Checklist

Permission to use Bubbly - Colbie Caillat

I have sent an email to the record company in order to seek permission to create a music video for my chosen song. The song was released in 2009 which was 3 years ago and was not released as a single therefore the record company should not have a problem with me using the song. I am going ahead with the creation of this music video as I have not yet had a reply. Having chosen my song and requested permission, I now need to create a story board in order to show the actions and how they are going to match with the lyrics.

Advertisement analysis

I have chosen to analyse the advertisement for Taylor Swifts 'Speak now' tour as I can analyse it alongside the album and it will help me when I am creating my digipak in terms of synergy and how all of the colours are linked and it is presented as a package. The colours used in this advertisement match the colours used for the album cover. This shows the audience that they are linked together and tells them that the songs in this album are what they will hear on the tour. The font used is exactly the same as what is used for the album, this ties it all together and makes it clear that it is a package. There is no text on the poster that tells the audience it is Taylor Swifts tour, this is bwcause of the use ofd the large image there is no need for this as the audience can tell who's tour it is. The text saying 'Taylor Swift' on the album cover is smaller than the text informing the audience the name of the album, this is because it is assumed that the audience know the abum called 'Speak Now' is by Taylor Swift.

The main text on the advert are the dates for all of the tour in many different locations.  This text is in white which matches the other text on the advertisement as well as the text on the album cover. The font used for this is different to the main font because this makes it stand out more and seperates it from the main text like the name of the artist and tour.

At the bottom right of the advertisement there is the name of the sponsor, this attracts the attention of other people who may not be direct fans of Taylor Swift but fand of disney channel.

The image of the artist is a medium close up, like on the front of the album and many of the shots in the music video I have analysed. Both images are exactly the same, this creates continuity and links the two products together. The medium close up shows the artist in enough detail without it being too close and intmerdating the audience. Having a relatively close up shot implies to the audience they will be quite close to the artist when they see her live and it makes the audience feel like they know her.

Mrs D

Natalie, you have missed your first deadline. You need to analyse an advert as your second ancillary task. Finish what you can today and tomorrow you need to move on to planning whatever happens.

Digipak analysis

Disk

This is the disk for this album, it had much the same colours on as the front cover of the digipak, this creates continuity and further expresses the artists feelings and what the song is about to the audience. At the bottom of the disk there is the logo and name of the record company that have produced this album, this shows that this is a certified disk and lets the audience know what record company have produced this album, allowing them to research them if needed and show they are a certfied artist. The colour purple connotates peace and a sense of calm, this emphasises the lyrice and message sent out by the artist in the album.

Inside of album

This is the inside of the digipak of for this album; the style is very similar to that of the front cover and CD. The same style has been used, again to create continuity throughout the album. The text on the inside of this digipak is advise from Taylor swift, this expresses her feelings and what advice she has for her audience. This makes her audience feel closer to her and shows she cares for them and thanks them for them being fans and buying her album.







In order to plan for my CD cover for my digipak, I have done a mood board in order to make me aware of the different colours, fonts and designs used.

All of the CDs I have used in my mood board are of the same or a similar genre of which my artist sings, this means I can get an accurate idea on what artists in the industry use; the colours, layouts and what they include on the CD. My mood board shows that the majority of the CDs are very simple and have minmal writing on. The main feature of the CD is often the artists name. On every single one of these CDs except 3; Bruno Mars (top left), The Script's  and Kate Nash's, the artists name has been put in a very large font and is the main feature of the disk. The disk has been made to link with the lyrics of the song. For example, Bruno Mars disk is very simple and the only thing on it is an image of a cartoon man, this links with his song which I have also analysed. The colours used on these disks are very contrasting to one and other, they have often used more than one colour in order to make certain things stand out.

Digipak analysis

Taylor Swift – We are never ever getting back together single

I have analysed the front cover,  for Taylor Swifts single 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'

This is the front cover of the digipak of Taylor Swift's song, the image is very big, a medium close up has been used to make the audience feel like they are close to the artist, it covers the whole area of the front cover, which makes it easy for the audience to see the artist, therefore when this is in the shop it stands out from other album covers. The text is also very big, capital letters have been used on the whole of the front in order to make it stand out more and go with the large picture. The colours are very simplistic but they're bright, so the use of red works well with the genre of music which is pop. As well as this, the artist is wearing bright red lipstick throughout the music video therefore they tie together, it also links with the red writing. The colour red shows a sense of anger as well as love, this links with the meaning of the song. The artist is looking away from the camera and has sunglasses on, this goes with the lyrics and name of the song showing that she is on her own from now on, without her boyfriend, the glasses hiding her emotions.




Front cover of album

This album cover for Taylor Swift's album 'Speak Now' is slightly different to the cover for her single which I have analysed. The image in this album cover is a medium shot, this is very similar to many of the shots in her music video which I have analysed, showing continuity throughout her work. The medium close up of her goes with the name of the album and the types of songs included in the album. The title is 'Speak Now' this implies the artist is afraid to speak her mind and say what she thinks, therefore the image is a medium close up giving her distance from her audience and those she may be afraid to speak to. There are very few colours used on this album cover, the main colours are simply purple and white. The colour purple connotates warm feelings, this gives the audience a sense of what she wants to speak about and what her songs in this album are about. The colour white doesn't have very many connotations, this could imply Taylor Swift has no feelings and does not know what to do. The font used is very fancy and although it is quite big, it is not very bold therefore it does stand out but at the same time is very subtle, just like the colours and messages in her songs.

Mrs D

Your RMA anaylsis look good with some detail. Don't forget to look at editing of the Bruno Mars eg as the editing drives the pace of the visuals.

Song proposal

The following songs are the ones I am thinking about doing for my music video, I have chosen these as my options because of the results of my questionnaire and my real media artifacts. All of these songs are mainstream pop songs, as this is what the respondants to my questionnaire said they preffered.

1. Lucky - Jason Miraz
2. Foundations - Kate Nash
3. Bubbly - Colbie Callait
4. Sofa Bed - Ryan O'Shaughnessy
5. Impossible - Shontelle



Having assessed all 5 of the above songs, I have chosen to do 'Bubbly' by Colbie caillat because the lyrics are very meaningful therefore I can create a music video which shows the meanings of the lyrics and interests my audience. I am going to create a narrative music video, very different to the narrative one already made for this video, my music video will also have elements of performance in. This is because the top two answers from my questionnaire were both a narrative video and a performance video.

LYRICS:

Can you count me in?

I've been awake for a while now
You've got me feelin' like a child now
'Cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tingles in a silly place

[Chorus:]
And it starts in my toes
And I crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go

The rain is falling on my window pane
But we are hiding in a safer place
Under covers staying dry and warm
[Another version of the song says: "Under covers staying safe and warm"]
You give me feelings that I adore

[Chorus]

But what am I gonna say
When you make me feel this way
I just mmmmm

And they start in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go

I've been asleep for a while now
You tuck me in just like a child now
'Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth

And it starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feeling shows
'cause you make me smile baby
Just take your time now
Holdin' me tight

Wherever wherever wherever you go
Wherever wherever wherever you go

wherever you go
I always know
'Cause you make me smile
Even just for a while

How research will inform my planning

My research has informed my planning by firstly allowing me to know what my audience likes. I have found out what type of music my audience prefer, this has helped me in my planning as it has helped me decide what song to use, as well as this it will help me choose the props and colours I should use for my music video and digipak. My research has also helped me in deciding the type of music video I will create as I have said in my questionnaire analysism without this research I would have had to guess and create a video that my target audience will not like, I am not going to know what types of things to include in my music video.

The research I have done in preperation for my planning has helped me know what my audience does not like, this will enable me to create a music video that will include things my audience want to see in music videos. This will alloow me to create a sucessful music video that appeals to my audience and is successful. In my questionnaire, I also found out on average how often people listen to music videos, this has allowed me to think about where on the market I place my music video and when planning I can think about it further, creating more oppourtunity for my audience to see and purchase the music video.

Product placement & focus group

I have chosen to place my music video on my artists' own website, as 90% of artists have their own website, this means the audience will be able to find out about the music video and it will be very easily accesible. I will put my music video on the artists' website a week before it is released to allow people to preview it, this means they will be able to pre-order it on the website. The music video will then get more sales due to the volume of people looking at the website.

Once the music video is released, I will put it on two different websites for my audience to watch, they will be Vevo and Youtube, this will mean my audience can view the music video and watch it before they download it on iTunes.

The music video will also be available to download on both iTunes and Amazon as well as available to pre-order before it is released. I have chosen to put it on iTunes as every single song that is released is put on iTunes, everyone will look there if they want to listen and buy new songs. By putting it on Amazon I am attracting a wider audience, those who may not go on iTunes, this will result in more people buying the digipak.

I have chosen to put the digpak on amazon for people to buy, as well as putting it in HMV and supermarkets, these will be Tescos and Asda as these two are the top two supermarkets. I will place the digipak alongside artists that have music of the same genre, those who my artist will compete against. These artists are Jason Miraz, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Sara Bareilles. All of these artists have music a very similar style to that of Colbie Callait, therefore these people will be who my artist is competing against in the market.

The song will be played on both the radio and music channels, I have chosen which radio stations would be most appropriate by assessing which artists are already played on the radio station. The song I have chosen is a relatively mainstream song, therefore the radio stations it will be played and previewed on will be Heart, Magic, BBC Radio 1 and Kiss 100, this is because these are the main raido stations that play mainstream music. I think the best timings to play this song would be in week day evenings when my target audience are home from school/college. I have chosen week days as the song is not particularily up beat so is not something you would listen to on a friday or saturday evening as many people in my focus group listen to up beat, wrapping music at this time. This song would also be played on music channels, this would promote the artist as unlike on the radio, the audience can see the music video as well as hear the song. The music channels that would play this song would be Chart show TV, MTV Hits, SmashHits and Magic.

Music video analysis

Taylor Swift – We are never ever getting back together

Music video

One of my real media artefacts is my analysis of the music video to 'We are never ever getting back together' by Taylor Swift. I have done this in order to help me think of ideas for my music video and think about camera angles and performance elements.

This is a pop song which was released in 2012, the music video is both a performance and concept one, at the beginning of the video there is a long shot of the view from the artists bedroom window setting the scene, an establishing shot. This is happening whilst the introduction music is played. The artist is doing actions to express the lyrics of the song and make the meanings more clear, the song is about the artist not getting back together with her boyfriend, therefore she is trying to change and become a different person, this is shown by matching the visuals and lyrics. Throughout the whole video, the artist is singing to the audience and looking directly at the camera, making the video more interesting and this makes the audience want to watch it more. This makes the video more personal with the use of close ups and extreme close ups making the audience feel like the song is directly aimed at them.

There is a medium close up on the artist just as she starts to sing. She sings 'I remember when we broke up, saying this time I've had enough, because like we hadn’t seen each other in a month when you said you needed space' as she says the word 'space'  at 0.18 seconds, she puts her glasses on and moves from sitting on the window, this shows throughout the song she is changing as a person because she is not getting back with her boyfriend.

The artists’ boyfriend walks out of the front door just as the lyrics say ‘I say I hate you...’ this matches the lyrics, as well as the speed of the music matching the actions. After the first few lines of the song has been sung, the song speeds up and so do the actions. The speed of the editing changes in order to match the lyrics and the artist walks across the room and starts dancing, because the music has sped up, as well as the editing. At this point in the video, there are a lot of elements of a concept video because there are people dressed as furry animals dancing with the artist and in the club, this only occurs when the music is fast and more upbeat. This music video has a repeatability element to it because the furry animals keep coming onto the scene matching the visuals with the lyrics, especially when the music and editing is faster during the chorus. There is a lot of tracking camera angles, the camera is constantly following the artist and there are a lot of medium close ups so that the audience can see all of her actions. When the lyrics say 'I’m really going to miss you picking fights' she is sitting down again and talking to her boyfriend instead of talking to the audience. Panning is used at this point in the music video to create a smooth transition between different shots and make the story flow together. This tells the story better and makes the audience look at the music video and understand the story line.

The video ends exactly how it started, a long shot of the building opposite the artists' bedroom window, whilst she is sitting on the window sill. This creates continuity and repeatability, making the whole video link together and each scene work with the other, showing the audience that the story is over and she has finished telling it.

Bruno Mars – Just the way you are

Music Video

The first shot of this music video is an extreme close up of the girl playing with the headphone wire from which she is listening to the song, this black wire is what is going to be used throughout the music video in order to narrate it. There is then an extreme close up of the girl starring in the music video, showing the audience who this song is about, her facial expressions are also telling the audience what the artist might do next. The extreme close ups of the artists represent the type of artist he is because of the lyrics to all of his songs are very relatable and many people see him as someone who could be a friend, this relates to the close ups in this music video.

This music video is narrative, however it is different to many other narrative music videos as the lyrics are not being told by people acting out the lyrics, they are being told by images made with the tape. This happens for the first 0.15 to 0.37 seconds, after this the camera does another close up on the artist singing. Throughout the video, the camera constantly switches between the artist singing and the narrative element with the use of the tape. The music video has been edited so that the cuts are very slow and not very frequent, this is because the song is very slow and the lyrics are very emotional.

The music video then turns into being mostly performance because the images being shown by the tape are made to be like they are real. The name if the song is 'Just the way you are' this links with the way the music video is made. It is very simple and the majority of it is just a black image. This links with the lyrics and how the artist feels in this song. At 3.13 the artist is playing the piano as well as singing, this shows his roar tallent and promotes the artst as a naturally tallented man.

The last 30 seconds of the music video is just the artist singing, involving close ups and extreme close ups of him. This makes the audience feel closer to the artist, this is what the record company and the artist want as the audience are more likely to buy the artists music if they feel like they know them. After the music video has finished there is an image of the album cover in an old fashioned video camera, this is because the record company know that whoever is watching this video will probably be interested in buying the album, therefore if they are aware of what the album looks like and its name they will be able to buy it or order it for when it comes out.

Questionnaire

I have decided to do a small questionnaire in order to help me on deciding my target audience, the type of music video I will make and make sure my song choice will be liked by my audience, this will tell me whether I need to change my song. In question number 6 I asked whether people thought the music video to 'We are never ever getting beack together' by Taylor Swift went with the lyrics and what people would change about it. I did this so that I could assess what not to do so that my audience like the music video.

Media questionnaire

1.      Please circle your age group

0-14              15-20                    21-26                    27+       

2.      Please circle your gender

Male                                      Female

3.      Please circle your preferred genre of music

Pop                        Rock                     R and B                Other ________________________________________

4.      What makes you want to watch the music video to a song?

It tells a story                    The artist is doing a performance                          

It is a concept video (has a confusing storyline to it)                     Other_________________________________

5.      How often do you watch the music video to a song?

Every time a song you like comes out                  Never                  

Only when someone says its good                          Other ________________________________________________

6. Do you think the music video to 'We are never ever getting back together' by Taylor Swift goes with the song lyrics?

                            Yes                                                                         No
If you were to change anything about this video, what would it be and why?

Questionnaire analysis

Having handed out my questionnaire to 10 people and got them to answer all 6 questions, I have found out some information on why people like music videos and what makes them watch the music video. The people I asked were of a range of ages, 4 people came under the age group 15-20, 3 people were aged 21-26 and 3 people were in the age group 0-14. This means the responses to my questionnaire will give me fair results and will help me a lot when I decide what age my target audience is.

The majority of the people I asked said they preferred pop music – 8 out of 10 people said this, because of this I think I am going to choose to do a pop song. All 4 people in the age group 15-20 said they preferred pop music to any other music, I have made sure this is accurate because as well as giving them options to circle, there was another option therefore everyone could  write their favourite genre. Everyone in the age group 15-20 chose pop, therefore I am going to choose a pop song and my target audience will be 15-20 year olds. I am not analysing the results according to male of female as I think if I choose to aim my music video and digipak at both the audience will be wider, therefore when it is put on the market it will make more money and be more successful.

In question 4 I asked whether people prefer a narrative music video, a performance one or a concept video, 7 out of 10 people said they preferred the music video if it is a performance one and 1 out of the 10 people I asked said they preferred a concept music video. 2 out of the 10 people said they preferred the if it tells a story. Using these results I have decided to do a performance video as this is what the majority of people prefer, as well as this I think this will work best with a pop song as pop songs are slightly more upbeat therefore if the artist is lip syncing the song it will look best.

 5 out of the 10 people I asked said they watched a music video whenever they hear about it, this means when making my music video, I need to make sure people hear about it and know about it as this is the main reason for people watching the music video to a song.

My final question asked whether people think Taylor Swift’s music video to ‘We are never ever getting back together’ goes with the song and lyrics and if they think it doesn’t, what they would change about this video. 4 out of 10 people said they think the video does go with the song and lyrics but the other 5 said they thought it didn’t, the reasons for this were mostly because of the furry animals, people said they didn’t think it went well with the lyrics of the song and all 5 of these people said it was due to the video being confusing. Having found this out, I am not going to do a concept music video as I want my music video to be popular with my audience and focus group.