Nathan Powell: July 2010

Friday 9 July 2010

Andrew Goodwin - Theory

Goodwin helps to identify the different juxtapositions happening within a pop video.

Illustration

Music: Always cuts to the beat

Lyrics: Images illustrate the literall meaning or feeling of the lyrics, often just with the band singing and dancing.

Band image: The band area band - singing, dancing/playing instruments dressed as would be expected

Amplification

Music: cuts on the beat but also off to emphasise features

Lyrics: Images simplify the lyrics, a specific narrative may be used that would not necessarily be picked from reading the lyrics alone.

For example Scouting for girls made a song called "this aint a love song". The lyrics of this song are "this aint a love song this is goodbye". This is shown in the video by couples and families upset and saying goodbye to each other at an airport.

Band image: The band take on fictional roles in the image

Disjuncture

Music: music cuts off the beat (sometimes, not always) the sign of a badly made video

Lyrics: Images which do not relate to the lyrics used, sometimes used by bands who are already very well established who can afford to take the risk

Band image: The band take on an image that is nothing like or the complete opposite of their expected imagine, e.g. the lead singer of texas dresses up as elvis.

As a manager of a boy band, you wouldn't usually do a disjuncture video as it would not suit the type of band/lyrics to the song.

Bordwell & Thompson's theory (2001) and Carol Vernallis Theory

The pictorial qualities within a video.

Patterns, light and dark, color similarities and differences
Can be used to create smooth continuity or abrupt contrast

Graphic match - shots link together by graphic similarities
Graphic continuity - point of interest remaining contrast throughout cuts, maintaining a color theme, same lighting levels.

Rhythmic

Editing the footage and thinking about the duration of each shot - how long each shot runs for before cutting to the next
rhythmic editing will show that each shot runs on length according to the beat and tempo of the music
Different shots will give different effects ( the faster the beat, the shorter the shots).

Spacial - basically maintaining continuity through thinking about the space where the events of the music video takes place.

Continuity (establishing shot)
The "Kullshov effect" (no establishing shot)
Crosscutting ( parallel editing)

Temporal
Still uses continuity
Based on the time frame that the action is taking place in - and how the video footage maniplates time.

Order (order of the events)
Duration (how long for)
Frequency (how often)

Carol Vernallis

MTV Stlye Editing:

Frequent
Disjuncture
Different to film editing

Pop video editing has many functions, these change rapidly. Not one element must gain the upper hand and it must keep up in the present moment.

These changing rapidly, not one element must hain upper hand and it must keep us in the present moment

Shots and edits:

pop video editing
Hollywood editing
Continuity rules
Prevents time and space overtaking
preserves time and space

Thursday 8 July 2010

Green Day - Know your enemy

Sound
Singing
Instruments ( gruitar and drums )
Loud music and loud lip syncing

Mise en scene
All members wearing black rock-like clothing
Long black hair
Fire in the background
Quite dark, not much lighting

Editing
Rapid cuts between the members
Montage editing

Cinematography
Close ups of the faces and the instruments they are playing
High angle shot of the band playing
Close up of the instruments and the band members
Long shots of the locations

Performance
Eye contact with audience
Jumping and dancing

The calling - Whereever you will go

Cinematography
Lomg shot of the band playing with the lead singer at the front.
Close up if a man and a lady, showing love.
Close up of his girlfriends tattoo.
Close up of him singing into the microphone.

Sound
A guitar and drums are constantly being played slowly over the top of the music to show emotion abd sadness of the song.
Quit and slow singing speeds up

Mise en scene
In a place on the street playing and singing.
Graffiti in the background on all of the walls.
Wearing black clohtes suggests there rock style of music

Editing
Montage editing throughout.
Cuts between each performer and the girl as she is getting her tattoo, shows they are missing eachother with relates to the song name.

Performance
The person performing shows eye contact with the audience.
The female who is not singing also shows eye contact showing that the love song is being sung about her.

Chipmunk - Superstar

Artist: Chipmunk
Song: Superstar
Album: I am chipmunk, Platinum edition

What is the song about:
The song is about Chipmunk as he is growing up and he is rapping and singing about becoming a superstar in the futre. He raps about his memories at school and the video shows pictures from him at school.

In the music video Chipmunk is performing throughout and lip syncing the words whilst showing eye contact with the audience. However the music video also shows pictures from previous times in his career, such as performing on stage infront of thousands of people.

i think the target audience for this song would be for teenagers around 15-19 years of age. This is because the artist talks about growing up and his time as a superstar so far, and becoming a superstar is many teenagers dream. In the video Chipmunk is the main person. However they show pictures of him with other famous people such as:
Kano, tinchy stryder, Dappy from ndubz, fern cotton, davina mccall, ian wright and many more.
The video had one main location where it takes place. This is on top of a building which seems to be in London due to the high buildings surrounding him.

Kings of leon - Use Somebody

Band: Kings of leon
Song: Use Somebody
Album: Only by the night
Genre: Alternative rock

Frontman Caelv Followill wrote this song about longing for somebody to have a cuddle with thile feeling lonely on the rad, and its also about being far from home and comfort. The song was made just after a huge arguement/fallout among the band members and noone was speaking to another. Caleb Followill started playing the chords and sang out "You know, i could use somebody...". This ended he fight and brang the group back together.

In the video if use somebody by kings of leon the video is typical for a boyband. Yje videos shows them performing singely and togehter. The video uses montage editing as the locations change. For example one minute they are performing and then it changed to them playing together and socially with eachother. The video also shows them lip sinking and beggining of the video shows a number of shots of them and the area around them which is at night and is dark. This matches the sad and dull lyrics of the love song.

The video is a combination of performance, narrative and abstract. This is because the video shows them performing as a band but also shows them doing their everyday things with their girlfriends and drinking with their friends.