30 second audio visual

 As part of my website, I created a 30 second audio visual to accompany it. The video is a trailer for a 'vlog' coming to YouTube that includes what the artist, Will, got up to during his summer. This links to my initial idea of the narrative and content that is used within my video. The cross-media convergence of the audio visual and YouTube, further promotes a brand and the idea of the importance of a good and genuine social media presence which is important for the target demographic. 

The video includes clips from my music video - consequently tying the two together further and continuing and upholding the brand and persona behind the artist. 

I thought that it was important for there to be a spoken part of the audio visual as well as just the clips as by the artist addressing the audience within the video directly, it further allows a connection or the illusion that the artist is interacting with the audience, therefore fulfilling the importance of a relationship between the two. 

I used Procreate to add animations to the audio visual content, further linking and referencing the website and the music video as some of the animations are the same. 

Filming the music video

 The content within my video showcases a wide range of different demographical groups, of all ages. This is an important aspect that I wanted to include as it coincides with the overall message within my music video. The video is about having fun and spending time with the people you love - no matter their age or demographic so by including a diverse 'cast', I believe that I have fulfilled the idea of 'HAPPINESS' successfully. 

I filmed my video over a long time period and reshot parts regularly if I was not happy with their outcome. I had several 'master' shots where I asked Will to lip-sync the entire track at one place so I could edit it for the final cut to appear at different points. I also asked family members and friends to lip-sync particular sections of the song at different points in order to diversify the video further. Once I had some of my footage, I started editing and animating on the part of the video I intended to have animations or effects. 

While filming the video, I had to direct Will in every way imaginable in order to get the footage that I wanted in order for my final video to be how I intended it to be. I made sure that his lip-syncing was in time with the music and in order for this to happen, I asked him to sing aloud so that there would be no issues with the timing being off. 

Luckily for me, Will is a naturally confident person so asking him to run around, lip-sync and dance came naturally to him and he was not shy in front of the camera. 

Within my video, I have multiple different 'montages' which showcase and portray different people and aspects of the aspirational aspect of the brief. Everyone aspires to have fun with their friends or their significant other so by including these motifs within my video, there is a feel-good feel to it which further appeals to the target demographic and audience. 

Photoshoot for Website

 I have done multiple different photoshoots in order to capture the ones that I think best suit the website and the aspirational aspect of the brief as much as possible. 

The first and original photos I took, I ended up not liking as the the lighting was not what I wanted so I decided to do my next photos outside in order for a more natural and authentic feel to the photos. 

In the second shoot I did, I took pictures of Will, Marly and Sofine. At the end I was not happy with the lighting of these pictures either but did take some videos of them lip-syncing which have been used within my final music video,  surrounded by animations. 

In my final photoshoot, I took pictures of just Will and ended up being happy and content with the final photos. I have used them on my website as the lighting is good and I think that the photos capture the 'artist' and his persona well. 

Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory

 Andrew Goodwin argues that within music videos, it is important that the animations and the visual representations should align and match up with the audio and lyrics within the video. Goodwin argues that this entices the audience and that it is a good way of portraying a narrative within a video across to the target demographic. This is why, within my video, I intended to include animations and visual representations in time with the music as it engaged the audience more 

‘Stepping out my front door’ - clip of Marly walking out of a front door and closing it behind him

‘I’m already calling’ - animated phones while Will is using a phone box 

‘Love song’ - animated and written words and musical signs around in time with lip syncing 

‘Could’ve stayed in bed with you all day’ - Will in bed with ‘z’ around him to symbolise the generic snoring connotations 

‘So this is happiness’ - a different demographic within the video. lip syncing to the song with the lyrics animated around him

Another as[etc of Goodwin’s theory i intended to include is the ‘notion of looking’. Goodwin argues that it is important for the artist within the video to be looking directly at the as it creates the illusion that the artist is letting the audience inside the video and their life, further creating the idea of the audience being involved within the media content.  

Intertextuality

 Within my video, I aimed to include different intertextual references. 

Within my video, I have referenced the Mac DeMarco album cover ‘Another One’. Mac DeMarco is an indie artist from Canada, who rose to fame in 2012 after his debut release of ‘Rock and Roll Nigh Club’. DeMarco is a popular artist who the target demographic would know of, therefore the target demographic would recognise and engage with the reference to the ‘Another One’ album cover. 

Another intertextual reference that I aimed to include within my music video is the ‘Breakfast Club.’ The Breakfast Club was released in 1985 and although the target demographic was not born when it was originally released, the vast majority of the demographic would have seen it due to it being one the top-watched films on Netflix when it came back after being removed. 

Constructing the website

 In order to create my website, I started with a black template. I made sure to keep with the same ‘vibe’ and theme throughout in order to create an aesthetically pleasing visual for the target demographic and audience to interact with. 

In the top left hand corner I have included the logo of my artist in order to highlight the brand and the persona of the artist. As well as this, I have included a social media bar, central at the top of the website in order to appeal to the demographic and what is evident to be a very important and influential aspect of an artist. 

My website had two linked pages - Home and About. I chose to make these two the key pages as on the “Home” page, it has the majority of the websites content on. This allows a general overview of all of what is expected and ‘produced’ from the artist and ‘Sony’ as a whole. With reference and indication of a tour and the latest merch, as well as snippets from the latest on social media at the bottom of the Home page, entices the audience and aims to create interaction and audience participation. 

Surrounding the final copy of my music video, I have included several drawings which appear within the video itself. This creates a sense of convergence and helps to link the video and the website together, using something other than just the artist. In the top right corner of the video, I have included a further option for audience interaction in the form of a ‘competition’ in order to create a sense of exclusivity for avid fans who want to interact and get involved in every way possible. 

On the ‘About’ page of my music video, I have included several different sections that also appear on the ‘Home’ page. The most important and influential sections upon this page are the ones that are titled ‘will’s story to happiness’ and ‘why YoungMinds is important to me’. The ‘story to happiness’, is a reference to the meaning and intended creation behind the song via the artist I have created. This section outlines the inspiration, meaning and overall influence the song and music has had on the created artist. This would appeal to the target demographic as the content within is relatable to some and also share a sense of desirability in terms of having a good supportive network as well as a good time. 

The ‘YoungMinds’ section further humanising and showcases the personal and empathetic side of the created artist. I chose to include this as the mental health of the target demographic is becoming more recognised and ‘publicised’ - further appealing to the target demographic. 

At the bottom of the pages on my website, I have included the Sony logo below social media logos and interaction as well as the artist name. This is a generic convention of Sony and further creates an identity and a brand behind the artist - further reinforcing the importance of interaction and involvement of audiences.  

On my website, I thought it was important to have a section for ‘Merch’. This is because it increases the identity and persona behind my artist and allows further fan interaction and involvement. In order to create the merch, I used procreate and inserted my logo onto an image of t-shirts or phone cases as I thought they would be the most popular amongst the target demographic.  I have also designed a brightly coloured poster as part of the ‘Merch’. I believe that this would be a good product to extend and showcase to the target demographic as it is bright and vibrant which in itself, creates a sense of happiness and joy - further aligning with the main narrative of my video and artist persona in general.