Music Videos

Tuesday 14th January
L/O - To explore the purpose, form and conventions of music videos
What are the main purposes of a music video and how have they developed over the years?
The main purposes of a music video is to sell/promote a song, provide a better understanding of a song through visual elements, to highlight the talents of the artist (singing, dancing, performing) and to help build a brand identity/sell the artist. All of these purposes however, all add up to one ultimate reason. This is to make profit. If you make a video, you are promoting the song and if people like it, there is a chance they will stream it, making the artist more money. Also, if people get a better understanding of the song and/or see the talents of the artist, then they will want to see more of the, also making them profit.

Friday 17th January 

Pop - Gangnam Style

Camerawork:

- Uses a range of camera shots (close ups, long shots, medium shots)

- Typical camera shot is long shot to get full body in shot

- Handheld and using technical gear  

Editing:

- SFX included (explosions)

- Cuts in time with the song (leading up to the drop)

- Slow motion is used

Mise-en-scene:

-In a range of different locations (barn, warehouse, train, bus)

-Wearing various clothing (suits, beachwear, towel) 

-Humorous Performance

-Bright Colours

Rock - How You Remind Me

Camerawork:

-Uses a range of camera shots (close ups, long shots, medium shots)

-Typical camera shot is medium shot and medium close ups

-Technical gear is used to make camera more steady and present it as more cinematic

Editing:

-Dull colour correction then converts to bright when certain character in shot

-Camera cuts when guitar is played at certain parts

Mise-en-scene:

-In a city suburb

-He is thinking of girl

-Low lighting

Indie - The Scientist 

Camerawork:

-Uses a range of camera sots (close ups, long shots, medium shots)

-Typical camera shot is medium shot

-Primarily filmed on a steady cam to reduce the camera shaking

Editing: 

-The whole video is in reverse (goes with the lyrics "I'm going back to the start")

-Slow, fits the tempo of the song

Mise-en-scene:

-In the city going out into a woodland area

In comparison, all of the music videos have these in common:

Camerawork:

• a lot of mid shots and close ups to personalise the artist and help with proximity
• establishing shots/crane/wide angles identify location
• range of angles keep it engaging
• continuous movement;tracking follows artist

Editing:

• edits and cutting follow tempo of song; cut on beat
• predominance of match cuts
• slow motion used to reflect changes in tempo
• slow motion used to reflect changes in tempo
• colour grading reflects tone or genre of song
• SFX makes video visually appealing or engaging
• graphics often used to introduce artist/song or illustrate lyrics

Mise-en-scene:

• Variety of locations, usually 2/3, to create realism/set tone/match narrative
• studio locations
• costume and make up reflects genre of song/artist
• costume and make up can reinforce colour scheme/tone of video
• props can illustrate lyrics/create realism
• lighting: studio lit or natural if on location
• performance: artist singing/dancing/playing/acting

Tuesday 21st January

L/O- To explore the different representations in music videos

Choose two contrasting music videos of your choice and explain, in detail, the representations constructed in them

Gangnam Style - PSY

Representations of the artist:

• Comical
• Creative
• Different
• Lady Killer

Different Social Groups (CAGEDS):

• Different age groups (children, adult, elderly)
• Range of genders
• Not a lot of ethnic groups 
• Not a lot of disabilities 
• Straight mainly, however PSY does get close to men sometimes

Ideologies:

• Everyone should be less serious and express themselves through the gangnam style.  

Stereotypes:

• Women want a rich mans money - some women are gold diggers.

The Scientist - Coldplay

Friday 24th January 

L/O - to research and explore representation and cultural context in music video case studies 

• Pink hair - highlights femininity 
• Direct address - staring right at the camera, shows confidence 
• Standing in the centre - all eyes on her
• Good skin - all imperfections removed in photoshop
• Sexual stance - position of hands, open mouthed, slanted body. Psychologists tells us that this is a want of desire.   

Radiohead                                   This is the Radiohead's album cover for 'A Moon Shaped Pool'. Through seeing this album cover, this creates an image that the band will have songs that aren't 'poppy', however more leading towards rock. This is because of the colours used, and the actual image itself. Radiohead have used black and white, which represents them as dark and mysterious. The image appears to be the ground giving way, which could represent the artist. Their album covers are often artwork, which represents them as creative. 

Massive Attack                                This is the massive attack album cover. The album contains the song 'Unfinished Sympathy'. The band usually represent themselves through logos and imagery, rather than pictures of themselves. This is quite experimental, which links to them and their music. 

Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Genre Conventions Used:

• Subverts conventions - usually low angle shot of artist, this is eye level
• Subverts conventions - general hip hop music videos have ruthless behaviour, however Unfinished Sympathy isn't.
• It has conventions of having a low budget by being all in one shot

Representation of Artist:

• Represented as good-bringers as they are raising awareness of run down neighbourhoods 
• By raising awareness, the band are represented in a good light.

Representations of place and social groups:

• The location of 'Unfinished Sympathy' gives off representations of bad behaviour. People associate run down neighbourhoods with drugs and other mysterious, criminal acts. The locations representations would be that it is a run-down neighbourhood for people that do not have a lot of money and not an easy living. 
• The social groups would be lower people of society, social grade D most likely. This represents them as poor.

Representations of positive and negative stereotypes:

• Representations of disability - Massive Attack bring disability to light for viewers to talk about.
• Representations of American Culture.

Viewpoints and ideologies:

• Throughout the video, feminism is greatly represented, as the woman in the video, Shara Nelson, walks through a run-down neighbourhood. Nelson is seen keeping her head held high and remaining positive, though the neighbourhood may not be.

Preferred Audience Response: 

• The preferred audience response would be for their audience to take action and notice the issues that surround their lives. 

Tuesday 29th January

Cultural Context

Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

What key events happened leading up to the release?

• Gulf war begins on August 2nd 1990. Massive Attack temporarily changed their name to 'Massive' to avoid controversy. 
• Hubble Space Telescope launched 7 years after behind schedule
• Airlift of Ethiopian Jews to Israel
• United States announce massive nuclear cutback
• USSR comes to a formal end

Where was it filmed and who directed it?

• It was filmed on a Steadycam from a neighbourhood in LA, California.
• It was directed by Baillie Walsh, who had also directed the video for Massive Attack's previous single "Daydreaming".

How has 'Street Life' been represented in your list A music video?

Street life is represented in many different ways throughout Massive Attacks 'Unfinished Sympathy'. Overall, it's represented as tough and hard to deal with through the uses of different representations, social context, etc. First of, the use of stereotypes is used to present the 'tough and hard to deal with' theme, as Massive Attack have used people with disabilities to create this. In the video, we see a disabled person on a skateboard with no legs. This presents his life as hard, as people without his disability couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in his place and wouldn't want to have that happen to them either. 

Another representation used to present street life as hard is the social context of the video. The street they are on is not a high end neighbourhood with mansions; there are people living in run down, vandalised houses. There is trash and litter outside their where they are living, thugs out on the street. This shows that their lives are tough and hard, as they can't just fly through life and do whatever they want, they have to work for what they want and even then, they may not be getting paid very much. Also, there are aged people drinking mid day; this could show that they want to escape their lives so badly due to the conditions that they are in. To add to the social context, most people are dressed in scruffy clothing, showing that they are not very rich as they are not walking around in posh, expensive clothing.



Friday 31st January
L/O - to research and explore intertextuality and cultural context
Radiohead - Burn the Witch Intertextuality
Trumpton:
Trumpton is a british stop-motion children's television series form the producers of Camberwick Green. It was first shown from January to March 1967 on BBC, so anyone with a TV could've watched it. Most production details were identical to Camberwick Green, with it being in the same universe as Trumpton, only being two miles from the destination. In 'Burn the Witch', the same stop-motion production is used that was in Trumpton, satisfying some of their target audience who would remember the television series.

Camberwick Green:
Camberwick Green is the first of the Trumptonshire trilogy, airing on January 1996.  This was a children's stop-motion television series that was on BBC1. Camberwick Green is very similar to Trumpton, and vice-versa.

Wicker Man:
The Wicker Man is a 1973 British horror film. In the film,  villagers force a character in a giant wicker man statue along with various animals, set it ablaze and surround it singing a folk song. Inside the wicker man, the terrified man prays to god and then curses the islanders as he and the animals burn to death. In 'Burn the Witch', this is also used near the end of the music video, where the priest is put inside a giant statue and the villagers set it ablaze.

Blue Velvet:
Blue Velvet is a 1986 mystery film surrounding a man who finds a severed ear that uncovers a vast criminal conspiracy and and falls in love with one of the main members of the criminal organisation. The song Burn the Witch draws inspiration from the bird scene in Blue Velvet, and uses it as the music video's opening scene.



How has the music video used Media language to represent the following viewpoints and ideologies?

'Normality':
At the start of the music video, the mise-en-scene shows us normality. Everybody in the scene is just getting on with their lives and doing their jobs. For example, the painter is enjoying painting the red post box, the builder is building a wooden structure, the priest is holding a meeting. All  without a care in the world. Each villager is doing their daily business, showing the audience that they act like a normal town.

Social solidarity & Conformity
Social solidarity is shown in Burn the Witch through the sound. The music in the video some may find very harrowing. This relates to the 'cult' in Burn the Witch which all townspeople are part of. Social solidarity and conformity is also shown through camera, as there are high angle shots when we see the townspeople working.
Exploitation
In the music video, exploitation is used through mise-en-scene, when we see that slaves are working as slaves for a farmer and doing his dirty work for him. Also, the camerawork in this scene also shows that they are exploited and looked down upon, as it is in a high angle shot, showing that they don't have a lot of power.
Nationalism

Xenophobia
Xenophobia is shown in the music video when we see the an outsider of the village being 'burned alive'. The townspeople are clearly agitated and unwelcoming of his presence in the place that they live. The high angle shot that we regularly see of the inspector shows that he is a minority in the village. 
Authoritarianism
This is shown throughout the video by the mise-en-scene used in the video. We see throughout the video that the town is taking part in various cult-like activities. For example, we see the noose, the gang dancing around the tied up girl, and the massive wicker man statue.
Social Exclusion

This is used in 'Burn the Witch' through mise-en-scene when we see the painter painting red crosses on citizens doors. The mayor and town are excluding these people, for an unknown reason. It could be a throwback to the plague, where people infected had red crosses on their doors. It is also used at the end of the music video, when the townspeople try to get rid of the inspector. The people of the town clearly want to exclude outsiders and do all they can to make them disappear.
                                                        
Tuesday 4th February
How are the following groups represented in the music video 'Burn the Witch':

Radiohead:
They are represented as an english-rock band that like to try new things and experiment with alternative ways to produce and show the world their music. For example, they themselves do not appear in the music video 'Burn the Witch', and instead used an animated childhood throwback for the visualisation of the song. They are also seen as hard workers, with being together since 1985 and releasing 9 studio albums and having recorded more than 160 songs.
Rural Utopia
Living in the countryside is represented as socially excluded and alternate in the music video. In the video, the townspeople do not let outsiders in their village for very long, shown in the video up until they try and rid of the inspector. They are seen as alternate through the cult-like ways and activities they live by. People in robes and masks with swords doing a 'dance' around a tied up female is not seen as very normal and mainstream. 
Ethnicity       
This is represented as a range of ethnicities is not accepted. This is shown in throughout the whole video, as there is not a single person from another ethnicity. This could be linked to the fact that the townspeople do not like outsiders, so there is no way there could be any other ethnicity.
Gender
Gender is represented unequal throughout the 'Burn the Witch' music video. This is shown in some scenes which consist of women being used. For example, there is a scene where the cult members dance around a tied up female not fighting back. Also, all of the workers are predominantly male. The jobs that require more physical work are left to the men, whereas the only job we see a women run is the food stool which is dripping with blood. This shows that in this rural town, women are seen as weak and unable. This is very stereotypical and people still think like this is today's society, so Radiohead have used the video to bring this stereotype to light.
Class and Status
Class and status is represented as typical, as it is like normal societies. The mayor, who runs the town, has got bling on his neck and is dressed up in nice, formal clothes. This shows that he has high class and status, as he is the person that runs the town wearing expensive clothing. The town's class and status is also represented as typical, as we see that the town has middle class and lower class as well. This is shown through the middle class labourers, like the painter, the builder, etc. The lower class are the slaves that work for the farmer and have ragged clothing.
Britishness
This is represented as rude through the Inspector in the music video. Some people think that most Brits are very rude and are very selfish, being only for themselves and their work. This is shown through the inspector when he gets out the car. The mayor puts his hand out to greet him, and the inspector blanks him and gets straight to writing down his first thoughts on the town. This is following the stereotype that Brits are rude and lazy.

MUSIC VIDEOS

L/O - To research terminology required for analysis 
Music Video Terms:
Narrative:
What the story is and what it is about

Performance:
The act that the artist has made in the music video

Concept:
A visualiser (moves with the music)

Camerawork:
Shot Types:

Angles:

Movement:












Lighting Terms:
Types and Effects:
Low-key lighting will be more dimmed lights for a more casual environment like a home or bar
High-key lighting will be a more intensely lit room like a shopping centre.
Editing:
Cut types:
Hard cut

• A straight cut from one clip to another with no transitions or visual-meaning

Cross cut

• A cut used when two scenes are happening in sync, rapidly cutting between two scenes

Transitions:
Cutting to another shot by artistically and creatively using visual switches to smoothly go to another scene
SFX:
Adding in things that was not in the shot before using CGI (computer technology)

Length and Speed:

Sound:
Types
Diegetic

• The people in the video can hear the sound

Non Diegetic

• The people in the video cannot hear the sound 

Synchronous

• Synchronous sound is sound that is matched to certain movements occurring in the scene, e.g. when footsteps correspond to feet walking

Asynchronous

• When the director wants to create tension as the viewer can hear a sound but can not see its source.

Ambient

• the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. (wind, water, birds, etc.)

Levels:
If there are particular sounds that are hightened or lowered for a purpose.

L/O - To research selected case studies for use of Media Language and Representation
Burn The Witch - Radiohead Research
The Band
Radiohead are an English rock band from Oxfordshire, Formed in1985, the band have been together for over 3 decades. They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. The band consists of 5 members, with Thom Yorke being the lead vocals.

In 1992, Radiohead released their debut single "Creep". The song became a worldwide hit after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). Their popularity rose in the UK with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), caused them to become famous worldwide. It is noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation. Their music may be considered as alternative.

Burn the Witch
The song "Burn the Witch' was released on 3rd May 2016 as the lead single from the album A Moon Shaped Pool. Radiohead developed the song for over a decade. It features a string section playing col legno, (hitting the strings on a stringed instrument instead of strumming across them) arranged by guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

"Burn the Witch" was accompanied by a stop-motion animated music video that pays respect to the 1960s British children's TV programme 'Camberwick Green' and the 1973 British horror film 'The Wicker Man'. The song received positive reviews and was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Burn the Witch" was described by The Atlantic as an orchestral pop song. However, The Guardian calls it an art rock song. The Music video was directed by Chris Hopewell, who previously directed the animated video for Radiohead's 2003 single "There There". The Video was conceived and finished in 14 days and released on YouTube one week later on 3rd May 2016. According to the son-in-law of Trumpton (in the series of Camberwick Green) creator Gordon Murray, they were not asked for permission and saw it as "tarnishing of the brand."

The video depicts mob rule in a rural community. During the video, an inspector is greeted by a town mayor and invited to see a series of unsettling sights, culminating in the unveiling of a wicker man. The mayor urges the inspector to climb into the wicker man, where he is then locked inside as a human sacrifice and the wicker man is set on fire. As the flames gather, the townspeople turn their back and wave goodbye to the camera. After the song ends, the inspector escapes through the trees.

Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack Research
The Band
The band, Massive Attack, consisted of three members. Formed in 1988, the group originated from Bristol and produced trip hop music. They were most successful in the 90's, winning a Brit Award for the best British dance act, two MTV Europe Music Awards, and two Q Awards. They have released five studio albums that have sold over 11 million copies worldwide. The group temporarily shortened their name to 'massive' at the time of the Gulf War so that the were not seen as insensitive or disrespectful.

Blue Lines - The Album
Blue Lines, their debut album, was released in 1991. massive Attack worked on Blue Lines for about eight months. The album featured break beats, sampling and rapping on a number of tracks but the design of the album differed from traditional hip hop. Massive Attack approached the American-born hip hop movement from an underground British perspective and also incorporated live instruments into the mixes. It features the vocals of Shara Nelson and Horace Andy, along with the rapping of Tricky Kid. Blue Lines proved to be popular in clubs as well as on college radio stations.

Unfinished Sympathy - Song and Video
"Unfinished Sympathy" was released as the second single from the band's debut album Blue Lines. The single was very successful. It managed to reach the charts and later went silver in the UK. The single was accompanied by a memorable music video, featuring a single continuous shot of Shara Nelson walking through a Los Angeles neighbourhood, oblivious of her surroundings which consist of various street cultures.