My main feedback area for improvement was focused on the preliminary music video task in which we shot a experimental music video for the song "Believer". I played a very significant role in the production and progression of this project which I did not make as clear on my blog.
Target:
To amend this I will go back to this post and, firstly, render out the final rendition of the piece before embedding it in my blog. I will then include various screenshots explaining what we wanted to achieve and how I guided the group to doing this. I will have completed this by the end of this week 25/09/2017
Feedback:
My video analysis was an area I was very proud of in my media blog and would like to obtain this success and work flow. In addition I would like to continue to work in the manor I am currently to achieve my maximum potential this year in media studies, adding to my success from last year
Target:
To do this I will continue to meet deadlines and explore the maximum depth I can applying my technical understanding and knowledge to each stage of this year in order to achieve my maximum potential. I would also like to vary my media within my blog throughout the year to help add diversity to my project.
Ryan Staake is an American Director who works primarily with music videos. He adapts various styles to his work which I really like and is able to adapt to suit the style of the artists he works with. Some of his more poignant videos are a result of implementing an abstract concept and more comical style to the piece just like the video above. His unique style allows him to focus on conceptual pieces however he often works with Linear narrative videos also within the rap and hip pop genre. This is due to the meaning within the lyrics common in this genre of music which the artist wants to portray conceptually to bring interest to their specific music style within the very competitive genre within the video in order to market the piece.
A key feature I admire of Staake's work is his ability to colour grade his footage to give the desired emotion. In more positive shoots he uses warmer and more saturated looks to the footage such as in the video above and in some more meaningful pieces he uses a more raw and de-saturated grunge look to the final product. this is something I would like to implement in my own work using colour to help enhance the story and mood within my piece.
Cinematography is my main interest within media and is also a very strong point of Staakes work he uses very steady camera movement working with a 3 axis gimbal to provide very luxurious and professional style to his videos which reflect the genre conventions he typically works with.
To conclude the inspiration I will be taking from Staakes work is smooth long take camera movements usually paired with wide angle shots to help portray my talents performance elements as a whole as oppose to focusing on specific band members. In addition I would like to experiment with colour within my final music video to achieve a very emotive final piece which journeys through emotion as the song progresses and because of this i will work with a narrative theme to my video.
This music video contains a very abstract nature in the sense it is very stylised and differs greatly from most video of the genre. A clear trend however within rap music is the performance of the artist as often the songs contain meaning which is best projected through the artist themselves to help tie them to the message of the song marketing themselves in addition to the song. I love this song due to its originality and the way in which the director portrays the star linking to the song. The video was created in 2013 and directed by Rich Lee.
Relationship between lyrics
There is a strong correlation between the video and the lyrics in this piece. The entire style of the video is to replicate Eminem as almost like a robot or computer which links directly to the theme of the song and his exceptional ability to rap at a high frequency of words per minute. The video really projects this through using frequent glitch effects and cuts which create a very electronic look to the video and helps to enhance the beat of the song almost bringing it to life. There is a high frequency of cuts within the video helping link to the high intensity and tempo of the track as we struggle to keep up. There is also no complex storyline within the video as this would be too tricky to understand with the lyrics and music in the background being so distracting. The centre of attention is always the star and there is frequent occasions in which lyrics are related too directly for example the screen with George Bush appears when the lyrics reference him helping us follow the song a little clearer, although I still struggle to do this!
Directors Style
This is a very stylised video throughout and transitions between various scenes and settings throughout in no particular pattern or set timing, the whole video takes a very random style. The video also involved heavy graphics and the use of a green screen in which the director adds a very posterised effect to the footage before it transitions to a very muted scene with no effects added. This I feel helps to show the different personalities of the star showing a very absurd personality and contrasting it to what would seem a more calm side which once again helps to market him by creating ambiguity throughout the video driving the audience to be interested in his character and thus the music he creates and why he does so. The star creates a range of music styles ranging from very slow and meaningful pieces to the more eccentric and fast style videos showcasing his rapping ability and I think Lee has really tried to show this through the different settings throughout the video. Colour once again is a huge factor of the video and helps to emphasise the contrast between the more colourful and vibrant high tempo sections to the video with the calming whites and greys to other elements where the song is calmer and more slow paced. This contrast is also shows through camera movement as the slower parts of the song are shot very robotic and smooth linking to the song where as faster elements are cut together with jitters and stutters creating a more malfunctioning element which also reveals more about his character. A long take push in on his face cut together with the jitter of the posturized TV screen also shows the star as having a very complex mind and being that he is plugged in to the abstract array of screens also provides an abstract nature surrounding his personality and as the song speeds up in tempo this is also complimented by fast cuts between each scene which helps to provide energy to us as a viewer which would then direct us to purchasing the song. Almost like his mind is an explosion of colour within a world that is seemingly muted and dull. A central composition is used throughout to present the star as the main focus.
To conclude I feel this video is created as an insight into the maze of a mind that is Eminem's. Being a big fan I am aware of all the hardships referenced within his other work and I feel maybe not directly referenced within this video however I feel the star portrayal could be seen as very complex within the video once studying his other work. The video is a gateway to create desire for viewers to really figure out the mystery of Eminem and will do this through listening to his music leading to increased revenue and interest from viewers due to the ambiguity and lack of clarity portrayed in this piece.
I chose to analyse this video because its a different genre to my other 3 analysis and I would like to explore how different genres market their music through videos. I really enjoyed the storyline and how the story was almost like a short film in the sense it provoked emotions and became very stressful to watch yet in addition had an overall message which it enforced which I really liked also. The video was created in 2017 and directed by Andy Hines.
Relationship Between Lyrics and Video
The visuals link very closely to the lyrics within the song expressing mainly the emotions the protagonist within the video is feeling. The video explores social issues within current society and unlike all the other videos I have analysed presents a hardship as the protagonist struggles with his close friends and family accepting his homosexuality. This close relationship helps us create a larger narrative and almost empathise with his hardships which in turn creates a greater awareness to us as a viewer as we see what can happen without the acceptance of everyone. The video narrative is Linear however the lyrics help provide an insight into the protagonists pain and thoughts and the both compliment each other to provide a really captivating and impactful piece.
Director Style
This video is very cinematic and utilises a lot of cinematic methods such as the use of push-ins, slider shots and steadycam work really help establish a clear story and puts our focus as viewers on the protagonists and being able to clearly understand the story despite the turbulence throughout the video. In addition Hines utilizes a very grunge look to the video Colouring it using very green tones which add to the hostility of the world around the protagonist. Despite the initial joy the characters experience it is set from the beginning. Colour is a very important tool within this video in establishing the mood and it only purifies in the last few shots as the protagonist (a lot older) is accepted for his true identity. The director also uses a lot of slow motion to compliment the smooth tracking shots to truly exert the intimacy between the 2 protagonists and in addition it is used to really enhance the emotions of the various other people within the story. This allows us to study their emotion and truly experience the level of emotion which adds to the impact of the story. The director also includes frequent long takes potentially for a similar reason to slow down the story to really help us empathise with the protagonist as he struggles through life. wide shots are also frequently used to establish the protagonist as small and weak as oppose to the dad figure who is viewed at through close ups presenting him as more dominant and a strong character. There is at least 50 different shots within this video. The video creates interest of people to buy the song as it projects a message and emotion once again similar to the other videos I have looked at making people who can relate to the emotion or depression as a whole (which is everyone) buy the song for this reason. The final scene also creates a feel of overwhelming happiness which contrasts to the rest of the video being so deprived of happiness which would also attract interest and potentially encourage the marketing of the song.
Representation
Representation is a huge theme within this piece being that it is based around a school teen who struggles with his sexuality. The piece depicts the older generation as very judgemental and closed about whom and what they accept and this is a theme that runs throughout. The older generation however is also presented as understanding and encouraging as the teacher figure takes time out of his day to talk to the father in an attempt to persuade him to accept his son. The primary audience of this video would be youths being the genre is rap. The video focuses around the struggles within youth culture and shows both ends of the spectrum illustrating a very diverse image of youth with the message that everyone should be appreciated and accepted into society no matter how different which really helps to entice the listener into buying the song but moreover also projects a positivity surrounding the artists which will help to promote him as a figure helping him to grow which is a completely new aspect of videos which I have not seen before. Instead of marketing the song its self sometimes an artist will market his personality and values to help attract a following or fan base in which would be tempted to purchase a number of songs and will continue to carry interest as he releases more content.
To conclude this is a genre of music which tends to hold the most meaning as rappers will often express their struggles through songs leading to an increased meaning within the song which is so popular with youth culture due to their relatability and inspiring impact. The video is shot beautifully leading to a huge success with the video on YouTube grossing more than 39 million views and over 1 million likes.
This video differs greatly to my other video research in the sense it is a single take music video meaning the camera does not cut throughout the entire song so every element has to be mastered in a single shot which requires extensive planning before hand and will have taken 100s of takes to ensure its completely perfect. The video was created in 2017 so is very modern and it was also directed and created by Ben Pollard. The video includes a Linear narrative.
Visuals and Lyric Relationship
As in most one take music videos there is often a clear connection between the lyrical elements and the on screen performance and this piece is no exception. The music video consists of the bands performance but at each key lyric element a prop will be handed on stage and will help compliment the Linear narrative. An example of this is when the song references "rain" someone pours a watering can over the foreground. This concept leads to a very aesthetic style to the video leaving us viewers engaged to see what prop appears next and also makes us play closer attention to the lyrics themselves helping the artists market the video leading to the purchase from us. The music video is shot with very soft lighting and the outfits of the band members clearly are designed to contrast the very soft pink colour of the background. Once again this genre of music means the video is meant to look a lot more home made and rough and ready as artists and especially Foxe who do not have as large a following as some bands and do not have the funding to make incredibly spectacular videos and will more often than not try and put a greater emphasis on the lyrics which often are more meaningful than your classic chart hit. This provides a very humble and calming feel to the video putting once again more emphasis on the lyrics and mood to the song.
Star Treatment
The whole video revolves around a wide shot which occasionally pans to give each band member and equal role throughout the video. There is not a single point in the video in which a band member is singled out and for 90% of the time we are free to observe which member we want disregarding what they are doing at the time or who is performing the most. This creates a very open perspective towards the band members establishing them each as equal members within the band. There is no other people however in this video which means the entire video is a performance of the band so all emphasis is on the song and its performers really creating meaning to the song and almost bringing to light the amount of effort the band have put into it and the video of the performance. The camera does move around the scene but only to interact with the story and props being brought in frame to really draw our attention towards the lyrics briefly before pulling back to the wide once again.
Performance Style
This video being one shot has to be heavy on performance. The entire video includes lip syncing and dancing which adds to the animated style to the video. The dancing is very subtle and works well to compliment to the style of the video. The piece is very easy to watch and follow also relating to the style of music. Camera movement is also subtle but there is examples where in the video where the camera helps to compliment the performance. It will move corresponding to the band members movement which creates a very smooth and seamless piece and giving almost a entrancing feel when matched with the colours and style of the music video. The performance appears to be genuinely live and all instruments and elements to the song are presented in frame, you can also see the performance is live with the behind the scenes video which shows how they managed to pull the final video off. Editing wise the entire video is in one take so there is minimal work done in post. It is clearly thoroughly planned before shooting then just coloured in post and sound matched with the original
Genre Trends
So for this video there are some key elements which are common within the music genre. For example costume is very casual which links to the very straight forward style of music. Being based on a linear narrative all elements of this music genre are meant to be very simple and easy to follow. Star treatment is not meant to be a prominent feature and all characters within the video are designed to appear as people that you may just bump into on the streets. There is no elaborate features which would outstand the band members from the public audience. The aim could be to destroy the border between the viewer and stars meaning they seem more connected to the artists and therefore more obliged to purchase the song.
To conclude this video is very impactful taking into consideration its low budget. I feel the concept of the piece works really well to enforce the minimalistic and simplistic style of the artists.
I Chose to analyse this video because I really enjoyed the natural almost VLOG style to the piece and felt this gave a really nice feel to the piece which links to the song itself. The video looks effortless which matches the tempo and feel to the song being quite slow and peaceful. I really love how the story line helps reinforce this and create a real positivity surrounding the song and its video which links to its primary purpose to market the video. It provides a setting in which the video should be watched giving the song very positive and warm connotations helping lead to its success. I also love the very simple and Linear narrative concept being very easy to follow and in contrast to the previous video I analysed does not seem to hide any storylines or hardships. The Video was created in 2014 and directed by English director Ryan Staake
Visuals and Lyric Relationship
In this video there is no direct link between the lyrics of the song and the video narrative. Not once does the song really connect with the video which creates a greater emphasis on the visual elements as we as a viewer attempt to piece together a purely visual story as it seems the song its self does not contain a narrative within the lyrics. The visuals however do match the mood of the lyrics and the theme of freedom which is explored throughout the entire video. The Video is an exploration of youth freedom something also referenced in the song. The instrumental of the song has a very mellow feel throughout and never seems to become high intensity which is reflected in the visuals through an extensive use of slow motion which creates a very tranquil and hyper real feel to the video almost like it is a series of fond memories a subject s trying to remember in vivid detail. The colour grade also reflects the tranquil nature of the video making use of a very vintage look. The colour uses a teal shadow tint and a more orange highlight tint this helps to contrast to the skin tones to create a very colourised feel which connotes positivity and gives a warm feel around the video. It creates a vibrant viewer experience helping to address the target audience being youths who perhaps are more interested in the video's content and style.
Representations
The video explores mainly one representation which is youth. The video focuses heavily on youth making the most of the natural world and shows this in positive light which contrasts to societies perception of youth. This would enhance the audience appeal as it shows no controversy as the youths are clearly just having a good time and doing so in a very clean and safe manor. It also shows youth as a very joyful experience which would help bring positivity surrounding the song encouraging people to purchase the song. A message from the video would be to make the most of your time with the people you enjoy being around and to take time to appreciate the world around you. Themes of innocence and fun are projected throughout to create a very easy watch which would help to motivate and bring positivity to the viewers life with an aim to inspire. There are also various examples throughout the video of the protagonists performing stunts which helps to keep the video very lively and interesting but also helps to show maybe older viewers that the youth are a very interesting group of people and still have motivation to do things and work hard to achieve this once again contrasting to the typical stereotype of the youth culture being violent and disrespectful. The video explores multiple youth cultures and even some of which (underground car meet) would be considered dangerous and usually associated with illegal activities. All cultures throughout are explored with positivity and expressed for the true cultures that lie within and this is transitioned through the piece through the gradual addition of mise en scene, for example the Corvette shot just before the car meet helps to create seamless transitions and also shows the youth as being all for one and almost like a large family with similar interests and shows no conflict between them.
Director Style
For this video I think its very important to recognise the directors style of shooting to create a very involved piece for us as a viewer and why he does this. The style of the video seems to consist of purely handheld shots that are not always compositionally correct. I feel Staake does this to really involve us as a viewer and feel almost like we are involved in the video as oppose to seeing another cinematic masterpiece. The shots being handheld take a more documentary approach which is only brought cinematic appearance through the extensive use of slow motion allowing us to take in the elements of each shot giving our eyes more time to explore the scene and people and therefore the mood surrounding each shot or scene. The video takes on a style almost as if it is being shot by one of the many protagonists and appears very raw which once again makes us feel within the video giving a more direct connection with us as a viewer linking us more personally to the song. This is a common occurrence in the British indie genre as more often than not the music video budgets are limited due to it not being a mainstream style of music however the genre also often creates very raw and almost home made looking videos and this is also a theme throughout the work of Alt-J until some of their more recent works which take on a more organised and planned approach to the final piece. I feel the style of the video truly establishes it for what it is and really creates the true original style and impact of the video.
Looking Mode of Address
To further the viewer involvement often first person perspective shots have been used to create a direct and unavoidable contact between the viewer and the protagonists. The point of view shots have been introduced by the director to really reinforce that homemade feel and make us as a viewer feel a key element to the storyline and thus a connection to the song. Viewer interaction is a great part of a Linear narrative story as it really helps to maintain connection and commitment to the video meaning a greater proportion of the song is listened too and appreciated.
To conclude I feel this is a really great raw and realistic video which connoted only positivity and Staake's aim to incorporate and inundate the viewer in this positivity really helps to draw an interest to the sound track establishing a backdrop to the audio which will forever be related too by the viewer on hearing this song.
