For our A2 coursework, our teachers gave us a CD with a list of songs on, and we could only choose one for our coursework. Initially, we had three ideas for songs; track 3, 11 and 17. We decided as a group that track 17 would allow us to be creative, especially with the instrumental. We had to pitch against another group in order to get this song, and we succeeded in the pitch. In our pitch, we discussed several good ideas we had for the music video. We talked about star image, voyeurism, mise en scene and the narrative. The big USP of our music video is that there is a constant enigma running through the song- meaning the audience will have lots of questions in their head about it.
Mise en Scene
Here, we discussed the lighting, costume, location/set design and camera shots/angles. The ideas we had regarding the lighting in our music video was that while the instrumental is playing, there is flashing lights, which makes it harder for the audience to see what's going on, enhancing the enigma of the video. After the instrumental has finished, the lighting is dim for the rest of the video, to make the audience wonder who the girl is. To help achieve this, we will use camera shots to only show her eyes, lips and nose. We never see her face until the end of the video. This will be achieved through the use of extreme close ups. Also, we will try and make the camera angles mirror the lyrics, for example: "get out of bed"- we will use a close up shot of just legs getting out of bed. This is also an example of voyeurism, because the protagonist does not know we can see her. We will also use over the shoulder shots, not only because it's an effective use of voyeurism, but because it will help the audience relate to how she is feeling and what she can see. At the end, the two (protagonist and male figure) will meet, and a shot reverse shot will be used to show they are looking at each other- also hinting that this is the end of the video. In terms of costume, we will have bright, colourful costumes during the instrumental section, but dull, dark clothes when the lyrics are playing, to show that the character is in a dark place. In terms of set design/location, we have decided to shoot in a wide range of locations, to reflect the fluctuation of the music but also her mood.
Interxtuality, Star Image and Narrative
For intertextuality, we thought we could refer to the story of Romeo and Juliet, when the lyrics say "Poison"- the couple are imagining/dreaming about taking the poison, but don't actually take it. Because this song is quite modern, it would be creative if we made it look like a 'futuristic' genre. We would achieve this by using colourful costumes, and so thus, creating a star image and stereotype of futuristic music. One of the main reasons we chose this song is because of the upbeat tune it has- it allows us to be creative with what we film. Our music video will be narrative based as well as performance based, this will mirror the flucutation and constant change of the lyrics and her feelings. At the start during the instrumental section, we will have someone playing the drums, and the rest will be narrative based, as we will have an actress acting out the story alongside the lyrics. Lastly, the sound at the start reminds me of a train, and that fits in with the storyline we are creating for the character; she is in a very dark place, a boy she loves has made her depressed, but at the end the audience are left wondering if they get back together or not. The train noise could symbolise her attempting a new beginning, but failing to because she can't get over him.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Case Study- Madonna- Material Girl
We used Madonna-Material Girl as a case study for our music video's. When we were watching it, we focused on the main conventions. They are:
- Star Image
- Intertxtuality
- Voyeurism
- Narrative/Performance based
Star Image is how an individual or group of people are presented in terms of a music video. In Madonna's video, her star image is presented as being quite prestigious. This is because throughout the video she tends to wear designer costumes. She wears a fur coat at certain parts which represents her as quite rich and posh. The men in the video dancing around her also wear designer suits- making everyone around her prestigious. It suggests that all of her friends are rich, or that she only associates with people of the same class as her. Linked in with mise en scene- a prop used in the video is an expensive car. She isn't driving it herself, she's getting driven around. This adds to the star image of her being rich and prestigious or 'too posh to drive'. Also linked to mise en scene, the lighting adds a romantic feel to the video, and pretty much all of the lighting used in the music video suggests love, as this is the main theme running through the music video. Lastly, Madonna is seen walking on the red carpet at one point in the video. This represents celebrity status and again, being prestigious.
Intertextuality is when one text references another. In terms of music videos, it's when a music video makes a reference or a 'mockery' of another music video. There is plenty of intertextuality in this video. Madonna makes a reference to Marilyn Monroe's famous video 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'. It's similar choreography, costumes, makeup and jewellry. In my opinion, the main reason for her doing this was because Marilyn Monroe was very well known, and her video was quite famous. It reflected the glamorous world of Hollywood and was very materialistic- a play on the title 'Material Girl'.
Voyeurism is when someone gets pleasure out of looking at something or someone without them knowing. In simple terms, it's the notion of looking. There are several times in the music video where voyeurism can be seen. The first example is very clear at the start. This is when the two people are in a cinema watching Madonna on a screen. The camera then zooms into the screen, and the music video starts. This
is effective as it makes the audience feel involved and as though they are watching it too. Another part where voyeurism is shown is when Madonna is on the phone. I think this is a particularly effective use of voyeurism, because it may make people feel as though they shouldn't be listening in to their private conversation. This may add suspense to the audience, but ultimately it will make them feel involved and want to continue watching.
Lastly, the final key aspect of a music video is whether it's performance, concept or narrative based. This music video is a combination of performance and narrative based. The part in which its performance based is when Madonna is singing and all the men are dancing around her. This is because she is performing- singing to the audience. This technique is effective as it allows the audience to see what she is like when she's performing. The narrative side is the whole story line of the music video. The main story line running through this video is that Madonna is trying to find someone who will love her for who she is, and who will give her something other than just gifts. This is evident by when she is on the phone. The use of both of these helps keep the audience engaged, because they don't know what will happen next.
Intertextuality is when one text references another. In terms of music videos, it's when a music video makes a reference or a 'mockery' of another music video. There is plenty of intertextuality in this video. Madonna makes a reference to Marilyn Monroe's famous video 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'. It's similar choreography, costumes, makeup and jewellry. In my opinion, the main reason for her doing this was because Marilyn Monroe was very well known, and her video was quite famous. It reflected the glamorous world of Hollywood and was very materialistic- a play on the title 'Material Girl'.
Voyeurism is when someone gets pleasure out of looking at something or someone without them knowing. In simple terms, it's the notion of looking. There are several times in the music video where voyeurism can be seen. The first example is very clear at the start. This is when the two people are in a cinema watching Madonna on a screen. The camera then zooms into the screen, and the music video starts. This
is effective as it makes the audience feel involved and as though they are watching it too. Another part where voyeurism is shown is when Madonna is on the phone. I think this is a particularly effective use of voyeurism, because it may make people feel as though they shouldn't be listening in to their private conversation. This may add suspense to the audience, but ultimately it will make them feel involved and want to continue watching.
Lastly, the final key aspect of a music video is whether it's performance, concept or narrative based. This music video is a combination of performance and narrative based. The part in which its performance based is when Madonna is singing and all the men are dancing around her. This is because she is performing- singing to the audience. This technique is effective as it allows the audience to see what she is like when she's performing. The narrative side is the whole story line of the music video. The main story line running through this video is that Madonna is trying to find someone who will love her for who she is, and who will give her something other than just gifts. This is evident by when she is on the phone. The use of both of these helps keep the audience engaged, because they don't know what will happen next.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Conventions of a music video & Carly Rae Jepsen Case Study
This video focuses on the key conventions found in a music video. We decided to present our ideas in a more creative way by doing it in a 'spoof' of The Weakest Link. Intertextuality and the genre characterists were discussed quite well, however I do think we should have mentioned the relationship between the lyrics/music and the visuals. If I was to do this again I would change that, so as the audience were more aware of the conventions.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Genre
In today's lesson we looked at genre- a possible topic that could come up in the exam. The first question we thought about was if texts are defined by genres. We looked at each other's thriller openings and decided what made it suitable to be considered as a thriller genre. The most popular ones were iconography (most had a weapon, or relevant clothing) and for ours, film noir. Film noir made our opening a hybrid genre- which makes it a flexible genre and so more likely to be enjoyed by the audience- as said by Richard Maltby.
Every text uses a genre, whether it be horror, thriller, romance, action or drama. Genres sort films into categories, which makes it easier for someone to find what sort of films they enjoy. It also means that similar films will be made in the future, because film makers know that audiences enjoy films from all genres. The purposes of genres are to categorise films and to make viewing easier for audiences. It's not always easy to tell what genre a film is, as it may either be a hybrid genre or a hidden genre. An example of a hybrid genre would be Scream or Scary Movie- it combines horror with a comedic element.
Iconography is one aspect that helps define what genre a film is. Mise en scene and plot/storyline are other aspects that help define a genre. Iconography is things like props and objects used in a film, and what people associate the item with. For example, a weapon would usually be a horror or a thriller film. Mise en scene is everything from costume to set design used in a film which normally helps identify which genre a film belongs to.
For example, black clothing would be commonly associated with a horror film, and the set design of a dark forest, or abandoned house would be a thriller or a horror.
The way in which directors help to continue progress of different genres is by coming up with new, creative ideas to ensure that people keep on watching their specific genre, but at the same time by coming up with similar ideas, because they know what people enjoy watching. As Steve Neale said, the audience demand will always be there, and the industry is always ready to produce new productions. In addition, he also said that without different genre's there would be no variety, and if all the films were the same genre it would be boring for audiences.
Our thriller opening we did for our AS coursework could easily be identified as a thriller. This is because of iconography, mise en scene and sound effects. Iconography helps identify a genre- this is through the props used in the opening. For example, in our thriller opening, we used the killer's hat and we used blood splatters to help identify it as a thriller opening. By using mise en scene we were able to help identify it as a thriller because of the colours used and the costumes worn. The killer wore black clothes, to help him blend in with the darkness- this was a huge part of our thriller opening as we wanted the audience to feel scared. Combined with the costume, we also used lighting. We used dark lighting to help scare the audience and hide the characters. This helped identify it as a thriller genre because the audience could not easily see the killer and so kept the tension running. The sound effects helped do this too, because the sounds we used were quite scary. We used sounds such as thunder, footsteps, a door creaking and scary music. These sound effects are all typical sound effects used in thriller openings.
Every text uses a genre, whether it be horror, thriller, romance, action or drama. Genres sort films into categories, which makes it easier for someone to find what sort of films they enjoy. It also means that similar films will be made in the future, because film makers know that audiences enjoy films from all genres. The purposes of genres are to categorise films and to make viewing easier for audiences. It's not always easy to tell what genre a film is, as it may either be a hybrid genre or a hidden genre. An example of a hybrid genre would be Scream or Scary Movie- it combines horror with a comedic element.
Iconography is one aspect that helps define what genre a film is. Mise en scene and plot/storyline are other aspects that help define a genre. Iconography is things like props and objects used in a film, and what people associate the item with. For example, a weapon would usually be a horror or a thriller film. Mise en scene is everything from costume to set design used in a film which normally helps identify which genre a film belongs to.
For example, black clothing would be commonly associated with a horror film, and the set design of a dark forest, or abandoned house would be a thriller or a horror.
The way in which directors help to continue progress of different genres is by coming up with new, creative ideas to ensure that people keep on watching their specific genre, but at the same time by coming up with similar ideas, because they know what people enjoy watching. As Steve Neale said, the audience demand will always be there, and the industry is always ready to produce new productions. In addition, he also said that without different genre's there would be no variety, and if all the films were the same genre it would be boring for audiences.
Our thriller opening we did for our AS coursework could easily be identified as a thriller. This is because of iconography, mise en scene and sound effects. Iconography helps identify a genre- this is through the props used in the opening. For example, in our thriller opening, we used the killer's hat and we used blood splatters to help identify it as a thriller opening. By using mise en scene we were able to help identify it as a thriller because of the colours used and the costumes worn. The killer wore black clothes, to help him blend in with the darkness- this was a huge part of our thriller opening as we wanted the audience to feel scared. Combined with the costume, we also used lighting. We used dark lighting to help scare the audience and hide the characters. This helped identify it as a thriller genre because the audience could not easily see the killer and so kept the tension running. The sound effects helped do this too, because the sounds we used were quite scary. We used sounds such as thunder, footsteps, a door creaking and scary music. These sound effects are all typical sound effects used in thriller openings.
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