Props Research

Costume and Make-Up Research

Costume not only helps the audience understand the age of the characters, but also the time in which the music video is set. e.g. modern day or periodic. Deciding what Phoebe will be wearing in our music video was not particularly difficult because we chose clothes to represent the emotions she is feeling throughout the music video. We have decided to dress Phoebe in black, ripped jeans and a khaki jumper to reinforce the stereotype that young people of this generation are often depressed or sluggish. She is going through a break-up, so naturally she will feel down. The fact that much of her upper-torso will be concealed also emphasises she may be insecure or worried about never finding someone like him again. She will also be wearing these clothes (including Nike Janoski shoes) because they are stereotypical items of clothing that young people wear; this helps to make the music video less jarring. She will also undoubtedly be wearing a coat to keep herself warm as we will be filming in the winter time.

She will also be wearing a necklace. The significance of the necklace will be that her ex-boyfriend gave it to her. The fact she hasn't taken it off shows she is not over him yet and still needs to come to terms with the break-up before she is ready to take it off.

Below are images of costumes we want our actor to wear when we are filming our music video:

Phoebe will be wearing minimal make-up to intensify the fact that she is not trying to impress anyone and feels down about the break-up situation. We also feel like a casual look (to match the clothes she is wearing) would be jarring against a full face of make-up.

Location Research

1) Bedroom

This location will be used to show the actions of the sad girl at the beginning of her day, i.e. checking her ex-boyfriend's profile online, putting make-up on and getting ready. The room will be dark and dusty (as if she rarely leaves it or goes outside of her house). This will help to emit raw emotions of loneliness. Empty alcohol bottles and cigarette packets will be placed around the room to tie the video with the lyrics - "to kill yourself with bad habits".

2) Forest/woods

We will film Phoebe walking and lip-syncing through the woods as part of our music video. It helps keep the visuals interesting if there is a variety of locations in which our character is filmed in. Also often people walk through the woods to get away from the struggles of everyday/home life because they are peaceful and tranquil. Our character is shown to be experience a break-up, which is saddening for her, thus, we wanted to film Phoebe in the woods as it shows that she is trying to escape the emotions she is feeing and try to clear her head.

3) Guards Park (Island)

It was Bonnie's suggestion to use Guards Park Island (facing the Maidenhead Bridge) as one of our locations for our music video. As a group we discussed how we thought that it would be possible to gain very effective shots of Phoebe walking up and down this bridge or sitting on the bench positioned opposite, as she reflects on the meaning of the song.

We also want to use that same bench, which is situated in the middle of the island to film the initials carved into the bench of the girl and her ex-boyfriend. This will make for an effective music video as it shows the typical activities that couples do and conforms to the media's representation of modern day couple life. Due to practical and financial difficulties we are unable to actually film this music video in New York City and so we want to constantly remind the audience that the girl is in a city but it is not New York. We have decided, as a group, to use this as a representation of Brooklyn Bridge in New York, because despite as much as we would like we cannot film in New York City, as previously explained. We also thought that by filming Phoebe walking across and looking out at the surrounding water would be very reflective of the way she is feeling and what she is experiencing.

4) Maidenhead Town Centre

As a group we have decided to include some footage of Phoebe walking through Maidenhead High Street. This helps bring some continuity to the music video as it helps to audience believe that the female character is actually on a journey rather than just random locations for variety purposes. This is also a representation of Maidenhead being a smaller version of New York City. Also, at night we thought this location would be effective to film in due to all the street/shop lights illuminating around her as she walks straight down the middle of the high street.

5) Top of car park

We thought that this will be the most effective location of all because it will make for a very cool shot. Being able to see the entire town lit-up at night will show just how deep the girl's emotions run and that they are constantly with her - through day and night. We think that the effect filming at night will bring to the music video and theme we are trying to project will work well and in our favour.

Audience Research

To ensure that all of the promotional materials appeal to the correct target audience, we have, as a group, decided to introduce a focus group to witness the development of our products and provide us with feedback at each different creative stage. Currently, some of the members of our focus group have provided their opinions on what they consider to be strengths and weaknesses of the real media artefacts we have been investigating. When moving forward, the focus group will provide us with feedback on our promotional works at periodic intervals. This will allow us to make our products to the best of our ability and to explain decisions about the development of the product through detailed evaluations. 

When we were assembling our focus group, the goal was to come up with a representative sample of our target audience. In order to decide on a target audience we began by creating a profile of a typical member using theories such as 'Register General's Social Scale' and 'Selby's Psychographic Cluster'.

Audience Profile:

Age: 15-24

Gender: Mixed, but primarily female

Register General's Social Scale: C1/B/E 

Selby's Psychographic Cluster: 'Innovators: who wish to make their mark'

The Register General's Social scale is the way the British Government defines the populace through their occupation:

Group	Occupations
A	Professional Workers (lawyers, doctors etc.), Scientists, Managers of large-scale organisations.
B	Shopkeepers, Farmers, Teachers, White-collar workers.
C1	Skilled Manual (i.e. hand) workers – e.g. high grade, e.g. master builders, carpenters, shop assistants, nurses.
C2	Skilled Manual – low grade, e.g. electricians, plumbers.
D	Semi-skilled Manual, e.g. bus drivers, lorry drivers, fitters.
E	Unskilled Manual, e.g. general labourers, barmen, porters.

Values, attitudes and lifestyles (VALS) is possibly a better way of defining audiences by categorising them into groups by the values and attitudes they hold, along with the lifestyle they have. These are psychographic variables (psychographics is the study of personality, values, attitudes, interests and lifestyles).

Description:
A typical member of our target audience would be a female, however the various promotions will be targeted for both males and females. When researching The Chainsmokers original productions and who typically goes to see them live, we personally felt that they catered slightly more for women than men. They would also be in their late teens or early twenties - perhaps a sixth-form/university student. They would be someone who wishes to strive in the world they are present in and make their mark and could possibly see themselves as rebellious - someone who wishes to remake their world in their own image. We also think that the members of our target audience would most defiantly enjoy going to gigs and festivals, much like those of Nass and Boomtown, where dance/EDM music is sort after.

In terms of Elihu Katz's 'Uses and Gratifications', they would be someone who gains a sense of their own identity from the music they listen to and someone who uses music as a form of escapism from the stresses of everyday life drama. The 'Uses and Gratifications' model suggests that audiences use the media rather than being used by the media.

Focus Group:
Using this audience profile (above) as a base, we compiled a group of five people who are within the same friendship group so to an extent share similarities and are similar ages/genders with our target audience. We will continue to use the exact same members of the focus group throughout the development of our coursework and evaluations.

Phoebe: Studies drama, English literature and philosophy and ethics at A-Level. Her hobbies consist of playing guitar (very musical person and enjoys going to gigs and festivals), blogging and reading.

James: Studies maths, economics and geography. His hobbies are football, going to the gym and socialising.

Alex: Studies history, geography and business studies. Hobbies consist of horse riding and socialising with friends from school and work.

Scarlett: Studies geography, business studies and drama. Her hobbies include dancing, athletics and socialising with friends.

Ben: Studies psychology, biology and chemistry. Ben's hobbies include playing cricket and attending gigs.

Analysis of Record Label

Disruptor Records

The New York based Disruptor Records is labelled as a joint venture with Sony. Adam Alpert (The Chainsmoker's manager) says partnering with Doug Morris (Sony Music Entertainment CEO) and Sony Music will allow Disruptor to develop new opportunities for its artists.

Disruptor Records will sign artists and take a long-term stance in developing them by using direct artist-to-fan communication channels. Further, the deal provides for Disruptor to also take advantage of traditional record label marketing capabilities by partnering with other labels within the Sony family on an artist-by-artist basis, according to Alpert. The team at Disruptor Records use forward-thinking, progressive marketing methods revolving around genuine, non-commercialized promotion.

Artists Disruptor Records have signed include:

• The Chainsmokers
• XYLO
• Life of Dillon
• Lost Kings
• Vanic
• Jocelyn Alice

To be a successful record label in this day and age it is vital that the team keep up with the times, especially when trying to achieve their goal of creating a direct artist-to-fan communication channel. Therefore Disruptor Records and the artists they support can be found on most social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, YouTube and Spotify.

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc., the United States division of Sony Corporation. It was founded in 1887, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company. Columbia Records is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business. Columbia Records have also set themselves up on most social media accounts, as have the artists they have signed.

Artists currently signed to Columbia Records include but are not limited to:

• Adele
• Bob Dylan
• Beyoncé
• Daft Punk
• Bruce Springsteen
• Earl Sweatshirt

Anaylis of Chosen Artist and Genre

The Chainsmokers

The American born DJ duo consist of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They each graduated from prestigious North-Eastern Universities, enjoy a good burger, and have been rejected from many of the venues they now play at and pride themselves on being regular, down-to-Earth kind of guys despite their success.

The duo had a hit in two countries with their 2014 single "#Selfie", which peaked No. 16 on the US 'Billboard Hot 100' and No. 11 on the '

UK Singles Chart". Andrew and Alex had noticed how the word selfie had become a trend and they wanted to take advantage of it. They made a demo of a song containing monologue from a female clubber about taking good selfies. Several singles such as 'Roses' and 'Don't Let Me Down' became top-ten singles on the 'Hot 100' in the USA. They released their debut EP, Bouquet, in October 2015. Their single 'Closer', featuring vocals from Halsey became their first number-one single on both the '

Billboard Hot 100' and the 'UK Singles Chart'. They signed with Disruptor Records, a joint venture label with Sony Music Entertainment by their manager Adam Alpert, in April 2015.

The thing that separates these two men from the rest is their unsettling and uncanny ability to discover and create trends.They find the parts of things that people actually care about, whatever they may be, and focus on creating and improving those parts.

Genre

When researching The Chainsmoker's genre it occurred to me that artists can often fit into many different genres due to the ever increasing list of categories and sounds being created on new, innovative technology. The Chainsmokers would fit into these genres:

Electro house - Form of house music. Electro house is characterized by a prominent bassline and/or kick drum and a tempo between 125 and 135 beats per minute.

Progressive house - Subgenre of house music. The progressive house style emerged in the early 1990s. It initially developed in the UK as a natural progression of American and European house music of the late 1980s. The word "progressive" was first used widely in the 1970s to differentiate experimental forms of rock music from mainstream styles. Such music attempted to explore alternate approaches to rock music production. Some acts also attempted to elevate the aesthetic values of rock music by incorporating features associated with classical instrumental music. This led to a style of music called progressive rock, which has been described as "the most self-consciously arty branch of rock". The same definition can be used for 'progressive house'.

Electronic dance music - (EDM) is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres produced largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. Produced for playback by disc jockeys (DJs), EDM is generally used in the context of a live mix, where a DJ creates a seamless selection of tracks by segueing from one recording to the next.

Before the summer break our group decided to create a music video for 'New York City'. When researching the genre for this particular song we discovered it fell into the EDM category. We then looked into related artists and found that Knife Party, Nero and Sub-Focus were all part of the EDM family. By analysing other music video from artists that are featured in the same genre as my chosen artist, The Chainsmokers, then my group can include some of the typical conventions of these videos, such as camera angles and shots. By using these conventions it will also help us point our promotional products in the right direction for our target audience as they will undoubtedly have similar fans.

Permission from Artist/Record Label

Complete Digipak Deconstruction - Ellie Goulding: Lights

Because none of my previous deconstructions have released a magazine advertisement, I have decided to deconstruct an entire digipak collection from an artist which I know has released one.

Focus Group

"I love the album but I think that because the album is called 'Lights' it could have been a lot more interesting/bright with the use of different coloured lights all over the album covers and magazine advertisement. The theme just seems a bit too dark for something that is named 'Lights'."

"I like how minimalistic the album cover and magazine advertisement is. It isn't pretentious or trying too hard to attract an audience due to the fact this was Ellie's first album to be produced. She also looks really down to Earth with little make-up or expensive clothing. This helps us, as the audience, to connect with her as a normal human instead of some megastar."

"I really love how the light flows through her blonde hair, I think it makes Goulding look really ethereal and attractive. I also really enjoy how you can look at the photograph and know it has deeper meaning to the artist and metaphorical links can be made with the lyrics/experiences of the artist. This helps the audience believe that the music does really matter to Ellie and that she is not just another artist churned up by the record label to make money."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
• Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
• Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
• Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
• Can be useful to use the same image for all three promotional materials as it gives the campaign a sense of continuity."
• If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?

Sigma: Life - Digipak and Magazine Advertisement Deconstruction

Sigma: Life - Digipak and Magazine Advertisement Deconstruction

Focus Group

"I love the fact that the illustrations can be linked to the songs, album title and the meaning behind the whole production. It shows depth and makes me believe that the artists have worked as hard as they say they have through interviews and I want to support artists who work for their success."

"I do like the artwork of the album but considering nearly all of Sigma's music videos are bright and just full of electric energy, as are their songs, I think the black was a bad choice even if it does help highlight the detail of the illustrations."

"I think that dance music is quite modern and often EDM artists use pictures with crisp, sharp lines that project the modern use of technology to create outstanding beats. The fact Sigma (being on of the most influential dance duos of late) have gone for a classic style of what reminds me of an almost indie/alternative album cover is slightly confusing but endearing at the same time and shows that they want to be unique from other artists from the same scene."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
• Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
• Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
• Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
• If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?

Sigma: Nobody To Love - Promotional Video Deconstruction

Sigma

Sigma are an English drum and bass DJ and record production duo consisting of Cameron 'Cam' Edwards and Joseph 'Joe' Lenzie. The pair met at Leeds University at drum and bass nights in 2006. Cam worked in a local record store, Tribe Records, while Joe was an aspiring DJ at local hip-hop events. Once they had completed their time at Leeds University they relocated to London and became a three-piece with Cam's school friend, Ben Mauerhoff, being signed under DJ Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos. However, the long distances took their toll - Cam and Ben were based in Surrey, whereas Joe was based in Hertfordshire. They could not get all there members into the Harpenden (Hertfordshire) studio, thus leading to Ben's decision to leave. In December of 2008 Cam and Joe formed their own record label, 'Life Recordings' (so called because according to Joe, the industry demanded that their work be their life and this was the only way to make it big and successful). Their 2010 collaboration with DJ Fresh - 'Lassitude' - peaked at number 98 on the UK Singles Chart. Their single 'Nobody to Love' topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first UK number one. Their follow-up single 'Changing' featuring Paloma Faith also reached number one.

3 Beat Records

3 Beat Productions is an independent British record label. 3 Beat Music was founded as a dance music record shop in 1989 by John Barlow, Dave Nicholl, Phil Southall, Phil Beddard and Hywell Williams who were only students at the time. It started its journey as a second hand record stall in Quiggins, Liverpool, but later moved to a more permanent location on Wood Street. This is where the shop won numerous awards, including Music Week's 'Independent Record Shop of the Year'. In 2002, the record shop expanded and moved to Slater Street (above, right picture). As of 2009, the record shop changed ownership and is now no longer part of the 3 Beat group. Its new owners (ex-employees of 3 Beat) wanted to keep a connection to the history of the shop whilst also showing that it had evolved, so changed the name to '3B Records'.

Business quickly boomed, leading to the birth of the 3 Beat record label when customers started bringing in demo tapes to the shop. The first release was 'Compulsiony' Zenana (later became K-Klass). Many became massive chart hits and things built up from there. 3 Beat also set up the now legendary G-Love night club, which quickly became one of the best night clubs in the country, bringing huge names to Liverpool for the first time. On the last Thursday of every month, queues would stretch outside the door, as clubbers came from as far afield as London and Glasgow to embrace the G-Love. In 1991 the night club was voted 'Best Club Night' by Mixmag.

Even more success came when 3 Beat began managing dance trio 'Dario-G'. 3 Beat co-produced their massive hits 'Sunchyme' "Carnival de Paris" and "Voices" across two years (1997-1998). These three songs went on to become huge successes for the artist and gave the record label a boost any label would dream for.
- "Sunchyme" reached number two on the UK chart. It was kept off the top slot by Elton John - "Candle in the Wind"- a tribute to Princess Diana, released soon after her death in 1997.
- "Carnival de Paris" climbed to number five on the UK chart and was selected as the theme tune for the World Cup in 1998.
- "Voices" was chosen to be used on the soundtrack of Danny Boyle's "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2007 the label was reborn as 3 Beat Productions building up a hugely talented roster of artists. With the likes of Martin Solveig, Skepta, Alexandra Stan. And after twenty years of dance music they had their first UK number 1 in 2011 with Sak Noel "Loca People".

Nobody To Love

I know you're tired of loving, of loving
With nobody to love, nobody, nobody
So just grab somebody, no leaving this party
With nobody to love, nobody, nobody (x4)

Synopsis

This music video is a 'concept' music video, featuring two girls on a road trip through Cape Town,

South Africa. This idea can be linked to the record label's own journey, from humble beginnings to successfully singing world-renowned dance acts. The fact that the music video was filmed in Cape Town with lots of people who actually live and work there featured - this shows how Sigma has expanded worldwide due to 3 Beat's growth and success.Therefore, the label's requirements of an artist in this case may be to reinforce the label's success and growth.

Mise-en-scène

When watching this music video and trying to establish what emotions Sigma were trying evoke, I found out that the music video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. It features two girls on a road trip where they try to find someone or something to love. Often in dance music videos there is little to discuss in terms of mise-en-scène because they feature one main character(s) who tell a story through dance. There are often lots of establishing shots as emotion can also be felt through the scenery in which the actors dance in. Despite this there are a few objects worth mentioning. It is not the objects themselves but the way they are framed that help establish ideas of freedom. Lots of people go on road trips to have fun, be free and 'find themselves'. Objects such as flares, sparklers and open-top cars are all commonly used within different types of media to aid characters that need to escape the drama of their everyday life, by being aesthetically pleasing. For example, fireworks could be used to show the escape from a dramatic lifestyle and could be linked to ideas of celebration, new beginnings (like New Year's Eve) and rebirth, such as a small town record shop growing into a huge record label with a host of talented artists. The car itself could have a deeper meaning as well. The car itself looks reminiscent of 1950s America, e.g. Elvis Presley era, so could be again linked with the birth of something (in this case the birth of rock n' roll and supposed 'rebellion' from the expectations of society placed on teenager). The car is also light blue and when exploring connotations that link with this colour, peace and tranquillity arise. This would link to the idea of feeling free and peaceful as they explore Cape Town trying to find 'someone to love'.

A dream catcher is also featured multiple times throughout the video.

Dream catchers are believed, by American Indians, to give its owner good dreams. A dreamcatcher is a round wooden hoop that contains a loose string web with a hole in the centre, and feathers hanging from the webbing. Nice dreams travel through the hole into the sleeper’s mind, while the bad ones, as well as nightmares, are trapped inside the web permanently. The relevance this object has to the concept of the music video is that it is supposed to emit happiness and the whole song/video is about finding someone to love/enjoying life - which make humans happy.

Costume & Make-Up

Due to Cape Town's hot climate, the girls in the video are wearing standard summer clothes for the scenes filmed inside. For example, denim shorts and a flimsy top to keep themselves cool whilst exploring and dancing in the different locations within the music video. Lots of the clothing worn by the girls also have aztec patterns on them; this relates to the dream catcher metaphor. The girls are often seen to be wearing bikinis instead of underwear due to the fact that many of the scenes within the music video are shot on a beach, where they dance and jump in the water on the shore.

At 1:38 there is a mid-shot of a native boy holding an axe, about to chop some wood. He is wearing plain clothes (red vest top with navy blue shorts). The boy looks to come from a poor/simple background, lacking prosperity; this can be inferred by the fact he is having to chop wood and also because he has some kind of animal skin drying in the background - activities common in third world countries because they rely on natural resources for fuel/shelter. So for this reason, it is strange that he is wearing red Converse (an expensive trainer brand). Children from poor backgrounds in Africa often cannot afford shoes and so make their own out of scrap materials they find lying around. Therefore, his costume does not entirely conform to the normality of his origin.

All actors are wearing minimal make-up and jewellery due to the fact the video is very physical. Therefore it would not be practical to wear huge amounts of make-up because it would wear off from the heat and jewellery is not appropriate to wear when involving yourself in physical activities.

Key Shots, Camera Movements and Edits

The first interesting shot I want to discuss is at 2:11. I thought this shot was nice because the red colouring from the flare in which the girl is holding have illuminated the walkway of the woods. For a video of such brightness/energy this shot makes a nice change by filming it in almost complete darkness, besides the light from the flare. Despite how dark this shot actually is, the video has still managed to keep an uplifting feel and a theme of feeling free and alive. The way that the shadows in the surrounding wood move and run in the opposite way to the angle of the girl makes for an interesting sequence and versatile visuals.

The second key shot comes in at 2.25, when the girls have changed locations to a small boat/club house on the rivers shore. I thought the way that the long-shot cuts immediately closer to the girls as they get closer to the piers edge was interesting as it shows that the gap between the lives of them and the audience is small, as the song is about finding someone you love and often people who fall in love are close. The moment they jump into the water also makes for a nice shot because shots that have one major statement moment are often aesthetically pleasing to the audience.

The final interesting moment of the music video starts at 3.11 and finishes at 3:21. This sequence of lots of different people dancing to the same song shows that people of all genders and races etc. can love one another, which is the whole purpose of the song - spreading love. This relates back to Andrew Goodwin's theory of how there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The lyrics can be represented with images (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting). In this case the characters dancing to the same song represent the love humans feels towards one another despite their background.

Focus Group

"I like how free-spirited this music video is - all the bright colours help add to this effect as well. It makes you feel happy whilst watching it, which is the purpose of this upbeat music genre. Despite this I think that the video lacks locations. For such a well known and popular song it is surprising that there are only a few locations - after a while I got a bit bored and felt it was a bit repetitive."

"I love this music video because it makes me want to dance, and considering the genre is EDM/dance music, I'd say the promotional video has done its job sufficiently."

"I really like the fact that there are South African people featured in the music video plus the standard pretty model girls because it adds variety to the music video and shows off the traditions/people of the location that has been chosen to feature in the music video. I also love how energetic the music video is and there is not a boring part - even when the actors are sitting down!"

Lessons to be Learnt

• It is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video.
• People tend to enjoy videos which reveal a deeper meaning.
• Tone/concept of song needs to match mise-en-scène.
• Bulk of music video consists of long-shots and close-ups, so these would be good to include when it comes to filming my own music video as they seem to be popular and effective.
• It is a good idea to combine some aspects of the visuals with the lyrics of the audio as it helps highlight the concept of the song and makes the employed metaphors easier to grasp.
• It can be important for elements of the video to be relatable to the target audience; be that the protagonist or the setting.
• Not breaking the fourth wall and having no lip-syncing. can help give the video a very natural sense, as if there was no script to follow and the director was just filming ordinary people doing what they want to do.

Zeds Dead: Collapse 2.0 - Digipak and Magazine Advertisement Deconstruction

Collapse 2.0 - Single - Digipak

This digipak is again for the 'Collapse 2.0' single that Zeds Dead released in 2015. This song is a remix of the original song by Zeds Dead (feat. Memorecks) 'Collapse', which is featured on their first album 'Somewhere Else' - released in 2014. 'Collapse 2.0' was also released on a 'Somewhere Else Remixes' album so I shall be deconstructing all three album covers.

Moving onto the deconstruction of the album cover from which the original song 'Collapse' comes from.

Deconstruction of the 'Somewhere Else Remixes' album cover:

Focus Group

"I love all of these album/single covers. I particularly love the gothic cartoon vibe they give off and the fact that only Zeds Dead have this going for them, no other artist has this style. It really helps with brand recognition because people will look at this style and remember Zeds Dead for it, thus increasing their following."

"I think the fact that there is a meaning to the illustrations on the album covers of Zeds Dead shows that they really take their emotions and put them into not only their tracks but also their promotional products. Helps the consumer really connect with the artist, which can form a bond and lead to them investing in their work and career, which is something all artists would like."

"I like that fact that the boys haven't just taken a photograph from one of their music videos, like most EDM artists tend to do. They have been unique in the sense that they have created their own image and established their own style that really grips the viewer."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
• Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
• Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
• Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
• If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?

Zeds Dead: Collapse 2.0 (feat. Memorecks) - Promotional Video Deconstruction

Zeds Dead

Founded in 2009, Zeds Dead is a Canadian electro-house production and DJ duo from Toronto consisting of Zachary Rapp-Rovan (left) also known as Hooks and Dylan Mamid (right) also known as DC. Rumour has it that the band name may come from a quote from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 "Pulp Fiction" when Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis, steals a 'chopper' from a rapist named Zed, after Butch's enemy turned ally shoots Zed. When Coolidge gets home, his partner asks him where he got the chopper. He tells her he got it from Zed, she then asks "Who's Zed?" and he replies with "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

In 2004, Hooks and DC formed the hip-hop orientated 'Mass Productions' and then three years later released an independent album called 'Fresh Beetz' before switching to Zeds Dead in 2009. It was in 2009 where they embraced house music and the more abrupt/organic side of dubstep. 'Journey of a Lifetime' was their debut and also the first of many downloadable releases (available for free) in 2009. This was then followed by more free downloads and a remix of Barletta's 'Panther'. Throughout 2010 and 2011 Zeds Dead were increasingly active as they began to get their name out on a commercial level. They managed to release material on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak label and Diplo's Mad Decent label. One of the most well known remixes they produced at this time was Blue Foundation's 'Eyes On Fire' (original song featured in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, 2008) with 93,626,344 views on YouTube (18th August 2016). They also toured extensively throughout the USA during this time.

The Field Production Company

Representing a host of talented directors who specialize in music videos, commercial video production, and corporate video production is the full service production company - 'The Field Inc.' Since opening its doors in 2007, The Field has received much acclaim for its work, racking up over 75 Much Music Video Award nominations along with those from Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards. Based in Toronto, The Field is owned and operated by Executive Producer Cherie Sinclair.

Collapse 2.0 (feat. Memorecks)

I'm lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
I'm lying to myself if I said that I'm never coming back
Can't remember all the things that you said, or the reasons why I left
But now this room is spinning while I'm trying just to fill in all the gaps

You're so used to walking away
And I'm left here on my own
I never listen to what they say
But you're already gone
Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
I lie here on my own when you're gone, but you're never coming back
And every time I'm down and out, I think of what we had
So now I'm driving round in circles trying to fill in all the gaps

You're so used to walking away
And I'm left here on my own
I never listen to what they say
But you're already gone
Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone

Synopsis

This music video is a 'concept' music video that features numerous people in different artistic fashions. The song is about a relationship 'collapsing' and so many of the actors are doing just that in some way, shape or form. There is also a lot of destruction in the music video, with fires. sparks and various weapons featured.

Timeline

WHOLE VIDEO IS SHOT IN SLOW MOTION

0:00-0:07 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor.

0:08-0:15 - Long, panning shot of a field full of different characters. Two males and one female are falling to the floor, there is a girl standing in the far-left with her hands in the air, girl (2) looks to be sitting on the floor screaming. Whilst all this is going on there is a cloud of red dust floating the right of the screen.  

0:16-0:17 - Close-up of girl (2) taken at a low-angle to the right. She is still screaming, with her mouth wide open and her head tilting towards the sky as she holds a bandana that is wrapped round her neck. Specs of ash/debris fall through the air in slow motion.

0:18-0:20 - The camera transitions to a mid-shot of couple (1) about to embrace as two other couples are fighting behind them to the left. On the right is just another girl running away.

0:21-0:22 - Long, panning shot of a man standing in a hunched position, opposite girl (2) whilst another girl stands to the left of him with her hand in-front of her face (as if to protect herself). In the background there are lots of bare trees that have bits of plastic stuck to their branches.

0:23-0:25 - Mid-shot of girl (2) again, this time taken from slightly further away but still to the left. She is still in the same position as at 0:16.

0:25-0:26 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them.

0:26-0:27 - Very fast pace close-up of girl (3). She is screaming as there are flames in-front of her face in the foreground of the shot.

0:27-0:30 - Another long, panning shot. This time there are a lot more people in the frame. Two girls are fighting in the left of the shot, one girl is chasing another as they run towards the camera, and another girl about to collide with another in the centre of the frame.

0:31-0:33 - Low-angle shot of a man about to crash into the floor as two girls chase each other in the background.

0:34-0:37 - A close-up shot of the same two girls as from the previous shot. They have fallen to the ground and you can see their heads/hair collide.

0:39-0:41 - Another long, panning shot, the same as at 0:21. This time however, there is a cloud of red dust floating towards the right hand side of frame.

0:41-0:45 - The camera then transitions to a mid-shot of the man standing in the centre of the frame as he falls backwards to a reaction from a spark in-front of him. The camera pans upwards as the man falls to the ground.

0:46-0:59 - A long, panning shot, the same one that was featured at the very beginning. This time round a male is rolling on the ground in the right hand side of the frame. As the pan continues we see girl (1) again falling to the ground.

0:59-1:00 - A close-up shot of a black man screaming as flames rise right in-front of his face in the foreground.

1:00-1:05 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor as specs of ash fall from the sky.

1:06 - Another close-up shot of a black man screaming as flames rise right in-front of his face in the foreground. Ash falling from the sky is also visible in this shot.

1:07-1:11 - Long-shot of a couple (2) in their underwear lying on a bed, asleep, in the middle of a field. A huge amount of thick, black paint can be seen about to fall on top of them.

1:12-1.14 - Just as the paint is about to touch the couple's skin the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of flames in-front of a mans face as he looks directly at the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with an angry expression on his face.

1:14 - The same shot that was featured at the very beginning of the music video, of girl (1).  This time you see less of her body as it is a mid-shot and cuts off at her waist. She is still falling to the ground and dirt marks are noticeable on her arms and face.

1:14 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to the same shot as the one at 0:59.

1:15-1:21 - The previous shot then cuts directly to couple (2) on the bed. The paint has fallen and splattered all over their bodies and the bed.

1:22-1:27 - A long, panning shot again however in this one it is hard to distinguish the different actors because of the red smoke and white ash invading the frame. There is however one girl standing in the middle of the frame holding a black balloon over her head.

1:28 - A close-up of boy (1). He looks directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a terrified look on his face as specs of ash from the fire fly past his face.

1:28 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to an extreme close-up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

1:29 - A long, panning shot with two girls fighting in the foreground as some other actors stand and dance in the background. Red smoke is featured again in this shot.

1:30-1:31 - A close-up of Hooks from Zeds Dead. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot.

1:32-1:34 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them (same as the shot at 0:25).

1:35-1:36 - A close-up of DC from Zeds Dead. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot. He is also carrying a baseball bat, which is resting behind him on his shoulder.

1:37-1:38 - The same long, panning shot as the one at 1:29. This time you can see more characters as the camera is positioned slightly closer to the actors and also moves across the frame for longer.

1:38-1:40 - A close-up of Memorecks. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot.

1:41-1:42 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them (same as the shot at 0:25). Within this shot you can also see, on the left hand side of the frame, a man wearing a grubby, ripped white T-shirt, running towards the foreground.

1:43-1:44 - A wide-shot of all three artists. The individual close-up shots shown before were taken from this shot and edited in during post-production before the original shot was shown.

1:45-1:47 - A low-angle, close-up shot of a man falling to the ground.

1:48-1:51 - The same long, panning shot as the one at 1:29. This time you can see more characters as the camera is positioned slightly closer to the actors and also moves across the frame for longer.

1:51 - A mid-shot of a man being blasted with small, silver sheets of paper.

1:52-1:57 - A long, panning shot of a man, wearing a beanie hat, running towards the left hand side of the screen. The man from the previous shot (getting blasted with silver sheets of paper) can be seen from a long-shot perspective and you can also see the woman blasting him.

1:58 - The same shot as the one featured at 1:51 is shown again. This time however, the motion is set to reverse as the sheets of silver paper get sucked back into where they came from.

1:58 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to a long-shot of a girl in a white dress standing in a field by herself.

1:59-2:00 - The camera then cuts to the same shot as the one shown at 0:30. This time the man actually makes it to the ground and as he collides, specs of dirt fly upwards into the foreground.

2:00-2:02 - A close up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot. It's the same shot that is featured at 1:28, this time however the camera is further away from the girl as her hands are visible in this shot, which they weren't previously.

2:03-2:04 - Low-angle, close-up of a boy lying on the ground. A bandana covers his mouth and nose so it is unclear what his expression is but he has his eyes closed.

2:05-2:06 - An extreme close-up shot of a girl screaming behind a mass of flames, covering the foreground of the shot.

2:07-2:09 - A mid-shot of DC throwing a grenade into the air as he looks to the left of the frame. Behind him to the left stands a wooden cross covered in a white sheet and flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:10-2:13 - A close-up of boy (1). He looks directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a terrified look on his face as fire starts to burn right in-front of his face.

2:14-2:17 - A mid-shot of the girl wearing a white dress falling backwards through the air.

2:18-2:20 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air. Her top has risen up to her chest at the sheer force of the wind from the blast.

2:21-2:24 - A long, panning shot of a couple tied together whilst various characters fight to the left of them. A red flag is positioned in the centre of the frame as red smoke flies through the background of the shot.

2:25-2:27 - The camera transitions to the same mid-shot of couple (1) embracing at 0:18 as two another couple fight behind them to the right of the frame.

2:27-2:28 - The camera quickly transitions to the same shot as the one at 0:59. This time however there are less flames so the mans face is more visible.

2:29-2:32 - A long, panning shot of four people fighting in the right hand side of the frame, one girl dancing in the background and another man just walking towards the fight. A girl with lilac hair can be seen in the foreground shaking her head as she looks down.

2:33-2:35 - A mid-shot of a gothic woman holding up a grenade, whilst a battered red flag stands to the left of her.

2:35-2:36 - A close up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:36-2:39 - A long-shot of the same gothic woman standing on two cases that weapons would normally be kept in. The mid shot taken at 2:33 originally came from this shot and was edited in before the original shot in post-production.

2:39 - A close up of a girl screaming with her hands raised as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:39 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to a close-up of boy (1) looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a less terrified expression on his face.

2:40-2:43 - The same long, panning shot of a couple tied together whilst various characters fight in the background of the shot. A red flag is positioned in the centre of the frame.

2:44-2:47 - A mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a huge spark explodes behind them.

2:48-2:50 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air (same as 2:18). This time there are more specs of dirt flying upwards with her.

2:51-2:57 - A mid-shot of a man standing in-front of a spark (which is about to explode) whilst three girls sit in the left hand side of the frame covering their faces and running away.

2:58-2:59 - This shot continues on from the shot taken at 2:03 and now you can see more of the boy's body as he has fallen further into the frame.

3:00-3:02 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor.

3:02-3:03 - A mid-shot of DC standing and looking to the left of the frame as he has just exploded the grenade he was holding at 2:07.

3:04-3:05 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air (same as 2:18). This time there are more specs of dirt flying upwards with her.

3:05-3:06 - A mid-shot of couple (1) pulling away from their kiss.

3:07-3:08 - A mid-shot of the girl wearing a white dress falling backwards through the air.

3:09-3:13 - A mid-shot of girl (1) just standing up in the field looking into the distance after all the violence has calmed down.

Mise en scène

Due to there being a seeming lack of any overt geographic marker (because the setting is just a field full of baron trees) I needed to look into where the music video was shot a little closer. A few pointers has led me to believe that the video was shot somewhere in Canada because:

1) In the description box underneath the YouTube video it states "We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR and Canada’s private radio broadcasters".

2) The video was produced through a Canadian production company.

3) Canada is renowned for its cold climate which could explain the lifelessness of the greenery surrounding the actors of the video.

There is little to say in terms of the meaning of the objects within the video because there are very few. However there are some interesting things worth mentioning. A red flag is featured a couple of times throughout the second half of the video. When investigating what this might mean, I discovered that a red flag is the symbol of socialist revolution or a warning of danger. Lots of music videos have political symbols but I feel like this music video relates to the pressures couples and friends face from society, resulting in break ups and arguments. This can also relate to the red smoke passing through the background of many shots during the video.

Weapons, such as grenades can be seen throughout the video. I believe the director chose to include these objects because these objects are used to destroy things, which relates to the theme of a broken relationship. People often get depressed when they experience a break up from a lover or friend and so the black paint, which is poured on the couple lying in bed at 1:15, could perhaps represent feelings of sadness or depression.

Costume & Make-Up

Most of the characters in the music video are wearing very plain clothes. For example, most people are in black and white clothing or just ordinary jeans and a T-shirt. There seems to be no correlation between characters in terms of their clothing. However there is one girl who stands out from the rest of the actors. This woman's clothing is very different to anyone else's clothes. Her skin-tight leather dress, knee-high black socks matched with black high-heels, dark hair/make-up and piercings help her to emit a rebellious/gothic vibe. This can also be seen in the use of the black bandanas worn by many of the actors. The rebellious attitudes of the actors clothing can relate back to the red flag being a symbol of revolution as rebels often wear dark clothing and bandanas to hide their true identity so they do not get caught for their crimes.

Key Shots, Camera Movements and Edits

The main reason for the selection of these shots are because artistically they are great and the slow motion effect is very endearing.

The specs of paint and mini spark explosions make for lovely shots due to the aesthetically pleasing detail involved.

Focus Group

"I think the concept of this music video works well with the song because the link between the audio and visual is obvious enough for the audience to understand, yet it takes perhaps more than one watch to understand the metaphors and symbols completely - showing depth. I also love the sleek movement of the camera and the exceptional editing skills. You can really tell the equipment used was of a high standard and therefore the video looks so professional and clean - making me want to tell my friends about how good the whole production is."

"I do really like the music video but I think that the fact that there was only one setting makes it slightly boring and repetitive, therefore it leads me to only listening to the song through e.g. Spotify, rather than watching the video regularly. If the setting was interesting perhaps my view would change but because it is just a field I found it rather dull, despite the destructive scenes. I also don't like how disconnected the characters seem. I understand how they are meant to act violent towards each other due to the nature of the song, but there is something very off-putting about how they act like no one but themselves exist. It makes the whole video seem very isolated. On a more positive note, I do really like the tone of the video. I think the director has chosen to use a filter or perhaps colour graded the visuals in post-production because the whole video has a deep red/maroon tinge to it. I think details like this help the audience understand and appreciate how much time and effort gets put into a music video."

"I love this music video, I think it is really different and unique - I have never seen anything like it before, especially for a dance music video. The fast edits contrasting with the slow motion makes for such a unique watch. I also found that the actors were very committed to the making of the video - their facial expressions and body movements seemed very natural and not forced at all - like they really were scared when fire came flying up into their face instead of making it obvious that they knew at the back of their mind that it was all going to be okay. I also really like the fact that the limited mise en scène can all relate to the lyrics/meaning of the song as this proves the concept of the music video has been well developed and understood by the audience."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Tone/concept of song needs to match mise-en-scène.
• Breaking the fourth wall can help the audience and actors connect through film.
• People tend to enjoy videos which reveal a deeper meaning and so it is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video, e.g. red flag relating to danger (dangers of the outcome of a failing relationship).
• It is a good idea to combine some aspects of the visuals with the lyrics of the audio as it helps highlight the concept of the song and makes the employed metaphors easier to grasp.
• It can be important for elements of the video to be relatable to the target audience; be that the protagonist or the setting.
• Bulk of music video consists of long, panning shots and close-ups, so these would be good to include when it comes to filming my own music video as they seem to be popular and effective.