Maria's A2 Blog: July 2013

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Alternative Rock/Emo Music Video Conventions

The music videos I viewed were:
Imagine Dragons- Radioactive
Panic! At The Disco- Miss Jackson
The Killers- When You Were Young
The Smiths- This Charming Man
Bjork- Army Of Me
Blue Oyster Cult- Don't Fear The Reaper
The Cure- Lovesong
The Strokes- Under Cover Of Darkness
Mystery Jets- Someone Purer
Paramore- Monster
The New Pornographers- Crash Years
Foo Fighters- Breakout
My Chemical Romance- Welcome to the Black Parade
The National- Bloodbuzz Ohio
R.E.M- Orange Crush
The White Stripes- Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground
Led Zeppelin- No Quarter
Death Cab For Cutie- The New Year
Evermore- Light Surrounding You

Naturally, they don't have everything in common in terms of music videos, but there are a few overarching conventions.
The colour blue is frequently used, both in terms of lighting/tint and setting, creating a dark atmosphere. This is unusual as blue usually has connotations of calmness and peace, that has now been subverted. Abandoned places/locations are also a recurring theme- it reflects the musicians loneliness and isolation, allowing them to do things (or for things to happen) that are out of the norm. The combination of these creates a haunting, desperate effect. [Radioactive, Miss Jackson, Monster, Someone Purer, Army Of Me] However, one of the music videos [Light Surrounding You] although part of the genre, used a lighter colour palette, yellows and browns, which were also effective in creating a lonesome atmosphere, as it was reminiscent of a desert.

Black and white is also often used, [Orange Crush, Bloodbuzz Ohio] and can create different atmospheres. In Orange Crush the high contrast black and white creates a sense of mystery, intrigue and ominousness, whereas Bloodbuzz Ohio's monochrome scheme produces an impression of class and elegance. However, these various atmospheres are also created by what the video depicts, the former using short, close up dramatic Brechtian images and the latter wide long shots of normal life.

Some music video's use special effects to convey meaning to the viewer, [Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground, No Quarter], allowing the musicians to show something that they know and the viewer doesn't or vice versa.

Videos also frequently simply depict the musician performing the song, paired with something unusual, be it a massive, lit up tapping foot, or Morrissey swirling round a bunch of flowers. [Don't Fear The Reaper, Welcome To The Black Parade, Under Cover Of Darkness, This Charming Man]

Finally, we come to the "random" section of music videos, namely those that break the typical conventions. [When You Were Young, The New Year, Breakout, Crash Years]. The Killer's video is unique in that the band only make a very short appearance, making it feel more like a short film than a music video. It further alienates itself from the "standard" in that it takes place in a (what I assume) is a Hispanic country, with Hispanic actors. The Foo Fighters Breakout challenges conventions by creating its own. Their videos are usually not very relevant to the music, it appears, and typically feature comedic elements. For Crash Years, I honestly have no idea, but the umbrella's are fantastic.

In terms of camera angles, close ups of faces are common in order to communicate emotion of the viewers of the video.Long shots are typically used to show large spaces or areas, usually empty or devoid of people to emphasize isolation or give special attention to surroundings.

*If you have the time, check out some of the videos mentioned above- they're all pretty interesting.*

Friday 12 July 2013

Possible Songs

Gotye- Making Mirrors
I have chosen this song because I find it very atmospheric and think a quick, but strong narrative could work perfectly. The song is quite short, which could be an advantage, but this may be a little too short.

Gotye- Giving Me A Chance
Another beautiful Gotye song. I think a video would go very well with this, as a narrative is already fairly apparent. The length of the song is perfect.

HURTS- Illuminated

I simply adore Hurts- 'Illuminated' is one of my favorites. Like 'Making Mirrors', its very atmospheric, one could almost imagine it as film music. There is already a video, but it is a recording of a live performance. I think the lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, and could therefore make an intresting video.

Panic! At The Disco- Always

Again, I feel there is a narrative here that could be exploited with a beautiful, but simple video. I could imagine the setting being in some flowery meadow or a large farmhouse.

Panic! At The Disco- Mercenary

Interestingly, this song was written for a game and therefore has a video featuing footage from the game. I would like to see what kind of video/narrative could be created from the song lyrics alone.

The White Stripes- In The Cold Cold Night
I adore 'Meg' songs from the White Stripes. I love the simplicity of the song, and think a really interesting video could be made, based on the narrative already existing in the lyrics. I imagine the video be be dark and simple.

Main Task Thoughts and Ideas 2: Americana

"Jailhouse Rock" Elvis

Another era I find interesting is the 1950's Americana lifestyle, that has been explored in music videos by both Marina and the Diamonds and Lana Del Rey For those who do not know the definition of Americana: Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore, and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects etc. Patriotism and nostalgia play a defining role in the subject." I love the colours of the fifties and the ideology behind the concept [of Americana]- clinging onto something from the past. The fifties in America were a time of change, innovation, creativity and glamour. President Eisenhower, Elvis Presley, Rosa Parks, the Cold War, Marylin Monroe and the launch of Playboy.

When the Second World War was over (after all the rationing of food, clothing and household goods), there were more jobs and society as a whole could afford more luxuries. Houses were cheaper as were cars and electrical appliances, causing an increase in consumerism. Some have said that the 1950s were "the last age of innocence". In terms of home life, families sat together to eat dinner: there was supposedly peace and harmony at the core of every family. Children went to church, said prayers and sang the National Anthem in school. Mothers were homemakers and cared for the children, Fathers went to work. Naturally, there were issues. Girls who slept with boys or became pregnant were ostracised from society, they were "bad girls". Most boys went to college, whereas most girls where not considered college material and would simply marry and produce children. Fashion and style was considered important. Working "high class" men wore suits and a hat, women wore long dresses/skirts and sweaters.

I would love to film a 1950's inspired video, but with a twist. It would be set in the household of a married couple with various issues, something that would contrast the ideology. A corrupted woman, a cheating husband, children against religion, violence...
It would be filmed in black and white to create a dark atmosphere, or it could fluctuate between colour and monochrome to represent the broken/changed ideology.

A major difficulty of doing this would naturally be setting. Large, colonial houses with a front porch are rare in the UK. Clothing could be sourced from various charity shops and modified to meet the needs required. Hair and make up could easily be done, although I doubt it will be as extensive as that required for the previous task.

Thursday 11 July 2013

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Inspiration: Falco

Johann (Hans) Hölzel aka Falco was an Austrian pop/rock star predominantly active in the 70's, 80's and 90's, characterized by his singing in both German and English. Falco began to show signs of unusual musical talent very early. As a toddler, he was able to keep time with the drumbeat in songs he heard on the radio. At age five, he auditioned for the Vienna Music Academy, where it was confirmed that he had perfect pitch. He reached No. 1 on them US Billboard charts with Rock Me Amadeus, making him the first and only artist whose principal language was German to score a number-one hit in the United States. His estate claims he has sold 20 million albums and 15 million singles, making him the best selling Austrian singer of all time.
Below are three of his songs: Rock Me Amadeus, Vienna Calling, Jeanny and Der Kommissar.

Rock Me Amadeus, 1986
This video is insane. The song is about musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and how he would have been perceived in his time as we perceive musicians now. This is reflected in the video- Mozart had dyed hair, hangs out with punks, his equals "out-of-time". He lives the life that Falco has, and Falco lives the life he has- he sings for an audience dressed in fantastic18th century clothing. What I love about the video is the coming together of the time periods, everyone is their own clothing enjoying music together. The clothing and mise en scene is simply fantastic, as well as the haphazard camera work/angles
English Lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/Falco%20Lyrics/Rock%20Me%20Amadeus%20%28English%29%20Lyrics.html

Vienna Calling, 1985
The dancing in this video is brilliant, as well as the 80's special effects. The constant motif of phone's is also interesting. I find the colour scheme's overuse of oyster pink rather strange.I interpret the song to be about the famous Vienna Rotlichtviertel or red light district- a urban place with a high concentration of prostitution and sex-related business. I like that the video does not explicitly show this, forcing the audience to listen to the lyrics (if they can). What they do see is a "classy" establishment, with "classy" women, warping the standard audience's perceptions. A true 80's video.
English Lyrics: http://german.about.com/library/blmus_falco04e.htm

Jeanny, 1986
Jeanny caused major controversy when first released, as it is sung from the perspective of a rapist or stalker, but the lyrics don't actually contain any direct reference to the act of rape or abduction. It is left to the listener's imagination. Falco argued that it is about the musings of a stalker. The NewsFlash part of the song was read by a real German Newsreader and has obvious parallels to the case in the song, but doesn't explicitly mention the girl's name.
Some TV and radio stations in West Germany agreed and didn't play the song "for ethical reasons", while others just played it on their charts shows. In East Germany the song was not on air and playing it in dance clubs was prohibited. I personally love the colour scheme, it gives and air of both fun and danger.
English lyrics: http://german.about.com/library/blmus_falco05e.htm

Der Kommissar, 1981
Purely because it has the best green screen work of all time.
English Lyrics: http://german.about.com/library/blmus_falco02e.htm

Inspiration: Queen

My all time favourite artist since the age of eight, Queen and Freddie Mercury have changed my life. In the 1980's/90's music videos first became mainstream and mainly featured the artists performing the song.
Below are three examples: Who Wants To Live Forever (my favorite), Under Pressure and I Want To Break Free

Who Wants To Live Forever, 1986
I love the simplicity of the this video. It makes the song so much more emotional, especially the irony of Freddie Mercury's death in 1991. The candles create such an intimate, almost holy or angelic atmosphere, working well with the song's soft opening. Mercury in a suit compliments this perfectly, strengthening the power of the song.

Under Pressure, 1981
The fact that the video features neither Queen or David Bowie, the artists of the video, is unusual for a music video and thus makes this stand out for me. Taking the theme of pressure, director David Mallet edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably Sergei Eisenstein's influential Soviet film Battleship Potemkin, the silent Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and F.W. Murnau's chilling Nosferatu, a master work of the German Expressionist movement. The video celebrates the pressure-cooker mentality of a culture willing to wage war against political machines, and at the same time love and have fun (there is also footage of crowds enjoying concerts, and lots of black and white kissing scenes).

I Want To Break Free, 1984
One of the craziest (and most fun) music videos I have ever seen. Two women wanting to break free from their mundane lives, miners in a coal mine and finally the liberation through an unusual dance scene.

Inspiration: Caro Emerald

Just in general, I love Caro Emerald's quirky, half animated, half real filmed, jazz-age inspired videos.

Back It Up

The vintage posters and sets go perfectly with the music and the spliced in clips of the film cutting room gives the video a bit of edge.

That Man

Tangled Up

* U N F I N I S H E D*

Inspiration: Panic! At The Disco

In order for us to create a music video, we must first decide what we personally like and enjoy in music videos, before asking others.

In general, I find the music videos from Panic! At The Disco extraordinary in terms of conception and execution. They are very creative and offer a fresh take on the songs itself. Below are three of the most interesting: Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, Nine In The Afternoon, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, The Ballad Of Mona Lisa and This Is Gospel

Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, 2006
This video features people with fishtanks on their heads. According to one interpretation, the husband in the video feels unloved by his wife whom he knows has been unfaithful. Earlier, the woman had picked up a fish and put it in her fish tank, representing her sleeping with another man. This makes her depressed husband commit suicide.

Those who believe in the above interpretation say that the number of fish in a person's tank represents the number of people a person has slept with. This leads people to believe that the woman in the video has been promiscuous outside her marriage while her husband only has one fish in his tank. However, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that he has numerous fish in his tank as well, although only the one is brightly orange in color and easy to see. The orange fish representing his faithfulness to wife, and the other, harder to see fish, representing past and forgotten lovers.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies, 2006
This was the first video released by Panic! At The Disco. The video starts as the bride and the groom, are about to be married. The brides family dress and behave formally, but are revealed later to have fallen asleep and have eyes painted on their eyelids. The grooms family are lower-class entertainers and carnival folk, and interrupt the wedding in a wild manner. The ringmaster acts as narrator by singing the song. After a complication that ruins the wedding, the ringmaster is revealed to be the groom's alter ego.

Nine In The Afternoon, 2008
This video is such fun to watch. The bright, warm colours give a vibe of joy that perfectly compliments the song. The street parade looks like a combination of Freddie Mercury's get-up and the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"- generally, very much influenced by the Beatles. I love the general randomness of the video- a series of bizarre, but colourful events.

Ballad Of Mona Lisa, 2011
The first single from their third album, The Ballad of Mona Lisa, details the procedures in displaying a body before a burial in the Victorian era. I cannot imagine how much time it must have taken to make everything and then film it- it is extraordinarily complex. What I also love is how it ties in with their first video "I Write Sins..."- the church, top hat, etc.

This Is Gospel, 2013
Probably one of favorite music videos- using the rope as internal organs/problems is a fantastic idea. Also, the editing is very well done. I love portrayal of the process of death: hospital, embalming, burial and afterlife.

Inspiration: Marina And The Diamonds

Marina's latest album Electra Heart uses the 1950's women's culture (with a sinister twist) as a backdrop from her character (not alter ego) Electra Heart to communicate various issues surrounding love. The songs are based around the Electra Heart character and four archetypes—Diamandis's own take on the facets of female personality that include the Primadonna, Su-Barbie-A, the Teen Idle and the Homewrecker. The entire project is split in parts; there are eleven.
The acoustic versions of the songs are excellent to see the 1950's inspired attire.

"I based the project around character types commonly found in love stories, film and theatre, usually ones associated with power and control in love, as opposed to weakness or defeat."

The Archetypes
This short video introducing the archetypes that shape the songs of the album.

Primadonna
The rainbow of colours in this video create a vibrant, open and playful atmosphere and reminds one of the old colour films from the turn of the 20th Century. The massive chandeliers and ornate rooms generate an atmosphere of wealth and old world charm. Marina's bright, pastel coloured clothing suggest innocence and playfulness, reflected by the lyrics of the song. I love how it slows down and switches to black and white at the car wash...A very cinematic video.

SU-BARBIE-A
The presentation of an archetype set to the instrumental version of the song "Valley Of The Dolls". A very creepy video, especially as one can not see the figures face

E. V. O. L
Predominantly modern, but interspersed with elements of the 1950's. Some of the clips are quite strange and haunting such as the walking through the field scene. I like how the edited "backwards" parts alienate and unsettle the viewer, as does the high contrast.

Radioactive
Although set in "modern" locations, the video is reminiscent of 1970's America, such as the red and white starred blouse, diners and milkshakes, palm trees, television, cheer jackets, etc. The concept of the wig is interesting in terms of character, pretending to be someone or something else, and when removed, becoming who one really is.

Friday 5 July 2013

Main Task Ideas and Thoughts 1: Titus Andronicus

For our main task in September, we must create a music video from scratch. I am currently considering what kind of song and what kind of narrative video should accompany it.

1) Currently, I am very interested in Shakespeare's Roman plays, in particular Titus Andronicus , a brutal revenge story that is also presently being shown at the RSC Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
It is Shakespeare's bloodiest and most violent work and traditionally one of his least respected plays. Titus is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often considered as an attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries.

The plot focuses on that of a Roman General returned from a brutal ten year war against the Goths to bury his fallen sons. To honour their deaths he sacrifices the eldest son of his enemies' Queen and prisoner. Thus a chain of violent murders and mutilations begins as Titus struggles to "escape the horror of violent deeds done in a violent world."

I find the concept of revenge interesting, especially the form it takes in play. The play also focuses heavily on honour and family ties, coming into conflict when Titus' daughter is raped and has her tongue and hands cut off. This forces Titus to contemplate an honour killing, which he does finally execute. Although difficult to explore in the limited time a music video provides, I believe that perhaps a scene or two could be interesting to explore. Perhaps the most iconic scenes of the play could be incorporated. Furthermore, Shakespeare makes use of various classical references and metaphors that could also be interesting to use and incorporate.
In terms of music, I think that one of the songs of the album "Happiness" by HURTS would be effective.

Interpretation of the video

We believe the various decorations to be symbolic of stages of finding her self. She attempts to be various different people or "robot" before finally washing it all of and simply being herself, represented through no decoration. The jewelled decoration perhaps represented that she is finally comfortable with herself and realizes that being herself is the best that she can be. The glittering persona is the person she is the least like, she is almost unrecognizable. As the pink, green and black painted person, she is recognizable, but still not herself, she is still hidden. In several quick shots, we see her washing the paint off, realizing that she is not the person she is pretending to be. Penultimately, she is naked, without decoration, herself. Finally, she is proud to be who she is, not caring if she fails, embellished with sparkling jewels. Notice that at the end of the video all "personas" look down in a "farewell" gesture, except the final version of herself.

An alternate interpretation could be that she is in a failing relationship and has changed herself in order to impress her boyfriend and has realized that this is not worth her while.

Marina said of the song: ["I Am Not a Robot"] was me singing to myself. It's me saying, stop being so ridiculous, you can't let having a fear of failing hold you back and you're just one person. It's connected with a lot of people. I knew that would happen when I was writing it. I had a funny feeling."

Thursday 4 July 2013

I AM NOT A ROBOT final video

Below is our final product. I am aware that some parts are out of sync and do not resemble the actual video. I am also aware that it is not by any means a professional or quality piece of work. However, by given the time parameters in which we were to fulfill this task, I believe we have somewhat achieved our goal.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Evaluation of Task

· What was the purpose of replicating a music video?

The purpose of replicating a music video was to learn the conventions of this type of media text, as well as learn how the editing style/procedures differ from a short film.

· How successful do you feel you were at replicating this music video?
In general, I think we did alright. The only difficulty was applying the make-up (although that was the most fun) and attempting to get it exactly right. It was also rather difficult to edit, and we only later realized that we should have played the song for our actress while she was lip syncing. Also, we should have calculated the timings of the video to make sure it remains in sync. The lighting was also difficult to replicate, so we attempted to amend it through editing. It did not look the same but we found that it had to do. Overall, however, I think we achieved our goal for the most part.

· What changes would you make to your: organisation, editing, filming?

We would have created a more useful storyboard, rather than stopping and pausing the original music video for some shots. Filming wise, I think we did rather well- we decided against using a school camera, instead using our own. An issue with that however, was that the files where not compatible with iMovie and thus needed to be converted, which took time. Next time I will also make sure that there are no continuity errors while filming.

· How does your chosen music video adhere to the conventions of a music video?
Camera movement in typical videos follows the artist as they move around, including tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots. Ours are all fairly static, excluding a slight pan down the artists face, from her eyes to her lips. Jump cuts are very common, which we did have to use to move from different scene to scene. We also used a soft focus at the beginning and end of our video, which could be a convention. The colours used are within convention, as bright colours are typically used in pop videos, but I would argue that the genre of music Marina and Diamonds belongs to is more indie than that, thus going against convention.