Analysis of Jay-Z's Hits Collection Digipack

I have created a video narrating the different features of a digipack and how it complements a track's music video.




This Jay-Z digipack has many distinct features;
- hardback case , styled to be like a book
-  CD with 14 of Jay-Z's biggest hits
- 32 exclusive photographs depicting Jay-Z's life and career
-  bonus disc featuring never before released tracks
- personal written message from Jay-Z himself explaining his choice of songs and giving a background story to the content
- credits insert noting the different artists and producers

In conclusion, we will have to ensure that our digipack clearly complements the video that we create. We can use the features that I have mentioned in the video and this is to ensure that we target the right audience relating to genre.

Ideal Audience Member

• Her name is Lauren and she is 21 years old. She is currently studying English Literature at the University of York. She is staying in a flat with her best friends. She walks to class and on the way listens to her iPod , she likes to listen to audiobooks on the way.

• She likes to buy music but not very often. She instead prefers to watch artists on YouTube and discover new songs by independent artists.
• She is a fan of Indie but does like the mainstream Pop sound. She likes to listen to Oasis , The Feeling, James Blunt , Bob Dylan and Adele. She has a few albums but not many. 
• She does not go to many local gigs but she has been to a few festivals, she particularly likes Glastonbury because it features a range of music that she likes.

• She likes to play the piano and took lessons when she was a child. She never really appreciated it then but she does now.

• She uses the Internet for a variety of reasons. She regularly goes on YouTube to watch tutorial videos of popular piano instrumentals. She also likes to record herself singing various covers of her favourite songs such as "Just The Way You Are" or "Someone Like You". 

• She also is a regular Facebook user , she likes to chat with her friends regularly and she likes to post her videos on her wall. She also has a Twitter account but does not tweet, she prefers to follow her favourite celebrities such as Gary Barlow or James Blunt. She used to have a MySpace account and frequently listened to music on there from artists profiles.  
• She does not read many newspapers but likes reading gossip magazines such as Hello!
• Lauren likes to go to the cinema but does not go often due to money constraints, she normally likes to see romantic/relationship films but does enjoy the occasional comedy.
• She likes to watch X Factor, Glee, Friends, Desperate Housewives.

• She does not have a car preffering to ride her bicycle as she cares about the environment. She has a boyfriend that she has been dating for 2 years.
• She likes to wear colourful dresses and tops when she goes out but opts for a more formal but still casual look for classes.

How Our Genre gratifies Our Audience

Audiences get a lot from a music video and digipack , this varies though by genre due to different audiences lifestyles.

What do audiences get from a music video?

1. Entertainment/ enjoyment
2. Connection to the music/genre
3. Relationship/communication with the artist
4. Icon,style, attitude, role model
5. Latest in genre
6. Identity (part of the group)

Audience Research - YouTube

To try and get a better understanding of our audience I thought that looking at YouTube statistics was a good place to start .

The first video I look at was the official video of Nick Gardner's Out Of The Clouds song. Looking at the map for where the music is popular , it is clear that the video is most popular in Britain. The video is also gaining popularity in the Americas particularly the U.S.A  In terms of of the audience, we can see that the video is more popular with Females aged 13-24. But there is also a strong audience with Males aged 35-44. This shows that Nick has a wide diverse audience of both genders ranging from teenagers to adults. We can also see from the referrals that the video has been watched the most on a mobile device such as a tablet or phone. This is an example of technological convergence and it shows that his audience are tech savvy.

The second video I looked at was Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain". The map shows that this video is hugely popular worldwide which shows how diverse her audience is in terms of culture. America, Europe and Oceania are where she is most popular. Looking at the audience statistics, we can see again that the video is most popular with Females aged 13-24. Also we see that it is popular with  Males aged 45-54. Again this shows we will have to target our music mainly at Teenage and Adult women whilst also hitting the male audience above 30. Looking at the referrals we can see that most people searched for the video via YouTube, but also we see there are a lot of views from Facebook. This shows that social networking will be a key factor in trying to target our audience.

The third video I  looked at was James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover". The popularity map shows that the video is most popular in North America and West Europe. This shows that his audience are very local and not as spread out as other artists. Looking at the audience views we can see again that the video is most watched by Females aged 13 to 24 and Males aged 30 and above. We can also see from the referrals that the video was most referred from YouTube.

The final video I looked at was Bruno Mars' song "Just The Way You Are". Looking at the map we can see the video is popular worldwide particularly the Americas , Europe and Oceania. Looking at the audience views again we see that he is most popular with Females aged 13-24. But this time he is also popular with male teenagers aged 13-17. Looking at the referrals we can see most of his viewers have come from searching his name on YouTube or by watching his other videos. We can also see that 11 million people came from Facebook which shows that his audience use Facebook on a regular basis.

In conclusion, we can see clearly that our audience will mainly be Females aged 13-24. We also need to use YouTube and Facebook when promitng our digipack and music video as this is where most of the viewers have come from.

Audience Research - Online Survey

We created an online questionnaire in order to thoroughly research our audience. We chose suitable questions which we feel will give us an idea into who our audience is. We will analyse the results next week. I will be sharing this survey online to try and get as much feedback as possible.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6KDF7N

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Nick Gardner - Genre Research

Nick Gardner is a singer-songwriter who is gaining popularity for his videos on YouTube. He started out covering songs by Bruno Mars and Adele which has gained over 250,000 views ,  before he released his first single "Where I Go" in 2009.  This increased his popularity and was well received by his fans that watched his covers.

Nick released his second single "Out Of The Clouds" in September 2010 which was the 60th Most Viewed Video for Musicians on YouTube. 
This is is the song that we have chosen to do for our digipack and music video. We will create an image for our artist and make a narrative for the video based on the lyrics.

Singer Songwriters
Singer Songwriters are a type of musician who write, compose and sing their own music. Typically they perform the entire song using a guitar or piano. 
Nick Gardner falls in this category because he has written his songs and peformed them accomanied with his piano. He then uploads his videos to YouTube, many famous artists today have got their recording contracts due to a big YouTube following  such as Ed Sheeran or Justin Bieber.




Example of singer songwriters

 James Blunt

 Noel Gallagher

 Norah Jones

 Bruno Mars

Alicia Keys

Plans For Audience Research

Because we have to create a digipack and a music video for our artist, it is essential for us to know the audience that we are aiming this product at. Therefore we need to plan how we will research our audience.

Surveys

Last year we used Survey Monkey which allows you to create an online questionnaire which can then be shared across many social media platforms. We will use this to create a survey asking various questions like "What are your hobbies?" etc.
This will give us the feedback we need in order to create our star image and tailor it to our audience.



YouTube
I plan to look at YouTube comments and statistics for research. This is a good resource for us as we can feedback on what people like or do not like about particular songs or videos.

Facebook

Facebook is another good site for researching into our audience as we can create pages or send direct messages to hundreds of people at once. This allows us to get a variety of opinions into what our typical audience for our genre is.











Interviews
We will go out and find people who are particularly fond of the Pop genre and interview them of what they expect in a digipack and music video. We will also ask specific questions relating to Singer Songwriters in order to get  in depth research into what they expect to see.

How A Music Video Is Made

There are many stages to how a music video is made and it can vary by artist, genre, director and the budget. These are the general steps into how they are made :

Step 1. Choose A Song, Record Company which choose a song they are happy with.

 

Step 2. Choose A Suitable Director out of a shortlist

Step 3. Budget and Deadlines are agree with Director and Video Commisioner

Step 4. Storyboard is developed clearly depicting the narrative and shots that need to be filmed, locations are chosen

Step 5. All staff are employed ; art director, director of photography etc.

 Step 6. The Sets are built and all personnel turn up for shooting. Filming commences.

Step 7. Filming is finished. Raw footage is sent to the managers.

Step 8 . The label , artists and manager view and comment on the footage 

Step 9. Changes to film are agreed and visual effects added. Editing takes place, cutting rate is decided and transitions are added.

 

Step 10. Finished video is passed to Label for release online and TV stations.

Media Language

There are many different terms that are used when analysing media texts. Record companies put a lot of work into a music video or digipack and there are a lot of things for them to consider.

Digipack

This is a physical copy of an album/single including the cover , inlay and CD. It also comes with bonus extras that you won't be able to find elsewhere, things like Behind The Scenes DVD or even exlcusive bonus songs. This engages the audience with the artist more and increases their fanbase.

The Record Label  wants money.

The Artist/Band want to engage with their audience.

The Digipack allows them to do both.


Intertexuality

This is the relationship between different media texts. For example whenever you see a film playing in the background of a music video or a video game with a movie poster in it that is intertexuality.
Here is an example in the Big Bang Theory where they have a "Halo Night"

Intertexuality can be used in the marketing of a digipack in many ways. One way is to show the digipack in your music video. Another way is to include a bonus DVD with concert clips , interviews etc.

Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin published a book containing his music theory. He said that there are 3 possible relationships between lyrics and visuals in a music video. The visuals either:

• Illustrate 
• Amplify
• Contradict

 Jay-Z's music video for 99 Problems is a prime example of the visuals illustrating the lyrics.

Star Image

Richard Dyer is antoher theorist who stated that a star is an image constructed out of a range of materials.
Stars may seem like  "real people" or even like "drug addicted rebels" but this does not reflect who they really are and it is just an image that is created for them.

Star images are constantly changing and can evolve over time. Here we see the Black Eyed Pea's image has changed as their genre has changed.

Genre Research - Pop

Pop music is a mainstream style of music that is normally targeted at a younger audience from 3- 20+ years of age. Pop songs usually consist of short simple songs that utilize new technological innovations to create a variation of existing themes of music.

Characteristics of Pop
- it appeals to a general audience, no niche audiences
- commonly uses the "verse-chorus" form or the "thirty two bar" form
- focuses on melodies and catchy hooks
- the lyrics are simple and reflect common themes such as "love" and "relationships"
- the chorus contrasts melodically, rhythmically and harmonically with the verses

Styles of Pop
Adult Contemporary- Pop music which is generally rock based aimed at 18-45 year olds
Baroque - a combination of classical music and rock'n'roll
Bubblegum - Pop music aimed at pre-teens and teenagers
Christian - Pop music which is based on the Christian faith
Dance - dance oriented music with pounding beats
Hip- Pop - a fusion of the vocal style of pop with Hip-Hop
Pop Punk - combination of Punk and Pop
Pop Rock - a mix of catchy light lyrics on guitar based songs
Pop soul - soul music performed by "White" artists
Teen - solely aimed at teenagers, combines dance, R&B, Hip-Hop,Country, Rock with Pop

Pop  Icons

• Aerosmith
• The Beatles
• Mariah Carey
• Celine Dion
• Whitney Houston 
• Michael Jackson
• Elton John 
• George Michael
• Madonna 
• Kylie Minogue 
• Elvis Presley 
• Rihanna 
• Britney Spears 
• The Spice Girls

Genre Research - Soul

Soul music combines the sounds of gospel music, rhythm and blues music.  Soul music became popular in America in the 1960's and Soul was a big part of the "British Invasion" in the 60's.

Characteristics of Soul

Tone - Soul is a very emotive music and therefore the tones used reflect various emotions whether it be happy or sad. Tones such as smooth or ghentle are frequently used.

Rhythm and Blues  - Soul borrows a lot from Blues music with the 12 bar , 3 line style lyric that is associated with Blues music.

Call and Response - This is when the artist "calls out" a particular phrase or saying and another artist "responds" to that. This is a feature that can be seen in many Soul songs.

Repetition - A lot of the same musical notes, phrases and rhythms are generally repeated in Soul music.

Instrumentation - Soul music is performed with a combination of different instruments. The use of horns and trumpets define what Soul music is all about.  The Saxophone is one iconic image of Soul music.


Styles of Soul

Detroit ( Motown) Soul - strongly rhythmic and influenced by Blues. Often includes hand clapping and a powerful bass line.

Memphis Soul - features melancholic and melodic horns , organs , bass and drums to create a unique Soul sound.

Chicago Soul - focuses more on a gospel sound , was a lot more diverse to other Soul styles

Philadelphia Soul - features a more orchestral sound with "doo-wop" vocals

Blue-eyed Soul - refers to artists who perform in other genres that are inspired by Soul

British Soul - a lot of artists in Britain were referred to as Blue-eyed Soul peformers, artists such as the Beatles and even George Michael.

Northern (Modern) Soul - soul music that is performed by DJ artists and features an up-tempo beat.

Nu-Jazz and Soulful Electronica - Electronic genres such as House , UK Garage were influenced by Soul music.

 Icons of Soul

Adele - British singer whose album "21" which was a critical and commercial success.

Cee-Lo Green - member of Gnarls Barkley whose Soul single "F*** You" was an instant hit.

James Brown - referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" had many hits such as "I Feel Good" and "Get Up". 

Beyonce - a lot of her work and style is heavily influenced by Soul.

The Commodores - Soul band that sold over 75 million records worldwide.

Bruno Mars - a lot of his music follows the style of Soul

Aretha Franklin - referred to as the "Queen of Soul" had many hits most notably "Respect".

Marvin Gaye - had many hits such as " I Heard It Through The Grapevine"

The Jackson 5 - the band were famous for their Soul music.

Alicia Keys - known for he piano instrumentals in most of her hit songs

Otis Redding - most famous Soul song was "The Dock of the Bay"

Ray Charles - pioneer of Soul music and is one of the icons of Soul music.

Camera In A Music Video

There are various camera angles, shots, movement and composition that are used in music videos. To explain them I have created a Prezi to go through in detail what they all are.

Camera Angles on Prezi

Possible Artist and Songs - Nick Gardner

We have emailed Nick Gardner who is an upcoming artist that has allowed us to use his music for our project. His genre is Pop/Soul and we have picked two particular songs which we thought would be good to use :

Out Of The Clouds





The Way It Sounds

AS Coursework Essay

“Explain the methods you used to attract your audience in your AS coursework.”

During Year 12, we were taught how different and diverse audiences are, we learnt that film companies these days spend a lot of time and money into researching their target audiences, their interests , hobbies and lifestyles can determine what goes into a film. Our task for our coursework was to film and edit the opening of a Thriller film.  As a group we researched the techniques that are used in filming and editing as well as the main conventions that are used in order to attract target audiences. We focused on 4 main areas whilst filming our opening ; Camera , Editing, Mise-En-Scene and Sound.

Camera is important as there are many different shots and camera angles to use whilst filming. Before we started to film, we knew that it was important to plan the storyboard with each individual shot and the effect of that shot. To do this we needed to research which types of shots and angles are used in Thriller films today. By watching examples of Thriller openings we knew that “Close Ups” were an important feature as audiences react to what they see on the screen whether it be a murder weapon or severed head. We incorporated this into our Thriller opening by using close up shots on the agency symbol tattoos on different characters. This attracts the audience as it makes them question the significance of this mysterious symbol and whether or not these people are linked. Thrillers are meant to keep the audience thinking and questioning what they are seeing. Our audience would want to know the answer to the possible link and we as a group felt that we should not directly give it to them but rather give them more clues as seen later on in our opening where one of the characters opens a briefcase with two documents with the symbol on it as well as the identities of two of the characters. As it was the opening of a film it was important not to give too much away and reveal it all in the end and give our audience the chance to figure it out for themselves.

One other important camera technique we made use of was the shot composition and framing. Throughout our film opening we follow two men in suits walking and we composed the shot to only show the men at mid-height bodylength and not reveal their faces. This type of shot surrounds the two men in mystery and suspense which makes the audience think about what they are doing and where they are going. It also adds an element of danger coming from these two men as their identities are unknown to the audience. We never reveal in the opening what these two characters were up to and who they were, never revealing all the parts of a story in commonly used in films nowadays especially Thrillers and this is what we wanted to do.

There are also many Editing techniques that are crucial to define the genre of a film to an audience. Because this was an opening to a film, credits and titles are normally shown to show who was involved in the film making process. But they also set the mood and tone for the film and set the audience up for what they were about to watch. We chose a particular font for our credits as well as a different font for our film title. A font for a Thriller title is normally quite plain and simple and we decided to stick to that convention. By doing this it attracts our target audience to our film. By doing this, our target audience knows what they are in for and what to expect this movie to be about, we really had to define the genre in our opening and I think we achieved it. Another technique that we used was a lack of a motivated cut. A motivated cut is where a character in the film is looking at someone/something and the camera cuts to it to reveal it to the audience. In our opening we see a door open and the character looks at the door but we do not cut to the door to see who is there, the shock on his face makes the audience want to see who it is but we chose not to give them it and this creates suspense and therefore attracts our audience.

Mise-En-Scene relates to the props, lighting and setting of each shot and it is important as we had to make our opening as authentic as possible. Costume is an important part of it and we made sure that each character that we created had a set costume which would fit within the Thriller genre. The two men wore black suits in order to convey them as smart dressed and serious. The boy in our opening wore casual everyday type clothes in order to display his innocence and normality. The gun and the laptop were important props as it attracts the tech loving, gadget males that will expect to see this sort of feature in a Thriller film. Props are essential to the story and can also play a big role with each character. We chose to set many of our scenes in rural towns and urban settings. We specifically chose the paths and alleyways for the two suited men to walk down in order to create mystery as we did not reveal too much of their surroundings. By keeping the audience guessing it draws them in with the film and many Thrillers tend to do just that and this is was we were aiming for.


Thriller films also tend to use a musical score as well as just dialogue. Because we chose not to feature any dialogue in our opening it leaves it up to the audience to interpret what is going on in the screen through what they are seeing rather than hearing. We also decided to use a musical track in the opening to set the mood of the film. We as a group chose a copyright free song to match the scenes as well as create intensity through the sound. Sound in a film attracts audience as seen with many films such as Tron Legacy or Inception.

Key Terms

I created a short revision video for all the key terms we are expected to know and use over the course of our A2 Media Studies :

Artist Research- Green Day

Green Day are a punk rock/alternative band who stand to go against the norm and challenge political views.


The video for "Know Your Enemy" displays Green Day as being quite rebellious  and dangerous. The dark night time setting for the video suggests this as well as the intense fire display at the end. The voyeur helicopter shots and lights suggest that they are are on the run and police are looking for them. The lyrics as well are aggressive and this shows their violent nature.



There are many symbols in this video for "American Idiot" which suggest many things about who Green Day are. The most obvious is the green American flag in the background which is seen as quite a sacred thing in America and for them to change it can be seen as rebellious and unpatriotic. The setting of an empty warehouse makes them look as if they are hiding as outlaws. The green slime at the end also shows their creative and fun nature which is unique to their image.

This album cover for their 3rd album Dookie shows Green Day's explosive nature. The layout of the album cover combines many different images with different meanings. The nuke mushroom cloud with the Green Day logo shows their explosiveness and rebellious side. The position and font of the Dookie title is wonky and shows their childish side as well. There is a lot going on in the image with the crowd and the animals.

This album cover of "American Idiot" shows Green Day's move from punk rock to more alternative rock.
The black  background fits in with the bands colour scheme

Green Day are regarded as a great band to see live as they entertain and interact with the crowd well. Billie Joe regularly brings up young fans to sing songs along with the band or play his guitar. In the picture below we see him firing a T-Shirt gun which clearly shows his fun side.









Here we see Billie Joe firing a water pistol at the fans in the mosh pit. This shows his image as being very humorous and childlike, he doesnt really care and likes to do things that other artists generally would not do.

Artist Research - Jay-Z

Jay-Z is a successful rapper who has won numerous awards for his unique rapping techniques. Jay-Z's image has changed dramatically in the last 15 years, he started out as a tough gangster turning to a stylish wealthy entrepreneur.

This music video for one of Jay-Z's earlier songs, "99 Problems", is set in Brooklyn, NY. This is Jay-Z's hometown where he grew up, most of this video is filmed at his neighbourhood of Marcy Projects. Jay-Z regularly refers to this place because he is proud of where he came from, this is a very typical attitude for rappers.  The entire video is in black and white giving it more of a classier feel but with more modern imagery. The video typically depicts an "ordinary day" in his life from getting pulled over by cops, hanging out with friends and even attending dog fights which was edited out in some countries. The ending is also dramatic as we see Jay-Z being shot several times, this is meant to show his gangster side to him and that such crimes were normal back in his neighbourhood.

Jay-Z was the head of Def Jam Recordings from 1998 to 2007. During that time he launched artists such as Rihanna, Kanye West and Ne-Yo. This adds to his many successes as not just an artist but also an entrepreneur. He also has his own designer clothing line called Rocawear.





Jay-Z is one of the few rappers who is known for his amazing live performances where he interacts with the crowd frequently. Jay normally collaborates with many other successful artists during live peformances as well as on his records. Some artists he has performed with are:

- Akon
- R.Kelly
- Linkin Park
- Missy Elliott
- Pharrell
- Coldplay
- Beyonce

In 2008, Jay-Z was chosen to headline Glastonbury which was seen as controversial as he was the first major hip/hop artist to do so. Glastonbury is generally seen as a guitar driven festival, Noel Gallagher of Oasis was his major critic saying that 'Im sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong.

Jay-Z's response to this was opening with a cheeky cover of Oasis hit "Wonderwall". Critics then praised him for doing so and described the performance as a success.




Jay-Z is also very active in politics being one of the main celebrity supporters of Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. Jay-Z actively called for voters to vote for Obama and took part in his campaign. Jay-Z performed with Beyonce at the President's Inauguration ball.

Artist Research - Beyonce

Beyonce's music varies over many genres such as Pop, Soul , RnB and hip hop. As an artist her music is constantly changing in order to keep up with modern tastes, but not only is her music changing her image changes as well.

Beyonce's first album "Dangerously in Love started off her career as an RnB and Hip-hop artist.
The album cover shows Beyonce as being elegant, sexy and glamorous. The dress code of a revealing diamond top not only shows her wealth but also the sex appeal that surrounds her. This appeals to men who instantly notice her body. Her eyes are also looking directly at you and it is as if she is trying to lure you in. The way her arms are positioned is intentional in order to show off her body but also the diamond top. Her hair looks "windswept" and this is done on purpose to show her beauty.

The image of Beyonce takes up most of the cover and this shows she is the center of attention. The artist's name and album name is positioned in the corner intentionally as that is not the main focus. The framing of the image cuts out her lower part of her body in order to emphasise her upper body and her face.  As this is her first album the artist's name is not too important but her image is important as the audience will see this album cover and remember her. The image is very daring and it clearly shows Beyonce in all her glory.

Beyonce has evolved as an artist and her image has changed as well. The cover of her latest album shows this. In this picture we see Beyonce with her arms on her hand staring out into the distance. The blank olive background clearly emphasises Beyonce and makes her stand out. Her position on the cover interferes and covers her name, this makes her look rebellious. The Mise En Scene also suggests this with the blonde hair, black eyeliner and fur scarf/top. This portrays her as being wild and sort of minimalist in a sense. The makeup and style of her hair makes her look fierce and like an animal. This image is a change from the glamorous , luxurious Beyonce we are used to. There is still a hint of this though with the golden wrist guard/bracelet.

The position of her body and arms shows her trying to display her beauty. The lighting makes her skin look much brighter which can denote a sense of innocence. Her eyes are looking away from the camera, this lack of eye contact portrays her lack of interest.

Beyonce's Alter-Ego - Sasha Fierce

Beyonce is unique as an artist because she has created an alter-ego called Sasha Fierce who is her sexy, aggressive side. She said that Sasha was being "too aggressive, too strong, too sassy, too sexy", stating "I'm not like her in real life at all ... I'm not flirtatious and super-confident and fearless like her. What I feel onstage I don't feel anywhere else. It's an out-of-body experience. I created my stage persona to protect myself so that when I go home I don't have to think about what it is I do. Sasha isn't me. The people around me know who I really am."








Beyonce's live performances are normally very extravagant with stunning visuals and stunts. She cares about her fans and creates these dance routines which is part of her image. Beyonce also prides herself on the way she dresses wearing up to 10 different outfits during one show! Beyonce also takes pride in being a woman and standing up for feminist views and she has an all-female band called Sugar Mama. This shows her as being very feminine but also proud. Her live performances have gained her a lot of critical success:

Tamara Hardingham-Gill of the Daily Mail wrote, "many industry experts have been tipping Beyoncé as the next Michael Jackson. While it’s far too early for such comparisons, she certainly proved that she is one of the most exciting and talented performers around and may well go down in history as such".