Preliminary Task: Shot List & Timings

1) James sat in  canteen looking sad (6 Secs)
2) James leaving canteen, with someone offering reassurance (6 Secs)
3) James singing line (3 Secs)
4) Shot of a jigaw falling apart (3 Secs)
5) Sitting at desk, throwing papers in desperation (2 Secs)
6) Throwing bag against wall (2 Secs)
7) Shot of James kicking ground (1 Sec)
8) Mixture of Piano playing & singing (4 Secs)
9) Shot of exam paper with F on the front (1 Sec)
10) Opens exam paper, words 'Don't lie' on first page (1 Sec)
11) James walking out to bike and waving at someone (3 Secs)
12) James riding bike (1 Sec)
13) Shot of CCTV camera pans down to show James walking along coridoor  (2 Secs)
14) Angry boss shouting at James (3 Secs)
15) Stop motion - words 'You Had a Bad Day' written onto whiteboard (3 Secs)
16) James riding on bike in distance (3 Secs)

Preliminary Task: Bad Day Lyrical Analysis

Music Video Analytical Presentation: Passenger - Wrong Direction

The slide above shows how animation is used to enhance audience enjoyment of the video. Throughout the production, animated objects, such as fish and hearts, are used to symbolise things that are important to a successful relationship. 

The screenshot above shows how the setting is used to amplify the 'When I was a Kid' lyric, with the use of old-style wallpaper and furnishings. When compared to shots later on in the video, this shows how time progresses in the video.

The shot above shows the scene changing, with people coming on to move objects, and others carrying a green screen on behind the character. This is an unusual technique, and breaks the conventions of a typical music video. By enabling the audience to view the set change, this gives the video a more casual feel, making the audience feel more involved with the production.  

The green screen effect is used to show different backgrounds behind the character. This represents the idea of him going on a journey, and travelling through different places, rather like a marathon. 

The shot above shows the artist lying in a small swimming pool full of water. This shot is effectiveas it confuses the audience, who may be wondering how he is managing to lie in the pool whilst still keeping all of his clothes dry.

Illustration, Amplification & Disjuncture

Illustration: Olly Murs - Army of Two

Olly Murs uses illustration in his video of Army of Two to link to the lyrics of the song. The video uses a tracking shot showing Olly moving through the scene, and by pointing to the camera when saying 'Army of Two', makes the audience feel involved, making it seem as though there are two people involved with the video, even though only one is shown on screen. The video uses a greenscreen technique to replicate Olly, giving the impression that they are all 'following his lead', again illustrating the lyrics of the video. In addition, the video highlights the idea of staying the same and thinking as one, with all of the Olly's in the background dressed in the same way. The video is also based on performance, with Olly singing the song as he walks through the scene. At one point, Olly also pretends to conduct the people behind him, which again adds an element of performance to the video. The setting is also appropriate for the video, as the warehouse location appears symmetrical, again linking to the idea represented in the song of staying the same, and linking together as one.

Amplication: Naughty Boy - La La la

The video by Naughty Boy focuses on the idea of blocking out your surroundings, and only focusing on the good things. The La La, La La La La La La La La La La lyric is amplified by the boy, who covers his ears and sings to this line. The boy goes on a journey through the mountains with the other people, going to a place where he is safe, blocking out any bad events that can happen. The line 'respect your venom' is also amplified, with the boy looking up to the adults around him, learning lessons from the good people, whilst not listening to those who are bad. The idea of setting yourself free which is represented in the song is also portrayed in the music video, with the main character going on a journey, leaving the city where he feels scared and lonely, moving into the freedom of the open desert, where he is free and happy.



Disjuncture: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop

The music video for Can't Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a fantastic example of disjuncture, with the video making no reference to any of the lyrics in the song, or the narrative behind the music. Although the band can be seen performing at some points, the video features lots of seemingly random shots, including people looking in mirrors and holding bins in their hands. However, the majority of the shots are filmed in rooms with white walls, which could symbolise addiction, and the act of repeating something many times.



Concepts in Music Promos

Illustration  - the promo basically illustrates the ideas/narrative in the song lyrics

Amplification - the promo uses a key idea/image from the lyrics and develops it

Disjuncture  - the promo bears no resemblance to the lyric or its meaning - often seen as unconventional/ 'arty' videos

Conventions of a Music Promo

Camera Work

• Close ups often used - shows instruments and creates tension. Also shows the brand of the instruments - becomes a form of advertising, and also shows that the band have the money to play expensive instruments
• Mid-shots used to show the performers - helps to sell the band, giving priviledged access. Also helps to promote the skills of the band and their musicianship
• Panning & Tracking creates movements and helps to move with the characters through a setting
• Audience reaction shots
• 1st person shots from the perspective of the audience and the performer
• Crane shots - give scale and size of audiences
• Performing into the camera
• Invisible observer

Editing/ Editing Effects

• Camera cuts to the beat of the music
• Sometimes slows down the editing depending on the song genre
• Advanced editing effects are commonplace
• A lot of videos use green screen effects
• Lots of jump-cuts are used

Mise-en-Scene

• Instruments  - shows that the audience can do it. Gives a sense of reality, and adds credibility to the performance.
• Location links with the lyrics of the song & the genre
• Lots of music videos include a cast - not just the band
• Representation of stereotypes
• Costume is also linked to the genre
• Stage performance is often well lit

Narrative & Performance

• Strong link to the lyrics
• Bands often focus on performance - smaller audience, perhaps a 'secret audience'
• Intertextual references commonly used
• Narrative adds to repeatability
• Often don't follow a traditional narrative - can be mixed up/fragmented
• Sometimes narrative is left for the audience to work out

Blink 182 - First Date

In the music video for Blink 182's first date, a variety of editing techniques are used. Although straight cuts are the prevailing technique used, the cuts are very quick, and in time to the music, which helps the video to sustain the same feel as the song. In addition, the use of some zoom cuts also gives the video a futuristic feel.

The clothing worn by the actors in the video gives it a 1980's/1990's feel. This is also represented by other Mise-en-Scene elements, including the garage where the first section of the video is filmed, and the vehicles shown in some sections of the film. The use of these techniques helps the audience to identify the time period, which may give some people something to relate to when they are watching the video.

The music video for Blink 182's First Date includes over 120 different shots, and a variety of shot angles, including long, mid, close-up and extreme close-up shots. The use of these shots represent many different connotations and meanings throughout the video.

The first shot of the video is taken from a low angle position, and seems to be set in a garage. This gives the impression that the video is an amateur production, making it seem like a group of youngsters who are filming the video on a low budget, and have had to prop their camera up on the floor to shoot their video. This is added to by the fact that we can see the members setting up their instruments, as though they have left the camera rolling whilst they prepare, and have not edited this afterwards. This perhaps links to the bands past, and represents many other bands who may be in a similar situation.



The above shot still uses a low angle, but is a mid shot, focusing on the band members. This again links to the amateur feel of this part of the video, as more established artists may attempt this sort of shot.

The use of the Mid-shot above helps the audience to get a sense of location. In addition, the over-the-shoulder shot shows that someone are watching the two characters in the centre of the shot. Furthermore, the filter used on the shots gives the video a slightly retro feel, linking back to the 1980's/1990's, when cars such as the one in the background were perhaps more common.

The use of a long shot when filming the motorhome also helps to give a sense of location, showing that they are out in the open. This helps to link to the lyrics, and the reference to hoping that the evening will last forever.

Finally, the use of an extreme close-up shot shows the pain that the character is in. This links to the heavy metal genre, and the use of the scraping/screaming sounds that the genre usually adopts. As the diegetic sound can be heard over the song at this point, many people who enjoy this genre of music will like this scene. 

Why do Artists use Intertextuality?

Many artists believe that the use of intertextuality increases the popularity of their brand, and will encourage more people to watch their videos.

In 1985, Madonna used an intertextual reference in her music video of Material Girl. She dressed and acted in a very similar way to Marilyn Monroe during one of her videos, which shows that Madonna hoped people would see her as an icon of popularity. In this video, Madonna was perhaps trying to market herself as the next Marilyn Monroe, with similar uses of extravagant and expensive items, such as golden jewellery and supercars. Over the years, the artists has been renowned for her ability to forge her image to move with the times and remain popular, and this intertextual link in her music video enabled her to do just that in the 1980's.

When the Beastie Boys released their video for Sabotage, they drew inspiration from TV Police Dramas in the 1970's. The fast shots and jump cuts used enabled to film to keep pace with the music, and gave the video a feeling of fast action and adrenaline. The video was almost a spoof of 1970's cop dramas, with the titles being portrayed in a way synonymous with this genre, with the frame freezing when the titles appeared. The Mise en Scene used, including the setting, clothing, lighting and make-up, was also very similar to the TV Drama's many people were used to seeing. Many people will have wanted to watch the videos as they will remember this sort of TV programme, which therefore encourages more people to watch the video.

Robbie Williams' video of Let me Entertain You was in many ways similar to the video of Rock 'n' Roll all Night, released by American band Kiss. The use of the face masks were very similar to Kiss videos, and the close-up camera shots used were also similar to those used in videos by the American band. However, Robbie Williams breaks convention, however, as the style of the video is often used with punk/heavy metal bands, and not with pop artists. This could have been because Williams had recently broken up from Take That, and therefore wanted to differenciate himself from the typical boy band image that he had become attached to.

REM's Bad Day music video also made links to 24 hour news channels, with the presenters miming the song. The song's lyrics made reference to the way that news is reported, and the fact that people will believe anything that is reported on television. Therefore, comedy stories were included in the video, such as rainstorms in somebody's bedroom - something that could clearly never happen. This is clearly a very different type of music video, which many people will have watched because of its unique features.

Californation by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was a very successful music video, because of its links to video games and films. The video uses animated footage and gameplay to make reference to many films and video games, linking into one of the main themes in the song - how the idolised California lifestyle of people in California very rarely comes to fruition. The artist will have chosen this technique, as it is different, and will capture people's imagination.

Without Me by Eminem used a Cartoon/Comic book style to base their video on. The video represents the close link between cartoon fiction and real life, with the images helping people to decipher what they are actually saying, because they are speaking so quickly and unclearly. Both the lyrics and the visual material make many intertextual references to films such as Batman and Spiderman. Many controversial features are included, such as references to the death of Elvis Presley on the toilet, which many people, especially Americans, may take offence to.

The video of Blur's The Universal made references to the highly controversial film The Clockwork Oroange, with a shot of the band composed in a similar way to a shot from the opening of the film. This could have been done to show the sophisticated abilities of the band. A lyrical reference is also made in the video, with the song talking about the future, and that things could happen to anyone at anytime. This links into the plot of the film, with people unintentionally getting involved with drugs and crime.

Finally, when Oasis released their music video for The Importance of Being Idle, it made many intertextual references to the 1960's Drama Billy Lion. The show was a 'kitchen sink' drama, featuring realistic day-to-day activities of people living in Northern Britain. The video starts with a similar pan shot, showing a person lying on a bed, and is appropriate for the band, who were themselves from Manchester. In comparison to the video from Blur, this represents the differences in social class at the time, with Blur creating a sophisticated link, and Oasis producing a video with references to their past and background.

Mise-en-Scene in I Write Sins not Tragedies by Panic! at the Disco

Expectations - Lots of shots of old houses. Perhaps links to retro themes, with old-style clothing and settings.

This first shot links to the theme of sins, with the references to the bible and religion. These sort of themes are iconic with videos from Panic at the Disco, with more traditional themes being portrayed.

The above shot shows the excessive uses of make-up, and almost links to themes of clowns, with a slight feeling of comedy and insincerity coming through in this shot. Not only is the person in the doorway dressed extravagantly, the people sitting in the room are also dressed in a similar way. This shot could also be an intertextual link between other media texts such as the Phantom of the Opera.

This shot again links into stereotypes associated with this artist. Although the theme of clowns and ghosts continues on, the decoration of the room, such as the items on the table on the bottom right hand side, and the decoration around the stair bannister suggests that it is Christmas, without the use of modern decorations, such as Christmas trees and fairly lights. The presence of the clown also makes the audience uneasy, also creating a feeling of chaos and of things being out of place, linking into the name of the band.

Mise-en-Scene in We Found Love by Rihanna

Expectations– not got many clothes on, often dancing, often in a dark-lit environment, often with a man. Sings about love – narrative represents a relationships. Often includes expensive cars.

The shot above links to the main line of the song - We found Love in a Hopeless Place. This environment - a dull bathroom - and the expression on Rihanna's face suggests that she is currently in a very uninspiring, hopeless place. This shows how the lyric of the video relates to the action on screen.

The use of smoke in the above scene indicates danger, and that the characters are unhappy. Music videos by Rihanna are often known for being shot in dark environments, and this video conforms to that stereotype. In addition, the use of smoke also indicates that the characters are unhealthy.

The shot above also indicates that the video is about a relationship, and that the two charactersa re growing closer together. The use of the red and blue lights suggests that they are in love, whilst the make up table to the bottom-left of the shot suggests that she is trying to make herself look her best for the male figure. However, she is in a fairly plain environment, with blank walls, which suggests purity and simplicity.

Mise-en-Scene in Beautiful by Snoopy Dogg

Expectation – Snoopy Dog - Rap, references of Drugs, attractive women wearing very little. Atmosphere is sunny, and shows people relaxing. Often shows expensive places, often based around a swimming pool. Video works with the lyrics – the narrative makes a link to the song.

The lyrics of the song refer to things and people that are beautiful. Therefore, the video is set in a beautiful place, which is represented by the sea, mountains, beach and blue sky. Many people may feel envious of the environment, as they may live in places that have a worse climate. This will therefore make people want to watch the music video.

As the song talks about Beautiful People, the video therefore includes many shots of men & women that may be attractive to the opposite gender. Videos by Snoopy Dogg often include shots of women wearing bakinis, as this attracts men to watch the video. In addition, women may want to watch the video, as they aspire to look like some of the female actors in the video, and may also enjoy watching some of the male characters.

Videos by Snoopy Dogg are often known to include references to expensive, sought-after items that many people cannot afford. The shot above shows an expensive car, surrounded by lots of high-rise buildings, which indicates wealth and money, which again, will make many people want to watch the video and listen to the song, as these items may not be accessible to them.

  

Genres of Music

Pop – Narrative videos, going through a scene. May be performance based. Feature instruments, and may be set in fairly normal environments

Classical - Performance based, showing the orchestra

Dance - Lots of young people dancing, often women. May show people dancing through a scene

Indie - lots of dancing, but also features the band performing

Heavy Metals  -may feature lyrics on screen

Rap - may feature lots of shots of the artist rapping - shows their skills

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the term used to describe references made to other media texts.

Idea/image borrowed or repackaged from other texts into another piece of work. This can carry a theme, or can allow people to relate the new piece of media to the intertextually linked piece of work. This can be used to have a humourous effect, or can carry a more serious message.

The use of intertextuality puts some members of the audience in a privileged position, as some may notice the link made to a previous piece of work, and would be 'in on the joke' .However, the text can still be understood by others unaware of the intertextual reference

Intertextual Reference between Blur's 'The Universal' and the opening from 'A Clockwork Orange'

Left: A Clockwork Orange | Right: Blur's The Universal

A Clockwork Orange was released in 1971 in the USA, and in 1972 in the UK. The film features many references to drugs, violence and sexual abuse, and Blur chose to make many intertextual references in their music video of The Universal.

Blur replicated a scene from the opening of A Clockwork Orange, with four people gathered around, looking into the camera. The band replicated the make up of the actors in the film, whilst adding a few differences into the shot, such as the white background, and the high angle shot.

The intertextual reference is effective in the music video, as people who know about The Clockwork Orange will be able to link back to the film, whilst those who don't know of A Clockwork Orange will still enjoy the video.

The Universal - Lyrics

This is the next century
Where the universal's free
You can find it anywhere
Yes, the future has been sold
Every night we're gone
And to karaoke songs
How we like to sing a long
Although the words are wrong

It really, really, really could happen
Yes, it really, really, really could happen
When the days they seem to fall through you, well just let them go

No one here is alone, satellites in every home
Yes the universal's here, here for everyone
Every paper that you read
Says tomorrow is your lucky day
Well, here's your lucky day

It really, really, really could happen
Yes, it really, really, really could happen
When the days they seem to fall through you, well just let them go

Well, it really, really, really could happen
Yes, it really, really, really could happen
When the days they seem to fall through you, well just let them go

Just let them go

The plot of A Clockwork Orange means that the main characters unintentionally get involved with drugs, violence and sexual abuse, leading them to get into trouble with the police. This eventually leads them to go to prison for 14 years, but is released after two weeks, after police find that he has overcome his violence. He then gets attacked once released, and ends up in hospital, where he undergoes psychological tests.

The lyrics of Blur's The Universal, which can be seen above, suggest that perhaps the events in A Clockwork Orange could happen to anyone. Therefore, although anybody would enjoy the song, people who have watched A Clockwork Orange, and who understand the plot and intertextual reference, would gain greater enjoyment.

Different Genres of Music Video

Performance - Focuses on the performer, artist or band mainly playing their song on a sage or at a concert. It can be based in a studio setting, or can focus on a live performance.

Narrative - A music video that tells a story, based upon the lyric of the song. They can sometimes be mixed with a small part of live performance, perhaps featuring lyrics, a guitar or a singer.

Cameo - involves another celebrity, that may or may not get involved within the performance.



Notion of Looking - This gives the impression that the main character is watching the performance.



La La La & Radiohead Comparison

The History of Music Videos

Music videos have been used as an excellent tool for band and song production for over 50 years, and with advancements in modern technology and distribution methods, have become a very important part of the music industry.

The Beatles released their music video of She Loves You - A Hard Days Night in 1964, and this was widely regarded as one of the first music videos. The video focused solely on the performance by the band, and focused on a performance of the song in front of a studio audience. Filmed in black and white, the production featured shakey camera movement, which although was used as a production technique, sometimes distracted from the performance. Behind the Scenes shots from the control room were also added - a technique that has been developed over the years.

Bob Dylan released Subterrain & Home City Blues in 196, and this focused on the Lyrics of the song.  This production focused less on the artist and performance, and more on the setting of the song, and has perhaps inspired modern lyric videos.

In the mid 1960's TV music programmes became an important part of the music industry. Programmes such as Top of the Pops charted number of singles sold every week, and encouraged people to watch music rather than just listen to it, encouraging more bands to produce promotional videos. The Rolling Stones were one of the first bands to perform, and a wide variety of shot types were used, to show both the band with mid and close up shots, along with long shots, used to show the audience's enjoyment of the song.

In 1967 the Beatles released their music video for Strawberry Fields Forever. The video used new camera, lighting and editing effects, which pushed the boundaries of technological achievements at the time. The editing also cut in time to the music for the first time, and, when compared to their videos in 1964, focused less on the performance of the song, and more on the narrative behind the lyrics. The visual action also linked to the lyrics at the time.

8 years later, in 1975, the New Bohenians released their music video for Bohenian Rhapsody. The band decided to give the video to TV networks for free, so realised that they would be better to make money from resulting record sales, instead of making money directly from sales of the promo. The video focused back to performance-based content, although the use of cross-fading techniques and camera filter techniques lifted it above the level of The Beatles' original video, released over 11 years ago.

In 1981 the TV channel MTV first broadcast. This, in a similar way to Top of the Pops, showed how important videos were as a marketing tool, and targeted mainstream music.

In 1982, Duran Duran released their music video for Rio. The production levels had improved dramatically, with cuts occuring faster, and in pace with the music. The video moved away from the urban setting of other videos, and introduced other performers, not just the band.

In 1982, Michael Jackson also released Thriller. The video was more like a film, lasting 15 minutes, and not just featuring the song. The video told a story, which people could then relate to every time they heard the song. The production cost many  millions of pounds, and linked in common themes and elements, not just dancing.

Music videos of the 1990's continued in a similar way, with big-budget productions becoming the norm. Artists such as the Spice Girls, Back Street Boys and Corona all released music videos during this period, and videos tend to focus back onto performance.

In the 2000's, music videos telling a story became more common. The way music videos were distributed also changed, and as the internet developed, services such as YouTube and social networking meant that it is relatively cheap for bands to distribute their music videos. This meant that programmes such as Top of the Pops, and TV channels such as MTV became less common due to the rise of the internet.

Naughty Boy - La La La (Released May 17th 2013)

Narrative:

• Relates to the Wizard of Oz - little boy represents Dorothy
• Dog goes through the adventure - dog and boy is a constant throughout
• Dog and boy both being abused
• Filmed in Bolivia
• Shows how a boy goes on a journey
• Boy blocks out the surrounding world, and only cares about him and his dog
• Relates to the Bolivian Legend - a deaf boy who leaves home with a stray dog, and can heal people's problems by screaming
• Picks up good people on his journey
• Blocks out hate and makes the most of good
• Goes to the mountains where there is no-one to distract him

A blog is born...

Welcome :)