MY ROLES IN THE PRODUCTION

So after two months of planning and some production I want to reflect on what individual roles I've had in the production of the music video from the beginning...

At the start of the production I spent a lot of time researching and watching videos online, whether it be indie music videos related to what we intended to produce of or other genres of music in order to spot typical conventions. For example an indie music video will often be a lot of performance and true reflection of the band, and a pop video may include performance and a narrative that stars the singer, along with often having choreographed dance routines.

Above left: The Arctic Monkeys performance based video. Above right: pop hit Lady Gaga video including a dance routine.

From this research I began to build an archive of specific shots or ideas that I liked in multiple music videos in order to help us with ours. These can all be found on my blog further down. I then began to jot down ideas which I had for the video for example I thought that the video should represent the band and how they would want to be seen in the music industry, and so include a lot of performance in the video. From watching so many videos I also contributed a lot of the shot ideas, such as the striking match reversed, the Taste In Colour graffiti shots and I also came up with the idea of the narrative and the storyline.

So once we had our ideas certified and planned out, it was time to begin filming. As I was the member of the group who had got in contact with the band and asked them to do the music video with us, I was also to be the one who arranged when we were going to film with them. So, one Monday night I arranged to meet up with them at their band room by myself to get some initial shots done. I filmed the band practising the song which would be on the music video and got some close-ups of the guitars and their mouths singing the lyrics. As seen below...

In the band room the boys also had some pieces of paper with 'Taste In Colour' artwork on which I got a shot of and zoomed out on, which is now acting as the final shot in our first draft piece and the music fades out, the shot zooms out. As seen below...

The following day we went up to the mill location this time with Ethan, where we both shared the filming and got some performance footage of the boys, a variety of shots and lots of different angles. This time round I got a lot of the less serious shots and found myself recording the boys when they weren't expecting it, in order to get the true representation shots of them, showing them as three good friends, having a joke and playing their music, together. 

Above are some of the shots which I filmed on the day, the filming at the mill was very much shared. Also we HAD to keep swapping because our hands kept getting too cold to film! As you can see from the bottom right shot we intentionally framed some with the members not just in the centre, it gives the audience a range, and here we have the graffited walls in the background to show off our location. 

Then it was time to begin editing... This stage is very much Ethan's area of expertise, however the input into what is going to happen very much comes from us both. Once we got the filming done we were both excited to see what we had got and so spent time after school putting the clips onto Sony Vegas and together deleting any unwanted footage and cropping clips to chunks that we could use. When it comes to editing side of things we discuss together what we want to happen and what shots we want to use, and Ethan combines it all and puts them into motion!

Other things..

Produced questionnaire for class feedback

Many blog posts

Risk assessment

Constant contact with the band letting them know what's going on with our production and planning etc. as shown below.. 

Here discussing the song choice and of course we needed a decent recording of the song to use.

IMPROVEMENT PLANS

So after having our feedback we intend on getting our narrative filmed over the christmas period, or beginning of January so that we can get it straight onto the video and begin editing these both together, in order to achieve the balance between narrative and performance in our video. Then once we  have done this it gives us time to toy with the editing more and get the visual effects perfected on the video.

We may also have another meeting with the band in order to get some more extreme close ups shot as people said they like the close ups of one band memebers lips singing to the camera, which we synced well with the audio. I think it would be a good idea to meet up again with the band anyway not just for these specific shots but maybe to get different location shots also, however more location shots will be achieved in the narrative as we will be doing filming in a variety of different places, such as indoors and around and about Halifax.

FIRST DRAFT FEEDBACK FROM THE YEAR 12's

EVALUATION
In order for us to get some initial feedback from our intended target audience Mr Croft organised a showing of the class videos to his year 12 class. They then watched the videos and provided us with voice recordings of what they thought of our music video production so far.

Overall our feedback was pretty positive however there was some negatives, or should I say constructive feedback. Firstly, people said that our range of shots and different angles was very good, and linked to this they liked how we showcased our location through this.One person said 'the performing footage is really good and professional, it's a good setting for the band'. We were also praised on our representation of the band, by showing shots of them joking around etc. After all it is a launch campaign for the band and so we want them to come across to the target audience as they are. Although we haven't got the narrative footage on the draft yet, we did add in text to explain what we proposed to happen and people said that they liked the idea and they look forward to the finished product. However, they did say that at the moment the video is more performance based, however once we have got the narrative footage added in I imagine that there will be an even balance.

On the other hand some negatives were pointed out. Such as that they did like the use of black and white shots however, it confused them as we differed from shots in colour to shots in black and white. Which I understand and agree with to an extent. They also pointed out that the band is called 'Taste In Colour' yet there isn't much colour on the video, which is something I hadn't thought of myself but I totally understand where they are coming from and I think it was a very good point to make.The year 12's also pointed out that maybe a few more tweaks could be made such as exerting more visual effects onto the video, for example altering the colour saturation etc in order to make the video more visually pleasing, and appealing.

FIRST DRAFT

And so a rough first draft to show for our audience feedback!

FILMING WITH THE BAND...

Over the weekend we managed to get the band together for some filming, firstly at their band room where I got some up close shots of memberss mouth singing along to the song, closeups of the guitars been played, and just other shots of the band practiscing together. The following day both Ethan and I met up with the band to get the second lot of filming done at Old Lane Mill. Here are some pictures we got of the band on set...

'Taste In Colour'

I think the filming went well, and we were also lucky to have good light on the day as last time we were on location it was a gloomy miserable day and so there wasn't the beams of natural sunlight flooding into the mill. These beams of sunlight work well in the video, creating rays in shots and reflections and glints off the guitars.

Above a shot of Ethan filming a member of the band

KEEPING YOU UPDATED...

So with our first draft deadline less than two weeks away and whole video to film after our heavy planning sessions we intend to do our narrative filming this coming Friday, which to make things easier our actor will be Ethan. This saves time in trying to find someone willing to do the acting, and someone who is available (plus Ethan is willing to do so!).

We then intend to get the band performance section filmed over the weekend too or possibly also Friday however we are having difficulties arranging a time with the band when all four members are available due to them having different work schedules etc.

I also intend to go down to the band practice room one evening this week in order to get some shots of them playing, get the drum closes ups and also get some extreme close ups of the members mouths singing the song.

TARGET AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

We recently showcased our planning ideas and discussed our intentions for our music video with the rest of the class, and then asked questions in order to go away and improve what we already had, in order to match our target audiences preferences.

As our target audience would you like to see a narrative? (possibly about a lost girl in and around our location where the band are performing) 
Narrative would be beneficial, in keeping with indie music video conventions Yes - but keep it simple, a slow/depressing track (in a good way) needs a similar bleak narrative to match. Yes, just using performance may be boring.


Do you think the music video requires a second location running alongside the current one? (Possibly in the surrounding woods around our location) bearing in mind our possible decision to include a narrative element.
 Yes. adds variety and stops it from possibly becoming repetitive. Yes if there is going to be a narrative, no if not. Current location would be good for performance, but if you plan on doing it elsewhere as well then yes.


What do you think has been successful about our initial shooting so far? And any constructive criticisms that we could improve on?
 Staircase and pillar shots are really good - really good prospects for when the band is set up in there. Does start well, but could see cars driving in the background of some shots, which I personally think would look better without. Yes, showcases the location really well, and works well that the band isn't always isn't always the centre of attention.

OUR NARRATIVE

SHOT IDEAS

Music video that is mentioned in the podcast. It includes alot of backwards motion leaves etc, something we both wanted to include in our video.

SHOT IDEAS

Throughout our throrough research we watched a variety of music videos to provoke our own ideas. Whilst doing this we took note of any shots we particularly liked in order to try and fit these into our own music video.

The picture above shows two freeze frames from a music video by local band 'In Echoes'. An extreme close up of the drum which then gets hit and water sprays everywhere. This was a nice and memorable shot in the video and we believe it would be easy and simple to recreate. We would also possibly have it in slow motion to make it extra special. 

The next shot is taken from the same video and this is the starting shot, the shot consists of a close up on someone striking a match, however they have filmed the footage and then switched it so that it plays backwards. We are really keen on using this backwards effect as we think it is quirky, works well and we both really like it. It is also in black and white another effect we hope to incorporate into our video at some point, possibly for this shot. If we do use this shot we will also have it at the begginning of the video.

 

FILMING BEGINS!

Today we have mananged to get out and do some filiming shots, now even though we didn't actually have the band with us we got some shots done in which we wont need them for and also did some shots which we will present to the class and explain where and what the band would be doing in this shots. The weather wasn't the best today and it has rained all morning however this hasn't really caused too many problems however there are some shots in which there is rain on the lense and so these would have to be redone however they will be fine to use for the class presentations.

We also took some of our own location still shots to show to the class and to have on our blog. This allows us to show off our unusual location.

QUICK UPDATE...

Its that time of year well its just simply inevitable that somebody is going to get struck down with illness which has left us behind as our first part of filming has had to be postponed due to Ethans illness.
Today we had intended to get some of our random shots done for the music video, ones of which include the shots of traffic, sunrise/set, people and business. This will now have to be delayed and re-arranged for when Ethan has made a full recovery from his illness. I intend on getting these shots done ASAP!!!!!

INITIAL STORYBOARD

These initial storyboards have been done to conduct some initial ideas for what our music video will look like and the order in which we will organize all our different shot ideas.

FURTHER PLANNING

ETHANS PLANNING POST

Organisation of actors, locations, costumes and props

During planning, all of the above things had to be considered and thought about. Organisation of actors will be easy and simple, as other than the band, the only people featured in the video will be our very own Ethan and so therefore meaning communication is easy and we will be able to plan when to do our filming to suit us both easily. With regards to organisation with the band we will discuss when the filming is suitable for them and plan to have a session in the band practice room, and then a filming session with the band at the Old Mill, which we propose to do a Tuesday morning, when none of them are working and when we can use our media lessons to film off school site. 

Locations have all been considered and thought about, and so we have the band shots in the practice room and the mill. The narrative has a few more locations including inside a house and on the house, we have also considered using a subway like location as they are quite an eerie location which could add to the feel/emotion of the music video.

Costumes were discussed with the band and we decided to have them dressed in casual clothes which they would usually wear. This therefore allows a true representation of each individual allowing the target audience to identify themselves with the band members. Costume for the narrative side of things will be Ethan not overly dressed smart but an aspect of smartness in order to show the effort that he is making for this girl who stands him up in the narrative, just to add to the story and show how much he cares about the relationship.

Not many props will be needed in either side of the music video, obviously the boys will need to bring their guitars to filming to show the performance aspect. In the narrative props which we have considered are a leaflet of 'Taste in Colour' in order to show the audience where the boy in the video intends to go, and maybe possibly some beer cans. 

TasteInColour

twitter 

soundcloud

TARGET AUDIENCE AND CONVENTIONS

Target audience of the music video would be indie music listeners, really of any age however would probably be more popular with older teens of both sexes. Boys would listen to the music purely for the music, lyrics, song etc, whereas girls may listen for this reason also with the idea in mind that they may be fans of the members in the band.

The term 'indie' is used to mean a sound that the musician presents, but when interpreted more literally, it is the way that the sound is presented or made. 'Indie' often refers to an artist or band that is not part of the mainstream culture or making music outside of it original influence. Each aritists or bands music in this category may range and differ greatly, but the 'indie' definition comes from the do-it-yourself attitude and ability to work outside of large cooperations.

The conventions of a music video vary depending on genre of music. However, some general conventions are: The artist is shown performing, the lyrics of the song influence what is shown in the video, the pace of editing fits the pace of the music, and the codes of dress reflect the mood of the song.

For music video conventions in Indie; the video tends to be black and white, but not always. The artist/band is shown throughout the video and the use of extreme close up and long shots are used very often throughout.

The artist/band of indie music stereotypically they have a long sweep hair, they wear tones and not colour, wear skinny jeans, shirts, t-shirts and plain black or grey zip up hoody. Indie style is anything you like, as Indie is independent.

As you can see here, this is one Arctic Monkeys bedut music video which contains purley performance. This is a tactic used in order to show off the band and have the audience focused on them throughout and their music. This video was what ignited Arctic Monkeys massive fanbase and they became known for this song. Similarly to our band Taste In Colour, we may take a similar approach and have our video all performance based in order to give the audience a clear first impression of the band, the musicians and the sound. They wont have their attention focused elsewhere on narratives.

I have also discovered a not as well know band based in Sheffield called 'Kartica', after watching their latest music video a lot of indie music video conventions can be noticed and alot of the ideas are similar to some we have come up with which are typical of indie music videos. For example in this music video there are shots off the band playing in a room and at a gig. Therefore maybe the shots of the band in a room are them practicing, an idea which we are keen to have in our music video. It allows us to showcase the band in practice and not so much under pressure like they would be at a gig. So we can showcase our band in a relaxed environment showing different aspects of them.

FURTHER PLANNING

Risk assessment

SONG IDEAS

 The boys soundcloud page which presents a few of their songs and covers...
 http://soundcloud.com/tasteincolour/

INITIAL PLANNING AND IDEAS

Band: Taste In Colour

__________Picture above of Taste In Colour at a previous gig__________

Multiple locations including their band practice room, gig footage and other shots of them singing to the camera. 

Graffiti - 'Taste in Colour'

More of a performance style video with little/ no narrative?!

Just lots of varied shots, showcasing the band in an indie way

Linking from practice to gig?? Or building up to the gig

Variation of Black and White and Coloured shots

Outside Location?? 

The idea of different costume changes will be easy as from the multiple different gigs and band room practices the guys will just have changes of clothes on anyway.

Shots of the audiences enjoying the music at gigs

Similar style to the beginning of Arctic Monkeys 'Teddy Picker' video.. Not going straight into the song, showing them warming up, laughing joking etc, tuning guitars..

Also could consider the idea of them walking around, normaly everyday people.. Going into pub, sitting round, playing on the fruit machines? Showing them as typical guys, young adults will be able to relate to this idea and put themselves in the bands shoes.

If any narrative, I intend on having something which is interesting yet unusual, but also simple and easy to follow at the same time which can just intercut with the shots of the band performing.

Note that the band themselves are very interested in contributing their ideas into the music video as its their opportunity to showcase themselves and they will benefit from having this video...

Halifax Courier actricle of the band

LANA DEL REY

Lana Del Rey - 'A Gangsta Nancy Sinatra'

Lana Del Rey is portrayed as an American Sweetheart who looks as though she has just stepped out of the fifties with her red lips and perfect hair, yet her self proclaimed 'Gangsta Nancy Sinatra' style is shown through her gaudy gold jewelry. At the age fourteen Del Rey suffered from Alcohol dependence and was sent to a boarding school to get sober.

Del Rey initially began performing in clubs in New York City at age 18, and signed her first recording contract when she was 21 years old with 5 Points Records, releasing her first digital album Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant in January 2010. Del Rey bought herself out of her contract with 5 Points Records in April 2010 and signed to Stranger Records to release her debut single "Video Games" in June 2011. A music video created by Del Rey for the song was posted on YouTube in August 2011 and became a viral internet hit.

This video gave the impression that Del Rey was another successful YouTube sensation... Yet it has been said that she has been funded totally through her fathers cash.

The video is a collaboration of various videos of Del Rey which are collected from over the years, including some home movies. The video takes a very all american route showing american flags, skate boards and Hollywood. When we see the actress in the video shes is stumbling around in a drunkern state, possibly referring to Del Reys past, and maybe the effects that Hollywood can impose on people. Del Rey fetures in the video in a performance style singing into the camera, which suggests innocence and vulnerability.

 

INTERTEXTUALITY IN MUSIC VIDEOS

Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You

The obvious and key intertextual reference in this video is to the global phenenomon of the band Kiss, particularly with Robbie Williams referencing to Kiss' lead singer Gene Simmons.This is done by the blatent mirroring of their dress code through the use of sequins, lycra, black and white colour scheme, big black boots, and mainly the iconic face make-up style of white face with black lips and eyes.
 
Lead performance style and facial expressions also added to the references towards Kiss you can denote this through numerous close ups during the music video, a good example of this is the first shot used as it connotes our stereotypes of Kiss and instantly reminds us of them while subverting our ideas on Robbie this will broaded his fan base as he's branching out into other styles another example of his reference to them is the used of 'Flying V guitars' which was often was opted style used by Kiss.

These references change the predicted audience of the video as it attracts male, masculine rock fans over the previous target audience of Robbie Williams which consisted prodominantly of teenage girls and young womenand other pop fans. Therefore, this music video broadens his image and identity from mainstream pop singer to someone who experiments with style and isn't just a tool of a major label.

MUSIC VIDEO PREPARATION: RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Cinematography: This is a performance video, this is clear as the lead singer or other band members are shown throughout the video. The actual song is also very meaningful and so the video is used to amplify the lyrics at points, for example at 1:12 he sings 'The lights will guide you home' as he turns into a tunnel with car headlights at the end of the tunnel, suggesting that the light leads you home. Also, before he enters the stage the tempo dramatically speeds up and he starts to speed up, connoting energy and excitement, building up to the exhillarating performance.With reference to editing, I think some of the shots may have been slowed down slightly, possibly emphasising the lyrics and the meaning, making the audience focus more on the lead singer.

Mise en Scene - A number of locations are used in this video across London including the arena which allows Coldplay to show their popularity and importance on stage. Also the audience are able to connect with the band in the first half of the video as the lead singer is simply just walking down any old street, so people can compare and draw similarities with them, showing Coldplay are genuine and down to earth people. Furthermore, the costuming for this video is basic as they don't change clothing once this also connotes them being very simplistic yet effective in their music, they don't need to be overdramtic and have lots of colour and shot variation in their music videos as they are simply about their music.

Target Audience - Coldplay have a very wide audience range of 15-40 as over the years their original fans who grew up with them and have aged leading to an explantion in audience as younger listeners have become part of it.

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INDIE DIGIPAK ANALYSIS

ETHANS BLOG

MAINSTREAM DIGIPAK EVALUATIONS

Rihanna - Loud

This is Rihannas 5th studio album which was released on Nov 10th 2010. 

The album mainly boasts red colours throughout, which could suggest connotations of love, lust, sexiness and luck. This could reflect Rihanna as an artist, especially at the time of the release. The album is going to be 'loud', therefore the album design needs to suggest this along with her songs and attitude. 

The digipak presents Rihanna in a very sexual way, using the colour red and lots of Roses. Pictures of her in the booklet inside show her holding a Rose etc making her very feminine, whilst also very sexualised. 

The actual CD has an image of a pastel pink rose transferred on it. This is alot calmer than the dominant reds on the cover, however still keeps the sexual connotations.

Overlaid on the images throughout the pack is lyrics and quotes of her songs that are included in the album. These are written in an elegant italics font similar to the tattoo situated on her collar bone/neck. This reflects her personality in the album pack. I think this digipack clearly shows the target audience of the artist - thought to be an older target group aged maybe 18+. I think this because of the way she is being portrayed sexually and its more likely that this age group would be drawn to her... either as a role model or a sex symbol. I also think this due to some of the explicit references made in the albums songs. 
The font used on the cover and throughout the pack is the same thin writing. It looks very elegant, smart and simple which doesn't clash with the striking images.

As I previously mentioned, the album design could reflect where and how Rihanna feels at the time of realise. For example, the album prior to 'Loud' was 'Rated R', which was released after her very public seperation from boyfriend Chris Brown, who also assaulted her. Therefore the songs in this album may reflect this such as 'Stupid in Love' and 'Cold Case Love'. 

As you can see above, Rihannas 4th studio album 'Rated R', is all black and very dark. Which could link to her personal life at the time, and her not wanting to be in the limelight so much, so she stayed in the dark. You can see by the edgy photo and dark colours that the album is going to contain much more deeper songs. The photo and colour scheme create a moody tone for the album. Then, when 'Loud' was released Rihanna has moved on from this, and ready to show herself again in a sexual and free way.

________________________________________________________________________

One Direction- Up All Night

This is One Directions 1st Studio Album after their X Factor success. The band is made up five male singers and therefore the album cover is a picture of them which works well as they are all shown equally, allowing fans to view them all. This shows that they are all equal and as important as one another in the band.

The main image sees the five boys enjoying a moment together in a sunny setting. It seems to comply the typical ideas seen in other pop album artwork as it portrays this sense of happiness and freedom enhanced by the bright colours and lighting that attract their target audience and help them sell the music. I believe it is vital for a band such as One Direction to feature a picture of themselves (especially their debut album) as they are such an image and icon as they are a band. A lot of people may buy the album because they like the look of the band members. The picture could reflect the upbeat tempo and happy songs. Also their very well known logo '1D' is featured on the album covered, something any fans will be able to recognise and identify with.

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Ed Sheeran - +

Ed Sheerans debut album was released 9th September 2011. The album cover is very minimalistic and basic, featuring a picture of Ed Sheeran and just the album name '+', located in corner. The album cover could reflect Ed Sheeran as an artist and how his main priority is on the music he makes and whats inside the album on the disc, not the design. 

The dominant colour of orange on the album could be reflecting Sheerans distinctive ginger hair, which makes him stand out, and people often recognise him for this. By using this orange it also makes the album easily recognisable. Also, the white on the album could reflect the purity of Sheerans music, and that it hasn't been adjusted by record labels, it is simply Sheerans music he composed, wrote and played himself, without any alterations.

The image if Sheerans face stands out on the album cover, and suggests the album is genuine.

INDIE BAND DIGIPAK EVALUATIONS

For the indie digipak evaluations I worked with Ethan, which were posted on to his blog. The link below will take you to this post....

INDIE DIGIPAK EVALUATIONS

WHATS A DIGIPAK?

The packaging in what a CD in enclosed is what people call a digipak. A digipak typically consists of a gate-fold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD. 

Features of CD digipaks may include a a front album cover, displaying the name of the band/artist and album name, often with a picture of the artist or a picture which can then be related to that artist and commonly the track list on the back of the case, normally with another picture. Nowadays there are often a lot of added extras in a digipak such as the song lyrics, pictures of the band etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r70LPSp0a-w&feature=player_embedded

MEDIA FEEDBACK

We shared our indie band creation with the class, allowing us to gain feedback and see what people thought worked well, and what not so well....


Indie Band Construction Feedback: Really good detail.Well selected quotes and videos.Picking out key details in bold is a really nice touch.Could maybe do with some background profile on the band as well as just how they would acheive success.The layout could be better - pictures/videos jumbled with the writing.Good idea with the key details in bold.Good depth of detail and the videos relate well.Very detailed.Nice idea and layout.Analyse the video examples to include more terminology.Good.Precise detail with all aspects.Inventive band name.Why have they gone mainstream?

INDIE BAND LAUNCH

 FireFight Launch Campaign ideas

Genre: POP/PUNK Target Audience: Male and Female (Aged 13 - 21)

 

• Their main unique selling point for 'Fire Fight' would be their rebellious image – drawing on ‘Pop/Punk’ elements from bands such as Sum 41 and Blink 182. With the badboy image that girls love, but have the same kind of good looking 'one for everyone' element that bands like One Direction have, where every girl has their favourite.  
• "Every girl wants them, and every boy wants to be them"
• Target audience would be mainly teenage girls but slightly older (maybe 14+) but also boys that will appreciate the rocky element of the music. 
• They go on tour with a major band (Fall Out Boy) after gaining cult following through the US underground and Festival circuit for their rock covers of usually acoustic songs.
  - How many times have you been to a festival and seen a new band that you really liked?Band consists of two brothers: one of which almost died in a car accident early in their career which inspired their breakout cover of The Fray - How To Save a Life which racked up nearly 5 million views on their Youtube channel.  
• With the rest of the band made up from high school friends: they used to practice day and night, using any spare time they had to achieve their success and worked their way up from the bottom.
• Social Media is a major part of their promotion with a Video blog and Twitter including lots of interaction and communication with their dedicated fans.
• The follow up single will have a controversial music video for one of their own tracks which gets banned by MTV for a 'slow-motion naked house party theme' shot in a faux-documentary webcam style as if it was just one of their normal Youtube videos but with proffessional production values - (which then goes on to be another viral hit and probably gains more attention than if it would have gone through the normal promotional channels) and also reinforces their badboy image.
• Continue to push it onto Youtube possibly go viral and get more attention than if it had been released through the mainstream channel.
• The lead singer then goes on to have a high profile semi-constructed romance with a famous female vocalist: like Katy Perry which propels him and (and the rest of the band) in the mainstream media - with magazines, blogs, and Twitter/Facebook all wondering who this mystery new man is.
• The famous female singer then features on their second single which has huge chart success and certifies them as a well known and popular band bringing something different to the music industry. 

  

The above video is The Frays - How To Save A Life, which FireFight

 will cover and become recognised for.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MTV

MTV, originally an initialism of Music Television, is an American cable television channel based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs. Today, MTV primarily broadcasts a variety of reality and scripted television programs targeted at adolescents and young adults.

MTV's influence on its audience, including issues related to censorship and social activism, has been a subject of debate for years.

+ On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack, and played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia, which took place earlier that year, and of the launch of Apollo 11.

+ The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star", and the second music video shown was Pat Benatar's "You Better Run".

+ The original purpose of MTV was to be "Music Television", playing music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, guided by on-air personalities known as VJs. The original taglines of the channel were "You'll never look at music the same way again," and "On cable. In stereo." Although the original MTV channel no longer plays music videos 24/7, several of its spin-off channels do so, including MTV Hits and MTV Jams. In addition, viewers can play music videos on-demand at MTV.com. MTV continues to support a broad selection of music videos on its international channels as well.
+ MTV provided a lot of artists with huge success however, some artists held negative opinion against the channel. In 1983, Rolling Stone's Steven Levy wrote, "MTV's greatest achievement has been to coax rock & roll into the video arena where you can't distinguish between entertainment and the sales pitch" and the Dead Kennedys released a song in 1985 titled "MTV, Get Off The Air".
+ In 1984, the channel produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show, or VMAs. The first award show, in 1984, was punctuated by a live performance by Madonna of "Like A Virgin". The statuettes that are handed out at the Video Music Awards are of the MTV moonman, the channel's original image from its first broadcast in 1981. Presently, the Video Music Awards are MTV's most watched annual event.
+ By 1997, MTV focused heavily on introducing electronica acts into the mainstream, adding them to its musical rotation including The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Moby, Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, The Crystal Method, and Fatboy Slim. However, in late 1997, MTV began shifting more progressively towards pop music, inspired by the success of the Spice Girls and the rise of boy bands in Europe. Between 1998 and 1999, MTV's musical content consisted heavily of videos of boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync as well as teen pop "princesses" such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. Airplay of rock, electronica, and alternative acts was reduced. Hip-hop music continued in heavy rotation, through the likes of Puff Daddy, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Eminem, Ja Rule and their associates. R&B was also heavily represented with acts such as Destiny's Child.
+ As MTV now has its equally as popular sister channels, the main channel doesn't show as many Music Video at present, and infact has its own Television Shows, these mainly being Reality Shows such as 'The Osbournes', 'Punk'd', 'Pimp My Ride' and more recently 'Jersey Shore'.

 

The Launch of MTV from August 1st, 1981 at 12:01am.

SOME OF MY FAVORITES

 Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

 Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up

 A-Ha - Take On Me

A HISTORY OF ARTISTS

Whilst doing my research I found this video on YouTube which showcases the music of the past 50 or so years, which allows to see the popular artists and how they have developed over the years.

MUSIC VIDEO HISTORY

Music through the years...

1950's

Elvis Presley performing in 1956. This video shows what was typical of a music video of this time, a simple live performance of the artist, in a studio, with an audience who are shown to be enjoying Elvis. The camera is head on throughout the video showing Elvis, who is the main focus for the majority of the video, other than to show the females in the audience and a few shots of the Guitar during the guitar solo. The purpose of the audience been shown is to imply how the audience at home should also react to Elvis and his controversial overly sexual Pelvis. The shots of his pelvis brought a lot of media attention to this video, a good thing for anybody wanted to make it in the music industry.

1960's

The biggest and most talked about artist throughout the 1960s was The Beatles, who suceeded in anything they did. They bought about a lot of new trends in music videos. For example in the early 60's The Beatles introduced not only a performance aspect in their music videos, but also a narrative element. This video was also the opening titles for their film 'Hard Days Night' another feature of 'Beatle Mania'.

In 1967, The Beatles released another unusual video for their song 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.In this video the trendsetters opted for a overly psycheldelic feel to the music video. There isn't really any narrative or performance, just various unusual shots of the artists. The video is very arty, including a range of camera shots, colours and odd sequences, probably reflecting the sixties society and its heavy use and popularity of psychedelic drugs such as LSD.

1970's

1980's

1990's

2000's

The noughties was a decade where rap and hiphop were at their commercial peaks, with Eminem been the highest selling artist, and Britney Spears and Beyonce smashing the charts for the females.