Blog 16 Digipak and Magazine Advert

Blog 16
Digipak and Magazine Advert

Task 1 Researching / Analysing Two existing Digipaks
Task 2 Creating your own Digipak
Task 3 Creating your own   Magazine Advert
Task 4Evaluating your completed (Posted) Digipak and Magazine Advert


A Digipak typically consist of a gatefold (BookStyle  paperboard of card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attatched to the inside. This means that the CD comes in a cardboard flip-out case rather than a standard plastic hinged case.
Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles for artists or special editions of CD albums and the tall DVD Digipak also known as DVDigipak is used as a premium package for DVDs and DVD sets.

What is included in a Digipak

Digipaks include picture and photographs usually at least one will be of the artist(s) and another might be of a scene that reflects the mood

Purpose of Music Video

Purpose of music videos

Music videos are used in many different ways such as promotion and publicity purposes and also as a way for making money in order to increase sales for more profit.

Music videos help promote the artist themselves and can also promote their single and their album from which the single is from. It also persuades the audience to buy the CD or pay for a downloadable copy of the album.


Christina Aguilera - Not myself tonight

Music videos are also used as product placement for example, Christina Aguilera's song "Not Myself Tonight".





The music video exists as only one strand of a multimedia campaign and is just one way in which a song is promoted. The music industry as a whole has a relationship with a number of different media such as Television, Radio, Print media, Film and New Media. There is often a clear sense of synergy across a number of synergy across a number of different platforms. E.g: film.
Examples of the synergy between films and music video can be seen between films like "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" and "Bryan Adams' "Everything I do".

This can also be seen between the film "Four weddings and a funeral" and Wet Wet Wet's " Love is All Around"


Wet wet wet - love is all around





Synergy is not only used  between films and music videos but can also used in TV programmes as well for example the show "Military wives " and the song "Wherever You Are".


Wherever You ARE ( MILITARY Wives with Gareth Malone)





The Rembrands - I'll be there for you

Another example of TV shows and music videos of the show "Friends" and the song "I'll be There For You" By the Rembrands.



The success of a Pop video can be measured in a variety of ways such as things like, how many hits the particular song gets, how many people buy the CD and how many people download the songs and albums legally and illegally.

(Blog 11) Emil Nava: Case study 2

Emil Nava

Emil Nava began as a runner for film production companies and worked for Blink productions. He now freelances for OB management. After working as a runner, Emil Nava graduated to assistant director where he could manage the video shoots that take place there. He then signed to Academy who are the biggest music video production company in the world. Emil then worked for between the eyes and now works mainly for pulse.

Emils' first budget for the band known as "kid British"and their track "Our House", he had a budget for £20,000.
He did this track in Manchester and used local people as the cast and it only took him one day to film it. It took Emil around 2-3 days for editing and 10 days pre-production. This demonstrates the very tight time scales involved.



Kid British - Our House is Dadless






Career Advice on becoming a Music Video Director.




Jessie J's music video director: Millions watch my films




Jessie J - Wild (featuring Big Sean & Dizzee rascal)



Emil Nava has now begun to make adverts, which generally have a far higher budget and production values but which allow for less creative freedom.

At his busiest, Emil has made 24 music videos in one year.
When he began shooting videos for independent labels the budget would be as low as £5,000 to £10,000
Emil Nava's most expensive  video to date has been for Jessie J and the budget was £160,000.

Nava has now begun to make adverts, which generally have a far higher budget and production values but which allow for less creative freedom.




Paloma Faith  '30 minte Love Affair'
Client Sony - Director Emil Nava





Paloma Faith  'Picking up the pieces'




Client Sony - Director Also directed by Emil Nava

Cost - £80,000



Ed Sheeran 'Lego House'

Client Atlantic - Director Emil Nava



Jessie J  'Do it like A dude'

Client Island - Direct Emil Nava

Cost - £25,00



RIP - Rita Ora Ft. Tinie T

Client: RocNation
Another music video directed by Emil Nava






Ed Sheeran 'You Need Me'

Client: Atlantic
Director: Emil Nava





Jessis J 'Price Tag'

Client Island

Director Emil Nava





Emil Nava's Techniques:

Extreme close ups on faces

Do not shoot whole of video in medium shot or long shot
Example: Sinead O'Connor - 'Nothing compares to U'

Godley & Creme - Cry


Case study 2

Some of the production companies that OB work with regularly are:

• Rocket
• Friends
• Pulse Films
• Agile Films
• Wonda

OB Management work as agents for music video directors and they describe themselves as "Three straights up dudes who work out of Denmark Street London".

OB Management aim to:

• Nurture Talent
• Work with production companies
• Work with record labels
• Match the right director to the right artists

Alex Southam

(Also freelances for OB Management)

Southam was trained as a lawyer but decided to go in a new direction and work in film. He began making music videos to learn 'The Trade'.

Star Theory Britney Spears Blog

Star Theory

Richard Dyer believes artists are constructed through artificial images such as advertising, films, magazines and music. He claims that consumers prefer artists to convey their true emotions themselves and not be groomed by record labels who try to create a fake image for them. A “real” artist can use this as their unique selling point.  

Another one of Dyer's beliefs within his Star Theory is that artists become trendsetters in the sense that 

audience members will imitate hairstyles and artist clothing styles. Artists may have certain religious beliefs 

and cultural values that audiences may also pick up on if shared by the artists. The internet has meant 

audiences now have far greater access to the “personal” lives of stars.The Stars of music video support 

Hegemony. They are presented as 'real' human beings. Stars supporthegemony*/dominant ideology of their 

time/ generation - glorified versions of 'us‘. They promote leadership or 

dominance, especially by one state or social group over others. 

Gramsci is best known for his theory of cultural hegemony, which describes how states use cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies.

The music industry creates and promotes artists within clearly defined genre – rock, rap etc.

These genres offer signifiers  relating to race and gender identities.

Britney Spears

Deconstructing Britney Spears

Britney Spearsraises interesting issues regarding female identity in pop music. Initially, she was viewed 

as a role model for the teen girl market. From a gender perspective, Britney's identity is placed securely

within a male dominated industry that manufactures limited stereotypes of femininity.

In her early videos, Britney was surrounded by 'girlie iconography'- such as that of bedroom cultures,

dolls, dressing up with friends, hanging out, applying make-up, the teen pigtails complete the image.

There were often choreographed dance routines to create the desire to be part of 'her gang'.

This can be seen primarily in the video "From the Bottom of my Broken Heart":

"Hit me Baby One More Time"

Hit Me Baby One more time is one of Britney's first songs and in this video, Britney is there as the idea of the innocence such as the teenage schoolgirl in pigtails but there is also the idea of underlying sexuality through the idea of the imagery and in the songs lyrics. It can be argued that this video is rather exploitative other than empowering.

"I'm not a girl, not yet a woman"

Britney Spears' songs and music video narratives express a teenage girl identity, the concerns and the reflections. She is also constructed as a role model in this video to try and go against women portrayed badly in other music videos. The story of this video explores the tensions of growing up and the journey of childish innocence to the realities of adult life.

"Oops I did it again"

Oops I did it Again is a well known pop video by Britney, this video can be seen as an argument in the idea of Innocence versus Sexuality. It could be argued that messages of this video are confused such as the idea of the music video supposing to be the idea of an empowering act becomes being exploited such as the choreographed dance scenes in her previous videos have now become exploited thanks to the lyrics of this song. This is also proved further thanks to the idea of Laura Mulvey's idea of "The Male Gaze" and how Britney is sexualised in this video.

"Overprotected"

Throughout this music video Britney's performance is a result of watching a news report on her wearing few clothes. She believed that she is no longer a girl and so therefore should not be told what to wear. She believed that being half-naked was an empowering act. There is a somewhat more confident tone to the choreographed routine. It can be argued that this video is empowering to women but it can also be argued that the video is empowering to women with the idea of little clothing to prove that they can do what they want but it can also be used to argued that this is also exploiting to women too.

"Hold It Against Me"

The Music video for Hold it Against me can be seen as a way in which Britney is attempting to reject her "constructed image" as if she wants to get rid of something. Maybe all the times that she was exploited in some of her other music videos.

When it comes to debates about gender, Britney Spears' music videos are that of which polysemic text. Spears' career has evolved from the idea of a 'Teen Princess' with connotations of innocence and girliness to a half-naked women who performs for a male audience. Both of her identities are stereotypical visions of femininity as presented in a range of media texts.

Blog 13 Sexism in pop videos

Blog 13 Sexism in pop videos


In 2013 "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus provoked controversy.
Lily Allen's "Hard out Here" video parodied black music videos that reduced black women's bodies to lurid props.
The questions people are asking are:

Are pop video sexist?

Are Woman objectified and viewed merely as sexual objects?

In this Blog i am going to analyse these three pop videos fully to see if they are sexist and explain how far they conform to Goodwin's categories?


Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory

The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance.

The theory suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective

However the presence of a woman in main stream film texts is something that is vital.
Often a female character has no real importance herself, it is how she makes the male feel or act that is the importance.
The female only exists in relation to the male

The male gaze leads to Hegemonic ideologies within our society
Hegemonic is ruling or dominant in a political or social context.

"Mulvey argues, for women the result of media being presented from the perspective of men and through the male gaze, women find themselves, at times, taking of the male gaze. Women then gaze  at other women in the same way as a man would, and thus end up objectifiying other women."

Visual Pleasure

Laura Mulvey states that role of a female character in a narrative has two functions

1. As an erotic object for the characters within the narrative to view

2. As an erotic object for the spectators within the cinema to view

Gender roles in film

The characters that look at others are seen as the active role (Male)

The characters that are to be looked at are passive (female) They are manipulated, under control of males gaze and only exist for visual pleasure.

Females often slow the narrative down, they act as inspiration for men to act.

Males on the other hand, push the narrative forwards and make things happen and are seen as active.

Mulvey also discussed the term scopophilia

Socophilia - literally means 'Love watching'

Movie-making and movie-viewing have long been analysed as socopilic practices .
We sit in a darkened movie theatre and observe the activities of people on the big screen who are unaware that they are being watched (The term Socophilia derives from Freud's study of psyche)

Patriarchal society

Patriarchal society means that the men dictate the rules, Laura Mulvey argued that we live in a patriarchal society in which men set the majority of the rules and are the ones contract and represent the ideal visions, role and male dominance over woman.

The worry is a passive audience will be influenced by this representation of reality and copy it and it will actually become reality....if it hasn't all ready.

Summary

Laura Mulvey's theory relates to classical Hollywood cinema. However, we can apply some of her ideas to our work on the pop video.
The male gaze:
This is when women are viewed as the objects of male 'Erotic' desire. (In film and audience)
Men are active and women are passive.
Women do not have agency- 'they do not move the plot forward'

The audience is forced to identify with the male gaze and the cinema reflects patriarchal society.

<------Male gaze
what men see women as.











Miley Cyrus


"Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus"



I think the main reason why this video caused so much outrage was because Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) was seen as a child idol, more specifically, an idol for young women and ended up doing things that shocked most of the world. She stripped naked in one of her music videos and was showing erotic movements using props as well as displaying herself as a prop of erotic desire.

I think Miley made this video in order to make as much profit as possible. I think she knew that we live in a patriarchal society and that men are in charge so in order to make a lot of money she had to change audience for her music.
I believe she is exploiting and being exploited at the same time because men are manipulating her and she, in away, is trying her best to manipulate them.


Lily Allen



"Hard out Here - Lily Allen"

I think this is a 'Feminist' pop video and that Lily Allen specifically made this video to talk about men putting half naked women in their music videos and using them as tools.
In a way Lily Allen is making a parody and is sexualising women herself but only to show what some people do in order to make money in music videos.


Robin Thicke


" Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke ft. T.i & Pharrell "



It was on the news and internet that this video was banned from 20 different university Student Unions. I think the reason why it was banned was because of the lyrics and the videos. Some of the lyrics these artists wrote objectify women in many ways, stating that they are tools for intercourse etc. There were two different versions of the video and one of them is more explicit and shows topless women, this was probably another reason why this video and song was banned in student unions.


" Booty - Jennifer Lopez Ft. Iggy Azalea





This is another example of another music video with scenes that objectify women and show that some female music artists could be exploited, then again these two artists Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Lopez could be trying to make money and are aware they may have to make the target audience men.


Key features of music videos

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (Either illustrative, contradicting or amplifying)

The demands of the record label will label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist(s) and they may develop motifs which recur across their work for example Katy Perry / Michael Jackson.

There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

There is often intertextual reference (To films, Television, programmes and other music videos)