We held our focus group in a classroom at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School where we had use of a computer, an interactive whiteboard and were unlikely to be disturbed. To begin we played our chosen track to the six teenagers who made up our focus group and then discussed their initial impressions. To make sure we did not influence their ideas we told the focus group nothing of our own opinions and ideas. All the teenagers were familiar with and enjoyed the genre of music we have chosen so represent our target audience.
Once we had collected information about their own impressions and ideas for the video (including questions which asked what they would expect to see in a video of this genre such as a performance as well as specific example for example certain camera shots and mise-en-scene) we explained our own ideas for the music video and showed them our moodboard. Many of the ideas the focus group had come up with were very similar to our own ideas which was a relief! After showing them our moodboard and presenting our ideas the focus group gave their opinions and expanded on our ideas.
Here are the results of our Focus Group:
1. Where do you think a conventional pop/punk video would be set?
"On the streets", "in a studio", "a large open space"
2. What aspects of a conventional music video, for example live performance, would you expect from a video of the pop/punk genre?
"shots of instruments and the band", "something happening, like characters and stuff." (or in media-language: narrative)
3. Are there any camera techniques you would expect to see?
"Close-ups of the singer", "close-ups of the instruments", "shots of the band playing" "movement between different scenes really fast and weird angles."
4. What do you expect the cast to be wearing?
"Black, white and pink clothing because of their name", "skinny jeans", "they would have long hair... with a fringe!", "dark hair". "The artist would be good-looking". "The girls featured in the video would each look different, they would have to be pretty as its a music video", "wearing like, rock/pop style clothes. preppy clothes or emoish, but not too much emo".
5. What examples of lighting would you expect from a pop/punk video?
"Lots of flashing lights", "lights shining into the camera", "normal lighting but quite stark, not very warm"
6. Would you expect a pop/rock video to have special effects or be more natural? elaborate...
"probably special effects. or at least cool camera stuff.", "pop/rock bands like to show off so probably yeah. maybe slow motion or fast motion?", "maybe distorted colours"
7. How would you expect a pop/punk band to be represented?
"rebellious", "cheeky", "fun", "comic", "don't-care attitude", "image concious"
8. How fast-paced would you expect this video to be?
"really fast. the song is fast so the video should be too.", "there should be lots of movement"
9. Would you expect the song to change in any way? for example a moment of silence in the middle to allow for narrative? (e.g. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vLSUdF2d_uI)
"no, the song doesn't sound like it should stop in the middle or anything, i think that would slow the pace.", "maybe a little bit of video before and after the song starts? like, a bit of narrative?"
10. Would you expect a video which followed the lyrical content of the song? Or would you expect a more unconnected series of scenes and situations?
"i don't think it should tell the story of the lyrics in the song. that might be complicated and weird.", "maybe connect them more through the music than the lyrics."
Here are the ideas which our Focus Group came up with, when they listened to the track:
- The video could be over a period of time, for example, the track starts when it is the evening, gets darker as the video progresses and then eventually gets lighter as it turns to morning
- The music video should have aspects of comedy included in the song, for example, the artist could fall ver as he is running down the street, but then roll over as he gets up, as to not break the pace. Also, the artist could make funny shapes as he jumps on a trampoline.
- The artist should be running through most of the video.
- The artist can be running away from something but the audience don't find out what it is until the end.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Jess and Sarah: Music Industry Institutional Research
Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations, it is currently dominated by the "big four" record groups, also known as "the major labels"/"the majors" — Sony Music Entertainment,[1] EMI, Universal and Warner — each of which consists of many smaller companies and labels serving different regions and markets.
it refers only to the businesses and organizations that record, produce, publish, distribute, and market recorded music (e.g., music publishers, recording industry, record production companies). until the 1700s, the process of composition and printing of music was mostly supported by patronage from the aristocracy and church. In the mid-to-late 1700s, performers and composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began to seek commercial opportunities to market their music and performances to the general public. After Mozart's death, his wife (Constanze Weber) continued the process of commercialization of his music through an unprecedented series of memorial concerts, selling his manuscripts, and collaborating with her second husband, Georg Nissen, on a biography of Mozart. In the 1800s, the music industry was dominated by sheet music publishers. In the United States, the music industry arose in tandem with the rise of blackface minstrelsy. The group of music publishers and songwriters which dominated popular music in the United States was known as Tin Pan Alley.
it refers only to the businesses and organizations that record, produce, publish, distribute, and market recorded music (e.g., music publishers, recording industry, record production companies). until the 1700s, the process of composition and printing of music was mostly supported by patronage from the aristocracy and church. In the mid-to-late 1700s, performers and composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began to seek commercial opportunities to market their music and performances to the general public. After Mozart's death, his wife (Constanze Weber) continued the process of commercialization of his music through an unprecedented series of memorial concerts, selling his manuscripts, and collaborating with her second husband, Georg Nissen, on a biography of Mozart. In the 1800s, the music industry was dominated by sheet music publishers. In the United States, the music industry arose in tandem with the rise of blackface minstrelsy. The group of music publishers and songwriters which dominated popular music in the United States was known as Tin Pan Alley.
In the early 20th century, the phonograph industry grew greatly in importance, and the record industry eventually replaced the sheet music publishers as the industry's largest force. A multitude of record labels came and went, but a handful of label corporations prospered for decades. By the end of the 1980s, the "Big 6" — EMI, Sony, BMG, PolyGram, WEA and MCA — dominated the industry. In mid-1998, PolyGram merged into Universal Music Group (formerly MCA), dropping the leaders down to a "Big 5". They became the "Big 4" in 2004 when Sony combined with BMG.
The advent of file sharing technologies has changed the balance between record companies, song writers, and performing artists. Bands such as Metallica have fought back against peer-to-peer programs such as the infamous Napster, and the arguments for and against technology to circumvent them - digital rights management systems - remain controversial. With the advent of Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store in 2003, legal music downloads became widely available.
By June 2008, digital music sales generated around $2 billion in revenue, with tracks available through 500 online services located in 40 countries, representing around 10 percent of the total global music market. Revenue from retail CD sales, however, continued to fall. IBISWorld reported in June 2008 that "the industry's financial future looks bleak," but noted that, although revenues have decreased, artists have suffered less than record companies, since they can "make most of their money on merchandise sales and touring."
The music industry is made up of various players, including individuals, companies, unions, not-for-profit associations, and rights collectives, and other bodies. Professional musicians, musical ensembles, singers, conductors, and arrangers, and sound engineers create sound or video recordings of music or do live performances onstage. Professional musicians negotiate their wages, contractual conditions, and other conditions of work through Musicians' Unions or other guilds. Composers and songwriters write the music and lyrics to songs, which are sold in print form, as sheet music by music publishers. Composers and performers get part of their income from writers' copyright collectives and performance rights organization such as the ASCAP and BMI (or MCPS and PRS respectively for the UK); these societies and collectives ensure that composers and performers are compensated when their works are used on the radio or TV or in films. When musicians and singers make a CD or DVD, the creative process is coordinated by a record producer, whose role in the recording may range from suggesting songs and backing musicians to having a direct hands-on role in the studio, coaching singers, giving advice to session musicians on playing styles, and working with the senior sound engineer to shape the recorded sound through effects and mixing.
Most professional musicians, bands, and singers are signed with record labels, which are companies which finance the recording process in return for part or full share of the rights in the recording. A record company is an entity that manages sound recording-related brands and trademarks which consist of their owned labels; their owned and licensed master recordings; and various related ancillary businesses such as home video and DVDs. Labels may comprise a record group which is, in turn, controlled by a music group. As such, a larger umbrella label may have a number of sub-labels releasing music. Music publishers exist separately (even if sharing the same ultimate holding company or brand name), and they represent the rights in the compositions - i.e. the music as written rather than as recorded.
Record companies and record labels that are not under the control of the Big Four music groups and music publishers that are not one of the Big Four are generally considered to be independent, even if they are part of large corporations with complex structures. Some prefer to use the term indie label to refer to only those independent labels that adhere to criteria of corporate structure and size, and some consider an indie label to be almost any label that releases non-mainstream music, regardless of its corporate structure. According to US Market Research Firm NPD Group, iTunes recently surpassed Wal-Mart as America's largest music distributor. A record distributor is a company (often a record label)[citation needed] that works with record labels to promote and distribute their records, either in their home market or overseas.
Once the CD is recorded record distributor companies organize the shipping of the CDs to music stores and department stores. Record labels have use an "A&R" (Artists and Repertoire) manager to help develop the performing style of bands and singers signed the label. A&R managers may organize shared tours with similar bands or find playing opportunities for the label's groups which will broaden their musical experience. For example, an emerging singer-songwriter with little live playing experience may be sent on a major tour with an electric folk rock act from the same label, so that this person will gain more confidence.
When CDs sell in stores, or online, part of the money is returned to the performers in the form of royalties. While most recordings only earn royalties for a short period after they are released, a small number of recordings have become "classics", with longstanding popularity, such as albums by the Beatles or the Rolling Stones; these albums have continued to earn royalties for the surviving band members decades after their original release date.
Successful artists will hire a number of professionals to assist them with their career. The band manager oversees all aspects of an artist's career in exchange for a percentage of the artist's income. An entertainment lawyer assists them with the details of their contracts with record companies and other deals. A business manager handles financial transactions, taxes and bookkeeping. A booking agency represents the artist to promoters, makes deals and books performances. A travel agent makes travel arrangements. A road crew is a semi-permanent touring organization that travels with the artist. This is headed by a tour manager and includes experts in lighting, sound and musical instruments.
(From Wikipedia)
Monday, 24 November 2008
Jess: Videos which challenge/support gender and race stereotypes
Video supporting gender stereotypes: The Pussycat Dolls - Buttons
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lad9PVjKwOE
I think that this video supports the gender stereotypes of woman as The Pussycat dolls are not wearing many clothes so that the male (and female as they may want to be like them) can have visceral pleasure; the male gaze. During this video there are lots of images of the women’s bodies and they dance suggestively to the camera most of the time… and to Snoop Dogg. The fact that they are singing “Loosen up my buttons” suggests to the audience that they are there to serve Snoop Dogg and men, in an inferior role. The men in the video are looking at the women's bodies for visceral pleasure which invites the audience to look too. In nearly everyshot as least one of the Pussycat dolls are being focused on.
Video supporting ethnicity stereotypes: Coolio- Gangster's Paradise
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N6voHeEa3ig
I think that this video supports ethnicity stereotypes as the video begins with Coolio smoking. Many young black men are stereotyped as being troublemakers, often involved in gang crime. In the video, there are some young black men fighting which supports this view. Coolio is dressed in a steriotypical gangster way which connotes he is trouble.
Video challenging gender stereotypes: Kate Nash -Foundations
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=orACIBjHuI4
I chose this video to show Kate Nash challenging the gender stereotypes of women, nowadays. Even though she is singing about how she is gripping on to her and her boyfriend’s relationship, she seems quite equal to him as she can stand her ground and stand up for herself. She is not represented as an object for the male viewers, there are no shots of her bare body, she is represented as strong minded and feisty. In the video, Kate stands her ground against her boyfriend, she uses her voice to suggest she is not the steriotypical sexy singer but quite common and mouthy.
Video challenging ethnicity stereotypes: Sugababes-Ugly (People are all the same)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4VOFeSc-4
I think that this video challenges the ethnicity stereotype of white people being “better” than black people as the message of the song is that people are all the same; as everyone is equal.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lad9PVjKwOE
I think that this video supports the gender stereotypes of woman as The Pussycat dolls are not wearing many clothes so that the male (and female as they may want to be like them) can have visceral pleasure; the male gaze. During this video there are lots of images of the women’s bodies and they dance suggestively to the camera most of the time… and to Snoop Dogg. The fact that they are singing “Loosen up my buttons” suggests to the audience that they are there to serve Snoop Dogg and men, in an inferior role. The men in the video are looking at the women's bodies for visceral pleasure which invites the audience to look too. In nearly everyshot as least one of the Pussycat dolls are being focused on.
Video supporting ethnicity stereotypes: Coolio- Gangster's Paradise
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N6voHeEa3ig
I think that this video supports ethnicity stereotypes as the video begins with Coolio smoking. Many young black men are stereotyped as being troublemakers, often involved in gang crime. In the video, there are some young black men fighting which supports this view. Coolio is dressed in a steriotypical gangster way which connotes he is trouble.
Video challenging gender stereotypes: Kate Nash -Foundations
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=orACIBjHuI4
I chose this video to show Kate Nash challenging the gender stereotypes of women, nowadays. Even though she is singing about how she is gripping on to her and her boyfriend’s relationship, she seems quite equal to him as she can stand her ground and stand up for herself. She is not represented as an object for the male viewers, there are no shots of her bare body, she is represented as strong minded and feisty. In the video, Kate stands her ground against her boyfriend, she uses her voice to suggest she is not the steriotypical sexy singer but quite common and mouthy.
Video challenging ethnicity stereotypes: Sugababes-Ugly (People are all the same)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4VOFeSc-4
I think that this video challenges the ethnicity stereotype of white people being “better” than black people as the message of the song is that people are all the same; as everyone is equal.
Jess: Auteur's Music Videos
Context Auteur:
Chris Cunningham
Chris Cunningham was born in Reading (Berkshire) in 1970, and grew up in Suffolk.
Chris Cunningham is a well known director who works in music videos, commercial, and video art. In the early 90’s, Cunningham first made a name for himself in the art departments of major motion pictures by designing robots and creatures for Clive Barker and David Fincher. In 1995, Cunningham’s work on “Judge Dredd” boosted him into work with the late Stanley Kubrick on his then-unfinished project A.I.Cunningham directed his first music video whilst working with Kubrick: “Autechre's Second Bad Vilbel”. A series of videos with various alternative English rock bands pursued where Cunningham learned the ropes of filmmaking.In 1997, Cunningham directed “Come to Daddy”, a video which landed him on the radar of every artist on the planet. Cunningham directed six videos and seven commercials, over the next two years.In 2000’ Cunningham directed two short films for the Anthony D'Offay Gallery which were called: “Flex and Monkey Drummer”. These works showed a very modern and hyper-realistic take on the world. “Rubber Johnny” by Cunningham was released in 2005, it was a six-minute short that showed a vision Chris had. Since his first production for “Autechre”, Cunningham has had close ties to Warp Records. Cunningham’s most famous music video is Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy". His video for Bjork's "All is Full of Love" won multiple awards, including an MTV music video award for Breakthrough Video and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. His video for Aphex's Twin's "Windowlicker" was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the Brit Awards 2000.
Deconstructing Two of Chris Cunningham’s Music Videos:
Placebo- 36 Degrees
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPesIYaVN0
Mise-En-Scene
Cunningham has decided to open the video with a dark shot of the main singer’s face surrounded by dark water, creating a sense of mystery. The main singer’s face is covered in white make-up, and he is wearing black eyeliner. There are shots of the band playing underwater as if performing on stage. Costume: band wearing mainly black or white clothing, which is alternative to classic fashion. Lead singer sports long black hair. Lights on band under the water, giving the set a sense of being at a concert, yet underwater. Bubbles. Swamp-like place, full of mud- gives sense of isolation. Lead singer’s bare back and bare chest allowing the audience to look at his body. There are lots of shots of the bands instruments: guitars, keyboards etc...
Camera Techniques
The music video opens with a mid-shot of the main singer’s head which is sticking out of the dark water; creating an enigma. The camera then zooms into a close-up of the main singer’s face singing, his face blurring. This close-up suggests to the audience that this artist is the person who is being advertised through the music video. Mid-shots of band playing, which then turns to close-ups as camera zooms in to instruments. Close-up of a black and white shoe creating an enigma as the audience may wonder what the shoes has to do with anything. Lots of close-ups of the main singer singing, his face blurred giving him a sense of having a lack of identity. High-angle shot on main singer making him seem somewhat vulnerable in the water. Low-angle shot as he swims higher up to surface making him seem important- which is effective as he is the main artist. Birds Eye View shot of lead singer lying on seabed, making the audience into voyeurs. Close up on the lead singer’s mouth as he sings emphasizing the words: “To Stay Alive” and “36 Degrees” which is the title of the song.
Editing
Quick editing in time to the music. Guitar floats up to the surface of the water on the final strum of the guitar, leaving the music video to end with the guitar floating on the water, which then fades out to a black background. This fits in well to the rest of the video as it is a black and white music video.
Sound
The camera moves to the beat of the music. Music changes as man dives into water. Music video ends with a strum of the guitar which slowly softens, eventually fading out.Special EffectsMain singing suddenly disappears into water and sings whilst in water. Band seem to be performing under the water as if they were on land, able to breathe. Main singer’s face becomes fuzzy whenever the camera zooms into a close-up of the lead singer’s face.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Alternative rock. Long hair and abstract fashion sense (motif).The notion of looking is used as the main artist is seen looking at his reflection in a large mirror underwater.
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
Close-ups of him singing close-ups of the band playing their instruments. Refers to the lead singer feeling as if he is going to suffocate and needing to breathe, which is ironic as he is breathing underwater.
Relationship between music and visuals
He moves often in time to the music and the camera cuts in time with the beat. Object falls into water, hitting the surface as the music changes. Foot kicking the water making it splash in time to the music. Lead singer repeated pushes back his hair in time to the music.
The Horrors- Sheena is a Parasite
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMrwZItOGE
Mise-En-Scene
The video opens with a woman standing in the dark wearing a strappy white dress. Suddenly there is a man pointing to the audience, making him seem quite threatening, singing. Blue lighting surrounds the girl as she puts her hand out towards the camera as if to say “stay away”, making her seem dangerous. The set is dark and eerie creating an enigma is the audience may wonder why the atmosphere is so gloomy. The band are wearing dark clothes apart from the girl who is in white. The band are wearing eyeliner and have messy hair, which is conventional of the rock genre.
Camera Techniques
The video starts with a mid-shot of a woman standing in the darkness. Suddenly a man singing moves into the shot, making the shot become a close up of his face singing. There are lots of close ups of the lead singer singing, this establishes him as the artist. There are lots of mid-shots of the woman dancing, allowing the audience to look at her body; this is an example of the male gaze. She is not wearing very revealing clothing, however, her shoulders are basically bare and she is only wearing a dress. There are several mid-shots of the band playing which shows the audience who they are listening to.
Editing
The music video begins with a woman standing in the darkness, the lighting flashes in time to the music. The camera zooms in and out of the man’s face singing in time to the music. Smoke at the end of the music video which disappears and then there is a flashing blue light which eventually fades out into darkness.
Sound
The music speeds up as the lighting flashes quickly on the girl looking up. The editing changes in time to the music.
Special Effects
The woman starts by shaking her head; the movement has been sped up, in time to the music, giving her an immortal quality. There is a drummer playing on the drums, his drumsticks moving impossibly fast as the shot has been sped up. The woman is seen shaking her head which keeps morphing into a parasites head when the lead singer makes reference to the fact “Sheena is a parasite”.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Rock genre. Messy hair, abstract fashion sense- black and white clothing. The band are all wearing eyeliner which is typical of rock genre artists.
Relationship between Visuals and Lyrics
Every time the lead singer sings the words: “Sheena is a parasite”, the title of the song, the woman changes her posture and hunches over as if she has become an insect.
Relationship between Music and Visuals
The band are all moving to the music in this video, even though most of the time their actions have been sped up. The guitarist nodds in time to the beat whilst playing. The woman moves in time to the music, shaking her head and dancing.
Chris Cunningham
Chris Cunningham was born in Reading (Berkshire) in 1970, and grew up in Suffolk.
Chris Cunningham is a well known director who works in music videos, commercial, and video art. In the early 90’s, Cunningham first made a name for himself in the art departments of major motion pictures by designing robots and creatures for Clive Barker and David Fincher. In 1995, Cunningham’s work on “Judge Dredd” boosted him into work with the late Stanley Kubrick on his then-unfinished project A.I.Cunningham directed his first music video whilst working with Kubrick: “Autechre's Second Bad Vilbel”. A series of videos with various alternative English rock bands pursued where Cunningham learned the ropes of filmmaking.In 1997, Cunningham directed “Come to Daddy”, a video which landed him on the radar of every artist on the planet. Cunningham directed six videos and seven commercials, over the next two years.In 2000’ Cunningham directed two short films for the Anthony D'Offay Gallery which were called: “Flex and Monkey Drummer”. These works showed a very modern and hyper-realistic take on the world. “Rubber Johnny” by Cunningham was released in 2005, it was a six-minute short that showed a vision Chris had. Since his first production for “Autechre”, Cunningham has had close ties to Warp Records. Cunningham’s most famous music video is Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy". His video for Bjork's "All is Full of Love" won multiple awards, including an MTV music video award for Breakthrough Video and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. His video for Aphex's Twin's "Windowlicker" was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the Brit Awards 2000.
Deconstructing Two of Chris Cunningham’s Music Videos:
Placebo- 36 Degrees
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPesIYaVN0
Mise-En-Scene
Cunningham has decided to open the video with a dark shot of the main singer’s face surrounded by dark water, creating a sense of mystery. The main singer’s face is covered in white make-up, and he is wearing black eyeliner. There are shots of the band playing underwater as if performing on stage. Costume: band wearing mainly black or white clothing, which is alternative to classic fashion. Lead singer sports long black hair. Lights on band under the water, giving the set a sense of being at a concert, yet underwater. Bubbles. Swamp-like place, full of mud- gives sense of isolation. Lead singer’s bare back and bare chest allowing the audience to look at his body. There are lots of shots of the bands instruments: guitars, keyboards etc...
Camera Techniques
The music video opens with a mid-shot of the main singer’s head which is sticking out of the dark water; creating an enigma. The camera then zooms into a close-up of the main singer’s face singing, his face blurring. This close-up suggests to the audience that this artist is the person who is being advertised through the music video. Mid-shots of band playing, which then turns to close-ups as camera zooms in to instruments. Close-up of a black and white shoe creating an enigma as the audience may wonder what the shoes has to do with anything. Lots of close-ups of the main singer singing, his face blurred giving him a sense of having a lack of identity. High-angle shot on main singer making him seem somewhat vulnerable in the water. Low-angle shot as he swims higher up to surface making him seem important- which is effective as he is the main artist. Birds Eye View shot of lead singer lying on seabed, making the audience into voyeurs. Close up on the lead singer’s mouth as he sings emphasizing the words: “To Stay Alive” and “36 Degrees” which is the title of the song.
Editing
Quick editing in time to the music. Guitar floats up to the surface of the water on the final strum of the guitar, leaving the music video to end with the guitar floating on the water, which then fades out to a black background. This fits in well to the rest of the video as it is a black and white music video.
Sound
The camera moves to the beat of the music. Music changes as man dives into water. Music video ends with a strum of the guitar which slowly softens, eventually fading out.Special EffectsMain singing suddenly disappears into water and sings whilst in water. Band seem to be performing under the water as if they were on land, able to breathe. Main singer’s face becomes fuzzy whenever the camera zooms into a close-up of the lead singer’s face.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Alternative rock. Long hair and abstract fashion sense (motif).The notion of looking is used as the main artist is seen looking at his reflection in a large mirror underwater.
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
Close-ups of him singing close-ups of the band playing their instruments. Refers to the lead singer feeling as if he is going to suffocate and needing to breathe, which is ironic as he is breathing underwater.
Relationship between music and visuals
He moves often in time to the music and the camera cuts in time with the beat. Object falls into water, hitting the surface as the music changes. Foot kicking the water making it splash in time to the music. Lead singer repeated pushes back his hair in time to the music.
The Horrors- Sheena is a Parasite
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMrwZItOGE
Mise-En-Scene
The video opens with a woman standing in the dark wearing a strappy white dress. Suddenly there is a man pointing to the audience, making him seem quite threatening, singing. Blue lighting surrounds the girl as she puts her hand out towards the camera as if to say “stay away”, making her seem dangerous. The set is dark and eerie creating an enigma is the audience may wonder why the atmosphere is so gloomy. The band are wearing dark clothes apart from the girl who is in white. The band are wearing eyeliner and have messy hair, which is conventional of the rock genre.
Camera Techniques
The video starts with a mid-shot of a woman standing in the darkness. Suddenly a man singing moves into the shot, making the shot become a close up of his face singing. There are lots of close ups of the lead singer singing, this establishes him as the artist. There are lots of mid-shots of the woman dancing, allowing the audience to look at her body; this is an example of the male gaze. She is not wearing very revealing clothing, however, her shoulders are basically bare and she is only wearing a dress. There are several mid-shots of the band playing which shows the audience who they are listening to.
Editing
The music video begins with a woman standing in the darkness, the lighting flashes in time to the music. The camera zooms in and out of the man’s face singing in time to the music. Smoke at the end of the music video which disappears and then there is a flashing blue light which eventually fades out into darkness.
Sound
The music speeds up as the lighting flashes quickly on the girl looking up. The editing changes in time to the music.
Special Effects
The woman starts by shaking her head; the movement has been sped up, in time to the music, giving her an immortal quality. There is a drummer playing on the drums, his drumsticks moving impossibly fast as the shot has been sped up. The woman is seen shaking her head which keeps morphing into a parasites head when the lead singer makes reference to the fact “Sheena is a parasite”.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Rock genre. Messy hair, abstract fashion sense- black and white clothing. The band are all wearing eyeliner which is typical of rock genre artists.
Relationship between Visuals and Lyrics
Every time the lead singer sings the words: “Sheena is a parasite”, the title of the song, the woman changes her posture and hunches over as if she has become an insect.
Relationship between Music and Visuals
The band are all moving to the music in this video, even though most of the time their actions have been sped up. The guitarist nodds in time to the beat whilst playing. The woman moves in time to the music, shaking her head and dancing.
Jess and Sarah: Lyrics and Analysis
These are the lyrics to The Pink Spiders "Easy Way Out" and we have analysed them so we have a better idea as to what the song is about and how we can incorporate this meaning and the songs atmosphere into our video.
I'm just another substance abuser,
but baby I'm the future
And I know there's no easy way out
I've got nothing but problems and habits
Shifting throught the static
But baby there's no easy way out
This verse is pretty self-explanatory: the person singing is addicted to drugs and alcohol etc. and is trying to explain that there isn't an easy way to stop his habits but then again doesn't really see why he should give up as he sees himself as the new normality.
So are you cunning now?
Hey it's obscene and it's green and it's automatic
I know how to make it seem like it's your fault
I believe it when you say that you need it for the sway
When I'm screaming through the troubles that the drugs don't solve
This verse seems to be him explaining what his addictions do to him; how they make him act. He also says that she complains when he struggles with other problems so the drugs/alcohol take away the worst of it and she should be happy.
Broads in the bar in the car sipping vodka tonics
Another couple drinks and then they look just fine
It's easy as they say but believe me see I hate it
When the hardest part is acting like I just don't try
Throughout the song hes saying that hes a drug abuser but that its not all bad (the reference to the girls in the bar/car seems to suggest that his addictions make it all a lot more beautiful...)and sounds as though he is trying to convince someone that its not a problem. The last line suggests that he has tried to get away from it all before but failed and is fed up with people thinking that because he is still addicted it means he didn't try very hard.
END OF SONG.
The strongest message of the song is that the main singer has tried to get away but couldn't and now doesn't really mind that its still going on. To incorporate this idea we will have the main singer dressed in a black and pink striped top (a take on the traditional black and white striped prisoners outfit whilst including the pink motif of The Pink Spiders.) running from police (who in this case represent both the illegality of substance abuse and also the addictive substances themselves which have a hold on him). Throughout the video the lead singer will come across girls looking fed up and with an "i've heard it all before" expression on their faces whom he will try to persuade to agree with his view of his addictions before running off again to escape the police who are steadily catching up.
I'm just another substance abuser,
but baby I'm the future
And I know there's no easy way out
I've got nothing but problems and habits
Shifting throught the static
But baby there's no easy way out
This verse is pretty self-explanatory: the person singing is addicted to drugs and alcohol etc. and is trying to explain that there isn't an easy way to stop his habits but then again doesn't really see why he should give up as he sees himself as the new normality.
So are you cunning now?
Hey it's obscene and it's green and it's automatic
I know how to make it seem like it's your fault
I believe it when you say that you need it for the sway
When I'm screaming through the troubles that the drugs don't solve
This verse seems to be him explaining what his addictions do to him; how they make him act. He also says that she complains when he struggles with other problems so the drugs/alcohol take away the worst of it and she should be happy.
Broads in the bar in the car sipping vodka tonics
Another couple drinks and then they look just fine
It's easy as they say but believe me see I hate it
When the hardest part is acting like I just don't try
Throughout the song hes saying that hes a drug abuser but that its not all bad (the reference to the girls in the bar/car seems to suggest that his addictions make it all a lot more beautiful...)and sounds as though he is trying to convince someone that its not a problem. The last line suggests that he has tried to get away from it all before but failed and is fed up with people thinking that because he is still addicted it means he didn't try very hard.
END OF SONG.
The strongest message of the song is that the main singer has tried to get away but couldn't and now doesn't really mind that its still going on. To incorporate this idea we will have the main singer dressed in a black and pink striped top (a take on the traditional black and white striped prisoners outfit whilst including the pink motif of The Pink Spiders.) running from police (who in this case represent both the illegality of substance abuse and also the addictive substances themselves which have a hold on him). Throughout the video the lead singer will come across girls looking fed up and with an "i've heard it all before" expression on their faces whom he will try to persuade to agree with his view of his addictions before running off again to escape the police who are steadily catching up.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Jess and Sarah: Moodboard
On Paper.
In our moodboard, we have included our band's name: Eight Leg Fred (written with pink and black letters to suggest we are using a song from The Pink Spiders who use black and pink). We have identified the genre of our music video as punk/rock/pop. We have lots of images on our moodboard. There is a picture of a policeman and a robber to show that in our music video, the main singer will be running away from the law as the song is about how he can't get out of his drug-fuelled life. There is also a picture of a girl as in our music video the lead singer is explaining to the girl he can't get out of using drugs, there is no easy way out (which is the title of the song). We have put lots of our ideas onto our moodboard and ideas which we got as a result of our focus group. We explain on our moodboard about possible locations we will film in (e.g. alley, town) and about the costumes, for example, skinny jeans and pink and black striped t-shirts, a policeman uniform,...). We will have lots of shots of the band playing, we will have some flashing lighting when the band is performing.
In our moodboard, we have included our band's name: Eight Leg Fred (written with pink and black letters to suggest we are using a song from The Pink Spiders who use black and pink). We have identified the genre of our music video as punk/rock/pop. We have lots of images on our moodboard. There is a picture of a policeman and a robber to show that in our music video, the main singer will be running away from the law as the song is about how he can't get out of his drug-fuelled life. There is also a picture of a girl as in our music video the lead singer is explaining to the girl he can't get out of using drugs, there is no easy way out (which is the title of the song). We have put lots of our ideas onto our moodboard and ideas which we got as a result of our focus group. We explain on our moodboard about possible locations we will film in (e.g. alley, town) and about the costumes, for example, skinny jeans and pink and black striped t-shirts, a policeman uniform,...). We will have lots of shots of the band playing, we will have some flashing lighting when the band is performing.
Sarah: Technical Analysis
The track i have chosen for my technical analysis is "Oh Yeah" by The Subways. I chose this song because it is of the same genre as our chosen Pink Spiders song and therefore will have similar conventions for its music video. This video is performance based.
Key:
(1)= How long (seconds) the shot lasted
- = New shot
LS = Long Shot
CU = Close Up
ECU= Extreme Close Up
HA = High Angle
LA = Low Angle
MS = Mid Shot
-LS of drummer (4)
-CU of him putting water glass on amp (1)
-HA of drummer getting ready to play (4)
-ECU of water glass moving across amp due to noise levels (2)
-LS of whole band (1)
-CU of girl at microphone (1)
-LS of whole band (1)
-CU of singers microphone with singer dancing behind (1)
-HA of drummer (1/2)
-MS of drummer (1/2)
-CU of microphone (1/2)
-LS of band dancing and playing instruments (1)
-CU of microphone (1)
-LS of band (1/2)
-ECU of singer at microphone(1)
-LS of band (2)
-CU of singer (1)
-ECU of microphone and singer (1)
-CU of drummer- shot moves from stomach to middle drum to lower drum (1)
-CU of singer addressing camera (2)
-LS of band (1)
-CU of girl (1)
-ECU of girl (1)
-CU of singer's torso climbing onto drums- camera follows his body onto drums (2)
-CU of girls face and microphone (2)
-LS of singer jumping from drums (1)
-CU of water glass (1)
-LS of band playing (1)
-HA of drummer (1/2)
-ECU of drummer (1)
-CU of singer (1/2)
-CU of girl (1/2)
-LS of band playing- canted angle (1)
-ECU of girls face and microphone (2)
-MS of band playing (1)
-ECU of guitar (1)
-ECU of hair/head (1/2)
-CU of girl
Although this deconstruction is of less than half of the song, it is clear that for a music video to be successful (which includes being repeatable, interesting and conforming to some of the generic conventions) the shots must be short and cut sharply between each other and, as it is a performance based video, the emphasis must be placed on the band as the main talent using a range of shots such as close-ups. From this excercise i've learnt that we have a challenge ahead of us for our own video to get this many shots and ranges of shots included!
Key:
(1)= How long (seconds) the shot lasted
- = New shot
LS = Long Shot
CU = Close Up
ECU= Extreme Close Up
HA = High Angle
LA = Low Angle
MS = Mid Shot
-LS of drummer (4)
-CU of him putting water glass on amp (1)
-HA of drummer getting ready to play (4)
-ECU of water glass moving across amp due to noise levels (2)
-LS of whole band (1)
-CU of girl at microphone (1)
-LS of whole band (1)
-CU of singers microphone with singer dancing behind (1)
-HA of drummer (1/2)
-MS of drummer (1/2)
-CU of microphone (1/2)
-LS of band dancing and playing instruments (1)
-CU of microphone (1)
-LS of band (1/2)
-ECU of singer at microphone(1)
-LS of band (2)
-CU of singer (1)
-ECU of microphone and singer (1)
-CU of drummer- shot moves from stomach to middle drum to lower drum (1)
-CU of singer addressing camera (2)
-LS of band (1)
-CU of girl (1)
-ECU of girl (1)
-CU of singer's torso climbing onto drums- camera follows his body onto drums (2)
-CU of girls face and microphone (2)
-LS of singer jumping from drums (1)
-CU of water glass (1)
-LS of band playing (1)
-HA of drummer (1/2)
-ECU of drummer (1)
-CU of singer (1/2)
-CU of girl (1/2)
-LS of band playing- canted angle (1)
-ECU of girls face and microphone (2)
-MS of band playing (1)
-ECU of guitar (1)
-ECU of hair/head (1/2)
-CU of girl
Although this deconstruction is of less than half of the song, it is clear that for a music video to be successful (which includes being repeatable, interesting and conforming to some of the generic conventions) the shots must be short and cut sharply between each other and, as it is a performance based video, the emphasis must be placed on the band as the main talent using a range of shots such as close-ups. From this excercise i've learnt that we have a challenge ahead of us for our own video to get this many shots and ranges of shots included!
Jess and Sarah: Choosing Track/Genre
In order to decide what track to use, we made a short-list of bands in the pop/punk genre (a popular genre we both enjoy and feel will best allow us to show off our video making skills!) and songs of theirs we would like to use. From this list we searched through all the songs we had chosen to find out if they had videos or not and the ones that didn't got put into a final list. We then listened to all the tracks in the list and decided which one we liked best (as we would be listening to it many times!) whilst taking into account how many ideas we came up with for the track. Our final decision was "Easy Way Out" by The Pink Spiders.
Friday, 21 November 2008
Jess and Sarah: Goodwin Analysis of Chosen Track
1. Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
The genre of our video is pop/punk and so we will be incorporating in our video generic characteristics such as live performance and comedic aspects. Artistic content.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
Our video will not be completely illustrative as the song is about being addicted to drugs and it would be...well...illegal to demonstrate this in our video! Instead we will imply that the lead singer has done something wrong as he is running from the police. This is disjuncture as it has no relation to the song but on the other hand is connected through the idea of having "no easy way out.". There will also be moments of lip-syncing in our video. (ALSO SEE ABOVE POST NAMED "JESS AND SARAH: LYRICS AND ANALYSIS)
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
Our video will be illustrative in that the shots will cut with the beat and fit in with the music, for example fast paced pieces of music will be accompanied by fast paced scenes in the video. Our video will be partly performance based and so the music will be linked to the images through shots of instruments being played. In contrast to this, our video will also be disjunctive as there will be scenes where the music plays but there is no connection between the music and what is happening in the video, for example a man will be running down the street but will not be dancing, singing or playing an instrument.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.
Our lead singer will be the main character in the narrative of the video and so will have frequent close-ups to advertise him as an artist. The Pink Spiders as a motif use the colour pink in their clothing and mise-en-scene. So we will continue this motif by having our lead singer (who is representing a criminal) wearing a black and pink striped top.
5.There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
In our video, we will have a shot of the artist looking into a mirror to include the notion of looking and to show that it is him who is being advertised.
6. There is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes and other music videos.
In our music video, we will include an advert for The Pink Spiders' new album "Sweat It Out" in the form of a poster on a wall. This fits in with the idea that a music video is a promotional technique used by artists.
The genre of our video is pop/punk and so we will be incorporating in our video generic characteristics such as live performance and comedic aspects. Artistic content.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
Our video will not be completely illustrative as the song is about being addicted to drugs and it would be...well...illegal to demonstrate this in our video! Instead we will imply that the lead singer has done something wrong as he is running from the police. This is disjuncture as it has no relation to the song but on the other hand is connected through the idea of having "no easy way out.". There will also be moments of lip-syncing in our video. (ALSO SEE ABOVE POST NAMED "JESS AND SARAH: LYRICS AND ANALYSIS)
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
Our video will be illustrative in that the shots will cut with the beat and fit in with the music, for example fast paced pieces of music will be accompanied by fast paced scenes in the video. Our video will be partly performance based and so the music will be linked to the images through shots of instruments being played. In contrast to this, our video will also be disjunctive as there will be scenes where the music plays but there is no connection between the music and what is happening in the video, for example a man will be running down the street but will not be dancing, singing or playing an instrument.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.
Our lead singer will be the main character in the narrative of the video and so will have frequent close-ups to advertise him as an artist. The Pink Spiders as a motif use the colour pink in their clothing and mise-en-scene. So we will continue this motif by having our lead singer (who is representing a criminal) wearing a black and pink striped top.
5.There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
In our video, we will have a shot of the artist looking into a mirror to include the notion of looking and to show that it is him who is being advertised.
6. There is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes and other music videos.
In our music video, we will include an advert for The Pink Spiders' new album "Sweat It Out" in the form of a poster on a wall. This fits in with the idea that a music video is a promotional technique used by artists.
Jess and Sarah: Our Chosen Track
"Easy Way Out"
by The Pink Spiders
We chose this track because, aside from liking the music, we felt we could incorporate lots of media techniques such as camera angles and special effects with ease as the song is fast paced and the genre lends itself to performance and disjuncture (Ms J: is this the right tense?!) videos.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Jess and Sarah: Focus Group Discussion
Methodology:
We would use a qualitative method as this will allow us to collect much broader opinions and ideas for our video rather than selective and restricted information as would be supplied with a quantatitative method. We will conduct our focus group in PAC2 at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School because it is a secluded space so we will not be interrupted and there is an interactive white board we can make use of when playing our tracks.
Purpose:
The purpose of our focus group is to test the reaction of the sample audience in preparation for the production of our video. Our track is "Easy Way Out" by The Pink Spiders. From our research we are expecting to explore how our video would be received by our target demographic; this will help us develop our ideas about content for our video and help us produce a professional pop/punk video.
Sample Audience:
Our focus group, excluding us, will be six teenagers (between the age of 16-18) who are familiar with and enjoy the genre of music we are covering. By having a small group we are able to learn how our video will be received and collect new ideas whilst not being inundated by lots of people speaking at once. With a smaller amount of people it will be easier to organise the information we gather.
Media Stimulus:
We would start our discussion by asking our focus group what they would expect from a pop/punk video in terms of iconography/typical camera shots/mise-en-scene etc. We would then play them our track followed by a discussion about their first impressions, their opinion of the track, and any ideas they have about what they think should be included in the video. We will then play them two more videos from the same genre but different songs and from different bands and ask them if they think the ideas for our video will coordinate with the videos they have just viewed (in terms of generic conventions.)
Questions:
1. Where do you think a conventional pop/punk video would be set?
2. What aspects of a conventional music video, for example live performance, would you expect from a video of the pop/punk genre?
3. Are there any camera techniques you would expect to see?
4. What do you expect the cast to be wearing?
5. What examples of lighting would you expect from a pop/punk video?
6. Would you expect a pop/rock video to have special effects or be more natural? elaborate...
7. How would you expect a pop/punk band to be represented?
8. How fast-paced would you expect this video to be?
9. Would you expect the song to change in any way? for example a moment of silence in the middle to allow for narrative? (e.g. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vLSUdF2d_uI)
10. Would you expect a video which followed the lyrical content of the song? Or would you expect a more unconnected series of scenes and situations?
We would use a qualitative method as this will allow us to collect much broader opinions and ideas for our video rather than selective and restricted information as would be supplied with a quantatitative method. We will conduct our focus group in PAC2 at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School because it is a secluded space so we will not be interrupted and there is an interactive white board we can make use of when playing our tracks.
Purpose:
The purpose of our focus group is to test the reaction of the sample audience in preparation for the production of our video. Our track is "Easy Way Out" by The Pink Spiders. From our research we are expecting to explore how our video would be received by our target demographic; this will help us develop our ideas about content for our video and help us produce a professional pop/punk video.
Sample Audience:
Our focus group, excluding us, will be six teenagers (between the age of 16-18) who are familiar with and enjoy the genre of music we are covering. By having a small group we are able to learn how our video will be received and collect new ideas whilst not being inundated by lots of people speaking at once. With a smaller amount of people it will be easier to organise the information we gather.
Media Stimulus:
We would start our discussion by asking our focus group what they would expect from a pop/punk video in terms of iconography/typical camera shots/mise-en-scene etc. We would then play them our track followed by a discussion about their first impressions, their opinion of the track, and any ideas they have about what they think should be included in the video. We will then play them two more videos from the same genre but different songs and from different bands and ask them if they think the ideas for our video will coordinate with the videos they have just viewed (in terms of generic conventions.)
Questions:
1. Where do you think a conventional pop/punk video would be set?
2. What aspects of a conventional music video, for example live performance, would you expect from a video of the pop/punk genre?
3. Are there any camera techniques you would expect to see?
4. What do you expect the cast to be wearing?
5. What examples of lighting would you expect from a pop/punk video?
6. Would you expect a pop/rock video to have special effects or be more natural? elaborate...
7. How would you expect a pop/punk band to be represented?
8. How fast-paced would you expect this video to be?
9. Would you expect the song to change in any way? for example a moment of silence in the middle to allow for narrative? (e.g. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vLSUdF2d_uI)
10. Would you expect a video which followed the lyrical content of the song? Or would you expect a more unconnected series of scenes and situations?
Friday, 14 November 2008
Sarah: Videos which challenge/support gender and race stereotypes
Video challenging ethnicity stereotypes: Eminem- "When I'm Gone". I think this video, and Eminem as an artist, challenges ethnicity stereotypes as the rap/hip hop genres are primarily assumed to be dominated by black artists yet Eminem is a successful rapper and is white.
Video supporting ethnicity stereotypes: Jay Z- "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". This video enforces ethnicity stereotypes as every member of the cast in the video is black, except for the police officers who are standing above two young black males who are kneeling on the floor with their hands behind their backs. Also, the word "nigger" is used frequently throughout the video which is commonly recognised as a slang word in black youth culture, yet is viewed as extremely racist if a white person was to use it in the same way.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ASHZZE07GHI
Video challenging gender stereotypes: p!NK- "So What". The artist, P!NK, challenges the gender stereotypes as she has short hair and wears clothes that, although still show her bare flesh, are masculine and her attitude shows that she is very comfortable with her sexuality: the viewer is seeing her because she wants to be seen, not because she is being made into an object.
Video supporting gender stereotypes: Girls Aloud- "Cant Speak French". This video supports gender stereotypes because the camera acts as a voyeuristic window into a world were the girls flaunt themselves for the gaze of the male audience. They are dressed in very little and their image is that of perfect hair and make-up. The focus is very much on their bodies and faces, rather than their talent as artists.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ixTmjOEbyro
Video supporting ethnicity stereotypes: Jay Z- "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". This video enforces ethnicity stereotypes as every member of the cast in the video is black, except for the police officers who are standing above two young black males who are kneeling on the floor with their hands behind their backs. Also, the word "nigger" is used frequently throughout the video which is commonly recognised as a slang word in black youth culture, yet is viewed as extremely racist if a white person was to use it in the same way.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ASHZZE07GHI
Video challenging gender stereotypes: p!NK- "So What". The artist, P!NK, challenges the gender stereotypes as she has short hair and wears clothes that, although still show her bare flesh, are masculine and her attitude shows that she is very comfortable with her sexuality: the viewer is seeing her because she wants to be seen, not because she is being made into an object.
Video supporting gender stereotypes: Girls Aloud- "Cant Speak French". This video supports gender stereotypes because the camera acts as a voyeuristic window into a world were the girls flaunt themselves for the gaze of the male audience. They are dressed in very little and their image is that of perfect hair and make-up. The focus is very much on their bodies and faces, rather than their talent as artists.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ixTmjOEbyro
Monday, 3 November 2008
Jess: Analysing a Music Video
The Pink Spiders- "Modern Swinger"
Forms and Conventions:
The forms and conventions evident in this video are:
The genre characteristics in this music video are: stage performance, costume- women in pink wigs, short dresses and long socks; animal costumes; band in coloured suits; main singer in white suit; women with drum in shorts and tight top; men in boxing outfits. The hairstyles in the music video are- women in pink wigs, long hair for women; band have messy hair, and dance routine- girls in pink wigs and people in animal costumes dancing.
The Relationship between the lyrics and visuals and Music and visuals:
There are lots of close ups of the main singer singing and shots of the band performing to show the relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The editing has been cut in time to the music to show the relationship between the music and visuals. There are many short sequences, which keep cutting. Women in wigs and people in animal suits dancing in time to the music also show the relationship. Drummer nodding in time to the music. There are close ups of: main singer singing, man strumming on guitar, and drum. Use of voyeuristic treatment of the female body, as there is a close up on the lower back of the women drumming to draw the male audience's attention to her bum.
The forms and conventions evident in this video are:
The genre characteristics in this music video are: stage performance, costume- women in pink wigs, short dresses and long socks; animal costumes; band in coloured suits; main singer in white suit; women with drum in shorts and tight top; men in boxing outfits. The hairstyles in the music video are- women in pink wigs, long hair for women; band have messy hair, and dance routine- girls in pink wigs and people in animal costumes dancing.
The Relationship between the lyrics and visuals and Music and visuals:
There are lots of close ups of the main singer singing and shots of the band performing to show the relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The editing has been cut in time to the music to show the relationship between the music and visuals. There are many short sequences, which keep cutting. Women in wigs and people in animal suits dancing in time to the music also show the relationship. Drummer nodding in time to the music. There are close ups of: main singer singing, man strumming on guitar, and drum. Use of voyeuristic treatment of the female body, as there is a close up on the lower back of the women drumming to draw the male audience's attention to her bum.
Visual Techniques:
The visual techniques used in this video are:
The visual techniques used in this video are:
Camera Techniques:
Camera- handicam to make the video feel as if it is amateur moving in time to the music, close ups on instrument and main singer, long shots to show the dancers moving in chorus, high angle shot on the drummer playing the drums, zooming in of man strumming on guitar, panning of camera to follow singer's movement, close up on main singer singing creates enigma as we can only see his silhouette, zooming out on women to reveal her sitting on cuddly toy, long shot to whole show band on stage, camera zooms in from longshot to close up to show the message "4 a good time call pink-spiders" written on the car window,
Camera- handicam to make the video feel as if it is amateur moving in time to the music, close ups on instrument and main singer, long shots to show the dancers moving in chorus, high angle shot on the drummer playing the drums, zooming in of man strumming on guitar, panning of camera to follow singer's movement, close up on main singer singing creates enigma as we can only see his silhouette, zooming out on women to reveal her sitting on cuddly toy, long shot to whole show band on stage, camera zooms in from longshot to close up to show the message "4 a good time call pink-spiders" written on the car window,
Editing:
Editing- short sequences, quick editing in time to the music, screen split into three showing members of band performing
Editing- short sequences, quick editing in time to the music, screen split into three showing members of band performing
Mise-en-scene:
Mise-en-scene- flashing lights, use of spotlight, guitar, drums, women wearing little clothing, car, animal costumes, fluffy toy- sexual, flashing lights to give the impression of the band performing lve on stage, boxing gloves, flasher on long coat and glasses to create confusion and an enigma for the audience.
Mise-en-scene- flashing lights, use of spotlight, guitar, drums, women wearing little clothing, car, animal costumes, fluffy toy- sexual, flashing lights to give the impression of the band performing lve on stage, boxing gloves, flasher on long coat and glasses to create confusion and an enigma for the audience.
Special Effects:
Special effects- when man flashes, black box to hide rude gesture, speeding up of girl dancing, smoke
This music video is an example of an amplifying relationship between the music and visuals as people are dancing to the music and the band are moving/nodding to the music to emphasise the connection. The relationship between lyrics and visuals is illustrative as there is a link with all the sexual visual references to the song. This means the music video gives the audience some idea about what the songs about without having to listen to the words.
This music video doesn’t present any challenging ideas. The video could be considered post-modern because it is about a new modern culture of swingers which is an accepted activity of today. The video ues post modern techniques such as manipulation of the speed and use of the handicam.
Women are represented as sexual objects in this video as they are there to look at. The women in this video are dressed in very short pieces of clothing and only ever dance. The Boxers are represented as strong and hardworking as the audience can see their muscles as they practice punching.
The Ideological discourse is that you should be able to be whoever you are and express whatever sexuality you are. This reinforces the accepted view of swingers in this video, however, in this song, the singer is talking about his girlfriend as a "modern swinger".
This video may be consumed on focused channels specific of the punk pop genre. it is very unlikely for this video to be accessed on tv channels such as MTV, and the Box as it is a very specific genre of music.
Special effects- when man flashes, black box to hide rude gesture, speeding up of girl dancing, smoke
This music video is an example of an amplifying relationship between the music and visuals as people are dancing to the music and the band are moving/nodding to the music to emphasise the connection. The relationship between lyrics and visuals is illustrative as there is a link with all the sexual visual references to the song. This means the music video gives the audience some idea about what the songs about without having to listen to the words.
This music video doesn’t present any challenging ideas. The video could be considered post-modern because it is about a new modern culture of swingers which is an accepted activity of today. The video ues post modern techniques such as manipulation of the speed and use of the handicam.
Women are represented as sexual objects in this video as they are there to look at. The women in this video are dressed in very short pieces of clothing and only ever dance. The Boxers are represented as strong and hardworking as the audience can see their muscles as they practice punching.
The Ideological discourse is that you should be able to be whoever you are and express whatever sexuality you are. This reinforces the accepted view of swingers in this video, however, in this song, the singer is talking about his girlfriend as a "modern swinger".
This video may be consumed on focused channels specific of the punk pop genre. it is very unlikely for this video to be accessed on tv channels such as MTV, and the Box as it is a very specific genre of music.
Sarah: Half Term Work- deconstructing a music video.
"Gimme Chemicals" By The Pink Spiders
Released: 2008
Director: Matthew Stawski
1. The genre of The Pink Spiders (TPS) is often described to be pop/rock and the forms and characteristics of this genre are evident in this video. It involves a performance in which the lead singer often looks directly at the camera addressing the audience (breaking the fourth wall) and also the mise-en-scene of the video is very conventional to the genre: the lead singer has scruffy hair and there are many close-ups of the instruments being played. All the band members wear white in keeping with the background and to emphasise the coloured paint but the style of clothes is in accordance with the “rebellious” image of the pop/rock genre for example Matt Friction (lead singer) wears a white sleeveless top.
The lyrics of the song are lip-synced which creates a relationship between the lyrics and the video and a relationship between the music and the visuals is created through the bands performance and also through the editing which often means that cuts and different camera angles are done in time to the beat. Also, the band members often appear to be moving in time to the music and dancing at some moments.
There are close-ups of Matt Friction singing, especially when he is looking straight into the camera and they are often high angle shots causing him to look up and give the video an artistic feel. A motif for TPS is the colour pink and although they have many different colours of paint thrown around at the end, all band members end up mostly covered in pink paint.
There is no reference to the notion of looking as the band are performing in an empty white room whilst a multi-coloured tiger gets drawn on the wall in the style of “paint by numbers” There are also no intertextual references in this video.
The video is performance based due to the band performing in the middle of the room but also concept based because of the paint and the animated tiger on the wall.
2. Camera Techniques
Opening scene is low shot of paint pots- panning across them. Quick movement towards singer at the beginning. Lots of low angle shots when there are no lyrics and high angle shots when filming Matt Friction.
Editing
Opening scene is in slow motion. Following scenes seem to be sped up slightly to look more disjointed and chaotic. Lip syncing and instruments appear to be played live. More slow motion when the band is jumping around with their instruments. Quick cuts in time with the music (a fundamental factor in creating a good music video). Video played backwards when Matt Friction is walking so he appears to be walking backwards away from the camera which further creates a disjointed look.
Mise-En-Scene
Everything is white apart from the paint and the outline of the tiger on the wall. Bright light shone from behind Matt Friction into camera lens emphasises the white of the set and the darkness of Matt’s hair. Only pink paint has spilt out of the pot- the bands motif. All the pots have numbers on and when the tiger is drawn it has numbers to show which colour goes where.
Special Effects
The tiger seems to be drawn on its own with no other help. Paint flies from the instruments onto the wall. The tiger moves and throws paint over the band.
Sound
The sound fades out at the end but begins immediately.
3. The band is represented as energetic, playful and rebellious with their scruffy hair and alternative fashion e.g. Joey B-Side’s sunglasses. They move around a lot when they are performing suggesting a rocky atmosphere to their music and fast/heavy songs. This adds to their meta-narrative as they are often portrayed as smoking and are known to be involved in drugs (the content of many of their songs) and are enforcing the “rock star image” through their suggested rebellion. This employs counter-culture attraction to help sell their product.
4. This is an example of disjuncture as the images and the narrative of the piece have little to do with the lyrics (although the movements of the band and the cuts link with the music itself) other than the lip syncing and instrument playing.
5. There is no intertextuality or reference to popular culture.
6. I don’t think this video could be considered art because it is mostly images of the band performing interspersed with images of a paint by numbers tiger coming to life on a wall. The only scene I would consider to be art is the last few where the band are performing and paint is being thrown at them as it is post modern and abstract.
7. Different social groups are not represented in this video.
8. The lyrics seem to suggest that taking drugs is just a part of life and something that is hard to control so the ideology is that its okay to do drugs and that life is uncontrollable without them. This is enforced in the video through the band losing control of the painted tiger and having the paint thrown back in their faces.
9. This video would be consumed in a focused way because the narrative of the video is easy to keep up with but the music itself demands your attention through the beat and the tone of the song.
Released: 2008
Director: Matthew Stawski
1. The genre of The Pink Spiders (TPS) is often described to be pop/rock and the forms and characteristics of this genre are evident in this video. It involves a performance in which the lead singer often looks directly at the camera addressing the audience (breaking the fourth wall) and also the mise-en-scene of the video is very conventional to the genre: the lead singer has scruffy hair and there are many close-ups of the instruments being played. All the band members wear white in keeping with the background and to emphasise the coloured paint but the style of clothes is in accordance with the “rebellious” image of the pop/rock genre for example Matt Friction (lead singer) wears a white sleeveless top.
The lyrics of the song are lip-synced which creates a relationship between the lyrics and the video and a relationship between the music and the visuals is created through the bands performance and also through the editing which often means that cuts and different camera angles are done in time to the beat. Also, the band members often appear to be moving in time to the music and dancing at some moments.
There are close-ups of Matt Friction singing, especially when he is looking straight into the camera and they are often high angle shots causing him to look up and give the video an artistic feel. A motif for TPS is the colour pink and although they have many different colours of paint thrown around at the end, all band members end up mostly covered in pink paint.
There is no reference to the notion of looking as the band are performing in an empty white room whilst a multi-coloured tiger gets drawn on the wall in the style of “paint by numbers” There are also no intertextual references in this video.
The video is performance based due to the band performing in the middle of the room but also concept based because of the paint and the animated tiger on the wall.
2. Camera Techniques
Opening scene is low shot of paint pots- panning across them. Quick movement towards singer at the beginning. Lots of low angle shots when there are no lyrics and high angle shots when filming Matt Friction.
Editing
Opening scene is in slow motion. Following scenes seem to be sped up slightly to look more disjointed and chaotic. Lip syncing and instruments appear to be played live. More slow motion when the band is jumping around with their instruments. Quick cuts in time with the music (a fundamental factor in creating a good music video). Video played backwards when Matt Friction is walking so he appears to be walking backwards away from the camera which further creates a disjointed look.
Mise-En-Scene
Everything is white apart from the paint and the outline of the tiger on the wall. Bright light shone from behind Matt Friction into camera lens emphasises the white of the set and the darkness of Matt’s hair. Only pink paint has spilt out of the pot- the bands motif. All the pots have numbers on and when the tiger is drawn it has numbers to show which colour goes where.
Special Effects
The tiger seems to be drawn on its own with no other help. Paint flies from the instruments onto the wall. The tiger moves and throws paint over the band.
Sound
The sound fades out at the end but begins immediately.
3. The band is represented as energetic, playful and rebellious with their scruffy hair and alternative fashion e.g. Joey B-Side’s sunglasses. They move around a lot when they are performing suggesting a rocky atmosphere to their music and fast/heavy songs. This adds to their meta-narrative as they are often portrayed as smoking and are known to be involved in drugs (the content of many of their songs) and are enforcing the “rock star image” through their suggested rebellion. This employs counter-culture attraction to help sell their product.
4. This is an example of disjuncture as the images and the narrative of the piece have little to do with the lyrics (although the movements of the band and the cuts link with the music itself) other than the lip syncing and instrument playing.
5. There is no intertextuality or reference to popular culture.
6. I don’t think this video could be considered art because it is mostly images of the band performing interspersed with images of a paint by numbers tiger coming to life on a wall. The only scene I would consider to be art is the last few where the band are performing and paint is being thrown at them as it is post modern and abstract.
7. Different social groups are not represented in this video.
8. The lyrics seem to suggest that taking drugs is just a part of life and something that is hard to control so the ideology is that its okay to do drugs and that life is uncontrollable without them. This is enforced in the video through the band losing control of the painted tiger and having the paint thrown back in their faces.
9. This video would be consumed in a focused way because the narrative of the video is easy to keep up with but the music itself demands your attention through the beat and the tone of the song.
Sarah: Auteur's Music Videos
Michel Gondry
Chemical Brothers- Let Forever Be
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmpxsk3dHaA
-Dance routines: abstract and artistic introdutions to them.
Beck- Cellphones Dead
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zL-lKik2cD0
-Black and white with spotlights on certain objects e.g. the door and the armchair.
-dated costume and decor
Steriogram- Walkie Talkie Man
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=asdN1jJw4EE
-performance but as if they are recording the song.
Chris Cunningham
Aphex Twin- Come To Daddy
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-XNav5mWU
-Image on TV sceen incorporated into the narrative
-Quick cuts with seemingly randomcloseups on feet etc. creates chaotic atmosphere
-lyrics and beat is heavy and dark: links in with the video
Spike Jonz
Fat Boy Slim- Praise You
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
-Handi-Cam makes it seem amateur.
The Auteur whose work we like best is Michel Gondry and we are going to deconstruct his video for Beck "Cell Phones Dead"
Michel Gondry was born and raised in Versailles, France. Now in his early forties, his repertoire is astounding. He has scripted inspiring imagery in the form of commercials, music videos, shorts, feature films, and other media. He is partially credited with reviving the music-video format in the 1990's. He has been named a genius by too many people to count. His works are marked with a child-like explorative eye. Like old-school hip-hop Gondry's films are his playground. He tells stories about people and their lives while questioning our definitions of reality. His characters are honest and human and his worlds playfully reflect the interaction between the worlds we live in: nature, society, and the mind.
Deconstruction of "Cellphones dead" by Beck
Mise-En-Scene
Gondry has chosen the set of the video to be dark with only spotlights on certain things e.g. on the armchair and to the bottom right of the door. This creates a sense of mystery and darkness which is often associated with the alternative rock genre; this links the music with the visuals. Costume: dated and alternative to classic fashion. carrying a briefcase- enigma. All the room changing around as the man/furniture morph into different things so as an audience you are never sure which way you are looking in the room.
Camera Techniques
Opening high angle shot looking down on the street. Panning to follow him walking round the room. High angle shot when he’s sitting on the chair. As the people morph the camera zooms in/out whilst panning to follow what is happening. Room moves around the camera- camera stays still but goes from looking at the door to looking at the man in the chair. Camera at one end of room slowly moving forward towards building/furniture men walking around the room. Focus ends with a longshot of the wall with the door and the spotlight.
Editing
Lip syncing. Man morphs into furniture man and building morphs into person shape walking in through the window. Man opens the briefcase in time to the music. Black and white. Light shining from hole in the furniture man linked to real man holding his chest where the light was when the morph as if it is causing him discomfort. Video fast motion whilst a furniture man and a building man morph into each other whilst spinning round creating the real man. Return to view outside at end.
Sound
Diagetic sound from the radio. music changes as man walks into the room. The added voices (“one by one I’ll knock you out” etc.) seem to be coming from the radio. As music develops into the outro, the special effects stop and the camera instead focuses on the man in the chair and the now still furniture.
Special Effects
Man and furniture and buildings all morph into different parts of the set and into each other creating a confusing effect but seems calm with the steady beat of the song. Light shining from gap in furniture man. Smoke fills room, creates more confusion. Furniture/building men spin round fast and morph into the real man.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Alternative rock- post modern effects and narrative. Concept video making it more artistic. Long hair and abstract fashion sense (motif).
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
Lip syncing, close-ups of him singing and he is the only real person in the video. Refers to radios jukeboxes and boom boxes in the lyrics and the video includes many different radios positioned around the room at different times.
Relationship between music and visuals
He moves often in time to the music and the camera cuts in time with the beat.
Chemical Brothers- Let Forever Be
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmpxsk3dHaA
-Dance routines: abstract and artistic introdutions to them.
Beck- Cellphones Dead
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zL-lKik2cD0
-Black and white with spotlights on certain objects e.g. the door and the armchair.
-dated costume and decor
Steriogram- Walkie Talkie Man
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=asdN1jJw4EE
-performance but as if they are recording the song.
Chris Cunningham
Aphex Twin- Come To Daddy
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-XNav5mWU
-Image on TV sceen incorporated into the narrative
-Quick cuts with seemingly randomcloseups on feet etc. creates chaotic atmosphere
-lyrics and beat is heavy and dark: links in with the video
Spike Jonz
Fat Boy Slim- Praise You
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
-Handi-Cam makes it seem amateur.
The Auteur whose work we like best is Michel Gondry and we are going to deconstruct his video for Beck "Cell Phones Dead"
Michel Gondry was born and raised in Versailles, France. Now in his early forties, his repertoire is astounding. He has scripted inspiring imagery in the form of commercials, music videos, shorts, feature films, and other media. He is partially credited with reviving the music-video format in the 1990's. He has been named a genius by too many people to count. His works are marked with a child-like explorative eye. Like old-school hip-hop Gondry's films are his playground. He tells stories about people and their lives while questioning our definitions of reality. His characters are honest and human and his worlds playfully reflect the interaction between the worlds we live in: nature, society, and the mind.
Deconstruction of "Cellphones dead" by Beck
Mise-En-Scene
Gondry has chosen the set of the video to be dark with only spotlights on certain things e.g. on the armchair and to the bottom right of the door. This creates a sense of mystery and darkness which is often associated with the alternative rock genre; this links the music with the visuals. Costume: dated and alternative to classic fashion. carrying a briefcase- enigma. All the room changing around as the man/furniture morph into different things so as an audience you are never sure which way you are looking in the room.
Camera Techniques
Opening high angle shot looking down on the street. Panning to follow him walking round the room. High angle shot when he’s sitting on the chair. As the people morph the camera zooms in/out whilst panning to follow what is happening. Room moves around the camera- camera stays still but goes from looking at the door to looking at the man in the chair. Camera at one end of room slowly moving forward towards building/furniture men walking around the room. Focus ends with a longshot of the wall with the door and the spotlight.
Editing
Lip syncing. Man morphs into furniture man and building morphs into person shape walking in through the window. Man opens the briefcase in time to the music. Black and white. Light shining from hole in the furniture man linked to real man holding his chest where the light was when the morph as if it is causing him discomfort. Video fast motion whilst a furniture man and a building man morph into each other whilst spinning round creating the real man. Return to view outside at end.
Sound
Diagetic sound from the radio. music changes as man walks into the room. The added voices (“one by one I’ll knock you out” etc.) seem to be coming from the radio. As music develops into the outro, the special effects stop and the camera instead focuses on the man in the chair and the now still furniture.
Special Effects
Man and furniture and buildings all morph into different parts of the set and into each other creating a confusing effect but seems calm with the steady beat of the song. Light shining from gap in furniture man. Smoke fills room, creates more confusion. Furniture/building men spin round fast and morph into the real man.
Goodwin
Genre characteristics
Alternative rock- post modern effects and narrative. Concept video making it more artistic. Long hair and abstract fashion sense (motif).
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
Lip syncing, close-ups of him singing and he is the only real person in the video. Refers to radios jukeboxes and boom boxes in the lyrics and the video includes many different radios positioned around the room at different times.
Relationship between music and visuals
He moves often in time to the music and the camera cuts in time with the beat.
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