Pop Video Research


The pop video promotes the artist, the album and creates a star persona. I have chosen to create a video for Beyonce Knowles' song 'Diva'. This is the link to her original video...
For research I have watched many Beyonce videos, alongside Lady Gaga and Pixie Lott who have the same style and attitude towards performance. The only problem I have noticed is that many conventional pop videos, use performance and particularly music instruments as close ups to portray the actions of the band, such as Miley Cyrus . In the song 7 things, she starts singing with her support band behind her. Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Pixie Lott and Rihanna don't use instruments in their videos, instead they concentrate on main star persona such as dancing and singing. I therefore had the dilemma of deciding whether to follow traditional conventions of using musical instruments. The other idea would be follow these other artists ideas of following performance based action and narrative being more closely based on the lyrics and how the star acts rather than following a complex story. I therefore decided to focus more on a star in the video using her style and dancing skills to portray the song and identify the complexity of the lyrics instead of basing it on performance as Beyonce is a one woman artist without a band so this would not look right if I included new performers. I also looked up different effects to use, I like how Beyonce used black and white effects, as did Alesha Dixon, this gives the allusion to the audience of the past and allures them to the background to focus on what changes and gives a different texture to the filming. Text on screen is also widely used such as at the start of Lady Gaga's new song
I believe this gives the effect of providing extra information such as who the video stars therefore drawing in the audience. This is a good technique because it provides extra knowledge and gains their attention. Other ideas I gained from my research included quick cuts between the action sequence which engaged the audience and kept the pace fast to fit with the music and the lyrics. I also liked the idea of using props to incorporate the action such as bringing in a radio to start the song, or filming a picture and zooming into the action.
Whilst studying Pete Fraser's book Teaching Music Video I learnt, conventions of a music video usually include lyrics, music, genre, camerawork, editing, intertextuality, narrative and performance. There is a distinct relationship between the lyrics and the performance because many follow a storyline to draw the audience into what the star has to sing about. Music is foregrounded to work alongside the star who is videoed via many close-ups to portray how important they are. Lyrics are also used in this way to relate to the song as a whole and Genre is reflected via mise en scene, such as Beyonce being pop/r'n'b therefore she has an edgy textual reference such as using old buildings to dance in but also keeping the tempo high to engage the audience in the upbeat tempo. How the camera is used displays the meaning of the video, the camera tends to follow the performers such as dancing and walking, to keep up with the action. Close ups are used to give a feel of closeness to the star for the audience and draws attention to the sale of the artist and the voice, therefore encouraging them to buy the song but also the artist. Editing is used to increase the effects used and establish the mood such as slow motion shots and to incorporate all of the action into the video. From the book I was very interested by Steve Archer's view in Media Magazine 8, he 'has drawn attention to the need to consider the relationship between narrative and performance in music promos.' I want to include this principle in my own video because the song Beyonce sings can follow a narrative story, therefore I will include ideas to make a narrative within the video. This will give the audience a context within the song to watch. Andrew Goodwin's viewpoint in his book on the rise of MTV (1992) identifies a 'key number of features, which distinguish the music video as a form. I especially liked the point he made that 'There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals' and that 'There is a relationship between the music and visual'. This shows that the music, lyrics and visual representations need to interlink to create the perfect music video that engages all of the contexts and draws in the audience, this is my aim.

To ensure that I was allowed to use Beyonce's song, I emailed Song Music Corporation who own the copyright for her music with the following email;

15/06/09
Dear Sony Music Corporation

I am a sixth form student of OCR A-Level Media Studies. As part of our A-Level course we are making a pop video. This teaches us creative use of technology, teamwork skills and gives us the feel of working to a tight deadline.
I would like to use Beyonce Knowles’ song “Diva” as the basis for my video work. I can confirm that the work will only be used for examination purposes.
I hope that you will have no objection to this. If you do, could you please contact me at the above address as soon as possible so that I may have time to seek out an alternative song.

Always a fan,

Alice Smithson and Amelia Williams

This gave me reassurance that I could start preparations for the song without the worry that I could not use the material, therefore wasting preparation time.

I then found the lyrics for the song as to be able to start the idea creation process;
I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Stop the track, let me state facts
I told you give me a minute and I'll be right back
Fifty million round the world
And they said that I couldn't get it
I done got so sick and filthy with Benji's, I can't spend
How you gone be talkin' shit?
You act like I just got up in it
Been the number one diva in this game for a minute
I know you read the paper
The one that they call a queen
Every radio round the world know me
'Cause that's where I be
I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
When he pull up, wanna pop my hood up
Bet he better have a six pack in the cooler
Getting money, divas getting money
If you ain't getting money then you ain't got nothing for me
Tell me somethin' where your boss at?
Where my ladies up in there that like to talk back
I wanna see ya, I'd like to meet cha
What you said, she ain't no diva
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Since fifteen in my stilettos been struttin' in this game
What's your age? Was the question they asked when I hit the stage
I'm a diva, best believe her, you see her, she getting paid
She ain't callin' him to greet her, don't need him, her bed's made
This is a stick up, stick up
I need them bags, uh, that money
A stick up, stick up
You see them ask, where that money?
All my ladies get it up
I see you, I do the same
Take it to another level
No passengers on my plane
I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey
I'm a, I'm a, a diva
This is a stick, up stick up
I need them bags, uh, that money
Stick up, stick up
You see them ask where that money
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
Na, na, na, diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a hustla, of a, of a hustla
I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva
I'm a, I'm a, a diva, I'm a, I'm a, a diva, hey