As we have chosen a song that fits in the genre of alternative/Indie, many of the shots seen in the promos are that of the
performer him/herself either on their own of playing an instrument. Acoustic
artists tend to focus more on the music rather than putting on a big performance. We hope we can do this for our very own video--have a simple, strip down, raw live performance, this represents that they are true musicians not just a pretty face compared to the pop genre--where big level dance routines and miming is popular. We really don't want to copy this convention instead use influences from the Indie genre in particular the performance scenes. We had the idea to feature them in a real gig environment, so we could portray the real atmosphere to the audience.
We hope the mise-en-scene in our promo will be quite
simple, keeping the main focus on the song and the performer, costumes are kept
as real as possible, and the main props used are the instruments being played, again we are trying to keep the credibility of the artist.
The locations we disscused for our video tended to be quite isolated
locations, the use of the woods, parks large outdoor spaces reminds the audience of the idea behind the
lyrics. The idea of having a party outdoors would be perfect for the song, as it gives themes of summer, fun, laughing and dancing. This lead us to the idea of filming at a bonfire seeing the colours of the fire against the black background would be a beautiful shot. This is a popular intital idea within the group which we hope to develop futher as we start planning.
We want to create lighting that will focus on the important aspects of the narrative and the band. We thought about having spotlighting
to create more intense emotion, or maybe fitting our song more having a brighter lighting creating
a lighter mood--more happy go lucky idea.
We hope to use a range of different shot types throughout our music video, close ups and
reactions shots can be used to put across emotions, however long shots and
establishing shots are used to create an atmosphere for the
mise-en-scene. This will not only show our developed skills working with a camera but add a modern and unique spin on our production that really represents what we and the band stand for.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Inspiration
http://okgo.net/
I think that OK Go is much more than those videos. The band’s frontman Damian Kulash sometimes makes big declarations like “We’re trying to be a DIY band in a post-major label world” or “Our whole bag is having good ideas and making cool stuff.” This is the exact attitude the band themselves have towards there music and the industry. I think picking this band Ok Go is a good source of inspiration as they are a bit different from the traditional commercial band--they try to be as creative and unique as possible in many situlation from there songs to the globally famous videos. We decided as a group to research into the band in further detail to find out the meaning and understand were the band came from and the story behind the videos.
But despite the funny, unique music videos, that exuberant buzz has spilled across the globe. But don’t let that distract you, the best part of OK Go is still the music.A quote from the band in the reasonings behind there music videos "It has always been our position that the reason you wind up in a rock band is you want to make stuff. You want to do creative things for a living."
OK Go is an American alternative rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, but now residing in Los Angeles, California. Made up of four band members Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka ,Damian Kulash and Andy Ross. This orginally formed in 1998, won a Grammy award in 2007 for there video music of "Here It Goes Again"
Oh No gained popularity for its first single, "A Million Ways", in 2005. The video featured the band in their back yard performing a dance choreographed by lead singer Kulash's sister, Trish Sie. By August 2006, the video had become the most downloaded music video ever with over 9 million downloads. The band performed the dance live on British TV show Soccer AM, as well as on the late-night American comedy show.
We wanted to take inspiration from there videos as we found the pure creativeness and individual style they have unique. There daring nature, sets them apart from the other mainsteam artists--they're there own people. This was a deffo a sense we wanted in our video and after discussion with the band they were too. We really like the stop motion that featured in there End of Love video-this was when they did a series of different movements-kind of like a dance routine but really slowly and taking photos every second. This created a clever but doable technique we could copy. Although we would need to make the movements more simple-in order for it not to look messy, but as affective as possible. We hope to do a series of different test shots that would include jumping, arm/leg movements and stretches, this would give us more of any idea to see whether or not it is possible to do and if it looks good. This will also give us an idea to see what kind of movements work best.
I think that OK Go is much more than those videos. The band’s frontman Damian Kulash sometimes makes big declarations like “We’re trying to be a DIY band in a post-major label world” or “Our whole bag is having good ideas and making cool stuff.” This is the exact attitude the band themselves have towards there music and the industry. I think picking this band Ok Go is a good source of inspiration as they are a bit different from the traditional commercial band--they try to be as creative and unique as possible in many situlation from there songs to the globally famous videos. We decided as a group to research into the band in further detail to find out the meaning and understand were the band came from and the story behind the videos.
But despite the funny, unique music videos, that exuberant buzz has spilled across the globe. But don’t let that distract you, the best part of OK Go is still the music.A quote from the band in the reasonings behind there music videos "It has always been our position that the reason you wind up in a rock band is you want to make stuff. You want to do creative things for a living."
OK Go is an American alternative rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, but now residing in Los Angeles, California. Made up of four band members Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka ,Damian Kulash and Andy Ross. This orginally formed in 1998, won a Grammy award in 2007 for there video music of "Here It Goes Again"
Oh No gained popularity for its first single, "A Million Ways", in 2005. The video featured the band in their back yard performing a dance choreographed by lead singer Kulash's sister, Trish Sie. By August 2006, the video had become the most downloaded music video ever with over 9 million downloads. The band performed the dance live on British TV show Soccer AM, as well as on the late-night American comedy show.
We wanted to take inspiration from there videos as we found the pure creativeness and individual style they have unique. There daring nature, sets them apart from the other mainsteam artists--they're there own people. This was a deffo a sense we wanted in our video and after discussion with the band they were too. We really like the stop motion that featured in there End of Love video-this was when they did a series of different movements-kind of like a dance routine but really slowly and taking photos every second. This created a clever but doable technique we could copy. Although we would need to make the movements more simple-in order for it not to look messy, but as affective as possible. We hope to do a series of different test shots that would include jumping, arm/leg movements and stretches, this would give us more of any idea to see whether or not it is possible to do and if it looks good. This will also give us an idea to see what kind of movements work best.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Narrative Theory
Narrative
is almost always subordinate to performance. A song
rarely tells a complete narrative--not the full begin to end that you would see for a film or a book. Music videos often rely on more traditional styles of narrative.
Post-modernism--where texts are created by copying and reusing ideas / images that have
been used in a previous texts. An example of this is Madonnas Materials girls opening is an exact copy of the Marilyn Monroe film--with the exact copy of the dress and male dancers and the choreography. But seem in some of Fat boy slims videos they are often more playful, shocking, or even unconventional at time as a result of taking inspiration from other resources.
Nobody really knows- there are so many
definitions of it by so many different academics that it has become a phrase
used to describe anything that looks culturally avante garde in an old school.
Goodwin has identified the following features of music videos, music videos demonstrate genre characteristics for example a stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band, these are very typical for those type of genre music. 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. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.There is often inter textual reference to other texts for example previous films, TV programmes, other music videos.
Steven Archer's Theory
He believed in music videos that there needs to be a strong and coherent relationship between narrative and performance in music promos. The music
videos will cut--often to the beat of the song for pace, between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band.A Pop music video especially might feature a choreographed dance rountine this might or could be classed as thr artists performance--this element of the video is there to be visually appealing and have the most important factor--repeatability.
John Steward
He said that
music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and
lighting being used to focus on the star’s face. It is a very typical convention used for pop artists who want the limelight and attention--doesn't feature so much in Indie/Alternative bands. The visual
references comes from a range of sources, most frequently cinema, fashion and
art photography. The
video allows more access to the performer than a stage performance can mise-en-scene,
in particular, can be used to emphasise an aspirational lifestyle.
Laura Mulvey
She had strong views in the way music videos represented woman. Because
filmmakers are predominantly male, the presence of women in films is often
solely for the purposes of display-to look pretty on camera, instead of conterbuting to the narrative of the video. On some video theey are almost seem as a object-placed on a scene.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Conventions of Alternative music videos
Typical Conventions of Alternative music videos
The costume-the band tends to wear smart/casual clothing-vey popular within this genre, because it fits their image of cool, unique, musicans. The costume is often dark or black clothes to take the focus off the performer, more on the actual song itself--this the most important feature of the music video.
lighting can be natural through the use of outside shots. A popular lighting technique is side lighting which is often used to reflect the mood and tonality of the music and the narrative of the video.
Camera angles-much like other music videos from other genre high angled shots to establish the setting and overall view of the whole band (for an alternative song tends to be a band set up) There are constant close ups of members of band and their instruments. The use of low angled shots really capture the lead singer--centre of screen as in turn allows them to dominate. This also gives the impression of actually being there and watching them at a gig environment--a realistic edge. The use eof long shots are used to allow the audience to see the overall image of the narative of the video.
Editing, much like any other genre of music videos the editing tends to go at the some speed as the beat of the song, creating pace and structure when needed. It also allows the audience to really get involved in what they are seeing and listen to the lyrics. The editing techique of fades are used when the music is at a slower tempo. The speed of the editing tends to match the narative of the video. For aexample a character in the narative story is angry the editing speed a quick. As in turn if there are feeling sad or they want to audience to feel saddness it slows right down. We see a mix a clips of performance and narrative shots that make up the video. There tends to be a more large amount of shots in total compared to any other music genre.
These video often take on the influence of creating a video thats a short film inspied by the song rather than a "music video" this makes each alternative rock video unique and indidiviual to the band. This 9 minute long music video by 30 Seconds to Mars called Kings and Queens is a key example of these conventions taking place.
The costume-the band tends to wear smart/casual clothing-vey popular within this genre, because it fits their image of cool, unique, musicans. The costume is often dark or black clothes to take the focus off the performer, more on the actual song itself--this the most important feature of the music video.
lighting can be natural through the use of outside shots. A popular lighting technique is side lighting which is often used to reflect the mood and tonality of the music and the narrative of the video.
Camera angles-much like other music videos from other genre high angled shots to establish the setting and overall view of the whole band (for an alternative song tends to be a band set up) There are constant close ups of members of band and their instruments. The use of low angled shots really capture the lead singer--centre of screen as in turn allows them to dominate. This also gives the impression of actually being there and watching them at a gig environment--a realistic edge. The use eof long shots are used to allow the audience to see the overall image of the narative of the video.
Editing, much like any other genre of music videos the editing tends to go at the some speed as the beat of the song, creating pace and structure when needed. It also allows the audience to really get involved in what they are seeing and listen to the lyrics. The editing techique of fades are used when the music is at a slower tempo. The speed of the editing tends to match the narative of the video. For aexample a character in the narative story is angry the editing speed a quick. As in turn if there are feeling sad or they want to audience to feel saddness it slows right down. We see a mix a clips of performance and narrative shots that make up the video. There tends to be a more large amount of shots in total compared to any other music genre.
These video often take on the influence of creating a video thats a short film inspied by the song rather than a "music video" this makes each alternative rock video unique and indidiviual to the band. This 9 minute long music video by 30 Seconds to Mars called Kings and Queens is a key example of these conventions taking place.
Genre of our chosen song
The song we chose for our music video is from the alternative music genre. With suggestion of a pop and rock influences too. This type of genre is a of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. Although the term was most commonly associated in its commercial heyday with a loud, distorted guitar sound, its original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style, or simply the independent, D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music.
The typical characteristics and history of "alternative rock" essentially serves as an umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wake of punk rock since the mid-1980s. Throughout much of its history, alternative rock has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of mainstream culture, although this could be contested ever since some of the major alternative artists have achieved mainstream success or co-opted with the major labels from the 1990s onwards
As such, there is no set musical style for alternative rock as a whole, but to popular views the genre is guitar music first of all, with guitars that blast out power chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzztone and squeal in feedback, giving the stmosphere and effect of being in a gig environment.
More often the rock-styles since the mainstreaming of rock music during the 1970s, alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism. This approach to lyrics developed as a reflection of the social and economic strains in the United States and United Kingdom of the 1980s and early 1990s.
An example of alternative music is The Killers and Fun.
The typical characteristics and history of "alternative rock" essentially serves as an umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wake of punk rock since the mid-1980s. Throughout much of its history, alternative rock has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of mainstream culture, although this could be contested ever since some of the major alternative artists have achieved mainstream success or co-opted with the major labels from the 1990s onwards
As such, there is no set musical style for alternative rock as a whole, but to popular views the genre is guitar music first of all, with guitars that blast out power chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzztone and squeal in feedback, giving the stmosphere and effect of being in a gig environment.
More often the rock-styles since the mainstreaming of rock music during the 1970s, alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism. This approach to lyrics developed as a reflection of the social and economic strains in the United States and United Kingdom of the 1980s and early 1990s.
An example of alternative music is The Killers and Fun.
Monday, 1 October 2012
Ed Sherran A Team
"A Team" uses a strong narrative structure throughout the video and there is no band performance or solo singer monments. The narrative is told in a circular way, the video starts at the end. It is told from another perspective, a person watching the girls life.
The opening shots that’s hows the protagonist sleeping on a Bench because she has nowhere else to go. There are many more scenes throughout of her selling big issue and doing drugs and then sleeping with a paying customer
The mise en scene also suggests that the girl is unfortunate because the costume she is wearing. She is wearing ripped tights and also a mans coat which is too big for her. Along with this she has thick make up on which suggests she has been trying anything for money. This is also shown later on the video when there is a series of close ups of the girl putting make up on in a dodgy flat and then the long shot of her showing her legs to get the car to stop. It shows that the girl has turned to prostitution, making the audience sympathize yet again because she must be desperate to be doing that.
The lighting is very natural all the way through the video which makes it realistic. However, there is key lighting is on her face which shows her negative expression. The protagonist has no power in the video, she is a damsel in distress and the drugs are there to take her away from reality.
The visuals match the lyrics throughout the video as the song is about a homeless woman who is no wa drug addict and a woman of the night. The video just gives the image of this girl doing these things.Also the majority of his videos are in black and white and quite simplistic, no huge special effects, it gives the impession of it being raw, emotional and forcing our attention on the song and the action taking place. Subject to any conventional artist video there is no name dropping of other celebrities, no high levels of dance routines, just the story of life on the streets.
In this video Ed Sheeran only appears for a short amount of time, 1.20 - 1.30, he does it in most of his videos if he does appear atall including ones of his newest songs 'You Need Me, I Dont Need You'. It gives me the impression of he feels he doesn't need to be in them because the lyrics can do all the talking, he doesn't want to give the impression that he is using himself to sell his music through what he looks like or how he cant dance.
The opening shots that’s hows the protagonist sleeping on a Bench because she has nowhere else to go. There are many more scenes throughout of her selling big issue and doing drugs and then sleeping with a paying customer
The lighting is very natural all the way through the video which makes it realistic. However, there is key lighting is on her face which shows her negative expression. The protagonist has no power in the video, she is a damsel in distress and the drugs are there to take her away from reality.
The visuals match the lyrics throughout the video as the song is about a homeless woman who is no wa drug addict and a woman of the night. The video just gives the image of this girl doing these things.Also the majority of his videos are in black and white and quite simplistic, no huge special effects, it gives the impession of it being raw, emotional and forcing our attention on the song and the action taking place. Subject to any conventional artist video there is no name dropping of other celebrities, no high levels of dance routines, just the story of life on the streets.
In this video Ed Sheeran only appears for a short amount of time, 1.20 - 1.30, he does it in most of his videos if he does appear atall including ones of his newest songs 'You Need Me, I Dont Need You'. It gives me the impression of he feels he doesn't need to be in them because the lyrics can do all the talking, he doesn't want to give the impression that he is using himself to sell his music through what he looks like or how he cant dance.
Coldplay Scientist
Coldplay Scientist
The Story behind Coldplay’s Scientist has a strong narrative based, with a story about a car crash. My own intersteption was like the title he was a scientist trying to figure and sort things out--what happened, what went wrong and through this he tries analyse he's behaviou rin every situlation in the relationship at a time but no one can take it apart beacuse it doesnt work that way or change the past--like the lyrics "Take me back to the start" for me why?--because Love is not something you can simply totally understand. It compicated, people show it, feel it, act it differently to the next person--"nobody said it could be easy" the impression we get from movies, Tv programmes, the media that love is beautiful, straight forward, everyone is happy but this music video almost gives a true reflection of what love is--the difficult, painful and the joy it can bring to two human beings
The director of the music video had a simply idea he wanted to do a tragic story which started with happiness and ends with happiness and the video is about rewinding to that happy ending.
Mucis and visual relationships -The music is rather slow throughout, and the over cranking used in reverse is sometimes in time with the visuals on screen. For example when the car is rolling back up the hill from where it had just crashed down from, it seems to roll in time with the music playing at that time.
Lyrics and visual realationships -At the end of each chorus, the artist says the line, "I'm going back to the start". There is a relationship between this and the visuals, as the visuals are of the man in reverse, and so he is therefore going back to the start.
Lyrics and visual realationships -At the end of each chorus, the artist says the line, "I'm going back to the start". There is a relationship between this and the visuals, as the visuals are of the man in reverse, and so he is therefore going back to the start.
Music Video Inspired by Art Movements
Pop art emerged in the 1950s in Britian. Pop art presented a challenge to stereotypical traditons of art and classical subjects. This is due to material being visually removed from its known context and combined with un-relevant material. Pop art includes most its subjects from comtempory culture and presents them in a gimiky comic book style. This movement was made famous thanks to Andy Warhol who produced art works that really repesented the society--the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, a figure that was popular globally and recognised to some up that period of time. This is a music video from
Expressionism:
Expressionism was a modernist movement which origintaed in Weimar Germany (post WW1). This period was when Germany had no money and no nothing due to inflation going of the scale.
The artists next paintings during this period, focused on sharp angles and shadows highlighting the darker side. Some say these reflect the depressed phsychological nature of each and every member of the country during this hard finanical breakdown and turmoil.
Expressionism was a modernist movement which origintaed in Weimar Germany (post WW1). This period was when Germany had no money and no nothing due to inflation going of the scale.
The artists next paintings during this period, focused on sharp angles and shadows highlighting the darker side. Some say these reflect the depressed phsychological nature of each and every member of the country during this hard finanical breakdown and turmoil.
An Example of this type of at work by expressionists is "scream" by edvard munch
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.
Lady Gaga's new single 'Born This Way' music video is inspired by surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Francis Bacon. The promo sees the singer give birth while sitting above the earth, and she confesses the idea was inspired by the 20th century painters and the idea of creating a new type of human, reported a website."It's very inspired by, especially in the beginning, Salvador Dali and Francis Bacon. The surrealist painters. It's this story about the birth of this new race, a race that bears no prejudice and a race that's primary ambition in life is to inspire unity and togetherness.
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