it is a mainstream video that would make a profit. This video does not follow Laura Mulvey that closely however it is mainly men involved in the video. Roland Barthes theory can be used to analyse this video well from it I have come to the ideology that people are afraid of dying . They achieve this from having the band singing emotionlessly and by showing elder people showing loneliness. It is set in a big old mansion which symbolises loneliness by being old and empty.


Muse - Time is running out

According to Karl Marx’s theory this video is mainstream allowing it to gain profit, this is achieved by having a very simple idea but still entertaining. In the video there is a sense of male domination so it follows Laura Mulvey’s theory also part way through the video they have female dancers in lingerie which appeals to the male prospective more than females. In this music video the band is the centre point. It is a meeting of military generals which shows importance and rulers. All the members are synchronised showing that everything is the same and no change. They use a variety of red lights which could symbolise passion but mainly danger. At the end they all start to throw their papers which could symbolise a rebellion. From all this I have concluded the myth or ideology that by having no change in the world there can be no advancements in society.


Stereophonics – Have a Nice Day

This video is a prime example of Laura Mulley’s theory as right from the start there is girls in bikinis which is very appealing for males. Due to this video being simple bright and enjoyable for all this makes It a mainstream video, therefore it being more popular and increasing profit for the band. From this video I have come to the conclusion that the myth or ideology is just to have fun in any circumstances. To help me reach this conclusion I have used Roland Barthes’s theory of significance form the video I have denoted that the video was staged this could mean that they were faking it to try and spread joy I also thought this about when they were sailing down a street they, they were having fun and influencing others to join in. there was a fight scene in the video this showed everything going wrong, however it gets sorted out and they end up having a nice day.

Summary of Genre

The genre we have chosen is alternative or ‘indie rock’. These genres didn’t become popular until the 1990’s as it was seen as a rejection of mainstream culture which is the general thought or behaviour of society. There is a wide selection of artists in this genre like the libertines or a more mainstream band stereophonic’s with a wide variety of videos As such; there is no set musical style for alternative rock. The music generally focuses on guitars that blast out power chords. The lyrics generally address topics of social concern such as drug abuse. I have viewed some music videos of this genre and they usually include the band in the video. A lot of them quite random and don’t have an obvious connection with the lyrics.
After discussing the genre our group has decided to make a music video of Muse which have created an exclusive blend of many different genres like progressive rock classical Electronica. After this discussion I watched all of Muse’s videos and analysed them, there music varies radically from their classical symphonies to heavier songs like hyper music.
The majority of Muse’s music videos mainly focus on the band itself with a sub plot to do with the lyrics from my research I have found that they like using the colour red and a selection of fast shots and close ups.

History of music videos

In modern times a music video can decide the success of the artist as they are used not only to open the viewer’s eyes to the band but also allows the viewer to enjoy music in a whole new way. It shows not only the bands style but also the performance.

In the late 19th century a series of still pictures were played with live music playing at the same time; however it may have been popular but was not seen as a hit until 60 years later. In the 1960’s the Beatles filmed a major motion picture, ‘A Hard Days Night’ which included musical element that resemble today’s music videos.
In 1974 the Australian’s aired a television program called Countdown which showed promotional videos to fans to increase record sales.

The biggest music video’s in time would probably be Thriller by Michael Jackson this music video was nominated for six awards at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, winning three out of six of the nominations MTV also listed it as being the "Greatest Music Video Ever Made and is the most successful and influential music video of all time, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is also regarded to be a major influence in modern day music videos, even though it is considered to be a low budget production. These are two completely different styles of video but both impacted the music video industry exponentially. The first music video to have been shown on MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles in 1981 the irony of this is that this video started the music video revolution, and it is where music videos started to make an impression on the music industry. Muse’s music videos aren’t as revolutionary as some older ones however they are filmed in a very distinct manner.

Music labels

Ideally to produce our music video we would like a major record company like Warner Music Group to produce and distribute it as this would maximise profit as they are already the bands record label so they would be ready to make a new video for them, also they have there own production and distribution centres that they have gained through means of vertical integration. However as it is a low budget production an independent record label like Stiff records as they would be more likely to distribute the music video for us. The production side of it would have to be done solely by us and it would have to be at a standard that would make the independent record label enough profit to maintain business. By distributing through an independent label this would make the video less well known than a major company as it would take a long time for it to get on a popular music channel like NME. Production of the digipack would be done by the music label company. Following our ideas and to save money we would expect a card CD case as it is cheaper but it is still effective.
We could also distribute it ourselves on the internet though social networking and video hosting sights like YouTube, this could be useful as if the video works well it could spread fast this method of distribution could be a potential success however this would cut profits as YouTube is free. Another possibility would to be uploading the video to muse’s official website this would be direct access to muse’s fans, which would be most likely to enjoy watching the video. As it is on the website the band itself would have a direct connection to the video and may want to help distribution.

Theorists and Theories - A list of theories that i will use to analyse media products

To help me with my media production I will follow advice from a group of theorists each with there own theory of analysing a piece of media.This will relate to music videos as it will help us not only analyse our chosen band but our chosen genre.

Roland Bathes

1st level of significance
Denotation – a purely basic description of the piece of media.

2nd level of significance
Connotation – a meaning or reason for the aspect of the film described in the 1st level.

3rd level of significance
Myth or ideology – an overall synopsis of all the meanings put forward by this theory.

This theory could be used to help analyse music videos as it will help find a meaning in the artists music videos so we can then base our idea on the bands general ideologys.

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey believes that media reflects the male gaze. It is from a male point of view and it shows male dominance.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx believes that everything is purely about making money. And that most videos are safe and mainstream so that everyone would enjoy them, therefore be more likely to buy the video. Like Warner Music Group their music videos will be made so that a wide audience will enjoy them making more money however Stiff records an indipendant record label make videos for creativity and ones that mostly reflect the artist.

Group Minute - A discussion on our ideas for A2 media

Tuesday 14TH septermber
Alex Williams
Elliot Smith
Natatsha Green

At the start of our group minute our group was seriously considering creating a short film. We liked the characteristics of the short films that we watched especially the witty punch lines and the experimental ideas. We started by brainstorming a few thoughts about short films. And we collected a few punch lines of our own however we believed that they weren’t at the standard of a short film. We then brainstormed our ideas on a music video we thought about the purpose and characteristics of a music video we concluded that in a music video the footage has to be genre specific, not just to the genre of music but to the style of the artists by following the artist’s previous videos. A music video can be used to promote a message in the lyrics and to promote the artist. So the video has to have a have a relationship with the lyrics.
During our discussion it came about that we had some live footage of various artists that we filmed ourselves at some live concerts that we had been to this means that we could use this footage in media production to give a sense of realism by showing the artist on stage. We concluded that a music video would be best and that we would create one of a live show.

Reflection on practice

How do you think your skills have improved during your first year of studying media?
My skills have improved vastly as I now focus on all aspects of the production. Also the skills I apply during production have improved as I use a variety of shots and angles to produce the best quality piece of media I can.

What are the lessons you have learnt from your AS crime production?

Form my production I have learnt that for the best quality you need to plan carefully and stick to that plan that way everyone will always know what they are doing. As the plan is the most important part of production.

Are there any skills/sections you feel you need more support with in the practical part of the course?

I feel that overall I excel in the practical part of my media coursework. However my down side was the research side of the course I am very comfortable with using the software and hardware however there are some advanced parts of the software that I could improve on.