Group Discussion: Brainstorm

Group Discussion:
Brainstorm created on- https://bubbl.us/

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3rd Textual Analysis: Words of Love- The Beatles

My 3rd textual analysis is an annotation based analysis to the music video 'Words of Love- The Beatles

The song 'Words of Love' was originally made by Buddy Holly and released on 20th of June, 1957 under Coral Records. The Beatles then did their own cover version a few years later on their album 'Beatles for Sale', released on 4th of December, 1964.

The music video of 'Words of Love' is actually a brand new video in honor of the release of the new Beatles' collection 'On air- Live at the BBC Volume 2', under Apple Corporation ltd, in November 2013. The video includes old shots of The Beatles on television and performing. Additionally, cartoon animations have been incorporated into the video; to demonstrate that this is a modern take on a popular song from the 1960's. Links between the past and present in this music video are shown frequently.

As this is a modern version of an older song, I think it would be good to use this music video for inspiration as our style model. This is because we intend to incorporate a modern twist onto the song 'All Day and All of the Night' by The Kinks, when it comes to filming our music video.

Annotation's had to be edited through Windows Live Movie Maker as the video was removed on YouTube due to copyright laws. The video has therefore been uploaded to a video sharing site similar to YouTube, that is Vimeo.com.

Please pause the music video to allow time to read the annotations.

Callum Hind A2 Media A Level Textual Analysis from Callum Hind on Vimeo.

 Additional points:

-Throughout the music video, the boarder is shaped like an old fashioned television, demonstrating initial references to the 1960's era.
- At times, the relationship between music and visuals appear to be illustrative as some actions are performed in synchronization with the music such as The Beatles dancing in line and the policeman dancing. However, most of the shots show a contradicting relationship between music and visuals as they're not performance based, and so are not edited specifically in time to the music.
- The relationship between lyrics and visuals again can be illustrative at times, as lyrics such as 'love' can occasionally relate to the visuals on screen (love hearts of smoke). It was interesting to see that no lip syncing was incorporated into the music video, meaning that there was no amplifying relation between lyrics and visuals. This demonstrated to me that lip syncing isn't necessarily essential for a music video to be effective and in turn, successful.
- No specific story-line or narrative was shown as it was solely made up of random shots of The Beatles previous experiences.

Video Group Discussion of Ideas

Location Scouting

In order to create an effective music video which creates this 1960's mise en scene with a modern twist, we have decided to look for locations that have a traditional feel to them, (not being modern).
A few shots may consist of terraced houses, as we think this will create a perfect setting for the music video. Me and Georgia got these images from Chesterfield and Danesmoor.

Photo slideshow created on www.animoto.com

Costume & Hair Boards (Pre- Production Planning)

Using Pinterest, me and Georgia both created an image board for male and female hair and clothing styles from the 1960's. This was to give us inspiration for the type of clothing, hair and make- up we will use in our own music video; but incorporating a modern twist onto the style. Next we intend to search around local charity stores for clothing of this genre and style.

Through Pinterest we searched for images of other Bands similar to The Kinks and within the same era, such as The Beatles and The Animals; for band style models.

For the female board we looked at many modelling images from 'Twiggy', who was an iconic model in the 1960's and used those as examples.

In order to incorporate a modern twist into the music video we compared styles from the 1960's to more recent images of models, to see whether they had similarities or differences.

Follow Georgia Tooby A2 Media- Womens Costume Board on Pinterest Follow Callum Hind A2 Media- Male Costume Board on Pinterest

Production Process

Distribution Process

The process of music distribution occurs once a song has been produced by an artist. The song then undergoes this process through many traditional and online record distributors in order to reach their audiences. Record distributors simply provide a connection between the artist/ band and their fans. How successful the distribution process is will all depend upon a number of factors such as the record companies budget and the companies used to distribute. Small time record distributors are less likely going to reach a large audience than a more established mass media downloading site such as iTunes. If little is spent on advertising by record companies to promote an artist/ band and their song, then this could cause problems when trying to distribute to a mass audience, especially if the band/ artist is fairly new in the music industry. Record distributors are essential to an artist/ bands success in order to get as many viewers as possible, to in turn break even and make a profit on their product.

Previously; methods of music distribution consisted of the producer sending out the same amount of songs to every possible distributor, expecting high sales in return. However, in order to make distribution more efficient, producers now study the audiences that sellers appeal too and also the music genre they may specialise in. By doing so they can then send out a specific amount of products that are more realistically going to sell by various distributors, in order to make distribution more effective by costing them less in the first place.

Categorising music distributors (with examples):

- Major label vs. independent
The largest music distributors remain to be the ones associated with the big record labels within the music industry that are: WEA Distribution (Warner Music Group), Capitol/ EMI Distribution (Time Warner) Sony/ BMG Distribution and UNI Distribution (Vivendi Universal). Independents tend to be regional or national, the biggest being Curb Distribution.

- Subdistributors
Subdistributors purchase from the major distributors previously stated and sell to other, smaller individual retailers.


- Regional, National and International
Smaller distributors such as individual record stores, not large enough to compete with major distributors on a national scale will sell in a smaller geographical area. International distributors sell overseas.



- Online, Digital Distributors
Now the most popular, frequently used form of media distribution operating in a virtual world. Websites such as Napster, iTunes, YouTube, Rhapsody and downloadable applications like Spotify and Deezer provide the user with instant access to songs and other media products. Physical products are also available to be purchased from these sites. Through technical convergence, sites and applications like these are becoming more accessible on a variety of media devices.

- Niche Distributors
Many smaller individual distributors specialise in certain genre; restricting their customers by aiming for a specific target market/ audience.

Traditional forms of music distribution through record stores and other retailers such as HMV are closing down and reducing their music space within stores. This is due to digital distribution taking over majority of sales in the market and are continuously increasing as percentages in CD sales of rapidly on the decrease. Although traditional sales in vinyl and CD's have drastically fell- being replaced by online download sales, the music distributors role are virtually the same as before.

Uses and Gratifications- Audience Theory

Denis McQuail's Audience 'Uses and Gratifications' theory.
This version of the Uses and Gratifications theory focuses on how and why people use the media, rather than how audiences are affected by the media, which is linked to the Hypodermic Needle model. This theory has been changed and adapted by various theorists. McQuail's version is one of many. He outlined common reasons for media use:
Source- http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/usegrat.html

Information
- Finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world.
- Seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices.
- Satisfying curiosity and general interest.
- Learning; self-education.
- Gaining a sense of security through knowledge.

Personal Identity

- Finding reinforcement for personal values.
- Finding models of behaviour.
- Identifying with valued other (in the media).
- Gaining insight into one's self.

Integration and Social Interaction

- Gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy.
- Identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging.
- Finding a basis for conversation and social interaction.
- Having a substitute for real-life companionship.
- Helping to carry out social roles.
- Enabling one to connect with family, friends and society.

Entertainment

- Escaping, or being diverted, from problems.
- Relaxing.
- Getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment.
- Filling time.
- Emotional release.
- Sexual arousal.

Music video examples:

Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines:
(Entertainment) Audiences may gain 'enjoyment' and satisfaction from watching a pop music video such as Blurred Lines. This song has two music videos, one demonstrated below and an additional explicit unrated version that includes women appearing half naked. This version is band from YouTube and needs to be accessed from external sites such as www.vevo.com. Audiences may voluntarily seek out this unrated version for 'sexual arousal' as stated within 'entertainment'.

Jake Bugg- Messed Up Kids
(Interaction and Social Interaction). Due to this being a new release song, audiences may actively seek out the song/ music video to 'identify with others' in order to gain a 'sense of belonging' and 'acceptance'.
(No music video available, just audio as it's a new release)

Aretha Franklin- Respect 
(Personal Identity). Women may watch this to find a 'model of behaviour' by 'identifying with a valued other', in order to gain strength and confidence and aspire to be like her.
(No original music video available)

Bob Dylan- Masters of War
(Information) This is a famous anti- war protest song. The audience may watch it to 'learn'; gaining 'self education' from the lyric meanings and to 'satisfy curiosity' and 'general interest'.
(No original music video available)

Push/ Pull Industry Marketing Theory

A 'push' system consists of the industry 'pushing' information and content towards the consumer/ user. This means that the marketer has the control over what the consumer sees, when they see it and how they see it. However, a 'pull system is whereby the consumers are in voluntary demand for a media product so they actively seek out and request it, therefore 'pulling' it towards themselves.



Jake Bugg is a good example of a recent 'indie' music artist under Mercury Records, that concentrates mainly at a niche audience/ market. Through the use of social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook, it allows users (fans) to follow him and 'retweet' his 'tweets'. Jake currently has 312,011 followers on Twitter and 354,398 fans on Facebook. This provides Jake with greater promotion and marketing as his followers are voluntarily sharing his information to others; creating awareness within the online music community. Relating solely to his twitter page; this can directly be linked to the push/pull media theory. For example by a Twitter user voluntarily following his page, they are 'pulling' his information towards them. If Jake then 'tweets' to his followers it could be argued that he/ or his record company are 'pushing' promotional information onto the consumer, although it was the consumers decision to request and seek out the information in the first place. This therefore argues that there are crossovers within the theory.

In the case of the Arctic Monkeys website (Previous blog post- Industry Research (marketing)- Arctic Monkeys Case Study), there are links to various other related websites and pages such as 'photos', 'videos', 'releases', 'fans forum' and their YouTube account. It is then the consumers choice to access these links and 'pull' the content towards them, in theory giving them the greater power. Some aspects of 'push' marketing still exists. One example is that advertisements are occasionally forced upon you at the beginning of a YouTube video, before the consumer is able to watch what they initially chose to view. Traditionally the music industry mainly used a 'push' model as their main promotional and marketing tool. But it is evident that the industry has transformed into more of a 'pull' model, as the consumer has more control over what they view.

Andrew Goodwin's Features of a Music Video

Andrew Goodwin (Dancing in the Distraction Factory, 1992) identified and then outlined six key features that are generally contained within music videos, that are:

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. dance routine for girl/boy pop group, violence in rap songs and stage performance in punk rock bands).

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. Lyrics can be linked/ represented to visual images. (Either amplifying, contradicting, illustrative)

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. E.g. the beat, rhythm, tone of the song shows links with visual imagery. (Either amplifying, contradicting, illustrative)

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups and shots or the artist/band for recognition and promotion. The artist/ band may then develop motifs (a visual style) that can be seen throughout all their work.

5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (mirrors, screens within screens, stages etc.); and voyeuristic treatment of the female body, particularly in boy bands and rap artist's music videos.

6. Often, but not always, there are intertextual references contained within music videos. (Relating to films, TV programmes or other music videos etc.)

I will use the points from this theory as a basis for each textual analysis I produce.

2nd Textual Analysis: Brianstorm- Arctic Monkeys

Brianstorm- Arctic Monkeys

Industry Research (marketing)- Arctic Monkeys Case Study

Link to online word document below. (www.scribd.com)

Arctic Monkeys Marketing Case Study



















 

The Hypodermic Needle Model- Audience Theory

This theory was first developed in the 1920's and early 1930's. It looks at how the mass media influences its audiences and in turn how the audiences immediately react. This theory is a linear communication theory as it suggests that messages presented by the media are 'injected' straight into the receiver’s brain without any chance to challenge what is being stated; making everyone a passive audience and no different from anyone else.

This theory was introduced around the time that governments had discovered how powerful and influential advertising was, to transfer messages and information to a large group of people through use of propaganda- persuading their audiences to their way of thinking, particularly during World War 1 & 2.

There is no doubt that still to this day, the media has a powerful effect on the audience; influencing the way they think and react. Due to continual increases in technical convergence within society, it makes it much easier for the media creators to influence and inform a mass audience on a much wider scale, if more people have access to technical products to access these media sources. It suggests that as an audience, our opinions and the way we think are manipulated by the media creators and we have no control over it. This theory was one of the first and most comprehensive examinations of how the media works; although it has its limitations. The cultivation/ culmination theory is a more refined version of the Hypodermic Needle Model.

This can be linked to our own media product (music video), as this theory suggests that our audience will watch the video and passively accept it for what it is. As features of ‘The Male Gaze’ are potentially going to be incorporated within our music video, ‘All Day and All Of The Night’- The Kinks; a young girl/women audience may watch the video and aspire to look like the girl in the video. Wearing extravagant and out-going clothing around the time this song was released (1964) was considered unacceptable within society. Audience’s may have been influenced by music videos around that time and have been encouraged to change their behaviours and image; to rebel against societies strict expectations.

Target Audience Questionnaire- Results & Evaluation (Group Work)