Monday, 28 December 2009
Narrative Theory:
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Music Video Analysis - Kiss and Tell:
You Me At Six - Kiss And Tell (HD) from theplaceofthelion on Vimeo.
Aside from Lady GaGa's 'Just Dance' another video that deals with the house party setting and narrative is 'Kiss and Tell' by You Me At Six. This is essentially a performance based video, with the previously mentioned British rock band, being the entertainment at a 'wild' house party.
This follows the codes and conventions of the rock genre in terms of establishing an act. There are regularly close ups of the band, and their respective instruments, reflected in what the audience hear in the music. Additionally there are close ups of the lead singer to accentuate his vocals.
The editing is relatively fast paced to reflect the nature of the bouncy soft rock song. Additionally it gives the viewer the opportunity to explore the party in a succession of short shoots that take you further through the house; into the kitchen and garden.Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Letter of Permission:
Dear Copyright Holder,
I am an A level student and I am writing to request your permission to use one track from the forthcoming album by Delphic entitled Acolyte.
The track I wish to use is Doubt, track 2 on the album.
With your permission, this track would be used in my current A-level Media Studies project which involves creating a music video for a popular music track, as well as producing an album and a magazine advert for the artist.
If I received your permission, this track would ONLY be used in an educational
context and be viewed by my media class, my teacher and the OCR exam board
moderator. It would NOT be released to a large audience or uploaded to any public video websites. We do realise that the requested track is currently unreleased and will be merely used for research purposes until the release date.
The artist and your company would of course be fully recognised throughout pre-
production and the final video itself. A copyright notice, with wording supplied by you can be included in the records of the project. If this is required, please send full details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Jordan Saville
Music Video Analysis - Just Dance:
Over the past year Lady Gaga has become one of the biggest stars in pop, being credited in the same vein as the likes of Madonna and Kylie. This is not only down to her undeniably infectious songs; it is also a result of the iconic image she has built via her live appearances and music videos. Just Dance was the first of Lady Gaga’s music videos and introduced us to a super star in the making.
The premise of the video is a house party which has got a bit out of hand and as the lyrics say everyone has had ‘a little bit too much’. Gaga then turns up on the scene and gets the party going again by telling everyone to ‘Just Dance’. It is a simple concept, but it is executed brilliantly in this chaotic video. The setting isn’t exactly glamorous; it is a pretty standard house. However the mise- en-scène including the furnishings and décor lend it a certain edge that makes it believable that someone of Gaga’s stature would be welcome. Furthermore the remainder of the party goers are young and beautiful, which is a common convention of this sort of music videos. Rarely do you get ‘ugly’ and ‘old’ people in pop/ dance videos.
The video begins with shots of the remaining of the party. I.e. close ups of people laying on the floor, scattered about making the place look untidy, and then Lady Gaga turns up, and the juxtaposition between her bright pink coat, and the not so colourful setting, puts emphasis on her as the star. The video continues to show close ups of the devastation, and then the audience are greeted with a wide shot to show the full extent of the mess. These are inter cut with shots of Lady Gaga thrusting away in a separate room alone. This creates sense of voyeurism.
As Gaga begins to sing there are more close ups of just her face. Including one of her with a blue lightning bolt across her eye this has since become one of Gaga's many iconic fashion statements. Immediately she is a recognisable figure. Gaga’s performance throughout the video is very sexually orientated; again this would be a convention of the genre. It is pleasing to the eye and encourages audiences to dance and enjoy themselves whilst listening. Some scenes are very sexually suggestive, i.e. the lesbian kiss. However they are approached with caution and in that case the scene is cut just before they kiss. This is the sort of music that has mainstreams appeal, and there will be lots of young children watching. Lady Gaga should not abuse her power as a role model. Consequently the video has to be relatively family friendly, yet glamorous and risky at the same time.
The lyrics often reflect what is being portrayed on screen. The lyrics are very self explanatory, and it is hard to interpret them in any other way apart from the scenes in this video. Examples include ‘where are my keys? I lost my phone?’ these lyrics are accompanied by a shot of someone looking for their phone and keys. Moreover when Lady Gaga starts to sing the lines ‘Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic’ there are shots of the party goers going a little ‘psychotic’ and lightly beating each other with the furnishings.
The video is comprised of many shots, it is constantly changing. This helps maintain the viewer’s attention. The editing is fast paced to reflect the pace of the song, and it speeds up/slows down respectively with the music. Also it features a lot of montages, which are common in music videos. It is difficult to make out exactly what is being shown, but that is the pleasure of watching a music video like this; it asks for repeated viewings so viewers can catch what they missed before.
In conclusion this is a perfect example of a pop video. There are many close-ups of the artist, beautiful, young people dancing, fast paced editing, montages and a female star who holds the whole thing together. Additionally it illustrates that as long as these factors keep the viewers distracted the setting doesn’t necessarily have to be glamorous. It could be shot in an ordinary house and still look amazing.
Target Audience:
Forms and Conventions of Music Videos:
- Lyrics - The lyrics help to establish a general feeling/ mood or sense of subject matter. Key lines may play a significant part in the visuals, but rarely would there be a full interpretation.
- Music - The tempo of the track would drive the editing. Furthermore particular sounds in a track may be for grounded and emphasised on screen. ie. A close up a guitar solo.
- Genre - Each genre carries its own codes and conventions, a viewer would expect to see. This would be reflected in the mise-en-scène, the camera work and editing style.
- Camerawork - How the camera is used and how images are sequenced has a significant impact on meaning. The angle, movements and shot distance would fluctuate depending on the music. Upbeat tones are likely to require more dynamic camerawork.
- Editing - In the process of filming, you must film to edit. Some music videos would feature fast cut montages (sometimes containing of random images). This then encourages repeated viewings in case the viewer missed anything the first time. The editing helps to establish the mood, and is sometimes is used to fragment the narrative.
Possible Locations:
Andrew Huang's 'Doubt':
Teacher Feedback:
We went back to the drawing board and discussed possible locations; we discussed various clubs, and pubs that would work. But the problem with using anywhere like that is of course gaining access, and directing the people in there. It was unfeasible, as far as we were concerned. As appealing as a 'professional' setting such as a club sounded it wasn't really an option. So we decided to make a conscious decision and stick with our guns to film it at a house party. We have seen a few videos filmed at house parties that still look visually exciting (notably; Lady Gaga's Just dance).
Scene by Scene:
Building on 'Doubt':
The video would begin with a man making his way around a party talking to all the other party goers. Followed by him being dragged upstairs to have sex with an unknown character. Consequently he would return back to the party to wander aimlessly around looking glum, obviously regretting/doubting his actions. The feeling of regret then takes hold of the lead and he storms out the front door running down the street, to be followed by the still unknown person he slept with. By which the audience are surprised to find out who it is in the final scene.
Doubt:
Monday, 14 December 2009
Take Me To The Hospital and Vicarious:
Friday, 11 December 2009
505:
Initial Meetings:
My Group:
Brief:
- a website homepage for the band;
- a cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);
- a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).