Jason Myraz- I’m yours
I have chosen this video as it is also in the singer/songwriter genre he is also a solo performer that plays the guitar. The concept of this video is that the lead character (Jason) is travelling somewhere along the way he meets various interesting groups and landmarks.
At the start of the video the shots are quite dark and lots of close ups are used as well as most of the shot being within the confined space of a room. This sense of being trapped is mirrored in the fish in the tank who cannot escape. As the video progresses and we see him travelling the mood becomes more relaxed and carefree, this is shown in a number of ways such as his laid back clothing, lighting becoming much brighter and scenes of him relaxing with friends. Spaced out in the video are long shots of beautiful natural landscape which help to reinforce the message if being free and natural.
The editing of the video is edited to the beat, so as a chord changes so does the scene, making it smoother and matching the song to the action taking place. This will be important in our video so that everything looks synchronised and in fitting with the song.
Lily Allen- LDN
In this video lily is walking along the streets of London at first everything seems bright and cheery a she passes though the saturation levels change from high to low as the real version of the dirty streets is shown. One of the ideas we had for our music video was to shoot in black and with when the mood is sad but then change to colour as everything becomes happy again.
The lyrics support the way the video shows the two versions of the world “When you look with your eyes, everything seems nice, but if you look twice, you can see its all lies” This connotes that although at first something or someone may appear nice if you look deeper the flaws will be exposed. Close ups are used to highlight this change for example a sweet seen on the floor then becomes a cigarette butt.
Throughout the video lily is wearing a feminine dress with trainers possibly showing her different sides like the world. Although lily remains the same other characters change as she passes, two people having lunch change into two yobs on a bench. I think this could show how you outlook on life can affect the way you look at things making them more positive than they are.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Music Video Research
Coldplay- The scientist
I have chosen to analyse on of coldplays videos as they are similar to my artist Chris Cohen and he lists them as his main influence upon his music. The reason i chose the scientist is that it follows a narrative all the way throughout which is something we wanted to replicate in our video.
However the narrative is shot in reverse sequence leaving the viewer guessing what the singer is walking, this draws in the audience and lures them into watching the rest of the video. It isn’t until 2:50 we see why he is walking away, his girlfriend laying on the floor possibly as the result of his actions. It is unclear whether she is dead or not creating disequilibrium.
From seeing this scene, a close up in which you can see him walking away in the distance, the lyrics of the song start to make sense as they begin to relate to the storyline that is being portrayed. “oh lets go back to the start” referring to him wishing the incident never took place and towards the end of the video we understand why he wants to go back to the start, revealing the mystery that has drawn in the viewer. For our music video the main inspiration for the content and story line was the lyrics this video is a good example of that.
Some of the video is shown in slow motion this is to create synchronicity with the song. If it was in normal speed the action would be too fast and unsuitable for the song ruining the effect created. The music also matches the speed in the video. At the start when just the piano is playing he is walking in slow motion but when the drums begin he move in normal speed as more action on screen begins to happen.
Cross fade transitions are used at the opening these make the cuts less dramatic and softer in keeping with the videos tone. I think they also help to emphasise the slow and gentle pace of the song. Cross fades make scenes seem more continuous like all the action is happening in linear time.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Monday, 19 April 2010
Question 1: In what ways does your media product use challenge or develop forms and conventions of real media products?
When designing my digipack I looked on Chris Cohen’s MySpace to see who he had listed as inspiration as this would show me similar artists and ones who reflect his style. When I had found a few I looked at their album artwork and adverts for them this inspired me by letting me see products that I could create. A lot of the similar artists use black and white photos this is one convention that I have also used as it reflects my music video and also fits in with Chris Cohens style. He belongs to the acoustic/ singer-song writer genre I feel that My video and print productions reflect this although our video is different to most from this Genre.
We challenged convections of music videos as nearly our whole video is narrative. Viewers will recognise performing shots in our video although they are part of the narrative. Most other videos will have more performing shots and less of a storyline our production is almost like a short film. Our video is also in black and white which you do not see very often in videos however it suits the song and content shown.
In my print production for the magazine advert I used a large picture as the base and a smaller picture of the CD pack something you commonly see in most adverts. I have included logos of store you can buy the CD at again this is seen on a lot of adverts and is something the audience will instantly recognise.
Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?
To gain audience feedback for my print productions and my music video I posted them on social networking site facebook. This then allowed my friends, most of whom are a similar age to my target audience to comment on my photos and video giving me an idea of how successful they were. Although not that many people chose to comment on my products it did enable me to get some valuable feedback. I learnt that at times people felt the video was too slow in pace, some of the effects were unnecessary but i also learnt that people liked our video and thought that it was mostly successful.
With my print productions several people commented on my photos saying they liked certain aspects of them, it was good to see people thought they were successful. However it didn’t allow me to gain any real feedback, perhaps because they were my friends and didn’t want to criticise it, which is one disadvantage of using facebook for audience feedback.
We also had the opportunity to get feedback from a professional called Matt who produces music videos. This was very valuable as he is a professional that has worked on other videos and he could give us an honest opinion. Overall his feedback was mainly positive he did advise use to change the contrast in some of our shots and check that the music synced with the video
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main and ancillary products?
Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main and ancillary products?
As the music genre of the song and artist we used was acoustic we decided it needed to be a simple theme without any fast action or special effects. So we choose a story that reflected the meaning of the song and worked from here. We decided it should be black and white as this would show the emotions of sadness in our break-up story.
For both productions I have used the same theme of black and white. My making both my video and print productions in black and white it links them together, making them look like they are from the same artist and album. As they are a combination this will make them more recognisable to the target audience for example if they have see the video then they will recognise the album in shops or the magazine advert in the magazine they are reading meaning they will link these together which will encourage them to buy Chris Cohen’s music.
They may also recognise the images used in my print productions as I took these from my music video. I did this as I thought our video had some storing images in it, it also saved the time it would have taken to do a photo shoot.
As a promotional package I think the continuity I have used between my two productions works effectively to promote the artist and make the audience want to know more about him. The video and images I have used are interesting and thought provoking which was one of the aims of our production.
As the music genre of the song and artist we used was acoustic we decided it needed to be a simple theme without any fast action or special effects. So we choose a story that reflected the meaning of the song and worked from here. We decided it should be black and white as this would show the emotions of sadness in our break-up story.
For both productions I have used the same theme of black and white. My making both my video and print productions in black and white it links them together, making them look like they are from the same artist and album. As they are a combination this will make them more recognisable to the target audience for example if they have see the video then they will recognise the album in shops or the magazine advert in the magazine they are reading meaning they will link these together which will encourage them to buy Chris Cohen’s music.
They may also recognise the images used in my print productions as I took these from my music video. I did this as I thought our video had some storing images in it, it also saved the time it would have taken to do a photo shoot.
As a promotional package I think the continuity I have used between my two productions works effectively to promote the artist and make the audience want to know more about him. The video and images I have used are interesting and thought provoking which was one of the aims of our production.
Do we have the right to download music for free? - Music Investigation
Music investigation
Do we have the right to download music for free?
I would like to investigate this as I think there are many different opinions, it will be interesting to see how it varies between different age groups and occupations. I think that the older the person and the better their job then they will be more likely to pay to download music or buy the CD. Whereas those who earn less and are younger, perhaps having less awareness of their consequences, will choose to download their music for free.
Websites such as limewire and frostwire allow users to share their music with others. This means that when someone uploads content to the site it is available for others to download. The software is free to download and use but it is usually plagued by computer viruses and bugs. Although it is not illegal to run the website it is however illegal to upload copyrighted music to these sites. Other types of music such commons licensed music and that of which the copyright has expired are legal to download. It is only an offence to download copyrighted music, as you are not paying for the use and have no permission from the copyright holder. Many users are unaware that using this software may be illegal as the site itself gives no clear warning. I managed to find this useful information on the limewire website regarding legality and copyright. “ The program distributed by Lime Wire, "LimeWire BASIC" and "LimeWire PRO", is legal software, but like many legal things, it is possible to use it in illegal ways. Specifically, it is illegal for you to use LimeWire to share, distribute or download (all of which we call sharing) copyrighted files without permission. The LimeWire program is distributed and licensed for use only in an authorized and lawful manner and not to share files which the copyright owner has not permitted to be shared. Your use of LimeWire BASIC or purchase of LimeWire PRO does not constitute a license in or to share unauthorized or unlawful materials. Your activities on peer-to-peer networks such as LimeWire may be monitored by copyright owners. Violation of copyright laws may subject one to substantial money damages. Copyright owners have sued thousands of people for infringement of copyright over peer-to-peer networks.”
Although it gives warning not to use copyrighted material and does tell you clearly it is an offence this information is not clear to the user who may be unaware that what their downloading is illegal. As this subject has been an area of debate most people should by now be aware that downloading copyright material is illegal. On a technical level we do not have the right to download most music for free. Copyright owned by music labels and artists give them the rights to it, meaning if you have not paid them for it you are breaching the copyright conditions. However the public still continue to do this despite knowing the risks. Internet companies are trying to crack down on illegal downloading imposing stricter fines and punishment, as this is so widespread it will be a very difficult thing to do. I am going to look more closely at people’s personal opinion regardless of the law.
I started by looking at articles on websites such as the guardian and the times. They both seemed to argue that it is morally wrong to download music for free and that it was like stealing from the artist. If you are downloading it for free the artist you like will receive no money and potentially lose out on thousands of pounds every year. Whilst users on the websites had a range of different opinions. Commenting that artist earn too much already, why shouldn’t we take advantage of this software. A large number stated they did think it was wrong as it’s like stealing and that tougher measure such as closing own limewire and frostwire should be brought in.
I have already gathered that there is a varied opinion I wanted to see if this varied between ages and occupations. I used the website www.yahooanswers.com , a site where you can post any general questions you may have, as well as answering those that people have posted. I asked- Do you think we should have the right to download music for free? I also asked them to leave their age and occupation (many chose not to). I used this method as I thought it would give me the best access to a wide range of people. In total I got 24 responses although not all of them were useful. Below is a selection of the most interesting responses from the website;
“I think it's OK for people with low income to download music illegally because they have a hard time keeping food on the table but they have the right to listen to some good music. But rich people should NEVER download illegally. They should purchase legally to support the artists/bands.
I'm poor, I'll be honest.” This user who is 19 and from a low income background thinks it should be right for poor people, who do not always have the necessary funds to buy the music they want, to download music for free but has a strong opinion that rich people who can afford it should never do. This seems slightly hypocritical and would be a very hard measure to enforce.
“I don't think its right to illegally download music, but you can't expect people to buy the music if it's available for free. I use YouTube to MP3 Converter. However, to make up for it, I buy allot of official merchandise, and I download from the official channels, which the band are paid to have anyway so I don't feel so bad.” This user who is a student explains many people’s thinking that although it is wrong if its there for free why would you pay for it. She also raises an interesting point about buying merchandise by which she pays the artists some money through other products.
The next user is 33 and has a job in marketing “It isn't right, it affects more than just the artist....I buy my music the old fashion way...I buy the CD” He seems to understand that it is stealing from the artists and isn’t a very moral thing to do.
“It is not right but that doesn't stop people doing it. I USED to do it, but saw the error of my ways, plus everyone was getting caught, so I stopped” This comment from a 22 year old secretary shows how over the years awareness of illegal downloads has become more apparent and that companies beginning to crack down on tit has had an effect on the audiences buying habits.
“I believe we should have the right to download music for free. People download it illegally anyway, so why not make it legal?” like many others this 14 year old student cannot see the point in paying when lots of other people are downloading it for free.
“No, I think if you want to have them on your iPod or w/e, purchase them.
It's like food- You wouldn't go to the supermarket and just take it because you didn't want to pay, and that company was rich already, would you? You can listen to music in so many ways- YouTube, the Radio, Telly music channels.” This comment from a 41 year old teacher think downloading music free is like stealing therefore morally wrong. I like the quote she has written about stealing from shops as this put it into perspective. You certainly wouldn’t steal from a shop so why is ok to steal from an artist? If more people looked at it like this then would perhaps be more aware of the effect it has and how it is wrong.
This research has showed me many different opinions from music consumers. There seems to be a lot of conflict and lashes of opinion. Whilst those who are younger and hove little or no income generally said they should have the right to download music for free. Those who were older and had a well paying job said they thought it was wrong to download music for free and knew that it was illegal. The battle seems to take place between those who are older and younger people with less money. On the whole the majority of people regardless of age and occupation said the believed it was wrong to download music for free and that you should pay for it.
There has been a growth recently in websites such as last.fm and Spotify. Which allow you to select from many different tracks to listen to on your computer but not download them, kind of like a personalized radio. This is paid for through adverts in between tracks. You tube also gives you the chance to listen to music for free legally as they monitor their site. Due to there now being many other sources of listening to music for free I think less people will choose to illegally download, and that now people have legal free access they should stop using illegal sites and choose other sources.
With all the facts and peoples opinions considered I personally think it is both illegal and morally wrong to download music for free. It is stealing from the artist, you wouldn’t normally steal a CD in real life so it isn’t really that different to illegally download music. The protection currently cover music is not sufficient to cover this current practice. In order to stop this ensures everyone pays legally for their music I think tougher measures need to be brought in. Such as closing down illegal sites and enforcing more punishments as too many people get away with it. In the future I think less people will illegally download music as a result of greater awareness and tougher consequences, but that it will still be widely used causing problems for artist and music labels
Do we have the right to download music for free?
I would like to investigate this as I think there are many different opinions, it will be interesting to see how it varies between different age groups and occupations. I think that the older the person and the better their job then they will be more likely to pay to download music or buy the CD. Whereas those who earn less and are younger, perhaps having less awareness of their consequences, will choose to download their music for free.
Websites such as limewire and frostwire allow users to share their music with others. This means that when someone uploads content to the site it is available for others to download. The software is free to download and use but it is usually plagued by computer viruses and bugs. Although it is not illegal to run the website it is however illegal to upload copyrighted music to these sites. Other types of music such commons licensed music and that of which the copyright has expired are legal to download. It is only an offence to download copyrighted music, as you are not paying for the use and have no permission from the copyright holder. Many users are unaware that using this software may be illegal as the site itself gives no clear warning. I managed to find this useful information on the limewire website regarding legality and copyright. “ The program distributed by Lime Wire, "LimeWire BASIC" and "LimeWire PRO", is legal software, but like many legal things, it is possible to use it in illegal ways. Specifically, it is illegal for you to use LimeWire to share, distribute or download (all of which we call sharing) copyrighted files without permission. The LimeWire program is distributed and licensed for use only in an authorized and lawful manner and not to share files which the copyright owner has not permitted to be shared. Your use of LimeWire BASIC or purchase of LimeWire PRO does not constitute a license in or to share unauthorized or unlawful materials. Your activities on peer-to-peer networks such as LimeWire may be monitored by copyright owners. Violation of copyright laws may subject one to substantial money damages. Copyright owners have sued thousands of people for infringement of copyright over peer-to-peer networks.”
Although it gives warning not to use copyrighted material and does tell you clearly it is an offence this information is not clear to the user who may be unaware that what their downloading is illegal. As this subject has been an area of debate most people should by now be aware that downloading copyright material is illegal. On a technical level we do not have the right to download most music for free. Copyright owned by music labels and artists give them the rights to it, meaning if you have not paid them for it you are breaching the copyright conditions. However the public still continue to do this despite knowing the risks. Internet companies are trying to crack down on illegal downloading imposing stricter fines and punishment, as this is so widespread it will be a very difficult thing to do. I am going to look more closely at people’s personal opinion regardless of the law.
I started by looking at articles on websites such as the guardian and the times. They both seemed to argue that it is morally wrong to download music for free and that it was like stealing from the artist. If you are downloading it for free the artist you like will receive no money and potentially lose out on thousands of pounds every year. Whilst users on the websites had a range of different opinions. Commenting that artist earn too much already, why shouldn’t we take advantage of this software. A large number stated they did think it was wrong as it’s like stealing and that tougher measure such as closing own limewire and frostwire should be brought in.
I have already gathered that there is a varied opinion I wanted to see if this varied between ages and occupations. I used the website www.yahooanswers.com , a site where you can post any general questions you may have, as well as answering those that people have posted. I asked- Do you think we should have the right to download music for free? I also asked them to leave their age and occupation (many chose not to). I used this method as I thought it would give me the best access to a wide range of people. In total I got 24 responses although not all of them were useful. Below is a selection of the most interesting responses from the website;
“I think it's OK for people with low income to download music illegally because they have a hard time keeping food on the table but they have the right to listen to some good music. But rich people should NEVER download illegally. They should purchase legally to support the artists/bands.
I'm poor, I'll be honest.” This user who is 19 and from a low income background thinks it should be right for poor people, who do not always have the necessary funds to buy the music they want, to download music for free but has a strong opinion that rich people who can afford it should never do. This seems slightly hypocritical and would be a very hard measure to enforce.
“I don't think its right to illegally download music, but you can't expect people to buy the music if it's available for free. I use YouTube to MP3 Converter. However, to make up for it, I buy allot of official merchandise, and I download from the official channels, which the band are paid to have anyway so I don't feel so bad.” This user who is a student explains many people’s thinking that although it is wrong if its there for free why would you pay for it. She also raises an interesting point about buying merchandise by which she pays the artists some money through other products.
The next user is 33 and has a job in marketing “It isn't right, it affects more than just the artist....I buy my music the old fashion way...I buy the CD” He seems to understand that it is stealing from the artists and isn’t a very moral thing to do.
“It is not right but that doesn't stop people doing it. I USED to do it, but saw the error of my ways, plus everyone was getting caught, so I stopped” This comment from a 22 year old secretary shows how over the years awareness of illegal downloads has become more apparent and that companies beginning to crack down on tit has had an effect on the audiences buying habits.
“I believe we should have the right to download music for free. People download it illegally anyway, so why not make it legal?” like many others this 14 year old student cannot see the point in paying when lots of other people are downloading it for free.
“No, I think if you want to have them on your iPod or w/e, purchase them.
It's like food- You wouldn't go to the supermarket and just take it because you didn't want to pay, and that company was rich already, would you? You can listen to music in so many ways- YouTube, the Radio, Telly music channels.” This comment from a 41 year old teacher think downloading music free is like stealing therefore morally wrong. I like the quote she has written about stealing from shops as this put it into perspective. You certainly wouldn’t steal from a shop so why is ok to steal from an artist? If more people looked at it like this then would perhaps be more aware of the effect it has and how it is wrong.
This research has showed me many different opinions from music consumers. There seems to be a lot of conflict and lashes of opinion. Whilst those who are younger and hove little or no income generally said they should have the right to download music for free. Those who were older and had a well paying job said they thought it was wrong to download music for free and knew that it was illegal. The battle seems to take place between those who are older and younger people with less money. On the whole the majority of people regardless of age and occupation said the believed it was wrong to download music for free and that you should pay for it.
There has been a growth recently in websites such as last.fm and Spotify. Which allow you to select from many different tracks to listen to on your computer but not download them, kind of like a personalized radio. This is paid for through adverts in between tracks. You tube also gives you the chance to listen to music for free legally as they monitor their site. Due to there now being many other sources of listening to music for free I think less people will choose to illegally download, and that now people have legal free access they should stop using illegal sites and choose other sources.
With all the facts and peoples opinions considered I personally think it is both illegal and morally wrong to download music for free. It is stealing from the artist, you wouldn’t normally steal a CD in real life so it isn’t really that different to illegally download music. The protection currently cover music is not sufficient to cover this current practice. In order to stop this ensures everyone pays legally for their music I think tougher measures need to be brought in. Such as closing down illegal sites and enforcing more punishments as too many people get away with it. In the future I think less people will illegally download music as a result of greater awareness and tougher consequences, but that it will still be widely used causing problems for artist and music labels
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