Cinematography is essential within any music video as the varied and different techniques used help to make the video interesting and unique which will help to engage the audience. If the music video contained a series of shots which were the same, such as a mid shot this would not be interesting for the audience to watch as there are not different scenes going on in the video which captures their attention. The shot used helps the audience to establish the location of where the video is shot which could engage the audience as they will be able to relate if the location is a setting which they recognise. Furthermore, by using different cinematography techniques this helps to display the artists emotions as each shot has connotations with different emotions which could be inferred.
Long Shot
The first camera technique in which will be used within my music video is a long shot. A long shot is also referred to as a full shot or a wide shot which typically shows an entire object or setting. This camera shot will be used in my music video when the artist is in the location in London. The reason for this is so that the audience can see where the artist is and establish the setting of the music video from the surroundings and iconography used such as public transport such as buses and trains. We will typically use this shot in London as this helps to display the narrative further of the artists journey to fame and helps the audience to understand this clearly. We will also use this type shot when the artist is performing on the stage.This shot is conventional to the Soul music genre because again, it allows the audience to establish the location. Typically in this genre of music video the scenery and setting used is kept quite simple. London may be seen as being chaotic and busy which goes against these conventions but we are planning to use a quieter street in London when the artist is singing, which is conventional as this then does not divert the audiences attention away from the artist and helps them to focus on the lyrics, this is also similar to the setting of the stage as there is not anything diverting the audiences attention as the background is predominately dark colours which allows the audience to focus on the passion and the artist reminiscing.The shot is again conventional where we will use it to show the setting as this is what many of Soul music videos do, as this helps the audience establish the setting and helps the audience to build a relationship with the artist as this is relatable and feel as though they are getting to know the artist as she is showing her journey throughout her route to fame and the places she likes to visit. This particular camera shot could also help to represent the artist and her emotions further. This is because the long shot is typically far away from the artist as they are not close up in the shot. Setting is shown mostly in this shot which makes the artist appear smaller. This could portray to the audience that the artist is feeling lost as she is feeling smaller in surroundings she is not familiar with referring to her finding fame. This could make the audience sympathise for the artist because they can see how she is reminiscing on times before fame where she was attempting to become famous and can see that she misses these times as she felt less lonely. The audience may be able to relate to the artist in some way, from feeling lost to how they miss a particular time or period of their life.
Close Up Shot
Another cinematography technique which we will use in the music video is a close up shot. This shot typically helps to tightly frame a person or object which is regularly used within films. This particular shot will be used when the artist is singing as this will help to display the emotion and passion as she is singing to the audience as this is a clearer way to portray this. This will help to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they see her true, raw emotion and believe that this is the audience wanting to share these feelings in order to show that this subject can be relatable to everyone. The audience feel as though they are beginning to know the artist as they have shared their emotions and feelings which is something you would usually do if you were close to somebody and felt as though you could trust them. This shot is conventional to the soul genre as this helps to represent the artist at the most vulnerable times as this helps to show raw emotion which is brought on by the emotional and personal topics which she is singing about. This again helps the audience to relate to the artist as they see her as an ordinary girl which has feelings just like the audience does and allows them to sympathise for her, engaging further into the music video. The close up used is one that I have noticed is most used throughout this genre and how successful it is every time it is used in one of the videos of this music genre. This is because this particular genre, Soul is predominately based around personal and heart felt topics which can't help but display some sort of emotion. Close up shots are the best way to illustrate this emotion as there is no cover for the artist as all of their genuine emotions are shown on screen. The particular camera shot allows the artist to be emotional and lonely as the emotion and facial expressions used help to represent this. Additionally, the artist is portrayed as a genuine person as she isn't tried to hide or mask the fact she is emotional about the subject she is singing. We want to capture this in order to engage the audience further and feel as though they are building a relationship with the artist as they are sympathising for her.
High Angle Shot
Another cinematography technique in which my group are wanting to include in our soul genre music video is a high angle shot. This is a camera technique where the camera looks down at the subject or person from a higher angle than them which can make the subject seem smaller suggesting the subject to be powerless and vulnerable. This particular camera technique will be used when the artist is playing the piano whilst singing her lyrics to show the vulnerability of the artist. This type of shot is conventional to the soul music genre because it helps to portray the artist as inferior and powerless, which also suggests that they are weak and vulnerable due to this. The camera shot will help to represent our artist as vulnerable as this is being used at the same time as she is singing her lyrics which she is becoming emotional and upset over which can be seen throughout the use of facial expressions and body language. In addition to this the artist will also be represented as down to earth and genuine as she is not trying to cover up her true and raw emotion for the audience as she is being showed in a vulnerable state and to be powerless at the same time. The audience may be able to build a relationship with the artist because they may be able to relate to the situation that the artist is in and feel as though they have an insight to the artists life as they are seen in a natural state and are not covering up the emotions of the artist.
Panning Shot
Another cinematography camera technique in which we would like to include in our music video is a panning shot. This is the technique of moving the camera horizontally to the left or right, which allows you to follow or track a person or subject with the additional help of a tripod. This particular camera technique will be used when the artist is singing and perfuming the piano as well as using this technique when filming in London. This particular shot is not necessarily conventional to the soul music genre as I have not seen this technique used in many of the music videos of this genre I have analysed. However, the connotations of the shot could be used in a soul music video as the connotations could be conventional. The panning shot of the camera moving from left to right will help to show the location of London clearly for the audience. This could be conventional as it allows the audience to see the location clearly and reiterate the rem incising which the artist is doing and remind the audience how low and vulnerable the artist is feeling with fame as she is feeling lonely. In addition to this, the panning shot will also be used when the artist is singing whilst playing the piano, this means that there will be multiple shots of this action as the camera is moving from left to right. This again could reiterate the emotions of the artist as the audience are seeing this more than once. They can see the artist in her true state of vulnerability. In addition to this, the camera technique helps to create a calm, relaxed feel to the video which is conventional to the soul genre as the audience are focused mainly on the expressions of the artist.
Point of View Shot
The last camera technique which I would like to include into my music video is a point of view shot. This shot can also be referred to as a POV shot which helps to show what the character is looking at through camera shots. This camera shot will be used within our music video when the artist is returning to her hometown of London and when she is performing on the stage. This will enable the audience to see where the artist is heading to. They will get to see a glimpse of the location then the point of view shot of the emotions and facial expressions shown by the artist which helps the audience to recognise how happy she is that she is returning home. In addition to this, point of view shots will also be used when the artist is performing on a stage in her old school, this is to show a memory to the audience which will be shown by filters. The point of view shot will again help to show the emotion of the artist at this stage and her facial expressions which again shows her happiness to be back. This shot is conventional to the soul music video genre because it enables the audience to relate to the artist more easily as this strengthens the relationship because she is showing her emotions and vulnerable state.The camera shot presents the artist as although she is coming across as happy, this shows her as down and lonely also because she is happy about something that has happened in the past and is no longer how she feels. She is coming across this way as she is in her safe place, her comfort zone of being on stage before she found fame and became to feel lonely.This shot also helps to portray the artist as vulnerable as she is feeling lonely and afraid. This helps to build a relationship with between the artist and the audience because they may be able to relate as the audience may have felt like this at some point. This shot represents the artist again as vulnerable and powerless due to the fact the shot helps to show to the audience multiple times how the artist is feeling. This may engage the audience as they feel sorry for the artist as she is feeling lonely and down, in which they may be able to relate.
The camera techniques and shots used enable our target audience to build a relationship with the artist easily. This is because the audience will be able to see the artists emotions clearly, through shots such as close ups which help to show the artists facial expressions and emotions. High angle shots, along with long shots which help to show the setting and vulnerability of the artist allows the audience to imagine themselves in the artists situation and they sympathise for her as they can see how vulnerable she is feeling. Planning the cinematography elements which we would like to use in our music video will help us to target our specific audience as it has given us time to think about which techniques we would like to use most as we have thought about connotations and conventional aspects which may appeal and engage our target audience. We will also want to include conventional aspects so we know exactly what the audience enjoy.
It is important to consider setting and iconography when creating a music video as this helps to set the scene of the video and helps the narrative to be easier to understand for the audience watching. Both aspects help to engage the audience as different and varied settings and iconography are interesting and engaging for the audience as they may be recognizable and relatable. Without location and iconography this would not be engaging for the audience to watch as there is nothing going on which can also help them to understand the narrative. In addition to this, a location used may help to represent the artist and give the audience an insight to their lifestyle and personality which can help the audience to relate to them as they feel like they know them better, which will make the music video successful.
Another setting which I will include into my music video is a piano room, which is easily accessible as this is located in my School. The room is small and simple, which includes plain backdrops with a glossy black piano. This room will be used for mainly narrative purposes. By using this setting it will help make the narrative more easier to follow for the audience as they can tell that the story line is the artists life previous to fame. This section we will consider filters such as black and white which could suggest to the audience that she is reminiscing on the past and how she misses the sense of normality she used to have. Aswell as contrasting positivity and negativity which could also help to infer the mix of emotion of the artist. We will use black drapes to disguise the background of the room so it does not look like an ordinary classroom, as the current state which the classroom is in, does not look professional in order to create a high quality music video. The dark room will emphasize to the audience how low the artist is feeling, engaging them further as they begin to establish hidden meanings behind the lyrics. The small, enclosed space could represent how the artist is feeling and what she is singing about, possibly feeling trapped and enclosed as though she can't escape from what she is feeling. The audience will be able to build a relationship with the artist because they sympathize for her and have possibly been in a similar situation and also gain a found respect for the artist as they realize she is willing to share her emotion for the benefit of the audience. The main limitation for this particular location is the size of the room. This room is limited for space, in which it may be difficult to maneuver the equipment to get our desired shots. However, to over come this issue we will include shots from behind the piano, from different angle to create several, effective shots. We will move the piano slightly as a group, to ensure we can fit the equipment down the back of the piano. However, will avoid encountering risks by moving the piano as a group, so this is not as heavy. Furthermore, the radiator located next to the piano may not be noticed by the members of the group which could lead to burn them self. To prevent this from happening, we will ensure that the radiator is not on to resolve this issue. This will not affect the whether or members of the group as the building is located inside, and cold whether will not become and issue.
Another location in which I will aim to film my music video in is, Theydon Bois Underground Station. This is to include in the narrative parts of my music video. The location is easily accessible as this is a local underground station which also does not get busy until rush hour times in which most members of the public are travelling home from work around 6-7pm. This particular location is a good way in which to help reiterate to the audience and help them to understand the narrative further, of where the artist began her journey to fame and the travelling/transition of where she has ended up. By the artist using public transport this helps to suggest and portray her to the audience as ordinary, and increases her reliability to the audience in which they may feel they are beginning to build a relationship with the artist as they have things in common. However, there are limitations to using this particular location. One limitation is that if we are filming during busy periods of members of the public using the train as their source of transport, we do not want to get many members of the public in the back of the shots, in case of them ruining the shot. This can include waving towards the camera or watching as we film, in which this will decrease the professionalism of the high quality music video we are aiming to create. Another limitation of filming in the underground station is that the location is quite small, so in busy periods it may be awkward and difficult to film and create the right shot. Additionally, the rules and regulations state that filming is not permitted within the station itself. Meaning that we can only create a few different shots, which may not actually grasp the concept of the artist using the transport which we originally wanted. However, we were able to get shots of the station to still try and suggest to the audience the narrative in hope it is still clear to them.
Another location in which we are hoping to film in is a small village near where we will be filming in School. This is a convenient place to film because it is not far from our main location so it is easy to travel to and from for the members of our group. In addition to this, the village that we will be filming in relates to our music video narrative as it is based around the artists previous life to fame and her reminiscing to when she was younger before everything changed. This is convenient as the setting clearly shows that this is where she has grown up as the location includes many childish aspects in which we could film to show this. This could include the fields which has a rope swing which people would recognize as a childhood memory which is relatable for many members of the audience so is engaging to watch. In addition to this there is a park within the village so we can also film in this area to show the artist when she was younger enjoying herself with her friends. However there is an issue that we may encounter with this location. As we would predominately film after School in the months coming up in which we would film the nights get darker more quickly. This could be an issue as lighting could be a problem which we encountered before. The issue with this could be that we will not be able to see objects on the floor and around us which could possibly result in an injury. To overcome this issue we will consider taking out torches whilst filming to light our way and also to ensure that the shot is not entirely dark. Furthermore to avoid this issue we could arrange times in which people would be able to get back from School and film earlier than the rest of the group so that the shot is not completely dark. Shots in which we will include in this scene could be a panning shot which helps to show the location clearly, for example the field. This will make it evident to the audience that this is the past and the narrative will hopefully become more clearer for the audience. The weather I do not think for these scenes will be a problem because this will give it an authentic effect as the audience will be able to relate to this and enjoy it more to see the friends and artist having fun.
Another location in which we will use for the music video are places in which the artist used to visit when she was younger to show her reminiscing on her past life before she came into fame. This is before the artist felt alone and missed how everything used to be. A location in which we will film in to represent this is a friends house. This helps to reiterate how 'ordinary' the artist was prior to finding fame. The location will include shots of the members of the group, which are acting as the artists friends having a good time. This helps to portray the artists life before she found fame and how much happier she was beforehand. This may build a relationship between the artist and audience as the audience can relate to the artist due to the fact they are missing a particular phase of their life, and can sympathize for the artist as the audience know how she is feeling. Risks could possibly be encountered whilst filming at the location of the friends house. This is day to day risks that any body may encounter whilst be around a home environment. Kitchen appliances which may still be on such as cookers or kettles could harm a group member by possibly burning them. To avoid this, all appliances should be pointed out and made aware of so that group members can realise the dangers of the appliances and keep well away. The house is tiled and floored with wood, which can make for a slippery surface. This should be pointed out to group members as they can them take care when walking through the house and not rush to any specific points in case of any accidents which may occur.
In addition we will use shopping centre such as Westfield to film certain parts of the music video. This is a close location to our main location which is School and easily accessible for all members of our group via the central line. As the artist is female, this is a good location to use because this will show the activities she used to do and enjoy before she found fame. Reiterating the narrative to the audience of how the artist is reminiscing on her past, in which she was happier. Shots in which we will include for this location could be long shots and mid shots to help show the surroundings and the friends laughing and having fun together without it seeming like they are being followed with a camera. Another shot in which we could use is the use of hand held camera. This will make it seem as though the artist is filming and could be some footage in which was previously filmed before fame. This will give the shot a personal feel and will help the audience to build a relationship with the artist as they feel as though they are having an insight into what the artist would usually do. The problems in which we could encounter with this setting is the business of the location which could prevent a clear shot and may not show the narrative clearly which may be difficult for the audience to understand. The location does however encounter minimal issues in regards to filming. One issue is that the location can become busy during peak times such as rush hour, as most people have left work and are stopping of at the shopping centre on the way home from work. This is why we need to choose a certain part of the location to film in which is not really busy along with a time in which is not peak times so that we can avoid the busiest time of the day. In addition to this, we will be using expensive equipment around the shopping centre and do not know what type of people are surrounding us; which could result in damage or theft of the equipment as a result of carelessness and people in a rush. Therefore we will ensure that we will use the provided bag for the equipment which helps to cover it so it is not known what we are carrying along with holding the bag closely to us. Additionally having a member of the group watching out for potential hazards due to members of the public rushing past the equipment, most likely causing damage so we can prevent this hazard from occurring. Fortunately, this location in which we will be filming will not encounter any issues in regards to weather. This is because we are inside a building so will not be disrupted by rain or storms which are unpredictable in this country.
An additional location in which my music video will be filmed in is Central London. The reason behind this is, that it helps to show the narrative of the artist going to gigs and concerts in and around London. This will enable the audience to be understand the narrative easily as they will not think that the video is set entirely in one location and it will be evident that this is not the case. Another positive of filming in and around the city of London is that this location will be relatable for the audience as they will be able to recognize the location and feel as though they have an insight of the artist which helps them to build a relationship, as they believe that they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level as they enjoy similar activities and have been to the same places. There are multiple shots in which we can use at this location. For example, we would be able to use a panning shot which helps to display the City, there fore again the audience will be engaged in the music video as they recognize the location. The location of London is stereo typically busy, which may be the case when we are filming. However, this could portray the state of the artists mind as it could show the business and chaotic thoughts in which she is thinking, making the audience sympathize for her as they could relate to this situation. In which the audience may be able to sympathize for the audience increasing their attention as they can relate to this situation due to their personal issues. However, there may be issues that we encounter with using this specific location for our music video. This could be the point I have previously mentioned, the business of London. This could mean that the shot would be difficult to get of the artist in the middle of London as it may not be focused on the artist and the audiences attention may be diverted away due to the busy, chaotic scenery. The members of the public passing may try to get in the way of the camera and possible wave to the camera, disrupting filming. In order to avoid this we will need to film during times where the location may be less busy, such as before people have their lunch break or leave work to begin their journey home. Alongside the streets of London being busy possibly throughout the times we are filming, this could lead to damage of our equipment due to members of the public rushing past and not taking into consideration the expense of the equipment. To avoid any damage to the camera and equipment, when the equipment is not in use we will use the travelling equipment provided to keep it safe. However, when filming we will ensure that one member of the group is looking out for potential hazards which may create damage or risks that could develop. In addition to this, the weather may be an issue due to the UK's unpredictable weather as it could be raining. Throughout this time we could shoot the scene in a different location which may be undercover. We will also ensure that we carry an umbrella with us at all times to protect the equipment that we will be using so that it does not get damaged throughout the process.
The first piece of iconography which my group has chosen to include in our music video is a piano, which will be used when the female artist is singing the lyrics and also playing the piano at the same time. This helps to portray the artist as talented as they can not only sing but they are able to play an instrument together. The audience are engaged by this as helps them to remember why they originally began to like the artists music. It gives the audience a further insight to the artists personality as this shows her as multi-talented. Furthermore, this helps to also presents the artist as ordinary as she is practicing her piano and in a common setting as most young people would like to take up an instrument; Again, allowing the audience to relate to the artist and feel as though they have been allowed to get to know her on a more personal level through sharing similar interests. The.The piano used is also conventional to the soul music genre as the artist is usually playing an elegant instrument which can also represent the artist. This also shows the passion of the artist as they play the piano. This could also build a relationship between the audience and the artist as this piece of iconography is relatable to the audience as they may play themselves or know that it is a difficult instrument to play.
A microphone is a piece of iconography in which I will incorporate into my music video. This will be used on the stage when we are showing the artist on stage perfuming which will be transitioning clips for our music video to help the audience to understand the narrative more. There are different types of microphones which we could possibly use in our music video but the one in which our group is going to attempt to find and use in the video is the vintage style microphone. The reason for this is that the style microphone is conventional to the soul genre as it seems vintage and more professional which would commonly be used within the video as the narrative is mainly performance based. This creates a unique approach to the music video as the majority of performance based music videos include the use of an ordinary stage microphone. Engaging the target audience as this again suggests and represents the artist as individual and not following what other artists do. Giving the audience an insight the unique personality of the artist, allowing the audience to feel as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level. The unconventional use of a vintage style microphone also suggests that the artist is thinking about every aspect of the music video in order to make a more interesting video to keep the audience engaged. Portraying the artist different to most artists as she is creating personal touches in which she believes her audience want to see.
Another piece of iconography which we will use in our music video is public transport such as buses/trains. The artist will not be directly using this in the video but will be in the background and still something which the audience may focus on. This will be used when the artist is using the transport to make her journey and show the narrative clearly. This iconography may make the audience feel as though they are similar to the artist as these objects are used by ordinary people which makes it relatable and interesting to watch, especially if the audience has also visited the location where the video is shot.
Another use of iconography in which we will be using is phones when the friends are together. This helps to show the interaction between the group and helps to illustrate to the audience that they are a friendship group and how the artist is reminiscing on the times before she became famous. Some shots in which we will include when using this piece of iconography will include a mid shot to show the facial expressions of the artist and can see how much happier she was before hand and will sympathize for the artist building a relationship with her. It is also relatable for the audience as this is an object which they see on an every day basis.
This research has helped myself and my group in order for preparing our music video as it has enabled us to plan out which locations we would like to use and has highlighted which locations may not be accessible or convenient to use. In addition to this it has also shown which problems could occur in regards to film schedules and the setting in which we would like to use so that we can prepare and sort out any problems which could have possibly encountered before the issues arises. Furthermore, it has made us think whether or not each location is necessary and will be essential to our video and whether or not the audience will be able to understand the narrative clearly. We are now more aware of scheduling for our music video as the majority of our locations have timing issues as they will either be in use, or need to be filmed at when the location is not at its peak time for business as we do not want this to divert the audiences attention, so we will have to plan ahead and schedule times in which we can avoid this.
The purpose of a magazine album advert is to promote the artist's new album and encourages people to listen to the artists music. This also enables the artist to reach a wider target audience which is for people that read magazines as well as listening to music. The advert will act as a constant reminder of the upcoming album which will remind them to listen and buy the album. With this it also links in with other advertisements of the album which creates more marketing which overall means a higher profit. In addition to this the advert enables the company to get support from other companies which means that this could push sales further and in turn again gain higher profit. The advert also benefits both the magazine and the artist also as this will be able to link in with any articles in the magazine based on the artist. I have chosen two adverts which I have chosen to analyse to help me understand the connotations of the advert and how they benefit the artist and the company. I have chosen to analyse adverts from Adele and Paloma Faith. Adele
Within this magazine advert Adele is represented as though she is fed up, lonely and down. This can be inferred through the close up which enables the audience to see her facial expressions and body language. Her eyes are looking downwards which is what somebody would usually do if they were feeling sad or upset as this is a natural reflex, and also has connotations with looking down and to the right in which Adele is doing in this specific image to attending to eternal emotions which they may be struggling with. Furthermore, it also appears as though Adele is closing her eyes, this has connotations with shutting out the outside world and not wanting to see what is in front of that person. This could represent Adele and the topics in which she is confronting in the music on her album as it is personal to her and something in which she may not want to talk about. The colours used throughout the magazine advert also enable the audience to infer different representations of Adele and her music. The colours used are predominately black and white.This creates a dark and negative effect for the audience. This is because black has connotations of grief and sadness which could infer to the audience Adele's state of mind and emotions suggesting she is in a bad point of the time she was singing about of reminiscing. This contrasts with the secondary colour used which is white. Black and white usually contrast each other in the sense that black gives of a negative effect whereas white usually suggests and infers positivity. The white used also reflects on Adele which could suggest innocence and vulnerability of the artist. Therefore, the audience will sympathies for Adele as she is seen to be in a dark place in a vulnerable state which some of the audience may be able to relate to. In this magazine advert, the artist is positioned to the side of the advert, whereas this contrasts to the actual music video because the artist is predominately in the middle. However, the reason for this could be that by positioning the artist this way, it allows the light to shine on her and reiterate the vulnerability and dark phase she is in and is singing about. In addition to this, this enables the title to stand out more as this can be positioned in the middle in front of the dark background which allows it to stand out even more as this is eye capturing and bold in capital letters and a white font so that it contrasts from its surroundings. The choice of image allows the overall magazine advert to remain simple and eye capturing due to the well thought out aspects of the advert. The image used also is a close up shot of the artist which allows the audience to recognize her more easily. This type of shot works better than a long shot as it enables the audience to see the facial expressions and body language of the artist. We can infer from the facial expressions and previously mentioned how Adele may be feeling by looking at the way she is posed, such as down and upset. But we can also see by the close up shot that she is feeling vulnerable and lonely through the use of body language. Adele appears as though she is wrapping her arms around herself and crossing them, which suggests to the audience that this may be a defensive mechanism to her as she is blocking out the outside world or something that has hurt her; suggesting to the audience that this is what her music could be about. In addition to this, the body language can infer that there is a lack of trust and a sense of vulnerability which the artist is feeling, this may cause the audience to sympathise as they may feel sorry for her and be able to relate as they may have been in a similar situation themselves. The typography is the technique and arranging or writing which can be either legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of the writing involves selecting sizes, line lengths and spacing. In this particular artist magazine advert the font is kept quite plain and simple, which allows the audience to not divert their attention away from the artist and the expressions in which will give a glimpse into her music style and songs. The writing style also matches the style of her music as it is not loud or extravagant, soul genre music is usually soft and contains more of a hidden meaning whereas if this was a pop magazine advert I would expect to see extravagant fonts with bold, bright colours. The colours used in the font for this particular magazine advert is based around light colours, which again suggest innocence and vulnerability which could represent the artist and her emotion. In addition to this a secondary colour used is a light, pale green. This colour has connotations which could infer and represent the album because it gives a renewing feel which the audience may want to hear as a refreshing style of music to listen to. Green is also a colour which has connotations of being relaxing and soothing which could also represent her music genre and engages the audience as this may be something that they would like to listen to. Furthermore, in this magazine advert, the writing and language which is used is kept quite plain and simple in regards to the style. Adele's language used is kept straight to the point and sharp as it tells the audience the key facts in which they need to know. In comparison with the Jessie J posters in which my group analysed she used words such as "smash" which is stereotypical of the pop genre as they use bold, eye capturing aspects which would engage a younger audience. Whereas Adele is marketing a sophisticated, older audience which may not be engaged by those types of wording and language. Paloma Faith
Within this magazine advert of Paloma Faith it seems as though the artist is intrigued by something through her natural and innocent pose which also gives of a sense of vulnerability to the audience. The advert uses many dull colours such as the use of brown tones and cream. The darker colours are commonly used in an advert for the soul artist as this helps to represent their music as they are usually singing about controversial, personal and sensitive topics. However, the lighter colours are predominantly surrounding her face. The use of this colour can help to portray innocence and vulnerability as the audience know that the artist sings lyrics with a personal background which could lead them to sympathize for her as they could imagine themselves in her situation. The use of the orange is exaggerated in the magazine advert which has connotations of the person being fiery which also suggests power. This is not typical from a soul artist as they are usually seen to be vulnerable an innocent so this representation is contrasting which may help to engage the audience as this is something that they are not expecting. Like most soul artists, the artist in this magazine is positioned central in the advert.This shot is also a close up which helps the audience to recognize the artist more than they would if there was a long shot of the artist which may be difficult for the audience to recognize and ensures that the main thing that they are focusing on is the artist and the typography. The typography is a curly, unique font which could represent her music. Her music isn't conventional and would not be considered 'mainstream' by many. The colour of the writing could be seen as a light gold colour. This colour has many connotations and symbolizes high quality, which could further illustrate her quality of music in which she produces, which would entice the audience to listen to her music. Furthermore, the writing used also has hints of silver used as it seems multi-coloured. The silver in the title could relate to the moon and suggest and represent the artist as quite emotional and sensitive which is understandable and relatable for the audience as this is what the majority of her content in her music is based upon, personal subjects. In comparison to Adele, who did not really use any extravagant, eye capturing language, Paloma Faith uses words such as "sensation" to boost her credit and show to the audience that she is worth listening to. In addition, "cast a spell" is also used and shows that her talent is rare, which therefore captures the audience makes them want to listen more as they wonder what is so good about her music.
Both adverts promote the music genre stereo typically, they both are simplistic in the fact it represents the music as there is no extravagant aspects, it is predominately focused on the artist. The advert promotes the artist to the audience as though they are missing out if they do not listen to the artists music. They focus the advert mainly on the artist in order not to divert the audience's attention away through the use of close ups and techniques which are not extravagant such as using bright colours and bold fonts. Instead it targets the audience with a different approach than a typical magazine advert would by focusing on the wording and simple images used which help to show a deeper meaning in which the audience can infer and may be able to relate. The research that I have found from analysing the two magazine adverts will assist me and my group in the planning stage of developing ideas for our own magazine advert for our chosen artist Adele. One example that we will consider including in our magazine advert is a close up shot of the artist. This is conventional to both the advert and music video as it does then not divert the attention of the audience away from the artist as they are not distracted by anything which may be disrupting in the background. Not only this, but the close up shot allows the audience to relate to the audience as they can see the emotion she is feeling throughout the expressions and body language clearly shown. Furthermore, we will think carefully in deciding which colour, style font we will choose as we will choose a colour in which has connotations with the artist and her music. An example of this which I am interested in using is the colour silver as it has connotations as previously mentioned with emotions and being sensitive which links into the themes and topics of the majority of songs in which our artist sings.
Research was carried out in order to try and find out different peoples preferences and opinions of what they would like to see included within our soul genre music video. More specifically, the artists music we have chosen to use for our music video which we will create. I carried this research of 40 people to find out more peoples opinions and to find the most true and accurate representation as I possibly can, through the use of a questionnaire. This allowed me to retrieve more in depth, qualitative data from a range of open and closed questions. Due to finding out factual information, but also allowing the audience to expand upon their answer and give detailed reasons as to why they would want to see a specific aspect included. I then used the results collected in the questionnaire to take into account peoples views of what they expect and like to see in a soul music video in order to keep them engaged in the music video. These are the questions which we asked 40 different people:
What is your gender?
"What is your gender?" was a closed question which was asked. From analyzing the feedback of this research, it can be inferred more females carried out this questionnaire rather than males. Also, that the audience of the soul genre were female however showed males do still listen to this genre of music. From this it could be inferred that females are more inclined to enjoy and listen to the soul music genre than males. Due to topics and subjects that arise through the use of the lyrics which are more likely to relate to a female; This includes topics such as heartbreak and love. The audience find comfort in knowing somebody else is going through a similar situation, and can empathize with the artist as they can relate to the artist. Furthermore, the audience may feel as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level, as they are able to share thoughts and emotions together. The results are beneficial to research as I can then target the music video to a mass audience of females and conventions they would like to see and engage them.
What is your age group?
Another question which was asked was a closed question. "What is your age group?". This allowed my group to establish what age range we were carrying out our research on, and receiving feedback from. If results were all differentiating this could be due to the majority of the age range being similar, and know that they may not enjoy the soul music genre. The target audience which we aimed to appeal to based on this feedback is 19-21 year olds. We can infer that the majority of feedback was from people of this age range, closely followed by 16-18 so can estimate our specific target audience would be ages 16-21 to ensure we can take feedback into consideration and create a music video which engages this age range. The feedback of the questionnaire, in which asking how old the people we questioned were was beneficial as we took on board feedback received as we inferred the majority of people we questioned were in our target audience age range.
What is your preferred style of music video?
The third question in which was asked was an open question, titled "What is your preferred style music video?". From the research I found that the preferred style of music video is a narrative based music video, followed closely by performance style video. A narrative style music video usually includes an actor or actress which is acting out to the lyrics. To appeal to our target audience to the best of our ability, it was decided that the music video would be a combination of both narrative and performance style music video and engage the target audience as much as possible. The reason that a narrative style music video is voted in favor of is this allows the narrative to become clearer to the audience, as the actor and actress act out specific shots which have relation to the lyrics. Performance aspects will also be included to the music video. This is ideal for a soul music video as it does not divert the audiences attention away from the artist and they can pay full attention to the lyrics. Performance style music video will be incorporated into my music video. This is due to the fact performance style music video's usually contain several close ups of the artist which help to show their facial expressions and body language which presents them as down to earth as the artist is willing to show her true and raw emotion for the benefit of the audience. Allowing the audience to feel as though they are beginning to have an insight to the artists personality, and know her on a more personal level as trust is gained. Research of the audience's preferred style of music video is beneficial when creating our media production. It ensures that the preferred style video is incorporated and adapted in order to engage and appeal to my specific target audience.
What is your favorite editing style, and why?
Question four was another open question, asking the audience "What is your favorite editing style, and why?". In which the most popular answer for this was slow paced editing. I think this is because this style of editing. From quoting my vox pops "slow pace editing matches the style of the song", as the song is powerful and soulful with a slow tempo up until the chorus. Fast paced editing may not suit the video style all throughout the video as serious and emotional subjects are illustrated through the songs. Furthermore, this style of editing does not divert the audiences attention and allows them to focus on the artists emotion and sadness. Allowing the audience to empathize for the artist as they may be able to relate in some way, feeling as though they are beginning to build a relationship with the artist as they are getting to know her on a more personal level. Additionally to this, to cater for the target audience needs and keep them engaged throughout the entire production filters will also be included, such as the use of a black and white filter. Black and white filters are conventionally used in many soul videos as this is used to create an effect which helps to portray the artists feelings and emotions, which can in turn help to build a relationship between the audience and the artist. The connotations of positivity and negativity could be inferred that the artist is reflecting on her positive and negative memories prior to fame. This research is beneficial to the creation of my production as it allows me to incorporate editing styles which will maintain how engaged the audience is and increase the chances of their attention being sustained throughout the entire video. However, also trying to interperate and adapt conventional aspects to create a unique video in which the audience may not have seen before.
Describe the setting you would usually see in a soul music video?
The next question which the audience was asked was another open question "Describe the setting you would usually see in a soul music video?". The majority of answers answered they would most likely expect to see a stage within the genre music video. Whereas other conventional locations include an isolated personal room, or a bar/pub which is quiet. A stage may be were the audience would most likely expect the music video to be set as this gives a sense of professionalism, and allows the artist to sing with true and genuine emotion, in which they like to see as this is why the originally began to listen to the artist. The stage is a more personal approach to the music video, as this is where presumably the artist will have spent alot of time throughout her career in order to try and increase her fame. So by welcoming the audience into a personal space of hers, this allows the relationship between the audience and artist to grow as they have an insight to the artists personal life and memories prior to fame. This was beneficial to our research as we have gathered ideas for our music video and using a stage like setting was one of our ideas, so to know that this is a setting the audience would expect to see helps us in deciding our final ideas and is easily incorporated due to the performance based music video we are aiming to create.
Explain what sort of theme you would feel you would like to see in a soul music video?
From analyzing the open question, "Explain what sort of theme you would feel you would like to see in a soul music video?" it is clear that the theme of family is the theme in which the audience would most like to see, with the majority of the audience answering this. Family is a conventional topic to this particular genre as most of the artist like to sing about personal experiences and home life. Which could be inferred that the reason why the audience enjoy this genre as the music is relatable to situations they have been through and helps them to build a relationship with the artist. As the artist is seen to be showing her raw and genuine emotion for the benefit of the audience, to guide them through a particular tough situation and reminds them that they are not alone. This helps with our research into a music video because it helps us to choose which song which is based around the artists hometown, and could include themes of her family and memories prior to fame. Hopefully resulting in an engaged audience as the music video is based on topics in which they can relate and empathize to.
What is it about Adele that you like?
The questionnaire asked the audience a open question "What is it about Adele that you like?" With a highly answered "Her voice" which is expected as this is her career and the audience are captivated by her meaningful and soulful voice. However, aside from the obvious, the most common answer suggesting the audience like and admire how relatable she is to the audience. Possibly be based on her background as she has come from being an ordinary girl, and following her dreams. This may be relatable for many as they are inspired by the artist and idolize her to push for their dreams in order to try and achieve them. Furthermore, the second reasoning could be that the topics that she is singing about could be relatable to the audience and engages them as they feel as though they are beginning to know the artist more on the basis of common grounds, and are able to listen to each other to get through a situation and feel as though they are no longer alone. This helps with our research into creating our own music video because we can take into account which conventions will use to make this as relatable for the audience as possible as this is what they like about the artist originally. Additionally, including relatable topics which help to build a relationship between both the artist and audience.
What camera angles do you find most effective in the soul genre music videos and why?
The next open question asked to the audience was "What camera angles do you find most effective in the soul genre music videos and why?" The majority of the audience answered "Close Ups" as the most effective shot which could be used in the soul music video. Close up shots are both conventional and effective when included in the soul genre music video. Close up shot helps to capture the true and raw emotion of the artist due to the facial expressions and body language. This could in turn help to build a relationship between the artist and audience as the audience feel as though they are able to relate to the artist in some way. Possibly feeling as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level as she is sharing her inner thoughts and emotion with the audience. This also shows the artist as down to earth through the use of a close up as she is willing to show her emotion in order to benefit the audience and reiterate to them that they are not alone in any situation they are currently going through. This is useful feedback when considered camera angles and techniques to use in the music video as we can then target this around our audiences feedback and include the shots in which they find most effective in order to keep the audience engaged throughout the entire music video.
What is your favourite Adele song?
The next question was a closed question asking "What is your favorite Adele song?". This allowed us to see whether the song we had chosen to create a music video would appeal to our target audience or not. The majority chose the song "Hometown Glory" in which we had chosen for our song to create a music video, suggesting this was a good choice and beneficial to our research as this is something our target audience would want to listen to. The song diverts away from the stereotypical subject of love and heartbreak which most soul music genre artists tend to focus on when creating their music. However, the song which we have chosen is still relatable and engaging for the target audience as this is based around home and family life. This may help the audience to feel as though they are beginning to know the artist on a more personal level as they share common grounds and emotion, helping to build a relationship between the two. Furthermore, portraying the artist as down to earth and caring as she is willing to talk about personal matters in order to comfort and relate to her audience, which not many other artists would do, giving her a unique edge which admirable to the audience.
Why do you think Adele is conventional to the soul genre?
Our last question which was a close question, we asked "Why do you think Adele is conventional to the soul genre?" Most of the audience believed Adele to be conventional due to the relatable topics which her music includes. Mainly including conventional topics which the target audience can relate to such as love, heartbreak, and family matters. This important for the artist to discuss relatable topics as this is what will engage the target audience, as most want somebody else to describe what they are feeling. Also, to feel as though they are not going through a situation alone and find comfort in this. Another frequently given answer that they believe Adele is conventional to the genre due to the close ups she includes in her video's. This is a conventional aspect as it helps to portray the genuine emotion from the artist, which in turn captivates the audiences attention as they sympathize for the artist, and feel as though they are beginning to know her on a more personal level. This feedback is beneficial as from analyzing the close results we can incorporate a combination of both relatable topics and close up shots to increase the captivating and engaging effect on the audience.
Youth sub-culture is a group of people who are united through common values and tastes, this includes clothes, music and politics. In addition to this, the group are also positioned outside of what is considered to be mainstream, going against what is expected. Values of a subculture usually included conformity to other members of the subculture and rebelling against the mainstream. They have a negative attitude towards capitalists and communism as they are materialistic. Grant McCraken believes modern world sub cultures come from various cultures but are self sufficient as they can stand up to what is considered mainstream. Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies, otherwise known as CCCS ignores this as they believe that all subcultures come from one culture in a reaction to the mainstream. In contrast Hebdige believes that there is a deeper meaning within the subculture. If you look deeper there is enough richness to warrant renaming subcultures as little subcultures. The theory in which I will apply to my music video is Hebige which I have previously discussed, which he believes if you look deeper, there is enough richness to warrant renaming subcultures into little subcultures because what they consider to be mainstream is different to another. He states this as the subcultures goes against typical conventions which makes them diverse. I think this applies to my music video because I think that the soul genre is not necessarily considered mainstream to many, whereas a genre such as Pop and Rap would be.
Vox Pops are interviews from members of the public which provide a snapshot of the public's opinion. Throughout my vox pops in which I have recorded on a media device enables me understand what the audience would like, and expect to see in my chosen genre music video. Open questions are questions in which the audience can expand their answer on in further depth and detail. Whereas closed questions are questions in which the audience will give a simple answer to which could be one worded or yes or no. An example of this could be asking the audience what is your gender or age. This allows us to find out information on who we are questioning which helps us to also narrow down our information to find our target audience and what they specifically enjoy most. The questionnaire and vox pops are beneficial to me as it allows me to gather information about what my target audience enjoy, and expect to see in soul music video so I can try and incorporate these aspects and engage the audience as much as possible.
Vox Pops
This research has been beneficial and useful to my research on what my target audience enjoy to watch in the genre of music for the video I will be creating. I asked the people that I questioned the questions and they wrote their answer down onto a piece of paper so that they had time to think of their answer and would be able to say it easily when I recorded. This overall allowed me to collect valid information as the audience had time to think of their answer instead of on the spot which can be quite daunting and for people which are not media students allows them to understand the question fully. It enables my group to see what the audience are expecting and what they believe is conventional to the genre and will overall hopefully engage the audience. Within my music video I will attempt to incorporate my results which I have collected throughout the use of my questionnaire in order to try and make my music video successful and be engaging and interesting for the audience to watch. An example of what I am going to include in my music video is slow paced editing as this allows the audience to focus on that particular scene as this could be an important key scene that helps to show the narrative and explain the lyrics. Another is the song choice in which the people I surveyed suggested which was their favorite Adele song, the most common choice was "Hometown Glory" so we managed to narrow down our song choice to 3 different options in order to appeal to our target audience. In addition to this I will ensure that I will included camera angles and techniques in which the audience finds most effective, so hopefully this will engage them and help them to understand what is happening within the music video and be able to relate more. If I was to carry out my research again I would asked a different variety of questions which enabled me to specifically find out which elements the target audience would like to see in my music video.
Another cinematography technique which we will use in the music video is a close up shot. This shot typically helps to tightly frame a person or object which is regularly used within films. This particular shot will be used when the artist is singing as this will help to display the emotion and passion as she is singing to the audience as this is a clearer way to portray this. This will help to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they see her true, raw emotion and believe that this is the audience wanting to share these feelings in order to show that this subject can be relatable to everyone. The audience feel as though they are beginning to know the artist as they have shared their emotions and feelings which is something you would usually do if you were close to somebody and felt as though you could trust them. This shot is conventional to the soul genre as this helps to represent the artist at the most vulnerable times as this helps to show raw emotion which is brought on by the emotional and personal topics which she is singing about. This again helps the audience to relate to the artist as they see her as an ordinary girl which has feelings just like the audience does and allows them to sympathise for her, engaging further into the music video. The close up used is one that I have noticed is most used throughout this genre and how successful it is every time it is used in one of the videos of this music genre. This is because this particular genre, Soul is predominately based around personal and heart felt topics which can't help but display some sort of emotion. Close up shots are the best way to illustrate this emotion as there is no cover for the artist as all of their genuine emotions are shown on screen. The particular camera shot allows the artist to be emotional and lonely as the emotion and facial expressions used help to represent this. Additionally, the artist is portrayed as a genuine person as she isn't tried to hide or mask the fact she is emotional about the subject she is singing. We want to capture this in order to engage the audience further and feel as though they are building a relationship with the artist as they are sympathising for her.
Another cinematography technique in which my group are wanting to include in our soul genre music video is a high angle shot. This is a camera technique where the camera looks down at the subject or person from a higher angle than them which can make the subject seem smaller suggesting the subject to be powerless and vulnerable. This particular camera technique will be used when the artist is playing the piano whilst singing her lyrics to show the vulnerability of the artist. This type of shot is conventional to the soul music genre because it helps to portray the artist as inferior and powerless, which also suggests that they are weak and vulnerable due to this. The camera shot will help to represent our artist as vulnerable as this is being used at the same time as she is singing her lyrics which she is becoming emotional and upset over which can be seen throughout the use of facial expressions and body language. In addition to this the artist will also be represented as down to earth and genuine as she is not trying to cover up her true and raw emotion for the audience as she is being showed in a vulnerable state and to be powerless at the same time. The audience may be able to build a relationship with the artist because they may be able to relate to the situation that the artist is in and feel as though they have an insight to the artists life as they are seen in a natural state and are not covering up the emotions of the artist. 
Another cinematography camera technique in which we would like to include in our music video is a panning shot. This is the technique of moving the camera horizontally to the left or right, which allows you to follow or track a person or subject with the additional help of a tripod. This particular camera technique will be used when the artist is singing and perfuming the piano as well as using this technique when filming in London. This particular shot is not necessarily conventional to the soul music genre as I have not seen this technique used in many of the music videos of this genre I have analysed. However, the connotations of the shot could be used in a soul music video as the connotations could be conventional. The panning shot of the camera moving from left to right will help to show the location of London clearly for the audience. This could be conventional as it allows the audience to see the location clearly and reiterate the rem incising which the artist is doing and remind the audience how low and vulnerable the artist is feeling with fame as she is feeling lonely. In addition to this, the panning shot will also be used when the artist is singing whilst playing the piano, this means that there will be multiple shots of this action as the camera is moving from left to right. This again could reiterate the emotions of the artist as the audience are seeing this more than once. They can see the artist in her true state of vulnerability. In addition to this, the camera technique helps to create a calm, relaxed feel to the video which is conventional to the soul genre as the audience are focused mainly on the expressions of the artist. 
The last camera technique which I would like to include into my music video is a point of view shot. This shot can also be referred to as a POV shot which helps to show what the character is looking at through camera shots. This camera shot will be used within our music video when the artist is returning to her hometown of London and when she is performing on the stage. This will enable the audience to see where the artist is heading to. They will get to see a glimpse of the location then the point of view shot of the emotions and facial expressions shown by the artist which helps the audience to recognise how happy she is that she is returning home. In addition to this, point of view shots will also be used when the artist is performing on a stage in her old school, this is to show a memory to the audience which will be shown by filters. The point of view shot will again help to show the emotion of the artist at this stage and her facial expressions which again shows her happiness to be back. This shot is conventional to the soul music video genre because it enables the audience to relate to the artist more easily as this strengthens the relationship because she is showing her emotions and vulnerable state.The camera shot presents the artist as although she is coming across as happy, this shows her as down and lonely also because she is happy about something that has happened in the past and is no longer how she feels. She is coming across this way as she is in her safe place, her comfort zone of being on stage before she found fame and became to feel lonely.This shot also helps to portray the artist as vulnerable as she is feeling lonely and afraid. This helps to build a relationship with between the artist and the audience because they may be able to relate as the audience may have felt like this at some point. This shot represents the artist again as vulnerable and powerless due to the fact the shot helps to show to the audience multiple times how the artist is feeling. This may engage the audience as they feel sorry for the artist as she is feeling lonely and down, in which they may be able to relate.
