Release Form

MUSIC VIDEO RELEASE FORM

 

Name of Music Video: Taylor Swift ‘Teardrops on my Guitar’

 

Name of Production Company/Organizer: Sarah Walley

 

Description of Involvement: Main character. Will perform in almost every scene.

 

Date of Filming   28^th September- 1^st November 2013

 

Name of Contributor  Emma Machin

 

Address of Contributor  Not disclosed

 

Contact Number of Contributor  Not Disclosed

 

In consideration of the Organizer agreeing that I contribute to and/or participate in the music video, the nature and the content of which has been fully explained to me, I consent to the filming and recording of my contribution to and/or participation in the music video subject to the terms and conditions specified below.

Signed by Contributor

 

 

 

Dated  2^nd September 2013

 

Terms and Conditions

 

1.                   I irrevocably and with full title guaranty assign to the Organizer all rights now or hereafter existing in the products of my services in relation to the film and agree that the Organizer shall have the sole right to deal with the Film containing such contribution or any part of it in any way that he/she thinks fit. I agree that the Film incorporating my contribution or any part of it may be exhibited or otherwise however exploited in all media and formats now and hereafter created throughout the universe for the full period of copyright and in perpetuity.

 

2.                   I waive any so-called "moral rights of authors" in the music video and such rights under section 77 and section 80 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (“Act”)  as I now have or hereafter acquire in relation to the music video. I irrevocably grant the Organizer all consents under Part 11 of the Act in perpetuity.

 

3.                   The Organizer may without my further consent use my name, likeness, biography photographs and recordings of interviews with me in exploiting, advertising and publicizing the music video in all media and formats throughout the world now or hereafter created.

 

4.                   The Organizer and its assignees and/or licensees shall not be liable to me or my legal representatives for any loss or damage or injury to me or my property caused or suffered in connection with the Organizer’s making of the music video unless caused by the negligence of the Organizer and recoverable on that ground and in the event of any breach by the Organizer I agree that I will not be entitled to injunct the music video.

 

5.                   I agree that the contribution shall not contain anything which is an infringement of copyright or which is calculated to bring Sarah Walley into disrepute or which is defamatory provided however that the Organizer shall not be entitled to bring any claim against me in respect of any defamatory material that was included in my contribution without negligence or malice on my part.

 

6.                   I confirm that the terms of this agreement have been explained to me and that I understand them.

 

7.                   This agreement is the entire agreement between me and the Organizer relating to the music video and is governed by the laws of England and Wales.

 

 

Update on progress

I have decided that I am going to film the whole of the music video in all of the locations using a variety of shots like an over the shoulder shot, high and low angled shots. I have decided upon this as it will give me more scope when it comes to edit the product and I can change the locations when appropriate, to suit the music. I will mean that I can focus my attentions on the couple of days filming that I have but still have enough footage to change my idea, if I have any further inspiration  when editing.

Update on some professional inspiration for my video

I have seen on the BBC Breakfast programme about Jack Johnson's new single called 'I got you'. They showed a clip of him singing and playing the guitar. He stayed on the same position on the screen but the destination in which he was being filmed from changed after a few seconds. I really liked this effect and thought that I may be able to replicate this in my music video.

Jack Johnson - I Got You from Brushfire Records on Vimeo.

On this video, all of the changes in the scenery is done on a beat, or in a pause of vocals. this is really effective as it keeps the audience interested in the actual video, and where the artist is going to go next. the pace of editing within the video gets quicker as the music has a faster rhythm. This is a really effective editing technique, as the video does have a lot of repetition but the quicker changes mean that the audience is still intrigued with the video.

Also the colours in the video chages. they have added layers of extra colours like reds at the start of the video, which creates a really cool and soothing effect to the video.it introduces the video well and we wonder what the artist would do next.

This video has givenme alot of inspiration when I am filming my video. it may be a different genre of music, but the pace in which the video is shot is very similar, and it has given me a lot of insight into how i would like my video to be editied.Having a professional music video that I can look at in detail has allowedme to be able to picture and imagine what I could do to make the video different from others that have been done before.

I like the uses of colour within the video, and it really got me thinking about how to use the different coulours and textures in the video to create an atmosphere that will compiment the music. The video has gotme thinking more about the colours of the locations I will choose to shoot the video in and how they will fit together to makeon fluid piece of video.

The video to this song has almost nothing to do with the lyrics but it works really well with the sound track to the song,as apposed to just the lyrics. something I hadnt thought about. 

Video Analysis

Taylor Swift - Fifteen from lala oreiro on Vimeo.

This is the video that I am going to analyse. It is called 'fifteen' by Taylor Swift and is about love and loss in a relationship and how young people get influenced by love.

At the start of the clip the artist is on her own and the scenery grows around her and he is then instantly given a long shot which then zooms into a close up shot. From this we instantly know that she is going to be the main character and that we are supposed to be concentrating on her. All of the scenery growing around her is really effective and could represent the world growing and changing around the artist. However, it could also suggest the changing of times and that the artist is growing up, as all of the scenery grows and not shrinks.

The school that she is talking about is all suspended in the country side. This could give the audience a real visual look into her mind but it could also suggest that she feels free in the country. The close up shot on her bare feet could suggest that the character is protected and the carpet of grass below her feet could show that she will always be caught on a soft landing, at this age either by parents or by friends. It could also show exposure. How fragile a person can be at 15 and how this can affect people in lots of different ways?

When a boy walks past the artist and winks he has her attention and it shows this is how girls can be when they think that they are in love. However, when the boy walks past the director immediately cuts to a close up shot of her face. This shows all of the emotion on the artist’s face that is so important to the genre.

There is a cut in to display a close up shot of the guitar. This is really effective as we know who the artist is as she has her name written on the guitar. This is also fairly stereotypical of girls at this age as they are always carving into things their names and who they are in love with. This represents this very effectively.

The song is very stereotypical for young girls. The video represents this very well and shows the effects that other people can have. But the most important areas of this music video is the slow pace of editing. All the way through the school, it is like one long cut, with the occasional close up shot which is paced when showing emotion. I also think that the pace of editing shows the pace of life in which the girls feel when they are in love. This is very effective and makes the song more reflective of real life situations.

 

Update on progress

I have been thinking about what I will be filming when I come to start to film. I have been thinking about some of the locations and have been looking at the local countryside. I have decided I would like the majority of the video to be shot outdoors and some to be in a barn. I have looked at the local weather forecast to see when it would be the best weather to shoot the video, and have decided that I would need to do a bit more research into the locations in order to make a firm decision on what I would like to film.

Analysing CD Covers for my chosen Genre

I have started to reserch into the different album covers that my genre has. I will look at 2 covers per artist and see the links between the two, and the brand identity that the two have. This will help me when it comes to making the cover for my digi-pack as I will be able to look at the conbvensions I have reserch in order to create an authentic CD cover.

This is a CD cover for a Taylor Swift album. This was her debut album cover, and compared to the other ones that she has done, it is very simplistic.

It almost has a shiny effect to the left hand side of the cover. A connotation of this could be that the shininess is angelic as there is no place to hide shadows. Also it seems to brighten up the cover, which can be suggested as another angelic symbol.

Also another thing is that she is not wearing a lot of make-up. This could be due to the fact that she is representing county music and the fact that it is out in the open and fresh means that she feels compelled to follow the image. In comparison to some of the other artists in her record label Big Machine Records, she has an unusual album cover. Fellow artists like Daniele Bradbury have more green and country type album covers. This tells me that there may have been synergy used within production to get this very unusual album cover. However, this has had a good effect. It has meant that we have a cover that really stands out from all of the other genres on the shelf.

Furthermore, the artist is looking at the camera. This really engages with the audience as you think that she is looking at you on an individual basis and that may compel some people to buy the album but also helps it to be really persuasive. Also they have put the artist name sin a signature format, which also makes it feel more personal.

However, there are a series of bad points for the album cover. There is no name of the album on the front. This could really confuse people and they will not want to spend time looking if the tracts have been put onto a different CD.  Also not having a title does not really make it look as professional and people may not want to buy it for this reason. It really detracts from the album.  

Upadate on Narrowed Song choice

I have decided on a selection songs that I would like to do for my music video. I was listening to the radio, when Taylor Swift, Teardrops on My Guitar came on. I closed my eyes and really had a visual video for a story line for the music video. Also I had listened to another Taylor swift song called 'Fifteen'. I could imagine the video that I would do for this and really like the lyrics to the song. However, I still have another Taylor Swift song on that I could do called 'Mean'. All of the songs that I have chosen are about love and I think that it will be a key theme I will need to demonstrate in my music video. Whether this be through the protagonist getting hurt and demonstrating that hurt, or being very much in love. It all depends on the song that I will chose in the long run.

I have chose Taylor Swift compared to all of the other country singers as I feel I can recreate her target auidence better than some of the other country singers. i also feel that the music has more of a depth to it and I have the locations available that she sings about.

To chose a song I will have to look at all aspects of the song in order to make the best choice I can with regards to budget, props, actress/actors and technology I have access to. Also I have seen a few of Taylor Swifts videos and most of them are set in open locations, and schools. I have access to all of these places, as well as the countryside, so this is why i have picked this artist.

However, this has meant a slight shift in genre for my music video. I have gone from pop to a country and western. I have made this decision as I feel that I got carried away with possibilities  which when put in reality was too high a budget and would not look very good. by going with a and western I have the surrounding scenery to be able to make a really good video that defines the song. I feel that I now have a song that I would be able to use and examine to make a really professional looking music video.

The 3 Categories of Music Videos

The Different Categories of

Music Videos!

There are 3 main types of music video that exist in the industry today.

1.Performance- 

This is where the Band/artist record a gig, or them performing and using that in their music video. This tends to be more the heavy metal genre as a lot of the music is more exciting when watching them play. It may be because of the emotion and passion displayed in the playing of the instruments.

2. Narrative- 

This is where the artist/band come up with a story that represents their song. This could be a story of love in a pop or country video or a story of loss and trauma. Either way this is a very common way to express a song in a music video.

3. Concept- 

A very cleaver music video that has 1 or more meanings to it. It is generally used for songs that are a living metaphor and the music video will just glide and adhere to the lyrics. However, this type of music video is becoming more and more common as it gets the audiences attention and creates a talking point.

Performance

These are videos that will comply with the performance music video genre-


KISS - Rock n Roll all Night (Music Video) from Sarah Walley on Vimeo.



Narrative 

Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together from sound458122 on Vimeo.

Concept

Sia "Breathe Me" from phil tidy on Vimeo.


Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song [Official Video] from Cameron Duddy - Director on Vimeo.

Update On my research progress

Well I have been looking at the different types of genres that are out there and what the audience would expect to see in these. I then saw an article on the Goodwin theory. This was a mans theory between lyrics and visual effects on people. I then went and looked at this in further detail as this was an area I would need to study if I wanted to have a successful video at the end. He says that the video does have to have a link to the lyrics of the song. However, the link can be a polar opposite to the lyric, illustrating the lyrics, or showing metaphors behind the songs.

Doing this short piece of research has really developed further my understanding of music videos and the expectations that the video has within its genre and to make it look professional. I will now create a prezi presentation to explain how this will impact on my music video.  

Research into Auxiliary products

Research into auxiliary products from sarahwalley

Theories- What I have learned from them

I have studied five theories in the last few days. I have looked at the Goodwin theory, Utopian theory, Gratification and Uses, Social Identity theory and the Mulvey theory.

I have devised a few ideas that I will use, following this research.

From the Goodwin theory I have learnt that I want to create a link between the visuals of the song and I want the video to illustrate it. This will mean that i want the video to follow a narrative line. I will have some elements of the video that will be nothing to do with the lyrics, but feel that this could add to the video.

I have learnt from the Utopian theory that I would like to be able to create a sense of escape within the video and i have chosen to represent this in a space dimension. so the auidence, who may live in the city or in a town, will have the feeling of escaping to an empty place.

From the Gratification of Uses theory I have learnt that I will have to be able to represent a charecter that has a firm personal identity. This will helo the auidence to be able to find a personal identity and be able to develop thier own unique identity.

From the social identity thoery I have learned that auidences use media to be part of a social group and form an identity of thier own. this will be important that i will somewhere in my video be able to replicate a social group, so that i have an auidence for the video. in my case I will be representin g thr country and western genre so will be a social group that likes the outdoors and freedom. so will be important to replicate in the video.

Utopian Theory

The utopian theory is very similar and links in to the gratification and uses theory. However, Dyer looked further into the audiences escapism when viewing medias. He looked at the way that when viewing media like music videos, the audience are constantly searching for Utopia. Everything that they don’t have in their lives they look for in media, whether it is wealth, attention or love.

Dyer views the world and reality as unfulfilling and therefore is using the media to be able to escape in to a different world. Dyer believed there are 3 reasons why people view the media and these are: social tension, inadequacy and absence and this are created by everyday life which leads to the need for a mediated life of 'Utopia'.

In relation to my music video, I will have top be able to create a sense of escape as it will be very important for the audience. For me I hope to create the escape to space. I will use a lot of open spaces and bare decoration within the frame, to create the optimum feeling of space. This will suit me when filming as well as I am on a very tight budget for the project. This however, will cause a slight problem as I will have to film when the weather is good to get the best shots.

Social Identity Theory in relation to Music Videos

The social identity theory from sarahwalley

Update on Artist choices

Mulvey's Theory of the Male Gaze

Mulvey theory from sarahwalley

Blumler and Katz- Gratification of Uses Theory

My New Target Auidence

Explanation into the changing of my genre and general ideas

Music Video Analysis

Roman White- Director Research

Roman White from sarahwalley

Goodwins Theory

Auidence

I have identifies that the genre I would like to make my music video out of would be pop. I have chosen this as I feel that it would be targeted at a teenage market, of which I am the same age group. I feel that I would then be able to produce what the teenagers want from a music video as I am the same age. I have chosen the teenage market as they are the main customers of the pop genre and they are also the trend setters, at which the mise on scene of the videos try to create. Also it is a mass market. This then allows me to be able to set a wide trend with the video, and have broader options and creative licence than the niche market music genres. As I am targeting this at mainly students as a primary market, all of the people will have an income and occupation category E, which is the bottom of the scale. This means that the video may have to be quite classy and make teenagers aspire to do well in life to get posh things like in the video, dependant on the artist I choose to make the video of. I feel that the pop culture could suit any race and ethnicity, but feel that white British would be the more obvious people to listen to the type of music, as other ethnicities and races may have other music genres more suited to them. I feel that it would be more of a female market to be aiming at aas stereotypically men don’t tend to listen to an awful lot of pop music. I feel that the music video will have to convey a teenage message that will be to look up to the future, and to aspire to the artist that is playing. At this fragile age, many teenagers are pretty gullible and therefore need a video that will feed there desires and aspirations in a positive way, and should not be a way to condone the use of alcohol, in which some pop videos are responsible. Therefore, the video should be that of a positive message, not one that should be persuading that sex, drugs and rock and roll are the best solutions to problems.

Convensions of pop

 

Pop is a very versatile and has a very wide number conventions used from locations to mise on scene. The videos are almost always fast paced, using short takes to maximise the feeling of rush, but also of urgency. This is important to match the essence and tempo of the music suited to the video.

 

Sometimes the video will take place on a location and sometimes just in front of a green screen. I have noticed this does not necessarily differ between the tempo of the music, but the artist. Most of the songs written by Jessie J, are all performed in front of a green screen. Songs like ‘domino’ and ‘lazorlight’. However, there are a few exceptions to the rule like Jessie J did ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ which was set in a school, with a real location. However artists like Adele, use city locations to film their videos in. Many of the green screen productions will have an expensive post production effects team, that add all of the backdrops in and create the sense of extravagance within the video.

 

Also I have noticed that nearly all of the camera angles that are used are used to look t the artist in a different way, whether it be from a high angle or a low angle. This gives the audience the impression that the artist is the most important. It also makes the audience feel like the video is more important than the location or the song. This detailed focus, also draws our attention to the amount of lip syncs that are done with the song. This is vital that it is right as it will mean that the video will look good. If the lip sync is out of time, it gives the video an unprofessional look.

 

Make up. The make-up used in the videos are almost always modest. This gives the impression of a posh artist and is what the target audience tend to look up to. This can also be used to accentuate parts of the face. Mainly it is the eyes, wit a darkening around the eye area, may be displaying the innocence or the beauty of the artists eyes. Also the lack of other makeup could suggest the target market, but also the need not to have loads of make up due to original good looks.

 

Medium close ups and extreme close up shots tend to be the main shots used in the videos that I have watched in a pop genre. This is as the artist is the most important spectacle in the video. Also they tend to get rid of most of the location with a few medium long shots to put the video back in its place. Also this helps the audience to establish the video.

 

All of the videos tend to show love of some kind even breaking up or coming back together. This is a common convention in most of the videos that I have looked at and the video conveys the message o the song

 

Genres of music videos

There are many genres of music in the industry. It is every diverse, which means the types of people that listen to them are very different. This leads to different album covers and content of the music videos. Some of the genres of music that I have listened to in the past are like, R&B, Rap, Blues, Country and Western, Pop and Indie.

The expectations of the different genres are different however. Pop would stereotypically have more of an upbeat tempo and all of the album covers would be quite eccentric, in comparison with a country album. Audiences are also very different music that they listen to. For example a teenage girl would stereotypically listen to a pop album, by a boy band or girl band. I have said stereotypical as there are always people that buck the trend and listen to genres not associated with that social group.

I have been looking at some of the album covers and about different genres that are on offer in the music industry today. I have noticed that rap artists tend to have an album cover with a close up image of the artist. However pop artist tend a close up image, with either a patterned or simplistic cover. Through this research, I have found out that to create a professional and authentic music video the genre will have to conform to the stereotypes in order to attract attention to the album in an already saturated market.

Genre

Genre of music videos from sarahwalley

Research Diagram

Why I will not be using Power Point all the time

I have decided that I will no longer use power point for all of my presentation posts. This is because I have started to use a better programme call Prezi.

Prezi allows the reader to navigate through the PowerPoint at their own pace and they can look and zoom in and look at individual elements of the presentation. this makes the PowerPoint more interesting and interacts with the audience more than just a plain PowerPoint presentation. It also allows me to be able to show the reader and thke them on a journey, in the order that I would like to show them other than them just reading off a screen. Keeoping the auidence interested will allow me to be able to get more information across to the auidence, without them feeling like they are becomming overwhelemed with information.

I am also a very visual learner, so Prezi really helps to engage with this. Howver, for some of the analysis i will be using powepoints as i still think that they would be the best option to inclue all of the information in. also this will break up all of the media elements on my blog, so it makes it more interesting for the auidence, and so that the work i am putting on my blog is a range of media types not jsut the same thing over and over again, as this would be boring.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my A-Level advanced portfolio.

My name is Sarah Walley and I attend Biddulph Sixth Form. I am going to create a Music video and digi-pack consisting of a poster and album covers. I have decided that I will require a professional approach to the media course as I will be interacting with clients, and making a music video that will fit their purposes and demands. I will have to organise myself in a way that i con focus my efforts on the next task to really make my product stand out and be a hit for the artists involved.

As to yet I am still very unsure in the genre that I wish to pursue. This is becasue I am still unsure as to what band/artist I will be representing in the project. To help me decide I will look at a variety of bands and artists in order to see which ones I feel I would be able to create the best video for. This would be better for the artists and the project as I will use a band/artist that I can fully understand and identify their needs and demands.