Auditions

Before we casted who we wanted to be in the video we needed people to audition to see what skills they have and whether we think they would suit our video in terms of there dance ability and also there look. It was very important for them to dance for there audition because we have decided we want this to be a video with a lot of dancing in it so they need to be a strong dancer and very good at perform.

Here are a few videos of some of the people who we have short listed for our video:

Lip syncing

This is the videos from our lip syncing practice. We did this practice to find out that the hard bits in the song would be and what parts we would need to make sure our cast practices to make sure that is totally in sync.

One part that we found was partially hard was when the chorus repeated several times because or singing ran out of breath and got the words mixed up sometimes as it repeats the same lines quite fast. to make sure this doesn't happen when we are filming for our actually video we will get the singer to rehearse this many times and we may even cut half way through the chorus and then film the second half separately.

We though that this line was going to be difficult however our singing managed to lip sync to it very well and it was in time which makes it look professional. She also sung it in the style of one of the characters in our music video and used a few movements which helped up see what the lip syncing will look like with movement as well and she did it very well so we know that this is not going to be a line we are going to have to many problems with.

We finally decided to record the whole song with just lip syncing to see what it would look like and to see if the singing would struggle. We found that she struggled a little bit because there is a lot of words. However this will not be a problem because we are going to have 5 singers who will be singing different bits at different times so they do not have to sing the whole song. 

costume research

This is a collage of the style of the clothes we think that our  Characters would wear. We have taken inspiration from artists such as Rita Ora, Beyonce and little mix and then we look at what they are wearing and find clothes which are similar to them and then made them unique to our characters so it is unique. All of these clothes are casual and include a lot of denim and leather and they wear of lot of trainers and boots. We liked the use of the denim and we think that this will suit our video. However we didn't like the baggy jumpers as we do not think that this suits our style.

We discovered that in a lot of the videos that they used bright colourful clothing. This helps the artist to stand out. It also adds to the happy upbeat feel that the song and video is trying to portray to the audience. Artists such as Katy perry, Kesha, Beyonce, little mix and Marina use bright clothing in their video.  We really like the bright clothing idea however we will have to be cautions that is does not clash if we are sing a colourful background as well so when picking the costume will we will have to think about the colours very carefully.

We noticed when looking at the Videos that girl groups will often wear the same or similar clothing. This help to reinforce the idea that they are a group and are a unit this helps wight he marketing and getting a fan base for the whole group. We like the idea of in some of the shots that they are wearing the same outfit however since we are on a budget it might be hard to buy them the same outfit so we may have to do similar outfits with clothes that are already available to us.

The song we have chosen is very patriotic so we thought it was very fitting that we used clothing to represent this. Since our song users American people names and dollars we are going to use the American flag. Artists such as Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Lady gaga and Nicki Minaj. We wouldn't use this lots of times through out the video as we think a few times would be more effective.

Here are some sketches that we have designed of different costumes that we may use. When designing these outfits we thought about our target audience. The colour theme that we wanted to go with and also the persona style that each of our characters would have.

Make Up research

When looking at makeup inspiration we looked at videos from Beyonce, Kesha, Fifth harmony, Little Mix and Katy Perry. we won't lots of glitter in our make up as this was a common theme that we found we want the make up to be quite bold and too stand out. We want to use bright colours such as pink but as black and silver as well. The bold Make up helps them stand out from others artists and groups and makes them unique and something that people and fans can remember. However we need to make sure that we doing the make it suits the outfit that they are wearing and also the setting that they are in.

Prop Research

We really want to use props in our video in the most effective way that we can. When looking at other videos we looked at what props were used and whether we thought that they were effective or not as this is going to help us decide what to use in our video.

When researching into videos that are similar to our genre we found an artist named Marina. We found this video where she uses confetti and blows it facing the camera it is a mid shot but she is leaning towards the camera so you see more of her face. We liked this idea however we wanted to keep it in the same theme as the glitter that we will be using as make-up etc so instead of using confetti we could use glitter.

In the Fifth Harmony video they have used Signs with each letter of the word 'Confident' on them as this helps to reinforce the message of the song and is also another visual aspect to add to the video. As a group we really liked this idea and are considering how we could change it and make it effective for our video.





Another Prop that we might consider using is sparklers. This look really effective also add another type of lighting to keep the music video interesting for the viewer. However when using sparklers will we have to be careful due to health and safety.

This is a student video where they are using a sparkler however I do not think that is looks as effective in this video as it does in the professional video I think this maybe because in the professional video they are using other lighting as well which makes the sparkler look brighter and stand out more. So this will be something that we consider when filming to make sure that we get the best possible shot.




This is an example of a sparkler being used to write words which we thinks looks really effective and creative and is something that we haven't seen n a music video yet we think this would be a good idea to have in our music video however we do not know how successful this would when filming.

this is a demi Lovato Video she has used neon body paint and also neon accessories. This adds pops of bright colours in a setting which may be dark it is a good way of just add bits off colour instead off having the whole set full of colour this adds another tone to the video so the neon aspect is something that we will consider.






Kesha has also used neon Paint and used it on her face. I don't think that neon face paint would fit our video or the song we have chosen but it shows another way which it has been used however this time it has been used in a lighter setting and it still looks really effective.

Another Prop that we will consider using is dollar bills. This fits the theme of our video because it s about women having power and earning money. We may use it like they do in the Sam Smith video 'money on my mind' and throw it in the air but we have also consider making the actor hold the money like a fan and fan them selves with it.






As we do not have access to real American money we are going to have to print it off of the computer and cut them out individually. When printing the money out we are going to have to try and make sure they are the same size as real American dollars so that it will be as realistic as possible.

Initial ideas

This is a Brainstorm of our initial ideas. These are several ideas of what we imagine and what we want to include in our music video. We have got these ideas from the student videos and the real videos that we looked into. When looking into our ideas for our location we needed someone that was local so we are able to get to it but we needed to find somewhere that would suit our video and as one of our ideas we wanted to hire out a hall and use the show lights to light the studio this is a common trend that we found in dance/pop music video.

Institutional research

Record Labels

Syco entertainment has signed artists such as Ella Henderson, Olly Murs and Cher lloyd. They have signed groups such as Little Mix, Westlife and Five. These are similar to our group and also the genre that we want to do. Syco is owned by Simon Cowell who is linked to X Factor in the UK and the US this is good for our artist as the is a international record label and this means that they will be able to get recognition around the world.





Warner brother records has signed artists like Jason Derulo, Lily Allen, Michael Buble. They have signed groups such as Metalica and my chemical romance these are rock groups which does not fit in with the genre that we want to do which is pop/dance so this would not be the best record label to go with.  Warner Brother records is an American based record label however they also have artists from around the world.

Sony Records has signed artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears and Calvin Harris these artists haves produced music to the music that is similar to the genre of what we want to do however the we won't to do a group and the groups they have produced have not done similar genres to ours for example Oasis, Backstreet Boys and The Script. Sony Music is a conglomerate from a Japanese company which is based in America. They also create films and games which is another good way that they can expose the artist through synergy which means they have access to different opportunities for the artist.






Universal records has signed artists such as Taylor Swift, Kanye West and lady Gaga. I think that Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga are quite similar genre to the artist that we have chosen. How Kayne is not this shows that this record company produces a wide range of different artists. They have signed groups such as Maroon 5, Mumford and sons and Girls Generation who is a Japanese girl group this shows that they are international.







Island Records have signed artists such as Demi Lovato, Katy Perry and Jessie J these are strong female artists in the music industry and this is how we want to represent our girl group these artist also sing upbeat (dance) songs. They have signed groups such as Florence and the Machine, Mcbusted and Fall out boy.  These are not that similar too our artist which could be a good thing because it would mean that there is no conflict but we would know this record label has experience producing dance music because this is the genre of some of the solo artists.






XL Recordings has signed artists such as Alicia Keys, Adele and Peaches. They have signed groups such as Vampire Weekend, The XX and Radiohead. This are not in the same genre of the music video that we want to create so it would be unlikely we would choose this record label. They are a British Independent record label which means that they may not have as many opportunities to be noticed or heard outside on Britain.





Distribution institutes:

Vevo was launched in 2009 Universal Music Group, Google, Sony Music Entertainment  and Abu Dhabi Media. This outlet provides music from 2 of the big 3 which means that there will be music on there from major artists other then those signed to Warner brothers music group. 

MTV was created in 1981. It is a Music channel created on TV to distribute Music videos to the public so they could watch them all on one channel. This was the first channel to do this. However this may not be the best way to distribute our artists music video because the public now want things more convent to them and on a device they can travel with such as a phone or iPod and this is why Vevo and Youtube are more effective as they are portable and people do not have time to sit at home to watch a music video channel.



YouTube was created in 2005 by 3 former PayPal employees. The aim of YouTube is too create a video sharing website where people can view share and create videos for others to see. YouTube is a good place to distribute music videos for an artist because they can create their own channel and as well as being a place to upload music videos they can also upload other videos to interact with their fans and this is another marketing strategy.

Tidal is a streaming service which has over 25 million tracks and over 75000 music videos.  Tidal was launched in 2014. They have rights from the big 3 record  labels and many other smaller record labels to stream their music. The owner and creator of tidal is also an artist called Jay Z.  Tidal can be downloaded on to any computer or tablet which means that it is portable and can be listened to anywhere. However the user has to pay a monthly fee which may put some users off from using it.

Spotify is another streaming service. It was created in 2006 in Sweden. Record labels such as BBC, EMI, Universal, Warner brothers and Sony distribute their music on Spotify There are two different payment options that the users can opt for one is free however this means they will have advertisements and also may not be able to access certain songs and the other option is that they will pay a monthly fee and then they will have no adverts and be able to listen and download music from wherever they are. Spotify now has 75 million active users and 20 million of them which pay. This means that any artists on this website is being exposed to a wide range of audience.


ITunes is an app where the user can purchase music and videos. This was created by apple in 1998 and is still one of the primary institutions where consumers can purchase music. ITunes is primarily on apple products such as an iPhone but can also be used on other computers which may not be apple. this is a good things because it means it is open to a wider audience who may not have any apple products.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin was a director of music and organist at Bangor cathedral for 37 years. He also studied music videos and found several features and conventions that consistently appear in music videos.

Andrew says that music videos have typical characters depending on the genre of the music video. For example a metal video will usually be performed on a stage. There would usually be a dance routine if it is for a boy or a girl group. He also says that in a rap video there is usually a sports car or girls in their bikinis.

He says that the female body is usually exposed and is very seductive. Props are often used to make the female appear to be seductive to the audience or to other characters in the video. These pros can consist of: Mirrors, television screens, cameras, telescopes, binoculars and magnifying glasses.

There is usually small and brief links between the music and the visuals. This could be shown by things such as illustrations.

There will often be many close ups of the artist during the music video this is because the record label will give the specific artist a certain visual style this is because they want to make sure the audience can always associate that visual with that artist this visual will also be seen across all of the artist’s work. The 180 degree rule is pretty much always broken so it appears that the artist is singing to the audience.

There is often inter textual references. This means that there is usually a link to films, TV programmes or even other music videos. Examples of this can be found in Destiny Childs video for ‘Independent women’ as this references Charlie’s Angels throughout the video.

Analysis of students work

My Partner Georgina and i worked on this prezi and the analysis together on her prezi account.

This is an analysis of Real students work that we looked at which were similar to our chosen genre. Looking at other students work really helped us to understand how the quality of camera that we have is going to look when we are going to new filming as we do not have access to professional cameras so we need to make sure that our ideas and visions are realistic. One major thing that we noticed when we looking at the student videos was when they were lip syncing and it was out of sync how unprofessional this made the video look. My favourite Video was Beyonce run the world this is because i think that used amazing use of the mise en scene by finding different locations. This would also be someone we could do as we do not have the resources like the creators of the let me think about it music video. I also liked this video as it is similar to ours in the fact that they use a lot of dancing and this one thing that I really liked about it. They also use a range of different editing techniques which made it unique and interesting. one thing that i would change for my video would be not to repeat everything as many times as this can make it boring for the viewer to watch.

Analysis of real videos

 Fifth Harmony

They have used text in their video with quotes that back up what they are singing about. I like this idea  because you it reinforces the message of the song and also what they are trying to portray as a artist. I also like that it is a way the fans can connect to the artists.

They have used a long shot here of the whole group singing and dancing in unison. this is a good shot to use because it shows them  all together so the viewer can recognise them all together. They have also used a plain background  with a bright colour coming through. i like this idea because it helps to focus on the artist but the colour also attracts the viewer.

This is a close up of one of the people in the grow they have used a close up to show their individual style and also focuses on what part of the song they are singing. This is also a way of showing there makeup and hair which is one of the main points that there targets audience would like.

In this shot that have used a back ground long shot of the whole group and then they have layered the word bo$$ on the top and it dissolve in. This helps reinforce the name of the song which will help the audience remember wheat the song is called this could lead to them telling other people about the song which means that this video is likely to be seen by more people.

This shot is another long shot of the group all together however this time they are using a prop which is a chair. The chair has been put into the choreography to add another element to the video which makes it more interesting. I like that they have used a chair as this is a simple prop but can look amazing if used effectively.

In this hot they have used another prop this time they have used letters that spell out the words confident this is synced to the words that they are singing at this pout as well. This is another visual text that they have used to reinforce the message of their song and what they want to get across to their fans and viewers.

In this Shot it another long shot however this time there has been a dramatic change in the miss en scene. Their costumes are now long dresses instead of shorts and belly tops this helps to show a different side to the artist would could attract to more people.





Little mix

This is a long shot of the group as a whole in a black room this can show their individual style so the viewer can connect to an individual in the group

They have also used a white room to contrast with the black room this mix of contrast helps the viewer stay engaged. This is also a long shot to show there dance move the white space also highlights this.

This is a silhouette shot of a close up of her face with a bright coloured background. This again shows more contrast of colour the bright coloured background makes the black stand out.

This is one of the first shots in their video. It is a very dark shot with silhouettes of people dancing. the fact that it is dark is a contrast to the fact the majority of the rest of the shots in the video are quite bright and colourful. However I like this contrast as I think it can keep the viewer more entertained because it is constantly changing.

They have used another close up and this has been done for each individual character. This time they have used a white background with a clear shot of the artist this helps to show the artists individual style show there make up and emotions clearer.




Kesha

They have used a close up to show the extreme makeup and also to show the artist individual style and also helps to show her emotions what helps to show her emotions which helps to represent what she is singing about and how she feels about it.

This is a worms eye view of the artists standing on a platform with the city in the background. they have also used smoke to add an effect to this shot. They used ambient lighting but also artificial lighting which come from the platform which she is standing on which helps to highlight the artist and makes her the main focus.

In this shot that have used a dissolve to go from one scene to the next. This help to link the different scenes together to show that she is still part of the next scene this dissolve happens over a few seconds and this is something that i would consider using in my music video.

This is a two person shot of two people who are not the main artist. however it is still an important part of the video because it helps to set the setting the props also show the purpose and why they are there which is too be a DJ. This lighting is artificial however i like this like as it is bright and very simple colour but because of the background it adds detail t the scene.

This is a extreme close up of the artist. This shows off her eye make up which is part of her style and what she represents as an artist. This is one of her characteristics that attracts her fans which is her extreme make up and accessories this means this shot is very important because of this.

This shot is in a tunnel and they have used artificial lighting to brighten it up. They have used a mixture of pink a blue lights and i really like the effect that it has created because it also means that is has created a silhouette effect of the people dancing in the tunnel.





Marina Hollywood

They have used an extreme close up of the artists face to show her lips moving which are synced to the music. When doing this the editor would have to make sure that the music is synced exactly to the movement with the lips because they viewer would be able to see if it was not synchronous because of how close it is.

This shot has been created by the artist looking into the mirror which then looks into the camera. I think that this shot is very unique and not conventional to a music video which could add interest to the audience because it could be something that they haven't seen  before.

This shot is a close up and they are using confetti as a prop she is also looking straight into the camera which helps to connect with the viewer as it helps it to feel more personal and one to one. This is on shot that we could consider using in our music video as we could also use confetti or glitter to blow at the camera.

In this shot they have placed the artist in the centre of the shot and she is surrounded by a crowd they have used the confetti again to link the two scenes together. She is also wearing patriotic clothing and so are the crowd.

Katy Perry

In this sot they have used a plain background which is conventional with some of the other music videos that we have looked at. this helps the keep the focus on the main artist and what they are doing in the scene. They are also using various props and her clothing is quite colourful.

In this shot they have used the same plan background. They have done a close up side profile view of the artist. the lighting of her face is nearly a silhouette however you can still see some of the colours on her clothes.

In this shot they have used a black dark room and used neon paint to light up the artist and some of the background. The shot is a long shot and they have used this to show off the artist and the visual affects of the neon paint and lighting.

this is a mid shot of the artist. she is wearing colourful clothing and accessories. The handbag and lipsticks have been edited on after via an editing software but to begin with it would have just been the plain red background.

This is a three person shot with the main artist in the middle and two back up dancers either side of her. They have made sure that the two backup dancers are smaller then the main artist to make sure that the artist stand out and is the main thing the viewer looks at. However they are all wearing slighting different clothing but they are all similar colours.


This is a close up of the main artist of her face and her holding the prop. The watermelon prop she is holding is part of her branding and marketing as it was also well known on her tour and on her CD t5hat she had different types of fruit or food so this prop is in the close up because it helps to represent her as an artist.