Research Into Your Chosen Artist

The selected music artist which we have chosen to make a music video of is Jason Mraz 'I won't give up', we selected the alternative genre artist because of the results in our survey due to many people preferring to listen to contrasting narratives. The inspiration of the artist shows a different style of filming with the visuals including or challenging stereotypes of the genre. Additionally, the artist uses conventional and unique techniques in his music video which makes him diverse in the music industry. This suggests that our artist will challenging to the normal more mainstream artists such as Rihanna, Example and Chase & Status. Therefore, due to the strong narrative of the artist we can adopt and represent the meaning of our artist in a selected way by concentrating on the idea of the song and not the typically style and conventions of a music genre.


Jason Mraz had international success in the music industry when he released 'Im Yours'. The single peaked at Number 6 in the US BillBoard Hot 100 which gave him his first top 10 single, which led to over 5 million sales of the song, the song topped the Charts in New Zealand and Norway. He was singed to Elektra Records in 2002 of which he had a debut album of 'Waiting for My Rocket to Come' which was a success as a alternative genre artist by the song peaking at Number 15 in the US BillBoard 200. In 2005 he was signed to Atlantic Records part of the Warner Music Group Corporation. After which he produced more affective songs and in 2009, 2010 and 2012 have been nominated for a number of highly sort after awards in the music industry such as Teen choice Award for Best Love song and Song of the Year.

 

I will be looking at both ‘I’m yours ‘and ‘Lucky’ featuring Colbie Caillat, which we both very successful in the music industry and Alternative music genre. Also, the song I’m yours which was his greatest due to sales revenue. The first Jason Mraz song is decided to analysis is ‘I’m Yours’ which was very successful in 5 worldwide country music charts (Venezuela, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and Israeli) and a large number of US Billboard Charts. The song was in the Hot 100 for 76 weeks which was recording breaking for the most weeks spent on a chart (Breaking LeAnn Rimes song ‘How Do I Live’ in 1998. Therefore, the song remains as Mraz’s biggest hit single in the USA with 9.5 million downloads worldwide. The music video itself was added to YouTube it has been viewed over 100 million times as of July 2011. It was filmed in Hawaii in 2008 with a veteran and famous music video director Darren Doane.

 

 

The songs visuals use a range of mise-en-scene with a variety of locations, costumes and motor vehicles to make the video successful. The costume of which the artist wears is Ray-Ban Sunglasses, straw hat and normal average person T-Shirt and shorts. This suggests that the artist is being very stylish with the designer products and fashionable accessories such as the straw hat which artists such as Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran have used in their music videos. Jason also wears a backpack in a number of shots to show that he is exploring and the song is the journey which is he taking. This implies that the artist is aiming the music video at 14-25 year olds target audience which is interested in the modern and up-to-date fashion. Through-out the song he only changes t-shirts and shorts to trousers to show that he is travelling a long period of time through a number of countries with different environments and climates. This emphasises that he is exploring across a large amounts of areas. Additionally, is located at a number of different locations in the countries he visits. The lighting is used to emphasis the charm and grace of the nature locations in the country. The video includes a shot of Jason in a plane with no key lighting, this means that the audience only concentrates on the blue sky outside the plane. Therefore, the video mainly looks at the locations and it isn’t as important to have the artist through-out the video because this builds the main image and representation of what the song and music video is conveying to the target audience.

 

 

The video’s opening scene is an overhead shot of a private jet at Lihue Airport on Kauai. It sets up the next scene where Mraz is seated, supposedly, in that same airplane. This implies that he has landed to a new place which he hasn’t previously visited and is starting an adventure to travel and see the world. Also, due to the private jet is illustrates that he could be wealth and can afford to go on exploring visits and buy design products (Ray-Ban’s).  The shot changes to the audience gazing thoughtfully into a fish tank and putting on a backpack, Mraz’s video self-departs an apartment, leaving the unit’s key behind. The location was an actual occupied apartment unit on the North Shore of Oahu. All furnishings belonged to the occupants; this makes the setting affective as a rundown basic hotel which shows that he has gone to a poor/developing country to see the different cultures and limitations which they have with technology, political ideas, traditions and religion. Thirdly, the shot changes to a tracking shot of the music video following Jason exploring in the forest to show that the target audience is on the journey with Jason with the effects of using a hand-held camera for affect. Mraz hops in the back of another late model pick-up truck to a medium shot, this time with a trio of girls.

 

 

There is a strong relationship between both the visuals and music soundtrack because it builds a stronger flow in the music video, an example of this is the waterfall scene, on Oahu's windward side, was suggested by the girl he's seen conversing with at the skate park—a North Shore resident he and Doane had just met. This means that the music video was mainly used and produced with local knowledge of the area and not created under music industry conventions of the production process. This includes a Long shot of three women jumping into the water in different timings, which is in parallel with the music. This is affective because connections the music with the visuals but making the music flow. Also, the visuals scenes flow with the music to compliant the way that they are represented with the major forests and rivers being shown as beauty. This is similar to the connections between the visuals ad lyrics of the song stating that he gives himself nature and wants to experience to the full - ‘I’m Yours’. The song has a range of close-up of the singer to show that he has happy and joyful emotions due to him enjoying the adventure which he is on to explore a new country to him. Likewise, this raises awareness of the artist in the music industry and alternative genre. Through-out the music video there is notion of looking for the main character because this could illustrate that the viewer has gone on the journey with them and that he is describing his emotions to the audience. Overall, the music video has 15% Narrative, 60% concept and 25% performance due to the main character using simple and limited acting but a strong concept of average person travelling around the world to visit new areas.

 

 

 

The second music video I have decided to analysis is Jason Mraz Featuring Colbie Caillat ‘Lucky’ song, which reached Number 5 in the Belgian Charts and in the Top 100 in the US Billboard for Adult Pop Songs and Adult Contemporary. This suggest that the music video wasn’t as successful compared to ‘I’m Yours’ in the single Chart. However, the successful in two US Billboard Charts suggests that it was successful in gaining sales in such a competitive music market. The song is due to the lyrics is aimed at a target audience of 17-25 year olds both male and female but mainly female, due to the music being of love and young love.

 

 

The music video starts with an establishing shot of the Town Centre of the capital city Bucharest of Romania; this implies that the music video is about contrasting countries or environments. This shot is of a tracking technique which emphasis that the audience is walking around the town, which could suggest that the artist is looking for a person in the village. The shot changes to a medium shot of Jason Mraz in the town centre and then a change of shot to Colbie Caillat on a beach. This illustrates that Jason is looking for her and due to the mise-en-scene of Jason he has come from America due to the stereotypically American business men/mafia style clothes which represent wealth and power. This is in comparison to the peaceful joyful beach of which Colbie is singing because is suggests that they are in love but can’t live with each other due to the different lifestyle which they live. This changes to tracking shots of both artists to show that they are looking in the different locations, this implies that they are in love with each other but searching around to try and get transport to meet or find each other.

 

 

The mise-en-scene of the music video is very affective due to the change of locations for Jason, the location consist of the Town Centre (Bucharest capital of Romania), Beach, Fields, roads and finally rocks. This suggests to the audience that he is travelling to faraway places to find the women he loves. Also, Jason’s costume represents an American Business man which implies that he has traveled to many locations to find the women. Additionally, he is wearing very formal dress similar to the white flowing dress which Colbie is wearing, to imply that he is finding her to ask her hand in marriage. The lyrics ‘Lucky I’m in love with my bestfriend’ suggests that this could be possible due to them already having a strong relationship previously built.   Whilst, trying to find to find her he uses many types of transport which include a classic motorcar (typically a wedding car), sailing boat and walking across the different terrains to find her, so it doesn’t matter how he gets there.

 

 

The music video uses Goodwin’s Theory effectively to make the music video successful. There is very challenging visuals and music compared to many normal alternative music genre music videos. The music video uses editing is fast of the changes of shots with the medium paced music soundtrack, this is unusual compared to many music videos of the music genre and Jason Mraz but is very affective to represent the emotions and confusion of which the characters are going through due to their love. This is different to the music and narrative connection due to the narrative flowing with the Romantic narrative, to attract the audience with a affective pace of the tune and lyrics. The artists use references notion of looking through-out the music video due to both artists singing to the audience. This conveys to the viewer that the artist can be singing able their love for the other artist. The music video uses intertextual reference due to the musical film ‘Mumma Mia’ which was produced in the same style of using the contrasting locations to represent the different  lifestyles which cause problems in relationships. The music video uses this technique to the musical due to it being very successful in the Film and Music industry being nominated in 3 Golden Globe Awards and 2 BAFTA Awards. The music video uses a similar performance base to ‘I’m Yours’ with 5% Narrative, 60% concept and 35% performance.

 

 

 

Jason Mraz song ‘I’m Yours' and ‘Lucky’ all are typical of Dyer's Theory due to it suggesting that the star is a products of which he has produced these songs for profit and to be successful which means that she has used a range of media forms to do so which her music being played on music channels, youtube and the radio. Also, on chat shows to promote his new song releases, only to potential increase the target audience. Through-out the years of producing material Jason has always promoted himself as ordinary having an average lifestyle which appeals to the audience, with going to usual locations to show that the audience could do this. But, there is a medium shot of Jason surfing in the seas on the beach this shows that he extraordinary and that he has done many activities on his travels using various skills. This means that due to the beautiful locations and concepts of the songs concept he has always been present in her music videos but regularly with changed fashion, style of narrative and mise-en-scene. this suggests that she changes herself to match the audience and follows them and doesn't change the stereotype of her genre.