Week Six

This is the diary entry for holiday work. I have embarked on a location recce. This involved taking photos of an area I intend to shoot my music video in. I was happy with how this went and it was very much a chance-scouting that I found the garden where I could envisage the idea of my music video occurring. Seeing the new location also changed my idea. Rather than set it in the woods - which would've been far more difficult to shoot in, I later found the garden would not only be more of a wiser location, practically, but also worked better with the 'narrative' of the video.
I have decided on the music I want for my video - 'Oh my god' by Cults. This is because it suits the mystical and slightly unsettling approach I desired.
The actual idea for my music video is ever evolving. Earlier in the holidays, I was on the brink of scrapping my current idea and going for a much more surreal and dramatic video. In the end, I decided the video was better suited as slightly more simplistic and less avante garde.
I began some sketches for the designs of costumes and have begun scouting cast members.

Location Recce

Above are the results from my location recce. The majority of my music video will take place in the back section of the garden which has been photographed. The twisted trees, river with it's rickety bridge, the witche's-hut-like shed will all add to the atmosphere. It would be possible to add to the greenery and create an even more creepier and unsettling feel during production.
I may decide to include interior shots, though the important aspect of my music video will be the events which occur chiefly around the shed and the open (and hidden) space behind it, near the river.

10 Iconic Music Video Stills

Iconic stills

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Above is a slideshare presentation of 10 iconic stills from various music videos which have gained notoriety. The shots can be deemed 'iconic' due to the fact they have influenced other music videos and have resulted in imitations and parodies and are recognisable across the globe.

The collection of stills is useful in the creation of ideas for my own music video. I could borrow from the lighting effects from some of the stills - in particular those that emphasize the artist through contrasts of light and dark. I could even simply, reference an iconic still directly in my music video as a nostalgic nod.

Week Five

I have so far analysed the lyrics of two songs and presented by thoughts on each via different online formats. I have also added some other music videos to my inspirations page. I have also begun planning out ideas for my own music video - assessing possible resources I have and judging between what can be achieved and what cannot.

Lyric Analysis - Oh My God by Cults

Cults Omg Analysis of Lyrics

This is a Scribd. document which takes an in depth analysis of the lyrics of noise pop indie band 'Cults' single entitled 'Oh My God'. This was on the shortlist of songs to use for the music video and has ultimately been selected for its light, ethereal quality and its escapist notions.

Lyric Analysis - Sprawl ii by Arcade Fire

A Prezi document analysing the lyrics of Arcade Fire's song 'Sprawl ii'. This song was a possible candidate to be used in my music video but in the end I decided on a lighter, more fairy-sounding song. I liked Sprawl ii for the female singers lilting voice and lyrics which conveyed themes of escapism, however they did so in a more abstract way whereas Cults' 'Oh My God' was more simplistic.

Equipment

Music Video Equipment

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A presentation describing the possible camera and filming equipment that is accessible to me for my shoot for my music video.

Week Four

This week I have collected photos of the equipment I could possibly use in my music video. Seeing what was there on offer, it helepd to inspire further ideas for a possible music video. Though I have several ideas - one of which was the route I was aiming for, having seen the equipment, I am considering changing my idea again.
Currently I am developing an idea themed in an Alice in Wonderland way, and am playign with the idea of having a night exterior shoot or possibly a day shoot. I realise when I come to shoot the video, it will be colder and darker.
I have also created a reverse storyboard which consists of screen-shots of Tribe's 'We Were Children Video', with discussion on its camera movement, editing and technique. I specifically chose this video as it makes good use of instruments and performance as well as a range of cameras showing a variety of perspectives and angles.

Week Three

I have now analysed the music videos of Connan Mockasin 'Frever Dolphin Love', Blur 'The Universal' and The Naked and Famous 'Young Blood. I have uploaded my analysis of each video as a single scribd.
As well as this, I have analysed the album magazine adverts of Kele 'The Boxer', Noah and the Whale 'First Days of Spring' and The XX 'The XX'.
This, along with the 3 digipack covers has provided me with a good insight in the codes and conventions and certain styles of real-world products which will help inspire and direct me when I come to create my own product.

Music Video Analysis

Music Video Analysis

Textual analysis of three music videos (Blur - The Universal, Conan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love, The Naked and Famous - Young Blood). This document textually analyses the types of mise en scene, editing and shots used in each of these case studies and provides me with inspiration for my own product.

Magazine Album Advert Analysis

Mag ads

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Slideshare document detailing my analyses of three separate magazine adverts for record albums, all within the indie genre. These analyses will help for inspiration and ideas for my print-based coursework as well as helping me to conform to conventionality. 

Week Two

I have created a powerpoint analysing three CD covers and uploaded it to my blog via slideshare. I have also written a short essay of analysis on a music video 'The Universal' by Blur.
Also, I made an 'Inspirations' page which I will update which music videos which provide me with ideas. Thus far, Connan Mockasin's 'Forever Dolphin Love' has been placed on it.
I have also re-organised the labels on my blog to make navigation more easier. As well as this, I have changed the design of the blog itself.

Resource Audit

Resource Audit on Prezi

A prezi presentation detailing the locations, personnel, equipment and props available to me, prior to pre-production of my music video.

Similar Product Research

Similar product research

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The music video ‘The Universal’ by Blur follows a narrative set chiefly in what appears to be a futuristic bar fashioned to the style (with its padded, white-washed walls) of a mental asylum or hospitalised environment. This conflicts with the conventions of a normal bar, where the décor usually emulates revelling, relaxation and glitz, rather than surgical cleanliness and austerity seen here. The narrative is somewhat ambiguous as there is no clear story-line however it reaches a crescendo at the end, with a series of subtitled silent monologues growing progressively more obscene.

The video makes blatant references to the work of Stanley Kubrick – in particular, his film ‘A Clockwork Orange.’ The front-man Damon Albarn has taken on the role of the psychotic  anti-hero Alex DeLarge, with his eerie demeanour and costume. He breaks the fourth wall with the audience by directly winking at them and fixing them with manic, bestial grins – suggestive of his dominating force in the video. Kubrick’s work is also referenced with the golf-ball-like mass which appears before a group of people who stare at it transfixed – yet nonplussed by the floating mass. This echoes the film 2001: A Space Odyssey when the black pillar appears before a group of apes, who seem to revere it.

The unusual, warped pop-art style imagery is intercut with the events of the video as well as shots of the band performing on stage in the bar environment. They form together as a satirical stab at modern society. A woman is seen wallowing in the company of her male colleagues who fawn over her as though she were a piece of meat. In her hands she holds sheet music – another reference to the opening sequence of A Clockwork Orange when a woman sits with her colleagues in the milk bar singing to Beethoven. The woman allows herself to become a sex object before their eyes, flirting along with them and adopting a seductive body language. A priest is seen drinking what appears to be some kind of alcoholic beverage and growing steadily drunker with his companion. This conflicts with his role as a religious figure. He also (in the climax of the video) appears to tell his drinking partner something shocking and heinous and his laughter is abruptly replaced with a look of despair. All the conversations in the video are silent adding to their ambiguity. This is also seen in the conversation between the man in a tuxedo and the ‘red man’ who have a surreal and nonsensical conversation which is subtitled. Other characters we see are a pair of twins who wear strange glasses which hinder rather than improve their site.

The theme of voyeurism is again enhanced by the naked female mannequins used as decoration in the bar. Also, a man simultaneously kisses and touches two women furiously. The image is grotesque, with the female’s lipstick staining the male’s cheeks and the fact they are in traditional Chinese women’s dress, a subversion of its symbol of purity and decency. Females contrast greatly to the white-washed environment. Most wear some kind of red (clothes or makeup). This allows them to stand out and be seen images of sexual pleasure.

More references to Orwell’s 1984 are given through the gathering crowds who listen to the events in the bar via the golf-ball like masses with the speaker and camera. The crowd appear devoid of emotion, reminiscent of the passionless Inner and Outer Party members of Oceania.

The use of Warhol-like art is in keeping with the racy and surreal theme and the orange background the unusual drawings are set against is a reference to ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

The slummy council estate environment of the emotionless people outside the bar is representative of a dystopian future. This fits in with the perverse goings-on in the futuristic-styled bar and the song lyrics themselves which sing of the future; ‘this is the next century....’

There could be implications of anti-religion, through the use of the drunk priest and an image of an embryo falling into a cocktail glass. This could be a representation of the Catholic Church’s stand against abortion or perhaps could suggest that human life is not valued in modern society.

Research of Music Videos

Purpose

The purpose of a music video is to establish a visual representation of an artist or band, providing an audience with a first impression of them and to existing fans, to fulfil expectations. In short, music videos are a form of promotion to extend the popularity of the artist. Music videos are also made to entertain their audience. By the 1980s, music videos were essential to the promotion of singles.

Development

Pioneering bands in the 60’s such as The Who, The Kinks and the Rolling Stones would film their performances in videos known as ‘promos’ which was an early form of a music video. In Britain, Top of the Pops would not only feature live performances but also the promos of current bands and performers.

The close relationship between music tracks and visual material can be traced back to at least forty years earlier with the experiments of Oscar Fischinger in Germany in the 1920s and in the USA in the 1930s after he fled the Nazis, notably his work on the Disney film, ‘Fantasia’ (1939).
Short films of anything up to eight minutes in duration were used to display the talents of singers mainly as reels on the forerunner of the video jukebox, the Panarom.

The late 60s saw an increase in music films, e.g. Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’.

In the 80s, expansion of the usage of television meant the rise of MTV, a music channel which oversaw the broadcasting of music videos and held its own version of the Oscars called the Video Music Awards.

In the digital age and the opening up of online promotion, performers have made their music even more accessible not only from downloads but from streaming of music and music videos on sites like YouTube.
New Tech

Panaroms were visual jukeboxes which would show 16mm short films on a reel. The production standards of music videos have increased massively since their promo format. They are now much costlier; involve CGI effects and green screen technology. The filming equipment is now more enhanced and can be shot in High Definition. Today, music videos can be reached via terrestrial channels and through the web. Some musicians have even pioneered combining music videos with online applications, such as google earth which collaborated with Arcade Fire to create a video which showed its audience member satellite images of their local town.