Hey all! My name is Faye Martin and you are currently on my A2 media coursework blog; a record of blogs put together reporting the process in creating our own music videos, album covers and webpages for our own invented band.
In class we have been analysing a range of music videos, to receive an understanding of the codes and conventions used, which we will have to employ when creating our own. 'Ghetto Gospel'- 2pac ft. Elton John
The artist is not performing in this video
All narrative; allows to audience to focus on the story
Uses music video conventions; cutting on the beat, flash backs, attempting to acheive realism, chronological order, establishing shots
Diegetic sounds of the helicopter and the scene of the police and a crowd of people are code of crime and devistation.
Point of view shot is used to make the audience feel placed within the narrative and the action
Phatetic fallacy (rain) is used to code the trauma
Low angle shot highlights the mothers pain
'Ghetto Gospel' is oxymoronic as the two words do not belong together as does the artists as one is a rapper and the other highly famous due to his pop career
De-focused edit is code for the tears or the spirit leaving the body
The lyrics match the images being shown e.g. image of the sunrise
Series of establishing shots are used to code the setting of the ghetto
Artwork of 'The Last Supper' is a religious code that it is his last meal
Close up on the mother highlights her love for her son
Costume of hoddies along with the body language is code that they are involved in a gang
Play fighting codes that he is youthful and is popular
Religious iconography
Series of shots of the family is code of happiness and that this character has something to live for
Close up on holding hands is code for their love
Facial expressions are code for pensivesness
Cup of water spilling codes to the audience of his death however it can also been seen as a religious reference of the wine representing Jesus' blood
The video starts and ends at the same place
'Seven Nation Army'- The White Stripes
It is clear that there is no narrative to this video
Colour coding; red, white and black are used which are iconic to the band
The video focuses on them playing their instruments therefore they are assosciated with their musicianship
Extreme close ups are used
Rhythmis editing; images are in time with the music an example is the guitar solo as the images move faster
This video is a vehicle for the song as all the focus is on the music as there is no distractive narrative
It's originality makes it powerful
'Love the way you lie'- Eminem ft. Rhianna
Edits are made between the narrative and the artists
The two artists are in different settings
There is no temporal continuity (not in chronological order)
A montage of insights of their relationship establish the narrative
The artists costumes are associated with themselves e.g the white vest and baggy jeans Eminem wears
The use of fire is code for passion, heat, danger, destruction, love and intensity which are all highlighted through the video
Juxtaposition is used as Eminem is in a open field, which is code for freedom whereas Rhianna is in the dark with flames which claustraphobic
Further conventions of music videos being used are; close-ups on the artists, rhythmic edits, intense camera work
Freedom is emphasised in the field by a long camera shot which tilts and pans
The marrative seeks realism this is shown through the realistic mise-en-scene, everything codes their poor existance and their body language codes love
The video is a cycle as it starts and ends at the same place
The artists become part of the narrative as the 'worlds' merge at the end
'Wake Me Up When September Ends'- Greenday
The video opens witha classic romantic mise-en-scene
Wide angle shot with the couple in the middle of the field
The setting is code and highlights the young love
Intimate camera work (close ups) highlights their facial expressions which code their happiness and love
Happiness is also coded through colour as they are bright and warm
Dialogue is exchanged which focuses on the story
The introduction is code for the narrative genre
Ciematic in it's scope as techniques which are used in film are used in the video e.g. the title
The music is non-diegetic
Extreme close ups on the singers face is a convention of the music video
Edits between the band and the narrative
There is a break in the music to focus on the narrative as the dialogue advances it. As this happens after there is a change in the tone and feel of the song and video
Series of silohetter shots
The images used must tell the sroty as there is a restriction as there is no dialogue e.g. the montage of short shots show the blossoming love
Diegetics sounds are emphasised
The music mirrors the action and is parallel
Aiming to acheive realism is evident through the camera work and mise-en-scene
After analysing these music videos there are some evaluative points to keep in mind when producing my own music video:
Not all music videos use narrative
Many videos use imagery to generate the image and identity of the artist/band
Costume, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene and setting all help to create this image of the artist
Codes are all employed to perpetuate the identity of the band/artist
Many artists have costumes/graphics that have become iconic/synonymus with them e.g. Michael Jackson's white glove
"Low angle shots are used more extensively in music videos, partly because they reproduce relations among the audience, performer and stage. Such shots confer authority upon performers and assert their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous areas/zones of performers. On the other hand high angle shots in music videos, as in film, give the viewer a sense of power and mobility."
- Gives the effect and reminds the audience that they are watching a show - Artists sexuality is highlighted through use of low camera angles
Dolly Shots
"Most music videos make such extenstive use of the dolly that a static shot seems anomalous (when it is still it seems out of place). The dolly shot keeps the video moving, it starts almost invariably as soon as the video begins, and only ceases towards the end. It provides a simple way for a music video to catch and sustain a song's momentum."
-Gives constant movement to the video
Editing
"quick cutting on the beat"
-This is also known as rhythmic editing.
-Every edit and shot needs to be in sync with the rhythm of the song.
-'Rhythmic basis closely connected to the song'
-Editing on the beat reminds the audience of the rhythm and importance of the song
"edits in music videos come far more frequently than in film" "Music video editing bears a far greater responsibility for many elements than does classic Hollywood film editing"
-Dramatic edits are made to remind the audience that they are not watching a film (more relative to music videos with a narrative) -Draws the audiences attention to the techniques being used -There are lots of very short, quick edits used in music videos, these build up a montage and often tell the sotry of the video (progress the narrative)
"the editing in music videos works hard to ensure that no single element (the narrative, the setting, the performance, the star, the lyrics, the song) gains the upper hand."
-The narrative and video must not distract the audience from the song. 30 Degree Rule When you break the 30 degree rule it is called a Jump Cut, to avoid this the camera should move 30 degress between edits to avoid this.
Jump Shots A sharp awkward edit that looks clumsy, regularly used in music videos. Created when the 30 degree rule is not kept to. Jump cuts are used to draw the audiences attention to the techniques being used.
180 Degree Rule This rule ensures that you do not disorientate the audience by breaking this rule. The audience should maintain a position between edits in term of orientation.
Graphic Match Edits between objects which are connected through colour and shapre, in sequence. This creates fluency.
Match on action Using a series of edits where different people/objects are doing the same thing i.e. close up on someone running, then cuts to a different close up of someone else running.
Intertexuality Making reference to other media texts e.g. in Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' the reference to Kill Bill through the car 'Pussy Wagon'
The band has their own WEBSITE-http://www.cobrastarship.com/ through their website they keep in contact with their fans by posting daily news, photos, videos and tour dates. There is also a blogging system where the fans can comment and ‘chat’ to other fans and Cobra Starship. The website also holds biography of each member and fans have the ability to purchase the bands merchandise.
FUELED BY RAMEN STREET TEAM- http://fueledbyramen.com/streetteam/ the street team is a group for fans to get involved in promoting/marketing their favourite bands. This achieved through Pass out fliers and stickers at tours, Put up posters and snipes for albums, Assist in online missions for bands, Be the first to get news and updates, Access exclusive videos and tools, Help promote the Fueled By Ramen bands. This is an active way of involving the fans and ‘roping in’ new fans.
FUELD BY RAMEN YOUTUBE CHANNEL-http://www.youtube.com/user/fueledbyramen?blend=1&ob=4 YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. The record label have their own channel where they upload the music videos and diaries of the bands, this includes Cobra Starship. There are over 50 videos of the band including their official music videos, behind the scenes of the creating of their music videos, and ‘diaries’ of events such as festivals and gigs.
COBRA STARSHIP ALBUMS Cobra Starship have three albums, While the city sleeps We rule the streets- 2006-2007, It featured the single "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)", of which a video had been featured during the closing credits of the film Snakes on a Plane earlier that summer, Viva La Cobra- 2007-2008, The album art for the ¡Viva La Cobra! album was used to promote the fourth generation Apple iPod nano in purple, Hot Mess- 2009-2010. All of these albums are sold in high street music chain stores and are available to purchase on Itunes.
FESTIVALS Cobra Starship has made numerous appearances in festivals. The festivals they have appeared in are: Cobra headlined the Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour- January to March, 2008. They also played on Warped Tour 2008. They headlined the SassyBack tour, which toured from October 7 through November 30, 2008. Cobra Starship also began the "Believers Never Die (Part Deux)" tour in the beginning of April, opening for Fall Out Boy, with other bands All Time Low, Metro Station, and Hey Monday. They made a stop on the Warped Tour in 2009, playing in Salt Lake City, on August 8, 2009. In Fall 2009, they are signed on to Boys Like Girls' "Love Drunk Tour" along with The Maine and A Rocket to the Moon.
TOURS On February 4, 2010, Cobra Starship embarked on their first ever European tour named 'Hot Mess Across The EU-Niverse', which included the UK, Ireland, Germany, France and the Netherlands. When the tour ended on February 21, the band then travelled to Japan for a few shows, then onto Australia and New Zealand for the 'Wet Hot Australian Summer' Tour. On February 5, 2010 it was announced that Cobra Starship and 3OH!3 would be embarking on a co-headlining tour called The Too Fast For Love Tour.
SINGLES Cobra Starship covered Katy Perry’s famous single ‘I Kissed a girl, their version is called ‘I Kissed a Boy’. The song was released on August 25, 2008. The band also joined forces with famous T.V. series Gossip Girl star, Leighton Meester, to record their hit ‘Good Girls Go Bad’, which is produced by Kevin Rudolf. This hit reeled in more fans as the target audience was expanded due to the T.V star.
MYSPACE PAGE-http://www.myspace.com/cobrastarship This social networking page allows the fans to listen to their songs for free, read regular news and keeps in contact with the bands movements.
To have a full understanding of how bands are marketed to the current audience, in pairs we had to create a pitch ,in powerpoint, of a new band (fake band) and include what techniques of marketting we would use to market our band, 'The Fleurbelles'. Ways of marketing
The internet- the internet can be used in many ways to sell a band. Through social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter allow fans to be updated of the bands movements (for example competitions, gig dates, pictures of band events), also these websites can also be used to post their songs for fans to listen to.
Another source of the internet that can be used to sell a new band is legal downloading through sites such as I tunes and Spotify. I tunes has recently installed a new programme 'Ping', this works on the same basis as social networking sites allowing fans to recommend, rate and chat about the songs that are listening to.
Online shopping websites, for example Amazon and Play.com, are also good for marketing a band as 'hard copies' of the albums can be sold to fans.
An additional use of the internet is through YouTube, a website where vidoes can be posted and shared frequently. This include bands music videos and behind the scene vidoes of photoshoots, gigs etc.
A fully established bands website markets the band as biographies of the band members are on there, updates of the bands movements, fan chat, street team (where fans are sent flyers and posters to pass on the friends etc), videos, merchandise is sold and much more.
Gigs, Tours, Festivals and Support artists- all of these forms of live music will help market a band and broaden their audience.
Radio- radio play and interviews will establish the bands identity and target audience.
'The Fleurbelles' presentation This presentation was created to market the fake band 'The Fleurbelles', and consists of information of how we decided to market this new girl band.
There are numerous conventions of the music video genre evident within Lady Gaga’s Telephone, these conventions can be associated with other videos, for example Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and Greenday’s ‘Wake me up when September ends’.
One convention used is the cinematic conventions, this is when the video practices conventions of film, for example the titles and credit that appear at the beginning of the video. Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ has also adopted this convention. In both videos all diegetic sounds are emphasised, this convention is used to code the atmosphere and the setting, this is evident as the footsteps along the prison in ‘Telephone’ are highlighted to create fear of being in prison, and in ‘Thriller’ sounds such as the footsteps and heavy breathing to convey the horror genre.
The music video of ‘Telephone’ opens with a series of short establishing shots, consisting of barbed wire, prison cells establishing the initial setting of the scene and what the audience are to expect.
Along with many other music videos, for example Greenday’s ‘Wake me up when September ends’, there is a narrative within the video, a story either related to the lyrics of the song or to evoke a response from the audience. Both videos open with the narrative as dialogue is shared between characters, which are established through their relationships, costumes, mise-en-scene and dialogue. In Greenday’s video the narrative is between a young couple (two actors), whose love is shown throughout the video through a series of montages and action happening within the narrative, which is separate to the band performing. However in Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ Lady Gaga is performing in the narrative as a provocative protagonist, who she is coded as through the use of costume as she is dressed in leather , wearing fishnets and tattoos on show, representing her rebellion. However through the video there are constant changes of costumes which is a convention of music videos as they are not constant.
Lady Gaga throughout this video is perceived as a sex symbol as phallic symbols are used to code that the two characters are emasculate, this is represented as she bites into the sausage snack viciously.
This symbol is also achieved through a range of low angle shots. “Low angle shots are used more extensively in music videos, partly because they reproduce relations among the audience, performer and stage. Such shot confer authority upon performances and asserts their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous zones of performers”, these are constantly used to highlight the idea of Lady Gaga being a ‘sex symbol’ and to remind the audience that they are watching a performance.
Along with low angle shots there are uses of extreme close-ups on the performers on the erogenous zones, to highlight her sexuality. Close-ups are also Lady Gaga’s and Beyoncé’s facial expressions, lips and eyes to remind and give significance to the performer.
In both ‘Telephone’ and ‘Wake me up when September ends’ there is a break within the music and performance, this where more dialogue is shared and builds upon the narrative, this is evident when there is usually a change in the music along with the plot, in ‘Telephone’ where Beyoncé is involved in narrative, ‘Wake me up when September ends’ when the couple’s relationship is put in jeopardy.
Within in both narratives in ‘Telephone’ and ‘Thriller’ there is non-diegetic music in the scene which is not the song which the video is for, this convention adds to the cinematic convention as more realism is added.
“Music video editing bears a far greater responsibility for many elements than does classic Hollywood film editing”, this quotation from Carol Vernallis’ ‘Functions and Meanings of music in editing’, highlights the importance of editing within music videos which are obvious in Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’. Both the 30 degree rule and jump cuts, when the 30 degree rule is broken it is called a jump cut, a sharp awkward edit looks clumsy, the camera should move 30 degrees to avoid this, are used in the video. The 30 degree rule is apparent in Beyoncé’s rap in the car and jump cuts are used when Lady Gaga is in the prison cell, these two edits keep the audience intrigued, and draws the audience’s attention to the techniques being used but allows them to remember that it is a music video and not a film, as jump cuts are not so apparent in film.
The 180 degree rule ensures that your audience is not disorientated as they should maintain a position between edits in terms of orientation. Within ‘Telephone’ this rule of editing is constantly broken; highlighting this technique being used also it gives the audience as different perspective of the action as Lady Gaga leaves the prison.
Another editing technique used in the video is “quick cutting on the beat” this is when every edit in music video needs to be in sync with the music. This is reflected near the beginning of the video as Lady Gaga is on the phone and the editing is on a “rhythmic basis closely connected to the song” so as the song jilts, so does the staccato shots.
Edits are clearly shown within the change of shots, for example the use of fade and the telephone image which zooms into the next shot of action. This keeps the audience keep that this is a music video and is not a film, as this type of obvious editing is not used.
Many companies see music videos as a chance to place their products, this constantly evident within ‘Telephone’ as big named products such as Coca-Cola, Virgin, Chanel and HP computers have all been purposely placed within the video as they know that the video would become a hit due to its originality and success of Lady Gaga.
Intertexuality, making reference to other media texts is made as references to Kill Bill, the car ‘Pussy Wagon’ and the plot of ‘Thelma and Louise’, this convention keeps the interest of the audience as they can make place with the movement of the video.
As in Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ a dance routine happens within the narrative, these routines involve the performer(s) and actors. The routines become iconic to the song and to the audience as they can always make reference. Michael Jacksons ‘Thriller’ sequence is a break to the song however Lady Gaga’s is constant to the song and action.
‘Telephone’ is a very stylized when it comes to film and music video as it focuses on the style and not realism as films do.
Music video's come in various forms, in which all sell and promote the artist/band's music in a way which communicates to their target audience and beyond. In this A2 media coursework analysis, production and evaluation of the product will occur as in a group of three,we have created our own record label 'ELJAFproductions' (Elliot, Jamie and myself) and shall make our own original music video for an upcoming band. To accompany this video as a production group we shall produce our own album cover, promoting the single in the video. The work that I shall conduct to achieve a high standard will be split into research, planning, production and evaluation. Research
Marketing a band- this will include research into different marketing stratergies, and how current a band uses these so, these shall be applied to marketing our own pretend band. Which will all be displayed in a powerpoint. All this work will all benefit in the marketing process of our own band.
Analysing music videos- this will allow myself to gain a knowledge of how codes and conventions are used in current music videos and how these are challanged by original music videos.
Analysing album covers- this research will also be applied to when creating our own artwork as the knowledge recieved through analysis of codes and conventions will become apparent.
Planning
An account of any group descisions and discussions of what will be produced.
Storyboards- collective ideas of what our music will include and look like.
Brainstorms- a collection of ideas.
Initial ideas.
Production- the process of creation of the video.
Evaluation- an analysis of the finished products; what went well, how we worked as a group etc.
