How to Make a Successful Pop Music Video

What is the secret formula that makes a music video memorable and influential? After studying many music videos I think I may have found out the key ingredients to make a great pop video.

First let's begin with The Star

A good way to get noticed fast is to have a bold look, something to make you stand out in the crowd and inspire others. A good example(s) would be a big icon Elvis, the king himself, as his hair was the big trend back then; another good example would be Madonna and her bad catholic girl stage persona which she has upheld through the years.

Great now we've got our star, so if we're going to do a music video I guess next we need to 'do it in style.' So this means you need to be a trendsetter, or if you're daring go for a more extravagent costume and big hair etc-   Image is key

Another thing I've noticed in popular pop videos are catchy dance routines, Adam Ant had a popular dance routine in his video 'Prince Charming' which everyone was doing in clubs etc, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' routine was also popular one everyone imitated. Currently everyone is doing the 'shuffle' as it has become popular once again when it featured in LMFAO's video 'Party Rock.'

Strong themes can also make a video successful videos such as Duran Duran's 'Rio,' or the very popular 'call on me' dance video which has a strong retro feel and  Nirvana's 'Smells like Team Spirit' has a very teenn rebellion atmosphere which reflects the song well.

Finding the right music

As I explained in my last post, for the coursework we need to use an unsigned artist. To do this I am going to use www.unsigned.com or www.myspace.com until I find the perfect song. Personally I'm looking for acoustic music with a indie/pop edge, and along the lines of mellow so I can really get creative.
After I find the song I would like to use I will contact the artist via email to ask for permission, copy of song and lyrics as well as information on what I am doing and what I intend to use their music for.

Copyright

In the music industry, and any other media industries, the word 'copyright' is always brought up. But what exactly does 'copyright' mean?
Copyright legally states that the creator of a art/literature work has exclusive rights to the property, in order to use or copy that work you would need to contact the legal holder (or creator) directly to ask for permission to use it. Copyright is important as it gives the creator exclusive rights and they obtain all profits; however there are political issues surrounding this system which can cause problems.

Problem? Well for our media coursework we need to obtain non-copyright music, so we need to find an unsigned artist. This is not only useful for us but also for the artist as it allows them to get their music out there and known; of course we will need to ask permission to use their music to avoid legal implications.

My 3 Favourite Music Videos

AaRON- Lili (U-Turn)

The song was integrated into the film 'Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas,' in the film it was suppose to be a song written by a character for his sister Lili. This song has made the band popular nationally.

AaRON are a French pop/rock duo, they are popular mostly in France and all over Europe. They've had two albums and mostly tour around Europe.

I love the how the dark background makes everything stand out from the light bulbs, the band and the screen in the background, it's simple but effective.

There is good piano miming in the video and fairly good lip syncing.I also think the close up shots of the singer is effective as it shows emotion and the mood of the song in parts where it's more mellow than others.

Julian Perretta-Wonder Why

Julian Perretta is an English artist, his genres include pop and soul. He has released two albums but his main success came from his song 'Wonder Why' which topped radio airplay and itunes charts in Europe, the song has now reached platinum status. Julian Perretta's main successes are in France, Germany and the Netherlands but he is now trying to spread to America.

The music video captures both the emotions and tension between the couple as well as the energy/young vibe of the song. They're all dressed in the latest fashions; the band especially stand out as they are dressed very edgy. The band are from all different ethnic groups and are different genders which covers a range of target and social groups.

The girl in the video is very sultry and exotic looking which appeals to men; and for the women out there the singer is their eye candy.

I liked the spilt shots in the video as they are used to show different emotions as well as create diversity. 

Camelia Jordana- Moi c'est

Camelia Jordana starred on the talent show Nouvelle Star (the French version of Pop Idol/X Factor) and came third. Since she has had one album (in the French pop genre) with her most successful song being her first single 'Non non non' which reached third in the French music charts.

The music video 'Moi C'est' has not much to do so much about the song. It's random, fun and inventive and that's what made it memorable when I first watched it.