This is the final post!......
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!
Bye xxx
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Final Reflections
Overall I think the project has been a huge success. However in hindsight and in mind with audience responses, there are some criticisms that I see when watching the video. I believe the framing of the master shot of the band performance could have been framed better, so there was more emphasis on the graffitied walls and less on the ceiling. Also the lighting on most of the narrative shots, especially in the introduction sequence, is too bright and not that in-keeping with the rest of the video. We tried fix this problems in post production by altering brightness and contrast, and also zooming in on shots. Even though the spontaneity and many layers of our editing coupled with our vast array of footage, meant that the task became quite large, I believe the all production pieces have finished off at a high standard, and the attentions to detail and the time put in, really brought this project to life.
Album Cover
The Album Cover is also important in helping to promote the right image. The Font of the album cover does this since it looks a bit messy, reflecting the rock lifestyle. The cover would stand out on the shelf since it is quite plain white, but still has a powerful image. The image represents having no identity and being isolated, so has direct links with the debut single. The mise-en-scene on the back cover, anchors the punk image with the caution tape, and the microphone and amplifier is appealing to music fans.
Front cover:
Inside sleeve:
Back cover:
Front cover:
Inside sleeve:
Back cover:
Music Video Theory
We kept music video theory strong in our mind when brainstorming our ideas. Andrew Goodwin, in Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992, Routledge), identifies that all music videos have either an illustrative, amplifying and/or a contradicting relationship between lyrics, music and visuals. There was a lot of talk of having a contradicting relationship in our video, having an idea that was quite conceptual and weird. But we decided to finalise on an amplification relationship, since it would fit the genre more.
Marketing Our Band/Myspace
Myspace.com/lockuptheyouth
We would use the Internet in many different ways in order to create success for the album and the single. A viral marketing campaign would be very effective. We could put adverts with just the black hand portrayed in the video all over the internet, creating enigma around the symbol. We created a music ‘Myspace’ page that would work as a successful press release. On the Myspace you would be able to listen to the song, watch the music video, see and comment pictures of the band, see tour dates, message the band, and it would give links for buying the album and gig tickets. The myspace helps to promote the right brand image and also provides the audience with interactivity with the band.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Music Video Analysis
Eminem – Stan
This is a hip hop song that has a strong message incorporated within it. The Eminem song depicts the story of an obsessed fan of Slim Shady who kills himself and his girlfriend because he feels Eminem is ignoring him by not replying to his letters. The video therefore has quite a depressing and solemn atmosphere to fit in with the lyrics and the theme of the song. This is expressed through the rain and thunder that can be heard and the dark dismal colours in the flat. There is a lot of dark green and paint peeling on the walls and doors. The lighting is also a dull green colour that also adds to the miserable atmosphere.
The images within the video are a performance of the lyrics. Eminem in this song is telling the story of Stan and the images portray this. We have the opportunity to see visually how obsessive Stan is and how much he dotes on Slim Shady. We have a visual representation of his extreme behaviour and how his anger takes over him. This is seen with the opening of the video where we see Stan dying his hair blond to look like Eminem and then shouting at his girlfriend when she wants to come in to use the toilet.
The voice of Eminem telling the story fits in with Stan’s character and the audience is able to see the anger and frustration in Stan’s actions whilst hearing the emotion in Slim Shady’s voice. This is particularly evident when Stan is seen shouting into the tap recorder and he’s driving recklessly with his girlfriend trapped in the trunk of the car. Dido’s chorus slows down the pace of the music but is used to show the pain that Stan’s girlfriend feels about her current living situation, such as when Stan starts shouting at her when she’s trying to talk to him in the kitchen and he pushes past her.
Stan is presented as psychotic and obsessive such as where we see the blood on the table where he slashes his writs, but the audience pities him because of this, as we can see he clearly has problems and emotional issues. We sympathise with his girlfriend more as she is trapped in a horrible environment and she can’t get out because she’s pregnant. We especially feel sorry for her when she’s trapped in the trunk of the car and can at one point hear her screaming over the music.
When the song breaks in the video so the sound of the car braking and splashing into the water is heard, the audience is able to feel the full impact of what Stan has just done. This makes the video even more depressing and brings home the message of how infatuated Stan was with Eminem. This video relies not just on the lyrics but also the performance of the actors in trying to ensure they put forward the message the video is trying to show.
This video contrasts with a normal hip hop music video which often includes scantily clad women dancing around expensive cars. This is because of the message the video is trying to portray. However it does conform to the convention of including the artist of the song within the video, although it is only for a brief moment near the end of the video.
Eminem is known for producing songs that tell a story about an aspect of his life and represent his character. This video looks at the uglier side of Eminem’s life when it comes to his fans and the public. Eminem is presented as honest and as having an understanding of how obsessed his fans become over him. This video is similar to some Eminem’s other videos such as Toy Soldiers, with both videos looking at a serious personal issue. However it contrasts with other songs by the artist, like Without Me, which are a lot more comedic and entertaining.
Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar
This video contrasts dramatically with the Eminem video. It doesn’t rely on the narrative as there isn’t one just the different images being filmed from a moving train. The music also doesn’t really have any lyrics.
The images don’t really illustrate the music as depending on your perception on the meaning and significance of the music it would be possible to allocate another set of images to the song. The images try and establish a concept rather than illustrate the music. This is because there is no real obvious connection between the music and the images seen by the audience. It doesn’t focus on creating a narrative or story and there is no need for the lyrics to be represented to the audience visually as it’s just music. However as there is a change in the music in tempo or the sound of the music then the audience sees a change in scenery as the train is moving. The images do link to the music in the sense that they change as the music changes.
This video also doesn’t feature the performers themselves which makes the music video all about the music and the images. It doesn’t rely on trying to construct a star image for the performers; it doesn’t really make them the main focus of the video. This suggests that the main way they intend to sell this song isn’t through offering an image of the band but through the music’s appeal itself. This may be because they want they want the importance of the music and its meaning to come through and be significant rather than relying on the identity and appeal of the musicians.
This is a hip hop song that has a strong message incorporated within it. The Eminem song depicts the story of an obsessed fan of Slim Shady who kills himself and his girlfriend because he feels Eminem is ignoring him by not replying to his letters. The video therefore has quite a depressing and solemn atmosphere to fit in with the lyrics and the theme of the song. This is expressed through the rain and thunder that can be heard and the dark dismal colours in the flat. There is a lot of dark green and paint peeling on the walls and doors. The lighting is also a dull green colour that also adds to the miserable atmosphere.
The images within the video are a performance of the lyrics. Eminem in this song is telling the story of Stan and the images portray this. We have the opportunity to see visually how obsessive Stan is and how much he dotes on Slim Shady. We have a visual representation of his extreme behaviour and how his anger takes over him. This is seen with the opening of the video where we see Stan dying his hair blond to look like Eminem and then shouting at his girlfriend when she wants to come in to use the toilet.
The voice of Eminem telling the story fits in with Stan’s character and the audience is able to see the anger and frustration in Stan’s actions whilst hearing the emotion in Slim Shady’s voice. This is particularly evident when Stan is seen shouting into the tap recorder and he’s driving recklessly with his girlfriend trapped in the trunk of the car. Dido’s chorus slows down the pace of the music but is used to show the pain that Stan’s girlfriend feels about her current living situation, such as when Stan starts shouting at her when she’s trying to talk to him in the kitchen and he pushes past her.
Stan is presented as psychotic and obsessive such as where we see the blood on the table where he slashes his writs, but the audience pities him because of this, as we can see he clearly has problems and emotional issues. We sympathise with his girlfriend more as she is trapped in a horrible environment and she can’t get out because she’s pregnant. We especially feel sorry for her when she’s trapped in the trunk of the car and can at one point hear her screaming over the music.
When the song breaks in the video so the sound of the car braking and splashing into the water is heard, the audience is able to feel the full impact of what Stan has just done. This makes the video even more depressing and brings home the message of how infatuated Stan was with Eminem. This video relies not just on the lyrics but also the performance of the actors in trying to ensure they put forward the message the video is trying to show.
This video contrasts with a normal hip hop music video which often includes scantily clad women dancing around expensive cars. This is because of the message the video is trying to portray. However it does conform to the convention of including the artist of the song within the video, although it is only for a brief moment near the end of the video.
Eminem is known for producing songs that tell a story about an aspect of his life and represent his character. This video looks at the uglier side of Eminem’s life when it comes to his fans and the public. Eminem is presented as honest and as having an understanding of how obsessed his fans become over him. This video is similar to some Eminem’s other videos such as Toy Soldiers, with both videos looking at a serious personal issue. However it contrasts with other songs by the artist, like Without Me, which are a lot more comedic and entertaining.
Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar
This video contrasts dramatically with the Eminem video. It doesn’t rely on the narrative as there isn’t one just the different images being filmed from a moving train. The music also doesn’t really have any lyrics.
The images don’t really illustrate the music as depending on your perception on the meaning and significance of the music it would be possible to allocate another set of images to the song. The images try and establish a concept rather than illustrate the music. This is because there is no real obvious connection between the music and the images seen by the audience. It doesn’t focus on creating a narrative or story and there is no need for the lyrics to be represented to the audience visually as it’s just music. However as there is a change in the music in tempo or the sound of the music then the audience sees a change in scenery as the train is moving. The images do link to the music in the sense that they change as the music changes.
This video also doesn’t feature the performers themselves which makes the music video all about the music and the images. It doesn’t rely on trying to construct a star image for the performers; it doesn’t really make them the main focus of the video. This suggests that the main way they intend to sell this song isn’t through offering an image of the band but through the music’s appeal itself. This may be because they want they want the importance of the music and its meaning to come through and be significant rather than relying on the identity and appeal of the musicians.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Interesting!!!
I was searching a band called MGMT, and I found that for their new single "Electric Feel", they have created a 'Interactive Music Video Game'.
You download the game off the internet, and basically you can create your own music video to the song using the game. Apparently there are 625 to the 229th power different ways the video can turn out. There are a range of random buttons that you can press which changes different aspects of the image on the screen whilst the song is playing, so you can create your own video to the song.
You can download the game here if you want to give it a go (it's a good song aswell) - http://whoismgmt.com/efvideo/
You download the game off the internet, and basically you can create your own music video to the song using the game. Apparently there are 625 to the 229th power different ways the video can turn out. There are a range of random buttons that you can press which changes different aspects of the image on the screen whilst the song is playing, so you can create your own video to the song.
You can download the game here if you want to give it a go (it's a good song aswell) - http://whoismgmt.com/efvideo/
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Track selection process
We held many group meetings during the planning stages of our project, so we could all convey our initial ideas to the group, and make final decisions as a group. For example, I was interested in choosing a song in the pop-punk genre by a band fronted by a girl. Songs like “Let The Flames Begin”, by “Paramore” and “Make You Smile”, by “+44” were of particular interest to me, as a girl singer, broke away from many conventions and could target a new market. However we all listened to many songs before deciding on the final track and we would each pitch a different song and possible ideas for a suitable Music Video.
All of our group are big fans of blink 182. So we thought that doing a video for one of their songs would be a good idea. The band had a great track called ‘Asthenia’ which really stood out to all members of our group. It stood out to us as a very powerful song, which had a very original introduction, and also had a catchy repetitive chorus line, which is good for a debut single.
All of our group are big fans of blink 182. So we thought that doing a video for one of their songs would be a good idea. The band had a great track called ‘Asthenia’ which really stood out to all members of our group. It stood out to us as a very powerful song, which had a very original introduction, and also had a catchy repetitive chorus line, which is good for a debut single.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Confused?
If the masks are confusing you, than I will explain where they have come from since I realise I have not explained the idea for our Music Video on this blog.
For the narrative we want to use the themes of isolation and loneliness expressed in the lyrics to have a guy running round looking for people but everywhere is empty. Suddenly he sees a circle of people. They all look up at him and appear to be wearing the same mask(black hand face paint). Then people start popping up everywhere but they are have this black hand painted on their face.
We could have no people at the start but then gradually people come but are wearing these masks so frustrate him further or we could have them all from the start and he is tring to escape them
It will end by a special shot that will transform the guy into the band members who will have the black hand painted on their face.
For the narrative we want to use the themes of isolation and loneliness expressed in the lyrics to have a guy running round looking for people but everywhere is empty. Suddenly he sees a circle of people. They all look up at him and appear to be wearing the same mask(black hand face paint). Then people start popping up everywhere but they are have this black hand painted on their face.
We could have no people at the start but then gradually people come but are wearing these masks so frustrate him further or we could have them all from the start and he is tring to escape them
It will end by a special shot that will transform the guy into the band members who will have the black hand painted on their face.
Practicing
Have been practicing my camerawork and editing in recent weeks and feel like i have learnt some good new techniques that we could apply to our Music Video. We have made some sequences and some may be put up soon.
Mask Ideas
- The Joker has given me the idea of some sort of evil clown face?
- Not really on topic, but on the topic of face paint, i like this......
- Something very simple like just a symbol or a letter just covering the whole face. It could be the iconic symbol for the band, or the first letter from the band's name?
- Creepy Mime face-paint?
- White face with black hand print on?
Mike
Masks
The idea for the masks has been playing on my mind a bit. It will be time consuming but there will not be the big effect unless you see many people towards the end wearing the mask. I thought it might be easier to use face paint rather than making masks. We could replicate the same face paint across many different people of all shapes and sizes.
I got the idea from seeing 'The Dark Knight'. The 'Joker' make-up is very effective throughout the film, and it became iconic of the film. During 'Reading Festival' many many people had their faces painted as the joker and it made me think about our project.
Ideas for Face Paint??????
Mike
I got the idea from seeing 'The Dark Knight'. The 'Joker' make-up is very effective throughout the film, and it became iconic of the film. During 'Reading Festival' many many people had their faces painted as the joker and it made me think about our project.
Ideas for Face Paint??????
Mike
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
BLK feedback
some useful posts here mike, and some good analysis.
make sure you label your posts/video clips etc with explanations of what they are and why they are inspirational
try to make sure you add your thoughts/reflections on the progression of the group project to this blog as you go along
lets see some independent music video analysis soon, using the framework we have looked at in class recently
make sure you label your posts/video clips etc with explanations of what they are and why they are inspirational
try to make sure you add your thoughts/reflections on the progression of the group project to this blog as you go along
lets see some independent music video analysis soon, using the framework we have looked at in class recently
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Marketing Strategies - MCTZ
What did i miss out?
What did i learn?
- Getting well respected reviewers that would enjoy the music to review the artist
- Hosting Internet forums to spark debate about the artist
- Free Promotions.
- Radio Advertising
- Smaller Local gigs, possible free.
- PR Stunts
- Less mainstream guest appearances
What did i learn?
- the importance of a key marketing image
- that it is possible to think of marketing ideas other than normal ones, such as film appearences etc.
- advertising can be cheap and home produced
- accessories can help sell an artist
- it can be good to have a novelty item such as a pimp cane or tiny top hat.
- it is important to have an individuality to an artist without isolating them from an existing fan base.
- album covers are important to promote both the music and the mentality of the artist.
Inspirational Video
This is a now well known music video called 'junior spesh'. It illustrates the fact that music videos can have some success even on an amateur level as through youtube, this video and song has received some popularity. The video and song are obviously very amateur and on the whole are not very good, but since they have some humorous effect then this can be focused on.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Album Cover Research
The album cover was taken by Roger Sargent during the emotional "Freedom Gig" at the Tap 'N' Tin, Chantham, Kent, on October 8, 2003, when Pete Doherty reunited with the Libertines for a gig just hours after being released from jail.
A review from the guardian website,
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,1286725,00.html
The album's cover shows Barat and Doherty reunited on the latter's release from prison last year. It's an astonishing image, the pair radiating tenderness, pain, pride, diffidence, a desire to protect and be protected. Here are two people clinging to each other, sailors on a shipwreck, searching for shore. "If I have to go," Doherty sings in Last Post on the Bugle, "I will be thinking of your love. Oh somehow you'll know - I don't know how but you'll know - I'll be thinking of your love." There is a faith in those words, a sense of trust that seems to have faded since the album was recorded in spring. It's hard not to think of The Libertines as a valediction. It's even harder to think that this is the end.
Deconstruction:
The color red dominates this cover, from Pete Doherty's shirt and the wall behind them. The Libertines as a band often became associated with the color red, also notably from their album cover picturing the band in red British soldier costumes.
The image creates a quite simple cover, but it is quite a graphic image that suggests many things to viewing audiences. Pete is bearing his arm which is essentially quite an innocent pose but it portrays the drug abuse that is strongly associated with Pete Doherty.
The cigarette in Pete's hand represents the band's and his overall image. They are an indie band that represent indie unhealthy lifestyle.
This representation is also shown by the facial expressions of Carl and Pete. They both look heavily intoxicated.
The album is all about the relationship between Carl and Pete and this is strongly anchored by the front cover, of the two sitting together very close and compassionately. Pete and Carl are well known and iconic stars of the indie genre, so displaying them as the image, creates a very popular, recognisable and familiar album cover.
The tattoos also represent the indie genre and the image of the band. You can see a tattoo that says 'Libertine', and this became an iconic image for the band.
The text is placed across the middle of the cover overlapping the image. Some letters are at jaunty angles and are not all in line. This non-linear approach is also representative of the indie genre and the chaos of their lifestyle.
The cover suggests the successfulness of the band and the record label, since it is just a simple image representing two of the band members. If the band members were not well known and in the press, this album cover would not have had the same affect that it did on the audience.
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