A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media (50% of A2 media mark)

This is a coursework/practical unit.

Brief: Students must produce a promotion package for the release of an album to include:

1. A music promo video2. A music DVD digipak

And one of the following options:

← Either a website homepage for the band; ← Or a magazine advertisement for the Digipak/DVD.

←

G324 is marked out of a total of 100 marks: 20 marks for the planning and research and its presentation; 60 marks for the construction; 20 marks for the evaluation. The entire project must be uploaded onto your Ning site. The evaluation questions must be completed and must include audience feedback.

Rules for the Music Promo Project:

1. The track must be for an unsigned band or artist;2. The track must be original – no cover versions;3. The track must be available as a studio recording on CD, MP3 or WAV;4. You must present your ideas for the music video to the band or artist and

respond to their feedback positively;5. Your digipak must be a minimum of 4 sides with a pull out booklet that gives

information about the band;6. If you choose the web site option, the site must be live and linked from your

Ning;7. If you choose the magazine advertisement option the advert must contain all

original images – absolutely no found images to be included;8. All three elements of the project are essential for success at A2; 9. All three elements require evidence of research and planning;10. All three elements must be evaluated using the key OCR evaluation

questions.

The deadlines below have been agreed by the academic staff. They have been set in stages so that you can monitor your own performance during your Advanced Production Portfolio. After submitting work on time you will receive detailed feedback on your progress during the project and you will be given an individual action plan on ways to improve your work*. The deadline dates are final, however please feel free to submit work before the deadline dates and move onto your next task.

Finish Music Video Research tasks 1 – 9;Upload work to your Ning by Friday 25th September 2009

Finish Music Video Research tasks 10 – 19;Upload work to your Ning by Friday 23rd October 2009

Complete assembly edit;Upload your assembly edit to your Ning by Friday 18th December 2009

Complete Final Cut of Music Video and present to the bandUpload your Final Cut to your Ning by Friday 5th February 2010

Complete digipak research and designs;Upload digipak research and designs to your Ning by Friday 5th March 2010

Complete web site or magazine advert research and designs;Link finished web site to your Ning; or upload magazine advert to your Ning by

Friday 2nd April 2010

ALL ADVANCED PRODUCTION PORTFOLIO WORK TO BE COMPLETED AND UPLOADED ONTO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 2ND APRIL 2010

*You will not be allowed to change or alter work after the final deadline Friday 2nd April 2010

Below is a complete list of all of the tasks for the A2 Advanced Portfolio in Media. Please tick them off when you have completed them:

1) Set up your Ning site at www.ning.com

2) Set up a Slide Share account at www.slideshare.net

3) Set up a Twitter account at www.twitter.com

4) Join Survey Monkey at www.surveymonkey.com

5) Embed a range of music videos that you like onto your Ning; say a bit about what you like about each video (camera, editing, styling and mise-en-scene etc.)

6) Read Goodwin’s terminology and the Geri Halliwell and Missy Elliot analysis.

7) Analyse three of your favourite videos using Goodwin’s terminology. Use the Geri Halliwell and Missy Elliot analysis as a framework for your own responses.

8) Type your analysis of your three favourite music videos onto a Powerpoint presentation with screen grabs from the videos to help illustrate your points.

9) Upload your finished Powerpoint(s) to www.slideshare.net and embed onto your Ning; make sure that you also upload the full versions of your three favourite music videos.

COMPLETE TASKS 1-9 AND UPLOAD TO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2009-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10) Type up your research notes on the release of a new album or single; include as many examples of marketing and promotion as you can such as: the music video; press interviews; magazine adverts; the band’s Myspace; the band’s web site; live music streaming sites (Spotify, Last FM etc.); viral online campaigns; appearances on TV (T4, Jonathon Ross etc.); live gigs and festivals; digipaks and physical CD covers and designs; in-shop promotional materials; billboards; TV adverts etc.). I need you to give me a flavour of the things that go into the launch of a new album. It makes sense to pick a massive artist or band.

11) Type up your case study of your chosen music video director into Powerpoint; you should include examples of their work (screen grabs) and comment on their visual style, the artists or bands they have worked with; the genre of music they specialise in (if appropriate); whether they

produce mainstream or underground work; their stylistic influences; their use of live performance; their use of narrative elements; their editing style; why you like their work.

12) State the ways in which your chosen music video director’s work has influenced or inspired ideas for your A2 project.

13) Upload your finished Powerpoint to www.slideshare.net and embed onto your Ning; make sure that you also embed a selection of their music videos.

14) Research into youth subcultures and current fashions for ideas about the look and styling of your own video and the band. Upload research to your Ning.

15) Audience research and questionnaires; find out how much people spend on physical and download music; where do people access new music; do they illegally download tracks; do they live stream tracks – if so which sites do they use; where do they watch music videos – TV/online; what music TV shows do they watch; do they go to gigs/festivals; do they see the value in a well put together digipak. Use www.surveymonkey.com to upload questions and email your survey to your target audience.

16) Research your chosen band. Who are they; what genre of music do they play; where do they play out; where do they rehearse; have they got a Myspace; have they got a studio recording of the track; are they reliable.

17) Band discussions and conversations; video the meetings with the band; scan and upload notes taken during the meetings; complete a diary of when and where you met the band – what was discussed and agreed; keep copies of emails/texts sent to the band. Use www.twitter.com to upload your thoughts about the project and meeting times etc. Link your Twitter to your Ning.

18) Present three music video ideas to the band; the presentation must give the band enough information about your ideas to make an informed decision. Remember that if the band doesn’t like your pitch, they will not green light the video. Your pitch must include mood boards, test footage and storyboards. The pitch must be typed up into Powerpoint, uploaded to www.slideshare.net and embedded onto you Ning.

19) Pre-production paperwork:

Detailed proposal

Treatment

Song lyrics with timings and annotations

Mood board(s) mood boards are selected images from magazine shoots; music videos; TV; film; advertising that have inspired you. They are used when pitching your ideas to the band so they can visual the style and look of your video. You can create a Powerpoint mood board and embed You Tube or Vimeo clips into a presentation. Go to www.slideshare.net; upload your Powerpoint and embed it onto your Ning site.

Animatic storyboard = edit the storyboard and the track together

Production schedule

Location recces

Permissions

Health and Safety

Cast and crew list

*****All of this pre-production work must be uploaded onto your Ning. The examiner is interested in the process of the production as well as the finished product; sketches, notes, mood boards etc give a really good illustrative idea of how the project has developed from pre-production to production to post-production.

COMPLETE TASKS 10-19 AND UPLOAD ONTO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2009-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20) Film test footage

21) Film the music video

22) Log rushes (rushes are your unedited filming)

23) Transfer your good rushes onto your D:Drive folder

24) Complete assembly edit

COMPLETE ASSEMBLY EDIT AND UPLOAD TO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2009-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25) Complete rough cut – show rough cut to the band and respond to feedback; type up band feedback onto your Ning.

26) Complete final cut – present to the band and respond to feedback; be prepared to re-edit if asked; if the band are happy ask for detailed feedback on your production.

COMPLETE FINAL CUT AND PRESENT TO THE BAND; UPLOAD YOUR FINAL CUT TO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2010

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

27) Individually evaluate your final music video using the key OCR evaluation questions.

END OF MUSIC VIDEO SECTION OF THE PROJECT-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Research what music DVD digipaks are; what are the key elements that make a good music DVD digipak; what artists/bands have produced music DVD digipaks; what are the advantages of music DVD digipaks to the audience and the industry.

2) Type up your research notes and photo examples of music DVD digipaks into a powerpoint; upload your powerpoint to www.slideshare.net and embed onto your Ning.

3) Develop ideas, sketches and designs for your original music DVD digipak; upload designs onto your Ning.

4) Present your designs to the band and respond to feedback.

5) Produce the final music DVD digipak and upload onto your Ning

6) Evaluate your music DVD digipak using the key OCR evaluation questions.

COMPLETE MUSIC DVD DIGIPAK AND PRESENT TO THE BAND; UPLOAD YOUR MUSIC DVD DIGIPAK DESIGN TO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 5TH MARCH 2010

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For part three of the project you either produce a web site for the band or a magazine advertisement for the launch of the music DVD digipak.

1) Research music web sites; what information is available on a band’s web site; how does the band’s web site help to promote the image and attitude of the band; what audio-visual material is available on the band’s web site; have the band monetised their web site.

2) Type up your research notes and examples of existing music web sites into a powerpoint; upload your powerpoint to www.slideshare.net and embed onto your Ning.

3) Develop ideas, sketches and designs for the web site; upload designs onto your Ning; decide how you will embed audio-visual content into the site.

4) Present your designs to the band and respond to feedback.

5) Produce the home page for the band web site; launch the site as live and post a link to the site from your Ning

6) Evaluate your web site using the key OCR evaluation questions.

COMPLETE WEB SITE AND PRESENT TO THE BAND; MAKE YOUR WEB SITE LIVE AND POST A LINK TO YOUR SITE FROM YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 2ND APRIL 2010

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Research existing magazine adverts that promote the launch of a new music DVD digipak; what are the key features of the advertisement; how is the music DVD digipak sold to the audience; what language and imagery is used; how do the record companies try to persuade fans to buy the music DVD digipak.

2) Type up your research notes and examples of existing print-based music DVD digipak adverts into a powerpoint; upload your powerpoint to www.slideshare.net and embed onto your Ning.

3) Develop ideas, sketches and designs for the magazine advert; upload designs onto your Ning; decide on the original images needed for the advert.

4) Present your designs to the band and respond to feedback.

5) Produce a magazine advert that promotes the launch of the music DVD digipak; upload your final advert to your Ning

6) Evaluate your magazine advert using the key OCR evaluation questions.

COMPLETE MAGAZINE ADVERT AND PRESENT TO THE BAND; UPLOAD YOUR FINAL MAGAZINE ADVERT TO YOUR NING BY FRIDAY 2ND APRIL 2010

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join media team for a celebratory drink atThe Trafford Arms on Friday 2nd April 2010.

A successful music video has to work at two levels – it must sell the song to the audience, and it must reflect the mood, story, tone and musicality of the song. A music video is essentially a selling tool. Its job is to shift shed loads of CDs or downloads – that is the bottom line.

Most artists like to devise dynamic, creative and artistically exciting and adventurous videos, which add energy and a creative visual dimension to their songs. You can too.

Definitions

The song is the name the music business gives to any single named piece of popular music – or track - however long it is.

The artist(s) is the performer of the song, and it may be a band or a solo performer.

The album is a compilation of songs – even if some of them are just instrumental music without words.

The lyrics are the words of a song.

The composer writes the music of a song.

The producer works with the artist and engineers to make and edit the recording.

The arranger adapts the song for particular instruments or for an orchestra or band.

The publisher publishes the words and music of a song – sometimes as ‘sheet music’- and pays the writers of the music and lyrics for doing so.

The recording company (such as Virgin or EMI) makes the recording of the song and issues a CD or download.

The royalties are the payments that all the above receive when a song is bought by you or me, or broadcast on radio or television.

The advance is money paid to an artist for a certain number of albums, by a recording company on signing to a label. It is an advance loan on the royalties the artist will earn by selling the albums and includes all the expenses – such as making a music video - incurred in making and selling the albums. The artist receives no more money until theses expenses are paid

For the A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media you must produce a music video for an established local band or artist. You will present a pitch to the artist/band which will form part of your assessment for Research and Planning. You are not allowed to produce a music video for a widely known song.

Andrew Goodwin identifies the following characteristics of the music video:

1. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics);

2. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (again with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music;

3. Particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography (such as live performance in heavy rock or choreographed dance routines in RnB);

4. There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist;

5. The artist may develop their own star iconography, in and out of their videos, which, over time, becomes part of their star image;

6. There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screens within screens, binoculars, film and movie cameras etc;

7. There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts (this may or may not feature actors from the original film or TV programmes).

Benny Benassi - Satisfaction Remix:Goodwin Topic: Representation of women; voyeuristic and highly sexualised portrayal of women which is a signature feature of his music videos – see his ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ and ‘Every Single Day’ videos.

Nas – Street DreamsGoodwin Topic: Intertextuality – the video recreates a number of famous scenes from the Martin Scorcese film Casino.

Lady Gaga – Poker FaceGoodwin Topic: The record label demand lots of close-ups; Lady Gaga has used her music videos to exaggerate her star persona and image.

Dizzee Rascal: Dance Wiv MeGoodwin Topic: there is a relationship between the music and the visuals.

Music videos are very rich areas for analysis; there are MICRO media language elements such as camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing, location, lighting etc that you can comment on. There are also MACRO elements such as the MIGRAIN key concepts of ideology, genre, representation, audience, industry and narrative.

Andrew Goodwin in his book ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’, talks about some of the key aspects of music video. See if you can spot any of Goodwin’s key features in your chosen music video. This workbook also gives you a detailed overview of the key elements of a music video (taken from Teaching Music Video, Pete Fraser).

To help with your analysis the next few pages contain detailed analysis of:

Geri Halliwell ‘It’s Raining Men’

Missy Elliot ‘Rain’ and ‘She’s a Bitch’

There are also online resources and worksheets on Guy’s Ning site to help you.

It’s Raining Men (Jake and Jim, 2001)

Opens with CU of Geri – the video is used to highlight Geri’s confidence in her new body shape; this links with her star persona – however is it voyeurism or exhibitionism?

Intertextual links with the 1980s hit film Flashdance

Voyeuristic and objective shots of Geri’s body emphasise her fitness and sexual attractiveness; male judges reinforce her desirability through their facial expressions.

Fellow students watch Geri perform which further reinforces her star status within the narrative of the video

Geri’s body is a main feature of the video; she is positioned throughout the video as a powerful central figure.

More intertextual referencing; the Famous logo on Geri’s T-shirt is written in the same font as 1980s hit TV series Fame.

Choreographed dance routine again references the TV Programme Fame; the scene cuts to people watching and enjoying the performance from their windows; again Geri is positioned as

God-like pose; Geri positioned as dominant and confident; dressed

similar to Mel C (Sporty Spice); again Geri’s new-look six pack is clearly

visible to the audience.

the central leader in the use of camera work and editing.