BRAND IDENTITY A2 - G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media
Branding
Product Identity and personality
Can take many forms, including
Name
Sign
Symbol
Colour combination
Slogan
Imagery
Comes from cattle branding
Legally protected brand name - trademark ™
Task
Consider the genre within which you are working
Find some album cover(s) for bands in that genre
See if you can find associated imagery (from videos, singles, websites etc). Can you identify
Brand identity
Key Images
Key features
You should complete this task by the end of next week
What is a music video?
Music videos help a musician or band promote a song or album
advertisement for artist
Music videos are more than just music contains messages that the musician wants to
convey to the audience.
director has chosen to show a story or lifestyle linked to the musician that will appeal to the audience.
The video is selling more than just a song... selling a lifestyle, associated with the artist
Key features
Generally, fall in to one of three categories: performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based
Demonstrate characteristics of their specific musical genre
A relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or disjunctive)
Numerous close-ups and clear shots of the artists/ associated imagery for promotional purposes; a requirement of the record label. Many artists adopt recurring motifs
References to “looking” and voyeuristic treatment of female body frequent
Intertextuality commonplace
Andrew Goodwin, Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992, Routledge)
Features in depth
Relationship between lyrics and visuals Lyrics often invent direct narrative take one element of lyrics as a central symbol.
Relationship between the music and the visuals Achieved through video working on beat/ rhythm. Can add tension/ calm (e.g.
during climatic points visuals may increase speed)
Genre - relating to style and iconography or lyrics, music and visuals.
Voyeurism act of objectification of men and women (more commonly women) to achieve
certain positive or negative reactions. Often part of creating a star image.
Narrative in relation to the combination of lyric, music and visuals. How the narrative of video, narrative of music flow together (if they do at all).
Connecting flow creates hybrid narrative - opposite is contrasting narrative.
Representation through Star Image. Created through e.g. voyeurism, appearance and how a star is publicised. A music
video cements all of these aspects into one media text.
Formats and conventions
Formats of a Music Video Performance Narrative Thematic Symbolic Conceptual
Can be all of the above
Conventions of a Music Video: Visually stylish Artistic mise-en-scene Rhythmic montage Fragmented style Experimental use of camera/editing Fast pace Conspicuous lighting and cinematography Often break the rules of continuity editing
Aspects to consider
Lyrics establish general tone, address storyline or subject matted. Key lines often significantly link to visuals, Rarely a full interpretation - may just be tone or mood of lyrics conveyed
Music - tempo should drive editing: fast paced music mirrored with fast paced editing slow paced music accompanied with slow paced editing particular sounds may be foregrounded/ emphasised
for example if performance based there will be close-ups of relevant instruments
Genre - each genre carries its own codes and conventions TA would expect to see. Reflected in mise-en-scène, camera work, editing style Identification of generic codes/ expectations key to successful research
Camerawork - How camera used, how images sequenced - impact on meaning Angle, movements and shot distance fluctuate depending on music Upbeat tones likely to require more dynamic camerawork
Editing - film to edit. Some videos feature fast-cut montages (sometimes containing of random images).
Encourages repeated viewings in case viewer missed anything the first time. Editing helps establish mood, sometimes used to fragment narrative in order to develop interest
Questions to ask
Is the music video based in real life or fiction?
Is portrayal of the artist realistic or fictionalised? Consider: Costume; setting; narrative; setting/ mise-en-scene use of media language; links with
lyrics How are these designed to be received by the target audience?
Is the action/ behaviour presented in the video realistic?
How does the video represent the artist? Is it serious or funny? Is it realistic or exaggerated? How would the TA respond?
How does the video portray characters? Are they stereotypical? Are they reflections of real people?
How is the video edited and synched? How does the frequency of cuts effect mood/ tone? How does editing reflect rhythm?
Are the vocals performed/ synched or not?
How can you apply some of the theories you have covered to interpret the videos?
A couple of examples
White Stripes
Lady Gaga
Radiohead
Ash
REM
Radiohead