YEAR 13POP VIDEO

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING?

In this unit, you will be expected to research, analyse and finally create your own Pop

video.

We will research and analyse lots of Pop videos, how they are made, and who their

target audiences are.

Unlike AS, you will be looking in depth at areas such as semiotics, symbolism and Media

theorists.

IN PAIRS

In pairs, I want you to briefly discuss what you think a music video must include to be classed as a “Pop Video”

You have 3 minutes.

LOG ON- RESEARCH

http://contently.com/blog/2013/04/11/storytelling-lessons-from-the-history-of-music-videos/

Read the article and watch the videos and make brief notes that might help you in your exploration / research of music videos.

TIMELINE

http://timerime.com/en/timeline/596148/A+History+of+the+Music+Video/

Charts the developments in the industry up to the present day

WHAT DID WE FIND? A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a

complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings.

Specifically, a pop video often has a narrative, set of main characters and specific setting. Pop videos are known to contain positive messages and life meanings, to appeal to their target audience: young people.

Over the years, music videos have come to use a wide range of styles of film making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action. Many music videos do not interpret images from the song's lyrics, making it less literal than expected.

Several of Michael Jackson's videos show the unmistakable influence of the dance sequences in classic Hollywood musicals, including the landmark John Landis clip for "Thriller" (at the time, the most expensive music video ever made) and the Martin Scorsese-directed "Bad" which was influenced by the stylised dance "fights" in the film version of West Side Story

THE ORIGINS OF POP VIDEO

Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium, and later with the launch of VH1. The term "music video" first came into popular usage in the early 1980s. Prior to that time, these works were described by various terms including "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional (promo) clip" or "film clip".

TASK In groups, discuss a famous Pop Video. “Pop” does not

necessarily mean Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears or Justin Bieber. “Pop” is short for “popular”, so any mainstream genre of music can fit under the umbrella of a “Popular music video”

Once you have decided on a video, on the paper in front of you, answer the following:

What video did you choose? What is the video about? Who are the main characters? What is the story line/narrative? How do you know that this is a “Pop” video?

(think about connotation/denotation/symbolism/convention)

FINDINGS

Were there any similarities between the Pop videos you looked at? If there were, what does this tell you about the make-up of a pop video?

Do they all follow similar conventions?

When do you think a music video is NOT a pop video?

THE BEATLES

In 1964, The Beatles cemented their newfound international fame by starring in their first feature film A Hard Day's Night, directed by Richard Lester. Shot in black and white and presented as a mock documentary, it was a loosely structured musical fantasia interspersing comedic and dialogue sequences with exciting and innovative musical sequences. The musical sequences furnished the basic templates on which countless subsequent promo clips and music videos were modelled and it has exerted a huge influence on the style and visual vocabulary of the genre.

Robert Egbet suggested that Richard Lester (director of the video)

" ... influenced many other films. Today when we watch TV and see quick cutting, hand-held cameras, interviews conducted on the run with moving targets, quickly intercut snatches of dialogue, music under documentary action and all the other trademarks of the modern style, we are looking at the children of A Hard Day's Night".

You are now going to watch part one of the music video, “A Hard Days Night”.

Whilst watching the video, I want you to think about why this Music Video became one of the most famous ever made and why it was so successful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QRGUBoz5SQ&safe=active

THE VIDEO

How many of you, after watching the extract, would want to watch the rest of “Hard Day’s Night”?

What does this say about Pop’s contemporary (modern) audience?

HOMEWORK At home, watch an UNUSUAL Pop video. Good

examples of artists that create these types of video include: The Prodigy Fatboy Slim Eminem

Write down what YOU think is unusual about them, for example

Unconventional characters Unusual storyline Use of camera A genre not often used in Pop Video (horror, action

etc)