I have read the feedback from my teacher - I need to focus my analysis more on the visual editing techniques on top of the symbolism behind the visuals. I’ll use my index of editing techniques to aid my further analysis and take notice of any techniques I see in the media in general so that I can identify them easily. Talk more about genre conventions.
Checklist:
Basics:
Director, year, genre
Historical context
Visuals linking to audio and lyrics (Goodwin)
Conventions used or subverted
Iconography, symbolism
Technical aspects:
Editing
Camera work
Shot composition
Monday 30 September 2019
Saturday 28 September 2019
Hip hop conventions
We live in a time wherein music genres have been blurred, turned inside out and explored completely. So many genres and sub-genres speak of our desire to categorize things and better understand them. It's quite difficult to keep up with but an important thing to learn if you want to market music. This is the hip-hop genre and the conventions its videos tend to use.
RAP/HIP-HOP
This heading covers quite a few sub-genres
and these conventions
used throughout.
Rap, R&B
These two are what people tend to picture when
they think of this genre. There is usually a strong
relationship between the visuals and lyrics - rappers
often emphasize their points with gestures or objects,
such as cars.
Rappers often have strong iconography and perhaps
even say their names in songs to remind people and
stick it in their minds. There are generally a lot
of shots of the artist.
There are rappers who subvert typical roles, such
as Missy Elliott (above)
RAP/HIP-HOP
This heading covers quite a few sub-genres
and these conventions
used throughout.
Rap, R&B
These two are what people tend to picture when
they think of this genre. There is usually a strong
relationship between the visuals and lyrics - rappers
often emphasize their points with gestures or objects,
such as cars.
Rappers often have strong iconography and perhaps
even say their names in songs to remind people and
stick it in their minds. There are generally a lot
of shots of the artist.
There are rappers who subvert typical roles, such
as Missy Elliott (above)
Tuesday 24 September 2019
First Project
This is my very first project for Media Studies, made to practice editing.
EVALUATION
Now I've learnt from studying media, I know much more about composition and the way in which things are filmed. Doing this again, I would probably make more of a cohesive storyboard and ensure different shot types are used.
Friday 20 September 2019
Student Example
To provide inspiration for our music video project, we also watched some made by previous students. It was interesting to see other thought processes in responding to the brief and the different genres they managed to capture. One video, in particular, caught my attention.
Perhaps it's because this was the last video we watched, or perhaps it's because of the engaging techniques used; whatever it was, this video stuck with me. This is the music video for 'Crunch Punch' by The Voidz, directed by PrimeProductions on Youtube.
The video begins with a nice example of intertextuality - the director uses "stock propaganda footage" at the beginning of the video. Essentially, this consists of monochromatic shots of battle. Instantly this casts the viewer's mind to war - it works in a similar way to a video I've previously looked at: B.Y.O.B. directed by Jake Nava. That particular use of war imagery was in protest of the war in Iraq - in watching the student's video for the first time, this is where my mind wanders to. Perhaps this song has an anti-war message. They also set us up for the tone of both music and video; this is going to either be heavily impactful or include references to violence.
During the course of the video, the director uses colour imagery to paint complex pictures in the minds of their viewers. I really liked the detail of the performance section being monochromatic and then contrasted with colourful environments. On my first watch, I got the impression that this song was themed around war PTSD - the colouring could be conveying that something is wrong with its narrator in comparison to the world around them. The vibrancy of these many interior and exterior shots could represent vitality and happiness. Juxtaposing that with static and greyscale seems to allude to some form of depression or, at the very least, loneliness.
There is a certain scene in this video - it could be referred to as a turning point - wherein the music becomes a little bit discordant, a little bit off-key. This works to grab attention before the director uses a very vague, very missable shot of the ventriloquist dummy seemingly being hanged. This shot is framed by trees, making it all the more uncomfortable. It serves to further the abstract plot the video has been following in a shocking way that brings me back to the themes of PTSD and depression. Suicide is a problem regarding many soldiers that have experienced war and so, in making links to the first few seconds, I do think that this video is showcasing the effects of war in an abstract way.
To put what I've learnt into my own work, I'd like to begin thinking about the different ways of accompanying music to highlight certain features that listeners may have missed just in listening. I can also learn from this video certain techniques for shocking and grabbing attention - such as a strong sense of colour juxtaposition and bizarre, seemingly out-of-place scenes. Overall, I do like this video. After considering each scene I am a bit miserable, but I assume that this was intentional - in which case this video as a complete success.
THE VOIDZ - CRUNCH PUNCH (2018)
Perhaps it's because this was the last video we watched, or perhaps it's because of the engaging techniques used; whatever it was, this video stuck with me. This is the music video for 'Crunch Punch' by The Voidz, directed by PrimeProductions on Youtube.
The video begins with a nice example of intertextuality - the director uses "stock propaganda footage" at the beginning of the video. Essentially, this consists of monochromatic shots of battle. Instantly this casts the viewer's mind to war - it works in a similar way to a video I've previously looked at: B.Y.O.B. directed by Jake Nava. That particular use of war imagery was in protest of the war in Iraq - in watching the student's video for the first time, this is where my mind wanders to. Perhaps this song has an anti-war message. They also set us up for the tone of both music and video; this is going to either be heavily impactful or include references to violence.
During the course of the video, the director uses colour imagery to paint complex pictures in the minds of their viewers. I really liked the detail of the performance section being monochromatic and then contrasted with colourful environments. On my first watch, I got the impression that this song was themed around war PTSD - the colouring could be conveying that something is wrong with its narrator in comparison to the world around them. The vibrancy of these many interior and exterior shots could represent vitality and happiness. Juxtaposing that with static and greyscale seems to allude to some form of depression or, at the very least, loneliness.
There is a certain scene in this video - it could be referred to as a turning point - wherein the music becomes a little bit discordant, a little bit off-key. This works to grab attention before the director uses a very vague, very missable shot of the ventriloquist dummy seemingly being hanged. This shot is framed by trees, making it all the more uncomfortable. It serves to further the abstract plot the video has been following in a shocking way that brings me back to the themes of PTSD and depression. Suicide is a problem regarding many soldiers that have experienced war and so, in making links to the first few seconds, I do think that this video is showcasing the effects of war in an abstract way.
To put what I've learnt into my own work, I'd like to begin thinking about the different ways of accompanying music to highlight certain features that listeners may have missed just in listening. I can also learn from this video certain techniques for shocking and grabbing attention - such as a strong sense of colour juxtaposition and bizarre, seemingly out-of-place scenes. Overall, I do like this video. After considering each scene I am a bit miserable, but I assume that this was intentional - in which case this video as a complete success.
Wednesday 18 September 2019
The History of Music Videos
For our very first Official Project in media this year, it has been decided that we’re going to create and produce a music video for a client. Finding this out was very exciting and I’ve had a flurry of small, disjointed ideas about it making rounds in my head every day since. It is precisely because of my lack of a cohesive concept that I needed to knuckle down and explore existing music videos. It just so happened to be absolutely fascinating.
Subtle references are made to the 1968 film A 'Space Odyssey', providing an early example of the Indirect Intertextuality detailed in Andrew Goodwin's book. Many people also believed it was inspired by the moon landing earlier in 1969. Bowie perhaps wanted the viewers to relive the excitement of the moon landing and provide a link between them and himself - he is seemingly presenting himself in an alien and foreign way, using a real-world event to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.
DURAN DURAN - GIRLS ON FILM (1981)
I was quickly lost in the history of the music video - it didn’t take very long. My exploration began, surprisingly, with Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’. When it was mentioned I instantly recognised the name; I had watched this before. Of course, it’s been mangled a bit in my memory (something about flying horses?) but I remember its fundamental skeleton, if you will. Fantasia was the first real ‘music video’, and things only stemmed from there in the 1950s with Tony Bennett’s accompanying videos to his music.
Andrew Goodwin wrote his 1992 book 'Dancing In The Distraction Factory' on the topic of Music Video Theory. It details certain conventions that arise - and have arisen - in music videos present and past. It's a helpful tool for identifying things that directors do in videos to provoke audience reactions and putting words to growing trends.
Andrew Goodwin wrote his 1992 book 'Dancing In The Distraction Factory' on the topic of Music Video Theory. It details certain conventions that arise - and have arisen - in music videos present and past. It's a helpful tool for identifying things that directors do in videos to provoke audience reactions and putting words to growing trends.
From there my journey continued through (past the Beatles) to the late 60s, where I have chosen David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ for further analysis. The late 60s, quite literally, brought colour into music videos. For the first time ever, artists could play with more than just a monochromatic setup - David Bowie is the perfect example of this experimentation with colour.
DAVID BOWIE - SPACE ODDITY (1969)
DAVID BOWIE - SPACE ODDITY (1969)
The video for ‘Space Oddity’, directed by Nick Rock, begins with darkness, perhaps to emulate the disconcerting feeling of space. Perhaps it is also to set up Bowie’s blank canvas, on which he can finally paint in colour.
As the first notes of the song play, sound waves rise and fall on a background of blackness. This fades out after a moment, for me personally signifying the end of a black-and-white era, and then we are greeted with coloured video.
Rock uses light in blues, pinks and reds almost exclusively in this video - they are projected onto Bowie's face, giving a sort of ethereal effect. Red is used for dramatic, even dangerous, shots to amplify the viewer’s reaction and provide very clear symbolism through colour. His costumes are bizarre and nonconformist. Everything about this video is likely intended to project the viewer into another world, to allow them to suspend their disbelief and be taken on a journey.
As the first notes of the song play, sound waves rise and fall on a background of blackness. This fades out after a moment, for me personally signifying the end of a black-and-white era, and then we are greeted with coloured video.
Subtle references are made to the 1968 film A 'Space Odyssey', providing an early example of the Indirect Intertextuality detailed in Andrew Goodwin's book. Many people also believed it was inspired by the moon landing earlier in 1969. Bowie perhaps wanted the viewers to relive the excitement of the moon landing and provide a link between them and himself - he is seemingly presenting himself in an alien and foreign way, using a real-world event to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown. DURAN DURAN - GIRLS ON FILM (1981)
Next in my research, I chose another era that interested me - the 80s. In the 80s, MTV was introduced to the public. Solely a channel dedicated to music videos, people had never experienced this kind of focus on the music video format. It brought to life a lot of ways to promote image that had never before been possible. One such way was demonstrated by Duran Duran with their 1981 hit 'Girls On Film', directed by duo Godley & Creme.
The idea that music videos could be displayed on a channel solely created for them changed the way these videos were produced. The video for 'Girls On Film' ended up being heavily censored for MTV and completely banned from the BBC. Looking at it now, this seems a bit harsh - but people had never been exposed to such a raunchy video before. This was very likely deliberate - the ban generated a buzz around Duran Duran, created sensationalism that elevated their fame.
The band are shot playing the song in the same space as the storyline - the genre of this song, 'Synthpop', rose to prominence in the 80s and we can assume that this is a convention of the genre.
The video has themes of female empowerment (shocking, I know), using low and voyeuristic camera angles to convey the feeling of dominance - at one point, a female model walks over the camera. Of course, this isn't exactly the height of progress. These women are half-naked and extremely over-sexualised. The video contains allusions to BDSM and sexual fantasy - something that completely challenged standards of the time. However, the point still stands that this video served to elevate the band's fame - it has a lot of artist close-ups which commit the band to memory and grow their iconography.
The video is set around a wrestling ring and stage - the band perform in the same space as the main 'action' of the video. It forces viewers to connect the action with the artists and builds iconography. We constantly see their faces in relation to the action, ensuring we will remember them and connect them to the controversial nature of the video.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN - B.Y.O.B. (2005)
For the last video analysis, I decided on one of my favourite artists around in the 2000s - System Of A Down. Specifically, their experimental and politically charged videos. The video for B.Y.O.B. (or 'Bring Your Own Bombs') always blew me away and, even in the age of incredibly advanced graphics, will always stick in my mind.
The idea that music videos could be displayed on a channel solely created for them changed the way these videos were produced. The video for 'Girls On Film' ended up being heavily censored for MTV and completely banned from the BBC. Looking at it now, this seems a bit harsh - but people had never been exposed to such a raunchy video before. This was very likely deliberate - the ban generated a buzz around Duran Duran, created sensationalism that elevated their fame.
The band are shot playing the song in the same space as the storyline - the genre of this song, 'Synthpop', rose to prominence in the 80s and we can assume that this is a convention of the genre.
The video has themes of female empowerment (shocking, I know), using low and voyeuristic camera angles to convey the feeling of dominance - at one point, a female model walks over the camera. Of course, this isn't exactly the height of progress. These women are half-naked and extremely over-sexualised. The video contains allusions to BDSM and sexual fantasy - something that completely challenged standards of the time. However, the point still stands that this video served to elevate the band's fame - it has a lot of artist close-ups which commit the band to memory and grow their iconography.
The video is set around a wrestling ring and stage - the band perform in the same space as the main 'action' of the video. It forces viewers to connect the action with the artists and builds iconography. We constantly see their faces in relation to the action, ensuring we will remember them and connect them to the controversial nature of the video.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN - B.Y.O.B. (2005)
For the last video analysis, I decided on one of my favourite artists around in the 2000s - System Of A Down. Specifically, their experimental and politically charged videos. The video for B.Y.O.B. (or 'Bring Your Own Bombs') always blew me away and, even in the age of incredibly advanced graphics, will always stick in my mind.
When I was younger, my parents listened mostly to a mixture of Kerrang (2000) and Scuzz (2003-2018). I grew up on bands like System Of A Down and Queens Of The Stoneage - their music videos influenced me just as much as their music and so they hold a special place in my heart. I've chosen 'B.Y.O.B.', directed by Jake Nava, because of its unapologetic imagery and examples of Intertextuality. It's an anti-war song, specifically protesting the Iraq War that began in 2003. As I've grown older I've noticed details about the video that convey this clearly and realised that it's so much more than self-expression.
Nava uses Direct Intertextuality at the beginning of the video, playing hazy and grey clips of soldiers marching forward. Accompanying this is the sound of many men marching - it immerses the viewer right away, grabs their attention. Those clips then change into staged shots of soldiers marching with words like 'obey' and 'die' projected onto their faces. Immediately this sets the political tone. Later on in the video, this changes to words like "buy", which could be a comment on political systems based on consumerism such as capitalism.
This music video uses both a performance and a storyline to convey a message - the storyline takes place at a party, an extended metaphor that runs throughout ('bring your own bombs' is a play on words referencing party culture). War is referred back to throughout the video. The band is shown performing as well - this is a convention of their genre, referred to as 'Thrash Metal'. Nava also uses harsh red lighting to capture the viewer's attention and convey danger - much like, as mentioned above, Space Oddity's colour imagery. Nava uses the convention of artist close-ups to emphasise certain parts of the song. Colour television was much more advanced in 2005 and we can see colour being used much more consistently to set the tone.
I think that this video was intended, like 'Girls On Film', to shock viewers. It contains swearing and allusions to violence, perhaps aiming to surprise people. However, I believe that its aim was not primarily to generate fame but to create a kind of buzz surrounding topics of war. SOAD were raising issues they saw in the Iraq War and wanted to tell the world about it. I think it's very successful - people enjoy both song and video even now.
EDITING TECHNIQUES
Nava uses some very interesting cuts, including:
Cutting on action -
Nava uses a lot of these to show
dynamic movement and engage the viewer.
Match cuts -
A soldier transitions into one of the band
members as they are walking into the party
scene - the camera zooms in on both.
Crosscuts -
Nava cuts between the band performing the
song and the party scene. The performance is
cast in red light, making it appear urgent. They
end up performing within this scene later on as well.
Jumpcut -
There is a scene on a staircase on which
dancers stand. They are then replaced by soldiers
but the framing stays the same.
Nava uses Direct Intertextuality at the beginning of the video, playing hazy and grey clips of soldiers marching forward. Accompanying this is the sound of many men marching - it immerses the viewer right away, grabs their attention. Those clips then change into staged shots of soldiers marching with words like 'obey' and 'die' projected onto their faces. Immediately this sets the political tone. Later on in the video, this changes to words like "buy", which could be a comment on political systems based on consumerism such as capitalism.
This music video uses both a performance and a storyline to convey a message - the storyline takes place at a party, an extended metaphor that runs throughout ('bring your own bombs' is a play on words referencing party culture). War is referred back to throughout the video. The band is shown performing as well - this is a convention of their genre, referred to as 'Thrash Metal'. Nava also uses harsh red lighting to capture the viewer's attention and convey danger - much like, as mentioned above, Space Oddity's colour imagery. Nava uses the convention of artist close-ups to emphasise certain parts of the song. Colour television was much more advanced in 2005 and we can see colour being used much more consistently to set the tone.
EDITING TECHNIQUES
Nava uses some very interesting cuts, including:
Cutting on action -
Nava uses a lot of these to show
dynamic movement and engage the viewer.
Match cuts -
A soldier transitions into one of the band
members as they are walking into the party
scene - the camera zooms in on both.
Crosscuts -
Nava cuts between the band performing the
song and the party scene. The performance is
cast in red light, making it appear urgent. They
end up performing within this scene later on as well.
Jumpcut -
There is a scene on a staircase on which
dancers stand. They are then replaced by soldiers
but the framing stays the same.
Monday 9 September 2019
New Beginnings
Welcome to my A-Level media blog! My name is Ellie and I have an overwhelming passion for visual media, hopefully a compelling reason for the creation of this blog. I am excited to embark on this journey and grow as both an artist and a creator.
Ever since I chose my GCSE subjects a few years ago, I have constantly regretted my decision not to take media. It was a mistake that I'm glad to have righted this year and I'm ready to dig into this course and the subject I should have taken.
'Media' is a term that covers a vast amount of content, from films to art to the news - it surrounds us on a daily basis. Whilst this can be overwhelming, I think it's absolutely fascinating. Media is incredibly hard to avoid and so it's a promising field to study in. I have an interest in design: in particular, the framing and aesthetics of certain shots in videos and films, as well as general illustrative and graphic design. As I mention in my About Me section, the way in which stories can be told through visuals and symbolism is really my favourite thing in Media as a whole. I am an aspiring illustrator at the moment, which transfers nicely into design. That's why I love videos with dynamic shots and thoughtful framing - one director that never ceases to interest me is Edgar Wright.
I love the way he is able to create interest in each of his films in a compelling and unique way through the use of differing shot types and fun visuals. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a film that surprised me when I watched it simply by how different it was. It really popped against other films I had seen and I still remember it today. I think that Edgar Wright inspires me to think about things in abstract ways and strive to create my own media dripping with individuality rather than taking easy routes. Even in his use of tropes (for instance, in Hot Fuzz), Wright brings interest to each of his characters to really let them shine and his storytelling through the use of visual media is incredibly compelling.
During this course, I hope to gain a clearer grasp of my own individual style in terms of creating media. I would love to experiment with different areas and find what really makes me tick. I hope you will enjoy watching me grow, not only as a creator but as a consumer of media. Perhaps I'll find a career path that looks interesting and fulfilling - I'm excited to find out.
For our first official project, we've been told that we'll be making music videos. I only very recently started paying attention to music videos but doing so has made me realise just how much goes into them. I have a new appreciation that I'm looking forward to exploring. Below I have linked a music video that I find to be very beautiful - the visuals are stunning and thought-provoking.
Ever since I chose my GCSE subjects a few years ago, I have constantly regretted my decision not to take media. It was a mistake that I'm glad to have righted this year and I'm ready to dig into this course and the subject I should have taken.
'Media' is a term that covers a vast amount of content, from films to art to the news - it surrounds us on a daily basis. Whilst this can be overwhelming, I think it's absolutely fascinating. Media is incredibly hard to avoid and so it's a promising field to study in. I have an interest in design: in particular, the framing and aesthetics of certain shots in videos and films, as well as general illustrative and graphic design. As I mention in my About Me section, the way in which stories can be told through visuals and symbolism is really my favourite thing in Media as a whole. I am an aspiring illustrator at the moment, which transfers nicely into design. That's why I love videos with dynamic shots and thoughtful framing - one director that never ceases to interest me is Edgar Wright.
I love the way he is able to create interest in each of his films in a compelling and unique way through the use of differing shot types and fun visuals. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a film that surprised me when I watched it simply by how different it was. It really popped against other films I had seen and I still remember it today. I think that Edgar Wright inspires me to think about things in abstract ways and strive to create my own media dripping with individuality rather than taking easy routes. Even in his use of tropes (for instance, in Hot Fuzz), Wright brings interest to each of his characters to really let them shine and his storytelling through the use of visual media is incredibly compelling.
During this course, I hope to gain a clearer grasp of my own individual style in terms of creating media. I would love to experiment with different areas and find what really makes me tick. I hope you will enjoy watching me grow, not only as a creator but as a consumer of media. Perhaps I'll find a career path that looks interesting and fulfilling - I'm excited to find out.
For our first official project, we've been told that we'll be making music videos. I only very recently started paying attention to music videos but doing so has made me realise just how much goes into them. I have a new appreciation that I'm looking forward to exploring. Below I have linked a music video that I find to be very beautiful - the visuals are stunning and thought-provoking.
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