Shot list.

Below is a shot list in which the group created together and it is embedded with the programme SlideShare. This part of the planning prcess was vital as it gave us the opportunity to plan out properly what we are going to do and how we want viewers to see the video. It will also make the filming easier as we can simply follow the shotlist so we know what's coming next. If we hadn't done the shot list, our filming would be unorganised and we wouldn't know how our video would look on screen.

Music video shot list from simrantakhar

Storyboard of Music Video.

Below, I have used PhotoSnack to embed a story board for the music video, drawn by Simran and conjured together.

Padlet Feedback

Using an online website called Padlet, I have gathered a number of virtual 'sticky notes' that my peers and classmates written expressing their opinion on our treatment and idea for the video. It is important to do this as my music video will be aimed at the age and gender of my peers and so it is vital that I reach my target audience. They have left on my padlet what they think is good about my treatment and suggestions that I could include to make it better.

Created with Padlet

Padlet is a website that gives you a virtual blank wall, where you can attach anything to. I used Padlet to get feedback from my blog 

Draft Treatment

Below is the draft treatment of my music video.The treatment consists of our ideas of what we should do for our music video, which we worked on as a group. We also planned what equipment and resources we would need. It is important to plan this music video so the group can be organised and we all know what we are doing when it comes to editing, so that we don't waste time improvising.

 

Artist Motifs.

An artist motif is something that an artist does a lot and by which the public recognises them by. In many music videos,  the artist has a particular thing in which the public associate them with.
For example, Jessie J is associated with the black bob, as the public know it as the 'Jessie J hair cut'. This can be featured in most of her music videos including Price Tag, Do it Like a Dude, Nobody's Perfect, Who You Are and Domino.
Another one of the motifs that Jessie J does in her music videos is push the camera away from her. This is evident in three of her music videos: It's my Party, Do it Like a Dude and Wild. For my music video, I will try to continue the theme of pushing the camera away, in order to keep the artist motif.

Focus Group.

I interviewed 6 people from my target audience to find out what their ideas were for a remake of Jessie J's Domino. The questions we asked will affect our final product as we want to cater for our target audience. This therefore meant that the questions had to be specific. The questions asked included:

From my findings I discovered that bright colours were a must in the music video, as the focus group felt strongly that it was a positive of the original video. The focus group also emphasised on their ideas to connect the lyrics to the visuals, suggesting that we show the main character playing/throwing Dominos. The locations they suggested included parties and clubs. They also suggested various storylines that we could possibly use in our video. The feedback we have had from our focus group will help mould our final video.

Pop Video Conventions.

 This is the first shot in the music video which conveys the convention that they show the audience the setting of the music video. As well as being an establishing shot it is also a rise up shot as the camera moves up over the gate. It shows the setting of an old haunted house, which looks scary and intimidating. This makes the audience think the video is going to be dark due to the lack of lighting and mysterious atmosphere, until the next shot which is brightly coloured and loud. During this shot, a spooky voice accompanying the scene, enhancing the mood of the video. The house is also isolated which highlights this. Another video that opens with an establishing shot is in Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me.'

This screenshot is based on Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's tea party and demonstrates the convention of crazy costumes The scene is surrounded by exotically dressed individuals, which reflect Jessie's unique style. The background is quite dark and this makes the colours stand out. Jessie is positioned at the head of the table, highlighting that she is the 'mad hatter' and the most important person in the shot. In contrast, she is also the smallest person in the shot, but giving a direct mode of address.  This also apparent in the music video 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) by Katy Perry as there are lots of costumes that also happen in this video music video.

 During this shot, Jessie imitates the lyrics 'if I could turn back the hands of time'. This shows the convention of a close up while lip syncing. This relates to the visuals as she is in a room that is full of clocks and watches. Also on her jacket she has watches attached to it which enhances the lyrics. Her facial expression is quite angry which also correlates the lyrics as she is angry with herself for talking about someone behind their back. During the shot she is swinging the clock necklace around her neck which conveys the anger she feels. It follows the conventions of a pop video as it shows a close up of her face, which is apparent in other pop videos, for example, in Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus. (picture below)

This shot in the video follows the conventions of a pop music video as it demontrates the male gaze. In this scene, Jessie is wearing a black bra and knickers while being in a pool of black tar. This enhances Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. This is where the camera looks as if it could've been controlled by a male, making Jessie's movements appear sexual and appealing to males. Another pop video that conveys the male gaze is in We Found Love by Rihanna, where she is also in her underwear. (picture below.)

This shows the conventions of bright colours. In this shot, Jessie is shown tied up by wires, with lips that are brightly coloured so they stand out from the dark coloured background. Bright colours are a convention of pop videos. They also compliment Jessie's lips, making Jessie the main attraction in the shot. There is also a correlation between the visuals and the lyrics, as the song is about Jessie talking about somebody behind their back that she shouldn't have, and she feels "tied down" by her words and actions. Bright colours also appear in music videos such a Beyonce's 'Countdown'.

There is also a convention of having different personas in the music video, with lots of different costumes and styles. In this shot Jessie is dressed all in white and representing the Statue of Liberty with her headgear. The scene is very pure and clean and shows a variety of explosions that Jessie sets off. She also has a blonde wig which reinforces the pop video of conventions of having different personas and a lot of different settings and things going on at the same time. This is evident in Lady Gaga's music video for                 'Applause'.

Copyright Letter

Dr. Luke                                                                                                            Sixth Form @ Swakeleys 

Universal Republic Records                                                                                            Clifton Gardens,

1755 Broadway New York,                                                                                                    Hillingdon,

NY,                                                                                                                                          Middlesex,

United States,                                                                                                                            Ub10 0EJ

10019         

Monday 21st October 2013

Dear Lukasz Gottwald,

                                     

The use of Jessie J - Domino

I am writing to request permission to use the song 'Domino' by Jessie in my music video for my Media Studies A Level at Swakeleys Sixth Form in Middlesex, UK. For my A Level task I have to create a music video and it will contribute to my final grade. 

This video will be for educational purposes only, and we will not be taking any credit for the music; all rights will remain with you and Universal. My work will have to stay online for at least 3 months while I get it moderated, and then I will take it down if there is a problem. If there is a problem with publishing it, I will make a hard copy and send that to the moderator instead. 

Yours sincerely,
Amy Smith
Student at Sixth Form @ Swakeleys.

Questionnaire

To find out in more detail about what our target audience wanted in the music video we sent out a questionnaire asking Jessie J fans to describe their demographics and psychographics in some detail to assist us in our decisions.

The questionnaire can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V9K6JGD

One of the questions we asked our target audience was 'Describe Jessie J in 3 words'. The words described will show me how the performance in the music video will have to look and the overall feeling of the music video. We also asked them to also identify their gender and age so we can look at the demographics of our target audience as well as the psychographics. This will help us shape our music video and the content of what is in it, to make sure it is both appealing and appropriate. We asked what their favourite colours are so it can be the colour scheme for our music video.

Audience Profiles

This Prezi shows the demographics and the psychographics of our target audience. It also shows the artist I am planning to do for my music video (Jessie J) and the kind of brands that are associated with her and her target audience. This gives me an idea of what to do in the video to make it appeal to the audience. For example, the brand Boy London is frequently worn by Jessie so we will stylise our outfit choices to meet the brand preferences of our target audience. Demographics are characteristics about people that they can't change. For example, name, age and ethnicity. In contrast, psychographics are based on the audience's lifestyles. For example, 'strugglers'. Strugglers usually consume lots of junk food and alcohol, and are driven by sensation. They have no motivation, lack of resources and may feel alienated from society.

Doing this Prezi, it helped me distinguish what type of people Jessie J fans are and therefore what they would like to see in the music video.

Audience Theories.

In class we learnt about two theories called The Effects Model for Hypodermic Model by Croteau and Hoynes in 1997, and the Uses and Gratifications by Blumler and Katz in 1974.

The Hypodermic Model 
 This is about the media being like a type of drug, and then people get addicted to it. The audience is passive and so they are powerless to resist the messages that the media is putting out to the world. The media in a way control the audience and not the audience controlling what they want to see.

I understand that this can be applied to music videos because people can get addicted to a certain artist/song. Also, if young children see a music video. it is a natural thing for them to mimic what they see. For example they might copy the costumes or the dance moves that may be inappropriate for children.

Uses and Gratification
People use media because they want to. The audience is active opposed to passive and therefore we choose to use the media and consume what we want to. According to Katz and Blumler, we use the media for four main reasons. They are:

• Information - Finding out about events, seeking advice, learning, satisfying curiosity/interest, and security through knowledge.
• Personality Identity - Reinforcing personal values, following role model, identifying with people in the media and spirituality. 
• Social Interaction - Finding a basis for conversation, identifying with others, gaining a sense of belonging, having a substitute for real life companionship, gaining insight into the circumstances of others, helping to carry out social roles, enabling one to connect with family, friends and society. 
• Entertainment - Escaping, being diverted from problems, relaxing, getting cultural enjoyment, filling time, emotional release and sexual arousal.

I understand that this theory can be applied to music videos because we have power and the media do not control us. So we accept the messages that we want to accept and reject the ones that we do not want to consume. 

In class we watched the music video Time by Chase and Status feat Delilah. The narrative of this story was based on domestic violence, where the male was abusing the female in the relationship. It shows you how domestic violence can effect all members of the family. In the end of the music video the daughter calls the police and the male gets arrested and taken to prison. 

Referencing to the Hypodermic Model theory; it would apply to this music video as in it there are violent actions that take place that people will be unconsciously influenced by. Therefore, they may copy the actions that they see. However, the music video is quite positive, as it is used to create awareness for domestic violence and also offering guidance to those who can relate and show them what they can do about it. This means that they can seek help if they need it. There is also a dominant representation of women being weak and vulnerable, which enhances the stereotype that already exists.

Referencing to the Uses and Gratifications theory, the audience can pick up key bits of the video and be influenced by them. For example, they can ignore the negative violence, and consume the positive message of creating awareness for domestic violence. Also, they may see the girl as the role model, as she picks up the phone and calls for help. The helpline is also shown at the end of the video, where the audience can call for help if they are in a similar situation.

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy
The video opens with Beyonce and her husband saying a few word which include 'intimacy' 'honesty' and 'commitment'. It then shows Beyonce working as a police officer, with her supportive husband who is making her breakfast, however she ignores it and goes to work. Throughout the day she does things like ignores her phone when he rings her, and flirts with her male co workers, while he buys her gifts and avoids flirting with attractive women. At a party, after her husband gives her some earrings he's bought her, a guy flirts with her and she flirts back. It then cuts to the male letting Beyonce know how much it hurts when she does things like that. Furthermore, the table turns and it shows Beyonce crying. Then there is a series of shots which shows that her husband is the one doing all these things to her and she is in fact the victim, which is not that surprising.

The Hypodermic Model theory implies that people who watch this music video will consume all the messages that are potrayed through it. The main message in this is about the stereotype of women, and how they are taken for granted. The audience will be influenced by the way the man treats Beyonce, and Beyonce shows what its like to have the shoe on the other foot. It's a video that opens the audience's eyes to gender stereotypes. In this video, the male is percieved as negative and this may be influential to women as they may be apprehensive about entering a relationship with a man. This shows that women are being passively projected the message that men will cheat and deceive women in relationships.

The Uses and Gratifications theory implies that the audience can either choose to take on board the message that the video implies, or you can ignore it and not let it affect you at all. The message of the video is that men are not faithful in relationships and that they take women for granted. It was also shocking to see that it was Beyonce who was ignoring her husband, and then when the table turns it was more normal to see the male being unfaithful to Beyonce, which is in fact the norm and more usual to see.

Introduction.

Amy Smith.
17.
Candidate number: 3155.
Studying at: Sixth Form @ Swakeleys.

On the course so far, I have studied TV Drama, analysing the conventions of what makes it a TV Drama, using elements such as editing, sound, camera, and mise-en-scene. we studied how different things were represented such as disability, ethnicity, age, gender and sexuality. The second part of the course was based on the music industry. We learnt the four parts of the production chain; production, marketing, distribution, and consumption, comparing how they are different between an independant UK label and a mass US label.

This year, my intention is to create a music video, a digipak and magazine advert for the digipak. I will be doing this with two other people in my group, Beth and Simran. The links for their blogs are:


http://bethbrewer1.blogspot.co.uk
http://stmediasw.blogspot.co.uk