Note to the Moderator

Dear Moderator, My name is Emily Jones Candidate No. **** , welcome to my A Level Media Studies blog. This is a record of the work I have undertaken for the Making Media (Component 03/04) non-examined assessment (NEA) within the OCR H409 GCE A Level course in Media Studies. 
My coursework is not online and has been sent to the exam board.

I worked independently on Brief 4: music video and online to produce a three-minute music video for a fictional dance artist signed to Universal Music, and the working website for my artist. My production is aimed at a culturally sophisticated, 15+ class AB demographic. 

Below you will find evidence of my research and planning for this task, including:

My research into professionally produced music videos and artist websites that are similar in genre, style and form to those proposed in my chosen production brief. This includes:

 - My planning and research of professional websites and music videos to gain a clear perspective on the best way to present my artist and how to make it as realistic as possible.

This includes for example, pictures used to promote the artist on my website and what shots to use for the most effective and attractive dance music video. 

I have also analysed professional artist websites as part of my cross-media brief in terms of, layout, navigation, use of language and use of images/text/audio/video.

In terms of planning, you will find below audience research and feedback.

Website Planning and Research

I am planning a grey scale website for a simplistic look to promote my male artist "Chris Howes". I will be using a female actress in the video so I will make connections between the video and website by creating a gallery of "behind the scenes" filming to create a strong connection between the two.

I have taken inspiration from Shawn Mendes' and Harry Styles' websites to ensure that my website will look as realistic and attractive as possible.

I decided to look at Shawn Mendes' website as it is his song I am using, therefore I wanted to compare how he promoted himself as an artist and his new single.

Music Video Planning

I asked several people:

"What would you expect to see in a dance music video"

Here are some of the replies I received:

"I would expect to see an upbeat atmosphere and emotion presented in the song including shot changes to the beat and maybe some sort of story line to match the beat and emotion presented in the song and the lyrics."

"In a dance music video I would like to see a narrative and some upbeat dance shots to create excitement for the audience. I would also expect to see at least some lip syncing to the song as I believe this is a key expectation in a dance music video"

"In my opinion I would like to see a variety of camera shots and angles, including shots following an action to create the sense of a involvement in the music video and that the shots are creative and flow well with the song and lyrics"

I have decided to film a 'cleaner' at work listening to the song I am using. As the song starts to become more upbeat she is seen to start dancing to the song and really getting involved and just enjoying the music. The 'CEO' enters and it will become clear that he is what the 'cleaner' is fantasising about as she continues to dance around and mouth the lyrics to the song.

Treatment

Song Title: Nervous


Genre: Dance music


Duration: 3 minutes


Target Audience: 16+ female


Rationale: I chose this song as I feel my target audience will find it easy to relate to and will enjoy this style of music (upbeat and exciting)


Budget: Relatively low budget music video

Collage

Award-Winners

Humble - Kendrick Lamar

This music video includes Kendrick Lamar as the main performer to further promote him as an artist and for recognition so audiences can easily identify him and relate his face to his songs. The camera shot angles are changed only with the beats in this music video, whilst the singer lip syncs to the words for the duration of the music video.
It was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2017.

Formation - Beyonce

Beyonce appears frequently throughout this music video to promote herself as an artist and increase artist recognition. Scenes and camera shots are edited to change on the beat with the song whilst the artist lip syncs to the song.
This was also awarded a Grammy Award for Best Music Video but in 2016

Both music videos focus on promoting the artist and the visuals don't relate to the lyrics.
Beyonces music video gave me the idea to use a close up camera shot to represent footage from an old camera my character will use.

The History of Dance Music

The History of Dance Music

Dance music originated in the 1950s, when rock and roll became the popular dance music.

 The late 1960s saw the rise of soul and R&B music and the rise of disco in the early 1970s led to dance music becoming popular with the public. By the late 1970s, electronic dance music was developing.

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, by switching from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA (public address). In Europe, EDM is more commonly called 'dance music'.

Dance music is the sound that originated from P-Funk the electronic side of disco, dub music, and other genres.

Other dance styles that began to become popular during the post-disco era include dance-pop, boogie, electro, Italo disco, house, and techno.

Some of the most watched dance music videos include:

The Chainsmokers - "Closer"

Calvin Harris - "This Is What You Came For"

Avicii - "Wake Me Up"