Industry research

Industry Research

How are music videos made?• Pre-Production: The research and

planning stages – storyboard.• Production: The filming process of the

music video.• Post-Production: Editing the video,

marketing and advertising the video, album/single covers.

What is the purpose of a music video?• Homage – Acknowledgement of a past event.• Animation – Uses drawings to illustrate lyrics and

meaning.• Narrative – Tells a story.• As live – Shows the artist performing live.• Referencing – Uses other media texts as influence.• Parody – Created to mock.• Commercial Influence – Uses advertisement

strategies to carry the narrative.• Lyrical Interpretation – Matching visuals to lyrics.

Well-Known Directors• Spike Jonze: Known for creating videos such as

Bjork’s ‘Oh So Quiet’, Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’, ‘Weapon Of Choice’ and Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’. His videos are very popular due to his humorous approach, however, he went against his usual style more recently in creating Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs’ video in which a group of teens must cope with living in a military state.

• Mark Romanek: Known for videos such as ’99 Problems’ by Jay Z, ‘Can’t Stop’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and, more recently, Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’.

How much does a music video cost?• The total cost to produce a professional music video

can range from $20,000 to $500,000 and up. There are a handful of music videos each year in the seven-figure budget range, but those are exceptions.

• Factors to consider within a budget are:• Location, Wardrobe and Props• Production Equipment• Cast and Crew• Shoot Schedule• Food• Post-Production and Editing

Costly vs Cheap – Does it Make a Difference?• Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson - “Scream,” $10.7 million

(originally $7 million) The video for “Scream,” is one for the record books, and one of the few videos that everybody remembers seeing for the first time. Taking place in space, the mostly black and white video shows Michael and sister Janet. An estimated 64 million people watched, and later that year it would go on to win a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.

• A Flock of Seagulls – “I Ran”, shot for nearly nothing, director Tony Van Den Ende took mirrors, foil and girls in alien makeup and created one of the most popular videos of all time, which gave A Flock Of Seagulls a top ten hit and crowned singer Mike Score as king of the new wave haircut.