Interscope Records

History of Interscope Records
Interscope records is an American based record label owned by the Universal Music Group and is based in Santa Monica, California and was founded by 1990 by Jimmy Lovine and Interscope Communications' Ted Field with financial support from Atlantic Records who owned a 53% stock in the label. The labels first release was Gerardo's Mo' Ritmo (a Latin Rap artist) in 1991.

At first, the labels focus was upon the Hip-Hop and Urban Music genres, but by the mid 1990s its range of genres began to expand, signing artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, rock band Limp Bizkit, and also the Latin artist Kings Of Flow (through partnership with a Los Angeles based indie Latin label).

After the Universal Music Group acquired PolyGram in 1998, Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope Records. This was followed by the merging of DreamWorks Records with the Interscope-Geffen-A&M group in 2004, bringing artists including Blink-182, Nelly Furtardo, The All-American Rejects, Papa Roach, Rise Against and many others. These artists were divided amongst Interscope and Geffen with most going to the latter. In 2005 Interscope launched Cherrytree Records, with the main focus of the new label being emerging artists, and this soon saw the signing of artists such as The Lovemakers, Far East Movement and Robyn. Lady Gaga was also part of Cherrytree Records but as of 2011 has been transferred to Interscope Records.

In May 2007, Interscope announced they were joining forces with Justin Timberlake to create a new label known as Tennman Records, and the first artist to be signed to this label was Esmée Denters.

The Interscope Record label has received criticism from some artists such as Nine Inch Nails and 50 Cent. Nine Inch Nails claim that the Universal Music Group overcharged him for his album 'Year Zero' in Australia, and also claims that when he asked why it was so much, they replied "you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that. True fans will pay whatever". They are no longer signed to Interscope Records nor do they associate with the label. Rapper 50 Cent engaged in a feud with Interscope stating that "Not everyone is committed to releasing my new album" (referencing his yet to be released fifth studio album).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interscope_Records

Polydor Records

Polydor History

The Polydor record label (founded in 1924 by Deutsche Grammophon) is owned by the Universal Music Group, but headquartered in the UK. Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical music label that was founded in 1898 by Emile Berliner and is also linked to the Universal Music Group.

 

Polydor became a popular music label in 1946, and in the early 1960s, Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, who later became known as The Beatles we signed to Polydor by orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert. Popular German entertainers such as James Last and Bert Kaempfert appeared on the Polydor label alongside many Latin American, French and Spanish figures. In 1969, Polydor opened a US division, but we not prominent in the US record industry until they purchased a recording contract as well as a back catalogue of R&B star James Brown in 1971. Also at this time, Polydors parent company PolyGram (founded in 1972) took over the MGM Records label in 1972, pushing the Polydor label further into the spotlight. Previously in 1970, Polydor purchased Diamond Records, a Hong Kong based label which was founded by Ren da Silva, a Portuguese merchant in the late 1950's. Throughout the 1970s, Polydor became a major rock label and was also associated with disco, being home to acts such as the Bee Gees and Gloria Gaynor.

 

Into the 1980's, in spite of becoming overshadowed by its sister label Mercury Records, Polydor continued to sign deals with acts. By the early 1990s, Polydor began to under perform and therefore began to operate under the umbrella of the PolyGram Label Group (known as PLG). This newly constructed label was specifically designed to oversee  PolyGrams lesser performing record labels, including Island Records, London Records, Atlas Records and Verve Records.

 

In 1994, Island Records recovered and resulted in PolyGram dissolving most of PLG into it. Also for a brief period of time, Polydor and Atlas Records merged and were known as Polydor/Atlas. The began operating through A&M Records, also a PolyGram subsidiary.

This merge of record labels Polydor and Atlas Records only lasted until 1995, when Polydor/Atlas simply became Polydor Records again.

 

Polydor UK

In the early 1970's, the main source of income for Polydor Records is reported to have been from the hugely successful UK band Slade. In the 1970s and 1980s, the label was also home to acts such as The Jam and successful British Glam Rock act Sweet, who were signed to the label in 1977. Even though the American Polydor Branch is no longer in operation, the UK Polydor remains one of the strongest record labels in the country. Now, the label consists of artists such as Esmée Denters, Take That, N-Dubz, Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays, James Morrison, Ellie Goulding, Lawson and many more. There is a wide range of Genres within the Polydor label including indie bands such as Elbow, White Lies and The Maccabees.

 

Polydor UK works with Interscope Records and acts as the UK label for American based acts under Interscope-Geffen-A&M, such as Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Timberland, The All-American Rejects, The Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Lana Del Rey and many more.

 

Polydor launched Fascination Records in 2006, a label that is dedicated to pop music, with acts such as Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis-Bextor transferring to the new label. Several teen pop acts, such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez & the Scene have been signed to Fascination Records.

 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydor_Records

Indie Pop Genre Research

Indie Pop is a sub-genre in music, (formed from the main genre of Alternative Rock), that originated in the UK in the mid-1980s, with its roots in Scottish post-punk bands such as ‘The Smiths’. Indie Pop was inspired by punks DIY ethic and related ideologies, and generated a thriving fanzine, label and club/gig circuit. Indie Pop differs from Indie Rock to the extent that it is more melodic and less abrasive.

The term "indie" had been used for some time to describe artists on independent labels (and the labels themselves), but the key moment in the naming of "indie pop" as a genre was the release of NME's C86 tape in 1986. The compilation featured artists such as ‘Primal Scream’, ‘The Pastels’ and ‘The Wedding Present’, and "indie" quickly became shorthand for a genre whose defining conventions were identified as melodic power pop song stuctures. Originally, the genre was dubbed "C86" after the tape itself.

The Indie Pop scene is now recognized as a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK, and continues to have a strong following and inspire musicians, not just in the UK but around the world with new bands, labels and clubs devoted to the sound.

The birth of indie pop can be traced back to the post-punk explosion in a limited-circulation of small shop-based record labels such as ‘London's Rough Trade Records’ and ‘Glasgow's Postcard Records’. The publication in Record Business magazine of the first weekly indie singles and album charts (for the week ending 19 January 1980) and the adoption of such charts in the UK music press stimulated activity. In order to reflect this, the British musical weekly New Musical Express released an era-defining compilation cassette called C81. This cassette featured a wide range of groups, reflecting the different approaches of the immediate post-punk era.

Artist Research

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Del_Rey

Storyboarding Task



We were asked to choose a one of the  music videos we previously analysed and storyboard for a 30 second segment of the video to give us a better understanding of how detailed our music video storyboard should be. I chose to storyboard for the Lana Del Rey track 'Born to Die'(2012) in this task because of the many different types of shots included and chose the segment 2:18 - 2:48. The completed task is on the slide share below.

 

I found this task extremely beneficial as it made me realise how detailed the storyboard had to be to portray the types of shot and different angles used in the video. A total of 11 shots appear in this 30 second clip and this made me realise how many shots it must take to make an entire video that is good quality and has the repeatability factor through the use and combination of different shots.

Evaluation of Digipak Analysis

The process of evaluating digipaks has been extremely beneficial to me, as I have gained a better understanding of the different aspects included (e.g. images, text, font, how they house the CD or Booklet etc.). I also found looking at digipaks with different numbers of sides also beneficial as this gave me ideas on how a digipak is made interesting and attractive to the target audience but how it also links to the band/artist and the music genre. For example the Evanescence digipak reflects the heavy rock genre through the use of the graphics (e.g. the thorns and font style and how the two are integrated together). Overall I have a better understanding of the use of digipaks and how some of the sides appear as wallets to hold the CD's and booklets or contain a plastic case to hold the CD.

Digipak Analysis - (Daughtry) Deluxe Edition

FRONT:

 

All the different sections of the front cover are laid out centrally, first drawing our eyes to the main image of the singer and the band name. A full body shot has been used of the lead singer but only his head and torso are in focus as the rest of his body appears slightly blurry. This draws our attention to the singers face whilst creating a connection between the star and the consumer. Also the fact that his body is out of focus allows the background image and the image of the star to flow, as the rest of the band are burred in with the background, allowing the singer to stand out and reflect his significance. As the band is name after the lead singer, the ability to only see him clearly below the title creates this link. The band name is written in a white font and almost appears to have been sprayed onto the background image. The messy edges of each letter combined with the spacing used between each letter makes it more eye catching, whilst the white colour helps it to stand out to the consumer. The album name is the same as the band name and therefore the deluxe edition information tag is positioned on the right under the title. The same font style has been used but the is smaller. However as it is yellow is stands out from the green tinted background image and is therefore clear to the consumer.

 

INSIDE:

As this digipak has 6 sides, there are 3 sides inside which have been made into wallets to hold the Cd's and a booklet. The background image used has been spread across the three sides, and shows the crowd at one of the bands concerts. This creates a flow between these 3 sides and is reflective of the DVD content.

Side one is a wallets which contains the booklet. The contains all the lyric information and actions shots of the band on tour. This side of the digipak has 3 images that are slightly overlapping each other showing the band on tour, reflecting how they are a playing band but are also snapshots from the included DVD. These images have been given white borders allowing them to stand out to the consumer whilst tying in the white and green colour scheme used on the front cover of the digipak.

Side two shows one image of the lead singer playing guitar at one of the bands concerts, again a snapshot from the DVD. This side has a wallet that holds the CD, and combined with the use of the image, it again reflects the bands name and how it relates to the lead singer. Again the image has a white border reflecting the use of colour used on a majority of the digipak sides, tying the digipak together.

Side three shows the 3 images that are slightly overlapping, mirroring the layout style on side one of the digipak. This creates continuity and ties the digipack together. This side is a wallet that holds the DVD which shows 5 music videos, 2 live concert performances and an interview. This again enables a connection to be created between the band and the consumer.
 

 

 

 

 

OUTSIDE:

This side has a black and white image of the lead singer. This high angle shot is looking down on the star who is climbing some stairs, possibly reflecting the singers climb to fame through TV talent shows and allows a connection between the stars role in the music industry and the consumer. The use of black and white is perhaps also reflective of the lead singers journey to fame and how there are good and bad aspects that you have to overcome to reach your goals.

This side also contains tag information on the content of the DVD, which is positioned on the top right in small white writing. The Titles of each section of the content are in capitals to make them stand out more to the consumer, whilst Director information is is lowercase below.

 

BACK COVER:

The back cover has a black and white photo of the band on an American industrial estate. This is clear through the American style cars and trucks in the background. Also this is a low angle shot perhaps reflecting power whilst the use of black and white helps this cover to tie in with the colour scheme used throughout the digipak. The bar code is place over the bottom right corner of the image.

Below the image is the track information. The track numbers are in a basic Ariel red font helping them to stand out from the black background. The Track names are in the same font but white in colour, separating them from the track numbers and making them clearer to the consumers eye. Also the bonus tracks and DVD content are listed below yellow titles. All the writing is in capitals.

The Record label logo's are small and located at the sides of the release and copyright information at the bottom of the pack. This writing and the logo's are also red in colour so that the consumers eyes are more drawn towards the track names written it white.

 

Digipak analysis - (Evanescence) The Open Door

FRONT:
 

The digipak for 'The Open Door' album by Evanescence is 4 sided. The front cover consists of an image of the lead singer looking over her shoulder in an open doorway, and she is facing out of this door. This shot gives the impression that she is stepping out into a new life perhaps or is  leaving the past behind and moving forward which appears to relate to the album lyrically. Also the stone door is slightly distorted as it appears tall and narrows off towards the top, and we can see that the door way opens up into a cloudy sky. This perhaps relates to lyrics of the album and the distorted door is perhaps reflective of a big world that ,as individuals, we are a small part of. I also think that the decorative stonework around the door is very reflective of the music genre, whilst making the image more interesting, especially though the cold stonework colours combined with the lead singers black hair and the darkness of the image to the right of the door. In this dark space beside the door (top right of the cover), the band name and album title have been placed over the image. The gold colouring of the font makes it stand out whilst keeping with the cold colour scheme, and compensates for the small size of the font. Also spiral thorn graphics have been designed around the band name and album title, which again fits with the music genre but also helps the writing stand out. The font is serif with flicks on the letters, tying together the thorn spiral graphics and the writing. The album title is smaller still, and in a similar style calligraphy font creating continuity in the graphics and overall design.

 

INSIDE:
 

The digipak opens out with 2 sides. The left side contains a lyric booklet, with the back page stook to the digipak. The front of the booklet has the album title in a large front, in gold with black shadow added to it making the lettering stand out as the background colour of the paper booklet is also a light golden brown colour. This is accompanied by thorn style spiral graphics like on the front of the digipak, in the same gold colour as the font. The font is also the same as the front colour and this continuity ties in all the sides of the digipak with each other. Decorative page corner graphics have been added to the booklet cover, creating a round cricle in which the album title is positioned, possibly reflecting a lyrical reference to songs on the album such as 'Weight of the World'. Each page inside the booklet either contains song lyrics or photos, that relate to music videos, the band themselves and object photography that ties in well with the album theme. Some examples of internal booklet pictures are below.

 

The right hand side has a plastic CD holder glued to it. Underneath printed on this side and central to the page is a black lower case 'E' with the gold thorn graphics slightly overlapping it. The 'E' is black with gold highlighting on the edge, allowing the gold thorn graphics to be visible over the top of the letter. The style of the 'E' is fitting with music genre. This part of the digipak is shown in the picture below.

 

 

 

BACK:

 

The back cover is an image that almost appears like someone is peering round the edge of the door frame and looking out into the dark cloud. Also the distorted effect is still clear from this close up image. The track names are listed to the left of the doorway with the same thorn graphic running down the edge. The list is also slightly staggered to the left, allowing them to flow with the thorn graphics. Also both the thorn graphic and the font for the track list are gold, with the same font style used throughout and keeping the style flowing and clear throughout the digipak. The tags include the information on the release year and copyright laws. Also the record label logo is located just above it information and are in line with the bar code. The Album producers are located just above the bar code. All of this information is small, allowing the main image to still be the first place out eyes are drawn to.



Digipak Analysis - (Coldplay) Viva La Vida

FRONT:

The front cover of the Digipak for Coldplays album Viva La Vida is made up of an image adapted by the band themselves. The main image is a 1830's painting by Eugene Delacroix 'Liberty Leading the People'. The phrase 'Viva la vida' translates 'live the life' and I think that the Spanish title played some part in the creation of the album artwork. Also, lyrically there are references to love, life, death and war which the painting quite clearly reflects. The band then adapted the image by painting the album title in the centre of the image, creating paint splatters that are clear across the image. The use of white for the title makes it stand out from the background, with the use of paint linking to the use of a famous painting for the background. The title has been painted on quite roughly and some of the letters overlap although they are still clear to read, and I think that this helps to reflect the chaos of the painting in the background. Even though the title is quite large and has been painted over the centre, the background image is still clear.

 

INSIDE (Left):

This side has four square action shots in black and white (one of each band member), allowing the consumer to see that they are a playing band. The use of black and white images follows the colour scheme throughout the digipak. This side is also a wallet that contains a booklet, showing images of 9 abstract paintings that the band created which have been influenced by the tracks on this album. This creates a visual for most of the tracks and portrays the song lyrics. The action shots have been taken at various angles making them more eye catching and interesting to look at.

INSIDE (Right):

This side is very plain with the band name and album title written on it, almost like its an introduction to the CD. The Serif font used is old looking and reflects the time period of the painting 'Liberty Leading the People'. The font size is fairly small but the gold colour makes it stand out from the background. The writing is central to the page and therefore looks neat and clear, and is written all in capitals although the first letter of every word is bigger and this again is used as a way to catch peoples eye. This side is also a wallet which holds the CD.

BACK:

The back is very similar to the inside right wallet. The same font, size and colour has been used for the track listing to tie the digipak together and keep the continuity. Directly below the track listing there is the tag line which state the record label and copyright details as well as the release year and the bands website. Again all this information is central on the back which also has a black background. At the bottom the Parlophone record label logo is positioned central just above the bar code, and is extremely small in size. However the logo also appear on the spine along with the band name and album title in the same gold font.

 





Evaluation of Magazine Advert Analysis

Through analysing magazine adverts, I was given a better understanding of how the style and size of fonts, the image and the type of shot used etc. really reflect what the advert is advertising and how it links to so many different aspects relating to the star also. This process has made me more aware of this but also how the image and writing are integrated to make the advert eye catching and attractive to the audience it is intended for. For example, the advert for Rihanna's album 'Rated R' was really reflective of both the emotion and style of music from the album, whilst also being reflective of Rihanna's style at the time the album was released. The Lana Del Rey magazine advert for her album 'Born to Die' also reflected her star image and her vintage fashion sense. The process of analysing magazine adverts has been extremely beneficial and my findings will help me when I create my magazine advert.

Magazine Advert Analysis - Ellie Goulding

 

Magazine Advert Analysis - Rihanna

 

Magazine Advert Analysis - Lana Del Rey

 

Evaluation of Music Video Analysis

Through analysing music videos that reflect the style I hope to use which includes both narrative and performance sections, I have gained a better understanding of the combination of shots used and the ratio of performance and narrative shots. I have also seen how both the narrative and performance can be presented in the same shots which still allows us to understand the synopsis whilst the video is still performance led (shown by the video for 'Small Bump' - Ed Sheeran). I have also gained an understanding of the types of shots and the placing of shots in music videos that illustrate and amplify the song lyrics and this will benefit me when I make my video as this is the style of video I want to make. When analysing the 3 music videos, I also gained knowlegde over the length of shots and how the videos have been put together to make sure that they are watched repeatedly.

Music Video Analysis - (Lana Del Rey) Born to Die

Director: Yoann Lemoine (2012)
IMAGE

Costume:
Lana has 3 different costumes in the music video depending on the location of the shots. In the song performance, 2 costumes are worn. First when Lana is sat in the grand cathedral location, she is in a long white dress with a floral head dress made of blue flowers and white court style shoes. She is wearing mostly natural shades of make-up except for the bright red lipstick and her hair is in loose natural looking waves. When we first see Lana in this costume sat on the throne style chair, part of the lyrics goes 'but I'm hoping at the gates, they'll tell me that your mine'. The combination of these lyrics and the costume give the impression that she is in heaven, and the location also plays a part in creating this idea. The second costume warn is after the first chorus. Her hair is in a similar style but with tighter waves/curls but with more natural make-up and without the red lipstick, and she is wearing a white night dress. Her costume combined with her body language, lighting and how the narrative performance develops hints that this is the darker side of her relationship.

The narrative performance shots are located outside and in a car, where she meets her boyfriend. Here her costume resembles a festival style with a tasselled white leather jacket, bandeau top, denim shorts and red converse, reflecting a carefree side to the role she plays. This also links to Lana's star image as she is often see in festival or vintage style clothing. However her hair and make-up are consistent throughout the whole video, linking to Dyers paradox 2, as she is both accessible and distant from the consumer. This also creates continuity for the star image and is recognisable to the audience.

Roland Barthes had a theory surrounding the 'grain of voice', saying that the singing voice is more like an expressive instrument, personal and unique to the singer. This is the case with Lana Del Rey as her deep singing voice is unusual and unique to her, making her instantly recognisable with her audience.

Eye Contact:
Eye contact with the camera is mostly made in the song performance shots when Lana is sat in the throne. She makes eye contact with the camera 16 times during the video, allowing her to directly address the audience. This again links to Dyers paradox 2 'star must be present and absent simultaneously for the consumer'. Through eye contact a relationship can be developed between the star and consumer.

Set & Location:
For the song performance shots, we see Lana in a cathedral style building that is mainly white in colour with light coloured religious style decor. The brightness of this location combined with her costume and the religious style decor creates an image of heaven within the audience. We also later see Lana in a dark and unlit, posh stately home. Light is wiped from time to time across the shot, hinting how the relationship is mainly bad and only has hints of good within it. This also reflects how trapped she might be feeling before eventually finding her freedom when she exits through the double doors into white light. The location used for the narrative performance is a car. The car is of a vintage style race car and this reflects Lana's vintage style.

Body Language:
Throughout the music video, Lana's body language is constantly changing, helping to reflect the mood during each shot. We also see a mixture of different facial expressions, especially during the song performance shots of her on the throne. For example at one point in the song the lyrics read, 'keeping making me laugh'. Here she smiles, hinting how she is possibly thinking about the happy moments in the relationship. However this changes and become a more serious expression as the lyrics continue and the mid shot becomes a close up shot, allowing the audience to see how her expression has changed. In the shots of Lana sat in the throne, her body language hints at how she had power and control of herself as she is proud and tall, with both the tigers either side of her helping to portray this idea. However in the other shots when she is in the car and the stately home her body language is reflective of the lyrics that accompany each shot, making her appear less in control and in some shots she almost appears fearful. For example in one shot she is seen leaning against the door frame in the stately home with her head angled slightly down wards. As the light flashes across the set we see the man playing the role of her boyfriend in the room through the doorway moving he thumb across his neck from right to left, hinting what will happen to her and giving the impression that she doesn't realise what could happen to her and is almost fearful of what the future holds.

Colour:
All the shots in the music video are in colour. The lighting and colour is bright throughout the shots of Lana in the throne, and combined with the religious decor helping to represent how she is in heaven and that life for her is better on that side. The lighting in all the other shots is much darker, especially in the car and through the stately home shots. These hint at how this is a troubled and dark relationship she is in and that it could all end badly for her. However, the lyrics that accompany the shots from these locations allow the audience to see that she still loves him even though its not good for her to be with him. Also in the stately home shots, light wipes across the shots, hinting at how she sees often sees a glimmer of hope, but the speed at which the light wipes across the shot reflects how the hopes are always dashed.

Types of Shot used:
The first shot we see Lana and the man playing her boyfriend stood in front of the American Flag and the camera slowly zooms into them. This could possibly have been used to represent how she wanted the American Dream to come true for her and she felt it could have been with him. This shot is mirrored at the end of the music video, emphasising to the audience how she hoped things would have turned out. This is reflective of the song lyrics 'sometimes love is not enough'. This music video links to Steve Archers idea surrounding disjuncture, illustration and amplification. Here the feelings and emotions portrayed through the song lyrics are amplified through the use of shots which help to illustrate the meanings of the song.
A tilt shot is also used within the video which starts looking up at the ceiling of the cathedral and slowly tilts down so that it is parallel to the ground showing Lana in the throne with the tigers. This allows the audience to clearly see the religious location and once they see Lana in white it triggers thoughts of heaven. This then immediately turns into a tracking shot that closes in on Lana and the tigers, revealing how she has power and control.
Mid shots are used throughout the video, often of Lana in the song performance shots, allowing the audience to clearly see her facial expressions therefore clearly expressing the mood and feelings expressed through the song lyrics. This links to Dyers paradox 2, as the star is both accessible and distant simultaneously. These are often combined with two shots of both Lana and the man, showing either the intimacy or the distance between them (in the car etc.). This therefore helps to illustrate the lyrics.
Close-ups and extreme close ups are used regularly throughout the song performance shots, allowing use to see Lana's facial expressions an reaction towards the lyrics. This allows the audience to understand the feelings and emotions created by the lyrics as it is an illustrative music video. At one point a shot is shown of Lana wiping the condensation of the car window revealing her face, hinting that she maybe feels trapped with the bad times and needs the freedom from it all. This also links to Steve Archers idea's on how 'the meat of most videos is the cut to the close up of the singer's face'. Again this reflects the star image and how it is presented many times throughout the video.
Push pull focus is also used on one shot during the video, allowing us to see the facial expressions of both Lana and the man in the car during the narrative performance. This clearly presents the distance between the pair even though they love each other, hinting that this is a doomed relationship that has slim chances of ever working out.

A lot of tracking shots are used at the end of the video combined with low angles shots to show Lana walking towards the double doors at the end of the long hall in the stately home and watches her open the doors and walk into a room of white light. This links both the cathedral and stately home locations, reflecting the link between heaven and earth and how in one simple move she has found the freedom she needed. This straight cuts to a tracking shot showing the man holding Lana's blood covered body in his arms. As the shot moves back we can see flames in the background. This shot helps to connect all the feelings and emotions from the entire video, as the audience is now able to see the clear connection between the song performance location and the narrative performance locations, and reinforces the meaning behind the lyrics such as 'sometimes love is not enough'. The song ends on this shot with the lyrics 'we were born to die', hinting how Lana feels the relationship was started but would eventually be the end of her life.

In conclusion, this video is clearly illustrative of the song lyrics and the hidden meanings behind them. The song performance and narrative performances are clearly linked together through the use of all technical aspects such as lighting, camera work, location and body language. This video works well to keep continuity with the star image, as Lana's trade mark vintage style in clearly represented through use of costume and props etc.

 

Music Video Analysis - (Ed Sheeran) Small Bump

Director: Emil Nava (2012)
IMAGE

Costume:
- Ed Sheeran & other patients: Ed's costume is fitting to the location in which he is filmed. Ed is in the waiting room area of a hospital ward, and therefore is dressed in casual clothing (sweat top, jeans and trainers). Therefore the audience are able to understand his character role in the video. Ed is often seen wearing similar clothes to those in this video helping to maintain his star image. Dyer states that 2 of the 'Values of Stardom' include Originality and Youthfulness both of which describe Eds image. The other patients are also in casual clothing and using props such as wheel chairs etc. to emphasise to the audience their roles. Ed is wearing no make-up and his hair is slightly roughed up as usual, keeping the continuity with the star image for the audience to relate to.
- Doctor & Nurse: Both are wearing a white uniform. The doctor is also wearing black trousers and smart shoes. The use of professional uniforms indicates their roles in the music video.

Eye Contact:
Throughout the music video no eye contact is made between Ed and the camera. This possibly suggests that he is in his own world and unfocused on what is happening around him. The song 'Small Bump' was written about a close friend of Ed's who suffered a miscarriage at 4 months, and the inspiration is clear in the lyrics, with the video helping to illustrate the feelings and emotions of the lyrics which links to Steve Archers idea surrounding disjuncture, illustration and amplification, with this music video being illustrative of the song rather than amplifying it. As the songs inspiration is clearly portrayed through the music video it doesn't reflect the disjuncture technique. The use of no eye contact works well to reinforce the feeling of sadness and loss.

Set & Location:
The music video is set in a Hospital waiting area/corridor, reflecting the nature of the lyrics and the topic they are about. Also the narrative performance and song performance are linked in this video as the video is only set in one small area of the hospital. This is different to Steve Archers idea 'often music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band'.

Body Language:
Ed's body language is used to emphasise and illustrate the feelings created from the lyrics of the song. He is sat on a chair in the waiting area bent forward resting his elbows and forearms on his knees, looking forward but with his tilted slightly down. His body language gives the impression that he is anxiously awaiting news about someone who is being treated. Combined with the lyrics and the song performance combined with the narrative performance clearly presents the topic of the lyrics and the feelings and emotions they create to the audience.

Colour:
All of the music video is in colour with the main colour scheme of the hospital being blue. The use of a location with cold colours emphasises the fear and anxiety that is felt. This again links to Steve Archers idea of illustration and how the moving images reflects the lyrics and genre of the song.

Types of Shot used:
4 Master shots are used at the start of the music video to show the location (a close up of the clock on the wall, x-ray and medical equipment through a window - emergency room, medical implement disposal bins and a hospital bed through a window). These shots all emphasise that the song topic is serious as it is being filmed in an emergency ward and links to Steve Archers idea of disjuncture, illustration and amplification. In this case the video is illustrative of the song.
The 5th shot is a long and continuous shot, emphasising how time is passing and it is becoming a waiting game which links to the song topic. This shot is a tracking shot which moves slowly down the corridor. As the camera draws level with Ed, it pans right to show a close up of his face. This links to Steve Archers ideas about how 'the meat of most videos is the cut to the close up of the singer's face' as Ed is seen continuously throughout the 5th shot and never disappears out of view of the camera, with close ups of him show twice. The camera continues to pan past Ed and moves backwards in a tracking shot away from him down the corridor. Throughout this patients and hospital staff appear in the shot moving around the area but after a few seconds they fade away, again emphasising to the audience the passing of time and how life continues around Ed but he doesn't seem to notice because he is in his own bubble of fear and anxiety, reflecting how he is putting himself in the shoes of his friend who was the inspiration for the song and again illustrating the feelings and emotions of the song. Again this links to the idea Steve Archer has about the three ways in which music video visuals relate to the song. The camera continues down the corridor before stopping and then begins to move forward up the corridor back towards Ed still with people going about their business. This long continuous tracking shot also creates the effect of someone pacing up and down the corridor as they wait for news, emphasising the feelings of fear and anxiety. Once the camera is almost level with ed it stops moving and pans left to face him from a slight angle and the song come to the end. With the most powerful lyrics of the song coming at the end once the camera has stopped this represents how after all that time has passed his wait is over. The two close up shots of Ed from within the camera pan links to Dyers paradox 2 stating that 'the star must be present and absent simultaneously for the consumer'.
Throughout all of this narrative performance, Ed is also lip syncing to the song and this combines the song and narrative performances, again amplifying the illustration of the song meaning and the emotions behind it through connecting the music video visuals to the song. Also Ed plays the lead role in the narrative, linking to Pete Fraser's ideas around the narrative performance.
Pete Fraser stated in his 2004 'Teaching Music Video' article that 'there are video's which use slow pace and gentler transitions to establish mood', and this is idea is reflected in this music video through the use of the 5th shot which lasts for a majority of the video, allowing the audience to establish the mood of the song. This combined with the people appearing and fading out really amplifies how slow the pace of the video is.

In conclusion, this music video is similar to 'It Will Rain' (Bruno Mars) as it also is illustrative of the lyrics, genre and topic of the song. Also, as the topic of the song is so clearly presented through the video, it allows for a connection to be created between the audience and star, and enables those who have had similar experiences to relate to the song and therefore the star.

Music Video Analysis - (Bruno Mars) It Will Rain

Directors: Phil Pinto & Bruno Mars (2011)
IMAGE

Costume:
Bruno's costume throughout the video is of a casual style, (jeans, grey t-shirt or checked shirt, cardigan, converse, watch, bracelet and necklace).  The casual style is reflective of the narrative idea behind the video. 'Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band' (Steve Archer). Here the video for 'It Will Rain', the star is seen switching between narrative performance and song performance, yet the casual costume is suitable for both. Also Steve Archer says there are 3 ways in which music videos relate to the song they were created for. These are disjuncture, illustration and amplification. This music video relates to the song through illustration, as it illustrates the meaning of the lyrics and the emotions created from the feelings shared by the lyrics. The grey t-shirt is worn throughout the song performance shots and this cold colour is reflective of the lonely, lost and sad mood.

Bruno's hair is in his trade mark quiff style. Bruno is always seen with his hair in this style and this helps to keep the continuity of the star image and this is present through all the shots used in the video. This reflects Dyers ideas surrounding the star image and how it is created rather than real. Bruno is wearing minimal make-up, reflective of the mood of the song but also the fact that his is male.

Pete Fraser has stated that usually 'the main singer plays the lead role in a narrative performance' and this links to this music video as Bruno plays the lead role in the narrative performance shots.

Eye Contact:
Little/no eye contact is made between Bruno and the camera, removing the ability to directly address the audience. However this is reflective of the feelings portrayed by the lyrics of the song and how the video has been constructed to illustrate the song lyrics and genre, directly linking to Steve Archers ideas surrounding disjuncture, illustration and amplification. Through the use of no eye contact between the star and the camera, this emphasises loneliness and feeling lost and broken inside, whilst representing how the star is lost in his own little bubble. Also through the use of no eye contact, the narrative performance and song performance are clearly linked together as the same feelings are created in both sides of the performance.

Set & Location:
Both the narrative and song performances are set in an apartment. However there is a clear difference between the two. The narrative performance is set in a decorated homely looking apartment, whilst the song performance has been shot in a room of the apartment with bare walls and floorboards, with a stool which the star is positioned on, There are also a lot of buckets spaced out around the floor space to catch the drips of water from any leaks, reflecting the idea of crying and how broken and upset the star is. The lighting in the song performance shots is also duller, again reflecting the mood felt by the star and portrayed through the lyrics. This is contrasted with the brighter lighting in the narrative performance sections, reflecting the generally happier mood and the idea of happy memories and good times during the relationship.The lighting does become slightly duller towards the end of the narrative performance however, emphasising the decline of the relationship, the changes in feelings/emotions and how Bruno came to be alone.

Body Language:
Throughout the music video, the body language of Bruno is tailored to the specific shots and sections. In the narrative performance shots, his body language is happy and bold reflecting his mood whilst he was in the relationship. This is contrasted with his slumped body language and lowered head in the song performance shots, clearly expressing his lost and lonely feelings.

Colour:
The whole video has been shot in colour. For the song performance, colder colours (blues and greys) have been used again to reflect the mood of the shot. Warmer and brighter colours have been used in most of the narrative sections to reflect the happier times and memories.

Types of Shot used:
This video uses a lot of push pull focus, especially throughout the narrative performance. This makes the shots appear slightly blurry and allows the audience to see that these are memories. Also in these push pull focus shots, the woman and Bruno tend to remain in focus whilst the background is blurred, showing that his memories are focused around them and their relationship rather than where they were at the time of the memory. Also the use of push pull focus might reflect how he his looking back at the memories through teary/ watery eyes.
The push pull focus is also combined with a lot of close up shots, allowing the audience to focus on the facial expressions of Bruno and the woman, again helping to reflect the feelings and emotions felt in the memories. The close up shots allow intimacy with the star and links to Dyers paradox 2, as Bruno is both accessible and distant in the music video.
Also many two shots are used throughout the narrative performance, emphasising the interaction between the woman and Bruno and the feelings emotions of the song are clearly reflected. This links to Steve Archers ideas surrounding the three ways in which music videos relate visuals to the song, as this music video is illustrative of the song and the emotion behind it. 
Master shots are used in the video showing furniture in the apartment, but also the contrast between the rooms for the narrative performance and song performance, allowing the audience to see the contrast between the dark and happy times. The shots of furniture also help to contrast the homely feel of the narrative performance shots with the cold lonely environment of the song performance shots.
Near the end of the video a close up shot of rain on the window is used, reflects the sad and unhappy emotions at this point in the song, and also the idea of fallen tears. This shot is combined with a mix of short song performance shots showing Bruno alone and this reflects his feelings towards the loss of the relationship, presenting his feelings and emotions clearly to the audience.
2 Low angle shots have also been used to represent contrasted meanings. One low angle shot shows Bruno walking up and down the room used for most of the song performance shots, emphasising how he feels lost. The other low angle shot shown instantly after the first shows the woman and Bruno sat playing the guitar in the apartment, reflecting a strong happy relationship between them both. These narrative and song performance shots are linked together but the feelings and emotions created from them couldn't be more different.
The first and last shot of the video shows Bruno with his head lowered leaning against the window with the rain falling outside. This repeated shot gives the idea of him being stuck where he is and seeing no way forward. Also it creates the idea that he has so many things going round in his head but her hasn't moved from where we first see him, giving the impression that the audience has been allowed into his mind to see and experience what he feels. This also helps to connect the audience to the music through the star, and this idea links to Dyers theory about the relationship between the music and the audience. Also as we can see the rain falling it amplifies where he is mentally and how this has affected him.
Some of the shot lengths are quite short in places, (e.g. near the end of the video when the music's pace slows down and the beat drops out). This gives the idea of time passing quickly, possibly creating the idea of how the happy times didn't last very long.

In conclusion, the illustrative nature of the video through the mixture of song and narrative performances, allows the audience to relate to the feelings and emotions of the song and link it to similar experiences they might have had. This helps to create a relationship between the star and his/her audiences based on the idea that they have experienced similar things.

History of Music Videos

Director Research - Dawn Shadforth

Dawn Shadforth was born in Essex in 1973 and graduated from a Fine Art degree at Sheffield University in 1991. She earned a first in sculpture, and has since become one of most successful music video and commercial directors of her generation. Dawn’s directorial career began with documentaries for Channel 4 (1995’s The Friend’s Tale) and Warp Records (The Seven Year Glitch in 1996). In 1996 she made her first video, for Mantronix ‘Hush’ for the princely sum of £50, and a year later she signed to RSA/Black Dog.

From the start of her career her work has gained industry recognition. In 1999 she was one of 30 chosen out of 500 directors to participate in the 'Saatchi and Saatchi New Directors Showcase' at the Cannes Advertising Festival.

In 2001, Dawn was ranked by the Observer Magazine as one of 10 directors to watch. Since then she has built a huge catalogue of identifiable classics and popular mainstream hits, such as Kylie Minogue’s ‘Spinning Around’ and commercials such as Marks and Spencer ‘Christmas’ commercials. At the same time Dawn has also continued to experiment with narrative and push the form of music video with performances that clearly relate to the audio tracks, to modern horror for some of her collaborations with artists. In 2001 Dawn’s second of five video’s for Kylie Minogue, 'Can’t Get You Out of My Head', became a worldwide smash and the video has since been cited as being one of pop music’s most iconic moments.

More recently Dawn has worked with the like of Emeli Sande, creating the video for her single ‘MY Kind of Love’ (2012). I personally really like this video because it follows a narrative style whilst clearly portraying emotion that surrounds the topic of the track. The emotion is already clear within the song, but the video really helps to emphasize it to the audience. I really like the combination of shots used in this video and how the use of simple techniques emphasizes the narrative. At the start of this particular video there is a long tracking shot moving backwards through the hospital entrance, allowing the audience to see the emotion and facial expressions portrayed by Emeli and therefore conveying the feelings/emotions surrounding the song.

Director Research - Declan Whitebloom

Declan Whitebloom is a British director (currently based in LA), who's work focuses around music videos and commercials.

Declan was born and raised in London and came from a family obsessed with film. His elder brother was one of the major influences in music video & commercial directing, and this enabled Declan to spend much of his teenage years 'on set' absorbing the process.
Art school called and Declan went off to see what they had to offer and after getting his BA he hopped on the next plane to come to LA to realise his dreams. Declan started from the ground up, working in every department until he found his initial calling, the editing room. He edited hundreds of music videos and commercials, winning many awards, before being offered his first music video to direct.

This year, Declan's video for Sugarland’s ‘Stuck Like Glue’ won Video of the Year at the 2011 CMT awards, and his video for Taylor Swift "Mean" is nominated for Best Music Video at the CMA's. Declan has also directed worked with British Artists such as Pixie Lott (‘What Do You Take Me For’ – 2011), Olly Murs (‘Heart Skips a Beat’ – 2011) and the Fray (‘Run For Your Life’ –2012). Most recently, Declan has worked with new British band Lawson, creating the music video for their debut single ‘When She Was Mine’ (2012).

Declan’s music video style is simple and often is there to tell the story of the track, whilst often incorporating more entertaining themes for some tracks. The video for Pixie Lott’s ‘What Do You Take Me For’ is more based around choreographed dance routines and is set in a dark warehouse location, whereas the video for Lawson’s ‘When She Was Mine’ see’s the Band performing in 2 locations (a Warehouse and on an LA rooftop) and follow’s the lead singers movements throughout LA with the actress playing his ex-love interest. This video follows the story behind the song’s romantic/heartbreak theme. Olly Mur’s ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ is a fun and energetic video, reflecting the songs beat but also reflecting the songs theme.  I really like Declans directorial style because the music videos really reflect the mood of the tracks they are created for and perfectly reflect the idea of telling the songs story, or being upbeat and entertaining for other songs (e.g. 'What Do You Take Me For' and 'Heart Skips a Beat' etc.)

Lawson - When She Was Mine (2012)

Pixie Lott - What Do You Take Me For (2011)