'Marc Klasfeld' Director Analysis

All About Tonight, Pixie Lott, 2011

Rocketeer, Far East Movement, 2010

Hip Hop Police, Chamillionaire, 2007

Marc Klasfeld has directed over 200 music videos over his career for artists such as Flo-Rida, Fun.,  Sum41, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, 3OH!3 and many more. Many of the music videos he has directed are by American artists, but he has done work for Rita Ora, James Blunt and Pixie Lott as well, all British artists. As well as directing videos himself, he also founded Rockhard music video production company.

Common themes in Klasfeld's music videos

• Set outside in urban public places, mostly on the streets.
• Lots of movement of the camera, following the character as they travel, with the skateboarder in Rocketeer, as Chamillionaire runs away from the police and Pixie Lott walking down the street.
• Some narrative which tends to amplify the lyrics or title of the song such as collecting parts to build a rocket in Rocketeer and running into the police with Hip Hop Police.
• Performance. Rocketeer has Ryan Teddy singing and playing piano as well as members from Far East Movement rapping. Chamillionaire integrates the lyrics into the narrative so that they are using the rap as conversation between the cop and the main character (who are both Chamillionaire), there is also a news anchor (also played by Chamillionaire) who raps parts of the song. Pixie Lott dances in the middle of the street with backing dancers and sings.
• Strong intertextual references, especially in Chamillionaire's video. Borrows from TV (news), other rappers (using their names, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg's, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and other names were used in the news stories).

'Do My Thing' Current Rough Idea

• Lab setting
• People on production lines, in plain tank tops/ vest and shorts
• Given black boiler suits to wear and all hair is styled the same
• Empty space of some sort (studio) where all the people from the production line are in rows
• One person, carrying clipboard, uptight personality, stereotypical, goes inbetween rows checking each person for "imperfections"
• Shots of him walking around with cut aways to beauty shots and salt and pepper shots of a particular person, not revealing who it is but showing small distinctive features, eyes, hair, nails, accessories, clothing
• He reaches one particular person (who is the person we've been cutting away to), looks her up and down disapprovingly, he thinks she is "imperfect"
• She starts singing the lines "hey hey hey hey" (start of song) in his face, going right up to him and pushing him backwards
• Shots of people around her, the others who were on the production line, subtly nodding their heads, tapping their fingers and feet in time with music
• Man faints (also amplification of lyrics "hold your breath and concentrate, keep holding till your face turns blue") because of singer pressuring him
• Other people realise he's fainted and they start 'breaking ranks'
• Hair, clothes change and tattoos, make up, accessories appear while they're dancing/ doing whatever they want, this group are not necessarily dancers, they just want to have the freedom of doing what they choose
• Constant cut backs, beauty shots, salt and pepper shots of the singer who started the rebellion and another singer who has joined in 
• Singer/s with the dancers, in a separate room, possibly plain apart from confetti? all over the floor and in the air, where they are dancing
• Choreographed dance in contrast to the production line people who are just a big mix of skills
• Near end of video, the man who was checking for imperfections wakes up, everyone is back in their boiler suits and standing in lines again
• It all looks normal again but the people smirk to each other behind the man's back as he continues checking people

'Do My Thing' Lyrics With Time Codes

Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey 
Hey hey hey hey

0:12 I wear my clothes like this because I can (because I can)
0:16 I wear my hair like this because I can (because I can)
0:19 I walk around like this because I can (because I can)
0:22 And I do my thing like 'cause this who I am (this who I am)
0:26 If you are expecting me to give you an apology
0:29 For being nothing that you used to (used to)
0:33 Well go on right ahead and wait
0:34 Hold your breath and concentrate
0:36 Keep holding till your face turns blue (turns blue)

0:39 My road, it ain't your road but trust I know just where I am going (just where I am going)
0:46 My flow it ain't your flow, but trust I know, I know just how I'm flowing (just how I'm flowing)
0:52 I’ma do my thing
0:53 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
0:55 Please feel free to hate and complain
0:58 Said I'm a do my thing
1:00 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
1:02 Say what you want cause this one ain't gonna change
1:06 I’ma do my thing
Ha ha ha ha ha ha

1:12 I can't wear my clothes like you, because I'm not (because I'm not)
1:16 I can't do my hair like you, because I'm not (because I'm not)
1:19 I can't walk around like you, because I'm not (because I'm not)
1:22 I can't do my thing like you, well that just ain't hot
1:26 And If you are expecting me to give you an apology
1:29 For being nothing like you used to (used to)
1:32 Well go on right ahead and wait
1:33 Hold your breath and concentrate
1:35 Keep holding till your face turns blue

1:39 My road, it ain't your road, but trust I know, I just where I'm going (just where I am going)
1:45 My flow it ain't your flow, but trust I know, I just how I'm flowing (just how I'm flowing)
1:51 I’ma do my thing
1:53 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
1:55 Please feel free to hate and complain
1:58 Cause I'm a do my thing
2:59 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
2:01 Say what you like cause this one ain't gonna change
2:05 I’ma do my thing

2:06 You don't know where I am going, and so you think I am lost
2:09 I ain't on your page, OK so to you that means I'm off
2:12 When I dance, I dance to the beat of a drummer you don't hear and you can't see
2:16 So if I look off beat to you, well the problem must be you not me
2:19 Irregular but never irrelevant, unusual but never uncool
2:22 You're not cut from my clothes
2:23 You never get me, or I don't get you
2:26 Either a believer of the fact
2:27 That unique equals love
2:29 So if I'm going too fast for you
2:30 Open your mind and speed off

2:32 My road, it ain't your road, but trust I know just where I'm going (just where I am going)
2:38 My flow it ain't your flow, but trust I know, just how I'm flowing (just how I'm flowing)
2:44 I’ma do my thing
2:46 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
2:48 Please feel free to hate and complain
2:51 I'ma do my thing
2:52 I’ma do my, I’ma do my thing
2:55 And say what you want cause this one ain't gonna change
2:57 I'ma do my thing

Audience Research

Audience research is vital for music industries, they need to know who they are selling to so that they can satisfy the audience's needs and persuade them to buy into the music. By using YouTube's video statistics feature I can easily see the target audience for Estelle's Do My Thing is females, the top 3 demographic age/gender groups viewing the audio video are female.

In conclusion to the actual song and artist research we have come decided that our target audience is females, from 9 right up to 30.

Secondary Target Audience:

• Femenists
• Rappers
• Contempory R&B/ Soul/ Hip Hop
• British music fans
• males 13-25
• Dancers
• Older females

'If I Were A Boy' Gender Representation Analysis

If I Were A Boy, Beyoncé, 2008

Beyoncé's "If I Were A Boy" music video revolves around role reversal, the lyrics of the song are amplified throughout, focusing on the contrasts between how a male and a female act in a relationship. The video goes through the day in the life of a couple, of which Beyoncé plays the typical male character in the relationship, and the husband is typically female.

We see the husband cooking breakfast for his wife, hoping to eat together, but she doesn't have time and leaves for work. Within the video, Beyoncé is a police officer, which is a very male dominated profession because the qualities required for law enforcement are typically found in males, including authority, bravery and confidence. Beyoncé exhibits these when stopping drivers, practicing target shooting and arresting people. On the other hand the husband is a secretary, a typically female dominated profession. While he is at work he is online, looking for a gift to give to his wife.

Beyoncé's coworker is male, who appears to be attracted to her and after their shift they go to a restaurant with other colleagues, during which Beyoncé ignores her husband's calls. In contrast, her husband chooses not to go out with his colleagues, all of which are female, this may be because he is thinking of his wife, showing his commitment to the relationship.

Later on Beyoncé, her husband and her coworker attend a party and Beyoncé is flirting with her coworker while her husband stands alone. When she notices him watching she heads over to talk to him but he rejects her, leaving while she follows. They drive home in silence and the husband confronts Beyoncé about what happened at the party. He says "You know, when you act like that, I don't think you realise how it makes me look, or feel." to which she responds "Act like what? Why are you so jealous? Its not like I'm sleeping with the guy." At that point the roles are reversed, or obversed, as it appears that in reality, the husband is the police officer, flirting with his female colleagues, while Beyoncé is the wife, having her calls ignored by her husband. The audience realises that while wife's actions which seemed abnormal during the video, flirting, ignoring calls, taking her husband for granted, may look very normal if we had flipped it and seen the husband flirting, ignoring calls and taking his wife for granted. This time, the husband says "Why are you so jealous? Its not like I'm sleeping with the girl." in a joking manner, acting like its nothing.

At the end of the video everything is back to normal and the husband is walking down the stairs, not having breakfast with his wife and putting on his uniform before heading out to meet his female co-worker.

Music Biography

Music during childhood

It Wasn't Me, Shaggy, 2000

Most of the music that I remember listening to during my childhood is basically what was on the radio at the time. My parents would switch on Capital FM while we were in the car then my brothers and I would listen to whatever was being played, since none of us had CD players or cassette players. This song, 'It Wasn't Me' by Shaggy, was No.1 on the UK singles charts back in 2001 so naturally it was played on air many times because of high demand, now whenever I think back to 'childhood music' I think of this song.

Music during teenage years

Knights of Cydonia, Muse, 2006

When I was 13 or so I was listening to rock music, Blink-182, Muse and Arctic Monkeys, all of which I still enjoy listening to now, but when I was younger I would listen to rock music whenever I had the chance, which was really only when I got my turn on the computer shared with my family. I think it was the energy of the instruments that attracted me the most to rock music.

Current music

Sloom, Of Monsters And Men, 2012

During the past year or so I've been listening to more mellow, relaxing music with genres such as folk and acoustic, with a bit of alternative rock or pop mixed in. Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic band that I only discovered a few weeks ago but I found that I really liked every single song off their only album.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?

By the end of the workshop day I was very tired but I found the whole experience very enjoyable. Watching the crew work and being able to help them was my favourite part of the day. The entire process was, in my opinion, extremely professional and I can easily imagine how a professional music video would be created, based off the workshop day. Another aspect which I liked was the atmosphere within the studio during the shoot; the entire crew was still working enthusiastically at the end despite shooting for over 12 hours.

What did you learn from participating in the workshop?
By observing the crew I learnt about the different responsibilities each person had, how they contributed towards the shoot. The prop artist and make up artist had to get props and people in front of the camera looking their best at the right times. They had a huge role to play and also had to keep a watch on the shot schedule. Crew working with the camera used many different equipment, including a jib, dolly, track and a variety of lens. By the end of the shoot day I had learnt the basics of how they operate this equipment by watching the crew.

Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?
From the beginning of the workshop I had never expected the end product to be as well made as the real music video, but it turned out much better than I had anticipated. The set looked fantastic and the drapery made a good replacement for the infinity wall. Although some of the movement in the shots were quite difficult to recreate, the crew compromised by establishing their own movement, for example, with one of the panda bear shots involving lots of panning and tracking. In other cases, the size of our studio hindered the shots, in the shots with the doll house the crew could not track far back enough as the track on the floor would sometimes appear at the bottom of the screen. During the edit the group was able to pick the best sections of footage together so I am happy with the footage on a whole.

How do you think your workshop experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?
The workshop has given me insight to professional music video planning, production and post production and it will help me successfully create my own music video next term. I think that the workshop experience will benefit my planning for next term's project. Seeing all the planning done in preparation for the music video workshop has made me realise that it would all be a disaster without it. Everything ran smoothly thanks to all the planning done by the crew.