Sophie was born in London but spent most of her life growing up in the
Isle of Man.
She is an English
music video director.
She is most known
for her long-time collaborations with
artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sad, Shakira, Shakespeare’s Sister, Garbage, The
Killers, Blur, Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis and Eurythemics.
Muller's first taste of professional film
came working as a third assistant on the 1984 horror/thriller Company of Wolves. She then went to
work for International Film and Video, honoring her for editing, producing and
directing skills.
Her work
Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
Alicia Keys - Girl On Fire
A main thing i have noticed is that the director uses a lot of variation of colour of light and also brightness. In both videos there is lots of variation in colour to emphasise the artist. Also there are lots of spotlights on objects or the artist used. Muller clearly likes variation in lighting. This is different from a lot of other directors and like the idea as it makes the videos different and stand out and would consider using it in my own video. Also both videos had the feature from Goodwin's Seven that there was a relationship between the music and the visuals. In the Lana Del Rey video there when the violin's were lit up, it was in time with the music and in the Alicia Keys video when the 3 generations of women were breaking the vegetables, it was also in time with the music. This was really cool and stood out within the video and also would like to incorporate it into my own video. She uses a lot of variation with shots. In Lana Del Rey's video she used lots of close ups of the artist and musicians and then used lots of long shots of them both also. Whereas in Alicia Keys' video there was less variation in shots but still different shots were captured. The main type was mid and long shots. What was interesting was that both videos were old fashioned but in slightly different and less obvious ways. In the Lana Del Rey video, the makeup and jewellery she was wearing not modern, also she was wearing a long black dress. The whole editing of the video was also made to look old. This is similar with Alicia Keys video as the introduction looks like the opening to a 1960/80s comedy tv show. Also, the style of clothing she is wearing is very formal for a 'mother'/'housewife' to be wearing. Then the storyline is that she does all the clearing up, looking after the kids and cooking then the husband comes home at the end after a day at work. The representation in this video is that women should be the housewife and the men the breadwinners. Also, with the scene of the 3 generations doing the vegetables in the kitchen, it is showing the audience that this is the way all girls should be brought up.
Muller's previous work
She started in the professional world of film as a third assistant in a horror/thriller film.
Her big break came when through a chance meeting with John Stewart (brother of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart) and Billy Poveda of Oil Factory, an established film production company.
She has directed over 100 music videos.
She never really did much other work than direction of music videos.
Style
She doesn't have a particular style just she likes to be bold and imaginative.
Most of her work is naturalistic although sometimes her use of lighting isn't but she doesn't use CGI or any special effects in her work.
Personal opinion
In my opinion, I love her work as it is very creative and original. She has worked with a range of different artists and within lots of different genres. She has worked with the artist that I am thinking of using one of her songs for my video. This means that after researching the artists music videos, I can incorporate a lot of Muller's ideas into my own video that she used in her video. I also like her because she does mainly conceptual music videos which I am thinking of doing for my video. Overall, I think she is a great director because she creates links with the video and lyrics of the song but also has incorporates originality of her own.
The style of performance is when the artist/group/band are performing the song throughout the video. There are many ways of doing this. In 1980s rock music, music videos were primarily the band performing on a stage infront of a 'live' (but set up) audience. They may have used a few different clips within the video to make it more interesting but the main part of the video is close ups and long shots to show the band performing. In modern music, a lot of the backing track isn't instruments but artificially made music with maybe a few layers of actual instruments being played. This means that artists can't play instruments in music videos as there aren't any and if there is, they probably aren't the ones playing them. Music has changed a lot and primarily singing is the key to the music industry whereas it used to be in song/music and instruments being played. Although this is the case, some modern music videos do have artists performing in them. A lot of the time this is just the artists singing in a room or somewhere but occasionally artists do clasically sing into a microphone as a performance video.
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
This video is clearly a performance music video. Other than a few clips in the introduction where the band are shown getting ready to perform, the rest is basically all performance based. Although, in this video, unlike some other Bon Jovi music videos, there is no live audience that they are performing to. In the Goodwin Seven, one of the rules to being a music video is that is has specific genre characteristic. This video certainly has rock features. The outfits and styles of the band members definitely show 1980s rock and the fact that it has lots of close ups of the band playing their instruments shows it is rock as not many other genres, only similar ones, would have a band playing instruments. The representation of men in the 1980s is that they had big hair and were very passionate. There are a lot of close ups of the musicians playing with such power that it showed that they were giving it all they got. Also within the Goodwin Seven, it says that the record label require you to have lots of close ups of the artist so the audience know who the artist is and this was occurred often. There were mainly close ups of the lead singer and then all the other musicians followed. This is a classic performance music video.
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
This is a modern example of a performance music video. Although it is not completely a performance video it has elements of it. The artist is clearly performing, even if she doesn't have a microphone, an audience, etc. Also there are a few shots of the drummer playing the drums which is common in performance music videos. These are common performance music videos.
Adele - Set Fire To The Rain
This is a rare example of a performance music video. Not only is it actually a live performance of the artist performing the song and it is being filmed but also in modern music, it is rare to have an actual performance music video that is actually them singing into a microphone to an audience with live music - like the Bon Jovi video. This shows clear performance characteristics as there are various different shots of the artists (Goowin Seven - the record label requirement) but there are also many shots of the musicians which is very typically performance style. There isn't any particular representation in this video as it is simply the artist performing her song. Although Adele is very different from modern day artists as she isn't worried about her image and is primarily focused on doing what she loves - singing/performing.
Narrative
The style of narrative is when the music video tells a story and is almost like a mini film as it has a definite beginning, middle and end. Often narrative music videos mimic other genres of media - for example, films, tv shows or other types of videos. Artists can be part of the story or separate and just be in the video singing. One of the main reasons for a narrative music video is to tell a story and give across a message to the audience. The messages are very clear and in your face so that the audience clearly understand the message. It isn't subliminal.
Megan and Liz - Are You Happy Now
This music video is a very classic narrative video. It clearly shows a story and gives across a meaning to the audience - which is what stories are made to do. There is a clear beginning (the showing of the bullying), a middle or twist (the bully being bullied) and then an end (where the girls see each other differently and become unlikely friends). The main reason for this video - as the artists fan base is young/teenage girls - is that whatever happens to you, you'll get through it, people get over it and that bullying is not cool. Also, a slightly more hidden message is that, when they're singing and taking off their clothes and rubbing off their makeup it is showing girls that whatever they are hiding under whether it is makeup, clothes, etc. Everyone amounts to the same, which is why they start off in completely contrasting outfits and end up looking almost exactly the same. The music video uses a lot of relevant ideas from Goodwin's Seven. There is a clear relationship between some of the lyrics and the visuals, it may not be exactly when they are singing them, but repeated through the song is 'are you happy now that they're on the ground' and a few times in the video, the victim's either fall or get to the ground. Also there are a lot of close ups which would be required by the record label to promote them. As for representation, there is lots. It shows that school girls are particularly bitchy, harsh and like making people feel bad even if they are getting exactly the same done to them. Although it also shows that people change, as represented by the bully ending up apologising and being forgiven. The bully changes her attitude and so does the victim. Also, the representation of schools is very negative as it shows innocent teenagers being harassed and traumatised and even though the school may not recognise this, it shows that is happens without them knowing and is a true event.
Concept
There are 3 types of conceptual music videos. There is thematic, symbolic and idea-based.
Thematic - there are lots of common themes in the video, depending on the genre.
Symbolic -uses symbols to build
up meaning, use of montage to create meaning sometimes contradictory, lighting
used to suggest mood, fast paced (only a few seconds per shot to build up
meaning).
Idea-based - an explored idea that's usually visually stylish,
artistic, experimental camera/editing, fast pace,
conspicuous lighting and cinematography, often break the rules of continuity
editing.
MGMT - Electric Feel
Conceptual music videos usually have no relation to the lyrics or song and are just an explored experimental idea. It usually has a deeper meaning behind it, which is not always apparent on first viewing but has a purpose. This video has clips of performance within it but the actual full video doesn't seem to make any sense and has barely any links to the song. The genre of the song fits well with the music video as they both are very chilled but the video is quite random. This is what a concept video is, a meaning behind a what seems to be pointless and irrelevant music video. There is a bit of representation of gender in this video as all the males seem to be clothed while the females are clothed but barely. Females are represented as objects of lust and some attractive to look at. This is one of Goodwin's Seven as part of the checklist of music videos, that there is attraction for men to want to watch the video.
Pro's & Con's
Performance - a good thing about performance is that it clearly shows the audience who is in the band or who the artist is but on the other hand it isn't very entertaining for the audience to watch.
Narrative - a positive of narrative videos is that they are often interesting and so people tend to watch them but often the story line or plot is lost in the filming or editing and the original story doesn't come across to the audience.
Concept - this style is the most enjoyable to watch and gets people hyped up about it and therefore the song so is most successful but is also the most difficult to create without people finding the video distracting and too confusing.
My personal favourite...
My favourite style is probably concept as the videos are definitely the most entertaining and fascinating and also the fact that you can give across a subliminal message to the audience is amazing. I think I would like to produce a concept music video but would have elements of all 3 to make it interesting and have different sections to it.
Within Sony Music there are many different labels. These include: Columbia Records, RCA Records, Epic Records, Arista Nashville, RCA Records Nashville, Columbia Nashville, Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Latin, Masterworks, Vested in Culture, RCA Inspiration & Provident Label Group.
The headquarters is in New York City.
Although there are many different offices aroudn the world. There are offices in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dubai, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela.
Doug Morris - Chief Executive Officer, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Kevin Kelleher - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Some of the artists signed at this label are: Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Rita Ora, Shakira & Miley Cyrus.
History
1929-38: American Record Corporation
1938-90: Columbia/CBS Records
1991–2004: Birth of Sony Music Entertainment
2004–08: Sony BMG: Joint venture with Bertelsmann
2008–11: Return to Sony Music Entertainment
2011–present: Leadership changes & restructuring
Image/Style
On wikipedia, Sony Music Entertainment's genre is described as Eclectic (meaning that it derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources).
So i think the range of different of artists contributes to their idea of having a wide variety of types of music.
Worth?
In 2012 the operating income was at US $6 Billion but over the last 2 years an advancement of different technologies and media, there is now no way to escape the music industry, so therefore Sony Music's income will have changed dramatically since 2012.
Domino - Minor
Some current artists of Domino Label are: Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Panda Bear, Junior Boys, Clinic, etc.
The genre of the music is Indie Pop/Indie Rock.
The location is London, England.
Although based in England, there is an American, German & French division of the record label.
The two founders are Laurence Bell and Jacqui Rice.
History
Founded in 1993, by Laurence Bell and his partner Jacqui Rice, the label's first release was the Sebadoh EP Rocking the Forest, licensed from Sub Pop records for release in the UK. Many of the early releases were by American artists who in the USA were signed to Drag City (Smog, Will Oldham, Royal Trux), a relationship which continues to this day. Success was not immediate, as labels such as Domino, who were releasing more established American rock and unusual British music, were marginalised during the Britpop era, but a steady stream of new signings gave the label increasing credibility. Recent high profile releases from Anna Calvi, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, and The Kills have only acted as a catalyst to this, and Domino is now one of the longest running and most successful independent record labels in the UK.
2003 saw the label's 10th anniversary. There were a number of new releases, as well as a compilation album and a series of gigs in London under the 'Worlds of Possibility' banner, to celebrate the label's first decade in October of that year.
Domino celebrated their first UK #1 album in October 2005 with Franz Ferdinand's You Could Have It So Much Better, and their first UK #1 single with Arctic Monkey's "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor" later that same month.
As well as new music, Domino have released produced compilations by British post-punk bands such as Orange Juice, Josef K, Fire Engines and Young Marble Giants.
Image/Style
The label's image is very obvious as all the artists that are signed have very similar styled music. According to Wikipedia, the genre for the label is Indie Pop/Indie Rock. This sets the tone for aspiring artists if they were considering trying for the label as they have a type they like. Within my research I have used some information from wikipedia.
Michael Jackson's music video for Thriller, according to Vinny Marino from ABC News, was the 'Greatest video of all time' and is still considered 'the best music video ever by just about everyone'.
The main reasons that everyone hyped about the video so much was because it was one of the first music video's that was a 'short film' or 'story' about the song, rather than a promotional clip. It was full of mystery and the tension got the audience hooked.
The mise-en-scene used in the video creates the view of two normal teenagers, which is represented by their typical 1980s teenage outfits that are bright and colourful. As they are in the middle of nowhere in a dark creepy forest and also a eerie graveyard, they are portrayed as daring and fearless, although for the female character this is then discredited when every time she runs into trouble, she screams and frighteningly runs away.
There are a lot of close ups used, especially of the female character, to show different emotions clearly. Also, mid-shots are commonly used to show the relationship between the characters (e.g. the closeness and distance of the characters). This is also used with the two shot shots, that the characters are in together.
Generally, the story line is panicked and chaotic so is represented by using fast pace editing. It creates the tension that keeps the audience hooked onto wanting to continue watching and a relationship between the characters and the audience as it makes them feel more involved. Michael showed a lot more prevalence than any of the other characters so the audience is made to focus more on him - which is because he is the artist and it is his music video.
The technical elements were quite basic as in the 1980s, the advances of technology hadn't occurred, making editing of when Michael becomes a monster very amateur and unrealistic looking. For the 1980s, it would have looked surprisingly realistic which would have further created an interest for the target audience.
All of these factors effect why the music video was such a huge hit and why it became and still is such a hugely successful credited music video. Although one of the many reasons it was so popular is because of the song. The music video was such a hit because people loved and continue to love his music and so even a terrible music video would be promoted by his large fan base. The key to a successful music video is to have a good song in the first place - then tell a story through your song.
