Monday, 22 May 2017
Friday, 19 May 2017
Music Video Synopsis
Sparklehorse-It’s
A Wonderful Life Synopsis
The film will be made to look like it’s filmed with Super 8.
It follows a boy alone and unhappy, going through life. Some cutaways to the
night sky or sunset or some kind of scenery. Half way through the song the boy
meets a girl and they become friends, this is followed by all the same shots
but this time the boy is not alone, he is with the girl.
Verse One
A shot of a silhouette of the boy walking across a field. A
shot of him at the beach sitting next to the sea staring into the distance.
Chorus
A shot of scenery e.g. the sky, the sea, rain.
Verse Two
A shot of seagulls in the sky. A shot of him sitting by a
lake. A shot of him walking down a path at night.
Chorus
A shot of scenery e.g. the sky, the sea, rain.
Bridge
He meets a girl at college and they become friends. A shot of
them two together sitting by the sea. A shot of them together at the lake. A
shot of them together walking across a field. (The same shots but with the two
of them rather than him being alone).
Chorus
A shot of scenery e.g. the sky, the sea, rain.
Final shot of them walking down the path at night together.
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Artist Research
Sparklehorse/Mark Linkous
Mark Linkous (September 9, 1962 – March 6, 2010) was an
American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as leader of Sparklehorse.
He was also known for his collaborations with such notable artists as Tom
Waits, PJ Harvey, Daniel Johnston, Radiohead, Black Francis, Julian
Casablancas, Nina Persson, David Lynch, Fennesz, Danger Mouse, and Sage
Francis.
A member of the 1980s indie band the Dancing Hoods, Linkous
moved with the group from his native Virginia to New York City and later Los
Angeles in hopes of achieving mainstream success. By 1988, the band had failed
to land a major record label deal, and they disbanded with Linkous returning to
Virginia, where he began writing songs under various monikers.
By 1995, he created a project named Sparklehorse, of which he
would remain the only permanent member. The band released a quartet of
critically acclaimed albums on Capitol Records:
Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, Good Morning Spider, It's a Wonderful Life,
and on Astralwerks records: Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.
Linkous lived the last years of his life in Hayesville, North Carolina, where
he established Static King Studio. He committed suicide in Knoxville, Tennessee
on March 6, 2010.
In 1996, while supporting Radiohead on the first Sparklehorse
tour, Linkous overdosed on alcohol, Valium and antidepressants and possibly
other substances in his London hotel room. Rendered unconscious by the
combination of drugs, he collapsed with his legs pinned beneath him, and
remained in that position for almost fourteen hours.
Linkous committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart
outside a friend's house in Knoxville at 1:20 pm on March 6, 2010. He was 47
years old. According to a spokesperson for the Police Department, the musician
was staying with two friends. The friends said Linkous went upstairs for a
short period and then told the two that he was going for a walk and exited
through a back door. A witness saw him sit down in the alley near Irwin Street,
pull out his rifle, and fire into his own chest. Linkous was declared dead at
the scene; police did not find a suicide note, but told the press that he had
been having personal problems. The musician's publicist confirmed the details
of his death to a number of publications on the same day.
Friday, 17 March 2017
Styles, Conventions and Techniques in Music Videos
Styles, Conventions and Techniques in Music Videos
In this piece, I will be talking about a number of styles, conventions and techniques within the industry of music videos. The production of a music video is an art in which there are multiple contributors to whether the music video is a successful product or not, as well as developing its own unique aesthetic.
Live Footage Some music videos consist of footage from live performances of said song. This promotes concerts and other live performances to the online fan-base of the artist/band.
This music video is for Twenty One Pilots' song Ode to Sleep. The video contains a series of live performances throughout their career, each has a larger crowd. This video also can be included in the narrative category because it tells the story of their career and how they grew in popularity.
Some music videos contain a recreation of a live performance, they use a recreation rather than a real concert because it allows for better, more professional looking cinematography.
This music video is for Elbow's song: Grounds for Divorce. This video consists of a recreated live performance in a pub, as well as other pub activities.
From these 2 examples of music videos, we can see the difference in quality of actual live performances and staged recreations.
Narrative/Interpretive Some music videos can portray a narrative of some kind, some may interpret the lyrics of the song in some way, some may not. Interpretations of the lyrics may be approached literally or otherwise. Music videos that tell stories often don't primarily feature the artist, however there are exceptions.
For example, this music video for the Song Hell Yeah by Rag'n'Bone Man tells the story of a brother and sister who plan to kill their abusive father after he murders their mother. This video interprets the powerful emotions in the song itself to make an impactful piece of art.
Surrealist/absurdist
Some videos are bizarre and unconventional, and sometimes have very little relevance to the lyrics. Videos like this can often be animated but some are also real footage.
For example, this video is for Queens of the Stone Age's song, I appear Missing. This video is animated in a very outlandish sort of grotesque way and portrays a vague narrative.
Impressionist
Impressionist music videos aim to match the emotional tone of the music rather than portraying the meaning of the lyrics literally. This produces a more artistic video. This idea is based off of the 19th century art movement 'impressionism' where artists record how the world makes them feel rather than the world itself. These videos contain elements such as soft lighting, flowing and intermingling colours and soft edges.
This video is for Foals' song Spanish Sahara, this is a slow, emotional song, and the video portrays exactly that. There is no obvious interpretation of the lyrics within the video, however the artistic shots and general mood portrayed matches the song.
Intertextual
Music videos can sometimes make references to other products; for example, soundtrack videos commonly have references to the films themselves if they're not footage straight from the movie itself.They can also allude to other media text, events, people, or any other cultural or historical reference. A pastiche is a light-hearted imitation of another artist's style, and a parody 'pokes fun' a the original subject matter. Artists may may also use music videos as a way of paying respect to others influence, like saying thank you (homage).
As seen previously, music videos can also contain or primarily consist of animation, whether that's digital or stop-motion, animation allows for a more artistic, surreal experience.
This is another animated music video for Queens of the Stone Age. This one is for the song Go With the Flow. Queens of the Stone Age have numerous animated videos, this allows them to have more graphic, violent, extreme videos to suit the mood of their music.
Lip-Sync
A performance video might require the artist to mime the lyrics so they appear synced to the track. Lip syncing is also used in narrative based videos. sometimes the speed of the song is changed when filming for effects such as slow motion with normal paced audio.
For example, in this video, for the White Stripes' song Seven Nation Army, while it would primarily be categorized as a surrealist video with an interesting edit, lip syncing is used in the video. Keeping the video and the audio as two separate parts allows for the video to be as high quality as possible without needing sound recording equipment, and also keeping the audio as high quality as possible without having to record video too.
Editing
A common, yet under-appreciated technique used in editing music videos is cutting to the beat of the music, this helps establish a rhythm to the video.
This is a good example of this technique being used. This is another video for The White Stripes, this one is for the song Hardest Button to Button.
Visual effects are used in numerous ways; for one, to gain the attention of the viewers if the effects are cutting edge. Also, you could get more publicity and attract new audiences to your music if the video is especially impressive.
An interesting visual effect used in some music videos is split screen. Split screen separates the screen into two different videos, this gives the video an interesting dynamic feel.
Johnny Lloyd-Pilgrims is an example of split screen in a music video.
An effect used quite often in a lot of lower budget visual media and also less often in higher production-scale works is chroma-key or the use of a green screen or something to that effect. This is when a bright green surface or piece of clothing is worn or used in filming, and in the editing stage, they replace the green colour with what they want to be there.
An example of a green screen being used somewhat shoddily is Kanye West's music video for Bound 2, in which some poor visual effects are used.
When used well, green screens can provide a surreal, larger than life feel to the video, however when it's done poorly and its obviously a green screen it makes the video seem tacky.
Cinematography
Cinematography is a cornerstone in what makes a music video an enjoyable experience. There are a plethora of techniques used in the filming that can create a truly mesmerizing viewing experience. One example of a technique used is camera movements, the use of pan shots, tracking shots, tilts shots can show movement. This gives the video a dynamic flow and creates excitement for the audience.In the video for Sweatpants by Childish Gambino, the whole video is made to look as if it is one continuous shot, this is achieved by almost constant camera movement as it follows him around. This gives the video a unique, interesting aesthetic.
This shot from Tyler, The Creator's video for Tamale is a good example of a wide shot being used to capture everything within the set, this gives the video a clean, complete look.
As mentioned previously, mise-en-scene is a key factor in determine the quality in which the mood is portrayed within a music video. mise-en-scene is basically what is seen in a shot. In high quality productions, everything in a shot contributes to the video in some way, whether that's to the mood or tone, or to the narrative, mise-en-scene is undoubtedly an important aspect of a video.
For example, in the opening shot in the music video for Aftermath by muse, we can clearly see a number of details that give the viewer an idea of the setting of the video.
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Purposes of Music Videos
Purposes of music videos
In the year 1941,
‘The Panoram Soundie’ was invented and distributed in the USA, this was a jukebox
type system that played short video clips along with the music. This invention
became a hit in clubs and bars across the country. Since then music videos have
developed into something entirely new and become an outstanding part of video
media, being shown on a number of different platforms such as MTV, YouTube, and
other streaming websites. In this essay we will be discussing the multiple
purposes of music videos, such as promotion of the artist or the director,
synergy with another company, etc. As well as the different techniques used in
the production of the music videos and how it affects the product itself.
Promotion
Some artists and bands use music videos to promote
themselves, or other directors or producers involved. In music videos focused
on promoting the band or artist themselves, the video usually consists of them
either just playing or delivering a narrative.
The video on the left is a song from the band 'Vampire Weekend' and the video solely consists of the band playing; focusing on the band in the video gives the viewer no distractions and allows them to focus on the band themselves. The video on the right is a song by the artist 'Childish Gambino' and, while the video doesn't solely focus on him and nothing else, he is center spotlight throughout the whole thing and still promotes him primarily.
Music videos designed to promote the directors/producers focus on their implemented style or narrative rather than the band or artist.
This video was directed by famous TV celebrity Richard Ayoade, Ayoade has a lot of work in feature length films, television series and also music videos. He has directed videos for A-list bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. In Ayoade's videos there is a unique style of cinematography and narrative and this is how he is promoted.
Producers' Strategies
Mainstream artists In this industry, different types and genres of artists will be marketed in different ways depending on their scene; mainstream artists will have a lot of publicity behind them and need to maintain a clean, respectable image, this will be reflected in their music videos. In mainstream artists' videos such as Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber you will notice a higher budget production, choreographed dancing, provocative aesthetic, etc. This is also reflected through the platforms the video is aired on; higher budget videos will be on TV, as well as numerous sites on the internet such as YouTube, Spotify, ITunes etc.
For example, in this video we can plainly see the higher budget production value through the whole set, mise-en-scene, choreography, etc.
Independent Artists Whereas, independent artists' don't have the financial ability to back such a large production and their music videos are paid for by their independent record labels. This limits their options in comparison to bigger artists. Also, they're more limited to where their videos are played.
An example of a larger independent artist is Childish Gambino, he is signed to a much smaller record label and therefore has a smaller budget; you can tell by the mise-en-scene and everything in the video. Childish Gambino, while being an independent artist has been quite successful and his music is shown across many platforms.
Self-Produced Artists There are also artists who produce and distribute their music themselves, this is commonly seen on the internet, as there are many cheap and popular websites such as YouTube and social media sites where you can upload videos for free. Being self-produced means that you have more control over what your product is and you don't have anyone censoring you, however it also means that you have much less funding and you are less likely to receive a lot of publicity.
For example, Tyler, The Creator is a self-produced artist, this is mainly due to the controversy around a lot of his tracks because of the explicit language and content in the videos he makes, this would repel record labels because they would rather represent more socially acceptable artists and music. Regardless of Tyler's controversy, Tyler is an exceedingly successful artist and has a huge fan-base.
Art Some artists produce videos with the aim of creating a visual art piece to accompany their music, rather than commercial reasons. This kind of video tends to not focus on the artist and the music being played but instead focus on an artistic statement.
This video for the song 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' by 'Tame Impala', a psychedelic rock band known for their unique, artistic music videos to accompany their equally mesmerizing music. The video was directed and produced by Joe Pelling & Becky Sloan, and is made entirely from Plasticine collage.
Extension of income
Every time an artist's music is played on the radio, that artist receives royalties or payment in exchange. Also, if an artist decides to then make a music video to accompany it, they will, again, receive royalties or payment in exchange. However, it is almost impossible to track the consumption of a singular music video, due to the large number of media outlets; meaning they won't receive all the money they're entitled to. The usual outcome is that mainstream artists tend to top the charts on a regular basis because their songs are often played on the radio all the time, where as underground or more alternative musicians rely on other 'media outlets' to get their record heard and their names recognized. The primary reason it's less common to hear alternative or non-mainstream artists on prime-time radio and on music TV channels is because it's a risk for the company to broadcast music their fan-base is less familiar with because they may not like it, which means the broadcast will get less viewership, this is why they stick the mainstream artists the general public are aware of. Also, it is more difficult for smaller artists to get their music aired because they may not necessarily have the funds to pay for that kind of promotion, meaning they have to stick to the cheaper, less popular media outlets to gain publicity. A lot of artists, famous in today's culture started through YouTube, this is a free video publishing website where you can upload videos for free and it has billions of users. YouTube is probably one of the best media outlets to begin releasing your work because its free and has the potential to give you a lot of publicity.
For example, this is a music video from comedy/music group 'The Lonely Island', they began their career making videos on YouTube 11 years ago, their first viral song 'Jizz In My Pants' was one of the first ever viral videos on the site 8 years ago. Since then, they have become writers for SNL and other big companies. They have also had a plethora of other viral videos on the internet.
Extension of Outlets/Platforms
As previously mentioned, there are a huge number platforms where musicians can distribute their work. The most modern and popular platforms at present are social media sites on the internet such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, however there are also a number of digital streaming services that allow you to access music as well, these include Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Prime, Apple Music, Google Play Music and more. There are also a number of channels on television specifically dedicated to broadcasting music videos, such as MTV, Kerrang, Scuzz, etc. Finally, the oldest yet equally popular outlet is the Radio, where channels broadcast music live.
Synergy
Synergy, in this context, refers to a company promoting their primary product through the release of subsidiary products via licensing deals. The idea of synergy began in the 1930's when he granted other companies and firms the rights to use Mickey Mouse in various products and advertisements. It is now a common to see Disney related products wherever you go , this promotes Disney while also giving that subsidiary product more attention and promotion.
An example I have found is Alex Turner's single 'Stuck on A Puzzle'. This song was written for and featured in the feature film 'Submarine', the film was written, produced and directed by Richard Ayoade. This song promotes the film as well as vice versa. This example shows the collaboration between two different parties in two different areas of media, promoting each-other through linking each-other's products.
Conclusion
Music videos are, in my opinion, an interesting form of visual media and digital art. Music by itself is a pillar in all cultures in existence, and the addition of visual entertainment immerses you even further into this art. The variety of purposes music videos serve prove its worth in the industry. Songs on the radio tend to have a short lifespan and inevitably get replaced and forgotten about after a time, however, music videos on sites such as YouTube are there forever and will be accessible for the foreseeable future.
The video on the left is a song from the band 'Vampire Weekend' and the video solely consists of the band playing; focusing on the band in the video gives the viewer no distractions and allows them to focus on the band themselves. The video on the right is a song by the artist 'Childish Gambino' and, while the video doesn't solely focus on him and nothing else, he is center spotlight throughout the whole thing and still promotes him primarily.
Music videos designed to promote the directors/producers focus on their implemented style or narrative rather than the band or artist.
This video was directed by famous TV celebrity Richard Ayoade, Ayoade has a lot of work in feature length films, television series and also music videos. He has directed videos for A-list bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. In Ayoade's videos there is a unique style of cinematography and narrative and this is how he is promoted.
Producers' Strategies
Mainstream artists In this industry, different types and genres of artists will be marketed in different ways depending on their scene; mainstream artists will have a lot of publicity behind them and need to maintain a clean, respectable image, this will be reflected in their music videos. In mainstream artists' videos such as Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber you will notice a higher budget production, choreographed dancing, provocative aesthetic, etc. This is also reflected through the platforms the video is aired on; higher budget videos will be on TV, as well as numerous sites on the internet such as YouTube, Spotify, ITunes etc.
For example, in this video we can plainly see the higher budget production value through the whole set, mise-en-scene, choreography, etc.
Independent Artists Whereas, independent artists' don't have the financial ability to back such a large production and their music videos are paid for by their independent record labels. This limits their options in comparison to bigger artists. Also, they're more limited to where their videos are played.
An example of a larger independent artist is Childish Gambino, he is signed to a much smaller record label and therefore has a smaller budget; you can tell by the mise-en-scene and everything in the video. Childish Gambino, while being an independent artist has been quite successful and his music is shown across many platforms.
Self-Produced Artists There are also artists who produce and distribute their music themselves, this is commonly seen on the internet, as there are many cheap and popular websites such as YouTube and social media sites where you can upload videos for free. Being self-produced means that you have more control over what your product is and you don't have anyone censoring you, however it also means that you have much less funding and you are less likely to receive a lot of publicity.
For example, Tyler, The Creator is a self-produced artist, this is mainly due to the controversy around a lot of his tracks because of the explicit language and content in the videos he makes, this would repel record labels because they would rather represent more socially acceptable artists and music. Regardless of Tyler's controversy, Tyler is an exceedingly successful artist and has a huge fan-base.
Art Some artists produce videos with the aim of creating a visual art piece to accompany their music, rather than commercial reasons. This kind of video tends to not focus on the artist and the music being played but instead focus on an artistic statement.
This video for the song 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' by 'Tame Impala', a psychedelic rock band known for their unique, artistic music videos to accompany their equally mesmerizing music. The video was directed and produced by Joe Pelling & Becky Sloan, and is made entirely from Plasticine collage.
Extension of income
Every time an artist's music is played on the radio, that artist receives royalties or payment in exchange. Also, if an artist decides to then make a music video to accompany it, they will, again, receive royalties or payment in exchange. However, it is almost impossible to track the consumption of a singular music video, due to the large number of media outlets; meaning they won't receive all the money they're entitled to. The usual outcome is that mainstream artists tend to top the charts on a regular basis because their songs are often played on the radio all the time, where as underground or more alternative musicians rely on other 'media outlets' to get their record heard and their names recognized. The primary reason it's less common to hear alternative or non-mainstream artists on prime-time radio and on music TV channels is because it's a risk for the company to broadcast music their fan-base is less familiar with because they may not like it, which means the broadcast will get less viewership, this is why they stick the mainstream artists the general public are aware of. Also, it is more difficult for smaller artists to get their music aired because they may not necessarily have the funds to pay for that kind of promotion, meaning they have to stick to the cheaper, less popular media outlets to gain publicity. A lot of artists, famous in today's culture started through YouTube, this is a free video publishing website where you can upload videos for free and it has billions of users. YouTube is probably one of the best media outlets to begin releasing your work because its free and has the potential to give you a lot of publicity.
For example, this is a music video from comedy/music group 'The Lonely Island', they began their career making videos on YouTube 11 years ago, their first viral song 'Jizz In My Pants' was one of the first ever viral videos on the site 8 years ago. Since then, they have become writers for SNL and other big companies. They have also had a plethora of other viral videos on the internet.
Extension of Outlets/Platforms
As previously mentioned, there are a huge number platforms where musicians can distribute their work. The most modern and popular platforms at present are social media sites on the internet such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, however there are also a number of digital streaming services that allow you to access music as well, these include Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Prime, Apple Music, Google Play Music and more. There are also a number of channels on television specifically dedicated to broadcasting music videos, such as MTV, Kerrang, Scuzz, etc. Finally, the oldest yet equally popular outlet is the Radio, where channels broadcast music live.
Synergy
Synergy, in this context, refers to a company promoting their primary product through the release of subsidiary products via licensing deals. The idea of synergy began in the 1930's when he granted other companies and firms the rights to use Mickey Mouse in various products and advertisements. It is now a common to see Disney related products wherever you go , this promotes Disney while also giving that subsidiary product more attention and promotion.
An example I have found is Alex Turner's single 'Stuck on A Puzzle'. This song was written for and featured in the feature film 'Submarine', the film was written, produced and directed by Richard Ayoade. This song promotes the film as well as vice versa. This example shows the collaboration between two different parties in two different areas of media, promoting each-other through linking each-other's products.Conclusion
Music videos are, in my opinion, an interesting form of visual media and digital art. Music by itself is a pillar in all cultures in existence, and the addition of visual entertainment immerses you even further into this art. The variety of purposes music videos serve prove its worth in the industry. Songs on the radio tend to have a short lifespan and inevitably get replaced and forgotten about after a time, however, music videos on sites such as YouTube are there forever and will be accessible for the foreseeable future.
Wednesday, 18 January 2017
East Norfolk Sixth Form Student Pastoral Services Evaluation
Camera-work
Throughout the production of the video, we made use of a variety of different camera angles, shot types etc. For the interviews we favored a medium shot, with a standard camera angle, and a shallow depth of field
, however one of the interviews was shot poorly, in a low key lit location, with a slightly closer medium shot, a higher camera angle and poor focus.
For the filler footage we used a selection of close ups, panoramic shots, over the shoulder shots, and all kinds of other shots around the college of the staff helping students.
Editing
We mainly used standard transitions, this worked well in the corporate video as it provided a more formal, professional feel. Some transitions may go on for a little too long, however for they most part they do their job efficiently. Within the video, a number of title screens showing the questions that the interviewees as well as the interviewee's name and title.
These titles are displayed in a formal, professional font as to add to the feel of the corporate video. We also added a translucent EN logo in the bottom left corner of the entire video.
Audio
The dialogue in the interviews is at a constant, decent quality, audible and clear over background noise at all times, the dialogue is the most important part of the audio so it is essential it is clear for the viewer to hear. The music was an upbeat, formal enough to suit the corporate video, yet informal enough engage all kinds of viewers; the volume of the music varies depending on the part of the video, at times when the interviewee is speaking, the volume lowers, allowing the dialogue to be more audible, while during transitions, the volume is increased temporarily to grab the attention of the viewer.
Mise-en-scene
In all of the shots throughout the entirety of the video, we aimed to keep the lighting high key as to show the college in a positive light so to speak. In the interviews we attempted to keep the focus on the interviewee while the background is out of focus, this keeps the viewers attention on what's important. In the filler footage we show a lot of the staff helping students in their respective fields, this represents the colleges pastoral services and what it does.
Throughout the production of the video, we made use of a variety of different camera angles, shot types etc. For the interviews we favored a medium shot, with a standard camera angle, and a shallow depth of field
, however one of the interviews was shot poorly, in a low key lit location, with a slightly closer medium shot, a higher camera angle and poor focus.For the filler footage we used a selection of close ups, panoramic shots, over the shoulder shots, and all kinds of other shots around the college of the staff helping students.
Editing
We mainly used standard transitions, this worked well in the corporate video as it provided a more formal, professional feel. Some transitions may go on for a little too long, however for they most part they do their job efficiently. Within the video, a number of title screens showing the questions that the interviewees as well as the interviewee's name and title.
These titles are displayed in a formal, professional font as to add to the feel of the corporate video. We also added a translucent EN logo in the bottom left corner of the entire video.Audio
The dialogue in the interviews is at a constant, decent quality, audible and clear over background noise at all times, the dialogue is the most important part of the audio so it is essential it is clear for the viewer to hear. The music was an upbeat, formal enough to suit the corporate video, yet informal enough engage all kinds of viewers; the volume of the music varies depending on the part of the video, at times when the interviewee is speaking, the volume lowers, allowing the dialogue to be more audible, while during transitions, the volume is increased temporarily to grab the attention of the viewer.
Mise-en-scene
In all of the shots throughout the entirety of the video, we aimed to keep the lighting high key as to show the college in a positive light so to speak. In the interviews we attempted to keep the focus on the interviewee while the background is out of focus, this keeps the viewers attention on what's important. In the filler footage we show a lot of the staff helping students in their respective fields, this represents the colleges pastoral services and what it does.
Thursday, 5 January 2017
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