Feedback on our artist

Feedback on Phoenix Sargant

Today we received feedback on the work we had done on our mainstream artist, here are the responses from members of our class + target audience

Positives

- Logo is impressive and successful

- Shows good artist image

- Good costume/hair

- Appropriate release story for genre and artist

- Appropriate props and amazing music video concept

- Highlighting key words is effective

- Lyrics are a good addition

- Good effort and lots of detail- very consistent throughout

- Good balance between text and imagery

- Good choice of cover song

- Good use of hair to emphasise his identity

Improvements

- Compare to other similar artists and analyse their target audiences

- Take own photos

- Needs a turtle neck sweater

- More advertising

- More detail on target audience

Press release stories

Press release story:

The press release story for our artist Phoenix is going to talk about his struggles of his upbringing, a great example of this kind of press release story of a current mainstream artist is Bruno Mars who talked to Capital about it. I feel that by creating this style of press release it makes the audience sympathise with our artist, something which they would not typically do due to the rough and urban nature of his music and the publicity that already comes from it. It also shows the audience of his music from similar situations that they too can get out of the rough environment.






In this press release story Phoenix will talk about his struggles growing up in the rough parts of London and his traumas as a child stemming from his father dying at an early age and his mother struggling to look after him and his brother, something that also lead to him getting bullied in school by the other children for years. This story will also talk about his lead up to drug abuse when he was young because of his struggles and make him a relatable character because of this. This story will not only create sympathy for him from his audience, but will allow them to admire him and set him as a role model for those going through struggles or drug abuse.

Press release photos

Press Release Photo's

Press release photo's are another key area that needs to be specifically tailored to display our artist in the exact way that we need him to be shown in. This area is key to making sure our artist appeals to the widest target demographic possible and is crucial to the potential overnight success our artist could have.

Red Carpet Events

Phoenix Sargant needs to be shown at big, celebrity-only events. This is crucial as it immediately gives our artist publicity, as he can promote his new song to the masses and ensure it becomes popular. It also reinforces his status as a celebrity, someone that people can aspire to be. Costume is also crucial for these photo's, as shown by Will-i-am in the above photo, as he wears clothes typical of the genre of music he represents, which is something we will ensure Phoenix does. The red carpet events are also useful for the future, as they allow our artist to talk to other celebrities, potentially setting up duets in the future to appeal to an even wider target demographic

Normal Life

Our artist does however need to be shown as someone who is relatable and down-to-earth. If some photos are published showing our artist in everyday situations such as walking to the shop, hanging out with family etc, then this will help to mass-market our artist in a way that makes sure he is popular and liked in the correct way. We want Phoenix to be a role-model so despite typical rap and hip-hop conventions of doing drugs and partying we feel it is more important to make him seem like someone teenagers and our target market can look up to and aspire to be like. In these photos our artist can also have some of his props and costumes which are key to portraying him in the way we want, for example his mascot dog and his fancy car.

Gigs/Clubs

The last set of press release photos we need is ones of our artist performing and having a good time. These photos will be crucial to showing our artist as someone who can potentially sell out arena's and is idolised and adored by everyone who see's them.. This also makes people want to buy tickets to see the artist as they see everyone at the gig enjoying themselves and want to do it themselves. Photo's at clubs will also help to sell the artist into rap and hip-hop conventions of non-stop partying, something that will appeal to our target market as they are teenagers so would love to live the lifestyle that our artist is portrayed to be living.

Costume and Hair

Costume:

The costume that Phoenix will be wearing will be stereotypical of the hip-hop genre he is from, particularly taking inspiration from the music video he will do ("Mrs Jackson" by OutKast). Although taking inspiration from the genre he is within, his costume will be modified to include some popular fashion trends of today as he is a "mainstream" artist and thus needs some of the conventions that go with that title.

For the main part of Phoenix's costume he will be wearing a slightly over-sized football Jersey, I have chosen to have him wear this as we feel it fits the conventions of the hip-hop genre but also allows for the jersey to be personalised to possibly have "Phoenix" or "Sargant" on the back to build up his character in this debut music video. Although the example jersey I have shown on the left is an american football one, I will adapt the style and create a fictional team which allows us to choose colours for him as an artist which would be black with an orange trim. The number of the jersey could also be changed to a significant number or one that makes suggestions to the target audience such as the number "69"

The pants that our character will be wearing are some skinny jeans. Although not something typically seen in the hip-hop genre who wear baggy jeans, we have gone with this style as the skinny style of them is something that is currently in fashion and because of this helps to target the mainstream market which is something that artists within the mainstream market do.
The accessories that our character will be wearing are very typical of the hip-hop genre's and some are still widely used within the mainstream market. One key feature of our artists costume will be the recognisable glasses that he will wear and which are one of the main features on his logo, the glasses I have chosen for him to wear are currently quite popular among fashion and I feel they will appeal to the mainstream market.

As well as the glasses we will also have a few gold necklaces as part of his accessories. I have chosen to include these "chains" as part of his costume as they are a majorconvention within rap and hip-hop artists costume and will hopefully establish our character in those genres too. Although we are targeting the mainstream market, both accessories are something that will help to make him recognisable.

The shoes that Phoenix will wear as part of his costume are quite stereotypical of the hip-hop/rap genre, but also fit quite well into the current fashion trends, I feel by choosing these, he appeals to all elements as a mainstream artist and increases the size of his target audience. I have again chose the colours black and orange as part of this costume as they become a trade mark associated with our artist.

Hair:

Phoenix's hairstyle is something that is a major factor in his identity, the afro that we have chose is extremely typical of his race and the genre of music that he appeals to. The afro is also a hairstyle that cannot be seen as unfashionable and because of this, helps him appeal to the current mainstream market in which fashion is a major element. Phoenix's hair acts like part of his costume as it stays consistent throughout and again helps to build up his persona.

Props

Props

Props are an essential part of conveying what an artist represents and what kind of market they appeal to. In this case, our rapper Phoenix Sargant will be mainly trying to appeal to a working class teenage market, so the props must reflect this.

Prop 1- Fancy Car

 The use of an extremely expensive car is one that is commonly used by many mainstream artists in the music industry. It is mainly used to show off just how rich and famous the artist is, as no normal person could afford such a luxury. It also makes people want to be the artist, as they see them as rich and famous and having everything you could possibly want, so they aspire to be like them. Luxury cars are also used a lot in the hip-hop and rap genre's , and whilst not being very working class the car appeals to this market as it is something that people can aspire to obtain, and makes them think of the artist as above everyone else.

Prop/Person 2- Extremely Generic Celebrity Girlfriend

Whilst not strictly a prop, a celebrity girlfriend will be another way to gain both publicity and marketing and appeal to an even wider range of people. With both being celebrities, paparazzi and the media will delight in printing popular news stories such as "Phoenix Sargant Names Son South West" and "Kim and Phoenix split after row over Botox". With this extra media coverage Phoenix can expand his media dominance and become an overnight sensation. It also appeals to the teenage male market as they can only dream of getting with such a delightful woman with such a fantastic personality, and makes them aspire to be Phoenix.

Prop/Animal 3- Bulldog

Again, not strictly a prop but a dog is something that will help appeal Phoenix to a mass market. The bulldog can be Phoenix's mascot, appearing in music videos and travelling around with him, appearing on TV shows etc. This is important as it appears to give Phoenix a soft side, so despite him being a rapper and a working class man he is also a kind, caring man. This gives a good interpretation of Phoenix to the media and helps to display him as an idol.

Music video concept

Phoenix Sargant- Music Video concept.

After researching into the music video market for this genre of music, it is clear that there are some stereotypes that we will need to use in order for our artist to appeal to a wide audience.

The first thing we need to use is the classic hip-hop shot. This is where the artist walks towards the camera whilst rapping and the camera is below them, making them seem bigger and more intimidating.  This will be very useful in the rapping sections of the cover, as it will allow Phoenix to still have a traditional hip-hop feel about him, appealing to fans of the genre whilst combining other genre's with it. It also makes him seem higher and even above the people watching, as he is portrayed as tall and looked up upon.

Another key thing to utilise is the location of the music video. In most mainstream hip-hop and dance videos, the location in usually a club or a beach, so this is where we should shoot our music video, as it is a popular location for people who like the genre and it allows us to portray Phoenix as rebellious and adored, as all the other people in the club will be watching and dancing along with him, as he is the famous rapper. This also allows us to drag in other typical conventions of mainstream music videos, such as the use of sexualised women to make the video appeal to teenage boys, and the use of props and costume that reflect our rapper as someone who is rich and famous, but has had to rise up from a working class background to become this rap sensation.  Overall all these conventions will have to be used to ensure our video appeals to the widest audience possible and catapults our artist into stardom.

The music video

At the start of the video, Phoenix will be shown pulling up to a club in a fancy car, much like the beginning of the "Club Can't Handle Me" music video by Flo-Rida. We use this because it immediately introduces our artist as being rich and famous, something that many mainstream rappers also use to connote them being better and higher up than everyone else, whilst maintaining the fact that they have had to come from a working class background.                                                          

 

Phoenix will then be shown getting out of the car and walking into the club, with people screaming and asking for his autograph. After this the chorus will kick in. This is used because it shows our artist as being extremely popular and adored, as everyone wants to be him and everyone wants to meet him.

For every chorus and for all the dance beats in the song, Phoenix will be shown singing in a huge crowd of people in the club, whilst they all dance and enjoy themselves to his song. This is another technique used by many mainstream artists, as again it shows just how popular and universally adored he is, and also makes the song seem great as everyone is having a good time dancing to it and enjoying themselves, whilst still making Phoenix the centre focal point of the song.

During the rap parts of the song however, a more traditional approach to the hip-hop genre will be used to ensure that Phoenix appeals to the widest demographic possible. In these parts Phoenix will be shown with the typical hip-hop shot,in an urban, working class environment away from the action in the chorus.  This allows Phoenix to appear to have "worked up from the bottom" and makes him appeal to working class people as they see him as one of them and something to want to and aspire to be.

This music video, whilst only being a basic concept, will appeal to a huge demographic of people and ensure that Phoenix becomes extremely popular, as it conforms to many hip-hop and dance stereotypes, making him seem bigger and better than everyone else and ensuring that he is still given a working-class background. 

Editing the lyrics to suit a wider market

Ms Jackson by Phoenix Sargant- Edited Lyrics

"Ms. Jackson"

Woooooo!
Yeah, go like this

[CHORUS :]
I'm sorry Ms. Jackson (oh)
I am for real
Never meant to leave you all alone
Please can you just go pick up the phone
I'm sorry Ms. Jackson (oh)
I am for real
Never meant to leave you all alone
Please can you just go pick up the phone

[ DANCE BEAT- LASTS 15 SECONDS]
Me and you baby
Got a special thang going on
Your dad says it's puppy love
We say it's full grown
Hope that we feel this
Feel this way forever
You could plan a pretty picnic
But you can't predict the weather, Ms. Jackson

[CHORUS]

Ten times out of nine, now if I'm blind fine
The quickest muzzle throw it on my mouth and I'll decline
King meets queen, then the puppy love thing, together dream
Bout that crib with the Goodyear swing
On the oak tree, I hope we feel like this forever
Forever, forever, ever, forever, ever?


[CHORUS]

[DANCE BEAT DROPS, RAP BEGINS DURING]

I love your dad and everything, see I ain't the one who laid down

He want to mess me up he says I'm just a clown

He never got a chance to hear my side of the story we was divided

He had barbeques and cookouts

I never get invited

Despite it, I show him the utmost respect when I visit you

All you do is defend that man when I call you, yeah

[CHORUS x2]

In the above lyrics I have edited the original song into a much more catchy and mainstream song, which will appeal to a wide demographic of listeners. The first thing I did was add more choruses to the song, which allows the catchy part of the song, the "Sorry Ms Jackson" to get stuck in people's heads and make them want to come back again and again for more. After doing this I then added some dance beats into the song, one at the beginning and one near the end. This makes people want to carry on listening, especially if they are a dance and techno fan and will want to hear the dance part again and again, yet again increasing replay-ability and allowing 3 different genre's of music to converge into one. The final thing I did was to edit some of the rap and chorus lyrics to change the song from a dispute between a man and his ex-girlfriends mother to a song about a man who loves a girl but her dad keeps getting in the way. This makes it a lot more relatable, as many teenage girls may have problems with their parents not allowing them to see boys, so this will appeal to them and hopefully propel our artist into the same space as artists such as "One Direction" and "Nicki Minaj".

Cover of an original song: Ms Jackson by OutKast

Phoenix Sargant covers- Ms Jackson by OutKast

Our mainstream artist will be covering Ms Jackson by OutKast as his breakout track.

Background

 Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms._Jackson, Wikipedia states that:

"Ms. Jackson" is a song by American alternative hip hop group OutKast. It was released in January 2001 as the second single from their fourth album Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Why it is suitable for our artist

We have chosen this song, because, as you can see above this song is over 12 years old. This is essential as picking a relatively old song means that people will instantly remember the tune from previous experiences, the song will probably have been forgotten so a fresh cover of the song will appeal massively to the widest possible market, as both people who liked the song when it first came out and our target audience will appreciate the fresh cover of the song.

Another reason for picking this song is that it has had previous musical success, winning a grammy and topping the US charts. Picking a song that has had previous success is also essential, as we need to know we have a solid base to go on and that we can potentially improve upon the original song and make it appeal to a different target market than this song, as it was aimed at Rap fans, whilst we are more primarily aiming at a young teenage market.

How we will adapt it to appeal to our target market

With this song we will look to convert it to appeal to a more mainstream crowd, of young teenagers. To do this we will have to remove some of the very long rap sequences and instead replace them with an extra chorus, as ensuring our song is catchy is crucial because we need to appeal to the widest target demographic we can. We will also look to rewrite some of the lyrics, as the original lyrics are aimed at the original artists ex-girlfriend's mother, so there could be a lot better ways to rewrite in terms that would appeal more to our teenage audience, for example singing about love or girls- which is used by many mainstream artists. One final modification to the song is that we will be adding a dance/electro beat to the song, this is extremely popular in todays mainstream culture, as with songs that are being covered they need a twist and something to reinvent the song and give it a broader appeal to a wider target demographic. An example of another song which has done this is the Black Eyed Pea's- The Time (Dirty Bit). This song took the Dirty Dancing classic "Time of My Life" and reinvented it, adding both dance and rap sections to make it appeal to a huge audience, which is shown by its over 200 million views on YouTube. This is definitely what we are trying to achieve with our artist and is key to making as much money as possible from him.

Target Audience

Phoenix Sargant:
Phoenix Sargant is a mainstream artist that me and my partner Brad created as part of our media coursework. Above is the branding that I have created as part of his character build and below is each aspect that me and Tom have worked on to create him.

Target Audience:
The target audience for Phoenix will be the teenage market around the ages of 13-19, this is the typical market for the genre of rap/hip-hop but as there is an added pop element, it widens the audience as it is more mainstream. He is also particularly appealing to the female market of this age range because he is a "heart throb" style character. Phoenix appeals to this market as his rapping style is extremely relatable to the target audience as he has been through it before growing up in the rough parts of London.

Music through the ages- 2010-present

Cage the Elephant- Shake me Down(2011)

This music video shows the level that storytelling and narrative can reach in a music video. The video begins with an old man waking up, and as he goes through his daily motions he relives more and more of his past experiences, finding his old base he played in as a child and gradually seeing his whole life flash before his eyes, before, at the end of the video he dies. This video really does show the level of emotion that a music video can bring. The video is more like a short film than a music video, introducing cross-media synergy and showing just how far music video's have come. The video is shot with a vast variety of shots, with extremely fast cuts that synchronise with the tempo of the music at the time, and the cuts slow down as the song slows down. The mise-on-scene is also very well done, with the man dressed in typically working class clothing, and the use of the shot underneath a duvet is good for expressing the songs meaning. Overall this video is a fantastic piece of storytelling and narrative and shows just how much can be done with a music video.

Arctic Monkeys- R U Mine?(2012)

This music video is my personal favorite "one take" music video, which is shot entirely in black and white, which is a nice touch of editing. The music video begins rather ordinarily, with two members of the band singing the song in their car, but by around half-way through the video odd occurances begin to happen, such as a group of cowgirls appear in the back of the car and an invisible man holds the camera. This clearly shows just how much planning has to go into these "one take" music videos to make it work. At the end of the video the band gets out of the car and the video turns into a standard performance for the last part of the song, a nice touch as it adds that little bit more to the video. Overall this is a great example of the "One take" and shows the fun and freedom you can have when creating a music video.

Vampire Weekend- Cousins (2010)

This music video doesn't have any real narrative to it, but it uses rhythmic editing and is very artistic. The video is set in an alleyway, with a moving platform which is used by the band members to move down or up the alley as they perform some (slightly weird) actions. Whilst still keeping the performance element of the music video the video experiments with some cool editing techniques, such as the use of the faces around half-way through, where one band member will turn around and turn into another band member. The actions performed on screen also all fit with what is happening in the song, which is something I like and want to incorporate into my music video. The band also all fit into traditional stereotypes of an "indie" band. The shots in this video are not very varied, one shot of the moving car is used for most of the video but I think this adds to the video as it makes the video simple and along with the fast cuts helps to keep the video in time with the music.

Music through the ages: The Noughties

Flobots- Handlebars

This music video by Flobots is a fantastic piece of both storytelling and the use of animation in music videos. The video basically tells the story of a man who starts off with something small- riding a bike with no handlebars- and this small rebellious act leads to bigger and bigger things, until eventually he leads a revolt against society which leads to his death at the end of the video. The animation is well-done, with lots of colour and movement, along with rhythmic editing techniques to make the video flow. The video utilises emotion and uses controversial topics such as the Holocaust. I think this video shows just how powerful these type of music videos can be, as they tackle key issues and display the artists viewpoint.

Fat Boy Slim- Weapon Of Choice

This music video uses the popular "bad guy" actor Christopher Walken in a hilarious dance routine which shows just how much fun can be had with a simple concept. Most of the dance moves in the video were improvised, which makes some of them cringeworthy. This video uses tracking shots to follow Walken around the setting, a hotel, a very ordinary and boring place, which is what makes this so funny as Walken is pulling off these moves  in such an odd place. Walken's mise-on-scene, as he wears a full suit is also useful as suits make us think of businessmen, a boring profession which is broadly contrasted in this video. Overall this video is a great bit of fun and also helps to mass market the song with the publicity from the celebrity appearance.

Franz Ferdinand- Take Me Out

This video is a great example of a music video which combines both performance and other editing elements to form a stylised media product. The entire video is shot with a kind of cell-shaded style, with the band beginning in this style as normal people, but as the video goes on the band slowly turns into animated robots for a while, until they eventually change back. The use of these animation effects is great as it gives you no entire whats going to come next and makes you want to replay the video to see what you missed. This type of music video is one I personally prefer, as it can be artistic and fun without having to rely too heavily on storyline and other things which take away from the music.

Music through the ages: The 1990's

Beastie Boys- Sabotage

Sabotage by the Beastie Boys is a music video which parodies 1970's cop shows, and is a post-modernist video. This immediately is important and makes this video stand out, as very few music videos of the time had used concepts such as this and this shows just how far the music video phenomenon has come. The editing is very quick and fast-pased reflecting both the speed of the song and also helping to reinforce the stereotypes of a cop show. The mise-on-scene the band members are wearing is also supposed to be "jokey" with the oversized moustaches and again this is key to enforcing the fact that they are parodying this type of show. There is also a use of titles in the video, adding a cinematic feel to the video and making it seem a lot more like a short film than a music video. There is absolutely no performance in the video and again this shows how far the music video industry has come. There is also some use of the classic hip-hop shot, with the camera looking up at the band as they walk.

Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit

Nirvana spearheaded the grunge movement in the 1990's and took the world by storm with songs such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit". In this video there is a lot of use of lighting, with lots of darkness and smoke used to reflect the fact that the band are rebellious and against the mainstream culture. Another thing to notice is that they have drafted in cheerleaders which is odd, because it seems this is quite a mainstream thing to do as many mainstream videos of the time used sexualised women to promote their video to the male audience. The mise-on-scene that the band members wear also adds to this as they wear dark colours and have long hair, something that traditionally boys don't have. With the use of the young teenage crowd clearly we are seeing who Nirvana are aiming their song at and trying to appeal to these people with the cheerleaders and other means.

The Prodigy- Firestarter

Firestarter by The Prodigy is another example of an odd- but well done music video. The video is set underground in a creepy tunnel, which helps to reinforce the violent and scary atmosphere created within the music video. The video utilises editing effects such as slow-mo throughout, which are very effective at emphasizing key parts of the video. The mise-on-scene of the main singer is also very interesting, as his hair is clearly a satanic reference, as he has "horns" of the devil. These odd outfits help to show the violent and odd nature of this music video. The use of camera shots is also effective, with rhythmical editing and lots of tracking shots of the lead singer used.

Music through the ages: The 1980's

The Buggles- Video Killed the Radio Star (1981)

Video Killed the Radio Star was the first music video ever shown on MTV and began a worldwide phenomenon that kickstarted music television. In the video there is an interesting use of mise-on-scene in the props, which seem to represent the future and the possible future of the media. The sets used are all also symbolic, as they represent the lyrics and help to portray the interpretation of the future that The Buggles have created through the song. There is also a lot of use of (bad) special effects, which would have been very impressive at the time and are used to add a more cinematic experience to the music video, something that becomes more and more evident as we go through music history. The camera shots are not tied down, they all seem to be using freeform camera movement and don't stick to a single area. The mise-on scene of the members of the band is also important, as they are all wearing futuristic clothing (or what they thought it would look like) and this again adds to the overall feel of the video.

Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer (1986)

Sledgehammer was a groundbreaking music video by Peter Gabriel in 1986. The video used stop motion and was extremely artistic. In this video the use of props and good mise-on-scene is essential, for example with the use of fruit to make up Gabriel's face in the video, with which everything has to look perfect and each piece of fruit must be lined up exactly. The video is also a perfect example of the increase in artistic license given to music videos, as clearly a lot of time and effort,a long with a lot of creativity has gone into this and it shows the progression from the 60's and earlier where something like this simply wouldn't happen. Michael Jackson also took inspiration from this video later on in his career, showing the influence a video can have on people.

Michael Jackson- Bad (1987)

Bad by Michael Jackson was one of the first music videos to start bringing choreographed dance routines and introduce cross-media synergy into music videos. The video seems to be heavily influenced from musicals and this is where the cross-media-synergy comes from. Dance troupes and choreographed dance routines are heavily used in the video, which helps to back up the nature of the song, which is a catchy and infectious song which reinforces the fact that at the time, everyone wanted to dance like Michael Jackson. Another thing to point out is that in this video, MJ is represented as a working class man, but as this is after his huge advertising deal with Pepsi, it is clear he isn't. The working class stereotype is also traditionally used in rock, not in pop songs such as this. Clearly Michael Jackson is using these stereotypes to target a wider audience. The use of the sound effects also help to add cross-media synergy, as we hear kung-fu sounds and these help to add cinematic elements to the video.

Music through the ages: The 1970's

Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)

Bohemian Rhapsody was a song by Queen in 1975. This music video was notable for being entirely filmed and edited on videotape. It was also a massive worldwide hit, and is one of the best selling singles ever. This music video was made for Top Of The Pops, and begins with the 4 band members singing, with some interesting fade effects used over the top of their faces, a good use of editing. The video then turns into a performance style music video, with fades used to great effect to cut between the band members and a wide variety of zooming and shot variation being used, with a mixture of close-ups and medium range shots. When there is a guitar solo the camera pans and zooms on the guitar, another nice effect. The band members are also all wearing mise-on-scene that would have appealed to audiences of the time, with over-the-top hair and clothing. The video also ends with the same shot as it begins with which is something we haven't seen in previous music videos. This video shows just how far music videos have come since the 60's, as now the videos have a lot more to them than simple performances.

David Bowie- Space Oddity (1972)

This video was very important in the start of the music video phenomenon. Bowie is shown at the start of the video with some interesting lighting effects, a red light is being used and it helps to possibly connote danger as the lyrics state. There isn't too much shot variation, mainly static shots of Bowie performing, however there is a few times where zooming effects are used on Bowie during a guitar solo, which would have been fresh and effective at the time. Fades are also used quite a lot, providing a smooth cut between the green lines background and Bowie. The mise-on-scene Bowie wears is also interesting, as it is quite hard to distinguish his gender if you didn't already know, which is something Bowie is known for doing and it makes him look odd and strange.The setting is also supposed to look like a space station, which reflects the lyrics and helps to engage the audience in the song.

AC/DC- It's a Long Way to the Top

This video by AC/DC reflects the rock genre very well. Rock videos are typically just performances and this is what this video is based around, however there is some other elements which are useful to displaying the genre. There is not too much shot variation in the video, but there is some tracking shots and close ups which are useful for displaying the atmosphere of the performance. Also the mise-on-scene of what the band members are wearing helps to portray the rock genre as they wear odd clothing which shows them as rebellious and against the mainstream. Also they all have long hair which is another typical convention of rock music. Overall this music video is a great representation of the rock genre and shows their genre very well.

Music through the ages: The 1960's

Beach Boys- Wouldn't It Be Nice(1966)

Wouldn't It Be Nice was the opening track on the 1966 album "Pet Sounds" and was one of this american rock band's greatest hits. In this music video, we can clearly see the transformation from the 1950's to the 1960's, as this video isn't simply a performance. For the first half of the video we are shown the group swimming in a pool and having fun, with some comedy parts as well. The use of these band members swimming and enjoying themselves relates to the song lyrics, where the song is supposed to reflect wishing that you could go back and experience childhood once more, something they are doing in the video. This is something fresh for music video's of the time as having something else other than the performance was different and new. The mise-on-scene is also important in this video, with the members of the band wearing white possibly connoting their purity and making them seem above normal people. Also the band is set up in the standard way, with the drums behind the lead vocalist and the two guitarists to the side, adhering to typical music video stereotypes. Overall this was a great music video of the time and was the one of the first to start using something other than a performance.

Van Morrison- Brown Eyed Girl(1967)

Brown Eyed Girl was a song written and released in 1967- it features on the "Top 500 songs of all time"- placing 110th. The video for this song is another live performance, so it shows that music video's are still developing as this is the pre-MTV era. There is no band shown in this performance which is unusual, but it helps show Van Morrison as the lead and solo artist on the song. The mise-on-scene he is wearing is also typical of the 60's, and would have appealed to the mass market greatly, as these types of clothing were popular. The performance does include some different camera angles, whilst the main shot mainly being a close up of some very poor lip synching, there are also some use of side-on camera angles and medium range shots to add some shot variation to the video. Overall, this video is more reminiscent of the 1950's music video's and doesn't really use much more than a performance.

Help!- The Beatles (1965)

Help is a song by the Beatles released in 1965. The song ranked number 29 on the greatest songs of all time list. This music video reflects and signals the start of traditional boyband stereotypes. In the video all 4 of the band members are shown as being different and individual, with Ringo at the back with a comedic umbrella, a good use of mise-on-scene, and the rest of the Beatles singing. Also, the layout of the band is important, as they are all behind each other, often with one Beatles member's head popping out from behind another, whilst Ringo is at the back as a drummer usually is. Also, the use of the rain at the end of the video is good as it reflects the songs message and represents the lyrics, something that hasn't been seen too often in music videos of this era. Lastly, there is a lot of shot variation in the video, with the standard front shot being used a lot along with rolling shots of each band member as they song, combined with a few longer range shots. This is again something rarely used in music videos of the 60's as music video's were only just progressing from simple performances. Overall this is a crucial music video that helped to set up typical boy band conventions for years to come.

Music through the ages- The 1950's

Little Richard-Tutti Frutti (1956)

 

Tutti Frutti was a song written in 1955. It was hailed as the "sound of the birth of rock and roll" and was Little Richard's first big hit. The music video for this song was originally in the 1956 Adam Freed film "Don't Knock the Rock". As you can see, in the 1950's performance was key in the music video as we see Little Richard playing the piano and the camera focuses on him as the main character of the music video, showing him playing live to an audience and demonstrating his appeal and desire to the audience. The use of the dancers during the performance with the dance routine in the foreground of the shot shows that this song was supposed to be upbeat and shows it as a song people of the time could dance to. Everyone in the video's mise-on-scene is very formal, suits and dresses are worn and it shows the singer as being respectable and popular. Although there is not much shot variation in this video, there is a few closer shots of Little Richard to show him as the singer and give him more sex appeal. The rest of the band is in the background of the shot and you rarely see them, showing that clearly there is an attempt to show Little Richard as the frontman and these other performers as background to the show. Overall this music video would have been very effective at the time, as this was pre-MTV and a music video of a performance such as this was common at the time and it was what people of the time enjoyed.

Elvis Presley-Hound Dog (1956)

Hound Dog was Elvis Presley's breakout song, which announced him onto the big stage as a prominent new artist. The song was performed live on the "Milton Berle Show" in 1956, and Elvis' gyrations and movements on the stage that performance erupted into controversy as he was deemed "too sexual" and from thereon out was banned from being shown on TV from the waist down. The music video for this song is the performance from this show, and shows Elvis at the forefront of the group of musicians, clearly showing him as the lead performer. This video also uses a common layout for bands, with the guitarists or other musicians to the left and right of the lead singer, and the drummer pretty much invisible at the back of the show. Elvis' movements and gyrations are clearly used to give him an image of someone that people can aspire to be, and increase the appeal of him to women of the time. The mise-on-scene in the shot is also important, as all the other musicians are wearing formal dark clothing, whilst Elvis wears a white tuxedo, possibly connoting he is different and more important than others, whilst still being respectable and well-dressed. This video would have been extremely shocking at the time for some, as many people had never seen such frivolous movement at the time and regulations were much stricter on these things being shown.

Bill Haley- Rock Around The Clock (1956)

Rock Around The Clock was a song that was said to have spread mainstream rock 'n roll around the world. It topped both the UK and US charts and was one of many chart hits for Bill Haley. In this music video we can start to see a striking resemblance to previous music videos, such as Tutti Frutti (above). The use of dancers is again used to show just how upbeat the song was at the time and how it supposedly signalled the beginning of mainstream rock'n roll.. Bill Haley is at the front of the shot for nearly the entire song, and we rarely see the rest of the performers, clearly showing that he was the frontman and the man who people of the time would aspire to be like. The fact that there are a few women at the front of the shot cheering and clapping along shows how they have been used to set Bill Haley up with added sex appeal and make him look desirable, and as he is higher than them it makes him seem superior and something special. This performance clearly shows the lack of diversity in music videos of the time, as they were quite simply performances, and as we go along we will see these videos becoming more and more artistic and complex.