Re-filming and still to film

So far we have filmed about half of our final video. We've decided to keep the 'Hamlet' implicit, and focussing on the 'general' story.
Some of our scenes we didn't film on a tripod, or we did but the ground was uneven, forcing us to re-film. These were predominantly 'moving shots' in the middle of town, where a tripod would have been awkward. Our supervisor gave us advice on what she liked and what could be improved. She advised us to make a solid plan on what to film over the next couple of weeks. The black X's mark what I can film by myself (Ophelia shots) in my own time with much complexity or expenditure. Shots marked with a * indicate what we aim to film on Sunday before the holidays.

The Media, Collective Identity and the Feminism It Shuns

In today's age, the media can be seen to construct and make collective identities more so than in previous years.  Every day, we surrounded by the media, influencing our thoughts and the decisions we make.

In print media, we are bombarded with the images of sickly thin women posing in underwear, telling us that is what it means to be a woman and this is what men want. This could not be further from the truth. Magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Glamour and FHM create the identity of women- tall, thin, hot and preferably blond. In recent years, nameless cover models have been ditched for high-flying celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Kate Moss and Megan Fox. The media depict these women as attainable, alluring sirens for men, who then project these unrealistic fantasises on real women. Not only do men want this, but it then provokes women to become these succubus-like creatures. Women  are misrepresented as being these 'people', when in fact these women are in the minority and tend to have had 'some work done' and now look like a Barbie, or have  had all humanity airbrushed into oblivion.  This change, or misrepresentation is known as 'mediation'- the lens of the media distorts the true image into something completely different.

The same goes for non-print media such as television, film and music videos. Women in mainstream television and film are forced to fulfil typical female roles: wife, mother, flirt/lonely and looking for love, femme fatale. Rarely is a woman seen in complete control without a man, examples being the film 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', 'Kick-Ass' and 'Stoker'
However, the main misrepresentation of women comes from mainstream music videos. Look at any Snoop Dog or Kanye or Lil' Wayne and I guarantee you will see a half-naked woman dancing or gyrating in front of the camera. This disgustingly inaccurate portrayal of women does not seem to offend the vast majority, it is totally, unquestioningly accepted.  Yet somehow, Robin Thicke's music video 'crossed a line.' Personally, I have seen far more sexually aggressive music videos. What may have pushed 'Blurred Lines' over the edge are the 'rapey' lyrics:

However, some argue that the media's influence on us is limited. We have the free will to disobey what the media tell us, we can wear striped jeans with a chequered shirt and flip-flops if we want to, we have the choice. Also, the media is run on money- if you don't have the cold, hard cash that the media thrive on, you won't be as affected. You may see elements on them in daily life, but you have the choice taken from them, their identity won't be as constructed/influenced. The only question with this is, how far does this free will go? And how do we know the media are not influencing us on a subconscious level? 

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

Feminist interpretation of music videos – 2012/3

Mainstream music videos typically depict women in a sexualized and unrealistic way, playing into the male fantasy. British film critic Laura Mulvey discovered a theory that she terms 'the male gaze' which focuses, among other things, on how men view women on the silver screen. Although written for film, the theory can be applied to music videos: see below.

I also wrote about Mulvey and the film SuckerPunch. See a previous post.



Lily Allen's video and lyrics are a near parody of today's music industry, parodying various artists in her 'Hard Out Here' video including Robin Thicke, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J. Lily told people that the song was meant as a dig at the industry's expectations of women to be sexually desirable objects. She said: "[It was] Meant to be a light-hearted satirical video that deals with the objectification of women within modern pop culture. The message is clear."

The video represents women as what they are 'meant' to be, what they usually are in conventional music videos: dancing, smoking, sexualized actions, working in a kitchen, having money thrown at them. The operation/liposuction scene at the beginning corroborates this- various men and the industry tells her that she needs to look a certain way in order to be successful. At one point, Lily assumes the male role. Wearing a fur coat and standing in front of Rolls Royce she throws money at the women dancing/twerking around her and mimes having 'doggy style' sex with one of the dancers, beating her butt. It is so conventional and exaggerated that it becomes the opposite. Naturally, all conventions are adhered to in order to provide proper context in order to mock. Within the lyrics, women presented in as opposites: "Don't need to shake my arse for you because I've got a brain"juxtaposed with "If you're not a size six, then you're not good-looking"

The representation of women in this music video, after analysis, is atypical. The lyrics of the song focus on women working to get what they want, a positive message: 'You wanna a Maseratti? You better work bitch.'  Yet the 'characters' sexualized attire (lingerie and BDSM inspired clothing) juxtaposes this, conforming to the conventional music video, detracting from the message of the song. BDSM is typically associated with dominant/submissive practices and Britney follows this, presenting herself as a dominant over others. The video also uses the typical 'male' conventions such as fast cars, explosions and skimpily dressed women. Another obvious convention that is adhered to is the use of product placement- Beats speakers by Dr. Dre are seen 'harnessed' into the mouth of a woman, S&M style. A Bulgari perfume bottle is also seen at the very beginning. Britney also addresses women as 'bitches', a word some feminists argue is an example of causal misogyny. One could however argue that the very definition of feminism is to allow the freedom of choice for women, including language and clothing. Sadly, this message is again not usually brought to light, especially in mainstream music videos where women are typically told what to wear, as seen with the controversial 2011 Slut Walk. Much like Allen's music video, there are virtually no men- all dancers are female.   Britney is represented dominant, fearless (standing in a pool infested with sharks), in control woman- she challenges her sexuality by engaging in various practices with other women.  Britney sports her typical blonde hair, an obvious contrast to the dancers black hair. This concept of singling out a person, making them appear 'special' dates back to Ancient Greece-unique warriors such as Achilles and Alexander the Great were also believed to be blonde, setting them apart from the masses. Camera angles tend to be long/wide, mid or close-ups, none are visibly canted to emphasize power or sexuality. Long shots are used to show the choreography and the clothing that the 'empowered' women wear.
In terms of Laura Mulvey, I feel that parts of the theory fall down, but some aspects remain. Mulvey writes that a male viewer identifies himself with the male protagonist of the film and thus, through his eyes, objectifies the woman. Fortunately, there are no men to identify with, allowing the women to empower themselves thusly. In this case, women are the 'rulers' objectifying other women, which can be seen as 'controversial'. 


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

Animoto Video Explaining Narrative

I made this 30 second video on Animoto to explain our narrative.Our narrative has changed from the previous post.
After a discussion with our media teacher, we decided that our original narrative was somewhat vague, focusing more on aesthetics than an actual story. In addition, we had planned to film at night, which proved to be rather difficult. Our storyboard no longer reflects what we actually have and will film, making us produce this video to show the amendments made to the narrative.


Narrative For 'Closer To You' Music Video

Sexualization of Men? *unfinished*

Panic! At The Disco's music video for 'Girls/Girls/Boys' (fairly) recently hit the web, re-creating D'Angelo's 'Untitled'. As having learned in the theory side of this course, music videos typically objectify women, yet Panic! and various other artists also sexually exploit men, or at the very least, use men's bodies as as a focal point.



Panic! At The Disco- Girls/Girls/Boys
This video focuses only on Brendon Urie's body, tantalizing the viewer with barely appropriate shots that just about cover his dignity. Although Urie remains the only subject, the video does not appear boring. The changing shots and Urie's movment paired with his emphasis of the lyrics make for a very unusual video. Although he is not directly sexualized by what happens in the video, he is seuxalized by those watching the video who infer, by his lack of clothing, that he is 'sexy'. Here, Mulvey's theory of the male gaze can be subverted to the female gaze.


 
Pet Shop Boys- Rent
Although the video does not directly exploit men, the lyrics present an unusual relationship: a wealthy woman provides her male lover with all things material.







Madonna- Material Girl

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

Conventional Male Costumes in Indie Rock and Hamlet's Costume

THE CORONAS

Indie rock bands tend to be dominated by male musicians (The Coronas, The Blackout, Fall Out Boy, Mallory Knox, Editors, Hurts, Fun., The Smiths, etc).

Typical clothing includes: skinny jeans, pumps, t shirts, vest tops, denim, vintage t-shirts, dark colours, leather jackets, converse, Dr. Martens and so on.

                                            

THE SMITHS

The Smiths, considered by some to have been the first true indie band, popularized the 'plain clothes' trend. They mainly dressed in ordinary clothes – jeans and plain shirts – in keeping with the back-to-basics, guitar-and-drums style of the music. This contrasted with the exotic high-fashion image cultivated by New Romantic pop groups such as Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran and highlighted in magazines such as The Face and i-D. In 1986, when The Smiths performed on the British music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test, Morrissey wore a fake hearing-aid to support a hearing-impaired fan who was ashamed of using one, and also frequently wore thick-rimmed National Health Service-style glasses, now known as 'hipster' glasses.

HURTS

THE BLACKOUT

This'simpler' approach can still be applied to musicians today. The bands Hurts and The Blackout following this concept, with Hurts taking a more formal/classical approach, only ever wearing suits (lead singer Theo also wearing black leather gloves and a gold earring) even when not performing. The duo stated in an inteview by GQ that they were strongly influenced by film, particularly Stand By Me and Railway Children, while also saying that their hometown of Manchester had greatly influenced them. Theo also told the interviwer that they tried to create a Helmut Newton (an influential German-Australian photographer, predominantly active in the 50's and 60's) look in their music videos.  By contrast, the Blackout stick to their namesake and typically go for plain black clothing, with singer Gavin sometimes sporting clothes from his clothing line as an advertisement.
                                                                                                                                                                           

Female Costumes

                                

Costumes are important in both film and music videos, as it is a strong indication of genre.
In our music video, we decided to have a strong contrast between costumes to highlight the difference between the characters: the man would be dressed in normal, everyday clothes, whereas the woman would wear elaborate evening clothes. The GIF to the left summarizes the ideas we were thinking of: flowery, elegant, simple. These images are either from clothing companies, fashion photoshoots or art pieces. Ophelia is typically associated with flowers- after going insane, she hands out flowers and herbs to guests at a banquet and eventually drowns herself in a river with flowers floating around her. Below is the dress we will most likely use.
Flowers typically bear the connotations of innocence and childishness (which Ophelia has in abundance) but as our music video will be quite a dark and dramatic film, we decided that the dress should reflect this atmosphere too.
We had debated whether or not to use a dress with flowers, or to say simple with a plain white dress. We decided to do both- we put a spin on the typical 'girly' flower dress, choosing this black and white one.

                                                  The necklace is very important- it symbolizes danger and adventure, while remaining calm. It is the object which identifies her in this video, in contrast to the flowers of the original play.






















As this character is running through a forest, this dress may not be ideal- the thin chiffon could easily tear on twigs and branches. The length may also pose a problem when running- it could be a trip hazard. However, its long skirt allows a lot of movement, making it more suitable for running and the stark black and white pattern is fits well with the atmosphere we are attempting to create in the video. Another issue would be the dress getting dirty- although I am prepared to get dirty, I would prefer it if my clothes remained clean. I'm not sure about being bearfoot- the ground in some locations we are considering is quite sharp/disgusting. To solve this I might wear flip-flops. Jewellery should be kept to a minimum- I think the ship necklace goes well with the title: 'Closer To You', it emphasizes distance, and alludes to Ophelia's drowning.
In the end, we opted for this outfit

It's a lot less dramatic and more subtle. The dress above was quite loud and statement like, whereas this one is calmer and offers a more ghostly aspect. It also has a timeless aspect to it and appears more innocent- the direction we were going for. I didn't want my legs to be bare, so I decided to wear white stockings. This would also be useful in making Ophelia look more 'dead' and transcendental if she was pale. 
I also used make-up to create the Ophelia look.
I decided to create a short make-up tutorial showing how Ophelia's subtle look was made. It was very simple- we decided to 'go for a natural look' (as they say). Have a look below.

Animated Storyboard

Below is our animated storyboard:
Please note that some of the images are photos that could not be cropped due to their size.

Filming Schedule/Times

We have decided to not to film our video chronologically, but rather by location, saving time. Below is our filming schedule:

Monday                          

8:30AM South Park

11:20AM Town Filming

12:20PM Town Filming

Tuesday

11:20AM Town Filming

12:20PM Filming

3:00PM Editing

Wednesday

8:30AM Town Filming

9:30AM Town Filming

3:00PM Editing

Thursday

Floor Plans Of Our Locations

Below are some floorplans from some of our locations. The triangles show the actor/actress and the direction they were facing. Camera's are numbered by the numbers of different shots we filmed in that location. The plans all depict various areas around Christ Church and Dead Man's Walk

Location Photographs

We decided to film in the city center of Oxford- the architecture is stunning and will reflect our narrative and genre perfectly. These photo's were taken between 8:00 and 9:00AM on a sunny Sunday morning, so I have edited most of them into black and white to create the depressing, cold atmosphere that our music video will have.
LOCATION: CORNMARKET AND ST. MICHAELS STREET
                                                                                  

CORNMARKET

CORNMARKET

ST. MICHAELS

 LOCATION: SHIP, TURL AND BROAD STREET 

SHIP STREET

CORNER of TURL STREET

      We had a very narrow list of filming locations, but having since walked around Oxford and taken these pictures, I think we could expand our locations. Ship Street is a very quiet street, making it perfect for filming. We had intended for 'Hamlet' to predominantly stay in St. Michael's Street, but Ship does not look as modern, giving it an out of time feel that work well in our video. Ship Street leads towards Exeter, Lincoln and Jesus College.





I personally love Antony Gormley's statues and think that the exemplar we have in Oxford is fantastic.I thought this would be a wonderful to break up the narrative in our video, we had been told that it was too focused purely on the characters. This should would be beautiful and could reflect the position of the audience: an outward viewer of the story between Hamlet and Ophelia.

BROAD STREET

                                                     

                                                                                  Broad Street will most likely be one of our main filming locations. Again, the colleges provide architectural beauty.  This location  also has fantastic leading lines- we plan to place 'Hamlet' horizontally across the road to create a contrast to this. It will also make him appear as if he has/is about to be hit by a car. The Sheldonian/Bodelian would make a beautiful backdrop for a moping 'Hamlet'.

  One of the most iconic structures in Oxford, the Bridge of Sighs. I think a shot of the BoS would be gorgeous in our video, it represents classicism, beauty and drama, all of which we hope to integrate within our narrative. A wide shot would be needed to capture all of the arch's elegance.

      The Queen's Lane passage would be the perfect place for Hamlet to leave Ophelia, its twisting corners mirroring their inner turmoil. It also looks like a forgotten part of a castle, perfect for a Shakespeare-inspired narrative. As aforementioned, it has an element of timelessness to it, which would be the perfect contrast to the very urban and modern opening shot we will probably have.

I had not considered the Botanical Garden's Maze as a location, but having visited it, I think it would be splendid for an Ophelia scene- the maze perhaps symbolizing  her decreasing sanity.

UNFINISHED

Music Video Deconstruction: Foxes- Youth

Artist: Foxes

Song: Youth

Album: GloriousGenre: Indie Pop
Director: N/A
Year: 2013
Audience: 17+
Country of Origin: UK

             

 The beginning of the video is set in an office, with Foxes and an office worker being the focus of attention. Wide shots are used to include the mise-en-scene: a photocopier, water cooler, chair and waste paper basket. The use of these few items immediately alerts the audience to the atmosphere of the scene, while retaining a minimalist style. This dismal setting is used to contrast the content of the song. It shows the dullness, and transcendental nature of mundane life- one moment one is alive, the next dead (second image) without any real change, notice the time on the clock does not change between the man living and 'expiring'. The corresponding lyric to this being "We live in circles/And it's so hard to breathe". Choosing  a black and white tone emphasises the absence of joy and vitality in this setting, making it especially depressing, thus making the viewer want to see something more. 

                                                                                     

 As a fire burns a whole in the wall ("Don't bring me down with you"), a new, youthful, exciting world is discovered through series of mid-shots and close-ups to highlight the drastic change in scenery. A range of gaudy colours are used to represent 'youth' and 'childhood', especially present in the costumes. Pink, yellow, blue and white are frequently recurring colours, most of which bear connotations of innocence and juvenility. However, in different types of light they can have different meanings- the first image appears happy, while the second appears more depressing and distorted in terms of innocence. Foxes' costume (first image) is almost ironic in its aspiration to be 'grown up'; it creates a nostalgia for childhood, "with a thousand dreams I'm holding heavy"). The monster costume creates a darker, somehow sadder view of youth- like the costume it used to consume us, later we leave it behind to become adults, "Don't tell us our youth is running out/ It's only just begun". It is used to convey the message that youth is not something that leaves us, but rather something that is always with us. Fire and its light are used throughout the video to create 'natural' light, while also suggesting borderline danger and carefree attitudes towards life. 

                                 

 This close-up details a male youth smashing a glass bottle against a ceiling support. The action is committed right before the chorus, the breaking of the bottle being in synch with the music starting and emphasising the lyrics: "Don't bring me down with you", suggesting that they are enjoying themselves and do not want to be 'normal.' The shot is shown from two different perspectives, and breaking the 180 degree rule. It is first shown in purple tinted, bad- camera footage style, and then from the other side in typical colouring, seen in the second shot. Here, two young women are jumping, like children, on an old mattress in a warehouse, the same location where the bottle smashing took place. One can see that the shoes are Dr. Martens, a brand commonly associated with the non-mainstream music genres such as grunge and punk rock. 

Music Video Deconstruction: Morrissey- 'November Spawned A Monster'

Artist: Morrissey
Song: November Spawned A Monster
Album: Bona Drag
Genre: Old Indie Rock
Director: N/A
Year: 1990
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: UK

       

The first shot of the video shows Morrissey dressed in black, dancing his famous dance in front of a stunning sky. A simple mid shot, it gives the audience no clue what the music video ail be about. If they know the song, they will assume that it will reflect the lyrics. The colours of the sky are important, they appear almost ethereal, making Morrissey look like Jesus. No lyrics are yet being sung, only a jaunty, happy sounding tune plays.  This next shot shows vast landscape, with Morrissey a black dot far below. This shot provides more of an insight into the themes of the song. It suggests isolation, loneliness. Deserts (in this case, Death Valley, Nevada Desert) are typically associated with death, heat, and survival, a fitting location for the songs theme. For this shot the camera sways side to side in a rocking motion, zooming into Morrissey's location. The swaying motion plus the forward zoom causes the viewer to feel disoriented.

 Here, the camera remains still as Morrissey slowly moves down to the base of the rock, in the process of covering his face, while singing 'Poor twisted child, so ugly, so ugly' While saying 'ugly' he covers his face with his hand to emphasise the word, he himself does not want to see the ugliness. The song focuses on the treatment of the disabled, and how they can only find love in dreams, in the words of Morrissey. Throughout the video, Morrissey identifies himself as both the 'monster' and the 'viewer'. Here, he is the 'viewer,
shunning the person with the
disfigurement.  In this next shot, the lyrics are spoken from the perspective of the disabled character, 'Jesus made me so Jesus save me from pity…' The repeated motif of Jesus from the beginning is repeated here. Although his stance mirrors more that of Moses parting the sea, it still bears connotations of the religious. Furthermore, Morrissey stands in dark, as if he is hiding the disability he has 'taken on' through the song.



Perhaps my favourite part of the video. While the camera moves to the right, Morrissey moves to the left and throws a handful of dirt/sand at the camera. This could symbolise the vanity of society and how we always judge people with our eyes, we see a disabled/disfigured person and have a reaction. Perhaps if we had 'sand' in our eyes, ie. were disabled ourselves, we would be able to love others with more definition and clarity, looking past the physical. A tracking shot is repeated through the video, getting closer and closer to Morrissey. When we finally do, the viewer sees him half naked, contorted and with an apple in his mouth. Here, he is boldly identifying himself once again with the 'monster' described in the songNo words are sung, so the viewer focuses intently on this shot. The length of these tracking shots are short, making the viewer question what they just saw. Also, the black clothing was the thing that provided a  contrast to the desert, not that that is gone, it looks as though he is part of it.
                                                                                                                                                                   

No lyrics are sung over these shots, making the imagery so much more potent. Once again, Morrissey identifies himself with the monster by sporting a hearing aid (previously done at a concert in honour of an ashamed deaf fan) and a band-aid covered nipple. They are subtle references, but still important. For this shot, ethereal music plays, with Morrissey 'moving up' as if an ascent to heaven. Previous to this, shots had featured Morrissey in dramaticized death throes, perhaps suggesting that we are killing the disabled by shunning them, or that, due to a lack of love, they are killing themselves.
This final shot is possibly the strangest of all.  Crazed, gut wrenching chattering overlaid the tension building music, before reaching a peak and showing us this shot. I personally unsure of what this is meant to symbolise but I interpret as the 'perfection' we see within our non-diasabled selves. Chocolate represents happiness, goodness- perhaps Morrissey, embodying both the monster and the good, is telling us that eventually, we can find happiness.

MORRISSEY- 'NOVEMBER SPAWNED A MONSTER' OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO