Confirmation Email

I was quite surprised to hear back from the band My Future Lies so soon since they are situated in Australia, but I am happy to say that they have given their permission for me to use their song 'Paranoia'.
Here is a copy of the confirmation email from the band :

"Hi Jessica,
Of course you can use Paranoia. We'd like to see your project when it is complete.
Good luck with it all and thanks for using one of our songs. Remember to tell all your friends about our band as we hope to visit the UK one day soon.
Lukey
MY FUTURE LIES"

Now I have definite use of the song I can start brainstorming ideas for the music video. Through research from other music videos and conventions of music videos, I will collate the ideas together to help me progress in making my own one.

Thank you My Future Lies.

My Future Lies

After a lot of searching, I have found a band from the site www.unsigned.com/myfuturelies of which I really like their music and thought it would be suitable to use for my A2 Coursework. After confirmation from my teacher that the song 'Paranoia' would be suitable to use, I have emailed the band asking for their permission to use their music.
Below is a copy of the same email I had sent My Future Lies :

"Hey,
My name is Jessica and I was browsing unsigned.com when I came across your band and really liked your music.
I have a project coming up soon for 6th form where I have to make a music video for an unsigned band. I was wondering if I could have your permission to use one of your songs like 'Paranoia' for my coursework. It is not for commercial use and I can send you the final outcome if you decide to give me permission to use it.
Thanks,
Jessica"

I really hope that I will be able to use this song as it has lyrics to help inspire me with ideas to use for the music video, and has varying tempo speeds; which I will be able to vary the speed of my editing to.

Analysing a Music Video

Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

Background Research of Evanescence -

The genre of the band Evanescence is described as a mixture of rock, Gothic and metal; but can be mainly labelled as 'Alternate Rock'.

The image that is being put across to the audience from this band is a very dark, scary and heavy image that can seem quite powerful, especially in their videos. The band dress in Gothic styled clothing too, which matches the heavy rock style of their music.

The target audience of Evanescence is mainly teenagers, who the rock/metal genre appeals to. It could also target more female fans as Evanescence is one of the few female-fronted successful rock bands.

Their first full-length album in 2003 'Fallen' sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, leading the band to win two Grammy Awards. The song 'Bring Me To Life', from this album, reached to Number 5 in the American Billboard and also gave the band their first chart-topping Number 1 in the UK; where it stayed for four weeks. 7 years and two more albums later, the band are still going strong and already writing new material for a new album.

Mise-en-scene.

The music video is set in and around Gothic-styled high-rise flats. The setting is dark and looks almost life-less. There are other people seen in the video apart from the band members, but they all seem zombie-like at a party. They are wearing clown-styled masks, but this is ironic as nothing is funny and no one looks happy. The band are wearing dark clothes and the time it is set is during the night.

The video could appeal to many people, not just the target audience. This is because the video almost telling a gripping story, which could captivate the interest of anyone watching. It entails the 'cliff-hanger' style of the singer falling off the edge of the building. Also it has good special effects.

Cinematography.

The music video opens with an establishing shot to show the setting of the video. The camera then 'sweeps' into the window where the singer Amy Lee is. High-angled shots look down on the lead singer and close ups show her having a nightmare of falling.

Editing.

The editing is fast-paced to match the speed of the music. It is in sync with the beats of the song.

The video helps promote the individual song as well as the band because the video would be shown on most music channels for everyone to see. This intriguing video helps catch the attention of their audience, therefore making them continue watching the music video. By this time the audience has listened to the whole song, which would now be in their head. Plus, if the viewer likes this song, then they may search or watch other music videos by the same band/artist.

The CD cover includes the band members and song title which links to the music video. It has a similar dark theme that is also reflected in the video.

As it reflects the mood of the band and the song, it helps the people to recognise the style and image that the band hold and maintain.