Gaining Permission

Audience Research

I will be making a number of surveys in order to get an understanding of who, what and why people watch music videos. More added information such as what do they like about music videos would help me create the best music video that I can. Other peoples opinions shall come into consideration whilst making my music video as I want to achieve the audiences' standards of a great music video. I will be carrying out an online survey on "SurveyMonkey" and will make it public so I will get a wider range of results. I will make a focus group, where I will film many people in a group speaking about music videos and listen very carefully to what they have to say about them. Questionnaires will be made as a back up for the online survey to get a variety of people. Also I will be creating a Vox Pop. This is a clip showing many interviews taking place from people in public places to give their opinion on music videos. I will be asking the same questions to the public to show a balance of answers and compare the final results. 

The sort of questions I will be asking in particular interviews/surveys are :

What kind of music are you into?

Do you watch music videos?

What types of music videos do you watch?

How old are you? 

Where/How do you listen to music?

Where/How do you watch the music videos?

What is your favourite music video? Why?

What do you like about music videos?

What makes an iconic music video?

Creating an image

Artist Profile

Name: Zara Larsson

Age: 16

Ethnicity: Swedish

Genre: Pop & Soul

Number of members: 1

Target Audience: Teenagers 

Shooting Schedule

Shot List

Costume and Props

Risk Assessment

Location Sheet

Treatment

Don't Go Breaking My Heart Lip Synch Evaluation

Evaluation

During the process of filming our music video we made sure that we changed the backgrounds and angles of each shot. This way it made the music video look more interesting once it was put together. We made sure that we sung the song the whole all the way through in every shot we took, which is called a whole take. We filmed whole takes because it would be easier to edit rather than taking many shots and getting confused about where about in the song we was. We made sure we changed the shot types to make our music video look more effective and to also show that we are capable of filming in different angles. We used medium shots, close up shots and long shots for techniques. The equipment we used was a HD camera, a tripod and a microphone. The tripod was really useful for keeping the camera steady whilst we were filming which made our video look more crisp and clean.We made sure that we learned our lines and sung aloud whilst filming which made the lip synching look realistic and professional.

I edited the sequence on Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 which is new to me but i thought worked really well. I uploaded all of the shots we took onto the programme and watched them all the way through to see if we needed to go and shoot some more before editing.  I then added on the music and locked it so it was unable to move which could have created a big problem if it was not locked. The next step was to take the sound out of all the clips which then makes it easier to synch it with the music. I added every shot onto a different layer, which then I synched all of the clips up with the music. I cut the clips down to capture the best moments in that clip and made sure they were locked, everything else that was not as good as the rest was deleted. I zoomed into the sequence and made sure that every clip was synched perfectly to the music. I also added in a special effect that had two videos playing at once to show skills of editing.

We made some mistakes whilst filming which was when we did not do anything in a few shots when it wasn't our turn to sing. This made it hard to put it in the final music video because the other person looks unprofessional and bored. My partner found it hard to learn the words and capture the correct timing of where she comes in. This created a few mistakes but however she covered it up with actions which took the focus off her singing.

I learned a lot whilst filming this music video because it gave me an idea of how it will be for the real thing. I found out that it is very hard to create very effective shots and making sure the lip synching is accurate. I have learned that the change of shots in the editing stage have to match the speed of music. When the music fastens up, the shot changes should also do so. Good backgrounds, actors/actresses and costumes are also very vital whilst producing a music video. This is because having a bad actor/actress can really make the music video look bad, if they are not good at being in front of a camera then it is important to use someone else. Costume and backgrounds have also got to be relevant to the lyrics and style of music. I will have to make sure that everything in the music video adds up and does not look odd at any point to have a successful music video.

 

Laura Mulvey's Theory

Feminist Film Theory and Audiences

± Laura Mulvey

± Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975)

- The theory in the article develops as a logical argument from two assertions:

1. Cinema reflects society 

2. Society is patriarchal

- Patriarchy is a social system in which:

- Males had primary power

- Males predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. 

- Males dominate in the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children.

- It implies the institutions of male domination and entails female subordination. 

- Many patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage. 

The gaze: 

Laura Muvley's argument is based upon the assertion that :

                                          The 'gaze' of the camera is the male 'gaze'.

- The male gaze is active, the female passive. Within the narrative male characters direct their gaze towards female characters. Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954)

- The spectator is made to identify with the male gaze, because the camera films from the optical, as well as libidinal, point of view of the male characters. 

- Thus three levels of the cinematic gaze - camera, character and spectator- that objectify the female character (the triple gaze).

Audience -> Camera -> Sean Connery -> Ursula Andress

The audience is constructed in such a way that they are compelled to 'gaze' from a male point of view.

Woman are forced to look at the text as though they were a male member of the audience. This occurs through the process of suture.

Agency:

In the classical Hollywood cinema the male protagonist has agency- he is active and powerful. He is the agent around whom the dramatic action unfolds. The female character is passive and powerless - she is the object of desire for protagonist and audience. 

Analysis of music video:

This music video is one of the best examples that can be given to show the effect of Laura Mulvey's theory. This music video sung by Rihanna clearly shows that the males had primary power. This is an example of an illustrative music video which means that the lyrics of the song relate to whats going on within the music video. The themes of sex appeal and subliminal messages are hiding throughout the music video throughout. Rihanna is shown to be wearing clothing that reveals much more skin than it originally should which the media and society could see to be an attractive or sexual element. The attractive, sexual women throughout the music video are pretending to work on cars in a garage, however this does not look realistic as real mechanics would not pull off the moves that they have. The women are to be seen cleaning the cars with a cloth which does not require a lot of skill, which this can support Laura Mulvey's theory to an extent that they are doing this only for the pleasure and excitement for males. Males tend to be big lovers of cars in which this prop has been used to draw more attention to them watching the music video. Mostly all the way through the video the women are seen to be positioned in many positioned that have sexual implications to them which draws the eye to males, in which the females are looking from a males point of view known as 'the male gaze'. 

Target Audience Research

Using SurveyMonkey we was able to get anonymous answers to a few questions that we designed in order to get our target audience for our music video. The results came back after a week and it shows that it was 50% each of females and males, so it only makes it fair that we focus our music video on both genders. The popular age range was 0-18 years old so we are focusing on children/teenagers, so we can not choose a song with explicit language or visuals. The most popular genres of music that the audience like are pop/chart music, this is a good genre for us to go for. The majority of the audience stream music often so we know that our music video will be viewed by a lot of people. Also the majority of our audience either watch music videos or they watch it sometimes, there was no answer for that they don't watch them at all which is very pleasing. The audiences all agree that music videos are all good for branding as it allows them to know who the artist is and if they like their music video, they are going to watch it again. The audiences listen to music in all of the ways that I have offered, the most popular was 'online' which is great for us as the music video will be published onto Youtube and easy for them to access. 

Digipack and Magazine Advert

A Digipak consists of a book-style paperboard or card stock outer binding with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.It means that the CD comes in a cardboard flip-out case rather than a standard plastic hinged case. Digipak-style packaging is often used for singles or special editions of CD albums. 

In a Digipak photographs or posters are included, which would most probably be of the artist or to reflect the mood or genre of the music. A track list including song writing credits. One box with a disk impression, where a design will be in the background of the plastic tray where the CD sits, or alternatively the design will be upon the CD itself. A Band/Artist information section (names, instruments, additional musicians, Copyright and year of release etc.). Barcode and QR and a  Logo for the record company. Some Digipaks include other pictures of previous albums of the same artist or a membership postcard/flier and or a free image/poster.

Below is an official Digipak from singer Rhianna promoting her "Loud" album. 

Inside contains three panels where the CD, posters and other medias may sit. On these panels it is a continuous photo over them which makes the album look more attractive and bright. The red roses present passion and love with suits with the femininity. The front cover is used to draw attention to the audience, hence the red hair and lips. The colour red associates with love, danger, power and desire, which may conclude the themes for all of the songs in this album. Red is also a very sexual colour which would appeal to her male target audience. Her face is shown closely on the front cover to show her flawless skin and beauty. The text is very plain, but suits to the background with not being too much as it stands out and is visible to her buyers. On the back cover, Rihanna is shown again not looking at the camera, which makes her seem very vulnerable which relates to the rest of the album. It also reflects that she feels that she can express her feelings through her lyrics.All of the images seem to show that she is hiding something, in which it targets her audience more to let them find out exactly whats in store for them. The back cover has a barcode displayed, along with writing of her company, such as who the producers were etc. On the side of her album, her record company "Def Jam" is shown to advertise their work as well as herself.

The next analysis will be of Katy Perry and her album Teenage Dream, below shows the digipak of the album.  To start with, Katy's album attracts mostly girls, due to the overuse of the colour pink, which is seen to be a feminine colour. However, it also can attract males due to the album cover is seen to have cases of nudity, which is great for the male audience. The album cover is seen to show Katy looking very glamorous in a sort of 1950s pin up girl. The album name is written in quirky, candy cane like writing, which relates to Katy being a quirky and fun person, also relating to her song 'California Gurls' which was a huge hit off this album. A 'Parental Advisory' logo is also shown on the front cover to warn audoences that there is explicit content in this album. The track list of her album is written in bold red letters, standing out from the pink and blue background to make it visible, also the 'O's are swapped for a red and white boiled sweet which also relates to her song 'California Gurls'. Also on the back cover of his album is shown to be pink writing representing her record company and her producers etc. A barcode is also shown upon this album as it enables the record company to know how many have been bought. Inside the album case are three panels, 2 CDs and a poster. The poster is being held in one of the panels in which folds out to be a large poster for the buyer to post up, this can be similar to a free gift inside. The two CD's are both related to her album theme which is the music video to 'California Gurls'. The CDs are both to be seen as a doughnut and a candy sweet. These Cds are both very eyecatching and vibrant, which can relate to her fun and exciting album.  

Emil Nava Case Study

Emil Nava started off as a runner for film production companies such as Blink Productions. After working as a runner Emil graduated to Assistant Director where he would be able to manage video shoots. As a result of his success, he got signed to Academy, known as the biggest music video production company and then worked for Between the Eyes. He now works for Pulse and freelances OB Management. OB Management often work with Pulse Films, Rocket, Agile Films, Friends and Wonda. They describe themselves as "three straight up dudes who work out of Denmark Street London" with aims to nurture talent, work with production companies, work with record labels and match the right director to the right artists.




Emil's first budget music video was £20,000 for the band Kid British and the track Our House. This music video was filmed in one day in Manchester using local people as actors. He also spent 2/3 days editing it and 10 days for pre-production, he demonstrated the very tight timescales involved. 

After a few years, Emil was at his busiest and made 24 music videos in a year when he began shooting videos for independent labels the budget would be as low as £5,000 to £10,000. His most expensive video to date has been for Jessie J and the budget was £160,000 due to the larger variety of shots such as fast-paced tracking shots with fast editing to match. There are also at least three costume changed for Jessie J alongside a bigger focusing on the featured artists, Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal.






Emil has taken a big step in the media industry by creating adverts which generally have a far higher budget and production value but allow of less creative freedom. The advert that Emil directed was the L'Oreal ' Dare to be Different'. 

Emil's Top Tips include: 

Using Extreme Close Ups on faces wherever possible ; 
Do not shoot whole of video in medium shot/long shot. 
Similar to Sinead O'Connor- Nothing Compares to U and Godley & Creme - Cry

Emil Nava's Most Popular Music Videos:

• Paloma Faith - "30 Minute Love Affair"
• Paloma Faith - "Picking Up The Pieces"
• Ed Sheeran - "Lego House"
• Jessie J  - "Price Tag"
• Jessie J  - "Do It Like A Dude"
• Jessie J ft Big Sean - "Wild"
• Rita Ora - "RIP"
• Ed Sheeran - "You Need Me"
• Tinchy Stryder - "Number 1"
• Tinchy Stryder - "Take Me Back"

Emil Nava worked with Ed Sheeran, directing his music video "You Need Me, I Dont Need You". This music video has been noted to be one of the most memorable music videos ever because this concept has never been done before. The client was Atlantic and was budgeted to £35,000. This music video is very basic as it is one person the whole way through set in black and white. This music video made Emil Nava a recognisable director as it was done using sign language, something that had never been done before. The fast pace shots are also very hard to edit, showing his real technique within editing. 

Jamie Thraves Case Study

All of Jamie's music videos that he constructs all have something in common, this being that they all tell a story within it. Jamie uses this technique to connect with the emotion of lyrics. Tom Odell's music video "Only Love" directed by Jamie is the most effective when it comes to connecting the lyrics with the music video. The music video is filmed in one take, it shows arguments building up throughout the song and shows large amounts of drama and emotion the whole way through.

Coldplay - The Scientist

This music video directed by Jamie Thraves, connects very deeply to the lyrics and explains what the song is about, through the video. The plot of this song is saying that he has screwed up but has no way of explaining how as it was against reason. However, he wanted to explain what he did with science and reasoning but be cant because his love doesn't work like that. As this person means everything to him, he wants to start over again, but the other person thinks that there should be something to explain it. Jamie creates the music video of the lead singer singing forward, whilst everything is going backwards. This is a very clever theory as it explains the meaning within the song of wanting to start again so he is going back in time, however his explanation is carrying on going. Throughout this music video it seems to look like he is running away, until the very end it shows that they have a car crash and the woman is very badly hurt and he is running to get help. The very end of the music video he carries on going backwards to when he is with her all happy like they were, starting their relationship again. 

Sexism in pop videos

Laura Mulveys Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory suggests that the male gaze rejects women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. The theory suggests women can more often that not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective. Statistics have shown that only 16% of media creators are female. 

However, the presence of a woman in mainstream film texts is something that is vital. Often a female character has no real importance herself. It is how she makes the male feel or act that is the importance. The female only exists in relation to the male. 

The male gaze leads to hegemonic ideologies within our society. Hegemonic = ruling or dominant in a political or social context. 

Mulvey argues, for women the result of media being presented from the perspective of men and though the male gaze, women find themselves, at times, taking of the male gaze. Women then gaze at other women in the same way as a man would, and thus end up objectifying other women. 

Mulvey also discussed the term Socophilia. This means 'Love of Watching'. Movie-making and movie-watching have long been analyse as socophillic practices, We sit in a darkened movie theatre and observe the activities of people on the screen who are unaware that they are being watched, 

Visual Pleasure

Mulvey states that the role of a female character in a narrative has two functions. 

1. As an erotic object for the characters within the narrative to view.

2. As an erotic object for the spectators within the cinema to view. 

Gender Roles in film

The characters that look at others are seen as the active role (male). The characters that are to be looked at are passive (female). They are under control of the male gaze and only exist for visual pleasure. Females often slow the narrative down, they act as inspiration for men to act. Males on the other hand, push the narrative forwards and make things happen and are seen as active, 

Female Objectification

Objectification is related to the gaze. The persons gazed at are objectified, treated as an object whose sole value to be enjoyed or possessed by the voyeur. Objectified characters are devalued and their humanity removed.

Patriarchal Society

Patriarchal Society means that the mean dictate the rules. Mulvey argues we live in a patriarchal society in which men set the majority of the rules and construct and represent the ideal visions, roles and male dominance over woman. The worry is a passive audience will be influenced by this representation of reality and copy it and it will actually become reality... if it hasn't already. 

Sexism in Pop Videos

Miley Cyrus- "Wrecking Ball"

Miley Cyrus, best known for her role as Hannah Montana, released a new song and video to go with it, This music video reached 38,000,000 views in just one day! There was such outrage of this song, due to the music video. I believe that the reason why many people were outraged by this was because of the contrast with the Hannah Montana image. Many children idolised Miley Cyrus for this popular Disney character and out of no where creates a very explicit music video. This music video consists of Miley sitting on a huge ball, naked in near enough every scene. The reason why Miley may have added this music video to this song, was to prove a point that she is not a little girl anymore like she was in Hannah Montana and that now she is a changed woman. This music video meets Laura Mulveys theory with the vision of watching the female body,

Robin Thicke- "Blurred Lines"

Robin Thicke's most recent song "Blurred Lines" has been banned in over 20 University Student Unions. The record was banned after listening to the controversial lyrics and very explicit music video. The song has been widely criticised for appearing to florify rape and vioent sex, with lyrics including "I know you want it", "Ill give you something big enough to tear your ass in two". The language within the lyrics and the images within the promotional video are utterly degrading to the female subject.The women in the original music video are seen to be wearing shorts and a crop top, however in the explicit music video the women are seen to be naked with only wearing shoes. This makes women look like sexual beings and gives women a bad name for themselves. In contrast to the men, they are all suited up, as to maybe look like a pimp? or to make them feel dominated from the women. Whilst the women are made to dance like they are enjoying themselves, the men are positioned to stand and watch them and look at them in a very sexual way.

Alex Southam Case Study

     Alex is best known to work for Alige Films where he got accepted in August 2012, in which he has been very progressive in the media industry. Alex has been known to have "an exciting new talent, working in a dizzying variety of styles across live action and animation." Alex is self-taught and his inventiveness and creativity have caught the eye with a series of diverse promos for the likes of the Walkmen, Alt+J , Chase and Status and Lianne La Havas. 

     Southam undertook all tasks on all of his videos which he was likely to be known as "a one man band". He included camera, lighting, editing and also is now a director of photography. Southam likes the format of music videos as you can try new techniques and can have real artistic freedom. He is less keen on commercials as they allow for much less freedom. He also uses Vimeo to showcase his videos which this is becoming an increasingly important platform as it is considered to have higher status than YouTube.

      Below is a short film created by Alex Southam which he entered into a competition in 2014. This short film is very interesting and different compared to what many other people may enter in a short film competition. At the beginning of this film it is shown to look like a robbery, by getting the bags out of the car and asking his friend "is this the house". Through the film he is explaining how he never wanted to be a cleaner, he wanted to help people by being a doctor, but now he is helping by being a cleaner. The main part of this story is when his friend comes up to him and asks "have you cleaned the lounge" he replied " we will leave the biggest mess till last". This makes the audience think that these young boys help the elderly to clean their houses, as in a scene before it is shown them cleaning an ordinary bedroom. At the end of the short film, the boy gets on his all in one suit, giving the impression that he is about to paint, or clean up a lot of mess. It isn't until you see the yellow 'crime scene' tape, and the blood on the floor that you realise that he cleans up murder cases before the police find out and forensics come. This is a very big red herring that occurs at the end of this short film as it is very unexpected. The title of the short film 'Family Business' explains that many people know who they are because it runs in a family, the same way drug dealers know others, due to it being a family business. This short film shows all of Southam's techniques and ideas and i think this short film is very effective, clever and creative. 

  
     Southam had a breakthrough of the song 'Tesselate' by Alt+J in which his budget was £10,000 and was shot in one day. This music video is very different to original music videos because this particular one used many special effects which were made by the program AfterEffects. This music video has been made using a very large group of people. The mise-en-scene of the characters in the video have all been seen to be very young, with an 'urban' look to them. There is very minimal lip synching throughout the whole music video, just a wide variety of shots and movements. Laura Mulvey's theory has been shown throughout the music video of the notion of looking, which is shown due to the girls wearing very short dresses, dancing for the males pleasure. The music video does not suit the genre of song which makes it very contrapuntal and unique. Southam has done this to show creativity and skill as he re-creates a modern, hip-hop version of Italian Renaissance painter Raphael's School Of Athens painting.  

     Alex Southam's video 'Tesselate' resulted in great news and was asked by Chase and Status to film the music video for 'Lost and Not Found'. The budget of this film was £50,000 and was filmed in Los Angeles ONLY using a steadicam. The audience would only be able to spot 3 edits in this music video as all the rest were taken as whole shots. Southam filmed at 36 frames per second then slowed down to set out a story. he was influenced by Massive Attack's 'Unfinished Sympathy' which also used a steadicam and minimal edits throughout the whole film. This music video tells a story throughout and leads towards a final red herring, similar to his short film. He was very clever in the way he challenged Laura Mulvey's theory of that women do not have agency. The end of the music video it shows the young girl, who was seen to be missing, holding a gun to a police womans head, creating a lot of tension and rolling the story forward. Southam has been very unique within this music video and tends to enjoy making unique music videos and short films. 

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009 was very much known as the "King of Pop" for his brilliant voice , songs and dance moves. He became famous after being in a band called "The Jackson Five" with 4 of his brothers. Not only was he known as the "King of Pop" he has also been crowned "King of Pop Videos"!

In the early days The Jackson 5 produced a song called "The Rockin Robin" in 1971 which was a cover of the original by Bobby Day. The music video was a basic video to promote their music as a whole. In the music video it consists of the band performing on stage with synchronised dancing, instruments and Michael Jackson lip syncing. The music video consists of many key features of Andrew Goodwins theory such as dance routines, disjuncture relationship between lyrics and video, close ups of the artist and the notion of looking through screens. 



Michael Jacksons song 'Rock With You' in 1979 was his first big solo hit after splitting up with The Jackson 5. This music video reached number one on both the pop and R&B singles charts. According to Billboard, the song was the fourth biggest single of 1980.It is also considered one of the last hits of the disco era. The music video consists of Michael Jackson in a defined glittery silver suit which is very iconic to him as a person as that was what he was known to be with. The music video shows Michael dancing to his own song in front of a laser which gives out a disco effect also it highlights the various  The music video again relates to Andrew Goodwins theory by having a dance routine that he performs alone, it has an amplifying relationship between the lyrics and the video and the visual style of the glittery suit is shown. Many close up shots are shown in the music video which gives the audience a greater detail to who is singing the song, due to the lip synching that is included. 



Michael Jackson created a song called "Billie Jean" in 1982 in which he created a music video that was the first interesting pop video that tells a story and does more than just lip syncing. The music video is shown like a mini story that may  suggests that they are derived from a real-life experience, in which a female fan claimed that Jackson (or one of his brothers) had fathered one of her twins. However, Jackson himself stated that "Billie Jean" was based on groupies he had encountered. Jackson sported a new look for the video; curled hair. Jackson's clothes, a black leather suit with a pink shirt and a red bow tie, were copied by children around the US. As seen in all of Jackson's music video's, he performs his own dance moves in which many people copied after this, this became very iconic to him as well as his white glove that he performed this song with. This meets Andrew Goodwins theory of key features to a music video as the glove and dance moves were used all over the world!



Michael Jackson in 1983 bought out the song "Beat It" in which the song was promoted with a short film that featured Jackson bringing two gangs together through the power of music and dance. It is one of the artist's most recognizable signature songs, and a favorite of many Jackson fans worldwide. "Beat It" received the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards. This music video has many key features of music videos relating to Andrew Goodwin's theory as a dance routine was included which therefore many people joined in, also many people over the world learned this dance routine. The relationship between the song and the video are illustrative as the lyrics and the music video match up together. Michael Jackson has a visual style with the curled hair, leather jacket and he also had a new style of high cut trousers with white socks.The choreography at the end of the music video has been put well together due to all the men being in time and same sequence. The whole way through this music video there is a story told, even until the end. 

 

The song "Thriller" was considered the most famous music video of all time and is added to the National Film Registry in 2009 . This music video was so popular due to the fact that there was a 14 minute mini-movie, which was shortened down to the music video. The mini movie had over 100 million views when it was published onto YouTube. MTV usually ran the short version, which ran under 5 minutes but still contained about a minute of non-song content in a story line that makes up most of the movie. The editing, especially at the beginning, is more like a short film than a music video. The title at the beginning enhances this film-like quality.

Finance

The video itself cost about $500,000 to make and Jackson's record company had no intention of paying for it. As Jackson's album was on the downswing and they had already financed videos for two of its songs. John Landis (The Director), Jackson really wanted to turn into a monster, so he offered to pay for the clip himself. Landis took on the project Jackson suggested because he saw it as a way to revive the short film genre, which he loved doing. Jackson didn't have to pay for the video out of pocket because they made deals with Showtime and MTV to cover the costs. Showtime got to air a 1 hour special with the "making of" documentary and the 14-minute film before it was broadcast anywhere else. When MTV heard about this, their executive Bob Pittman decided that losing a Michael Jackson video to Showtime was unacceptable, and paid $250,000 for the exclusive broadcast rights once Showtime's window ended. MTV was founded on the principle of not paying for videos, so Pittman got around this by paying for the documentary, even though the money was really used to pay for the film. 

The video won for Best Performance Video, Best Choreography, and Viewers Choice at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. With its famous graveyard dance, the video started the trend of group dance scenes in Pop videos. The video owes a debt to Alice Cooper, who in 1975 created a movie based on the stage show for his Welcome To My Nightmare tour. Cooper's production was based on an entire album, but it also used a horror theme and was narrated by Vincent Price. Most homes had Video Cassette Recorders in 1983 and sales of videos were big business. You could buy a VHS or beta copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which included the full video and also "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller," a behind the scenes documentary. This tape became the best selling music video at the time, and was later certified by Guinness World Records as the top selling music video of all time, moving 9 million units. The timing helped, as the video was released a few weeks before Christmas.

Most homes had Video Cassette Recorders in 1983 and sales of videos were big business. You could buy a VHS or beta copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which included the full video and also "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller," a behind the scenes documentary. This tape became the best selling music video at the time, and was later certified by Guinness World Records as the top selling music video of all time, moving 9 million units. The timing helped, as the video was released a few weeks before Christmas.



In 1995, Jackson produced a song with his younger sister Janet Jackson called "Scream". This music video is known to be THE most expensive music video every produced, costing a huge $7,000,000 and even with inflation adjusted in 2015 it is now worth $10,834,025. "Scream" is cited primarily as an aggressive, retaliatory song directed at the tabloid media and their coverage of the child sexual abuse accusations made against Michael Jackson in 1993. This music video includes many special effects which was why this music video became so popular. 

Creating A Brand: Spice Girls

     In the music industry, brands can be created of an artist or band through music videos.

     The main purposes of pop videos are:

     •Advertisement

     •Illustrates the song

     •Appeals to a visual audience

     •Expresses an individual’s emotions

     •Tells a story

     •Markets an image

     All of these purposes would in the end create a brand. 

     A great example of a popular music band that has created a brand throughout their career are the Spice Girls. In the mid 1990s, family management team Bob, Herbert, Chris Herbert and Lindsey Casbon thought about creating a girl group to compete with popular boy bands that dominated the pop music scene in the mid to late 1990s. In February 1994, Heart Management places an advertisement in The Stage trade magazine asking for "WANTED: 18-23 with the ability to sing/dance, streetwise, outgoing, ambitious and dedicated. In which hundreds of strangers auditioned for the upcoming girl band, however only 5 members made the band. Victoria, Emma, Mel B, Geri and Mel C were the lucky five members to make the girl band in which they were named The Spice Girls. They were sold to the audience that they were a group of friends, that loved what they do, having fun and making top-selling, singles together. 

     All members of the Spice Girls had a specific characteristic to them in which gave them a particular nickname for the music industry. These nicknames have been so popular for many of years that they are still remembered to this day. Victoria was given the nickname " Posh Spice", Emma "Baby Spice" , Mel B "Scary Spice" , Mel C " Sporty Spice" and finally Geri "Ginger Spice". They all had clothes that were "carefully chosen for their first appearance on American TV. Victoria in a sophisticate slinky black number, Emma in a baby-pink dress, Mel B in leopard skin trousers, Geri in red hot pants, top and bra and Mel C in her favourite Liverpool shirt and tracksuit bottoms. 

     They became one of the biggest girl bands in the charts all over the world. Sponsership deals and endless merchandising were made, they were also involved with everything from Pepsi adverts to Polaroid ads to Barbie-style Spice Girls dolls.

      Many artists/groups are sold as a brand and the music videos act as a product of the        brand, in the hope that the audience will be inspired to "buy into the brand". For some      artists the 'image' is greater importance than the quality of the product. The Spice Girls    are a great example of this. The other times it is the song and the meaning of the song    that is sold, and the artists 'image' has little to do with the sale of the song.


      In this music video, the Spice Girls have their own unique clothing range, due to their personalities and their nicknames. They have been made in a way of branding, so their fans would be able to copy them and advertise them more. In the music video, many dance routines that are iconic to them are included within this which also brands them as fans would want to learn the dance and perform wherever possible. The Spice Girls have things about them that make them unique, which is why they branded them anywhere possible, including the pepsi advert. The more they were branded, the more fame and popularity they had.