6. Concept

                                                  

For our main concept we have decided to focus on colour and how they should be continuously bright and 'blocky'. An example of this will be seen in our costume, our locations and especially when we use the green screens which are going to be cross-cut throughout the whole music video. Some ideas for shots that we are going to include in our video are the three of us waking up in the morning in separate locations this is where they will get ready and we are going to make sure that they are bright and colourful locations, we are also going to film the girls meeting on a bridge at sunrise. After this we are going to be filming in both London and Brighton because they are both locations that we associate with happiness and where we imagine the 'perfect day' would be spent. When at these locations, we are going to be filming normal shots and cutaways, which would adhere to our genre and further emphasise the idea of happiness in the pop genre.

1. Initial ideas

3. Song Details

                                
We have chosen the song 'Feels so good' by Atomic Kitten due to the fact that it is up beat and is a stereotypical pop song. It features three female singers and the lyrics are easy to lip sync. Additionally, once we had listened to the song our group came up with a number of ideas and themes that we could use. The song creates a happy atmosphere which is what we want our target audience to feel when watching our music video.

5. Image Annotation

2. Roles

                             

We allocated these specific roles to the group as we believed that our skills contributed well to each of our roles. Charlie is the in charge of managing the editing due to the fact that he has a lot of experience and is always successful. Libby is in charge of hair/make-up/costume due to the fact that she enjoys it and we believe that she would be able to create the image that we want to create for our audience. I am in charge of lighting and sound due to the fact that we thought I have the most skills in these areas and create the most appropriate outcomes.

4. Lyrics Annotation

'It feels so good'

This is the title of the song and indicates a warm and happy atmosphere. The audience immediately have a positive outlook towards the song. This quote questions what 'it' is, is it a person? a situation? or an event?

'Nothing's gonna take this day away'

This is one of the first lines of the song. The fact that it states that nothing is going to ruin that particular day emphasises how 'perfect' the day must be. This reinforces the idea of a warm and happy atmosphere. 

'And now my feet can hardly touch the ground'

This line indicates how happy this day is making them feel. The fact that they are implying that their feet cannot touch the ground suggests that they feel like they are flying and due to the fact that flying is a dream and wish that most people have conveys the idea that this day is something that most wish for.

'Cos the sun is shining, Holiday timing'

This line indicates that the sun is shining which creates an image of a beautiful summers day and the fact that it states 'holiday timing' suggests that people are happy as a result of the holidays, so they have time off work and time off school creating the idea of 'freedom'.

'I needed something to rescue me'

This line implies that before this day something was missing. This line is interesting due to the fact that most girls sing about needing 'someone' mainly a boy however, atomic kitten sing about needed something. This creates an image of strength due to the fact that it suggests that females no longer need to depend on men but can depend on things such as wishes, dreams and days that are remembered.

'I took my cares, And left them all behind'

This line suggests that all the worries and stress that the girls had have been forgotten about and they are just enjoying the day that they have. This reinforces the image of a happy, care-free atmosphere. 

The lyrics are very repetitive which is very stereotypical of a pop song. They want to emphasise the meaning of the song and in this case it being 'a day to remember'. 

 

These are the annotations that we made for the lyrics as a group. We underlined key words which we believed were the main focus of the song such as 'wonderful' and 'needed'.

16. Audience Research 1

This is an example of our questionnaire. We had ten questions and asked 20 people with a variety of ages and likes and dislikes regarding the music industry. Another purpose of this questionnaire was to gain an understanding of what people expect and want to see in a pop music video therefore with this research we are able to create a pop music video that has typical conventions but also goes against what peoples expectations are in order to make the video more exciting. Our questionnaire's questions have varied from open ended questions such as 'What would you expect to see in a pop music video?' to closed ended questions such as 'How do you watch pop music videos?' This was in order to create both qualitative and quantitative data. 

17. Audience Research 2

                               

This video shows me and my other group members explaining the qualitative questions in more in depth detail. Our questionnaires found the most favourite pop artists, how many music videos people watched per week, what people expected to see in a music video, what music websites people visited and the most popular way to watch music videos. As a result of these answers we decided that we would use bright colours, location change, costume change, lip syncing and dancing due to the fact that that was most expected in a pop music video.

These results showed that we mostly asked 16-24 aged people. This is most likely because we are all 17 therefore we know more of this age group. This is beneficial for our project due to the fact that pop videos are usually targeted at teenage girls or boys therefore the data we have recieved from the questionnaires is very useful. 

These results showed that the majority of people that answered our questionnaires were from Sutton, this is because our school is set in the Sutton area therefore we know more people from this area. 

The majority of people that we asked were White British this is because London has more White British people than any other ethnicity. This result means that we would most likely have a white British artist in order to appeal to our target audience.

The results of this graph displays the ratio between males and females. 28 males have answered this questionnaire, and 32 females have answered this questionnaire. There is nearly a fifty-fifty split here, which shows that both males and females have enough of an interest in pop music to answer the questionnaire.

When asked about whether they prefer British pop music or American pop music, the results are split in half. Exactly half of the people we asked said British, whilst the other half had responded with American. However, as my group are British, we have more knowledge on British pop music than American pop music, my group thought that it would make more sense to have our pop artist come from Britain, rather than America.

15. Advertisement research

12. Genre Research 3

EXAMPLES OF CONVENTIONAL POP MUSIC VIDEOS:

             

             

11. Genre research 2

             

Kate Nash - Foundations (Female Pop Artist)

Foundations is an extremely conventional pop music video due to a number of reasons. It cuts to the beat of the music frequently so each transition from shot to shot is on a certain beat within the music. This is very stereotypical of a pop music video, it makes it look more neat. I think that cutting to the beat of the music makes the music video better as it looks well-made and well-prepared. Cutting to the beat also makes the story line easier to understand and interpret. 

                                                        Additionally, Kate Nash is regularly shown lip syncing to the lyrics of the song which is another convention of a pop music video. Whilst, she is lip syncing she usually stares directly into the camera this makes the audience feel more involved. Due to the fact, that this song is about her wanting to break up with a boy when shes staring into the camera, it could be the idea that shes getting recognition from all the other females that are having struggles in relationships. 

                                
Furthermore, this music video, like many other pop music videos, has a narrative as well as the artist performing. Due to the fact that the song is about wanting to break up with a boy but not being able to, we are shown clips of 'Kate Nash' and a man not getting on very well. For example, in this clip we are shown one of them letting go of the other hands and also kicking one another whilst in bed. These are small signs of people not getting on. The director has shown these signs using certain shots and only showing a certain body part i.e hands and feet. I believe that this is to suggest that this situation happens to everyone not just these specific people. 

                              
Something that is very conventional for any music video is a change of location. Change of location creates a more interesting outlook and makes the audience feel more involved. A change of location can also make the video more exciting. In this clip, we are shown her sitting on the stairs and then in a room and then in the kitchen making a cake. These clips change to one another quickly and sharply which makes the location change seem more in a flow. 
                             
Something that I think makes this music video more unique is the fact that they use quick shots of day to day objects, such as watches, to show a relationship or connection. This is not very stereotypical for a pop music video however I think it creates more of an impression on the audience.
                           


              

Justin Bieber - One Less Lonely Girl (Male Pop Artist)

This is another very stereotypical and conventional pop music video showing Justin Bieber seeing a girl who he likes at a launderette and then finding her scarf. He then makes her find him and the scarf by going to different places with notes from him such as a florist and a pet shop. She then finds him and they dance together. This is a very stereotypical narrative for a pop music video and most pop music videos are about 'love'. This video cuts to the beat less frequently than Kate Nash's video but still cuts the beat of the music at certain times to create a more sleek look. We are first shown Justin lip syncing whilst facing the camera directly, this could be to signify that he means what he is singing and also to appeal to his female audience as his clear eye contact suggests he is staring at them. He also does a small dance which is stereotypical for a pop music video. He is wearing bright colours and a hoodie, the bright colours to imply that the song creates a happy atmosphere as it is about finding 'the one' and the hoodie to represent the teenage generation.

                                 
We are next introduced to the female character that Justin is singing about. She is slim, pretty and wearing fashionable clothing. This girl is what the female audience would aspire to be like. We are now shown a short clip of the narrative as the girl enters the launderette and Justin is sitting with his guitar. They share glances between one another and then it cuts to Justin, but not in the narrative. He is still in the same costume and location but he is now lip syncing whilst playing his guitar, this could be to suggest that in his head he wants to sing all these lyrics to her but is too embarrassed. 
                                 
Throughout the music video, we cut between the narrative (the girl finding all the notes and finally finding Justin) and Justin performing (lip syncing and dancing). Justin regularly sings directly to the camera to attract his female audience and to make his audience relate to the situation he is going through.
                                 
We are now shown both a change of costume and location. Justin has gone from a friendly neighbourhood to dark lighting with bright lights hanging from the ceiling, this creates a more romantic and private surrounding which indicates he is meeting the girl here. He has also changed from his bright coloured hoodie and jeans to a white suit, this is a much more formal approach and also makes him look alot older.
                                 


             

Little Mix - Wings (Pop Band)

Little Mix are a girl pop band that consist of four members. This song is about not giving up on what you want to achieve and what you believe is right. This video is stereotypical and conventional in the fact that it cuts to the beat almost every beat due to the fact that it is a very up-beat and fast temp song. 

                               
The camerawork in this music video is very exciting. It varies between the typical close ups and long shots and then additionally uses a split screen showing all four members of the band at once performing in seperate locations and outlined by squares. This creates a more cliche outlook towards the girls and a more efficient appearance of the music video. 
                               
This video includes bright and vibrant colours to create that positive attitude of 'doing what you want to do'. The bright colours also make the girls stand out and indicate that they are proud of their music and eachother. 
                               
Throughout the video there is also both a location and costume change which is very conventional for a pop music video. At the end of the video all four members dance to a choreographed dance which is a convention of a pop music video. The choreography also links to the lyrics as the movements are exaggerated and strong. 
                             

14. Record Label Research

      

Hollywood Records is an American record label focusing on pop, rock, alternative and teen pop genres. It was founded in 1989 by Michael Eisner and is one of the major Disney Music Group labels. Its current notable artists include Queen, Plain White T's, and Breaking Benjamin, ZZ Ward. Also newcomers such as Lucy Hale, Valora, Cherri Bomb, Beatrice Miller, Stefano Langone, Coco Jones, McClain Sisters, and also Disney Channel stars such as Selena Gomez & The Scene,Demi Lovato, R5, Bridgit Mendler,Zendaya, and Bella Thorne. Hollywood Records parent company is ‘Disney Music Group' and they are located in Burbank, California. I think that this record label would be good due to the fact that it has a number of famous pop artists. Hollywood Records is a record label that represents youth and the younger generation due to the large number of young artists that it represents and so I think it would be a perfect record label as all members of our group are teenagers and therefore can relate to the music that teenagers listen to which is the the type of music that the artists of Hollywood records create.
                                                             
                                                             
                                                             



                                                             
Syco Music, also known as Syco Records, is a British record label founded by Simon Cowell in 2002. It is a subsidiary of Syco Entertainment. It's parent company is Sony Music Entertainment. Syco Music has offices in London and Los Angeles and is home to several artists and has the exclusive right to sign winners and finalists of The X Factor and Got Talent. Some of the current artisits are Leona Lewis, Olly Murs, Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction  Cher Lloyd, Susan Boyle and Labrinth. This record label would be ideal for a pop music video due to the fact that it represents a number of famous pop artists.         
                                                     

                                                     
                                                         

Fascination Records is a UK-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in spring 2006, and is managed by former TOTP Magazine editor, Peter Loraine. It concentrates on a relatively small number of pop acts including Girls Aloud, Cheryl Cole, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kimberley Walsh and The Saturdays.  This record label would be ideal if we chose a female pop artist song due to the fact that it represents mostly females. 

                                                       

13. CD cover research

10. Genre Research 1

Pop artists like to be seen as 'perfect'. They want to be what their audience members look up to and aspire to be like. Female artists want to be the ideal role model that all teenage girls aspire to be like and additionally an image that teenage boys like. Male artists want to create an image of strength and romance, they want to be 'the perfect boy' that all teenage girls would love to have in their lives. Furthermore, pop bands want to create an image of friendship and show their strong connection through both their music and their image, pop bands will dress similarly to show the 'latest fashion trend' and to show their similarities. Additionally, pop artists will wear bright colours to create that 'happy,exciting atmosphere' that everyone wants to be part of. Female pop artists wear a large amount of make up in order to assure that their complexion is 'perfect'. Some pop artists wear fashionable items such as hats, glasses or accessories in order to exaggerate a certain fashion trend. Additionally  they may want to be different to other pop artists. 

9. Theories 2

8. Theories 1