Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of real media products?

a) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of real media products?

1) A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals.

In this shot, there is a clear link between the visual  imagery and the lyrics. During this shot, the lyrics read, "driving slow", we see the artist in the car singing whilst looking out of the window suggesting that she is acknowledging her surroundings.




2) A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their artist to be represented.

This shot exaggerates the emotions of the artist. With this shot, the record company could present the artist as an innocent, loving girl who most females can relate to as she expresses emotions which all of this gender can feel empathetic toward, creating an iconography for the artist.




3) A shot that illustrates how your video use music genre.

This shot shows the pop video as the artist has background dancers during the chorus creating an upbeat and energetic section of the song. The casual clothing suggest a very typical feel of the genre as the costumes within the pop genre is simple yet sophisticated.










4) A shot that shows an intertextual reference.

This shot was taken from the fashion shows where a woman struts down the catwalk with pride feeling as tall as she can be. The shot shows empowerment of the artist. The cross fade of the view of London was inspired by the traditional American sitcoms such as CSI which of whom have an establishing shot of the state in order to set the scene in the opening.

 5) A shot that demonstrates your use of camera.

A low-angled shot of the dance scene at night showing different angles of the scene, creating an interesting shot in terms of the positions of the dancers and the lighting. The shot highlights the dancing in a very unique way due to the low angle that it was shot in.

 6) A shot that demonstrates your use of lighting.

The lighting used in this shot was very soft yet powerful as it highlights the artists face and the audiences are instantly drawn to her face. In this shot, as it was quite dark, I used a significant amount of lighting to create a focus on the artist and the levels which the shot was taken also has an impact on the lighting of the shot.

 7) A shot that demonstrates your use of mis-en-scene.

Within the shot, the artist is ready to go out with her partner. Therefore she is dressed in a nice black dress and a cardigan showing her ready to go out. The artist looks tired of what her relationship suggesting she may not want to go out with her partner.

8) Shots which I feel demonstrate something which shows I have watched other music videos.

This shot is taken from the video by Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now". The shot shows the female rushing to her window looking very fed up of her relationship. This shot is incorporated in our video when the artist is getting ready in her room. when she is fed up of her relationship.






9) Shots which I feel demonstrate something which shows I have watched other music videos. 

This shot was inspired by the video by Nicole Scherzinger, " Don't Hold your Breath", the video was shot within the back of a vehicle. This was an inspiration when creating our video as we decided to create care scenes to demonstrate the relationship falling apart.





b) Here are the nine key frames that are taken from other music videos.

1) This is a shot of the music video for "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars, this shot was chosen as the shot shows the artist playing with a tape reel to create hair, this links with the lyrics, "Her hair falls perfectly". This shows a clear correlation between the lyrics and visuals.

2) This is a shot from Rihanna's music video, "Only Girl", this shot identifies her new star image as she had changed her hair colour recently for her new debut album. The shot changes her to attract more of a target audience. This is a perfect example of how the record label could represent the artist.

3) Beyonce's video, "Single ladies" illustrates the R&B and Pop genre as the dancers are very upbeat and synchronized. The genre is also identified by the leotards worn by the three females within the video suggesting acts of voyeurism.

4) Rihanna's video, "Only Girl" shows intertextual references as it is inspired by the idea of a young girl running through a clear field full of poppies which is shown in movies and books quite often. It creates a very calm and peaceful atmosphere.

5)This shot is from Pixie Lott's video, "All About Tonight". The use of camera in this shot is very intriguing as it is a close up of the artist walking straight. However, her legs never manage to move out of the original framing suggesting a  very genius way of filming the footage.

6) In Beyonce's video, "Halo", the lighting is truly amazing. The white filters within the shots are so soft and beautiful, they deeply compliment the lyrics of the song.

7) Demonstrates a clear mise-en-scene as it shows a girl in a very casual costume having a great time suggesting that she is very laid back.

8) This shot Lady Antebellum's video, "Need you now",  links in with our video as it shows the boyfriend waiting outside the room of his partner, this shot inspired us in the making of our narrative as we decide to have the partner waiting outside the bedroom door of his girlfriend.

9) This shot from Nicole Scherzinger's video, "Don't Hold Your Breath", is linked to our video as it shows the artist in the back of a vehicle portraying her emotions about her partner, we used her video as an inspiration when creating the storyboard.






Goodwin Analysis on my Video
Genre Characteristics: The video contains many different aspects which help the audience acknowledge the genre. However the dance performance within the video is the most powerful in depicting the genre as it consists of the conventions of a pop video, due to the idea the fact that the location is empty and the dancers perform in the style of a pop routine.


Relationship between lyrics and visuals: The video consists of a strong relationship with the lyrics and visuals. For example, the lyrics state "Thought that we were stronger" and the dancers flex their muscles creating a clear correlation between the two features.




Relationship between music and visuals: The beginning of the video is a soft and calm tune of a piano being played. However, as the music goes along the tempo becomes extremely up beat as slowly more and more instruments begin to play and you begin to here drums and varieties of sounds. This creates a nice link between the cross faded imagery seen in the beginning.

Are there any close-ups of the artists star-image motifs: We found it very important to ensure that our artist would be well established, therefore we included many close-ups of the artist in order to promote her. We have included a series of close-ups of her in order for the audience to sympathize with her emotions and facial expressions.

Reference to notion of looking: The video often focuses on the artists specific body parts such as the lips, hips and legs suggesting a form of exploitation of her sexuality. However, when we decided on the artists image, we had decided not to flaunt off her body in a sexual manner bu t instead, simply just emphasize the dancing skills and her singing.






Is the video performance,narrative or concept based: The video consists of a mixture of both narrative and performance.


Vernallis Analysis on my Video
Editing: 

• There are consistent cuts in the editing that match the beat of the song. (1:20)-(1:25)
• The video may break/disrupt any rules of continuity. (2:48)-(2.54)
• Editing may become foregrounded and edits may become obvious. (0:09)-(0:43)

Camera Movement & Framing:

• Common extreme shots.(0:02, 0:04, 1:37, 2:50)
• The camera may move on lyrics or  in time with the music.(0:44)-(1:15)
• Frequently used establishing shots and close ups. (0:26, 2:10, 2:38)

Diegesis:

• Actions are not necessarily completed.(2:49-2:55)
• There may be gaps in the audience understanding for the diegesis.(1:20)-(1:54)
• May be repititions of imagery and themes.(0:26, 1:16, 2:10)

Keri Hilson - Knock You Down ft Kanye West and Ne-Yo (Goodwin Analysis)

The song "Knock You Down", consists of Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West and Neyo. The genre is said to be R&B. It can be said that it is a hybrid video as it involves a narrative as well as a performance from the artists.

At the very start of the video inter-textual references automatically play a role within the video as it consisted of opening credits displaying the artists names which you would normally find within a film opening. Inter-textual references also play a part within the video when there is a slow motion of West falling to the ground as it has been inspired by the film Matrix. This is an establishing shot consists of the male character, West and the female character, Hilson falling to the ground at a slow pace eventually shattering to pieces. The shot is iconic as you can instantly create a relationship between the theatricals within matrix and this video.

We can instantly establish the relationship between the two characters within this mid shot as we witness the intimacy between both artists. We can interpret that they are a couple.
The narrative within the video begins to come alive at this point as we come to understand that Keri Hilson falls in love with another guy Neyo which eventually causes problems between the present partner and Neyo.

The video builds on Kanye West and Neyo's iconography as they where their signature accessories. Usually in most of Neyo's videos he is normally seen in a hat of some sort which is his signature. The video creates emphasis on his iconography by using close ups of his face. Also the lyrics also state his previous song "Miss Independent" which a huge success for him previously within the same year "Knock You Down" was released, emphasizing his iconography and the single even more.

The iconography of a legendary artist within the music industry is mentioned within the lyrics and Keri Hilson illustrates the signature move of the artist to match the artists name "Michael Jackson". We automatically know that is his move. This is a perfomance based shot with a simple background so that we can focus on the artist herself.

Wire-framing has been used within the video to display two images in one screen in order for the audience to see both sides of a story.  In this video the wire-framing clearly states that the video includes a form of narrative and performance. One clip is in colour which symbolises the present time and the other clip which is in black and white symbolises the memories and the past of the couple when they were younger.

Kanye West sings about subcultures within the high school suggesting a reference towards well known personalities and groups within the high school such as "class clown" and "cheerleader". This creates more inter-textual references to real life situations. The lighting within the video is extremely expressive as it changes depending within the different locations within the video in order to emphasize the mood of the video. The video creates a sexual image of the artist and shows a form of voyeurism for the female artist as she wears a guys football jacket suggesting that she belongs to him.

The visuals within the video match the lyrics as there is a form of illustration as the artist is singing he refers to NASA and the visual imagery shows a rocket setting off with to space.

Takin' Back My Love- Ciara ft. Enrique Inglesias

The song "Takin' Back My Love" features Ciara and Enrique Iglesias as they create a  narrative based music video to create a clear and substantial relation between the lyrics and the visual imagery. The video is set within a very large house where at first portraits of the artist are seen, suggesting that they are in an intimate relationship with one another. At this point, we assume that the couple is very happy together.

However, this is contradicted when the next scene shows a low angle establishing shot both artists arguing aggressively with one another in the exterior of the house. The body language within the shot suggests that they are very angry with one another. The dark and dullness of the lighting plays a significant role within the video as it shows the negativity within a relationship and how it could end.

A close up of the male throwing his jewelry on the floor resorts into the chorus where the male begins to sing,  " I give it all up". At this point hell breaks loose within the entire house as the couple begin to destroy one each others belongings. At this point dramatic close-ups are used to emphasize things being demolished. The speed of the shots has been decreased to exaggerate the idea that both artists are shattering and damaging things to prove a point as the chorus is being sung, "takin' back my love".

This over the shoulder shot shows the couple arguing with one another showing the expressions on the face of Ciara as she shows a compassionate look towards Enrique. The camera focuses on her face as she sings her verse within the song.


All of a sudden the lights black out and flicker, at this point the couple stop arguing with one another and begin to share a strong chemistry within the room. The lights begin to switch on and off and a severe amount of lust takes over within the video. The couple begin to smile whilst having such intimate body language between one another. The relationship seems as if it consists of a mere love-hate relation.

 The video ends with two loud smashing sounds with intense blackouts creating the immediate end. The imagery flashes from a broken wine glass to a snapshot of a lamp shade against a wall. The video overall, has a very artist feel to it as it keeps within the pop and R&B genre. The video simply consists of many expressive movements and reactions which hold the video together creating a powerful and dramatic video.

The video consists of many crosscuts where the artists express their anger. Ciara stands in front of a plain background with a bright spotlight on her as she vigorously shakes her head towards the camera. The lighting plays a significant role within the video, throughout the entire video the lighting creates different tones where at points the light looks as if it has been reflected and several smears within are used. As the light hits different objects we see different tones being used. Throughout the video there are mixtures of artificial lighting as well as natural. If the video only consisted of natural lighting, the video would not give off the same effect as it does at present. The shadows are exaggerated using all forms of lighting.

• This particular music genre which is a mixture of pop and R&B has its own original music video style and iconography as it usually consists of a narrative that involves a couple and the video setting is very neutral towards the genre as it is set in a house which is the norm for the R&B genre.

• Strangely in this video, there is no evidence of voyeurism towards women as she is not sexually exposed or  treated in a bad way. However, it could be argued that she is being constantly pushed around by the male.

• You can clearly see inter-textual references within the video as this is a basic argument taking place between a couple, so you can clearly see that there is some sort of love story being inspired within.

• The video consists of many close-ups of both artists which meant that the record label wanted to emphasize the artists future iconography.

Christina Aguilera-Beautiful

Christina Aguilera's music video, "Beautiful" is a music video which consists of  very contraversial narratives, consisting of many sub plots. The visuals and the lyrics have a very powerful relationship as the lyrics are made to reassure those who are insecure about themselves that they are beautiful no matter what. The visuals imagery supports the lyrics in a very strong way.

The video begins with the artist herself directly speaking to the audience in a very shy way. She says "Don't look at me" and suddenly a harsh piano is heard and she begins to hum. The camera focuses on her facial expression with the use of an extreme close-up. The expression on her face suggests a significant sigh of relief as she hums.

The visual imagery of the dead flower creates a contradiction between the lyrics and the visuals, as some viewers may believe that is impossible to think that a
dead flower is beautiful. However, the artist is trying to say that everything has its own natural beauty and its just the question of you accepting this or not. The dark lighting within this shot illustrates the hidden beauty and individuality of this dead organism. The shot is effective as only a certain amount of the flower is shown in the shot which makes you feel mixed emotions about the organism. If the entire flower was displayed then I believe that the same emotion wouldnt be conveyed and no relation would be created with the lyrics and this particular shot.

This is a ver powerful shot within the video as it illustrates a very touchy topic within the world. A same-sex couple are portraying their love for one another in public and those who pass them begin to stare with a disgusted look on their face. The woman in the back of the couple stands over them suggesting that she believes she is the only one who is right.
She is aligned in the centre of both men suggesting that she is a disruption to the couples happiness. At this point of the video the artist talks about being ashamed, which creates a relationship with this shot as it creates emphasis on the time of the day that the shot is set. The fact that the couple is out in public at night suggests that they feel people are ashamed of them and they attempt to avoid any attention.

In this shot the artist is in a very dull and deserted room where she is sitting on the floor taking up a small amount of space as possible, suggesting that she  feels unnoticed and small. The high ceilings and spacious area almost overpowers her existence within   the setting. The lyrics match the visuals in this shot as at first the artist feels shes lonely and people are disapproving her in many ways judging by her body language. The lighting is dark and dull suggesting a very sad atmosphere within the entire video.

This close-up suggests that a girl has been physically abused and she feels that she cannot possibly have any hope of happiness or joy in her life. However, the lyrics contradicts the girls thoughts as it reassures her that she is beautiful no matter what. The shot is very intense and tense as it focuses on her scared expressions.

As the artist sings these lyrics, towards the end the characters begin to accept their insecurities and illnesses. The lighting changes the mood as the characters begin to smile, the light shines on them and the setting stays dark, we can interpret this as they are shining and standing out from the glum setting.

The dead flower earlier in the video suddenly is alive suggesting new light and gives a very positive mood to the end of the video as everyone is not ashamed and scared of other peoples thoughts of them. The close-up of the flower symbolizes that peace is restored.

The continuous cross-cutting within the video creates a very harsh atmosphere to the video as the picture is constantly changing to a different characters within the video. It shows a matter of self-image being portrayed in different ways and how people learn to accept their appearances. Although the video only consists of  basic shots, it sends a very powerful message out to the world with the different issues tackled within it.

The video can be said to be of the soul and soft rock genre as it consists of very strong vocals being used in a very subtle and soft way.

• A form of voyeurism is shown within the video as it includes those women being bullied in a violent manner.
• Many inter-textual references have been used when creating this video, as it involves many insecurities which can be seen within films and TV soaps. 
• The artist has developed a very strong star iconography which has become their personal star image due to specific and powerful close-ups within the video.
• The video is a hybrid video as it involves conceptual, performances and narratives. 

Lyrics

[Spoken]
Don't look at me

Every day is so wonderful
Then suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The pieces gone, left the puzzle undone
Is that the way it is

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...

No matter what we do
(no matter what we do)
No matter what we say
(no matter what we say)
We're the song inside the tune
Full of beautiful mistakes

And everywhere we go
(everywhere we go)
The sun will always shine
(sun will always shine)
And tomorrow we might wake on the other side
All the other times

We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today

Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today