Wednesday 30 September 2009

SW & SC Audience Research - Detailed Plan for Focus Group

Plan for Focus Group

We will carry out the focus group discussion at school in a room where everyone will be able to hear the song clearly and be able to imagine ideas and inspiration from listening to it. We will carry out this discussion with about 15 people, so that we can get a wide range of results and feedback.

1. Listen to the track that we are going to make a video for – Kings of Leon – Be Somebody. Whilst listening to the song the group are going to make notes of ideas they have.

2. The group are going to discuss the ideas that they have and what they expect to see in a music video, one at a time and Sarah and I are going to make notes about everyone ideas.

3. We will then pitch the ideas that we have come up with so far (including showing pictures of locations, characters, certain props and we will explain the style that we are trying to achieve) and discuss with the focus group whether it is what they expect to see in an indie/rock music video.

4. We will then ask the focus group to draw a rough sketch of what they would expect the see on the front cover of the digipak from inspiration from the discussion.

5. Then each person will share the ideas that they have come up with in the group. By carrying out this research it allows us to keep the images and ideas that people have come up with in the group.

SW A Collage of Album Covers

This Album Cover Moodboard shows a variety of different artists and bands of a similar genre to the Kings of Leon and therefore shows us different digipak's that have already been done before. From this, I can see that 6 out of 9 of the coverart's designs do not show an image of the band, they are more abstract images. Also from this range of digipak's i can see that some of the designs are cartoons.

Tuesday 29 September 2009

SC Technical Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2m49DoD71I

When analysing Air Traffic – Shooting Star, i realised that there are a vast amount of shots, much more than i had first anticipated. The average shot length was around 2seconds continually throughout. Air Traffic have a similar genre as the Kings of Leon so i felt it would be an effective and useful track to analyse, as many of the conventions for a video of this genre would be apparent in the music video for Air Traffic’s song shooting star.

The majority of the video is made up of performance shots, however does have a narrative running through. The performance shots often jump between close ups and midshots of each individual band member playing their instruments, and the lead singer has more shots than any of the other band members. The close ups make the music more powerful; it shows the passion that each band member has about the musical instruments they are playing. The performance shots are also made up of a slow pan around the room, moving round the outside of the band as they are all stood facing inwards whilst playing. This helps to establish where the band are playing, and shows the unity of the band all playing together and facing one and other.

All of the narrative is in slow motion, it consists of an initial establishing shot of a girl in a room (in which most of the narrative takes place) followed by many mid shots and long shots of different characters in the room. A bit into the video, objects start mysteriously rising in the background of the room (for example alarm clocks, lamps), there are also close ups of these objects, they then come smashing down where the band is performing. This helps to link the narrative with the performance.

This video has been extremely useful as i have learnt that it is made up of no less than 50% close up shots, which i will definitely have to take into account when creating our music video. The frequent slow pans of the band are also very effective and help to give the audience a full view of the band and the location in which they are performing in.

SW Technical Analysis - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZfJ5ai07U

I carried out a technical analysis of the Kings of Leon song 'Use Somebody'. This is the artist that we are going to create a music video for therefore I felt that it was invaluable for me to analyse videos that the band have done before. From doing this technical analysis I realised that there are many more shots than I previously noticed in a music video, especially in this 'Use Somebody' video. Many of the shots used were 1 second long therefore compacting many shots into the video. The only time where there are long camera shots are when there are close-ups of the lead-singer performing to the camera, which I felt emphasised the image of the lead singer when using this contrast between the many short clips and the long-clips of the close-up.

The video was set in many different locations and many establishing shots were used in the video. At the beginning of the video, quite a few different angled shots were used of the city at night, from a bird's eye-view which suggests that the rest of the video will be set in that location. Other locations that have been used are the band performing on stage. These shots are very useful, as we have decided to show our band performing on a stage at the end of our music video. The different shots that they used for showing the band playing live are mid-shots from a canted angle (sometimes looking up at a tilted angle) this suggests the quirkiness of the band and emphasises the creative lighting, which we could use when constructing our performance part of the music video. Allowing the audience to see the band playing their instruments in the music video shows how talented the band are.

The style and image of the video is also similar to how we want to picture our band as there are different shots used in colour and then clipping to a black and white shot. I thought that this contrasting clipping from the two shots would look tacky and not effective, however I have realised from this video that this style would be effective and would look great on screen, therefore it is an image that i would like to use in our music video. Many of the performance shots were shot in black and white and this really emphasised the bright lighting in the background and gives a quality finish of the final look.

This technical analysis has allowed me to look in more depth into the many different clips that are used in the video and to give me inspiration of a music video that has already been released and that has been successful, therefore allowing me to me positive in the ideas that we have come up with for our music video.

SW & SC Evaluation of Brighton practice location reccie

The practice location reccie was extremely helpful and contributed huge amounts to the development of our ideas for our music video. We hadn't used the cameras in almost a year and it was a great way to familiarise ourselves with the equipment. To begin with it was clear that we had forgotten how to use the equipment most effectively, and after spending an hour working with it we both felt confident in being able to creatively position shots, taking into consideration the location and surroundings. We also discovered a variety of new techniques which we have not used before, for example the notion of looking - we created a shot in which the artists face was reflected in a pair of sunglasses.

The trip gave us the opportunity to explore a number of new and versatile locations. Brighton is full of unique and exciting culture therefore giving us a wide variety of setting giving us ideas for our music video. The quaint cobbled streets were picturesque and reminded us of a familiar location in Tunbridge Wells - The Pantiles, which we now wish to used in our music video. We are also planning on using the Graffiti wall in Brighton which we did not know existed previous to the trip.

The locations we saw have helped us to develop our narrative as they gave us additional ideas which will now contribute to our music video and be a continual theme throughout. We had ideas such as the 'notion of looking', as this will emphasize the image of the band. We had this idea after walking down a back ally and our reflections were very prominent in the windows of an office block. We filmed this and it gave us inspiration to do something similar in our music video. We also had the idea to use our band members walking down a street in suits to show success and fame. We got this idea from walking down the quaint and pretty alleys with business men in suits walking through them. They seemed powerful and successful, and so fit the criteria that we want our band members to fit into at points in our video.

SC & SW Audience Research

The way that we are going to carry out meaningful audience research is through a focus group. We are carrying out this method as we think that a group discussion will help trigger ideas and creative thoughts in our sample audience (14-25) who are interested in the indie-rock genre. A huge advantage of carrying out focus group research, is the interaction that we can have with the sample audience. This will enable us to have a greater understanding of the ideas they are trying to portray and also the ideas they would expect to be in a video of this genre. However there are disadvantages, we will have to either tape or memorize the ideas that they are saying as a discussion could lead to many people talking at once, with a lot of ideas being put forward in a short amount of time. This could make it hard to evaluate, therefore we are overcoming this problem by allowing our sample group to brainstorm on ideas down on paper. Also they could be quite vague with answers and or copy their friends ideas. So we will also overcome this with them each having to write down ideas on paper.

1. We are going to play the track to our sample audience and whilst listening they will brainstorm ideas that they have.
2. We are going to pitch our ideas for the track that we have by passing around photographs of props, locations, and characters and see if the audience like/can enhance any of the ideas we already have through a discussion.
3. We will explain the style that we are trying to portray (black and white images, powerful, dramatic shots) and see if they agree with this style and therefore can give ideas for the digipak and advertisement as we will explain that the style have to be the same.
4. We will then give them 5minutes to brainstorm any extra inspiration that they have for the track on a piece of paper.

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Proposed Reccie's

Garage- a friends garage
This is a predominant location in our music video as it shows how the band are starting off in a scruffy location.

Hotel - Hotel du vin
The Hotel shows the story of where the lead singer meets this mysterious girl, which is another narrative of the song that we are going to have in our music video.

A Street - The Pantiles
The Pantiles is a nice area in which we are thinking of using, showing the wealth of the area in which the band are in emphasising how they are going to get somewhere with their music.

A Stage - The Tunbridge Wells Forum
We are going to use a stage as our main location at the end of the video, showing how the band have got somewhere as they are playing their music to a large audience.

Monday 21 September 2009

Feedback #1 Deadline 21/9

Excellent, thorough, meaningful research. Keep up the good work!
CF

SW Mood Board


The images collaborate the ideas that we have had as inspiration. There are a few images of instruments displaying how the band are going to be playing the instruments in certain clips throughout the music video to express the talent that they have. Other images that I have used in the moodboard are suitable locations that we might use as part of the narrative, such as the garage (as we have decided to have the band playing in this location), on a stage (as the band are going to be performing at the end), a hotel (as this is going to be the location for the narrative of the girl and guy beginning to notice each other and the other location shot is a pretty street emphasising the wealth and success of the band now that they have made it. Other images show the look of the band and other bands that have given us inspiration for our video (The Airborne Toxic Event).

SC Mood Board


SC Print Analysis - Advertisement

The Big Pink, ‘A brief History of love’

Describe the form
The layout of the big pinks album advertisement is A4 and is mostly taken up by a large photo of a woman in black and white with a slight sepia tint. The bottom quarter is a black background with album information on it. The photo also has a black border running around it, which helps to make the photo stand out. The Artist and album name have been placed on the photograph, at the top and in the centre of the page. The Artist name is in white and bold, bigger than the other fonts on the page. This helps it to stand out on the page and makes it the first thing the audience is drawn to, instantly informing them of the artist.

how is the genre evident?
The genre is evident due to the woman used in the photograph. She is naked and the emotion on her face is thoughtful and it seems as though she is gazing off into the distance. This instantly gives the audience the idea that the music evokes emotion and is personal due to the fact she is naked. It is an unusual image and so instantly gives the idea that the music is slightly alternative. Therefore I came to the conclusion that the genre of this music is indie. The overall look of the advert is extremely sophisticated which implies that the band is serious about their music and perhaps talented.


what visual techniques are used
In the photograph used it seems as though the photographer would have taken it through the window of a shower that has steamed up. This creates misty and unclear view of the woman, making her seem mysterious and this therefore entices people in, making the woman seem more interesting. It is also clear that she is an attractive woman which would instantly help to attract attention for this band. The photograph is extremely artistic, it has a classic look and looks like a painting. This makes the advertisement seem beautiful and extremely creative. Evoking the idea that the music also fits in to these categories.

how is meaning generated
The dark background evokes the idea of mystery and vagueness, implying that there is more to find within the album. The photograph of the woman helps to generate meaning also. The expression on the woman's face seems sad, confused and emotional. The fact that she is naked shows she is stripped down bare for everyone to see, this implies that the band are effectively bare in front of the audience and by making their music they are showing the world who they are. I think by using a naked woman they are making a bold statement about identity and they are saying that they are not trying to be anyone but themselves.

what linguistic devices have been used?
The most prominent words placed on the advertisement are the Artist and Album name, purposely placed in an eye catching place and in white and yellow, helping them to stand up against the dark background. The fonts are stylish and clean cut, helping to make the advertisement look neat and tidy, again giving the band a sophisticated and serious look.

how is the band/artist represented?

I think that the band has been represented in as creative, cool and sophisticated. As this is their debut album I think they are trying to portray a new quirky style that is original but also shows that they are taking it seriously. The mysterious aspects of the advertisement should help to entice new audiences in.

how might this text be consumed?
Magazines, billboards, Internet

Friday 18 September 2009

Chosen Track

Our track that we have chosen to make a video of is:

Kings of Leon - Be Somebody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3if6HY_RUqw

SW Reflection on Auteur Videos

An auteur director is a traditional artist of music videos. The directors are considered ‘icons of the genre’ as they come up with refined ideas that convey subtle meaning that the audience can keep revealing every time they watch the video. An example of a highly respected auteur director is Michel Gondry. He directed innovative and exciting videos which attracted bands such as the White Strips and Bjork, to name but a few, to direct their videos. A unique video that is an example of his most prestigious work is The White Stripes’ Fell in love with a girl.



The video involves Lego animation throughout the whole video, even playing the instruments was shown in Lego pieces being individually changed to create movement. Gondry is extremely unique and other auteur’s who share similar qualities to him are Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze and Jonathon Glazer.

SW & SC Institutional Context - What role does the digipak play in constructing brand/promoting the artist?

Illegal downloading on the internet is becoming more accessible due to technological advances; therefore artists need to provide an exciting and unique digipack with their hard-copy of the CD to entice their target audience into paying for a great package deal of their favourite artist. Some items included with the hard-copy of the C.D are posters, interesting pictures of the band and bonus features on the hard copy such as bonus songs and music videos. These are all items which will sell that band and promote them. Also, the digipak allows the consumer to have a collector’s item. The digipak is now also environmentally friendly as they are made out of cardboard.

SW Institutional Context - What is the procedure for making a music video?

Once a record company has signed a band and the band are ready to release a single, the band need as much advertising as possible to promote their song. This can be done in several ways, through advertisements in magazines, on the radio and through making music videos.

The first stage of making the video is hiring a video commissioner. The commissioners job is to make a brief of an idea for the music video. This brief involves the budget, the deadline and other information to send off to potential director's to provide ideas for the track.

The second stage of the video is the planning by the director. He listens to the song and listens to the lyrics. He also takes in the style of the band and the style of previous videos and comes with a proposal. This provides a visual pitch for the record company to look at and to choose the best one.

The third stage is deciding a budget. This is decided by the producer and then approved by the head of production. The budget must be manageable to include all mise-en-scene. It must also not be out of the price range that the company can afford.

The fourth stage of the video is the shooting. The shoot usually takes about a week to prepare and film. Using an actual location is easier than making a set which takes time to build and then pre-lit. The days of shooting can be very long, starting from very early in the morning to very late at night. The job of the director is to make sure that the video looks as good as possible with the budget that they have. The shooting can be extremely expensive because the paying of people used in the video is needed however the extra costs covering the people food and drink is needed whilst they are used for the video as well. Working over-time and longer than expected can be costly for cast and crew, therefore the director needs to make sure that the recording runs smoothly. After the filming has finished, the producer will spend a couple of days making sure that the cast and crew are all paid.

The fifth stage is the editing of the music video. This makes sure that the editing is continual. Also, the editing needs to be in time with the music.

The final stage of the music video is the exhibition of the video. This is showing the video on music channels to advertise the song and allow the target audience to visualise the artist and narrative of the song.

Wednesday 16 September 2009

SC Print Analysis - Digipak


Rainbows - Radiohead http://betterpropaganda.com/images/artwork/In_Rainbows-Radiohead_480.jpg

1. Describe the form
The album cover for 'Rainbows' by Radiohead is extreemly bright and colourful. It has what seems to be an image of an explosion in outter space as the background with the words 'in rainbows' printed over the top 5 times, along with 'Radiohead' printed twice underneath.

2. How is the genre evident?
From the album cover the genre is evident due to the pictures and colours used. I feel that the large explosion in the background implies that the music is euphoric and powerful, and the multicolours give the idea of a creative musical nature. The fact that the cover is stylish to look at also implies that the music is talented and the band members take it seriously.

3. What visual techniques are used?
The bright colours help to attract attention to the cd cover. The explosion, as earlier stated, is to also attract attention and to evoke the idea of euphoric music to the audience. Around the explosion it is dark and mysterious, showing that there is more to the band than what first meets the eye. The bright colours also make a clear link between the album cover and the album name.

4. How is meaning generated?
I think the meaning being portrayed in this picture is aiming as a reflection of the music inside the album. The large burst of colour in the background seems almost magical and makes the album look happy and beautiful.

5. What linguistic devices have been used?
The font used is a simple font. And the different lines of words have all been put in different colours, making the cover bright and cheerful. Between some of the letters there have been symbols used occasionally, for example RAIN_BOW, RAINBOW/, RADIOHEA_D. I think this is almost computer/robot like and as these words are placed on top of an explosion out of space, it makes the album seem like it is 'out of this world'. All of the letters are in capitals, making them bold to stand out.

6. How is the band/artist represented?
The band is represented as creative, happy, positive, euphoric and also stylish. This is due to the multicolours, the explosion, and the simple but effective style that has been used to promote the band.

8. How might this text be consumed?
This text might be consumed in magazines, on billboards, an advert on tv or on the internet.

SW Print Analysis - Advert


Fryars – Dark Young Hearts Advert

Describe the form.
The form of the advertisement shows the separation between he main picture and the writing. They have been separated, emphasising the separation between the sophistication and the band. However, the picture could also be linked to the sophistication of the band.

How is the genre evident?
The genre is evident through the unique use of the separation between the text and the picture. This expresses an alternate look as many advertisements entwine the two together. The suit that is worn in the picture also represents the indie genre, as it is quirky and unusual. This is the style of indie music followers and therefore in it’s sophisticated way it is appealing to the young and older generations.

What visual techniques are used?
The picture used on the left-hand-side of the advertisement is extremely sophisticated and professional. This suggests that even though the band is new and young they have certain maturity about them, suggesting that they would appeal to the an older generation as well as the young indie followers. The picture shows a man wearing a fancy suit looking out over a massive bright green field with trees in the distance. This suggests how the band are looking positively towards the future and are optimistic about their music.
The main Fryars logo has been used at the top on the right-hand-side of the advertisement. The logo is written in a browny/beige colour and in a font that is slightly old-fashioned and medieval, and it is extremely bold and quite a lot larger than the other font. Typical in advertising the consumer is drawn to the top right hand corner and this technique has been used in the advertisement to draw the audience into the name of the band and then to the picture then to the other writing.

How is band/artist represent?
The band is being represented as unique and classy because of the main picture used and the text that has been used, therefore trying to appeal to all ages. The advert expresses how the band is passionate about their music and how they are hoping to be successful in the music industry as they are serious about what they do.

How might this text be consumed?
This advert might be consumed in magazines, on billboards and on the Internet.

SW Print Analysis - Digipak


The Digipak that I have decided to deconstruct is The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement Album.

Describe the form.
The form of the front side of the digipak is this image of a vulnerable yet classic picture of a woman in black and white with bold yet simple writing of the band’s name and album name.

How is the genre evident?
The genre is evident through the image of the girl in the photo. The originality of the girl connotes uniqueness and individuality, which is typical of the indie/rock genre.

What visual techniques are used?
The iconic sign on the front of the digipak is an image of a beautiful girl who is unique and attractive. The girl looks quite vulnerable, however also looking glamorous in an unusual way. The linguistic signs have been thought about to connote meaning about the words used on the front of the digipak. ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’ is written in black bold print which is simple yet in a classic way. ‘The Age of the Understatement’ is written in bold red writing, reinforcing the fact that they are not an understatement.

How is meaning generated?
Meaning is generated through the image on the front of the digipak as there is no image of the band on the front cover; however the band is being represented through this girl on the front cover. This connotes mystery as the consumer does not know exactly what to expect if they are buying the CD without seeing the band beforehand.

How might this text be consumed?
The text might be consumed on legal music downloading sites on the Internet or as a hard copy of the CD in music stores.

Tuesday 15 September 2009

SC Music Video Analysis 1

Air Traffic - Shooting Star http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2m49DoD71I

Genre and Narrative

The genre of Air Traffic – shooting star is indie/pop/rock. It conveys many typical characteristics of the genre throughout the video. For example the band dress in scruffy clothes, such as jeans and jackets, with rugged hair and faces. This is quite a typical image given to bands that perform this type of music. The clips are edited on the music video so that they fit in to the beat, and tempo of the music, which at times is fast paced – with a fast paced cutting rate, (during the chorus) and slow on the verse, with a slow cutting rate. There are frequent close ups of the band members, the lead singer in particular, establishing who he is. The video is both performance and narrative based, the performance is in a dark room with all of the band members facing one and other, passionately playing there instruments. And the performance is based mainly in what seems to be a sheik but messy room. There is another location used outside of a front door, which is in a clip that is only a couple of seconds long.
The lyrics are quite straight forwardly about how a man is in love with a girl, how she is his ‘shooting star’, and that he will do anything for her, waiting for her for as long as it takes. The narrative throughout the video is quite random and could be seen as amplification of the lyrics, but also disjuncture. This is due to the fact that I think many people will interpret the narrative differently. It is extremely artistic and could be seen as extremely random. The narrative includes a girl, often in her underwear and a man, with household items smashing around them. I linked this with the lyrics to come up with the idea that through everything, every problem and barrier that they reach, there love will rise above it. In the song there are the lyrics ‘baby if it all falls through, we can piece it back together’ this is what reinforces my idea. However there is also part of me that believes there is some sort of underline meaning to this video that is more complex than the initial idea of mine, due to the unusual and unique styles and ideas portrayed. Therefore, even though my idea amplifies the lyrics, I also believe that the visuals could be completely random and separate to the meaning of the song. I definitely believe that this video could be considered art; the camera techniques are extremely professional and original, with quirky new and beautiful ideas throughout both the performance, and narrative of the video. The lighting is also very skilled, perfectly setting the mood for the song.

Media Language

There are many different visual techniques used during the music video. The camera often does slow pans around the band as they are performing. This enables the viewer to have a good look at the band as they play their instruments. There are a lot of birds eye shots of the lead singer, this is because he is playing the piano at the same time and it allows the viewer to have a close up shot of the singer whilst seeing him expertly play the piano. As well as frequent close ups of the lead singer, there are also many close ups of the different band members playing there instruments. This shows how passionate each band member is about the song and evokes emotion, amplifying the strength of the song making it seem even more powerful. The music video has been edited so that the clips cut to match the tempo of the song. All of the narrative has been put in slow motion; emphasizing the household objects flying up into the sky and then the impact they have as they come crashing down. The band are dressed in what seems to be day to day wear, and the main girl begins wearing what seems to be a pair of old fashioned jeans and jumper – ending up in bed in her underwear. Within the narrative the people all seem to have emotional problems. They are all posed with straight faces and wide eyes which make them seem quite psychotic. In many clips people are just slowly taking their clothes off and it is as if the closer the couples are getting, the more destruction is going on around them.

Representation

The band is represented as young, stylish, attractive blokes who are extremely passionate, both about their music and emotionally. This challenges the typical stereotype that young stylish blokes are all ‘after one thing’ due to the passion they show through other aspects of life. There is one shot in the clip where there is a woman in the background of the shot with a man facing her in the foreground (with his back to the camera) the woman looks scared and this reinforces the stereotype of a dominant male, and a weak feeble woman. There are also many shots of a woman in her underwear; however she is not represented in the typical ways such as artificial look with dismemberment. Even though she is slim with a good figure, she is not the focus of attention within the clip and it gives the impression that she is having troubles and that there is more to her than is first made out. This challenges the typical representation of women in the media as objects of consumption for male please and suggests that even though she is stood in her underwear, one can still look beyond that and see a woman inside with deep thoughts, feelings and emotion.

Institution and audience

This video would appeal and be consumed by both focused and ambient viewers. A focused viewer would enjoy this because it is clearly a very deep, thought provoking video with a lot of underlying meaning that one could sit and focus on, taking in the different aspects. It has a slight love story running throughout and it is also beautiful and professional to watch. However, I also think that ambient viewers would enjoy this video due to the fact that there are a large number of shots of the band performing, with many repetitive shots. So by just glancing at the screen you instantly know the band and roughly what is going on.

SW The Killers, Mr Brightside Music Video Analysis

Genre and Narrative
The Killers are an indie/rock band and I think this genre does not have any obvious characteristics. However, there are a few subtle ones. In The Killers’ Mr Brightside music video the band are all shown playing their instruments throughout the video and this is one of the main characteristics of this genre. Another characteristic in the video is the use of a love story and specifically a love triangle which is shown visually throughout the video. The link between the lyrics and visuals are quite strong, as the lyrics explain what is going on in the video, however there is not a direct link between the exact actions made to the lyrics. Mr Brightside is an example of illustration as it links the visuals with the lyrics and tells the story through the visuals which relates to the song. The video could be considered as post-modern as it presents some challenging ideas of the uniqueness of the location. This unusual but beautiful location is defined by the deep red curtains that the characters are hiding behind and the vivid statues and interesting ceilings. The use of the doll-like girl as the main girl in the video also adds to the postmodern feel of the video. The video could also be considered as post-modern by the intertextual links to the Moulin Rouge’ theme.


Media Language
Many visual techniques are used in the Mr Brightside music video. For example, long shots have been used throughout the video to show the band together and playing their instruments, this emphasises the skill of the band and shows them performing together. Establishing shots are also used to set the scene and this allows the audience to notice the intertextual linking to the Moulin Rouge theme. A camera movement that has been used is a panning shot from the band moving into a close-up of the lead singer. This allows the audience to establish who the band are and this promotes them. There is also a long shot of the lead singer standing at a balcony watching fireworks and the girl runs to him and they embrace each other. This shot allows the viewer see the setting as romantic and exciting to watch. Editing has been considered through the video and this is shown in the first 5 shots allow the audience to establish who is going to be the important characters in the video and shows the location of the music video. The first clip is of the band, the second clip is of the Moulin Rouge style room, the third shot is of the girl in the love triangle, the fourth shot is of the guy in the love triangle and the fifth shot is of the band but predominantly the lead singer. Deciding the mise-en-scene for a music video is an important part of the production of the video. The use props, helps identify the genre of the video, with the unique use rustic, roman statues and a red furnishing highlights the indie/rock genre. This use of props also has connotations of the Moulin Rouge theme which adds to the post-modernism. The use of characters in the video also adds to how the genre is represented. This is shown through the use of the girl, the girl is unusual looking and she has connotations of fantasy because of the white hair and very pale skin, making her appear pure and unreal. This idea is unique and artist, therefore adding to the post-modern feel of the video. There is one point in the video where special effects have been used to emphasise the fantasy of the video. A layering has been used where the underneath layer is the two guys in the love triangle are competing against each other in a chess games and the layering on top is the girl looking very mystical and dreamy with smoke surrounding her. This emphasises the idealised character of the girl with adds to the representation of the genre.

Representation
The Killers are being represented as a clean cut and classy band. This adds to the meta-narrative already known by the fans as they are shown in the video to be wearing suits and fashionable clothing which adds to the meta-narrative of the classy image. Because, the band are all playing their instruments in the video it portrays the band as extremely talented and this gives them a high representation. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of the band, comes across as being quite rebellious because of the secret affair going on between the girl and him. This adds to the meta-narrative that we haven’t yet seen in the media and challenges the ideological representations of The Killers. The ideological discourse in the video shows how women are represented as being at the men’s beck and call. The women are being presented as an object for male pleasure and consumption. The vitalization of subordination is also shown with a kiss in the music video between the main girl and the other guy in the music video. The woman is shown as leaning back and submitting to the male advance and this representation conveys the idea that sex is about male aggression and female submission. This reinforces the stereotypes of how women are portrayed in the media

Institution and Audience
The video would mainly be shown on rock channels on the television such as: MTVtwo, VH1 and MTV. I think that the video would be consumed by mainly focused viewing. This is because I think that the people interested in the indie/rock genre, would be interested in hearing and watching new music on the music channel and I think that they would watch specific channels where new music is being played to listen to this track. I also think that the music could be consumed communally or on your own, as I think that it is easy listening for something in the background of people chatting or at a party.


SC & SW Choosing a Music Track

The track
Kings of Leon - Be Somebody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3if6HY_RUqw

Genre
The genre of the Kings of Leon track is Indie/Rock. We can tell this by the euphoric sound of predominant instruments and the style of singing voice.

High or Low fi
We think that the track is represented as high fi because there is a powerful sound. The Kings of Leon are a glossy American band, who are renowned for producing and performing songs of high impact.

Other videos that are Comparable
The killers - Mr Brightside http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwLf88t_Wc
The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2YnDlEMXiU
Kings of Leon - Charmer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzDSmav0NM
Air Traffic - Shooting Star http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2m49DoD71I
Muse - Feeling Good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inW91qRDGwI

Budgets

Treatment
Our ideas for the music video have predominantly come from deciding that we want to make a narrative/performance based music video. The main lyrics are 'I wanna be somebody' and 'I'm gonna make you love me'. From these lyrics we have decided that the narrative is going to be about the band wanting to make something of themselves. The different locations that we are using are a rundown garage (this is where the band are a long time ago, performing and idealising about making something of themselves) and they will be in scruffy clothing. This location will be referred to throughout the video. The other location that we will be using is a stage where the band will be shown near to the end of the video to represent how the band have made something of themselves. Another narrative that will be continuous throughout the video is the love story between the lead singer and a beautiful girl. They often exchange glances during the video, and the girl becomes more and more interested in the guy. When the band perform he notices her in the crowd and then at the end they get together.

Suitable Locations
A friends garage
A Hotel Room and Corridor
A Stage - Tunbridge Wells Forum
The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells

Grain Of Voice
The style of the music sounds quite mature and professional, therefore we have selected our lead singer of the band called Adam. Adam is already in a band of his own, therefore he can perform to a crowd confidently and he fits the criteria of the lead singer.

Special Effects
The effects that we are going to use in the post-production are the use of black and white filming.

Who else is involved?
The band - Oliver King, Toby Longhurst, Dan Potter, Adam Ford
The girl - Alix Longhurst
The girl's boyfriend - Josh Payne
The crowd - Friends

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Audience Research

In what ways can music videos be considered post modern?
Music videos can be considered post modern in 3 ways. The first being the consumer use of them. This allows the audience to see the new ideas that bands/artists display in these videos to show individuality and the image that they are trying to portray. These videos inspire individuals to be creative and express themselves through the bands style. The second being the style of post-modernism. Different ideas are often brought together to show intertextuality. This comes across as unique but can be criticized for being unoriginal. The sense of creating something from using intertexuality is called bricolage. An example of this would be Quintin Tarentinos 'pulp fiction' where he takes inspiration from many different films creating a postmodern effect.

How do audiences consume music videos?
Audiences consume music videos in many two different way. There are ambient viewers and focused viewers. Ambient viewers are the type who have music videos playing in the background or they watch music videos because adverts are on on other channels. This is casual viewing. Focused viewers are the type who are really interested in seeing the new ideas and songs from artists. These are the type who purposely turn on the television to consume this kind of media. This is committed viewing.
Another way in which audiences consume music videos is on their own or in a group. Solo viewers are the ones who are committed and want to watch the videos on their own so that they can focus on them and communal viewing is when the music video is playing in the background and not the main focus.