There were a few challenges when lip syncing such as getting the words correct and saying them in time. As it's a slower song I also had to time the actual length of each word correctly. I also avoided eye contact with the camera quite a lot and looked quite uncomfortable as it was the first time doing it. So it was difficult to be convincing but in the end I became more confident and more in sync with the song. I believe that artists of different genre's should lip sync in different ways to not only appeal to their target audience, but to help with their own image. Pop artists such as Katy Perry tend to over lip sync such as in her music video for 'Roar'. This type of over acting appeals to her target audience. For artists of our genre alternative R&B, it's better that the lip syncing is more natural and not so 'fierce'. There were some challenges of syncing our video with the music as firstly, the original song was not available on the app we used. So the first time we uploaded was the music was not in time with my lip syncing. After finding the track we used to film with, it then was easier to sync in time, therefore in the end looked professional. From this task I have learnt that I need to be more confident with my lip syncing by learning the lyrics and making eye contact with the camera. This will ensure a more natural and professional look overall. What we had learnt from the editing process is how to successfully sync it in time, but to also use the correct song when filming.
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Friday, 9 September 2016
Possible Actors
Simi
Olivia
Liv could also be our potential actor as her vintage/indie style fits into the sort of look we want our artist to have. Liv's authentic style is unique which is a positive as our artist should have something different about them to stand out from the rest, which is why Liv could be a choice. However Liv feels she may not be confident enough to lip sync in public, so this may be the reason we chose not to have her in the music video.
Me
I could be the actor for the music video as the last resort. If we do not find anyone else that fits our criteria and is willing to be in the video, I would be prepared to be in it myself.
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
Questionnaire
This questionnaire sets out to investigate what the mass audience like to see in music videos, and what they associate with our particular chosen genre.
Would you prefer choreographed dances in music videos or not?
This question was asked to see if people preferred to see choreographed dances in music videos and the large majority (72%) said yes. This contradicts the ideas we wanted as we were going for a more performance and chilled look. We were planning on having no choreographed dancing as we do not feel that this would fit in to the style of genre (alternative R&B) and the tempo of the song being quite slow. The results of this question therefore implies that a mass audience interested in only R&B and Pop music would expect and like to see choreographed dances in music videos. This is mainly because it fits in with the genre as well as appealing to a wider audience. The fact that only 28% do not prefer to see choreographed dances reflects the how our genre has a niche audience which is what we expected.
What is your favourite genre of music?
From this table and pie chart we can see that the majority of people (33%) that answered our questionnaire said that R&B is their favourite genre. This is positive for us because our genre is alternative R&B so it is fairly similar to the R&B genre which from our results proved to be most popular. Pop was a close second to being the most popular genre with 22%. This isn't a huge negative because the R&B genre isn't the complete opposite genre to pop and the genres have similarities which means those who like pop best could happen to enjoy alternative R&B too. Jazz was our least popular result (6%) and this is no problem for us as our chosen genre doesn't relate to jazz.
Overall we found that this questionnaire helped inform us of what the mass audience would expect and like to see.
Do you prefer to listen to Popular artists or Individual artists? Why?
When analysing the results from our questionnaire, we found that there is a higher percentage of people who prefer popular artists in comparison to individual artists.
With 78% of people listening to popular artists it means that our target audience of 17-24 year olds are not that familiar with individual artists much like our chosen one of SZA. When looking at the comment section of the question when we asked why these people prefer each artist, we found that they find the popular artists songs much more catchy, this also contributes to the fact that they are played in various locations of shops and parties, as well as constantly being on various radio stations such as Radio1 and Capital FM. With only 22% of people listening to individual artists, it means that we need to make sure we apply some of the stereotypical factors within the music video so that the target audience of 17-24 year olds enjoy the video. This will hopefully attract their attention, especially if they see brands and locations that they find interesting. The 22% of people who prefer listening to individual artists in comparison to popular found that they enjoyed their gigs/performances and style much more due to it being different to popular artists music videos.
Would you prefer choreographed dances in music videos or not?
This question was asked to see if people preferred to see choreographed dances in music videos and the large majority (72%) said yes. This contradicts the ideas we wanted as we were going for a more performance and chilled look. We were planning on having no choreographed dancing as we do not feel that this would fit in to the style of genre (alternative R&B) and the tempo of the song being quite slow. The results of this question therefore implies that a mass audience interested in only R&B and Pop music would expect and like to see choreographed dances in music videos. This is mainly because it fits in with the genre as well as appealing to a wider audience. The fact that only 28% do not prefer to see choreographed dances reflects the how our genre has a niche audience which is what we expected.
What is your favourite genre of music?
Overall we found that this questionnaire helped inform us of what the mass audience would expect and like to see.
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Institutional research
Conglomerate Record Label: Island Records
Island Records is a major record label that operates as a division of Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong in Jamaica and has been based in the UK since 1962. Their artists include Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Disclosure etc. The artists vary in genre so this could be a potential record label to chose for our artist of the alternative R&B genre. They have artists in both America and UK and have a huge target audience with those artists. However I don't think we will choose this record label as we feel a conglomerate label wouldn't be the best choice for our independent artist to be signed to.
British Record Label: Parlophone
Parlophone records is a British record company founded in 1896. Parlophone started out as a jazz label but has slowly formed into a pop based record label however, they have signed indie bands such as Two Door Cinema Club and Rat Boy. This isn't the best choice for our record label as the artists are mainly of the rock and pop genre which therefore doesn't fit into our alternative R&B genre.
Independent Record Label: Odd Future Records
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, normally shortened to Odd Future and abbreviated to OFWGKTA (stylized OFWGK†Δ), is an American hip hop collective formed in Los Angeles in 2007. The collective was formed and is led by rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator, and includes rappers Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, and Mike G, singer, songwriter and rapper Frank Ocean, producers Left Brain, Syd tha Kyd, Matt Martians, Pyramid Vritra and other non-musical members, notably Jasper Dolphin, Taco Bennett, L-Boy and Lucas Vercetti. There were also smaller groups inside the collective. Three of these smaller groups that are still active are The Internet, MellowHigh, and The Jet Age of Tomorrow. Odd Future is an individual record label. The reason for choosing this record label would primarily be due to The Internet being connected to this record label. The Internet are an alternative RnB/neosoul music group therefore very similar to our artist. They have an alternative/individual look again very similar to our artist due to her individual look throughout her whole album and Ice Moon. Their videos have similiaries these include: a slow beat, the alternative clothing and the use of different colours. However the differences would be that they have more performance in their videos and as they're a band.
Independent: Boy Better Know
Boy Better Know record label, better known as BBK is an English grime record label. It was founded by JME and Skepta in North London. The genres involved with this record label are Grime, Eskibeat and minimal R&B. It was created in 2005 and is still active now. Roll Deep Crew and Meridian Crew are both acts associated with BBK. The current artists involved with BBK are Jme, Skepta, Wiley, Jammer, Frisco, Shorty, Solo and Drake. The crew had a regular show on Rinse FM with DJ Maximum. Jme's debut album 'Famous?' was released on BBK's label in 2008. A well known song "Too many man" was the first song on the album. In 2005 the crew disappeared after members were convicted on attempted murder charges. After this event JME founded BBK with Skepta and the group reformed with other members. An advantage of using this record label is that it is fairly well known especially amongst teenagers and that is the age group we are going for for our target audience. Aswell as it having a lot of interesting history behind it it is a very modern/up to date record label and this helps it appeal to our audience. This record label is similar to what we want ours to be as it involves an R&B style genre with in it much like our song choice. The reason it isn't similar is because BBK just involves male artists and our artist is female so the criteria of the two doesn't match. Another disadvantage to using this record label is that it mainly focuses on Grime and we are looking at the alternative R&B genre so we will have to look for a record label with R&B as its main focus.
Overall, we have decided to go with Odd Future records as our record label as we felt an independent record label would be best suited for our artist and song. This record label also has urban/alternative styled artists which is what our artist would be about.
Monday, 5 September 2016
Analysis of real music videos
Music Video 1: Majid Jordan - Small Talk
This song is by an alternative R&B, contemporary R&B and synthpop duo called Majid Jordan (Majid being the lead and Jordan producing the music). It's music video includes narrative as well as performance shots of Majid (the lead singer) lip syncing. I really like this music video because there are many camera shots and angles that are interestingly different such as mid shots of the two female characters and a shot of the car. Both these shots are almost as if a picture is being taken which is subversive to music videos as there is always movement to match the beat. The effect of this is that it creates a disorientated vibe which is almost quite artistic. This also fits into that alternative R&B genre and contemporary genre, as well as representing the actual artists and what they stand for. Majid Jordan have very unique music and style compared to other R&B artists so they always have this trademark artistic and contemporary feel in their music videos. There are close ups of Majid as he sings which adheres to the typical conventions of a music video. The editing within this music video is effective with many cross cu
tting between the narrative and performance shots to keep the audience interested and not get bored. There is a lot of subtle slow motion used as well to match the slow beat and created this chilled vibe. This is something a lot of alternative R&B music videos use therefore it adheres to that stereotype successfully. The use of transitions also create the same effect with the fade into the next shot transition which reflects the tempo and style of the song. The mise en scene within this music video fits into the genre especially with the costume. Majid and Jordan both have this edgy urban style which is showcased with their brightly coloured jackets and rolled up trousers. This helps to appeal to their audience and fans that already know of their fashion and what they stand for. The lighting is very high key with the scenes outside which create this summer atmosphere. The performance scenes have unnatural lighting of reds and blues in the darkness which is effective as it creates an artistic effect. There are also a few props such as the toy water gun that appears to look real. This potentially fits into the R&B genre of this gangster ghetto theme, however it turns out to be a toy gun. This creates a humorous effect as well as having this hidden meaning. The narrative focuses on Jordan, as Majid gets him to go out to meet some girls. This is typical for an R&B video to feature guys meeting girls and going out to impress however this video appears more innocent as they are simply going out on a fun date. The costume of the two girls are very urban and alternative which isn't so promiscuous unlike the girl seen as Jordan's girlfriend sat in her apartment by herself in just underwear and a shirt. This adheres to the R&B genre as this attracts the male gaze. I really like how the lighting and picture of this video is quite faded and has a pastel tone as the colours look more washed out creating an artistic effect. This may be something we consider when editing our final music video.
This song is by Snakehips, an electronic duo, featuring the now solo R&B artist ZAYN. The music video is very vibrant and fits into the electronic/pop genre well especially with the use of mise en scene. The setting is seen to be in dark empty rooms with colourful lighting, props such as plants, TV screens etc. The colourful lights give off this club vibe which fits into the dance/electronic genre well as it would appeal to the target audience of this genre. The props of the TV's are very effective as they also create that different and artistic theme as well as tying into the editing used. There are many shots of Zayn singing in the TV screen and it then zooms into that screen and turns into a whole new shot. This is a very effective editing technique by keeping the music video interesting and matching the fast beat of the song. The costume Zayn wears is quite casual with a stripy jumper and in another location, a leather jacket. This reflects his own personal style as an artist as Zayn is an edgy/alternative trend setter, but also fits into the genre and theme of this music video well. This is something we want to make sure we do by creating this individual 'look' for our artist to have, for the target audience to then relate to. There are many camera shots and angles such as many close ups of Zayn singing (as it seems to be a performance video) and long shots of the choreographed dancers. This use of choreographed dancing is effective as this reflects the dance genre, as it would need to appeal to the target audience.
This song is by an alternative R&B, contemporary R&B and synthpop duo called Majid Jordan (Majid being the lead and Jordan producing the music). It's music video includes narrative as well as performance shots of Majid (the lead singer) lip syncing. I really like this music video because there are many camera shots and angles that are interestingly different such as mid shots of the two female characters and a shot of the car. Both these shots are almost as if a picture is being taken which is subversive to music videos as there is always movement to match the beat. The effect of this is that it creates a disorientated vibe which is almost quite artistic. This also fits into that alternative R&B genre and contemporary genre, as well as representing the actual artists and what they stand for. Majid Jordan have very unique music and style compared to other R&B artists so they always have this trademark artistic and contemporary feel in their music videos. There are close ups of Majid as he sings which adheres to the typical conventions of a music video. The editing within this music video is effective with many cross cu
tting between the narrative and performance shots to keep the audience interested and not get bored. There is a lot of subtle slow motion used as well to match the slow beat and created this chilled vibe. This is something a lot of alternative R&B music videos use therefore it adheres to that stereotype successfully. The use of transitions also create the same effect with the fade into the next shot transition which reflects the tempo and style of the song. The mise en scene within this music video fits into the genre especially with the costume. Majid and Jordan both have this edgy urban style which is showcased with their brightly coloured jackets and rolled up trousers. This helps to appeal to their audience and fans that already know of their fashion and what they stand for. The lighting is very high key with the scenes outside which create this summer atmosphere. The performance scenes have unnatural lighting of reds and blues in the darkness which is effective as it creates an artistic effect. There are also a few props such as the toy water gun that appears to look real. This potentially fits into the R&B genre of this gangster ghetto theme, however it turns out to be a toy gun. This creates a humorous effect as well as having this hidden meaning. The narrative focuses on Jordan, as Majid gets him to go out to meet some girls. This is typical for an R&B video to feature guys meeting girls and going out to impress however this video appears more innocent as they are simply going out on a fun date. The costume of the two girls are very urban and alternative which isn't so promiscuous unlike the girl seen as Jordan's girlfriend sat in her apartment by herself in just underwear and a shirt. This adheres to the R&B genre as this attracts the male gaze. I really like how the lighting and picture of this video is quite faded and has a pastel tone as the colours look more washed out creating an artistic effect. This may be something we consider when editing our final music video.
Music video 2: Snakehips - Cruel ft. ZAYN
This song is by Snakehips, an electronic duo, featuring the now solo R&B artist ZAYN. The music video is very vibrant and fits into the electronic/pop genre well especially with the use of mise en scene. The setting is seen to be in dark empty rooms with colourful lighting, props such as plants, TV screens etc. The colourful lights give off this club vibe which fits into the dance/electronic genre well as it would appeal to the target audience of this genre. The props of the TV's are very effective as they also create that different and artistic theme as well as tying into the editing used. There are many shots of Zayn singing in the TV screen and it then zooms into that screen and turns into a whole new shot. This is a very effective editing technique by keeping the music video interesting and matching the fast beat of the song. The costume Zayn wears is quite casual with a stripy jumper and in another location, a leather jacket. This reflects his own personal style as an artist as Zayn is an edgy/alternative trend setter, but also fits into the genre and theme of this music video well. This is something we want to make sure we do by creating this individual 'look' for our artist to have, for the target audience to then relate to. There are many camera shots and angles such as many close ups of Zayn singing (as it seems to be a performance video) and long shots of the choreographed dancers. This use of choreographed dancing is effective as this reflects the dance genre, as it would need to appeal to the target audience.
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