Magazine advertisement - first draft

Here is my first draft of my magazine advertisement. To make it, I looked at the advert I deconstructed in a previous post and looked at all the conventions, and I think that I have stuck to those conventions. The name of the artist and the name of the album are the central pieces of text and are the pieces of text that the eye will be drawn to first, and the image is the same that I used for the album cover, so there is relevance between the album cover and the advert, and the audience can establish a link between the two. Other persuasive features are also used such as quotes from well-renowned magazines and phrases such as 'the incredible debut album'. These are both examples of the hypodermic needle effect in action as the advert aims to use its power to persuade the audience into buying the album.

Obviously, I would've liked it to be portrait, but pages didn't allow me to alter the picture so that it looked suitable for a magazine.

Ideology, Audience pleasures, Uses & Gratifications vs Hypodermic Needle Effect, and Memes & Tropes

Ideology: I believe that the genre and the mood of the song affects the visual representation. Currently, most indie videos show the band/artist as being quite cool and that they take pride in being different from anyone else. The song that I have chosen is quite melancholy, so I am trying to create a video that has a deep, gritty narrative whilst trying to make the artist look good at the same time.

Audience pleasures: People watch music videos for a variety of different reasons, mainly for entertainment. My music video is also for entertainment, but as it is set in a rough neighbourhood and the main character (myself) is finding life difficult , I am trying to make it relatable for people who are of similar socio-economic class and who are going through similar situations in life.

Uses & Gratifications Theory vs Hypodermic Needle Effect: The Hypodermic Needle Effect implies that the mass media are so powerful that they can 'shoot' or 'inject' their messages at the audience with a desired effect. The mass media assumes that that the audience are 'passive recievers' of the messages who accept or don't challenge them. The best example of this is Orson Welles' radio broadcast of 'War Of The Worlds', which was interrupted by a 'news bulletin' stating that martians had began an invasion of Earth. Mass hysteria had been caused with about 1 million people that listened to the broadcast believing that the invasion was actually about to commence.

The Uses & Gratifications Theory is the opposite, as it assumes that the audience are actually active receivers; they use the media text to satisfy certain needs e.g. for entertainment, information, advice etc. As I am not looking to 'inject' messages at my audience or use 'power' to influence them in anyway, I won't be taking the Hypodermic Needle Effect into account. but my magazine advertisement may do this in order for people to buy the album. However, I hope that my video will be a good accompaniment for the song I have chosen and I am looking to entertain my audience, and I do feel that it may affect my target audience, as I think that my video is for those who aren't influenced by the power of the media, and use it simply for different purposes.

Memes & Tropes: I will use fairly standard filming techniques and montage editing, something which is typically found in music videos, although I don't think I will use tropes found within my particular genre. Having said that, some of the ideas that are being applied to my video aren't entirely original either, as I have used other videos from other genres to influence my own.

The Streets - Dry Your Eyes

I was searching through Youtube and came across the video for Dry Your Eyes by The Streets. In my opinion, I don't think it's the greatest music video ever made, and it's nothing special in terms of editing, but it is a massive influence for the video that I am making because of the atmosphere that it creates. The lyrics of the song suggest that he has been on the end of a bad break-up, and make up the underlying narrative, while the video itself tries to capture how depressed and lonely he is. There are several long shots of Skinner in desolate locations and his body language suggests this feeling of loneliness, as well as the fact he is the only person in the video and his dog is the only thing that keeps him company.

Album digipak cover

This is the first draft for my album cover as part of the digipak that I'll be creating. To remain relevant with the video, I used a location where I filmed several parts, and the clothes that I am wearing are the same. I had chosen quite an urban location as I wanted the cover and the video to appeal to a working-class demographic. The fonts that I had chosen are quite plain because I wanted the cover to be simple and minimalistic, and my name is bolder than the rest of the text, mainly to promote the artist myself).

I used Pixlr to edit the picture. Firstly, I put a duplicate layer over the original photo, then added an old photo feature which I think makes the setting look bleaker. I then used the rubber feature to erase myself from the duplicate image, so that I could superimpose myself from the original photo onto the new image, and by doing this, it makes me stand out from the background.

Subsidiary Task research - Magazine advertisement deconstruction

Recently, I have started recording for my music video. I have also started flicking through magazines and searching the internet to collect research for my subsidiary tasks, which are to create a magazine advertisement and a digipak for an album. Here, I have deconstructed an advert for The Horrors' Strange House using pages on the Mac and have tried to pick out several of the key conventions used in magazine advertisements, and why they are used.

4 Point Action Plan

After watching a student's video and deconstructing it thoroughly for my research, there are particular aspects of my music video that I focused on and how 'professional' these aspects were. I will go on to explain these aspects in further detail.

1. When watching this video, I found that the narrative has to suit the attitude of the song and have some relevance. I also learnt that the events that occur in the video need to be tied up at the end, and in the video that I deconstructed there wasn't a real conclusion, even though the narrative was clear and was suitable for the song that was chosen. I am going to make sure that in my video the narrative is clear and reflects the attitude of the song, and I will make sure that events will be concluded.

2. There also needs to be a good variety of camera shots, editing techniques and transitions, but to a certain extent, as I don't want to use anything that may be considered 'cheesy' or inappropriate (like an iris for example) and want my video to look as professional as possible.

3. Having said that, everything about my video needs to look as professional as possible. I want the camerawork to be well-controlled (although I am thinking about using some handheld shots, but needs to be controlled to a degree) and the images need to link with the music, which I think the student's video did quite well, although there were certain editing techniques and transitions that were sometimes over-used and some camera shots were held for a little too long.

4. I also think that mise en scene is important, which includes everything from setting to costumes. In the student video, the locations have been used to good effect, and add a gritty, 'real' element to the video, as she is not training in the best of facilities. I am also looking to film in 'rougher' areas, as I want my main character to come across as quite poor and reclusive from everybody else.

Deconstruction of a student's work

1. Is there a controlled use of camerawork?

I think that the camerawork was well controlled throughout, especially the panning and tilting shots (for example at 2:25 where the sun is setting and the surroundings are almost silhouettes), and the types of shots that were used were effective and well thought of.

2. Are there a variety of shot types?

There is a variety of shot types, and although the video consists of a lot of panning and tilting, I do like the mid/long shots where the talent is training alone (e.g. at the beginning where she is doing press-ups underneath a street light) as I think they capture how hard she is working by herself and that she is independent and doesn't need anyone else to motivate her, which is part of the video's message. However, there are a couple of shots which are held for too long, for example towards the end where she is sitting down and waits several seconds before she starts to lip-sync.

3. Is there close attention to the use of mise en scene?

I think that mise en scene plays an important role in this video as it indicates what the talent is training for, and this is clear through her costume (she wears a basketball costume in most of the sequences), and the environment (the basketball court). I think the fact that the basketball court isn't the best around is key to the message of the video, because the talent is willing to practice there even if the facility isn't great. The student has also obviously thought about the weather and time of day, because the main character is prepared to train whatever the weather, showing how committed she is.

4. Is there a clear message? For example, is there a narrative?

The narrative, which consists of someone training to make herself 'stronger' and to get better at basketball, is clear to see. However, there isn't a conclusion and it seems that she isn't training for a big game, therefore it looks like she is training for nothing whatsoever.

5. Have they used a variety of shots, transitions and other effects?

There is a good variety of transitions and effects within the video, particularly at 3:09 where the scene repeats itself, before the ball being thrown ends up going into the basket, and I think this a good way of building up to the end of the scene. Other effects include jump cuts, which I think work although the camera moved slightly to the side, which made it seem a little unprofessional. Standard cuts and fades were used to transition from scene to scene, and I think they were used to good effect and to show the passage of time, especially at 2:32.

6. Do the images and sound work well together? For a music video, have they lip synced effectively?

The action that occurs in the video matches the song's personality, but I feel that at times the talent could've lip synced more effectively. The song used is passionate and fiery, and I think that the talent could've been exactly the same in terms of lip syncing.

The IMR (Institutional Mode of Representation)

The Institutional Mode of Representation is the dominant form as to how films are made today, and was developed during the Classic Era (1914). Before this development in film-making occurred however, the primitive style was the most common form, and techniques included frontal staging, exaggerated gestures due to the fact that early films were silent, and hardly any camera movement. I believe that the primitive style would be considered odd today, but modern conventions hadn't been established yet and cinema was new during this time, so people would be fascinated by moving images alone, no matter what the film was about or what it contained (e.g The Lumiere Brothers films included people walking out of a factory and a group of men knocking down a wall, without there being a clear narrative, or no narrative at all).

The Birth of a Nation, directed by D.W. Griffith and released in 1915, was highly controversial due to its portrayal of African-Americans and the Ku-Klux-Klan, but is considered to be one of the most innovative and influential films of all time because of Griffith's groundbreaking film techniques which are now standard. These included panning, the use of close-ups to show emotion and a variety of camera angles such as high-angle shots and panoramic long shots. The film also included a lengthy narrative, something which had never been seen or rarely seen in film-making. However, the film didn't include any diegetic sound, and the Jazz Singer was the first to do so in 1927, meaning that IMR was ready to be fully introduced.

Now that I know what the IMR is, I feel that I know why certain techniques are used in film-making e.g. a linear narrative so that the film is chronologically correct, the camerawork and editing is disguised so it acts as if it's not there, continuity editing etc. I also can't picture any films challenging the IMR either, because it is now so well established that any other form of film-making would just seem strange to the eyes of the audience.

Directors of my chosen genre

Anton Corbijn is an influential music director who has produced music videos for bands such as U2 and Depeche Mode. His career began as a photographer, and would take pictures of Dutch musician Herman Brood playing in a cafe in Groningen. Brood's fame began to rise, and so would Corbijn's along with it. Afterwards, he photographed for the likes of Joy Division, David Bowie, Bjork and Morrissey, and also produced the sleeve photography for U2's albums 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Achtung Baby'.

It was in 1983 when he directed his first video, and he directed his first colour video the year after (U2's Pride (In the Name Of Love)). From then on, he has worked with Nirvana for their 'Heart Shaped Box' video, The Killers for 'All These Things That I've Done' and Depeche Mode and U2 for several of their videos. He has also veered into short and full-length films, with his most famous being 'Control', a biographical film about the life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, who took his own life in 1980. The film received critical acclaim and grossed $8, 159, 508.

Hammer & Tongs are a duo who also direct music videos for the same genre, and have worked with Vampire Weekend on the 'A-Punk' and 'Cousins' videos, Radiohead on their videos for 'Lotus Flower' and 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place', and Blur on their video for 'Coffee & TV', which is arguably their most famous to date, and features an anthropomorphic milk carton. The video won several awards, including the Best Video at the NME Awards and the MTV Europe Awards. They directed their first film in 2005, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy', and directed 'Son of Rambow' in 2007.

Chosen song for my video

After extensive thinking, and with some slight idea changes, I have decided on the song that I will be using for my music video. Initially, I wanted to choose something upbeat with a psychedelic feel, but in the end I chose Easy Easy by King Krule, because as well as it being a personal favourite of mine at the moment, I eventually decided that I wanted to create a video that was quite bleak, yet atmospheric and hopeful, which I believe is the overall feel of the song, while maintaining a performance aspect. There are also a lot of things that I like about the original video, especially the use of editing and filters, which gives the video quite an old-fashioned look, and the narrative (which I interpret to be about growing up in a poor area and the boredom that comes with it) which in my opinion fits in with the song perfectly.

Deconstruction of my chosen genre 1

The chosen genre of my music video is indie/alternative rock, where the majority of the videos are performance based, but some are conceptual. The video I'm going to deconstruct is Weezer's video for Buddy Holly, which was recorded in 1994 and directed by Spike Jonze. It is personally one of my favourite performance videos, in which the band perform in Arnold's Drive-In diner from the popular 70's TV show Happy Days. The video combines contemporary footage of the band with clips from the show, and also features what was at the time groundbreaking editing.


There is an entire 50's theme that runs throughout the song and the video, and is the period of time in which Happy Days was set. There is also a comedy element to the video too, and as Happy Days was a comedy itself, it is suitable. I think that the footage was used because Happy Days is one of the most important and iconic shows in the history of American TV, and the song and video pays homage to the 50's. The song itself is about a relationship between a man and a woman, with the man defending their relationship no matter what other people say. Even though relationships are a popular lyrical matter today, they were also popular in the 50's, and the song's lyrics are very similar to those of  most 50's songs.  It's also noticeable that the song was named after Buddy Holly, an artist who was popular during this time. The band's image is quite geeky and unconventional from that of the modern day rockstar, and fits in well with the 50's aesthetic, as well as the costumes of the people dancing and the diner, which was a typical hangout for young people during the decade and was one of the sets used in Happy Days.

Most of the camera shots within the video are mainly mid-shots, either of the band performing, the people dancing or of 'onlookers'. There is one close-up at 1:02, as one member of the band sings whilst looking directly at the camera, directly addressing the audience too. Apart from this, I don't feel there are too many clever camera shots, but then again there is no need for fancy camerawork, and adds to the simplistic feel of the video.

Research Methods

There are 4 different kinds of research methods: these are primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative. Primary research is research that is collected individually (e.g. questionnaires, surveys, interviews), while secondary research is the opposite as it is research that is conducted by somebody else. Quantitative data is numerical based, and qualitative data is more to do with observations.

For my coursework brief, I have decided that I will be using secondary research methods and qualitative data, as I feel that looking at other media texts and interpreting them is more suitable for my chosen brief.

Significant dates in the history of the music video

1920's - Many musical short films were produced throughout this period, and a lot of early animated films made by the likes of Walt Disney, especially Fantasia, were built around music.

1929 - Blues singer Bessie Smith appeared in a short film called St. Louis Blues, which featured a dramatized performance of the song of the same name.

1930's-1950's - Musicals are a huge influence on music videos, and several well-known music videos have imitated several classic Hollywood musicals, for example Madonna's video for 'Material Girl' was closely modelled on 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend' from the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'.

Late 1950's - The scopitone, a visual jukebox, was invented in France, and many French artists such as Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Jacques Dutronc produced short films to accompany their songs.

1964 - The Beatles starred in a feature film, 'A Hard Day's Night', which was presented as a mockumentary and combined dialogue and musical sequences. The musical sequences then formed templates for music videos, and The Monkees subsequently used the same idea for their hit TV series.
Other bands and artists made use of video clips throughout the 60's including Bob Dylan, The Who and  The Rolling Stones.

1981 - MTV launched in the US, and the video for 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles became the first video to be aired on the channel. From then on, the music video became a popular marketing method for bands and artists, particularly the likes of Duran Duran and Madonna.

1983 - The video for Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was released, and became one of the most successful and iconic music videos of all time. It also helped African American artists gain exposure through MTV.

1985 - Dire Straits' video for 'Money For Nothing' made pioneering use of computer animation, and the year after Peter Gabriel used animation techniques made by Aardman Animation for the video for his song 'Sledgehammer'.

1995 - Michael and Janet Jackson were involved in the most expensive music video of all time: the video for 'Scream' cost $7 million to produce.

2005 - The year that Youtube was launched. The most viewed video on the site so far is PSY's video for 'Gangnam Style', and is the only video to have received over 1 billion views.

Coursework Brief

For my A2 Media coursework, I have decided to create a promotion package for the release of an album, which includes a music promo video, a digipak for the album's release and a magazine advertisement for the digipak. The reason as to why I chose to create a music video is because I listen to a lot of music in my spare time and music is something I have a great interest in, and that my knowledge for music videos is far greater than that of short films/film trailers. I also listen to a wide variety of genres, from rock and alternative music to hip-hop and electronic/dance music.

Binary opposites, modern mythic embodiment, and male gaze

Claude Levi-Strauss came up with the idea that films contain binary opposites, for example good vs evil, hero vs villain etc. This links to a statement made by Sven E Carlsson, who said that "One of the most common methods of analysis is to break up the music video into black and white boxes. Almost everything is then perceived as opposites - trash or art, commerce or creativity, male or female, naturalism or antirealism etc."

Carlsson believes that there are two main categories that music videos are able to fall into:

• Performance videos - when the audience are able to see the artist(s) singing and dancing throughout the video
• Conceptual videos - when the audience watch something other than the artist throughout the video

Carlsson also created the theory that most performance movies make the performer more like a product, and said that "He or she is a materialization of the commercial exhibitionist. He or she is a monger of their own body image, selling everything to be in the spotlight - selling voice, face, lifestyle, records, and so on." Artists such as Rihanna and Beyonce are perfect examples, as they are at the forefront of their music videos and use them to sell all the things that Carlsson mentioned in his theory, as well as representing the idealized myth of assertive, powerful young black women. Artists such as Mumford & Sons and Adele are marketable, but also represent the myth that people can look and be 'normal' to be successful in an industry where the majority of people are 'good looking'.

A lot of mainstream music videos also fall into the 'male gaze' cliche, where the camera is perceived to be from the viewpoint of a man. Michael Shore also concluded that music videos contain views of adolescent male fantasies and contain elements of power, girls and wealth e.g the video for Kanye West's Gold Digger below.


I believe that the male gaze cliche also boosts the popularity of female performers as males who share these fantasies will keep going back to their videos, and women may idolize and look up to them.

A Day In The Life Of A Nerd

Here is my short film... enjoy!

The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

Recently, I have been watching a lot of music videos, to see if I can gain any ideas from them. I picked out this one because it has quite a nostalgic feel to it and captures the freedom of being a teenager, something which I would like to portray in my music video. I also like the camerawork, in particular the shot of the skull swinging back and forth to the rhythm.

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my new A2 Media blog. In this unit of coursework I will be creating either a short film, a music video, or a film trailer, and all of my research, planning and ideas will all be uploaded on to this blog. As a way of learning how to film and edit in preparation for the upcoming task, I will be creating a short film called 'A Day In The Life Of...', which will follow a day in the life of a person or object, which in my case will be a geek. The film will last for a minute maximum.