I have analysed the music video of ‘Dry your eyes mate’ by the streets and there were a large number of things which came to my attention whilst watching.
Shots
During the video ‘Dry your eyes mate’ a vast amount of similar shot were used to create a specific mood throughout. For example the Mid shot was used heavily during the video, however the main character “mike” was shot off centre almost to one side of the frame. This shot was used frequently and I think it shows a timid side to Mike skinners character, almost a reluctance to appear fully on screen, as he is so upset with his recent break up.
Another popular shot was the long shot. This shot was used on many occasions showing mike alone in many various locations, including the cinema, a football stadium and supermarket. This shot was effective as it gave the audience the bigger picture allowing everyone too see just how alone he is feeling during his relationship torment.
Mise- en-scene
The mise-en-scene of this video is very simple but effective. Costume for example is very ordinary; mikes character appears in a baby blue jumper and jeans for a large portion of the video. The only other change is the inclusion of a black coat when he is appearing outside. This is most probably to portray the character in the video as an ordinary bloke nothing special or different from anyone else.
A dog is also present in the video; this dog is with mike in nearly every frame and is shown to be his companion throughout. It almost suggests now the lady in his life has gone this loyal dog is all he has in the world.
The location in which this music video shot is very urban. There are many different locations like a street at night, a football ground and a betting shop. All these locations are shot at night in low-lit areas giving a sad and lonely feel to the video.
Conclusion
This music video has surprisingly few shots. The total number of shots is 86 and this probably has something to do with the tempo of the music being represented. The song ‘Dry your eyes mate’ is a very slow and sad style rap song, which involves fewer shots, which go on for a longer duration. The length of shots is important when you consider the tempo of the music. This video is a good example of a 3-minute rap song in our style genre and I hope by doing this technical analysis we can pick up valuable tips on what is needed to shoot a successful video.
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Audience research - Group 5
We have decided to put together a questionnaire asking questions about the genre of indie rap. we will be asking questions about what people expect to see in this type of genre and gathering information which will help us make decisions later on in our project. We have chosen this style of gathering information because we will be able to send out the questionnaire electronically with a link to our chosen track. By sending it via email we can send to a wide variety of people and only look at the end results, saving time and effort. the advantage of this over say a focus group is that we can ensure more reliable results. In a focus group it may be hard to control people's behaviour and there may be difficulty in gaining valuable answers.
We will for example ask questions about the design of our Digipak, like what designs they would expect to see and what designs would attract them into buying an album. This information could change some of our ideas as we may not have thought of things that people would like to see. We will be designing our questionnaires on either survey monkey, or on a programme like word and we will be using open and closed questions enabling us to gather a range of varied answers. We will obtaining both quantitative and qualitative data from our questions, insuring a varied analysis.
An example of one of our questions is ' What locations would you expect to be used in an Indie rap video ? ' Then we would list a number on different locations for the audience to tick.
We are aiming to send the questionnaire to friends within our age bracket of 15- 21, as this is our target audience.
We will for example ask questions about the design of our Digipak, like what designs they would expect to see and what designs would attract them into buying an album. This information could change some of our ideas as we may not have thought of things that people would like to see. We will be designing our questionnaires on either survey monkey, or on a programme like word and we will be using open and closed questions enabling us to gather a range of varied answers. We will obtaining both quantitative and qualitative data from our questions, insuring a varied analysis.
An example of one of our questions is ' What locations would you expect to be used in an Indie rap video ? ' Then we would list a number on different locations for the audience to tick.
We are aiming to send the questionnaire to friends within our age bracket of 15- 21, as this is our target audience.
Monday 28 September 2009
LH-Technical Analysis Evaluation Plan B- Bizzness Woman
Link
From the technical analysis i have learnt quite a lot that i wasn't expecting to find out. From the technical analysis I learnt the sheer amount of shots that are used within a music video compared to a film opening sequence. I hadn't realised the amount of quick shots that are used as i think that the music and visuals take your mind off of it and therefore disguise it. Within the music video that i analysed the longest shot lasted for about 11seconds but the majority of them last around 2 or 3 seconds. This has taught me that for our video we are going to have to consider every little shot and plan this very carefully when making our storyboard. However i also noticed that a lot of the shots were repeated and used as filler shots especially the performance based shots. The majority of the shots that were used were mid shots however a lot of close ups were used to add emphasis. As the video that i analysed was mainly narrative based i think that a lot of mid shots were used as you needed to know and understand the whole story. The mid shots are used to add this but also used to set the scene and allow you to familiarise yourself with the settings as you can see the character and background. The close ups are used mainly in the performance based shots to show the skill and passion when Plan B is rapping/singing.
Overall the technical analysis has helped me to realise and start to grasp the large amount of planning that needs to be completed and considered before we can start to film our music video. But it has also helped me to see a variety of different shots and filler shots that we could use when making our video to ensure that it of to the highest possible standard.
From the technical analysis i have learnt quite a lot that i wasn't expecting to find out. From the technical analysis I learnt the sheer amount of shots that are used within a music video compared to a film opening sequence. I hadn't realised the amount of quick shots that are used as i think that the music and visuals take your mind off of it and therefore disguise it. Within the music video that i analysed the longest shot lasted for about 11seconds but the majority of them last around 2 or 3 seconds. This has taught me that for our video we are going to have to consider every little shot and plan this very carefully when making our storyboard. However i also noticed that a lot of the shots were repeated and used as filler shots especially the performance based shots. The majority of the shots that were used were mid shots however a lot of close ups were used to add emphasis. As the video that i analysed was mainly narrative based i think that a lot of mid shots were used as you needed to know and understand the whole story. The mid shots are used to add this but also used to set the scene and allow you to familiarise yourself with the settings as you can see the character and background. The close ups are used mainly in the performance based shots to show the skill and passion when Plan B is rapping/singing.
Overall the technical analysis has helped me to realise and start to grasp the large amount of planning that needs to be completed and considered before we can start to film our music video. But it has also helped me to see a variety of different shots and filler shots that we could use when making our video to ensure that it of to the highest possible standard.
Brighton preliminary task - group
Link
We posted our edited footage of our School trip to Brighton on Youtube, this enables us to share our shots with other groups and get comments from our teachers.
We posted our edited footage of our School trip to Brighton on Youtube, this enables us to share our shots with other groups and get comments from our teachers.
Analysis
We went to Brighton on 22/09/09 to familiarise ourselves with the camera, practice and explore different shots, use an outdoor location and to show us a variety of different locations. Overall the trip was successful as it has helped us discover a range of shots that otherwise may not have been considered. It also allowed us a chance to discuss and revise ideas for our music video as we discovered locations and shots that we hadn't previously realised were available.
The range of shots that we used are :
High angle tracking shot
Medium long shot
Medium tracking shot handycam
Point of view shot
Indoor close up
360 pan
Close up of feet
Low angle mid shot
Mid shot
Time stretch
Slow pan
After using these shots we have been able to consider a much wider range that we may not have considered previously. So the trip has proved very useful and given us a lot more ideas that we will definatly consider when creating our music video.
E.L - Technical Analysis
Jamie T - Chaka Demus
I analysed the shots and mise-en-scene of the video for Jamie T's Chaka Demus. There were a number of things that i noticed throughout the video.
Shots
There was a great deal of similar shots and repeat angles used all the way through the Chaka Demus video. One example is the high angle long shot that was used a number of times as different cars drove past in quick succession. These shots are interspersed with other repeat angles and adopt a quick cutting rate in order to create the narrative.
Mise-en-scene
The costumes that are used throughout the video are wacky, odd and relatively humerus. This is quite conventional of indie rap as many of the lyrics follow the same unusual path with a number of witty quips. The video Chaka Demus consists of a car chase of 3 old cars and 7 very oddly dressed males. For example there are 3 mines with their faces painted in costumes driving together chasing other absurdly dressed characters.
Most of the video is shot along an empty country road that winds and bends through what seems the middle of a forest. This use of the same road emphasises the race as all the cars are traveling the same way and in order to produce a good narrative the locations have to match. This would possibly fall under continuity editing.
A number of props are used that all add to the narrative and help tell the unusual story. For example two men are trying to read a map on the side of the road which clearly illustrates that they are lost and the audience can see a focus on the car chase.
There is also a focus on the suitcase that Jamie T has with him which is later thrown from the car. This would give the impression that it is the case that is sought after however this is never confirmed.
Conclusion
The video is a very good example of British indie rap and has give me some good ideas that will help us for our own video. By producing the technical analysis i am able to see the volume of shots used to create the narrative and the short duration that they are shown. This is something that we need to think about during our planning of our own video in order to make sure we get enough footage of shots that we can use.
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Mood Board
This mood board is a representation of a number of icons within the genre that our track falls under. These artists are all controversial, unconventional Englsih rappers.
These images are able to give us ideas for both costume, locations and motifs that would be important for our music video.
Also images of the urban city and beer are examples of locations and props often associated with the genre and lifestyles that the artists themselves lead. For our video we wish to create a relatively realistic example of the way the artist lives and these images are perfect for chosing props and the best possible locations to film in.
Location Reccie - Group
London - Westferry
We have decided that one of the locations that may be useful to use would be East London. We are planning to take a number of photo's and practise shots, as we did in Brighton, in order to get a good idea of specific shots and locations. Elliot will be spending time in London on Wednesday 30th September and will be able to take still pictures and shots for the reccie.
We have decided that one of the locations that may be useful to use would be East London. We are planning to take a number of photo's and practise shots, as we did in Brighton, in order to get a good idea of specific shots and locations. Elliot will be spending time in London on Wednesday 30th September and will be able to take still pictures and shots for the reccie.
Elliot's House - Tonbridge
This will be used a number of times throughout the video and we already know a number of shots that we want to attempt and use. This will be useful as the pictures and practise shots can be used for the location reccie. Tuesday 29th September we are all available to take some practise shots.
Luke's House - Leigh
Luke will be able to take pictures and possibly clips alone. We have discussed the shots and areas of the house that we will want to use which will mean Luke already has an idea of shots and and specific locations that we can use. Luke is planning to take some photos Thursday 1st October.
Brighton
We have already been on a trip to Brighton and have a range of shots and photos that we can use for locations in the music video. We may decided to add on some of these. We have already created an edited short clip shot in Brighton in order to practise shots and locations. We will be able to use still images and some other different images for the location reccie and so will not need to re-visit.
J.J Kanye West Digipak - Graduation
Form and structure
This Digipak is made from recycled cardboard and when opened has two compartments which house different parts of the album. When folded out the left pocket holds the CD and the right holds a booklet listing all the track names and individual companies and people who helped put the album together. The casing is made from cardboard as it is more eco friendly, as cardboard is recyclable it does not harm the atmosphere as much as say a plastic casing would usually do. However as it is made from a biodegradable material such as cardboard it can be damaged easily and spills from liquids could damage the CD if not caught quickly. But the upside of the casing being made from card is that it is much smaller then your more common plastic casing so is more easily stored. In the Digipak from Kanye West’s album Graduation the artist would probably not be recognised if you were not already familiar with the style of Kanye’s albums like the one that preceded this, ‘late registration’. The from cover of the album consists of a brown cartoon bear being fired out of the mouth of a large creature with many eyes. The creature has a columned building on its head and many cartoon cheerleader animals dancing around it waving at the brown bear, which is flying into the foreground of the picture. The artists name and the name of the album are stuck on the front in sticker form at the top right hand side in red font. However the booklet is very plane in comparison to the artwork on the outer casing, as it is all purple with white lettering. Also included in the Digipak is a double-sided poster displaying the Bear on the cover with the name of the album on both sides.
Genre
The genre of the music that Kanye West makes is a mixture of Hip-Hop, R&B
And rap. However you would not get that straight away by looking at his album package. The bear in the Pictures is dressed similarly to how you would expect a black rapper to be dressed as he is wearing large trainers, baggy jeans, a baseball style jacket and a gold jewel incrusted chain hanging from his neck. This bear is obviously drawn to look like the cartoon version of Kanye and so how it has been drawn fits the hip-hop conventions you would expect. However Kanye is all about style and image, he wants to stand out from other rappers and by not appearing personally on the album cover he has distinguished himself from the competition, who would normally pose on the cover with expensive cars, sexy women and expensive things.
Visual techniques - http://www.takashimurakami.com/art.php
Visually this Digipak is very inviting, it is packed with huge amounts of colour and there is so much going on in the cartoons on the front and in the images inside the fold out album, which make you, want to take a closer look to investigate further. The artwork is done by TAKASHI MURAKAMI a well renowned Japanese artist and someone who has done previous artwork for Kanye west. His style is very recognisable and has become very much associated with Kanye West. The use of bright and contrasting colours is very evident and this makes the album package stand out and look very inviting. In relation to the rule of thirds the most important feature of the front cover is the ‘Kanye’ bear which is being fired out of the mouth of a large creature. He is positioned in the top left hand side of the frame almost in the foreground making him the focal point of the picture.
Meaning
There seems to be a clear meaning evident in the “graduation” digipak produced by Kanye West. The middle three fold out pages of this album show a progression through life of the bear starting from him leaving a house in a dark uninviting street, making his way across a road thwart with dangers including crossing a busy road and being chased by a ghost. However, eventually ending up at a graduation with many other animals. This could be seen as a graduation through life; elevating him to the musical status he is at now (this is shown by him being shot into the atmosphere away from the normal people). I believe this shows how all the events in Kanye West’s life have influenced his music and outlook on life.
Linguistic Devices
There is not a lot of text evident in this album package however the lexical field which is evident clearly links in with the music industry. For example the “parental Advisory” sticker is a legal requirement which must be displayed on the front cover of any album which contains music of an explicit nature. Also within the booklet there is a long list of the songs and who made their creation possible. These sentences use lots of technical words associated with the Music industry like “studios”, “produced” and “mixed to name a few.
Intertextuality
There is no real intertextuality within the framework of this album as it is mainly focused on the artist “Kanye West”. However the use of the artist TAKASHI MURAKAMI in designing the artwork for the album can be seen as a form of intertextuality. As he is an already established artist his inclusion in the album brings another dimension to it.
Artist Representation
I think the fact that Kanye has chosen to remove himself from the packaging of the album speaks volumes about his success. He is such a well known and established artist that he probably does not see the point in slapping his face across an album cover, which people will already know he created. His exclusion from the cover gives the audience a chance to focus more on the Quality of his music rather than actually him as a person. I also think that Kanye Wrest is very concerned with image and style, and the use of this Japanese style Cartoon artist separates him from any other rapper as no one has done this before. This Originality is refreshing as if every Hip-hop artist did the same sort of thing it would become tedious and boring.
Text consumption
The Print advert of this album is likely to be consumed in a magazine or newspaper and by people flicking through and noticing the new Kanye West album. Other forms of consumption include TV adverts and any adverting on the internet on sites like the I tunes music library. As Kanye is a huge artist his album is likely to be advertised on huge billboards and posters in large towns to make as many people as possible aware of its appearance. Music channels on the TV are another massive source of consumption as people will tune in to channels like KISS to hopefully catch a glimpse of a video from one of the new tracks on the album .
This Digipak is made from recycled cardboard and when opened has two compartments which house different parts of the album. When folded out the left pocket holds the CD and the right holds a booklet listing all the track names and individual companies and people who helped put the album together. The casing is made from cardboard as it is more eco friendly, as cardboard is recyclable it does not harm the atmosphere as much as say a plastic casing would usually do. However as it is made from a biodegradable material such as cardboard it can be damaged easily and spills from liquids could damage the CD if not caught quickly. But the upside of the casing being made from card is that it is much smaller then your more common plastic casing so is more easily stored. In the Digipak from Kanye West’s album Graduation the artist would probably not be recognised if you were not already familiar with the style of Kanye’s albums like the one that preceded this, ‘late registration’. The from cover of the album consists of a brown cartoon bear being fired out of the mouth of a large creature with many eyes. The creature has a columned building on its head and many cartoon cheerleader animals dancing around it waving at the brown bear, which is flying into the foreground of the picture. The artists name and the name of the album are stuck on the front in sticker form at the top right hand side in red font. However the booklet is very plane in comparison to the artwork on the outer casing, as it is all purple with white lettering. Also included in the Digipak is a double-sided poster displaying the Bear on the cover with the name of the album on both sides.
Genre
The genre of the music that Kanye West makes is a mixture of Hip-Hop, R&B
And rap. However you would not get that straight away by looking at his album package. The bear in the Pictures is dressed similarly to how you would expect a black rapper to be dressed as he is wearing large trainers, baggy jeans, a baseball style jacket and a gold jewel incrusted chain hanging from his neck. This bear is obviously drawn to look like the cartoon version of Kanye and so how it has been drawn fits the hip-hop conventions you would expect. However Kanye is all about style and image, he wants to stand out from other rappers and by not appearing personally on the album cover he has distinguished himself from the competition, who would normally pose on the cover with expensive cars, sexy women and expensive things.
Visual techniques - http://www.takashimurakami.com/art.php
Visually this Digipak is very inviting, it is packed with huge amounts of colour and there is so much going on in the cartoons on the front and in the images inside the fold out album, which make you, want to take a closer look to investigate further. The artwork is done by TAKASHI MURAKAMI a well renowned Japanese artist and someone who has done previous artwork for Kanye west. His style is very recognisable and has become very much associated with Kanye West. The use of bright and contrasting colours is very evident and this makes the album package stand out and look very inviting. In relation to the rule of thirds the most important feature of the front cover is the ‘Kanye’ bear which is being fired out of the mouth of a large creature. He is positioned in the top left hand side of the frame almost in the foreground making him the focal point of the picture.
Meaning
There seems to be a clear meaning evident in the “graduation” digipak produced by Kanye West. The middle three fold out pages of this album show a progression through life of the bear starting from him leaving a house in a dark uninviting street, making his way across a road thwart with dangers including crossing a busy road and being chased by a ghost. However, eventually ending up at a graduation with many other animals. This could be seen as a graduation through life; elevating him to the musical status he is at now (this is shown by him being shot into the atmosphere away from the normal people). I believe this shows how all the events in Kanye West’s life have influenced his music and outlook on life.
Linguistic Devices
There is not a lot of text evident in this album package however the lexical field which is evident clearly links in with the music industry. For example the “parental Advisory” sticker is a legal requirement which must be displayed on the front cover of any album which contains music of an explicit nature. Also within the booklet there is a long list of the songs and who made their creation possible. These sentences use lots of technical words associated with the Music industry like “studios”, “produced” and “mixed to name a few.
Intertextuality
There is no real intertextuality within the framework of this album as it is mainly focused on the artist “Kanye West”. However the use of the artist TAKASHI MURAKAMI in designing the artwork for the album can be seen as a form of intertextuality. As he is an already established artist his inclusion in the album brings another dimension to it.
Artist Representation
I think the fact that Kanye has chosen to remove himself from the packaging of the album speaks volumes about his success. He is such a well known and established artist that he probably does not see the point in slapping his face across an album cover, which people will already know he created. His exclusion from the cover gives the audience a chance to focus more on the Quality of his music rather than actually him as a person. I also think that Kanye Wrest is very concerned with image and style, and the use of this Japanese style Cartoon artist separates him from any other rapper as no one has done this before. This Originality is refreshing as if every Hip-hop artist did the same sort of thing it would become tedious and boring.
Text consumption
The Print advert of this album is likely to be consumed in a magazine or newspaper and by people flicking through and noticing the new Kanye West album. Other forms of consumption include TV adverts and any adverting on the internet on sites like the I tunes music library. As Kanye is a huge artist his album is likely to be advertised on huge billboards and posters in large towns to make as many people as possible aware of its appearance. Music channels on the TV are another massive source of consumption as people will tune in to channels like KISS to hopefully catch a glimpse of a video from one of the new tracks on the album .
Sunday 20 September 2009
E.L - Digipak & Advert Analysis
P. Diddy - Press Play
Form & Structure
A digipak consist of a CD case that makes up the whole casing surrounding the CD and usually created from card in order to become more eco-friendly. The structure of the case is therefore a shape that will provide a solid cover for the CD. Each one is different and the shapes vary. The design on each one however is very similar using matching colours and images that relate to one another often featuring the artist. P. Diddy – Press Play is a good example of a CD cover that uses all of these features. The front of the cover is a large close-up picture of the artist (P. Diddy) surrounded by an electric blue colour. This is the same glowing colour from the ‘play’ symbol on the back of the cover. Part of the symbol is reflected in the dark glasses that P. Diddy is wearing. The image is the same in both sides of the glasses and match the background drawing the focus to the centre of the artist’s face. This is exactly the same technique used for the two page spread advert. One page is solely an enlarged image of the front cover as the other holds the information needed about the album, using the same black background and the same font as the back of the album cover does.
Genre
The genre of the music that P. Diddy creates is a mixture of Hip Hop, R&B and dance-pop. This album is exactly the same and the images perhaps focus more upon the dance element rather than rap. This is evident due to the bright lights and colours that are so often associated with the dance genre. However many rap artists are known for showing off expensive clothing and jewellery. This convention is reinforced as P.Diddy has on what would seem an expensive suit, two diamond earrings and of course a pair of stylish glasses that the main focus is upon. Obviously as the advertisement used for the album is produced using the same image the genre characteristics are the same.
Visual Techniques
The image used in both the advertisement and the front cover of the CD case is very iconic as it can almost be passed off as a photograph. The main image of P. Diddy would seem to be a photo and then using other visual techniques it has been enhanced, for example the reflection in the glasses of the ‘play’ symbol. The artist himself would have been airbrushed in order to make sure that the image made him as aesthetically pleasing as possible. And also this would allow focus upon the reflection in his glasses and not to an ‘impurity’ on his skin or suit. Therefore although this looks very much like a photograph would, upon closer inspection it is clearly not.
The font used as well to display the information uses a very thin, simple type so that the words can be read easily. This would be an example of non-representational graphics as they have clearly been added and do not resemble hand writing or anything that may be included as a photo. A contrast between both white and the same electric, baby blue are used singling out the most important features in the blue colour, matching with the rest of the advertisement and CD case.
Meaning
The main purpose of the advertisement is to let readers of the magazine know when the new album is to be released and also includes information of interest to the reader. For example; P. Diddy collaborates with a number of other artists and some of the more popular ones are listed. As the advert is spread across two pages it allows the information to be set almost apart from the main image both promoting the artist and the album separately. However including the main play logo and font that is used on the album cover it still allows the information to be related to the album and is very important in the overall meaning of the advert.
Linguistic Devices
The lexis used within both the advert and the album itself would be classified in the semantic field of music as a product. Words such as ‘single, album and featuring’ are all examples of lexis that represents the music industry. Similarly the label in the bottom corner of the album cover stating ‘explicit content’ is a clear sign that the album is a product. There is a contrast between legal obligations and descriptions of the album to suit every aspect of the market. The connotations of a phrase such as ‘smash single’ for example would be that the record has had an explosive impact in the charts and been a huge hit.
Intertextuality
Within both the poster as an advertisement and the album there does not seem to be a large focus upon intertextuality. It is possible that the names of other artists and the title of a single could be seen as intertextuality however there is not an obvious symbolic representation of any other media text. The only example may be the play logo as this would symbolise pressing ‘play’ however has not been used frequently previous to this and so would not be a good example of intertextuality.
Artist Representation
As stated previously the artist is perceived in the best possible light after a number of visual effects have been used to adjust the artist. In this case the artist is represented in a way that shows his superiority due to his smart authoritative suit and serious facial expression. This perhaps is due to the success of the artist and he is perceived as an important figure in this genre of music. The clothing and accessories that P. Diddy is photographed in however show his suave style and expensive taste almost showing off the success of the artist. Similarly with the advertisement the focus on the large number of different artists that he has collaborated with shows his prowess as a talented artist. Some of the biggest names in the music industry and the genre are listed such as Timbaland, Jamie Foxx and Mary J would show to any audience interested in this genre of music of his significance. This almost anchors the image of a very successful P. Diddy.
Text Consumption
The main consumer of an advertisement in the ‘Touch’ magazine would be anybody interested in this particular genre of music. This may be an individual trying to find out the release date of a particular album or somebody flicking the pages and being caught by the advert. This would be an example of both passive and active consumption. This advertisement would predominantly be consumed by an individual or group with an interest in this particular type of music. The album however may be consumed by a number of different demographics as songs being played on the radio are often listened to passively by a number of different people. This would also be the case with passive consumption of people listening to music channels being watched by other individuals. However people that like the artist or a number of the songs on the album would be the main revenue for album sales unless buying a present for a relative or friend. However the album would then be consumed mainly by the receiver of the gift and would probably fall under the category of a fan of the music.
LH -Deconstructing a Digipak- Kings and Queens Jamie T
Genre
The genre does not become immediately apparent when looking at the album cover for Kings and Queens- Jamie T as it is quite abstract, diverse and could be viewed as "old school" in the sense it uses a varied range of colours that are quite drained and not very bright. this is similar to the print advert as the print advert uses the same image as the album cover. This is beneficial in some ways and not so good in other ways. One advantage is that if people recognise the picture when they see the advert it will be easier for them to find the album in store as they will know exactly what they're looking for. As soon as you look at the album cover you notice the unconventional camera shot that is used. This could be considered as conventional for Jamie T as he is quite an unconventional artist that challenges musical boundaries through his use of lyrics and images. One way in which the genre can be identified however is due to the suburban location that is apparent in the image. This is typical of Jamie T's music as he often talks about growing up in London and suburban locations are often a focal point in many of his music videos. An example of when a suburban location is apparent is in the music video for Sticks 'n' Stones.
Media Language
On the album cover quite a lot of visual techniques are used to try and portray meanings but also leave you in suspense as to what the album will entail to try and persuade you into buying the album. On the cover and advert quite a few bright colours are used and they are pinks, greens, blues, purples and oranges but then a drained effect is used. This drained effect gives the album cover some unique appeal as it uses bright colours to try and attract peoples attentions but then the drained effect gives the album a different selling point as it looks quite "old school" so would appeal to a wider range of prospective consumers. A black background is also used which makes the colours of the main images stand out more but also adds to the intrigue about what the album is exactly about. The mise-en-scene is also particularly important as the location used is something that you would expect to see on an indie rap album cover as it uses a lot conventional points from that type of music. The clothes that Jamie T and the other person on the album cover are using also help to identify the indie rap genre as these are typical clothes that you would expect Jamie T and his listeners to wear. There aren't that many connotations that can be taken from this album cover because it is quite a simple but effective sole image. There are words around the whole of the image in a circle which could represent possibly a vinyl record. this to would add to the wanted genre of being old school as a lot of the songs within this album are about Jamie T's younger years. Another meaning that could be taken from the words " Jamie.T Kings&Queens" is that every word is a different colour of shade so this would represent that this album would appeal to all people, men and women and people of different ages races and religions. The album title is also quite a hard to decipher as Jamie T is generally quite a random and unconventional but it could be political as a lot of the songs within the album are about his teenage years but also have political connotations throughout.
Representation
There is quite a strong representation created by both the print advert and the album cover, both of which contribute towards Jamie T's image. The images represent Jamie T in a way in which he hopes will help him to sell his music as it will appeal to his listeners. The sole image of Jamie T jumping in the air creates an image that he is lively, boisterous and quite laddish. This being an image that is typical of Jamie T's music and something that in many aspects appeals highly to the consumers as it is something that they are able to identify with. The multi-tonal and different colours that are used on the album cover for instance also represent Jamie as quite an unconventional and random person which is accurate of many of his songs which challenge conventions of the "accepted music world." The print advert especially adds to the meta narrative of Jamie T as portrays him as a stereotypical "laddish youth."
Institution and Audience
The print advert would most likely to be consumed in a town or magazine as music shops are very likely to have Jamie's poster in the shop window, as he is a very popular artist among teenagers who are the people perceived to have money to spend on music and other technologies. So by displaying Jamie's advert they are likely to go into the shop and spend their money. The album cover is most likely to be consumed in a shop or on an internet site that sells music products as it is simply a cheap way to advertise Jamie's album and it is an easily identifiable cover so people would recognise it an then buy it.
The genre does not become immediately apparent when looking at the album cover for Kings and Queens- Jamie T as it is quite abstract, diverse and could be viewed as "old school" in the sense it uses a varied range of colours that are quite drained and not very bright. this is similar to the print advert as the print advert uses the same image as the album cover. This is beneficial in some ways and not so good in other ways. One advantage is that if people recognise the picture when they see the advert it will be easier for them to find the album in store as they will know exactly what they're looking for. As soon as you look at the album cover you notice the unconventional camera shot that is used. This could be considered as conventional for Jamie T as he is quite an unconventional artist that challenges musical boundaries through his use of lyrics and images. One way in which the genre can be identified however is due to the suburban location that is apparent in the image. This is typical of Jamie T's music as he often talks about growing up in London and suburban locations are often a focal point in many of his music videos. An example of when a suburban location is apparent is in the music video for Sticks 'n' Stones.
Media Language
On the album cover quite a lot of visual techniques are used to try and portray meanings but also leave you in suspense as to what the album will entail to try and persuade you into buying the album. On the cover and advert quite a few bright colours are used and they are pinks, greens, blues, purples and oranges but then a drained effect is used. This drained effect gives the album cover some unique appeal as it uses bright colours to try and attract peoples attentions but then the drained effect gives the album a different selling point as it looks quite "old school" so would appeal to a wider range of prospective consumers. A black background is also used which makes the colours of the main images stand out more but also adds to the intrigue about what the album is exactly about. The mise-en-scene is also particularly important as the location used is something that you would expect to see on an indie rap album cover as it uses a lot conventional points from that type of music. The clothes that Jamie T and the other person on the album cover are using also help to identify the indie rap genre as these are typical clothes that you would expect Jamie T and his listeners to wear. There aren't that many connotations that can be taken from this album cover because it is quite a simple but effective sole image. There are words around the whole of the image in a circle which could represent possibly a vinyl record. this to would add to the wanted genre of being old school as a lot of the songs within this album are about Jamie T's younger years. Another meaning that could be taken from the words " Jamie.T Kings&Queens" is that every word is a different colour of shade so this would represent that this album would appeal to all people, men and women and people of different ages races and religions. The album title is also quite a hard to decipher as Jamie T is generally quite a random and unconventional but it could be political as a lot of the songs within the album are about his teenage years but also have political connotations throughout.
Representation
There is quite a strong representation created by both the print advert and the album cover, both of which contribute towards Jamie T's image. The images represent Jamie T in a way in which he hopes will help him to sell his music as it will appeal to his listeners. The sole image of Jamie T jumping in the air creates an image that he is lively, boisterous and quite laddish. This being an image that is typical of Jamie T's music and something that in many aspects appeals highly to the consumers as it is something that they are able to identify with. The multi-tonal and different colours that are used on the album cover for instance also represent Jamie as quite an unconventional and random person which is accurate of many of his songs which challenge conventions of the "accepted music world." The print advert especially adds to the meta narrative of Jamie T as portrays him as a stereotypical "laddish youth."
Institution and Audience
The print advert would most likely to be consumed in a town or magazine as music shops are very likely to have Jamie's poster in the shop window, as he is a very popular artist among teenagers who are the people perceived to have money to spend on music and other technologies. So by displaying Jamie's advert they are likely to go into the shop and spend their money. The album cover is most likely to be consumed in a shop or on an internet site that sells music products as it is simply a cheap way to advertise Jamie's album and it is an easily identifiable cover so people would recognise it an then buy it.
Wednesday 16 September 2009
LH -Deconstructing a Music Video
Genre and Narrative
Like many Jamie T music videos Sticks “n” Stones follows a very unconventional path compared to many artists within the same genre for instance Just Jack. Throughout the video a lot of unconventional shots and camera techniques are used to boost the image of Jamie T as these types of shots would be considered abstract, post-modern and interesting something which helps to sell Jamie’s music as it allows his videos to have a unique selling point. These types of shots are very significant as they help to target the need for diversity and change within the music industry-something which Jamie is trying to offer to his listeners. Although these types of camera techniques and shots are unconventional of the genre, it could also be argued that they are now a convention of Jamie T’s music as some shots used are similar to some of his other videos. A particular shot that would be considered as unconventional of not only the indie-rap genre but of most music videos is a shot that focuses on Jamie, the clown and another man whilst they are sitting on a bench. The shot is taken from behind a wall or fence so that you have an obscured and non-central view of the trio.
The video does conform to many conventions of the genre however as the video is both performance based and narrative based, as the lyrics coincide with the visuals and at the same time he is rapping directly into the camera. However they do challenge the perceived conventions of the genre however as throughout the video there is a clown, this has nothing to do with the performance of Jamie nor does it mention in the lyrics about a clown so this aspect could be seen as concept based. In many aspects this video could be considered as art as it is quite unconventional so in that sense it is unique and original. To further that the video can be open to interpretation as to what Jamie is trying to say or prove so it could be seen as quite inspiring so again this may be seen as a form of creative art. Obviously the music video has been made to try and try and sell Jamie’s music as a product but it is also very creative and leaves a lot of questions unanswered as a piece of art work should.
Media Language
Throughout the video there are a lot of varied visual techniques used in relation to camera shots and techniques. The camera techniques often used are panning or following shots that try to add to the narrative and to give the lyrics a more authentic feel, in the sense that it makes you feel as though what Jamie is actually saying is truly happening. A specific example of this is at the beginning when Jamie is chasing after the train and the camera shot is from inside the train so it follows Jamie. This is significant as it makes you feel as though Jamie is personally performing to you and that gives it a more 1st hand feel. This could be seen as an artistic reason or a commercial one as it makes you feel significant in a way so that you are enticed into buying the video or track. The video also uses a lot of unconventional shots to try and make the video seem more creative and less conventional so that it can be viewed as original, post modern and identifiable with Jamie T, as he could be perceived as bringing the music industry something a little bit different.
The editing is quite significant in relation to the Sticks “n” Stones music video as this is what helps to ensure that the lyrics coincide in time with the visuals and ensure that it helps to become a partially narrative based video. For parts of the video jump cuts are used to break up shots that go on for a long time and these add to the sense of postmodernism and diversity that Jamie T is trying to achieve. The mise-en-scene is also quite significant as it allows Jamie T to target his specified audience as in all aspects he has tried to relate it with something that they can identify with, however mise-en-scene is more specifically related to representation of Jamie T, his music, his image and the image and view of his fans. The SFX of the smoke are also hard to understand exactly what the mean as they are similar to the clown, it is there in various parts of the music video but it doesn’t specifically relate to the lyrics or narrative; so this is another reason as to why the video could be also viewed as partly concept based.
Representation
Jamie T portrays himself as a typical boisterous lad throughout this video as in mnay shots in the video he is either smoking or causing trouble in someway. This is very significant in selling himself as a product as he needs to portray himself in a way that other people can identify and associate with. Jamie T often talks about his “roots” with London (specifically South West London) so Sticks “n” Stones helps to backup his “London personality” as during the video it shows him at Hampton Wick train station and Wimbledon train station. London youths are often stereotyped as being rowdy, troublesome and yobbish, so Jamie’s video backs this stereotype up as you see him causing trouble by smashing a window with rocks, drinking in public and generally being quite rowdy. The lyrics are also significant in creating an image that youths, especially from the South of England, can associate with as Jamie says “When there’s no one left to fight, boys like us don’t shine so bright.” This reinforces the stereotype of Jamie T’s “laddish,” law breaking behaviour and further allows fans of Jamie T to have something to identify with if they have been in the same situation as him.
Throughout the video a particular social group is represented fairly negatively for the main part and that group is the late teens to early/mid 20’s. Jamie T himself is 23 so he falls into this social group and therefore makes it easy to represent the group how he wants. This group is represented negatively because in the music video they are seen to be simply “hanging around” and being quite unruly specifically when they are at the location of the warehouse.
In relation to dominant ideologies there are two that are most prominent and that is masculinity and youths. This is because throughout the video males youths are represented throughout. The stereotypical ideology of masculinity is that men are seen to be dominant, boisterous and “looking for a laugh.” So Jamie T reinforces this ideology as during the video he is seen to be the dominant male, causing trouble by smashing windows and drinking in public. When combining the male ideology with the ideology of youths Jamie’s video further reinforces many stereotypical beliefs within society. This is because youths are often seen as troublemakers as they haven’t got anything else to do. More specifically it is male youths that are seen as the troublemakers and not their female counter parts so when you add the ideology of males to the typical youth ideology a very stereotypical view is produced.
Institution and Audience
This music video would be shown on most types of music channels as it is quite a hard genre to categorise but also is a genre that a lot of people can associate and identify with. As Jamie T is an already established artist it is quite likely to appear on music channels that are quite mainstream and show a lot of different types of urban music such as MTV of TMF. Many people would view this through ambient viewing as well as focused viewing. People would view this through focused viewing as it has some quite complicated lyrics and visuals that you can only really understand their true meaning when you have viewed and listened to them several times. However I have also said this can be consumed through ambient viewing as the chorus is quite repetitive but also catchy so this would appeal to the senses of an ambient viewer as it would stick in their head.
Like many Jamie T music videos Sticks “n” Stones follows a very unconventional path compared to many artists within the same genre for instance Just Jack. Throughout the video a lot of unconventional shots and camera techniques are used to boost the image of Jamie T as these types of shots would be considered abstract, post-modern and interesting something which helps to sell Jamie’s music as it allows his videos to have a unique selling point. These types of shots are very significant as they help to target the need for diversity and change within the music industry-something which Jamie is trying to offer to his listeners. Although these types of camera techniques and shots are unconventional of the genre, it could also be argued that they are now a convention of Jamie T’s music as some shots used are similar to some of his other videos. A particular shot that would be considered as unconventional of not only the indie-rap genre but of most music videos is a shot that focuses on Jamie, the clown and another man whilst they are sitting on a bench. The shot is taken from behind a wall or fence so that you have an obscured and non-central view of the trio.
The video does conform to many conventions of the genre however as the video is both performance based and narrative based, as the lyrics coincide with the visuals and at the same time he is rapping directly into the camera. However they do challenge the perceived conventions of the genre however as throughout the video there is a clown, this has nothing to do with the performance of Jamie nor does it mention in the lyrics about a clown so this aspect could be seen as concept based. In many aspects this video could be considered as art as it is quite unconventional so in that sense it is unique and original. To further that the video can be open to interpretation as to what Jamie is trying to say or prove so it could be seen as quite inspiring so again this may be seen as a form of creative art. Obviously the music video has been made to try and try and sell Jamie’s music as a product but it is also very creative and leaves a lot of questions unanswered as a piece of art work should.
Media Language
Throughout the video there are a lot of varied visual techniques used in relation to camera shots and techniques. The camera techniques often used are panning or following shots that try to add to the narrative and to give the lyrics a more authentic feel, in the sense that it makes you feel as though what Jamie is actually saying is truly happening. A specific example of this is at the beginning when Jamie is chasing after the train and the camera shot is from inside the train so it follows Jamie. This is significant as it makes you feel as though Jamie is personally performing to you and that gives it a more 1st hand feel. This could be seen as an artistic reason or a commercial one as it makes you feel significant in a way so that you are enticed into buying the video or track. The video also uses a lot of unconventional shots to try and make the video seem more creative and less conventional so that it can be viewed as original, post modern and identifiable with Jamie T, as he could be perceived as bringing the music industry something a little bit different.
The editing is quite significant in relation to the Sticks “n” Stones music video as this is what helps to ensure that the lyrics coincide in time with the visuals and ensure that it helps to become a partially narrative based video. For parts of the video jump cuts are used to break up shots that go on for a long time and these add to the sense of postmodernism and diversity that Jamie T is trying to achieve. The mise-en-scene is also quite significant as it allows Jamie T to target his specified audience as in all aspects he has tried to relate it with something that they can identify with, however mise-en-scene is more specifically related to representation of Jamie T, his music, his image and the image and view of his fans. The SFX of the smoke are also hard to understand exactly what the mean as they are similar to the clown, it is there in various parts of the music video but it doesn’t specifically relate to the lyrics or narrative; so this is another reason as to why the video could be also viewed as partly concept based.
Representation
Jamie T portrays himself as a typical boisterous lad throughout this video as in mnay shots in the video he is either smoking or causing trouble in someway. This is very significant in selling himself as a product as he needs to portray himself in a way that other people can identify and associate with. Jamie T often talks about his “roots” with London (specifically South West London) so Sticks “n” Stones helps to backup his “London personality” as during the video it shows him at Hampton Wick train station and Wimbledon train station. London youths are often stereotyped as being rowdy, troublesome and yobbish, so Jamie’s video backs this stereotype up as you see him causing trouble by smashing a window with rocks, drinking in public and generally being quite rowdy. The lyrics are also significant in creating an image that youths, especially from the South of England, can associate with as Jamie says “When there’s no one left to fight, boys like us don’t shine so bright.” This reinforces the stereotype of Jamie T’s “laddish,” law breaking behaviour and further allows fans of Jamie T to have something to identify with if they have been in the same situation as him.
Throughout the video a particular social group is represented fairly negatively for the main part and that group is the late teens to early/mid 20’s. Jamie T himself is 23 so he falls into this social group and therefore makes it easy to represent the group how he wants. This group is represented negatively because in the music video they are seen to be simply “hanging around” and being quite unruly specifically when they are at the location of the warehouse.
In relation to dominant ideologies there are two that are most prominent and that is masculinity and youths. This is because throughout the video males youths are represented throughout. The stereotypical ideology of masculinity is that men are seen to be dominant, boisterous and “looking for a laugh.” So Jamie T reinforces this ideology as during the video he is seen to be the dominant male, causing trouble by smashing windows and drinking in public. When combining the male ideology with the ideology of youths Jamie’s video further reinforces many stereotypical beliefs within society. This is because youths are often seen as troublemakers as they haven’t got anything else to do. More specifically it is male youths that are seen as the troublemakers and not their female counter parts so when you add the ideology of males to the typical youth ideology a very stereotypical view is produced.
Institution and Audience
This music video would be shown on most types of music channels as it is quite a hard genre to categorise but also is a genre that a lot of people can associate and identify with. As Jamie T is an already established artist it is quite likely to appear on music channels that are quite mainstream and show a lot of different types of urban music such as MTV of TMF. Many people would view this through ambient viewing as well as focused viewing. People would view this through focused viewing as it has some quite complicated lyrics and visuals that you can only really understand their true meaning when you have viewed and listened to them several times. However I have also said this can be consumed through ambient viewing as the chorus is quite repetitive but also catchy so this would appeal to the senses of an ambient viewer as it would stick in their head.
J.J Auteur Directors - Spike Jonze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
Spike Jonze is an example of an auteur director as he uses unusual and inspired methods to create his style of music video. He was the man behind the video to 'Praise me' by fat boy slim. This video was recorded by using a cam corder and as if the camera man was a member of the audience watching the strange dance routine. This unique style is very fresh as it gives the impression that the whole video was almost filmed by a spectator and used for the Fat boy slim record. However this dance was made for the Video and performed in the street giving it this original look.
Spike Jonze is an example of an auteur director as he uses unusual and inspired methods to create his style of music video. He was the man behind the video to 'Praise me' by fat boy slim. This video was recorded by using a cam corder and as if the camera man was a member of the audience watching the strange dance routine. This unique style is very fresh as it gives the impression that the whole video was almost filmed by a spectator and used for the Fat boy slim record. However this dance was made for the Video and performed in the street giving it this original look.
Tuesday 15 September 2009
E.L - Auteur
Michel Gondry
The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDi67G0Siw
Michel Gondry is considered to be an auteur as the music videos he produces are very unique and have a similar theme throughout. This video for 'Fell in Love with a Girl' is particularly clever and uses lego pieces to perform the song. I personally like this idea and it gives another dimension to the artists and the director as the audience respond due to its unique features. Some music videos are very similar and making one that stands out like this one does is important and serves its purpose.
E.L - Deconstructing a Music Video
Example – Me and Mandy
Genre Characteristics
Example is one of the few artists that use music in a light hearted almost comical manor. The genre that best describes his music would be rap but is very unconventional as the topics of which he rhymes about are not typical of rap music. Often the genre characteristics are of hardships that the artists have faced, or topics that are important within society. An example of this would be an English rapper using music to help educate the audience of knife crime.
Example however doesn’t follow suit as his songs are often about small minor situations which he personally has noticed. A model song would be ‘Popcorn & Fisticuffs’ which is all about people talking in the cinema. It is not just the lyrics he produces that are unconventional of the rap genre but also his videos. The video for his song ‘Me and Mandy’ uses a great deal of obvious special effects which are not often seen in rap videos. The majority of the video is black and white however objects within the shot are coloured. For example as one of the characters walks into the kitchen there is a soft drink can floating on the wall in colour as the rest of the shot is black and white. As he takes the drink it turns to black and white to fit with the rest of the shot.
The mise-en-scene used is relatively conventional of Example as an artist but perhaps does not tie in with English rap. The clothes that he and his friend are wearing are very typical of Example and also the fashion amongst a number of young people in England today. However this would not be considered conventional of rappers. American artists especially wear large, baggy clothes and fashionable, expensive jewellery to almost show off their success. Example however is dressed in very casual jean, t-shirt and a coat for the shots that he is outside. This would possibly be an indication of a narrative rather than a high focus upon the artist himself and the lyrics being sung.
Relationship Between Lyrics and Visuals
The video does not particularly represent what is being said in the lyrics. A prime example would be ‘cos it’s just me and Mandy’ as the artist is walking with a friend to a party and is clearly not alone with Mandy. Also ‘sat by the Thames’ is repeated and not once are there any images of the river. However some areas in London are named in the verse and the whole video is set in the capital, but these places aren’t shown specifically other that ‘old Soho.’ This is very conventional of videos for the songs that Example creates. There are a number of specific examples which show that the lyrics do not relate to the visuals throughout the video such as; the beginning the lyrics describe his ‘new love’ Mandy as the video is him and a friend in a room with a male, which would give the impression that the lyrics are not about the male they have gone to meet.
Relationship Between Music and Visuals
The track itself is a relatively upbeat, high tempo piece. The use of brass instruments and drums gives the song a quick beat and a distinctive sound. The video starts out in a somewhat gloomy fashion which does not seem to fit with the track. However as the video progresses and their night out progresses the mood seems to be lifted due to the events of the night. At one point one of the two main characters is slapped after he tries to ‘chat up’ a passing woman and the other laughs. This shot is frozen and the camera zooms in for a closer shot to emphasise the emotions shown. The happier mood relates quite well to the upbeat, high tempo track.
Close ups of Artist and Star Image Motifs
The video itself is mainly a mix between narrative-based and concept-based. The video contains some images that are quite abstract but also uses a narrative of two males on a night out, one of which is the artists, Example. Example himself does not perform at any stage of the video however there are a number of other individuals that have little focus in the video that do mouth to the words of the chorus. As they sit on the tube there are a number of different people sat next to the artist that mouth the words of the chorus. This continues throughout the video in different locations but Example is never performs in the video. However there are still a great deal of close-up shots and mid-shots of the artist and the focus of the video is mainly on the two characters. There are a few close-ups that show Example laughing as he drinks with his friend and then a cut to him in a car looking tired and in a very different mood. The majority of the camera shots within the video are mid-shots and two-shots as these are the best angles that show both friends on their journey through the night even with close-ups of the artist the video does not focus upon his character and it would be almost impossible to tell who the artist was if he wasn’t well known.
Notion of Looking
At one interval within the music video Example looks into a shop window and singing back to him is a reptile with a human face, it does not appear to be the face of Example himself but could still be classified as the notion of looking. There is also a transition using a poster on the wall as Example and his friend walk past the camera focuses in on the poster. This then begins to move and is another shot of a party that they arrive at as the camera keeps zooming in until the poster disappears and further transitions follow showing other people at what would seem the same party. Apart from these two features that do not contain Example himself there is very little focus upon the notion of looking which is perhaps conventional of the genre, but perhaps extraordinary for a concept-based video.
Intertextual References
There do not seem to be many intertextual references in ‘Me and Mandy’ other than perhaps a few shots at both the beginning and end of a girl painted gold for photo shoots. This is not particularly specific to one text however there are a number of music videos, films and pictures that contain painted women and it is conventional to feature a good looking woman in a rap video. However, just as his lyrics do he may be seen as mocking the genre due to a very unusual photo shoot and the focus not being on how good looking the woman is.
Performance-Based, Narrative-Based or Concept-Based?
As stated previously this video would be seen as a mixture between narrative-based and concept-based ideas and techniques. The narrative seems to be of two friends on a night out and as they drink through the night they manage to pick up a couple of girls. There are a number of transitions and special effects that make the video seem concept-based for example as the artist leaps from the sofa toward the end it seem somewhat obvious that during the editing phase they have inserted a clip of him sitting down and played it backwards. Also the transitions spinning upside down into new shots for example the artist on a sofa turned upside down into a shot of the tube. This doesn’t really tie in with the narrative but nevertheless there is still a clear story line.
deconstructing music video - just jack/ the day i died. joe jordan
Deconstructing a music video - Just Jack – Day I Died.
In the Video ‘ Day I died’ by just jack the songs lyrics are explained using a narrative based story revolving around the life of your every day man, played by the actor James Nesbitt. There is no performance at all from just jack the whole video tells the story of a man who is having the best day of his life, everything is going perfectly untill he is knocked over by a car, as he is crossing the road. Due to this there is no lip- syncing present in the video, however there are strong visual links which relate to the images on screen. For example when he says “ secretaries they’ve got a smile for me” the on screen image is of a woman who looks like a secretary smiling as the man played by James Nesbitt opens the office door for her. The notion of looking is also present in this music video as the camera is often positioned behind James’s character and we get to see what his character sees too. This is effective as it positions the audience alongside james and enables us to take part in his everyday life experience.
I think this video was made purely as an art form or in the short film style. The reasons behind this are becase Just Jack never once appears in the video, he is not trying to sell himself or be centre of attention. His main aim with this Music video is to tell a story, and the best way he thought possible to convey the meaning behind the lyrics was to hire an actor (James Nesbitt) to act out the story, as he brings more credibility to the video being an experienced actor.
In a way this video could be concidered postmodern as it does allow an aspect of social currency to go on after being watched for the first time. Because it is a quite deep and meaningful song and the video which acompanies it only streanghtens the song, with the inclusion of a well know actor for example. People will say “did you see that new video with James Nesbitt in it” as they recognise him from other rolls in tv programmes and enjoy his work.
There are many visual techniques present in this music video which seperate it from other music videos. The costume in this video is very important in this video. James Nesbitt's character straight from the beginning has a deep cut on the side of his head, which is dripping blood. His smart suit is also ripped and shredded on the sleeve. This is very noticeable from the start before any incodent has occured which could have caused the damage. This is very cleaver as it challenges the lyrics at throughout the song by giving them a darker undertone. For example one line is “ no one could love you more than i love you now” this line is directed at his wife whilst they are in the kitchen. On the one hand it is a lovely thing to say to his wife but this is made sad by his appearance because he looks like he's just been hit by a car. The mise- en-scene of the landscape is also in keeping with the song. The chorus reads “ the day i died was the best day of my life” so the surroundings must be in keeping with someone having the beast day of their life. So in this video the sun is shining, its a hot day and everyone he meets is happy and smiley all conventions of the perfect day. The camera plays a very important role in this music video especially near the end when James Nesbitt's character realises he is dying. There are panning-close up sots of his reactions when he realises he has been hit by the taxi, which show his horrified face as he realises he wont live for much longer. A slow motion shot of him touching his temple and revealing the blood trickling down his face is effective as it makes this sad moment last slightly longer emphisising the sadness of the fatal incident. There are not really any references to popular culture in this music video as the whole video is the story of this one man who is having the best day of his life, before he is unfortunatly knocked down by a taxi.
This video does not represent just jack in a visual way, he does not appear in the video at all however this shows the streangth of the song made by the artist. He obviosly feels that the song is strong enough to be recognised as one of his own due to his unique grain of voice, without the need for him to actually appear in the video.The selling aspect of this specific video i feel is the presence of James Nesbitt a well known and loved actor.
Only one real social group is represented in this music video and that is the one of the middle aged and middle class british male. This is mainly due to the lyrics “ tell my friends and my kids and my wife” this shows a certain age of the male being represented. But other things like the place he works and the people he sees fixes the social demographic.
There is no real ideological discourse in this video, the males and females in the film are show to be equal especially within the marriage. The only real sterotype is that the husband goes out to work and seems to earn the money whereas the wife sems to stay at home and look after the two kids. This could be seen as the male being dominant over the female however it appears in this marriage on screen a great deal of respect is shown for one another.
This video is likely to be consumed on a music channel like smash hits or box rather than a specific genre related music channel. It is more in the pop genre so it appeals to a wide range of viewer. I think this video is more likely to be consumed by an ambient viewer in the background in a communal way than a focused one. However there are no doubt fans of just jack who would go out of their way to look for his latest video but this would be probably be done on the internet or on a just jack fan website.
In the Video ‘ Day I died’ by just jack the songs lyrics are explained using a narrative based story revolving around the life of your every day man, played by the actor James Nesbitt. There is no performance at all from just jack the whole video tells the story of a man who is having the best day of his life, everything is going perfectly untill he is knocked over by a car, as he is crossing the road. Due to this there is no lip- syncing present in the video, however there are strong visual links which relate to the images on screen. For example when he says “ secretaries they’ve got a smile for me” the on screen image is of a woman who looks like a secretary smiling as the man played by James Nesbitt opens the office door for her. The notion of looking is also present in this music video as the camera is often positioned behind James’s character and we get to see what his character sees too. This is effective as it positions the audience alongside james and enables us to take part in his everyday life experience.
I think this video was made purely as an art form or in the short film style. The reasons behind this are becase Just Jack never once appears in the video, he is not trying to sell himself or be centre of attention. His main aim with this Music video is to tell a story, and the best way he thought possible to convey the meaning behind the lyrics was to hire an actor (James Nesbitt) to act out the story, as he brings more credibility to the video being an experienced actor.
In a way this video could be concidered postmodern as it does allow an aspect of social currency to go on after being watched for the first time. Because it is a quite deep and meaningful song and the video which acompanies it only streanghtens the song, with the inclusion of a well know actor for example. People will say “did you see that new video with James Nesbitt in it” as they recognise him from other rolls in tv programmes and enjoy his work.
There are many visual techniques present in this music video which seperate it from other music videos. The costume in this video is very important in this video. James Nesbitt's character straight from the beginning has a deep cut on the side of his head, which is dripping blood. His smart suit is also ripped and shredded on the sleeve. This is very noticeable from the start before any incodent has occured which could have caused the damage. This is very cleaver as it challenges the lyrics at throughout the song by giving them a darker undertone. For example one line is “ no one could love you more than i love you now” this line is directed at his wife whilst they are in the kitchen. On the one hand it is a lovely thing to say to his wife but this is made sad by his appearance because he looks like he's just been hit by a car. The mise- en-scene of the landscape is also in keeping with the song. The chorus reads “ the day i died was the best day of my life” so the surroundings must be in keeping with someone having the beast day of their life. So in this video the sun is shining, its a hot day and everyone he meets is happy and smiley all conventions of the perfect day. The camera plays a very important role in this music video especially near the end when James Nesbitt's character realises he is dying. There are panning-close up sots of his reactions when he realises he has been hit by the taxi, which show his horrified face as he realises he wont live for much longer. A slow motion shot of him touching his temple and revealing the blood trickling down his face is effective as it makes this sad moment last slightly longer emphisising the sadness of the fatal incident. There are not really any references to popular culture in this music video as the whole video is the story of this one man who is having the best day of his life, before he is unfortunatly knocked down by a taxi.
This video does not represent just jack in a visual way, he does not appear in the video at all however this shows the streangth of the song made by the artist. He obviosly feels that the song is strong enough to be recognised as one of his own due to his unique grain of voice, without the need for him to actually appear in the video.The selling aspect of this specific video i feel is the presence of James Nesbitt a well known and loved actor.
Only one real social group is represented in this music video and that is the one of the middle aged and middle class british male. This is mainly due to the lyrics “ tell my friends and my kids and my wife” this shows a certain age of the male being represented. But other things like the place he works and the people he sees fixes the social demographic.
There is no real ideological discourse in this video, the males and females in the film are show to be equal especially within the marriage. The only real sterotype is that the husband goes out to work and seems to earn the money whereas the wife sems to stay at home and look after the two kids. This could be seen as the male being dominant over the female however it appears in this marriage on screen a great deal of respect is shown for one another.
This video is likely to be consumed on a music channel like smash hits or box rather than a specific genre related music channel. It is more in the pop genre so it appeals to a wide range of viewer. I think this video is more likely to be consumed by an ambient viewer in the background in a communal way than a focused one. However there are no doubt fans of just jack who would go out of their way to look for his latest video but this would be probably be done on the internet or on a just jack fan website.
LH -Institutional Context
What is the procedure for making a music video?
When creating a music video the artist and promotions team would have to agree on a track that they think would be suitable for creating a good video that will simply sell the product (artist.) After the track has been decided the team would then run up a list of directors that they think would be suitable for creating a video. A brief would write up the ideas in a short and un-complicated list and send them to the directors that have been shortlisted. Once the directors have received the brief then they would each add their on individual views and ideas. Once terms and conditions including prices and budgets have been agreed then the director is able to then develop the idea and add their own unique style. An art director, wardrobe people and the director of photography are enlisted and locations are booked and sets are designed where relevant and needed. Once the sets have been designed thoroughly they are then built. All personnel who are featuring within the music video are on site for the shoot. Once the shooting has been completed then the film is transferred to tape for editing. The editor of the film then produces a roughcut that he shows to the artist and label for review.Changes are agreed and then made before any SFX/visual effects are made. Once the video is completed it is passed on to the label for release to TV (music channels) and airplay in advance for single release.What role does the digipak play in constructing band/promoting artist?
The digipak is a good way of promoting the artist and combining this with a magazine advertisement will not only help to sell the record but also allow the public to know the artist which in future will help their record sales. A digipak consists of CD cases that often fold out and are environmentally friendly as well as useful. The whole case is created with a printed picture replacing a CD cover. This often is a picture of the artist/band or something that can represent the genre of the music or perhaps the songs within. Obviously with a picture of the artist/band on the front of the CD case this is promotion for the artist as they are seen people will recognise them, learn who they are and buy their albums. The next time they appear in shops or in other forms of media the audience may take interest in the story and overall fame increases.
Role of 'we media'? This should be a detailed response.
'We media' is where we are effectively the author as we can add and change the videos ourselves, it ties in with web 2.0 which is websites such as youtube.'We Media' has a significant role in promoting and selling an artists music video as it can allow unknown artists to publish and get themselves known as an artists. 'We media' allows people to put their own views and opinions across by adding their own comments and justifying their viewpoints. Overall 'we media' is seen as the way forward as people can now promote themselves, put their own opinions across and justify their reasoning's without being challenged and free of charge. 'We media' allows any person to provide any other person with media without it being produced by large media cooperation's such as BBC.
Sunday 13 September 2009
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Can you please all use separate blogger accounts to post your entries... we need to be able to see who has contributed. If you work as a team, you can make a note on the post.
Thanks
Mrs Fernandez
Auteur Videos- Luke
An auteur video is a video that has a director with a substantial amount of work of which that work is unique and original, often seen as postmodern.
An auteur video would be Kanye West- All falls Down.
The reason that i have chosen this as an auteur video is because it had all the credentials that an auteur video should. The director, Chris Milk, is a very well known director who has worked with a lot of famous music artists such as U2, Gnarls Barkley, Green Day, Modest Mouse and Audio slave. To further that the video is completley unique, a lot of the shots and camera techniques used are very original and unseen. A specific example of this would be when kanye West has something spilt on his shirt so he goes to the toilets to wash it off and the camera becomes the mirror. The shot is very blurred which gives the effect of mist on the mirror and as Kanye wipes the mirror the shot becomes less blurred untill his face is fully revealed.
An auteur video would be Kanye West- All falls Down.
The reason that i have chosen this as an auteur video is because it had all the credentials that an auteur video should. The director, Chris Milk, is a very well known director who has worked with a lot of famous music artists such as U2, Gnarls Barkley, Green Day, Modest Mouse and Audio slave. To further that the video is completley unique, a lot of the shots and camera techniques used are very original and unseen. A specific example of this would be when kanye West has something spilt on his shirt so he goes to the toilets to wash it off and the camera becomes the mirror. The shot is very blurred which gives the effect of mist on the mirror and as Kanye wipes the mirror the shot becomes less blurred untill his face is fully revealed.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Audience - Group
In what way can music videos be considered postmodern?
Music videos can be considered postmodern because they use a range of intertextual references and bricolage from previous media texts. This gives the video a sense that it has been done before as ideas can be linked to other things. Bricolage is relevant because it allows previous ideas to be taken and then built upon. However it could be criticisied as the ideas may be considerd as unorigional. Music videos can also be considered as postmodern as it affects social currency as the new ideas and inspirations give people the oppurtunity to express themselves through fashion or in social groups.
How do audiences consume music videos?
Audiences consume music videos in two different ways; active and passive also known as 'Focused' and 'Ambient.' The focused audience are those that watch the video and pay full attention where as the ambient consumers may flick through multiple channels and consume the music TV as a background noise. Viewing may also be consumed communally and whilst someone is on their own. Communal viewing is when it is a democratice choise i.e. it may take place in the work place or in a dance routine. Solo viewing the music TV is consumed whilst on their own without distraction.
What considerations has the research raised in terms of planning your production?
The research has raised many issues involving our production. One of those is that our video will have to target both focused and ambient viewers so will have to contain various shots to attract both consumers. Ambient viewers would require there to be repitition of the shots used whereas a focused consumer would require something creative, unique and origional that use the full of the genre. We wil try to follow these points so that our production will appeal to both types of consumers.
Music videos can be considered postmodern because they use a range of intertextual references and bricolage from previous media texts. This gives the video a sense that it has been done before as ideas can be linked to other things. Bricolage is relevant because it allows previous ideas to be taken and then built upon. However it could be criticisied as the ideas may be considerd as unorigional. Music videos can also be considered as postmodern as it affects social currency as the new ideas and inspirations give people the oppurtunity to express themselves through fashion or in social groups.
How do audiences consume music videos?
Audiences consume music videos in two different ways; active and passive also known as 'Focused' and 'Ambient.' The focused audience are those that watch the video and pay full attention where as the ambient consumers may flick through multiple channels and consume the music TV as a background noise. Viewing may also be consumed communally and whilst someone is on their own. Communal viewing is when it is a democratice choise i.e. it may take place in the work place or in a dance routine. Solo viewing the music TV is consumed whilst on their own without distraction.
What considerations has the research raised in terms of planning your production?
The research has raised many issues involving our production. One of those is that our video will have to target both focused and ambient viewers so will have to contain various shots to attract both consumers. Ambient viewers would require there to be repitition of the shots used whereas a focused consumer would require something creative, unique and origional that use the full of the genre. We wil try to follow these points so that our production will appeal to both types of consumers.
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