After looking over and analysing the research on our target audience and similar videos, we now know what we want as the main features to be the backbone of our video.
Firstly, we are going to be using a "real" Stacy's Mom, rather than a guy dressed up. With both the video research and feedback from the audience indicating that this is what they want.
Secondly, our video needs to be fast paced and fun like the song. We plan to do this by shooting in various different locations, have bright colours, and also adding some comedy. Editing will also become very important in making the video seem fast paced, and making the comedy come out from the video better.
Lastly, having researched that there was a movie to be released late 2009 called "Stacy's Mom", we decided that this is what we would base our project on (both video and Digipack/magazine advert). So we thought that the story parts of the video should look a bit like straight out of the movie, for example, have the band performing then cut to a scene from the movie, then back to band again.
This is clearly shown in the following video, "Where Are You Now" by Honour Society from the movie "Bandslam":
Again editing will be an important factor of achieving this aim.
Overall the research carried out, both Audience and Music Video, has been very useful in our decisions to how we want our video.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Music Video: Research - Music Video Analysis
To get full effectiveness into our music video I need to analyse current official videos in the same genre (Power Pop) of Stacy's Mom.
The videos I'm going to analyse are:
The video features a fully clothed teenage boy who attends a house party at which Jimmy Eat World is playing, only to find everyone, except the band, in their underwear. Much of the crowd is making out, but the boy is excluded. Finally, out of frustration, he starts to strip to be like the others, only to bump into a teenage girl doing the same thing in the wardrobe he is in. The kids keep their clothes on and leave the party, arms around each other, as the song concludes.
What is good about the video?
The videos I'm going to analyse are:
- Fountains of Wayne -> Stacy's Mom
- Jimmy Eat World -> The Middle
- Bowling for Soup -> High School Never Ends
Fountains of Wayne - "Stacy's Mom"
Storyline
The storyline to the video follows a young boy who gets close to a female friend just to be around and see the girl’s mother more. The boy does jobs around the house to watch Stacy’s mother doing things such as getting changed and swimming in the pool. At the end of the video Stacy catches the boy fantasising over her mum but thinks he is in love with her.
What is good about the video?
- One thing is that Stacy's Mom is really pretty, so the storyline is easier to understand, this means instead of us having a guy dressing up as Stacy's Mom, we will use a girl. This will make it more realistic and as the audience are mainly male then they would prefer a "hot" Stacy's Mom (2:27-2:43)
- Another good thing is the fast cutting. This is something we will try to incorporate, such as the 3 crashes (0:24), we could flash up 3 images of Stacy's Mom.
- Also it has comical value which we will want to also have, with the young boy crashing into things and the facial expression of the masseuse (1:55).
- One last thing to note is the band's outfits. They are all wearing matching suits, this is something we could do, i.e. matching outfits, making the band seem like a tighter unit.
Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
Storyline
The video features a fully clothed teenage boy who attends a house party at which Jimmy Eat World is playing, only to find everyone, except the band, in their underwear. Much of the crowd is making out, but the boy is excluded. Finally, out of frustration, he starts to strip to be like the others, only to bump into a teenage girl doing the same thing in the wardrobe he is in. The kids keep their clothes on and leave the party, arms around each other, as the song concludes.
What is good about the video?
- The most obvious thing to take away from this video is the nudity/sexuality of the typical American teenage party. As this video was recieving a lot of playing time on MTV, especially on "Total Request Live", it shows this is what our target audience wants to see, again emphasising the need to change to a real Stacy's Mom
- Also added on, is that it has comic value, such as the boy in the pool with his clothes on (1:49)
Bowling for Soup - "High School Never Ends"
Storyline
After watching the band as kids fail at a talent show expecting everything to be different after High School, it fades to present day at their High School Re-union, where they are playing and realise nothing has changed, and get their own back on the popular people who bullied them as kids, which we can see as flashbacks.
What is good about the video?
- One good thing that we haven't seen before is that the video starts with a story, however this would be difficult and unpractical to film
- Though the way it cuts from the story and the bands performance is good, and something we will definately look to put in the video
- With the band performance we can see that they are really enjoying, having fun, doing tricks(i.e. spinning guitar around), which we could easily do in the music video as we will only be doing an air band performance, so we could just pretend to do it.
- Again as in the Fountains of Wayne video, the band has matching outfits for the performance, so this will probably be a good thing to also do. As well as in the story scenes, they are wearing casual clothes, which is also a good idea.
Monday 28 September 2009
Music Video: Research - Audience Research
It is important to take into consideration the ideas and opinions of the target audience of this song to get full effect into the video, as it is being made for them, so we need to know what they like, etc...
To find this information, I need to create a questionnaire about this song and music videos in general, gathering the results to get the perfect mix of what to put into the video.
Questionnaire*
*I have only asked people who have seen the original "Stacy's Mom" music video
To find this information, I need to create a questionnaire about this song and music videos in general, gathering the results to get the perfect mix of what to put into the video.
Questionnaire*
*I have only asked people who have seen the original "Stacy's Mom" music video
For my questionnaire I asked ten people ranging between the ages of 15 and 19 what they thought about the song and future video re-make. I have shown the answers each person gave atleast once.
Q1 What would you like to see in our music video version of "Stacys mom"?
Jamie (18) - Your video would have to follow the songs story, not only clips of the band playing.
Ben (16) - The band scenes need to be different to others, I like you idea of being an airband for example.
Sarah (18) - The band must look confident and into the music, if it's all static then its just awkward and un-enjoyable to watch.
Q2 Do you think we should use special effects in our video?
Beth (15) - Special effects do make some videos look really good but if you over do it the video becomes a bit repetitive.
Sam (19) - Do add effects but don't over do it.
Tom (17) - I wouldn't use many, if any effects because it can look like you are hiding previous mistakes.
Q3 What music videos do you like at the moment and why?
Scott (17) - Dizee Rascal - Bonkers. Because the video is fast paced so it is at no point boring, it also follows the music really well, with the artist following the lyrics by starting the video in bed for example.
Ben (17) - Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning. It is completely different from other music videos, the music video shows the band playing from the inside of a small rowing boad in the middle of a rough sea, it seems to give the song more hidden meanings. They have also used colours well in the video, expressing the tone and feeling of the song well.
Laura (16) - Kaiser Chiefs - never miss a beat. The video is completely random making it interesting and fun to watch. No one part of the video is the same, always something new to watch out for.
Q4 What are your opinions on the original 'Stacys Mom' video?
Joe (17) - I loved it. I liked how they moved from story to band throughout the video, making each clip different. I also liked the range of colours they used making the scene look like the "perfect world". Having comedy clips such as when that kid walked into a tree with a lawn mower really made it worth watching, and makes the video stick in your head.
Beth (15) - I enjoyed the song but i think the video was more aimed at boys than it was girls, with all of the clips of stacys mom. The video was funny but i have seen much better, and I wouldnt go out of my way to watch it over again.
Tom (17) - I liked the video, it suited the song well and ran at a fast pace holding you there untill it had finished. If the video was slow at moving from clip to clip it wouldnt have been as bigger hit as it is today i feel.
From this questionnaire I can see now that we will need to include as much of the song story as we can, and not have the song focused all on the band. Our target audience also all seem to agree that the video is fast paced and never gets boring, which we can make happen quite simpley with bright colours, varied locations, comedy, and also a confident performance in both band and storyline.
Sunday 27 September 2009
Music Video: Research - Genre
First of all, we need to establish what genre the song "Stacy's Mom" falls into, and then what this entails to end up having a very effective end product in the music video (as well as the magazine advert and digipack cover).
Genre
"Power Pop" is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum. Recordings tend to display production values that lean towards compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesisers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock’s most enduring subgenres and leading to the very similar genre "Pop Punk" , and has been labelled as a happy medium in mainstream popularity.
The main thing we can take from this description of the genre, is what "air band" instruments to use, i.e. multiple guitars, and drums, without using others that we may think are in the song but not quite sure.
With 3 members of the group (myself included) in the band for the video, we can now decide on how to split the roles,
i.e. a drum player, and two guitar players (one lead vocals, one back-up vocals)
The genre is also very upbeat, which we will be able to see by analysing other official music videos and what fans from the Power Pop genre enjoy.
Genre
"Power Pop" is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum. Recordings tend to display production values that lean towards compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesisers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock’s most enduring subgenres and leading to the very similar genre "Pop Punk" , and has been labelled as a happy medium in mainstream popularity.
The main thing we can take from this description of the genre, is what "air band" instruments to use, i.e. multiple guitars, and drums, without using others that we may think are in the song but not quite sure.
With 3 members of the group (myself included) in the band for the video, we can now decide on how to split the roles,
i.e. a drum player, and two guitar players (one lead vocals, one back-up vocals)
The genre is also very upbeat, which we will be able to see by analysing other official music videos and what fans from the Power Pop genre enjoy.
Music Video: Initial Ideas
To start the ball rolling we have noted down some initail, rough, general ideas. Picking the song would be the easy part, but interpreting it less so.
Our first idea is to try and make the video funny as it is a comical song that shouldn't be taking too seriously, so we're thinking instead of having a really good looking actress playing Stacy's Mom, we will have a drag queen Stacy's Mom, played by yours truly, making it really obvious that loads of guys are chasing this really unattractive woman.
But we also want to incorporate a band's performance into the video, cutting from the performance to the story throught the whole song. Eventually after freshening up on the band on wikipedia, I came across a small piece of info. Zach Braff (lead on sitcom "Scrubs") is a fan of the band. This led me to thinking about using the idea of an air band they used in "Scrubs", adding more comical value (plus ease as none of my group members, including me, have instruments).
So we have a general idea of what we want to do, a music video with an air band performance alongside a storyline about a drag queen Stacy's Mom.
However to get full effectiveness before we write up a storyboard we will need to: research the genre, research other music videos form that genre, and also some research on the target audience to see if these ideas are plausible.
Our first idea is to try and make the video funny as it is a comical song that shouldn't be taking too seriously, so we're thinking instead of having a really good looking actress playing Stacy's Mom, we will have a drag queen Stacy's Mom, played by yours truly, making it really obvious that loads of guys are chasing this really unattractive woman.
But we also want to incorporate a band's performance into the video, cutting from the performance to the story throught the whole song. Eventually after freshening up on the band on wikipedia, I came across a small piece of info. Zach Braff (lead on sitcom "Scrubs") is a fan of the band. This led me to thinking about using the idea of an air band they used in "Scrubs", adding more comical value (plus ease as none of my group members, including me, have instruments).
So we have a general idea of what we want to do, a music video with an air band performance alongside a storyline about a drag queen Stacy's Mom.
However to get full effectiveness before we write up a storyboard we will need to: research the genre, research other music videos form that genre, and also some research on the target audience to see if these ideas are plausible.
Friday 25 September 2009
Fountains of Wayne - Band Information
General Information
Fountains of Wayne are an American power pop band formed in 1995 and known for their international hit “Stacy’s Mom”, which has led people to believe they are one-hit wonders.
The band was formed by Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood. The two first met as freshman at Williams College and began playing music together in various bands. The two met up once again during the mid 1990’s and formed Fountains of Wayne.
The band name was taken from “Fountains of Wayne”, a garden ornament shop in Wayne, New Jersey. The store was located at the intersection of US Route 46 and New Jersey Route 23, not far from Montclair, New Jersey, the hometown of the band’s bassist and co-founder Adam Schlesinger.
Genre
Power pop
Years active
1995-1999, 2001–present
Band Members
Fountains of Wayne are an American power pop band formed in 1995 and known for their international hit “Stacy’s Mom”, which has led people to believe they are one-hit wonders.
The band was formed by Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood. The two first met as freshman at Williams College and began playing music together in various bands. The two met up once again during the mid 1990’s and formed Fountains of Wayne.
The band name was taken from “Fountains of Wayne”, a garden ornament shop in Wayne, New Jersey. The store was located at the intersection of US Route 46 and New Jersey Route 23, not far from Montclair, New Jersey, the hometown of the band’s bassist and co-founder Adam Schlesinger.
Genre
Power pop
Years active
1995-1999, 2001–present
Band Members
Chris Collingwood – lead vocals, guitar
Adam Schlesinger – bass, backing vocals
Jody Porter – guitar, backing vocals
Brian Young – drums
Studio Albums
1996: Fountains of Wayne (Atlantic Records)
1999: Utopia Parkway (Atlantic Records)
2003: Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve Records, Virgin Records) - #115 US Chart
2007: Traffic and Weather (Virgin Records) - #97 US Chart
Success
Fountains of Wayne had limited success though. Most of their singles managed to get into the UK charts, while surprisingly only a few reached the charts in the US.
However the chart positions were not flattering, excluding their massive hit “Stacy’s Mom” which reached #11 (UK chart), the rest fell short of breaking into the top 30.
Adam Schlesinger – bass, backing vocals
Jody Porter – guitar, backing vocals
Brian Young – drums
Studio Albums
1996: Fountains of Wayne (Atlantic Records)
1999: Utopia Parkway (Atlantic Records)
2003: Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve Records, Virgin Records) - #115 US Chart
2007: Traffic and Weather (Virgin Records) - #97 US Chart
Success
Fountains of Wayne had limited success though. Most of their singles managed to get into the UK charts, while surprisingly only a few reached the charts in the US.
However the chart positions were not flattering, excluding their massive hit “Stacy’s Mom” which reached #11 (UK chart), the rest fell short of breaking into the top 30.
Song Choice
We have decided to use the song "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne for the music video.
"Stacy's Mom" was by no stretch of the imagination the biggest hit single by American band Fountains of Wayne, released in 2003 and taken from their album Welcome Interstate Managers.
"Stacy's Mom" appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (#21) and was one of the first songs to reach the #1 spot on the "Most Downloaded Songs" list of the iTunes Music Store. It reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Pop Performance at the 2004 awards. The video reached #1 on both MTV's TRL and VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown.
Lyrics
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy, can I come over after school? (after school)
We can hang around by the pool (hang by the pool)
Did your mom get back from her business trip? (business trip)
Is she there, or is she trying to give me the slip? (give me the slip)
You know, I'm not the little boy that I used to be
I'm all grown up now, baby can't you see
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
She's all I want and I've waited for so long
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacy's mom
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn? (mowed your lawn)
Your mom came out with just a towel on (towel on)
I could tell she liked me from the way she stared (the way she stared)
And the way she said, "You missed a spot over there" (a spot over there)
And I know that you think it's just a fantasy
But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
She's all I want, and I've waited for so long
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with Stacy's mom
(guitar solo)
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on (she's got it going on)
She's all I want and I've waited for so long (waited and waited)
Stacy can't you see your just not the girl for me,
I know it might be wrong but (ah ah)
I'm in love with (Stacy's mom ah ah)
I'm in love with (Stacy's mom ah ah)
(Wait a minute)
Stacy can't you see your just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacy's Mom
"Stacy's Mom" was by no stretch of the imagination the biggest hit single by American band Fountains of Wayne, released in 2003 and taken from their album Welcome Interstate Managers.
"Stacy's Mom" appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (#21) and was one of the first songs to reach the #1 spot on the "Most Downloaded Songs" list of the iTunes Music Store. It reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Pop Performance at the 2004 awards. The video reached #1 on both MTV's TRL and VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown.
Lyrics
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy, can I come over after school? (after school)
We can hang around by the pool (hang by the pool)
Did your mom get back from her business trip? (business trip)
Is she there, or is she trying to give me the slip? (give me the slip)
You know, I'm not the little boy that I used to be
I'm all grown up now, baby can't you see
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
She's all I want and I've waited for so long
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacy's mom
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn? (mowed your lawn)
Your mom came out with just a towel on (towel on)
I could tell she liked me from the way she stared (the way she stared)
And the way she said, "You missed a spot over there" (a spot over there)
And I know that you think it's just a fantasy
But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
She's all I want, and I've waited for so long
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with Stacy's mom
(guitar solo)
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on (she's got it going on)
She's all I want and I've waited for so long (waited and waited)
Stacy can't you see your just not the girl for me,
I know it might be wrong but (ah ah)
I'm in love with (Stacy's mom ah ah)
I'm in love with (Stacy's mom ah ah)
(Wait a minute)
Stacy can't you see your just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacy's Mom
Thursday 24 September 2009
Introduction
For our Media Coursework we were asked to produce a music video that lasted at least 3 minutes, as well as a Digipack cover and magazine advert to go with it.
2009 will see the release of the movie 'Stacy's Mom', and we will be producing a promotional package for the soundtrack to this film, i.e. the album cover and magazine advert, while using the song "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne for the music video.
2009 will see the release of the movie 'Stacy's Mom', and we will be producing a promotional package for the soundtrack to this film, i.e. the album cover and magazine advert, while using the song "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne for the music video.
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