This is the music video's moodboard that me and my teammate (Jocy) made:
The first scene is at school, to represent high school and the events happening and revolving around high school. (jocy made this)
Self Reflection: I really love the high school vibes and how it is linked with blue very much as it makes high school feels very represented (usually blue = high school). I love how the moodboard kind of helps visualize the kind of theme we wanted for our song.
This is the performance scene located in the beach, we wanted to make it not as bright. (i made this)
Self Reflection: Since we wanted to do the shot at the beach, we still have to subvert the conventions of our music video which is showing the sadder side of highschool. We need the mis en scene to be still blue, dark and not bright like sunrise which is why we set a moodboard in those colours to show a more vulnerable side of high school in Jakarta music video from mis en scene (colours).
These are the outfits other than school outfits such as at home, beach. (i made this)
Self Reflection: This was actually additional if i'm not mistaken since it's not mandatory to do this one. However I believe that our chosen clothes for the shooting plays a very important role in setting the mood/tone for the mis en scene. The beachy outfits were pastels to show the main character, contrasting but in a softer way. The other outfits are casual outfits but in denim, white, brown as we wanted to portray the main character as a soft kind of person and not very loud and bold (average human being to further relate to the audience even more)
Today in class we studied theory of stardom by Richard Dyer. Here are my classroom notes about the celebrity Olivia Rodrigo which will help me in my media project as I need to create a persona for my artist. I did this work with my team mate Jocelyn (Jocy).
Names:
Jocy and Sharon
Celebrity:
Olivia Rodrigo
REEL persona:
Instagram page - a lot of tour/concert pictures, her outfits (dresses, flashy outfits), awards, magazines, tour ads, but she isn’t all serious, she's still playful and goofy on stage
REAL persona:
Behind the scenes in her music videos - she’s very playful, cheerful, smiley, not as serious as her sad/angsty songs make her appear to be,
Her reel and real sides are similar, she's a really authentic person and isn’t afraid to show her silly goofy side which makes her fans connect with her more as it makes her relatable.
Success:
Olivia Rodrigo’s career had a breakout when she was playing as an actress in high school musical drama where wrote “All i want” and “just for a moment” which made her gain attention not only as an actress but also as a songwriter. Then she released “Drivers license” which led to the release of her album “SOUR” and her career as a songwriter took off from there.
Consumption:
As Olivia Rodrigo is a pretty simple person, she is known for ground lifestyle which sets her apart from other celebrities who are involved in extreme diets or luxury.
Dream turned sour:
Olivia rodrigo has faced accusations of her songs in “SOUR” however she immediately credited the artist which she is accused of copying and preserved her media. However she never had a lashing downfall as she addresses problems quickly.
My group and I have decided to create a film opening in the genre of Pop. Here is my research into the codes and conventions that are used in opening of text from this genre.
Films from pop genre usually include mis en scene of cinematic performance such as lip syncs or stage performance by the artist, or which is important to show the artist pesona, personality and energy. The element of sound is used as the main influence from the beat of the music which is used often as a transition in edits between the music video and is used when emphasizing the scenes from the audio. Edits used in pop music are usually fast cuts as the sound has uplifting beats. Also used to sync with how to music is, as the music video needs to match with the idea of the producer. When editing they also usually mix with other elements such as performance or audio conversation to edit in the music video. Another element is camera, which usually uses tracking and long shots to track the artist when they are doing the performance (as the artist is the main focus), Close ups to show facial expression matching the music video. The narative is normally about romantic emotion expressions, life journey, self empowerments which the films opening is often used to take people's attention and to introduce and show the artist's difference (pesona).
High School in Jakarta, 2022 (NIKI, distributed by 88rising) > big research
I choose this music video to analyze not by coincidence since i have been a big fan or the artist NIKI and her music, which her music videos share a certain deeper meaning which i love from the music video and has the element of story telling instead of just a normal music video which gives a sense of connection to the audience more. Niki's music video "high school in Jakarta" is considered a pop music, however it is also mentioned as alternative pop/indie song as the sub genre.
The music video confirms to the element of performance such as emphasizing the artist pesona shown as it focuses on emotional delivery such as storytelling and also the element of mis-en-scene which matches the vibe of the song. This is shown from technical elements such as camera angles close up of Niki's expressions which brings the listeners into her own personal world, making them feel more connected. As, the editing was not fast cuts, rather slow cuts (slower paced) as this makes it more movie like, having more storyline and overall creates a better bond as it has become a part of the audience journey as well as the actor(Niki) as Niki's song is about looking back to highschool years, which with those elements they create the feeling of nostalgic. The mis en scene also helped in the blue colour palette and lockers, uniforms, stationaries, classroom which is connoted for school, and sound used for school bells.
However, Niki's music video "high school in Jakarta" subverts the convention of usual flashy and exaggerated performance of music video's by artist who are doing pop. Niki does have a performance but the performance is more raw, unfiltered and natural looking which can make the audience feel more closer as the video feels more real and creates an emotional bond to the listeners.
The representation of this music video is Niki herself (typical high school experience), Jakarta and high school events (drama club). The representation from the actor Niki is showing her life in high school representing teenagers life as high schoolers (fun, messy, complicated). The representation of Jakarta is not the same with the actual school. However Jakarta here is represented as an average american high school drama shown using mise en scene of uniforms, drama club, ect.
Please Please Please, 2024 (Sabrina Carpenter ) > big research
The genre of "please please please" is pop and the subgenre is Synthpop, Electro-pop, Indie pop. The subgenre shapes the sound visual style and the audience's expectations of a song.
Pop music usually are very catchy and upbeat so that the songs will be memorable for the listeners. In Sabrina Carpenter's song "please please please" include notes that grabs people attention making the listeners feel emotions that blends perfectly such as freshness and excited from the tone, melody and the scenery changes from the music video. Using mis en scene such as outfits, location changes creates new excitement for the audience as they do not see the same thing over and over again. Another thing this song confirms is the quality and the high polished visuals from the music video which is shown as the clearness of the video, and the mis en scene that looks like they cost a lot (which they do, in most pop videos they use expensive mis en scene such as clothes, actors, ect). The quality of the music video looks as if they produced by a movie producer as the music video consist a story line which tells another story inline with the music video's lyrics. The music video also highlights sabrina carpenter as the main character and showing her pesona using close up shots and long shots of her makeup, hair, outfit and style.
Usually in pop music, not only their beat are catchy but the music video contains elements that are shows brightness, uplifting colours, catchy with shots in bright locations, and bright colourful visuals overall, which connotes as playfulness, fun, happiness, vibrancy and catches the viewers attention. However, Sabrina Carpenter's song "please please please" subverts from this conventions by using darker muted colours, darker lighting and locations such as jail, bank, and sketchy places. By subverting the conventions they also subvert the usual happy bright ending into emphasizing the authenticity of the music video rather than fantasy or such.
Sabrina (girls) who are represented as someone who prioritizes on looking good which is shown using close up shots of a scene where she was bailed out of jail and the only thing returned to her are her glasses and lipstick, which she later used in front of the officer while he was giving instruction. "this is not a beauty class maam" is pointing towards the character prioritizing looking good but unaware of her surroundings (she just got bailed out of jail), making the character look dumb. The character (sabrina) was also shown always dressing on point with numerous outfits and accessorizing, even if her and the other guy in the music video are doing robbery, ect. This is shown from the long shot of her in red doing nothing while the boyfriend(?) was fighting the other guys. The scene was pointed towards her, as she was wearing a red dress while others are wearing muted colours. The scene of her constantly doing nothing and waiting for the guy's guidance portrays her as "helpless" and in need of the guy.
However, the guy in the music video is represented as stronger, more masculine and the one who directs and take charge in his life. This is shown using clips and long shots of the guy constantly going in fights and receiving money from others. Which from the mis en scene the audience are able to see that the guy is involved in criminal activities, usually people involved are strong and independent.
Good 4 u, 2021 (Olivia Rodrigo) > small research
Genre / Sub genre: pop / pop rock
Teenagers and young adult are the target audience which appeals to them as the setting of the music video is at school, doing activities such as cheer. The song's theme is about heartbreak as well and these elements relate to teenagers and young adults as they are going through the same thing which creates an emotional bond between them and the song.
Olivia Rodrigo is represented as angsty, heartbroken teenager who was dealing with heartbreak which many target audience can relate to this. She is represented this way using close up shot of her expression stern and mad, which shows her raw emotion and connects with the audience. Low angle was also used to make Olivia Rodrigo look more powerful which shows her more rebellious side and making her look stronger and making her look more chaotic and relating to teenagers more.
I love the mis en scene of the movie and how the mis en scene creates a high school atmosphere like a typical american high school such as the cheerleading outfits, the vintage edits and looks which makes the music video looks like they came from the 90's and i would def consider making mine feel retro as the vibe really cool and vintage. I also love how fun this music video feels and how connected I feel as an audience with the storyline.
I would like to avoid the messiness of the scene, as i think as students it is not possible for us to make it too messy. However it is a good connotation of how breakup feels like from the song "good 4 u". Although it is a good theme, i dont think i want to choose a song with heartbreak theme as it is harder to make for students for us.
Make you Mine, 2024 (Madison Beer) > small research
Genre / Sub genre: Pop / R&B and Soul
The target audience is teenagers and young adult (16-25 years) which is appealing to the audience as they mis en scene such as location of music video which is at school, the outfits (cheerleading outfits, and 90's based outfits) and the activities the music video is showing (cheerleading). This appeals to the audience as they are experiencing high school recently and this would make them relate to the music video more.
I like the concept of the mis en scene where they are recreating an american high school scene and atmosphere as it brings nostalgia feeling. I also love how they use light settings and natural outdoor shots as seen in the cheerleading clip of the video. They also uses close up shots a lot during filming the scene, to emphasize the emotion between characters which captures slight emotional shifts to draw the audience attention more. I think in my music video i want to use more natural lighting as it captures the essence of highschool in a cheerful way, happy way,
I would like to avoid the music video in being too performance related such as cheerleading since I want the element of performance in my music video to be something else thats more relatable to the audience (Indonesian audience) and cheer isn't something very common in Indonesia. By avoiding performance such as cheer, i would be able to go for a simpler one which makes my target audience relate more as they can see themselves reflected in the characters or the narrative.
The video uses alot of tech elements such as close up shot which focuses on the emotion between characters which by focusing on the emotions shifts between characters in close up shot it makes th relationship between characters more intimate and engaging which emphasizes emotional connection.
APT. 2024 (Rosé & Bruno Mars) > small research
Genre / Sub genre: pop / pop - punk
Target audience is also young adult and teenagers 16 - 25 age range through the nostalgic as the video concept feels very 2000's vibe which is shown from the fun, retro and nostalgic appeal as the audience can see older viewers are reminded of their childhood and younger viewers sees it as cool and vintage.
I love the simplicity of the music video, where the artist collaboration is portrayed very good as they look like they are having fun. This is shown using the mini performance which is recorded using long shot of Rosé and Bruno mars moving in synch which perfectly captures the artist pesona and chemistry. Rather then them relying on over the top music videos, this music video focuses on simplicity which makes the collaboration between Rosé and Bruno Mars feels more natural and approachable which makes them feel relatable for the audience as it gives of a down to earth vibe.
The edits in the music video is very retro and very engaging which is good. However, it does not suit the style as retro can give a sense of nostalgia can often connotes as childfull and playful. Since i am aiming for a more mature nostalgic theme, not retro and playful then a simple cleaner style of editing would suit more instead of this funky, playful type of edit.
I love you, Im sorry, 2024 (Gracie Abrams) > small research
Genre / Sub genre: pop
The target audience for this music video would be teenagers and young adults (16 - 25), this is as the target audience is drawn to emotions, vulnerability and carefreeness which is shown through raw and authentic emotions that gracie expresses in the close shot (which was used in most of her camera angles throughout the music video).
I like how the music video seems very relatable to the audience as they use settings that are in everyday day such as the beach, in school stage, car with friends. I think that the beach scene will be very usable as it makes the music video very natural and relatable which is what im aiming for. I would also probably use the car scene idea where she lip syncs while she was with her friends which i think can seem very fun and relatable because the target audience is teenager and young adults (usually they value friendship alot which helps them relate and have an emotional connection with the music video).
I would like to avoid the scene where there are many people carrying Gracie Abrams while she was lip syncing to the song in a medium shot. It is good however it does not match the aesthetic i'm going for as the mis en scene of the background is very dim and dark lighting and blinking lighting which makes the vibe seems darker and im going for a more uplifting vibe.
You belong with me, 2009 (Taylor Swift)
Teenagers and Young adults (13-25), with a demographic of teenagers who are navigating from highschool experience such as personal identity, relationship, self identity which is the theme of the song which appeals to the audience as they relate to the theme of the music video which uses the theory of Blumer and Katz, Uses and Gratification theory (personal identity) where people consume media for personal identity and exploring their own selves (such as preferences) which is why the audience are able to relate and are interested to the media in a certain way.
I how the singer (Taylor Swift) is able to represent both characters which the girl next door and the popular cheerleader. In the scene they were both rivals as they liked the same guy, which Taylor Swift are able to represent the characters in a very contrast way which is why it catches the audience attention as it draws a clear plot.
I would like to avoid the mis en scene of the colour quality as it seems very muted and old fashioned due to slightly washed out look, which i do not want for my music video as it does not match the aesthetic as I would love for my music video to be more vibrant which connotes as brighter, cheerful as it resonates more with pop music.
Hot To Go, 2023 (Chappell Roan)
Target audience might be a wider range of age (16 - 30) however there are many age range of people in the music video which might suggest that it is for a wide range of audience and demographic are people who are drawn to vibrant, energetic pop energy, performance based which this music video's theme is about. The bright colours and visuals draw the audience as it's very eye catchy which Blumer and Katz, Uses and Gratification theory where audiences consume media for entertainment. Since the music video is very eye catching, the audience would more likely be interested in these type of vibrant and catchy media.
I love the vibrant and catchy vibe of this music video as the bright and saturated colours (in this music video blue, red, yellow) connotes in the video looking more energetic, lively which creates a fun and immersive environment for the audience to enjoy as it mirrors the pop energy. I also love the fact that many people learned the dance in the music video which makes it very interactive making it highly engaging for the audience and encourages the audience to be a part of it too.
I would like to avoid the music video too performance based and overly colourful, as i would want to be able to create a more authentic music videos which theme is about high school based and give a more naturalistic theme which by adding too much colors, will contrast with the theme.
this is some additional research our teacher Mr Nick showed us about elements of performance.
in here, i am able to see what a performanced based music video looks like and it really helps me in knowing the base of a good music video.
Self Reflection: This research has taught me strong conventions in pop music from each of the music video such as the vibrant, vibes and such. However from researching the music videos i came across some of my favorites which is "High School in Jakarta", "I love you, Im sorry" and Good 4 u as they came across as more fun, raw, unfiltered and more relatable as the stars are made to be teenagers which of course relates to us and most of the settings are in school. They also do daily activities that teenagers normally does which i think would be a really great example for our project as we are not able to do very high quality production aiming at luxuries (cars, clothes, ect) but rather focus on simplicity and reality of every day lives. I really like when the music video shows the artist actually having fun, feels very voluntarily, free flow type of thing, low efforts and real instead of heavily edited, heavily scripted as I love music videos that are able to reflect on my daily life and making me relate to it even more.
88+ Rising is a music record company label created by Sean Miyashiro which states their music releases on genre hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock and electronic mainly aiming for Asian artist to pave their way in music in Los Angeles (that's the base of 88+ rising), Some other famous artist from their label are Niki, Rich brian, Joji, Stephanie Poetri.
This are the content they produced and their most successful product which this record label has released:
- SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK. Joji.
- lowkey. NIKI.
- La La Lost You - Acoustic Version. NIKI / 88rising.
- Sanctuary. Joji.
- Backburner. NIKI.
- Yeah Right. Joji.
- Take A Chance With Me. NIKI.
- Like You Do. Joji.
Their typical audience: are marketed for teenangers such as young adults (age 16–25) who are interested in pop , R&B and hip hop from all over the world, mainly in Asia as they aim to produce from Asia and Asian American youth which goes worldwide to show diversity esp in cross cultural blend (wasian). The audience are interested as they are drawn to the diversity and the mix of multiple cultures mainly in Western and Asian cultures.
88+ Rising started as a small company which now operates as a full fledge record label, artist management company which success is shown through the concert of its annual Head in the clouds music festival which attracts fans from all over the world. They are based in Los Angeles however expanded into Jakarta, manila which their fans has rapidly increased all over the world.
Self Reflection: From researching the 88 Rising Industry, I learned how they represents and have their own target market such as asian people and ect. 88 Rising stand out the most in the part where they focus on representing Asian artist and making cultural gaps in western dominated spaces, as it shows how other audience are interested in cultural diversity in music.
This is my preliminary research for the music video:
Song, Artist
Genre/ Genre Conventions of music videos
What issue/social group was being represented? How was it being represented?
What did you like/dislike about the music video?
Yura Yunita, Dunia Tipu Tipu (2021)
Indonesian Pop - The social group being represented is more cultural as Indonesian people in musc videos are usually represented in nature or more low budget and are more neat in clothing (not to revealing)
Relationships are represented in here from friendships, relationships, and parental relationships which is represented from how they talk and laugh, how they look at each other in a good way.
Its too formal, as the colours scheme are similar which i dislike as i love something more unique and fun, however i like how they can capture the look of love in relationships which is so genuine and the use of close up for the eyes to show emotions.
As it was, Harry Styles
Pop Usually very bright, very fun, fancy and high quality of sooting and property (they go all out on music videos)
Represented in a more complex form of love and it shows as more messy from the different shots and the constant close and far from actors in the music video. Harry style also uses more feminine clothes such as red and beads which he represented masculinity in that way.
I like the edit of this video as they have many variations of cuts using the beats and also how bright and colourful it is. However I do not like how it is too complex as us as students are most likely unable to do so.
Zombie
Indie Lower budget, very personalised and very unique and bring feelings out.
Zombies are represented as scary creepy, brainless which is used using blood as mis en scene and makeup for the band
I dont like it as much as it doesn’t suit what i would go for (too much blood)
The Weeknd, Blinding lights (2020)
RnB Very calm, very jazzy and they were represented as put together and unique, not very high quality shooting but very personalised with the artist which makes it connect with audience in a deeper level
Represented as very rich, with very cool production and very advanced editing and recording.
its very high production however the lighting is very colourful and dark which i do not like
The beatles, Now and Then (2023)
Rock Very dark, usually they are represented using dark colours, loud and they focus on the band and skills in playing, usually shooting to show off skills and has dark mis en scene everywhere
Represented friendship and the old friendships as they put a lot of old pictures and reminisce the past when they were still in a band playing together, it is shown from the edits of the players who passed away but they still put th memories and recreated with AI to show their journey together as a band.
I like how they made it so heartwarming by putting pictures of them back then using black and white edits to make it seem more dark which makes it sad. However I dont like how messy and how the ai is not real as it is pretty scary to see.
Self Reflection: After researching different genres and seeing the conventions surrounding each genres, i decided that pop genre will be the best suited as the upbeat, bright colours makes the audience feel happy and that iswhat me and my teammate are aiming for, fun and upbeat kind of vibes.
This is my weekly progress and plan for the music video
Week
Start Date
Task
Blogpost Title
Content
Deadline
W1
30 September
Pre Production
Research
1
Brief
2
Team
3
Weekly Progress
4
Preliminary Research
Broad genre research
W3
W2
7 October
Research
5
Research: Industry
Who makes music videos?
W3
W3
14 October
Research
6
Research: Genre
Codes and Conventions of your genre
W4
W4
21 October
Plan
7
Statement of Intent
Your initial proposal
W5
8
Theory of Stardom: Richard Dyer
A summary of the class, plus your example
W7
W5
28 October
Plan
9
Moodboard
Your visual style
W7
10
Lyric Sheet
Breakdown your song into scenes
W7
11
Storyboard
Shot by shot plan
W7
W6
4 November
Plan
12
Song Research
Background of your song
W7
13
Screen Test
star auditions
W7
14
Classwork
How to: Camera, MeS, Sound, Edit
W7
W7
11 November
Plan
15
Location scout & Risk Assessment
W7
16
Filming Schedule
Film over the break?
W7
W7
BREAK
Week 1
We were introduced to the music video project for our last project exam which we learned about all the various kinds of music genres and their conventions and how it impacts the audience. We also learned new media theories which helps us develop our skills for the music video analysis soon. Researches were done starting from preliminary research which is the music video genre difference and we also started on Industry researches.
Problem: We were having a hard time deciding our groups as some of us are taking A levels which means that they are going to put more effort then those who doesn't take A levels.
Solution: We think that first come first serve is good, but personally for me since I know that I will not put as much effort as those who are submitting to cambridge, I let them choose and I'll go with the other groups available
Week 2
We did our genre research and my theme was pop music. I really enjoyed researching about music as it is something i love, especially researching the music videos of one of my favorite artists (NIKI).
Problem: However, since me and my friend Jocy is not taking A Level in media studies we were seperated from others into a group of 2 only to not bring their average done as we are not going to put as much effort as the ones taking A level. This means that there are more work for us to be done :(
Solution: We decided to do a music video that is more easier to be done, as we only have 2 people capacity (meaning extra work of the other members even if not as much quantity).
Week 3
We were finalizing our research for genre, and industry as this is already the last week.
Problem: I was sick for this week alot and we had photoshoot so we aren't able to do as much media (i missed out alot).
Solution: catch up after school and at home so that i can finish them
Week 4
We did theory of stardom which we analyze the celebrity characteristics and use the the theory to create our own star pesona. We also did our statement of intent which helps us get our ideas out.
Problems: We did not have enough time in making the statement of intents as our media time at school is very limited.
Solution: I finished the statement of intent at home as to get in track of the time.
Week 5:
We did our moodboard for the locations and scenes, we also came up with ideas in the lyrics sheet as we can imagine the scenes in our head. Mr nick also asked us to start doing our storyboard.
Problems: Again, as we have limited time we haven't finished our lyrics sheets and annotating the ideas in handwriting.
Solution: However, I am going over to my teammates house to do more work and if we are finished with the work, we might be able to start recording.
Week 6:
We did our song research and screen test as a class, also finished location scout and risk assessment.
Problems: We have limited time in class as always, so the projects are usually done after class in my own time
Solutions: doing it consistently outside class hours. in free times, ect.
Self Reflection: This was the weekly progress for this semester, I think there were definitely ups and down on making this projects such as for me research takes up most time. However since I learned that on last term I tried to manage my time better this term and me and my teammate Jocelyn were on track for this project and we actually almost got ahead. However we still needed to finish some research and classworks which we focus on doing. I also think that even the team was only the two of us, it is still very much possible and it helps us focus more as we know we cannot rely on other people but only ourselves. I think the hardest part of timing it with a weekly progress is if one of us gets sick, as we only have 2 members so it would definitely be harder for the team to work alone.
Self Reflection: This is my teammate Jocelyn, our group only consist of two people since the rest are taking A level and we are not taking A levels. I was really worried at first because having only 2 people in a team and it's a lot of work for a big project such a music video projects. Me and my friend kept on asking mr on the task we needs to be done, and if we have to make the same exact amount of tasks but mr assured that we can do it. Now I think that even if the project is huge, me and my teammate are actually doing really well and we are really on track.
