Thursday, 15 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.
When I first started AS I had literally no skills when it came to digital technology in media production and I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what that even meant. In my AS course as part of coursework I had to create a music magazine which included a front cover, double page spread and contents page. The magazine had to be original and we had to use all the conventions of a real music magazine. We also had to include four or more original images which where appropriate for our chosen genre. As I had to use my own images they obviously wouldn’t be up to magazine standard coming straight from the camera, so I had to use Adobe Photoshop in order to the images to look professional. At first the programme looks very intimidating however once I knew the basics I found it easier to use and I gained more confidence when trying new ideas. Usually I would have used something more basic such as Google Picasa but it is very basic and you are limited to what you can do to an image whereas with Photoshop you can do basically anything from adding any font to changing colour and how the image looks altogether. The thing I found the most interesting was the fact you can airbrush a person in the image to make them look flawless which really gives the image a professional look as it’s what they do in an actual magazine. What I found the most useful was how you can layer an image so you can focus and edit one thing instead of having to recreate the whole thing, because I used trial and error when thinking about which font I was going to use so it was easy to delete if I wanted to change it. I also learnt how to put on image on top of another which is needed when possibly creating a scene which you maybe wasn’t able to create, for example you artist on a beach, it was made very clear how to do and I thought it would be very complicated when really its quite basic. Now in my A2 class when needed to use Photoshop I will be able to know pretty much what is expected of me to an average, possibly more, degree.
To present our work we used online blog site ‘Blogger’. Blogger is something I already knew how to use when I came onto the course which helped me in many ways as I didn’t have to waste time getting my bearings about the site. I think it is a good way to present your work as it is accessible from anywhere, anyone can view your work and you can do almost anything with it, from uploading videos, images and texts. For my AS work I found it hard to keep updating at first as you are asked to keep updating posts regularly on what you are doing at etc. but in the end I found myself always doing it because it helps your blog flow more and you can remember what you was doing last time you was on, it’s almost like a dairy. What comes in very handy also is the fact you can write your work onto Word and then copy and paste it onto your blog which means then you have your work saved in two places, which I didn’t think of doing at first. In my A2 work this will come in very useful as I will have to use sites such as ‘YouTube’ to upload my music video and as I will be able to post it on my blog it will be easily accessed.
Overall throughout my AS course I have learnt a lot more than I expected and never realised how appropriate and good it will be to have for future reference.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
My artists
I have chosen my artist for which I will use for my digi-pack. Jack McDonahugh will be the name of my artist. To follow the conventions of the indie/rock genre I will dress him in a certain way, a shirt and a scruffy hat.
I have also chosen to use a band to go along with the artist, I have named the band 'The Friday Night Avalanche', I have decided to do this because nowadays we tend to see more unconventional bands such as an artist who has a band to back them up. In this case it is Jack McDonahugh and The Friday Night Avalanche, an artist and a band who have decided to collaborate together, they have done this because both bands are of similar styles but both have something different to offer.
Jack McDonahugh is a alternative indie solo artist and would be signed to such independent labels as XL records and the same goes for three piece band 'TFNA'. This will allow them to have more artistic freedom however it restrains them from a certain amount of money to advertise, this is why they would use social networking sites as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and so on to promote their music.
I have also chosen to use a band to go along with the artist, I have named the band 'The Friday Night Avalanche', I have decided to do this because nowadays we tend to see more unconventional bands such as an artist who has a band to back them up. In this case it is Jack McDonahugh and The Friday Night Avalanche, an artist and a band who have decided to collaborate together, they have done this because both bands are of similar styles but both have something different to offer.
Jack McDonahugh is a alternative indie solo artist and would be signed to such independent labels as XL records and the same goes for three piece band 'TFNA'. This will allow them to have more artistic freedom however it restrains them from a certain amount of money to advertise, this is why they would use social networking sites as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and so on to promote their music.
Friday, 2 December 2011
Filming Progress!
I filmed Ewan to test what some of the scenes would look like. I also wanted to get used to the editing suite. I decided that I would shoot it all again because it wasn't a good standard/quality.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
I was not able to film on the 27th so I am going to start filming tonight. I am going to film the chorus and a part of the beginning.
The part will star Ewan who is seven years old as I'm going to present him dressed as an old man to go with the lyrics 'I wont be the lonely one sitting on my own and sad, a fifty year old reminiscing what I had'. He will be wearing a flat cap and drinking a cup of tea because that's what you associate with an old man.
The part will star Ewan who is seven years old as I'm going to present him dressed as an old man to go with the lyrics 'I wont be the lonely one sitting on my own and sad, a fifty year old reminiscing what I had'. He will be wearing a flat cap and drinking a cup of tea because that's what you associate with an old man.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Prop Changes
I have changed my video slightly and will now not feature a birthday cake, dog, football etc, however it still features the flat cap because it represents(symbolises) old men and the lyrics of the song are about a father leaving a son, in a way it symbolises the only thing the young boy has left of his father.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
What I am Currently doing.
I am currently focusing on creating an animatic so then I can begin filming, which I am planning on starting on Sunday the 27th of November.
Friday, 18 November 2011
Props
I am using the thick rimmed RayBan's as an intertextual reference to the lead singer of the band Glasvegas as he is wearing them in the video to the song Daddy's Gone.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Genre Conventions
In this essay I am going to explore the genre conventions of ‘Indie-Rock’, I will also look at the history of indie/rock and more specifically the song ‘Daddy’s Gone’ by ‘Glasvegas’ in which I am using to use to create my music video.
First of all a genre is a category and conventions are what you expect from a specific genre. Music can be divided into many genres; this is due to the different purposes behind them and the different points of view from which they are made. Genres often overlap creating many sub-genres. For example ‘Indie-Rock’, which I am going to explore in more depth, is a sub-genre of ‘Alternative-Rock’. Alternative-Rock originated in the 1980’s and became popular in the 90’s bringing us music by artists such as ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’, ‘Nirvana’ and ‘Foo Fighters’. Indie-Rock also came about in the 80’s, however bands never really got any commercial success until the millennium as a result of the changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the internet. Independent music, ‘Indie’, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiary. Independents have a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach to recording and publishing which means they have a very little expenses and everything has to be done low-budget. Nevertheless artists have artistic freedom to be themselves therefore they are able to explore sounds, emotions and subjects limited to appeal to mainstream audiences.
As the Indie-Rock genre is so immense these days, there are many sub-genres, however when anyone thinks of indie-rock as a whole certain elements come to mind such as all bands play their own instruments and bands are very male dominated.
On the other hand, the band Glasvegas (who’s song ‘Daddy’s Gone’ I am using in my music video) have a female drummer which ultimately shows how dynamic conventions of genres can be and also backs up Steve Neal’s theory (1995) in which he said ‘Genre reflects the culture that creates them and shows things of the time. They express things in society’ because women now are seen as equal to men therefore it been seen as the norm for a female to be in a former male dominated industry.
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie-rock band from Glasgow which consists of three men and a woman. The band are known for using their strong Glaswegian accents in their songs, making them very unique as it is rare for most artists to do so but as they are signed to Columbia (EMI/SONY) which is a subsidiary label, they are able to use their artistic license and stay true to themselves, reinforcing what indie-rock is all about. The song I am using for my music video is ‘Daddy’s Gone’ which is about the break-up of a family because of the father’s behaviour, You can tell that there is a lot of resentment towards the father as the lyrics are quite hard-hitting but a lot of people can relate to the song, ergo making them likeable. The song is very ‘indie’ because it’s not just about love or socialising with friends, which most mainstream songs tend to be about (vaguely), it’s about something which has happened in a band members life and they have been able to put and express their emotions in to the lyrics to emote the listener.
Artists also tend not to care so much of their appearance. For them it is all about the music, opposed to an artist of a major label who is manufactured to look and act a certain way with the intention of giving mainstream audiences something to aspire to. Conventional of the indie genre males are seen to wear Drain-Pipe Jeans, a knitted jumper, possibly a patterned polo and some battered plimsolls. Females of the indie genre would wear quite quirky tops, leggings and basically anything vintage looking that isn’t too bright.
In conclusion the genre conventions of Indie-Rock are very vague however the stereotypical image which immediately appears in your head when envisioning the genre, in my opinion would be, a band that includes all males which all are dressed casually and are all playing instruments. Then again after exploring further into the genre I began to realise how people of different ages will have a different set of conventions for the indie-rock genre as it is very dynamic due to the way in which society changes. This is because Indie-rock artists write and sing about ‘of-the-time’ situations.
First of all a genre is a category and conventions are what you expect from a specific genre. Music can be divided into many genres; this is due to the different purposes behind them and the different points of view from which they are made. Genres often overlap creating many sub-genres. For example ‘Indie-Rock’, which I am going to explore in more depth, is a sub-genre of ‘Alternative-Rock’. Alternative-Rock originated in the 1980’s and became popular in the 90’s bringing us music by artists such as ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’, ‘Nirvana’ and ‘Foo Fighters’. Indie-Rock also came about in the 80’s, however bands never really got any commercial success until the millennium as a result of the changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the internet. Independent music, ‘Indie’, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiary. Independents have a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach to recording and publishing which means they have a very little expenses and everything has to be done low-budget. Nevertheless artists have artistic freedom to be themselves therefore they are able to explore sounds, emotions and subjects limited to appeal to mainstream audiences.
As the Indie-Rock genre is so immense these days, there are many sub-genres, however when anyone thinks of indie-rock as a whole certain elements come to mind such as all bands play their own instruments and bands are very male dominated.
On the other hand, the band Glasvegas (who’s song ‘Daddy’s Gone’ I am using in my music video) have a female drummer which ultimately shows how dynamic conventions of genres can be and also backs up Steve Neal’s theory (1995) in which he said ‘Genre reflects the culture that creates them and shows things of the time. They express things in society’ because women now are seen as equal to men therefore it been seen as the norm for a female to be in a former male dominated industry.
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie-rock band from Glasgow which consists of three men and a woman. The band are known for using their strong Glaswegian accents in their songs, making them very unique as it is rare for most artists to do so but as they are signed to Columbia (EMI/SONY) which is a subsidiary label, they are able to use their artistic license and stay true to themselves, reinforcing what indie-rock is all about. The song I am using for my music video is ‘Daddy’s Gone’ which is about the break-up of a family because of the father’s behaviour, You can tell that there is a lot of resentment towards the father as the lyrics are quite hard-hitting but a lot of people can relate to the song, ergo making them likeable. The song is very ‘indie’ because it’s not just about love or socialising with friends, which most mainstream songs tend to be about (vaguely), it’s about something which has happened in a band members life and they have been able to put and express their emotions in to the lyrics to emote the listener.
Artists also tend not to care so much of their appearance. For them it is all about the music, opposed to an artist of a major label who is manufactured to look and act a certain way with the intention of giving mainstream audiences something to aspire to. Conventional of the indie genre males are seen to wear Drain-Pipe Jeans, a knitted jumper, possibly a patterned polo and some battered plimsolls. Females of the indie genre would wear quite quirky tops, leggings and basically anything vintage looking that isn’t too bright.
In conclusion the genre conventions of Indie-Rock are very vague however the stereotypical image which immediately appears in your head when envisioning the genre, in my opinion would be, a band that includes all males which all are dressed casually and are all playing instruments. Then again after exploring further into the genre I began to realise how people of different ages will have a different set of conventions for the indie-rock genre as it is very dynamic due to the way in which society changes. This is because Indie-rock artists write and sing about ‘of-the-time’ situations.
What I am Currently doing:
I am currently working on finishing my storyboard. I will then make an animatic in order to be able to see if there needs to be any changes etc. before I go on with filming.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
History of the Music Video
Music videos haven’t always been around, in the 1950’s artists had to make films in able to promote their tracks and themselves. The most popular was artists such as Elvis and The Beatles. Elvis became popular worldwide with such films as Jail House Rock; all his songs were written by professionals. In the early 60’s attitudes towards young people changed. They became more rebellious and girls in particular didn’t want to be like their parents and ultimately challenged their views and values. The teenager was invented.
The Beatles in 1964 made the film Hard Day’s Night (directed by Dick Lester) which created an image which was consistent. They featured a lot of close-ups which was needed to promote stars. They then went on to make HELP! which was a colour film and linked in with their previous films.
Bob Dylan made a documentary called Don’t Look Back directed by D.A Pennabaker which is regarded as the first music video even though it’s just on the beginning. Dylan was challenging people and their views and one of the first artists to write his own songs with lyrics with much meaning. This was in 1965.
In 1967 The Beatles made ‘I am the Walrus’ where their image became more ‘wild’. The end of the video has vocals talking over the music to which it says ‘umpa umpa stick it up your jumper, everybody smoke pot’, which again is creating the rebellious the rebellious teenager.
In the video to the song the lyrics are shown visually, for example when it says ‘I am the Walrus’ somebody dressed as a walrus appears on screen.
David Bowie in 1972 released a futuristic music video to his song ‘Space Oddity’. It’s a performance where we see lots of major close-ups and regular close-ups of Bowies face in order to promote him and to create his ‘weird’ image. They filmed the video in a recording studio and edited the piece with a red tint to make it look futuristic and space-like.
1975 saw rock band, Queen, release ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which was at number one for nine weeks and cost £5000, which was very expensive in those days. Regarded as the first ‘real’ music video the band gives off a ‘glam-rock’ image in the performance element of the video. Low angles are recurrent throughout the video as they make the artists look dominant and powerful.
The development of the music video gradually got better and in the early 80’s Peter Gabriel released ‘Sledge Hammer’ which made videos become more important for artists. Gabriel used imagery to interpret lyrics; there were also aspects of animation in there too.
As music video’s got better, bands and artists began to experiment more.
Michael Jackson made short film Thriller which made millions of dollars and cost a million dollars. It follows a narrative structure and uses horror conventions and codes (semiotics). It uses performance and dancing. It also has intertextual references and is self-reflective and aware of itself as a media text as at points Michael will look at the camera directly.
Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s we saw the humorous, self-reflective video by The Beautiful South with ‘A song for whoever ’. The video is self-aware of itself as a media text which creates humour; it also has elements of performance and narrative but doesn’t have any link with the song lyrics.
To be quite artistic it also features colour isolation, which was seen as advanced.
A lot of artists began to use intertextual references for example Madonna and her video Vogue presented Madonna looking almost identical to glamorous Marilyn Monroe as the video is projecting the audiences desires.
Also REM’s video to ‘Losing my Religion’ where it represented the fact that religion has been shattered so man is creating his own, they do this by showing angles losing their wings.
In the 1990’s Fat Boy Slim changed music videos ultimately as he didn’t star in his own video to his song ‘Right here’. The majority of the video is comprised of CGI and it shows the process of evolution.
Radio head in the late 90’s used black and white in their video to ‘Street Spirit’ to give an abstract and artistic interpretation but it has no meaning however because its abstract we still enjoy it.
Weezer ‘Buddy Holly’ in the late 90’s was very advanced and used clips from TV show Happy days in the video to look like they was actually there. It’s very humorous and enjoyable for the audience and fans because it gives you something to look at.
The Beatles in 1964 made the film Hard Day’s Night (directed by Dick Lester) which created an image which was consistent. They featured a lot of close-ups which was needed to promote stars. They then went on to make HELP! which was a colour film and linked in with their previous films.
Bob Dylan made a documentary called Don’t Look Back directed by D.A Pennabaker which is regarded as the first music video even though it’s just on the beginning. Dylan was challenging people and their views and one of the first artists to write his own songs with lyrics with much meaning. This was in 1965.
In 1967 The Beatles made ‘I am the Walrus’ where their image became more ‘wild’. The end of the video has vocals talking over the music to which it says ‘umpa umpa stick it up your jumper, everybody smoke pot’, which again is creating the rebellious the rebellious teenager.
In the video to the song the lyrics are shown visually, for example when it says ‘I am the Walrus’ somebody dressed as a walrus appears on screen.
David Bowie in 1972 released a futuristic music video to his song ‘Space Oddity’. It’s a performance where we see lots of major close-ups and regular close-ups of Bowies face in order to promote him and to create his ‘weird’ image. They filmed the video in a recording studio and edited the piece with a red tint to make it look futuristic and space-like.
1975 saw rock band, Queen, release ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which was at number one for nine weeks and cost £5000, which was very expensive in those days. Regarded as the first ‘real’ music video the band gives off a ‘glam-rock’ image in the performance element of the video. Low angles are recurrent throughout the video as they make the artists look dominant and powerful.
The development of the music video gradually got better and in the early 80’s Peter Gabriel released ‘Sledge Hammer’ which made videos become more important for artists. Gabriel used imagery to interpret lyrics; there were also aspects of animation in there too.
As music video’s got better, bands and artists began to experiment more.
Michael Jackson made short film Thriller which made millions of dollars and cost a million dollars. It follows a narrative structure and uses horror conventions and codes (semiotics). It uses performance and dancing. It also has intertextual references and is self-reflective and aware of itself as a media text as at points Michael will look at the camera directly.
Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s we saw the humorous, self-reflective video by The Beautiful South with ‘A song for whoever ’. The video is self-aware of itself as a media text which creates humour; it also has elements of performance and narrative but doesn’t have any link with the song lyrics.
To be quite artistic it also features colour isolation, which was seen as advanced.
A lot of artists began to use intertextual references for example Madonna and her video Vogue presented Madonna looking almost identical to glamorous Marilyn Monroe as the video is projecting the audiences desires.
Also REM’s video to ‘Losing my Religion’ where it represented the fact that religion has been shattered so man is creating his own, they do this by showing angles losing their wings.
In the 1990’s Fat Boy Slim changed music videos ultimately as he didn’t star in his own video to his song ‘Right here’. The majority of the video is comprised of CGI and it shows the process of evolution.
Radio head in the late 90’s used black and white in their video to ‘Street Spirit’ to give an abstract and artistic interpretation but it has no meaning however because its abstract we still enjoy it.
Weezer ‘Buddy Holly’ in the late 90’s was very advanced and used clips from TV show Happy days in the video to look like they was actually there. It’s very humorous and enjoyable for the audience and fans because it gives you something to look at.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Lyrics to My Chosen Song!
How you are my hero
how your never here though
remember times when you put me on your shoulders`
how i wish it was forever you would hold us
right now im too young to know
how in the future it will affect me when you go
you could have had it all
you, me, and mum y`know
anything was possible
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
a fifty year old
reminiscing what i had
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
forget your dad, he's gone
all i wanted was a kick-a-bout in the park
for you to race me home when it was nearly getting dark
how i could've been yours, and you be mine
it could've been me and you until the end of time
do what you want, when you want
be as fuckin' insincere as you can
what kind of way is that to treat your wife
to see your son on saturdays
what way is that to live your life?
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
a fifty year old
reminiscing what i had
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
forget your dad, he's gone
how your never here though
remember times when you put me on your shoulders`
how i wish it was forever you would hold us
right now im too young to know
how in the future it will affect me when you go
you could have had it all
you, me, and mum y`know
anything was possible
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
a fifty year old
reminiscing what i had
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
forget your dad, he's gone
all i wanted was a kick-a-bout in the park
for you to race me home when it was nearly getting dark
how i could've been yours, and you be mine
it could've been me and you until the end of time
do what you want, when you want
be as fuckin' insincere as you can
what kind of way is that to treat your wife
to see your son on saturdays
what way is that to live your life?
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
a fifty year old
reminiscing what i had
i wont be the lonley one
sitting on my own and sad
forget your dad, he's gone
Thursday, 29 September 2011
First Ideas and Analysis of Influential Music Video's
I am currently thinking of lot's of differnt possibilities to do with the creation of my music video.
I am not focusing on a certain genre type but focusing on the video type.
At first I wanted to produce a parody but figured my idea would be hard to create so now my idea is to use a child to ultimatly sing the song like such video's as these:
Blue Blood is a song by English indie-rock band Foals. Currently signed to Transgressive Records, this song by Foals is on their latest album Total Life Forever. Conventional of indie-rock bands they are very independent in a sense of creativity and artistic freedom not only in a sense of the independent record label.
The video is set in what looks like your stereotypical English pub, the mise-en-scene is very miss-match and tacky.
The main focus of the video is on a young boy. He is very pale and looks to be quite shy, however, the narrative of the video is that the boy is dancing at what we believe is a school talent show, everybody is shocked when he starts dancing because of what they originally think of him to be, nevertheless he looks comfortable being up on stage. We can see this because of the actor’s facial expressions and his body language as soon as he takes his coat off. When he takes his hood down from his head it represents him coming out of his shell.
The video also has an intertextual reference of 'Billy Elliot' (2000, Stephen Daldry) when the boy starts dancing in his school uniform.
The cinematography used in music videos conventionally use shots such as close-ups, in order for the audience to see the artist however in this video it is not the artist lip syncing but the same conventions apply and it allows the audience to form an allegiance with the character as you begin to empathise with him even though we don't quite get to know his story. There are also a lot of long-shot’s in order to establish the mise-en-scene.
Youtube Statistics show: The video is popular with mainstream audiences of both male and female, it also shows us that it is most popular in the UK.
Audiences
This video is most popular with:
White Lies are a three peice indie rock band from London. They are signed to Fiction Records which was independant previously, however now it is owned by Polydor, a subsidary of Universal Music Group. This doesn't mean that they have no artistic freedom because they will, it just means they have more money to use for promotion and other purposes.
At first we see a crime scene, it is night time and the mise-en-scene (police, forensics, vans and onlookers) all suggest that something really bad is happening in the big white tent in the background - The shot is an establishing shot. We then go on to see a young boy laid in a hospital bed with various wires attached to his body, we also see what we believe to the hands of hospital staff - The boy is lip syncing the song. In the bed next to the young boy is a lifesized chocolate bar (at this point we do not know why) with lots of people in white suits trying to resusatate it. Like the others the video has been edited to a certain colour, there is a slight tint of blue and a warmity of yellow, I also think this reflects the lyrics as they are quite meloncholy too.
Once I had watched the video it began to make sense as at the end we see a medium shot of a billboard and the young girl that eventually breaks free out of the lifesized chocolate bar is on the billboard and is actually the face of the advertising campaign. Put together with the lyrics it becomes apparant that her work has consumed her and the young boy whos's lip syncing and who she is in a relationship (we know this as they share a kiss in the final scene,- CU) with is suffering because of it,as is their relationship. The lyrics also suggest this such as 'do you feel the need for change' and 'this is bigger than us. Because the girl is 'changing' he is conflicted. Some of him wants to continue with their relationship, and the other part is saying that they can not carry on as the damage already done can not be fixed, the lyrcis say "I don't want you to hold me. I don't want you pray. This is bigger than us." which also suggests this.
Youtube Statistics Show that: The video is popular amongst a mainstream audience of females and an older audience of males
Audiences
This video is most popular with:
I am not focusing on a certain genre type but focusing on the video type.
At first I wanted to produce a parody but figured my idea would be hard to create so now my idea is to use a child to ultimatly sing the song like such video's as these:
Temper Trap are an Australian indie/rock band which formed in 2005.
The video I am going to analyse is ‘Love Lost which is their fourth single from their award winning debut album ‘Conditions’.
As they are an indie/rock band their music is obviously for people who enjoy that style of music. They are signed to ‘Liberation Music’ and they describe the band as so “Every now and then you come across a new band that stands apart from the rest. A band whose songwriting belies their inexperience, a singer whose range and brilliance at once captivates and enfolds, or energy that is impossible to ignore.”
Most fans would describe the bands songs as ‘feel good’ songs which could, more than anything, make them appeal to a wider audience than just an Indie/Rock fan.
The video to ‘Love Lost’ doesn’t feature the band, so it has no elements of performance, however the video is in fact abstract, as the song doesn’t relate with what’s going on in the video, so what they have done is used young boys to lip sync the song whilst running in what we believe is their P.E class. Also when watching the video you notice it is filmed on an industrial area and features a choreographed dance routine which makes you think of the film ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000 Stephen Daldry).
The actual video, to me, represents young boys of all shapes, sizes, race and age. We also see a P.E class of girls and they are dressed in a very strong shade of red, they they run off to the side and we then are alligned with the young boys again.
The style of the video is that of the 1969’s film ‘Kez’ (Ken Loach). The style is very dark and some of the colour has been drained from the mis-en-scene. The location is very industrial and add's to the dark and colourless vibe. This is something I want to try and do with my video to reflect the meloncholy lyrics. Cinematography used in this is one long tracking shot which now and again pans upwards into the sky then pans back down to the shots of the young boys running.
Youtube statistics show that : The video is popular with mainstream audiences of females but a slightly older audience of males.
Audiences
The video I am going to analyse is ‘Love Lost which is their fourth single from their award winning debut album ‘Conditions’.
As they are an indie/rock band their music is obviously for people who enjoy that style of music. They are signed to ‘Liberation Music’ and they describe the band as so “Every now and then you come across a new band that stands apart from the rest. A band whose songwriting belies their inexperience, a singer whose range and brilliance at once captivates and enfolds, or energy that is impossible to ignore.”
Most fans would describe the bands songs as ‘feel good’ songs which could, more than anything, make them appeal to a wider audience than just an Indie/Rock fan.
The video to ‘Love Lost’ doesn’t feature the band, so it has no elements of performance, however the video is in fact abstract, as the song doesn’t relate with what’s going on in the video, so what they have done is used young boys to lip sync the song whilst running in what we believe is their P.E class. Also when watching the video you notice it is filmed on an industrial area and features a choreographed dance routine which makes you think of the film ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000 Stephen Daldry).
The actual video, to me, represents young boys of all shapes, sizes, race and age. We also see a P.E class of girls and they are dressed in a very strong shade of red, they they run off to the side and we then are alligned with the young boys again.
The style of the video is that of the 1969’s film ‘Kez’ (Ken Loach). The style is very dark and some of the colour has been drained from the mis-en-scene. The location is very industrial and add's to the dark and colourless vibe. This is something I want to try and do with my video to reflect the meloncholy lyrics. Cinematography used in this is one long tracking shot which now and again pans upwards into the sky then pans back down to the shots of the young boys running.
Youtube statistics show that : The video is popular with mainstream audiences of females but a slightly older audience of males.
Audiences
This video is most popular with:
| Gender | Age |
| Female | 13-17 |
| Female | 18-24 |
| Male | 25-34 |
Blue Blood is a song by English indie-rock band Foals. Currently signed to Transgressive Records, this song by Foals is on their latest album Total Life Forever. Conventional of indie-rock bands they are very independent in a sense of creativity and artistic freedom not only in a sense of the independent record label.
The video is set in what looks like your stereotypical English pub, the mise-en-scene is very miss-match and tacky.
The main focus of the video is on a young boy. He is very pale and looks to be quite shy, however, the narrative of the video is that the boy is dancing at what we believe is a school talent show, everybody is shocked when he starts dancing because of what they originally think of him to be, nevertheless he looks comfortable being up on stage. We can see this because of the actor’s facial expressions and his body language as soon as he takes his coat off. When he takes his hood down from his head it represents him coming out of his shell.
The video also has an intertextual reference of 'Billy Elliot' (2000, Stephen Daldry) when the boy starts dancing in his school uniform.
The cinematography used in music videos conventionally use shots such as close-ups, in order for the audience to see the artist however in this video it is not the artist lip syncing but the same conventions apply and it allows the audience to form an allegiance with the character as you begin to empathise with him even though we don't quite get to know his story. There are also a lot of long-shot’s in order to establish the mise-en-scene.
Youtube Statistics show: The video is popular with mainstream audiences of both male and female, it also shows us that it is most popular in the UK.
Audiences
This video is most popular with:
| Gender | Age |
| Female | 13-17 |
| Female | 18-24 |
| Male | 18-24 |
White Lies are a three peice indie rock band from London. They are signed to Fiction Records which was independant previously, however now it is owned by Polydor, a subsidary of Universal Music Group. This doesn't mean that they have no artistic freedom because they will, it just means they have more money to use for promotion and other purposes.
At first we see a crime scene, it is night time and the mise-en-scene (police, forensics, vans and onlookers) all suggest that something really bad is happening in the big white tent in the background - The shot is an establishing shot. We then go on to see a young boy laid in a hospital bed with various wires attached to his body, we also see what we believe to the hands of hospital staff - The boy is lip syncing the song. In the bed next to the young boy is a lifesized chocolate bar (at this point we do not know why) with lots of people in white suits trying to resusatate it. Like the others the video has been edited to a certain colour, there is a slight tint of blue and a warmity of yellow, I also think this reflects the lyrics as they are quite meloncholy too.
Once I had watched the video it began to make sense as at the end we see a medium shot of a billboard and the young girl that eventually breaks free out of the lifesized chocolate bar is on the billboard and is actually the face of the advertising campaign. Put together with the lyrics it becomes apparant that her work has consumed her and the young boy whos's lip syncing and who she is in a relationship (we know this as they share a kiss in the final scene,- CU) with is suffering because of it,as is their relationship. The lyrics also suggest this such as 'do you feel the need for change' and 'this is bigger than us. Because the girl is 'changing' he is conflicted. Some of him wants to continue with their relationship, and the other part is saying that they can not carry on as the damage already done can not be fixed, the lyrcis say "I don't want you to hold me. I don't want you pray. This is bigger than us." which also suggests this.
Youtube Statistics Show that: The video is popular amongst a mainstream audience of females and an older audience of males
Audiences
This video is most popular with:
| Gender | Age |
| Female | 13-17 |
| Female | 18-24 |
| Male | 25-34 |
Friday, 9 September 2011
The Brief
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with a cover for its release as part of a digipak and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.
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