Relocation

We have decided, as a group, that it will be best to fully focus our efforts on making our group blog look it's best.

As such, my individual blog may be somewhat lacking in posts for the next few weeks. We decided that for every bit of paperwork and inspiration we may find, instead of posting it on our individual blogs (and then the other members having to replicate that), it would be better to post most stuff on the group blog and to share our work evenly between us. We are all really good friends and have no problem in splitting the work load between us; not one of us has done any more than the others so claiming work individually seems unnecessary and overly time consuming when we could maintain a constant, strong group portfolio on our group blog.

Find the link to our group blog on the right hand side with my other links.

I will post some reflections on shoots and other personal notes on here, and the posts will pick up again around the time of our evaluation in mid-December.

Performance Inspiration

This is 'The Pretender' by one of my favourite bands; Foo Fighters.



I love this music video, and it is heavily performance based. In preparation for performing in our video i have been watching Dave Grohl perform; he is highly energetic and frantic, fully taking control of the space and remaining dynamic throughout.

Whilst not exactly the same genre as our song choice, both songs are loud and both require an energy filled performance.

A lot of the camera work is fairly static but the video remains awesome due to the bands commitment to the role. Also impressive is how much room each band member has, yet they still manage to completely command the space. Lots of head banging (long hair is great for frantic videos!), keeping the instrument moving, never keeping the feet planted and multiple facial expressions make this performance extremely successful, and hopefully we can reproduce something similar in our video.

First shoot reflections

Today we shot the opening narrative sequence of our video in Broomfield park. It was more demanding than i had initially expected!
The shots we took were fairly static, which meant we had a lot of fun messing around with framing and trying to capture every angle of the scene.

I had to cry a lot, scream, laugh, drink, smoke, shout: trying to believably convey madness is quite tricky, but after looking at the footage i am quite happy with some of our footage.

We were lucky with weather conditions; it did rain but only slightly- rain could seriously impact continuity, and also would mean we would have needed to be extra cautious with the camera. Luckily it was just a grey day, which suits the mood of our narrative sequence anyway.

As well as shooting, we spent a couple of hours at my house (2 minutes walk away) storyboarding, planning further shoots and set dressing my basement for performance sections.

The spray painting was great fun, and we think the symbol is going to end up looking great in our finished project.

Responses to initial feedback

I was pleased to get the feedback from my teachers and classmates on my initial proposal.


It was helpful and pointed out several parts of our treatment which hadn't been initially thought through. I am also glad that now i get to perform in our band!


However the response to our idea seemed really positive, it is a song which i love and i think our idea (whilst pretty ambitious) could end up being something fantastic.

Another initial idea

This idea is for the song Propane Nightmares by Pendulum.


The concept is a blend between narrative and performance.


It begins as a narrative only; a young man awakes in a house. It is instantly unfamiliar to him and he panics as he realises his hands are tied. He has a picture of a girl with him; it is torn in half on the floor in front of him. For the intro of the song we would see him struggling; as it picks up pace he should escape his bonds and break go to the door.


This scene would be intercut with shots of someone dragging an axe up some stairs, we only see their feet.


As the chorus drops, the boy is about to leave the room and the axe comes smashing through the door, and a masked face appears in the hole. The band begins to appear inside the house, playing, but the characters do not react or notice the band in any way. He continues attempting to escape and is cornered etc. As the second chorus drops he should get to the front door after subduing the maniac. However he looks at the photo and cannot leave, so turns around and goes back inside.


As the song slows down for the middle 8 section, the guy should crash in to a bathroom and seal the door, he see's the girl from the photo gagged and tied up on the floor. He bends down, free's her, and they hug and cry together. The man is waking up outside. He whispers to her, and takes her hand.


As the song speeds up they leave the room and get to the door, and for the final drop they should go charging out the door, only for the man to get grabbed from behind. He gestures for the girl to run and she does, looking back in horror. The man struggles, kicks, on the floor and is scrambling to escape. The maniac however drags him back inside and the song ends with a cut to black as the door slams, with the girl looking on.

Feminine Representation in some Music Videos

We had a look at how females can be represented in music videos; and decided to focus on two different representations- females as only sex objects to be gawped at and the opposite; females shown in an empowering way.


We looked at three videos; two for empowerement and one for objectification.

Rihanna represented as empowered

This video, S & M by Rihanna, is empowering to females, although it is not immediately apparent. She takes the dominant role, displaying an ‘I’m hot and I know it’ attitude, and despite the sexual nature of the video, does not objectify her.


The scene of her being interviewed by the press is representative of critics reactions to her over suggestive sexual nature; this video is her response- she disregards the suggested ‘reasons’ for her attitude (‘daddy issues’), and puts it down to simple enjoyment of sex and liking being in a position of power. She is saying she enjoys her body and her looks, and is happy to show it off. This video; while easily misinterpreted as simply selling sex, is actually very empowering to females.

Fergalicious - Fergie


This video can be interpreted in conflicting ways. One way is that she is conforming to the gender stereotype of women being nothing more than sex objects. She lies around in skimpy outfits looking hot, and the video is not much more than that. This could be seen as demeaning to women; suggesting their looks are their most valued trait; or could be seen as empowering to women; in that Fergie enjoys her looks and enjoys the attention she gets from all these guys.


I think it is the latter; the boys in the video are shown with a lower status than her; they chase after her and 'come and go like seasons', only for her to dismiss them all, while enjoying the attention she recieves. I'm sure some women would say that she is only shown as being desirable because of her looks (the boys in the video don't want her because of her personality, i'm sure), but i think it is empowering to females as it puts her in a position of power over men.

Pitbull - I know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)

This is 'I Know You Want Me' by Pitbull. This video is the total opposite kind of representation of women; it objectifies them totally as nothing more than sexual objects to be looked at. This video is nothing more than Pitbull rapping with lots of attractive women dancing around him and running their hands over him while he describes how much they want him. The women in this video have no personality or visible positive traits except for their looks; the lyrics of the song further this objectification. Most of them are wearing bikini's or skimpy outfits, and are dancing in a suggestive way.

In my opinion, this video is the epitome of everything which is wrong with the music industry these days. The song is just awful, and the video is highly degrading to females. In Rihanna's video she sings about her own empowerement and strong personality; here Pitbull sings about how many women he gets, seemingly only interested in them for sex. The thing which makes this video slightly worse than other objectifying videos is the large number of different women involved. At least in other videos rappers will sing about a woman and it will be just that one woman in the video; some sense of true feelings are portrayed; in this video it is irrelevant who the women are or what they are like or how they feel- they are simply sex objects to be exploited by Pitbull and to be enjoyed by the viewer.


While our video will be absolutely nothing like any of these videos i have discussed (it will be a totally different genre), i still think it is important to acknowledge how objectifying females has become too common within the music industry and stereotypical portrayals are something which need to be avoided.

Potential Ideas

Witchcraft - Pendulum


The whole video would be intercut with the performance of a band.


The video opens with a boy moving about on a road, looking disorientated. He is clutching a scrunched up piece of paper; it clearly holds some importance to him. At 0:45, as the song gets louder, we begin the dual narrative which makes up most of the video. The boy begins to move with more purpose in 'the present', and we see the boy and a girl (his girlfriend) in a somewhat abusive relationship in the past. Colour grading clearly distinguishes between the two times; and the suggestion at this point is that the boy has lost the girlfriend in the present. In the past they fight over some lipstick on the guys collar.


He stumbles into a shop at 1:00, and reemerges with a large bottle of spirit. This is intercut with the boy moving towards his girlfriend in the middle of the road; she is facing away from him with her head down and looks beaten and dirty.


From 1:05 to 1:07, he puts his hand on her shoulder and turns her round; we cut away just before her face is visible.


Just as the drop hits (1:07), he begins to down the spirit / we see him hit her in the past / he begins to jump around like a maniac around the road.


As the verse begins at 1:29, the pace slows down; we see the girl outside smoking a cigarette and the guy goes out to console her. They slightly make up for the fight. The boy in the present sits down in an alleyway somewhere and looks at the piece of paper. He cries into his hands.


At the change at 1:51, we see the boy smoke some drugs, maybe sniff a line of something off of a credit card. He stumbles about in a daze, revelling in his self destruction. In the past we see the relationship intensify again.


At 2:13 when the second chorus drops; the relationship kicks off again, we see a visibly abusive fight with lots of shouting and screaming; the girl tries to leave but he holds her back. Once again this is intercut with him charging about the streets, jumping around wildly, off of buildings- we also begin to see the girlfriend standing with her head down, hair covering face, in the distance. He doesn't notice he is being watched.


At 2:58 we focus on the past relationship for a moment, and we see her throw the girl to the ground. She hits her head on a table and he feels blood coming from her head; he has accidentally killed her. He looks down at her body with utter disbelief and disgust at himself. In the build up to the last drop at 3:22, we return to the shot from 1:05 to 1:07; he approaches the girl and puts his hand on her shoulder to turn her round.


As it drops, we see the girl has some crazy eyes and is covered in blood; she is dead and is haunting him. For the final part of the song the cutting gets even quicker; she chases him down the road and he runs for his life. She looks insane and is all mangled up; he is totally terrified.


At 3:44, when the chorus repeats itself we intercut the chase scene with other moments from the video in a very quick montage. We see him downing the spirit, sniffing the line, dancing about; we also see the relationship- the moment she died and the general fighting. The video ends with her cornering him in a dead end of a road; he clutches the piece of paper to his chest. They face each other; then she charges at him.


We cut to a shot of the paper, revealed to be a photo of him and her together, now splattered with blood, falling to the floor. It ends with his hand crashing down into shot as well; then cut to black.

Michel Gondry - A Director Case Study

Michel Gondry


Michel Gondry has directed many music videos and now feature films, as well as short movies and commercials. Recent work includes Be Kind, Rewind (2008) and The Green Hornet (2011).


He has won hundreds of awards for his work; he sets the benchmark for creativity in terms of music video direction, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the commerical director with the most awards.


To name a few music videos out of his huge (and i mean seriously huge) filmography:


Around The World - Daft Punk





Mia Doi Todd - Open Your Heart





Everlong - Foo Fighters
Gimme Shelter- The Rolling Stones
Mad World - Gary Jules
Hyper Ballad - Bjork


Michael Gondry is particularly known for his surreal music videos and interesting choices of visual style in his videos. The two i have chosen are two which show off some of the techniques he uses in his videos; using human actors as a visual representation of the music as apposed to characters in a story.


The video for 'Around the World' perfectly encompasses Michael Gondry's surreal style; the different groups of actors in different costumes represent a different layer of the song. The guys with the prosthetic heads on are the bass line, the skeletons are the guitar riff, and the robots are the vocals. All the cast are dancing on a large record, while a trippy light show plays in the background. The different levels on the record represent the pitch of the notes as well.

A still from 'Around the World'

The video for Open Your Heart also uses many of the surreal elements which have made Michel Gondry so recognised as a music video director. All the cast are wearing brightly coloured shirts with a different colour on each side. Most of the shots involve large crowds and synchronised movement sequences assorted by their different colours; making for a visually fantastic video, the clever choreography and use of colour being particular highlights.

Still from 'Open your Heart'

This video is similar to 'Around the World' in that it uses a group of actors to represent an overall motif or theme; they become a living breathing entity as one, not seperate individuals. It is surreal as it places all these brightly coloured actors into a normal city as opposed to the fictional environment in 'Around the World'.


Michel Gondry is a successful and acclaimed director and i have learnt how surrealism can be used to great effect in a video; whether very obviously surreal like in 'Around the World' or slightly more realistic as in 'Open your Heart'; both these videos are a visual treat and very unique.

Intertextual References in a music video

Dani California- Red Hot Chili Peppers

This Red Hot Chili Peppers video is absolutely loaded with inter textual references, to many different era's and genre's of music over the past 80 or so years; with many references to specific artists.

Here we see the band imitating Elvis Presley and the typical look of a rock and roll band from the 1950's.



The Chili's as The Beatles and the real thing

Jimi Hendrix Impersonation

As the Sex Pistols

As David Bowie

As Nirvana



The fact this music video was made in 2007 makes it post-modern; as do the many many references to other types of music; particularly those which have influenced the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


The references and direct imitations of other famous artists and era's of music show some of the influences on the RHCP to date, they are not just the most famous artists of the past. For example, the Spice Girls were crazy popular but are completely different to the RHCP, so there was no need to imitate them. The video raises the band up; commenting on their success and suggesting that they are the defining band of this era; the video ends with them returning to their normal clothes and performance style.


The references give the audience a chance to understand the influences behind the Chili's music, and also to identify with them, as the audience would recognise the bands that they are imitating and like the fact that they share the same influences and tastes as the band do.

 



Music and Me

 We were asked to select 3 tracks which meant a lot to us from 3 different stages in our lives so far. These are my 3; not necessarily my favourites but ones which have had a large impact on myself today.

Eminem - Sing for the Moment

This was my first track of choice. I remember whilst i was 8 years old i heard this track and it changed my view of music completely. Up till then, i had only been exposed to fairly tame music circling the radio stations, and large amounts of classical music (courtesy of my dad the conductor); hearing this Eminem song was a total eye opener for me. In the song he raps about the effect his music has on youngsters and the way he is portrayed by the media. In listening to it, i began to understand that the complexities of lyrics and subject matter have no boundaries - it was a new experience for me and shaped my listening for years to come. And yes, i still love this song.

Hard to Concentrate - Red Hot Chili Peppers

My favourite song of all time; the playcount on my iTunes account is now over 900! It's beauty comes from it's simplicity, it is not flashy or showy, and the truth behind the lyrics stand out above all. It is melodic and gentle, which is unlike lots of Red Hot Chili Peppers music. I don't know what first attracted me to this song, but it has stuck in my mind for a very long time.

Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me / Nick of Time

This is a song which means a lot to me today. Justin Vernon, of Bon Iver fame, has a stunning voice, and performs these covers of the 1991 Bonnie Raitt 'I can't Make You Love Me' and 'Nick of Time' beautifully. He is a shining example that modern music is not dead, and i love it because it is so different to almost anything else about nowadays. He also shows that you don't have to be well dressed or a classical musician to play the piano this well. 

Album Artwork Analysis

The Empyrean – John Frusciante

I chose this album cover as I find it fascinating, and I love John Frusciante.


The images used are unclear on the front of the cover. Intentionally, it looks like lots of different images blended together, in a cut-out style fashion. The album cover is separated in to three distinct sections, each occupying roughly a third of the space. The top third looks like heaven and the bottom like hell, the middle section is slightly more unclear.
In the top third, we see lots of clouds and a bright blue sky, as well as some sort of castle above the clouds; presumably the kingdom of heaven. It does help understand the cover by knowing the album; (tracks include ‘Heaven’ ‘God’ ‘Light / Dark’), but I think this would still be obvious to someone looking at the album for the first time. To the left, there is a distorted angel leaning down from heaven. The body of the angel is that of John Frusciante, although the face is not visible. He appears to have wings, and there are bandages all around his arms. Snowy mountains and some trees are also visible.


The central third of the album shows darkness in contrast to the bright colours of heaven. It is a deep blue with some ‘drips’ of the white cloud sliding down. There is a twisted staircase connecting heaven and hell. This section could represent purgatory, or the sea; which would explain the water colours used and the dripping effect.


The bottom third of the album is dominated by shades of brown, and is presumably hell. We see soil and roots, and a man lying down, either sleeping or dead in the ground. The man is Josh Klinghoffer, John’s best friend and major contributor to the album. He is naked and covered in earth. Once again, it is distorted, with several sections of his body layered multiple times in the same ‘cut-out’ style as the rest of the cover.


The back of the album is simple, a sea blue colour with the track listing in a grey font going vertically down. No track numbers, no other images used. A strong juxtaposition to the flurry of images and colours on the front of the cover.


Interestingly, there is no text whatsoever on the front cover; not his name or the album title. His name is only visible on the back sleeve in a smaller font underneath the track listing; ‘Produced by John Frusciante’, and even that would not make it clear that it is his album- people who did not know may assume he is just the producer and someone else wrote the album.


The images used are typically John Frusciante; psychedelic and widely open for interpretation. His other album covers are not dissimilar, and it fits with the strange style of his music; a mix of experimental and psychedelic rock infused with his famously haunting guitar playing. The cover includes some of the themes of the album (heaven and hell, the existence of god). It also fits in with his humble nature in that his name is hardly visible at all on the cover. This album cover would mean nothing to people who do not know who he is beforehand; indicating it is about as far from mainstream as you get and is not exactly inviting to first time listeners. It also shows he is an already established artist; he doesn’t need to have his name big and obvious for it to sell. We can see the target audience is a niche one, mostly pre existing fans of the artist.

Lip Synch Task

This is our Lipsynch Task which we produced in preparation of our preliminary task; a workshop day recreating a music video.


This is also being used as an audition tape for some of the roles in the band; I would to be Ritchie in the band, as i think i could deliver a dynamic and committed performance on the day of the shoot.

Music Video Analysis

Top 9


1 - Instant impact!


The video opens with shots of Rihanna with her striking red hair set against the backdrop of a flaming house. We then cut to shots of Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan; two well known actors lying in a bed together. We also see a shot of Megan Fox holding a flame in her hands. The images of fire are striking; immediately grabbing the audiences attention. And the high status' of Rihanna and Megan Fox add to the instant impact of the video.

2 - Non-linear editing


The video cuts between the performances by Rihanna and Eminem, and the narrative with the actors. This makes for a more interesting video than just one or the other. The story told between Megan and Dominic is edited in a non-linear fashion, also, being more of a montage sequence than seamless editing. We see lots of different aspects of their relationship; the ups and downs.

3 - Repetitions


The shots of Rihanna in front of the flaming house are returned to for each chorus;  to strong effect. These shots are dramatic and powerful. We also see the stagnancy of the relationship between the two characters; they go from madly in love to repeatedly abusing each other again and again. Seeing

4 - Strong sense of artist identity, the performance


Definitely. Eminem's performance stands out in this video; as does Rihanna's. As well as performing and lip syncing the song with high levels of professionality, they act whilst singing; facial expressions and body language expressing the emotions of the song. The performers mimic the performances of the two actors, conveying the frustration at a failing relationship. I think Eminem and Rihanna's performances are particularly convincing as both of them have experienced violent and disturbed relationships.


Then there are the performances of the two lead actors; Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan. They are both fantastic (already established actors) and the tones of their performances perfectly suit those of the song.

5 - Visual Pleasures

There are many 'visual pleasures' in this song; the foremost being Megan Fox. Damn, she hot. While very shallow, it is true that attractive performers do help music videos; Rihanna is gorgeous also.

Other examples include the fantastically varied array of backdrops and locations which the video is set to. The large field Eminem is rapping in is gorgeous; sunlight pours over everything and the golden colours make for a beautiful scene. The burning house is also amazing to watch; especially with a broken looking Rihanna singing mournfully in front of it.

Finally, the SPX on the flames look fantastic; adding a layer of supernatural to the video, to great effect. The shots of Eminem, Dominic and Megan Fox burning are particular stand outs; visually it looks incredible, especially for a music video (normally not as high a budget for SFX as, say, a feature film).

6 - Wow Factor!

Lots of 'wow factor' in this video. The performers and actors themselves are worthy of a credit; their performances and attractiveness in this video make it particularly memorable. The burning effects are very impressive; as is the burning house. And the actual themes and story told are heavy stuff; it works brilliantly to convey this crazy relationship.

7 - Provoke a reaction

It provoked a reaction in me; the story told was actually very moving; made convincing by the fantastic performances. The idea of a schizophrenic relationship is really sad; people who love each other but never know how to express it to each other.

8 - Works on different levels

It works emotionally; powerfully. It shows fantastic performances all round; the music it self is good. The lyrical genius of Eminem is once again highlighted in this song; as is Rihanna's beautiful voice. The video manages to tell a story; one which can be projected on to many different couples experiencing this kind of controlling relationship. 

9 - Pop Culture
Eminem and Rihanna are pop culture. As are Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, two well known actors.