Semiotic Analysis

Blink-182 - Stay Together For The Kids

This video is about divorce and its effects on children that perhaps adults don't consider. This is evident in the title 'Stay Together For The Kids'. The lyrics also portray this, for example 'If this is what he wants and it's what she wants then why's there so much pain' which show the anger and lack of understanding by the children who are a victim of their parents' divorce.

The video is structured in two main parts, following a non-linear narrative of the children in the house as well as the performance of the band. The change in pace and editing between the verses and chorus correspond with the change in music, thus creating a more angry mood in the chorus versus the sad mood presented in the verse.

The way in which the video begins with a statistic about divorce sets up the theme of the video in an informative way. The wrecking ball represents the destruction of divorce, and the fact that it's in a house shows its effects on their home. However, the fact that the house is already abandoned and vandalized could portray the fact that their home is already destroyed by the prospect of divorce, foreshadowed by the lyrics 'this house is haunted'.

This semiotic analysis helped me to understand the crafting of a music video to convey a message. I learned the importance of signs and codes within a music video, as well as the relationship between the music, lyrics and visuals.

My Idea So Far

• Begins with a group of friends walking around London talking and having fun
• They discover a door/walk round a corner
• Walk through to find a mysterious place where they are pulled in by other people (shot in the seward studio)
• In this room there are various different scenes that take place, involving a lot of colour and dancing, generally having fun; some filmed in slow motion
• One scene could be a powder paint fight:

• Another could be UV/Neon based:

• Another could be using projections
• There could also be scenes of the band/artist performing the song in the studio so the video would cut between the friends' party shots and the performance shots
• At the end of the video, the friends will walk out of the door and appear the same as they did before, now looking confused but happy

Influential Artists/Bands

Wilkinson and Route 94 have been big influences to me music-wise as they both create dance songs that are incredibly catchy and feel-good. This is exactly the sort of song I would like to produce a video to; something that is easily recognisable but also enjoyable and something people like to dance to. I also like their styles of videos and artwork.

I have also found listening to older tracks such as MK's 'Always' incredibly useful as I like the 90s style, especially as this style is incredibly fashionable at the moment.

As for artist identity, I like the way in which Jess Glynne presents herself. She appears fun and likeable as opposed to the more manufactured female artists in pop music. In addition, dance songs often feature a female singer and Jess Glynne is a good example of this to base our artist profile around.

I have also found AlunaGeorge very inspirational as they are a male and female duo which is interesting and different yet it works. I like the cool and subtle image they create, similar to that of Jess Glynne. I also like the natural feel to their music, performance and videos as well as the visible chemistry between them.

Influential Styles

The TV show 'Skins' has been a huge influence when thinking about content of the video as well as style. The way in which it follows an average friendship group is something I particularly like as this is relateable to the youth audience, as well as sometimes being aspirational. The show does have a lot of emotion, but there are a lot of scenes that just show young people having fun, which is an idea that I particularly like. With regards to style, I like the way in which the programme can be incredibly naturalistic and realistic as well as exaggerated and dramatized. I also like the styling of the characters and the way in which this brings out each character's personality, which is something I would like to consider for my music video.



A concept that I found incredibly inspirational is powder paint parties. These look really good on camera with endless possibilities of shot types. They also look like everyone is having a good time which is something I would like to convey in my music video. The colours would work well with the sort of partying and dancing video I would like to create.

I have also been inspired by the style of the 90s. I like the bright colours, for example tie dye and neon, and feel that these create a fun and individual look. In addition, the retro style of the 90s is incredibly fashionable at the moment so this could be good with appealing to a young audience.

Influential Websites & Album Covers

Websites

Wilkinson

I really like the simplicity of this website as it makes it incredibly easy to navigate. I also like the aesthetics to the page and the way in which it corresponds to their album 'Lasers Not Included' as well as their latest single. The website is incredibly visual and enticing for the audience. I feel that these things together make the audience more inclined to actually look at all the features on the page, rather than a website that is cluttered and unappealing to the eye. I also really like the way in which their music is integrated into the site so it is easy to listen, share and buy the songs (as shown below).

Alt-J also have a similarly simple and aesthetically pleasing website. In addition, they have some interesting features such as the 'Map' which is an interactive feature, allowing audiences to find where they can buy the latest album. This gets the audience involved in the music, giving it a more personal feel.

I also like Clean Bandit's website as it has the similarly clean feel with a white background, but it is very visual and focused on social media and videos. I think this works really well as it doesn't take focus off of the band and the music they want to promote.

Album Covers  

Album covers are incredibly important part of branding as they create a visual expression for the artist. They are the initial branding image used to raise awareness of the artist and their new music. This means that the album cover should be memorable and where possible, iconic, in order to create a strong image which can be used in all senses of the campaign to create synergy, thus maintaining a successful product.

These are some of my favourite album covers for the type of album I would like to create:

 I really like these album covers as they're very colourful and visually pleasing. They make the CD look interesting and the artist appear creative. Personally I feel that I would be more likely to pick up a CD in a shop if the cover was striking and colourful like these. I also think that they're expressive but it a fun way which makes them appealing to all.

Here is some further research on alternative styles of album covers:

These album covers have simple yet iconic graphics which have made the albums recognizable for years since their release. They are incredibly simplistic yet memorable. I think this type of album cover is best suited to rock artists, usually used for their iconic/most successful albums. The memorable graphic creates an image that can be used on all of the band/artists' merchandise and branding in order to create a synergistic release campaign.

Another style of album cover is the iconic photograph. These are usually photographs of the band/artist and can range from a natural spontaneous photo like The Clash's 'London Calling' to a stylised photograph such as David Bowie's 'Alladin Sane'. These album covers are usually associated with older albums which have been very well known for decades. I really like these album covers but I feel that they only work with very influential artists whose albums create huge impact on music.

Music Video Influences

I like the way that the entire video is in thermal imaging and this turns a fairly basic idea into a really interesting video. The fact that the video is so intriguing detracts from the fact that the song is actually very repetitive which is typical of the genre. I would like to use some effects in my video that give a similar effect of transforming the image into something that isn't usually seen. In addition, I like the concept of the video with shots focusing on the dancing in the club scene but also the fact that it is focused on a narrative of two characters within a wider concept of the clubbing scene.


In this video I like the way in which they have used costumes and effects to make it appear to be in the style of a 90s video which gives it a nice retro look. I also like the way in which it cuts between the singer and general shots that have contextual significance to both the song and the era.



I really like the use of strobe effects and cuts to work in time with the music; I think this makes the video and song together very powerful. The strobes and black outs are used effectively as transitions too.  I also really like the slow motion dancing shots as they're interesting to watch and I would like to use some dancing shots similar to this in my video. In addition, I like the idea of the cuts between the character's normal life and figments of his imagination and think this is done very creatively in this video.

My favourite part of this video is the use of looped shots to create the effect of people dancing continuously. In addition, I like the way in which the darkness contrasts with the bright white lights and the effect this has on the black and white video. I also like the use of light and darkness as a transition between places and narratives in the video.

Despite this video being of a very different style to the previous ones, I like the way in which it basically just follows the band around doing different fun things. I like the idea of producing a video that follows a group of young people and is identifiable with the young British audience. There are also some really nice exterior shots which would be interesting to do, but probably very difficult to produce to a professional standard.

Genres of Interest & Possible Tracks

Although I am happy to do a music video of most genres, I am particularly interested in dance music. However, this covers a very wide range of music. The two main types of the genre I am interested in is faster drum and bass-eque songs like the one below. This could be a good track to use as it is uplifting and has a gradual build-up. It is also very catchy and has an easy concept to work with.



However, I also like the more calm tracks such as the one above. I think that calmer, more house-esque tracks would work really well with my idea of friends together as it is more realistic and not too fast to work with. This too is a catchy track which is easily enjoyable by many people.

Audience

When creating a music video it is incredibly important to gain an understanding of the audience and their interests in order to satisfy their uses and gratifications. It is also important to consider their interests outside of music in order to gain an understanding of what they would enjoy watching in a video. For example, if fans of a certain genre tend to like a certain movement such as pop art, then it would be a good idea to include some intertexual references to pop art in the music video. This increases the appeal to the intended audience.

 Using Survey Monkey, I created a survey and asked people to fill it out in order to gain some research of audiences and their interests with regards to music. From my research I discovered that among young people, house seems to be an incredibly popular genre. This corresponds with my previous research of the current market which showed that dance music is becoming increasingly popular in the charts. In addition, I found that Youtube is the most popular way that people get and discover music, with 100% of people answering this. This is helpful to music videos as Youtube is a video hosting platform so this means that the audience are likely to watch music videos. I also found that 75% of people said they enjoy watching music videos.

The contrast in music tastes of the two respondents shown above demonstrates the ways in which taste and interests differ depending on age and gender. It is a common conception that younger people are more into typical pop music, but when they get older they discover different music types such as rock and dance music. This is actually shown in these results. Therefore, it is important to consider age and gender of our audience in order to create a profile and gain an insight into what they're like and what they are interested in, in order to best understand how to satisfy their needs while corresponding to the uses and gratifications theory. Some examples of uses and gratifications include diversion, personal relationships and personal identity.

Record Labels

There are three major record companies that dominate the market:

EMI used to be the fourth major record company with the four together controlling around 70% of the world music market. However, since 2012 EMI has been divided into the three other major companies.

Each of these three major record labels owns different smaller music groups, and within those are specific record labels. This enables the larger groups to own record labels that can target a large variety of people as well as artists.



Capitol Records is an American record label owned by the Capitol Music Group which is wholly owned by Universal.
It is a major record label in the US, founded in 1942 and producing material for artists including The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Coldplay and Katy Perry.



Often, Larger record companies actually own small record labels that can be mistaken for being independent. For example, Syco Music is owned by Syco Entertainment which in itself is actually a joint venture with the major company Sony Music Entertainment.
This is also an example of a British and American owned record company, founded by Simon Cowell and with offices in both London and Los Angeles.


As well as the major record labels, there are numerous independent record labels which can actually own artists of equal success to the major labels. An example of this is Domino Recording Company.

Domino is an independent label based in London however they also have divisions in America, Germany and France. Despite being an independent company, some of their artists include Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Arctic Monkeys' latest album AM got to number 1 in ten countries, demonstrating the success of independent record labels.

Another independent label is Rough Trade Records. It is based in London and was formed in 1978. It is a predominantly rock/alternative label with past artists such as Buzzcocks and The Smiths. Current artists include The Strokes, The Libertines and Mystery Jets. It was recently sold to the Beggars Group who own three other small record labels.

What is Selling Well Right Now

The top three singles right now are all by male artists, with the exception of the number one featuring a female artist as well.

This also applies to the top 3 albums in the UK charts with them all being by male artists. Therefore, this implies that there is a huge gap in the market for female artists.
Interestingly, the top three best selling albums at the moment are of the pop and rock genre as oppose to the singles chart which is increasingly dominated by dance music. This implies that it is difficult for dance artists to sell as much as an all round artist as opposed to a 'one hit wonder' that features highly in the charts yet album sales are low. Therefore, when considering what type of music video to produce, it is important that we consider what type of artist we would like to create.

Other than the more obvious trends in music, there can be more random and less excepted ones. For example, Kate Bush currently has 8 albums in the top 60 albums in the UK. This sudden increase in album sales is most likely due to her current tour. This shows that some trends are unpredictable in music and can be very unexpected yet dominate the charts.

What is Selling Well in Current Popular Music

So far in 2014, the biggest selling singles appear to be fairly male dominated. This could imply that male artists would be biggest selling at the moment, however this could also mean that there is a gap in the market for female artists. There is also an abundance of dance tracks due to the current trending of dance music. Therefore, perhaps a dance track would appeal most successfully to the target audience.

This can be compared with the previous year where pop and rock were extremely dominate in the charts. This therefore demonstrates the speed at which trends in music can dramatically change. In addition, the number one artists of 2014, 2013 and 2012 have not been British, with Australian artist Gotye selling the most in 2012. Therefore, this could mean that there is a need for more identifiable British artists in the UK charts.

The biggest selling artist albums of 2014 are almost entirely pop and rock dominated with only the exception of Avicii and Rudimental in the top 20. This differs to the best selling singles demonstrating that perhaps a gap in the singles market would not necessarily be successful in the album charts and so the two are very different. Therefore, it is important to consider what sort of success the artist we create is intended to achieve. In addition, in 2013 rock was the biggest selling genre, taking 40 percent of sales in the album market, whereas pop had been the most successful genre in recent previous years. This therefore implies an increase in popularity of rock artists over pop, perhaps a trend with artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Jake Bugg having huge commercial success of late.

My Music Comsumption

I listen to music via radio every morning on my way to school with my brother; in this case I find that upbeat music is usually most fitting in comparison with times when I'll listen to music alone as it is fun to listen to this kind of music together. I tend to listen to music on my iPod/iPhone whenever I'm working in school, or using public transport. In order to listen to newer music and discover moe, I tend to use Soundcloud as well as Youtube Channels for example TheSoundYouNeed. I also listen to a lot of music when with friends as a sort of shared enjoyment and focus for the group a well as a way of discovering new music, and sometimes just as background music to influence the mood of a gathering or party for example. In addition to this, I like to attend music festivals and gigs to experience live music as this has a very different feel to prerecorded music.


Song from my childhood; Blur - Tender



This song reminds me of my childhood as my parents used to play it a lot when I was little and it was my favourite song for a long time. I also feel that it was amongst the kind of music that influenced what I would listen to as I got older and discovered music for myself.

Song from my early teens; Green Day - Good Riddance



This was one of the first songs that really got me into the music I like today and helped transition my music taste as I got older. It was also the first song I ever learned on guitar. I find this song quite emotional to listen to and it's incredibly nostalgic.

Song that means a lot to me today; Wilkinson - Halflight



This song means a lot to me at the moment as it has lots of memories attached to it from summer, for example when it was played at Reading festival. Music often has emotional memories attached to it and this is often why I listen to certain songs. In addition, I find that this song lifts my mood and so I'm more inclined to listen to this type of music at a gathering or with friends than when I'm alone. This demonstrates how people can like a wide range of music but certain types can be more suitable depending on the circumstance.


I think that music is always good for changing someone's mood, for example when you're angry it can calm you down, or when you're sad it can cheer you up. In contrast, it can also be used as a way to relate when you are upset. For example, I have certain songs I listen to when I'm sad as they are usually relateable to the way I'm feeling. Music is often relateable to circumstances in peoples' lives and so prevents them from feeling alone. In addition, music can greatly change the environment, for example it can make a party a lot more fun, which is why I like listening to music that I enjoy in these circumstances.