Maria's A2 Blog

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*