Storyboards

Storyboards are important within planning as they help the production and construction of the final product. We had a variety of different ideas for the narrative and this is our final storyboard. Our original plan was a lot darker and more concept based however we felt that a performance and narrative based video would build a relationship with they audience as they can relate to it. 

We made some changes to this storyboard as we came up with new locations which we could film in and we kept going back to previous locations when we finally edited our footage. We felt that using the same locations at various times in the video built the narrative as we used the artists home, which portrays the idea that the song is about a relationship. For example when we used the bedroom it showed the loving nature of the relationship which the artist had with the man in the flashbacks.

Research into Chosen Artist

My group and I decided on Christina Aguilera as our artist. Aguilera's first album was released in 1999 and she has been highly successful in releasing a further 6 albums. Her music varies from pop, RnB, rock pop and electro pop to latino.

Aguilera is very versatile in her music and she shows this through her latest single "Your Body", which shows her singing a more upbeat song with strong elements of electro pop. This was a rapid change from the Jazz and Blues genre which all her latest songs had been. Not only has her style of music changed but her look has gone from "girl next door" when she started out as a teen sensation to Marilyn Monroe look alike and sexy young mum. This gave her the opportunity to attract a broader target audience which then led her to developing her music more. 

Christina Maria Aguilera

DOB: December 18th, 1980

Genres: Rnb, Pop, Electro, Soul, Latino  

Occupations: Singer, Songwriter, record producer and actress.

Years active- 1993-present

Label- RCA

Website: www.christinaaguilera.com

EARLY LIFE.

Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York. At the age of 6 her parents divorced and Aguilera moved to Pittsburgh with her mum and younger sister. Aguilera has spoken of her fathers controlling nature and physical and emotional abuse to her and her mother and how music was her only escape.

CAREER

in 1998, Aguilera sent in a demo of her covering a Whitney Houston song to Disney as they were looking for someone to cover "Reflection" from the film Mulan. The demo caught caught the attention of producer Ron Fair who managed to get her signed to RCA Records in the same week.

Relationship:

Aguilera began dating Jordan Bratman, an American music Marketer in 2002. They were infamously known for their strong relationship and they were happily married from 2005 - 2011. In this time they had a son, Max Liron Aguilera. Aguilera has openly spoken about the link between her marriage and her music.

Sales

Stripped was the album on which Fighter, our chosen song, was released. This was Aguilera's fourth studio album and it debuted at number 2 in the US, selling 330,000 copies in it's first week. To date the album has sold over 4.4 million copies. Stripped was certified 5x platinum and was named the 3rd best selling album of 2003. 

1) Analysis of Candyman

Dyers theory relates to Aguilera in this video as she appears as a normal person who wears make up and is interested in fashion. However there is something about her looks and her voice which the audience aspire to. The image below portrays Aguilera in a normal looking, quite casual outfit. However the scene shows her surrounded by men which leads the audience to looking at her as and inspiration.

In Aguilera's "Candyman" Dyers theory isn't actually shown as much as with other artists such as Flo Rida or Trey Songz. However in some of the lyrics Aguilera talks about places such as "The Spider Club at Hollywood and Vine" and talking about drinking champagne. This shows the record label using the song and the artist as a product as they are creating an idea for the audience of what her life is like and what they can aspire to be like. 

The above image shows one of the outfits which Aguilera wears throughout the video. Aguilera portrays all three singers, however with a different hair colour for each one. She wears a military like white blazer and skirt which is below the knee. This creates a subculture as most pop artists want to be seen in skimpy outfits which show their toned bodies to their audience. Aguilera is demonstrating her versatility and her willingness to broaden her target audience by appealing to people who don't conform to the mainstream.

The above image shows another scene in the video where Aguilera portrays the famous factory worker, from the "We Can Do It" poster during the war. This again shows Aguilera keeping away from the mainstream and showing her younger target audience some history and iconic people. However she has made the outfit more fashionable and tighter to show the sexier side to her personality, which relates to the song.

Goodwins Theory 

There is a strong link between lyrics and visuals in this video. For example when Aguilera begins singing "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman" a group of young hunky army men walk down the stairs towards her. Aswell as this when Aguilera portrays the three singers she links the lyrics to simplistic dance moves, such as rubbing her belly when she says "He really had me working up an appetite", this is shown below. This makes the three singers look like an in sync group of performers and they look more professional. 

The relationship between music and visuals is shown throughout through the use of dance. Whenever the beat picks up in the chorus Aguilera is either shown dancing on the stage as part of the three piece group, above, or with a male army partner. The image below again shows an older style of dance, which doesn't conform to the mainstream and present day hip hop dancing. The dancing duet goes in time to the jazz style of the trumpets and flutes being played in the background by the live band on stage.

In this video there is a strong sense of voyerism as Aguilera is constantly the main focus of attention and being watched by the men in the room. All eyes are on her as she is dancing on stage, walking around the room and wearing tight outfits, which aren't skimpy but were seen as provocative and sexy during the war. 

This video is heavily performance based and also has a strong concept. There is a strong sense of dance throughout this video and the whole song is sung into the camera by Aguilera. In fact this video is so influenced by performance that Aguilera portrays a different artist on stage throughout. The concept in this video is the whole war and military theme. Every last detail has been thought through from the costumes, to the live band and even the icons which Aguilera portrays.

Aguilera's image is almost iconic throughout this video. She is shown in four different outfits which all play a part in the concept. The military suit is white which is a feminine colour which connotes purity, as she sings about her "Cherry popping" which would mean that she is what was believed to be lady like in them days. However this suit may have a long skirt but it is fitted and she adds a splash of red lipstick and nail varnish to portray lust and provocativeness. The next outfit is a short baby pink dress, which is loose and flows but pinched in at the waist to show her cleavage. This relates to her being surrounded by army men in this scene as she looks more seductive. Another scene shows Aguilera in a red cropped shirt which is tied at the waist to show her belly and matches her lipstick. This is a less feminine look as she is wearing denim trousers, however she has added red heels and the trousers come up to her waist which compliment her curves. Curves were adored by men during the war as they were seen as sexy rather than the size zero girls in the media nowadays. 

The final outfit is far more sexier and seductive than any of her others. Aguilera is wearing marine blue hotpants and a crop top which mocks the navy uniform. This again shows her versatility and how she can be more promiscuous and attract a different audience such as males. The outfit compliments her figure and she is surrounded by men in the scene who are staring at her which again shows voyeurism. 

Aguilera's audience for this particular video would be teenage girls who would look up to her for inspiration. However as this isn't the normal pop video it any female can relate to Aguilera who isn't seen in too many skimpy outfits. The song is very catchy and this conforms to the conventions of a pop genre. Also she isn't seen in a club or at a party which means any female can relate to it as she is simply having a good time. 

Fighter

There is no relation between lyrics and visuals in this video as the whole video is concept based. The concept in this video is dark and erratic. There are no clear themes and a lot of the scenes become more random throughout as none of them link to each other. In some scenes Aguilera is performing, which adds a performance element and helps her build a relationship with her target audience. 

The lighting used throughout the video is all low key artificial lighting and it never changes. This adds to the darkness in the lyrics which can be seen as a link between lyrics and visuals even though it isn't direct. The low key lighting used adds mystery to Aguilera's character as there is no narrative and therefore the audience don't understand why she is so hurt and why she has had to become stronger. The setting used represents the idea of isolation which the artist felt as there is no end to the big empty dark room which she is in.

The above image shows the low key lighting through this video.

Everytime the beat changes in the music the scene changes. There are various things happening throughout this video such as Aguilera being shut in a glass cage or being metaphorically stabbed in the back by people trying to put her down. For example Aguilera is shown smashing through the glass cage when the chorus begin's which relates to the fast bassy beat of the music. This happens again when she is pulling sharp objects out of her back because she is becoming stronger. As the music become angrier and more aggressive she is shown fighting back and breaking through all the bad stuff.

This video is performance and concept based. The concept is not actually clear, however it is dark and symbolizes raw emotions which the artist has. The performance shots in this video are used to relate to the audience and help the artist relate to the song which shows that she isn't just singing it but she actually believes what she is telling people. She is trying to send a message to her audience that they can overcome anything that happens to them in their life and they can be stronger than they think they are.

Aguilera's image in this video is all black and very dark which relates to the concept and the emotion in the lyrics. The cape shown below is worn by Aguilera throughout the majority of the video. It almost portrays the idea that she is hiding something and it adds a sense of mystery to her character. As there is no narrative in this video the audience don't actually understand what she has been through and this dark cape helps cover that up even more. There is a strong use of black and heavy make up as well which again adds darkness to the lyrics and more emotion. Black connotes sadness and death, which could mean the death of a relationship among other things.

The target audience for this video is mainly females who Aguilera feels that she can relate to and perhaps help. A younger demographic is probably more suitable for this song as the artist if trying to send a message that young girls can get through anything even when they feel so low and like no one and nothing can help them.

Researching my chosen artist has aided me in understanding her as an artist, her background and what has influenced her music and style throughout her career. This has helped me and my group to create new ideas and choose which style of music video we wish to create. We decided that when creating our music video we would add a touch of the darkness and emotion from Aguilera, however we want to create a performance based video with a narrative that the majority of our target audience can relate to. Watching Aguilera's video for fighter has inspired me to use more colour in our costume makeup and different settings to keep the audience interested and build the narrative.

Digipaks

 Below is my first digi pak which we decided not to use as we didn't feel that it portrayed the artist in the way which we wanted.

 

What do I like about the digipak?

I like the strong use of red in this digipak as it relates to lust and anger which are two themes in my music video. On the cover of the digipak as well as the CD and title page I used black leaves which are a micro element as they are used in a scene in my music video. The use of the black in the digipak connotes the artists sadness which relates to the music video and makes the red colour more powerful as it stands out.

 

Does it relate to the genre characteristics

Yes, I chose the images carefully in order to relate them to the genre of my music video. The feminine poses of the artist portray her in a positive way to the target audience and follow the conventions of the pop genre. The swirly style of the font relates to the stereotypes of femininity which again relates to the genre.

How would I improve it

To improve this digipak I wouldn't use so much red as it can look overpowering and almost too child like. The way which the digipak is presented will effect which audience we attract and it is therefore important to portray the artist in a way which the target audience would expect. I would also improve my photoshop skills by blurring the images around the edges in order to make them look more natural.


 

 

 

 

 

The next digipak below is Olivia's. We chose not to use this one as it wasn't finished and we felt it didn't relate to the conventions of our genre.

 

What do I like about the digipak?

I like the use of the hearts as it relates to the pop conventions and adds femininity and happiness to the digipak. I also like the vertical direction of the CD title on the cover and it relates to the title by portraying different dimensions.

 

Does it relate to the genre characteristics

In some ways this digipak does relate to the genre as it contains a feminine font and shapes. However there are no bright colours and this makes the genre look as though it could be darker which gives the audience the wrong impression.

 

How would I improve it

If I was Olivia I would use a different image on the cover as I don't think it makes the artist look very happy and I would also try to improve my use of the lasso tool in photoshop as the second image below looks very rigid around the hair.

 



 

 

 



Below is my second digipak which we decided to use as our final group digipak.

What do I like about the digipak?

I like the use of the colours as I decided on a theme which was to use only grey and red. I feel this works well as the red connotes lust  and love and the darker colours connote sadness, which are the two main themes in my music video. I also like the images which I chose as I think that they portray different sides of the artist which relates to the title "Dimensions".

Does it relate to the genre characteristics

Yes, this digipak does relate. It contains bright colours and a feminine font. As well as this the images of the artist show her in different poses which gives the audience the idea that she cares about her image as she is seen holding her hair.

 

How would I improve it

To improve this digipak I would maybe use a more feminine colour such as pink which would better relate to the pop genre. I would also add a touch more colour as the digipak can be seen as dark and a bit depressing which isn't the way in which I want to potray the artist.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Final Group Digipak

BACK COVER

CD

INSIDE IMAGE

INSIDE IMAGE

FRONT COVER

Final Group Advert

Research into chosen music genre

I have grown up listening to pop music all my life and many of the artists from this genre become big major icons as the genre is very popular amongst all ages and genders. Pop was extremely popular during the 90's where it was taking over the music charts every week. One of the reasons why pop is such a popular genre is due to its catchy lyrics and feel good melodies. These are also two conventions of the pop genre. 

The songs listed below are considered some of the best pop songs of all time.

Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
...Baby One More Time
Beat It
Billie Jean
Brown Eyed Girl
Bye Bye Bye
Careless Whisper
Changes
Dancing Queen
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Don't Speak
Don't You Want Me
Every Breath You Take
Faith
Free Fallin'
Go Your Own Way
Gone Till November
Good Times
Good Vibrations
I Need Love
I Wanna Be Sedated
I Want It That Way
I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Want To Know What Love Is
I Want You Back
I Will Always Love You
I Will Survive
Imagine
In My Life
Iris
Jump
Just A Friend
Just Can't Get Enough
Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
Just The Way You Are
Just What I Needed
Like A Virgin
Longview
Losing My Religion
Love Shack
MMM Bop
Maybe I'm Amazed
Miss You
My Generation
My Name Is
Nasty
No Diggity
O.P.P.
Oh, Pretty Woman
One
One Headlight
Only Happy When It Rains
Our Lips Are Sealed
Papa Don't Preach
Photograph
Proud Mary
Respect
Rock With You
She Drives Me Crazy
Smooth
Stayin' Alive
Superstition
Tainted Love
Tangled Up In Blue
Tears In Heaven
The Boy Is Mine
The One I Love
The Tracks Of My Tears
Time After Time
Tiny Dancer
Under The Bridge
Vogue
Waterfalls
What's Going On
Where Did Our Love Go
Wonderwall
Yesterday
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
You Oughta Know
You Shook Me All Night Long
Your Song

Conventions of the pop genre:

- Artist wears modern and fashionable clothing

- Artist is usually always happy

- Music is most often about love and relationships

- Dance routines are usually present in music videos

- Animation is at times used in music videos

- Make up and hair play a major role 

- Lighting is high key in videos and photo shoots

Music Analysis - Anyalyse 2 artists similar to you chosen artist

Artists - Britney Spears & Jennifer Lopez

Music Videos - Do Somethin' & Get Right

Style - Both Performance & Concept based

Britney Spears - Do Somethin'

Britney is extremely similar to Aguilera. They have both been in the spotlight for the same amount of time and they started their musical training at the same stage school when they were younger. Both artists started as teen pop sensations and have been very successful ever since with a large number of chart toppers to their names.

They are both signed to the same record label (RCA), which explains the similarities in their music as well as there careers. RCA is part of Sony Music which has a wide target audience and follows the mainstream, which is why both these artists have had a long and successful career so far.

As the years have gone on they have become more different then similar to each other especially in their sense of style. At the start of both of their career they would dress the same in baggy combat bottoms with short blonde hair and fast dance routines in their videos. Aguilera then changed her style to the iconic 50's look which she now carries, while Spears matured into a more feminine style of tight short dresses. For a while there music was completely different with Spears releasing pop songs and Aguilera releasing more and more jazz and blues music. However Aguilera's style has now evolved into electro pop with songs such as "Your Body" which once again is very similar to Spears.

Aguilera and Spears both have 7 studio albums which have been released.

Aguilera - 

 - Christina Aguilera

 - Mi Reflejo

 - My Kind of Christmas

 - Stripped

 - Back to Basics

 - Bionic

 - Lotus

Spears - 

 - ...Baby One More Time

 - Oops!....I Did it Again

 - Britney

 - In the Zone

 - Blackout

 - Circus

 - Femme Fatale

There are some obvious similarities in these two album covers. Both artists are stood in the centre of the frame wearing crop tops and using their arms to show the movement in the image. Also both artists have there first name on the left side of the image and their surname on the right. Finally both album titles are written in the bottom corner of the album cover in a smaller font.

Britney Spears - Do Somethin'

This music video is set mainly in a nightclub. This relates to the narrative of the song as well as the RnB and pop conventions. The setting changes at times throughout the video and shows Britney dancing in a pink car with her friends and posing for the camera in her underwear on a bed. This relates to the lyrics "I see you looking at me like I'm some kinda freak". The song is about ignoring people who judge you and simply having a good time.

The majority of the lighting in this video is low key as it is set in a nightclub. The scenes in the bed are also low key lighting as it makes the scene look sexier and more seductive when Spears is posing in her underwear. The darkness also adds a sense of mystery to the scenes as the lyrics state there is something different about the artist and everyone is looking at her like she is a freak. The scenes where Spears is dancing in a car she is floating in the clouds and there is high key lighting. This shows that she is having a good time with her friends regardless of what people think about her and she is on cloud 9.

Spears wears 2 different costumes throughout the video. The first being her underwear in the scenes where she is acting sexy. The outfit which she wears most is a pink crop top with a bright pink fur coat and black trousers which have one leg cut off. This adds to her image of being a "freak" and shows why people look at her differently. The two different outfits show the contrast in her personality and add to the diversity of her character. The fact that Spears has gone to a club and isn't dressed in the usual mini dress and stiletto heels shows the message which she is trying to portray that you don't need to follow a stereotype to have a good time.

There is no use of props throughout this video which shows diversity and creativity. Spears didn't feel the need to use iconography to create her scenes and this worked effectively. 

The main actors in the video are Spears and her group of friends who play more diverse young girls. These girls don't follow the norm of how to dress and act and are therefore portraying a sub culture. 

The target audience for this music video would be mostly teenage girls. This is because girls this age are easily influenced and follow a stereotype of what they should look like and how they should behave. Spears is telling them that you can do what you want and be who you want and people's judgement and opinions don't matter as long as you're happy. Although the scenes are in a club, Spears shows respect to her target audience by not showing shots of alcohol of anyone drinking and being drunk. When she is with her friends they aren't acting too mature they are simply having a good time dancing around with each other and having a laugh which sets a good example to the audience.

Spears is being represented as a role model in this video as she isn't portrayed negatively and she is trying to send out a message. Her costume doesn't show to much skin and her dancing isn't sexual either, she is actually showing her dance skills. This relates to young girls as they love dancing and putting new routines together to new songs with their friends. Her more casual look shows that she isn't a party girl or a girl who takes herself too seriously. This is shown by her wearing trousers and a t shirt in the club. 

This video is a complete performance as in every scene Spears is singing or dancing to the camera. The setting being in the nightclub also shows the performance style of the video as people are all dancing to the camera as they see Spears walk in.

Link between Lyrics and Visuals

There are some obvious links between the lyrics and the visuals in the nightclub scenes. When Spears says "I see you looking at my hair" she grabs her hair as though she is paranoid that something is wrong with the way she looks. Also when she says "Will you stop staring at us...." A group of people are shown sitting on chairs directly in front of her and her friends staring at them and looking at everything that they are doing.

This video follows the conventions of a pop video as it:

 - Contains bright colours

 - Includes dance routines

 - The young girls are having fun

 - The song is upbeat

 - The song is catchy and easy to remember

 - Simple lyrics

 - Performance based

Jennifer Lopez - Get Right

Lopez is similar to Aguilera as they have Latino roots which has led them to releasing albums in other languages. As well as this both of them have music videos which are heavy influenced by dance. 

In there earlier years their clothing style was very similar, however they have both become sexier in their own different ways. Lopez wears tighter and skimpier outfits while Aguilera is more feminine. 

Aguilera and Lopez both have 7 studio albums which have been released.

Aguilera - 

 - Christina Aguilera

 - Mi Reflejo

 - My Kind of Christmas

 - Stripped

 - Back to Basics

 - Bionic

 - Lotus

Lopez - 

 - On the 6

 - J.Lo

 - This is Me.....Then

 - Rebirth

 - Como Ama Una Mujer

 - Brave

 - Love?

There are some obvious similarities in these two album covers. Both artists faces are shown in different dimensions. They also have simplistic colour themes and this is effective as too many colours can become confusing for the audience and take the attention away from the artist.

Jennifer Lopez - Get Right

This music video is set in a nightclub. This relates to the narrative of the song as well as the RnB and pop conventions. This song is about forgetting all the problems in your life and having fun for the night. 

All of the lighting in this video is low key as it is set in a nightclub. There are a lot of different characters in the club such as a stripper, a celebrity and a couple who are arguing. The darkness represents the mystery in their actions and the problems they have in their personal lives. 

Lopez wears many different costumes as she plays every character in the video as part of a concept. All of the costumes contain heavy make up and skimpy outfits in order to portray the characters. However the nerd character which Lopez plays is wearing a lot of layers and is completely covered up and being ignored by other people, which shows why she is upset. Her costume makes it clear to the audience why she hasn't got any friends and that's how her narrative links to the song. The skimpier outfits link to the celebrity who always has to look good and the stripper whose job it is to look like that. 

The above image shows the nerd character having fun as the song says she should rather than worrying that her friends have stood her up.

The target audience for this music video is mainly women as all the characters in the club are women who have struggles in their lives. This works effectively as Lopez is a woman herself so the audience can relate to the characters she portrays in the video which builds a connection. Lopez is telling the audience that for the night people should forget their problems and have fun. This is a message that everyone can relate to at some point in their life and every time they hear the song they will remember the message which is being told.

Lopez is being represented as a good role model in this video as she isn't portrayed negatively. Although all the characters have problems the actual issues aren't shown as a narrative or in flashbacks which means Lopez and the audience focus on the message in the song. Even though the setting is a club drinking isn't being promoted to the audience as everyone is just shown dancing and having fun.

This video is performance and concept based. Lopez is shown singing and dancing to the camera. However there is also a concept of her portraying all of the different characters which becomes an iconic and memorable video.

This video follows the conventions of a pop video as it:

 - Contains bright colours

 - Includes dance routines

 - The young girls are having fun

 - The song is upbeat

 - The song is catchy and easy to remember

 - Simple lyrics

 - Performance based

 - Narrative Based