The Purpose of Music Videos

The purpose of this essay is to look at the emergence of music videos and how they affect bands and artists in terms of promotion, and how the media outlets which allow us to watch music videos have become more accessible and vast. I will also look at why they have become so popular.

Before music videos came about in 1975 with the song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen, there were several ways people used to listen to their favourite artists. This came from inventions such as the jukebox and television shows such as Top Of The Pops and Ready! Steady! Go!. After this became successful, bands started appearing in movies such as The Beatles in A Hard Days Night.

The introduction of music videos in 1975 quickly became a great way for artists to get themselves recognised on a wider scale. People quickly fell in love with music videos because it meant that they could now see their favourite artists, instead of just hearing them. The bands and artists also embraced the arrival of music videos because they could use this as a way to promote themselves. The Rolling Stones have their iconic symbol in their music videos to promote them further. Giving a song a music video also helps to promote the song because each time they see their favourite bands/artists they also hear the song. Not only the artists get promoted because of videos, the directors can also gain recognition if they direct a new and unique music video. Mark Romanek is an example of a producer who has benefited from music videos, as he became widely recognised for producing the music video to the song 'Scream' by Michael and Janet Jackson. This is because the song which came out in 1995, was, at the time the most expensive music video ever produced and used enhanced visual effects.

A producer will market different bands and artists in different ways. This is because certain acts might be more popular than others and have a different image and intention, One Direction's music videos are highly anticipated because they have a huge number of followers, so producers will take time to make sure the video lives up to the hype. As they're a mainstream group producers are more inclined to add more elements to their music videos such as dancers, product placement, special effects, and costumes and props. The producers would then look to try and promote them through as many media outlets as possible, with the main two being through TV and the Internet. They would aim to get their music video on to as many different music channels as possible, MTV Hits, VH1, Channel 4 music, Viva and so on. They would also try and get it recognised on the Internet as well so it is likely you would find their music on sites such as You Tube, Vevo and Spotify. On the other hand, if you're a smaller artist or band, you may not get marketed the same way as they do not have the financial backing better known acts do as these ones are more established. You're less likely to see the same elements as mainstream music videos, and producers would be more inclined to concentrate on the passion for music that the smaller artists have, than anything else.

Music videos allow artists to extend their income. Extending artists can come in many forms, whether that be getting their music onto the radio consistently or giving one their songs an accompanying music video. Whatever they do, the artist/band will ultimately receive royalty payments. Depending on the popularity of the song will obviously affect how much the artist will receive in royalties. The more mainstream and popular artists, Beyonce, Justin Bieber are usually the artists to receive more in terms of royalties because they are more likely to top the charts. Smaller names will struggle to receive royalties because they are considered more of a risk because they are more unheard of, so TV channels and radio stations are going to be less inclined to play their music because of the risk. This is why it is probably a better idea for new talent to get themselves recognised by doing something unique and using free websites to try and promote what they can do.

How well an artist or band does revolves around the various media outlets. Media outlets are media platforms on which fans and the general public can access media texts, so if an artists music is in several of these areas there is higher chance for it to get recognised and become successful. Media outlets handle television, the Internet and DVDs. Some specific examples include You Tube, Spotify, Vevo, MTV Hits, and Channel 4 music. Having all these outlets does have its advantages and disadvantages; the advantages are that technology is always growing and expanding, so this gives bands and artists more chances to get noticed. It gives fans more variety and options to find their favourite music, and they can also watch it on many devices at many locations. It also benefits advertisers because it gives them the chance to promote their products during the ad breaks of all these various channels. However, there are disadvantages; one being there is too much competition. This therefore makes it massively difficult for fresh new talent to be spotted, and because its so busy and has so many outlets its difficult to find talent which deserves recognition because there are so many unsatisfactory obstacles standing in there way. Also, piracy is a problem, more commonly amongst unknown artists because bigger names may steal there ideas if they come across there music, as can the general public, its very easy to steal music off the internet.

Synergy is another avenue for promotion within the music industry. This is because it helps to promote artists and bands further, even outside of music. Synergy is when the owners of a product allow other companies to use their trademark/product through licensing deals. An example of synergistic marketing is Manchester United selling the rights of their badge to be used on other products, therefore promoting their own name further. In terms of music, an example of synergistic marketing is One Direction being used on items such as schoolbags, cups, t-shirts and many others. This ultimately helps to promote the image of the group and boost there own profits.

I personally think music videos are so popular because fans get to see as well as hear there favourite artists. This makes them feel like they get to know their favourite artists that little bit more every time they see them. I also think they're popular because they are always growing in terms of the quality of the music videos and the aspects they have in them.

Commissioning process for writing for television and video

There are many aspects to the commissioning process, there is the actual commissioning, commissioning bodies, and the role of the writer. In commissioning there are various different job roles, there is the commissioning editor. The commissioning editor is a senior employee of the main broadcaster in a production, they are responsible for choosing programme ideas which they believe are good enough to be aired. They then allocate a budget to the companies which have thought of the idea so that it can be produced http://www.creativeskillset.org/tv/article_3485_1.asp. They will also usually work in a specific genre of the media industry, this might vary from drama's to entertainment programmes. They will overlook a production once they have given the company the money to make it. The producer also works in this area. They are in charge and oversee everything that happens in the specific media field they are in. They deal with things that the director does not, these are things such as finance, legal, administration, marketing and personnel. They guide a project from start to finish, setting it up, financing it and getting all the appropriate talent to make it successful. The director is the person who takes the idea which has been chosen and transforms it into a sequence of moving images and sounds, they oversee everything everyone else is doing on the production such as the camera operators, editors and directors of photography to make sure they are completing everything the way the director wants it. The script editors are the people in the production who make adjustments and amendments to scripts which have been sent in as an idea for a television programme. They have to make sure it is viable to be passed, and therefore used in a production. They make sure it isn't too similar to other texts, and usually try to keep it sounding ridiculous and unrealistic. An agent is the person who will represent you. They are the people who will showcase your ideas and have the same goals as you. It is extremely important that if you have an agent you're comfortable and confident you have similar interests. The writers job role is to think of all the new storylines to keep the programme interesting, e.g. the writers of soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street have to do this. An example of a storyline in Eastenders is 'who killed in Archie Mitchell?' and a storyline is Coronation Street is the tram crash. They think of the speech they're going to use, the characters they need involved in each scene, and how the situations in each episode will shape the series/story. They hire the directors for their story and work closely with them as each episode is made.

Getting commissioned is very difficult, major corporations such as the BBC give opportunities to get your work seen and used through their site, 'BBC Writers Room'. There are other commissioning bodies, like independant prodcuction companies. Theres a higher chance of getting commissioned by them as it isn't only cheaper for you, but it's cheaper for the company to employ you. Being an independent director or producer is an easier way to get your work produced as you have all the power, and don't have to be influenced by any elses opinions, it is completely individual. However the problem with this is being able to afford to get it produced. Organisations are also on offer to help new and upcoming screenwriters and those who assist them. They do not offer financial support but they exist to give advice on how to improve your script to get it recognised and seen. An example of an organisation who does this is like mentioned before, BBC Writers Room, ITV are another example of a commissioning body. Finally, the other way in which you can get your work identified is by entering your scripts into competitions. America and Britain are countries which do this, and once again the BBC have a competitions running continuously throughout the year to try aid screenwriters into getting recognition. The prize if you win is usually that of a financial nature.

The role of a writer throughout a production is very important, they are there from pre-production to the post production stage. In the planning stage they are the ones who think of all the storylines and plots, which has been said earlier. They edit the scripts to how they want the production to come across as they are ultimately the ones who have the vision of what they want their programme or film to be shown as. They have almost constant involvement with the directors and producers because they have to make sure what they have filmed and the talent which has been brought in reflects and portrays what the writer has thought of. Once the writer is happy that the script is good enough to be filmed, a page lock-down will occur. This means there can be no more edits or re-writes, it is basically when filming begins. The writer can however have his/her input during the filming stage though if they feel a scene is in need of adjustment. However, having a producers or directors input in the shooting of a script can have both positive an negative effects, the positives being they can add more ideas to improve the screenplay, and the nagatives being they might change to much causing friction between the writers and the directors.

When working as a writer, agent representation is vital. If you have an agent it is usually better because it looks a whole lot more professional and it can also be incredibly beneficial as they may have contacts which can make getting your work recognised a whole lot quicker. You also have to deal with royalty payments, this is more common in music videos, it means that everytime it gets shown it is you who retrieves the money from it. As a writer you also have to distinguish the difference between working by yourself and actually working within the work environment, and show professional presentation. So if you were to pitch your work, you have to make sure you're a punctual and speak in good english. You also have to come dressed smartly to show you are making the effort to impress. The layout of your work is also imporant, especially if you're a writer, you have to make sure your work has no spelling mistakes, and that the script flows. Time management can be a problem for writers, as any job has to have it, however this particular one isn't set with a 'start and finish' time. This is because most writers work as freelancers and they work on their own time. They do have to consider legal and ethical considerations when they produce their productions though, they obviously cannot break copyright laws and they aren't allowed to be bias they're allowed to make a point, but they have to be certain what they're including is actual facts and avoid getting faced with problems if they're found to be mis-representing someone/something and causing defamation. They have to make sure they have the appropriate censorship in place if it does have some offensive material before and in some cases after the 9pm watershed. This is a job also for the BBFC. Ofcom also offer protection as they make sure that television broadcasters are in compliance with all the rules involving the watershed because it is their responsibilty that anyone under the age of 18 are protected from any offensive material.  http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/guidance/831193/watershed-on-tv.pdf They have to be aware of libel problems as well, like said before if they have written clear defamation of a person, they could face a lot of bother. Finally, they must make sure none of their material has been used before, as it could mean that could be hit with trouble in terms of plagerism, this has happened before with the film Clonus and The Island.  Director Robert S. Fiveson brought a copyright infringement suit against the makers of The Island (2005). The lawsuit cited 89 points of similarity between "Clonus" and "The Island", and the court ruled that Fiveson made a prima facie case for infringement. Before the case could go to trial, Dreamworks settled with the plaintiffs for an undisclosed amount. It's been rumored that it was a seven-figure sum.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Clonus?from=Main.Clonus