HW: Brighton Reflection

Reflection on Brighton Shoot



Where did you go and what were your aims?

We went to Brighton with the aim of practicing and expanding our filming and planning skills in preperation for our real shoot, we ended up practicing a number of our shot ideas for our real production and went to a variety of locations within Brighton. Some of our most effective locations were the pier, the arcade, the lanes and side streets within the town.


What Did You Achieve?

We succeeded in filming most of our potential shot ideas for our actual production, aswell as this we found some great potential locations and formed some mutuals ideas about the actual look of our video and how it should be filmed.

What Problems Did you encounter?

We encountered a couple of obstacles whilst filming in Brighton, the majority of these were because of the weather, it was very windy and at times a bit rainy so we had problems keeping the camera steady and dry. Aswell as this we had location problems, some people werent happy with us including them in our ambient shots and our shots within shops and cafes and the arcade. However we overcame these problems and finished a successful shoot.

What did you learn from that which you can take into the next shoot?

From Brighton we picked up valuable experience and practice shooting potential ideas that we will take into our shoot for the final music video, aswell as this we have refreshed our editing and sound skills which we will have to use in post-production for our actual video. I personally have also used some new techniques like time lapsing (which we used on the picture on the right to speed it up) and colour grading which we will use in our eventual production.



 


 

HW: Media Language and Representation

The View - Same Jeans

 

 

Media Language

- There is a band image being constructed aswell as a slight narrative

- They use mise-en-scene to amplify the lyrics, by using costume the singer has a distinctive pair of skinny jeans on

- This is also a conventional image for the indy rock genre (skinny jeans, long hair, four piece bands etc.)

- They also use camera techniques to amplify the lyrics, there are lots of close-ups and prevalence for the pair of jeans

- It uses a conventional fast - cutting rate

- There are plenty of performance scenes which are used to promote the band and their look

 

Representation

- Dyer states that an artist must be both present and absent in a video which is seen here as the band are present as they perform on stage, however they could be seen as absent as they never use third person mode of address or break the fourth wall

- This helps to sell the band as the audience are left unsatisfied

- They are also simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, they can be seen as ordinary as he wakes up in a normal apartment and they all wear pretty unspectacular clothing

- However they are also seen as extraordinary as they play on stage to a crowd of adoring fans

- Their social group (indy teenagers) is being represented in this video as quite independent and underground as they play in a dark music venue, and he is seen to live in a city suburb

 



HW: Genre and Narrative

The Beastie Boys - Sabotage



 

 

Genre and Narrative

- The music genre is hip hop

- The video is disjunctive as the lyrics and music are completely seperate from the visuals

- Archer states that disjunctive music videos are based on abstract imagery and dont make a lot of sense which can be seen in this video as the narrative is difficult to follow

- It is conventional as it uses a fast cutting rate to convey verisimilitude

- It pays homage to 1970's 'cop' programmes such as Hawaii five-O, SWAT and Starsky and Hutch

- However it is also very unconventional to mainstream music videos as it doesnt feature any performance and the narrative doesnt even match the themes of the song

- The video features lots of examples of mise-en-scene through its urban 1970's setting, aswell as its use of costume to promote its cop narrative

- In terms of camera it only uses handicam there are no fixed frames or angles  

- The video has some intertextual reference about society and its representation of the police service which is seen as almost comedic and not a particularly serious topic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



AY: Genre and narrative

 

'Pompeii' by Bastille

 

Genre and Narrative

• This video is an example of amplification whereby there is still a link between the lyrics and the visuals however the meaning of the song has been altered slightly to mean something greater.
• The use of camera movements and mise-en-scene together give it a very artistic look and although there is a band member performing within it, he is not the main focus of the video
• Having said this, the fact that the beginning shots are set in an attic apartment make it feel more commercial as it is the conventional 'man living in an attic in the city' however it is not an expensive looking set which gives it a more artistic feel
• I think that there is some intertextual reference within the video in terms of classes and the seperation of them. This is due to the man looking very disconnected with the world at the beginning of video and later when he is riding through deserted streets it is further illustrated.
• In addition to this, the lyrics say 'The walls came tumbling down in the city that we loved'. This indicates that the city has perhaps collapsed in terms of society turning on one another which is illustrated by the deserted and littered streets that have been abandoned by its inhabitants.
• I think that this video could be considered art as it provides some interesting visuals to illustrate the song lyrics. As well as this, the locations and construction of mise-en-scene give it artistic value as they are not obvious commercial locations such as London or New York

AY: Representation

 

'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke ft. T.I and Pharrell

Representation

• The artists in this song are represented as typical heterosexual 'macho men'
• The main representation within is this video is focused largely on Women
• Women are represented as sexual objects which can be applied to the theory of Laura Mulvey and the 'male gaze' whereby a woman is present for the pleasure of a male
• There is a lot of veuyerism in the video shown by women dancing round in minimal clothing and they do not have a particular purpose
• The woman in this video have a very artificial look as they all have flawless skin, perfect bodies and although they are made to look 'natural' they are not a true representation of the female gender. This is supporting the 'myth of feminity'
• The stereotypes in this video are very prevelant in that women are submissive to the men and are there to be enjoyed. This is further implied by the actions of the men for example one is of a man pulling on her hair indicating his control and possessiveness over her.
• I think that this video is reinforcing negative ideologies of women in the media as it is showing them in a sexual manor to be appreciated by men with no other significant roles being portrayed
• Finally there is evidence of 'Ritualization of Subordination' in that the woman are shown as childish. This is done by capturing shots of the women sucking their fingers and thumbs and in one it shows one of the men brushing her hair as if she is not able to do it herself. This automatically portrays women as being lower in status than the men and further creates a negative representation. In addition to this, they are shown to be protected by the men as they are hugging them making them look more vulnerable and reliant on the men.

AY: Institution and audience and Media Language

 

'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic

 

Institution and Audience

• Consumed through online channels such as YouTube and Vevo where audiences can watch videos as many times as they want for free
• Websites such as Spotify allow people to download songs for free and create online playlists which they can also share with their friends
• Using New Media Technologies, the song can be downloaded onto an MP3 device an listened to whenever the consumer wants to
• The institutional context of the video is bringing together two different generations through the use of religion and dance
• The man is seen to be 'healing' people and enlightening them by bringing out hidden talent within each one

Media Language

• I think that the message behind the video, describes a couple struggling to survive in their relationship for various reasons.
• The lyrics "Lately I been, I been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be" suggest a person who has lost love and is struggling to come to terms with this fact.  
• As well as this it could be used to portray someone who has recently over come an addiction but has now sunk back into old habbits:  "make that money, watch it burn," suggests that they are wasting their money on substances such as drugs. "Sink in the river the lesson's I learned," implies that they are ignoring what someone has taught them as they cannot live without this addiction.
• The lyric "Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars" suggests a person who has run out of money and is having to live on the streets therefore counting stars as a way to pass time.
• "Everything that kills me makes me feel alive" further suggests a link to drug abuse as these are potentially harmful but they give people highs which encourage them to continue taking them and become addicted.
• As well as this, the link with religion is brought into the lyrics "I been, I been praying hard" as if the person has been praying for forgiveness for squandering their money.  
• Comic affect is induced into the video through the use of dance. For example the man makes a business woman do the 'worm' subconsciously. This is comical as it looks more like break dancing and therefore the audience would not expect a woman of this demeanour to dance in such a way

HW: Institution and Audience

The Courteeners - Not Nineteen Forever



 

Audience - How might this video be consumed?

 

- The target audience for this song and video would generally be male teenagers of 12 - 20 

- The genre of the song is indie rock

- The band have their own following so this would widen the target audience.

Because of this the video would generally be consumed using new media technologies and the web 2.0 on video websites such as vimeo and youtube

- As well as this the video would be spread on social networking sites and via word of mouth

- The video would normally be consumed as a focused viewing as primary consumption

 

Institution - What role would the record label play in creating these promotional text?

 

- As it is in the indie genre traditionally the record label wouldn't be too involved in the musical creation process

- The video has clearly been created to promote the band as it is mostly performance with clear shots of the of the band and the singer.

- The band are under the label Polydor which is an independent and small-time label, so the band would be relatively free of label constrictions and would be less likely to entered into the mainstream and so appeal to their indie target audience