Location Shots

By the water edge, the sun reflected off the water which created picturesque images.

Here you can see some of the boats in the background which added interest to the scenery. 

This picture shows the beach at high tide. The trees, debris and branches show a natural appearance, which I feel suits the outdoors lyrics and feel to my song.

The waves slowing moving across the pebbles creating a soothing feel which I hope to be able to capture into my music video as the song is calm and quieter in places.

Here you can see the foliage which runs along the beach and the opening to the beach itself. 

In the bottom of this image you can see a neglected, rusting dinghy which links to her lyrics of the 'rusted ship'. 

The above images are photographs that I took of the location Weir Quay. I visited this place so that I could see if it would be a good location for parts of my music video. After looking at the location, I found that it was very picturesque and natural with the pebbled beach and the foliage and trees that travel along side the beach. I particularly liked the way that the sun reflected off the water when it broke through the clouds and the moored boats in the distance. I was glad that I visited Weir Quay as I feel that this would be a good choice of setting for the narrative sides to my music video. It is important to have a look at more than one location when choosing a setting for music video footage so that you can compare them and discover which you think will work best with the song and the narrative. I feel that this location fits in really well with my song due to the lyrics of the water and rusted ships.

Questionnaire Results

I asked 6 females and 4 males to complete my questionnaire, this was due to the fact that I an opportunity sample, meaning I used people who were avaliable and willing to do the questionnaire at the time. I tried to get an equal number of sexes because I feel that both males and females would watch my music video, but slightly more males so I'm glad that it was a 60/40% split.

50% of my questionees were between the age of 14-20, the reason for this is because I feel that this age range will be the most common to watching my music video. 30% of the questionees were between the age of 21-37 this is because this age range would be the second most likely to watch my music and video and listen to this music, 20% were 38-54 because I think this age group would be less likely to watch my music video, and 0% were under 14 and 55+ because I feel that under 14's and over 55 year olds would be even less likely to watch or listen to this type of music.

I asked the question 'What genre would you say this song falls under?' because I wanted to know what genre classification people would say the song was. I feel this question is important because the song is quite unusual and I wasn't sure which genre people would think that it was. 72% of my questionnaire results tell me that they chose the music genre; Indie. This means I know that I need to target  y music video at peopl who enjoy Indie styled music.

I asked on the questionnaire: 'What aspects do you like to see in Music Videos?'. I asked this so that I know what people like to see when they watch a music video. I found out tht that most people like to see Band Shots and A Storyline, this shows me that I need to include band shots when I make my music video and that when I plan it, I need to think of a storyline and include that, along side the band shots. The other results include that people like to see instruments, actors and dancing. From this question, I know that I need to include band shots and a storyline and that I should include the instruments when filming the band, I should actors for the narrative aspects and I should include some kind of dancing. It is important to know what my target audience like to see because they are the people that I'm aiming my video at.

For my ancillary task, I need to make a CD cover, so I decided to include the question 'Which of these are most important on a CD cover?' The most common answer was the Album/Band Name, this is the most important aspect on a front cover, because you need to know whos album your buying and the album name so you know which album you have purchased, so I defiantly need to include these aspects. 21% of people thought that related art work would be nice of a front cover and 14% thought pictures of the band are important. This tells me that I could combine a band image with some artwork i.e drawings, animations. I plan to experiment with different designs with the front cover in the near future.

I asked 'How should a band be best presented on a CD cover?' I thought this question would give me a good idea of how I should present the band on the cover. There are so many diffirent types of album covers including, relaxed band shots like The Kooks- 'Inside in the inside out' to the posed portriature of Rihanna- 'A girl like me' and Katy Perry's- 'One of the boys' compared with the arty cover that is Keane- 'Under the iron sea' and Christina Aguilera- 'Bionic' which combines a posed image with related, layered artwork. I asked another question about which album cover the target audience preferred so that I got a clearer idea what type was the favourite. From asking this question, 25% thought a relaxed cover was best and  25% thought a posed was a better cover. 10% said the artist without instruments and 10% with instruments, so by these results, I think people generally like both, and like variety. However, nobody thought an on stage shot would be a good way of presenting the band compared with 20% of peopl who said offstage, so I've therefore decided to make the shot and offstage one.

I gave the questionees 9 different album cover images and asked them to circle there favourite and state why. From this question, I found out that Adele's posed cover was the most chosen with 30% and then secondly, Chris Brown and Keane's art work covers. I think that I could possibly combine a posed portraiture with album artwork either both on the front cover or have a posed front cover and then for my inside cover and back cover use artwork so that I have both aspects.

Above are the 3 most popular album covers of my target audience's opinion. I'm glad that I asked the question because now I know what type of front cover they would prefer and therefore be more drawn to, if it was in a music shop like HMV or an online music shop like iTunes.

I wanted to know what people would expect to see on an advert promoting a bands debut album. This is the question that I asked on my questionnaire: 'On an advert promoting a new album, what do you think is important to include?'. I found that the top two answers where the Artist Name and the Album Name, the second was the Album Cover itself and the third was the Album Release date. I should therefore include these  on my advert for the promotion of the new album.

I then asked my audience, 'Where would you expect to the album advertisement to be advertised?'. I asked this question so that if I was creating this album in the real world then I would need to know which type of locations to advertise it in. I found out from this that the most popular answer was Music Magazines, the second was on TV and the third was in Music Stores. If I was to put this advertisement out to the public then these would be the top three places that I would advertise the album on.

I also asked the question: 'In this genre, which aspect of filming/editing would you expect to see?'. My results showed me that the most common answer with 19% of votes was slow pace cuts, secondly with 15% was panning shots, slow motion and repetition. Then they chose long shots, close-ups and sped up footage. I wanted to ask this question before I started editing my footage so I knew what my audience thought was important to see with this aspect of the music video. I should include some slow pace cuts, repetition and slow motion, and could include long shots, close-ups and sped up footage. From looking at recent music video's I have found that face pace cuts, a variety of shots and sped up footage is commonly and effectively used, so i defiantly need to include these.

My last question was about the advertisement, it said 'Regarding the design of a new album advisement what would you consider eye-catching?' The most common answers was strong images, structured layout and bold fonts. Then it was large images, bright colours and large text. I think that these things are all important but I will defiantly use bold fonts and a structured layout (meaning a layout that looks effective and has been thought through, rather than a messy, layout that doesn't make sense). I think this is important because it's nicer on the eye and isn't confusing for the viewer.

This research is important because I needed to find out what my target audience wants (16-25 year olds) as this will determine what I need to put in my music video and what will make it successful. From conducting this research I have discovered which aspects of each category I need to use. 

Audience Research

Audience Targeting Profiles

I think that the young people I have featured above are examples of who my music video will be aimed at. I have chosen an age range for my target audience of 16-25 years as I feel that younger people will be more likely to view and enjoy my music video. Reasons for this include the young artists that perform the song, the genre of the song (indie) and the characters within the video itself (who are between 17-19 years old). I have decided that both females and males would like to watch my music video as I think it is appropriate for unisex. I have decided that the region of my target audience would be the UK and the USA, I put mostly UK as they are a British band so the video would be firstly promoted in the UK. The socio-economic classification of my target audience would be B's, C1's and C2's as these type of people would be more likely to buy music and watch music videos more regularly than a DE classification who may not have disposable income to spend on music etc.
By conducting this research, I have learnt who my target audience is (above), this is important as in the real world, media producers need to know exactly who there target audience so that they can attract that audience through shaping your product to fit their interests. Then they will advertise their product in locations which connect with their target audience to attract their attention and gain the most profit for your media product.

How this research has been helpful for my practical work:

• Characters relating to target audience (of the same age)
• Styling my video appropriately to fit my target audience
• Choosing my featured artists (relating to the target audience)

Further Meaning of My Song Choice

Frida Kahlo, What I Saw in the Water or What the Water Gave Me, 1938,

‘What the Water Gave Me’ is part of the album ‘Ceremonials’ released in 2011. Florence named the song after the Frida Kahlo painting named ‘What the Water Gave Me’ painted in 1938. Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 and died in 1954. She was born in Coyoacan, a mexican painter. The painting shows someone’s legs in a bath tub. I would say that because of the reflection that she has painted and the painting seems to be painted by what the person in bath is seeing, they are reflecting on what they think is in the world at that time.
They are surrounded by things floating in the murky bath water. However, from an interview with Florence, she said that what inspired her to write the song was the British writer, Virginia Woolf.
The genre of the song has been classified as indie pop or art rock. There is an ensemble of instruments used such as harps, drums and guitars. 

Looking at The Meaning Of My Song Choice

What The Water Gave Me- Florence and The Machine

Florence, herself, on the meaning; ‘It’s a song for the water, because in music and art, what I’m really interested in are the things that are overwhelming. The ocean seem to be natures great overwhelming. When I was writing this song I was thinking a lot about all those people who’ve lost their lives in vain attempts to save their loved ones from drowning. It’s about water in all forms and all bodies. It’s about a lot of things; Virginia Woolf creeps into it, and of course Frieda Kahlo, who’s painfully beautiful painting gave me the title.’

Looking at The Lyrics:

I decided to analysis the lyrics to find out the meaning of the song. The writing in red is my interpretation and ideas of what the artist is trying to say through the lyrics.
Time it took us
To where the water was
That's what the water gave me
And time goes quicker
Between the two of us a lover perhaps.
Oh, my love, don't forsake me
Take what the water gave me

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones stones from the beach (from the theme of Virginia Woolf)

Lay me down swept up on the beach. A sexual link?  Submission to the ocean?
Let the only sound nothing else
Be the overflow

And oh poor Atlas Atlas the greek god who holds the world
The world's a beast of a burden
You've been holding on a long time talking about Atlas holding the world
And all this longing
And the ships are left to rust abandoned/ ruins/ wreckage
That's what the water gave us

So lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
'Cause they took your loved ones the ocean drowned them
But returned them in exchange for you
But would you have it any other way?     Would you sacrifice yourself for someone you love?
Would you have it any other way? Talking to the ocean
You could have had it any other way

'Cause she's a cruel mistress As in the ocean is cruel
And a bargain must be made In exchange
But oh, my love, don't forget me
But, I let the water take me Sacrificing yourself

So, lay me down
Let the only sound nothing else
Be the over flow
Pockets full of stones

Lay me down swept up on the beach. A sexual link?Let the only sound
Be the overflow

So, lay me down
Let the only sound
Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones Stones from the beach

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
From the Artist:

During an interview with NME, Florence Welch revealed how she looked in Freida Kahlo painting by saying, "At lot of the time when I'm writing, things will just appear. I was writing the song and this book on symbolism was lying around, and it had the painting in it. It's nice to mix the ordinary with extraordinary." She further stated that the song talked about "children who are swept out to sea, and their parents go in after them and try to rescue them."

Frieda Kahlo
'What The Water Gave Me'

The main theme of the song is Virginia Woolf's death; her walked into the water with her pockets filled with stones is the theme of the song.

By looking at the song lyrics, it has helped me to understand the meaning of the song so that I can apply it to my music video. The song's main theme is the ocean, the way that it can take peoples lives, the relationship that she has with it and the references to Greek Gods like that of 'Atlas'. I'm glad that I did this analysis because before I looked closely at these, I didn't know the true meaning of the song which made it difficult for me to be inspired by the lyrics. However, I now have the ability to reflect the lyrics in my music video.

Letter of Permission For Song Choice

Dear Sir or Madam,

I'm creating a music video for my A Level media studies coursework at Tavistock College.

I understand that you are the owner of the copyright in the musical composition 'What the Water Gave Me' by Florence and The Machine and want to create the music video to this song.  I want to use the entire song in the video as I need to create the video to the music.

Since I'm on a limited budget I'm are hoping that you will allow us this use without any charge. If this is not possible, please let us know what fee would be required for this use. The video we create will only be seen by our teachers and the exam board. I will only upload the video to an online site called blogger which will be password protected allowing only me, my teacher and the exam board to view it.

If you could send a conformation email, this will indicate that you will agree to permit this use without payment of a fee.  Please let us know if you have any questions concerning this license.  Also would you please let us know as soon as possible if this song cannot be licensed so that changes can be made to the choice of song we use in our coursework. You can reach us in care of Darren Bird, Tavistock College, Crowndale Rd, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8DD, 01822 614231, dbird@tavistockcollege.devon.sch.uk

Thank you for your help with this matter and we look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Truly,

Phoebe Atkinson
Student at Tavistock College

Hi there,

I no longer work at Universal Music.

Please forward your email to the fabulous Liam Lydon (liam.lydon@umusic.com).

Best wishes,

Liesl

I then forwarded the letter to Liam Lydon and got this reply:

Hi Phoebe,

For any request like this please contact charlotte.thomas@umusic.com, she is in our sync department and deals with requests such as yours.


Thanks and good luck.

Liam

I then forwarded the letter to Charlotte Thomas but with no reply as of yet.

Textual Analysis of Artist Website

This is Ben Howard's website home page. I think it looks very eye-catching because the image of him diving is a video which is playing in the background, he is in the water swimming and diving. When I asked my peers what they thought about this home page, they agreed that the video made this page appealing and that this visual was an important feature of an interesting page.

This is Ben Howard's website blog page. Here the artist has written blogs to his fans about concerts, gigs and his experiences. There is advertising for his debut album on the right side of the page and where you can download it.

This is Ben Howard's 'Live' page. This gives details of all of the upcoming gigs where and when he is performing and a chance for fans to buy tickets.

This is Ben Howard's biography page on his website. This page tells fans or potential fans, a little bit about himself, his life and how he got to where he is now.

This video page on Ben Howard's website shows all of his music videos.

This music page on his website gives a list of the songs on his debut album and where you can pre-order the album and where you can download it.

The gallery page is a slideshow of pictues of the artist. I think that you could put concert pictures on this type of page and could make a montage rather than just a slideshow.

I decided to do this research to find out what the apperance of an artist website was, to see what is included on an artist website and to look at the layout of the website. I looked at seven of the website pages to find out about each one. What I liked about this website was that it didn't just have still images, it had video footage which was very eye-catching, making it have a good variety of visuals rather than just text and pictures.
I noticed that each page follows the same layout which I think unites all the pages together so that you know they are all part of the same website. I think it's imporant to keep this theme within any website, so if i decide to make an artist website then I want to follow this trend.
Almost all of the website pages have detail of his debut album in the same position of the page, this is an advert showing the album cover and where to download it. This shows good marketing because they even give the viewer a hyperlink on the advert taking you to where you download it, making it easy for fans. Underneath this advert it shows a hyperlink of where you can listen to parts of his tracks so you can decide if you like the type of music and the songs. Which also makes it easy for the viewer because they don't have to look up the songs on a different website or on youtube for example.
The website shows the personality of the artist, with a biography and images of him, he looks as if he enjoys the outdoors, which fans may relate with.
I found out from this research that it is important to keep the same layout and theme throughout your website pages, is's easier for the viewer to navigate around the the pages i.e buttons and links in the same position on each page. I think that it is important to have lots of advertising throughout the pages also as this promotes the album. I also found out that web pages need to be eye-catching and interesting to grab peoples attention.