Call Sheet , Risk Assessment for Brighton Reece

These pictures are of our risk assessment and Call sheet. (Top , Risk Assessment , below , Call sheet).

Group: Band name idea

With our names being James, Luca and Timo, we have come to the decision that our boy band is going to be called 'JLT'. Here is an idea for our band logo.



We have used the band name within the star to signify our star image being portrayed.

Reflection on Discussion (Idea's for our video) Group

• Our video is going to consist of mostly performence based filming , with the vast majority of our shots being close ups , conforming to the traditional boy band conventions.


• Saying this , we will include some sort of narrative to increase the chance of our video standing up to repeatability.


• We have not decided yet about how much of our film will be shot in black and white , we are almost certain we will include some but are not sure about which specific shots.


• It is likely our narrative will involve some female presence , but girls will not feature heavily in our video in order to avoid over doing popular stereotypes of as many girls as possibly simply put into the video.


• Our video will explore different camera techniques , we are confident with all equipment and are looking forward to using the equipment to create the desired camera movement , shots that we want.


• Boy band 'love songs' ( like ours ) do not normally have strong lighting , and use shadowing and darker tones to reflect the emotion on the persons face.

LF: Product Analysis

Boy band videos would have ambient and focused viewers. Ambient viewers may choose to consume the music videos through popular music channels such as MTV when the can simply play the music in the background. Music is also a good way to create an enjoyable atmosphere in the background of certain social events. Boy band songs tend to be easy to listen to and are often catchy making the popular on social occasions.


However on the other hand focused viewing would be more associated with dedicated fans who would purposely tune in to watch the new release of a video. Web 2.0 makes videos much more accessible for fans, websites such as YouTube allow fans to purposely view bands videos in a focused manner. Thus if fans wish to view new videos through music channels they are more likely to watch them on mainstream sites such as MTV hits.


Boy Bands are a main stream commercial form of music therefore they need to appeal to a large target audience, therefore I believe media synergy would be the best way of promoting their band image. Large media conglomerates would be the best way to branch out to a very large target audience. A perfect example of a new up and coming boy band are One Direction, they came through the extremely popular X factor show building up a solid fan base before they had even released a record. Nonetheless Simon Cowell took them under his wing with his part owned company Syco. Syco’s parenting company is Sony music entertainment therefore they can distribute all of one directions new song in different form of the media. For instance they can include tracks in recent films or adverts.

Theorist Andrew Goodwin states that features throughout a music video are either evident or absent. The features present throughout the video ‘That’s what makes you beautiful’ by One direction confirm the conventions of the genre. First off all there are lots of close ups of the band members one which especially stands out is the long close up of Harry Styles singing very close to the female actress. This reveals aspects of the bands characteristics of being slightly feimine and knowing how to treat females in a gentle romantic manner. This shot also relates to Roland Barthes work of narrative codes. A certain aspect of an enigma code is created after the shot has ended as the audience may wonder what happens next as the couple of seemingly becoming very close.

However aspects of the video challenge some of Goodwins work. For instance there is no clear dance routine throughout the video maybe re enforcing how one direction are trying to push the stereotypical view on boy band culture, and challenge the way in which they are viewed.

I do not believe this specific video is art, purely an effective way to try and sell the bands image and increase the target audience. The video is very commercial and conforms to normal boy band videos such as breaking the fourth wall to try and connect with the audience, there is a slight narrative to the video nonetheless it is centered around the band almost one hundred percent of the time.

The song embedded above ‘everybody in love’ by JLS, the video is a great tool in creating a star image. Steve archer states that ‘performance is vital to emphasize the supposed original qualities of the performance and we need to believe in the romantic art.’ Not only do the members of the band dominate almost all of the screen time but also there performance is extremely well done, this would infer that in fact JLS are trying to construct a new band image.

Stars need to be idolized, distanced from the public in terms of stardom. However they also need to have a core aesthetic, making them within reach to the public and desired by their fans. The narrative fuzz also helps JLS to construct their star image, the lyrics are sung with a soft tone portraying a meaning of love, which coincides directly with the lyrics ‘everybody in love’ which is also the name of the song making it the primary subject matter.

Furthermore I believe that Barthes symbolic code is present throughout the video and the lyrics proving that the mise en scene along with the lyrics have a deeper meaning as the majority of the fans at the front of the stage are female and have permanently got there hands raised. This could connote that the female fans are in fact not deeply in love but in love with the bands persona and there star image.

Throughout the video only one main social group is represented and that would be young black males as they dominate the screen time. The band are represented positively throughout the video with little challenge to current ideologies associated with typical boy band culture. In order to be a mainstream boy band success being desired by your fans is crucial, therefore the theory of hegemonic masculinity is a constant theme throughout the video.
 All of the band members are clearly attractive and are seen being successful with the opposite sex, these ties in with the whole of the standing crowd being female re enforcing how they are clearly desired. Thus the costume that JLS are performing in coheres with modern day fashion and exaggerates there body form as being attractive and desirable. Seen as all the members of the band or portrayed as being a success men in modern day society may be led to believe that they must try and conform with the visual implications that JLS perceive, and that in modern day society beauty is not only crucial amongst females, but males may now go out of there way to try and perfect they way they look to gain social status.

One of Richard dyer’s paradox’s states that stars need to be seemingly ordinary and extraordinary at the same time throughout music videos.

Nonetheless young females also play a small role during the video. I would say that apart from the dancers in the background and the crowd, young white males are relatively absent from the video however I feel as though JLS still conform to the typical boy band image of being good looking and athletic.

Reflection on ''Hey Ya!'' - Class Production

Above is the song we were set to shoot a music video for , in our seperate groups using parts of the song (verses) to break up who shot what on camera.

Below is our participation within our class group for the production of a combined Outkast video 'Hey Ya'.

Apart from finding this task incredibly humorous , fun and enjoyable we also found the practicing with the equipment very valuable , especially as we near the stage when we need to start planning in detail what technical shots we may try ourselfs. In our own short video we put together for our verse we used the ' Hague Tracking Dolly'' in our open shot , so we could capture moving footage of the camera rolling past us. This was incredibly useful , since all we had to do was push the dolly into position , start rolling it , then move into our own positions. The dolly is pictured below.

Another piece of equipment we used was the fish eye lense , a lense that broadens the image to create a wider feel. We used this effect in our practical film we made in class , trying to make our image broader and feel closer to the audience.

JI: Product Analysis

In general boy band videos can be either ambient viewing or focused, as young teens nowadays tend to flick through music channels randomly to find the track that appeals to them. Boy band songs are generally quite commercial and catchy so they will appeal to the specific female target audience and also the male audience as well. Through research and personal music channel experience the music channels which you would find these boy bands will be mainstream, popular music channels such as MTV or 4music due their pop characteristics and wide fan base. Focused viewers will be predominately the fan base of the bands, who specifically watch the channel to see their idols perform.

The video I am looking at here is ‘The Wanted – All Time Low’.



I feel with this video the record label would play a large role within the promotion of the video as at the time The Wanted were quite a new boy band trying to conquer the pop boy band world, so reaching out to the audience would have been vital. Their website even describes the boys as ‘a million miles away from the ‘stand-up-for-the-key-change’ school of dewy-eyed balladry and cheesy co-ordinated outfits usually associated with the term.’ Clearly the record label was trying to market the band as a new, fresh group, which will bring something different. They are signed to the record label ‘Def Jam’ who is one of the most notorious labels around, and are owned by Universal Music Group. This will mean media synergy would be the best way of creating these promotional texts due to the large platform release they can achieve through a popular boy band due to the large target audience. The access to large media conglomerates such a company as Universal with have will mean they can use different contexts to promote the band and their music over a large distribution. This is an example of The Wanted however when we produce our music video we have chosen ‘JLS – Close To You’ who are owned Jive Records is owned by Sony BMG, nevertheless their strategy would be very similar, with Sony being such a mass worldwide company.

Theorist Andrew Goodwin identifies features within a music video which are either evident or absent. In the video ‘All Time Low’ it is clear that there are key genre characteristics which connote the boy band persona which Goodwin speaks of such as exciting dance routines along with the video being primarily performance based. Goodwin states there is always a relationship between the lyrics and performance of a music video, which is present through this video with the lyrics being amplified, showing the song’s meaning and effect being portrayed.



Also within this video there is a clear commercialisation of the boy band, especially them being a new band which was being released. The video is most likely a high budget production with the setting being a set location most likely designed for the video with big lighting and effects of explosions connoting the band are coming into the music industry with a bang. There is a clear sign of the demands of the record label with lots of close-ups (meat shots) of the band together and as individuals which will ultimately attract an audience. They’re breaking the fourth wall by performing with a gaze into the camera, which will be commonly seen in boy band videos giving the audience a closer feel to the group which is what every fan wants.

I feel this video is more inherently commercial than art, however could be seen as a type of art with the creative infrastructure of the location and explosions being seen as a form of performance art, however the key idea of the video is the commercial side, and to market the boy band to the targeted audience. The record label clearly has a good knowledge of the audience trying to be reached, so the uses of camera shots of the band will clearly being an influential factor to attract them. There are no clear challenging ideas amongst the video, and fits into the common boy band characteristics of having fun and being wild throughout.


Here I am looking at Olly Murs’ latest single ‘Heart Skips a Beat’.



Within this music video I feel the purpose is more of a social message for the audience to reflect on, although as well as building his star image which Steve Archer talks about. The camera is very dominant of his movement and actions throughout the video focusing the audience on his character and action. I feel the location where the video is being shot is suggesting a social message, as it’s an urban, ‘street’ setting compared to a pop stars usual studio video. I feel this gives the audience an understanding of the type of character Olly Murs is and is building on his ‘star image’ as a lively, likeable character which people know him as, who likes to have a good time and appreciates where he is nowadays, coming from a show such as the X Factor, which produces new stars from nothing.

The fast pace cutting rates give the video an up beat feeling to which coincide with the lyrics and the beat and creates a synaesthesia when listening to it. It also works with the characters being used in it being young youths playing and having fun which supports the meaning of the video. The shots which are slowed down in the video create the sense that he’s almost reminiscing of his childhood as a past, and how he has developed as a person and an artist.



The semiotics of the mise-en-scene with his bright clothing along with the colourful graffiti in the background all produce a cultural code, which Roland Barthes talks about, and connote the message of a working class environment bringing a sense of a community coming together enjoying themselves with a feel good atmosphere. I also feel the performance of the actors involved within the video bring a second meaning to the video and produce the myth that even though if you’re brought up in a working class area, you can still be talented and become successful if you try, as they are all talented in what they’re doing.


JLS – One Shot



When looking at representation issues within popular music, you need to consider how a star/artist is a text that can reinforce or challenge existing stereotypes. In this JLS video I feel they are represented in positive way with a feminine touch to their performance based video through their dance moves and specifically Aston’s hand action creating a heart, which will attract the dominant target audience being females. The dominant value of an aggressive male role isn’t evident, which is common amongst male boy bands as it doesn’t fit to the taste of the target audience, and they portray the male gender in a positive manner, with the lyrics of the song giving the consumer thought that they are deep within their emotions. They apply the common value of a boy band through sexual magnetisation wearing clothing which reveals their body features which will attract an audience.

Richard Dyer talks about two paradoxes within music videos which represent music stars which are; the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer, which is present within One Shot with meat shots of the band with them breaking the fourth wall and interacting to the audience, however also with the effects when they ‘magically’ appear the microphones giving that extraordinary feeling to their stardom. His second paradox is the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumers, this is evident in the video with them being present performing to the camera, however absent as the setting of their performance in amongst the stars, conveying that feeling of them being ‘amongst the stars’ and not in reality.

TB : Music Video Product Analysis

Boy band videos are likely to have both ambient and focused viewers. Ambient viewers may turn on a music channel and have the song playing in the background , they could be interacting with another person or another form of media.

The type of song's boy bands produce could be used in an array of social settings to create an atmosphere , making there music popular on social occasions when a backdrop of
music is needed. Focused viewers would be largely made up of there dedicated fan base , viewers who specifically tuned in to watch there new video. In terms of targeting these viewers , my research has indicated that boy band videos would be largely screened on ' mainstream' music channels , such as MTV Hits , The Box , Kiss.

Media synergy would probably be the most effective way of distributing and advertising the products surrounding a boy band. Large media conglomerates are likely to control area's of the market that would be useful in reaching the target audience. We have chosen a JLS track , so I will use JLS as my example. JLS are under contract with the record label 'Jive Records'. In turn , Jive Records is owned by Sony BMG , therefore all music production can be distributed by them. An example of how Sony BMG could use take advantage of its resources is by using brand new tracks from their signed artists ( JLS ) in new films ( Sony pictures produces films). This is just one of the ways they could use there resources effectively to market and promote a band.






In the video above '' She makes me Wanna'' by JLS , there are many features that the theorist Andrew Goodwin has identified that confirm the conventions of the genre it is representing , Boy Band pop music. The video demonstrates genre characteristics through iconic synchronised dancing and group performance , enforcing Goodwin's view on how features within a music video connote the genre and conventions.


Another stand out feature within this video is the number of close ups of the artists( a feature used throughout all boy band videos). These 'Meat shots' are used to help create a video style that will then be iconic of that band. In this video , close up shots of the band members dancing are used to reveal the characteristics of the members , explosive , energetic and athletic. This feature is likely to occur across all there work. This will enforce a video style that will then be synonymous with the band , helping to brand there videos.

The video is an illustrative piece , simply using the band as a promotion tool to reach the desired target audience. The video is very commercial with a high budget and large set. The large crowds are typical of boy band videos since it increases the feeling of superiority as all these people stand around the group. Planes are shown flying over the band , this action is used to almost demonstrate the stardom of the band , constructing a star like image surrounding them.

I do not believe this specific video is art , only a tool used to help generate more album sales and increase publicity surrounding the band. There is very little in terms of narrative and is more or less purely focused on surrounding the band in a commercial shell , highlighting there fame and glamour , making them more desirable to there target audience ( Young Females)





Embedded above is ' Glad You Came' by the boy band The Wanted. This video is very much just a promotional tool used to enforce the bands image , as Steve Archer suggests a 'star image'. From the opening shots till the very end of the video it is evident most screen time is dedicated to the members of the boy band. This would lead me to suggest that it is indeed a video designed to construct this relatively new bands image.

As Archer suggests , the video does have a subject matter which helps link the visuals and the lyrics in the song. The primary subject matter would have to be the songs title , also in the songs chorus, ' Glad You Came'. Without even having seen the video it is likely that most listeners can tell from the song and title that the video is likely to be linked with the subject matter , in this case some sort of individual. Given the boy bands start image most listeners are likely to think this would be a female , coherent with their main target audience.

The general mood the song sets , one of partying , holiday fun and dancing is exactly what is portrayed in the video. The location of the video is chosen perfectly for this type of song , while it is also revealed in the opening few shots , Ibiza. This choice of location goes beyond the actual video , with a cultural understanding of what Ibiza as a holiday destination connotes. This can be seen as an example of Roland Barthes ' Cultural Code'. This use of Ibiza further constructs a myth about what we , as viewers , can expect from a holiday there. Obviously different demographics will react differently to this however it is likely that there target audience would read this as a positive holiday destination , a destination their idols have been too , and enjoyed. This re-enforcing of a myth is how people form their ideas and opinions of a place they have never even been too.

Apart from the obvious Mise-en-scene used in the video , the editing also signifies the type of image that surrounds the band. Fast cutting rates connote a high pace of action , matching the images of partying and high energy movement being displayed on screen. The editing is also in places very consistent with the beat , this use of the cut is very important to enforce the musical rhythm of the song. Lighting throughout the video is also key in connoting the bands image , strong lighting outdoors ( from the holiday sun ) helps convey the warmness of the experience to the audience , as well as fast laser lights and strobe effects to position the viewers in the club with the band. The use of the steady cam in the club location is also very effective , it positions the audience with the band. This technique helps break the fourth wall , since the band are inviting us to engage with them , connecting with us as a viewer.


In this screenshot from the video (above) , the non verbal language is matching with the idea that they are physically engaging themselves with their own stardom. Their posture is demanding of our attention , almost voyeuristic in the way they ask us to look at them , as stars. This shot explicitly tells us what this band are about , appealing to their audience in a very simple way , aiming to be as desirable as possible to their target audience.

Considering The Wanted are a relatively new boy band , whom have only recently began to consistently enter the charts , I would say that this video does add to their meta-narrative. The video conveys a sense of them realising their stardom (in a positive way) and making a very positive experience of it. I also think it is important to show their fans and audience they are enjoying themselves with their new found fame , since a more healthy relationship being displayed between each other is more likely to help sell their product , brand image.

The only real representation of social groups in this video is young males , mainly represented by the band. The band are represented positively throughout the video , with little to challenge or enforce current ideologies. However , there is one consistent ideology that is commonly enforced through boy band videos that is common throughout this video. This is the hegemonic view of masculinity. All members of the band are clearly good looking , a factor that has no doubt contributed to their mainstream success ( they are desired by there fans). This , and the fact all members of the band are shown to be very success with females could be seen to re-enforce stereotypical views that all men must behave in this way to achieve social status among their peers. Initially this may seem a petty ideology to comment upon , however , it is videos like these that lead to young men going to desperate measures to achieve a body that society is seen to think of as desirable.