Thursday, 21 October 2010
Andrew Goodwin's theory applied to Gold digger music video
Monday, 11 October 2010
Media concepts- Narrative
There once was a man named Malcolm, he was married to his school sweat heart Lola. They got divorced because Lola slept with Brian, Malcolm's handsome brother. They lived happily ever after, apart from Malcolm who was sad and died alone.
The End.
Linear narrative;- the story is told in chronological order.
Non- linear narrative/ disjointed narrative;- told in non-chronological order.
There are three theorists who have given their opinion and summarised what is needed for an audience to understand what is happening in the story, in my case music videos. The three main theorists who have voiced their opinion on what narrative is and how the audience understand the structure are; Tzvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp and Claude Levi- Strauss. These
three theorists did not apply their theory to music video's or film but to old folk fairytale stories, in 1950's their theories were adopted by French cinema critics who believed that films follow similar narrative structures as they suggested. In this blog I am attempting to apply these theories to music video to see if they are right, these theories are....
Todorov
He came up with the narrative theory that a story is structured in 5 stages'Stage 1; Equilibrium
- This is an on going situation before anything happens.
Stage 2; Disequilibrium (disruption)
- This is a disruption in the story which gets it moving and must be resolved.
Stage 3; Recognition
- This is when the character realises there is a problem and tries to deal with it (often making the situation worse).
Stage 4; Reparation
-This is when the character realises the damage of the disruption and deals with it to resolve the disruption.
Stage 5; New equilibrium
-This is when the story is concluded by returning to a new equilibrium (different to where the story began).

Vladimir Propp
In 1969 Vladimir Propp developed a character theory after studying 100 media texts, his narrative theory was spheres of action (anything that makes/ causes events) they are;
-Hero; seeking something, reacts to donor, marries the Princess.
-Villain; obstructs the hero quest.
-Helper; helps the hero on their quest.
- Donor; prepare the hero and provides information to help the hero on their quest.
- Princess; the reward, either marriage or money
- Father; giver of the reward
- Dispatcher; events that sends hero on a quest.
- False/seeker hero; character that thinks he is the hero but he is not.
I have applied Vladimir Propp's theory of the characters in a narrative to the music video Lifestyles of the rich and famous by Good Charlotte.
Good Charlotte - Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous
Uploaded by fuzz59. - Up-to-the minute news videos.
Hero; The band are the hero as they are on a quest to get out of present for being common.
Villain; The villain's of this music video are the rich people as they are against our hero's which causes them to be imprisoned.
Princess; The princess of this music video is the hero's being released from prison for being proven innocent.
Father; The father is the court Jury as the plead the hero's not quality which allows them to freed from prison.
The false hero; The false hero is also the rich people, especially the blonde woman at the end of the music video. They are the false hero's because they believe that they are imprisoning the 'villain's' which in fact is our hero.
The dispatcher; This could be them getting arrested which is an event which sends them onto the quest to be freed from prison.
Claude Levi- Strauss
His theory of narrative structure is that it is motivated by a struggle between binary opposites, one side of which will be represented as the 'right' side that the audience should identify with and support. A good example of this would be good and evil - the audience understand the concept of good as being the binary opposite of evil . From reference from http://www.scribd.com/doc/8332523/Narrative-theory-notes I have found that...'Levi -Strauss was not so interested in looking at the order in which events were arranged in the plot. He looked instead for deeper arrangements of themes. For example,if we look at Science Fiction films we can identify a series of binary oppositions which are created by the narrative:
- Earth- Space
- Good- Evil
- Humans- Aliens
- Past- Present
- Normal- Strange
- Known- Unknown
For example, in films (superhero) such as; Spiderman, Batman and superman etc.. The hero who is the good guy are represented in a favourable way by; close up shots of their face to connect with the audience and low angle shots to create the tone of power and strength associated with them to show the audience that this character is of great importance.
Another important element that effects the audiences understanding of a film or in my case music video is the way the narrative is structured. There are two types of narrative:
- Restricted narrative; this is when the narrative is tied to one character and the audience only sees or knows what they know, this generally creates the feeling of mystery for the audience as they do not know what is happening or what is going to happen.
- Omniscient narrative; this is when the narrative is not tied to a single character and the camera reveals elements that they may not voluntarily have wished it to do so the audience know more about the character, this usually creates suspense as the audience are waiting for something to happen.
Learning about the different theorists and their opinion on narrative it has helped me to take in consideration if for my own music I produce will include a narrative and if so which narrative do I believe will fit with my genre choice of music. Each theorist has conveyed what the narrative structure is for a fairytale story but now throughout my research I will have to adapt their theory to fit with the narrative structures of music videos.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Taxonomy
My group and I came up with different taxonomies which we think music videos go into, they are;
- Live
- Tour
- Studio
- Dancing
- Fantasy
- Abstract
- Artistic
- Horror
- Comedy
Computer Generated
- Stop Motion
- Animation
- Anime
- Illustrations
- old school
Narrative
- Linear
- Non- linear
- Classic
- Disjointed
- Barthe's code
Production
- Low budget
- Big budget
- Home made/ DIY
- Amature
- Entropic
- Redundant
Informative
- Historical
- Emotional
- Documentary
From each category I have looked at music videos which are good examples from each of them and have analysed why they belong to that category.
Uploaded by EMI_Music. - Explore more music videos.
What makes I bet that you look good on the dance floor a performance video is it has several aspects of the criteria which makes it a performance video. It contains a live performance from the band playing their instruments and singing into mic stands throughout the entire video. The Artic Monkey's are performing in a studio set up which also makes it a performance video, this is unusual for a music video as it looks as though it is an audition tape which would make it an amature, low budget music video. This video reflects the Indie genre music videos as it is; original, different, edgy, gives off a 'cool' vibe and portrays the band as 'cool,' talented musicians.The way the lead singer is presented i.e. casual looking, calm and cool creates a commercial look for him which reflects the Indie genre. The camera angles used in this music video include; close up shots of the lead singer
represents him as a likable person who the audience can create a strong connection/bond with, which create a brand image for the band which music video's intentionally try to create so that the band appeals to a wider/ selective audience. The band image that comes across to me is they are; cool, contemporary, causal,passionate Indie guys. Many other camera angles and techniques have been used in this music video such as;a pull focus, this adds depth of field to the composition (print screen) and frames both the drummer and lead singer perfectly. By using depth of field it focuses on one subject and blurs the surrounding, by pulling the focus forward it reverses this , this adds a quirky camera technique which is relevant because if the video constantly used cut edits the video would be redundant and repetitive which would bore the audience as the concept of this particular video is redundant but the way it is executed using different camera angles it produces more of a simplistic, entropic music video. This video for Shut up and let me go is for the electric pop genre and I believe it is a performance video, as there are elements that reflect the performance aspects, such as; vibrant lights and effects are used to create an abstract, artistic and inspiring video. The Ting tings sing along with the track which makes it a performance video but not as much as I bet that you look good on the dance floor. Throughout this video there are subtle dance sequences with both the artists which is quite expressionistic and dramatic.
Katy Perry- California Gurls
Katy P
aturing Snoop Dogg - California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Uploaded by EMI_Music. - Watch more music videos, in HD!
California Gurls by Katy Perry is a brilliant example of a music video with a linear narrative. This means that the video is told in chronological order in events that happen. This music video is easy to sum up in a sentence... Katy is placed into a board game and has to find her way to safety, she meets others who have been trapped then she takes on killer Gummy bears to defeat Snoop Dogg. The linear narrative is a basic story, it is Katy going on a journey but she faces some obstacles on her way this idea is redundant but how the video is put together and the theme makes the video entropic. This video was inspired by the artist Will Cotton who painted landscapes out of candy and women who lye on pink candy floss clouds naked. The video acts as a story teller, taking the audience along with Katy through her journey as we are give an establish shot at the beginning and then we are with Katy for the entire journey. The song and the video are disjuncture as there is no mention of candy in the song but I could argue maybe it is an amplifying music video as the lyrics say...
"Let' take a journey." and "You can travel the world."
Production Music video's
Feeder- Just a day
This Just a day is one of my favourites songs and also the music video for it is also one of favourite videos. This particular music video comes across as amature and obviously has a extremely low budget as they have used other peoples/ fans home footage of themselves miming in their bedrooms and 'rocking out' along with the track. I would describe this video to be amplifying as the people in the video are reacting to the song e.g. singing and dancing. There is no narrative structure to this video, as it a bunch of clips edited together to create a fun, quirky video.
As this video intrigued me I researched how it was created. Feeder posted a competition on their official band website, in which fans had to send in an unedited video of themselves reacting to Just a day and the director would choose the best ones. After being notified that their video footage would star in the production they were asked to stay off any forum rooms until the video was realised, I believe they did this so that this video would create a big impact in video history as it has never been done before to my knowing. By the band posting this ad on their website they have have used media 2.0 which is involving the fan and audience in the production of the media and in this case the music video.
This video is entropic as it is; creative, original and connects with the audience. I say this because it shows the joy people get out of a song as much as the video. Feeder have decided to use fans home footage rather than create a stereotypical rock music video which is inspiring and quirky. The idea of different people's footage edited together to create the video is very impressive and the audience can easily associate themselves to at least one person shown in this video. It seem authentic that it is fans who have sent this footage in rather than people staging and acting their sequences which I believe creates a; fun, quirky, likable music video. The song itself is amazing, when you hear it you just want to jump about with excitement and Feeder have taken this feeling and created a music video to illustrate this. This video appeals to a mass audience from young to old and this is because Feeder have chosen to show a variety of ages, ethnicity's and both genders in the video. This video was probably produced as it was possibly the cheapest way to create a music video, Feeder would not of known that this video would be such a viral phenomenon and has inspired many others to produce videos similar to this e.g. Jet plane landing- Brave Gravity.
Jetplane- Brave Gravity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDxvvjGldUv=HeDxvvjGldU
< Just a day
I mentioned that many bands have been influenced and inspired by Feeders Just a day music video and here I have print screened shot from Just a day and Brave Gravity music video.
The brave Gravity video I believe is the best example where a band has been inspired by another video. Both Feeder and Jetplanes are of the rock genre so the video was a great choice for Jetplanes to recreate to fit there song. At times Brave Gravity use very similar shots to Just a day which I have print screened.

Brave Gravity>
This is the first comparison print screens of both videos. Here I have shown that footage of people playing instruments in a familiar environment. In just a day fans are mimicking the band performance in their room where as in Brave Gravity they seem to be performing in a school classroom.

<Just a day

Brave Gravity>
These two print screen illustrate similarities. When watching both videos I noticed the most uncanny resemblance in them, both have a child playing a guitar. This just could be a coincidence but is very unlikely, Just a day is known for it wide age variety staring in the video; old and young. In Brave Gravity it seems that they have took this idea of different ages and incorporated it into the video and used similar characters e.g. child playing guitar but in this video it is a boy rather than a girl which to be honest is changed to make out that Jetplane's has not completely copied the Feeders video.

<>

Brave Gravity>
Finally I have print screened these shot from both the videos. When comparing them to one another I noticed that Jetplane's have been inspired by Feeder's video Just a day, they seem to of copied characters but added their own twist to it. Here I have looked at the solo female character that appears in both videos, she seems to be depressed in both. In Just a day a girl is amplifying the meaning of the song to fit her situation which I believe she has just broke up with her boyfriend. In Brave Gravity it is not so obvious why the girl is depressed but the mise en scene surrounding her gives us dark impression of this character e.g. black print, selective lighting from the right which creates a shadow on the left side of the girl.
Informative music video's
Avril Lavigne- Knocking on heavens doors
The lyrics being sang by Avril lavigne are illustrated in graphic imagery which relates to the message being sang in the song. This video I would say is documenting the effects on the children in Iraq which is shocking but Avril Lavigne wants to raise awareness of the effects, she does this successfully through this video. Shock and disturbing clips are shown in this video which creates authenticity and gives a heart renching, emotional tone to the video as the audience know this ckips being shown are real. There is also performance in this music video from the artist which you expects from an acustic, emotional song but I think Avril is shown in several times is to show that a rock star chick is supporting that certain charity and hopefully her fans will follow her and support those children in Iraq.
Classifying music videos
- Illustrative... 'the meaning of the lyrics and genre', e.g. if a song is about being in Texas, the video will illustrate images of Texas. A good example for an illustrative music video would be Busted's-That's what I go to school for.
- Amplifying...' the original song's meaning and effect,' The video adds another layer of meaning to it which is another way we can see and interpret the music and lyrics. A good example for an amplifying music video would be the Spice girls- Wannabe video.
- Disjunctive...'being disjunctive is ignoring or rejecting the song's original meaning, often based on abstract imagery' The best example of a disjuncture music video is Daft Punk's- Daft Funk as the music is irrelevant to the video shown. The music is quiet and the main focus is the quirky video which includes a human dog but the video acts as though this set up is normal.
This section of research connects with the redundancy
and entropy research I have done as I will have to consider what style music video I will produce and how will I make it entropic. If I choose to produce an illustrating music video there is the danger of being overly literal which could be seen as redundant but it could also be possible to create an entropic illustrative video such as Pulp did for their music video Common people which is so illustrative that it could be interpreted as entropic. This concepts also applies if I choose to produce a disjunctive music video, a disjunctive video can by entropic by if it is too entropic it can be over complicated, elements of redundancy need to be present as the video has to understandable for the audience to a certain extent. The best example for an disjuncture and entropic music video is Daft Punk's
Daft Funk, the music is quiet and seems irrelevant to the video as it follows a human dog around New York, you could argue though that as the music has no lyrics the video is not disjunctive as there is meaning to the song through lyrics, the reason why this video is entropic though is the fact there is a human dog in New York but this seems normal which is humorous. If I choose to produce a disjunctive music video I know it will be hard task to create as I will have to try to produce a video which is entropic, this will take a lot of hard work and creativity. Disjunctive videos are apparently a dangerous strategy to adopt as if try to be too entropic it could also possibly come across redundant.
As part of research project I have used my knowledge of music videos I am familiar with and have categorised them into the three categories. I have looked at several music video's for each category and have chosen to analyse one from each.
Illustrating music videos
- Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-pUaogoX5o&ob=av2e - Lily Allen – Alfie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RgOm_WJKpE&ob=av2e - Laura Marling – My Manic and I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djChY6Ol9ig&feature=related - Tenacious D – The Greatest Song in the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4an3rpucSos&feature=fvst
Lilly Allen's- Aflie.
I have chosen to analyse why I believe Lily Allen's Alfie video is illustrative. The sound of the music reminds me of an old cartoon, especially the opening and this is reflected through the video opening which is print screened on the right.
The song is about Lily Allen's brother Alfie which ironically is the name of the single and the video also illustrates that the song is about her brother. The video is overly illustrative which makes it become entropic as the lyrics and the video are both amusing.
The video illustrates the lyrics shown nearly through the entire video which I have gathered print screens of to illustrate this.



For the first print screen image the lyrics being illustrated are..."I can't even see him cos the room is so smoky'
For the second print screen illustrates the the lyrics...
"You need to get a job..."
The third print screen illustrates the lyrics...
"Now, now there's no to swear,..."
The fourth print screen illustrates the birds solo section of the song when they chirp.
Finally the fifth print screen illustrates the lyrics...
"..., And look me in the eyes and take off that stupid fitted cap."
This particular video is a good example of an entropic illustrative music video the the reason why it is because the music, lyrics and visual elements are entropic and humorous, if the cartoon elements and the puppet was not it would not be entropic but what makes this video redundant is the performance from the artist which you expect from a pop artist.
Amplifying music videos
- Ricky Martin – Livin’ La Vida Loca
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzd673kDds - James Blunt – You’re Beautiful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofSnsGkops&ob=av2e
- Fat Boy Slim – Praise You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZESum41
- Sum41 – In too deep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGri7i8Y2Y&ob=av2e
Sum 41- In too deep
The video for In too deep amplifies the lyrics which means that the video creates a different meaning to the music.
I interpret the lyrics and song to be about a guy in a relationship with a girl. They both keep falling in love with one another but are running into the same problems, so they are just going round in circles. They have tried to make it work, but that is not good enough. He loves her but it's just not working out. So in summary the song is about facing the fact that even though they love each other, their relationship is over and they should not keep getting back together again. This interpretation is not illustrated in the video, instead it is quite literal in the fact that they are at a diving centre and they do not want to go too deep in case they drown, but this does kind of symbolises the lyrics in a way if you watch the video several times and listen to the lyrics.
These print screen illustrate the video to simplify my opinion of the meaning of the video. This video seem rather redundant as it has the performance of the band, fans singing along and the video is over complicated but it is also a humorous video which makes you smile e.g. when the guitarist plays guitar rising out the pool.Disjunctive music videos
Disjunctive music video are purposely trying to ignore the original song and create a whole new meaning. This is a drastic technique used and adopted by arty bands in order to standout and create original, thought provoking music videos. Usually disjuncture music video of this type tend to not make a lot of sense and are based around arty, abstract imagery. Below I have listed music videos which I believe are disjuncture.
- Fat Boy Slim – Weapon Of Choice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs - The Prodigy – Warrior’s Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJG8oFHCbdg&feature=fvst - Daft Punk- Da Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhDl5DCzp2I&ob=av2n - OK Go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA&ob=av2e - Blur- Coffee and TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXRVX1AKAew - Calvin Harris- I’m not alone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uaWOb1bKN8 - Red Hot Chili Peppers
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfOdWSiyWoc
Calvin Harris- I'm not alone
The storyline of the video has no resemblance to lyrics with in the song at all, it is an electric pop genre but the video does not reflect this either. The clip begins with a small boy who I interpret as Calvin Harris as a young boy after watching the video several time, who is wondering around woods in the thick snow pulling a sledge with a teddy on it. He sets up a camp and lights a fire then begins to cuddle his teddy bear, the the background you can see a gothic looking castle which is hidden within the shot but this is present later in the video, if the audience see this in this shot they will feel happy as they have found a hidden clue in the video. When we cut away the young boy is once again pulling the sledge though the thick snow with the bear on top but then a close up shot is used to establish that the teddy bear has fallen off into the snow. The scene closes and then a cut is used to establish a dungeon setting in the castle previously seen in the camp fire shot. In this sequence Calvin Harris is portrayed as a Frankenstein professor character as he is seen performing experiments on numerous females who are held captive in the dungeon, he combines their essences to reanimate the teddy he lost as a young boy







Monday, 20 September 2010
Redundancy and Entropy
Entropy- "unpredictability." A text is entropic if it contains unpredictable elements as it is non conventional which makes text quirky and interesting.
We learnt the terms redundancy and entropy in reference to music video's, I learnt that redundancy is necessary as it allows for effective, easy communication. We were set a small task to look at text images to decide if they were entropic or redundant, looking at those image some texts communicate effectively using high degrees of redundancy where as others had high degrees of entropy.
The class were set a similar task but this time to apply our gained knowledge of the terms redundancy and entropy to music video's. As a class we analysed Lady Ga Ga's music video Telephone. After our practise analyse we were asked to chose a couple of own music video's to analyse to see what makes them entropic or redundant.
Below have added a link to my word document which I have created to contrast the radundancy and entropy of the Alejandro music video.
Lady Gago- Alejandro Redundant or Entropic - Copy
Below I have added a link to my word document for the comparing of the redundancy and entropy for the music video Laura Marling- New Romantic and also a link to the music video on Youtube as there is no embed code.
Laura Marling < width="480" height="360">
Laura Marling - New Romantic [NEW]
Uploaded by urlov. - Watch more music videos, in HD!
Below I have added a link to my word ducument comparing the redundancy and entropy for the music video My Chemical Romsnce- Helena.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Video Skills Audit
Pre- production
Development of ideas; To gain the best outcome of my music video which I am going to produce I will need to develop my initial idea to the best of my ability. I will have to develop a range of possible ideas which is appropriate for the coursework criteria for deciding which is the best idea. To do this I will have to think if it is appropriate for the audiences and if it is logistically possible. I am a naturally creative person and the ideas I produce come from my head as I try to be as original as possible and tend to stick with my first idea, maybe making subtle changes in the development section. To develop my ideas I believe if I excel at the research section of the coursework I can develop my ideas by being influenced by other music videos. By making more than one storyboard this could help me with different ideas and collaborate with other members of my group by the end when I have to produce my final storyboard I will have a wide range of ideas to combine to make the best music video to my ability.
Reconnaissance; Health and safety is an important aspect when working in a group, especially as we will be going to a location or locations which could pose danger e.g. roads. To ensure that everyone is safe a risk assessment should be carried out by at least one member of the group. As we will be going to a location/locations it is important that we find out if we are allowed to film there and also ask permission if we would be allowed to, this could pose some difficulties if we are not able to go to our desired locations. Lighting is an important source as they create; moods, an atmosphere and time so it is important that we understand the lighting. If we are filming outside we will have to be wary of the natural light as it could pose some continuity issues. Noise on location is not so bad as will erase any sound off the clips and import the music over the clips. When working in a group it is important that we communicate with one another inquiring how the cast and equipment will be transported, the best way to resolve this issues we should have group members numbers stored in our mobile phones.
Blogging; As I am new at blogging I will have to learn and remember many things I can apply to my blog such as; Youtube clips, Powerpoint presentations etc... this will demonstrate and help me when producing my music video as I will have plenty of secondary source research to help develop my initial idea. Though the production I will blog and make note of the development so that I keep on a schedule, as this will allow me to know exactly where I am in the process and if I could improve. I will blog as soon as I need to for many reasons; so that I can can aim for a target, keep to a schedule and to get it written out the way so that I do not have to worry about writing them when too much time has passed as they are time consuming and would be pointless, as they will be rushed and most likely I will forget what I did on a certain day or out of class.
Editing; Editing is arguably the most important aspect when producing any visual media as it is how it is constructed will convey the intentions of the producer. I will use Adobe Premiere Pro editing software to edit my music video together to a high standard, to achieve this I will have to familiarise myself to the software and know at least the basic editing tools which I vaguely remember after doing the summer task. To achieve an A grade for A2 media I will also have to be able to do advanced editing and know what the software is capable of doing and what it offers such as; different audio, video and transition effects as this will show that I understand the software which will give more of a professional appearance. I should be able to edit frame by frame so that the video flows and so that it looks controlled by the transitions from one shot to another. To familiarise myself with Premiere Pro I should do some more remakes so that I can improve my editing skills, if I struggle I could always go in a group with someone who good at editing.
Story boarding; As well as the editing the story board is one of the most important aspects when producing a music video as it gives a clear layout what the video will look like before even filming it. The story can be produced and presented in two different ways; drawn or photographed of each shot that is going to used in the music video and in chronological order. I created a story board in AS for my film trailer, I drew each shot so that I was able to reference to it when it came to filming. A story board is there to help with the filming process, to achieve a high grade I will have to do high standard research so that I can incorporate and gain ideas from previous videos. I will have to produce a high standard story board which means; the drawings should be clear and detailed so that the cameraman knows exactly what should be in the frame. Next to each shot I will include detailed, descriptive mise en scene such as; camera angle, lighting and audio. I will also include the time in which the shot will last for e.g. 3 seconds as they gives us an accurate time line which is important as the audio will accompany it in the editing stages, so when producing the music video we will have to strictly stick to the story board timing or else the lip sync will be out of time which will be poor quality. To make sure we stick to the story board we will have to construct a shooting script which will tell us what we are going to film and the order we film it in because it is not necessarily easier filing it in chronological order, we will have to number each shot in the order we want to film them as this will help and be easier for us to do as we will be restricted to time so we should for example film every shot in a particular location all at the same time instead of going backwards and forwards to the same locations.

