Feedback from the No Limits band task

For our task (create a mainstream band), we created a boy band called No Limits. We then presented the idea of our yo band to the rest of the class, and this is the response we received.

• Good in depth explanations and stories for the individual band members and characters.
• Good album artwork and poster.
• Impressive, appropriate release story for your artist/genre and good background story.
• Poster is really detailed and shows really well the characters behind each member. Very skilfully edited.
• Band name & album name are well thought out and appropriate. 
• Identities are successful.
• Great research.
• Too many band members?
• Don't think Jake belongs in the band.
• Could be a bit more consistent with clothes.
• Album cover is professional and fits well.
• Press release story is really good.
• Clothes and hair show good research and understanding
• Good to show social media (Twitter).
• More detail and explanation on appearance.
• Lots of thought and effort gone in.
• Good professional images but the band don't seem to fit well with each other.
• Colours look a bit reggae.
• Too much variety in the group.
• Good font and background on image.
• Band members don't fit together.
• Good album cover and idea.
• Twitter page inventive and good.
• Great scandal and top notch music video concept.
• Great picture!
• Good how you personalise each member.
• Generally fab!

Presentation/Blogs

• Could use more terminology.
• Could include a few more pictures, as some parts of the blog are too text heavy.
• Good info and depth but could be better if there were a few images to break it up.
• More text needed. Although visuals are good, the detail is a little thin in places.
• Good terminology

I believe in some cases that these evaluations are unfair or not required, for example, the comment Jake doesn't belong in the band. This comment was decided by his style, which was intentionally different to the other members, as all the styles were. 

However, I believe that the vast majority of comments are indeed correct and are something we can use in the future to achieve higher marks on other tasks.

No Limits

This is the boyband that we have created, No Limits. They are a pop rock genre band, however they do dip into other genres from time to time.

Target Audience:

From UK, America and Australia (english speaking countries) and western european countries as other similar boybands have been successful in these countries

More popular in the big cities

Have a large fan base. Talked about often on social media sites with several fan groups

Have a reputation of being disliked by teenage boys, an almost, anti audience. These work to spread word via insults and jokes. Evidence of the phrase "any publicity is good publicity"

Costume:
mainstream in fashion, advertise brands for extra money

From shops such as Topman as these companies are known to advertise their clothing by sponsoring boybands to wear their brand.

Chinos, skinny jeans

All members wear different styles of clothes to appeal to different genres and styles

Hair:

Dwayne has a afro to promote the laid back appeal

Peter has a quiff, to emphasize the movements of his head as he may sway to the music  

Short spiky rockstar look for Mike to show his particular style

Sean has a scruffy mop to show his "not caring" personality

Jake has a parting to show his similarity to posh target audience

Props:

Microphone headsets

Guitars

Backing dancers

Construction of the band:

Lead singer - Mr perfect- Jake Davies 

Rebellious one, joker, trouble maker- Mike Moretti 

The close best friends:

Cool, laid back black guy- Dwayne Philips

Cool, laid back white guy- Sean Simpson

The loner, distant from the rest of the group- Peter Hodgson

Press Release Photos/Stories:

Sean, part of the teen pop sensation No Limits,has once again been caught dealing drugs at a party at his apartment in Manchester. The alarm was raised after an emergency call, bringing paramedics and the police to the band member’s crib. After an investigation, it was found that Mr Simpson had been the supplier of cocaine to several B-List celebs who were in attendance, most of whom have not been named, bar Joe Swash, who was admitted to hospital as a result of the rock star styled night. The band has subsequently split and their country wide tour has been suspended. It seems that Sean just doesn't know his limits.

Song Covers:

Robbie Williams- Let Me Entertain You

A song that is popular to the target audience and will thus be picked up on by them. This song could easily be reinvented and made into a good boyband single.

Music Video Concepts:

At the beginning of the video in the  piano instrumental there are extreme close ups of each member

Piano played by Peter- further suggests he isn't too pally with the rest of the group, this is also shown by him being only shown in the piano shots and not the party shots.

On the chorus all the members are in a party setting with lots of close ups and a fast cutting speed

On the verse there is a low shot and each member sings into it, thus showing there higher status.

Driving scene in a sports car - showing the rockstar lifestyle

Album Artwork:
Here is the artwork for the bands first album, open for business which incorporates "Let Me Entertain You"

Evaluation of 1990's Music Videos

One Music video that shows a clear difference to the music videos of the previous decade is "Breakfast at Tiffany's". This video not only shows the new style of clothes from the 90's, but also the difference in teenagers overall.

 this is the link to the music video on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ClCpfeIELw

The main difference that this video has to its predecessors is the movements of the camera. Unlike the stationary shots of the music videos from years before, there is seldom a stationary shot in this video. This gives the music video a whole new branch of life. It makes the video seem more active and exciting to watch. Also this matches a running theme in the music video, which is movement. when the band are playing instruments they are moving, the whole idea of how each band member move to this table is the key part of the video. Another example of how this is seen as the main feature is by the hair of the main singer. When they are stationary on the grass, his hair is gelled back and solid, whereas when on the move on the mobile stage his hair is loose and free to move.

One music video that i always link to the 1990's is "Things I Cannot Change" by the Mavericks. This music video uses a music video that relates to the song but has no particular narrative.

 this is the link to the music video on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_AeLQJeTd0

This music video also uses a high amount of non stationary shots, however they are slow moving and in time with the music. This emphasizes the mood of the song. The frequent use of sleeping couples in this song is juxtaposed with the protagonist being awake, this connotes that he is alone if all the couples are sleeping. And the fact the couples have dust on them means that they have been asleep for a long time and thus he's been alone for a long time. The use of black suits and a black car shows that the protagonist is upset and depressed. At the end all of the couples wake up which could symbolize him either getting over his loneliness, or he has reunited with the one who made him lonely. Unfortunately the first one seems more likely because there is a rain which wakes up the sleeping people as if to symbolize a wave of something that removes his loneliness and he moves on.

Another music video that doesn't necessarily have a story line is "Angels" by Robbie Williams. This music video uses some very good effects, however they are very repeated throughout the music video.

 this is the link to the music video on YouTube;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luwAMFcc2f8

One good technique used by this music video is the use of black and white to add a certain feel and mood to the music, it makes it seem more serious and emotional. The camera shots used are very effective as they have a slow panning speed and the cutting speed of them matches the music. There is one shot where we see him walking on a hill from far away, this makes his voice seem more powerful as we still hear it over the top of the shot. When we see him make eye contact with a supposed heroine of the video his gaze remains fixed even with a moving camera and people in the way, this makes the love stand out more 

Evaluation of 1980's Music Videos

The 1980's was the first decade to have a majority of narrative based music videos. These ranged from small scenes of films up to the band members being the subjects of the narrative.

One of my personal favorite songs of the 80's is by Brian Adams and called "Summer of 69". This song also relates to the reoccurring sexualisation of the 80's, this is because (contrasting popular belief) the title refers not to a year but to a summer where a teenage boy was sexually active. 

this is a link to the music video on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f06QZCVUHg

As can be seen by the photo above, the music video is split into two areas, the present day, and the year the character is talking about. The scenes that refer to the past are all shot in black and white, this connotes that the events did occur in the past and it also adds an old style film technique to video. We are introduced to the protagonist of the song by a low angle shot, this is used to connote that he is the protagonist and the main focus of the song. Then we are shown a moving eye level shot with the protagonist, this gives the viewer the feeling of equality with the protagonist and involves them in the video. One very useful technique is how the black and white scenes slowly saturate with color and the protagonist breaks the fourth wall. This shows that he is remembering his memories and that he is fond of them as he feels he is still there. The repeated use of the same shed at the beginning and the end of the song, once in the past and once in the present, shows that he is still a very same person and still acts like he used to. At the end we see the heroine of the video smile when she sees him, thus showing she is fond of those memories too.

One music video that  is purely based on the narrative of the story is "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" by Billy Joel. This narrative tells the tale of a boy who is about to commit suicide but changes his mind when he's shown what life will be like if he lives and if he dies. 

this is a link to the music video on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxjNYvJbgM

The music video uses a good range of camera techniques. An example of these is at the beginning where we have a low angle shot of Billy Joel and a high angle shot of the protagonist. This shows that the character Billy Joel plays is the more dominant character of the two. The use of both diegetic sound effects and the non diegetic music makes the audience feel that the song is taking place in the real world, which this music video is supposedly doing. The use of having the modern day protagonist wearing a certain outfit throughout the shoot makes it obvious that he is the subject of the song. This is key as we see various versions of the protagonist and the only difference between them all is the clothes they wear. A way we know how the protagonist is feeling lesser than what he used to be is by the presence of props. In the shots showing the past we see that he drives a car with his girlfriend, yet the establishing shot is just of a bike that he used to get to the bridge. Whilst on the bridge there is a zoom out shot which shows how small and insignificant he is, this is in contrast with the end of the video where he and his girlfriend take up the entire screen. A way we see that at the end the protagonist is no longer upset is by Billy Joel giving him his harmonica. This is significant as Billy Joel's character has been through the same experience and so giving the boy the harmonica shows that he has come through it too.

On the opposite of a narrative based video, is "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds. This music video is filled with great examples of misce en scene and clever use of camera shots, however the only story line comes from the song itself as the music video has no narrative involved. 

this is a link to the music video on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

One main effect that contributes to the meaning of the song appears at the very end. After all the music stops we are left with just the singer in a room and then even he fades out, symbolizing that he was in the end forgotten. One very effective technique is how the entire music video can be related to a memory (the subject of the song) it begins in a very sudden jump and the singer just appears in a flash. This is similar to a memory that just appears in your head once you forget it. Then the scenes are filled with various random and unrelated objects. This could be related to when one half remembers a memory and fills the rest in with imagination. And then at the end the video and performers fade away, just like forgetting a memory. The use of a POV shot when looking at the TVs makes the audience feel more relatable to the singer. There is a very well shot scene where the camera rotates in circles, yet the scene changes. This confuses the audience and makes them focus on the words. Near the beginning we see the singer look up on the line "Will you stand above me?" and soon afterwards the camera lowers to the floor in a birds eye fashion on the line "rain keeps falling down". This technique links the words with the audience and makes them more powerful and meaningful  

Evaluation of 1970's Music Videos

One music video that was inspirational for the time was the "spirit in the sky" music videos. This was performed by Norman Greenbaum, who created various music videos which were meant to inspire the viewer.

This video begins with an open wide establishing shot, a common technique used in films and tv. This gave the music video a very professional feeling to it. The video is also shot in black and white with a high exposure of light behind the musicians. The colors makes the singers and music white, thus matching them to spirits (the main content of the song). Another link to the religious side of the song comes from the numerous images that pop up which have a religious content. These include a cross, flowers and lights setting over the sea. The images are shown in a fast cutting speed as to match the guitar solo, the images keep the pace of the song. The dancing that the musicians do at the beginning of the video is very unorganised and loose. This emphasises the feeling of the music genre.

One of the most memorable songs of the 70's is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. This was made particularly famous by its unusual and fickle music video. The song has several different styles and genres of music and this is continued through the music video. 

the following is a link to the song's music video on YouTube;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ

The two main types of music video styles used are calm and fast paced. In the calm videos we only see the faces of the band, this effect focuses the viewer on the singing as at this moment the words are telling a story. In the establishing shot all we see is the silhouettes of the band and on the line "Open your eyes" the background becomes black and the faces of the band are lit up, once again  focusing the audience on the words and the music. The black background as the lack of a body on shot makes the artists seem more personal and as if they are opening up to the viewer. The black could also connotes themes of death and an end, which the song is talking about.This is emphasized at the end of the song where the artist's lower there heads and the image fades to black, thus suggesting they die. In the fast paced up tempo areas of the song we see the band playing the instruments as if on stage. They are wearing a flamboyant white outfit which is used as a contrast to the other areas of the song which have all black. The cutting speed of shots is also sped up thus showing an increase in tempo and mood. The camera is now also more active as it zooms in and pans which is also used in contrast to the stationary camera of the previous shots. The shots are now also more exciting as they are showing the whole body of the artist, this makes the artists less personal and more like a celebrity. This illusion of the artist's status is also evident from the low camera angles.


One music video that is extreamely outlandish is "Apache" by The Shadows. This is at a time where people were getting used to seeing barely dressed women on tv, so the music video to this song was made with the one intention to over sexualise everything. 

In the music video, the amount of time spent on the three women dancers is equal if not more than the time spent on the band. This obviously appeals to the male audience which is the most likely to know this song as it the generic genre based on that target audience. The use of cowboy and Indian related costumes is used to give a base for a narrative. This coming from the end of the 70's we are seeing more and more narrative sneaking into music videos. And even without words in this song we see that there is a narrative present.The colors of the clothes worn are very bright for the girls, this connotes innocence. Yet at the same time various dance moves are used that purposefully show more skin on the girls, thus showing more and more attraction to the male audience. The cutting speed of the shots comes at rhythmically suitable times as well as the dance moves. They are both in synchronization with the music as to relate the video with it. 

Evaluation of 1960's Music Videos

This decade has been named by some as the evolution of rock music.It took a single genre of music and created numerous versions of it that dealt with different styles of rock. These included pop rock, psychedelic rock, blues rock, folk rock and many others. That said, this decade was also famous for an increase in country and r&b music.

One example of the sub genre "surf rock" is the Beach Boys' song "summertime blues". The Beach Boys practically created this sub genre and were the first big surf rock band that properly existed. This song was one of the first times they had created a music video and they have created several since the release of this. 

This video uses the involvement of footage of the band playing the music, which is a very well used technique for music videos of that time. Also a similar feature is the fact that they are miming the words and instruments as to create a better sound quality, however it makes the video less professional. They also use a different storyline for half the song which makes the words of the music more substantial. This effect is given by the words being visually displayed in the format of a video. The use of actors miming the words said in the song is a good effect for involving the song in the music, but when it doesn't work it just looks wrong. The shots are mostly on eye level with the protagonist in the side story, this is used to suggest to the audience they are similar to the protagonist. This similarity is a teenage boy, and teenagers were some of the biggest followers of surf rock. 

An example of the r&b music that became popular in the 60's is Ben E King's "Stand by Me". This song was one of the highest selling r&b songs in the 60's. The music video uses a curious technique that involves a previous recording of the song and plays it through a tv in this version of the song. This gives us the illusion that the song has stayed the same between the two takings. 

The effect is also heightened by the transition from black and white to color. at the end of the video the tv effect is used again. This particular song was the main theme music for a film, and so there are various scenes from the film in the song. This effect is used in other songs such as "I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams. The video uses a lot of fades and pans in between shots which match the smooth rhythmic flow of the music. If the cutting speed was fast then the music would be out of place. The amount of people in the music video is also a way of showing how the song is calm and universal. This is because it shows many people getting along, all with different ages and color, thus emphasizing the universality of the song.

One artist that expanded across multiple genres of music in the 60s was Elvis Presley. He had music videos made from the films he was in so he did not have to take them twice. This meant that the individual songs in the films had to be the same quality as a music video. One such video was used in a film and is of the song "Return to Sender". 

This music video was very advanced for the times it was in. This was because the quality was meant for films, and thus it stood out from others at the time. Each time there is a pause in the music before the chorus Elvis does a move. This happens numerous times in the song and to show the repetition of it, the camera returns to the same position to emphasize the chorus. To show to the audience that they should enjoy the song, the cameras show various good looking people watching and enjoying the music. This gives the viewer the illusion that they should like it because a role model likes it. The clothes that Elvis wears are a contrast to the rest of the band and show his independence as a main singer in the group, thus undermining the other band members like in many other songs.