Media is probably the most important way in society now to convey opinions on people and social groups, be in stereotypical or subversive. In Save World Get Girl all of the characters are portrayed as being in control towards the end although there is an initial worry and shock at the realisation of all of the spaceships in the narrative. They are portrayed as aspirational to their target audience of students generally under 25 of class E on the Socio-demographic table, The band are aspirational because of their control and popularity in the narrative, which goes against conventions of the stereotypical "nerd" which is usually a negative representation. As with most music videos the star image is used to promote the band by making them seem aspirational and connected to the audience. A good example of this was in Awolnation's Kill Your Heroes in which Awol is a presenter on a TV show and in a band, playing on the natural psychology of most people that they want to be famous and/or appreciated, the Children in the video are symbolic of the audience's reaction in listening to Awol's message. This is a negative representation mostly because of the children being rebellious to society. However they are also aspiring to be like Awol who is an irresponsible role model swearing in front of young children and so he is represented negatively. Furthermore the children can be represented negatively because they are trying to be like someone else rather than being themselves, this could simply link to the name of the band as AWOLnation and that they are just represented as such as the term awol has started to be used for a general miscrient...
Typical, I want my music video to be positive and so the "protagonist" of the narrative would be represented positively also. As I am thinking about the idea of a kind of Good vs. Evil game-esque narrative, I would want to represent certain people in the narrative as particularly negative. Comments are most welcome!
~ Jack ~
Sunday 30 September 2012
Research into Ancillary Products...
On top of the music video, I am going to create 2 ancillary products: a promotional poster for an album and artwork for a Digipak. This would usually include a direct link between the Digipak and poster and at least a link between the ancillary products and the music video. To show this, I've decided to use two of each product to research, two that promote the same album, The Resistance by Muse and two others that are completely different in theme and layout. For this reason I've chosen the TRON soundtrack created by Daft Punk, and after struggling to find a poster that had more going on in the picture, an album by Mika. I've also got example artwork from Welcome to the Breakdown by I Fight Dragons to establish themes and ideologies.
First of all, lets look at the posters. The poster for the resistance is very minimalistic with just 3 keys parts to the artwork, the titles and the image. The poster does slightly conform to the Gutenberg diagram, refraining from putting lots of information in the top right and bottom left corners. That being said, it is not really read diagonally and so it conforms more to the rule of thirds being centred to the middle third, overlapping the first and third but not spanning the entire page. The second poster is much more the opposite, there are things everywhere! Most importantly the title, included tracks and the date of release are in the primary optical area (P.O.A.) and ending in the terminal area. The strong fallow area contains a lesser important image which isn't as key as Mika's name as his music is sold as part of brand identity. In the weak fallow area there is only part of the background article so is least significant. As for rule of thirds, it conforms but only loosely, if "MIKA" is perceived as being written in the firstst and middle thirds and the third is where the picture of Mika himself is. The lower information would then be slipping into the middle third from the right, which could anchor the idea of the artwork that it is absolutely everywhere!
As for the Digipak artwork, there is a clear consistency between the poster and digipak for Muse, The Resistance shown by the repetition of the main artwork and the font with the two lines above and below the artist name. OK, both of these examples of these digipaks are not like usual 6 sided digipaks - I struggled to find any that were relevant and I don't have any of my own to scan/photograph. However they do represent how consistency creates a professional feel to an album. The album artwork varies for The Resistance however as it completely follows the Gutenberg diagram, unlike it's poster as the artist name and album name are both in the POA and ending in the terminal area. The colour is also consistent in both with the black and neon blue/white feel of Daft Punk and the black, white and the colour wheel is a repeated contrast throughout The Resistance. The TRON album is really rather simplistic which acts as a counterweight to the bold contrast of the blue and white on black although subversively, the images and titles are in a middle horizontal third rather than the conventional vertical rule of thirds.
After researching this, I think it is clear to see that consistency is definitely key and that minimalistic or busy designs can work but it all depends on how deep the contrast is between background and the subjects in the images and text colour/font. Establishing a house style is the single-most important part of making a brand for an artist. For my own product I am interested in taking I Fight Dragon's current ideas on artwork and making changes like showing the members of the band and steering away from using 100% pixel art, but I wont rule out the use of it completely. Feel free to post any comments as always!
~ Jack ~
First of all, lets look at the posters. The poster for the resistance is very minimalistic with just 3 keys parts to the artwork, the titles and the image. The poster does slightly conform to the Gutenberg diagram, refraining from putting lots of information in the top right and bottom left corners. That being said, it is not really read diagonally and so it conforms more to the rule of thirds being centred to the middle third, overlapping the first and third but not spanning the entire page. The second poster is much more the opposite, there are things everywhere! Most importantly the title, included tracks and the date of release are in the primary optical area (P.O.A.) and ending in the terminal area. The strong fallow area contains a lesser important image which isn't as key as Mika's name as his music is sold as part of brand identity. In the weak fallow area there is only part of the background article so is least significant. As for rule of thirds, it conforms but only loosely, if "MIKA" is perceived as being written in the firstst and middle thirds and the third is where the picture of Mika himself is. The lower information would then be slipping into the middle third from the right, which could anchor the idea of the artwork that it is absolutely everywhere!
As for the Digipak artwork, there is a clear consistency between the poster and digipak for Muse, The Resistance shown by the repetition of the main artwork and the font with the two lines above and below the artist name. OK, both of these examples of these digipaks are not like usual 6 sided digipaks - I struggled to find any that were relevant and I don't have any of my own to scan/photograph. However they do represent how consistency creates a professional feel to an album. The album artwork varies for The Resistance however as it completely follows the Gutenberg diagram, unlike it's poster as the artist name and album name are both in the POA and ending in the terminal area. The colour is also consistent in both with the black and neon blue/white feel of Daft Punk and the black, white and the colour wheel is a repeated contrast throughout The Resistance. The TRON album is really rather simplistic which acts as a counterweight to the bold contrast of the blue and white on black although subversively, the images and titles are in a middle horizontal third rather than the conventional vertical rule of thirds.
After researching this, I think it is clear to see that consistency is definitely key and that minimalistic or busy designs can work but it all depends on how deep the contrast is between background and the subjects in the images and text colour/font. Establishing a house style is the single-most important part of making a brand for an artist. For my own product I am interested in taking I Fight Dragon's current ideas on artwork and making changes like showing the members of the band and steering away from using 100% pixel art, but I wont rule out the use of it completely. Feel free to post any comments as always!
~ Jack ~
Friday 28 September 2012
Research into Technical Aspects... (Sound and Lighting)
Well in a music video, sound is most important! Sound and Lighting are probably lesser aspects within the media in my opinion, but both are still important. Lighting can establish a genre; poorly lit music videos could show suspense while lighting similar to natural lighting represents being down to earth and basically, a natural setting!
This next video can represent how lighting can establish a genre. This next video is an internet success by The GAG Quartet, it is also a huge show of intertextuality to the internet.
The lighting here is natural which blends with the theme of the internet and that it is based on real events on the internet. The last little riff of the song is shown with the colours desaturated and a lot darker than the rest of the video which is synchronous with the minor key used with the music which is symbolic of darker themes.
To oppose this, in Save World Get Girl, the set has Low Key lighting and lit by the red lights, with connotations of danger and warnings. The low lighting is useful to portray tension to the narrative of the video with the aliens and battles.
As for Sound, the GAG quartet appears to be diegetic but it will likely, like all music videos be non-diegetic and edited to be synchronous to what is happening in the music video. The Save World Get Girl video is definitely non-diegetic because looking closely at the instruments, nothing is connected to them to record the sound. This is completely synchronous though and excellently edited. In addition, the music video uses many over-dubbed sound effects that are non-diegetic but synchronous to the actions on screen. This emphasises the representation of the genre of chip-tune or nintendo-rock, etc
From this, I am going to take on that the performance is not actually usually performed because of the need to be edited and to make both video and audio look and sound authentic and professional. I am going to take on board the idea of sound effects and make sure to make them appropriate and representative of the audience and the genre, although this will have to be decided after the audience research and/or focus groups.
~ Jack ~
This next video can represent how lighting can establish a genre. This next video is an internet success by The GAG Quartet, it is also a huge show of intertextuality to the internet.
The lighting here is natural which blends with the theme of the internet and that it is based on real events on the internet. The last little riff of the song is shown with the colours desaturated and a lot darker than the rest of the video which is synchronous with the minor key used with the music which is symbolic of darker themes.
To oppose this, in Save World Get Girl, the set has Low Key lighting and lit by the red lights, with connotations of danger and warnings. The low lighting is useful to portray tension to the narrative of the video with the aliens and battles.
As for Sound, the GAG quartet appears to be diegetic but it will likely, like all music videos be non-diegetic and edited to be synchronous to what is happening in the music video. The Save World Get Girl video is definitely non-diegetic because looking closely at the instruments, nothing is connected to them to record the sound. This is completely synchronous though and excellently edited. In addition, the music video uses many over-dubbed sound effects that are non-diegetic but synchronous to the actions on screen. This emphasises the representation of the genre of chip-tune or nintendo-rock, etc
From this, I am going to take on that the performance is not actually usually performed because of the need to be edited and to make both video and audio look and sound authentic and professional. I am going to take on board the idea of sound effects and make sure to make them appropriate and representative of the audience and the genre, although this will have to be decided after the audience research and/or focus groups.
~ Jack ~
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Research into Technical Aspects... Mise-en-Scene
Mise-en-Scene is going to be massive to my music video for the use of intertextuality, allusions and to get the genre across to audiences. 2 Example videos of what I think about the importance Mise-en-Scene are Kill Your Heroes by Awolnation and the previously seen Save World Get Girl by I Fight Dragons. I decided to re-use the second video because I believe it is similar to ideas I want to include in my own video.
The video begins with a very pale, slightly desaturated setting using more pastille-y colours. Awol is dressed in a grey shirt with a pale red while the decor is full of pastille blues and greens and a nearby lamp is a soft yellow colour. This is combined with the music which is rather soft and childish aimed - which is later shown to be Awol on a children's show. The whole video seems to set "Awol and the milkmen" in a 70's home, but this is subverted by the body language of the children head-banging and Awol's censored language. This could also represent the entry of rock in the 70's, the children would symbolise the first generation of rock and also an introduction is the beginning of something, much like how the children are young and being introduced to world at the time. Awol's message could be to rebel from society and become the first rockers. The instruments used establish this setting further - there are no electronic instruments besides the Moog Synthesiser and the Microphone, the guitarists use acoustic guitars and so the rebellious nature is subverted to the acoustic instruments because they are not traditionally rock instruments.
Now, Save World Get Girl, on the other hand is very very similar to the kind of mise-en-scene I want to include, now I don't mean filming on a cheap 80's sci-fi set, the way that intertexuality is used to establish the genre (through games consoles, cheap tacky - yet awesome - looking aliens, rhythm game instruments, glasses, etc!) is fantastic!
These two images to the left represent just how proxemics have been used to create effect. In the first case the laptop is shown so we can see what "Dr Romulus" is reacting to, the goggles are also used to exaggerate his shock. The second image on the other hand shows the hierarchy of the band starting with the singer and guitarists closely followed. The drummer and keyboardist/midi controller are shown last which conforms to conventions of star image even though the electronic sound is arguably the defining aspect of the genre.
~ Jack ~
The video begins with a very pale, slightly desaturated setting using more pastille-y colours. Awol is dressed in a grey shirt with a pale red while the decor is full of pastille blues and greens and a nearby lamp is a soft yellow colour. This is combined with the music which is rather soft and childish aimed - which is later shown to be Awol on a children's show. The whole video seems to set "Awol and the milkmen" in a 70's home, but this is subverted by the body language of the children head-banging and Awol's censored language. This could also represent the entry of rock in the 70's, the children would symbolise the first generation of rock and also an introduction is the beginning of something, much like how the children are young and being introduced to world at the time. Awol's message could be to rebel from society and become the first rockers. The instruments used establish this setting further - there are no electronic instruments besides the Moog Synthesiser and the Microphone, the guitarists use acoustic guitars and so the rebellious nature is subverted to the acoustic instruments because they are not traditionally rock instruments.
Now, Save World Get Girl, on the other hand is very very similar to the kind of mise-en-scene I want to include, now I don't mean filming on a cheap 80's sci-fi set, the way that intertexuality is used to establish the genre (through games consoles, cheap tacky - yet awesome - looking aliens, rhythm game instruments, glasses, etc!) is fantastic!These two images to the left represent just how proxemics have been used to create effect. In the first case the laptop is shown so we can see what "Dr Romulus" is reacting to, the goggles are also used to exaggerate his shock. The second image on the other hand shows the hierarchy of the band starting with the singer and guitarists closely followed. The drummer and keyboardist/midi controller are shown last which conforms to conventions of star image even though the electronic sound is arguably the defining aspect of the genre.
~ Jack ~
Research into Technical Aspects... Editing
This video is a bit different... Trying to find similar artists is proving difficult due to how niche the band is. However, this is Black Sheep by Metric. The video was created as a pre-order bonus for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and uses the footage from the film as a narrative and performance video.
The video begins with a caption which introduces the happenings in the video and is coupled with overdubbing of a voiceover. Throughout the video there is a lot of superimposition which is synchronous to the genre as if it is a comic or a video game. There is also a red line in the bottom half of the screen like an oscilloscope representing the sound and changes with the beat/bass. The red "oh yeah" is significant as it is synonymous with sex appeal representing Brie Larson as a sex icon. Other text is edited in later in the video which are coupled with the actions on screen (like the "thonk!" when Michael Cera headbutts the pole.
Initially the video uses longer takes of Larson singing and then synchronous editing of shots between Michael Cera and Larson which is repeated with other actors in similar parts of the song. It is used as a way to contrast characters between positive and negative representations of them. Also, as its part of a film, the performance is also part of the narrative.
The narrative of the song is generally non-linear as cross cutting is used to switch to parts of the movie which were shown previously. These and cutaways are used to break-up takes of The Clash at Demonhead, the band in the movie. The editing escalates up to about 2 minutes in and then the pace slows down again using fades and slower cuts.
From this analysis, I intend to taken on board the ideas on pacing to have the video start off slower paced and quicken the speed later and return to a slower pace to end on, rather than a sudden end. I also like the idea of the comic print text being shown like the characters are living in a comic or game.
~ Jack ~
Saturday 22 September 2012
Update!
I Fight Dragons replied to my e-mail request to use their music! They also agreed to let me use official logos if I needed them! Here's proof and a video of the song for anyone who's interested! ~ Jack ~
EDIT: This would probably be a good time to let you all know vague ideas of what I'm going to include (feel free to comment with any constructive criticism!) First of all, as the song is all about Geek's, I wanted the narrative to be orientated around games, similar to the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World concept (see right)
This would mean a heavy usage of post-production and superimposition to achieve this look. I also intend to use guitar hero and/or rock band controllers rather than genuine instruments as it fits the genre better in my opinion. Other mise-en-scene would include glasses (using 3D glasses with no lenses, to exaggerate the stereotypical look of a geek) and games systems as it is synonymous with the genre.
From 0.26 - 0.35 of the song, playing on the idea of time, I thought it would be good to use fades and a direct link to the narrative.
Also as a framing device, I would use a similar shot of the protagonist of the narrative at the beginning and the end.
All comments will be taken onboard
~ Jack ~
Friday 21 September 2012
Research into Technical Aspects...
I Fight Dragons (IFD) are generally a very niche band, assigned to independent label: Photo-finish Records. As the artist is THAT niche, I had to a) use a music video of the artist and b) a music video of another very niche artist of as similar a genre as possible. for these reasons, I will be analysing Save World Get Girl by IFD and Burn it Down by Awolnation.
The video begins with an establishing shot of a very simplistic spaceship, which is obviously a puppet - and loosely resembles the ship from Red Dwarf, this is intertextuality. This establishes that the artist is independent or is not serious in creating their video professionally, this suggests that the video is made for personal reasons rather than promotion as the single most important aspect, the set throughout is simplistic compared to mainstream artists. Most importantly, there is continued use of star image of all of the band, the shots and angles are varied however as the most important characters, such as the Captain/Lead singer is shown from a high angle almost all of the time which other characters are not shot from as close or even facing the person. This, coupled with the fact that the video is framed by showing the captain first and last, emphasises that he is most significant in the liner-narrative and the band. Despite being very niche, they still use voyeurism, conforming to all 6 of Andrew Goodwin's points on conformity. The most obvious is the 1970's style sets for Sci-fi dramas, this is a very large use of intertextuality.
Like IFD, Awolnation are a niche artist and so there is less emphasis on mise-en-scene, using relatively cheap sets or preexisting locations, such as the court and venue shown. Because of this, more emphasis is put on the representation of the people through costume, proxemics and camera shots. Key shots include... :
From this, I am going to take on board the using of a minimalistic set and focusing more on the Lead singer for star image but not to completely ignore the other band members. It is also clear to me that voyeurism and a blend between narrative and performance is used for even the independent artists so I will try to use this in my own music video, but only if relevant. I believe relevance is more important than conforming to everything.
~Jack~
The video begins with an establishing shot of a very simplistic spaceship, which is obviously a puppet - and loosely resembles the ship from Red Dwarf, this is intertextuality. This establishes that the artist is independent or is not serious in creating their video professionally, this suggests that the video is made for personal reasons rather than promotion as the single most important aspect, the set throughout is simplistic compared to mainstream artists. Most importantly, there is continued use of star image of all of the band, the shots and angles are varied however as the most important characters, such as the Captain/Lead singer is shown from a high angle almost all of the time which other characters are not shot from as close or even facing the person. This, coupled with the fact that the video is framed by showing the captain first and last, emphasises that he is most significant in the liner-narrative and the band. Despite being very niche, they still use voyeurism, conforming to all 6 of Andrew Goodwin's points on conformity. The most obvious is the 1970's style sets for Sci-fi dramas, this is a very large use of intertextuality.
Like IFD, Awolnation are a niche artist and so there is less emphasis on mise-en-scene, using relatively cheap sets or preexisting locations, such as the court and venue shown. Because of this, more emphasis is put on the representation of the people through costume, proxemics and camera shots. Key shots include... :
- The wide shot of Awol in court represents the irresponsibility of singing in the court
- the master shot of the taser conveys the idea of importance, although this is subverted. The following two shots reveals the official becoming the astronaut and the special effects lightning coming from Awol's hands. The lightning is used as a bridge between the two and represents the distant relationship.
- Synchronised editing is used between a mid close up of the singer and an establishing shot of the court, this reestablishes what is happening and what should not be happening: Awol singing in court.
- Like with Save World Get Girl, the performance and narrative is combined together and is later separated from the narrative. Furthermore, the last shot focuses on Awol.
From this, I am going to take on board the using of a minimalistic set and focusing more on the Lead singer for star image but not to completely ignore the other band members. It is also clear to me that voyeurism and a blend between narrative and performance is used for even the independent artists so I will try to use this in my own music video, but only if relevant. I believe relevance is more important than conforming to everything.
~Jack~
Introduction!
Hi!
I'm Jack; this is my project, to create a music video centered around Chicago based chip-tune band: I Fight Dragons, specifically their song, The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth. The band is rather niche as they use Nintendo SNES and Game boy systems as their USP. I hope to replicate this idea of individuality through my music video...
I'm Jack; this is my project, to create a music video centered around Chicago based chip-tune band: I Fight Dragons, specifically their song, The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth. The band is rather niche as they use Nintendo SNES and Game boy systems as their USP. I hope to replicate this idea of individuality through my music video...
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