Copyright.

Before going ahead and using the song Stay Awake by Example, we had to seek copyright permission this will help us ensure our music video is created legally. Applying for copyright permission is vital and the reason for this is it makes sure nobody can use certain songs which is owned by a record label, if they was too steal the song they could potentially make money of the song when it isn't theres. Applying for copyright permission made the record label aware what we was using he song and also what we was using it for too, we're not using it for any other reason than an educational project meaning there'll be no money made off the song. Copyright permission has to be seeked pretty much by everyone who hasn't originally sung the song, DJ's often have to apply for copyright permission as they're frequently mixing too songs together and producing the work, another example is when artists would like to sing and re-release a song that has previously already happened even if changes aren't made overall. If copyright isn't allowed and someone goes ahead anyway and makes adjustments to a song or re-releases they can be sued for breaking the law.

To go about asking for Copyright we did the following: We researched the artist and what label they was signed to, we then discovered that Example was signed to the label Ministry Of Sound. We decided that finding their website and contact details would be a good idea as we could then contact them and request permission, there wasn't a phone number or email address however there was a page where you could send them any queries you may have, we asked for permission this way and gave our contact details so they could reply to us with an answer.

The  email we sent is shown below and we sent this to Ministry Of Sound:

Dear Copyright Holder,

We are A-Level students and we are writing to request your permission to use one of the latest tracks by Example. The track we wish to use is Stay Awake.

With your permission, this task would be used in our current A-Level Media Studies project, which involves creating a music video to a popular music track, as well as producing an album and a magazine advert for the artist.

If we received your permission, this track would ONLY be used in an educational context and be viewed by our media class, our teacher and the OCR exam board moderator. It would not be realised to a large audience.

The artist and your company would of course be fully recognised throughout pre-production and the final video itself. A copyright notice with wording supplied by you can be included in the records of the project. If this is required, please send full details.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Carrie Dwyer

Nicole Nancholas

Georgia Wetherill

RAP VIDEO ANALYSIS

At the beginning of the music video, it shows the artist in his bedroom with minimal props sitting on the bed, he's singing towards the camera which makes it seem more personal to the audience it also makes them feel more involved as he's looking directly at the camera. The rap genre can sometimes feel more personal than other genres because the artists usually write the lyrics themselves, the lyrics usually include a lot of reality which is why when the artist raps looking at the camera it can seem very personal, especially as some of the lyrics could be seemed extremely private to the artist it can give the impression the artist is sharing some information with the audience directly.

The mid shot is of Drake sat on his bed looking at the camera, the close-up and mid-shots are good because this was one of Drakes first songs it helps establish him as an artist, the shots also make him more familiar to the audience because he was at this time considered to be an up and coming artist who hadn't yet made it big. The color white is extremely evident in the first minute of the video, this could connote his innocent in the music industry as he wasn't aware of the lifestyle yet however after a minute the color of his outfit becomes black which could foreshadow his life and career. The minimal props could represent Drake as he's singing at the camera it could show him more stripped back as opposed to glamorized with flash cars and alcohol, it shows the real him to the audience rather than the dramatic effects of fame. Another reason for this could be him introducing himself as someone who is establishing themselves for their talent as opposed to all the extras that come with fame.

The pace of the video is quite fast paced and builds throughout the whole music video, this could represent Drakes lifestyle and the difference fame makes because of the difference in his outfit, the props and the pace after a minute it could be a transition from his reality to the lifestyle he's becoming accustomed to because of his talent, as it was quite a drastic change it could also show his thought path as he's taking in the extra's of being famous. 

There's also another shot where a road has been edited into the scene, this could connote the journey Drake is on as he's establishing himself as an artist now, the road is shown to be empty yet it quickly picks up a fast pace which could be a physical metaphor for the pace of his life in general as his transition into fame was a quick process. 

The road that had been edited onto one wall then suddenly is edited on to every wall in the room including the ceiling, this could highlight how fame and his fast pace lifestyle his taking over his life as he is centered by the edited images. While the roads are edited around him it could also connote that the lifestyle and career is smothering him as Drake is centered wearing white clothes that connote innocence and purity, something fame could strip from him. The casual clothes make him more likable to the audience because his target audience wouldn't be a young kids so they'll think his outfit is cool and casual giving more of the impression that he's letting them into his lifestyle as he is not glamorized for the video.

Mise-en-scene is included in the video however its more subtle, the bedroom is a very personal scene that is being shown to the viewer giving the impression he's involving them into his lifestyle. The minimal props and furniture could be an indication into Drake that he has nothing to hide and is completely baring himself to the audience for his first music video where's he's establishing himself, this could also be a metaphor for him not needing anything other than himself as he's talented for his lyrics he may not need any props. Eventually the edited scene is shown over Drake which could indicate the fast pace lifestyle has taken over Drake and could again be a physically metaphor for the transition of Drakes lifestyle as he then changes costume into casual clothes again but in a darker scene with a black outfit.

Juxtaposition is evident in the scene and shows Drake slightly contradicting himself "i swear this life is like the sweetest thing i've ever known" is said while the background shows a bomb, this could highlight his now blurred vision of reality of what's he left behind, as the bomb is edited into the background it could show him now oblivious to the reality he's left behind as he's become famous. Previously Drake was edited so that he was shown twice in one particular bit of clip of the music video, this could highlight him becoming to separate people as he finds fame and becomes someone new while his old lifestyle is still a part of him. The bomb is edited into the scene and surrounds him however he is still portrayed to be oblivious which could show the potential hazards surrounding him yet he's unaware as he focuses on his talent and career, by singing at the camera still his could highlight his priority which could be the target audience and fans.

Evaluation

The purpose of a target audience is to create a video and direct it with the right conventions you think both appropriate for the audience and something they'd enjoy viewing. You can include certain stereotype's you think will appeal to the target audience e.g. younger people may find parties more appealing whereas the majority of target audience's prefer the artist to feature in the video. Another reason helps you establish you a certain genre for example: if people say they're into calvin harris and example, then we're aiming for the dance genre and things usually associated and included with this genre.

The target audience is the main factor making artists and the video's successful as they're viewing and purchasing the work, their opinion and preferences are vital when creating something that depends on them. The target audience consists of the views on youtube, download sales, number one singles etc and everything that promotes the song and relates the artist too. Most target audiences follow certain artists after certain videos/songs make them become fans, the majority of people prefer artists that fall under one genre. if people are particularly fond of Eminem and his songs, they will more than likely enjoy other rappers' music whereas people who like pop artists commonly like r'n'b artists too because pop is popular music.

To narrow down and find our target audience we created a questionnaire then asked a wide variety of people to make it more accurate to everyone as opposed to focusing on certain people fond of one genre of music or just one gender. Creating the questionnaire this way meant that the data we collected is more reliable because its recent  to current music and fits my actual music video.

We also did vox pops, these were successful because it enabled the people we interviewed to answer questions and grasp their opinions and it also helped us get direct feedback from the target audience and they could put into their own words what they expected from the music video we were going to create. By asking them to physically talk about music videos, it's easier to get their points across as opposed to wording certain aspects for example: them wording that they don't like Example would come across different to how they voice it verbally on video.

We asked a variety of questions that we thought were key to producing the music video we wanted as well as the target audience too, one of the questions we asked was "do you prefer narrative, performance or concept based videos?" the majority of people answered they preferred concept based videos while narrative was the least preferred answer on the questionnaire. Our target audience preferring concept based videos means that our video should really have a theme but not follow a story line as such, it should be unique and the audience should be able to differentiate between our music video and other videos too. We don't want a mainstream video because we feel the conventions are too similar to other videos, while we want our video to have certain aspects other videos haven't yet.

We also asked a question where the candidate could answer their gender, this question was important because the artist we chose didn't really have a specific gender it appealed to from the target audience, for example while Justin Bieber mainly appeals to females. Example's target audience consists of both males and females equally, the candidates who took part in our questionnaire was roughly half and half for each gender which makes it reliable and accurate as we're going to base our music video on what will appeal to both genders as opposed to just rainbows, flowers and dancing that will be what a younger female audience would require.

One important question we asked was "what is your favorite song by Example?" after collecting the data and discovering most people answered Stay Awake we opted to do this song because it was popular amongst our group as  well as the people we surveyed, it was also a video we could apply the data we'd collected to, including certain  connotations and conventions and a concept based performance too. The song being popular was important because if we chose a song that was not so popular when professionally released with a high quality video made too, the chances are it probably wouldn't be too great when we made it despite a lot of effort as it wasn't so popular when realeased by the actual artist.

POP VIDEO ANALYSIS

Justin Bieber- One Less Lonely Girl.

At the beginning of the music video, there is mid-shot of the artist of him in a launderette with a guitar, it  helps establish the scene for the video and begins the narrative of the video. The shot also helps the audience familiarize themselves with the artist as this was one of his first few music videos and he wasn't quite an established artist yet, he is playing a guitar in the shot which again makes it evident to the audience that he is a performer as well as singer.

20 seconds into the video there is a close-up of the artist, he is singing to the camera which makes it more personal to the audience and makes fans feel more involved, the colors are bright and vibrant which conforms to his 'pop' image and are also in keeping with the relaxed atmosphere the scene portrays. The background image is slightly blurred which makes it obvious that Justin Bieber is the focus and centre of attention too, also giving away the plot that revolves mainly around him.

The music video has quite a slow pace of editing which is so the audience can keep up with the narrative of the video, another reason for the slow pace editing is because the song is quite slow anyways, there are lots of scenes showing Justin Bieber and a girl edited in but reasonably slow this is because he may want to establish himself and make him more familiar to the audience.

There are jump cuts that have been edited into the music video, this is to maintain the narrative of the video but not waste too much time as the story line takes a while to establish and follow. The jump cuts make the video have a slightly quicker pace at certain parts to help speed up the long narrative happening but overall the pace is still generally quick slow.

Mise-en-scen is shown throughout the music video, the setting is in a launderette before the narrative takes the setting of a street and many more shops. This setting makes the audience feel more involved as the launderette and other shops are quite day to day occurrences, which makes it seem as though Justin Bieber is including the audience on a more personal level in his day to day life.

Justin Bieber is shown in quite casual clothes throughout the video, this makes him more likable as his audience and fans would be roughly around the same age and dress similarly, as he's quite young and its one of his first few videos, Him being dressed casually also makes the video more relaxed and comfortable for the audience too, it makes him seem more personal to the audience as though he isn't putting on a show and being a artist he's not by dressing a certain way for the video.

Censorship

Censorship has become a big issue in the music industry, particularly amongst parents who feel their children are being subjected to explicit things that are in some peoples opinions inappropriate. TV channels, radio stations and the internet have all enforced censorship to avoid complaints and debates arising and damaging the reputation.

One artist who many parents who have voiced their opinion that censorship should apply to is Eminem as they think his musical lyrics in particular are too explicit for some of the young fans he appeals to and could also potentially influence some of their actions. Eminem has always been recognized as a controversial artist, while some people are fond of his honest lyrics about the reality of his upbringing and the world many people find them too detailed and explicit for everyones listening, especially his younger audience who's mind could be influenced.

Eminem's lyrics include lines "We'll be right back, Well I will you'll be in the trunk" this gives the impression he's going to kill his wife, a lot of people assume this means Eminem supports domestic violence and actually promotes it. Eminem's younger fans may think domestic violence is acceptable as its been made evident that Eminem has in times been violent towards his wife, many fans may even be violent to be similar to the artist they idolise. 

Eminem is the owner of his record label 'Shady Records' which means he doesn't have to censor his videos and could put out what videos he personally finds appropriated despite public opinions, although he can say the final word on his work there's still the chance that radio stations and music channels may refuse to play the music or voice over certain lyrics. 

OFCOM is a company that enforces censorship where they think appropriate, the final decisions of what's suitable to be played on television as well as the lyrics in certain music videos and the video itself. Ofcom was launched in 2003 and hold a lot of power in the music industry as they can finalize decisions as big as banning certain video's they find extremely inappropriate. While music channels are obviously similar to radio stations with censorship in lyrics, a lot of lyrics relate to the music video so the probability of the video being censored is higher with explicit lyrics. 

MTV is an example of a music channel that censors the videos/songs it plays for the audience, they have a wide audience and try to please the majority of the audience, a lot of controversial artists such as Eminem have in the past been censored or not played by the music channel as his videos and lyrics are too explicit and cause bad publicity for the station and negative feedback especially from some loyal viewers. Music videos are also censored to prevent influencing the audience, especially younger people who in particular look up to certain artists. people could potentially try to reenact certain scenes for example; Eminem's video Stan shows a fan so infatuated with Eminem he makes similar actions that aren't acceptable, however one thing Eminem makes clear in that song is that although he raps about certain things he doesn't necessarily make those choices and do some things. 

A music channel that is the opposite of MTV is AKA, as the audience of this channel is more niche they are able to play more controversial artists without censoring, this is because the reputation makes it obvious with less complaints as you tune in particularly for less censorship amongst videos/songs you enjoy. it focuses on rap/grime music especially which makes the audience more aware of what to expect including explicit language. 

although Ofcom overall censors certain videos and lyrics to be put out on the majority of channels, the channel in particular can decide to censor certain aspects of videos that they too think are inappropriate as they are more familiar with their audience and what they prefer. Music channels that specialize in pop/r'n'b or just a variety of genres usually censor certain lyrics as the audience is quite wide they cant detect what may cause offense and bad press for them and would rather not risk it. The bigger the audience the more chance of younger audiences especially in general music channels that play the majority of genres just whats considered 'in' and 'current' at the moment, the younger audience may pick up bad language too when listening to certain lyrics which is why some channels to take it upon themselves to not play specific words in a song or play  voice over in certain parts. 

Maroon 5 have quite a clean cut image in general as they're not considered too controversial and explicit, however when they colloborated with Wiz Khalifa in Payphone, some of the language used was considered unacceptable for the young audience who listen to their music. Because the song was a big hit, many stations opted to play it but censored out the word 'fucking' in Maroon 5's verse yet completely cut out Wiz Khalifa's verse altogether, this may have been because he refused to censor some of his lyrics or because the verse in general almost became almost non-existent without the bad language originally included.

in our class debate over censorship the main topic was Eminem as he's just as famous for his controversial side portrayed in his work as his talent, many parents are against his work and the explicit narrative behind his songs saying they're not appropriate for his younger fans. A lot of people find his lyrics just as offensive as explicit, as he mocks the majority of other celebritys in his videos. Some of the celebritys he mocks could be considered good role models as they're successful. One clean cut celebrity he mocks is Jessica Alba as she's only publicised for her success as an actress and beings a good mother, although she's often voted as one of 'the sexiest women' he potrays Jessica Alba as only a sex symbol which is something a lot of women feel strongly about as it strips them of their status making them seen as only objects to men. Eminem also includes a lot of violent lyrics in his lyrics which is shown in the video too, in his music video 3am he appears to be chopping peoples limbs in his video which is very gory and detailed. 

While many parents feel strongly against their children being aware of Eminem and the negative stuff he includes, many parents feel fine as they think although he includes some aspects they may not agree with they dont think there's any danger of influencing or corrupting their child. One positiive factor about Eminems negativity is his realistic view and input on life, he tells a realistic honest narrative fans making him come across more personal as his life is publicised and popular when the story is told in his songs. He makes it obvious that life includes some struggles and believes in being honest with his fans as opposed to lying and portraying life as  easy without struggles.

 Eminem owns his own record label called Shady Records which means he has the final decision on what he produces as he's the boss. There's nobody to finalise his choices although many people may advise him on certain aspects he includes in his work they deem to inappropriate or explicit. Eminem decides on the final cut on his work, he can produce what he looks whether he considers it inappropriate or not, because he decides to include certain things he doesn't censor his work which makes Ofcom's role slightly harder, as Eminem often decides to keep certain inappropriate roles,lyrics in his videos or songs many stations/channels refuse to play his work or censor certain things however this doesn't prevent him being one of the most successful artists to date. 

The artist himself was somebody we looked at, as we thought his point of view on his controversial title was. I watched two youtube videos where Eminem speaks openly about the work he produces, in one video he gets his point across that people underestimate kids as they're smarter than we assume and wont be influenced. He also states that if kids are influenced by the work he produces, they must already be crazy meaning its not actually his fault. Eminem finished the video saying "its only music, its only entertainment" which gets his point across that censoring is something he doesn't feel neccessary and peoples opinions on his controversial image don't effect him. Another video i watched showed Eminem speaking of parenting, in the interview he states "you're their parent then parent them, i don't walk around my house saying bitch pick this up" this is a good point from Eminem as it highlights despite his negative image andthe language, lyrics he includes in his songs about violence and the relationship between his parents he hasn't let this affect his role as a parent and has taken a different approach than his parents which have obviously influenced his life and musical lyrics. His opinion on the matter is made clear as he gives the impression that if an issue occurs the parent should address is and take responsibility. 

Censorship is enforced to avoid causing offense to viewers or influencing young children, censoring is evident in the form of lyrics and the video too like blurring out body parts or weapons. Although i feel censorship is necessary in extreme cases, overall i think censorship should be avoided as it takes away the reality of the song and the lyrics particularly from artist's such as Eminem who's life experiences are what appeals to his audience. As well as this i think stations should make listeners aware of potential offensive songs being played so that any distress can be avoided yet many of the listeners may prefer this method as they can still have the option of the artists work.

Pie Charts.

Two of the key pieces of information were gender and age from the questionnaires because this would help determine what kind of audience we were aiming for and what conventions to include. This were again key questions as these pieces of information will contribute to the overall results including the answers to the questions to follow.

We asked 40 people to fill out our questionnaire to make the results as reliable and accurate as possible with an even number of candidates, we asked 22 females and 18 males however this is considered average as this is the number of people we encountered, we didn't deliberately target more females.

Another question we included was peoples preference in genres of music this is good because it helps narrow down what people prefer and means we could predict the answers from the gender and age too. We asked people who their favorite artist was and most people answered Example which was good for our results as he was our chosen artist.

We then asked some key questions which our music video would partly rely on including: "do you like seeing the artists lifestyle in their music videos?", "do you prefer narrative, performance or concept based music videos?","what do you expect to see in a music video by Example?" and finally "do you expect the lyrics to relate to the visuals?" the answers from these questions do kind of determine the outcome for our music video. As many people answered that seeing a artists lifestyle wasn't really important it meant we could then decide on a video to our taste rather than what lifestyle was expected to be portrayed. the majority of the candidates who took part in our survey answered they preferred concept based videos so we decided that would be our main focus however we may include slightly narrative or performance based aspects too in order to appeal to everyone. Through this questionnaire we were able to create an idea as to what we want our video to include, we would like it to be something similar to Examples work as it would mean it looked professional so the candidates answers and the data we collected was extremely useful in getting other ideas as to what is expected in the video for both the artist and genre we've taken on. 

We asked what the candidates favorite song was by Example and the majority of people answered 'Stay Awake' this is partly the reason for us deciding on the song, as it was a broad audience we assumed in general people preferred that song as we didn't ask a group of friends because we wanted to ensure our results were reliable and based on the majority of people not a niche market such as females. Asking 40 people was a good choice as we wanted a collective response that varied for everyone not just certain people. The results we got are reliable and based on various people including different ages, genders and people with different preferences in music genres too.

Questionnaire

Questionnaires are important to ensure that the target audience for our music video are satisfied with what we produce and what typical conventions we apply to our music video. We've also discovered what they expect of the artist we've chosen to create a music video for, we thought this was good as it may make our music video look more professionally made if its considered to be something the artist would produce.

In our survey we included a few closed answer question as well as some questions where the answer can depend solely on what the person answers so some pie charts we produced from the data we collect varies slightly. 40 People was a good number of candidates to approach for information, from the answers we received and the data collected we then as a group looked at what the answers meant for our music video. For example, many people answered that examples lifestyle was not important to them  to be shown in his music videos, this meant we could apply our own idea's more so than before as glamorous women wasn't really a focus. Through being able to avoid this typical convention featured in music videos, our music video may be slightly different to his videos as although he may include certain aspects. Our target audience is our main focus as that's who we're trying to appeal to with the music video we're creating, by focusing on the information we've collected we should be able to create a music video that will appeal to them rather than everybody in general.

Analysis of a Star - Rihanna

ANALYSIS OF RIHANNA 

Rihanna's past and present image 

Goodwin said that the R'n'B and pop genre artist included certain conventions that were stereotypical and found in most videos, these conventions consist of a glamorous lifestyle including flash cars, provactively clothed women as well alcohol and exotic locations. In Rihanna's video 'If Its Loving That You Want' the exotic location is evident as it takes place on a beach and the women are provocatively dressed however there's no alcohol or cars involved. Also her minimal clothing fits the scene as it is located on the beach and clearly in a hot climate which adds to some innocence to her image, rather than doing it in a sexualized way to attract and older and more mature type of audience. This gives her a younger target audience as people feel she's styled and given the image of a much more 'presentable' star for younger people. It could be argued that this image is now contrasted in Rihanna's more recent videos as although she still has little clothing on, the way she presents herself is in a more sexual and explicit way which some would say is aimed at a much older audience. In my opinion, Rihanna's more control of how she's presented in the media in the present, rather than the sweet barbados girl that she was made out to be in the past.

Rihanna in her first music video 'If it's lovin that you want' 

Rihanna in one of her more recent videos, 'Man Down' 

Rihanna's past and present target audience 

Rihanna's target audience is teenagers, young adults and adults as she produces music that her fans can relate to through the intentions she had when writing them (e.g. Cheers, Love the Way You Lie or Take A Bow). Her image appeals to the younger audience as she's portrayed as fun, youthful and quite provocative which makes her target audience wider, boys and men see her as a sex symbol. Rihanna has taken up a more rebellious image lately as one of her albums was called 'Good Girl Gone Bad' foreshadowing the road her new image took, in more recent video's she has dressed more provocatively (as discussed above) than ever and the lyrics and videos in general are just more explicit, causing worry as she is potentially too explicit for her younger audience in some people's opinions which is causing quite a shift in her audience to just young adults and teenagers, canceling out the teenagers - who people worry are being easily influenced by Rihanna's new reformed look. Also in the video 'Man Down', the messages is a lot more mature than past ones.

Goodwins Theory - Applying it to 'If it's Lovin' That You Want' and 'Man Down' 
Both 'If it's Lovin That You Want' and 'Man Down' show some genre characteristics of R&B which is what both songs are, in 'If it's Lovin That You Want' she's shown in the video which is an element featured in Goodwins Theory but we also see conventions such as dancing and Rihanna is dressed in skimpy clothes that keep in theme with being on the beach. The music video is mainly performance based and shows Rihanna singing directly to the viewers using the camera however the more recent video to her single 'Man Down' is very narrative based which shows her audience a story. With Goodwins Theory, both these videos are very similar because they both show close-ups and give Rihanna's audience opportunities to get to know her just in different ways.

Messages and Values 
In 'If It's Lovin That You Want', the video doesn't really have any messages or values but the video keeps in the theme of Summer where she is wearing beach clothes and it uses exotic instruments giving the track a Caribbean sound which is reflected in the video. 'Man Down' is showing a narrative based video and compared to 'If It's Lovin That You Want' it's quite graphic and more mature. 'Man Down' has contents of violence (where Rihanna shoots the man) and sexual content (scenes suggesting that she got raped). The change in the video reflects how her target audience has changed from a star that younger girls can look up to and is child friendly to a more mature star with her own personal style which defines her (i.e. Sexual clothing, change in hair colour)

Dyer's Star Theory 
Dyers star theory applies to Rihanna as it talks about how stars aren't real people and just made by their management to look and act the way they want them to. With Rihanna it's hard to tell whether her past self was controlled by her management and they were forcing her to have the 'good girl' image or if they pushed her into becoming more sexualized for a wider and mature audience since there was a gap in the market for someone like that. Also one of her albums is titled "Good Girl Gone Bad" which hints at people wanting to take note of her change.
Dyer's Theory also says how stars like Rihanna are 'better' or more glamorous versions of their audiences. This applies to Rihanna during 'If It's Lovin That You Want' and 'Man Down' because she is still young in both and therefore her teen/young adult target audience are more likely to connect with her and her lyrics. However, she's more extraordinary than your average girl next door because in each video and in general, she has a striking look about her - both looks very different but still have the same effect. In 'If It's Lovin That You Want' she looks very natural and innocent but still remains pretty drawing in attention from her audience and in 'Man Down' her look is a lot more constructed with her trademark long red hair, good figure and fashion sense but in the long run this still has the same affect on her wider or changed target audience as it did in the first video.