In terms of film trailers, they advertise the star persona (the media representation of them) - Richard Dyer 1975.
Even if an well-known actor doesn't play a big part in the narrative of the film, using them in the advert will draw people in because they will recognise them.
Documentaries are factual but mostly subjective from one perspective and preferred meaning (Stuart Hall's theory). Most of them use the idea of a 'fly on the wall'. This idea originated in documentaries made in the 60s. It was in this decade that camera equipment became lighter and it was easier for camera people to get closer to the action.
Reality TV is usually set up and sometimes event scripted. This type of documentary is contrived but totally immersive (it gets the audience involved).
The idea is that this 'fly on the wall' perspective is so immersive and informative that it becomes reality. Filming as a concept can't really represent actual reality as it is through the eyes of the camera person.
Promotional documentaries make something look really attractive e.g. education, holidays, TV docs and places to visit.
Roy Shucker (2001): Understanding popular music defines a music video as "Both an industrial, commercial product and cultural form".
Zeitgeist - Capturing the spirit of the time.
Zeitgeist began to be used in music videos around the mid 90s, this has allowed a whole host of parodies (e.g. Blink 182's Backstreet Boys parody) to take place.
Music Videos exist to:
- Make money (Albums/Merchandise/Gigs)
- Promote singles (To sell the albums the singles are on)
- To be downloaded and shared on the internet (Viral music videos)
- To add value to the audio release (You get more than just a song)
- To enhance star persona (Reinforce an artist visually)
- To provide content for music channels (Helps widen brand through channels like MTV)
The opposite of BROADCAST is NARROWCAST and means smaller distribution of a product.
Whoever the artist is, if they are in a music video they are an ACTOR.
The average music video is 3 MINUTES in length.
My music video cannot be longer than 3 and a half minutes.
Shucker - Music videos function in the industry's own terms as "promotional devices" and encourage record sales and chart action. That's why they're called "promos" or "promotions".
Dyer - "Star Persona" & Theory e.g. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga & Prince.
Image is everything. A star persona must always follow an artist, be it at a gig or on the red carpet to maintain their image.
Sven E Carlson (1999) identifies 2 different types of music video:
- Performance
- Narrative
Narrative in a music video should be easy to understand because music videos are only very short.
Film Trailers - Audience needs to know the equilibrium (presentation of the state of affairs and problem (Toctovor 1977). However, you cannot in a film trailer show the resolution.
Tim O'Sullivan (1998) suggests narratives have a common structure. Everything starts with a theme, followed by the development of the problem (enigma) Roland Barthes (1977) an increase in tension and finally the resolution of the plot. Such narratives can be ambiguous and linear.
SPECTACLE: What drama is about. Voyerism - only want to watch because we are enticed by the spectacle.
There are 3 types of performance in a music video:
- Song (Most popular, usually artist lip-syncing )
- Dance (Highly choreographed)
- Instrumental
Andrew Goodwin (1992) identifies six common codes and conventions in music videos.
Iconography in music genres e.g. heavy metal bands usually have live footage in their videos. Each genre has its own conventions, for example rap videos usually have a graffiti backdrop with the artist rapping to the camera. These include aesthetics/ locations/ ethnicity/ iconography. There should always be a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics:
- Illustrating
- Amplifying
- Contradicting
M - Music Related Visuals
I - Iconography
L - Lyrics
C - Close-ups
V - Voyerism
In music videos, the shot usually cuts away to what the artist is saying. Voice overs can be used to set the scene and add an extra element to the video. There are always close-ups of the artist because they are the persona that is being sold.
Voyerism Definition (Goodwin) - This is the notion of observing without the observer knowing. This creates the pleasure of watching e.g. Looking at someone's Facebook profile, being a spectator.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Friday, 7 February 2014
Thursday, 6 February 2014
LO1: Task 1: Kula Shaker - Peter Pan R.I.P
This music video was directed by Kula Shaker's frontman Crispian Mills. Form The form of this video is a promotional music video.
PurposeThe purpose of this video is to promote the song "Peter Pan R.I.P", the first single from Kula Shaker's latest album "Pilgrims Progress". It was the only single from the album to be accompanied by a promotional video. It was designed to encourage people to purchase the album/single. As the format it takes is a music video, published on website YouTube, it is easily shareable on social networking sites, increasing its audience reach and therefore in order to sell more copies.
PurposeThe purpose of this video is to promote the song "Peter Pan R.I.P", the first single from Kula Shaker's latest album "Pilgrims Progress". It was the only single from the album to be accompanied by a promotional video. It was designed to encourage people to purchase the album/single. As the format it takes is a music video, published on website YouTube, it is easily shareable on social networking sites, increasing its audience reach and therefore in order to sell more copies.
Content & Meaning
In the beginning of the video there is an animated sequence featuring fancy serif text, reading "Peter Pan's Kensington Garden". The image zooms out to display a full map of the area. This image is accompanied oddly by the sound effects played at the end of the song, they end as the image fades to black and typical park sounds (birds singing etc) play instead until the song begins.
The image fades into an establishing shot of an old man walking, panning from his feet up to his face. The actor wears a dull tweed coat, undercoat and scarf. On his head he wears a red beret with a swallow and other badges attached and has a medium length white beard and white wispy hair.
The old man stops and stands still, closes his eyes and breathes in, as in the same take a handheld camera follows his body around approximately 120 degrees, until his back is to the camera and the audience get a look of the lake that stands before him. Apart from the bird sounds, wind and faint siren of a police car in the distance, the moment is oddly quiet and solitary. The image fades to red and an old camera effect is used to break up the shots.
The next shot is a view of the water in the lake, and a sound of water moving is played. The image cuts back to a close up of the old man in the foreground, still with his eyes shut and the background blurred shows that he is the focus and connotes that he is alone. He opens his eyes and the image cuts to an out of focus shot of the lake, that quickly focusses on a group of swans and then a shot following a swan as it flies and lands. These shots are taken from the old man's perspective and shows us what he is looking at.
The shot cuts back to the image of his face, he hears the faint tuning of instruments and looks. The image cuts to a wide shot of the band, sitting and standing around a bench next to the lake. The old man hears the sound of a toy squeaking and a child laughing and looks away to see where the sound is coming from. A blurred to focussed long shot of the old man from behind a tree connotes that someone is watching him. He looks towards the camera and slowly walks towards it. The shot cuts to an image of Paul hitting his drum and cuts on the beat back to the old man walking.
As the song begins, the shot cuts to a flock of black bird flying after being disturbed, as if by the drum. The shot changes back to that of the perspective of the person watching, walking around the trees. The image cuts to the old man, straining to catch a glimpse of his stalker. The onlooker continues until it reaches a tree with a tiny gravestone against its trunk. These few shots are taken from the perspective of the onlooker. The shot cuts to a front facing shot of the band at the bench, as Crispian begins to sing the song. The band use different instruments to mime and emulate the instruments in the song; Paul carries a single drum and drumstick, Alonza uses an accordion, Harry uses a tambourine and Crispian uses a violin. The image cuts to a close up of Crispian looking into the camera, singing.
The next shot is of the old man crouching down to get a look at something the camera represents. A shaky pan from the ground to the top of the gravestone once again demonstrates the old man's view. The shot cuts again to the band and Crispian singing as he tells the story. A circling shot of the gravestone morphs into an overlaid shot of the camera circling a 'Peter Pan' statue.
After a few shots of the instruments being played, the old man sees five children dressed in Victorian clothing behind the gravestone, holding bunches of daffodils. The bunches of flowers are reminiscent of flowers thrown on graves in funerals and the children follow the theme of 'Peter Pan'. A shot of the children that pans across their faces in a mid shot is overlaid by an image of skeletal leaves. The old man closes his eyes, and an image of a young man in a doorway is overlaid, connoting that this is a memory. The shot cuts to a time lapse shot of the sky and this connotes time passing quickly, representing a memory or reflection.
An image of a war memorial is overlaid, suggesting that the old man was probably in the military. The following shot is a mid shot of the young man in an army uniform. This connotes that the old man is thinking about when he was young and possibly how he never wanted to grow old - just like the children in the Peter Pan story.
A shot of the old man laying on the ground with his eyes shut, bunches of flowers on his chest and his head rested against the gravestone interludes this last image and lasts for less than a second. This foreshadows the end of the video. The video continues through the rest of the chorus with images of the band playing their instruments, the children and the old man. One of the children hands the old man a wooden recorder flute. The old man clutches the flute and the shot cuts to him once again lying on the ground, but this time the shot is much longer and is taken from above, zooming out. He imagines himself as a toddler with his mother, running around the same park and giving him a wooden flute. This connotes that he misses his childhood.
The next shot is an aerial shot of the old man holding the flute in the air, smiling wickedly and now wearing a suit of colourful rags and a hat with feathers while the children hold hands and dance. He plays the flute as they dance. They form a line with the old man in front, the children behind and the band following as they play and dance. The children hold hands and skip around the Peter Pan statue.
The final shots are actually a mixture of narrative and behind the scenes images, showing the clapper board before a take, shots of the children laughing and the surrounding area including a cavalry of horses. A shot of the children laying their flowers on the old man cuts to shots of the children around the statue. The very last shot was taken from a handheld camera and is a film of someone walking towards the Peter Pan statue.
Genre The treatment of this video is folklore and the genre is folk/rock/ indian-influenced psychedelia.
As the song begins, the shot cuts to a flock of black bird flying after being disturbed, as if by the drum. The shot changes back to that of the perspective of the person watching, walking around the trees. The image cuts to the old man, straining to catch a glimpse of his stalker. The onlooker continues until it reaches a tree with a tiny gravestone against its trunk. These few shots are taken from the perspective of the onlooker. The shot cuts to a front facing shot of the band at the bench, as Crispian begins to sing the song. The band use different instruments to mime and emulate the instruments in the song; Paul carries a single drum and drumstick, Alonza uses an accordion, Harry uses a tambourine and Crispian uses a violin. The image cuts to a close up of Crispian looking into the camera, singing.
The next shot is of the old man crouching down to get a look at something the camera represents. A shaky pan from the ground to the top of the gravestone once again demonstrates the old man's view. The shot cuts again to the band and Crispian singing as he tells the story. A circling shot of the gravestone morphs into an overlaid shot of the camera circling a 'Peter Pan' statue.
After a few shots of the instruments being played, the old man sees five children dressed in Victorian clothing behind the gravestone, holding bunches of daffodils. The bunches of flowers are reminiscent of flowers thrown on graves in funerals and the children follow the theme of 'Peter Pan'. A shot of the children that pans across their faces in a mid shot is overlaid by an image of skeletal leaves. The old man closes his eyes, and an image of a young man in a doorway is overlaid, connoting that this is a memory. The shot cuts to a time lapse shot of the sky and this connotes time passing quickly, representing a memory or reflection.
An image of a war memorial is overlaid, suggesting that the old man was probably in the military. The following shot is a mid shot of the young man in an army uniform. This connotes that the old man is thinking about when he was young and possibly how he never wanted to grow old - just like the children in the Peter Pan story.
A shot of the old man laying on the ground with his eyes shut, bunches of flowers on his chest and his head rested against the gravestone interludes this last image and lasts for less than a second. This foreshadows the end of the video. The video continues through the rest of the chorus with images of the band playing their instruments, the children and the old man. One of the children hands the old man a wooden recorder flute. The old man clutches the flute and the shot cuts to him once again lying on the ground, but this time the shot is much longer and is taken from above, zooming out. He imagines himself as a toddler with his mother, running around the same park and giving him a wooden flute. This connotes that he misses his childhood.
The next shot is an aerial shot of the old man holding the flute in the air, smiling wickedly and now wearing a suit of colourful rags and a hat with feathers while the children hold hands and dance. He plays the flute as they dance. They form a line with the old man in front, the children behind and the band following as they play and dance. The children hold hands and skip around the Peter Pan statue.
The final shots are actually a mixture of narrative and behind the scenes images, showing the clapper board before a take, shots of the children laughing and the surrounding area including a cavalry of horses. A shot of the children laying their flowers on the old man cuts to shots of the children around the statue. The very last shot was taken from a handheld camera and is a film of someone walking towards the Peter Pan statue.
Genre The treatment of this video is folklore and the genre is folk/rock/ indian-influenced psychedelia.
Audience
The audience of this video are fans of Kula Shaker and possibly even fans of folklore. The difference in musical style between the previous KS albums and their newest means it may have even attracted a new audience, fans of folk music and other similar genres.
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
LO1: Task 1: The Prodigy - Take Me To The Hospital
The filmmaker of this video is Paul Dugdale who has worked with The Prodigy for several years making behind the scenes documentaries and short films for the band. This is his first Prodigy music video.
Form
The format of this video is a promotional music video.
Purpose
The purpose of this video is to promote the band's 21st single by entertaining the audience in hope that they will either purchase it alone or as part of the new album.
Content & MeaningIn this video the band wear costumes typical to their style and star persona. Keith and Maxim in particular maintain their looks by wearing their signature make up, displaying their tattoos and piercings. They wear similar clothes to the ones they wear when performing live; Keith in a white vest top, coloured jeans and a large belt, Maxim in a black sleeveless shirt and Liam in a t-shirt and leather jacket.
The video begins with shots of a derelict abandoned mental hospital and shadowy figures moving around. Throughout the video the shots cut sharply to the beat. The following shots cut between the actors; Keith, Maxim and Liam individually in the frame, looking forward menacingly into the camera, singing the beginning of the song. Mid shots then show the band dancing down a corridor towards the camera as it backs away. Keith's verse shows him alone, dancing down the corridor, playing to the camera, remaining the focus on him as an individual, demonstrating and maintaining his star persona. The shots frequently cut between these images of the band during the verses and images of a group wearing bear masks running around. The band make their way towards an ambulance, climb inside and trash it, hanging from the roof via medical equipment singing. The band and the masked group eventually meet when the three actors exit the vehicle with the group standing outside. The band's body language suggests that they are encouraging the group, as Keith nods to them as if to imply 'go!'. The group then proceed to vandalize the ambulance - throwing paint on it and spray painting it. The band then dance and sing in the foreground with the nearly unrecognizable ambulance in the background. The video concludes with a shot of the solitary ambulance with the camera slowly moving away.
The video essentially centres around connotations of a typical 'Hospital', taken straight from the title of the band's single 'Take Me to the Hospital'. The location (the fact that it was an old mental hospital) and central focus of this video (the ambulance) means that it belongs to this semantic field and has been designed to connote things that remind people of hospitals. The costumes worn by the group are interesting; black hooded jackets paired with bear masks. The masks are menacing because bears, especially in a hospital environment connote comfort for child patients, however the overall image of the gang with their masks under their hoods as they vandalize the ambulance is unsettling and sinister.
The video was filmed using an analogue VHS camera. The lack of quality and the grittyness of the film gives it an old school early 90s look and feel. This is exactly the impression the band and director wanted to give the audience.
Genre The treatment of this video is psychological thriller and the genre is electronica/rave.
Audience
The audience of this music video are fans of The Prodigy and people who enjoy electronica music.
The band and director describe their video: "We shot parts of the video in a derelict mental hospital. A proper death trap. Holes in the floor and sh*t falling out the ceiling. We broke in which involved being chased by dogs and a run in with the cops. We wanted a hospital in there but didn't want to shove it down peoples throats. The video was recorded onto vhs. We wanted it to look like an 80s movie you've just found at the back of the cupboard. Doing it analogue gave it a real unique look that you can't create on a shiney computer. Keep it real." - Dugdale & The Prodigy
Form
The format of this video is a promotional music video.
Purpose
The purpose of this video is to promote the band's 21st single by entertaining the audience in hope that they will either purchase it alone or as part of the new album.
Content & MeaningIn this video the band wear costumes typical to their style and star persona. Keith and Maxim in particular maintain their looks by wearing their signature make up, displaying their tattoos and piercings. They wear similar clothes to the ones they wear when performing live; Keith in a white vest top, coloured jeans and a large belt, Maxim in a black sleeveless shirt and Liam in a t-shirt and leather jacket.
The video begins with shots of a derelict abandoned mental hospital and shadowy figures moving around. Throughout the video the shots cut sharply to the beat. The following shots cut between the actors; Keith, Maxim and Liam individually in the frame, looking forward menacingly into the camera, singing the beginning of the song. Mid shots then show the band dancing down a corridor towards the camera as it backs away. Keith's verse shows him alone, dancing down the corridor, playing to the camera, remaining the focus on him as an individual, demonstrating and maintaining his star persona. The shots frequently cut between these images of the band during the verses and images of a group wearing bear masks running around. The band make their way towards an ambulance, climb inside and trash it, hanging from the roof via medical equipment singing. The band and the masked group eventually meet when the three actors exit the vehicle with the group standing outside. The band's body language suggests that they are encouraging the group, as Keith nods to them as if to imply 'go!'. The group then proceed to vandalize the ambulance - throwing paint on it and spray painting it. The band then dance and sing in the foreground with the nearly unrecognizable ambulance in the background. The video concludes with a shot of the solitary ambulance with the camera slowly moving away.
The video essentially centres around connotations of a typical 'Hospital', taken straight from the title of the band's single 'Take Me to the Hospital'. The location (the fact that it was an old mental hospital) and central focus of this video (the ambulance) means that it belongs to this semantic field and has been designed to connote things that remind people of hospitals. The costumes worn by the group are interesting; black hooded jackets paired with bear masks. The masks are menacing because bears, especially in a hospital environment connote comfort for child patients, however the overall image of the gang with their masks under their hoods as they vandalize the ambulance is unsettling and sinister.
The video was filmed using an analogue VHS camera. The lack of quality and the grittyness of the film gives it an old school early 90s look and feel. This is exactly the impression the band and director wanted to give the audience.
Genre The treatment of this video is psychological thriller and the genre is electronica/rave.
Audience
The audience of this music video are fans of The Prodigy and people who enjoy electronica music.
The band and director describe their video: "We shot parts of the video in a derelict mental hospital. A proper death trap. Holes in the floor and sh*t falling out the ceiling. We broke in which involved being chased by dogs and a run in with the cops. We wanted a hospital in there but didn't want to shove it down peoples throats. The video was recorded onto vhs. We wanted it to look like an 80s movie you've just found at the back of the cupboard. Doing it analogue gave it a real unique look that you can't create on a shiney computer. Keep it real." - Dugdale & The Prodigy
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
LO1: Task 1: Kula Shaker - Second Sight
This video was made by film-making duo Ben Foley
and Chris Hopewell at the now disbanded 'Collision Films' in 2007.
Purpose
The purpose of this music video is to promote the
single 'Second Sight' by Kula Shaker and to encourage people to buy it. It also
aims to entertain and humour the audience.
The form of this video is a music video.
Form
The form of this video is a music video.
Content & Meaning
The video begins as a silent film. It demonstrates
conventions of a silent film because it is in black and white, and uses
intertitles to show what the actors are saying and a piano playing, just like
the instrumental pieces played live during Silent Films in the past. It
establishes the scene by using a wide shot of Holmes from behind as he faces
the window thoughtfully, and zooms in slowly on him.
The actors all wear Victorian styled clothing;
Harry and Crispian in suits, Alonsa wearing a dress and fascinator and Paul
wearing a simple hat. The room is dressed with typical ornaments of the era;
shelves of books, a globe, candlesticks, portraits, a desk and furniture. The
set was dressed in this way to emulate Sherlock Holmes' study.
The narrative is fairly straightforward, as
Crispian's depiction of Holmes reveals to Lady Burlington (Alonza) that her son
the viscount (Paul) is not mad, but hypnotized. The piano music then becomes
the beginning of the song. He then proceeds to demonstrate the process of
hypnosis on Dr Watson (Harry) to evidence his deduction. Holmes claims he
"spent time in the Punjab", just as Crispian did in the band's
earlier days and says "Into the deep my dear Watson", referencing one
of the band's songs "Into the deep" and one of Holmes' famous quotes
"my dear Watson".
Watson falls into a sleep, as the camera cuts to a close up of Holmes's eyes and the pocket watch swinging in slow motion. The use of a pocket watch is typical to the traditional process of hypnosis. The camera cuts to progressively closer shots of Watson's face, cutting to the beat of the song. The shot then shows Watson stood in a room of mirrors with his fists raised. This image of the mirrors connotes paranoia. His stance and new costume (now consisting of beige trousers, a belt and boots) makes him look like a Victorian boxer, which is in keeping with the period the video is set in.
The shots then cut quickly between close ups of Watson's twitching face and his imaginary self in his dream. These shots then become a split screen, one of real Watson and one of Watson in his dream. The shots are juxtaposed to contrast that the dreamlike shot is in colour, whereas the real shot is in black and white. This effects the audience by connoting that Watson's dream world is colourful, exiting and imaginative, however the real world is dull and boring.
Watson in the dream looks into a mirror and tenses his biceps, once again reinforcing the idea that he is some kind of fighter. The action of looking into the mirror represents voyeurism, a common convention used in music videos as described by Andrew Goodwin in 1992. A mid-shot of Lady Burlington demonstrates her disapproval as she shoots a judging look across the room. Another split screen, with shots of Watson in his dream contrast with mid-shots of Holmes as he sings the chorus, staring at Watson.
The shot returns to a full screen shot of Watson, peaking around the mirrors walking slowly. The shot then shows the viscount's mesmerized face. A wide shot shows Holmes sing the until the end of the chorus, looking down on his friend. The shot cuts quickly between this image of Holmes, Watson and the face of a rabbit. In the verse, Watson explores the mirrors and the camera cuts between these images, a close up of real Watson's face and Holmes' eyes.
As the chorus starts, a mid shot of real Watson sees him wildly twitching and Holmes concludes "He's having a reaction!" and desperately applies medicine to him. Holmes tastes his concoction and appears surprised by its taste and tries it again. This action could have been used to connote Holmes' addictive personality and the fact in the original stories he liked to use cocaine to help his detective work.
In his dream, Watson is hit by something. The shot displays a human sized rabbit and then zooms in on Watson's face. Meanwhile, in the real world, Holmes picks up his violin and plays it in time to the electric guitar in the song. One of Holmes' most recognizable characteristics is his fascination with the violin.
Watson then fights the giant rabbit in mid shots and long shots. This image cuts into an image of Holmes continuing to play his violin. The camera then cuts to a shot of Watson touching his wound and tasting the blood on his hand. This iconic action reflects that of late Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon' and pays homage to the actor. Watson continues to fight the rabbit, with shots taken using a free roaming camera to show both of their perspectives. Watson begins to win, punching the rabbit and the image pauses with a blood splatter across the screen. These interesting shots continue until the song reaches its climax and a zooming out wide shot displays Watson holding the head of the rabbit in his hand. The shot cuts to the image of the headless rabbit, which is in fact Watson inside a rabbit costume - he had been fighting himself! This connotes that "you are your own worst enemy".
A close up of Watson demonstrates his surprise at this twist and suddenly wakes up in the real world. Holmes stands with his back to Watson, looking out of the window, just how the video had started, with his iconic pipe. Watson claims how incredible the experience had been and puts his pipe in his mouth. Holmes turns to face his companion but instead looks up thoughtfully into the yonder. A close up of Lady Burlington shows her reluctantly raise a pipe to her mouth and quickly becomes content.
Watson falls into a sleep, as the camera cuts to a close up of Holmes's eyes and the pocket watch swinging in slow motion. The use of a pocket watch is typical to the traditional process of hypnosis. The camera cuts to progressively closer shots of Watson's face, cutting to the beat of the song. The shot then shows Watson stood in a room of mirrors with his fists raised. This image of the mirrors connotes paranoia. His stance and new costume (now consisting of beige trousers, a belt and boots) makes him look like a Victorian boxer, which is in keeping with the period the video is set in.
The shots then cut quickly between close ups of Watson's twitching face and his imaginary self in his dream. These shots then become a split screen, one of real Watson and one of Watson in his dream. The shots are juxtaposed to contrast that the dreamlike shot is in colour, whereas the real shot is in black and white. This effects the audience by connoting that Watson's dream world is colourful, exiting and imaginative, however the real world is dull and boring.
Watson in the dream looks into a mirror and tenses his biceps, once again reinforcing the idea that he is some kind of fighter. The action of looking into the mirror represents voyeurism, a common convention used in music videos as described by Andrew Goodwin in 1992. A mid-shot of Lady Burlington demonstrates her disapproval as she shoots a judging look across the room. Another split screen, with shots of Watson in his dream contrast with mid-shots of Holmes as he sings the chorus, staring at Watson.
The shot returns to a full screen shot of Watson, peaking around the mirrors walking slowly. The shot then shows the viscount's mesmerized face. A wide shot shows Holmes sing the until the end of the chorus, looking down on his friend. The shot cuts quickly between this image of Holmes, Watson and the face of a rabbit. In the verse, Watson explores the mirrors and the camera cuts between these images, a close up of real Watson's face and Holmes' eyes.
As the chorus starts, a mid shot of real Watson sees him wildly twitching and Holmes concludes "He's having a reaction!" and desperately applies medicine to him. Holmes tastes his concoction and appears surprised by its taste and tries it again. This action could have been used to connote Holmes' addictive personality and the fact in the original stories he liked to use cocaine to help his detective work.
In his dream, Watson is hit by something. The shot displays a human sized rabbit and then zooms in on Watson's face. Meanwhile, in the real world, Holmes picks up his violin and plays it in time to the electric guitar in the song. One of Holmes' most recognizable characteristics is his fascination with the violin.
Watson then fights the giant rabbit in mid shots and long shots. This image cuts into an image of Holmes continuing to play his violin. The camera then cuts to a shot of Watson touching his wound and tasting the blood on his hand. This iconic action reflects that of late Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon' and pays homage to the actor. Watson continues to fight the rabbit, with shots taken using a free roaming camera to show both of their perspectives. Watson begins to win, punching the rabbit and the image pauses with a blood splatter across the screen. These interesting shots continue until the song reaches its climax and a zooming out wide shot displays Watson holding the head of the rabbit in his hand. The shot cuts to the image of the headless rabbit, which is in fact Watson inside a rabbit costume - he had been fighting himself! This connotes that "you are your own worst enemy".
A close up of Watson demonstrates his surprise at this twist and suddenly wakes up in the real world. Holmes stands with his back to Watson, looking out of the window, just how the video had started, with his iconic pipe. Watson claims how incredible the experience had been and puts his pipe in his mouth. Holmes turns to face his companion but instead looks up thoughtfully into the yonder. A close up of Lady Burlington shows her reluctantly raise a pipe to her mouth and quickly becomes content.
Genre
The genre is psychedelic rock and the treatment of this video is a sort of parody, historical comedy.
Audience
The audience of this video are fans of the band
and people who like similar bands to Kula Shaker. This demographic is more
specifically male and female adults who grew up in the 1990s, the BritPop era.
Also, because this video is a parody of the famous detective, fans of Sherlock
Holmes may also enjoy it.
Monday, 3 February 2014
LO1: Task 1: The Prodigy - Breathe
This video was directed by
Walter Stern in 1996 and won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1997.
Stern has continued to work with The Prodigy, collaborating with them for five
other videos. He has now gone on to make videos for artists including Madonna
and David Bowie.
Purpose
The purpose of this video is to disturb the audience and make them feel uncomfortable. The mise-en-scene of the derelict house, the actor’s costumes, the animals and the lighting all contribute to making the video appear surreal and disturbing, even nightmare-like. Another purpose is to establish Keith's new appearance and transform the image of the band in the eyes of their fans and the general public. The band probably knew the video was likely to be a big hit with fans and critics, so they took the opportunity to reinvent themselves with the hope of mass publicity.
Form
The form is a music video.
Content & Meaning
The song plays as the video
begins with the band's MC, Maxim, moving eerily towards the camera in a dark
room. This effect is used frequently throughout the video and was probably
achieved by using a trolley to pull his stationary figure
towards the camera. The band's instrumentalist and composer, Liam, sits on a
bed in another similar room, staring at the wall. Keith, the band's vocalist stands against a wall in another room. The drums in the song kick in with a close-up of Keith shaking his head with
his tongue out. This shot demonstrates cohesion between the drum beat and the
moving image.
A wide shot of the band sat together in a room with parallel windows and a large lamp sweeps in after the cut. Keith and Maxim then alternately cut, playing to the camera and dancing in a mixture of mid shots and medium close ups. The scene cuts back to the wide shot, but this time the band's dancer, Leeroy, stands and walks towards the camera, crouching to carry out a closer inspection. In time to the sound effects in the music, Keith mimes using a whip. Liam walks around his room to the right clenching his fists. The scene frequently cuts to shots of animals; a black rat in a laboratory, connoting dirt, a alligator connoting fear and aggression and various insects that also connote fear and griminess.
The scene cuts to Maxim, who is sat spinning on a chair in the top right hand corner of the room. A dead looking plant sits opposite him, in the other corner. There is a hole in the wall. The director has clearly thought out the rule of thirds in this sequence because each corner of the inner rectangle touches a focal point; Maxim, the plant and the hole in the wall. The scene changes to a low angle shot of Leeroy looking around under a glass ceiling as a cloud of dust falls from it. The shots then alternate between each member of the band. Images of an alligator on a bed, rats running around an abandoned lab, a centipede and cockroaches in a sink all play on common phobias. As the video concludes, an image of the whole band sitting in the room Keith was dancing around in is cut to, the actors staring into the camera. The final shot is of the same alligator falling off the bed as the song and video conclude.
A wide shot of the band sat together in a room with parallel windows and a large lamp sweeps in after the cut. Keith and Maxim then alternately cut, playing to the camera and dancing in a mixture of mid shots and medium close ups. The scene cuts back to the wide shot, but this time the band's dancer, Leeroy, stands and walks towards the camera, crouching to carry out a closer inspection. In time to the sound effects in the music, Keith mimes using a whip. Liam walks around his room to the right clenching his fists. The scene frequently cuts to shots of animals; a black rat in a laboratory, connoting dirt, a alligator connoting fear and aggression and various insects that also connote fear and griminess.
The scene cuts to Maxim, who is sat spinning on a chair in the top right hand corner of the room. A dead looking plant sits opposite him, in the other corner. There is a hole in the wall. The director has clearly thought out the rule of thirds in this sequence because each corner of the inner rectangle touches a focal point; Maxim, the plant and the hole in the wall. The scene changes to a low angle shot of Leeroy looking around under a glass ceiling as a cloud of dust falls from it. The shots then alternate between each member of the band. Images of an alligator on a bed, rats running around an abandoned lab, a centipede and cockroaches in a sink all play on common phobias. As the video concludes, an image of the whole band sitting in the room Keith was dancing around in is cut to, the actors staring into the camera. The final shot is of the same alligator falling off the bed as the song and video conclude.
The scene often cuts
between shots of Keith and Maxim. Most shots are mid-shots but there are also a
lot of close-ups, especially of Keith to enforce his star persona. One shot in
particular, the wide angle shot from both rooms with a wall straight down the
middle is interesting because it shows both actors in the same shot. It could
connote split personalities, as the wall splits them apart and both Keith and
Maxim have alter-egos when performing.
Keith wears a long leather
jacket with his chest exposed and a tattoo on his stomach that reads
'inflicted'. He wears black trousers and burgundy trainers. His hair is styled in an iconic
reverse mohican with one side green and one side purple. Keith has a tongue piercing, nose ring and various
other ear piercings. Maxim wears white contact lenses that appear to
shrink his pupils. His hair is styled in short dreadlocks. His chest is also
exposed, and he is covered in black ‘tiger stripes’ that run across his face
and body. His lips are black and his teeth are also coloured in. Maxim
frequently sits on a wooden chair with an old walking stick on his lap.
Through the video the
actors are dancing with distorted motions and use facial expressions and
gestures. Keith dances around wildly and uses exaggerated facial expressions,
grinning and grimacing, almost taunting the audience. Maxim on the other hand
stares blankly at the camera when he is still, but gesticulates aggressively
when he is provoked by Keith through the hole in the wall.
Most of the video is in
slow motion. This makes the lights pulsate and linger eerily. Low key lighting
is typical of the horror genre and casts dark shadows across the actor’s
faces. However, high key lighting is also used to bleach Keith’s face,
casting shadows over his eyes and cheekbones so that he looks almost skeletal.
Genre
The genre of the song is
'electronic punk' and this ties in perfectly with the horror/psychological
genre of the video. The music video uses certain stylistic conventions of the
horror genre; the use of phobias (the black rat, the alligator and the insects),
the darkness/shadows and the claustrophobic rooms and walls which seem to close
in due to clever camera angles. The actors, Keith and Maxim, have been dressed
specifically to make them look scary; Maxim wears white contact lenses and
Keith's make-up makes him look like a clown. Their movements are sharp
and twisted - this choreography will have been carefully planned to make them
appear reminiscent of antagonists in horror films.
Audience
This music video was aimed
at fans of The Prodigy and also people who enjoy the horror genre. It was
limited to post watershed on music channels because of its 'fear-factor'.Sunday, 2 February 2014
LO1: Task 1: Kasabian - Empire
 |
| Screen Shots from Empire |
This video was shot on location outside
Purpose
The purpose of this music video is to promote Kasabian's single "Empire" in order to sell records.
Form
The form of this video is a promotional music video.
Content
The video begins
with the image of a woman in 19th century
dress picking up a dandelion head. The video continues with the image of a
general saluting and passing a letter to a messenger boy. This is followed by
an establishing shot of a boy delivering a letter to the band, of which are
situated on the front lines of the battlefield. An unseen assailant shoots the
boy from behind him, and a white frothy liquid pours from his pierced back
satchel. This substance, possibly milk or beer, could connote purity, youth and
life as it leaves him. The song begins as his lifeless body falls into the arms
of Tom Meighan, Kasabian’s lead vocalist.
The scene
frequently cuts to an old general sitting in a prestigious camp. The distinctly
different scenes, one from the side of the soldiers on the battlefield and the
other of the general in the camp displays the stark contrast between rank and
status, despite both being members of the same fighting side.
Cannons fire as
the chorus begins and some of the soldiers ride on horses. Fire litters the
battlefield and some soldiers fall to the ground, their faces hidden. These
faceless soldiers could represent the fallen who were unidentified. The band
begins to walk through the smoke weaponless. The scene cuts to a hand with a holster
and Tom falling to the ground. This foreshadows the end of the video. Tom
removes his jacket and the general peers through a telescope to view the
unexpected on-coming troupe. After a close up on Serge’s face, the scene cuts
to an image of his bloodied arm laid on the grass with the bow still in his
hand. This, again, foreshadows the end of the video. An image of the drummer
boy is followed by an image of his drum bouncing into a muddy bog. The pattern
of foreshadowing is becoming more frequent, showing that the end is drawing
near.
The scene then changes to that of a woman wearing 19th century clothing, picking up a dandelion head and blowing to seeds. The band are hit by a wall of smoke and gunfire, which kills them. The woman smiles as a flashback of the messenger boy appears beside her face, Serge’s guitar falling to the ground, the drum in the bog and Serge’s bloodied hand. These shots show that the band has been killed. The only survivor is Tom, who is only made visible when the smoke clears. He faces a line of soldiers, guns raised. He begins to sing the chorus of the song. This scene represents resilience and vigilance; despite the fact his comrades are dead, Tom still feels passion to fight for his cause. The soldiers lower their guns and a general passes a letter to a messenger boy, salutes and smacks the boy’s bum. It is unclear whether this is another boy or the boy who was killed. This gesture could represent the general’s power and intimidation over the lesser ranks or possibly just to hurry the boy along. The Captain takes his pistol out of its holster, just as we saw earlier, and the scene cuts to a close up, where he aims at Tom. An image of the murdered messenger boy appears and he salutes. This connotes that it was the general who killed him. Tom looks straight down the camera, as if into the Captain’s pistol and salutes. Tom’s body falls face-first onto the ground after the Captain’s shot and the soldiers retreat back to the camp.
Meaning
The actions carried out by the band in the narrative of this music video connote pacifism, as they refuse to fight and instead return to their own army camp. However, as an audience member I also get a strong impression of ‘standing up for what you believe in’, because the band are willing to die for their cause. The narrative of the music video is coherent with the strong messages sent out by the anti war song “Empire”. I personally really enjoy this music video because of its epic action scenes, historical references and powerful message.
Genre
The genre of this video is probably historical drama.
Audience
The audience of this video are fans of Kasabian and fans of similar bands.
Genre
The genre of this video is probably historical drama.
Audience
The audience of this video are fans of Kasabian and fans of similar bands.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)