We have carefully planned out the costume, makeup and any extra props/equipment we will need during the first shoot in the white studio. We plan to use inventive lighting effects that align with our colour palette and narrative throughout to keep our video engaging; we will also match the facial expressions our model uses to the lyrics and feelings the artist would have experienced at that time to make the video authentic.
Filling out this document helped us to learn about the dangers and risks when filming a music video, we have been careful when planning our shoots and will take all the precautions necessary to have a safe music video shoot.
I have gathered headlines about our star, screenshots from her social media profiles and used photos of her in photoshoots that I believe communicate a message about Cat Burns and the pop genre. I discovered that Cat Burns is an activist for the LGBTQ+ society and a large amount of her work surrounds supporting the younger generation in being comfortable with themselves, regardless of who they are or aren’t attracted to. Several screenshots can be seen above that Cat Burns has posted within the last few months to convey this narrative. Firstly she is picture with Sam Smith, they connected when they collaborated on a remix of her hit single “Go”, both of them are outspoken on matters involving gay rights and they reference pride month in the caption. Additionally, Cat Burns used cross media convergence marketing when teaming with Tiktok during pride month, she reached a larger audience and benefitted many young followers.
Cat Burns also collaborated with a famous youtuber – Nella Rose. She joined her on a live podcast so both celebrities benefitted from guerilla marketing during this. Cat Burns likes to use her powerful voice to touch different audiences and hopefully take steps to move forward in acceptance and inclusivity in the music industry and in general life; she is very candid and informal with her fans and treats them like her family which is also communicated in tone of speech in her tweets. In an article in the Guardian, Cat Burns can be seen as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ society once again, she regularly speaks out on her beliefs, gaining respect from her following.
Moreover, Cat Burns is listed in headlines in large magazines like: The Guardian, Billboard and Notion which is a great opportunity for her to expand her audience. All information is positive and this dramatically boosts her star image; also she is put alongside huge celebrities like: Lizzo, Harry Styles and Joji, proving how quickly she has become a loved role model and star to her fans.
I included images of Cat in photoshoots that I think add to her star image and the idea of her that the public has. She is always pictured in bold, vibrant colours that can feature daring, unique patterns and backdrops. She is depicted as fun and adventurous which fits her perfectly into her conventional pop genre; furthermore, she always looks professional and intelligent. Her star image presents her as a role model who should be listened to, she clearly holds important opinions and I believe the clothing she wears cleverly boosts this positive image in a childish way – also appealing to her younger target audience.
In our video, our star will maintain the same clear values and personality traits, these are: powerful, professional, inclusive and unique. We will play off of the common theme of girl power and independence that Cat Burns also uses. Our star will be pictured in bold, vibrant colours to align with the pop genre and will present clear emotions of sadness, anger and acceptance throughout our linear narrative. All of these aims will be communicated with a repertoire of elements: the use of LED lighting, euphoric makeup and vibrant costuming or harsh eyeliner and dark colours/leather (depending on setting) and pace of edit and cinematography.
When carrying out this research task, we explored the typical design conventions of music video production and post production stages in the pop genre; as well as analysing all the factors that make up the repertoire of elements in a music video. In the several music videos we watched, starring artists like: Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles etc. we discovered that heartbreak and female empowerment feature heavily in the themes and narratives used. These common themes boost a female singer’s star image and can cause the public/their audience to view them as a role model. Most of the pop music videos were thematic and somewhat episodic; the videos also appear to focus more on performance over narrative – explaining why the music videos can often have an abstract feel. Performance in the women’s videos included dancing and lip syncing from many different angles, jump cuts and utilised camera movements and like pans and dollys, this keeps the video upbeat and engaging to young audiences. Pop videos use skilled cinematography to always guarantee there’s never a dull moment. The mise en scene created is often surrounding vibrant colours and strobe lighting which I believe to be added in during editing stages, this visually conveys the sound of pop music, also the videos all maintain a strong, specific colour palette throughout, ensuring the video isn’t disjointed and confusing.
In this padlet, we took screenshots from 9 different music videos to display different camera movements, angles and shots that we can go on to use and benefit from in the production of our own music video. We can use close ups for intimacy with our star whilst using low angles to establish the role model perception. Whip pans and dollys make the video interesting and fun instead of using boring, slow movement that wouldn’t match the pace of the pop music.
This slideshow is also displayed in an earlier blog post called “Final Song Choice”, it outlines the general narrative and performance we are trying to create. We are following the typical design conventions of a pop music video to please the mass audience during all production and post production stages; the star image we portray our artist to be will be powerful, strong and independent because the core pop audience – that we are trying to reach – responds well to this. Mise en scene is extremely important to make sure our music video is executed well and matches the story and plan we are using, lots of LED lights and costuming from a clear colour palette will be used to make sure the video looks cohesive whilst in different setting. Moreover, all the outdoor filming will be done at night, this matches our design aesthetic well and means out story won’t look disjointed or boring. The narrative structure of our video will be somewhat episodic and linear.
CAN’T UPLOAD THIS FOR THE TIME BEING, HAVE SPLIT IT INTO THREE SMALLER VIDEOS UNDER THREE MINUTES EACH AND IT STILL WON’T WORK.
Using the social media platform, Instagram, I messaged Cat Burns (the artist of the song we are planning to use for our music video) to ask for permission so use her song. Doing this highlights that I understand the dangers and repercussions of copyright and I am doing what I can to avoid this issue.
