Feedback #3

Danny - where is your eval? You must meet deadlines.

Technical Analysis: Ne-yo, 'Mad', 2008.

I decided to complete my technical analysis based on the music video for ‘Mad’, by Ne-yo (2008). I made this choice based on the fact that this video consists of some narrative shots, as well as performance shots, and regularly cuts between the two. As a group, this is our proposed style for our music video, and so although this is a different genre and simply one artist unlike our band choice, I believe that deconstructing ‘Mad’ shot by shot would proved extremely useful as it gave me an insight into the much more technical aspect of music video production in terms of the mix between performance and narrative based shots.
I printed off a chart with the headings; shot size, camera movement, mise-en-scene, notable shot length and transition so that I could watch and pause the video whilst taking notes under these headings on paper. Once this chart was completed, I highlighted which type of shot it was: pink for a performance based shot (such as the shots of ne-yo singing in a directionally lit studio), green for narrative based shots (such as the shots of ne-yo and his girlfriend looking at each other, arguing, and in bed) and blue for the shots that mix these two aspects (such as when ne-yo is singing on the bed with his girlfriend behind him, whereby he is delivering a performance about the narrative). This proved to be extremely useful as I could easily see the ratio of these 3 types and how they followed after each other.
From my technical analysis I have learnt that this video is shot using a handicam, resulting in no static shots. This gives the video a very intimate feel, which helps to reinforce the sad mood of the track and closeness that the artist is singing about. I am also now aware of the repeated use of similar shots. There are only a few locations; the apartment, the funeral, the studio, the street that the boy is ran over in and the street that ne-yo is singing in. This means that as the video is quite long (4 minutes and 41 seconds), and has fairly short shot lengths (mostly 2 or 3 seconds long), these locations are use throughout and there is a fairly equal blend of narrative and performance based shots. To avoid over repetition and boredom, this locations are introduced gradually as the track progresses and the tempo changed. For example, as the chorus kicks in at 2 minutes 42 seconds, the change in tempo is reflected with the introduction to a new location; ne-yo singing in the rain (2 minutes 50 seconds) and shots off a group of friends drinking in the apartment (2 minutes 56 seconds). This technique is used throughout and keeps the audience’s attention as it follows the narrative. The transition used throughout is a simple cut, meaning audiences are less aware of the editing and more focused on the track and the narrative presented.
The shot size predominantly used is a close up. This ‘meat’ shot is likely to be used as not only does it advertise the artist effectively, leaving no question for who the track is by, but it also meets the demands of the record label who aim on maximising their income through the video and need to ensure the artist gains as much screen time as possible. Close ups are also effective in reinforcing the sad mood that is evoked by the track as audiences are not only able to facial expressions much more easily, but feel much closer to the artist as if they can relate to him. This mood is also created by the fact it is a black and white video. No colour means that the overall feel off the video is quite dull, grey and sad, relating to the lyrics well. This relationship is also evident in the fact that the artist is miming to the track, and a number of cuts are in time with tempo changes and lyrics throughout the track. As mentioned earlier, new locations are also introduced as the track changes and develops.
The camera movement throughout is general handicam shake with some slight tilts (such as when the music kicks in and the camera tilts up in the point of view shot up at the paramedics and pedestrians). The camera also often follows the action, such as when Ne-yo storms out off the house, the camera is placed in front of him and moves backwards as he walks forwards. The slight handicam shake during this suggests that it has simply been shot with a cameraman walking backwards, as opposed to the use of a track which would give a much smoother aesthetic.
The narrative is constructed with the argument between Ne-yo and his girlfriend at the start. This is an example of how the video amplifies the track, in that this argument is not part of the track and is solely for the benefit of constructing the narrative in the video. This narrative is continued with shots of the couple in their home throughout the video. These cut to shots of the other narrative about the boy who gets ran over, with shots at the scene of the accident and at his funeral. These multiple narratives make the video interesting and maintain audience’s attention throughout as they are keen to establish what is going to happen next.
This exercise has proved to be extremely useful as it has shown me the technical side of a music video and how exactly this creates the overall production. Having now looked at the more technical side of a music video, as well as other issues such as aspects of mise-en-scene, representations and ideologies in my textual analyses, I am now confident that we will know exactly what we are doing when it comes to the shoot

Technical Analysis The Kooks SWAY

From looking at this video previously i was aware of the techniques used but did not really study the more technical aspects of the video including camera type shot and movement, but in this analysis i will.

By Watching the video and pausing on every single shot change i was able to gain an insight into the creative and technical side of the connstuction of music videos. By taking down this information by hand in a table printed off from Excel i was able to save time and efficiency, and make it easier to come to a conclusion.

The video opens with quite a long (duration) MCU, stationary shot of a beach, as the waves come in. The use of this sets the scene and mood of the video.
The camera tehniques used in practically every shot follow the same pattern; MCUs which are definitly not stationary. This Typical shot is used when following the lead singer, as emphasis is placed on him throughout. Others include CU shots on other objects of importance, such as faces, bottles, televisions, scaffolding. By using very fast cuts the video seems to flow very well, as most of these cuts are in sync to the audio track, and the facial gesture of the lead singer. A few oddities within the video include a shot towards the end which has a duration of roughly 8 seconds, as the main guitar solo comes in. This shot shows the lead singer walking (overcranked) singing the chorus, as ruble is falling down around him. i Believe that s shot like this is useful as it does reinforces the meaning and importance of the subject matter.

the full technical analysis will be photographed and placed on here ASAP;)

Group Discussion

Today we decided to get together and have a group discussion. The aim of this was to enable us to express our current views, thoughts and ideas to each other so that we could ensure that the entire group felt satisfied with the decisions being made about where our video is heading. We thought that this was a good time to have a discussion about this as we have now completed a number of textual analyses and our audience research, so we could confidently present ideas to the group.
The main aim of the discussion was to determine:

1. Who will feature in our music video and what role they will play
2. What the video will consist of (narrative/performance, camera techniques, mise-en-scene)
3. Possible locations and who in the group will take photographs of these to present back to the group for feedback
4. Clothing: As we have chosen a track by a group, we need to ensure that whoever features in our music video looks like a group, with an appropriate image in relation to the genre
5. How we will convey the mood of the track (isolated, confused, frustrated, lonely, desperate)

1. The Script are a three-piece band, consisting of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals and keyboard), Marc Sheehan (guitar and vocals) and Glen Power (drums and vocals). For this reason, it is clear to us that 3 people will feature in our music video, playing each of these roles. We have decided that we will play these roles, as this way we can control the circumstances as a group and do not have to rely upon others for our coursework. We are all determined to do well in this project and this way we can ensure that we do. The roles have been assigned as follows: Danny Vigar - lead vocals and keyboard, Mark Pratt - guitar and vocals, Tom Morton - drums and vocals. We all feel comfortable with these roles and are sure that we will deliver a convincing performance. We have also decided to include a narrative aspect to the video, with shots of the lead singer and his ex girlfriend that he is singing about. This means that we will have to find a female who is willing to act this role in the video, and although we are trying to minimise our reliance upon others, we each have a number of friends who are trustworthy characters that would be willing to play this part. Furthermore, this role will not be needed very much, possibly only in one location which will be used as a flashback shot. In theory, this should not take long, and therefore we are not asking too much. This will also present the hetro-normative discourse that is prevalent among mainstream popular culture texts today, representative of The Script.
2. Being heavily influenced by The Script and their music videos, as we want our video to be representative and similar in its style, we have decided that our video will consist of performance and narrative shots. These will be shots of the band performing the track, and shots of the lead singer with his ex girlfriend that he is singing about. This way, audiences will easily understand the track and the music video, and it will give a similar aesthetic to those in mainstream music today. We have chosen to film the performance shots in black and white, and the narrative shots in colour. This will reinforce the mood evoked by the track, connoting sadness and loneliness at the moment as he wishes he was back with his girlfriend when he was happy. The contrast in colour will not only illustrate these moods easily, but it will also avoid any audience confusion between the two aspects, enabling them easily recognise them. We may even include some shots of the lead singer walking and singing in the same location as the flashbacks, and cut between the two, so it appears as if he is walking through the same location he was at with his girlfriend because he misses her so much and is there for the memories. We are also keen to include a number of filler shots that will reinforce representation of the bands authenticity, through shots such as them laughing in a music studio, joking around together, tapping their hands/shoes to the tracks beat. We will also need to include a number of close up 'meat' shots of the group, especially the lead singer, as this is prevalent in the majority of music videos that we have studied as it meets the demands of the record label. This is key if we want our video to appear professional. As the tracks is called 'Before The Worst', and the lyrics, such as 'let’s take it back to where it all went wrong' suggest the song is about how the singer wants to resolve any issues his relationship had that resulted in a break up, we think it would be a good idea to have some off the flashback shots as an argument, between the lead singer and his love, as well as shots off the two appearing happy in their relationship. This would work well nearer the end of the track, as it would build up to a climax as audiences would follow the love story narrative.
3. In order to convey the moods of sadness, loneliness, and frustration we have decided that desolate locations would work well with this, where the only focus is the lead singer. The possible locations for this include: Coastal areas such as Brighton and Beachy Head in Lewis, as well as run down industrial estates such as that in Tonbridge, and the cliffs at Dover. Possible locations for the performance shots include the drama studio at the school as this has a plain black background similar to that in studios. Ideally we would like a studio for these shots, as this would give a professional aesthetic. However, this may be difficult to find with no budget, although some contacts may still prove to be useful. We also spoke of using the music studio in the music department as this would reinforce the authentic image of the band that we are trying to present. Luckily, due to this representation of the band, we do not need extravagant locations. Simple brick backgrounds will work well with close ups as this presents the band as 'normal' which is our aim.
4. As we want to present the band in terms of their authenticity and 'normality', we aim on dressing casually, with clothing such as jeans, hoodies, trainers and t-shirts. We have also considered how the shot will look in terms of colour. For example, if the background is bright (such as a white studio) we aim on all dressing in dark colours such as black. This will not only make us look like a group, but will help us stand out in the shot and draw the focus onto the group. In the flashbacks, the mood is very different, much calmer and happier. For this reason, we have decided that 'natural tones' should be used such as greens and browns. These autumnal colours will connote warmth and relate well with the love story that we present.
5. The chosen locations will be key in reinforcing the mood of the track. Isolated locations such as coastal areas, empty industrial estates and forests will help convey the sad and lonely side of the track. Shots in a studio that are edited to be fast pased will help convey the confused, frustrated and desperate aspect of the track. The contrast between colour and black & white shots will help to reinforce this, as will the clothing the characters are wearing and close ups of the couple show audiences the emotion on their faces.

During our discussion we also discussed possible lighting techniques. We understand that it may difficult to control the lighting on location, so we will have to boost/reduce this post production. However, we are keen to create high contrasting lighting effects in locations where we can control the circumstances, such as the drama department or even a studio if we can find one. Directional lighting such as a spotlight would be perfect in drawing the audience’s eye to the band members, ensuring that the focus is entirely on them. We have also thought of using coloured lights as this will help convey mood, such as red for anger or blue for sadness.
We also discussed the camera techniques we wish to use, and are keen to use the rule of thirds throughout our work, framing subjects in the far left/right corner of the shot as this will give a professional, almost photographic aesthetic. This would be perfect during the flashback shots with a slightly blurred wash over it and a heavily shaking handicam, giving the feel that the audience is looking back into the lead singer’s memory. A variety of camera angles will also make the video stand out. Rather than straight forward profile shots, we aim on placing the camera in original, innovative places and considering the depth of field. We aim on using a dolly with the tripod for some shots, such as during the performance shots, as although it may be hard with little experience and no budget, we are keen to a give a professional aesthetic to the video.
Overall, our group discussion has proven to be extremely useful and worthwhile as we have all left it knowing exactly what we want to and how we need to get there.

Technical Analysis (Mark)

The video which i have technically broken down is P.Diddy and Faith Evans' 'I'll Be Missing You', a song made to the dedication of the late Rapper Notorious B.I.G. The song is all about missing someone and it is for this reason that i looked at this video as the mood and feelings in the song are similar to 'Before The Worst' as it is also talking about losing a loved one. Therefore despite being a different genre of music, the meanings behind the song are similar to ours and it follows a narrative story with locations and mise-en-scene which we as a group have talked about having in our video.

It opens with the lead singer on a hilltop, a LS is used to establish the fact that he is alone straight away which conveys isolation and missing someone close to him. The shots then alternate between these LS's and a number of CU's of the artist lip syncing. A crane shot may also have been used as the camera pans down on him and moves closer towards him. In addition, various LCA's are used in the video which can connote the artist being looked up to, This angle gives a backdrop of just the blue sky above which looks effective. Also, there are 360 degree pans around him as well as movements from the ground upwards (the artist follows the camera where ever it goes.)

On many occasions, the shots fade in and out from one to the other and often overlapping shots are used which shows the artist twice in one shot. Another scene is in a dark alley with the camera on a handicam behind the artist to add a sense of danger. The female singer is shot in an underground car park which gives effective directional lighting, the majority of her shots are CU's of lip syncing. P Diddy is shot ona motorbike which gives a sense of movement as the camera would be on a track following the bike. He falls and sits in the middle of the road looking in to the sky which again relates to the lyrics of the song.

There are various different studios used for the filming of this video; One which P. Diddy is predominantly in has many flashing lights directing on to him and changing colour. The artist is wearing a fashionable jacket and sunglasses as well as more LCA's which shows his star persona. Another studio is a black room with CU's of the artists singing behind a few candles, again relating the video to the song showing respect. Throughout most of the video and these studio scenes imparticular, the artists maintain eye contact with the audience so they feel involved. P. Diddy also often points to the camera as if he is singing to the audience.

Towards the end of the video, it goes back to the hilltop scene but this time the artist is with many children. Techniques used here include; undercranking as they run up the hill, Steadicams following them, 360 degree pan to connote the artist is lost and a collection of HCA's which could show that the lost one is looking down on them. Again, the predominant shot is CU's of the artist lip syncing and often making actions such as praying, relating to the lyrics.

Finally you get P.Diddy alone in the middle of a street with only natural street lighting used. He dances around yet a stedicam is still used as are various more HCA shots. It begins to rain heavily which adds effect and ties in with the mood of the song, smoke also comes from the floor and surrounds the artist which also links in with the mood.

Audience Research

From looking at the way in which our target audience involved themselves in the group discussion it was evident that they showed a liking to the track and concepts put across. This gave me an idea into the people who would watch a particular video based on the genre and conventions apparent in similar videos also. On this basis i decided to look into the viewing figures (complied by EMAP) to gain a further understanding and insight into the type of people who would passivly or actively engage in such a video. The results are as follows:





As our focus group was well within this age range, it gave us understanding in what they "expext to see in a music video of this type". We used a semi-structured group interview style of methodolgy which enabled us to expand on our origional questions. This expansion was incredibly useful as it allowed us to collate detailed qualitative data giving us insights that we wouldnt be able to use if the data was quantitive, therfore the reason why we didnt use quantitative styles such as questionnaires due to this reason.

Audience Research

Some feedback from our focus group:

• Locations that would work well with the track include busy cities, train stations, street scenes, aswell as "lonely places" such as a forest, coastal area, and cliffs.

Some quotations from the participants following this discussion on locations and use of narrative:

• "A good story would be the lead singer trying to catch up with the girl he's singing about but he cant". This point was explained by the participant who said this would work well with shots in a busy city of "the man following the girl but things keep getting in his way, like train doors closing on him and groups of tourists blocking him".
• Following this response, another participant said that "it would look good if you had the man on one train and he see's the girl but she's on the opposite train moving away from him".
• Another said "Say he's following her, trying to catch up with her, and she gets on a train but the doors close on him and he goes up to the window but she can't see him"

The response about the kind of mood evoked was that although it was quite a fast song, it's still quite sad:

• One participant said "it feels quite sad, like the man has a broken heart"
• Another said "it's a sad, tragic story because it's about how he misses his girlfriend and wants her back"

When asked how we could show this mood through the video, participants responded:

• "Having the man walking down the street singing, infront of people he doesn't know"
• "Make it look really dark and dingey, like when it's raining"
• "You can see the dispare on his face as he's chasing this girl"

Other ideas for the video included:

• "For the bit about them being broken up, there should be something like flashbacks showing the memories they have"
• "You could have bits with the memories and then other bits where you can see the group, like the man singing and his band on stage or in a studio"
• "It looks cool when the lead singer is walking along a street and singing"

Some things that the participants liked in music videos:

• "When the camera goes all around them" (360 degrees pan)
• When shown the video to 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' by The Script, all participants liked the shots of the lead singer walking through the city singing about his loved one. One said "it looks so good because it's something that doesn't happen in real life, so looks really good in the video". Participants also liked the undercranking used in this video to show time passing. They especially liked how it made car headlights turn into one long line and one said "I've never seen that done before, it's wicked"

When the participants where showed the video to 'Closer' by Ne-Yo, they agreed that the text over the shots was effective and "looked good", but some thought "it doesn't really suit The Script, it's more for hip-hop/r'n'b videos". We then showed the group the video for 'She Moves in her Own Way' by The Kooks. Responses were:

• "I like it when he's looking out of the window, it shows he's thinking"
• "You can see how close the group are because they're having such a laugh together"

We finished by asking what the main thing that they expected to see in this video was, and were told:

• "A story, that we can see happening and matches what he's singing about in the song"
• "A bit of the band but mainly the lead singer and him singing into the camera"

Audience Research Feedback

During todays lunch hour we gathered five students so that we could pitch our track to them with an aim of gaining some helpful feedback in return. Our group consisted of four boys and a girl who we first played our song to and got them to write down any ideas which came in to their mind. We then began to ask some semi-structured questions to the focus group, aiming to get them to respond with as many ideas as possible.

The response to the track itself wasn't overly enthusiastic however the general view of it was that it was a good song and more importantly, they felt like we could make an effective video from it. Previous songs by The Script were talked about which the audience said they enjoyed, imparticular 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'. We also went on to show the audience some previous videos by The Script to get them thinking about the genre of video.

When coming on to our music video, we first wanted to ask the group what feelings and emotions were evoked throughout the song. The main feedback we got from this was sadness and broken hearted as the song is an emotional one. A response we got was 'dispair' for losing a loved one and this can be shown through chasing the girl. A sense of loneliness is also created in the song which was suggested can be shown through reflection.

A key factor of a music video is the location which can go towards making the video aestetically pleasing. We had various ideas in mind before today however our focus group helped to reinforce these as well as introduce new ones. The main setting which was talked of was a busy city, walking down the street and even on public transport such as an Underground Tube. One member of the focus group suggested losing his girl in a crowd and another talked of the girl actually running away. An idea which I thought to be effective was to film on a rainy day, walking down a city street which adds to the sense of depression. To show the loneliness in the song, a beach was suggested in order to show iscolation. Another idea was to sit in the middle of the road while cars go by however this would not me practical when it comes to filming. Nevertheless, this talk of location did produce a wide range of useful feedback.

We then showed our group a few other videos; Ne-yo's 'Closer' and The Kooks' 'She Moves In Her Own Way' and The Scripts' 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' as we wanted to find out what sort of things they liked from other videos in which we could so something similar to in ours. Everyone agreed that a narrative based video would be ideal for the song so this helped us to make sure this type of video is 100% what we want to do. There was an undercranking effect in 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' in which time was sped up with the sky changing from day to night a number of times which the audience felt was very effective. Another suggestion was looking out of windows as this connots thought and wondering where it all went wrong.

We then went on to ask our focus group what they would expect to see in our music video. The main reply was the fact that the man can't get to the girl he loves which can be shown through iscolation. It would be expected that the girl is being missed and a suggestion was to show this by looking at old pictures and home videos as well as various flashbacks including these things. Some suggested few performance pictures however mainly narrative shots with the lead singer lip syncing. One put forward expectations of blurry city lights to show confusion which i feel could be effective. A thought was to be in a cinema with flashbacks coming on the screen haowever this would not be possible due to rules and regulations, no filming would be allowed in a cinema.

We progressed this further, we knew we want to do a narrative video therefore we narrowed the semi-structured interview down slightly to concentrate on what kind of narrative or story comes to mind through the song. This produced a flourish of suggestions which was really helpful because it really got us concentrating on more detailed aspects of the video. We had one media student in the group who added a few technical ideas such as a high percentage of 'meat' shots, undercranking and 360 degree shots.

Other members of our target group then added to what story they could see arising in our video. The mood of the story was mainly said to be a sad and even tragic one with one member saying the singers' love may have even died. Like other videos from The Script, the idea of walking and singing came up from a few people and one suggested this should be in the rain to add to the mood which i feel is a really good idea. Another suggestion was to do it on two trains going in different directions as the singer and his love part. In addition, the video could fade out towards the end to show the end of the story. This question really provided us with some valuable ideas for our video.

At the end of the thirty minute session, we collected in all the notes our audience made throughout in order for us to have their ideas for the future. Notes by the one female of our group i felt were really productive even though not many were heard when our audience was responding which shows the fact they wrote their ideas down was a good idea to do. She talked of the video being one big chase of the singers' girl however he is always too late and keeps on missing her. She talked of a city being the setting, seeing the girl go past in various ways including train, car, stairs and a lift. Another idea from her notes was to show memories of the relationship through flashbacks.

I then looked at some of the comments from the males in our focus group which weren't as in depth however various useful points were raised; A phone call to start the video and a band performance in a square were two ideas from one. One talked more of location and the idea of being on top of a mountain i felt would work well, he also suggested a number of performance shots. Other ideas were a bit more far fetched and less practical such as a sky dive. This may be highly enjoyable however I can't see it happening.

In conclusion, I have looked at what came up most within our focus group. We now know we will definately be going ahead with a narrative video with the majority being performance shots of the lead singer lip syncing and the band playing. Flashbacks also came up to show the fact that the song's about missing his love. Location wise, a city scene came up from everyone with bright lights and rain to show confusion. Some also talked of locations such as a beach or a mountain to show loneliness. I feel that overall, the focus group was highly helpful and informative as it enforced certain ideas we already had as well as introduced really effective new ones in which we will consider to incorperate when creating our music video.

Feedback on grade #1

Well done guys - the blog reflects excellent group collaboration, particularly on creative ideas for the track. The audience research is well planned, you have met all deadlines (apart from Tom- still incomplete TA1). As a group, you are working at a level 4, however Mark and Tom your textual analysis is at a level 3+ and 3 respectively which will impact the overall planning grade. you don't seem to have made changes to the first analysis that I recommended. Remember, the group as a whole may be a level 4, but your individual contributions in terms of deconstructions will determine your individual grade for planning.

Also - can you spellcheck, punctuate and on the textual analysis include a link to the actual video you are analysing.

Nevertheless, moodboard response was excellent and this is set to be a very promising project. The research is clearly informing the concept.

Audience Research

PLANNING:
In order to understand what audiences expect in our music video based on 'Before The Worst' by The Script, we intend to carry out a piece of research to test our ideas to the target audience, and gain any possible information that will assist us with planning so that our production can be as effective as possible.
Methodology:
We are going to carry out a piece of qualatitive research, as opposed to quantatitive, as we believe that this will provide with a variety of audiences expectations in greater detail than a piece of quantatitive research such as a questionnaire. Our research will consist of a semi-structured interview process in a focus group, which we believe is the best way of conducting this research as we can control the circumstances and put questions to the group. We will have a list of questions that we are looking to be answered, but this will be much more informal than in a questionnaire, not every participant will be expected to record their answer to each question on a sheet of paper aslong as the responce is generally agreed.
Purpose:
We intend to find out what audiences expect in the music video to this track. This not only includes whether the video will be an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture, but even the band image, locations, mood etc. As a group, we are keen to include some aspects of narrative in the video, aswell as performance, as we believe that this suits the song choice very well and is something that we all like and agree is common in videos of this genre. In the focus group we aim to test this idea and find out exactly what kind of narrative is expected with this track, and the kind of mise-en-scene that will reinforce this, such as locations and contrast in lighting to convey mood.
Sample Audience:
As we intend to conduct a focus group and gain qualatitive research, we need to keep the number of participants fairly low, to about five people, as this way we can ensure that a discussion is able to take place whereby all participants are able to put forward their ideas. We are open to participants of any sex, ethnicity and class to partake in our research as we aim to keep it as un-biased as possible. However, we are aware that this may prove to be difficult as we will conduct the focus group during a lunch hour and so the participants are likely to be our friends, and so coming from an all boys, middle class school this will not provide much variety. However, an advantage of this is that we can be sure our participants are fans of the genre and will definately have some interesting ideas to put forward.
Media Stimulus:
To begin with, we will play the track to the group and ask them to write down anything that comes to mind when listening to it; from ideas for the video to clothing, colours, locations, textures etc. We have chosen to do this as we believe it will provide participants with their own piece of material that will get the conversation flowing as they feel confident to put their ideas to the rest of the group. Also, this we will be able to collect these from the participants after the focus group and use their ideas to help us with our production later on. We will also show our moodboards to the focus group, and discuss the ideas that we have for the video to recieve feedback. Having our group Blog on hand may be useful as we may wish to show them a video by The Script or a similar group such as The Kooks, as it is impossible to predict where the discussion will take us.
Questions:
As mentioned in the 'Methodology' section, we will have a list of questions that we are looking to be answered by the group, but this will be much more informal than in a questionnaire, not every participant will be expected to answer each question aslong as the responce is generally agreed. This are:

• What do you think of this track?
• What do you think of The Script?
• Which music videos do you like? Why?
• What have you recently seen in a music video that stood out to you?
• What sort of locations come to mind when listening to the track?
• What kind of moods or emotions are evoked from the track?
• What kind of storyline comes to mind?
• What would you expect to see in the video to this track?

We are aware that when asking the group questions we need to consider the fact that not all of them may be Media Studies students, and therefore they may not necessarily understand terminology used such as narrative or mise-en-scene. However, we believe that using non Media Studies students will provide us with authentic research that is representative of the target audience and non-biased.
We hope that our focus group will provide us with useful information to assist our planning. We have done a great deal of research and come up with a variety of ideas which we hope the group will accept, and not reject. We expect the group will agree that a narrative video with performance shots would suit this track well, and are keen to test this idea.

Martin De Thuruh

Auteur Martin De Theruh challenges many conventions of typical music videos. He tends to focus on the music coming out of Scandinavia, including quite a mainstream ambient house group; Royksopp. This group focuses on the more ambient, subtle synth style of dance music, dubbed as the mainstream “Chill-out”. In the video for ‘What else is there”, De Theruh uses a lot of very ‘Noir’ styles when directing, such as dark omniscient lighting and places a heavy emphasis on shadows. The video at first glance may seem extremely cryptic and enigmatic, but after closely listening to the lyrics and ‘interpreting’ the video, a clear metaphor is evident. Also the evident emphasis placed on roads, darkness, explosions and feet throughout the video may be referring to a car accident, anchored with the lyrics; “it was me on that road, But you couldn’t see me, Too many lights on”, and finally “Flashlights and explosions”. After applying this interpretation to the piece itself, the viewer may understand a bit more what is happening. But this is just one interpretation of his work; there could be multiple other meanings; which I believe makes this, a piece of art.
The technical aspects of Auteur music videos have more or less no boundaries what so ever, this is what makes them unique. From looking at another one of De Theruh’s videos: Special by Mew. This extremely sexually implicative video has many of the techniques evident I the Royksopp video. The use of Meat shots of the artist reinforces the bands identity, a common feat in many music videos of today. Even though this video may be placed outside the mainstream it has a paradox at heart; it does have some typical indie boy band elements within it such as dancing with a girl, band shots, but in my opinion it is an extremely emotion evoking video/song combination, therefore making it art.

Video Analysis No. 2--------The Kooks- SWAY

This is the latest Kooks song released off their new album entitled Konk. Indie group The Kooks have a reputation for creating very meaningful tracks including naive and Ooh La, and they are extremely popular in the teen indie scene of 2008.This video has many of the typical conventions which indie tracks follow. The Black and White saturation has connotations of loneliness and unhappiness, usual lyrics within the genre. Like many of their videos the camera tends to go in and out of focus during particular drops and changes in melody, connoting the changes in mood. Furthermore, during the chorus a number of visual links are evident; the floor seems to physically rupture, along with the walls and numerous other objects. I suppose you could call this video 'narrative' based as it following the lead singer from start to finish expressing his emotions through song, whilst on the phone, most likely his girlfriend. It is predominantly set by the seaside, anchored by the beach obviously, and the arcade. It shows the group conversing and somewhat having a good time, then as the climax of the song is reached, the lead loses it; a common feature in indie videos.The visual techniques used include low camera angles, which are used to place emphasis on certain aspects of the video, once again the lead singer; more technically known as a meat shot. The use of a handicam along with fast motivated jump cuts gives the audience a sense of the irrational thinking and emotions evoked by the lead singer throughout.the band are represented in a very stereotypical way as they are all together, playing cards, drinking, watching television etc... But what makes this video individual is the representation of the lead singer. He is on his own through the duration of the video, and dominates many of the shots. They band seems more gritty and authentic as they are in a dilapidated setting, also anchoring the lyrics of the song.The video includes a number of intertextual references such as the 'Indie Scene', for example the messy hairstyles, skinny jeans and other odd garments, so therefore adding to the bands persona and metanarritve. This allows the audience to immediately recognize the genre, consequently adding a relevant meaning to the song; 'don’t let go of a good girl'The video may seem coherently stereotypical, but their are a number of factors which could reinforce it as post-modern. There is a strong contextual reference to the slums and gritty Indie scene of the south, which is evident through the location shots. But at the end of the day, the band is solely out to get money as they are extremely within the mainstream. By Capturing the Zeitgeist with their style, they are seen as icons which potentially sells and artist/band.There is a clear social group represented in the video; the 'indie kids' of the 2000's. The scene has really taken off over the past few years and many would interpret the lyrics and apply them to real life. As the lyrics have an ambiguous meaning it allows many readings for all audiences also.This video is potentially mainstream so it would be consumed both ambiently and focused dependant on the person watching it, which would vary. As it, in my opinion cannot be considered art, I believe that it would be consumed ambiently as it has a catchy rift and recognizable chorus which one may sing along to. But as the Kooks are within this indie dominated mainstream, all of the songs are used solely for commercial gain and the generation of revenue.

Chris Milk

Aswell as the more iconic auteurs of today such as Jonathan Glazer, Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, there are a number of ‘new visionaries’ or emerging auteurs such as Chris Milk, who stated “If I had to say one specific thing that seems to affect people, it’s the use of narrative”. His 2004 direction of Courtney Love’s ‘Mono’ is an example of an auteur video through it’s distinguishing feature of dark fairytale, created by filming live action and adding animated composites post production. It is very innovative in it’s modes of appearance, such as the paparazzi breaking through the ground and children appearing from underneath dresses and morphing from gardens. Courtney Love is shown as an empowering, rule breaking artist through shots such as her pushing a man over into a trolley she’s pushing, and her smashing a spotlight almost connoting she doesn’t want the fame. However, close up ‘meat’ shots reinforce the hegemonic image of beauty prevalent in society today with her airbrushed, flawless skin.

Toms Mood Board

When constructing my mood board i took into account the basic song lyrics; Before the worst, therefore subdividing the page into two halves, which i thought was relevant. Starting on the top half, the colours are bright, vivid and have general connotations of happiness, and the overall mood is a positive one. All of the images in the mood board bear some significance, for example, the red rose outline over the word "before" implicitly refers to the past relationship being sung about. The overly saturated image of the beach could play a part in the video also, as it sunny and symbolic of good times. The hands also anchor the lyrics of the song, and the guitar; dominant throughout the track. The mood dramatically changes though, the explicit lyrics of the track; the ones which have most meaning, allows the audience to recognize the reality of the song itself. The falling hearts are symbolic of his 'love' which has evidently drifted away, the underlying theme throughout many of The Script's work. i have also included a number of contextual more iconic images including a filtered image of London, representing the lonly aspect of the busy capital, as well as another beach shot. But instead of a 'happy' beach it is a lot more miserable as it is desaturated and has a greeny grey wash over it. the spotlight has numerous connotations as most of their videos are performance based and this is an aspect we will definatly include in our own video. overall i think this mood board is a good adaptation of many of the scripts lyrics and videos. it has many different readings for all audiences. The themes and ideas generated by Scripts music are all evident in this piece.

Textual Analysis #2 'The Script'

The Script's second released single was 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' which goes along side our chosen track 'Before The Worst' on their debut album. The single was released on the 25th July, 2008.

There are various techniques used in this video which I have taken in mind with the thought of our group's music video approaching such as the undercranking used to speed up time. Locations as well I looked at as we aim to go for a similar look to previous videos from 'The Script'.
It is a narrative video in which the group tell a story visually and also through the lyrics of the song. It begins with the lead singer walking down the street with a depressed look as he is iscolated and alone. The video is a simplistic one however it doesn't need to be over complicated.

With the street scene, the artist tells the story of the whole song through his emotions with not a lot of props needed. He sits alone on the side of the street waiting for the one he loves and shows he will do anything to get her back. The camera focuses on a photo of the girl from time to time as well as his watch which adds to the effect of time going by. Undercranking is then used to show night turn to day and people walking past which is effective as it emphasises the waiting game the artist plays.

There are additional band shots with the group in an underground car park, lip syncing the song. I really like this location as it makes the group stand out and the natural lighting of the car park works well, edited to make it brighter and make the artist shine. The colours in the video are mainly quite dull with black and whites often used for clothing etc. There would have been a wash used on many of the shots to achieve this look. These performance shots can be related to the study of Andrew Goodwin. There is a clear link between the lyrics and visual shot which conforms to this theory. In addition, there are many 'meat' shots of the group (mainly the lead singer) to help convey his emotions.

The video like many of the Indie genre is not so much art however at the same time it isn't really a commercial video either. They aim to portay feelings and moods throughout the video and this is a techique which adds to authenticity, the ideology of the band is to convey their feelings which they conform to here. In many of their songs, they aim to get a message across to the audience which can make them be seen as an influencial and aspirational group.

There is a sense of masculinity shown as he will break rules in order to get what he wants, yet he is still effected by his feelings and concentrates on one thing, to get his girl back. The lyrics anchored by the video will appeal to mainly a male audience who may have gone through the same feelings before with a loved one. 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' will aspire many to not give up if they have lost a loved one.

The video doesn't challenge ideas and therefore is seen as an advert for the band, more than anything. The video doesn't appeal to ambient viewing which is shown by the number of narrative and performance shots. Audiences would be most likely to view this video on mainly mainstream channels such as 'The Hits' or 'TMF' as the band is a popular one who would get a high number of demand and interest from the audience. The band are one of the newest big things in the UK and therefore their demand is high right now.

Textual Analysis #2 - The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way

"She Moves in Her Own Way" is a song by English band The Kooks and is featured on their debut album, 'Inside In/Inside Out'. It was released 26 June 2006 as the fifth single from the album, charting at number seven in the UK Singles Chart.

In this video, the band are presented to audiences in terms of their authenticity through shots of them eating pizza, getting drunk, and creating a mess on their tour bus. In this way, they appeal to audiences through appearing as 'normal’ and genuine artists who are solely orientated by their music as opposed to celebrity lifestyle in comparison to other mainstream artists who, as quoted by Stephen Hill in his article ‘how music didn’t kill the radio star’ advertise their material overindulgence, living by the ‘because I’m worth it narrative’.

• In ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (1992), Andrew Goodwin identified a number of features of music videos. His theory can be applied to this video as the video demonstrates characteristics of the indie genre through the outgoing, party making representation of the band with some performance shots. There is a clear relationship between the lyrics, music and visuals, such as the medium shots of the lead singer playing the guitar and singing on the tour bus. There are also a number of close-ups of the group, especially the lead singer, meeting the demands of the record label with this first person mode of address through ‘meat shots’.
• Visual techniques used include the white/grey wash over the daytime shots giving a much lighter, softer feel to the video which enforces the bands portrayal as authentic artists. Night time shots are much darker, with directional lighting used to give a realist image of nightlife.
• It may be argued that the group are capturing the zeitgeist through their image. Even though the single is now two years old, their 'indie' appearance with skinny jeans, baggy t-shirts, and long messy hair is still a current a trend in society today. In this way, their video can be seen as a marketing tool used to attract audiences as the band are presenting an image of themselves in hope that audiences will buy into it.
• This video is an example of illustration, with shots of the band playing to the music and lip syncing such as the performance shots during the pool sequence.
• It is unlikely that this video will be considered as art or an ‘auteur’ style of video, but it also does not appear to be inherently commercial. It may be argued that just because the band are presented in terms of their authenticity, as opposed to their wealth or body image, doesn’t mean that this isn't just as much of a business decision as other mainstream artists as it ultimately it is determining target audiences.
• This video has a hetro-normative discourse. Although there may not be shots of the lead singer with the female he is singing about, his sexuality is clear through the lyrics and song title ‘she moves in her own way’ therefore leading to his unquestioned masculinity. This is reinforced through the presentation of him enjoying himself with his male band members, such as when they are out drinking or relaxing on the tour bus, reinforcing his masculinity.
• The video is essentially a commercial product, simply acting as a marketing tool for the band. It doesn’t present any challenging ideas or disjuncture and therefore simply advertises the group in an illustrative style. It doesn’t demand a focused viewing, allowing for ambient viewings through the cuts between the performance and the narrative. This means that audiences can freely flick through music channels and choose whether they wish to watch the video in its entirety or not based on whether they like the track, as opposed to the video. Audiences would be likely to come across this video on any mainstream channel such as ‘4music’ ‘MTV Hits’ or ‘The Hits’ as the band has received a large amount of publicity, airplay and interest with heavy backing from a number of radio stations.
  

FINAL SONG CHOICE

Our group has chosen to create a music video to the track 'Before The Worst' by The Script.

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Ideas from various videos

Enrigue Iglesias - Do you know:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd3VPEHX11o

Saw this vid on the music channels, thought it was quite similar in places to some of our ideas.
around 2 mins - in the forest - misty - dark. Worth a look if you haven't seen it before.

Take That - The Greatest Day:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zHzMLGH1Rfs

A new video which ive seen. Looking at location for this 1. Sunset, city backdrop, lights. I really like the landscape used behind the band and various long shots to establish this location.

Danny's mood board

click on image to see a larger version

Danny's Mood Board

Click HERE to see my mood board.

I created a mood board to reflect the discussions I have made with my group, and the thoughts that I have based on our track "Before The Worst" by The Script.

I have included a variety of still shots that I have captured from a selection of videos on Youtube which have particular techniques that I like and may suit our track. These include the text that appears across the screen in ‘Closer’ by Ne-Yo, and the post production illustrations from Kanye West’s ‘Good Life’ as well shots from videos produced by Justin Timberlake, Estelle, Justice, Afra and The Script’s three singles released.
I have also incorporated a number of photographs, such as the close up of the bramble which I believe is effect in that it blurs out all off the negative space, focusing directly on the subject. This is a technique I wish to include in our video, as I believe it is not only extremely useful when creating focus on a specific subject, such as the artist, but it also provides an interesting aesthetic. Images also include a number of locations, and techniques used when shooting them. For example, I have included photographs from Brighton seafront, connoting thought and loneliness. In contrast, there are also shots from London, a very busy city which connotes confusion. This is something I have found in a number of videos, especially by The Script as this contrast is often used in the blend between performance and narrative shots, used to reflect the mood of the artist. I particularly like the images taken into the sunlight which create silhouettes and a high contrast of black and white. I think that this provides an interesting aesthetic and may be something our group could include in the music video.
You may notice the colour theme of the mood board is quite dark, with certain highlights. This is something that I have found in the majority of the mainstream videos that I have discovered useful techniques in. I believe this softer effect gives a cinematic feel to the videos, and is something that I have noticed in all of The Script’s music videos. Furthermore, they also add to the track and assist in constructing the bands image, as the connotations of these less brash colours present the band as easy going, down to earth, genuine people, which in turn creates an image of band authenticity. This is reflected in the clothing worn by the group which I have also included in the mood board. Casual wear such as jeans, trainers, ‘hoodies’ and plain t-shirts present the band as ‘normal’, un-constructed and genuine. Although these connotations are prevalent, it is important to note that this is a decision made by producers and the artists, determining how The Script are presented to audiences just as Britney Spears’ team determine how they wish to present her.
I have included a variety of text which comes to mind when listening to this track. Some of the words are lyrics from the track which are essential in creating the video. However, other text included is more technical, such as ‘capturing the zeitgeist’ which I have included as I believe there is a current indie trend in society which is not only reflected in clothing but is finding its way into music video too, such as ‘Dance’ by Justice. The other text included will be useful during production as it will remind me off aspects from videos that I like and wish to include, such as ‘spotlight, blend of performance and narrative shots, rule of thirds’ etc.

Mark's Mood Board

With my mood board, I have shown what i felt from the song we have chosen "Before The Worst" by The Script. Listening to the lyrics, i have put a collection of pictures together about certain feelings conveyed through the song as well as various location shots. It is a song about looking back upon a relationship and wishing they could be together again therefore i have picked out ideas of isolation, depression etc.

I firstly took location in to consideration as this will provide the basis to the video. One half of it we have mentioned to be in a city area with people walking past and the lights creating an effective backdrop. The Script have filmed various shots from their videos in a city environment which is an aspect of their work. The other half of my location idea is somewhere iscolated which can emphasise the stoyr the lyrics convey with the singer being alone. A misty, dull forest or an empty beach would work well for this. Also we could use various long shots to emphasise this further. I've finally got a picture of a romantic restaurant shot between a man and woman which is the sort of sequence we could use for a flashback 'Before the worst.'

I then looked at clothing and the feelings the song conveys. The Script has a simplistic, casual style with hoodies, jeans and trainers worn which are features of the 'indie' look. The story of the song is about love and how great his relationship was before it ended. I have shown this through various images such as the holding of hands. There is then a sense of depression and sadness as the artist is looking back on happier times and wants to be able to have that joy back.

I then finally encorperated various shots from other music videos, effects that i liked and ones which would be good ideas for our video. There are a few shots of performance clips which we have additionally thought of doing.

Michel Gondry - Auteur

following on from looking at Chris Milk, I have now looked at auteur Michel Gondry who clearly shows in his video an aestetic approach. The video I looked at of his is 'Around The World' by Daft Punk.
The main element to this video which is also apparent in other Gondry videos is the choreographed dance routine which lasts throughout. The dancers are dressed in various colourful and extravegant outfits to make the video look more artistic. The dancing is in time with the beat of the music which also makes it aestetically pleasing. Gondry takes the lyrics from the song into consideration with the moves of the dancers. The video would have been made up of a few cuts as it is all performed in one studio location. The dancers are constantly walking around in circles "around the world" and there are elements of life and death with the skeletons for example which all adds to the auteur approach of the Director.
There are various other aspects such as the colourful lighting which adds to the artistic approach. This all contributes towards these sort of videos to be aimed towards ambient viewing. The audience will study the video in a lot more detail more so than the commercial videos as the artistic approach constantly keeps the audience interested and focused.
There are no shots of the band which again shows how the video is artistic. Various other videos by Daft Punk also don't show the band themselves which connotes that the want to be judged upon their music.

The Script

Seeing as we're now starting to think about The Script a bit more, I thought id just post up some links with the tracks from the album. Some of them already have videos, but are still worth a look if you haven't seen them yet just so you can get an idea off what kind of stuff they produce and how they market themselves etc. But have a listen to the tracks that don't have videos to see if anything jumps out other than Before The Worst and If You See Kay. Let me know what you think =)

The Script:
We Cry - The 1st single to be released from the album (April 28, 2008). Already has a video.
The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The 2nd single to be released from the album (July 28, 2008). Already has a video.
Breakeven - The 3rd single to be released from the album (November 24, 2008). Already has a video.
Talk You Down - Not released as a single yet. No video. Starts off quite slow but builds up to a faster pase. Would be a good song to use with some narrative and performance.
Rusty Halo - Not released as a single yet. No video. Fast pase song which I can imagine having mainly performance shots. Might work quite well with some 'wacky' shots of the band or creative editing or other post production techniques.
The End Where I Begin - Not released as a single yet. No video. Quite a slow song but there's a faster build up bit in the middle. Again, I think it would work quite well with some narrative and performance. Or maybe even an auteur style of video..?
Fall For Anything - Not released as a single yet. No video. Fast Pase song which I can imagine having some fast pase editing to match it such as undercranking. Near the end it begins to slow down and sound quite dream like which would go well with blurred shots with the camera swurving or something similar.
If You See Kay - Not released as a single yet. No video. As disgussed, would be a great choice, easy to make a video to (with narrative and performance). Maybe some shots of someone walking down a street looking for Kay, similar to that in The Man Who Can't Be Moved. This could be mixed with performance shots of the band on stage/in a studio.
I'm Yours - Not released as a single yet. No video. I don't think the track is right for what we are looking at doing based on the discussions we've had and the song choices that have been brought up but it's still an example of how The Script are a good choice based on the fact that making a video to any of their tracks is achievable.
Anybody There - Not released as a single yet. No video. Like 'I'm Yours', I don't really think this track is what we are looking for but is still worth listening to so that you can get an idea of some of the other stuff they produce in order to understand how they construct their image.
Before The Worst - Not released as a single yet. No video. One of my favourite tracks from the album and, in my opinion, an excellent choice as it would work really with some narrative and performance. I can imagine shots working with this video both out on location and in a studio or on stage. We could also include some creative post production effects, such as text over the shots (like in Closer by Ne-Yo...worth a look if you haven't seen it) or any other techniques that we wish to include.

Having listened to the entire album myself, I personally think that the best tracks would be If You See Kay and Before The Worst. However, i still think that tracks such as Fall For Anything and Rusty Halo are possible options, let me know what you think =)

The Script if you see Kay

after some careful consideration, i think that this would be a good track to do! i have listened to the lyrics and music and on that basis i belive that this song would be our best bet.
everyone happy??

Possible Tracks

I still don't mind The Script's If you see Kay song....

I quite like The Script - Before the Worst (slightly more).

The Stop Me remix is catchy and a song many will already know.

Some of the Kooks work is good (similar in ways to The Script).

Maybe this one? Kooks - Down to the market.

The other options i'm not feeling so much.

A few extra ideas:
Justin Timberlake - Summer Love (a top song of mine)
N-Sync - I'll never stop (could be a laugh doing a boyband number)
Scouting for Girls - I'm not over you (catchy, narrative song)
Thinking. . .

Possible Track

Brookes Brothers- Tear You Down- House/dnb/pop

i personally think, as versitile as this track is, would be a good choice. The vocals are not to grimey and have an extremly happy feel to them, even if the bottom line is negative; "Tears you Down".The song has a good mood to it and the fast pace drum and bass style defines it as a dance track, although the lyrics suggest that a narritive based video can still be taken into consideration. There is no video for this track at the moment, but it is becoming a large part of the drum and bass mainstream at the present; see "Fabio and Grooverider"-1Xtra. i have some what i think are "good" ideas for the adaptation of this track, many based around amplification yet narritive also.

1st: Basically.... a bloke gets dumped my his misses in the morning, he is down and unhappy because she did it over text, so he gets dressed, puts on his badboy headphones, images of his time with her are going around in his head....the First "tears you down" slight shudder of cameraa evoking emotions... so he gets up, and starts running... he doesnt know where, but he is running somewhere. the audience is unaware of this, just looks like he is losing his mind a bit. as sensitive a topic like this may be, there is still a good feel to the video, colours and such; very saturated..as this is going on, multiple groups of girls, well 1 by one are all walking somewhere...the audience is also unaware, but the destination is an old photo studio.. all whit.. they are all waiting outside this all white room. the beat is building up, man still running... he comes thorugh the door, the beat drops and then suddenly one by 1 the girls are induvidually dancing very dramatically in front of the camera, quite prevocatively, in a fish eyesort of motion, and eventually after a few have been dancing induvidually, the main character is in the room observing them all, smiling, good mood restored, untill the end of the video where the beat is falling and becoming repetitave, the girls all start dancing, still. finally the man looks breifly, then walks out... fade to black.

well.... personally. i think that is a pretty savage idea, from my knowledge there are a few videos whi use similar techniques but we will have to use our talent and cunning to make it unique. which should be too difficult;)

what do you think then???..

My Possible Tracks...

Talons- Bloc Party- indie dance
Stop Me (kissy sell out remix)- Mark Ronson and Daniel Merryweather- Electro house
Crazy World- J Majik and Wickaman- Ambient Drum and Bass
If We Ever- High Contrast- Drum and Bass
See the Sun- The Kooks- Indie
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang- High Contrast- Drum and Bass/Indie

just have a look, im not just whipping up a few of my favorite songs, they could really be amplified to the max... sumhow?.. this is what i need to really look into....

any ideas? any particular one stand out?

comments please?

Chris Milk Videos

Kanye West - Touch the sky

• Begins as if it were a movie (starring Kanye West), (feat. Pamela Anderson)
• Intertextuality with 'Evil Keniviel's' Rocket stunt. (Pays homage)
• Split screens used.
• Long shots to establish a location.
• Argument with girlfriend (emotion).
• Music drops. Tells a story (meta-narrative).
• Party shots - as if you are watching a T.V. programme.
• Various shots looking into a mirror.
• Artist is made the centre of attention.
  

Kanye West - All Falls Down

• Whole video is from the point of view of the artist.
• Story of the artist and partner getting to the airport, She leaves him at the gate.
• Various shots looking down at his hands.
• Shots with the woman looking into the camera.
• You only see the artist when he looks at him self in the mirror (effective shot).
• Handicam used as this creates reality of the POV shots.
• Not much lip syncing. More focus on telling a narrative story.
• Rubs his eyes = camera focuses clearer.
• Returns to the beginning, but without the woman.

Courtney Love - Mono

• Begins dark. Bats. Creepy.
• Artist lying in glass case (intertexuality with Snow White).
• A chase narrative, artist running from the cameras.
• Goes into Supermarket an trashes it. Fits in with fast tempo of song, anger.
• Magical. She makes a clone of herself.
• Little girls take out chainsaws to protect her. Negative image.
• Police can't catch them. Tough female image given.
• Contrast between dark and light shots (2 different stories).
• Black background, bright lighting and colours light the artist up.
• Again ends how it begins (same setting).

Natasha Bedingfield - These Words

• Pop girl image, pink and colourful, picnic scene.
• Walking through alleyways to gather thought.
• Narrative of wanting a mans love (points to camera "I love you"...)
• Different costumes and locations to reveal various personalities.
• Again, various changes from dark shots to bright, colourful ones.
• Use of the artist cloning again, 4 of her on same bench.
• Sitting on a roof to show importance.
• Clever effects, her drawings make the man move.
• Brings him to her so she can express her feelings.

Chris Milk research

• American Music Video Director. Has made a number of videos (wikipedia) >
• 2008
  Gnarls Barkley - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
  2006
  Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco - "Touch the Sky"
  Gnarls Barkley - "Gone Daddy Gone"
  U2 & Green Day - "The Saints Are Coming"
  2005
  Natasha Bedingfield - "These Words" (North American Version - Boom Boxes)
  Audioslave - "Doesn't Remind Me"
  2004
  Courtney Love - "Mono"
  Kanye West feat. Syleena Johnson - "All Falls Down"
  Kanye West - "Jesus Walks" (Version 2 - Chain Gang/KKK Burning Cross)
  Jet - "Rollover DJ"
• Awarded the 2008 Music Video Director of the year.
• He has also directed adverts for brands such as; Nike, Sprite and Nintendo.
• He also directed an American short film 'The Weather Man'.
• He creates Narrative videos which helps to add meaning and introduce a new dimension.
• He aims to make the videos connect with the audience (POV in 'All Falls Down' - Kanye West).
• He likes the style in which many shots are dark with some duality.
• He says " You have to serve the story, not yourself."

MTV - Most Popular Music Videos

While on the MTV website, i came across a table showing the most viewed videos by year (years down the left of the page).
Although it could be argued that these statistics may have been viewed because of the song or artist, I looked through some of the top videos (from various genres) and there are various techniques which have been used in all the top videos in order to make them a success.
-Helpful for future reference and research into the industry.

>>> http://www.mtv.com/music/yearbook/index.jhtml?contentId=1579051

The Script - Interview

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs3y_9QF7hs&feature=channel

From part of an interview with The Script, they talk of their favourite video to make and why. They felt that they achieved a goal of making a 3-4 minute short film which tells the story they convey in the lyrics.

Take a peek [=

Location Studies

One of the key aspects in our music video wll be the locations which we use to gain the best effects. Following on from the idea of the song from 'The Script' which we may use, i have looked at a number of their videos (as well as various others) in which we could use to gain an idea of the types of location which would fit into the song, as well as various other shots which i feel look really effective.

Busy City (Often used in their videos)

Undrground car park (lighting gives good effect)

White / Black room (Makes singer stand out)

On Stage (Enforces the group / singers musical status)

Grayscale wash (Flasbacks?)

(pics 2 be added)

Wiley- Summertime

Personally, i think the CGI and post production effects in this video are so so good and the 80sstyle is a strong contextual factor, and the video is pure genious. The use of colours and 80s patterns stongly influence by "YO! MTV Raps" make it and old school classic for times to come. what are your views on this monster of a video???.. let me know?

love them so much:)

Wiley- Summertime <<< watch it

Possible Track...

This track by The Script, called If You See Kay is off their album and doesn't have a video out yet. I was thinking The Script might be a good band as they're kind of indie but still mainstream and with this song you could include some performance and some narrative e.g flashbacks. They've released 3 singles (+ videos) from their album; We Cry, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, and Breakeven. Have a look and see what you think...

Textual analysis - Kiss Kiss (Chris Brown)

Chris Brown introduced him self to the ever more popular R&B scene in 2007 and his number one single ‘Kiss Kiss’ put his rivals in the shade. Featuring rapper T-Pain, ‘Kiss Kiss’ took a playful approach within a school setting which shows the youth and slight immaturity of Chris Brown. From the beginning, the target audience of the video is clearly aimed at a teenage audience, mainly males as it uses a narrative of two characters, a cool Chris Brown and a nerdy one both after this one girl. This story follows many conventions of American teen comedies using intertextuality with films such as ‘Superbad’ in which the ‘geeks’ get the girls. As well as this, the video uses various means of intertextuality to appeal to the audience such as the dancing in the basketball court which can be compared to the film ‘High School Musical’.

It opens with a fun atmosphere with dancing, riding on skateboards and throwing away papers which shows rebellion. However the teacher also joins in with the dancing which adds to the comical effect. It portrays a message to the audience that they should enjoy life and have a laugh instead of worrying about school which most teenage boys would agree with. Despite the school scene, there are many iconic symbols to anchor the R&B genre such as girls, cars and jewellery.

The artist also uses a number of choreographed dance routines in time with the beat from the music in which he expresses his emotions through, for example, there is one dance routine on top of a school bus which shows a sense of just having fun as well as being rebellious and breaking rules. Being looked up to, there are mainly low camera angles looking up to the artist.
Music videos of this genre often tell a story relating to the lyrics, in ‘Kiss Kiss’ the artist is showing how he will do whatever it takes to get the attention of a girl. The first character that the artist creates is one with full confidence who is fun, rebellious and obnoxious as he is the leader of the pack and all other school kids have respect for him, this is shown with his two little sidekicks who are always following him and dancing with Chris Brown. He shows off this dominant male role through the use of violence.

Robert Bly is a useful critical framework as his theory of masculinity being shown though violence can still be applied today. This is all inflicted on the second character who comes across as the ‘geeky’ kid with no friends and no confidence, this violence though comes across as comical because of the way the character looks. The artist puts across the message that you have to be kind and caring to get the girl as she walks off with the geek character in the end and this makes the particular character get what he deserves as the representation of him is nice and friendly despite being uncool.

The video is a Commercial one used to advertise the fun, childish discourse of the video. The artist hasn't aimed to make the video look like a work of art as it is simply a video which looked fun to make and what it does is help to show off his personality. The video reinforces gender stereotypes of young males having a laugh and messing around with eachother. Linking on to this, the video is mainly for ambient viewing which you would have on in the background.

Chris Brown is predominantly an R&B artist therefore his videos will be mainly viewed on an R&B niche channel such as 'Kiss'. Despite this, many of his hits are chart toppers and a wide audience will like his music therefore his videos may be shown on such mainstream channels as 'The Box' and 'MTV'.

Bloc Party- Flux

On first impressions this video is extremly odd and remind many of the old school low budget sci-fi films. "Flux" is a song by Bloc Party,which was released November 12, 2007. It was produced by Jacknife Lee. The song uses mostly electronic instruments and has Kele's voice is manipulated through a vocoder.
A video for the song was directed by video director Ace Norton, who has previously directed videos for The Willows, Norah Jones and Death Cab for Cutie. It uses strange special effects like using toys and model like buildings reminiscient of the Beastie Boys music video Intergalactic. It features monsters and robots fighting in a city while two silver robots begin to love each other while the fight occurs. At the end of the video, the silver robots walk away after the male robot drinks toxic waste while the other monsters dance and dissapear strangely as light shines on them.

The video tends to stray away from many typical conventions of indie music. The use of the robots used in the video is also a strange, postmodern adaptation of the track itself. The video is extremely colourful, contrasting the usual dark and moody typical indie...



FINISH

Spike Jonze, an "Auteur"?

"Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel October 22, 1969) is an American director of music videos and commercials, and an Academy Award-nominated director and producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation., both written by Charlie Kaufman. He is also credited as a co-creator of MTV's Jackass; heavily tying in with his involvement of various skateboarding films" wikipedia

music videos he has directed:

• "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West (2008) (co-directed with West)


• Triumph of a Heart" by Björk (2005)


• Get Back" by Ludacris (2004)


• "Sky's the Limit" by The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)

these are just a few of the music videos he has directed; showing many different genres and styles of music, therfore showing his versitility as an auteur director. personally i think his work is both inspiring and pushing the creative boundries of modern day film. a prime example in my mind is the ridiculously overcranked intro to the "Lakai" skatebording film. the slow motion explosions allow Jonze to express his personality i believe.

Wax- By a band called southern callifornia has many of the conventions typical in Spike Jonze videos. it shows a man on fire in slowmotion, running... This unique style of directing sets Spike apart from other auteurs.

Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler is an American music video director, raised in Hollywood with celebrity classmates and people from the industry around him. He knew early on what he wanted to do as he realised his passion for photography and film.
Starting off as a photographer, his photos featured on the front covers of major magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, Esquire and ESPN. This further expanded into the music video industry in which he is notably a frequent collaborator with Rihanna (having directed nine of her music videos).

Mandler's videos are predominantly for artist within the R&B and Hip Hop genre of music with a career in music videos spanning back to 2000. It wasn't until 2005 however when his videos gained a lot of interest and gained credit. He directed videos for big rap stars 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and Eminem in this year which really lauched his career and made other artists interested in the work he created.

In recent years, he has direced many successful videos:

2006
Nelly Furtado - "Maneater"
Rihanna - "Unfaithful"/ "We Ride"
Ne-Yo - "Sexy Love"
The Killers - "When You Were Young"
Beyoncé - "Irreplaceable"
Jay-Z - "Lost One"
Omarion - '"Ice Box"
2007
Beyoncé - "Get Me Bodied"
Snoop Dogg - "Boss' Life"
Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
Rihanna - "Shut Up and Drive"/ "Hate That I Love You"
Enrique Iglesias - "Somebody's Me"
The Killers - "Tranquilize"
Spice Girls - "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)"
2008
OneRepublic - "Stop & Stare"/ "Say (All I Need)"
Rihanna - "Take A Bow"/ " Disturbia"/"Live Your Life"(feat. T.I)
Maroon 5 - "If I Never See Your Face Again" (feat. Rihanna)
R. Kelly - "Skin"

(wikipedia)