Monday, 29 January 2018

Music Video Analysis:

Everything you never had ( we had it all)- Breach:

Everything you never had (we had it all) is a song made by British producer Breach, which also features the vocals of Andreya Triana. Everything you never had was released on the 18th of November 2013 and was released under Atlantic records and Warner UK. The music video for the song was released onto Youtube on the 9th of October 2013. 


The music video begins with a dancer  walking into a club that is filled with loud music. As the audience, once the camera first enters the club it is as though you - yourself are following behind her and can hear the bass of the music as she continues to walk through. Once the dancer has fully entered the club, the camera begins to go closer towards the main dancer and character of the video - Jo White. As the camera focuses on Jo you are still able to visibly see the other dancers and extras in the back, however as the lighting changes, the other dancers slowly begin to fade as the camera focuses more on Jo. from the audience perspective it looks as though she is alone in the room, however she makes facial expressions and gestures in other directions as though there are people around her.  The music video focuses on the dance and narrative of the story. In a daydream sequence she imagines herself letting her mind, body and soul go, first by multiplying three times with less clothing each time, then four more times with the skin, skeletons, and organs becoming visible, and finally appearing as an angel with halo as they all dance in sequence at the same time. When the song ends, the woman returns to reality, dancing among the club goers on the dance floor.  The music video may have costed a fair amount, however most likely not as expensive as others due to the fact that there are not many scenes with extras or other dancers (aside from the beginning and end scene). However, the producers would've had to spend money on the special effects, Jo White herself and the costumes. 














Mise- En- Scene:



The video starts off in a dark rooms that has changing coloured lighting. there are not many props shown in the video, as the audience's perspective you are mainly able to see the dancers in the back and Jo White in the centre of the scene. As the camera slowly closes up on Jo's face, you are just able to see her silhouette and vaguely her features.
As the camera finally fully focuses on Jo, the lighting begins to increase and she is shown to be on her own on the dance floor in the perspective of the audience, however from her point of view she is still around the other people in the club.


Jo begins to start dancing and allow the music to take control of her. The audience then see how Jo multiplies into three and each time is undressed one piece of clothing at a time.
Jo then begins to start a dance routine and as her dance progresses she begins to multiply even more. The use of her multiplying may make the audience question why this is happening and what it means.
The motive behind the multiplying is to show the audience how the music is in control and allows Jo to set her mind free and allow the music to connect to her body on the outside and internally as well, which is why her internal body parts are shown to be replicating her dance route and joining in. Her costume in the video demonstrates how she likes to express herself and not care what others think, her hair colour also portrays how she feels free to express herself. The reason for her to be seen as being by herself in the room is to show how she is free to be herself and feels like its just her there and no one else. 



Camerawork:


The first camera shot and technique that is used is a Dolly camera movement. This specific camera movement is used so that the director is able to slowly and smoothly close up on Jo and her face specifically.
Once Jo is in the club by herself a medium, wide shot is used to capture her facial expressions and body language. This specific type of shot is the one that is mainly used during the duration of the music video, however at certain points the camera is zoomed out so that the whole of Jo's body is completely in the frame and the audience is able to see her dancing. This frame is also to capture the location in which the music video is being filmed, For example at the beginning of the music video when the extra walks into the night club, the audience is able to tell where the location is due to the lighting, music and amount of people that are there, however the whole of the frame isn't being shown. This frame is also key for when a new version of Jo is joined/ joining.  It is clear that the camera is constantly on a Dolly which allows the cameraman to circle Jo when dancing without the camera jerking- this allows a smooth shot when filming. Any close ups that are filmed are used to capture any shots of Jo lip syncing to the music which allows the audience to feel more of a connection when watching.

Sound:

In terms of sound, one of the main sounds that you are able to hear throughout the music video is the lyrics of the song. The song was written by Andreya Triana (the singer herself), Dee Adam and Ben Collier, and then it was produced by British producer Breach. 'Everything you never had is in the music genre category of Pop/ House music, this is due to the beat and the lyrics of the song.

At the beginning of the song all you are able to hear is the bass of the song as if you were standing outside the room the song was playing in. As the camera enters the club in the video, the bass becomes louder and less muffled. The lyrics of the song begin to start. At the end of the song you are able to hear an abrupt sound effect that signifies the end of the song and that reality has hit Joe.


Editing:


The editing in this video has many basic cuts that have been done to each of the shots. The editing may have become more complex when trying to fit each version of Joe in time to the music and perfectly behind the one in front. There is good use of editing at the beginning of the video and the end when the music becomes quieter and more faint, the lighting is toned down and the bright colours are exaggerated.

Lastly, the editing is key for when each version of Joe is introduced into the next shot. By the end there are eight versions of Joe and each time with one layer missing, this is a clever way to showcase to the audience how the music allows Joe to let go of everything and just be in tact with the music.



Additional:
As Joe is the main character within the entire music video, she is placed at the front. the camera angles also are in her favor as there is one directly in her view with a medium angle to show she is in control and in focus. The use of different versions of herself could apply to audiences who are into events such as raves, festivals and concerts- also people who are able to let go of themselves when they listen to music.










The record labels that participated in the production, release and coming together of the music video were Warner Records and Atlantic. Although Warner is a popular conglomerate, i do not think that it influenced the music video significantly.



Although it is not stated specifically who the target audience is for this music video, i think that it is aimed at young adults who are trying to find themselves and who like to express their personalities. this is due to the way that Joe White is presented in the video and also the message behind it.

Saturday, 27 January 2018

Music video analysis:


Butterfly Effect - Travis Scott:


The song 'Butterfly Effect' is by American rapper Travis Scott, however was written by rapper Shane Lindstrom and the production was constructed by Felix Leone and Murda Beatz. Travis Scott originally hinted about him dropping a new music when he was performing in Portsmouth - Virginia in May 4th 2017. Scott said to his audience "Dropping new music in a few days. Bout to go crazy for a few days". Travis Scott then released 'Butterfly Effect' on the 15th of May.




Mise - En - Scene:

The music video starts with Travis Scott lying on a car looking up at the sun. There is then a sequence of colourful flashing images of objects such as Butterflies, Dragonflies, water, the sun, motorbikes, Travis Scott himself and other women who also feature in the music video. Majority of the flashing images all relate to nature and the outdoors.



The video then progresses to short video clips of a motorcycle and car racing  one another, however the colour drastically changes within the same clip. For example in the first clip the colours are shown to be purple and blue whereas in the second, they change to green and turquoise. The next clip is shown of the same car racing ahead in a more orange/tangerine colour, this radiates a warm tone to the music video. Scott's video then has a complete contrasting vibe with bright blue colours and water images. This conveys a more cool tone from the video.



As well as having Travis Scott himself in the music video there are also many young women that feature in the back, up close to the camera and around Scott. The young women in the video are not wearing as much clothes as Travis Scott. This is to appeal to the male gaze as the clothes they are wearing are rather revealing.



A key image that is constantly featuring throughout the video is the references to nature and butterflies. For example, in the back of the plain white walls there are butterflies stuck on, same whenever there are flashing images majority are either of butterflies or other nature references. This constantly is referring and linking back to the title of the song and to show the audience what's important to Travis Scott.   As the music video moves on, again the audience is shown young women in revealing clothes, however in the video Travis Scott is wearing dark clothes and colours such as black, whereas the girls are wearing brightly coloured clothes such as lilac, pink, green, yellow ect. Travis Scott may have chosen to do this to make him stick out to the audience more.



Camerawork:

The majority of shots used throughout the video are medium wide shots, this is to include a clear picture to the audience of what's going on in the video, but to also not be too zoomed out that it's unclear to the audience what they're meant to be seeing. As well as using a medium wide shot to capture what Is going on in the video, it is also used to include the location that is being used. In this particular music video it is unclear as to where specifically it is being filmed, however it may be to show the location as paradise.
The camera movements that are done, are completed by using a dolly shot to have a smooth transition from one frame to another. This allows Scott's music video to flow more easily and have a smooth transition.



Travis Scott is always in the center of the frames that are shown throughout the video, this is key as he is the musician and therefore should be in the center of the video.  Another clever technique that is used in the video is Travis Scott's use of heights. He has positioned himself so that he is standing taller and higher than anyone else in the video, this discretely portrays Scott in a superior light as opposed to the other actors in the video.
Some of the shots are close up to the actors and also Travis Scott's face, this could be to include a variation of shots.
The lighting throughout the video does vary, however majority of the video is shot using bright lighting.



Sound:

In terms of sound the main aim is to hear the lyrics and understand what they mean. The song starts with the chorus which is Travis Scott talking about drugs and his high lifestyle which he does not want to change, for him it is paradise.  Right before the chorus even starts the audience hears "Murda on the beat so its not nice". Travis Scott says this because the production company is Murda Beatz who is in association and partnership with Shane Lindstorm who actually wrote the lyrics of 'Butterfly Effect'.




There are many sound effects that feature throughout the song. For example at the beginning the audience is able to hear a sequence of different sounds such as a motorbike revving, electricity sparking, a faint scream of an eagle (which is Travis Scott's trademark), water trickling, and a lighter. As the song progresses there is a part in the video when a young girl pushes the camera under the water and the sound correlates to her actions. Also as the butterflies appear on screen, you are able to hear the flutter of their wings which is key to the song and sound. As the song is ending more sound effects are heard.




Editing:

In terms of editing, it is rather complex and detailed as editing is a key concept with this particular music video. The editing in this video is complex due to the bright colours and flashing images that is included within it.

Special effects are clearly demonstrated throughout the video as it allows Travis Scott to express himself and allows the audience to connect and understand his perception on life. Most of the frames in the video are bright and have light tones, this could potentially be to convey to viewers how Scott feels and his mood.



Each frame and shot include some form of quirky and unusual editing which makes the music video stand out and provokes thought as to what is happening and why.

Additional: 

Travis Scott is the main person on camera, mainly due to the fact of it being his song and therefore he is the star. His attire in the video is a black shirt with the buttons undone and black trousers, whereas the women in the video are wearing bright colours and more revealing clothes.

This could potentially be to identify Travis as the main person and also superior to everyone else in the video. The women may be dressed specifically to cater to the male gaze and therefore engage both male and female viewers.


Personally i think that 'Butterfly Effect' has a target audience of young adults who are not only fans of Travis Scott but also who enjoy R&B Rap and who like to express themselves through music. 

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Target audience research:

Target Audience Research:


This is the survey I used to find out from my target audience information:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6GKG7TL


From my results I have concluded that my target audience enjoy R&B genre music, prefer narratives with the story lines and listen to R&B music often. Using my data that I have collected, I can now use this to include and take into consideration for my music video and final products.  Using the information I have gathered, this will enforce my music video and final products to fit my target audience's expectations.


The results:








Candidate Information

Candidate Name: Allanah Whatling Candidate Number: 3405 Centre Number: 14405 Brief: A promotional package for the release of an album, t...