Task one – understand the purpose of music videos

One of the key purposes of a music video is to promote the artist as well as the song. By promoting the artist, this is shown by having the artist be center stage and being the main character that is visible and clear throughout the whole music video. Throughout the music industry, there are ranges of promotional tools used to advertise and promote the artist. Some of the main promotional tools consist of; controversy, visual editing, focus on artist, costume etc. an example of this is Lady Gaga’s music video ‘Born this way’, in this music video there are a range of promotional techniques that are used to promote Lady Gaga and the type of celebrity she is. As the song is about her and what kind of a person she is, the promotional techniques used in the video help define that. 

Another example of an artist promoting their new style is Miley Cyrus in her song 'Wrecking Ball'. Looking at the video Miley Cyrus created for her song, she wanted to also promote her new style by doing this she uses a range of close ups of herself throughout the video as she has a new style she is trying to show off to her audience. Throughout her video Miley Cyrus uses a lot of sex appeal which created a huge controversy on what should be suitable for a music video. In the music video Miley Cyrus would be sitting on a wrecking ball naked whilst singing as well as doing a few things that seems very inappropriate to have on a music video such as licking the top half of a hammer, this can create an uneasy feeling for the audience whilst watching as they can feel uncomfortable as well as distressed when watching the video. As there has been complaints and controversy of the video, they also made a directors cut which was more appropriate to watch. 

During the whole process of the music video, you can see the different techniques used for example at the beginning of the music video there are a few minutes where Lady Gaga in 'Born this way' where she is narrating the whole point and idea on what she is trying to convey to her audience in the whole video, by having her narrate gives the viewers a brief introduction on what the video is about from her perspective as well as allows her to interact and engage her audience about the video. 

Another example of an artist narrating in their music video is Michael Jackson 'Thriller', before the music video starts their is a 4 minute long intro which is a short storyline made to go with the theme of the song, in the music video their is a very nice flow from the storyline to the song which is what makes the video interesting to watch.


Another way in which Lady Gaga uses promotional techniques to promote the music video is controversy. Throughout the whole video there are a range of ways in which she shows controversy, this consists of sex appeal, nudity and adult themes. In the video Lady Gaga changes into a various different types of costumes, one of the costumes consist of her dancing around in her underwear. This is the easiest and efficient way to promote yourself and the music video. As sex appeal is one of the main ways that a music video is promoted, Lady Gaga is using this as an advantage to promote herself as a celebrity and her song.

Another purpose of music videos is to show the availability of artists. The whole idea of a music video began with the Beatles in 1964 with their song ‘Hard day night’. By creating a music video, this would make their life easier by airing the video on music shows such as ‘top of the pops’ in different countries rather than travelling to them, which is a longer process. After this, many artists start creating music videos, as it was a way they would communicate to their viewers and audience about the song.

Unlike the Beatles where they created a music video which consist of them recording a video with their song, Queen was known to create the first music video with their ‘Bohemian rhapsody’, the music video is filmed containing lip singing as well as footage from previous concerts with them performing the song.

There are various ways in which artists can gain income from music videos, an example of this is having product placement in a music video. By having product advertised in a music video, the artist gains from this by being paid from the advertiser of the product to promote the product in there music video, by this the advertisers pay a large amount to the artist to have access to view the product in the music video.An example of product placement in a music video the artist ‘Miley Cyrus’ having the beats pill in her music video ‘we can’t stop’, By advertising the pill, it will encourage some of Miley’s fans as they see she is using it they would want the same. 

Another example with product placement in music videos is the collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull for the song 'Live it up'. Throughout the song the artists use a range of product placements for different products such as the ice watch, a Nokia phone and Swarovski sunglasses. For such well known artists the companies of these products wanted to the artists to advertise their products to shoe the audience of the artists what they use. 

                   

Action Plan

	My Career Action Plan Year 12   Name: ____________________________   Date: ________________   School: _____________________________________
A Career Action Plan helps you to focus on your goals and plans for the future. It helps you to work out how you are going to achieve what you want relating to school, work and life. A Career Action Plan lets you apply your skills and knowledge to successfully move into your preferred career.

My Profile

Personal characteristics – this will help you work out what your skills are

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/get-started.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/creativity-quiz.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_99.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_72.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_50.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm

My current skills and abilities (Things that I can do well, use your skills profile to help)	·  Time Management – managing my time is an advantage as I wont be as stressed also I am always on schedule when I complete my tasks and objectives efficiently. ·  Finding Problems – If there is an issue or problem that needs to be resolved, the best way it should be handled is to sort it out rather than ignore the problem. · Communication Skills - communicating and explaining different ideas to   other people informing them with different ideas. Being a very good listener when people are talking is a benefit as you can take in other opinions that are given from others. · Team Leadership – being in a team, you learn ways in which you can all work together as a team and share ideas and opinions with each other.
My current experience	·    BBC3 Hair studios – doing work experience at a hair salon I gained skills on communicating with customers, by this I would have friendly conversations and making them feel welcomed and comfy in the salon, I also learned team leadership skills by working as a team efficiently ·    Westminster Care  – by doing work experience here I gained more experience with communicating with people for example I would answer the phone and communicate to the other person in a very formal and understanding way. I also gained experience on what it is like to be working in an office environment with other people.
My career interests – what kind of jobs/careers are you interested in and why?	A career I would like to pursue in the future is a costume designer, the reasons for this Is I have always had an interest in fashion and designing as well as a lot of costume and theatre outfits. From this I knew I have always wanted to create costumes for productions/films/TV shows etc.
Jobs identified – what jobs have you chosen to explore and why?	· Makeup artist · Costume designer ·  Marketing and social media manager · Graphic designer · Project Manager · Product director
Websites used for job search Other websites that you found useful.	http://www.jobs.ac.uk http://www.reed.co.uk

Date: ________________

My Future

You will show clearly how your personal skills can best be used in the film and TV industries. – YOU MUST DISCUSS AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT JOBS YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED.

My career choice

Job Choices - what jobs have you chosen to explore and why?	·   Costume Designer – the reason why I have chosen this job choice to explore is because I have always had an interest in designing as well as being very creative. With this job choice I can create costumes as well as put outfits together for films, productions, TV shows etc. in addition with this I also have a lot of knowledge of fashion and trends, this can benefit me during the job when creating new items etc. ·   Makeup artist – With this job choice the reason why I have decided to explore it is because I also have a strong interest in art and design, which can benefit Me with this career choice. ·   Marketing and social media manager – With this job choice, as it is a very different career choice to my other decisions, I found it very interesting as well as challenging which is something I like to do. As this career job specialises in marketing, It is a topic that I have high knowledge which is beneficial as I would be very aware with what I would have to do for the job role.
Qualities/Skills required Look at PERSON SPECFICATION for each job	Costume designer- skills and qualities required for this job is; creativity,  Imagination,  Designing skills, Communication skills, Organisational skills, A good eye for detail, Ability to work under pressure, Research skills, Knowledge of costume history and modern fashion. Makeup Artist- the skills and qualities required for this job is; Friendly, Able to relate well to people, Good listeners, Reliable, Good at time management. Marketing and social media manager- the skills and qualities required for this job is; Strong project management, Organizational skills, Good knowledge of marketing techniques, Market research experience, Communication skills, Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other departments, members and partners, Good written and oral communication skills, IT literate, Stamina, energy and enthusiasm.
Duties required = what do you need to do  in each of the jobs LOOK AT THE JOB DESCRIPTION	Costume designer – To carry out research in to the costume styles, designs and construction methods, which are appropriate for the type of production they would need it for. Makeup artist- To be able to create the look the client would need, this can consist of what the director would want for the character when filming. This can also consist of other needs the client would want. Marketing and social media manager- to create a marketing strategy as well as identify future opportunities for brand enhancement. Also to be managing corporate social media accounts.
Potential employers – give details of the employers – who they are, their addresses, the nature of their business	Fashion Merchandising (costume designer) – must have an eye for style, as well as have a head for business. Field involves buying, pricing, marketing, displaying and selling types of garments and accessories. Cosmetologist (makeup artist) – cosmetologist can consist of a range of jobs such as beauticians, hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, nail services as well as applying make up to customers. Marketing manager (marketing and social media manager) – responsible for building ignites agency marketing function. Primary responsibility of a marketing manager is to build and manage a content marketing machine that contributes useful and thoughtful content.
Employer important dates – date for application/interview etc. (e.g. pre-apprenticeship tests)	Fashion Merchandising – ·     Application given in on the 20th April 2014 ·     Interview date on the 30st April 2014 ·     Job starts on the 10th May 2014 Cosmetologist – ·       Application is 10th May 2014 ·       Interview date on the 20th May 2014 ·       Job starts on the 25th May 2014 Marketing manager – ·       Application given on the 15th April 2014 ·       Interview date on the 1st May 2014 ·       Job starts on the 10th May 2014
Skills match –  how does your skills match with each job?	Fashion Merchandising – By having skills such as creative skills, it can help me buying and designing new products. Cosmetologist – by having great communication skills, it can benefit me when talking to customers and helping them out with any needs and requirements. Marketing manager – by having skills such as team leadership, it would help me become a more established manager when working with a team.
Skills Gaps Skills gaps - What skills do you need to develop?	One skill I would want to develop in order to improve my communication skills in my lack of confidence, as I am not a very confident person it sometimes interrupts with my communication skills. As I am strengthening this skill I would want to improve it by gaining confidence also.
Experience needed What experiences/training do you need to enable you to do this job?	With all the job types I have listed, I have some knowledge and experience from everyday life as well as what I have learned in my subjects. -       My knowledge on costume designing is high as I have had experience in doing textiles as a subject as well as the interest I have for fashion on a daily basis. -       My experience with makeup is very minimal as I do use make up myself, however this would be a higher advanced level of doing makeup which would mean I would need more knowledge on the types of makeups as well as what would be suitable for certain people as the main key here is to make sure the customers or the character is happy and satisfied with the results. -       The experience I have with managing is also very minimal, I did business as a subject which has helped me give me some idea on how a successful manager should be like as well as what their roles are, this is another job I would need experience and training before entering that path.
Education/training/ experience required for each job (e.g. course name)	- Bachelor of science in fashion merchandising (fashion merchandising) – this course offers knowledge that is needed for fashion merchandising at the international academy of design and technology. - You can do a course in BABTAC (cosmetologist) which specialises in cosmetology. You can do as many courses as you like at BABTAC but you have to pay for each day. - Short curse in management and marketing at London school of business and finance, varies depending on the course you want to do. Learn basics of marketing management to start you of before working.
Providers offering courses - Where, when?	- Bachelor of science in fashion merchandising would be studied at the international academy of design and technology - Cosmetology course in BABTAC (cosmetologist) price of each course varies depending on the type of cosmetology course you want to do, you can do a day of the course up to 2 weeks. - Short course in marketing management at London school of business and finance, course varies of a day p to 6 weeks depending the amount of knowledge you want and need.
Possible work experience opportunities? Where, when? For what jobs would they help with?	Fashion merchandising – work experience in retail and getting to know how items of clothing are brought etc. Cosmetology – working with a make up artist as a beginner and learning the types of products used and do own research with that. Marketing manager- working with any time of company that consist of marketing to gain more of a work environment in that particular area.

Date: ________________

My Plan

¬ Goals are things that you want to achieve in the future. They are things that will help you to be prepared and ready for change at school or in your life. It is important that you think about goals early because then you can work out how to achieve them. Thinking about goals means that you will be prepared to study the subjects you like, do the types of occupations you prefer, and keep your future options open. If you meet a goal throughout the year, set another new one for yourself – maybe a more challenging one.

¬ Think about goals that relate to education/training and employment. For example, an education/training goal might be to hand all school work in on time, and an employment goal might be to find a part-time job. ¬ Think about why the goals you have made are important. For example, handing all school work in on time means you are developing time management skills, and working part-time helps you to develop a school-work-life balance. ¬ Think about how long it will take you to achieve your goals. Some goals are short-term which means you can achieve them in a few weeks. Some goals are long-term which means it might take a year or more before you can achieve them.

New Education and Training Goals

What is my goal?	How will I do it?	Why is it important?	When will I do it by?
Achieve a B or above in this years as course	By completing work to the best of my ability and working hard	By having good grades, it will open more doors and careers opportunities for the future	I will do this till the as course is over
Always keep on top of my work and focused at all times	Making sure I am up to date with my work	By keeping up to date would help my organisational skills and keep me organised	I would make sure all my work and revision is up to date

New Employment Goals

What is my goal?	How will I do it?	Why is it important?	When will I do it by?
Find any type of part time job for the weekends or weekdays	Looking online and going out looking at different stores to check if any jobs are available, by doing this I would have to also hand my CV out	So I can learn how to be independent and gain knowledge of the real world, also to earn money	Once I am finished with my exams and school, I will start looking for a job of my interest

Resources I need to help me

Sources of information

Areas I need to develop to achieve my career choice

		Achievement Date
Attributes* (e.g. personal characteristics such as personal presentation and motivation)	One skill I would like to develop to help me in the future with a career is being more confident and talkative. As I am quite shy I find it hard to be confident in some situations, by gaining this it would help me become more independent and confident when meeting new people.	1/9/15
Skills* (e.g. academic skills and employability skills such as organising, learning and team work)	I must improve n my communication skills, as I need some more confidence to talk to others.	1/9/15

Skills, attributes, training can be found on the following  sites

http://www.skillset.org/tv/newentrants/

http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/industry/