It was very difficult for both Manal and I and the band to find a time when we were all free do to school and work commitments, therefore the cinematography that we used was quite simplistic as we didn't have the time to waste on placing the camera in different positions. Therfore, the main camera shots that we used were extreme close-ups, close-ups, medium close ups and two-shots. We didn't use a lot of camera movements, however they one that we did use were pan, tilt and zoom.
The cinematography that we used is a big part of our music video as it helps to audience to understand the relationship between all of the characters/actors that are performing within the video. They don't have a big impact upon the audience as it isn't something that people really look for or comment on while watching music videos. The cinematography aids the rest of the music video making it flow.
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Analysis/Representation of the Star - Jack Bowden
The first time you properly see Jack he is in the pub, sat around a table with the rest of the City Lightz boys. He is represented as just a normal teenage boy, at the pub having a laugh with his friends. You can see that he's not always looking at the boys, instead he is distracted by someone, and the lyrics aid you with this realisation.
When he pushes Carl away (in the pub), Jack is represented as being quite protective, he knows what he want and he doesn't want anyone to get involved or in the way, or anyone else to have it. This part of the music video, also shows Jacks funny side as you could see it as a way of making the girl laugh in order to get her attention.
In the performance Jack is represented as a leader. He is at the front of a large-ish hall and is stood in front and in the middle of the rest of his band members, showing that as the frontman and lead singer of the band he is of a high importance.
Although he is in a popular band and has lots of girls interested in him, he isn't at all arrogant or bigheaded. Instead Jack takes everything in and is just cool about everything that happens with him.
Jack isn't represented as a typical guy that you see in music videos. The majority, in my personal opinion, come across as being quite arrogant and a charmer, and always having luck with the ladies, while our music video is more realistic in the representation of men trying to win over women.
Analysis of Jack - singing the lyrics helps the narrative to flow, instead of only having him sing in the performance. Jack is a theatre studies student, which has helped with the acting side of the performance. Little acting is used as the majority of the video is just the boys being natural and acting in the same way that they always act with each other.
When he pushes Carl away (in the pub), Jack is represented as being quite protective, he knows what he want and he doesn't want anyone to get involved or in the way, or anyone else to have it. This part of the music video, also shows Jacks funny side as you could see it as a way of making the girl laugh in order to get her attention.
In the performance Jack is represented as a leader. He is at the front of a large-ish hall and is stood in front and in the middle of the rest of his band members, showing that as the frontman and lead singer of the band he is of a high importance.
Although he is in a popular band and has lots of girls interested in him, he isn't at all arrogant or bigheaded. Instead Jack takes everything in and is just cool about everything that happens with him.
Jack isn't represented as a typical guy that you see in music videos. The majority, in my personal opinion, come across as being quite arrogant and a charmer, and always having luck with the ladies, while our music video is more realistic in the representation of men trying to win over women.
Analysis of Jack - singing the lyrics helps the narrative to flow, instead of only having him sing in the performance. Jack is a theatre studies student, which has helped with the acting side of the performance. Little acting is used as the majority of the video is just the boys being natural and acting in the same way that they always act with each other.
Analysis of Locations Used
Anaylsis of The Football Club Location
Analysis of The Magnet Pub Location
- I think that using The Football Club as worked well within our music video as it's a small location and links well with the band as they have performed a lot of gigs there. It's a location that many indie/rock bands use to perform gigs to their fans.
- As this is the bands first music video (or the first music video by us) we thought that by placing them in their usual environment would be a good idea as it meant that they would be able to relax more and not have to worry about being somewhere new.
- Although inside The Football Club is quite small, it manages to hold a lot of people which was good as it meant that the band could perform to an actual audience, showing not only the bands reaction to the audience, but the audiences reaction to the band. Having a large audience also meant that we could use their reaction to the band's music within our video.
Analysis of The Magnet Pub Location
- When we first began filming at the pub location the band were a bit hesitant, and came across as quite tense as they were unaware of what we wanted them to do. However, they soon grasped what this was, as we wanted them to be themselves and act exactly how they would normally act when they are together, not performing.
- The use of The Magnet Pub meant that we could create a narrative to match the lyrics as it had everything we needed, a bar with drinks and glasses, tables and chairs, and a pool table - which are all mentioned in the lyrics.
- Personally if we hadn't used the location of a pub, and had only used a performance, I don't think that the music video would have worked as well as it did.
Voyeurism
Voyeurism is the notion of looking at someone, sometimes this can be in a sexual manner, when they are unaware that they are being watch. Usually the presence of women with any type of film is for the purpose of display instead of narrative.
We have used voyeurism slightly within our music video, with the 'male gaze' which is when there is a powerfully and controlling gaze at a female character, making her objectified. Jack often looks at me (or in my direction) in the music video suggesting this 'male gaze', however, you could also say that there is a 'female gaze' as I look at Jack and the other band members (or in their direction), suggesting that I am objectifying them.
We have used voyeurism slightly within our music video, with the 'male gaze' which is when there is a powerfully and controlling gaze at a female character, making her objectified. Jack often looks at me (or in my direction) in the music video suggesting this 'male gaze', however, you could also say that there is a 'female gaze' as I look at Jack and the other band members (or in their direction), suggesting that I am objectifying them.
Using Goodwin's Theory With Our Music Video
- Within our music video there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals due to the location and props that we used as they were mentioned within the lyrics of the song.
- There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals as the visuals change on the beat.
- We have tried to use the specific iconography (music video style) for the indie/rock genre.
- Production companies often demand close-ups of the main artist, and we have used quite a few close ups of Jack Bowden, who is the main character within the whole music video.
- We have used some reference to voyeurism within our music video, mainly in the treatment of women - Jack looking at me, but we have also used it in the treatment of men as I also look at Jack throughout the video.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Digipack Template
Monday 21 March 2011
Album Cover Ideas
For our album cover I like the idea of using more than one photo of the band. We have a lot of individual photo's of each band member, therefore I think that we should maybe use these for the cover of the album. I think that by doing this our cover will be visually interesting, and also the buyer will be able to see each band member individually and more clearly, while on the back of the album cover I think it would be good to use a group shot. I personally like the photo from the pub where all four band members are leaning on the pool table with their backs to the camera.
Claude Levi-Strauss Theorist
Levi-Strauss theory is quite difficult to apply to our music video, as we don't use binary opposites. The only one I'd say that we use is light and dark between the different locations that we had used, for example, the scenes from the gig are extremely dark, while the scenes from the pub are extremely bright.
In the story of Asdiwal, Levi-Strauss said that each oppositional pair is composed by one real characteristic and one imaginary characteristic in the Timshian society. In other words these opposites don't exist in reality. You could apply this to our music video because at the end he wakes up in the pub, which could be seen as his mind playing tricks on him, and nothing that was seen in the music video has actually happened.
In the story of Asdiwal, Levi-Strauss said that each oppositional pair is composed by one real characteristic and one imaginary characteristic in the Timshian society. In other words these opposites don't exist in reality. You could apply this to our music video because at the end he wakes up in the pub, which could be seen as his mind playing tricks on him, and nothing that was seen in the music video has actually happened.
Claude Levi-Strauss; Binary Opposites Theorist
Levi-Strauss believed that the human brain has certain characteristics which stem from the functions of the brain. These common mental structures lead people to think similarly, reguardless of their society or cultural background.
He also said about the need to classify, the need to impose order on aspects of nature, on peoples relationships with nature, and on relations between people.
He discovered that one of the most common means of classifying is by using binary opposites, such as good and evil, white and black, old and young, high and low. He argued that a fundamental characteristic of the human mind is the desire to find a midpoint between such opposites.
He saw myths and symbols that represent our social existance. For example, in the story of Asdiwal, a myth amoung the Timshian in Canada, there are parallel opposite pairs, such as Matrilocal and Patrilocal, Journey West and Journey East, Sea and Land, Sea Hunting and Land Hunting. Each oppositional pair is composed by one real characteristic and one imaginary characteristic in the Timshian society. In other words, these opposites don't exist in reality. Levi-Strauss argued that these fantasy oppositions reveal our tendancy of classifying our complicated reality by giving explanations.
He also said about the need to classify, the need to impose order on aspects of nature, on peoples relationships with nature, and on relations between people.
He discovered that one of the most common means of classifying is by using binary opposites, such as good and evil, white and black, old and young, high and low. He argued that a fundamental characteristic of the human mind is the desire to find a midpoint between such opposites.
He saw myths and symbols that represent our social existance. For example, in the story of Asdiwal, a myth amoung the Timshian in Canada, there are parallel opposite pairs, such as Matrilocal and Patrilocal, Journey West and Journey East, Sea and Land, Sea Hunting and Land Hunting. Each oppositional pair is composed by one real characteristic and one imaginary characteristic in the Timshian society. In other words, these opposites don't exist in reality. Levi-Strauss argued that these fantasy oppositions reveal our tendancy of classifying our complicated reality by giving explanations.
Sunday 20 March 2011
Personality
A creative tip for film making is personality, the best creative work has a sense of identity, a signature should come from us, the more authentic the better.
I think that we were authentic with our music video due to the locations that we used, also we used a lot of raw footage of the band performing and the audience enjoing their music, and we used a few short blackouts throughout the video that matches the beat of the song.
I think that we were authentic with our music video due to the locations that we used, also we used a lot of raw footage of the band performing and the audience enjoing their music, and we used a few short blackouts throughout the video that matches the beat of the song.
Genre Conventions
One of the creative tips for film making is the follow the conventions of the genre. I think that we followed the majority of these conventions. For example, we used a lot of medium close ups of the front man's face, medium close-ups of the other band members and their instruments, and the shots changed roughly every 1-4 seconds.
However, another creative tip was to break the rules, if appropriate. We did this by making some of our shots longer than 4 seconds, and we also used a lot of shots from the narrative filming.
However, another creative tip was to break the rules, if appropriate. We did this by making some of our shots longer than 4 seconds, and we also used a lot of shots from the narrative filming.
Feedback from our Media Group
Holly & Laura
- Cross transition in the pub, linked to the England flag in the gig.
- Thought this was the end of the music video.
- Maybe second tapping of the feet right at the end, ends how it starts.
- Matches the music.
- It's like friends filming friends.
- Interative.
Fern & Lauren
- Flows well.
- Words are in perfect timing with lip movement.
- Works well.
Scott, Liam & Anthony
- The first shot is a bit long.
- Don't like the cross transition in the pub.
- Looks amiturish.
- Perfect lip-syncing.
- Black shots, softer transition.
Jordan
- Wouldn't have used the cross transition.
- Like the storyline.
- Flows well.
- No shot is too long or too short.
- Cross transition in the pub, linked to the England flag in the gig.
- Thought this was the end of the music video.
- Maybe second tapping of the feet right at the end, ends how it starts.
- Matches the music.
- It's like friends filming friends.
- Interative.
Fern & Lauren
- Flows well.
- Words are in perfect timing with lip movement.
- Works well.
Scott, Liam & Anthony
- The first shot is a bit long.
- Don't like the cross transition in the pub.
- Looks amiturish.
- Perfect lip-syncing.
- Black shots, softer transition.
Jordan
- Wouldn't have used the cross transition.
- Like the storyline.
- Flows well.
- No shot is too long or too short.
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Arctic Monkeys - At The Apollo
The music DVD cover for Arctic Monkeys - At The Apollo;
I really like the whole music DVD cover and, I would like to do something like this for our cover. However, I'm not sure whether or not I would keep the original colouring of the photo's or edit them to be black and one colour like what has been used above.
- The use of simplistic images and text is more likely to grab my attention instead of something that is busy and have a lot going on.
- I really like how the images are laid out. The use of a seperate image for each band member represents them as individuals, while placing them all together presents them as a group.
- the use of only four colours is simplistic, but very eye-catching as it presents more on the band and who they are as individuals as well as a group.
I really like the whole music DVD cover and, I would like to do something like this for our cover. However, I'm not sure whether or not I would keep the original colouring of the photo's or edit them to be black and one colour like what has been used above.
The Killers: Thin White Dukes - A Documentary Film
The music DVD cover for The Killers: Thin White Dukes - A Documentary Film;
I like the simplisity of this music DVD cover. However, although I want ours to be quite simple, I think that this is too simple and I would like to use a few more images of the band to show them in different locations.
- The cover of this music DVD is very simple, it shows only what needs to be shown, for exmple the name of the band, the name of the music DVD and an image of the band.
I like the simplisity of this music DVD cover. However, although I want ours to be quite simple, I think that this is too simple and I would like to use a few more images of the band to show them in different locations.
The Wedding Present - Dick York's Wardrobe
The music DVD cover for The Wedding Present - Dick York's Wardrobe;
- Visually interesting as it has lots of different images all placed together.
- The use of different and bright colours means that the cover isn't boring to look at.
- Has both the name of the band and the name of the music DVD on the front so that people purchasing the item know exactly who the band is.
The Cranberries - Stars: The Best Of (1992-2002)
The music DVD cover for The Cranberries - Stars: The Best Of (1992-2002);
- I like the use of different image that are different shapes, sizes and colouring being placed around the edge, it makes the cover look more visually interesting.
- The name of the band and music dvd having been placed off-centre is another aspect that I like as it's different and simple.
Overall I like the whole music DVD cover. I like the use of different images of the band as a group and as individuals and the different colourings work well against each other. This is something that I would like to use within our digipack, especially as we have a lot of different pictures of the band as a group and as individuals.
Travis - The Singles
The music DVD cover for Travis - The Singles;
I really like this DVD cover as it's simple, and for ours I don't want to make things too complicated or confusing for people to look at as they may not purchase the item.
- Simple, yet eyecatching.
- Black and white individual photo's shows each bands members individuality, however, by placing them next to each other it also presents them as a group.
- The pictures are what stands out the most, however, the text in the top left hand corner is also simple, however, it's colouring is what makes it stand out.
I really like this DVD cover as it's simple, and for ours I don't want to make things too complicated or confusing for people to look at as they may not purchase the item.
Feedback From The Band
Overall the feedback that we recieved from the band has been positive and they all like the music video. Jack who is the lead person throughout the video particularly likes it. They all really like the pub scenes, however, they all agree that the scenes from the gig are incredibly dark and it's difficult to see anything.
Tom, who is one of the guitarists for the band, and also a good friend of mine, said that he likes the video, howevere he's not that crazy about it because the song we've used is one of their very old songs.
Tom, who is one of the guitarists for the band, and also a good friend of mine, said that he likes the video, howevere he's not that crazy about it because the song we've used is one of their very old songs.
Friday 11 March 2011
Feedback
Below is some of the feedback that we recieved from putting our music video on social networking websites such as youtube.com and facebook.com. I'm very pleased with the feedback that we have recieved as people like it;
'Really good Grace, you could do that as a living. Not to sure about your casting of the girl behind the bar though lol. Well done darling x'
- James Anderson
'Well done girls and City Lightz, really impressed with your video. A lot of hard work must have gone into the making of it. Congrats to all concerned.'
- Cynthia Dowling
'I like the music, nice catchy tune. Well presented, didn't understand the gap - music and the stop. The whole lot was very well presented. In par with other music videos that are out now. I liked the transitions. Overall very professional.'
- Chris Thomas
'The music is really catchy and loving the little rap thing throughout the video, I prefer the bit were you're in the pub to the actual concert, but it looks very professional, well done! :) xx'
- Ema Bull
'Not too shabby'
- Jordan Reynolds
'It's good! :)'
- Becks English
'It's good. The dark scenes are too dark. There's too much change between the pub and the night gig.'
- Joe Littleton
'It's awesome. I like it all, don't think I would change any of it.'
- Vikki Wakeham
'I really like it. I like the fact that it's not cliche like everything else, like most music videos try and compete to be the best, I really like the transitions between different parts, it's really original.'
- Ben Cockram
'I really like it'
- Abbie Sarah Croucher
'I like it a lot. The song's good as well. I like it all, I think it's very good.'
- Kayds Longley
'Good video, I wouldn't be able to do it. I like how you've done it.'
- Russ Gibb
'Really good music video. Love it.'
- Zoe Johnson
'It's very good. The barmaid is the best bit of the video lol. On a more serious note, it's very professional looking.'
- Ryan Meadows
'Hello Grace - love the way you swap between the "gig" (old person talking) and the pub video. Do wonder if the flashing/pixelling at the gig will effect people i.e epilepsy etc? Looks professional, though I do think the Magnet needs a better barmaid!! Luv you xxx'
- Jand Wood
'It's a really good video. Wouldn't change anything'
- Ben Johnson
Gracie I love it. The music is great and the words are catchy too. The dark bits were you had the gropies dancing and jumping round were a bit o dark, but really enjoyed the storyline the whole video it was in line with the words of the song and th pub scenes were very very good.
- Maria Thomas
'Really good Grace, you could do that as a living. Not to sure about your casting of the girl behind the bar though lol. Well done darling x'
- James Anderson
'Well done girls and City Lightz, really impressed with your video. A lot of hard work must have gone into the making of it. Congrats to all concerned.'
- Cynthia Dowling
'I like the music, nice catchy tune. Well presented, didn't understand the gap - music and the stop. The whole lot was very well presented. In par with other music videos that are out now. I liked the transitions. Overall very professional.'
- Chris Thomas
'The music is really catchy and loving the little rap thing throughout the video, I prefer the bit were you're in the pub to the actual concert, but it looks very professional, well done! :) xx'
- Ema Bull
'Not too shabby'
- Jordan Reynolds
'It's good! :)'
- Becks English
'It's good. The dark scenes are too dark. There's too much change between the pub and the night gig.'
- Joe Littleton
'It's awesome. I like it all, don't think I would change any of it.'
- Vikki Wakeham
'I really like it. I like the fact that it's not cliche like everything else, like most music videos try and compete to be the best, I really like the transitions between different parts, it's really original.'
- Ben Cockram
'I really like it'
- Abbie Sarah Croucher
'I like it a lot. The song's good as well. I like it all, I think it's very good.'
- Kayds Longley
'Good video, I wouldn't be able to do it. I like how you've done it.'
- Russ Gibb
'Really good music video. Love it.'
- Zoe Johnson
'It's very good. The barmaid is the best bit of the video lol. On a more serious note, it's very professional looking.'
- Ryan Meadows
'Hello Grace - love the way you swap between the "gig" (old person talking) and the pub video. Do wonder if the flashing/pixelling at the gig will effect people i.e epilepsy etc? Looks professional, though I do think the Magnet needs a better barmaid!! Luv you xxx'
- Jand Wood
'It's a really good video. Wouldn't change anything'
- Ben Johnson
Gracie I love it. The music is great and the words are catchy too. The dark bits were you had the gropies dancing and jumping round were a bit o dark, but really enjoyed the storyline the whole video it was in line with the words of the song and th pub scenes were very very good.
- Maria Thomas
Thursday 10 March 2011
Barthes - Theorist
Barthes theory can be applied to any film therefore below I have applied it to my music video;
1. HERMENEUTIC (ENIGMA CODE)
In our music video the audience question what will happen between
the couple and why he's alseep at the end of the music video.
2. ACTION CODE
Do we gain closure at the end of the music video?
I don't think that we do, as the audience are left questioning things,
also, nothing happens between the couple.
3. SEMANTIC CODE
The video can symbolise the relationship that bands have with their fans,
however, I do think that the story behind the music video is very straight-
forward and simple to understand due to the visuals matching the lyrics.
4. CULTURAL (REFERENTIAL) CODE
There is the ideology that male bands have lots of female fans which
we have used within our music video. We also relate to the culture of
bands, with the locations that they can be found in.
5. SYMBOLIC CODE
I personally don't believe that there is a bigger or deeper meaning to
the music video, however, there may be a bigger or deeper meaning
to the lyrics of the song.
1. HERMENEUTIC (ENIGMA CODE)
In our music video the audience question what will happen between
the couple and why he's alseep at the end of the music video.
2. ACTION CODE
Do we gain closure at the end of the music video?
I don't think that we do, as the audience are left questioning things,
also, nothing happens between the couple.
3. SEMANTIC CODE
The video can symbolise the relationship that bands have with their fans,
however, I do think that the story behind the music video is very straight-
forward and simple to understand due to the visuals matching the lyrics.
4. CULTURAL (REFERENTIAL) CODE
There is the ideology that male bands have lots of female fans which
we have used within our music video. We also relate to the culture of
bands, with the locations that they can be found in.
5. SYMBOLIC CODE
I personally don't believe that there is a bigger or deeper meaning to
the music video, however, there may be a bigger or deeper meaning
to the lyrics of the song.
Barthes - Theorist
Barthes is a French theorist who narrowed down the action of a text into five key narrative codes which can be applied to any film.
1. HERMENEUTIC (ENIGMA CODE)
This code refers to any element of the story not fully explained,
the mystery keeps the audience guessing.
2. ACTION CODE
This code builds tension, refers to the action, an event that indicated
something will happen. In most films we gain closure.
(open narrative/closed narrative).
3. SEMANTIC CODE
This code refers to connotations within the story,
the additional meaning.
(connotation - underlining meaning, what it symbolises).
4. CULTURAL (REFERENTIAL) CODE
This code refers to the culture knowledge that you have of the film
and of that society, morality and ideology.
5. SYMBOLIC CODE
This code refers to the wider/bigger meaning of the film.
Organising semantic meanings in deeper and broader meanings.
1. HERMENEUTIC (ENIGMA CODE)
This code refers to any element of the story not fully explained,
the mystery keeps the audience guessing.
2. ACTION CODE
This code builds tension, refers to the action, an event that indicated
something will happen. In most films we gain closure.
(open narrative/closed narrative).
3. SEMANTIC CODE
This code refers to connotations within the story,
the additional meaning.
(connotation - underlining meaning, what it symbolises).
4. CULTURAL (REFERENTIAL) CODE
This code refers to the culture knowledge that you have of the film
and of that society, morality and ideology.
5. SYMBOLIC CODE
This code refers to the wider/bigger meaning of the film.
Organising semantic meanings in deeper and broader meanings.
City Lightz - Tired Eyes
Below is the completed music video for the song Tired Eyes by the band City Lightz. I have put it on youtube and I will also put it on some social networking sites in order to get as much feedback as possible.
Laura Mulvey - Theorist
Although the majority of male directors make males the subjects and females the object, and female directors make females the subjects and males the objects, within our music video we have stuck with Laura Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' and have made the active male/passive female relationship with the two characters within the narrative part of our music video. Jack, as our main male protagonist within our music 'controls the events with the active power of the erotic look'.
Jack is presented as an active and controlling subject, and he treats me (as the lead female within the narrative) as a passive object of desire. However, Jack sees me in a sexual way/in a desiring way, while the audience don't, but they can see his reaction to me.
The band are a stereotypical band as they are loved and chased by females, which is seen in the performance part of the music video, but the narrative shows how Jack isn't interested in anyone but me, while I'm not interested - thus breaking the conventions of a stereotypical music video for a band. The boys in the video for the narrative do all the looking, while i am there to be looked at. However, in the performance part of the music video the women in the audience of the bands performance do all the looking, while the boys in the band are just there to be looked at.
While the band are looked at by girls, throughout the music video they aren't seen as sex object, instead they are more about the music.
Jack is presented as an active and controlling subject, and he treats me (as the lead female within the narrative) as a passive object of desire. However, Jack sees me in a sexual way/in a desiring way, while the audience don't, but they can see his reaction to me.
The band are a stereotypical band as they are loved and chased by females, which is seen in the performance part of the music video, but the narrative shows how Jack isn't interested in anyone but me, while I'm not interested - thus breaking the conventions of a stereotypical music video for a band. The boys in the video for the narrative do all the looking, while i am there to be looked at. However, in the performance part of the music video the women in the audience of the bands performance do all the looking, while the boys in the band are just there to be looked at.
While the band are looked at by girls, throughout the music video they aren't seen as sex object, instead they are more about the music.
Laura Mulvey - Theorist
Laura Mulvey is a feminist film theorist who wrote a seminal article called 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', which was published in 1975.
Mulvey notes that Freud (theorist on dreams and the subconscious mind) had referred to (infantile) scopophilia, which is the pleasure involved in looking at other people's bodies as (particularly erotic) objects. She also states how in the darkness of a cinema auditorium, it's notable that one may look without being seen, either by the people on screen or by other members of the audience.
Mulvey argues that various features of the viewing conditions in a cinema facilitate for the viewer the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters as well as the narcissistic process of identification with an 'ideal ego' seen on the screen.
She also states that in the society that we live in today, which is fluid (always changing), 'pleasure in looking has been split between the active male and the passive female.' Also, 'as the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence.'
Due to 88% of American directors being male, therefore they subconsciously make men control the narrative.
Traditionally, films present men as active and controlling subjects and they treat women as passive objects of desire for both men in the story and men in the audience, and they do no allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right. Basically, men do the looking, while women are there to be looked at.
Many critical responses have been that Mulvey's argument in her paper 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' seemed to be essentialist. It tended to treat spectatorship and maleness as homogeneous essences - as if there's only one type of spectator - male - and only one type of masculinity - heterosexual, the reason for this being that most Hollywood films are heterosexual. However, women objectify men just as much as men objectify women, it's just very rare to see in music video and films. Also, their is a niche market of homosexual films, and there is becoming a rise in the sexualisation of the male body in both films and advertising.
Mulvey notes that Freud (theorist on dreams and the subconscious mind) had referred to (infantile) scopophilia, which is the pleasure involved in looking at other people's bodies as (particularly erotic) objects. She also states how in the darkness of a cinema auditorium, it's notable that one may look without being seen, either by the people on screen or by other members of the audience.
Mulvey argues that various features of the viewing conditions in a cinema facilitate for the viewer the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters as well as the narcissistic process of identification with an 'ideal ego' seen on the screen.
She also states that in the society that we live in today, which is fluid (always changing), 'pleasure in looking has been split between the active male and the passive female.' Also, 'as the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence.'
Due to 88% of American directors being male, therefore they subconsciously make men control the narrative.
Traditionally, films present men as active and controlling subjects and they treat women as passive objects of desire for both men in the story and men in the audience, and they do no allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right. Basically, men do the looking, while women are there to be looked at.
Many critical responses have been that Mulvey's argument in her paper 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' seemed to be essentialist. It tended to treat spectatorship and maleness as homogeneous essences - as if there's only one type of spectator - male - and only one type of masculinity - heterosexual, the reason for this being that most Hollywood films are heterosexual. However, women objectify men just as much as men objectify women, it's just very rare to see in music video and films. Also, their is a niche market of homosexual films, and there is becoming a rise in the sexualisation of the male body in both films and advertising.
Two Modes of Looking
Laura Mulvey is a feminist film theorist, who stated that there were two modes of looking; voyeuristic looking and fetidhistic looking.
Voyeuristic looking involves a controlling gaze. Mulvey argued that this has associations with sadism; 'pleasure lies in asserting guilt - asserting control and subjecting the guilty person through punishment or forgiveness.'
Fetishistic looking involves 'the substitution of a fetish object or turning to represented figure itself into a fetish so that it becomes reassuring rather than dangerous. This builds up the physical beauty of the object, transforming it into something satisfying itself. The erotic instinct is focused on the look alone.'
Voyeuristic looking involves a controlling gaze. Mulvey argued that this has associations with sadism; 'pleasure lies in asserting guilt - asserting control and subjecting the guilty person through punishment or forgiveness.'
Fetishistic looking involves 'the substitution of a fetish object or turning to represented figure itself into a fetish so that it becomes reassuring rather than dangerous. This builds up the physical beauty of the object, transforming it into something satisfying itself. The erotic instinct is focused on the look alone.'
Editing Process
In order for our music video to look alternative and to make it visually interesting, we have decided to put in a series of editing transitions to make the footage flow and link better. Also, some of the shots that we used were quite long, however we wanted to use all of the shot, therefore instead of cutting it down we used editing transitions to break up the footage.
The editing transitions that we're using are dissolve, this transition makes the shot dip to black, and we have used this on some of the footage of the crowd at the performance. We have also used a centre split to break up the footage of the band playing pool in the pub, this shot showed the band as a whole, working together, and we liked how they were all placed and didn't want to cut it down. The final editing transition that we used was a simple push were one shot "runs" onto the screen overlapping the previous.
The editing transitions that we're using are dissolve, this transition makes the shot dip to black, and we have used this on some of the footage of the crowd at the performance. We have also used a centre split to break up the footage of the band playing pool in the pub, this shot showed the band as a whole, working together, and we liked how they were all placed and didn't want to cut it down. The final editing transition that we used was a simple push were one shot "runs" onto the screen overlapping the previous.
Thursday 3 March 2011
Find Your Tribe
There is a website called, www.findyourtribe.com which puts you into a category based on your likes, dislikes and interests. Below is my results after taking the quiz;
Michel Gondry - Music Video Director
"Sometime it's better to have less money (for budget) and more freedom"
- Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry was born May 8th, 1963 and is a French music video director who is also known for his commercials and academy award winning screenwriting. He has directed music videos for artists such as Daft Punk, Foo Fighters, White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers and Radiohead. His videos usually use time and repetition to give a surreal edge to what could possibly be a boring music video. He uses colour and costumes to make his videos more surreal. Gondry shows that a music video doesn't need to have a narrative or anything else that coincides with the lyrics in order for it to be effective.
Daft Punk - Around The World
- Quirky and colour.
- Characters in crazy costumes (e.g. swimming costumes, mummies etc.)
- It's a simplistic looking video however it's very busy and has a lot going on.
- Camera is placed in different angles to make it visually interesting.
- The video follows the repetitiveness and simplicity of the lyrics of the song.
The White Stripes - Hardest Buttons to Button
- Repeats the instruments as the artists move around.
- The editing is fast and snappy to match the pace of the song.
- Uses interesting camera angles.
- Shows the artist performing the song.
- Uses a similar colour scheme (primary colours) throughout the video.
Star Analysis - The Kooks
The Kooks are an indie/pop band who formed in Brighton, East Sussex in 2006. They have reached the top of the charts with a number of their singles from their album inside in/inside out, which was their debut album.
The music video for the song 'Naive' mainly consists of the lead singer walking around a dark bar/club looking for someone. There are occasional cuts from the bar/club to the lead singer and a girl sitting at home. The lighting is dark to show the dark place he's in, however, you are still able to see that he is lip syncing along with the lyrics of the song. The video is outlandish or in your face, instead it is incredibly simple, and you don't see a lot, however it is a good video to sell the lead singer. One thing I don't like about the music video is that it only sells the lead singer and not the band as a whole, as you very rarely see them.
The music video for the song "She Moves In Her Own Way" shows the band as a whole and is therfore different to "Naive". This video helps to sell the band to their target audience as everyone is shown. The video shows lots of different clips of the band in different places around the world, which is something that isn't seen very often in music videos, representing the bands individuality.
What the Song Means to Me
While listening to the lyrics of the song, I visualised what I wanted to do for the music video that we are to create. For example, I think that both a performance and a narrative section of the music video would work well with both the song and the bands image as well the alternative/indie genre that the band are in.
I think that a contrast between the performance and the narrative is a good idea. For example, the use of a gig would be able to show off how the band perform to an audience and how they react towards each other while on stage. Also, this could be a busy gig to show how popular the band is, while on the other hand, the narrative part of the music video in a pub could be quite quiet, with just the band hanging out together to show how close they are as a band as they share their spare time together, and also how people only like them for their music.
Some fans only like an artist for their music, not for how they are as actually human beings, and this video therefore reflects that.
I think that a contrast between the performance and the narrative is a good idea. For example, the use of a gig would be able to show off how the band perform to an audience and how they react towards each other while on stage. Also, this could be a busy gig to show how popular the band is, while on the other hand, the narrative part of the music video in a pub could be quite quiet, with just the band hanging out together to show how close they are as a band as they share their spare time together, and also how people only like them for their music.
Some fans only like an artist for their music, not for how they are as actually human beings, and this video therefore reflects that.
Meaning Behind the Lyrics
From reading the lyrics to the song 'Tired Eyes' by City Lightz, I've come to the conclusion that the song is about a group of guys that are out in a club having a good time, and one of the guys sees the girl behind the bar and his night then revolves around trying to impress the girl, while at the same time still having a fun night out with his friends. We also thought that to add to the alternative/indie element of the band that the end of the band, the lead guy could wake up in the bar/club that the rest of video was in, however he's on his own with a table full of empty glasses.
The images I got from listening to the lyrics where things such as a performance within a crowded club or a crowded gig, with people drinking, dancing and generally having fun. I also thought of a pub/bar linked to the alternative/indie scene with a group of guys fighting, playing pool and getting drunk in a bar.
The images I got from listening to the lyrics where things such as a performance within a crowded club or a crowded gig, with people drinking, dancing and generally having fun. I also thought of a pub/bar linked to the alternative/indie scene with a group of guys fighting, playing pool and getting drunk in a bar.
Our Album Cover
For the front of the album cover I'd quite like to use the above picture. We could cut out the background, just leaving the band so that potential buyers won't be distracted by anything in the background, instead they will be able to focus more on the band. I think it would be good to change the colouring to black and white to make the band seem more like a unit.
For the back of the album cover I think it would be good to use this. I think to make it look more professional I'd like to cut out the band and the pool table so that there is no background of the pub and to make it black and white. Possibly to make it more visually interesting we could keep the green of the pool table while the band are in black and white.
We could then use a contrasting colour on the green pool table to show the song titles or any other details to put on the back of the album cover.
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