The video must challenge some conventions if we want it to stand out, the most important element of the film is that we create a positive image for the band while keeping the physical product interesting. In order to do this we have been playing with a number of themes which will stand out and move away from the stereotypical rock genre.
>The Countryside
This is easily assessible as we live in a rural area and would provide us with large open expances which could make fantastic shots.
>Summer
This may be too reliant on English weather and could mean we were having to wait for specific conditions.
>Colour
Could we use the colour of the characters clothing to make a statement?
>Autumn
Again this is weather reliant but it is considerably more feasible as the weather is more constant. This also leaves us with a number of symbols with may be interesting to incorperate into our video, for example autumn leaves.
>The Home
This is a resonably easy location however this could make an atypical statement about the rock genre's generally glamourised style or alternatively look claustraphobic as it would be a small, cramped set. Alternatively we could try and find a very spaceous house to film in.
Overall I think the best ideas are Autumn and the Home, as both locations are easily assessible. The oppertunity to use autumn leaves and autumnic colour within both our video and auxillary tasks is unmissable.
By Martha Williams
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
Josh and Martha: Costume Ideas
To relate to our audience I think we should dress in everyday clothing, and appear more ordinary and normal (more like them) than alot of stars. Moving away from glamour and into a more realistic look could help set us apart as a unique selling point. Bands like 'The Streets' have inspired us, also within the rock genre we see the same technique used in 'Rockstar' by Nickleback.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E
Also with Kings of Leon's 'Sex On Fire' we can see that the outfits do not draw away from the narrative and are plain and everyday, however their style is still to black for our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94RNp7veIJE
I think we should keep the make-up neutral and natural, almost unnoticable.
By Joshua Drake and Martha Williams
Josh's Mood Board
This is a simple mood board to give the feel of the split screen opposites we are aiming to create in our music video.
By Joshua Drake
Josh's Video Progress Update
We have had a lot of progress with our music video and have finished our story board. We are currently in the process of turning in into a video of our sketches. The idea we have gone with a romance between a boy and a girl that has two different endings. We plan to use split screen shot similar to this one to show parallels of the narrative.
By Joshua Drake
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Brief, Martha
To create an unusual video which would stand out I feel that encompassing the best camera shots and effects is vital. Numerous music videos in the chart such as Eminem’s ‘Not Afraid’, Chris Brown's ‘Transformer’ and B.O.B’s ‘Nothing on You’ make the most of the quickly advancing digital effects and add a whole new level of interest. Without ruining our video by over-stretching our abilities and attempting an over optimistic project, I think something along the lines of a number of stills to which we add objects would work well, creating the effect of things appearing, merely by pausing the camera. Another part of my brief is that I think the video should be shot in the outdoors, taking advantage of the town in the area, also I feel that using the weather (especially rain to fit with the sad notes within the song) could create an emotive video. To keep the entire video fresh I think that we should have a multitude of sets and characters, possibly two main characters and three sets. I believe it would be a bad idea to have our actor's miming, mainly because the voices may not fit (both in time and with the actor).
Brief, Josh
Brief
For our video we are going to have the story as a parallel between a boy and a girl who have had an argument and are both regretting it. We will show the couple going about their separate days as best they can without each other. There will be a few split screens between them to show that they are both going through the same emotional turmoil and are finding it hard. Then half way through the video they will both be walking to get somewhere, with very different backgrounds. It will turn out they are walking to meet each other and the video ends happy, with them walking away together.
For our video we are going to have the story as a parallel between a boy and a girl who have had an argument and are both regretting it. We will show the couple going about their separate days as best they can without each other. There will be a few split screens between them to show that they are both going through the same emotional turmoil and are finding it hard. Then half way through the video they will both be walking to get somewhere, with very different backgrounds. It will turn out they are walking to meet each other and the video ends happy, with them walking away together.
By Joshua Drake
Martha's Video Analysis- 'Fairy Tales' and 'Dry Your Eyes'
'Fairy Tales' by HyperNova
I have chosen to look at this music video as I was immediately grabbed by its bold use of black and white and interesting camera shots .
SET
Although the set is the same throughout and does not give the interest generated by multiple sets it still works well as the strong white removes the perspective and allows the audience to be fooled into having no sense of the space.
COLOUR
The video is filmed in black and white, which creates a nice stylised effect, also occasionally certain objects are picked out in colour (for example the red guitar above) this keeps a clear theme throughout and creates a flowing feel to the video.
EFFECTS
The video encompasses screen- splitting as a means to distort the band members and create an interesting effect. The distorting theme is continued in a shot which distorts the microphone into a curve. I really like the simplicity and think this works powerfully. At 38 seconds we see an off centre shot- this is representative of the rebellious rock style, and later still 3 jump shots as the guitarist quickly gets bigger.
The video is filmed in black and white, which creates a nice stylised effect, also occasionally certain objects are picked out in colour (for example the red guitar above) this keeps a clear theme throughout and creates a flowing feel to the video.
EFFECTS
The video encompasses screen- splitting as a means to distort the band members and create an interesting effect. The distorting theme is continued in a shot which distorts the microphone into a curve. I really like the simplicity and think this works powerfully. At 38 seconds we see an off centre shot- this is representative of the rebellious rock style, and later still 3 jump shots as the guitarist quickly gets bigger.
COSTUME
The band as styled in a mix of suits, skinny jeans and statement glasses, the outfits are fitting to the rock/indie genre.
PROPS
The video is almost devoid of props, as only the instruments and one old-style microphone are seen. This is probably due to not watching to take away from the powerful contrasts with crowding of props.
BREAKING CONVENTIONS
The video uses the unusual technique of making the subject of the shot very small with only a blank white background, this would usually be avoided as it could be said to alienate the audience, however this video seems to strive to be different (this is also seen by the split screens). The main singer is also kept out of focus in the background in one seen and the focus is a microphone, it is unusual to see the main active subject of the video kept out of focus.
CHARACTERISTICS
The pace is fast keeping the audience interested and a rock’n’roll vibe is created with distortion and the use of black and white, the attitude of not caring is embodied in the first shot as the singer walks away from the camera creating a feeling that he does not care for the camera.
MARKETING
At the end of the video we see a still of the CD cover, i think this creates a good continuity between the products and would like to recreate this in our project.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS
The lyrics are sang in a non emotive way, the band members stay active and interesting but no clear reference to sadness or happiness is made.
After looking at HyperNova’s ‘Fairy Tales’ I wanted to look at a more realistic setting as I feel this next video is closer to the genre we will be aiming at. The second video I have chosen to look at is ‘Dry your Eyes’ By The Streets.
MODE OF ADDRESS
We see the protagonist directly address the audience by miming, but we also have a lot of narrative lead shots, this mixture gives some variety however I feel personally the video is quite similar throughout.
NARRATIVE
This Video is about a man trying to get over a relationship. No real clear narrative without music except an upset man.
HOW DOES THE VIDEO CREATE AN IMAGE FOR THE BAND?
Keeping the location and costume low key we see ‘The Streets’ as average people instead of wealthy like they are more likely to be in real life. The main protagonist is show as emotional and down to earth. The lack of glamour works well as it is a contrast to a large part of the music industry.
HOW DO THE VISUALS RELATE TO THE LYRICS AND MUSIC?
The song is deep and emotional, about a relationship breaking down when he doesn’t want it to. We see this through the slow beat and use of violins, this song is not overtly Major or Minor but lyrics like ‘sorry frown’ and ‘this pain hurts’ show it is a sad song. The darkness we see in the lyrics and instrumentation is echoed in the opening shots which are dark and bleak.
Below we see a relationship between the lyrics ‘Dry your eyes mate’ being sung with this visual. The protagonist is trying not to cry which is a clear link, also the strong use of blue has strong connotations with sadness and ‘being blue’.
MISE EN SCENE
I like this video as it uses really everyday locations that a lot of people can relate to. Unlike the mansions, models and money we normally see in rap music we can see streets (matching their name) and even a launderette. The same can be said of the clothing and cast. He is very normal and his clothes are everyday the whole scene doesn’t seem precontrived. I would like to do something like this in our video. The Colours are quite blue, bleak and reflect the mood, I feel this works really well.
USE OF CAMERA
There are some unusual shots and in the shot below we see the subject shown as very small in the left hand corner, the amount of unused space in comparison alienates the viewer and creates an interesting effect.
REPRESENTATION
Shows the working class lifestyle, however we see nobody but him (and a dog) in the video so we can’t read a huge amount into how this is shown as the video is about him being upset so the negativity and bleakness could be said to reflect the mood as well as the situation.
GENRE
British rap. The more down to earth side of rap, this song is sad unlike the majority of the rap genre.
AUDIENCE
I think this is aimed at a fairly broad English audience, working to middle class and for about a 16-25 age group.
The band as styled in a mix of suits, skinny jeans and statement glasses, the outfits are fitting to the rock/indie genre.
PROPS
The video is almost devoid of props, as only the instruments and one old-style microphone are seen. This is probably due to not watching to take away from the powerful contrasts with crowding of props.
BREAKING CONVENTIONS
The video uses the unusual technique of making the subject of the shot very small with only a blank white background, this would usually be avoided as it could be said to alienate the audience, however this video seems to strive to be different (this is also seen by the split screens). The main singer is also kept out of focus in the background in one seen and the focus is a microphone, it is unusual to see the main active subject of the video kept out of focus.
CHARACTERISTICS
The pace is fast keeping the audience interested and a rock’n’roll vibe is created with distortion and the use of black and white, the attitude of not caring is embodied in the first shot as the singer walks away from the camera creating a feeling that he does not care for the camera.
MARKETING
At the end of the video we see a still of the CD cover, i think this creates a good continuity between the products and would like to recreate this in our project.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS
The lyrics are sang in a non emotive way, the band members stay active and interesting but no clear reference to sadness or happiness is made.
After looking at HyperNova’s ‘Fairy Tales’ I wanted to look at a more realistic setting as I feel this next video is closer to the genre we will be aiming at. The second video I have chosen to look at is ‘Dry your Eyes’ By The Streets.
MODE OF ADDRESS
We see the protagonist directly address the audience by miming, but we also have a lot of narrative lead shots, this mixture gives some variety however I feel personally the video is quite similar throughout.
NARRATIVE
This Video is about a man trying to get over a relationship. No real clear narrative without music except an upset man.
HOW DOES THE VIDEO CREATE AN IMAGE FOR THE BAND?
Keeping the location and costume low key we see ‘The Streets’ as average people instead of wealthy like they are more likely to be in real life. The main protagonist is show as emotional and down to earth. The lack of glamour works well as it is a contrast to a large part of the music industry.
HOW DO THE VISUALS RELATE TO THE LYRICS AND MUSIC?
The song is deep and emotional, about a relationship breaking down when he doesn’t want it to. We see this through the slow beat and use of violins, this song is not overtly Major or Minor but lyrics like ‘sorry frown’ and ‘this pain hurts’ show it is a sad song. The darkness we see in the lyrics and instrumentation is echoed in the opening shots which are dark and bleak.
Below we see a relationship between the lyrics ‘Dry your eyes mate’ being sung with this visual. The protagonist is trying not to cry which is a clear link, also the strong use of blue has strong connotations with sadness and ‘being blue’.
MISE EN SCENE
I like this video as it uses really everyday locations that a lot of people can relate to. Unlike the mansions, models and money we normally see in rap music we can see streets (matching their name) and even a launderette. The same can be said of the clothing and cast. He is very normal and his clothes are everyday the whole scene doesn’t seem precontrived. I would like to do something like this in our video. The Colours are quite blue, bleak and reflect the mood, I feel this works really well.
USE OF CAMERA
There are some unusual shots and in the shot below we see the subject shown as very small in the left hand corner, the amount of unused space in comparison alienates the viewer and creates an interesting effect.
REPRESENTATION
Shows the working class lifestyle, however we see nobody but him (and a dog) in the video so we can’t read a huge amount into how this is shown as the video is about him being upset so the negativity and bleakness could be said to reflect the mood as well as the situation.
GENRE
British rap. The more down to earth side of rap, this song is sad unlike the majority of the rap genre.
AUDIENCE
I think this is aimed at a fairly broad English audience, working to middle class and for about a 16-25 age group.
By Martha Williams
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Josh's Video Analysis- Intergalactic
Intergalactic was a big hit for The Beastie Boys in 1998 and so a lot of work was put into the music video for the song.
Intertextual reference: The video was done in the style of a parody of a very popular Japanese movie genre called tokusatsu. Kaiju is the most popular style of tokusatsu movies, which means strange beast. The video is also similar to the genre of Japanese TV shows called sentai shows such as Ultraman and Power Rangers. This is the angle The Beastie Boys have taken in making their music video for Intergalactic but in the style of a parody. Various scenes of the video are shot in the train stations of the two biggest train districts in Tokyo, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Throughout the video they wear the florescent uniforms of the street construction workers of Tokyo. The video was very successful and won the Total Request Live award for “Best Hip-Hop Video” in 1999.
Characteristics: The body language used in the video is what we would generally expect of a Hip-Hop video, for example, “Break dancing” but as the video is a parody of tokusatsu films, it doesn’t follow a lot of the codes and conventions of a traditional Hip-Hop music. It instead puts more effort into following what is expected of a tokusatsu film but there are still elements of the Hip-Hop genre there. The obviously cheap set used gives a realistic feel of the video being an actual tokusatsu film and adds to the effect of the video. As it is shot on location there is a much stronger feeling of the desired parody which is a great effect in its self. The use of a large robot controlled by humans is very close to the sentai TV show genre. These factors make this music video a very good tokusatsu movie but are made a parody through the juxtaposition of the music and the shots of break dancing. This post is not finished yet.
Relationships between lyrics and visuals: There is not an awful lot of a relationship between the lyrics and the video throughout. Having said that the chorus of the song is "Intergalactic" and there is an invader from another galaxy, which is the main focus of the video, so the main theme of the video is influenced by the chorus but the video doesn't follow every line of the song. I think this is an effective way to do a music video and opens itself up to a lot of creativity.
The Demands of the record label: The Beastie Boys are well known for having great videos and so have a reputation to uphold with having a funny and inventive video. They have also done a few movie parodies in their videos so this is what is expected of their music videos.
By Joshua Drake
Intertextual reference: The video was done in the style of a parody of a very popular Japanese movie genre called tokusatsu. Kaiju is the most popular style of tokusatsu movies, which means strange beast. The video is also similar to the genre of Japanese TV shows called sentai shows such as Ultraman and Power Rangers. This is the angle The Beastie Boys have taken in making their music video for Intergalactic but in the style of a parody. Various scenes of the video are shot in the train stations of the two biggest train districts in Tokyo, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Throughout the video they wear the florescent uniforms of the street construction workers of Tokyo. The video was very successful and won the Total Request Live award for “Best Hip-Hop Video” in 1999.
Characteristics: The body language used in the video is what we would generally expect of a Hip-Hop video, for example, “Break dancing” but as the video is a parody of tokusatsu films, it doesn’t follow a lot of the codes and conventions of a traditional Hip-Hop music. It instead puts more effort into following what is expected of a tokusatsu film but there are still elements of the Hip-Hop genre there. The obviously cheap set used gives a realistic feel of the video being an actual tokusatsu film and adds to the effect of the video. As it is shot on location there is a much stronger feeling of the desired parody which is a great effect in its self. The use of a large robot controlled by humans is very close to the sentai TV show genre. These factors make this music video a very good tokusatsu movie but are made a parody through the juxtaposition of the music and the shots of break dancing. This post is not finished yet.
Relationships between lyrics and visuals: There is not an awful lot of a relationship between the lyrics and the video throughout. Having said that the chorus of the song is "Intergalactic" and there is an invader from another galaxy, which is the main focus of the video, so the main theme of the video is influenced by the chorus but the video doesn't follow every line of the song. I think this is an effective way to do a music video and opens itself up to a lot of creativity.
The Demands of the record label: The Beastie Boys are well known for having great videos and so have a reputation to uphold with having a funny and inventive video. They have also done a few movie parodies in their videos so this is what is expected of their music videos.
By Joshua Drake
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