Planning: Copyright letter

Copyright Letter

Introduction:

Once we had finalised our song choice, we decided to write a copyright letter to the record company to ensure our production was legitimate and that no problems later occur during the process which may prevent us from using the song we have chosen. Creating a copyright letter for reassurance is essential to the process of the music video, without it we do not have legal rights to use an artists song for our benefit and eventually share it on platforms such as Youtube. The copyright letter will be used as a source of evidence to prevent us from being accused of infringement.

Copyright letter:

We wrote up a letter requesting permission to use the single, we ensured that we will credit them for letting us use the song and we emphasised that the song will be used solely for educational purposes.

Email:

We sent this via email to the artists two managers. We are currently waiting for a response to ensure that we can continue with our production and use the song for the video we are creating.

Conclusion:

Creating the copyright letter is very important as it will give us the legal requirement to use the song we wish to, so it is done in a legitimate and effective way. The letter will be used as protection for our own production company as we have reached out to the copyright holders of the song. On the occasion that the copyright holders respond and inform us that we cannot use the single, we will respect their decisions and immediately alter our ideas to suit our position. If we get permission to use the single however, we will do as promised and use it while crediting them in the most appropriate manner.

Planning: Questionnaires and graphs

Questionnaires and Graphs

Introduction:

After completing our final idea, we made a questionnaire that posed particular questions which we needed answers from audiences of music videos, to aid us during production. The questions focussed on the hip-hop genre and hip-hop music videos. This feedback and data would be helpful as it allowed us to make required changes to the decisions we make during production and other planning.

Questionnaire:

Graphs

After receiving responses from our questionnaire which was given to 20 people, graphs were created to visualise the data. There is also analysis below each graph which interpret the results of the graphs more clearly.

Conclusion:

The responses we received allowed us to make important decisions based on what the audience want

Planning: Final idea

Final Idea:

Introduction:

As a group we discussed our initial ideas and we decided to go with the first idea of the song Post Malone - Too Young. This is due to the song being a slow song with elements of hip hop and the director is able to visualise shots for the video. The official song has over 42 million views on Youtube which shows it is a popular song and can be enjoyed by many. The genre of the song is Trap which is a form of hip hop music, which is a popular genre and can be enjoyed by many. The lyrics can also be connected to a specific target audience which is also why we chose the song, although the lyrics can also be relatable to many people due to current issues with young people dying in lower class neighbourhoods in both the USA and UK. The artist is dressed very casually and this look is easily achievable even with our limited resources, there is nothing too over the top such as a lot of money, fast cars or a lot of people which would be difficult for us to attain. The themes of the music video follow youth culture, having fun, yet still touches on themes some young people face all the time such as death. We will also follow these themes to reflect the views of the artist and the meanings of the lyrics. Another convention in this music video is the performance of the artist to ensure they are heavily emphasised as the focal point in the music video, by focussing on one artist a video is able to established the importance of said artist as well as the lyrics because of this. To make our music video successful we will attempt to follow as many conventions as possible, to ensure we attract a mainstream hip hop audience, while also making it appeal to niche audiences due to the uniqueness of the song and the way it is filmed.

Video content and structure:

As we decided to follow genre characteristics of a hip hop music video, we decided on making the structure of the video a performance and concept video. The concept will have multiple shots of the neighbourhoods and the areas we shoot in, which will be predominantly lower/working class neighbourhoods. We believe as a performance type music video alone the audience could get bored, but the conceptual parts of it can keep an audience very engaged to keep watching and ultimately enjoy it more. The relationship between the music and the visuals will be apparent, especially due to the post production editing, there will be fast paced editing with quick cuts that match the music. The main theme we will follow is youth culture, this is because we will be able to show this with the visuals and the locations we have chosen.

Star image and mise en scene:

The main artist will be presented as a young male between the ages of 18-24 as this is a convention of hip hop genre and will be able to relate to the target audience which is both male and female but of similar age. Through the music video the artists star image will be presented as an ordinary young male by his costume and body language, this is so young people are able to relate to him on all levels even if they cannot directly relate to the lyrics.

The mise en scene will include:

Lighting - There will be a mix of low key and high key lighting as the low key lighting will reflect the themes of death in the music video while the high key lighting emphasising and contrasting this, as the artist is young and the lyrics are about being young.

Costume, hair and makeup - The artist will wear typical clothing young people wear from an inner city such as London. Tracksuits, puffer or parka coats, bent peak caps and joggers, all with trainers. This is to ensure young people can relate to the artist and as the hip hop genre originates from inner cities.

Facial expression and body language - The artist should show emotion in their eyes due to the topic in the lyrics being "dying too young". In terms of body language the artist will show a mixture of restraint but also confidence within certain portions of the music video, depending on the lyrics.

Setting - Skate park, recreational ground or field, 2 different streets with blocks of flats around and a drama room.

Theories associated with my idea:

Goodwin's theory:

Genre characteristics - It will not directly follow conventions of a hip hop genre music video as these include showing off a lot of wealth, hiring models to appear in the music video, showing off other materialistic items such as super cars and large houses. Other conventions our video will follow however are having a male artist as the focal point of the video.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals - There will be shots of a mostly working class area where there is usually a high crime rate, this emphasises on the main lyric in the hook of "dying too young".

Relationship between music and visuals - There will be fast paced editing as well as slow motion editing to match the tone of the song and there will be cuts which match the beat.

Star image motif - There will be close up shots of the artist as he performs as it is a mostly performance based video.

Notion of looking - There will be shots of the environment and from point of view of the artist.

Performance narrative or concept - The video will be a mixture of performance and concept.

Mulvey's male gaze:

We will take this theory heavily into account and not have any women dressed provocatively in the video, despite it being a convention of the hip hop genre. It will solely be focussed on the artist and the message he is trying to put across with his song.

Dyer's star theory: 

Our artist will come across as more of a performer in our music video, and will be more focussed on showing the audience the life they live and the kind of environment they had to grow up in, as opposed to using themselves for financial gain through the music video. The artist will also try and emphasise on their culture of a working class inner city young man and the issue he faces of fear of dying at an early age.

Hebdige's subcultures:

The music video should attract a mainstream hip hop subculture due to the genre it is and the way we aim at the target audience through things other than conventions. There will also be a niche subcultures as it does not directly follow conventions, essentially for those who want to enjoy hip hop music without the general conventions and features of a typical hip hop music video.

Discuss your final choices in relation to your audience feedback

After receiving our audience feedback, we finalised ideas such as what the artist would wear as well as what shots will be taken for the conceptual shots. Point of view shots were popular amongst the audience feedback, especially in combination with slow motion editing. Although a lot of the audience feedback was similar to the final idea itself, therefore there were no major differences. Our group did a lot of research into the hip hop genre and considered our resources to plan the best possible hip hop music video. The audience feedback helped finalise decisions to ensure us that the music video we are making will be successful.

Why and how is this music video conventional to mainstream music video making?

Our music video will follow conventional mainstream music video making due to the common conventions that are seen in mainstream music videos. These conventions include; an artist lip syncing to the song, editing to match the beat, different locations for different sections of the song, other special effects in post production. These conventions allow my music video to appeal to a similar target audience, if the music video is conventional to its genre and other mainstream music videos, it can ensure my video becomes successful as the audience are more likely to be able to relate to it. Not having common features of a music video such as going for a fully concept structured music video or aiming at a niche audience can be considered risky as it may not appeal to many people.

How is this music video conventional to your chosen genre?

As stated in applying theory to this video, under Goodwin's theory, this video will most likely not follow common conventions of the genre as this would be very difficult. Hip hop music videos generally have a very large budget and show super cars, large houses, parties and women that have minimal clothing on. Due to our resources and our application of Mulvey's male gaze we will not be following these conventions. Although we will follow conventions of a typical lower budget hip hop music video, such as filming in multiple locations and having editing that matches the beat of the song. As well as this we will film in a working class neighbourhood which is conventional in the sense that a lot of hip hop artists take pride in starting out with no or very little money but eventually "making it" as they become more successful.

Existing videos that have influenced our decision

Post Malone - Go Flex - This is another video by the same artist that we are using, as we will be shooting our video in the same style. There is editing to the beat which is conventional for a hip hop music video as well as slow motion editing in between without full lip syncing throughout. This is also a performance based video which will also be the structure of our video.

Travis Scott - Antidote - This music video does not follow a clear narrative but is also a mixture of performance and concept, with a lot of slow motion editing as well as lip syncing. Although it does contain conventions of hip hop music videos of women dressed in minimal clothing which we will not include.

How does your music video represent your artist?

My music video will represent my artist as a young male from an inner city, of a working/lower class background. His struggles in life will be represented through the links between the visuals and the lyrics as well as the culture he belongs to. The music video will not allow audiences to judge my artist as he is not trying to promote himself for people to sympathise with him, but rather to educate themselves on what he goes through on a day to day basis. My artist will be portrayed differently to conventional hip hop artists and we believe this will be a breath of fresh air for the hip hop genre as it is unique.

Planning: Initial ideas

Initial Idea

Our group was formed and we shared our initial ideas to each other and had discussions over which idea will be the most appropriate. Our individual ideas all had a song, and we identified the elements associated with it, the genre, narrative structure, micro elements, theories, conventions, advantages and disadvantages. I took my research into heavy consideration and adapted what I had learned, to present my group with a storyboard. I also took into consideration the theories of Goodwin, Hebdige, Mulvey and Dyer.

My idea - Dillan

I presented my idea to my group:

Song: Post Malone - Too Young
Genre: Hip-Hop
Narrative: A young man, preferably in his late teens is going to all the places he goes to during a typical day for him. Showing his life as it typically is, this relates to the lyrics as he doesn't want to die "Too Young". He is from a lower socio-economic background and shows those areas almost presenting it as the 'Ghetto', he may also go to more developed areas to show his goals and where he would like to be once he achieves more.
Narrative structure: Performance
Characters: A young man, his friends in the background as moral support as friends should be there for you.

Mise En Scene:

Costume, hair and makeup: Various outfits for different shots and locations, tracksuits and jackets. Hair will be a typical short hairstyle for a young male.
Lighting: Low lighting due to the topic of the song and natural lighting for the shots outside.
Iconography:
Setting: Various locations, parks, near flat blocks, in a studio, car parks.


Application of theory:

Goodwin's theory - Genre characteristics can be applied to my music video as my will contain conventions of a hip hop music video with the artist being the main focus of the video, as well as the artists costume being very casual.
Relationship between lyrics and visuals - The narrative in the visuals will match the lyrics.
Relationship between music and visuals - The music will match the beat and pace of the song, with multiple edits and cuts.
Star image motif - There will be many close ups on the artist as I will be using them as the brand, this will increase their star image and make them identifiable.
Performance, narrative and concept- the video will mostly be performance but may have elements of a concept music video.

Mulvey's male gaze - I will be applying Mulvey's gaze as I will not be following the common convention of a hip hop music video and having women dressed in costumes with minimal clothing. If women do appear in the video they will be the main artist's friends and be considered equal.

Advantages:

1) The main character will be clear as they will be the main focus of the music video.
2) The whole video should relate to the audience as it is about a normal young man. There will be no special effects or extraordinary abilities given to the character.


Disadvantages:

1) The video and song is about dying too young which could be a sensitive subject for some people.
2) People may not enjoy the dark themes of the video as well as the low key lighting.


My idea - Trang

I presented my idea to my group:

Song: Future ft.Weeknd - Low Life
Genre: Hip-pop
Narrative: The song I chose is both upbeat and mellow at the same time and therefore I wanted to use this song and for quick montage shot which I find very effective when it comes to the hip-pop genre. These lyrics portray
a guy who is quite reckless and does what he wants for example, he mentions sex, money and drugs throughout the song. The term 'low-life' often has negative connotations, however he says that he represents the low-life because he does what he wants and he doesn't care.
Narrative structure: Performance
Characters: Two young men with their friends in a black and white background to really focus on their lip-syncing.


Mise En Scene:
Costume, hair and make-up: Our artists costume hair and make-up is heavily influenced by how the youth dress nowadays, with hoodies and caps to really attract our target audience who at use to seeing this. Various of different outfits for each location to make the artist look attractive as hair and make-up will be minimalized to the average young male.
Lighting: Low-key lighting will be pre-dominantly used in my idea because it allows audience to understand that this artist is not a typical mainstream artist who likes to be glamourized and in the spotlight, rather in the dark singing about what he knows.
Iconography: Bottles of expensive beverages to reflect the lyrics of the song. Further illustrates what young people like to do nowadays.
Setting: Various urban locations to represent his working class background such as parks/fields, skate parks, streets, an estate, studio, car parks etc.

Application of Theory:

Goodwin Theory: This music video follows the conventions of Goodwins theory of a hip-pop music video.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals - The lyrics the artist sings tell the audience that he's proud of where he comes from despite him originally coming from a low working-class background. Despite this, he was able to become successful through his love of music and has made it in the world. He sings about all the luxuries he has including the money he buys drugs and girls with. You see the two artist smoke marijuana and girls in the back with very minimal clothing as close-up shots present their female assets. In my music video, I want to create something similar to this as I believe it allows the audience to understand what he's singing about even though they might not fully understand what he's saying. The visuals that match the lyrics will be very helpful as audiences are able to understand the song much faster than usual just by looking at the images.

Relationship between music and visuals - The quick beat supports the visuals very well as there are multiple cuts and edits such as shot reverse shots, montages etc to compliment it. Moreover, to match the mellow backing track, there are some shots slowed down where the girls are moving in slow motion to really exaggerate the calm but fast beat song. I want my music video to have a good relationship between the music and its visuals as i believe it puts the audience in a happy mood when watching and listening to it as they feel in sync with the song. In addition, the quick cuts and edits allow the audience to further feel like they're in a trance as it makes them feel apart of the music video.

Star image motif - Just like the original music video for 'Low Life', I want to include many close-up and long-shots of my artist as I present him as the brand. This makes it easier for audiences to recognise him as the artist faster.

Performance, narrative and concept - I want my music video to be quite similar to the original one as I believe that the video and song compliment each other very well, I want to create my own version of it. This music video will be mostly performance base as well as concept as there is no consistent or particular theme in it.

Advantages:
As a mostly a performance based music video, the audience will be able to understand that it is just a performance and there isn't much of a hidden message they need to struggle and find.

Watching a performance in a music video is always entertaining and allows the audience to enjoy it

Disadvantages:
The song lyrics can be quite explicit and controversial and may offend some audiences
There is some nudity in the video so it might not be suitable for young viewers and some others might get upset whilst watching.

Research: Diverse music videos

What are diverse music videos?

Diverse music videos are videos that go against conventions and are targeted at niche audiences rather than a mainstream audience. There are particular genres of music that create diverse music videos, rock, alternative and certain dance genres, this is to create a particular reaction from their audience whereas mainstream audiences are likely to be confused by these diverse music videos. Diverse music videos are likely to be concept and performance based, the concept is usually unclear and the audience should not easily identify with the videos.

Diverse music videos are usually directed by certain directors who are known for being unique and their videos are very different to mainstream music videos. Some music directors are very well known for their diverse music videos. I will focus on Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry.

Chris Cunningham:

Chris Cunningham is a British video artist who has primarily directed music videos for ambient and electronic music genres. He has worked with Madonna, Bjork, Aphex Twin and The Horrors. Many of his videos have won music video awards. His video for Bjork's "All Is Full Of Love" won multiple awards, including an MTV music video award for breakthrough video which was nominated for a Grammy for best short form music video. His video for Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker" was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the Brit Awards 2000. Due to the result of his success he drifts between making short films and music videos, and has also worked with companies such as Gucci, PlayStation, Levis and Nissan, directing commercials. Hebdige's theory of subcultures can be applied to the majority of Cunningham's work, as his music videos appeal to a niche audience who may feel part of a subculture who are entitled to their own rights and beliefs.

Popular or successful videos directed by Cunningham:

Bjork - All Is Full Of Love

Cunningham directed this music video which followed the narrative of robots, a female robot in particular being built and eventually finding love with another, male robot. Star image in this video is very unique but still focused on the artist and was seemingly a representation of her and her diverse music. The audience are supposed to find it difficult to relate to the music video as it is so diverse as the robots clearly have a very different physical appearance to humans. Although they are portrayed to be showing human emotions which is relatable. Though mainstream audiences are likely to be uncertain after viewing the music video but may appreciate Bjork's work as an artist as they identify her as unique with a different style to mainstream music and videos.


Aphex Twins - Come To Daddy

Another video Cunningham directed is 'Come to daddy' by Aphex Twins. It is a niche music video that is concept based as there is no evidence of a specific artist or star image as well as no evident narrative. The video consists of small children with a grown man's face running around rebelliously and at the end are reunited with their 'daddy'. The characters are an old woman, her dog, and small children with the face of a man - this was confusing and could have been perceived negatively by the mainstream audience as they may find the content and images disturbing. Due to this, the video is clearly aimed at the niche audience and specific fans of Aphex Twins  who would understand their work. The music video does not appeal to a mass audience but was still successful and was eventually nominated for "Best Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards. The video is very diverse as it is not mainstream at all and does not abide by popular conventions, but does the opposite as the images are controversial as we see a mans face on young female bodies and the "daddy" character wearing minimal clothing. The title of the video may also cause misunderstanding or misinterpretation which causes controversy along with the images.

Aphex Twins - Flex

Flex was a diverse music video which was made for a 15 minute film loop. The characters are deformed, naked males and females in a curled up position, which could represent a fetus and womb. There is no clear narrative, performance and no star image visible. The characters are both fighting and having sex which may make the audience uncertain. The images on screen make the mainstream audience confused, which they react to by being uncomfortable. The Aphex twins have loyal fans who are likely to normalize these kind of images. The video is controversial as it is seen as inappropriate for a mainstream audience as it contains nudity and a lot of physical contact. This film was given an 18 certificate by the BBFC. There is no clear message or theme associated with the music video.

Cunningham tends to have recurring characteristics within his work, this is evident with his above music videos, these characteristics include:

Unclear star image
Deformity
Low key lighting
Weird locations
Works with niche genres of music

These characteristics are very unlikely to be in mainstream music videos, therefore this is what makes these diverse music videos different. Although he does receive criticisms for the choices he makes in music videos. Cunningham is received as a successful director as his videos have won various nominations for awards. His work proves that the music videos do not have to necessarily make sense to a mainstream audience, and music videos do not have to stick to conventions to be successful. Others may say his work is artful.

Michel Gondry:

Michel Gondry is a French director, screenwriter and producer. He has created many diverse music videos for popular artists such as Kylie Minogue, Sheryl Crow, White Stripes, Sinead O'Connor, The Rolling Stones, Daft Punk and many more. All of these artists have expressed through their music videos on the subject of diversity. This can be related to McCracken's theory which states people change with age and become a part of different cultures. This theory can be applied further to Kylie Minogue who created mainstream music videos, but also made diverse music videos with Gondry to appeal to a different target audience. Gondry has been extremely successful with his work and has directed seven of Bjork's music videos which include "Bachelorette" and "Human Behavior".

Examples of diverse music videos directed by Gondry:

Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World

Michel Gondry directed the music video for Come Into My World by Kylie Minogue. It was diverse due to the repetitive performance and a unique style which isnt seen in music videos much. The female character in the music video is performing by singing along to the song and walking, she is then cloned a number of times and the narrative then repeats itself. The representation of the artist is not as glamorous as her other music videos, which makes it diverse. As well as this, the cinematography is unique as it is shot in a "one take" style, along with special effects. The music video won the 2004 Grammy Award, Best Dance Recording, which also emphasised its success with a mainstream audience. The video is diverse but not too risky as it still appealed to very mainstream audiences.

Gary Jules - Mad World

Gondry directed "Mad World" by Gary Jules, it has minimal Mise En Scene and has very basic editing. The video has repetitive features but is subtle and the pace of the song matches the editing which is again, shot in one take. The star image is evident as the artist is shown singing from the top of a building as he looks over to see people creating pictures with themselves, as shown with a birdseye view. This can be linked to Goodwin's theory of the lyrics being linked to the visuals as it is evident in this video. Since the video was uploaded to Youtube in January 2006, it has over 100 million views. It was also commercially successful and was used in an advertisement for the popular video game "Gears of War".

Daft Punk - Around The World

Gondry directed "Around the World" by Daft Punk. It is a concept based music video and has a group of dancers dressed in very different and vibrant outfits, dancing along to the song. Star image is not evident due to the amount of characters, the video keeps the audience watching as the colours are bright and the music is upbeat. Around the world was Gondry's first attempt at an organised dance music video and each dancer was portrayed with a certain musical instrument. For example, the skeletons represent a singing voice and the mummies represent a drum which reinforced the diversity of the music video, as the concepts are unique. The music video was very successful and peaked at number one in the dance charts, as well as winning an MTV Music award for Best video in 1997 and a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2000.

Gondry has recurring characteristics within his work, these include:

Low budget locations
Visual twists
Repetition
Concept based videos
No or very little star image

Gondry's videos are very diverse due to these niche characteristics, although they are very different from mainstream music videos, they can still appeal to a mainstream audience, as evident with the multiple awards he has won or been nominated for. Gondry's work is very  different from other music video directors as his concepts are very simple but still keep the audience engaged, he makes it look as if very little money is put into the videos yet they are more entertaining and interesting than expensive high budget music videos.

Advantages and disadvantages of diverse music videos:

Advantages:

• Individual and unique styles can be portrayed
• Audience hype is created
• Visually appealing
• Can reinvent an artists star image
• Can be entertaining
• An artist is given intellectual sense
• Artist can gain a niche audience

Disadvantages:

• Content can be controversial
• People may not understand concept
• Videos may not gain views or recognition from a mainstream audience
• Videos can be risky as they may be expensive
• Visually may make people uncomfortable or may be distressing
• May ruin an artist's reputation

Should diverse music videos stay away from mainstream music culture?

I believe diverse music videos should be targeted away from mainstream music culture, as it will keep the music video scene unique and different as opposed to mainstream music which can be very repetitive and boring. Although if a niche music video were to get mainstream recognition, this should not be stopped as it will help make smaller and a variety of artists more successful.

Conclusion

Diverse music videos contain many niche characteristics which make them very different from mainstream music videos. My research into the works of Cunningham and Gondry has allowed me to understand that diverse music videos tend to be a lot more creative and audiences are able to see the unique imprint a director can leave on a music video. Although to ensure commercial and critical success, my music video will mainly follow themes of a mainstream music video due to there very rarely being mainstream music videos that are looked down on or fail commercially. To avoid making the audience uncomfortable and to make sure I can reach as much of a varied target audience as possible, I will avoid having niche characteristics in my music video. I will however ensure to follow Goodwin's theory as most mainstream music videos follow this, as well a Dyer's star image as this will help me to reach a mass audience.

Research: Censorship

Intro: What is music censorship?

Music censorship is the practice of restricting free access to certain musical works. This can be due to moral, political, military or religious reasons. Music censorship can vary from complete government enforced legal prohibition of a piece of musical work to private, voluntary removal of content. Releasing music without it being censored, without warning could be seen as harmful to the audience. Some music genres are associated with censorship more than others such as Rap & Hip-Hop, this is due to the profanity used in this genre as well as the possibility of nudity. Some artists may feel as if they are being held back due to censorship in music, whereas other people see it as a form of protection and keeps the audience safe, especially young people.

Discuss the difference between explicit content and and explicit lyrics

Explicit content is what a music video can contain, that is inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18 to see. This sort of content includes, nudity, graphic realism, sexual content and possibly extreme violence and profanity. An example of censoring of explicit content is in Robbie Williams - Rock DJ, there was a censored version released where the main character (played by the artist) is not seen removing his clothes then skin as seen in the original video, but is seen as a skeleton at the end of the video. This had to be censored as young children may come across the original video and the content may scare them. Another example is Maroon 5 - This Love, which showed a couple wearing minimal to no clothing as they engaged in sexual intercourse, due to the nudity involved it had to be censored as it was not suitable for all audiences. A more recent example is from the music video of the heavy metal band Ghost B.C. and their video for the song Year Zero, which also had to be censored for nudity which is not appropriate for audiences of all ages.

Explicit lyrics are words used in the audio that are inappropriate for all ages, usually profanity or sexually suggestive language. Explicit lyrics can be censored in many ways including:

• Blanking - volume is silenced for all or part of the word
• Bleeping - a "bleep" noise over the whole part of the word
• Re-sampling - using similar sounding portion of vocals to override the word
• Re-singing - replacing the offensive word with a more appropriate word or phrase
• Repeating - repeating the word before the explicit word
• Skipping - deleting the explicit word without a time delay
• Cutting - completely removing the lines around the word from the song
• Disc scratching - used mainly in hip hop, scratching on the word, making it sound like another word.
• Robo-voicing - making the word non understandable by using an overpowering robotic voice effect
• Distorting - also used in hip hop, offensive words are distorted by shifting down the pitch

An example of a music video that used the technique of blanking out is Eminem - Guilty Conscience. Although there are other songs that are simply uploaded with a warning in the title "(explicit content)". As shown here in Eminem- Rap God.

There is a parental advisory label which was introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry in 2011. It is placed on radio recordings and recognises profanities or inappropriate references which has the intention of warning parents of potentially unsuitable material for younger children. It was first put on CD's and cassette tapes, but is now also included in digital listings offered by online music stores such as iTunes and Google Play Music.

What gets censored?

There is very particular content that gets censored, these include:

• Nudity
• Language
• Sexual content
• Drug use
• Violence
• Religion
• Graphic representation and realism
• Depictions of class and culture
• Sexual violence
• Racism
• Shock
• True events
• Controversy and political opinion

Some examples of songs that have been censored and generated media controversy are:

John Travolta - "Greased Lightning" (1978) - Censored due to crude content.

M.I.A - "Paper Planes" (2007) - Censored due to gun shot sounds being heard in the background.

Robin Thicke - "Blurred Lines" - Censored for nudity throughout the music video.

Examples of lyric and radio censorship

Songs played on the radio must be suitable for all audiences as there is no way of setting an age restriction or placing a warning on a radio show. Any inappropriate lyrics must be censored before being played on radio, these are usually done through blanking, repeating, disc scratching and bleeping.

An example of this is in the radio edit for Chance The Rapper - No Problem, which uses disc scratching and blanking over some profanity in the original song.

Difference between cut and banned

Cutting a music video means certain parts of the audio or video are removed to make it more suitable for all or certain ages - so it can still be shown to the audience. Banning a song or a music video means it is completely censored and unable to access by the public, this is usually done by the government or other institutions due to these institutions considering the song or video to be too inappropriate to be presented to an audience.

An example of this is the song "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, which has been banned by more than 20 universities in the UK including, Plymouth University, Leeds University, University of Birmingham, University of East Anglia, and a number of Oxford and Durham colleges.

Advantages of censorship:

• Prevents public display of disrespect to any particular individual or community
• Protects vulnerable audiences such as children
• Promotes political correctness - offending less people
• Shields morals of society
• Restrains vulgarity and obscenity
• Discourages inappropriate behaviour

Disadvantages of censorship:

• Comprises freedom of speech
• May compromise entertainment value
• Does not appeal to a variety of audiences who will have different tastes
• Does not uphold people's right to hear whatever they want
• Seen as a form of governmental control - which is not democratic
• Broadcasts only a particular point of view
• Legitimate criticism can be blocked
• Restricting creativity
• Prevents ideas from flowing freely

Conclusion:

Censorship can be seen as vital to society, due to the nature of some content and the vulnerability of certain audiences. It is a form of protection of society as explicit lyrics and content can affect different people in different ways. As I will most likely be making a song based on the Rap/Hip-hop genre, I will have to take censorship into heavy consideration, I cannot allow profanity, nudity, violence or sexual content to be visible in the music video or be present in the audio, this is despite the lyrics may having this sort of content. My audiences have to be considered as they are the ones I am appealing to which directly correlates with the success of my music video. After a process of censorship during the post production stage, I believe this will allow my music video to be accessible to people of all ages and therefore a much wider audience. I will also be using the parental advisory label if my music video contains mild explicit content or lyrics.

Research: Audiences

What are audiences? Why is it important to know about audiences?

Audiences are assembled spectators or listeners of various forms of media such as, TV, books, newspapers, radio and film. Audiences include the spectators of these specifically such as television viewers, book readers and radio listeners. Audiences are important to almost every industry as without them media would not exist, an audience is needed for profit, to demand the supplier for content. The importance of audience interests and expectations is very important as media owners and controllers are able to adapt their content to satisfy the constant demand for media.

How can you categorise audiences?

Audiences can be categorised in various ways, including gender, age, race, social class, income, status, political views or interests and hobbies. Audiences are generally categorised as different audiences aquire different tastes in media content. Due to the amount of people that consume media content on a daily basis, categorising audiences makes it significantly easier to target particular audiences and their tastes and satisfy their expectations. An example of this is when artists are aware of their audience and continue to create music that satisfy their fans, One Direction are an example of a teen boyband who were aware that their audience are generally young females, therefore they continued to create music to cater to their expectations.

Audience categories

Audiences can be categorised according to their annual income, this can be used as a factor for determining their social status. This shows that those of upper middle social status are at the top of the hierarchy, with the higher managerial jobs and the casual workers at the bottom who tend to be widows, pensioners, very low skilled workers or unemployed and dependent on state.

Advantages of categorising audiences

• Categorising an audience makes it easier to target an audience
• Allows people to adapt their content to appeal to fans specifically
• Can identify how much audiences can spend according to how much they earn
• Specific advertisements can be made which may interest the audience

Disadvantages of categorising audiences

• Categorising does not take into account that people have different personalities and tastes , two individuals having similar jobs does not mean they consume the same type of media.
• Only considers peoples income and status, rather than interests and hobbies
• Makes very general assumptions about people

Different genres have different audiences

Pop - popular music appeals to most audiences but is generally aimed at females aged 11-25, no particular ethnicity as the music is generally universally appealing, also all incomes are applicable as pop music is seen as the most general.

Rock - rock music appeals to males mostly aged 25-50, generally white males from working to middle class backgrounds.

Rap/Hip-hop - appeals to males aged 18-25, usually from a working class background

R&B- usually appeals to females aged 18-25, from working class backgrounds

Country - appeals to both males and females aged 25-40, usually white working class

Classical - appeals to females aged 30 and above, white middle to upper class backgrounds

Audience reactions

Audience engagement - This describes how an audience interacts with media text. Different people react in different ways to the same text.

Audience expectations - Advance ideas an audience may have about a text. This particularly applies to genre pieces, also producers often okay with or deliberately shatter audiences expectations.

Audience foreknowledge - This is the definite information (rather than vague expectations) which an audience brings to a media product.

Audience identification - This is the way in which audiences feel themselves connected to a particular media text, in that they feel it directly expresses their attitude or lifestyle.

Audience placement - The range of strategies media producers use to directly target a particular audience and make them feel that the media text is especially 'for them'.

Audience research - Measuring an audience is very important to all media institutions. Research is done at all stages of production of a media text and once produced, the audience will be continually monitored.

Linking audiences to Hebdige, Goodwin and Dyer

Audience engagement - This can be linked to Hebdige's theory for subcultures. Different people react in different ways to the same text, Hebdige states that subcultures exist within society and everyone is different in society and therefore have different views and reactions. It is also suggested by Hebdige that companies attempt to assimilate the resistance by creating products that these subcultures are more likely to consume which results in the audience deciding whether to accept these products or resist them. Therefore proving that the audience have a certain degree of interaction with the media by influencing.

Audience expectations - Linked to Goodwin's theory as it is suggested that the audience have expectations regarding the artist and the conventions associated with the artist and genres. Goodwin also identifies features that are evident in mainstream music videos including, genre characteristics, star image motifs and intertextual references. These are all features that are conventional to music videos that are used to meet audiences expectations.

Audience identification - This is linked to Dyer's theory due to the suggestions of how audiences relate to an artist, also how an artist is constructed to look a certain way to appeal to the audience. An artist could look ordinary in order for the audience to relate to them as well as very different and 'out there' so the audience can view them as an iconic figure.

Conclusion: How has this information helped you develop your ideas for your own media products. Who will be your audience and why?

Researching into audiences has helped me develop an idea of who the audience for my own media products will be. I understand that I will have to engage the audience, meet their expectations and identify with them to an extent to ensure my media product is successful. As the genre of my music video will most likely be Rap/Hip-hop my audience will most likely be males, aged 18-25, from a working class background. When creating my music video I will have to apply this target audience as much as possible and find what appeals their expectations and identify with them, to ultimately engage them.