Health & Safety in the Media Industry

What you should know:

• Health and safety legislation applies to all work activities in the UK, whether conducted by UK nationals or foreigners,even if they are not being paid.
• Legal duties under health and safety law cannot be delegated.

What you must do:

• Define responsibilities and duties
• Have a system for managing health and safety
• Assess and manage risks
• Regularly review the process and procedures for managing risk

Define responsibilities and duties

Employers are required to have a management system in place to control the risk to employees and others from their work. The industry uses large numbers of independent companies and freelancers and it is sometimes difficult to decide who the employer is. However, in the majority of cases, the employer will be the producer or production company.

System for managing health and safety

The size and complexity of management systems for health and safety depend on the size and complexity of the production. For more complex, hazardous or specialist productions – advice may have to be sourced from a competent outside specialist or consultant. An employer’s legal duty to manage health and safety cannot be delegated to a consultant or to anyone else.

Assess and manage risks

Risk assessment is a fundamental part of managing health and safety and helps you to identify hazards and control the risk they create for those involved in your production. The process requires you to:

• take the time to systematically look at your activities
• decide what hazards they present
• assess the risk of people being exposed to these hazards
• find ways to either eliminate or control them

Review

You must review and update both the risk assessments you have made and the controls you put in place as work progresses to make sure they are still working. After the production, it is good practice to review the whole system to see whether useful lessons could be learned for the future.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/theatre-tv/film.htm 

Location Ideas

The locations of my music video will be in normal places such as streets, bars, houses etc. This is because my music video, although it has elements of a performance video, is a narrative type video and so I want it to be as close to real life as possible. Some of the video will take part at night and so I need places that will look effective at night as well as during the day. As I live in Hull I will probably film in Hull so may use places like humber bridge or marina and old town, places in Hull that may look effective as a location for a music video. 

Hair & Make-up Ideas

The make-up of the main female character in this video will be quite dark make-up such as thick black eyeliner and dark coloured lipstick such as deep red, purple or black. Her hair will be quite messy, slightly wavy and either a dark brown colour or bright blonde. This is quite conventional of the indie genre, girls do not like to have neat hair or girly make-up. Quite a few girls who are either artists in this genre or fans of the genre have dyed hair, sometimes brightly coloured hair. In my video, the girl is not going to have an unusual colour hair as I want her to look as normal as possible as her life is not really that normal. I don't want too much irregularity in my music video.

Male Costume Ideas

The male main character in my music video will be wearing dark colours, conventional of the indie genre. He will be wearing something simplistic such as skinny jeans and a t-shirt. He may also be wearing a hat, probably a beanie, and wearing trainers such as converse or vans. He is wearing fairly normal clothes as in this video he is fairly normal and has a fairly normal role. He is the one who keeps the female main character sane so in this video he has to look and act quite regular, hence the simplistic costume.

Female Costume Ideas

The main character in my music video will be wearing a light coloured, preferably white, dress. This is to represent her innocence and purity. A white costume will also be used in contrast to her emotions. In this video, she is depressed, she is delusional, she is not in touch with reality. This type of emotion would usually be represented by dark colours, blacks and greys, however the character in the video is trying to hide her emotions by wearing light colours. She doesn't want anyone to know how she is feeling so she is hiding behind her clothes. Like the 3D, red blue effect, the white dress will also be used to show when her dark emotions are coming back, when she starts to become delusional and suicidal.

Editing Ideas

The 3D, blue, red effect is something I would like to incorporate into my music video. It is going to be used to represent the main character becoming delusional, disorientated and not being in touch with reality. It will emphasise to the audience which parts of the music video the main character is becoming crazy. The main character is suicidal and so using this effect will show the audience when she is contemplating suicide. When this effect is not used in the video, that is when she is relatively okay, she is not contemplating suicide, she is not delusional.

These three videos are examples of videos that use this kind of effect. In the Lana Del Ray Video, the effect is used to create a drug addled effect, to make the audience feel the way she is feeling.

The effect is used in the Bruno Mars video to show he's upset and to show that he is not really with it. He misses his girl and he can't get back to normality, he can't get back in touch with reality until she comes back. The Foals video shows the band and the audience at their show in a state of ecstasy, represented by the 3D effect. They are all really excited and having a lot of fun and the effect emphasises this.

Conventions Moodboard

Conventionally, people of the indie genre wear dark coloured clothes. They will usually wear black, the boys will usually wear skinny jeans and dark coloured, sometimes band t-shirts, whereas the girls will wear either the same as the boys or tight dresses, crop tops and ripped denim shorts and baggy checked shirts. Their hair will be quite messy and the girls will wear dark coloured make up such as dark red, purple or black lipsticks and thick black eyeliner. In indie genre music videos, the props usually used include the bands instruments such as guitars, drums and microphones. Other props may include sunglasses and beanies. 

Initial Ideas

Ellie Goulding - Explosions

Concept 1 -
Narrative Summary:
The concept of the video is that a girl meets a boy and the boy is really shy. They end up together. The longer they are together, the more his confidence builds. He ends up becoming everything she thought he'd never be, cheating on her etc. She confronts him about it, and it finally hits him what he's doen. She kicks him out. When the lyric is 'Now everything you own is falling from the sky in pieces' his things are being thrown out with him. The video then fast forwards in time when the lyric is 'I'll find you another time, I'll love you, another time' and she bumps into him. He has changed, he's not as shy as he used to be but he's not overly confident either. They end up together again because they're ready to try again. She believes it will be different this time.

Concept 2 -
Narrative Summary:
There is a girl who doesn't really have any friends, no one ever gives her a chance, she is depressed. She ends up at a party, sits on a couch and everyone just ignores her and the party goes on around her (fast forward effect). She gets up and goes out onto the balcony and sits on the edge of the balcony. She has given up and she is fantasising about what it would be like to jump. She gets ready to jump when a boy notices her and comes outside to stop her. He brings her back inside and they endup spending all night together, just talking and getting to know each other. She feels like someone finally cares. They become really close and their friendship develops throughout the video. They spend new year together at a party and when it is the second chorus and it says 'explosions..' there are fireworks as they are going into the new year and he kisses her. She has loved him from the start and thinks that that was him showing that he loves her too, but then she sees him kissing someone else. She leaves the party and goes home. He notices she's gone and goes round to her house. She's not there and he is worried that she has gone back to her old ways. He runs to the balcony where they met, as fast as he can. He looks up as he gets to the building and see her there, sitting on the edge of the balcony. He runs upstairs and on the last chorus where the lyric is 'explosions..' that is when he explodes through the door. She is not on the edge of the balcony anymore so he thinks she's jumped and so he breaks down in tears. He turns around and see her in the corner of the balcony, she couldn't jump. He just grabs her and holds her and kisses her and there is a close up on his face and he says 'I love you, don't ever do that to, don't ever leave me'.

Concept 3 -
Narrative Summary:
Boy and girl in a relationship. Girl is a musician. The boy doesn't have a job so she pays for every thing they do. They're out one day and someone from a modelling agency notices him and he ends up becoming a model. He soon becomes quite well known and his fame goes to his head. He used to go to all her gigs and then one day he just stopped. She hardly ever saw him anymore and when she did see him he'd act as though he didn't know her. He always went out with other girls and she put up with it for a while but finally she cracked. She confronted him, kicked him out the house. He broke down in tears, realised what he'd done but it was too late. Although she hated him for what he did, she will always love him and she hopes he can change and that one day they will be able to be together again.

Original Video Statistics

Genre Conventions

 

Target Audience

Genre

Indie Pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, with its roots in Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early 80’s, bands such as Josef K and Orange Juice, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid 80’s The Smiths. It was inspired by punk’s DIY ethic and ideologies. It differs from indie rock in that it is more melodic, less abrasive and relatively angst-free.
The birth of indie pop can be traced back to small shop-based record labels such as London’s Rough Trade Records and Glasgow’s Postcard Records.

Textual Analysis - Macklemore

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love



Conventions of Genre:

Macklemore is a pop/hip-hop artist. Conventionally, an artist like this would have songs about girls, that doesn't really have a meaning, and their video would feature a lot of girls. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis break this convention and go against the stereotype in that their song and their video has a very strong message about gay and lesbian rights. A lot of hip-hop artists can be quite homophobic so an artist of this genre doing a song about equality and same-sex marriages is quite unusual.

Use of cinematography:
Many close ups are used throughout the video to show the emotion of the characters in the video. Because this is a song and video with a strong message, it is important to get the characters emotions across to the audience so that the audience can relate to the character or at least understand what the character is going through. 

Deconstruct the text in relation to connotations:

The video, spanning decades, depicts the life of the main character and the same-sex partner with whom he falls in love, including the social conflicts which befall them in relation to their sexual orientation, their eventual marriage, and their final parting in old age. Throughout the video, it shows different kinds of love for example to love between a mother and child, love within a friendship and the love between a couple. This is to show that there are many kinds of love in the world, and that people should accept that, everyone should be allowed to love who they want to love without it being a big issue. At the beginning of the video, there is a close up of the mother and baby holding hands, showing that they love each other unconditionally. This is carried on at the end when the man is on his death bed, holding the hand of his partner, showing that they love each other unconditionally, no matter what anyone says about same-sex marriages, they will always love each other.

How is narrative developed:
The video shows the mans life from the day he was born to the day he died and all the struggles he faced throughout. His past is reflected in his future. At the beginning he is a happy, care free child, at the end he is a happy, care free man.

How does text appeal to the audience:

The text appeals to the audience because a lot of people want same-sex marriage to be legalised. It is appealing because people like that it shows all those that don't really understand same-sex relationships, how hard life can be because they are not accepted in society, and it shows how stupid it is that it is not accepted so it has the ability to change people's opinions on these sorts of issues. It also shows that if someone who is from a rap/hip-hop type of background, who conventionally can be homophobic and sexist, can sing about and support same-sex marriages, then there is no reason why everyone can't accept it too. If a music video has a love story type of narrative in the video, usually it will be a love story between a boy and a girl. This video is unconventional in that way in that it is a love story between a boy and a boy. This may be what appeals to the audience as it's different to every other music video, and that if it's been accepted in the music industry, it may soon be accepted in society.

Textual Analysis - Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

Conventions of Genre:
The Arctic Monkeys are an indie band and conventionally music videos in the indie genre have many shots of the band playing their instruments and the videos are usually quite simplistic. This music video is quite unconventional in that there aren't any shots of the band playing their instruments, unlike in their other music videos, there is more of a story in this video that links directly to the lyrics of the song.
Use of cinematography:
Many close ups of Alex Turner are used as he is the main character in this video. It is to show the audience his emotions and how they develop throughout the video. When he is walking down the street, some long shots are used to show that he is stumbling down the street. When he is knocking on the girls door, a back track is used, going into the girls actual house to show he has got the wrong house and to go into the girls life and see how she feels about him. The camera also moves up towards her, showing that she is the dominant one, she has a hold on him.
Use of editing:
As the song is called 'Why'd you only call me when you're high?' Alex Turner is presented as the one that is 'high'. Because of this, edits are used to create the illusion that he is hallusinanting. The clock moves quickly and starts to droop, and his face looks like it is dropping when he looks at himself in the mirror. His phone goes underneathe his skin at one point during the video. This could connote to him trying to stop himself from texting this girl, trying to resist.
Deconstruct the text in relation to connotations:
The video starts with the band in a pub. Alex seems distant from his friends as he keeps texting a girl called Stephanie, askings if shes up etc. Alex is presented as 'high' in this music video to link back to the song title; 'Why'd you only call me when you're high?' When the clock is drooping, when it says its 10 past 10, it looks as though the clock is smiling at him, which could mean that this is a good time, only good things can happen at this time. When the clock says its 20 to 4, it looks as though the clock is frowning at him, saying that this is a bad time, only bad things will happen at this time. Throughout the video, Alex is hallucinating, thinking he can see the girl he is texting flirting with lots of other men. This could connote that the girl is always on his mind. It could also mean that he is getting paranoid, because he is high, so he keeps thinking that the girl he likes is with all these other men. It seems as though this girl is his girlfriend and that he really cares for her, however at the end of the video, the audience sees that their 'relationship' is one sided as the girl looks at her phone, sees all these messages and just ignores them. Alex is also saved on her phone as 'Alex Band Guy' which shows that she just thinks of him as some guy from a band, who only calls her when he's high. Alex is dressed in black throughout the whole video and wearing a leather jacket to represent him being the antagonist. It represents danger and rebellion.
How is narrative developed:
The narrative is developed by showing shots of a clock and the hands on that clock moving quickly to show that time is passing by quickly. All the shots are done either down a street or in a pub. The narrative is also developed by showing the texts he is sending as they have the time on it. It is to show what he is doing and how he is feeling throughout the night.
How does text appeal to the audience:
The audience can relate to this text as most people have either sent a drunk text or recieved one and that is what the video and the song is trying to portray.

Lyric Analysis

Explosions

You trembled like you'd seen a ghost

And I gave in

I lack the things you need the most, you said where have you been

You wasted all that sweetness to run and hide

I wonder why

I remind you of the days you poured your heart into

But you never tried

I've fallen from grace

Took a blow to my face

I've loved and I've lost

I've loved and I've lost

Explosions...on the day you wake up

Needing somebody and you've learned

It's okay to be afraid

But it will never be the same

It will never be the same

You left my soul bleeding in the dark

So you could be king

The rules you set are still untold to me and I lost my faith in everything

The nights you could cope, your intentions were gold

But the mountains will shake

I need to know I can still make

Explosions...on the day you wake up

Needing somebody and you've learned

It's okay to be afraid

But it will never be the same

And as the floods move in

And your body starts to sink

I was the last thing on your mind

I know you better than you think

'Cause it's simple darling, I gave you a warning

Now everything you own is falling from the sky in pieces

So watch them fall with you, in slow motion

I pray that you will find peace of mind

And I'll find you another time

I'll love you, another time

Explosions...on the day you wake up

Needing somebody and you've learned

It's okay to be afraid

But it will never be the same

_________________________________________________________________________________

This song is a portrayal of a break up. This song could be about a relationship that has been on the rocks for a while. The man disappears one night. The man came home the next day 'trembling like he'd seen a ghost' saying nothing happened with the girl he was with the night before and the woman 'gave in' and believed what he was saying. He then wants to break up with her because 'he lacks the things she needs the most'; he can't give her what she wants, the relationship is dead. 'Where have you been' - where has the woman been? Why didn't she see this coming? Instead of dealing with all the problems in the relationship 'he wasted all that sweetness to run and hide', he went and found someone else. All the woman has done is 'poured her heart' into the relationship but he 'never tried'. He then realised what he has done and has an 'explosion' of love for the woman, he 'needs somebody' but the woman is 'afraid because it will never be the same' she can't trust him after what he's done. The night he was cheating, the woman was waiting up for him, he 'left her soul bleeding in the dark, so he could be king' by doing something to bring him temporary happiness. He made up the rules to their relationship, but they were 'untold' to the woman, he thought it was okay to hurt her. She 'lost her faith' in trying to make the relationship work. There were nights were he treated the woman right, 'his intentions were gold' but that didn't last forever, 'the mountains will shake' they are still going to argue, the relationship still wasn't working. He then starts to feel remorse for what he has done, 'his body starts to sink'. The night he cheated, the woman was 'the last thing on his mind' but she knew what he had done before he told her because she 'knows him better than he thinks'. She 'gave him warning' that if he were to do anything like that, she would throw him out, so she does. She throws his things out of the house, 'everything he owns is falling from the sky in pieces' along with their relationship. Now they both have to stand back and 'watch them fall' and try to figure out where it all went wrong. They both have issues to work out but she 'hopes he'll find piece of mind'. Maybe one day she'll 'find him another time, she'll love him another time' but for now they need to be on their own.

Lyric Timings

Lyrics Storyboard

Framing

History of the Music Video

Music videos did not start with The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, any more than it started with MTV, VH1 or YouTube. In fact, the story of the music video begins well over a century ago.

It was American electrician/photographer George Thomas who was the first to put images to music. His ‘illustrated song’ – a series of still images printed onto glass slides, coloured in by hand and projected onto a screen alongside a live musical performance – made song-book publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern’s number, The Little Lost Child, a massive hit back in the music halls of 1894.

Almost thirty years later was the era of the talkies, and musical films were taking off dramatically. 'Spooney Melodies' was a series of five musical shorts produced by Warner Brothers between 1930 and 1931 – films that mixed art-deco animation and live-action footage and aimed to showcase the popular tunes of the day. They were about six minutes and only one of them, Crying’ For The Carolines, is known to have survived.

In the late 1950s, a company called Cameca in Courbevoie, France, came up with the Scopitone, a jukebox that incorporated a 16mm film component. Soon the Italians were following suit with the Cinebox, which emigrated to the USA with the Scopitone in the 1960s, where the Cinebox became the Cinejukebox and Francis Ford Coppolla invested in the Scopitone. The craze for video jukeboxes had fizzled out by 1967, but by then the enthusiasm for music videos was unstoppable. 

It was TV that truly embraced the music video. In the mid-1970's, along side the UK's 'Top of the Pops', Australian TV shows 'Countdown' and 'Sounds' were popularising the genre. Sounds presenter and DJ Graham Webb hired new director Russell Mulcahy to shoot videos for songs he wanted to feature on his show but that didn’t already have their own promo clips. Mulchay went on create the video for The Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star – which became, in 1981, the first music video ever to be played on MTV.

Since the 1980s, round-the-clock music video channels have become the norm – starting with MTV, VH1 etc. – and in 1984, MTV launched their Music Awards and then their VMA's. Directors grew ambitious – John Landis’ video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller cost a staggering half a million dollars to make and opened the way for African-American artists in the music video scene.

Although MTV is now more focused on reality shows than music, the Internet has picked up where TV has declined, and, since 2005, YouTube is now the first port of call for anybody searching for a music video. The video for Lady GaGa’s, Bad Romance became, in 2010, the most-viewed video not only on YouTube, but on the entire Internet. Because of new media technologies, such as smartphones, more people have the ability to watch music videos anywhere at anytime meaning the popularity of the music video has increased rapidly. 180 years old and the music video is still going from strength-to-strength.

Coursework Brief

1.   A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:
 

- A website homepage for the band;

- A cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);

- A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).