Andrew Goodwin: Applied

I have applied Andrew Goodwins's theory to my music video:

• There will be a relationship between the lyrics of the song and the music video, this means that the music video follows the lyrics. E.G "I walk a lonely road" at this point our main character will be walking in the middle of the screen.
• Illustrate - The meaning of the song is made clear through the video. This the style of video that we wil be aiming for.
• We will edit on the beat. 

Andrew Goodwin

Through the Beats

The structure, speed and beat of a song is represented in the video. This is done by:

• Through variations of the chorus and verse footage in the video.
• Cutting on the beat, so the video has a faster tempo there will be more shots in a small time period.

The music videos also represent the artist and the voice of the artist. This is by making the video suit their specific style of identity.

Narrative and Performance

The music video has to be compelling to watch repetitively, this can be done with performances in the video and the narrative of the video. The artist of the song acts as both the performer and in the music video as a narrator or a character.

Relation of Visuals to song
Disjuncture - The meaning of the song is completely ignored. The images in the video do relate to the music.
Amplify - The meaning of the song is exaggerated through the visuals in the video.
Illustrate - The meaning of the song is made clear through the video. This is the most common use

Technical Codes
Media language, in terms of camera angle, movement, lighting, editing and visual effects, all of witch is added in post production, work together to create a meaning of the video.
Tone, mood and atmosphere can be manipulated using colour, speed of the editing and using a variety of transitions.
To make the video look more believable, the settings need to look authentic.
Editing the video so that it cuts "to the beat" makes it so the video follows the rhythm and tempo of the song.



From this I have learnt how music vidoes are made to look like a music video and not a shoet film. This will help me to create my own music video as the video will look less like a short film.

Lighting

There are many types of lighting that we could have chosen for our music video, but we chose to use a hot backlight and a soft fill. This is most notably shown in the film Schindler's List.  

This shot has a hot backlight and a soft fill to create shadows around the object, this focuses the attention of the audience on the object. The effect here is to influence the audience to believe that this is a serious man and in turmoil.

Knowing what we needed to do, we decided to make some examples of our own. This is the finished pictures. We did this by using a hard backlight and a mobile phone for the soft fill at the front. I think that the photo shoot went well as we got some good pictures to use.

Other Types of lighting

There are many different types of lighting that we could of used. One of these is high key lighting, this makes the picture look brighter, this is usually used in comedies and musicales as it makes them seem more lively and fun, but is also used in dramatic scenes to emphasise the intensity of the situation the characters are in.

   

Another type of lighting that we could have used is low key lighting, this darkens the picture. This is usually used in horror films and mysteries as it has become a convention of these films as it adds intensity and makes the viewer feel more tense in the scene.

 

You can also add both low key and high key lighting together to make High and low key combination, this is most notably used in westerns, when a outlaw walks into a bar. Where there is a hight key exterior and a lower interior of the saloon, makes a shadow effect over the character.

 

One type of lighting is called Backlighting, this is where there is a hard light at the back of the subject, this creates at glowing effect around the shoulders of the subject, whereas there is a darker shadow at the front.

From this i have learnt many different types of lighting that last year we would never think of doing, this gives us a more creative idea on what we are going to do for the music video. The lighting that we chose is good as it gives the scene that we will use it in lighting that will make it better to look at.

From researching the different types of lighting, we have chosen to use the lighting from Schindler's List a hot backlight and a soft fill. We will use this one because it fits the genre that our music video, this is a breakup, from the mans side, in it he is depressed and feeling lonely, using this lighting will make it easier for the viewer to understand because of the darkness in the lighting. We won't use the others because they do not give off the same vibe that the Schindler's List lighting does.

Analysing 2 Music Videos

Weapon Of Choice

The genre of this  music video is a music video, this is because there is no story to the video. This video represents middle aged men, as at the start the audience thought that he would do some weird dancing that wouldn't be fun for anyone, but he starts to dance like crazy be coordinated. The audience for this music video is everyone this is because everyone would enjoy watching the video as is it quite funny. The narrative is a man dancing to the song, but then starts flying. There is not much narrative in this music video. The special effects are very good and the video edits on the beat of the song.    

Take On Me

The Genre is music video/short film as it has connotations of both in the video. The video represents young adults as being daring because of the chase scene. The audience for this music video is everyone as lots of different types of people would enjoy this music video. The narrative is of a woman escaping from the real world into a comic strip. Where everything is crazy and outrageous. This is also a love story between the woman and the man in the strip. The end shows them finally being together in the real world. The animation of the video is amazing and so is the special effects in the mirror scene. This is a music video because there is a song throughout and the video edits on the beat of the song.

I have learnt from this how to analyse music videos, this is done using Genre Representation Audience Narrative Media language.

Does my Music Video follow Steve Neale's theory?

My music video follows Steve Neale's theory of genre. This is because my music video is predictable and formulaic, as it is of a relationship breakup, this is a narrative that has been done for decades. Because of this it means that it is easy to sell to the audience, this means that for large filming productions, it is more profitable than a narrative that has not been told before.

However the narrative will need to change over time, this is to sustain interest in the audience.

Top 5 Favourite Music Videos

5. Upside Down and Inside Out

I like this video because it is very inventive and abstract. This is like most Ok Go music videos. The actions from the band follow the beat of the song. The video is very colourful as the pain later on makes the video look better. The concept of zero gravity in this video is very enjoyable to watch. Even though there is no story in this music video it is defiantly one of the most memorable. 

4. All Star - Smash Mouth

This music video has a bit more of a story than number 5. As the main character becomes a hero. The video is very colourful and the music video follows the beat of the song. The story is not a very good one, but the concept is good. This is not a very memorable music video, but the song is.

3. I'm A believer - Smash Mouth

The story is better in this one as a man try's to give something back to a girl he has bumped into, but the video makes it out to be him chasing her because he likes her. The video again follows the beat of the song and there is a mismatch of colours scene by scene.

2. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel

There is no story in this music video, but is one of the best and most memorable music videos of all time. This music video is very abstract as there is both stop motion and animation in this video. There is a nice blend of colours in this video. The music video also follows the beat. This music video is innovative for its time and that's why I love it.

1. Here It Goes Again - Ok Go

My number one favourite music video. Again there is no story, just like the Ok Go song before, but this is the one that sticks out in my mined. This is because it is both funny and cool, you cannot take your eyes off of it. The music video follows the beat and the video flows because the video is all one shot. Even though there is no story in this music video it is defiantly one of the most memorable.

This has helped me to research more work as I can get more ideas that would make my music video better, this is because I could take different parts from each video and make them into a unique video.

Research on Genre

Conventions

I will adhere to the conventions of a music video. These are:

Editing on the Beat:

I will be using this in my music video. I will use this in the chorus of the song, when the flashbacks start, this is because at the end of the sentence, the flashback will change. I am using this because it makes the music video feel more like it is part of the song and makes the video flow more with the song.

Lip Syncing:

I will use lip syncing in my music video. This will be used throughout the music video, as the main character will be lip syncing in the centre of the shot. I will use this because it makes the video seem as it is part of the song and lets the audience feel like it is the main caracter singing the song.

Narritive:

I will use a narritive in my music video. This will be told throughout the music video. This will capture the audience's attention. This is what I want to happen when people watch my music video.

Use of Lyrics:

I will use the lyrics in the song in parts of my video. This will enhance the narritive of the music video and also make the video and the song seem that they are the same. I will use the lyrcs of the song in my video because it adds continuity to the video and helps the audience to understand the narritive of the video, because the lyrics of the song are explaining the narritive.

However I will not be adhering to one of the conventions:

Star Image:

I will not use star Image in the video, this is because the narritive that will be told is not to do with the band or singer. I will not be using star image because I want to use actors that will be the same age as my target audience. This will mean that the audience understands the narritive more than someone that is of a different age group.

This has helped me to understand more about what will happen in my music video and what my music video will look like. This helps as I can change things about my music video now, rather than later on, where it will be harder.

What I'm Doing In My A2 Practical Next Year

For next year i will not be working in the group I was in last year (Matt Bray, Charlie Davey) and instead i will be working with Eleanor Savage. We had the choice between a Music Video and a Short Film and we have chosen to do a Music Video.

Short Film

This short film is called The Best Man, where a man who has recently became engaged and wants his friend to be his best man, but there is a twist as he wants her killed, but there is another twist at the end where it was all a task for the best man.

• The acting is very good in this short film.
• The lighting is very good as it looks natural.
• The plot is very engaging.
• The enigmas for the short film are good and is engaging the audience to see what happens.

• The end of the film is anticlimactic.
• There is no music in the short film, can make the audience bored.
• There is not depth to the characters, because of the short time frame.

Music Video

This music video is the official video of The Verve's song Bittersweet Symphony. Where the lead singer, Richard Ashcroft, walks down the street singing. It is a simple idea, but is done so well that it is one of the best music videos of all time.

• The video is iconic
• The lighting sets the tone of the video, as it is dark
• The acting is dramatic
• There is not a lot of shots

• The video is simple
• There is not a lot that is going on
• Can be boring for some people

We did not choose a short film because they can be controversial and odd, this does not interest me. Also Music videos are seen by a wider audience than a short film, this is because everyone likes music. This is shown more on youtube as there is now a section just for music videos. There is not one for short films.

Link To AS Blog

http://harrystoakes.blogspot.co.uk/

AS Media Successes

• Last year I leant how to use Audacity, without any pervious experience with the program. I did this by watching YouTube clips on tutorials to use the program.
• My group's final piece looked professional and was a good opening sequence.
• I leant how to work in a group well.
• I learnt how to make a professional piece.
• I learnt how to research and plan effectively.
• I learnt how important sound is in film and the media.

AS Media Improvements

• To communicate with the group more, as I feel that I drifted away from the group and did not convey my ideas.
• To learn how to use different programs, such as PremierPro.
• Plan more, such as making more storyboards and animatics.
• I need to be more creative with ideas.