Miss Music Video

Best of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:51:00 +0000

Over the past couple months different websites and blogs have been putting articles out about the best music videos of 2012. A lot of the lists consist of the same music videos, and somehow all of the lists end with Gangnam Style at number one. Although Gangnam Style was the most popular video of the past year, I personally don’t think it was the best music video of 2012. After reviewing the other videos on the multiple lists, I have determined my top four music videos of 2012.

At number four I have HYFR by Drake and Lil Wayne:

This video made my top five, not because I’m a huge Drake fan, but because of the subject matter. The video portrays Drake re-enacting his bar mitzvah, but in a much more glamorous setting. Drake completely accepts his Jewish upbringing in the video and collaborates it with his rap career. I consider this one of the best videos of 2012 because it is unlike any other rap video ever. Plus Lil Wayne’s panda hat is pretty cool.

Oblivion by Grimes steals my number three spot:

This video is completely hilarious. I’m not a huge fan of the song but it fits perfectly with the music video. This mousy pink haired girl with an electronic sounding song has staged her video at real world sporting events. Grimes creates this oxymoron within her entire video. It’s obvious she doesn’t fit in at any of these locations, which makes the video so amazing. The best part is the impromptu dance party in the men’s locker room.

At number two I chose The Shins, Simple Song:

This may be one of the greatest music videos I have ever seen. The whole time watching it I was thinking this is completely magical. The use of light to portray the past versus present made the whole video cohesive between every shot. It was humorous and completely depressing at the same time, with a small hint of romance. The Shins combine so many things to create a perfectly unified video for a great and “simple song.”

Grabbing the gold is MIA’s, Bad Girls:

Hold on Gangnam Style I'm gonna let you finish, but MIA had the best video of the year. This video is completely fabulous, and brings a weird glamour to the Middle East. At first I was confused with what was going on but as I listened to the lyrics, “Live Fast, Die Young. Bad Girls Do It Well.” It all made sense. MIA is touching on the social hierarchy issues that Middle Eastern women face, as well as women everywhere. Some people around the world may find this video offensive, which is why I love it so much. I find this video so exciting to watch because of the fast cars, the leaning cars, the fashion, the bombs going off, and the overall randomness of everything. Also I just can’t get the song out of my head.

Honorable Mentions include: Macklemore’s Thrift Shop (because the fashion is amazing), Icona Pop’s, I Love It (check out the use of text), Gotye’s, Somebody That I Used to Know, and Jack White’s, Sixteen Saltines (for the crazy imagery).

The Grammy Winners and Their Music Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:19:00 +0000

The 55^th annual Grammy awards were this past Sunday, and for those of you who did not watch, two artists stole the show. The artist’s I’m talking about Gotye and the group, Fun. At the Grammy’s each artist dominated in certain categories with a particular song from this past year. I wanted to make a blog post about the award winning songs and their music videos.

First up I want to talk about Gotye. Gotye was nominated for two categories this year for his song, Somebody that I Used to Know, and one for his album. Making Mirrors. Gotye ended up winning all three categories, including record of the year, the most coveted award of the night. If you were alive this year, there is no way you haven’t heard Gotye’s hit, Somebody that I Used to Know. Although I do love the song, I love this music video even more.

This music video is a perfect representation of Gotye’s song. Both the video and song are so simple, yet so powerful. The video uses simplistic modern art to portray the emotions of both Gotye and Kimbra as they become apart of the painting. What keeps this video simple is the use of paint color and stop-start filming. Gotye kept the paint colors neutral which emphasizes the artist’s emotion. If the colors were brighter or darker, Gotye’s true emotion as he sings the chorus may have been lost throughout the video. The stop-start video is the perfect editing technique for this video. The paint creeps up Gotye’s body as he is becoming apart of the painting. With these techniques, the video remains effortless and beautiful, which is a perfect match for the record of the year.

The second artist who stole the Grammy’s was the group, Fun. Fun was nominated for six categories including record of the year, song of the year, best new artist, and album of the year. Unlike Gotye, Fun did not sweep all of their categories, however they did win two Grammy’s, song of the year for their hit, We Are Young, and best new artist. The song We Are Young definitely destroyed charts this year.

The music video for We Are Young is not what I expected when I first watched it. The whole video is slow motion, which is an interesting technique. Shooting this video in slow motion was definitely a smart move because it works seamlessly with the powerful chorus. The slow motion helps create some very riveting and beautiful shots. For example, when two guys destroy a teddy bear, the green beads go everywhere, which looks amazing in slow motion. The whole video consists of crazy shots of young people fighting, kissing, falling, and dancing, all while the band is remaining calm and performing on stage. The destruction in the video relates to Fun’s lyrics, “Tonight, we are young, so let’s set the world on fire.” Fun definitely took this video to the right place, and I can’t wait to see what they’ve got coming next.

Two Business Experts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:17:00 +0000

In order to stay current in the entertainment industry, it is important to recognize trends and the people leading those trends. The experts in entertainment business are a great source to look at when developing a business plan. I have found two experts that have been extremely helpful for my business plan, and have some great insights into the entertainment industry.

The first business expert is David Lee. I chose David Lee as an important expert to note because he focuses on technology and how it works with entertainment. Lee graduated from John Hopkins with a B.A. and later graduated from Stanford University with an M.S. in electrical engineering. Lee then went on to work as a corporate attorney, and late became a founding member of Google’s New Business Development team. While at Google, Lee helped the business develop the popular website, StumbleUpon. Currently Lee acts as managing partner and co-founder at SV Angel, which funds ventures like Twitter, FourSquare, and Dropbox.

David Lee points out three important components that can be very beneficial in receiving initial investors. The first component is passion. As a business owner it is essential to present clear and justifiable information about your company, however having a passionate back-story helps engage investors on a deeper level. Passion allows investors to connect with you personally. The second component David Lee expresses is important is having clear business goals. As a business owner it is important to have a clear understanding of what you want your business to accomplish. Presenting clear goals to investors will allow them to understand exactly what your company is and what you hope to gain in the future. David Lee mentions a third component when developing a business plan, which is data collection. Investors want to see numbers and data acts a security blanket for their investment. It is important to have substance to your business presentation otherwise the plan will not get funded.

The second business expert I chose is Oprah Winfrey, a recognizable figure in the industry with a great perspective on developing a business plan. Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the most respected and accomplished public figures in history. She was born in Mississippi and in 1971 attended Tennessee State University. After several years of television success, The Oprah Winfrey Show entered national syndication in 1986. Oprah spent the next 25 years climbing up the success ladder, with a successful talk show, magazine, awards and charities. She remains number 11 on Forbes most powerful women in the world, and is America’s only African-American billionaire.

Oprah’s stance on developing a business plan is smart and to the point, which has allowed her to succeed with a multi-platform business. A well-developed business plan allows you to see the potential problems that could arise. After acknowledging the potential problems and tiny costs, the business plan will help you to see the changes that need to be made within your company. Oprah views the business plan as a living thing that is constantly changing and needs to be constantly analyzed for success. As the economy shifts, new technology develops and the business industry changes, a business owner must be able to adapt its business plan to fit current trends. Adaptability will ensure success as your company moves into the future.

The Glamorization of Drugs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:27:00 +0000

Recently I have noticed a trend in music videos where artists use or portray drugs in a glamorous way. This idea sprung up in my head ever since the Presidential election earlier this month. During this 2012 election, Amendment 64 passed in Colorado, allowing the recreational use of marijuana. Immediately I thought how will this Amendment shape our current culture?

Two days after the election, Rihanna released the music video for her new single, Diamonds. The initial shots are of Rihanna with diamonds as she rolls them into a blunt. So right off the bat, Rihanna is symbolizing the word “diamond” to mean marijuana. Although this is not the original meaning for the song, Rihanna creates a correlation between the two with this imagery. The whole diamonds/marijuana scenario generates an allure for viewers. Many young girls may watch this video and be attracted to this subconscious notion that marijuana is like diamonds.

Diamonds by Rihanna

Amendment 64 and the Diamonds video coincidentally happened around the same time, however artists have been glamourizing drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex in music videos for decades. For instance many hip-hop artists portray drugs in their music videos. It’s to the point where hip-hop artists have created a stereotype for themselves based on this occurrence.

Afroman’s, Because I Got High is a perfect example of the most extreme marijuana use, particularly because the entire song was written about smoking weed. Naturally the music video fits the theme of the song and shows Afroman smoking a lot of weed. I think this video is important to mention because Afroman collaborates with two famous characters in pop culture, Jay and Silent Bob. In doing so, Afroman is appealing to the fans of those characters while attracting viewers to use marijuana.

Because I Got High by Afroman

As Rihanna and Afroman stylize the use of drugs as a chic endeavor, some artists use drugs to show hardship. For example Prodigy’s, Smack My Bitch Up shows a dark side of drug and alcohol abuse. According to a survey conducted by PRS for Music, the song was voted the most controversial song of all time. The video is just as controversial portraying acts of cocaine use, theft, binge drinking and violence. In this particular example, I think the music video de glamourizes the use of drugs and alcohol because the viewer gets to witness first hand the effects of these substances.

Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy

I’m particularly curious to see how Amendment 64 will shape the use of drugs in music videos. Although artists already portray these substances in their videos, I can only imagine what is to follow now that certain states have legalized marijuana. What will be the pop cultural repercussions of this Amendment and how will it shape the next generation of musical artists?

Pastels and Neon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:53:00 +0000

Keeping up with this year fashion trend of mints, pastels and neon, artists have incorporated these looks into their music videos. Mints and pastels are soft delicate colors that have taken over the spring and summer of 2012. Neon colors are a bright, in your face expression of one’s individuality. These two opposite types of color have exploded in 2012 simultaneously. As fashion trends evolve, music video fashion follows. Artists are constantly trying to stay up to date on fashion trends, and even help set the future for designer inspiration. The only situations for artists to express there knowledge on current fashion is through public appearances, concerts, and music videos.

This past year many artists have represented pastels and neon in their music videos, which has helped the trend develop in each demographic. For example, most recently Christina Aguilera released her music video for her single, Your Body. Aguilera is not the first to use glitter, pastel pinks and neon’s this year, but in Your Body she combines each trend in one single video. In particular the use of what I like to call, “bubblegum hair.” Also known as “my little pony hair,” the style consists of rainbow (either neon or pastel) dipped hair tips reminiscent of the popular 80’s unicorns. Other artists who have embraced this trend include Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato, and Britney Spears.

Your Body by Christina Aguilera

The greatest thing about Aguilera’s, Your Body is that she somehow combines the pastel and neon trend effortlessly. The whole video is very whimsical and basically portrays a girl dressed from the early 90s who is stuck in the late 50s. Aguilera uses the trends from this past year to help reinvent her look, however this may be a little too late.

Like I said before this is not the first time we have seen this whimsical pastel/neon combination. Take Katy Perry for example (and even earlier Avril Lavigne). In 2010, Perry released the California Gurls music video, a visual portrayal of the game, Candyland. This video launched Perry’s playful girlie image through the use of delicious treats, soft colors and a fantasy atmosphere. Because of the success of this video, I believe many designers drew inspirations for future trends. Other artists like Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, and Cher Lloyd have tried to capitalize on this lighthearted soft image particularly in their music videos. For example Nicki Minaj’s, Starships and Super Bass, and Cher Lloyd’s, With Your Love and Oath.

California Gurls by Katy Perry

Super Bass by Nicki Minaj

Oath by Cher Lloyd

As fashion trends continue to evolve… it’s exciting to see who will innovate the market next and how pop music video fashion will follow.

Pop Parody

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:27:00 +0000

As a child of the 90s I have an emotional tie with the punk-rock band, Blink-182. When I hear a particular song from Blink, I immediately have a memory that takes me back to my youth. One song that stands out to me is, All the Small Things. In particular, the hilarious video that Blink produced for the song. The video parodies the major pop videos of the time including Christina Aguilera’s, Genie in a Bottle, Britney Spears’, Sometimes, and The Backstreet Boys, I want it that way. The band pokes fun at many of their pop competitors in order to make a statement that they are a rock band and this new pop movement is ridiculous. All the Small Things made me look deeper into this concept of parody music videos.

All the Small Things by Blink-182

Of course one cannot mention parody music videos without mentioning the parody king, Weird Al Yankovic. Weird Al’s success directly relates to his music videos that parody pop culture. In 1983, Weird Al released his first parody album. In the self-titled album, Weird Al spoofs Michael Jackson’s, Beat It with his first single, Eat It, which became extremely popular because of the music video. The Eat It music video is shot for shot identical to the original Beat It video, however Weird Al creates a comedic spin. Other hits that Weird Al has parodied include, Nirvana’s, Smells like Teen Spirit and Coolio’s, Gangsta’s Paradise. The king of pop culture satire has over 181,000,000 views on YouTube and over 50 different music videos.

Eat It by Weird Al Yankovic

Beat It by Michael Jackson

Recently, one particular group took the lead in satire videos, The Lonely Island from Saturday Night Live. Although these songs and videos do not directly poke fun at specific artists, the Lonely Island has created a whole new genre for comedic music by incorporating popular artists to be apart of the track/video. The most popular hit from Lonely Island, Dick in a Box features pop star, Justin Timberlake who has branched out from his original “pop icon” identity as an artist with a sense of humor willing to make a fool of himself. Other popular artists like Rihanna, Akon, Michael Bolton, and Justin Bieber have followed Timberlake’s lead by participating in Lonely Island’s comedic music video movement.

Dick in a Box by Lonely Island

As YouTube began to rise in 2006, parody videos have become a huge success for the website. Channels like Barely Political and College Humor have created some of the top parody music videos on YouTube. Much like Weird Al, these channels have taken the original satire route by creating shot for shot videos that make fun of a specific artist’s video. For example, Glitter Puke from Barely Political ridicules Ke$ha’s number one hit Tik Tok, and has over 100,000,000 hits. Many channels like this gain popularity from outside demographics of a particular artist. So in this example, non-fans (and sometimes even fans) of Ke$ha find Glitter Puke to be an amusing portrayal of her original video as well as her “party girl” identity.

Glitter Puke by Barely Political

Tik Tok by Ke$ha

I’ll leave this post with a quote by Charles Dickens, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” As long as people believe in this idea of humor, comedic songs and their music videos will be alive forever.

Interview with Mary Cavallaro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 02:58:00 +0000

Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with recognized entertainment lawyer, Mary Cavallaro. We spoke in detail about the legal side of the entertainment industry, and some of Mary’s past experiences. Mary Cavallaro graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1993, and began her law career as a national representative and a member for staff council for the American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (AFTRA). By 2006, Cavallaro was a partner at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, a law firm that provides representation to broadcast media talent and other media and creative professionals. For the past two years, Cavallaro has worked as the Assistant National Executive Director, News and Broadcast for the screen actor’s guild, AFTRA. Currently, she lives in Berwyn, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Miss Music Video: When did you decide you wanted to go into law?

Mary Cavallaro: “I decided to go into law when I was in college. Around my first semester freshman year, I was studying as a biological engineering major and decided to switch majors.”

MMV: Did you always know you wanted to be an entertainment lawyer?

MC: “Everything happened all at once. I enjoyed critical thinking and doing research to back up arguments. And because I was studying for my undergraduate degree at USC (University of Southern California), I was around film students. I took an introduction to film course and quickly became interested in the arts. It was a very natural process.”

MMV: What’s your favorite part about working in the entertainment industry?

MC: “I love that I can use my law degree to help creative people. Most lawyers don’t see clients and get to interactive with them on a daily basis. Most lawyers are very technical. The entertainment industry is very much about the people and the connections you make along the way. Working in this particular industry is very rewarding because I get to spend my days with very creative people.”

MMV: What’s the hardest thing about being an entertainment lawyer?

MC: “It’s the hardest when I hear about someone losing their jobs. My job is to make sure my client’s jobs are secure. It’s hard when I hear about a [radio] station firing six different people, or an anchor being fired after only 30 days on air.”

MMV: What was it like working for Montgomery, McCracken, Walker, & Rhoads?

MC: “It was very interesting. A decent sized firm of about 200 attorneys with a variety of backgrounds. While working there I represented creative professionals, but I also worked with intellectual property, contracts, and labor. I was able to learn different aspects relevant to the entertainment industry. While working there my work changed day to day. I would spend a lot of days on the phone negotiating contracts, for long hours that when I got home I wouldn’t want to talk anyone. A lot of it was going over contract language, essentially trying to get the best deals for my client’s. On the production side, I would meet with distributors to make sure they were telling the client’s story right, especially with reality television. It was a lot of contract review and handholding. Client’s were looking to me for communication and to help them get through the difficult times.”

MMV: What does your average day look like today?

“Well the first thing I do in the morning is read my emails. I am responsible for the screen actor’s guild for AFTRA, so I oversee staff of 30 people who are negotiating contracts all over the country. I help address the issues in the contracts to make sure there is uniformity. My main duties are reviewing labor agreements, personal service contracts under personal agreements and make sure they are satisfactory, all while managing a staff.”

MMV: Sounds like quite the change from Montgomery, McCracken, Walker, & Rhoads, is there a lifestyle you prefer more?

MC: “Honestly, there isn’t really a preference. At my current job I get to set the standard for a large group and set the bar line so we can get more from a deal rather than less. It is very rewarding working so closely with a team, but not more rewarding than my previous experiences. I love my job.”

MMV: Okay final question. What is the weirdest case you have ever worked on?

MC: “Hmm… I’ve had so many that it’s hard to think of one that really stands out. Let me preface this story with saying that so many people are trying to get into the entertainment industry, and employers tend to take advantage of that fact. Many employers will treat their employees less than satisfactory, and employee’s deal with it because they know it’s a tough industry. I had one client who was a broadcast journalist on maternity leave, but her boss kept calling her to come into work. She had a couple weeks left to stay home to lose the baby weight before returning to work. A few days later my client came across help wanted ads for her position, I wont disclose how she found these ads, but basically it was her boss’ way of telling her that she no longer worked for them. Unfortunately for him this violates the family and medical leave act, but like I said employers assume in this industry their employees wont sue because it could tarnish their personal image. Moral of the story, if a woman just had a baby… leave her alone.”

I would like to send a special thanks to Mary Cavallaro for spending time with me and answering my legal questions.

Lawsuits and Liabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:12:00 +0000

Copyright infringement can easily become a huge issue in the entertainment industry. In particular, music videos can cause a lot of controversy because they technically combine two industries, film and music. The majority of lawsuits arise when an artist infringes specifically on the music. This in turn can affect the arrival and popularity of the artist’s music video. Other lawsuits can arise when the artist infringes on the actual content being portrayed throughout the music video. This type of infringement strictly affects the music video itself where as the song remains untouched. Currently there are several lawsuits involving copyright infringement within the music video industry, but first I want to mention some famous instances where infringement has shaped the music industry.

Famously there have been many lawsuits dealing with copyright infringement within the music industry. For example, Vanilla Ice versus Queen and David Bowie, Johnny Cash versus Gordon Jenkins, and Michael Bolton versus the Isley Brothers. These famous examples question the music being plagiarized, not the video content. The most famous of these is Vanilla Ice versus Queen and David Bowie. The rapper sampled Queen and Bowie’s, Under Pressure without consent or license. The sampled piece of work, Ice Ice Baby, ended up hitting number one with only a slightly altered rhythm. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. This particular lawsuit greatly effected Vanilla Ice’s career and hindered the future of his hit, Ice Ice Baby. Since the settlement the original song has been made into many different versions, none of which sound like the original.

More recently the rap group, Beastie Boys, have been sued for alleged copyright infringement. The Beastie Boys, a group very familiar with copyright lawsuits, were recently sued for using two songs by the band, Trouble Funk, without permission. Apparently the song Shadrach by the Beastie Boys samples work from Trouble Funk’s, Say What. Tuf America, the company representing Trouble Funk filed the lawsuit a day before the death of Adam Yauch aka “MCA” of the Beastie Boys. The company is suing for copyright infringement, unjust enrichment and misappropriation. They are seeking punitive damages and a permanent injunction forbidding the rap group from selling tracks with Trouble Funk samples. Hopefully the lawsuit will be able to reach a settlement before heading to court. The Beastie Boys have been through enough this past year.

Touching more on the video content side, recently there has been one instance of copyright infringement that has made headlines due to its controversial content. In 2011, photographer David LaChapelle sued pop star Rihanna, Def Jam Records, and Black Dog Films for copyright infringement. LaChapelle claimed Rihanna copied the photographer’s work for her music video S&M. The photographer found Rihanna’s video to be very similar in theme and style to his past photo shoot for Vogue Italia. Specifically LaChapelle alleged, “the clip's director Melina Matsoukas was instructed to create a ‘LaChapelle-esque music video’ and that prints of his photographs were used in creating storyboards for the production.” He sued for 1 million dollars and a settlement was reached in October of 2011. The use of artistic vision is all very gray especially when dealing with copyright infringement.

Striped Farce by David LaChapelle, 1995

Playing with Products

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 04:18:00 +0000

In recent years major companies have branched into the wonderful yet annoying world of product placement, mainly within the movie and television industry. For example, Starbucks products dominated the big screen in the movie Fight Club. There isn’t a scene in the movie without a Starbucks logo or coffee cup present. Apple Inc. began product placing early with movies like Legally Blonde and television shows like the Office, Modern Family, and 24. Many of these large companies have perfected the art of product placement, and have been able to create advertisements seamlessly within television episodes and movies that span two hours. But how can companies place products within music videos that only last 3 to 5 minutes long?

Since the decline of MTV (where product placement wasn’t prominent), companies like Vevo and YouTube have been able to push music video producers and artists to consider product placement. For companies like Vevo, it’s all about the money. Since YouTube has partnered up with Vevo, product placement has skyrocketed. The Online Video Insider states, “Patrick Quinn, chief executive of research firm PQ Media, reported that product placement in music videos grew from $15 million to $20 million last year; meanwhile overall paid product placement declined 2.8% to $3.6 billion.” Vevo is one of the leading distributors for music videos and collaborates with large music companies (like Virgin Mobile) and their branding divisions. These collaborations are reflected within certain music videos, such as Lady Gaga’s video for Telephone.

Lady Gaga’s, Telephone, presents several different brands/products throughout the entire video including, Virgin Mobile, Coca Cola, Plenty of Fish, and Miracle Whip. Both Coca Cola and Miracle Whip are used seamlessly within the video. Diet Coke cans are used as Lady Gaga’s hair rollers in the jail cell scene. Most viewers wouldn’t see this product placement because only the “Diet” can be seen through Gaga’s hair, however the brand is still recognized by the silver can and Coca Cola font. So although it isn’t obvious placement, our mind recognizes this as a Coca Cola product, which adheres to product placement. I even had to re-watch the video to pick up on this product placement.

Companies have really utilized music videos as the new form of product placement. Because attention spans have become shorter, music videos are the perfect outlet for advertising a product affectively. Music videos are about the same length of a commercial and are able to grab the attention of a viewer based on their specific interests. Music videos also deliver qualitative results for a large company’s product or brand based on how many views a video generates on YouTube. Based off of Lady Gaga’s, Telephone views, the Coca Cola, Virgin Mobile, Miracle Whip, and Plenty of Fish brands have imprinted over 148 million times. If done correctly through music videos, companies can impact generations of fans through quick product placement. I think product placement is a combination of commerciality and like ability that companies should capitalize on (with Youtube or Vevo) before music videos becoming a dying outlet.

Since the new season of X Factor started today, I thought I would give a little reference to Britney Spears. Another example of excellent product placement comes from her video Hold it Against Me, which uses Sony electronics, Plenty of Fish, and Britney’s very own fragrance, Radiance. Take a look at how each product is displayed. It’s interesting because there is an obvious distinction between integrated product placement (Sony electronics) and apparent product placement (Radiance fragrance). Without knowing it, every electronic used in the video is from Sony, however is not obviously presented like Britney’s fragrance, Radiance. The Radiance fragrance is shot up close and personal. The brand has about a five second spot which doesn’t fit into the theme of the video at all, whereas the Sony electronics make up the entire video as well as the background shots.

As an avid fan for music videos and a hater of commercials, I actually don’t mind product placement. I hope in the future companies can perfect the use of seamless product placement where it doesn’t affect my mind consciously, only subconsciously. I understand product placement as a profitable outlet, I just hope it doesn’t become over saturated within the music video industry. I want to be able to watch videos in peace without seeing a Diet Coke can every 5 seconds.

All Time Love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:11:00 +0000

“'Cause you left me police scene, chalk line, tequila shots in the dark scene of the crime, suburban living with a feeling that I'm giving up everything for you.” This song lyric comes from one of my favorite songs, Damned if I Do Ya (Damned if I don’t), which is sung by the American pop-punk band, All Time Low. I have a particular connection to the band because they hail from my home state of Maryland. Since 2006 I have been listening to All Time Low, and have spent my formative years singing along to their upbeat songs.

Like many bands, four high school friends discovered their passion for music and formed a band. All Time Low's passion is present in their first music video, Circles.

The video consists of the band members performing in a raw atmosphere, and simply having fun together as friends. I particularly enjoy this video because it shows off All Time Low’s spunk, which stays consist throughout the band’s career. With multiple music videos and 5 albums under their belt, All Time Low rose from an underground status to the top of the pop-punk scene.

This accomplishment is extremely impressive considering All Time Low’s unknown and inexperienced artist manager, Nano Tissera. Tissera began his management career with All Time Low at the young age of 17. On PropertyOfZack Contributor Blog, Tissera states, “When I got into the music business, I did it not knowing a single thing. All I wanted to do was help my friends band be the biggest they could be and learn a few things along the way and hope for the best.” Since becoming All Time Low’s manager, Tissera helped the band become one of the top pop-punk bands on a worldwide scale. Tissera declares success comes from mutual respect and trust between himself and All Time Low. He affirms, “Some of the best relationships I’ve had as a manager are because there’s a love and respect between everyone involved. I speak with a lot of the artists I used to work on a good amount because even without the business, we still have a great friendship.”

It’s obvious All Time Low has become so successful due to the relationship held with their manager. The band has stayed true to their roots and produced genuine music throughout the years. An example of this comes from their music videos, Coffeeshop Soundtrack (2007) and I Feel Like Dancin’ (2011). Both videos show the band’s sense of humor, which spans over four years. All Time Low has stuck to a specific brand and stand out within their market. Fans see the band having fun and are able to connect through personal experiences.

All Time Low is definitely a band to look out for, especially with the release of there new album Don’t Panic on October 9th, 2012. Here’s a look at the lyric video for their new song, For Baltimore. Enjoy!

Decades of Boy Bands

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 01:23:00 +0000

Boy bands have been around for quite some time. As a child of the 90’s, when I first hear the term “boy band,” I think of 90s boy bands like NSYNC and BSB. However if you were to ask my parents about boy bands they would talk about the Monkees, Jackson 5, or the Beatles. Each generation seems to have there own version of a boy band, but how different are they really? I decided to take a closer look at each group and how they relate through music videos.

The Beatles and The Monkees

The 60’s version of "boy bands" contrasts quite differently from the 90s boy bands and our current popular groups. Notably the Beatles and the Monkees dominated the boy band scene. Music videos weren’t popular at the time however there are recordings of the bands preforming various hit songs. The similarities are uncanny. For example, the Monkees music video for Daydream Believer identifies with the Beatles music video for Help! Both videos portray each of the four members in a corky way. The videos both start off serious and direct but as they progress the two boy bands let loose and begin to have fun. The only main difference between the two music videos is Daydream Believer is shot in color. Besides that, both bands have instruments and sing directly towards the camera, as well as have a unique twist like Davy Jones’ singing alone in a funky room and Ringo Starr holding an umbrella.

90s Boy Bands

Flash forward 30 years and boy bands strike yet again, in a similar fashion. Undeniably the two strongest 90s boy bands were NSYNC and BSB aka the Backstreet Boys. Both groups drew inspiration from the 80s boy band, New Kids on the Block. Throughout the late 90s into the 2000’s, NSYNC and BSB competed for the top spot in 90s boy band heaven. Each of there videos throughout the years directly competes with one another.

In 1996, the Backstreet Boys released their first single, We’ve Got it Goin’ On. At the same time, NSYNC released their first single, I Want You Back. The videos are pretty much identical. The first similarity between the pop music videos is the mix of color and black and white footage. Second, both of the boy bands dance together in perfect sync. And third, both bands portray playing basketball throughout the videos mixed with shots of beautiful women.

The comparison between the bands goes even further with the release of their second and third singles. As Long As You Love Me (Backstreet Boys) and Tearin’ Up my Heart (NSYNC) are even more alike than the bands first music videos. Distinctively both 90s boy bands released music videos portraying themselves in an ambiguous location (a sort of warehouse) singing directly to the camera one by one. While in the ambiguous location both bands are on the set of a photo-shoot acting goofy while dancing in front of beautiful women. The alikeness of these two bands continued throughout the 2000’s however as the bands developed so did their differences. NSYNC became more of a dance music group, where as the Backstreet boys developed more power ballad love songs.

One Direction versus The Wanted

More recently, the 90s boy bands craze has spilled into this generation and begun to popularize all over the charts. The two main powerhouse forces in the 2010’s era are the Wanted and One Direction. Like boy bands of the past, these two bands draw inspiration from the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees. Unlike their predecessors the Wanted and One Direction are focused on the music more than dancing. Glad You Came (The Wanted) and What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction) both portray the boy bands on the beach partying and having a good time. Weirdly enough both the Wanted and One Direction hail from the United Kingdom, representing a new wave of boy bands. The one main difference between these two bands is the age difference, One Direction appeals to a younger audience of preteens where as the Wanted portrays to women into their late 20s. As recently popular boy bands, the Wanted and One Direction will only grow from this point and maybe we’ll see an interesting change for boy bands.

Thoroughly Thrilled

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:06:00 +0000

While doing some research, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Michael Jackson’s Thriller was dubbed the most influential music video of all time. Considered the first big “blockbuster” music video, Thriller has inspired millions since it’s airing in 1983. As I re-watched the 14-minute video I was instantly transported to memories of my youth. I can remember as a child trying to recreate the iconic dance in my living room.

Thriller was one of the first “blockbuster” music video. It combined a film like quality with music. All music videos until then were solely a portrayal of the artist’s music. Michael Jackson went above and beyond with Thriller by creating a whole story with the characters. Thriller helped give hope for music video producers/directors by opening the doorway for a new kind of music video. Music video producers and directors were suddenly being recognized for their efforts.

Just to grasp how truly influential Thriller has become I have some examples how it has shaped our culture. Fall Out Boy is one band that was inspired by the video and chose to pay respect in their video, A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me.” This video pays homage to Thriller with a combination of short film clips and music. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me” also uses a similar sci-fi theme as Thriller by using vampires. Although there is no dance sequence in A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me” the band has several fight scenes, which are made to look as if they were dancing.

Another artist who has drawn inspiration from Thriller is Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga released her music video for Telephone featuring Beyonce in 2010. The video runs for 9 minutes and in the opening credits the video is referred to as “a film.” While watching this video I noticed Lady Gaga incorporates dance moves from the Thriller dance. She also references the video in her fashion choices. While in the jail common room she is wearing a leather jacket much like the one wore by Michael Jackson (only in black).

Although these similarities may not have been planned, they are still present. Many people today don’t realize how much that video has shaped the way we think about pop culture. I shudder to think what the world would be like without Michael Jackson’s, Thriller. Even Korean prisoners draw inspiration from Thriller! Check it out here!

The Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 03:45:00 +0000

A great way to stay connected in the industry is by keeping up with trade associations. One trade association that I have fallen in love with is the Music Video Production Association. On the MVPA website they describe themselves as "a non-profit trade organization created to address the mutual concerns of its members in today's highly competitive, ever-changing music video industry." As a member of the MVPA it means being among some of the most influential members of the industry including directors, editors, producers, and choreographers, just to name a few. In order to advance within the industry, becoming apart of this trade association would be extremely beneficial.

Certain ways the MVPA affects the industry is through there events and resources. The MVPA has an events section on there website in which members are invited to attend. Some of the events they have held in the past include the MVPA awards, mixers, and seminars. These events are a great way for members to network with fellow professionals and advance further through the industry.

The resources page on the MVPA website is another great service they provide. The list consists of links to important resources a member could want or need including music festivals, production companies, and music libraries. In order to start a business of my own within the music video industry, several of these resources will be beneficial especially Disc Makers. Disc Makers provides manufacturing and duplicating of the disc hardware. Another resource I found very interesting was a book called Experiencing the Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context. I haven’t had a chance to read it but it is definitely a resource that could help further shape my knowledge and feelings towards the industry.

One thing I wish the MVPA had more of would be an active comment/discussion board. I would love to hear more from the members themselves and get insight on being apart of the MVPA. It would be wonderful to hear how the MVPA has helped its members on a business level via networking.

A few other trade associations to check out are the Motion Picture Association of America and Recording Industry Association of America. Both the MPAA and RIAA have active blogs and news updates to keep there members informed every minute. Although neither, the MPAA and RIAA are directly apart of the music video industry both topics play an essential role in what makes up a music video. I think trade associations are an important and necessary way to stay informed within a niche of an industry.

A Magical Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:57:00 +0000

Today my blog post is all about business storytelling. I have decided to focus my post on a speaker who has inspired me throughout my life. As the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling has been an active influencer on the world for the past two decades. She not only inspires me to fulfill my dreams but also motivates me to do better in life.

In 2008, J.K. Rowling gave the commencement speech for the graduates of Harvard University. After watching her speech I immediately became overwhelmed with inspiration. Rowling’s particular style of presenting is amazing to watch. She dives into a poised storytelling method full of detailed sentences, which truly paints a picture of her life.

Rowling’s begins the speech with a comedic tactic that allows the audience to see past her celebrity status and see her as a real human being. Throughout the speech she mentions two pieces of advice, failure and imagination. Rowling’s elaborates on these ideas by telling stories of her experiences. As she describes each, I began to connect emotionally to her past and how she was able to overcome struggle. In particular, Rowling’s mentions that her biggest fear when leaving college was failing. Seven years after graduation her biggest fear came true, and she ended up failing on her marriage, career, and finances. It wasn’t until after she failed that she realized she needed to pursue what made her happy, Harry Potter. After a long road, she succeeded and now she is one of the most successful women in the world (oh and a BILLIONAIRE).

J.K. Rowling’s life is the age-old story of the underdog making anything possible. Business CAN come from a single dream. I’ve been able to take from her speech and apply it to my own ideas. Rowling’s is definitely someone I aspire to be. I admire her strength, success, and overall grace when speaking.

Another great commencement I stumbled upon is by Amy Poehler. Check it out here! I won’t go over it too much, but it’s hilarious and a fun watch! Her style is completely different from Rowling’s but still inspiring. Poehler’s speech energized me to keep a light-hearted attitude with whatever you set out to accomplish.

The Rock Ballad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:13:00 +0000

The 80’s jump-started a popular type of music video, the rock ballad. Although rock ballads came about in the 70’s, the 80’s really took the lead in defining a style for a rock ballad music video. Every band from the decade had at least one rock ballad song followed by an accompanying video. Hair and Rock describes a ballad as a type of song that has a slow tempo, low voiced notes, use of electric / acoustic guitars, and evoke emotional pain, love and loss.

So what are some characteristics of a rock ballad music video?

It’s simple, any video that shows the band preforming on stage for an audience. Sometimes these videos are in color and sometimes they’re in black and white. Many include shots of pretty girls from the bands shows, signature band moves on stage, the bands tour buses, and backstage footage.

Many bands embraced this type of video because it showed off their personalities while preforming. The fans were able to connect emotionally with the song as well as each band member by the way they preformed. I believe many concert tickets were sold because of rock ballad music videos. By viewing this type of music video, fans could recognize their peers having fun a concert and in turn want to be apart of that atmosphere.

Some bands that truly utilized this style of video are Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, Poison, Bon Jovi, Journey, and Motley Crue. Each of these bands had several rock power ballads and signature videos to match.

Motley Crue defined the rock power ballad with their Home Sweet Home music video in 1985. In the video they include every characteristic of a power ballad video. The majority of the shots are of the band preforming, however they also include shots of pretty girls, stage acrobatics, smashing guitars, backstage footage, and interaction with the audience. The band also utilizes the use of editing color shots with black and white shots. Home Sweet Home is the quintessential 80s rock ballad video which helped define the genre completely.

One band that has used the rock ballad music video throughout their career is Aerosmith. In 1988, Aerosmith released their video for their rock ballad, Angel. The video combines shots of the band preforming for a large audience as well as shots of the band preforming in a slue of random locations. The pretty girl in the video is represented as an angel that flies over Steven Tyler. As mentioned in my last post, 80s music videos utilized overlaying shots which can also be seen in this video.

These videos became such a big hit with rock bands that they remained popular through the 90s, and can still be seen today. Aerosmith used these techniques throughout the 90s in such rock ballad hits like Crazy and I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. Both songs evoke emotion of love and loss defining them as rock power ballads. The videos make use of the popular techniques from the 80s, in particular shots of the band preforming which has become a signature for Aerosmith music videos.

These videos helped define a generation and inspire rock bands for decades to come. By capitalizing on this type of style of video, bands were able to connect with fans and present there personalities making them that much more popular. Bands to follow in this style include Green Day, Blink 182, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Yellowcard, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. As we approach the 90s look forward to story line videos, fashion influence, and the introduction to hip hop.

Miss MV

Editing in the Eighties

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:22:00 +0000

In 1981, MTV debuted their first music video, Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. This video is the perfect example of a typical 80s music video. The Buggles used several key video elements that represent the look of an 80s video.

After watching the video, off the bat, I noticed the editing techniques. First was the overlapping of different video images. In particular shots of the lead singer overlay shots of a little girl by the water, and in the far background shots of the moon are present. This type of overlapping became very prominent at this time. It gave the illusion of a futuristic world. It can be seen in other hit videos from the 80s like Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams, and .

Another technique that was quite popular in the 80s, also seen in A-ha's, Take on Me, is the use of black and white mixed with color. In Video Killed the Radio Star, the shots of the lead singer are in black and white but the video underneath is shot in color. Again this type of editing technique is presenting a futuristic feel that hadn’t been seen before. However in the video Take on Me, the black and white shots are mixed with color shots. Combining the two creates a unified look making the viewer believe it is one overall shot, instead of layers.

Take on Me completely innovated the music video. Besides the use of color, Take on Me was the first of its kind to use computer-generated graphics with live-action footage. The video became one of the most popular music videos of the 80's, and completely changed the face of music videos.

Using black and white shots with color shots also became very popular for rock bands in the 80s. One particular example would be Poison’s, Every Rose has its Thorn. This video shows real life images of the band while on tour. Each clip is from a different time on the tour so depending on what type of camera was used, some shots are in color and some are in black and white. In combining different shots like this, it’s easy to differentiate between staged footage and real life footage. In a video like this, the audience is able to connect with the band on a personal level because of the real life footage.

The 80s were definitely an eccentric time for pop and rock. Editing techniques were all about innovation and creating a persona for the artist or band. In my next post I plan on discussing the 80s further with, what I think the most popular type of music video from the 80s, THE ROCK BALLAD VIDEO. Also coming up look forward to posts on the fashion from the 80s, and the ever influential, Thriller video. And later, I plan on moving into a time period more familiar, the 90s.

Miss MV

Revitalizing the Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:56:00 +0000

I decided to begin this blog because of my overwhelming addiction to music videos. I thought I’d start at the beginning with a brief history.

Much to my surprise when researching the history of music videos, I found out music videos have been around for over 100 years. In 1895 the first music video was filmed at Thomas Edison’s studio. The History Channel details the entire history of what we known today as the “music video.” Flash-forward a hundred years in 1978 when USA Network created “Video Concert Hall,” an un-hosted program premiering hundreds of music videos. Three years later MTV was created and broke out with hit music video programs like 120 Minutes, Headbangers Ball, TRL (in 60 seconds), and introduced the world to VJ’s (Video Jockeys).

After MTV’s hit show TRL ended, music videos have been on a decline because there isn’t much demand for them. However, month after month artists continually put out music videos for their fans (mostly via YouTube). I’m proud to say I am a loyal fan who YouTube’s music videos in her free time. But why put them out over the Internet when they have clearly gone off televised broadcast?

Over the past couple of weeks I have thought about this question a lot. Why do musical artists still make music videos? Even when I ask my friends if they caught Britney’s new video, many will say, “Wait, no?” It then occurred to me that fans haven’t stopped liking music videos, they have just forgotten about them. Since music videos are not MTV’s main priority, many fans have found new outlets of listening to music.

Ultimately, rappers, rockers and poppers all have the same agenda – to get people to hear their music. In today’s day and age it’s through social media sites, which in this case means YouTube. Through YouTube artists can promote themselves any way they want, the most effective way being a MUSIC VIDEO. Even unknown artists have the ability to invent themselves via YouTube, just look at Justin Bieber. He posted videos of himself on Youtube and was discovered by Usher, and now no one can get away from him.

Through this blog I hope to revitalize spirit of the “music video” and remind people why they should not be forgotten. I plan on analyzing the history in depth, reaching back through the 70’s to today, comparing past and present. Also I plan to speak about fashion influence, graphic design, video editing, and the way a music video can shape the entire music industry!

Today I’ll leave you with my one of my favorite music videos.

Neon Trees, Animal, encompasses my ideal music video. They relate the video to the song, yet still make the viewer ask questions. Throughout the video, Neon Tress includes a comedic use of art, costumes, creative editing techniques, and quintessential shots of the band preforming. All the techniques used create a fun and memorial video that represent the band and their song as a whole. Enjoy!

Miss MV