Sunday 27 September 2009

Music video effects

this is the music video by arcade fire for rebellion lies. suggested by Mr Smith i have watched it and taken notes that inspire me and may possibly be effects i try to include in my video. we both feel that this video features similar qualities to Sigur Ros's videos and they consist of narratives and the particular shots and scenes are typical of Sigur Ros. in addition the manipulation of colour throughout the video links to the coral's video for in the morning.



these are only basic notes which i will expand on when i get chance...

exaggerated light. - contrast maximised
fish eye lens
close ups
slow panning
slightly blurred - vintage
long distance shots -walking away

similarly this video features a narrative without including the band however the effects used in this are computer animation making it appear like a cartoon.



again i will comment more on this when i get chance ..
hand held
because of the black and white clothing and digectic lighting from whats meant to be the sun the surrounding colours in the background are easily manipulated by exaggerating the colour levels and adjusting the contrast and saturation of the picture.

Initial casting

my original idea for casting roles for my music video was to ask my brothers friends who are students in their last year of university. this was due to their stereotype as students and also those who are interested in music, however my brother has told me that so far all the people he has asked are not interested so this had unfortunately delayed my progress of getting closer to beginning filming and also but me back a step as i have to find people willing to contribute who take it seriously and will be reliable. - this is proving to be quite hard!

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Stereotyping

Today in Mr Smiths 'theory Tuesday' lesson i have learnt about theories based on stereotyping and some theorist that relate to this. The importance of stereotypes in texts is to represent individual people as belonging to something within society that a specific audience can relate to therefore presenting the Roland Barthes cultural code. Tessa Perkins studied stereotypes in 1997 and defines them as group concepts, she came up with nine of these.

1. They are not always false: e.g. cowboys do wear cowboy hats. The interesting question is to what extent social groups consciously adopt stereotypical signs in order to identify themselves, and to what extent the mass media orchestrate or amplify these deliberate social acts of communication.

2. Stereotypes can, at least in part, be positive: Germans are stereotypically efficient, the French great lovers, black people good at sport etc. However, these are always backhanded compliments - the Germans may be seen as ruthlessly efficient.

3. They can be held about one's own social groups: The English several stereotypical images of themselves.

4. They are not always concerned with oppressed groups: There are stereotypes of aristocrats as arrogant, Americans as loud and brash.

5. They are not always about minority groups of which we have little direct experience: stereotypes of women and men, with whom we all have experience, are widespread.

6. They can be simple and complex at the same time: the 'dumb blond' stereotype, of which Marilyn Monroe was the most famous representative, paradoxically combines lack of intelligence and wit; child-like innocence, and sexuality;p naivety with the power to manipulate, an exploited subordinate position and cult status.

7. They are not rigid or unchanging - stereotypes evolve and adapt since they relate to struggles around power, which may differ in scale and change over time.

8. We do not simply 'believe' or 'disbelieve' in stereotypes: they can 'work' for us or communicate to us without our necessarily 'agreeing' with them.

9. They do not necessarily influence our behaviour and attitudes: it is possible to 'hold' a stereotype without believing it to be true. The reaction of the viewer to a stereotype will depend on a complex set of social, historical and individual experiences.

In 1979 five assumptions of stereotyping were made however then are open to be challenged:
-not always negative
-not always about minority groups or the less powerful
-they can be held about one's own group
-not rigid or unchanging
-not always false.

(example of representation through stereotypes) - sigur ros - hoppipolla



This music video contains an interesting narrative throughout which is presented through the several characters. They producer has deliberately chosen an elderly populated cast and dressed them in youthful clothing. The presentation used around these characters is typical of a role reversal, the stereotype that is typically given to the older generation is that they are slow, quiet, lack of mobility, blank expressions; however this video replaces this stereotype with a youthful stereotype which is shown throughout the actions or the characters and events they take part in. In conclusion it cleverly presents ordinary scenes that any age group can relate to however this is demonstrated in the bodies of grandparents, the effect of this grips the audience as it is such an unusual sight, though this is only because of the stereotypes that we as an audience are lead to believe.

Semiology

Last week in our 'theory Tuesday' lesson Mr Smith taught us about the concept of 'semiology'. This considers how media language communicates meaning to an audience and the effects the media language choices have. The concept is categorised into two types of sign which consider the semiological meanings of media, these are:
-an icon: an image imitating something it represents.
- an index: an image of something made by what the sign represents.

Again signs can be categorised into many more groups when considering their purpose. These are:
- political sign
- religious sign
- imperative sign
- didactic sign
- denotative sign
- an advertisement
- an icon
- an index
- charity sign

once we had discussed each of these terms we grouped off and took photographs of signs as examples of each category.
(these images will be posted shortly)

To do list:

I am in the position now where i am almost ready to begin the practical work of the project. i am excited to get this going as all of my inspiration is current and my thoughts/ideas for my products are fresh in my mind.

Ive written a to-do list so that i ensure i cover everything i can think of before i do begin.-

- research stop motion
- look at links posted by Mr Smith in response to my presentation
- produce my own experiment piece of stop motion
- take pictures of locations that will be in my video
- assign character roles for my video
- link theorists to my project

Once i have done these i will be ready to begin filming my video and collecting my footage to work from.

Presentation

i have now presented my pitch to my class and teachers. i am happy with how it went and feel i couldn't have done much more. i am confident that i covered all of the required element and the audience found it hard to pick faults.

Thursday 17 September 2009

Presentation

This is a presentation i have made to present to my class and teachers. Its purpose is to inform them of all my current ideas and the progress i have made towards my project so far, including my research on areas such as institutions, record labels, current examples of cd album, music videos and magazine adverts as well as various theories. From this pitch i will gain a diverse understanding of peoples view and reactions to what i have done so far so that i can improve or correct areas.

Alteration of song

Since discovering Sigur Ros it has dramatically changed my choice of song. I am still using the same band and the music applies to the same indie genre however because of the major chords throughout this lowers the tone of the music and so i will no longer be pitching a video emphasising comedy. In addition i feel this slower pace will allow more conventional effects when editing my music video, such as slow motion. Similarly the lift in the music when the chorus cuts in i can imagine bright digetic lights entering the shot reflecting the lively energy coming from the guitar solos and so on.

below are the lyrics to my new song, including annotated ideas as my storyboard and the measurements of time between verses.

Sold My Soul to Rock and Roll

p.s. when this uploaded it seems to have got confused and overlapped some of the writing at the top.

sold my soul to rock and roll by anna

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Fat Cat Records

Fat Cat Records is an independent label based in Brighton. It has signed bands from a range of music genres from forms of electronica, post rock, minimal techno, piano compositions and punk-pop. It is most recognised for its discovery of artists such as Sigur Ros, animal collective and the Twilight sad.

In theory i would use this label as my record contract as their background of genres could include my selected band. However its most appealing point is that it is a low budget label bases in England which makes it more realistic.

Below is a poster created for the band 'Drowsy' who belong to Fat Cat Records.



Again this is another poster of a band under Fat Cat Records, the artists are Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson and Sigur Ros.



I have watched this video below and it inspires me greatly.



The effect of the slow motion editing and the specific close ups to exaggerate meaning is incredible.

Institution

-The institution I would place my project in would be the low budget record companies. This is because I want to present the band as a raw talent founded by a local company therefore creating the link to the edgy theme throughout my project.

-Unlike the major record companies such as Sony MBG, Warner, Universal music group and EMI this means the record company I chose would not own a 5% of the world market for the sale of the record and music video.

-Most often low budget companies are started and run by major label artist as well as owned by them; for example The Beatles set up Apple Records. However between 1950 and 1960 when this began the major records drowned out all the lower budget companies business.

-Spin offs of these low budget labels are referred to as vanity labels, the aim of these companies is to discover and promote new talent.

-Many low budget companies in the UK signed distribution deals with major labels to reduce the risk of them failing, however independent labels became popular in the 1980’s when the UK indie chart was introduced. (The term ‘indie’ at that time meant a diverse range from punk to reggae).

-If I were to chose a low budget record company to base my work on it would be ‘fat cat records’. This company signs bands ranging from forms of electronica to post rock and indie as well as minimal techno genres.

Audience theories

Due to research i have learnt about four audience theories; the hypodermic needle theory, the two-step flow, uses and gratifications and the reception theory - three of which are included below and how they relate to my project however i felt the fourth theory didn't apply and so i haven't included it.

Hypodermic needle theory – as the track would be played on radio stations and music videos featured among other artists the public would passively be listening to the track and effortlessly be being exposed to music of all genres introducing the track to other audiences.

Two-step flow – once someone has heard the music passively via the radio or video on the tv/internet it will become a subject of conversation to those who would be interested in it and opinions of the song will be passed on by word of mouth.

Uses and gratifications – the lyrics of the song may appeal to certain audiences that can relate to them as well as people who find them inspirational. For these reasons it give bands the opportunity to give the public what they want to here in the bands unique way.

Friday 11 September 2009

Analysing texts

In class we have analysied two texts according to Roland Barthes narrative codes. First we studied the 'Mac vs PC' advert and considered all five codes.



one example on each code taken from my notes:

the action code:
the theme tune throughout this advert is the same melody used for all mac adverts, therefore once the audience hears it begin to play they immediately know that it is an advert for mac products.

the enigma code:
the questions raised between the comparison of the PC and Mac are what are the visual and technical benefits other than imovie.

the semantic code:
the contrast between an attractive supermodel and a rounded man comically dressed as a woman highlights the connotation of the visual benefits of the mac as well their success in their software. The supermodel clearly represents technology with potential that produces much better quality than a PC.

the cultural code:
this includes many elements in the advert such as the age of the men representing the PC and Mac and their general appearance. it is a common interpretation of a male with a side parting and glasses that they are a stereotype of a geek, however a young, recognised actor who is dressed smart/casual would likely be interpreted as a modern geek however reinventing the stereotype into a role model that people may want to follow.

the symbolic code:
this relates closely to my answer for the above as main connotation of the advert is that the Mac is part of the future as it is modern and advanced in technology, where as a PC is the opposite and stuck in the past.


The next text that we analysed was the opening of The Royal Tenenbaums. When anaylsing this we specifically concentrated on the cultural and semantic codes relating the children, although i found that some of my points overlap into both codes. The task was to focus on one of the children and so i chose Margot:



The Royal Tenembaums Essay

Roland Barthes

Over the past two lessons we have been learning about Roland Bathes narrative codes and ideologies so that we can apply these to our projects. Initailly we identified the five different codes:

1. The action code: An action deliberately included in a text that implies further narrative action; this can be both visual or an anchorage. An example of this would be of a close up of a gun in someones hand; the implication of this would be that this would lead to the gun being shot.

2. The enigma code: An unexplained element in a story that raises questions demanding explaination. An example of this would be to open a film with a murder scene; this immediately forces the audience to question when, where, why, who and how.

3. The semantic code: An element suggesting an additional meaning through connotations. An example of this could be of a rose; the denotation of this is that it is a red flower - the connotation is that the red colouring may suggest beauty or danger.

4. The cultural code: An element reffering to something that both the producer and the audience understand. An example of this could be particular dress codes i.e. someone dressed in a hoodie and trackies; this is where the cultural code would be represented as the mutual share of knolegde between the producer and the audience which also creates a bond between the text and audience.

Finally an ideology is a collection of ideas which are personal to someone beliefs. These are the beliefs that join the world together and provide general ground for people to connect with others.

5. The symbolic code: An understanding from in the text that the audience makes without being shown directly. This links with Levis Straus's theory of binary opposites; black/white and rich/poor, this means that one thing can only be defined in relation to something else. Where as the symbolic code for example if the 'grey' area in between the 'black' and 'white'. All in all it is a subtle connotation. For example, if there is poor man taking drugs in contrast to a rich man making a business, the symbolic code of this would be that the poor man got to where he was by wasting his money on drug and similarly the rich man made his success by starting a business.

Change of plan

I am now working independently as we have all divereted into seperate directions of ideas.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Song lyrics

between rock and a hard place by anna

i have contacted my step brother and got the correct song lyrics as we had trouble trying to translate them ourselves. from these lyrics i hope we can formulate a storyboard which clearly relates to the lyrics.

'Let's go drink driving in my car,
Round to her house it aint to far
I aint welcome there,
But i'm hungry for her, thirsty for her,
And i aint willing to share

I could be stuck in jail
They'll take my prints and i'll prey fro bail

Handcuffs on face to the curb
But at least you got what you deserve
And it won't be long now

Till it's late and i'm by your bed
Rock of hate hangs above your head
Will you remember this my evil bride
Remember what i said

See i took a blow
And now i'm not sure
If you're not the one
I'm not looking for

When i kiss your neck it marks my territory
Your pretty head is coming home with me

I'll sit outside and try to regain some male pride
Throw stones at your window but you can't hear me
You can't hear me, you can't hear me from the other side

Well i'll get a biger rock
The kind you won't ignore
Roll it up to your big posh house
And i'll roll it through your fuckin' door
Up the stairs and

Till it's late and i'm by your bed
Rock of hate hangs above your head
Will you remember this my evil bride
Remember what i said

Well i took a blow
And now i'm not sure
If you're not the one
I'm not looking for

When i kiss your neck it marks my territory
Your pretty head is coming home with me

Wicked thoughts they won't leave me alone
Just because........

Wicked thoughts they won't leave me alone
Just because i rock don't mean i'm made of stone'

from here onwards our next task once the storyboard is complete is to take photographs of locations and setting so that they can be included in the video, however the idea is still create an animation, however we thought that the drawings would be more precise if they were perhaps traced from initial photographs. this also will ensure that we capture effective camera angles to include in the music video.

Magazine advertisement research

i have done the same as i did for the cd covers and gathered a few images from google of advertisements for band albums and gig for inspiration and ideas concerning layout:



Over all i have found that a reoccurring theme in cd cover design is the use of bold bright colours, however it appears that a combination of fewer colour is more effective and follows similar conventions of magazine editing which limits you three colours within the print. These sorts of designs would be appropriate i feel as they represent a spontaneous and creative ethic similar to the band. In addition from these album covers it is apparent that less detail is more effective, simple designs are more appealing to an audience.

Cd cover research

i have searched google images for specific and general cd album covers to gain inspiration, here are some that i have selected:



I have found that magazine adverts range vastly from detail and the media used to create images, however the information included is all the same such as artist/bands name, release date, any tour/gig dates and sometimes logos for companies involved in the production.

Basic outline

genre - the genre of music we have chosen falls into the indie music scene, however we have chosen to follow a comic genre for the music video to create the link between animation and humor, therefore ensuring it is entertaining and maintains the audiences attention throughout.

audience - due to the genre of the band the track will attract audiences aging from young teens through to students and some adults. However the music video may attract the younger audiences such as students and young teens as they are more likely to watch music channels and keep up to date with the download charts etc.

theory - i believe three audience theories apply to my project. firstly the hypodermic needle model, the track itself would be played on radios and the video would be played on music channels and throughout the Internet therefore audiences passively hear or see the track along with other track that they may already be interested in. therefore because the public are exposed to the music through daily activities it widens the original target audience. another theory is the two-step flow which is effect once the hypodermic needle model is put into action because once one person has heard the music they then pass on their opinions to friends and the friends do the same and so the it is passed on by word of mouth again expanding audiences of all ages. finally the uses and gratifications theory, this appropriate because the lyrics of the songs are written while considering what the fan would like to her, similarly lyrics are written as inspiration to audiences which help the fans connect with the band.

aim of video - my aim is to produce a unique music video that targets a gap in the market of music videos, however as all the band members are students it makes sense to create a video that appears to be of a lower budget production which other students and teens can relate to. equally an animation would be more appropriate from teen/student audiences as they may appreciate the humour more. my current thoughts as to how i would create this animation is to perhaps take pictures of settings and props that would feature in the video and create a drawing from it converting it into an animation drawn free hand, however the exception of this would be that i would take photographs of the band and use them as 2d characters throughout so that viewers can see the band members.

aim of CD cover - my aim is to represent the track featured in the music video which would be the debut track. therefore a basic design covering the case would be effective and accomplish all that the video does. this may be a clip taken from the video or similar to make the link and continue the theme. currently i am considering making this as a collage of images draw similar to the video and photographs. i believe this will look different to other Cd's and help to make it stand out.

aim of magazine advertisement - my aim of the advertisement is to capture the attention of the audience belonging to the specific magazine i chose. currently i think NME would be suitable as it features new bands and more often than not features music from the indie scene therefore appropriate for the target audience of the band. i will design the advertisement very similar to the album cover so that there is a clear link.

Research

Mr ford's lesson - 30Th June

Today we have watched a variety of short films and music videos ranging from different genres to provide inspiration and successful examples of mainstream media.

-The royal tenenbaums and Rushmore directed by Wes Anderson

These films fall into the genre of comedy; via stereotypical characters the humour is created for all audiences to relate to - for example the main character in Rushmore, a typical teenager who is very intelligent and classified as a 'geek', however the comic spin of his character in the film is that he is cocky and upfront unlike those typical of being labeled as 'geeks' in high school and familiar with getting bullied.

-Jay-z 99 problems video directed by Mark Romanek

This particular music video separates itself from the majority of videos produced due to the stripped down production of and raw culture that is emphasised through the conventions used. For example the black and white contrast of the film links with the urban setting and connotations of the lyrics. In addition the hand held camera filming throughout appearing to be a technique of low budget filming however in this case it creates energy and the fast pace editing allows more scenes to portray what is being said in the lyrics, finally allowing more coverage of different situations that the audience can relate to.

-Aphex Twin come to daddy and Madonna frozen directed by Chris Cunningham

This music video successfully builds tension with both sound and editing. The high pitched non digectic sound is uncomfortable for the viewer but makes it hard not to watch, as the audience you're aware that sterotypical high and low sounds that are prologed means something is going to happen suddenly, therefore gripping the audience attention whilst making them more disturbed the longer it is strung out. Equally the editing compliments the disfuctional atmosphere that the music builds. The movement of the camera is slow allowing all of the setting to be captured and taken in by the audience however this steady action is broken up with flashes and flickering scenes between the transistions of shots, again making it uncomfortable for the viewer to watch.

Music videos

The following are various music videos that i have found on youtube to provide me with inspiration and ideas that i may use within my music video.

The Coral - In The Morning

I have chosen this video due to the abstract editing involved where many shots of the video have been photographed and on top of that acetate has been applied allowing colour to be drawn over the top creating an animated/abstract effect. I like this because it is different to most conventional music videos, the effect of the colouring manipulates the mood and maintains the audiences attention with the fast pace transitions of shots and colouring.


The Kooks - Oh La

This video represents the style and genre of the band the kooks. I like the black and white film as this contribute to the setting and date featured within the music video while aslo reflecting the kooks personal style and persona, in addtion props have been used to create this effect, such as the microphones when playing a set.


Kate Nash - Nicest Thing (Animation)




I have included this video in my research as we found that the animation would be and effective way of capturing the audience as it is original and we could explore different effects during the process.


Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

This video shows great example of computer animation where the band members have been transformed into an animated character. The resemblance of this video is of a computer game; the convention of computer animation isn't often used with music videos therefore a gap in the industry. Although an advantage of animation is that it widens audiences as younger fans find it easier to follow and can relate it to cartoons.

A2 course work

For my coursework at A2 I have paired with my friend Emily and between us we have chosen the following task:

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include;

- A music promo video

- A cover for its release as part of a digipak (cd/dvd package)

- A magazine advertisement for the digipak (cd/dvd package).


We chose this task due to our joint interest in art which we have both persuaded by taking as an a level; this contributes to our creative interest within the design of the of the cd cover and magazine advertisement. For this task we have combined the skills we learnt during the production of our AS coursework; Emily focused on the production and editing of film as she made a film opening (using apple software to edit), where as I worked with print and created a magazine cover, contents and double page spread (using Photoshop software to edit). In addition the main focus of this task (producing a music video) is suited to both Emily and I as we are fortunate to have friends and family members who are part of unsigned bands from which we can use their music; the genre of music these bands produce ranges from rock to indie. Our initial idea is to use music from my step brothers current band, however since listening to it we have decided that the previous band he was in 'Vatican Jet' would suit the music video better as its stronger material to work with, for instance their bass lines are more powerful and the difference between the pace and energy of the songs brings the music up to date with the current indie scene.