The Pitch

Matt - Initial idea

Our initial idea was to create a narrative music video which told the story of a couple whoes relationship failed due to the main actor being hit by a car. However we decided against this as we would find it hard to make the video a proffessional standard which would mimic the conventions found in the industry.

Hannah - Target audience

After resesrching into our target market we did primary research such as questionaires, focus groups and asked questions online which allowed us to find out that our target market was primarily an older audience with younger audiences not showing much interest in the genre of music. This is what made our group decide to change from a narrative to a concept video. This was due to older generations having more interest in this style of genre (alternative/indie). We also tried to incorporate intertextual references to further entice our targeted audiences. Our main concepts came from a combination of our primary research and they consisted of the use of an oak tree, a barn and a field with a horse.

Maizy - Inspiration

We got a lot of our inspiration from the musical group ''Hurts''. The ballet style outfits as well as the contempory dance moves fitted in well with our chosen genre and song. The Oscar winning movion picture ''Black Swan'' was the main inspiration behind our make up designs and final choices. This was because we wanted a bold image that not only represented our concepts but stood out on the camera and looks elegant.

Lauren -Final idea

For our final idea we finally decided to combine a concept video with a performance style. We selected and used several key elements for our music video which were the use of the barn, the oak tree and the field with the horse. We also incorporated a dance which was symbolic of the womens role in the relationship.

Planning our Pitch

To make our pitch as clear as possible we wanted to plan it carefully before describing our plan, why we decided to do what we did and how we developed our ideas to fit audience expectations and elements often used in the specific genre.

We decided to brake the pitch up into four main points;

1) Original ideas -reasons why we didn't go ahead with our initial ideas

2) Target audience - market research, primary and secondary

3)Inspiration - ( similar genre styles)
4) our final idea - why, what and how

We finally decided on these four headings as they not only covers the main elements of our planning, decision making process and research and analysis but also makes the speechmore interesting to watch as there are four points, and also four members of the group, meaning the audience will be less likely to become bored.

To decide on the headings we held group discussions in both of our weekly meetings to find the four headings which would be the most useful to get across exactly why we planned to do what we did. The democratic style of the group allows us to play around with various ideas and test out which work best. This was key to deciding how the pitch would flow and what it contained.

Light and Filter Testing

We decided to test out a few different lights and filters so we could get the best possible outcome on screen. We did this as we mainly shot outside and in a barn where day light would be a key factor, therefore if the weather was wet, rainy or dull we could use the best lighting to brighten up the scene for camera.

1. LED strip lighting

The LED lighting was effective when being used indoors and outdoors as although being yellow didn't give off a golden tint, therefore resulting in a cleaner lighting that would make our scene of a better visual quality. However the only downfall of this lighting is that it can only be used for a certain amount of time due to being supplied by the mains power.

2. Mains Powered Yellow Light

When testing this type of light we discovered it gave off a fairly strong yellow tint to objects which is not what we were looking for. However it did have a good range of lighting outside spreading over quite a distance. A negative of this type of lighting is also that it is powered by mains which yet again only gives us a certain amount of time to film.

3. Car Light

Lastly we tested the effect of car lighting, which proved to be good in brightening up the scene and giving a strong lighting over a long distance which would be good for filming outside, however a car is inappropriate for positioning it would be very hard to get it in the right place for our setting. However it is an option unlike the other 2 lightings that it is not powered by the mains and therefore we could use it for a long period of time.

Filters

In low vision rehabilitation, various light filters have been employed to improve visual function, we tested the filters to see the effects of reflection of either produced light or day light.

The white filter wasn't greatly effective in reflecting the light, it created a very dim reflection not really lighting up objects. These sort of filters are rarely used it would only be effective if we were filming in a dark setting not outdoors which we will be aiming to do.

The gold and silver reflector films proved to be a lot more effective, the metallic colour of the films enabled the light to be directed more to a specific object but also conveyed a stronger light. The gold film seamed to be more effective indoors as the gold glow effect it radiates is

more visible to the eye under lower levels of external light.

Dance Routine

Having settled on a final idea we decided to start on the dance. We had decided that two dancers would be enough, as we wanted to portray the relationship between the two people in the song through the dance.

Initially we had asked two dancers who looked similar to each other, and planned to have them dancing simultaneously throughout the entire video. However, a week before filming one of the dancers informed us they were unable to perform. As a result one of us had to fill in. Having previously done some dancing as a child, I offered to do it.

As the other dancer (Beth) and I began to choreograph the dance, and after consulting with the rest of the group, we thought it would be a good idea to use the dance as a symbolism between the couple. Since Beth and I are polar opposites in our facial features we decided it would be a good idea if I symbolized the man and Beth symbolized the woman.

At the beginning of the dance Beth started off in a very submissive position and I began in a dominant position. The style of dance (inspired by Hurts – A Wonderful Life), is very angular, showing the harshness of the relationship. Normally, dance is very fluid and beautiful to watch, however this dance is deliberately disjointed, to show the relationship falling apart.

We have deliberately shown moments of almost balletic style of dancing in order to show the relationship wasn’t always how it was described. Also, to show how there were moments of beauty, we have tried to make intertextual links to the film Black Swan.

During the dance, Beth and I drift out of synchronization and more into a duet; this to show the relationship falling apart and finally, the dance is repeated in cannon to show that they are no longer together.

The end position is vital as it shows how the roles have fully reversed; the man, (shown through me) is dominated by the woman, (shown through Beth) who is set free and no longer trapped.

Below is a short clip of us devising the dance; it is sped up by 300% so you can get an idea of what we were trying to accomplish.

Final Concept Idea

After conducting both our primary and secondary research into the target audience we realised that the best way to access our market would be through something a bit more artistic and possibly directed towards the concept side rather than a narrative. However, we did not dismiss the narrative entirely, as we incorporated short clips of narrative. Also, we decided to try and incorporate the performance element through dancers and the lead singer through the lyrics.

Our main concepts in the video are freedom and lost love, showing the two sides of a failed relationship. We interpreted the song that the man is unhappy about the break up of the relationship, whereas the woman has finally gained her freedom.

We planned to show these concepts in several ways; a baby mobile, a horse, the dance itself, the location, the day we choose to film on, the burning of some letters, the crushing of a rose and getting rid of a ring. The baby mobile is intended to represent his hopes and dreams. The reason we have chosen to incorporate a mobile phone is that the market research from our questionnaire indicated that the twinkling noise in the background reminded the audience of the sound you hear when you wind up a baby mobile. A considered the possibility of starting the video with the front man winding up a baby mobile.

We wanted to try and convey the woman through the horse. A horse is known as a beautiful and gracious creature much like a woman Firstly we planned on showing the horse tethered, symbolising the restrictions the man has put on her. The horse running free symbolises her newfound freedom.

The dance will symbolize the relationship itself. To begin with the dancers will be synchronised, then part way through the song the dancers will start to dance more of a duet and then eventually start to dance in cannon. This symbolizes the break down of the relationship that is described in the video.

The locations we have chosen are mainly outdoors, representing the new found freedom. The barn (where we filmed the dance), shows both the outside pressures and the feeling of being trapped in the relationship.

We hope to film the singing scenes on a miserable day to try and convey his emotions of hurt and anguish. Also, on the days we film the horse, we want quite a bright day to symbolize her hope and newfound independence.

The burning of the letters is to show the deliberate cutting of all ties with the relationship. We have chosen letters because it gives a connection to one of the iconic love films ‘The Notebook’, where the letters play a significant part.

Similarly the getting rid of the ring shows not only how serious they were about severing all ties. Roses are obviously symbolic of love and the crushing of a rose shows the destruction of their love.

Final Costume and Make up Design

The final outcome of the make up and costumes are shown in the picture below. The theme of the costumes yet again follow a black and white theme as when we did our questionnaire some first thoughts of the people were dark, black, depressing, sad and we believe these outfits convey the mood of the song and therefore relevant. Adding to this, a lot of our inspiration came from the band "Hurts" who follow a sort of 1902's/30's theme which involves a lot of lace clothing that is fairly formal and dressy, therefore our outfits evolved from this theme with the lace leotards and small, lace, black hats which yet again emulate a sad and emotional theme.

For the male costume we decided to go with a simple black and white suit, this stereotypically represents a strong masculinity which is the ideal look we were going for. In particular we chose an elder man because the main singer in "Snow Patrol" was age 29 therefore if an actor our age was mining it would not have looked right, therefore we chose Ben Richards who was 28 years. Adding to this, he suited the position of being an attractive and appealing model to the female audience, just as the main singer in "Snow Patrol" is, we decided to follow this convention as it attracts the more female audience to our music video. It can also be linked to the reverse male gaze theory where a man is seen a somewhat sex object that is appealing to the public eye and used to endorse the product.

We went shopping to Primark as we were on a tight budget being students to find the most effective ideas for costumes as we could. We tried several different head pieces, tights, shoes and tops to see what would fit best with our final theme idea following the conventions of the inspiration from both Black Swan and Hurts music videos.

Costume Inspiration

For our costume ideas we were inspired heavily by the contemporary band "Hurts" and how they use the dancers and costume in their videos to emulate a particular mood and atmosphere. The "Hurts" music video Wonderful Life caught our eye whilst exploring existing music videos and the use of costumes.

From the video, you can see predominantly the use of black clothing which is what we discussed in our initial ideas stage. The gloomy colouring in the sky, clothing, building all helps to create a very effective mood on the whole performance. Also in the video better than love the outfits portray a 50's and 60's style with lots of black and white, lace and suits which is what we did with the male costume and the lace tops and small hats in our outfits.

The picture was taken from the Vogue Magazine website within the 'Looklet' section where anyone can 'create looks' by dragging items of clothing onto a model on the screen. An online user of this website has created this look based on the HURTS video - Wonderful Life and the costumes used in that.

The look we wanted to emulate was a very sexual look for the females referring to the male gaze theory. This is why we decided to use netting as in the picture displayed this portrays a feminine sexuality, also the thin tights are very appealing showing the females legs and exposing them to the audience. Black is also portrayed a sexual colour, it is also a very slimming colour to females and worn very often to make themselves look appealing to the public eye as possible.

Initial Make Up Ideas and Inspiration

When we finally decided our concept and idea we tried out make up and costume that may look effective in our video

Due to our production being a concept video, we decided to have the dancers make up and costumes very extravagant and loud.

We tried out bright and vibrant colors as you can see in the first photo, however we decided to stick to a theme of black and white. We used black eye shadow on top of their faces completely painted white, this would make the eyes stand out more. Also we used red lipstick which again against the whiteness of the face would be more exaggerated which is what we were aiming for.

The black and silver design also has the advantage where the actual concept is concerned, as it is 'broken dreams' and therefore is symbolic for misery, and also helps to set the ambiance for the depressing theme of the song the video will have to reflect to the audience.

INSPIRATION

We took a lot of inspiration for our make up ideas from the "The Black Swan" the Oscar award winning film. The makeup in the film was created by Margie Durand and Judy Chin

The look is also inspiring for our music video, it is dramatic and visually striking, so all of the intensity is focused in the eyes. There are elements of beautiful set design that should play a role in the makeup. Thus, the delicate silver branches that played across the swan’s faces came to be. The ensemble swans and the Swan Queen are delicate and romantic with a soft pink lip color, whereas the Black Swan is dark, sharp, and, angular. The look is intense, alluring, and sexy with a bit of danger mixed in, which is the look we want to go for when doing our make up

Story Board for final idea

We created a rough drawing of a story board for our final idea, this was so we had something to keep referring back to whilst planning the rest of our music video and filming it also. We only did a rough version as on the day we knew there may be certain shots or settings that may not work therefore we would need to add ideas to the story board throughout the day.

Final Location

Acton Trussell Acorn Farm was our decided final location, we chose this because it had different backgrounds and settings that we thought would be effective in our music video and suit both the song and the costume ideas we had come up with.

The location we chose was a farm in Acton Trussell, as it was easy for us to get to and had the right types of environments suitable for our music video. After gaining permission from Maizy’s grandparents, we moved the fences in the barn, drove cars onto the land to use the car headlights for lighting, use any of the animals (if we required them), and had access to the farmhouse for electrical plugs and extension.

Because we had full access to the site and no time restrictions this location was far more suitable than the other locations we looked at

The Barn

The barn situated at the farm is very old. The walls are made from concrete and wooden boards which also depicts a 'prison' or somewhere one could feel 'trapped'. This is where the dance routine will be shot and will help to symbolise the women in the failed relationship before the break up as it is suggested through the lyrics that she was trapped, "Do the things you always wanted to, without me there to hold you back, don't think just do..." On the day of filming, we shall have to clear up the area where the dance routine will be performed for example we will sweep up the majority of the hay that is on the ground - we do still want a rustic, natural looking environment so we won't worry too much about the neatness of the area. We will also assess what could potentially be dangerous around and inside the barn and remove anything that could be a risk.

The Oak Tree

The Oak tree, just right of the farm house, is extremely tall and aged. From a distance it creates a beautiful pattern, especially against a clear sky. The trunk of the tree is around 2.5 metres wide meaning it is very sturdy and would not be any potential danger to any one or any equipment whilst filming. We decided to use the Oak tree as one of the main focuses in our music video. Our lead singer (mimer) will be positioned around the tree when we film the shots including him. We decided that by creating shots from various angles, this would show off different views of the tree as well as the lead male. The old Oak tree is also symbolic of something 'dying' - the relationship that is sung about in You Could Be Happy is over therefore we thought that the 'dying' aged tree could represent the recently failed relationship he is expressing about.

The Fields/Animals

The farm house is surrounded by 25 acres of land (fields) and has stunning picturesque views all around them. The fields are separated into different 'segments' creating lots of smaller fields. If we need to, we are able to move the fences which separate the fields to make larger areas to work in. The horses are in the 'main' field day and night so we can move them or even use them if needs be. There is enough room for the horses to run and walk in large shapes. To portray the freedom of the woman sung about in the song after the breakup of the relationship, we have considered using one of the horses being led around the fields by a person (who would resemble the man) and eventually have the creature running free on her own to reflect her new found freedom since breaking up from her partner.

Distribution and Marketing

Distribution is how albums get into shops. Distribution companies sign deals with record labels (or very rarely, directly with artists) that gives them the right to sell that label's products to record stores that have an account with that distributor. The distributor takes a cut of income from each album sold and then pays the label the remaining balance.

Some distributors expect a record label to provide them with finished product, but sometimes a distributor will do an "M&D" deal with a label. M stands for manufacturing and distribution. With this set up, the distributor will pay for all of the manufacturing costs of an album up front, and then keep all of the income from the album until that initial investment is paid off.

These distribution companies will market the music product so it is in the public eye. Gone are the days where music was solely advertised in music stores To create positive connotations of music the companies provide press kits, posters, signs, billboards, mobile billboards, TV adverts and even coffee mug branding mainly public places in towns, cities, on buses the most busy areas where a wide range of people are more likely.

Furthermore launch parties and press releases with interviews and previews to the song attract more attention.

Some of the most popular companies are:

Proper Music Distributor

The largest independent distributor in the UK, Proper Music Distribution provides top quality distribution services to over 400 labels from around the world supplying UK retailers and export accounts.

Proper Music have now been voted “Distributor Of The Year” two years running in 2009 and now in 2010 at the Music Week Awards.

Nova Music Distributor

After ten years of trading Nova remains one of the primary Independent Distributors of Music and Music DVD in the UK. They specialise not only in placing and selling titles and stocks at Retail and Online but getting effective marketing in place.
They prioritise and work releases at retail and online-schedule and actively promote releases with the label's promotion updates to gain profile on over 300 of the leading Global download and mobile sites Inc. I Tunes & Amazon.

They work with the very best pluggers in the country and Export to all overseas territories, and arrange Manufacturing on labels' behalf and can present a one stop 360% solution to any label's needs.

Music Consumption

Consumption is also important. In 2005 CD purchases dropped from 3 million to 2.7 million. This suggested another factor for music consumption. The factor was internet download sites which involves synergy, the way in which production, consumption and distribution are connected for a better positive outcome. There are three ways to download music. Paid subscription, free downloads and illegal downloads which if consumed is classed as piracy infringing the copyright law. The British Music Association estimates that 10.7 million illegal downloads were being consumed through music each year proving to be the most popular way of music consumption. New digital download sites are becoming a large industry effecting audi

ences and distributors. This involves the uses and gratifications theory which in

stead of the effect the media has on the audience this approach studies what the audience does with the media. Therefore when consuming music on to technology such as computers allows the audience to listen to it when and where they want, it suits them taking into account their personality and needs not just when the music can be played on a CD Player at home making the consumers more of an active audience rather than passive.

The most popular sites and websites for consumption are

:

I Tunes

iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. I Tunes can connect to the I Tunes Store to purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, I Pod Games, Audio Books, Podcasts, movies and movie rentals and Ring Tones. The I Tunes store is available to anyone who wants it, simply just purchase and download the software from a disk. It provides any music at charge to download and it is estimates that 10.5 millions songs are downloaded from I tunes every month.

You Tube Converter

Video2mp3 is a free video to MP3 Converter and allows you to convert and download a video to MP3 file online. This service is fast, free, and requires no signup. All you need is a Video URL, and our software will transfer the video to our server, extract the MP3, and give you a link to download the audio file. So you are able to listen to your favorite YouTube tracks on every MP3 player. Enter the URL from any valid video page,

click "Convert" and this application will quickly grab the flash video file and extract the audio as a downloadable MP3. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a minute or so. This is a more recent way of music consumption that is free of charge therefore it is becoming one of the most popular ways to download music it is estimated that 5.2 million songs are downloaded through youtube converter every month more than I Tunes.

Media Convergence

Media Convergence - " Convergence is the process where several media channels come together to exists and operate in synergy or rather in harmony."

In the modern day changes in communications, information and technologies are reshaping almost every aspect of contemporary life, including music. This has changed our ways of viewing and listening to music massively as a growing, wide range of technologies are enabling consumers to view media content in many more ways and in the process, these technologies have altered the ways that consumers interact with each other and music institutions.

Music can now be downloaded off I tunes on to I pod, I phones, laptop

s and computers. It offers music clips through digital sites such as Myspace, facebook, youtube, bebo and twitter where MTV published backstage clips of Cheryl Coles new music video "The Flood" which allowed discussion of the video and in the first month facebooks group had over 10,000fans. This relates to the hypodermic theory injecting these teasers into the public eye creates excitement and designed to trigger a desired response, people are seen as passive and as having a lot media material "shot" at them thus giving them only one view because that in the only one exposed to them. These sites help reach the younger audience as statistics show 300 million out of 500 million users of Facebook are under 21 and spend up to 500 billion minutes on facebook each month, therefore putting the song on to this site engages this young audience it is a clever piece of advertising as consumers are actually advertising film themselves through their discussion of it. These sites also encourage fans to participate. MTV recently ran a joint initiative with top record label EMI which encouraged fans and up and coming hopefuls to record their interpreted version of the song and publish it on Facebook and the chosen winner would get to go to the studio at EMI and record their song professionally.

MTV Music Channels

Music Television is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. They are the most popular and successful music channel today and have been for many years. With several channels MTV plays and promotes different bands, groups, soloists and types of music for the public to see, the new up coming artists are put out in the media for the audience to view. However not forgetting MTV not only focuses on the new but the old also, highlighting the past legendary artists from years ago.The channels are:

MTV

This channel mainly focuses on the UK Top 40 singles that week, the

refore the most popular choices from the audience are played on this channel.

However these could be from any

genre or type of band or soloist so there is a mixture of music played on the m

ain MTV channel. Adding to this, also showing many of the top tv programmes mainly aiming at the younger audience as they are documentaries, interviews and most reality shows about famous music artists.

MTV BASE

MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hip-hop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom on J

uly 1 1999. It represents a more street appearance or "gangster style" the fashion of t

hese genres are more likely to be big baggy clothes, chains, the women may wear very revealing clothing using their sexual

appeal to gain the publics attention.

MTV HITS

Mtv hits focuses on all the mainstream music, up coming artists with potential huge hits are played on this channel therefore it could be a

range of genres. Not only this but all the recent hits are played most the top 10 or 20 songs as they are the major hits at the time for people to see.

MTV DANCE

MTV Dance is a 24-hour dance music channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel is widely available throughout Europe on subscription satellite and digital television services. It focuses on all the major dance music hits which could be from genres such as dub step, base line, electro, house, trance and more. MTV Dance originally started out as a programming slot on the now defunct digital music channel MTV Extra.

MTV ROCKS

MTV Rocks clearly plays music all from the rock genre this can be specifies to heavy metal, garage, punk, psychedelic rock glam rock and more. The sort of style this genre represents can be portrayed as very hard core but dark and sometimes very depressing. The clothing is mainly dark, black clothing, leather, chains, spikes, luminous yellow, pinks, greens,blues. Furthermore crazy hair styles or messy hair doos and often rock could be associated with a lot of blood and death. It is definitely a unique style however there are very subtle versions of rock and more hardcore types.

MTV CLASSIC

MTV Classic brings music to viewer and listeners from a range of ages, the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's all the previous hits from years before played to satisfy mainly an older audience however anyone interested in older music from all the ages. This therefore covers a range of styles from platforms and flares to punk rock spikes and chains.

MTV R

A rebrand of TMF) when TMF was first launched it was described as being “ designed to replicate the rhythms of the whole family, playing the best pop videos with the biggest pop stars to become the sound track to the British family life." VIVA still uses this concept but films and programs for the sister channels are also shown.

Censorship

CENSORSHIP OF WORDS

In order to allow songs to be played wherever possible, it is common to censor particular words. Some music labels or artists produce censored versions themselves, sometimes with alternative lyrics, to comply with the rules set by various radio and television programs. Some stations decide to censor them themselves using one of several methods:

• 
  

• Repeating; repeating the word just said before the explicit word was used.

• Skipping; deleting the word from the song without a time delay.

• Echo; instead of saying a word, it echoes the last word(s) said in the line.

Blanking; when the volume is muted for all or part of the word.

Bleeping; playing a noise, usually a "beep", over all or part of the word.

In 2009, Britney Spears' single "if you seek amy" sparked controversy in the United States due to the implications of the title. When sung fast, as Spears does in the song, the words "if you seek Amy" appear to sound different. The song was censored in the United States and retitled as "If U See Amy", removing the "k". However, the song went uncensored in most other nations. In the United Kingdom, the song was retitled "Amy" . This is the version that has been played on BBC Radio 1 and most other radio stations in England.

In many songs, the word "ass" is usually censored when it is used as an assault or sexually, usually by distorting the word, or silencing part or the whole word.

In less extreme cases even some words like, in Rihanna's "unfaithful", some stations censor the word "gun",

CENSORSHIP OF IMAGES

In 2000 Robbie Williams’s video for “Rock DJ” caused controversy as it showed him naked and peeling off his own skin revealing flesh. This was banned in the Dominican Republic and censored in the UK for purely shocking and disturbing imagery to the public and in particular the younger generation

In 2002 Russian band T.A.T.U caused controversy with “All The Things She Said” it showed the girls embracing and eventually kissing. Richard and Judy the television presenters began a campaign to have the video banned as they thought it would be highly appealing to pedophiles with the use of school uniforms and young girls kissing. The kiss was also choreographed into the girls live performance and when they appeared on Top of the Pops the kiss was replaced by audience footage so that it was not shown on television.

Applying Goodwin's Theory

1 - Beyonce’s and J-Z’s music video Déjà vu conforms to Goodwin’s theory as there is definitely a connection between the lyrics and the visuals. Déjà vu can be defined as experiencing something that you may have seen before it implies a craziness and madness from the person and this is represented through the way Beyonce dances in the video. Her choreography could be classed as crazy with fast dance moves perhaps out of control to try and portray the madness that déjà vu can make a person. And the setting being in an almost "jungle" background represents being in the "wild" which also links to the theme of deja vu sending someone insane. Adding to this “ the sexiness is so appealing I can’t let it go” the lyrics in the part of the song are indicated also through the way Beyonce dances which is very provocative and the clothing she wears which is very appealing with little covering her and short, tight outfits that show her womanly figure.

2 - Further more as Goodwin implies there can be a relationship between the music and the visuals for example in this music video it amplifies this point, the editing and cuts of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song for a specific effect. The beat in the song is fairly quick therefore the director has used several short, quick and fast cuts throughout the entire video adding to this flashes of light on certain scenes to again reiterate the theme craziness and madness that déjà vu is meant to portray.

3 - The video follows the conventions of Goodwin’s theory as it also contains genre specifc characteristics to RnB and Rap music. A common feature of this genre is performance based music videos which we see in “déjà vu” both Beyonce and Jay-z lip sink into the camera to perform the song to the audience. Adding to this, many RnB videos contain stereotypical hip hop dancing which is what Beyonce does, she represents the genre by more provocative dance moves but also quick fast and upbeat which are conventions of hip hop dancing.

4 - Due to the demands of the record label, the artists video includes several close ups of the main singer which is does in this case of both Beyonce and Jay-z. This is allows the record label to promote a set image for the artists which will help its target audience. The audience this music video is aimed at is a younger age 16-25 therefore the colours used are bright and bold which tends to attract a younger audience. Also both the singers in the eyes of young viewers are seen as “attractive” which is a main feature of the RnB genre and the close ups used show the attractiveness and sexiness which they are trying to portray with Beyonce for example at the start of the video is shows her bare skin” which is seen as provocative hence attracting a younger audience males but also females who would like to look like Beyonce.

5 - This video also conforms to the “male gaze” theory which is used to attract a male audience, it focuses on certain aspects that appeal to men. This is a voyeuristic view of, and objectification, of women. In this video there is an emphasis on Beyonce looking directly into the camera which helps the audience connect with the artist. In particular the clothes Beyonce wears attracts the males very tight and little clothing again showing her womanly figure. Her long, flowing hair could also be portrayed as stereotypical of a. “attractive” woman. Also the way she dances throughout in particular the scene with Jay-z involved very provocative moves and close proximity between the two implying a sexual attraction that may appeal to a male audience.

6 - This video doesn’t show intertextual references, where there is reference to other forms of media. This would mean perhaps showing one of the singers on a mobile phone, watching television or reading a magazine. This is a very popular feature In music videos it can help to move a plot on in a narrative based video for example a “break up” can be shown through a text message. However in this particular video there is no referencing of other media.

Goodwin's Theory

Media theologist Andrew Goodwin identified several key features of music videos which are used in almost all contemporary videos.

1 - There can be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, either amplifying or contradicting them.

This can mean that the themes, mise-en-scene or events of the video match with lyrics of the song, to help put across the message of the song and video.

2 - There can be a relationship between the music and the visuals, either amplifying or contradicting them.

This can mean that the cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song matching cuts or effects to specific drum beats or notes.

3 - Music videos have genre characteristics.

This means that certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example a girl band is expected to have dancers and close ups of the singers, whilst a metal band is expected to have performance shots of guitars and drums cut to a fast beat.

4 - Often due to the demands of the record label, artists videos will include many close ups of the artist and will often develop motifs that recur across multiple videos.

This allows the record label to promote a set image for the band, which will help target audiences empathise with the band.

5 - There is often an emphasis on 'looking'

means that the 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This most often means a voyeuristic view of, and an objectification, of women. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera. This helps the audience connect with the artist.

6 - Often there can be intertextual references.

This means that music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film, but sometimes television and classic music videos.