Bastille Album Cover

When looking at the EP album cover for Bastille's, Bad Blood, a girl is seen to be in the sea. This image comes from the music video. This is also what I am planning to do for my digipak. When considering the composition of the artwork, the girl is at the top.This puts attention on the girl as it seems like she is the odd thing out in the image. The sky is blue the water is of a similar colour but the theres a girl with black hair looking as if she is about to drown. The bands name is central on the album cover in a large, bold, capitalized font. The font is further in a sans-serif type, likewise to the typography on the album covers by Scouting For Girls. Aligning the font central allows the audience to instantly recognize the artist of the track, displaying the most important information in paramount position. The triangular symbol, representing the A in Bastille lets the audience further identify the band, acting as a logo to the bands name. The positioning of the text additionally draws the attention of the audience, making their eye track different paths of the typography, looking over the totality of the album cover. Finally, the typography is white in colour, acting as a contrast to the artwork, allowing the text to distinctly stand out as it has been superimposed onto the image face.

Organic and synthetic music

Sinead O'conor- Nothing compares to you

Nothing compares to you was originally writen by prince for one of his projects called The Family. It was later made famous by the artist Sinead O’Connor in her second studio album called I do not want what I haven't got. This became a worldwide hit in 1990.

The opening lyrics assumedly establish that this song is about a heart-broken harrowing tale of love and the loss over it. The genre of the track, alternative pop, is portrayed much slower and more meaningful than other pop songs. For example, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" - this track also has an emotional meanings attached to the lyrics, but the drumbeat throughout the track and quick edits of cuts between clips take away the emotional aspect of Adele's music video and transforms it into something else - a track which could be danced to

in a lively manner.

The opening shot can represent how Sinéad is by herself, in the wilderness all alone and unloved by the wild, cold chilly surroundings within the mise-en-scene as she is seen alone, with no one around her for comfort.

The close up of Sinéad's face between 1:15 to 1:20 has an emotional and meaningful relationship with the audience consuming the music video. Between 1:15 and 1:20 is the main lyric(s) of the chorus: "Nothing compares to you".  Sinead expresses the lyrics by making the audience relate to her story, as in each and every chorus, as soon as she sings the lyric "you", it's as if she is connecting with the viewer - the viewer is the one who she is singing about, she's singing to you and not for you as a way of entertainment and pleasure to listen to.

The camera then cuts to an autumn setting with leafs falling onto the ground with Sinead fading out to around a 50% opacity within the mise-en-scene to still remain visible to the viewer. The leafs falling to the ground could represent how at this point the music video changes emotionally and in musical pitch as the track is approaching the first half of the middle section within the song where Sinead starts to "yell-out" towards the viewer, expressing her emotions more frequently by looking into the eyes of the consumer.

The falling lefts could also represent how what was, has now been lost. Leafs falling from trees are dying and will be replaced during the Summer due to the cold bitterness of the approaching winter season - a cold and chilling season, one which some may not like to spend alone.

Katy Perry

Andrew Goodwin: Pop Videos can be used to reinforce a brand image

Through the release of this song, katy perry was seen as an older sister figure to a target audience consisting of girls approximately 12-15. This video showed katy Perry as a positive role model. She then released  a song called last Friday night. This video was based around a typical girl having a party. This reflected the older part of her target audience. This lead to her fans continuing to accept Katy Perry as an older sister figure. Not only this but the fact the video all symbolises that no matter who you are; geek, not a geek etc, you are still beautiful this also widened her audience.

She also released a song called "California gurls". This music video was know as the video that completely went against all her other videos. From being a sister figure to being a sex symbol. The motive behind this video may be because of what was happening in her life at this time. During this period she had recently got married to  Russell Brand. A comedian/actor who does not really care about Katy Perry type or target audience but more of an adult one. This music video led to many young girls not listening to her music. Comparing the views on youtube, the difference is drastic between "Last Friday Night" and California Gurls".

Later on, Katy Perry released a new single called "Wide Awake". This music video was made to assure that what she was portraying in her previous song. This music video also had a man that make have symbolized her ex husband, having charm but also having the wrong intentions. She hyperthiticaly assures her fans that she will not fulled into being such a person like that again.
As a result to this, it lead to the amount of views for the video (through youtube) increasing by over 100 million. Therefore she won her fans back. 

What is a digipak

100 greatest music videos: My top 5

So Solid Crew are an English UK garage, grime and hip hop group originating from Battersea, London who achieved wide success in the early 2000s. The group consisted of a large number of members, the most notable being Lisa Maffia, Romeo and Harvey. They are generally credited with having paved the way for the current generation of crossover UK hip hop stars."21 Seconds" i It is included on their debut album They Don't Know. The song was released as a single on Relentless Records in 2001. It charted at a peak position of number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 2001, while it peaked just outside the top 40 in the Netherlands. It achieved first week sales of 118,135 units in the United Kingdom. 

The video starts with the title "Michael Jacksons' Thriller" which is in big bold red writing to make the title stand out, using the colour red means danger. The video then cuts to Michael and his girlfriend in a car which runs out of petrol in a dark wooded area, this represents a horror as something like this scenario would happen in a horror movie. Michael announces that he is "different" and scary like music starts to play as the camera cuts to a full moon appearing in the sky. A full moon can be related to werewolves which then Michael turns into. Michael then chases his girlfriend as he is now a werewolf then it cuts to the cinema which turns out that Michael and his girlfriend are sat watching the film. Michael's actual song doesn't start until over 4 minutes. Michael then starts singing to his girlfriend whilst walking down a dark                                                                                             alley which is very misty which represents that                                                                                                something scary may happen.

The music video for the song The Scientist by Coldplay is all in reverse showing him doing everything backwards to show a story. The song itself is a story so the music video suits the song really nicely. Chris Martin had to learn the song backwards which took him a month! The genre of the song fits Coldplay overall as the song is heavily piano based with an indie rock flare. Within the song 'The Scientist' a piano is used as the main instrument with majority of minor key's used. This stereotypically fits in with the pessimistic and depressing genre as it links in with the lyrics as well as the narrative of the video, by wanting to go back to stop the heartbreak of his loved one who was recently killed in the car crash. The narrative of the video demonstrates the lead singer going backwards in time to an incident involving a car crash with his assumed girlfriend at the time, hence linking to the lyrics 'I'm going back to the start'. Chris Martin had to learn the words to the song backwards in order to maintain the continuity, so when it was reversed the synchronisation of the video was appropriate in accordance to him singing the lyrics. This could show that he is still in the present but wishes he could go back to stop what happened.

This song was released in 2001 and sang by Elton John. It was directed by Sam Tyler Wood. It was actually lip synced in the music video as Elton John disliked making music videos. He chose Robert Downey Junior to lip sync as at the time he was in rehabilitation of having drug problems and so the song seemed right for him. He was allowed out of rehabilitation to film the video which he lip synced well. I think it was a good choice to use him as you can see the feeling behind the meaning of the song. 

The music video for “Stan” follows the theory of Andrew Goodwin in many different ways. One-way being that there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals of the video. The opening of the video appears to be very theatrical (movie-like) in a way as the camera zooms in to a window, showing the miserable weather of rain and thunder – to relate to the harsh feelings portrayed in the song and video, to a pregnant woman in which we then see fades to closer camera shots of the woman rubbing her stomach to show she is pregnant, this is also emphasized by the camera zooming towards her. It isn't until after an argument between the woman and the central male character of the video in the bathroom where the man argues that he doesn’t want his girlfriend to call him Stanley, presumably because he’s trying to look like Eminem. The chorus is played first in which we see Dido (who plays the female character) sitting on the toilet singing her lyrics in the song. “My tea’s gone cold I’m wondering why, got out of bed all. Morning rain clouds up my window, and I can’t see at all. And even if I could it would all be grey…” These lyrics show a clear relationship between the way Dido feels about her life in the video. She feels like her relationship with Stan is falling apart because of his obsession with Eminem (heighten by the argument in the bathroom) and that even though she is pregnant, her life at this point seems to have no meaning. The idea of “It would all be grey” reflects the previous horrible weather we saw at first in the video.

The Most Watched Music Videos on Youtube 2012 and 2013

Extra Case Study: Director X

During the late 1990s, Julien “Director X” Lutz was taken under the wing of video icon Hype Williams. The protégé learned a lot under Williams’ direction, eventually branching out to put his touch on high profile videos for artists such as R. Kelly, the Clipse and Jay-Z. More recently, X made his name known in rap circles for his direction on Drake’s “HYFR” video. The director and artist tandem—plus the creative approach of capturing Drizzy’s bar mitzvah—was praised in the amount of publications placing the visual on their year-end best-of lists. He also directed a sensational hip hot hit caled "Started from the bottom" By drake.

Director X is currently working with the OVO leader on the video for his new single, “Started From the Bottom.” Before he adds one more to his resume, we spoke with X to discuss the videos that shape his career. For his nearly 10-year run in the game, X has helped create some iconic visuals from DMX’s “What’s My Name? to Kanye West’s “The New Workout Plan.” He talked about how Ghostface Killah’s “Cherchez La Ghost” originally had a different treatment, the experience of working with a young Mr. West, and how Nicki Minaj’s “Your Love” tested your limits.

Extra case study: HYPE WILLIAMS

Williams first displayed his work by tagging local billboards, storefronts, and playgrounds using HYPE as his graffiti tag. "That's probably what stimulated my interests in color," he says. Williams was born in Queens, New York and is of African and Honduran descent. He later attended Adelphi University.[4] Williams' big break came when he began working with Classic Concepts Video Productions. Lionel "Vid Kid" Martin & VJ Ralph McDaniels created Williams' first opportunity with the "Film makers With Attitude" moniker (FWA), which was Williams' first video company.

Awards Williams has received for his video work include the Billboard Music Video Award for Best Director of the Year (1996), the Jackson Limo Award for Best Rap Video of the Year (1996) for Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check", the NAACP Image Award (1997), the 8th annual Music Video Production Association Award for Black Music Achievement (1997), MTV Video Music Award in the Best Rap Video (1998) category for Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video(1999) for TLC's "No Scrubs", and the BET Award for Best Director (2006) for Kanye West's "Gold Digger". In 2006, Williams was honored by MTV with its Video Vanguard Award, presented in honor of his achievements as a filmmaker.

In 2010, Williams was the writer for the Kanye West short film Runaway. He later directed the music video for West's single "All of the Lights", which premiered on February 19, 2011. As of 2012, Kanye West holds the artist record for working the most times with Williams, the two have collaborated in nineteen music videos beginning in 2005 with the music video for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone". Busta Rhymes is second behind West, collaborating with Williams in sixteen music videos, beginning with debut solo music video "Everything Remains Raw" / "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check".

A signature style used by Williams throughout the vast majority of his videos (shot mostly with cinematographer John Perez) was the Fisheye lens which distorted the camera view around the central focus. This was used by the tandem Williams/Perez in "Gimme Some More" by Busta Rhymes and "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" by Missy Elliott; however, it was dropped by 2003, when he experienced his lowest level of production activity since the beginning of his career as a music video director.

Another "signature style" involves placing shots in regular widescreen ratio, while a second shot is split and placed in the upper and lower bars. Videos that use this style include "Diamonds on My Neck" by Smitty, "I Ain't Heard of That" by Slim Thug, "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, "My Hood" by Young Jeezy, "Gomenasai" by t.A.T.u., "Check on It" by Beyoncé, "Freeze" by LL Cool J, "Snap Yo Fingers" by Lil Jon and many others. In addition to this, he frequently utilizes aerial and tracking shots which often move backwards or forwards, some techniques which can often be seen in "Rock the Boat" by Aaliyah, "She's a Bitch" by Missy Elliott, "Not Myself Tonight" by Christina Aguilera and "Only U" by Ashanti. It is a method often used by Hype which allows his videos to be dynamic, multi-dimensional and atmospheric as opposed to having static camera angles. Further style traits include the use of slow motion action, deep focus, and smooth cutting. With cinematic qualities, and street like fantasy, his visuals captured an entire period of excess, innovation, and humor in music videos.

Extra case study: ANTHONY MANDLER

As a video director, Anthony has shown his ability to make full realized and powerful moving short films underscoring music videos of today's top artists. Anthony has written and directed, among others, the videos: Nelly Furtado, Man-eater; The Killers, When you were Young; Ne Yo, Sexy Love; Beyonce, Irreplaceable; Eminem, When I'm Gone; 50Cent, Hustlers Ambition; Rihanna, Unfaithful; Enrique Iglesias, Somebody's Me; Fergie,Big Girl's Don't Cry and the new Duran Duran video. In addition, Anthony is part of the producing/directing partners for the new Snoop Dog reality show, said to be the biggest budget reality show in history.

Anthony is today's hottest video director in strong demand and receiving high critical praise for his unique style of story telling demonstrating his extensive and highly talented famous photography background. He has received numerous film project offers from studios waiting on the right project to direct.

Case study 3 – Alex Southam

Alex Southam

Case Study 2: Emil Nava

Emil Nava's career started as a runner for film production companies. After  This opened the door for him to work for Blink Productions. He graduated to assistant director where he managed video shoots and then signed to the biggest video production company: Academy. He then worked for Between the Eyes and now freelances for OB management and works for Pulse. 

Emil Nava now makes adverts, for example, he created the L'Oreal advert. Adverts usually have a higher budget, however they allow less creative freedom. When he first started working for independent labels shooting videos his budgets were £5000-£10,000. 

Emil created a music video for Kid British - Our house. His budget was £20,000 and they used the local residents in Manchester as the cast. With one day to film the entire video and 2-3 days to edit the video, this is a prime example of the tight timescales that can be involved in low budget videos. One of his most expensive budgets was creating a music video for Jessie J. 

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